Stranger From Another World

by ZimPop

Summary:

When random portals start opening all around New York, Casey and his new family have their hands full dealing with the fallout. However one of the portals doesn't drop a monster from some unknown hellscape, but an almost familiar face that's nothing like the one Casey knows. Intrigued by this stranger Casey can't help but want to be close to him and learn as much as he can, and yes, he's sure these new weird feelings in his stomach and the constant heat in his face has nothing to do with it.

Now ‘Registered users only’ due to AI scrapping. Sorry.

Notes:

Bwahaha! I started writing this as a joke, and now my brain has so many ideas and scenes and I can't wait to get them all written down! Also, I might end up changing the rating, either keep it M, move it up to E or whatnot, but I'm not sure so I'm just going to keep it at M for now, but forewarning there could end up being intimate scenes down the line.
Anyways! Enjoy!

Chapter 1

 

He wasn’t… really sure what to make of this.

“On your feet.”

With the end of a sword nudging warningly under his chin and a stubborn foot pinning his weapon to the ground, Casey found himself following the order cautiously. As he stood, he slowly moved his hands up by his head, palms open and empty, all accept the gloves that covered them.

“Lift up your mask.”

“You know normally people say please.”

The familiar and yet off looking mutant standing before him didn’t appear amused by his words in the slightest, Casey’s hands twitching before he eventually wrapped them around the edges of his mask. With little preamble he slid it to rest atop his head, his face carefully blank as he let this stranger look him over.

“Care to talk now?”

“It certainly makes it easier.” Though he didn’t lower his sword as he spoke.

Casey’s eyes played at disinterest as they trailed to the tip of the blade mere inches from his face.

Swallowing down the building saliva in his throat, he decided to just go for it.

“Your name wouldn’t happened to be Leonardo Hamato would it?”

Instead of looking shocked, the fighter’s eyes just narrowed, so bright and bold and different from the ones he had known his whole life. “I’m guessing yours is Casey Jones.”

For some reason, he wasn’t sure why it came as a surprise that if there were other thems in the world, there would be other hims too. Eyes darting to the end of the weapon once more he took a small step back.

“Technically, Casey Jones Jr.” He admitted. “Casey Jones, or Cassandra Jones, is my Mom.”

“Huh, no kidding, eh?” The other scoffed.

“Are you guys’ not friends where you come from?”

“Casey’s a very loyal friend and would risk his life for any one of us just like we would for him.” Came the quick response, those icy pools never once letting up.

A little confused by the situation if apparently they were so close, Casey stared past the blade to arch a brow at the mutant before him.

“Oh? Then why the cold greeting?”

“You’re not him.”

He… couldn’t deny that.

“Fair enough.”

Not sure where to go from here, Casey kept himself still, wondering if this version was just as capable of murder as his Sensei had been.

Going on the first few patrols with their younger counterparts had been a bit of a shock. Unlike in his timeline where Casey’s first kill had been a thing of celebration, a right of passage really among the young that grew up in the apocalypse, they had been completely appalled at how ready Casey was to permanently put their enemies down for good. It had taken him quiet awhile to avoid going for killing strokes.

Which was why he was in the predicament he was in now.

“So, tell me,” snapping his attention back to the here and now, Casey tilted his chin up to avoid the slight raise of the blade kissing his skin. Although he basically had to look down his nose to be able to see the shorter male, Casey kept a sharp eye on him as he drew closer. “Where are they?”

“Who?”

“My brothers.” Leo pressed, “we were doing our rounds, there was a sudden green light and now I’m here and they’re not and you’re here, weapons rearing, so where are they?”

Ah, Casey saw where the misunderstanding was.

“I had no intention of attacking you.” He said.

From the tightening at the corners of the other’s lips, Casey had a feeling he wasn’t believed. But he’d learned in all his years growing up that if you wanted to keep an opposing side with a bigger enemy to worry about from slitting your throat first, one should talk fast and keep to the point.

“These portals have been opening all across the city and almost everything coming out of them has been hostile. Leo-,” He paused, lips pressing together when he realized how confusing this could end up becoming. “Leon, our teams’ leader, had us split up to cover more ground. If one of the portals conjures up something more than one person can take, they’re supposed to com in and get whoever’s closest to assist.”

“Seems like maybe he should have thought about the consequences of some of his teammates mindlessly starting fights they can’t finish.” This Leo huffed, the blade sliding against the side of Casey throat now as he stepped closer.

Casey kept very still at the cool touch ghosting over his flesh, mindful of the fact that the only reason it wasn’t carving into him was because this guy knew just how much pressure to apply to cut while avoiding drawing blood. “I’m sorry I attacked you.” His voice was calm, but tense, his dark eyes burning into the cool oceans that idly stared back up at him. “I don’t have… the best experience with creatures coming through portals… I was on my way to another location and yours mineralized out of nowhere. I didn’t take the time to assess just what was coming out and I made a rash decision.” 

The leader in blue seemed… intrigued, maybe, by his apology, the pressure easing slightly from where his jugular pulsed against it.

“I’m not used to a Casey admitting he’s wrong.”

“And I’m not used to a Leo holding a sword to my throat.” He poked back, tilting his head to the side slightly to continue adding just the slight bit of distance between his life’s blood and the other’s weapon. “Seems like today is full of new experiences.”

“I guess it is.”

A ghost of a smile graced the mutant’s lips, and Casey found himself struggling not to smile back.

It was the soft green glow slowly building up around the fighter’s head and shoulders that warned Casey of what was coming next.

Without hesitating he stepped forward and grabbed a hold of the misplaced mutant, shoving him to the side and out of the way seconds before a roaring scream dropped on him. He met with the ground hard but was barely able to get out so much as a grunt before long, slimy tentacles were wrapping around his arms and a set of wickedly sharp fangs snapped in his face, detached from the mouth by a long, strong muscle that gave it far to much reach. Struggling to dodge the invasive creature as it attempted to rip out his throat Casey couldn’t help but wonder what would kill him first; the teeth trying to rip him to pieces? Or the stench of its breath that rivaled a thousand corpses?

And yes, he did know what that smelled like.

“Get off of me!”

 Using one hand to keep it at bay his other hand struggled to move between the folds of his battle gear, searching for one of his knives or any other gadget now that his staff was a good four feet out of his reach.

But his fingers kept getting caught or slipping and briefly he regretted needing so many layers in the first place.

Just as he was sure those teeth were going to be the end of him, a sword was shoved between the two and thrusted upwards.

The unknown creature screamed as its fangs were severed, the teeth dropping to the ground and missing Casey by mere inches as he jerked his head to the side. When it reared itself back in pain, he rolled in the direction of his weapon, getting onto his feet with it placed properly back in his hands.

“Thanks for the assist.”

“No problem.” The other mumbled, blades spinning in his hand as he stood at Casey’s side, both bracing themselves at the thundering roar of the beast.

It towered over them, nearly half the size of the buildings they were sandwiched between in the alley. There was a revolting scent oozing from the pulsing pours across wet looking flesh, the colour almost sickly yellowish green. As the pain of losing its fangs seemed to dull, an off shade deep blue pouring from what must have been its mouth, it stared them down from a series of empty sockets located at what must have been its shoulders.

The tentacles spasmed behind it, a giant, clawed paw raising high into the air before smashing into the concrete in a heavy step. The weight of the blow alone left both men tittering for balance, Casey hunching down lower while the one next to him let out a threatening hiss in response to the continuous rumble. It didn’t stop there though, and Casey tightened his hands around his weapon when its mouth opened wider, countless snapping jaws weaving around each other as they wiggled out of the darkness of the maw and into the barely lit streets of New York.

“If this is what you thought was coming out, I don’t blame you for throwing the first hit.”

Glancing over at him, Casey spared a precious second to offer a truce. “So, no hard feelings?”

His response was a scoff, those bright blue eyes darting over to him with a teasing smirk tugging at their corners.

“Let’s see if we can survive this first. Then we’ll talk.”

Smirking back, he gave a single nod.

Then they were off.

The masked fighter hit first, using the wall as a springboard to gather momentane and speed. He flipped through the air in a mesmerizing arch, one of his swords drawn back and ready for the swing.

The creature let out a roar so loud that it shook the glass, some of the fragments even showering down into the alley along with a fountain of blood splattered across the concrete.

Casey had to admit as he watched the mutant bracing himself against the creature’s side, able to stay in place even with all the thrashing movements due to the sword he had anchored just above its shoulders, it wasn’t a bad idea.

Figuring if he was going to take the high ground Casey should go for the low, he ducked and dodge the swarm of teeth snapping for him and slid under its belly.

Whatever Leo was doing up top, it made the beast wildly rock itself to the side, body slamming into one of the walls hard enough that bricks and debris rained down on him. Eyeing the tiny legs it had to stand on, Casey twirled his staff in hand and flipped the switch to bring the chain to life.

He cut through the legs it was balancing on, diving and rolling out of the way just before it could crash and crush him underneath. Above he could see Leo flipping and twisting out of the way of the slimy appendages trying to grab him, slicing and swirling in a whirlwind of blades and such well-honed fury that Casey found himself stunned by it.

This guy moved in a way far different from his master, both past… or future he guessed, and present. He’d always known his Sensei to rely heavily on being able to call upon his teleporting, a great advantage to his style that he had spent years honing to a perfection. But this Leo didn’t. He didn’t even draw upon his ninpo, the Hamato family glow missing from his scales as he slide across the wide shoulders he was perched on and leapt upwards at just the right moment, getting the tentacles following him to meet with the snapping teeth.

“Whoa.”

Casey was so caught up in watching the ever quick and changing flow of the fighter above him, that he almost forgot what they were doing in the first place.

His staff jumped up in front of his face more out of subconscious habit to protect himself than it did from his own actions alone, a set of teeth clamping down hard on the metal and latching on before giving it a strong yank.

With a yelp he found himself being lifted into the air, swinging around the still standing side of its body with a large arch. As he rounded the wide area, he could feel his eyes growing round at the countless amount of teeth just waiting to sink into him. One hand letting go of the staff he quickly searched in his pockets, a feat that was much easier this time without something nearly two tons trying to crush him. Finding what he was looking for he gave a small laugh of victory, clicking down on the center of it before tossing it hard into the center of the mess.

It beeped once, drawing curious snarls in its direction.

Casey let go of his weapon and allowed it to fling him out of range, one final beep sounding off before-

A loud- BOOM!- cut through the area, his eyes sealing themselves shut to avoid being blinded by the white light that followed the plethora of screams. He rolled into a kneeling position, seeing that not only had the blast destroyed most of the snapping threat, but had also blown a huge crater into the creature’s side.  

Looked like its skin wasn’t as tough as it appeared.

A yell caught his attention next, his heart leaping to his throat to see the blue banded turtle tilting majorly to one side as the beast staggered before it dropped further and abruptly, crashing into the building on its other side now, the impact pitching the mutant from his spot.

For a brief moment, Casey chastised himself for thinking that he was in trouble, knowing full well that Leos had teleporting abilities.

Until the ground continued to draw closer and closer and closer…

And a flash of a thought jolted through his brain that- just maybe- it was only his Leos’ that could teleport.

Bolting from his spot Casey sprinted towards the slumping beast, his feet smacking into the ground hard as he pushed himself to reach the flaying individual heading for the ground at breakneck speed. Seeing a large piece of rubble, which must have been part of the wall at some point, Casey aimed himself for it, running up it without breaking his stride and throwing himself off the end.

With arms wide open he caught the mutant, tugging him close as they both fell and hit the ground.

The landing hurt, but he managed to ease some of the impact, curling in tight around the body in his hold and keeping them both as still as possible while he rolled over his shoulder and back onto his feet.

Still crouched, still clinging to the mutant from another world, their breathing remained heavy and quick for a few short breaths, each of them taking the time to catch up with what had just happened.

Jeez. That had been a close one.

Hanging his head Casey could feel the tension in his body loosening, his grip around the strong mutant in his arms going lax. Barely did he have a second to start pulling away before the other Leo seemed to spasm, flaying wildly in his hold and before Casey knew what was going on, legs were being clamped around his shoulders and his body being used as a pole as the mutant heaved himself up.

All thoughts cut out, his mind narrowing down to nothing but the feeling of those strong thighs clasped around his head tightly and how surprisingly soft they were and-.

A wet splosh hit the ground before him, dark eyes only getting a moment to notice the clawed hand that must have been reaching out for him before the thighs unwrapped from around him, feet pressing against his shoulders and a hand on his head shoving him down. His body went from a pole to a springboard in seconds as the other leapt off his shoulders.

The force of it pushed him back on his ass, his lungs heaving for air as he caught the tail end of the fighter’s spin, his heart in his throat and his stomach twisting in ways he didn’t understand as he witnessed the sword flying from his hands and straight into the beast skull.

He sat there, not sure what to do but feeling an odd heat creeping upon his cheeks as he stared in awe at the one standing over his kill.

“Knowledge for next time,” Leo said, and only now was Casey picking up on just how deep and almost raspy his voice was. His thoughts were quickly distracted from the sound of his voice however when he met those sharp eyes. “Just because its down, doesn’t mean its out.”

He found himself pausing in the middle of getting back to his feet, his hand clenching hard around his knee when the other tossed a smirk over his shoulder as he slid his weapons back into place.

Something burst in his chest and squirmed in his stomach.

The other Leo must have found the expression across his face amusing, giving a small huff of a laugh before he made to continue.

“Thanks for the catch by the way.”

“Uh, y-yeah. Any- anytime.”

Why did it feel like he was suddenly being possessed by the Kraang and that their tendrils were crawling around every organ he had?

While his mind reeled with this new feeling, he almost missed the exit the other made, scrambling the rest of the way to his feet and chasing after him.

“Wait! Where are you going?”

“I have to find my brothers.”

The blunt response made Casey pause, but he kept to the other’s side, scooping up his weapon when he passed it and clicking it back into place between his shoulders.

“If you’re looking for them, you should come with me.” He suggested, both of them peering around the exit of the alley and making sure it was clear before heading out.

Seemed that most New Yorkers knew to stay indoors when things took a weird turn. Casey couldn’t blame them.

“Master Donald will probably be able to pinpoint their whereabouts.”

The mutant before him stopped so suddenly that he nearly ran straight into his shell. Casey had a moment to compare just how short this guy was, barely reaching his chin, unlike Master Leon who was nearly his height and would only continue to grow if his time with Master Leonardo was anything to go by, before the other Leo spun on his heels and he found himself looking into deep, ocean eyes once more.

“Master Donald? Is he this worlds Donnie? Does everyone call him that?”

Faltering under the intense gaze Casey quickly found himself shaking his head. “No. It’s only me. Force of habit… I guess.”

He got an arched brow ridge for that one, but Leo seemed to consider it. “You said you have coms right?” He added a moment later, looking over Casey’s gear as if he would be able to find the small device. “Can you get a hold of him and ask? If the whole city is like this, the sooner I find them the b-.”

Leo didn’t get to finish, his request interrupted by yet another unholy screech.

Both of them snapped their heads around to see yet another creature- with wings this time, perfect- being dropped in from another randomly opened portal. This time it was Casey finding himself being shoved out of the way, back into the alley and against the wall just as a giant horn as long as he was tall, flew past them and speared itself into the concreate like a Kraang missile through their old headquarters.

Although his back stunk a little bit from where his weapon had been slammed against his spine he knew it was the better option and spared a quick glance down at the one who still had a fistful of the front of his cape clutched between his hand, keeping Casey pinned against the wall. He didn’t seem to be paying the human any mind, his eyes narrowed and slitted white while his focus remained just outside the alley.

“Thanks.”

His appreciation drew the other back to attention, but he was surprised to find himself missing the contact when the other Leo seemed to realize he was still touching him and pulled back.

“Can you contact your… Donald?”

“I can, but he’s probably got his hands full right now.” Casey muttered, the screaming and sirens a blaring background noise to help accompany his statement. The other’s lips pressed firm, and Casey could already see the stubbornness settling in his eyes. Knowing from years of experience that it was better to put a plan in place before the thin period of opportunity fled forever he quickly made a statement. “Look, if your brothers are even half as good as you, they’ll be fine. There’s a high chance that they’ll even run into some of the other mutants and yokai that Leon and Draxum rallied together after the Kraang attack.” His words didn’t seem to be helping, maybe even confusing the poor guy more. Quickly, Casey pressed on. “If you just run around out there, you’ll never find them. Master Donald can help you, but we need to get a handle on this first.”

“But my brothers-.”

“We’ll keep an eye out for them, but running around a large city while its under attack for a handful of people isn’t going to lead you anywhere.” Casey informed him. “Stick with me. If we don’t find them before all of this is over, I’ll take you to Donald and make sure that he does everything he can to help you find them. Deal?”

Holding his hand out, he let his expression remain serious and honest. Not only did he just want this stranger to remain close so he could bring him to the others, but his help during this whole mess would be greatly appreciated. He was an excellent fighter, and with all of them stretched thin as it was, Casey was willing to take any help he could get his hands on.

Blue eyes peered at his hand, giving it a scrutinizing once over before he let out a short sigh and brought his hand up to clasp with Casey’s. “Deal.”

“Great!”

His hyper explosion made the other’s eyes go wide, leaving Casey’s face flushing hotly in embarrassment. With a quick clear of his throat- as if that could cover up his fumble- Casey tightened his hold around the others hand before slowly letting him go.

“Is it okay if I call you Leo?”

The shelled mutant gave a small shrug of his shoulders, turning his back on Casey and moving back to the opening of the alley, already ready to get started.

“I suppose if you guys call yours Leon it will make things less… complicated. I’m calling you Jones.”

He didn’t give Casey a choice, picking out the name he would be addressing him by going forward with little care if Casey would have preferred something else or not. Casey didn’t mind though, quickly joining Leo in peering around the corner to see the new monster they would be dealing with.

“So, you have a plan?”

He figured the amused chuckle was answer enough.

Chapter 2

Notes:

Sweet! Finished this one just before heading off to work! Anyways, enjoy!

They hadn’t found them, and it took way longer to get into the tunnels to head back to the lair than Casey had originally thought it would.

What had felt like mere minutes on some occasions had actually spanned into an entire twenty-four hours before the portals had stopped appearing and the last random otherworld breast had been delt with. Although long stretches of battle were really nothing new to Casey he had to admit that the last few months of genuine rest might have made him rather soft compared to how he used to be, and he found himself aching just as much as any other mutant or yokai that he’d seen tiredly trudging themselves back home.

Even his new companion looked a little worn, walking with the slightest limp that Casey could tell he was clearly trying to hide, overcompensating for it by powering on ahead with his head up and shoulders stiff. It didn’t seem to matter that Casey would have to call out directions every now and again so he wouldn’t get lost in the twist and wind of the sewer tunnels, he was leading them apparently and Casey didn’t see the point in arguing over it.

While he used his staff more as a walking stick at this point, dragging his feet along the well known route towards home, Leo seemed determined to keep his own weapons at the ready. Not that Casey could blame him, just because the larger monsters had been dealt with didn’t mean that there weren’t smaller ones that couldn’t slip through.

“Take a right here.” Casey mumbled, his words interrupted with a large yawn.

“How much further is it?”

Blinking blearily, almost in shock that his companion had spoken after such a long silence, Casey took the time to map the rest of the way out in his head.

“At this pace? I’d say another… fifteen minutes?”

Leo sighed but didn’t say anything as he took to the right, disappearing from Casey’s sight for all of two seconds before he was behind him again.

“These tunnels don’t make any sense.”

The words were mumbled so quietly, he couldn’t help but wonder if he was supposed to respond to them at all. Eventually though he figured a conversation might be nice to have. He didn’t know anything about this guy after all, getting some information on him before he took him to the heart of where everyone he cared about would be gathering was probably an idea he should have thought about already.

Taking a strong step forward and picking up his stride, Casey brought himself to keep pace with Leo, his staff offering a rhythmic beat for them to march to.

“You mentioned Master Donald being this worlds Donnie, do you also have a brother named Donatello?”

“Yes.” Leo mumbled, Casey pointing to the right just before they hit the next corner. “I’m guessing you have a Rapheal and a Michealangelo as well?”

“Master Raph and Master Angelo.” Casey agreed, “but I’m guessing you don’t call them that.”

Leo let out a huff of a laugh, glancing up at a manhole when someone walked across it and cut out the dim light for only a moment. He slowed, but didn’t stop, as if he was accessing if the movement was a threat or not. Casey copied his change in pace, picking up right along with him when Leo seemed to deem it as a nonissue.

“No. I wouldn’t say any of us are at the level to be called a master quite yet. We have a lot left to learn to reach that title.”

Casey couldn’t even being to fathom what he was talking about. From what he had witnessed, if all of them were at the same level, they could have been masters two times over. But he didn’t bother giving voice his opinion, instead allowing his eyes to trail over the other now that they had more than two seconds to relax and where not going to be jumping into another fight anytime soon.

He looked… different than Leon. His skin was darker, marks that the Slider had always taken great pride in were missing, he was a little… rounder? Softer? Casey wasn’t sure how to describe it, but although he could see the strength even while his body was at rest, flexing in his arms and legs, his shape was vastly different from all of the hard angles and edges of Master Leon. Even the blue of his mask looked like a slight off shade of Leon’s.

In his examination of the texture of the fabric however Casey couldn’t help but notice the dark circles that peeked from beneath the blue cloth in the slightest gaps that appeared as Leo moved. At first, he thought maybe he had taken a hit and not said anything with all the craziness of the moment and then in the haste of wanting to get back to the lair to find his brothers he had forgotten. Looking at it closer however he noticed how they didn’t seem to be bruises, but shadows, a familiar sight anyone could point out in a snap growing up in the places Casey had.

The idea of an eight hour, unbroken sleep had nearly blown his mind when he’d first been scolded about his sleeping habits from Master Angelo. Even though it had been months, he found it a hard schedule to adapt to. But that was for another day.

He let his eyes explore further, his brows furrowing and his lips pinching as he noticed that the gear sat… oddly on Leo’s body.

The pieces shifted and shimmied a little too much, showcasing how loose they were while other parts that could be tightened left the worn spots that they used to sit at on display inches from where it had been sinched in. This Leo was thin, but in a different way to Master Leon. His skin looked stretched almost, and there was a slight hollowness to his cheeks that had Casey’s mind already worrying about the last time he’d eaten and how much food he would need to feed him to keep him moving.

Leo said they were on patrol when he’d been warped here, and he seemed to have an almost obsessive need to get back to his brothers. While Casey couldn’t really blame him for being worried about his loved ones after being snatched away from them and not knowing about their whereabouts, he couldn’t help but wonder if this Leo was from a similar environment as him. He certainly looked the part and acted with a stiff sort of coldness that was very familiar.

But Casey didn’t want to press, knowing it wouldn’t do him any good to be obsessing over where he’d come from.

“Left.” Casey turned first, Leo legging behind for only a moment before he was back at his side.

As they stepped down the newest stretch of tunnel, they didn’t notice the debris that must have fallen into the sewers from the damage above. He didn’t catch sight of the pipe that was in the middle of the path until Leo’s foot was basically on it, the mutant distracted with a widely gaping pipeline far above their heads spewing a fountain of water.

Casey was too late to grab him before his leg shot out from underneath him, the action accompanied with a pain shout that echoed like a shot in the tunnels. His leg crumbled and nearly pitched him to the ground. When Casey made a move to stabilize him however the sharp snarl along with the snap of teeth in his direction made him halt.

“Don’t.”

Putting his hands up, Casey backed off a step.

He allowed Leo to sort himself out, but still kept a careful eye on him as he hobbled with his next few steps. After only a few feet however he stopped, tilting his head back and sucking down a sharp breath. Feeling awkward and not sure if an offer of help would be appreciate or if it would get his head bitten off, Casey figured the least he could do was stop watching the guy like he was some type of spectacle.

When he looked away though, his eyes fell on his staff, standing firm and strong in his hold.

With a new idea he snapped his head back towards the silently suffering mutant.

“Do you think we could trade weapons?”

Leo didn’t look away from the top of the tunnel. “What?”

Spinning his staff in his hand Casey took a step closer, rolling and rubbing at his shoulder as if it was arching. “Sorry, it’s just, it gets a little heavy you know? I don’t want to put it away yet though. Not until we get back to the lair and I know were safe, but, maybe we could switch for a bit? Your swords look lighter.”

Nothing but silence greeted his offer. Leo remained still, letting out a breath heavily before lifting his hand towards Casey.

Casey knew better than to allow his smile to stretch as wide as he wanted it to and instead gratefully took the sword and traded Leo with his staff. Accepting the second blade Casey gave them a trial spin, getting used to their weight in his hands while Leo clutched his new weapon between his fingers.

“Do you know how to use those?”

“I know the basics.” Casey hummed, pulling off a few moves he could remember. Ones that were basic enough but that he had made sure to master in the short amount of time he had spent with swords before he switched over to his current blade chained staff. “Master Leonardo taught me when I was little.”

“When you were little?”

“Yeah,” he chuckled as the memories of sneaking into Leonardo’s room to steal his swords and play with them as a child flittered into his mind. “He said if I was going to play with them, I should know how to use them.”

Moving through an old section of a kata he could remember being taught years ago, he spun around, tossing one blade and catching it with his opposing hand just as he tossed the other to his previously empty palm. Finishing the movement with a flourish, Casey twirled them in his hands and rest them back at his hips, all in one smooth motion as he brought his feet together and tilted a smile to Leo.

“Do I meet your expectations?”

A single corner of Leo’s lips twitched upwards, his eyes amused as he leaned into the walking stick in his hands.

“I’ll admit you’re not to bad.”

Taking the praise for what it was a wide smile broke out over Casey’s face.

He should have known there was a catch when those eyes took on a mischievous glint. “I wouldn’t switch your main weapon anytime soon though.”

“Oh really?” Unable to help playing along now that they had finally achieved some sort of banter, Casey spun the swords again, striking a pose he could recall Master Leonardo ending a lot of his training sessions in. “You don’t think I could pull off being a sword guy?”

Leo scoffed with a toothless roll of his eyes. Shuffling forward with the staff in the lead he leaned into Casey’s space once he was close enough, shooting a teasing smirk up at him. “Let’s just say I only trust Caseys’ with blunt weapons.”

“You don’t say?” Arching his brow Casey passed one of the swords to his other hand, easily clutching the two handles in one while the other lifted to wrap around the staff, just above Leo’s fingers. Feeling odd, almost like a light energy was lifting his limbs and loosening his tongue, Casey tilted his head towards the smaller mutant who was looking up at him with an amused but guarded smirk. “I guess you didn’t notice this than.”

With no further warning, he pressed on the switch.

Leo yelped, ducking down to avoid the blades now whirling to life high above his head. His shock only seemed to last for a second though, his blue eyes wide and awed as he stared up at the deadly function of Casey’s weapon.

“Okay. I’ll admit it. That’s pretty cool.”

Hearing such admiration for his simple weapon of choice made Casey’s heart skip in ways he didn’t understand. It wasn’t like Leo was the first one to admire the craftsmanship he’d placed into it over the years under Master Donatello’s -very watchful- eye, but… well, there was just something different about it. He couldn’t place what that was exactly, but he knew it was there.

“Thanks. I think your swords are pretty neat too.”

And he wasn’t just saying that because he felt a little awkward and wanted to control the fluttering of his heart. He might need Leon to look over him once he got back if these weird things kept happening. Anyways, as simple and basic as the design was, there was something, elegant about it that he found he could appreciate when it came to the build of the blade.

So yes, there was that… But also- the happy little glow lighting up Leo’s eyes and the soft curl of his lips from the compliment took Casey’s breath away as he found his hold around the staff gripping tight and made him wish he could figure out other ways to compliment him just to keep that look on his face.

“Thank you,” The thanks was genuine and gentle, Leo’s own eyes drifting to his weapons as his smile turned amorous and woeful. “They were a gift from someone who meant a lot to me.”  

“They chose well.” Spinning the blade in his hand Casey held it horizontally between them, both admiring the glint of the dim light off its surface. “Sensei used to tell me that weapons are extensions of our souls and should be chosen with care.” And Casey had taken that conversation very seriously. It was the reason it took him so long to choose his eventual weapon, pouring days upon days to months trying to figure out what item he was going to trust enough to take with him into battle. “Swords symbolize a protective wielder, courage to do what’s necessary when no one else will, power gained through endless sacrifices, strength built through countless hours of practice, and the ability to lead others when your backs against the wall.”

Leo didn’t say anything but kept his eyes on the metal, almost as if his mind was driven elsewhere by Casey’s words.

Letting out a long sigh he pressed his lips together, ghost like memories of his mentor clawing their way to the surface that he wasted no time in laying back to rest.

“It can be a heavy burden, to be the one that others put so much faith in.”

He had watched it crush his Master in private moments when he thought no one was around, sitting alone in the dark and the quiet, looking so broken and so small…

“I’m sure your brothers appreciate the sacrifices you’ve made.”

A hollow huff of a laugh, ocean eyes distant and empty.

So much said while saying nothing at all, but Casey didn’t press, respectfully backing up once he realized just how much he’d been leaning in, giving Leo some space as he shook himself out.

“You know,” Casey took his hand off the staff when Leo used it to move forward, leaning on it just enough that he figured it must be taking weight off his injured leg and allowing him to continue. “You’re not like our Casey at all.”

Keeping just a few steps behind the mutant Casey kept a careful eye on him as he allowed him to set whatever pace he could manage. “Really?” He asked, intrigued to hear about this other version of himself from another world. “It’s going to be a right up here.” He tossed out, Leo nodding in understanding. Then, unable to help himself he opened his mouth again, “what’s he like?”

Leo let out a chuckle as he took the direction Casey gave, shooting him an almost teasing grin before disappearing around the corner.

“A bonehead.”

Chapter 3

Notes:

And here be the Rise! Boys!

They're uh, not the biggest fans of Leo right now. XD

“These… are your Masters?”

“Uh…” Casey winced, shoulders jumping to his ears at the loud bang that shook the lair.

“Ow! Donnie what the hell!”

“Leo! Language!”

“Raph, I don’t feel so well…”

“Ew! Ew! Ew! Micheal!”

Staring down at the absolutely chaotic scene from the second floor they stood on the edge of, Casey gave a somewhat sheepish smile at the goings on below. “They haven’t really grown into themselves just yet.” He admitted, watching Leo’s wide eyes follow the blur of colours darting around the main room of the lair while Leon struggled to carrel his brothers towards the med bay. “But they’re the best warriors the world has ever seen-,”

“Donnie, I swear to god if you bite me one more ti-OW! Oh-. That. Is. IT!”

“Oo,” grimacing at the way Master Leon tackled his brother to the floor, inciting a full-on turtle fight as they each tried to get the upper hand, Casey rubbed at the back of his neck with the slightest tilt of a humorous grin pulling at his lips. “Or at least… they will be.”

“Will be…?”

“Master Le!- Oh! Sorry, I mean Leon!”

“Casey?”

Casey waved his full arm to make it easier for their eyes to find him, leaning far over the edge with a full blown smile on his face, glad to see they were all alive and… mostly well. In turn they stared back at him, or really, his companion, eyes blown wide and jaws dropped. Except for Mikey- or Angelo, who was draped over Raph’s back looking a little greener than usual.

Moving from Micheal to see just how much Donald was leaning against Leon and favoring his right leg he felt his brows furrowing in concern as he dropped his arm and leaned furthered.

“What happened?”

“Uh… I could ask you the same thing pequeno.” Leon mumbled, pulling Don’s arm over his shoulders. “Whacha got there Junior?”

“It’s Leonardo.” The answer didn’t come from Casey, but Donald, who looked like he was already far past his shock and was ready to hit a mattress and not move for at least two days. “But a different one.”

Of course, if any of them knew about this already it would be Master Donatel- Donald. He’d probably looked into the concept of different dimensions even without the Kraang being a threat. Either way, the lack of any warning from the smartest of the Hamato clan was apparently enough for Leon to relax the dark look in his eyes even if they still remained highly guarded. With a grunt he took more of Donald’s weight against his body, all but dragging his brother to the med wing now that he was too tired to fight.

“Alright well, we’ll talk about you bring strays home after we’re done taking care of these bozos.” His voice was light enough to be playful, but Casey recognized the underlining reprimand tracing the words. “I’m gonna need your help though so get down here. New guy-,” From the corner of his eye he could see Leo tense at being addressed, but otherwise he said nothing. “Any injuries I should know about?”

“…No.”

“What about-?”

“Great. Then you can wait on the couch. Casey,” Snapping back to attention at being addressed he could feel his shoulders tense. “Cualquier dia de estos joven.”

“Si! Sorry Sensei!”

Jumping from the second floor Casey was surprised when another body fell beside him. Panic flashed through his mind at the thought of Leo landing on his leg and what that would do considering that just having it roll out from under him made it bad enough he couldn’t walk on it without assistance, but there was nothing he could do about it now. As soon as he landed in his- what Micheal had dubbed his ‘superhero’ pose’- he snaped his attention over to the other fighter, watching as Leo dived into a roll, doing a few rounds before smoothly rolling up onto his feet, all his weight shifted off his bad leg in as natural of a stance as one could manage.

He wasn’t going to lie. It was pretty impressive.

But before Leon could even make it to the archway of the medical area, Leo spoke.

“With all due respect, I don’t intent to stick around.”

While he took a few more steps in the direction he’d been summoned to, Casey found himself eventually stopping to watch as Leon paused and than tilted his upper body to face the newcomer. There was a tension in the air he knew he wasn’t fond of.

Leon gave the stranger a quick look up and down before shrugging his shoulders and turning back to his task. “Then by all means man, see yourself out.”

“I need to ask your Donatello some questions first. The sooner the better.”

Casey could feel his skin growing cold at the hiss of a scoff Leon let out in turn to the demand, tugging his twin closer as if he thought this guy would forcibly rip him from his side if he didn’t. “Yeah well, sorry to disappoint ya there buddy-boyo, but Dontron is gonna be out of commission for some time so-.”

“I was told he might be able to pinpoint the location of my brothers.” Leo insistent, Casey sinking into his shoulders at the glare that was aimed his way briefly from his future master. “If he can’t do it himself, then show me where his lab is and I’ll figure it out.”

“Blow us all sky high more likely.” Leon muttered, his words obviously missed by Leo if the confused tilt of his head was anything to go by. “Look,” Leon let out a lengthy sigh, moving to the side slightly to allow Raphie to pull on ahead of him. “I get where you’re coming from, I do, but I have to take care of my team first.” He spoke sternly, no jokes or softness added to his tone to ease his words. “If you can wait, we have no problem helping you, but if you need to find them right now, you’re going to have to do it on your own.”

“But Sensei it will be a wild goose chase out there. How would he even know-?”

“Third option.” Casey could physically see Leon stilling himself to not lash out as Leo took a step closer with the aid of Casey’s staff. “Show me where his lab is.”

All polite pretenses Leon had been giving up to this point vanished. His lips pressed flat, his eyes going hollow and yet still not losing a bit of the sharpness to them as he glared down at the stranger.

“You’re not setting foot in my brother’s lab.”

“I need that information.”

“And I told you, you’ll get it. If you wait.”

“I don’t have time to wait!” Leo snapped drawing a few steps closer before he came to a halt, Casey’s eyes taking in the way his hands twitched around the staff he clung to and how heavily he was leaning against it. No doubt he’d forgotten about the pain in his leg until he’d stomped on it. “Every second I’m in here they could be in trouble. If you really understood, you would be helping me to find them as soon as possible!”

The room fell silent, the only thing disturbing it being the panting breaths of Leo’s, though whether that was from pain or just from his outburst Casey couldn’t really pinpoint. Still, it was the complete and utter stillness in Leon that was setting Casey on edge. That was a state he’d rarely ever seen his Sensei in, but when he did, nothing ever went well.

“First off; do not take that tone with me in my own home,” His voice was ice cold, Casey feeling a chill going down his spine at the way they invaded the very air around them with their arctic claws. It didn’t seem to have the same effect on Leo though, his teeth gritted and his eyes narrowing at the command. “And secondly; if that’s the attitude you’re going to have, you can leave right now because neither I, nor any member of my family, is going to put up with it.”

For a moment Casey was afraid that Leo was going to argue. His body grew tense and he jolted a step forward. As quick as he was to move however, he stopped just as suddenly, hands clenched tight around the object in his hands and eyes falling closed. They both waited, Casey with nerve rattling concern as his eyes darted between the two and Leon with a frosty indifference.

When Leo did open his eyes again though there was a certain calm to his stare that helped to relax some of the tension in Casey’s shoulders.

“You’re right.” Leon still didn’t look impressed, but he didn’t interrupt the guy either. “That was… uncalled for and rude. I’m sorry.”

Finally, his Sensei seemed to settle, again shifting his hold on his brother as he gave a small nod to the mutant. “Apology accepted pitufo culo perra,” Casey’s jaw dropped, but he didn’t call his Sensei out for the comment and instead only snapped his jaw shut while glancing over at Leo, seeing his eyes narrow briefly but unable to know what was really being said also didn’t protest. “So, are you going to wait out here for us or take off?”

Even from where he stood Casey could see there was a part of Leo that still wanted to fight, but he was obviously keeping it under control, standing down with the slightest bow of his head. “I’ll wait out here until you’re finished.”

“Great.” Leon’s words were all but hissed with a smile full of teeth as he carefully turned both him and his brother back to the med wing. “Casey.”

“Oh! R-right! Coming Sensei.”

Tossing a quick glance over his shoulder Casey offered a sheepish grin to the one left behind, wondering if Leo was going to be okay to make his way to the couch or not on his own.

As he sprinted into the med wing however, coming to a stop at Leon’s side and scooping up Donnie’s free arm over his own shoulder he knew he was in for it at the scowl across the leader’s face.

“I’m guessing your charming little friend there is from one of the portals?”

“Yeah… He appeared right in front of me when I was heading east side.” Casey admitted, helping Donald up on one of the lab tables. The one furthest away from Angelo due to how much the poor guy was emptying the contents of his stomach into the bowl in his lap while Raphie rubbed at his shell. “And to be fair, I- um, actually attacked him first.”

“I don’t blame you. Guy’s a bit of a prick.”

“Leo…”

“Yeah, yeah I know.” Leon mumbled, waving his hand in Raphie’s direction while he looked over his brother’s leg. “Language.”

Uncle Rap- Raphie just shook his head at his brother, rolling his eyes hard before they landed on Casey. “How long has he been tagging along with you?”

“Um…” Giving it some thought Casey stayed next to Donald’s side as Leon moved to the sink, taking off his wraps so he could scrub himself clean. Apparently, they weren’t going to have to worry about holding Master Donald down this time, seeing as how he was already dead to the world, mouth wide open as he slept. Chuckling softly, Casey again moved when Leo came back, taking his turn to go to the sink now while he thought Raphie’s question over. “The last twenty four to twenty six hours? Give or take?”

“You didn’t think to say something over comms?”

Seeing where he was coming from Casey winced slightly at how blindsided they must have felt being given no warning before he showed up in their home with a complete stranger.

“I…”

“He just didn’t want to be told he couldn’t bring his new pet home.” Leon chirped in, cutting at the wrappings that covered from the arch of Donald’s foot to his knee, his smirk sharp as he turned his head to Casey when he joined his side, hands freshly cleaned. “Now what did I say about bring home strays pequeno? The feral ones stay outside of the lair.”

“Leo’s not-.”

A loud bang coming from outside the room made everyone but Leon jump, the Slider giving a click of his tongue as he tossed the useless and dirty wrappings into a medical waste bin. “Well, that didn’t take long.”

“What was- what was that?” Angelo asked, looking up just long enough to glance around before having to double over again.

“Jeez Miguel, at this rate I’m starting to think there might have been some poison in that quill.” Leon tasked before turning to Raphie, never once stopping in his work of wiping Donald’s leg clean.

And now that Casey was seeing it, he could see why Leo was gunning to get it fixed.

“Yo Raph, can you give Mike some of those mystic pills from the cabinet? They’re in a light blue bottle. Then give Draxum a call and see how much longer until he and Dad get back. We might need some mystic healing help if those don’t work.”

“On it Leo.”

“Uh… what was that noise exactly?” Casey asked, eyes darting over to the door before being drawn back to the nasty looking third degree burn covering Donald’s leg, some of the wrapping still stuck to the more damaged areas.  

Leon didn’t answer his question right away, focused on oh so carefully removing the smaller and more detailed bits from wound with the sterilized forceps he had grabbed while by the sink. Only once he was done that and traded out the tool for the special Yokai container of antiseptic quick healing cream, did he take a moment to turn back to Casey on his way over to the wash station once more.

“That sound would be your little house guest tripping one of Donnie’s boobytraps.”

Confused, Casey tilted towards him briefly before picking up the some of the non woven sponges and placing it over the effected area. “Tripping one of…? Why would he do that?”

“Because he tried to sneak into the lab.”

The easy admission nearly made Casey drop what he was doing but Leon filled his spot not even a second later, placing down the last of the sponges before grabbing the gauze and instructing Casey how to position Donald’s leg so they could properly wrap it.

“And now he can be trapped there for as long as it takes us to finish up here.” Leon hummed, carefully wrapping his brother’s leg with practiced fingers. “Can’t believe he thought I was stupid enough to believe that lame ass apology.”

“L- oh forget it.” Raph grumbled, the sound of pills clicking together drawing Casey’s attention towards the other two. “We have to help him Leo. He’s missing his brothers.”

“Well than maybe he shouldn’t be such a-,”

“-come on man.”

“-jerk. Is that word okay to say big guy?” Leon snarked, finishing up with Donnie’s leg and setting it to rest. “We’re going to help him, but we’re going to do it our way and if he has a problem with that he can leave.”

“What if his brothers aren’t here?” Angelo chimed in again, covering his mouth with his fist and bending in on himself as if he was getting ready to use the bowl again.

They all fell silent at his question, no one having an answer.

As the seconds dragged on and nothing happened Casey figured that Micheal illness must have passed momentarily, his eyes darting over to their most emotionally sane of the bunch as he stared back at them all through hazy eyes. “What if it’s just him and we don’t know how to get him back to them? What are we gonna do Leo? We can’t just leave him alone.”

Leon took in a deep breath, not turning to face any of them as he picked up the tray with all his supplies.

“We’ll figure something out.”

Being as discreet as he could, Casey tossed a look to the med bay doors.

He really hoped they weren’t going to have to figure that out.

And he hated the part of himself that was intrigued and almost excited by the idea of the blue banded warrior being stuck with them.  

Chapter 4

Casey was starting to think that the only reason Leon wanted him in here was so that he was away from the ‘feral stray’.

Because he really didn’t need him here.

Donald was passed out, having been moved from the cold, solid surface of the examination table to one of the emergency cots after they had removed his battle shell. Mikey had stopped vomiting about five minutes after he’d taken the pills- which was a good thing because apparently Draxum was busy trying to fix Splinter’s broken leg, a task he underestimated the difficulty of after giving him mystic painkillers which led to a full on chase around Draxum’s own lair- and had passed out cuddled under Raphie’s arm.

As it was now, Raph and Leon were muttering lowly among themselves. About what?- Casey had no idea, being left out on the other side of the room doing nothing other than leaning against the counter with his arms crossed. While he was glad that everyone was okay, Leon was tending to the last of some minor injuries on Raphie’s arm, he didn’t see the point of having him here.

With a sigh he glanced from Donald to Mikey and than the last two standing. They also looked a little dead on their feet, and while Casey could feel sleep calling out to him as well, he knew his brain wouldn’t be able to rest until he’d at least spoken to Leo and figured out where his brothers were.

Shifting his attention from the four mutants his eyes drifted to the door of the med bay, his hands tightening against his biceps as he thought, not for the first time, on exiting the room. Really, if he did, would they even bother to stop him? Casey was an adult. He was older than they were by a fair amount of years. Technically, he should be free to do whatever he wanted.

That being said, this was their home, and Leon was his leader, regardless of age. It was an unspoken rule that whoever was on his team listened to his orders. It didn’t matter how many years older they were. Even Draxum fell under this rule when he worked with them. Now Leon would listen to his team, hearing everyone out and come up with a plan together, but there were still sometimes when they either followed his orders, or got out of his way. Then there were times where it didn’t matter what someone else thought or how they felt about a situation. At the end of the day, if Leon gave an order, he expected it to be followed.

Though thankfully he hadn’t started to implement that in their day to day lives, leaving everyone to do their own thing during their personal time without feed back.

…Or, at least without ‘leader’ type feed back.

He still had no problem with giving his brothers and sister all types of unasked for heckling just for the fun of it and to make a nuisance of himself while they were trying to relax.

Which made Casey wonder… They were done for the day, weren’t they? Technically if he decided to walk out, there wasn’t any reason to stop him. He hadn’t been hurt; he didn’t need to be here. Everyone who needed to be looked after had been looked after and it had been a long, long day. No one could fault him for wanting to head to bed, could they?

A new plan forming in his mind, Casey glanced over at the two, seeing them still in deep conversation with one another and paying him no mind.

They probably wouldn’t mind if he took off.

Pushing himself away from the counter, Casey made of show of letting out a large yawn while he walked to the door, the slump in his shoulders not completely made up as he gave them a little wave. “Night guys.”

The door barely had time to hiss open before Leon’s voice stopped him.

“Casey, wait a minute.”

Drat. He’d been so close.

Pretending at confusion much like he had when he was younger and ‘what? The last cookie was gone? That’s crazy! And nooo. Of course he hadn’t seen who took it’ Casey turned back to his Sensei with a concerned furrow of his brow.

“What’s up Sensei?”

Sometimes it freaked him out just how similar Leon’s expressions could get to Master Leonardo’s. He knew they were the same person, but it still gave him chills regardless. Like seeing the ghostly lingering of his Master in the young mutant before him, even though he knew that given this current timeline, Leon wouldn’t grow up to be that guy at all.

He knew what he was looking for though, and if he was being honest with himself, he did feel bad for how he had kind of blindsided them with bringing a stranger in with no warning. So, he didn’t hesitate to bow lowly at the waist, his head hung in humble apology.

“I’m sorry.”

“Ah,” Leon hummed, a soft chuckle accompanying his words as he moved towards him. “And why would you be sorry mi hermano?”

Straightening out Casey let out a long sigh, feeling the guilt weighting down on his shoulders as he spoke. “For bringing a stranger into your home without checking it with you first.”

“Our home Casey.” His chest warmed at the reminder as Leon placed a hand on his shoulder, still not used to the idea of an actual home. “You live here too. It’s just as much your home as it is ours.”

Ever since he was little, he’d never had a place to call home. There were caves, bases, strongholds, rebel camps, or during really hard times, they would live in and under the rubble of fallen cities, but the idea of staying and growing and living in one place had never been something anyone around him ever entertained. He came to find it was nice, having the same safe space to come back to time and time again, a place where he knew he was surrounded by the people he loved and who loved him in turn.

“Look,” realizing that Leon was moving on to the meat of the conversation Casey listened in, waiting to see just what it was that his master was so worried about. “I get that you’re trying to help him and I can understand why. Being separated from those you care about it a horrible feeling.”

Casey could feel the muscles in his jaw twitch, his fists clenching tight.

Leon didn’t know the half of it. He’d lost his brothers, yes. For a while he probably thought he’d lost everything when the portal had closed with him stuck in the prison dimension.

But he got them all back.

There was no way Casey could get those he cared for back.

Sure, they were technically his uncles, his aunt, his grandfathers, his master-

But they also weren’t.

Not even his own mother recognized him. She had been terrified at the sight of him, and Casey couldn’t even blame her for it. She was just a kid herself. He was older than his own mother. It was bound to mess with anyone’s head.

And the Hamato's had been great for taking him in, having the resources, the space and the ability to do so.

But they weren’t the people he knew. They weren’t the loved ones he remembered. That he had grown up with. Bled with. Held in his arms as they took their last breaths…

He knew they were them. They had similar quirks and likes and personalities, but they would never truly grow to be the ones who had raised him.

And he’d come to peace with that.

But no. Leon had no idea what it felt like to be torn from a world you grew up in and to be placed in and around one that was similar with the same people, but was also so wrong. A world where you were just expected to play along and go with the flow of things where everything was different and everything you thought you knew was wrong and your whole life was-,

“Casey?”

He blinked, not realizing how far he had zoned out, clearing his vision until he could see Leon waving a hand before his face.

“Ya back with me buddy?”

“Uh,” shaking his head Casey pinching at the bridge of his nose and took in a deep breath. “S-sorry Sensei I just… My thoughts drifted away from me…”

“Hey, it’s alright pequeno.” Leon assured, his eyes scanning over Casey’s face. “You sure you didn’t hit your head or something?”

“No, I’m fine. It was… I’m fine.” Dropping his hand back to his side he eyed his Sensei, his lips pressed into a thin line as he thought about-, “you know I wouldn’t have brought him here if I thought he was dangerous right?”

Because he had to know that his old Master didn’t think he could possibly be that stupid. Not after everything he’d been through. He’d experienced it enough when he was younger, those that would smile to your face and than steal all your rations, your lodgings. Master Leonardo had refused to work with other teams for years outside of the very few he trusted when he had left Casey with one group that had a large child population. He’d thought they were good people, that Casey would have been safer with them than in the midst of battle.

He didn’t think that there could have possibly been a sinister reason for their large collection of kids.

Thankfully Casey didn’t get forced to experience the nightmare that all the others had been living for years by the time his uncles found the monsters who created it.

Needless to say, after years spent where trusting the wrong person could get you killed, or worse, Casey had developed almost a sixth sense for those around him, only putting time and effort into those he knew would be worth it in the long run.

But Leon still sighed at his words like Casey was nothing more than an innocent child unable to understand the horrors of what the world held. Horrors that Casey had called regular day to day occurrences in his original timeline.

“Look, I know in your timeline our enemies might have been our friends, but they’re not here.” Casey knew that. It was something he’d caught onto quickly when he’d called out to Hypno- Potamus, who had been a very close friend of Auntie April growing up only to receive a disked blade being thrown in his face. Even more surprising however was to find that him and Mr. Stone weren’t married yet, or even dating.  “There’s a lot of people that would love to get us out of their hair, permanently. There’s also cloaking mystic tech and magic and all types of other crazy stuff that I’m sure even I can’t truly fathom. But especially right after an attack like today. Crime rates are about to jump until we can get everything under control again and we have no idea what our enemies could be doing with that type of distraction. Getting someone in disguise to invade our home during the chaos wouldn’t be something I would put pass them. Honestly, if Don hadn’t confirmed what you were saying, I probably would have chased that guy out of here.”

Holding in his argument about why he was more willing to listen to Donald and why he hadn’t believed Casey at first, he simply gave a nod.

He knew they thought he was naive to the way this world worked, but he knew it was really just that he was inexperienced. He was learning, and he was catching on, but sometimes… it felt like they thought he was the child here. Coddling him and doubting everything he did because he didn’t know any better. But that hadn’t been the problem for awhile and it still seemed like they were refusing to see that he didn’t need things explained to him like he was some sort of infant.

There wouldn’t be any point in arguing though, not right now when everyone was tired and still on edge and probably still pumped full of enough adrenaline it could turn a simple conversation into a fight.

So, Casey just nodded his head and bowed once more.

“I understand Sensei. It won’t happen again.” This time he waited a pause before he came back up, keeping his expression carefully neutral. “Am I free to go now? Or did you need me for anything else?”

They stared at one another, both careful to keep their expressions unreadable. The longer Leon looked however the more relaxed Casey became and eventually the younger leader gave up, waving him off with a single gesture of his hand. “No, no. Get going Case. We’ll all regroup when we’re up and not stumbling around like a herd of zombies.”

“Thank you. Good night, Sensei. Good night to you too Raphie.” He said with a respectful tilt of his head towards the only other wakeful mutant in the room.

Raphie smiled back at him, the action small and exhausted, but sincere as he nodded back. “Have a good sleep little man.”

Little man… Right.

Turning on his heels Casey exited the room as quick as he could without making it look like he was attempting to flee. He didn’t head for his room once he was clear of the doors though, marching straight over to the kitchen instead. Popping open the freezer he snatched a random bag of frozen… peas, apparently, and than made his way straight to Donald’s lab.

He couldn’t help the smile that pulled at his lips when he got close, biting down on a corner of them as if that would help to tamper down his amusement at the sight.

“Well, look who’s still hanging around.”

The look Leo shot him in turn couldn’t have been any less unimpressed, his eyes rolling sky high before he turned his attention back to the task at hand.

“Really? Puns?”

“Hm, yeah sorry…” Casey’s eyes trailed to said contraptions littered around the floor just outside the lair before trailing back up to watch Leo wiggle his way out of another, his eyes pausing only for a moment on those nicely flexed thighs before darting back up to his face with a snap. That wasn’t… an odd thing to do right? People admired one another’s physiques all the time. “Sometimes Master Leonardo’s humor hits me at random times.”  

Leo let out a huff, finally getting himself loose of the netted, glass ball… thing, Donald had set up, flipping himself around it till he was hanging off the bottom before slowly letting go. Casey watched him land, again favouring his left leg.

“Here. Take this.” Tossing him the bag he watched the confusion falling over the mutant’s face as he walked pass him, heading up to the panel of the lab door and entering in his code.

“What’s this for?”

“Your leg.” He stood to the side as the door hissed open, nodding his head towards it now that its insides were exposed. “You coming?”

Chapter 5

Notes:

And here's the next one. :D Did I give Leo my fear of needles? Yes. Needles are terrible. But enjoy some Leo and Casey banter and them chatting about general life I suppose. :)

“Do you know how any of this works?”

Casey let out a small chuckle, not bothering to take a seat in Donald’s chair- another trap if you weren’t the soft shell- pushing it to the side and standing before the keyboard.

“Of course I do. This is one of his more basic concepts. He won’t start getting really wild with it for another eight to ten years.”

“Ah, I see.” Leo hummed while Casey’s finger flew over the keys, bypassing all the security measures in place. “I get it now. You’re from the future.”

Chuckling he entered the program he was looking for. “I suppose you can say that. Donald calls it a different timeline. From a future that doesn’t exist anymore.”

The reaction he got wasn’t the one he was expecting.

“It’s a weird feeling isn’t it?”

Pausing Casey stared at the keyboard.

“Is time hopping something you’re familiar with?”

“You could say that.” But Leo didn’t explain further, coming to stand at Casey’s side and squinting up at the screen. “How do we find my brothers on here? Is there some type of signature you can latch onto or something?”

“It would be a lot of scientific jargon,” Casey mumbled honestly, getting right back into his work. “It will take a few minutes, but in layman’s terms, yes. Considering that this isn’t your world, your cellular structure will be different, which will be something that Donald’s machines can find and give us coordinates to.”

“And if nothing pops up?”

It was a fair question. “If nothing shows up, that means they’re not there.”

Glancing over at Leo, Casey continued to type before turning his attention back to the screen. “You should sit down and ice your leg.”

“I’m fi-,”

“You’re not going to be much help to your brothers if you can’t walk.”

…

Leo cut back into his line of sight, awkwardly hopping up on his one leg and perching himself on the edge of the computer desk. When Casey arched a brow at him, Leo stared back, placing the bag over his knee as he did so. “What? I assume you pushed that chair away for a reason and I feel like I’ve destroyed enough of this Donnie’s things. I have a feeling he’s attached to that chair.”

Biting back on a grin Casey shook his head and turned back to typing. “Can’t fault me for trying to make sure you sit still.”

Leo chuckled, leaning back on one arm while the other held the bag in place. “My brothers would praise your efforts.”

Done setting up what he needed to do, Casey left the monitor to head to the opposite side of the lab, grabbing out the equipment he needed before returning, his fingers tapping against the sides of the little plastic box with a slight twist of his features.

“How do you feel about needles?”

Ocean orbs narrowed to lethal rivers. “Why?”

Placing the box down next to Leo’s leg he slowly removed the lid. “Because in order to find your specific signature, I am going to have to take a sample.”

“Great.” Leo deadpanned, letting out a huff as he turned his head away. Casey was a little shocked when an arm was shoved out towards him, glancing over at Leo’s face that was still very much not looking. “Just get it over with.”

“I’m guessing that means you don’t like needles than eh?”

“I’m not particularly fond of being stabbed, no.”

He almost felt bad, but he still pulled out the disinfected wipes, watching Leo wince as it’s icy and wet touch licked his skin. Deciding it might make things a little easier, Casey grabbed one of the needle packets as he began to speak.

“Sooo, do you guys have Jupiter Jim where you’re from? Or is it something else completely different?”

“What?”

When Leo turned to face him, Casey pressed two fingers against his jaw line and turned his head back without missing a beat. “Jupiter Jim.” He repeated, as he got his needle ready. “He’s this Space Hero that travels the universe helping people.”

“O-oh, um…” He could tell Leo was distracted and tense, standing back he decided to wait until he was relaxed. Holding the needling in one hand he gently wrapped the other around the bulk of Leo's upper arm, enjoying the fine stretch of muscle under his fingers as he stroked his thumb soothingly back and forth over the soft tissue he was going to pierce.

Leo went quiet at that, but just as Casey was thinking he’d overstepped the mutant carried on. “We have Space Heroes.” He answered. “It’s not just one guy, well, Captain Ryan is the main character, but he has a whole crew that he leads, and they go on missions together.”

“Something you can relate too?”

Leo snickered, relaxing in Casey’s hold just enough that he stepped in close again.

“I guess, though I’ve never really managed to pull off missions as flawlessly as he did. I guess that’s the advantage of having it all scripted out.” He sighed, not giving so much as a flinch when the tip bit into his skin. “But I always thought good leaders were supposed to be perfect, that they had to know everything even before it happened, that they could deal with any situation no matter what it was. It took me years to realize that real life is nothing like that.”

Casey could feel his brows furrowing as he took all of that in with the same sluggish slosh of the blood filling up the vial.

“Are you the oldest of your family than? Is that why you took on the responsibility?” At the same time as removing the needle he pressed a cotton swab to the slow swell of blood. Carefully he placed the needle down, grabbing a disinfected bandage and taping the swab down.

By the time he finally looked up from what he was doing he was almost startled to see that Leo was facing him one more. Or, more accurately, down at his arm where his blood had just been drawn. He seemed to be thinking, an almost lazy swing of his uninjured leg as his fingers tapped against the bag.

“Yes, and no.” He muttered, saying the words like he was chewing on each one, debating if he wanted to answer the question or not. Apparently even if there were differences, Leos being paranoid of strangers and others outside their tiny inner circle of trusted allies was a shared trait. “We’re technically all the same age, or at least from what our Sensei could gather we were, but I’ve always taken the role as the eldest ever since we were little. Someone had to answer to our Master when something went wrong and I decided if anyone was going to suffer the punishment, it should be me. After all, if I had done a better job on keeping an eye on my siblings in the first place, they wouldn’t have gotten into trouble to being with.”

While Casey nodded along, he couldn’t help but allow his gaze to linger as his brain worked over what was being said and how.

“And as for being the leader, my Sensei…” He trailed off, eyes growing distant and empty before snapping back to focus with a blink. “I asked if I could have the position, and he agreed.”

Well, there was obviously far more to it than that but… Casey didn’t push.

Not sure what to say he gave a polite if not somewhat awkward nod of acknowledgement to the other before taking the few steps to the special compartment Donald had made for this kind of work. As he placed the vial into the holders, he watched it drain, trying to pretend that he couldn’t feel the eyes on the back of his head.

“What about you?”

“Hm?” He tossed a look in Leo’s direction, feeling his face flush for a moment to find himself under the intense presser of those eyes.

Leo didn’t hold his gaze for long though, shrugging his shoulders carelessly and playing with the bag on his knee. “A guy sent from the future to the past to stop something that now no longer exists sounds like a much more interesting guy than the one who fails at leading a fractured team.”

Those words… Casey paused, his eyes shifting over to carefully observing the expression over Leo’s face.

But Leo was smiling, soft and small, but still there, seemingly waiting for Casey to answer without him asking questions in turn.

Clicking the slot closed Casey moved back over to stand next to where Leo sat, his fingers hovering over the keys. It seemed his brain skipped out while all his thoughts clashed together before he could get them to type in what he needed.

“I… grew up in a time of constant war.” He shrugged, Leo’s smile falling away as he continued. “I never really knew peace until I came here. Sure, there were moments where things could almost be a mirage of safety, but there was always the reality of starvation or death hanging right over our heads. We were always just one wrong move away from being completely wiped out and… I guess in the end, we made a misstep. My Master, Master Leonardo, a future version of what this timelines Leon would have been if we didn’t stop it, sent me back here with a portal Master Michealangelo sacrificed himself to create. And now, here I am.”

His fingers hit the wrong keys, and with shaking hands, Casey backspaced and entered in the right code.

Shrugging again he forced a laugh from his lungs. “Not much more to it than that I guess.”

“I’m sorry.”

He froze.

“It had to be hard, doing what was needed at the cost of the world you knew and the ones you cared for.”

He glanced over at the terrapin again, a heavy weight dropping into the pit of his stomach at the unwavering stare he was met with. Swallowing past the thick lump in his throat he forced a wobbling smile to his lips, turning back to the screen with a sharp sniffle.

“It… is what it is. The worlds safe, it’s what they all would have wanted. I’m sure they’re resting well now.”

“That doesn’t make it any easier to be left behind.”

His fingers twitched, curling into his palms now that he was done typing in what he needed to and having no other distraction from Leo’s words and how his mind failed to come up with a response.

Thankfully, as if the universe was giving him an out, the machine beeped, both of them drawing their attention to the screen as he let out a long, low breath.

Leo hopped up from where he sat, pulled away from his intense focus on Casey and now directing it to the spots on screen.

“What does that mean.”

Considering that he could only be talking about the two purple dots on the monitor, Casey pointed to the one on the map in their location. “Well, this is you.” He mumbled, “and this…” eyes squinting as his fingers trailed a road map from their location to the other side of the map, he was already figuring out the quickest route to get there. “This might be one of your brothers.”

“Perfect. Thanks.”

“Whoa! Whoa!” Twisting around he grabbed Leo’s arm before he could get far, tugging him back to his side with a frown. “You’re not just going to head out now, are you?”

“They could be in trouble.” Leo said, trying to shake Casey’s grip from his arm.

But Casey held firm, voicing a fact that he hadn’t really given a thought to till now. “They could also not be your brother at all.” He warned. “They could be one of your enemies. Do you really think that you’d be able to take them on right now?”

That made Leo pause, his mouth open but nothing coming out.

Eventually, his lips pressed closed once more, his attention turning back to the screen. Casey didn’t turn to what he was looking at though, in case it was some sort of trick for him to distract him so he could slip away.

“The area they’re in…” Leo mumbled, his eyes landing on Casey once more. “Is it safe?”

Squinting at him in slight suspicion, Casey’s allowed his attention to dart over for a moment before snapping back. “It is. They’re even holed up in a building right now so they’re probably resting.”

“Or kidnapped.”

Now it was Casey’s turn to find his words failing him. Leo… technically had a point but…

“In that area? It’s highly unlikely. Trust me. I spent months scanning every inch of this city once I got here. I wanted… I wanted to see the home that Master Leonardo used to tell me about. Whoever they are, they should be fine there for now, and if they do move, we’ll be able to track them easily, with the others.”

Leo looked away, obviously thinking it over as he stood still in Casey’s hold. When he seemed to finally finish going through whatever ideas it was he was thinking about, he let out a small sigh, blue eyes moving back up to lock with Casey’s pure obsidian gems. “You’re right. Running into an unknown situation could lead to trouble. At least now we have their location and that should be good enough. We can wait until we’re rested before going to check out who it might be.”

“…”

“…”

“You’re going to check it out anyways aren’t you.”

“I won’t be able to sleep until I know.”

With a long sigh, Casey ran his free hand down his face, keeping his other still firmly locked around Leo’s arm. Not that he wasn’t aware that this guy couldn’t just get out of his hold if he so chose but the fact that he didn’t might have meant that he knew if he did go and run into trouble out there, he wouldn’t be able to handle it himself. Even if just subconsciously.

“I left your swords in the med bay.” He admitted. “There’s no way you’re going to be able to get them back without alerting Leon and Raph and they’ll probably force us to stay here. I don’t think-,”

“Jones,” his name was said softly, a hint of a plea colouring its edges. “Please. It could be one of my brothers. Mikey was-,” He stopped, turned away and took in a deep breath before turning back. “Mikey was hurt before I got portaled away, and if he got portaled here, with all those monsters, with his injury… I- I don’t…” He trailed off again, shaking his head as if the thought was too horrible to think about.

Fingers twitching in their hold Casey lips became a thin line. “I thought you said you and your brothers were on patrol?”

The scoff Leo gave was sharp and bitter, his expression tense as he stared back at Casey.

“That doesn’t mean that it went well.”

Unsure of what to do Casey bit at his bottom lip.

On one hand, he knew that Leo was injured and that they were both beyond tired. He knew that Leon would freak out and scold him for taking off after making it clearly known that he wasn’t planning on assisting until his team was well rested.

On the other hand… He’d been in this position before. Separated from a loved one during a chaotic moment. Knowing that they had been hurt but not if they were still alive, if they were okay and safe or if they had perished at some point, going down fighting with a weapon in hand.

He knew that his own Master wouldn’t have rested until he knew his loved ones were safe. When they had been separated from Master Donatello, Master Leonardo hadn’t slept for three days.

When he did find him, he brought him home to read his last rites before they laid him to rest.

But, as odd as it had seemed, there was almost a peace to his Master after he’d found his brother’s body. A small part of him that felt the weight lifted off his shoulders now that he knew what had happened and brought him home.

He didn’t like the idea of disobeying Master Leon, but he couldn’t blame Leo for being restless at the idea of not knowing.

“Okay, halfway point?” He suggested, Leo’s head tilting in curiosity while his eyes squinted sceptically, but he didn’t interrupt so Casey pushed forward. “We go there, but we only check. If it’s one of your brothers, we’ll get them. If it’s an enemy or an unknown, we leave them and deal with it another day. When we have the rest of the team and your leg’s better.”

The tension around Leo’s face faded, a small but hopeful smile twitching at his lips. “I can agree to that.”

“Good.” Although he found himself hesitating, he did eventually let Leo go, the heat of his skin still lingering in his palm and sending an almost ticklish feeling up the length of his arm. Clearing his throat of its sudden tightness he pushed forward. “We’re not walking there though.”

“Oh?” Leo hummed, as if Casey couldn’t see the way he was still leaning his weight to one side. They both knew there was no way he was going to be able to get there on foot. “Does your staff have flying capabilities as well Jones?”

Not expecting that question Casey laughed. “What? No.”

Taking a quick glance around he felt his lips pulling to the side, turning back to Leo with an arch of a brow. “Although, where is my staff?”

Leo’s eyes darted away from him and for the first time, Casey saw a bright red highlighting his cheeks.

Staring wide eyed he could feel his heart thump in his chest.

Oh.

Cute.

Before he even had time to process that thought Leo waved his hand towards the entryway. “Um… It got stolen from me in one of those traps.”

Blinking, Casey also turned to the entryway. “Huh.” Well, he wasn’t getting that back until Donald was up. “Okay.”

Cutting in close to Leo’s side he grabbed his wrist, gently pulling his arm over his shoulders. Although he hesitated, he did eventually place his hand on the mutant’s hip, trying to tell himself it was the same thing as Leon helping Donald out earlier. The heat creeping up his neck and the quick patter of his heart on the other hand led him to believing that might not be completely true.

Leo looked a little shocked, having to hop slightly with how high his arm was being pulled up before Casey hunched down a little, smiling sheepishly in apology before he realized that this might have been a mistake. Just helping out injured team members without asking had been such a normal habit for him that he hadn’t even given it a thought to whether Leo would be comfortable with it or not.

“Um… Sorry, I should have-.”

“It’s fine.” Leo interrupted, shifting in Casey’s hold until he was presumably comfortable, wiggling the bag of peas in his free hand but not putting it down Leo tilted his head to him with a smile. “Lead the way Jonesy.”

Face flushing instantly a stupid sounding laugh choked out from his throat only making his cheeks that much hotter. Even still, he couldn’t stop the beaming smile that stretched across his lips at being given the go ahead, tightening his hold just a little more before turning ahead. “You’re going to love the Turtle Tank.”

“I'm sorry, did you say tank?”

Chapter 6

Notes:

Aaand I'm back. :)

Hope you guys enjoy this one! Have some happy Leo! At least before Leon pops in. XD And some more smitten Casey. :)

“This is amazing!”

Casey couldn’t help but chuckle along with the excited whoop Leo gave as they blasted through the city streets.

He looked so different when he was having fun, his eyes shining brighter and the dark shadows that had been settled over his features lifting in joy and wonder as the world zipped by them. There were a few times that even Casey had to bite down on his lip to keep himself from laughing out loud at the excited way Leo would bounce forward in his seat, pressing his face against the glass to catch sight of something that must have looked vastly different when compared to his world, his mouth hanging open in awe while his eyes grew wide.

After they finished up their task and regardless if the dot was Leo’s brother or not, he was going to have to take a day showing the guy the city. Maybe even take him down to the Hidden City and they definitely were going to have to make a stop at Run of the Mill.

“Donnie would love this!” Leo laughed as his body was pressed into the side of his chair when they took a sharp turn before being rocked back into place.

Glad to see that he was finally easing up a little, Casey could feel his own excitement growing warm in his chest, Leo’s utter joy apparently being highly contagious.

Before he could stop him, Leo’s eye seemed to catch something, an excited yell escaping him as he hopped out of his seat and darted passed Casey in the fastest hop, limp… thing, Casey had ever seen to something in the back.

“Are these motorcycles!?”

Oh right, sometimes he forgot those were there.

“Shell Hogs,” Casey explained. “There’s always two in here just in case they’re needed for missions.”

“Whoa.” Although he didn’t want to risk taking his eyes off the road at the speeds they were going, Casey tried to imagine the look on Leo’s face at the mesmerized wonderment in his voice. “Raph and Casey would love these.”

“Really?” He couldn’t hold back the surprise in his voice, his face twisting at the thought of enjoying those things. “I can’t stand them.”

“Oh no?”

Casey jumped at the voice that was now far closer, his head snapping up to see Leo standing beside the drivers’ chair, his arm resting on the back of it as he smirked down at the time jumper.

“What’s wrong Jonesy? You the only Casey who’s not an adrenaline junkie?”

Scoffing at that he turned back to the road, easily avoiding the pedestrian who was slowly making it across the crosswalk. If the turn he took was sudden enough and sharp enough it caused Leo to stumble back into another chair, well, that was just an accident.

“I don’t mind taking chances and all that.” He said, ignoring the mild glare he could feel the other shooting at him from his new spot. “But those things remind me of being a sitting duck, so if I can, I like to avoid it.”

“Huh? Really? Do you think that-. Is this an ice cream machine!?”

Giving a small shake of his head at how sidetracked he was getting, Casey chuckled at his barely contained excitement. “Yup.”

“When I mention this to Mikey, he’s going to demand Donnie build one in the Shell Razor.”

“Is that what your Turtle Tank is called?”

“Um, well, ours isn’t a tank.” Leo mumbled, “but it’s still really cool. Donnie did an amazing job on building it for us.”

Chuckling at that Casey took another glance at their map before turning back to the road. “Donnies are great like that.”

“Donnies are the best.” Leo agreed. “Always level headed and pretty reasonable when you’re in an argument. I can always depend on him to when I’m out of ideas or hit a wall in a plan.”

Casey…. didn’t respond right away because, that didn’t sound much like the Donald he knew. Level-headed and reasonable? That didn’t sound like the same guy who wouldn’t think twice about smashing someone in the face with a hammer if they annoyed him… or breathed too loudly.

“Are you sure you don’t mean Ra-,”

Casey was interrupted by the appearance of a light blue vortex, Leo jumping to his feet, a snarl on his face while Casey just got ready for the inevitable.

“Well, well, well.” Leo dropped his fists at the familiar voice popping out of the swirling blue light before Leon stepped out. “Lookie who I found.”

He could feel Leo shooting a wide-eyed look at him before snapping back to Leon, only confirming Casey’s earlier thoughts. This Leo didn’t teleport, ever.

“I think you two are out waaay past your bedtime amigos.”

“How did you-?”

“Hush and shush poco Pitufo.” Leon mumbled, waving at hand to Leo before shoving a finger in his face. “You’re a terrible influence and I don’t really want to hear whatever it is you’re going to say.”

He took the time that Leon was distracted with Leo to slow down to a more reasonable speed. Leon would lose his mind if he realized how fast Casey could actually drive. When he was done with Leo though and turned back to Casey, he was already thinking about how to lay down a good enough case that Leon wouldn’t teleport them all back to the lair in the next second.

“Now, Junior…”

“We’re about five minutes away from our location.” Casey interrupted, nodding his head over to Leo without taking his eyes off the road. “If we go back to the lair now, he’ll still find a way to get back out here.”

“And you’ll go with him.”

Casey didn’t even need to agree to that. The smile over his lips was answer enough as he tossed a careful eye over to his leader. “Come on Sensei, you always taught me that I should help those who need it. I would be doing your memory a disservice if I left him to do it on his own.”

Those dark eyes of his narrowed, but Casey used the excuse of needing to pay attention to the road to break their stare.

He could hear his sensei taking in a deep, deep breath, and than-

“Bad, terrible, terrible influence.” But Leon didn’t zap them back to the lair, flopping into the seat near the front and spinning until he was facing the both of them.

His burning eyes settled on Casey, but he tried not to let anything show on his face. He could remember how hard it used to be to try and hide things from his fa- his Master. The man had a second sense for things and could read anybody as easily as a book. If him and Master Michealangelo narrowed in on him, it didn’t matter if he didn’t say so much as a word, they would sniff out whatever information they were looking for like a bloodhound with a fresh scent.

Now, Leon wasn’t quite at that level yet, it would take him a little longer to figure out just what he was looking for, but he would eventually find it.

That didn’t mean Casey was going to make it easy for him though.

When he could feel Leon’s eyes shifting away from him, he let out a breath slight enough that it wouldn’t show.

“You just couldn’t wait, eh?” Leon muttered, “and you just haaad to drag one of my guys with you.”

“He could have stayed behind.” Leo shrugged, his tone even and monotone once more.

Already Casey was missing the hyper, excited way he’d been expressing himself earlier, wondering if Leo would bother acting that way around them collectively or if he was always going to be in professional mode when around his counterparts. Granted through, he’d never known Leon to act this… what had Splinter called it that his sons had groaned over once? Salty? Could it be their leader was also put on edge not just from worrying about having a stranger suddenly thrusts in his space, but also the fact that Leo was a different version of himself in away?

He could only imagine how weird it would be for him to meet his own counterpart that Leo mentioned here and there. Comparing himself to someone who was technically him and yet not at the same time. To someone who might share his face and his friends and his family but not his experiences and his memories. It would be… odd, and he wasn’t sure if he would be able to help trying to compare himself to who this other version was, to see if he measured up to him or vice versa.

Which really seemed to be how these two were acting. Assessing one another while keeping their guard up. They were leaders, and Casey knew from experience how difficult it could be to have multiple leaders in one space. Master Leonardo had always been quick to dominate anyone who so much as thought of trying to take over his team. He could delegate tasks as much as needed and allow others to head missions and separate groups, but at the end of the day, they would all have to report back to him.

It was just something that needed to be done in their time, a necessity to keep people from mutiny and gang violence.

If they wanted refuge under the Hamato Clan, they didn’t have a choice. It was either they bent the knee or took their chances in the wastelands.

But, he had a feeling it wouldn’t work the same way here.

He glanced away from the road when he noticed a slight twitch of Leon’s eyes, knowing what he was going to say before he even said it. “Missing something?”

“I could just say this is a stealth mission.” Leo muttered, sinking back in his chair, “and that there’s no need for weapons, but we both know that regardless of the supposed ease of the mission, having a weapon close at hand is a must.”

“Em hm.” Leon hummed. “So yours are…?”

Casey snapped his head to the side when he heard a small scrape of a blade being pulled out, his eyes going wide to see a short blade spinning between Leo’s fingers.

“Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there.”

The smirk across his lips was cool and oozing a certain level of confidence that had Casey’s cheeks growing warm and had his eyes darting back to the road in an attempt to quell the mad fluttering in his stomach.

Leon only scoffed at his answer though, rolling his eyes hard as he flopped his body to rest on one side of the armchair. “That’s an awfully small weapon to run blindly into battle with.”

From next to his side, Casey could feel Leo’s contentment.

“Only a novice would place all their faith in their main weapon. A real warrior knows they possess the skills to remain a threat with the most basic of items.”

Sucking his lips behind his teeth, dark eyes darted over to see his leader’s reaction.

There was a flash of fury that burned in Leon’s eyes, but it was the lethal upward twitch of his lips that showed off the sharp points of his canines that really had Casey growing tense.

“You wanna put that to the test hermano?”

Ooo, yeah. Leon was… not happy.

“What’s there to test?” Leo countered, sounding generally pleasant. “You simply put forward a thought and I shared mine. There’s no need to get so hostile while sharing different opinions is there?”

Seemingly without thought, Claws carved long shreds into the plushness of the armchair that filled in for a safe road chair. Leon’s grin was stiff, his lips barely moving from their stretched smile as he spoke. “I guess not.”

Oof. It was a good thing Casey was here. He didn’t want to think of how at one another’s throats the two leaders would be if he wasn’t.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the only thing that would offer them a parlay however as the sight of the building they were looking for finally showed up in the distance.

“Leo,” catching the others attention he nodded his head towards the towering building. “That’s it.”

“It is?” Leo didn’t wait for him to confirm, limp, hopping, forward, Casey slowing down the speed again to make it a little less jarring for him to stand in. His eyes drifted to his leader again, watching as he observed the unnatural walk of Leo while the visiting mutant brought himself closer to where Leon sat, ignoring the two as he took in the view outside. “Is there anyway we can use the information we have to better pinpoint their location?”

Casey was… distracted from the question at first, his eyes drawn to the little wagging tail at the base of Leo’s shell. Why was it only hitting him now that this guy apparently didn’t wear shorts like his uncles did? For the most part they always had their tails tucked away and covered, and in all his time with them, past and present, he could barely count on one hand how often he’d seen them.

Not that he was complaining about that. For some reason he almost felt like it would be… weird? He wasn’t really sure what the difference was, but the thought of seeing his uncles tails was, unsettling, to say the least.

But Leo’s?

It was kind of cute. How had he not noticed it before when they were fighting together? Granted, yes, his mind was focused on other things but-.

“Oi. Eyes on the road.”

Jumping in his seat Casey could feel the entirety of his face glowing as he took a quick glance at the utterly disapproving glower Leon was giving him before his attention was snatched away because he apparently didn’t realize that they were heading straight towards a solid wall.

Quickly jerking the wheel, he felt bad when the abrupt movement pitched Leo to the side. He didn’t have to worry about him getting hurt however when Leon snatched his wrist and kept him close to his seat, keeping him from being tossed like a ragdoll.

Deciding he would really rather not have anyone questioning what that was about he quickly rushed to answer Leo’s earlier question as if there hadn’t been any interruption. “We can get their general whereabouts in the building, but we won’t be able to pin which floor so…”

“Great. That’s only about seventy five different places to check.” Leon muttered, releasing the hold he had on Leo.

For some reason the speed with which Leo jerked his hand back to his side left Casey feeling oddly pleased.

And than left him to blink blankly ahead as he wondered why that was in the first place.

“It should actually be less than that.” Leo muttered, his hand coming up to rub around the area Leon had touched, as if he was trying to wipe it away.

He hadn’t done that after Casey had helped him out.

For a single moment Casey felt stupidly proud.

And than just stupidly, stupid.

Why did he care? And since when did he feel the need to compete with Leon about anything?

“Chances are they’re probably not going to be on the top floors and will stick closer to the lower levels. Does this place have a car park? That would be the easiest place to hide in and offer more cover than the stairwells or offices above.”

“Car parks can be pretty busy places.” Leon put in, pushing himself up from his chair and spinning his sword to rest at his side. “If they find an empty office, they could hide there perfectly fine.”

“And risk being cornered or caught before they even get there? I don’t think so.”

Pressing his lips into a thin line, Casey didn’t interrupt them, slowly pulling into a wide enough alley and coming to a stop while they continued to glare at one another.

“If it’s time that you’re worried about, we can split up though.” Leo suggested, leaving Casey’s head to snap towards him instantly.

“No.”

The panicked way he cut in had both turning to him, but Casey only kept eye contact with one of them as he could feel his shoulders creeping up to his ears. “Don’t be offended, but… well, we had a deal, and I feel like if I’m not there to keep an eye on you and you run into an enemy from your world, you’ll… pick a fight with them.”

The ‘and lose’ wasn’t said out loud, but from how Leo’s eyes narrowed, he could tell he didn’t really need to say it. It wasn’t that Casey didn’t think that he couldn’t win while injured and with only the most basic of weapons that most would use for a last resort but… Well, yeah. Maybe that was exactly it actually.

“You really think I’d go back on my word?”

Sucking his lips behind his teeth, Casey let them go with a small pop. “I mean… you did break into Donald’s lab after you told Leon you would wait, and than gave me a whole spiel on how you were going to rest while already making plans to head out on your own sooo…”

He felt bad, he really, really did. Especially with the way Leo was huffing now and looking away, unable to deny the facts stacked up against him while Leon just crossed his arms and sneered smugly down at him. “Looks like you’re stuck with us Pitufo. Undone by your own doing.”

Leo was quick to snarl at Leon for that, taking a quick but purposely sloppy swipe at him with the blade still in his hand. An action that Leon dodged easily enough as he bounced out of the way.  

Glad that they were all going to be sticking together Casey fished the device they would be using out of his pocket, glancing up with furrowed brows when a bright blue light flashed and suddenly Leon was gone. Unsure of why his Master had left but figuring he’d be back Casey swiped through a few things before he got to the screen he needed.

“Alright so, whoever they are they should be on the east side of the building.”

“Perfect.” Leo nabbed the small device from his hands, looking it over himself while Casey just blinked at his empty palms. “We can start at the bottom and work our way up from there. Hopefully it shouldn’t take- Hey!”

Plucking it out of his hold Casey held it up and away from him, frowning down at Leo when he tried to make another grab for it. “Sorry Leo but with all due respect, Master Donald is already going to kill me for going into his lab and using his tech, not to mention bringing a piece of it out of the lair without his permission. Only I get to handle this okay?”

At first Leo tensed and briefly Casey couldn’t help but wonder if all Leos had issues with control, but the longer he stared at Casey the more whatever temper he had seemed to fade, his body rocking back on his heel as he sighed while his shoulders sagged.

“You know what? You’re right.” Oh? Well, he didn’t think that-. “You’ve done a lot to help me tonight and I haven’t shown enough appreciation for that.”

Unsure of how to respond to that Casey’s lips moved on words he couldn’t form while his eyes narrowed in suspicion, waiting for the other foot to drop. “Uh…”

“I’m sorry. I know how Donnies can be about their tech, especially when other people use it. I’m sure he’s probably going to give you an earful tomorrow and it will be all my fault. I do appreciate your help Jones,” His voice caught in his throat when those big blues eyes looked back up to him. “Thank you for dealing with my attitude so far. I swear I’m not normally this… scattered and angry I’m just…” He sighed, closing his eyes as he let out a deep breath before he continued. “That’s... not an excuse. There’s no reason for me to be taking this out on you and treating you the way I have and I’m sorry.”

“Oh, uh, well I, um…” His tongue felt tied, heat creeping up the back of his neck as his eyes darted away from the genuinely apologetic softness in those deep orbs he felt like might drown him if he looked to close. “It’s- it’s fine. Really. I don’t-.”

“Good, you guys didn’t leave without me.”

Leon popped back in, saving Casey from having to stumble his way through whatever it was he was trying to say while he stepped up beside them. “Oo? Did I miss something fun?”

He could see Leo rolling his eyes so Casey found himself trying to will down the tingling in his limbs and between his shoulder blades as he shook himself out and shook his head.

“N-no Sensei.”

“Em hm…” Although Leon kept his eyes squinted at Casey, he still thrusted his hand towards Leo, Casey’s eye catching the straps and rods of the knee brace he wore on hard days.

Leo on the other hand just stared at it, as if he’d never seen anything like that before and could only eye it skeptically. When Leon seemed to pick up that he wasn’t going to grab it he finally pulled his attention away from Casey to wiggle it at the other.

“Go on. You can take it.”

“What is it?”

They both just stared at him.

“It’s… a knee brace.” Leon muttered to which Leo only arched a brow ridge.

“And why are you handing it to me?”

Again, Leon stared while Casey shifted his eyes from Leo to his Sensei. “It’s for your knee. Don’t think I didn’t notice you limping around.”

“Oh.” To that Leo sighed, shaking his head and drawing back. “It’s fine. Jones gave me ice earlier and I rested it. I’m good to go.”

“You’re still limping buddy.”

“I’ll get over it. Mind over matter.”

Sharing a look with one another Casey found himself just as confused as Leon appeared. “That’s not… really how injures work.”   

“Only weak souls allow themselves to be controlled by their physical forms.” There was a slight heat creeping to his words now, and again, Casey found himself shifting his sights over to his Sensei to see what he thought of this whole thing. “If your mind is strong, your body will be as well.”

“I really can’t let you-,”

“Look.” Casey watched as Leo shifted his weight to the leg he’d been off all night, giving it a little hop before taking a few steps back and forward again. “It’s fine.”

But he couldn’t hide the tight clench of his fists or the way the knife he was holding trembled slightly. Even so, Leon just dropped his hand, hanging the brace by his side all while keeping his eyes on the shorter mutant.

“Don’t fall behind.”

“I never do.”

Surprised that Leon wasn’t going to push more, Casey knew better than to question him publicly on it, straightening up when Leo turned back to him.

“Ready to go Jones?”

With a nod, Casey held his hand out to gesture towards the door, making sure Leo would be going first so he could keep an eye on him. “After you.”

Chapter 7

Notes:

Hope you guys enjoy this one. I don't want to spoil anything so I'm also going to be putting a note at the end to explain something, but I hope you have fun reading!

“Sooo, tell me something little me-,”

“-I’m older than you.”

“-still short, anyways,” As badly as he would have preferred to chat with the two Casey kept a dutiful eye on the area around them, peering between cars and looking into the trunks of trucks that they passed by. “What’s this family of yours like? You know, before we possibly find another member and have another grumpy turtle on our hands.”

Leo didn’t respond right away, but Casey saw him give a hard roll of his eyes. When he hopped up to stand on the roof of a giant hummer for a better vantage point, Casey watched him carefully, making sure his leg wasn’t going to give out on him with all the harsh movements. “They’re probably pretty similar to you brothers.” He muttered, hopping to the next roof and the next while the others took the low ground. “Donnie’s the smart one, Mikey’s the immature jokester, Raph’s the hothead, and I’m the leader.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong, but some of that did sound a little… off.

“Raph’s the hothead eh?” Leon clasped his hands behind his back as he tossed a barely there side glance down a row of cars. “How’d he take it when you took over as leader?”

“What?”

That question seemed to throw Leo off so much that he misplaced his step with his next hop, and Casey found his body moving before his mind could finish a thought. He held his arms out, going to catch the other only for Leo to tuck himself into a ball, turning his stumble into a backflip and landing on Casey’s shoulders. For the second time in forty-eight hours Casey found himself becoming a springboard as Leo leapt off his shoulders and onto another car.

When he landed Leo was quick to meet Casey’s gaze, an awkward tightness pulling at his lips as the cute flush coloured his cheeks once more. “Sorry about that Jones.”

“It’s okay.” Casey chuckled, also rubbing at his neck somewhat awkwardly with the slightest of chuckles. “It’s cool to watch you, spring into action.”

Silence.

“Phfft.”

A smile bloomed over Casey’s face, his cheeks growing warm when Leo brought a fist up to cover his mouth and ducked his head down and to the side in an attempt to hide his laughter.

He did it! He’d actually made Leo laugh! And even as stifled as it was, it was still such a wonderful sound to hear. He hadn’t even thought that would work, though Master Leonardo always insisted that everyone loved puns. It looked like he was right, as much as Master Donatello would have said otherwise.

Unable to help chuckling himself Casey kicked at the dirt on the ground, a mild energy buzzing through his limbs and demanding movement. An energy that fled along with the smile slipping from his face when he caught sight of the arched brow Leon was aiming at him. Snapping straight once more he cleared his throat before continuing the conversation. “From our talk earlier, you’ve always been the leader of your team, right?”

Leo seemed to catch up with him, nodding his head quickly before carrying on with his search. “Yes. There was a time at the beginning when he tried to take over for a night and… well, our brothers got really hurt and he froze. I don’t think he realized all the pressure and irreversible consequences that can be made when you’re in charge. Also, back than he was much more of a hot head than he is now and would just constantly run into fights without thinking. Not really prime leader material.”

“Well yeah.” Leon mumbled, not even bothering to pretend he was looking anymore as he walked along the rows. “That’s what it’s all about, trial and error. He could have been great, maybe you didn’t give him enough of a chance.”

To that Leo paused, and Casey could see the tension in his shoulders before he tossed Leon a baleful look over his shoulder. “And when would have been a good time to run a trail and error test with the lives of our family and friends? During the times when we were being shot at and hunted? When our enemies were coming up with brainwashing technology to try and use us to kill each other? Maybe it would have been a good idea to hand him the reins when one of us had to stay back and nearly died to bring down a machine that would have destroyed not just the city, but the entire world. When should I have been selfish enough to force that kind of weight on his shoulders?” Leo asked, his fangs mildly bared in warning.

Casey took a step forward, putting his arm out to stop the advance Leon had been making. “Who knows? Maybe none of that stuff would have happened if he was in charge in the first place.”

Okay, he didn’t care that Leon was his leader and a younger version of his Master, Casey needed to put a stop to this. For the first time since the Kraang attack he stared his Sensei down, using the slightest bit of extra height he had on him to his advantage.

Keeping his voice low so his next words were only between them Casey found his gaze narrowing sharply. “You need to stop taking your frustrations with yourself out on him.”

Leon’s jaw slipped open, sputtering nonsensically as if anything he could come up with could excuse his attitude and rebuff Casey’s facts. Placing a hand on his shoulder Casey went to put a stop to it before he could even start.

“Sensei-.”

Their conversation was cut short by the sound of a door popping open.

Before it even had time to click closed, all three disappeared from sight.

Casey could have smacked himself in the face when he realized that he’d gone right.

And Leon and Leo had gone left.

They all stuck to the shadows, Casey dipping further back as the sound of heels clicking drew closer and closer to their location. Glancing between the cars across from him he caught sight of Leon and Leo crouching low next to one another. On the Brightside, neither of them were taking the close proximity to strike at the other so… at least there was that.

Before he could signal to them, the loud bang of the door snapping open again made them all freeze, even more shuffling steps echoing around the room now as the workers made their way from the building to their cars to head home for the night. Which was great news for them.

Not only was it about to make hiding a whole lot harder, but who’s to say that the one they were looking for wouldn’t m-.

As if they must have been thinking the same thing, the tracking device he’d been using buzzed silently, Casey scooping it out of his pocket quickly and checking the screen. Great. They were moving, and fast.

Looking back up he waved his hand to get his Sensei’s attention, quickly signing to him.

ON THE MOVE, HEADING NORTH. STAIRWELL.

The footsteps drew closer, minimal conversations filling the air while he waited to see what they were supposed to be doing until his eyes went wide when it was Leo who responded before Leon did.

COPY. MOVE WHEN YOU CAN. WE’LL WAIT THERE.

Leon seemed just as shocked, his head snapping over to Leo who was already disappearing in the direction Casey had mentioned. Both of them shared a look, but they were as equally quick to disappear when someone passed by their hiding place.

Ignoring the new revelation to be able to focus on the task at hand, Casey kept low, slipping further back as people started to divide into the different rows. It did take him longer than he would have thought, having to stop and go and duck in cover out of the sight of the workers, but eventually, he did manage to get on the right side of the parking lot. As he had to duck low once more to avoid a woman who snapped around at the call of her name by a friend from the tone of her voice, he couldn’t help but wish that his gear didn’t make him stand out so much. It would have been so much easier and quicker if he could just blend in and walk around.

When he caught sight of the two again, he was a little shocked to see that they were partaking in a quick and hushed conversation. They didn’t look… pleased, but there was no bared fangs or weapons flashing on display, so he assumed they weren’t about to lunge at each other either. When he drew in closer and they took notice, their conversation ended, Leo nodding to him in acknowledgement while Leon tilted his head towards the door before carefully clicking it open.

Gesturing towards the door for him to go first, Casey hung back as he waited for Leo to head in next. As he stepped through the door he took another glance at Donald’s device, his brow furrowing to see that it was still in the same area, and yet-.

“Where to Case?”

Casey took a look around the small stairwell they were in, seeing Leo doing the same while Leon was waiting for him to answer. He didn’t answer right away however catching something in the way that Leo was sniffing the air and the furrow of his brows. Tilting his head up Casey closed his eyes, inhaling deeply and trying to focus on anything that might seem out of place.

There wasn’t anything that really stuck out to him though. It smelt pretty normal all things considered. There was the cold scent of concrete, the sharp sting of cleaners, the extremely mild dirt and dust in the air.

Just when he was about to give up, he caught something, something that didn’t… make sense to have in an office building.

A sweet almost flora like scent clashing with everything else, something that he could almost mistake as flowers but with a…marsh-ish?- sort of tinge. He couldn’t think of any other way to describe it other than that. Whatever it was it left him confused as he opened his eyes and turned back to Leo.

“W-,”

He couldn’t even get out a word though before Leo was darting up the stairs quicker than Casey thought he should be able to with his injury.

“Ozzie!”

Ozzie?

Sharing a look with Leon they didn’t take long to follow after him.

“Ozzie hm?” Leon snickered easily as they sped up the stairs. “Doesn’t sound like a brother nickname. Think it’s a girlfriend? Boyfriend?”

Casey wasn’t sure why, but the question made his stomach sink, a faint ache throbbing in his chest that he tried to push down as he focused on catching up with the surprisingly fast mutant.

Thankfully, as Leo hit one of the landings, he came to a sudden stop, his head snapping around frantically, sniffing at the air once more before darting off again.

“Leo! Wait for us!”

But his words were drowned out by the sound of a door another flight up being thrown open.

“He’s going to get us caught.” Leon grumbled, picking up his pace. “If he keeps this up I’m portaling us all back to the lair. No arguments.”

“Come on Sensei,” Casey tried, grabbing the door and yanking it open. “We’re so close to finding… Ozzie-,” whoever that was, “-we can’t just give up now.”

“We’re running around a building following a light on a screen and a… whatever he’s following.”

“A scent.” Casey filled in, watching as Leo slid to a halt in front of an empty office cube before all but throwing himself in it.

“Oz!”

“Wait, what? How do you-?”

Leon didn’t have time to finish his question before they reached the cubicle Leo disappeared into, and saw him kneeling on the ground, speaking quietly to someone squirreled away under the desk.

“Ozzie? Oz It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.”

From the tone that he was using Casey didn’t think that whoever it was he was talking to was a possible partner. He wasn’t sure he liked the slight tension in Leo’s voice however, or the forced tilt of his lips that contrasted with the worried furrow of his brow. He was oddly stiff and as Casey took another sniff at the air he could understand why.

An irony tang hung thick around the area, a part of Casey’s brain rearing to high alert at what it could mean.

“Come on Ozzie, it’s your Uncle Leo, don’t you remember me?”

A feral hiss was the only response, Casey’s heart lurching out to Leo at the distressed chirp he gave in turn. Moving past a shocked Leon, Casey slowly made his way to crouch down next to Leo, peering under the desk to see who he was talking to.

He blinked, expecting to see a small turtle maybe, but not a blue skinned lizard with a green shell but soft belly and the brightest green eyes he’d ever seen barring their teeth with the most threatening snarl, claws ruining the carpet and a thick and long tail thrashing wildly behind them. If it wasn’t for the fact that the kid was all arched up like a hell spitting cat, he could have thought they were cute, but as the situation was now he was almost afraid of loosing a finger- or a limb- if he tried to reach in and scoop them up.

The worst part about the whole thing though, was the blood.

It ran down their arm and stained the floor, and there was so much of it...

No wonder the little thing was acting so aggressively. They were probably terrified.

“I don’t know what to do.” Leo mumbled, Casey’s eyes darting over to him even though the bright blues stayed on the child in question. “I haven’t seen Ozzie in so long I don’t think-. I-. She- she doesn’t remember me.”

As if to prove his point, he held out a hand to her, the steady motion being met with an automatic swipe by eerily sharp claws.

Leo didn’t hesitate to snap his hand back, again, attempting to calm her with a soothing chirp that she didn’t hesitate to snarl at.

“She’s not… normally like this. I don’t think? I- I don’t remember her being like this. I don’t know…”

He shook his head, Casey deciding that maybe he should take over for a little bit.

He recognized these signs.

“She’s just afraid.” He explained, settling himself down in a comfortable sitting position, riffling through his pockets for something he figured would settle her down a little. “She’s been in a strange place on her own, she’s hurt. I’m sure it’s just her fear overriding the more logical part of her mind.”

“I can portal us back to the lair.” Leon pipped up, suddenly very serious as he stood off to the side, probably not wanting to crowd the already petrified infant with another face. “If she’s hurt, we should get her back as soon as possible.”

“If we do that now, she’ll end up running circles around us that could lead to her damaging whatever injury she has even more.” Casey explained, nixing the idea completely. “Leo, does she have any allergies?”

Leo’s mouth did its best impression of a gapping fish for a few seconds, his shoulders jumping in a shrug while his fingers batted against his knees with excess energy. “I-I don’t know.”

Shifting a confused glance over to the other Casey didn’t ponder on how odd that was for long. Finally pulling out the safest bet, he wiggled the peanut free chewy granola bar between his fingers, the sound catching Ozzie’s attention and easing her aggravated sate, if only slightly. If she’d been here as long as Leo had, she was probably starving.

“Hey kiddo,” he kept his voice soft and quiet, holding her gaze as he carefully ripped open the bar. “You hungry? Do you like chocolate?”

Ozzie continued to growl low, but Casey didn’t take any offense, sliding the bar now that the wrapper was open and easier for her to access slowly across the floor towards her. “Go on, you can eat it.”

Not wanting to make it seem like he was waiting to grab her, he pulled his hand away, sitting back a little to add even more space when she just eyed him cautiously.

As she took her time before nabbing the food and shoving it into her face, he tilted himself towards Leo, keeping his eyes on her as he spoke. “How old is she?”

Leo’s shoulders jumped in a shrug, his head shaking once more while his brows furrowed. “I-I don’t know? Four? Six?”

Arching a brow Casey finally turned to the one at his side, a little confused but trying to be understanding. “Do you have a lot of nieces and nephews?” But his question only made Leo shake his head.

“I have one nephew and two nieces.”

While that didn’t sound like a lot of people to remember, Casey didn’t press, turning back when he heard the crumpling of the wrapper.

Ozzie had finished with her bar and even that small amount of food seemed to calm her down massively. She was licking at the tips of her claws and her palms, obviously still hungry as she eyed Casey, sniffing at the air. He knew what she was looking for, and with very careful movements, he pulled out another bar.

This time when he opened it, he held it out to her, keeping himself very still as she drew closer, waiting patiently until she finally took it from his hand.

“How much longer is this going to take?” Leo mumbled, trying to keep his voice low, the shake in it as clear to hear as his eyes glued to the blood seeping into the ground was to see.

“Not much longer,” Casey assured him, grabbing his shoulder and giving it a squeeze, an action that worked to reassure the both of them as well as to help settle both of their nerves.

As if to prove his point, she slowly, slowly, crept towards them, keeping low and with a weary eye, but Casey only smiled at the suspicion oozing off her, opening his arms to offer her a safe space tucked away in the depths of his cloak. With the open invitation she darted out from under the desk the rest of the way and under the new cover, Casey quickly scooping her up and getting to his feet while tugging the thick fabric tight around her.

“There you go.”

Leo was instantly hovering by his side, grabbing onto his arm and peering into the folds to see the bright green eyes reflecting back. “Is she going to be okay?”

“Yes.” Leon’s instant response drew Casey’s attention to his leader while he could feel Leo’s fingers digging in deeper. “But we need to get back. Now.” He removed the sword from his back, creating a portal right then and there. “We’ll come back for the Tank later, right now I need to see where the blood is coming from and how much she’s lost.”

“Okay, okay, okay.” Leo mumbled, nodding along, and Casey suddenly found hands at his back, pushing him forward. “Let’s-let’s go.”

Not bothering to push back, Casey picked up his pace as he walked through the portal, his body cold for a spilt movement as he passed through. When he felt the child shiver in his hold he churred softly at her, hoping that would sooth her discomfort as the others quickly followed behind him.

“Case, med wing.”

“On it.”

His feet had already been moving in that direction, his attention shifting to Leo as he seemed to flutter around him. He would cut in close, figure he was to close, back off, only to appear on Casey’s other side once more a few moments later. While Casey could understand his frantic behaviour, he could also feel how it was making the little mutant in his arms wiggle in discomfort. So, when Leo drew in close again, he snapped his arm out, his hand grabbing at Leo’s and pulling him to his side, squeezing at his fingers as he intertwined them smoothly.

“She’s going to be okay Leo.”

A distressed chirp escaped from Leo’s throat at his attempt at reassurance, but just like he had with Ozzie, Casey churred softly back at him, tightening his hold on his hand once more and finally feeling him settle against his side.

They entered into the med wing together, Casey only slightly shocked to see Raphie still awake. From the eye of disapproval he shot them with he could tell that he’d only stayed up to lecture them about leaving in the first place, something Casey didn’t give him time to do as he lowered his cloak from the top of her head.

The change in Raph’s eyes was instant. Like flipping a switch he turned from scolding, punish dealing parent to a glowing, wide eyed, cooing pile of goo. With a gasp his hands flapped by his side, his large form bouncing like an excited puppy.

“Ohmigosh, who is this little bundle of blinding cuteness?”

“Leo’s niece, Ozzie.” Casey explained, Leon cutting in quick.

“She’s hurt.”

Again, Raph’s expression changed, turning serious as they collectively moved themselves over to one of the lab tables. “Where?”

“I don’t know yet, she was to freaked out to check-.”

“And she’s still tense.” Casey cut in quick, covering her again when she went to burrow under his arm to hide. Letting go of Leo’s hand he glanced at both him and Raphie before he let out a small sigh. “It might be better if you guys weren’t-.”

“I’m not leaving her with strangers.”

Though he couldn’t deny that that’s what they were, something about hearing it come out so bluntly and with the bite of an edge to it made him wince.

“And you don’t have to.” Casey assured him, “but maybe you could sit over there?” He offered, pointing over to a desk that Leon would write his reports at. “Just so there’s not so many people hovering around her and making her tense.”

Leo looked like he wanted to argue, but then he settled, his brows furrowing sadly as he turned to the lump tucked away against Casey’s arm. Reaching out Casey scooped up his hand again, offering him a small smile of assurance while he gave his fingers a squeeze. “She’s going to be okay Leo. Leon’s a great doctor, but you’ve got to let him work.”

Leo sighed, but eventually, he did nod, squeezing Casey’s hand back before letting him go. Raphie step up than, carefully herding the slumped turtle to the other side of the lab and leaving the other two to work.

Lifting a corner of his cloak he peeked at the eyes peering back at him. “Hey Ozzie,” he spoke softly tilting himself so he could show her Leon. “My Sensei here is just going to look you over okay? Make sure that you get all patched up. You good with that?”

She squinted at Casey, eventually her eyes drifting over to Leon. Hesitantly, she nodded her head, allowing Casey to maneuver her out from under the heavy fabric, something he removed from his shoulders with one hand to settle over the table before placing her down on it. Even with the thick barrier between her and the metal, she still shivered at the cold seeping through it, and Casey frowned before stepping back as Leon took his place while he turned towards the two sitting in the stools.

“Hey Raphie? Do you think you could grab us a sweater or something? Something warm we can wrap her up in when we’re done?”

“On it.”

As Raph got up to do just that, Casey shot a look to Leo, giving him a small smile before turning back to the task at hand, readying himself to grab whatever Leon needed him to.

 

Notes:

Okay, so Ozzie, (Full name Or’xzygaba, daughter of Raph and Mona Lisa incase that wasn't obvious :) . ) is not about to become a surrogate daughter to Leo. In fact, she's actually going to connect more with the Rise turtles than her Uncle. Leo doesn't mind kids, even enjoys being around them from time to time, but there is a reason he doesn't know a lot about his niece that will come into light later. (And no, it's nothing gross.)
Having her here is actually going to help highlight his current relationship with his brothers and how estranged they've all become over the years as well as how their thoughts and stances that have changed on other things.

What this story is not going to turn into is a story revolving around a child and the two taking care of her like dotting parents. In fact, she'll pop in every once and awhile but for the most part, Leo let's the others handle her (because they're better at it and have more of an interest in it) while he helps the others figure out how to get them home and deal with the fallout of what the portals have brought to their world.

That's all I wanted to say incase anyone was worried this was about to take a different turn. :) But yeah, enjoy. :)

Chapter 8

Notes:

You guys don't know how much fun I had writing this chapter! It just came out so easily! :D

I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)

She’d fallen asleep long before Leon had finished stitching up the gapping wound on her shoulder.

Casey couldn’t say that was a surprise though, considering the fact that by now, it had nearly been close to thirty hours since the first portals had appeared, and who know if she got here closer to the beginning of it, or the end.

His Sensei didn’t speak much and Casey found himself tossing a glance over at where Raph and Leo were seated as he carried the bloody rags to the biohazard bin, discreetly keeping the amount out of Leo’s line of sight. Not that it seemed to matter, the poor misplaced mutant looked like he was only keeping awake out of spite, his eyes wide and bloodshot as his body swayed on the stool he was perched on. Casey found his eyes darting to his knee though, a pull twisting at his lips as he noticed that it was already swelling slightly, taking in the way Leo was attempting to keep it as straight as he could in his position while he watched over his niece.

Rejoining Leon’s side he didn’t interrupt his Sensei as the young leader started wrapping the gauze overtop of the thick cotton pad he had placed over her new stitches, his expression tight as his hands worked as delicately as they could over the tiny child.

He hadn’t spoken much since he’d started attending to her. Normally Leon had a pretty pleasant bedside manner when it came to his medical work, chatting away with his brothers, sister or friends as he patched them up. It was all done to distract them from their pain, or just to make sure they didn’t feel awkward or that they weren’t in shock, but normally, if he didn’t speak to whoever was sitting at his table, he at least spoke to Casey.

Tonight, he’d been entirely silent, leaving Casey to explain everything that he was doing and why as Leon wiped at the scrapes on her knees and palms with anti bacterial wipes. He had to be the one to sooth her when she whined as Leon splintered two of her fingers together, leaving her left hand mostly immobile until her broken finger could heal. He tried to tell her jokes and little songs while holding her still as she cried and squirmed as Leon used a pair of tweezers and a scalpel to dig the glass out of her leg.  When Leon had ripped open a package to produce a very large, semi circle looking needle, Casey had to quickly scramble a little story together to distract her with, so she didn’t bolt right off the table and out the door.

It seemed a fear of needles was a family trait.

Even now though, Leon didn’t utter a single word, reaching the end of the area he wanted to cover and tying it off with a firm enough knot that she wouldn’t be able to wiggle it loose.

After he was done Casey watched as Leon picked her up ever so carefully, cradling her softly in his arms and staring down at her. He just stared; eyes almost blank if not for the slight mist Casey could see fogging them.

“Sen-?”

Before he could say anything, Leon pressed her into Casey’s arms, leaving him to scramble for a hold as carefully as he could before his leader turned on his heels and walked away. Leo seemed to perk up at the change, hopping off his stool and winching at the jolt the action gave to his leg. That didn’t stop him from tossing a confused glance to Leon however as he marched passed him.

“Is it all done? Is she okay?”

Leon didn’t answer, swiftly passing by both his brother and his counterpart without a word.

Leo must have thought the worst, his eyes already filling with tears as he snapped his attention to Casey while his chest hitched with quick breaths. Raphie on the other hand turned to his brother as he walked out the sliding door, moving to follow him.

“Leo?”

“Jones?”

Seeing that the others were apparently dealing with their own thing, Casey didn’t hesitate to step towards Leo, offering him a small smile he hoped would be reassuring enough. “She’s okay Leo.” He whispered, not wanting to risk waking her. “She’s just sleeping.”

Another distressed whine escaped from Leo’s throat, a noise that Casey was finding made his heart throb painfully every time he heard it.

“Do you want to hold her?”

He wasn’t sure why that question had Leo darting back with the most petrified look Casey had ever seen over his face.

“Raph would kill me.”

Slowly, Casey blinked, and than brought little Ozzie back to cradle against his chest. “Why?” Because he’d thought it had been weird that Leo couldn’t answer the simplest of questions about her, not even her age. “Did something happen?”

Again, Leo’s expression shifted, his arms crossing tight over his chest. No. Not crossing, cradling, like he was trying to hold himself together as his eyes darted to the floor.

“I- I was trying to train her, like our Sensei trained us and…” Leo’s words trailed off, his teeth coming down to chew on his bottom lip, before one of his hands darted up for him to chew against his thumbnail. “We had a bit of a falling out.”

Oh.

Casey… wasn’t sure what to say about that.

He never thought there was anything that could separate the brothers, especially not something as simple as training of all things. Their bond always seemed to be so unbreakable, and hearing that it had been shattered so easily was a little unnerving.

Either way, regardless of whatever fight they had, Casey still stepped closer.

“I think, given the circumstances, he would be okay with it.”

Once again, Casey held her out to him. Again, Leo hesitated, but slowly, he did take her from Casey’s arms.

As he held her, Casey couldn’t help but smile softly at how borderline awkward the mutant looked while doing so, no doubt out of practice after however long it had been since he’d last held her. As sweet as the scene was however, he didn’t miss the exhausted slump of Leo’s shoulders, or the lull of sleep calling out to him.

Taking a quick glance around the area he took note of Donald and Angelo still passed out, apparently not having been woken in all the excitement. Even if they were all sleeping though, he wasn’t sure how comfortable Leo would be crashing here with them in it, especially not with a little one.

With a small hum he turned back to the two strangers, only taking a moment to think about it before putting out his offer. “Do you want to sleep in my room?”

“What?”

Casey shook his head at the squeak Leo gave, starting to wonder just how the lack of sleep was affecting his mind.

“Sorry, that came out weird.” He admitted before trying again. “I don’t mean with me, I’ll sleep on the couch in the living room, but you and Ozzie can have my room, just until we can figure out something a little more permanent. What do you think?”

Leo didn’t answer right away, his brow furrowing as he looked to be thinking about it. “I… wouldn’t want to impose…”

Taking a step closer Casey smiled gently down at the other with a soft look in his eyes.

“Trust me, you wouldn’t be. Honestly it would make me feel better knowing that you two are resting somewhere comfortable.”

“Oh.” Leo’s response was almost a whisper, his cheeks highlighting up a bright pink that only seemed to brighten the blues of his eyes. “That’s… very kind, t-thank you.”

Lips lifting just that much more, Casey took a step back, gesturing for Leo to accompany him as they strolled side by side, moving slow with Leo’s now much more obvious limp.

As the door slid open, he glanced over at the kitchen but still kept them heading in the direction of the rooms.

“Would you like me to bring you anything by the way? A glass of water or maybe something to eat?”

Because now that he was thinking of it, neither of them had eaten all day, or had much in the way of hydration.

Leo simply sighed at the suggestion however, shifting Ozzie in his hold. “I think if I tried to eat or drink anything right now, I’d just fall asleep before I take the first sip or finish the first bite.”

Chuckling at the thought Casey led him past a few rooms, finally coming to his door and pushing it open.  “I know what you mean. I’ll help Mi- Angelo to build us a big breakfast tomorrow.”

“I can help with that,” Leo offered, his cheeks lighting up again as he stepped into the room. “I-I’ve been told I’m not the best cook, but I’ve managed to keep myself alive for the last few years so I can’t be that bad.”

Not wanting to be rude Casey didn’t point out the fact that he thought Leo was a bit on the thin side, so how much of his own food was he actually able to stomach? Still, he couldn’t stop his eyes from giving the other a quick scan from top to bottom once more, clearing his throat with haste at the warm flush that came to his own cheeks at realizing that Leo looked… oddly right standing in his space.

Trying to refocus himself he tightened his hold around the doorhandle, returning a smile to the others offer. “Thank you, but you’re our guest Leo. It wouldn’t be proper to have you assist with cooking a meal on your first day.”

“Only if, you’re sure.”

Offering him another smile in reassurance Casey nodded. “I’m sure.”

Although their conversation was done and he really should have been excusing himself to allow them to rest for the night, he found himself lingering at the door, as if his feet were glued to the floor and he suddenly didn’t want to leave. He felt like he could just stay here, appreciating the sight of Leo in his space for hours. Sure there wasn’t much in his room to really claim it as his, Casey had lived all his life with nothing more than the clothing on his back and the weapon he’d so carefully crafted in his hand that it took him a while to understand the concept of actually owning minimal trinkets just because he liked them, even if they served no other purpose, but it was still very much his space. Which was an odd thought all in itself because he’d never had a space to claim as his own that didn’t also belong to at least twenty other people so it really shouldn’t have felt any different inviting Leo to occupy it and yet it did, and he couldn’t explain why.

“Jones?”

Slightly embarrassed by allowing his own thoughts to run away with him he bowed his head slightly while he stepped back, closing the door partially before him. “Sorry, I was just… I got lost in thought.”

A soft chuckle had him lifting his eyes back up to see a warm smile over Leo’s lips, his expression still soft and understanding regardless of the lack of sleep.

“Don’t worry, that happens to me too. Especially after a long day.”

Again, a heat took over Casey’s heart and he could feel it swelling behind his ribs almost painfully. Needing to excuse himself before his chest could explode, he tapped quickly at the doorhandle and straightened himself out.

“This door locks by the way, in case that will make you feel more comfortable, and I’ll grab you another bag of peas for your leg.”

Because they had forgotten the other bag in the Tank and Donald was going to yell at him for allowing all the water it was no doubt leaking to cover the insides of his precious battle vehicle but, in Casey’s mind, it was completely worth it.

“Oh, it’s okay, you really don’t have to.” Leo mumbled, tossing a look at Casey over his shoulder as he carefully settled Ozzie under the sheets. “I wouldn’t want to waste all of your vegetables.”

To that Casey could only snicker. “You wouldn’t be. Let’s just say there’s a reason we have so many bags of peas mi churri.” He assured, finishing with a wink that made Leo chuckle.

-And made Casey freeze as his mouth snapped closed, the smile on his face becoming stiff.

Because had he really just called a guy he barely knew his sweetheart? A nickname that he’d heard Master Leonardo use a million times with his own husband but not one he’d ever thought he’d find himself saying to someone who was basically a stranger.

“I’ll be right back!”

Nearly slamming the door closed he almost didn’t catch himself in time, remembering to slow it down and actually twist the handle so he didn’t wake up the entire household. But than he found himself just standing there, staring down at the white knuckled grip he had wrapped around the handle and listening to the feeling of his heart beating away wildly in his chest and the burn of heat licking at his cheeks.

He supposed, in hindsight, this explained a few things.

Opening his mouth, he wasn’t even sure what he wanted to say, or to whom, and found himself closing it again with a shake of his head. Releasing his hold he finally was able to take a step back, forcing himself to focus on his next mission. Getting another bag of peas for Leo to rest over his knee. And than they could finally rest, and he could shut his brain down for the first time in so long. Which might help because maybe he was just tired and the familiarity of the situation in a different context reminded him of listening to the sweet nothings Master Leonardo and his mate would whisper back and forth to one another on the nights they thought everyone was already fast asleep.

Yeah. That- that made sense.

Shaking his head, Casey made a quick walk to the kitchen and back, not wanting to keep Leo waiting and forcing him to stay up longer.

This time when he stopped before his door, he found himself reaching for the handle and quickly had to catch himself, clearing his throat before lifting his hand to knock quietly instead. He didn’t have to wait long, unable to hear any feet shuffling but seeing the handle twist all the same a few moments later. He smiled at the bright blue eyes peering out at him from the darkness.

Holding the bag out he couldn’t resist falling back on his old Master’s habits as a rare awkwardness took over his very soul. “I hope this ap-peas-es you.” And instantly felt the urge to smack his head off a wall.

He refrained though; the little snicker Leo gave as he accepted the offer more than enough to make the awful pun worth it. “Thank you.”

Casey smiled and found himself almost stuck there, pulled in by the magnetically soft and genuine smile of appreciation Leo gave him seemingly without realizing its effect. He didn’t want to go, if he wasn’t so concerned about Leo’s need for sleep, he would have gladly sacrificed his own just to stay up a little longer and speak with him. But-.

A squeak of surprise left him when he suddenly found himself being wrapped up in a pair of strong arms, his face absolutely burning at the close press of the other’s body against his own. He didn’t know what to think, every thought in his head vanishing with the tight squeeze that almost lifted him off the ground.

“Thank you.” The almost delicate way the words were breathed into the air had Casey zeroing back in, his arms slowly lifting to return the embrace. “Thank you for helping me find her and for keeping her ali-,” he could hear the tightness in Leo’s throat as he attempted to push out words his body didn’t seem to want to acknowledge.

Placing his hand to cradle against the back of Leo’s head he guided him to tuck under Casey’s chin, holding him close, accepting the words Leo couldn’t say. “It’s okay Leo, she’s safe now, you both are.”

His only response was Leo holding him tighter, and than slowly letting go.

Although he could have happily stood there basking in the other’s warmth and strength, Casey let him go, watching as Leo awkwardly played with the bag of frozen vegetables in his hands, his eyes darting everywhere but Casey’s face.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

“It’s okay.” Casey assured him quickly, not wanting Leo to think that he wasn’t allowed to give him hugs. “I know you guys are big huggers.”

From the confused look Leo gave him in turn Casey felt his brows furrow in his own expression of confusion. “Oh, unless… maybe you guys aren’t?”

This could have just been another difference between the ones he knew, and the one standing before him. They were counterparts, this was A Leo, but they weren’t clones. There was bound to be many, many differences.

At his question however there was a… heaviness, that seemed to fall over the smaller male. Even the small upturn of his lips did little to lighten his expression.

“Honestly? I don’t remember the last time I gave any of them so much as a fist bump.”

Oh. Oh, that hurt.

Without thinking about it, Casey stepped back in and wrapped his arms tightly around Leo, tugging him in close and burying his muffle shock against the stiff fabric of his body armor. With his hands wrapped around Leo’s shoulders he gently brushed his thumb back and forth over the area, feeling the slight shiver racking through the body trapped in his hold that only made him tighten his grip that much more.

“Well, if you ever need one, I’m here.”

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but he was almost shocked when he felt arms wrapping around him and fingers gripping tight into the back of his shirt, pulling him closer.

Casey couldn’t even begin to imagine how lonely Leo must have been feeling, or for how long. His relationship with his brothers sounded strained and although he didn’t know much about them specifically, from what he could put together it seemed like Leo was pretty isolated. The thought of him being embarrassed and nervous by something as simple as a hug nearly shattered his heart.

If he was being honest, Casey could have stood there for the rest of time, holding Leo in his arms and feeling his heart thrumming in time with his.

But the deep and deliberate clearing of a throat had them both snapping away from each other with brightly flushed faces.

“Uh! R-Raph! Heeey.” He wasn’t sure why he felt like he’d just been caught doing something bad as he awkwardly waved to the giant snapper arching a brow at him, but he still felt nervous enough to stumble over his words while he tried not to allow his eyes to dart to Leo who seemed to be now fumbling for a grip on the bag in his hand. “I- uh, I thought you were with Sensei?”

“Raph finally got him ta sleep.” He said before his eyes shifted over to the smaller mutant. “Did I interrupt somethin’?”

“Uh…”

“Nope.” Casey chirped, placing a hand against Leo’s shoulder and ever so carefully pushing him back into the room. “Have a good sleep Leo, we’ll see you in the morning.”

He really, really hoped the look over his face was enough to telegraph the warning that the last thing they wanted was to be questioned by the heavy hitter of the group. Raphie was a sweetheart, but when he got his mind on something he could be relentless about figuring it out.

Even without being able to say anything though, Leo seemed to get it, nodding to Casey with a tight smile before he made to close the door. “Goodnight Jones. Raphael.”

“Night.” Raph echoed seconds before the door clicked closed.

Glad that at least Leo wasn’t going to have to suffer through the questions Casey let out a relived sigh.

At least until he felt the oldest of the Hamato brothers hovering over his shoulders. “You two seem awfully close.”

Not wanting to have whatever conversation this was going to be right at the door, Casey started his walk back towards the main area of the lair. “It’s been a long day.” He shrugged, not wanting to be questioned about the red in his cheeks he knew the giant mutant was observing.

“Em hm.”

“What was wrong with Leon?” Casey mumbled, not only to change the topic but also because he was concerned about his leader.

Raphie didn’t answer right away, following beside Casey and away from the sleeping quarters part of their home. “What makes you think something was wrong?”

“He didn’t talk.” Casey pointed out. A valid enough reason to be concerned when it came to the Slider. “Not one word, and than he just left.”

A large sigh was pulled out of the air, Raph slowing to a stop that made Casey pause as well as he turned to face the second tallest member of their little family.

“Leo is… okay.” Raph mumbled, even as his arms crossed stiffly over his chest. “He’s just never worked on a child before, not one so young or injured. It rattled him.”

That’s when it dawned on Casey.

He hadn’t thought much on it because Master Leonardo had been amazing with kids, able to keep them still and giggly even when he had to reset bones or keeping them calm when he explained that he was going to have to amputate limbs.

For some reason, he’d completely forgotten that this Leon had never delt with that before.

“Raph tried to tell him that it wasn’t his fault but, you know how Leo gets.”

Casey did. Which is why he couldn’t help but shoot a concerned look in the direction of where he knew his leader’s room was. Raphie said that he was sleeping, but that didn’t mean that he would be given any relief from the thoughts that were no doubt bouncing around in his mind.

“I’ll make sure to talk to him tomorrow.” Casey mumbled, wondering just what he could say or if it would be better just to sit with him.

Raph hummed, whether with acceptance of Casey idea or just to acknowledge that he’d spoken. “If he’s up for it.” He mumbled, before Casey’s shoulders jumped up to his ears, a large hand dropping on top of his head heavily. “But sleep first. We’ve all had a long day.”

Unable to deny that Casey shifted his eyes over to the med bay before allowing them to drift back over to Raphie. “Are you going to sleep in there? Did you want me to so you can sleep in your room?”

“Nah,” Raph mumbled, “Raph’ll keep an eye on the little ones. You can have my room though.”

“I’m actually going to sleep on the couch.” Casey explained. “I figured that way I’ll hear Mikey when he gets up and I can help him make breakfast. Also, I told Leo that I would be sleeping out here and if he needs anything I want him to be able to find me.”

“But Leo knows- oh. Raph understands. You mean the other Leo.”

Clearing his throat Casey’s eyes shifted to the side to avoid the look Raph was giving him.

“Casey…”

“Well, I’m beat,” Casey interrupted, stretching his arms high above his head, letting out a long yawn as he did so, squinting at the flat look he was getting out of the corner of his eye. “Night Raphie.”

He didn’t give him any time to respond, turning on his heels and leaving him behind while he quickly headed towards the couch that would act as his bed for the next few hours. It wasn’t that he was running from whatever it was he was sure Raph wanted to talk about, it was that he wasn’t sure how to respond and he didn’t want to have an answer forced from him.

As he made his way closer to the couch, he could hear the door hissing open, only able to feel the tension bleeding from his body when it slid shut once more. Dropping onto the couch, he let out a long sigh, resting his head against the back of it and staring blankly up at the ceiling.

Today had felt like a very looong day.

Even so he still found the energy to give a small smile as he thought of the two snuggled away under his covers, hopefully resting peacefully now that they were together and safe.

Today had been long.

But completely worth it.

Chapter 9

Notes:

We are finally moving on to some plot relevant stuff baby! Whoop! Although first, some angsty Leon, some cute Casey and Leo flirting, a little bit of Ozzie and Mikey moments and Raph and Don just keeping an eye on their bros and the situation respectfully.
Enjoy!

Casey whistled a cheery little tune as he stirred the eggs around in the frying pan, adding a little bit more pepper to mix with the other vegetables he’d originally tossed in along with a large dab of salsa. In another pan a fluffy banana and chocolate chip pancake sat, sizzling away in the butter and so close to being finished and added to the stack of others on the counter.

The smell of bacon cooking in the oven hung thick in the air, adding a delicious scent when it combined with the fresh fruit he’d cut up and stored in the fridge just a little while ago and the grilling of the sausages resting on the third burner marinating in some honey and garlic.

Probably one of the best things about being in this timeline was the fact that he actually got to cook, with real food.

Back in his original time, it was considered lucky if they could find a can of beans to stretch into three meals, and the idea of freshly grown produce had set him into a panic until Donald had broken down how it all worked and that it was perfectly safe. No one ever tried planting anything in the ground where he’d come from, the land long since contaminated under the Krang rule leaving anything grown in it to be extremely deadly to consume.

Here though?

Here he could grow his own food, him and Angelo having their own little garden out in the woods by Todd’s place where they could spend the warmer months feeding their loved ones from the fruit of their labour.

And Casey had been shocked to find out that he really enjoyed cooking. That he could finally see what Master Michealangelo had been talking about all those years ago when he would go on and on in an almost hypnotic like haze about the meals he used to make. It had been an honor for Angelo to take the time to train him in the way of the kitchen as he called it, and quiet frankly, Casey could humbly say that his skills had vastly improved from what they had been, only placing second to the King of Cuisine himself.

Secretly though, he was almost a little glad that Mikey was still sleeping away and that he’d been restless enough that a few hours seemed to be all his body needed. There was a small, prideful part of himself that wanted to earn the praise for this morning’s meal all to himself. If only from one person in particular…

“You are waaay to happy for it to be this early.”

“Good morning Sensei!” Casey greeted in turn, earning a long groan from the tired turtle.

Chuckling in good nature, Casey scooped a few sausages, some scrambled eggs he’d already made set aside along with a blueberry muffin onto a plate and easily slid it over to the slider’s usual spot.

“There’s more coming up and fruit in the fridge. Also, pancakes.” He said, easily flipping the one that had been cooking to join the rest before pouring another thick stream of batter and chocolate chips into the pan again.

Going back to his whistling he didn’t mind the almost silent slurps of the leader in blue, grabbing the handle of the sausage pan and lifting it to shake them around in the syrupy mix before placing it back down and finishing up his omelette. Putting that aside with a few others next to the scrambled eggs he tilted his head when he heard the timer go off for the bacon.

“You feedin’ a small army pequeno?”

“An army?” Looking over his shoulder as he popped the oven open, Casey just smiled back at Leon. “This is barely going to be enough to feed the four of you let alone the seven of us.”

“So that wasn’t a nightmare.”

His voice was low, probably not meant for Casey to hear but as he placed the tray down on the cork heating pads on the counter Casey knew he should probably address it. Slipping the gloves from his hands he placed them next to the tray before turning to face his friend, his brows furrowed slightly as he looked him over.

Leon was looking into his cup, maybe staring at his own tired reflection. It didn’t seem to matter that Raph said he fell asleep; he must not have stayed that way for long if the bags under his eyes were of any indication.

“You did a good job Leon.”

“She could have died.” His voice was hollow, his eyes remaining in the dark waters of his glass. “If you hadn’t gone with him, she would have.”

“Leo-,”

His glass hit the table with a sharp thud, shock hitting Casey to see how badly his hands were shaking. Something that seemed to shock Leon too, trying to cover it up by intertwining his fingers together and pressing them to his mouth in an attempt to keep it from showing. Not that it helped, his whole body looked like it was experiencing its own earthquake, his arms and shoulder trembling just as badly as his hands were.

This… this couldn’t have been just from Leo’s niece being hurt.

Turning off all the burners along with the oven Casey make quick work to pull everything off the elements. He left it like that, making his way over to his Sensei’s side and taking a seat beside him.

He knew better than to place a hand on him when he was like this. That didn’t mean that the urge to reach out wasn’t there. Biting back against his own wants though Casey clasped his hands together and hung them between his legs, putting all his energy there so he could focus on keep his expression as natural as possible.

“Is this just about Leo’s niece? Or is there something else?”

“She almost died.”

Taking in a small sigh, Casey nodded. “Yes, but you saved her.”

“And how many others did I kill?”

His voice got caught in his throat, his lips parting even though he couldn’t think of how he could possibly respond to such a question.

Losing to the battle of not reaching out, Casey grabbed his shoulder, insistently curling his fingers against it until Leon was forced to look at him. “Leo, you’ve never hurt a child. Not now and not where I’m from. You would never-.”

“The entire world ended Casey.” His words were cold, his eyes burning. “And it was my fault.”

“But it didn’t, we- you stopped it.”

Leon just shook his head, shaking Casey’s hand from his shoulder, staring back at the table. “The world did end. Our timeline just got lucky and even still…” he trailed off, shaking his head, releasing his hands and shaking them out, needing to move. “And still… so- so many people suffered. So many of them died. People who were like April and you and Dad and- and people as young as-.”

“What smells amazing out here?”

The sound of his baby brother’s voice made Leon freeze. Before Casey could blink, he’d snatched up his drink, downing the entire thing before spinning in his chair to face the three that stumbled out from the med bay.

“That would be Junior here vying for your spot Miguel!” He chirped, any of the wavering in his voice gone while he crossed one leg over the other, leaning back against the island like he didn’t have a care in the world. “And may I say you did well in training him. His food is just, mwah!” He did a chef’s kiss into the air, making Raphie chuckle while Mikey glared jokingly at Casey.

“Are you really trying to replace me? How could you! Has the student really surpassed the teacher?” The artist gasped, swinging an arm over his eyes dramatically. “Say it isn’t so!”

Forcing a smile to his own lips, Casey wished he could disguise his emotions as well as Leon could.

“Your foods in the microwave to keep warm Don.” He mumbled as the group passed by him, his gaze soft as they stayed on the way that Leon was already snickering and joking along with Mikey and annoying Raph.

“Ah, thank you Junior.” Donald sighed, ignoring all the highly flavourful and far to textured food to grab his own meal from where Casey had put it away. “Not that I don’t think your food wouldn’t taste great, but I appreciate your effort to include me.”

“Anytime.”

Once Don had the dish in his hand, Casey gave two seemingly offhanded knocks against the island. Donald paused in his quest to grab one of his special glass cups, his eyes cutting over Casey’s head to zero in on Leon. Watching as he observed his brother, Casey knew Don must have caught something off in his little act as his eyes narrowed sharply. Only then did he turn his attention back to lock with the timejumper, giving him a single nod before he was on the move again.

“Nardo!”

Leon jumped at the boom of his brother’s voice, looking confused but still smiling as he tilted his head back to watch as Donald rummaged through the fridge for his flavourless juice.

“What up Dee?”

“I request obligated twin time! Grab your plate and come with me to my lab. I want to go over some… things, from yesterday.”

Oo, wait, if Don was heading to his lab…

“Uh, before you go M-Unc- Donald.” Casey chuckled, watching the twins turning to face him, Leon with a shit eating smirk over his lips, probably already knowing what was coming. “I just want to let you know that I will reset all the traps and clean out the DNA compartment.”

Donald blinked.

“What?”

“Oh, and um, and if I could get my staff back at some point…?”

He was sure if Donald wasn’t so concerned for his other half right now, he would have done more than just twitched violently at what Casey was implying. Instead, his gaze narrowed lethally, lifting a finger from holding his plate to point at the shrinking male with a sharp hiss. “We’ll talk later.”

Oh joy. Casey already couldn’t wait.

“Guess this is the last meal of Junior’s that we’ll get to enjoy. Eat up Mikey.”

“Bon appetit.”

Shooting a flat look over to the two Casey was almost tempted to steal their plates, but he wasn’t that petty. So, he grabbed a plate, stacking a little bit of everything on it before making up a second one. Done with making the two up he moved on to the kettle he’d started a few minutes before, his hand hovering over the tin of green tea before he grabbed for it. He wasn’t sure what Ozzie would like, but with her being a child he figured that she probably wouldn’t be too fond of the bitter taste of tea and would prefer something a little sweeter.

It was a good thing they had some peach juice that he could water down.

When he turned back to the island, he put the cups down before moving to grab the plates and then some utensils. Smiling down at the set up he’d made it was only than that he wondered if the two would even be awake enough to get out of bed. They’d been through a lot yesterday, maybe they would rather have breakfast in be-.

“Ozzie! Wait!”

Leo’s shout startled all three of the ones still in the kitchen, but not as much as the child who appeared out of thin air, landing in the middle of the table on all fours.

“Eep! Rabid squirrel!” Mikey shouted, jumping onto Raphie’s shoulders when she turned to him.

She ignored him completely however, her eyes zeroing on his plate before she dove on it.

Casey snickered at her explosive energy, drawing her attention with the same pitched churr he’d made at her last night.

Although she’d been out of it then, the sound must have done its part to give her some familiarity as she snapped her attention towards Casey’s instantly.

Smiling at her, Casey gestured to the plate he’d laid out. “Good morning, Ozzie. Your foods over here kiddo. If you’d like to take a seat, feel free to dig in and let me know if you want more.”

He had to admit, she was fast.

With a quickness only a mutant could possess she zipped across the island and dove over the food to land on her stool. Without missing a beat Casey kept her chair from tipping over, chuckling softly at the way she circled the small seat until she was facing the plate. Ignoring the utensils she once more dove onto the plate, stuffing her face with both hands.

Briefly he eyed the stints on her left hand, already knowing he was going to have to talk to Leo about redoing it to make it clean while noticing a slight pink hue to the bandages on her arm. They could deal with that all after she’d eaten though, and he found his eyes shifting back up at the long sigh drawing closer to the kitchen.

“Jeez Ozzie,” Leo still looked exhausted, Casey slightly distracted by the fact that his mask was resting loosely around his neck rather than over his face. It seemed that he’d been in the middle of getting his gear on, his hands fiddling with tightening the wrapped around his wrists before his hands settled on his waist, his frown disappointed but light as he looked at the mess she’d made. “I told you to wait.”

Instantly, Casey found his mood lifting, his concern for Leon didn’t dampen any, but with Donald currently with his brother he felt okay enough to smile at Leo’s presence while his leader’s counterpart turned to give an apologetic look to Micheal. “I’m sorry about your food. I’m assuming you’re Michealangelo?”

“Whoa.” Angelo muttered his eyes wide and round. “So, I wasn’t hallucinating last night?”

Casey chuckled at Leo’s look of surprise, making his way around the island they used as their table to join him.

“I suppose you were out of it last night.” Leo said after a moment before holding out his hand. “Allow me to introduce myself properly. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Leonardo.”

A wide smile broke over Micheal’s lips as his fists pumped beside his face while his eyes blew wide. “Ohmigosh! I get another brother!?” He threw himself from Raph’s shoulders, clinging to Leo and swinging around him with his arms locked around his neck. “This is the coolest thing ever!”

Already seeing the problem Casey managed to step in and catch Leo around the waist before his leg could give out on him, carefully prying Mikey’s hands from his shoulders with a smile.

“He’s not your brother Anggie.” Casey corrected. “He’s got his own Mikey back home.”

“Aw.” Mikey groaned, but easily bounced back. “That’s cool too! Is he also an artist? A cook!? Can he create portals!?”

“Uh…”

“Easy Mikey.” Raphie mumbled, picking up his brother from the back of his shell and placing him back on his seat. “The guy just woke up, give him a few minutes.”

“Right, right! I can do that!”

“Sorry, about that.” He kept his voice low, pretty much whispering to keep the conversation between them as his hand barely brushed the lower part of Leo’s shell, ready to stabilize him if needed as they slowly made their way to join Ozzie on the other side of the island. “He just gets hyper.”

From the small smile that Leo graced him with, Casey knew he didn’t take any offence to all the questions, but still basked under the attention of those blue eyes as Leo slowly limped to his seat. “It’s fine. I’d be more concerned if this was the only Mikey that wasn’t full of energy first thing in the morning.”

“Is that because when they’re quiet-,”

“They’re planning something.” Leo finished with a nod. “You guys should be thankful it’s not Mikey here, he would drive you all crazy with his pranks.”

They snickered among themselves, Leo gratefully taking his spot next to his niece to get his weight off his leg while Casey moved on to get his own plate of food. Even while he worked on mildly filling his plate, he still found his eyes darting over to watch the two, the small smile on his lips never once dropping as he took in the way Leo sighed in exacerbation at the young one.

“Oz, you’re making a mess.” He mumbled, plucking a napkin from the center of the table and taking a moment to wipe at her face, not bothering with his own food just yet.

Placing his plate down on Leo’s other side drew his attention to Casey, a small and apologetic smile on his own lips at his failed attempt to keep her and the area around her clean. “Sorry about this Jones, I’ll make sure to clean up after her.”

“Don’t worry about it. Honestly at this rate she’ll probably lick the table clean.” Casey joked, reaching around Leo to playfully poke at her side, making her squeal. “Isn’t that right Ozzie?”

Her head snapped up, finally seeming to take in her environment while her tongue swiped across the entirety of her face, cleaning it in one go. She blinked, looking from Angelo and Raphie to Casey and than finally Leo. He watched as her eyes narrowed, before her head tilted and she sunk back in her seat.

“Eeo.” Her little slaps on the table demanded Leo’s attention, and he responded with a hum of acknowledgement. “Where Papa?”

Everyone around the table stopped, Casey sharing a look with the two on the other side while Micheal and Raphie shared a wince with one another. Leo didn’t seem to be fairing much better, his lips pressing tight and his hand clenching next to his plate.

“Mama?” Ozzie continued, her brow scrunching along with the rest of her face. “Where?”

“Oz…” placing his hand over Leo’s to help stable the waver in his voice, Casey gave it a small squeeze, smiling at the worried frown Leo side eyed him with.

“We’ll get you guys back home.” He whispered to him before nodding his head towards her. “Just make sure she knows that.” For a pause, Leo turned to him, Casey nodding again at the uncertainty swimming in his eyes. “You’ve got this.”

He just about slipped up and almost tacked on the little nickname at the end, but caught himself in the last moment and simply offered his hand another squeeze before letting him go. Either way his encouragement appeared to help, Leo taking in a deep breath before he turned back to his niece.

“I don’t know where they are Or’xzygaba,” Whoa, was that her full name? That was… Casey was glad her nickname was much easier to pronounce. “But I will get you back to them, okay? I promise.” She pouted at his honesty, but there were no tears, just a steely eyed concentration as she continued to listen to him. “Can you be a good girl until than? And be nice for these guys while we figure it out?”

Her eyes squinted as they shifted to the others around the table, lingering on each of them before stopping on Raphie. The giant snapper froze at the intensity of her gaze, offering an awkward smile and a little wave. Ozzie’s look didn’t lessen however, and he quickly sank in on himself, his eyes darting over to Leo, sweat sliding down his neck.

“Uh, she’s… not gonna attack me… is she?”

“No?”

Casey had to hold back on a laugh at the uncertainty in Leo’s voice and the squeak Raph gave out.

Thankfully, Miguel jumped in than.

“Hey Ozzie!” He greeted brightly, leaning over his plate. “I can be your uncle Anggie until you can get home.” He offered, “Do you like to colour? Or paint?”

“Paint!!” She shouted, Leo going to make a grab for her and missing completely as she slipped through his arms and voluted herself into Micheal’s instead, leaving a mess behind in her wake and covering the brightly laughing mutant in the mix of food smeared over her hands.

“Aw, aren’t you a little cutie!” Angelo cooed, poking at her snout as she squealed happily, her tail swaying side to side in childish glee. “Do you mind if I take her to paint L- uh… Eeo?”

Although Leo’s face fell flat at the childish nickname being used, he didn’t shoot down Mikey’s idea.

“I’m sure she’d love that.” He agreed. “Just do so in the living room please.”

Micheal let out a loud whoop, tossing her into the air, his grin growing as she giggled wildly.

“She’s going to need a bath.”

Casey’s eyes shifted from the sight in front of him to the mutant beside him, grinning slightly while he nudged Leo’s arm with his elbow. “And you’re going to need to eat at some point.” As if on cue, Leo’s stomach let out a starved rumble, his face lighting up bright enough to draw a slightly smug smile to Casey’s lips. “Looks like even your stomach agrees with me.”

Harmlessly, Leo elbowed him back, a smirk set across his own lips as he scoffed. “No one likes a know it all Jonesy.”

“Are you speaking from personal experience?”

His question made Leo choke on his first bite, both of them turning away from each other, attempting to mask their laughter while Casey also gave a few firm pats to his shell. By the time they managed to collect themselves, Leo was the first one to turn to him, his smile sharp but no less playful as he hissed at him.

“Prick.”

Feeling playful himself Casey stuck his tongue out at him in retaliation for the insult. It wasn’t an action he would normally partake in, but one that felt like it suited the situation well enough when it made Leo plant a hand over his mouth to hide his growing smile although it did little to muffle his continued laughter.

The sweet sound succeeded in making Casey’s own smile grow wide enough to hurt, his food long forgotten now as they snickered together like those people Splints liked to watch on TV.  

“You two are making Raph feel like a third wheel.”

The reminder that there was in fact someone else sitting with them had them sobering up quickly. Leo cleared his throat, sitting up a little straighter and pulling himself away from Casey.

Oddly enough he hadn’t even realized how closely they’d been tilting towards each other until he had to sit back, shooting a sheepish little smile at the large mutant sitting at the end of the island.

“Sorry Raphie.”

Unable to duck away from the look like he had been able to yesterday Casey lifted his own glass of tea to his lips as an excuse to not answer any questions he was sure were floating around his teammates mind. Thankfully for him though- and unlucky for Leo- Raph turned his attention to the only other mutant in the room.

Leo didn’t seem to notice, more focused on cutting up tiny pieces of his food before taking another bite. Casey also found his attention shifting to the blue banded leader, more than curious to see what his reaction would be to tasting his cooking. From the way that Leo’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head now that he was actually tasting it and not choking on it, Casey could feel his foot twitching in its own version of a wag while he waited.

He had the patience to at least let Leo finish swallowing before he dared to ask in the most casual voice he could muster. “What do you think?”

“I think I might have to take your Mikey home with me if he cooks this well.”

Although he knew that Leo was just joking and was only using it as an exaggeration that didn’t stop his face from flushing any less at the thought of going home with the guy. Quickly downing another gulp of tea to help ease the tightness in his throat and chest Casey offered him a small nudge before turning back to his own plate.

“Thanks. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You made this?”

Feeling somewhat bashful from the utter awe in his voice Casey found he couldn’t meet Leo’s eyes again, able to do nothing more than push around the food on his plate while the smile on his lips stretched to hurt.

“Yup. I couldn’t really sleep so I figured I’d wake up and get this ready for everyone.”

“Wow.” Leo breathed, sounding far to impressed for something so simple. “Well, this tastes amazing. It’s the best thing I’ve had in years.” Leo praised, Casey’s chest swelling in pride.

“So Other Leo,” Raph interrupted the moment, Casey giving out a sigh as he turned to his own food while only allowing his eyes two dart between the two. Leo on the other hand finished swallowing his next bite, taking a quick sip of his tea before lifting his head towards Raph to show he had his attention. “Was anything weird happening in your world before ya got portalled here?”

Casey didn’t miss the way Leo’s hands tightened around his utensils, but he didn’t comment on it either as Leo spoke with a carefully even tone. “No. Just a regular patrol.”

Hm, well that couldn’t really be true, could it? Just last night- early morning?- Leo had been telling him how one of the reasons he was so desperate for finding out if anyone else was here was because one of his brothers had been hurt, apparently badly enough to draw concern about him being out there on his own. Now, it could have been some sob story that Leo made up to get Casey to agree to help him, but he didn’t think that was it. Leo didn’t seem like the type who would make stuff up just to get his way in a situation.

Then again, he knew from years of watching his Master that Leonardo could twist things to suit him when he needed to. Although, something told him that perhaps, this was just another difference between the two.

Either way, he kept his mouth shut, taking in another sip of his drink while the conversation carried on around him.

“Ya don’t seem to concerned to be in a completely different world from yer own.” Raph pointed out, earning himself a small and almost lifeless chuckle.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve been yanked into a strange place from a random portal opening up, and believe it or not, you guys aren’t the first versions of my brothers I’ve come across. Not even the second.”

There were even more of them? Did that mean there would be more of him too? He wondered what a room full of different versions of himself would be like.

Thoughts pulled from his mind’s ramblings Casey zeroed in on the conversation again when Leo took his turn to ask a question. “What about you guys? Is there something in your world that could have caused this?” Leo asked, setting his food aside, apparently all business now as he leaned towards Raph. “I know back in my world, most of our portal issues were due to the Kraang. Do you think-?”

Leo cut himself off when the mood around the table instantly shifted. Casey could feel his blue eyes twitching over to him but his attention was on Raph who had gone eerily still.

“The Krang?” His voice was deep and hollowed, missing the warmth that normally accompanied the ex-leader’s tone. “You think this could be the Krang?”

For a moment, Leo didn’t respond, seeming to take in the new atmosphere in the room.

“The portal that I fell through was blue.” Leo muttered, “but all the other portals that appeared were green-.”

“Yours was green too.” Casey pipped up. “At least on this side it was.”

Leo seemed to work that over in his mind, nodding along to the new information with a small frown. “Is green the colour of your Kraangs portals? Ours were this odd pinkish colour.”

“So were ours.” Again, Raph cut in, his voice drawing both of their attention to him as he stood. “But that doesn’t mean that they couldn’t have something to do with it and if that’s the case, we need to get to figure out our next move, and fast.”

Casey couldn’t agree more.

Just because they had managed to stop the Krang from destroying the world didn’t mean that they couldn’t remain a problem. Honestly Casey had no idea what stopping them from destroying the world could mean for this timeline going forward. It hadn’t been something he’d had much time to think on with how busy they’d all been fixing up New York and the Hidden City underneath.

But if the Krang was up to something…

There had still been one left after all, one that Donald had tried to find the whereabouts of but seemingly one that had vanished into thin air. With them having their hands on the key to the portal and the left over Krang being injured, they hadn’t bothered to give to serious a search with everything else going on.

Maybe they should have been.

Without being asked or told, Leo got up with them, waving off Casey’s attempt to help him as he limped heavily to keep up with Raph’s wide strides to the lab.

“How big of a problem are the Kraang in your world?”

“Big enough to almost end it.” Raph answered, Casey’s eyes trailing to Mikey and Ozzie giggling together on the living room floor, already surrounded by paper and paint.

He didn’t call out to them, following the two as they sped ahead.

“That’s not somethin’ Raph’s gonna let them do twice.”

Chapter 10

Notes:

Ha! Ha! Finally! Finished with this chapter. :) Hope you guys enjoy it! :D

Raph knocked when they drew up to Donald’s lab. Obviously, they knew it would be locked, no one entered Don’s lab without making their presence known first- except for Leon who had turned portalling into Donnie’s lab one of his favorite past times just to annoy his brother- but the well known pattern seemed to throw Leo for a loop.

Casey watched as he just barely managed to stop himself from running into the door, turning to Raph in confusion as he took a step back.

“Yo Donnie! Open up! We need to talk about yesterday. Or, uhhh, the day before.”

“His labs not open?” Leo mumbled, tilting himself part way around to face Casey.

With a small smile, Casey shook his head. “No. Apparently he’s kept it locked up tight since the-,”

“The robo Pico incident.” Raphie finished with a shutter. “It uh, it wasn’t a pretty time.”

Leo made a small noise of acknowledgment, but didn’t comment on it further. They all turned their attention back to the barrier when it let out a sharp hiss, the air lock releasing before it finally rolled open.

“Prey tell, dear brother, what would you like to talk about with such urgency that you feel the need to pound on my door like it’s a common street urchins drum? I was a little bus-Oh?” Donald’s attention quickly snapped from grinning sharply at his big brother to staring wide eyed at the visiting mutant standing next to him. “You brought the other one. Fascinating.”

“Mini Me’s here?” Leon’s voice called from deeper in the lab, sounding scratchy and almost hoarse,  followed by a rush of water. “Sleep well mi amigo?”

Leo didn’t get to respond, not that Casey thought Leon expected him to, as he was yanked into the lab with Donald already poking and prodding at him.

“How intriguing.” Don mumbled as he dragged Leo along with the attachments from his battle gear, Leo letting out a yelp and spinning to swat at one scraping at the lower end of his shell. “You’re definitely a mutated turtle, and yet, not a Red Eared Slider. I mean I assumed as much from the images- oh you’re limping? Let’s check that out.”

Don didn’t hesitate to yoink Leo off the floor and drop him on one of the few lab tables he had, ignoring the other two who invited themselves into his lab, Casey being the only one to follow after him while Raph searched for the Slider hidden somewhere deeper in the space.

“Hey! Watch it!”

Leo didn’t look pleased at all, snarling at the extra limbs that pulled at his leg, hissing when Donald pressed his fingers around the swollen knee.

“Em hm, that’s some recurring damaged for sure.” Don mumbled to himself, seemingly not noticing the enraged patient he was working on while his ninpo mixed with his battle shell attachments to keep the poor guy pinned in place. “Leon’s leg also suffered a fair amount of damage after our confrontation with the Krang. I wonder if perhaps that makes it a cannon event? Each Leonardo experiencing their own life altering injury while facing off against an enemy. Though for Leo it was his left.”

“Ow! Get these things off of-!”

“It could also just be that they have an affiliation with putting themselves into the line of fire when it comes to grand gestures of self sacrifice. Do you think you could-?”

“Donnie.” Placing a hand on his shoulder Casey waited until he had the genie’s eyes on him before he continued. “Do you think you could release our guest? I don’t think he enjoys being treated like a science experiment.”

“No?” seeming to realize that the one he was dragging around and manhandling was in fact a living breathing creature and not a theoretical concept- and that he looked pissed- the purple banded soft shell gave a sharped tooth grin. “And I don’t enjoy nosey little sprites poking their noses into my space and destroying my hard made traps designed specifically to keep others out.”

Casey pressed his lips into a thin line, understanding where he was coming from but hitting him with a disapproving look none the less. One that Donald did eventually cave to with a heavy sigh as he eventually release his hold on the other. “I suppose however we can always conduct the experiment at a later date.”

“Try never.” Leo hissed, taking no time at all in leaping from the table and to a fair distance away from the two.

“Touchy.” Donald mumbled, but didn’t seem to take any offense as he looked over the brace on his arm, running through the information he did manage to get. “I guess I have enough measurements to come up with something though. I’ll put SHELLDON 2.0 on it immediately.” Snapping his arm away from his face Don eyed Casey skeptically. “I assume you have a good reason for barging in here while I was in the middle of…” he trailed off, eyes shifting to Leo for a split second before springing back to Casey, “Well, do I even need to say?”

“Sorry Donald,” and he really did mean it, especially after making sure Don took the time to drag Leon here in the first place. “But it’s important.”

“We think the portals could possibly have something to do with the Kraang.”

“Not possible.”

Leon’s voice was ice cold, everyone’s heads snapping over in his direction.

Raph moved behind him like a living shadow, Leon himself forcing Casey to do a double take as he could have sworn he was looking at Master Leonardo and not his younger self, even if only for a moment.

“We have the key that allows them to freely activate their portal technology hidden away in a place no one will ever find or reach,”

“-so he says.” Don couldn’t help but murmur from behind Casey. Apparently he was still bitter that Leon refused to share that bit of information with anyone.

“-there’s no way that they would be able to create a portal back here. Or anywhere else for that matter.”

“What makes you think they only have the one key?” Leo questioned back, brow ridges arched as he shifted his weight to his good leg. “The Kraang we have used portals as their main form of travel. Maybe they don’t even need a key anymore. They could-,”

“There is only three of their entire race left.” Leon came to a short stop before Leo, his eyes narrowing sharply down at the other. “One is dead, the other is locked away back where he belongs, and the third… was critically injured.”

“And is located where?”

It seemed Leo hadn’t missed that bit, not backing down at the heat behind Leon’s glare.

“Somewhere they won’t cause a problem.”

This time Leo did break his stare, but only to roll his eyes briefly before hopping right back to it. “Look, if you know of anyone else in your universe that’s capable of jumping around dimensions, I would love to know, but the only ones I’ve ever seen truly capable of that would be the Kraang. Or someone who’s stolen their tech.”

“Well, there’s an idea.”

Casey shot a look over at Donald, almost surprised that he was entertaining this theory as the others shifted their focus to the soft shell.

“Do you think someone could do that Dee?” Leon asked, Casey only now noticing how red his eyes were around the corners.

“On this planet? It’s basically prehistoric compared to the tech they left behind, not to mention the advanced science they would need in order to create something that-,”

“Donnie. Short answer.”

Heaving out a sigh Don dramatically crossed his arms with an eye roll that moved his whole head. “In my most humble opinion. No.”

That seemed to be the only answer Leon needed as he turned back to face Leo, his lips only slightly tilted up in smug satisfaction.

“There you have it.” He shrugged.

“However-,” Leon grew stiff, his jaw locked tight as Donald continued. “Let’s just hypothetically assume that someone from this world did get their hands on someone able to understand that kind of technology. With the material left over from the Krang attack, it could be possible that they might be able to create… something. I’m not saying that it would work as well as the key and the proper material to accompany it, but...”

Roughly, a heavy sigh left Leon’s lips, his gaze squinted at his twin with an unimpressed edge. “I hate when you do that.”

Tossing his hands up in a shrug Donald flapped his hands in the air with a huff. “Well if you would let me finish speaking before losing to the urge to run your mouth, I wouldn’t have too.”

It looked like Leon was going to snap back at his brother, the disaster twins having their nickname for a reason, but Raph put an end to it before it could begin, placing a single hand on Leon’s shoulder and keeping him in place.

“Guys, can we focus please?”

 “So, what I’m hearing,” Leo pressed on as if there hadn’t been a pause in the first place. “Is that one of your lead Kraang members is missing, along with who knows how much of their tech, you don’t know where they are or if someone has them, and yet you don’t think that they could be behind it, at all?”

“Well when you say it like that, it sounds awful.” Donald huffed, turning an eye to his leader when Leon remained silent. As the blue slider still continued to stand there and say nothing, Don eventually turned back to Leo with a sigh, crossing his arms loosely once more. “But I suppose its as good a theory as any.”

“If he’s right,” Raph said, finally the one to draw Leon’s attention to him while he took a seat against one of Donald’s lab tables. “What do we do Leo?”

It wasn’t a surprise when Leon didn’t respond right away. Over the past few months since Casey had met this younger version of his Master and after all he’d been through during the failure of the Krang takeover, Leon had become prone to long pauses of silence while he took his time going through all the information and running every possible move from what he had before he’d open the floor to suggestions.

“The first thing we’ll have to do is figure out if this theory even had any backing or if it’s just one idea of many.”

“I could go out and search for them.” Leo offered, Casey’s eyes snapping away from his leader and back to the misplaced mutant. “I can scope out the grounds and leave your hands free for exploring other options.”

“Is your New York smaller than ours perchance?” Donald stepped in, arching his thickly drawn brows. “Because if not, you’re talking about partaking in a job that will take you months, if not years to complete, and that’s only if our homes are the precise copy of one another and given the differences that I’m already seeing now…” He trailed off, his eyes dragging over Leo from head to toe and back, a look of flat eyed skepticism colouring his features. “There’s a high probability that they’re vastly different.”

Leo didn’t seem phased at all by his observations, giving a little chuckle even while he tilted his chin up at the taller male. “Come on Donatello, you of all mutants should know that I won’t need to search all of New York. I can assure you finding things that would rather remain hidden is a talent of mine.”

“Hm…” Again, Donald stared at the strange copy of his brother, his finger rubbing at the dip in his chin while his brain went over who knew what kind of statistics. When his eyes narrowed and his lips stretched into a sharp toothed smirk as he pulled back to nod at Leon Casey could feel a strange pull in his gut that drew him to standing closer to the smaller male. “Well, I gotta say I’m intrigued by the confidence.”

Leon didn’t seem like he was completely won over by it, all of his light hearted behaviour that normally would have had him joining Don in his little display making no appearance as his dark eyes shifted from his brother to his counterpart.

“I can search with him Sensei.”

Having been quiet for so long Casey was pretty sure most of them had forgotten he was even in the room, but they held their tongues anyways, Leo going so far as to move over slightly to allow Casey to stand next to his side and face his leader properly.

“I can help with the areas he might not be familiar with and report back to you at the end of the day. Also, with me being out there every day, we can cut patrols down to give you guys more time to focus on this since we’ll be able to keep an eye on things.”

Leon didn’t look very convinced, the edges of his lips tense as his attention seemed split between Leo and Casey both. With a cross of his arms Casey could see him already pulling away from the idea. “I don’t know Junior...”

“Casey.” He corrected sternly. This wasn’t a casual conversation after all. They were forming plans to prevent the possibility of another world ending event. He wouldn’t have them pulling out cutesy nicknames in a possibly subconscious attempt to belittle his ideas. “And if you have another idea that we can utilize with our low resources and manpower, then please feel free to share, but you know as well as I do that this plan makes sense.”

He held the intensely searching stare of his Sensei with an unflinching determination, neither of them backing down.

“I also think his idea is sound.” Leo eventually pipped up, Casey finally breaking his attention to turn to the one at his side. “It would save me the trouble of having to figure out the terrain, although I would like a map to study later if you have one, and I’m sure there are enemies that you have that I’m unaware of. He could act as my guide while I’m here.”

Raph and Donald turned their eyes to their leader, Leon still remaining quiet as dark eyes shifted between him and Leo before stopping on his counterpart and narrowing to deadly points.

“Fine.” Casey was surprised to find how tightly he had to clench his hands to keep them from shaking in excitement. Not only could he now have more time one on one with Leo and questioning him about everything to do with his world, but this also could be considered his first solo mission as well. “You do the ground search and repot back any findings to me. If it turns out that you’re right about someone getting their hands on enough Krang tech to create portals we’ll put a stop to it. And if it turns out to be the Krang themselves…” Leo trailed off, his eyes going distant for a brief moment before snapping back. “We’ll figure it out. Raph,”

The Snapper stood up straight when he was addressed, a soldier awaiting his orders. “You and Mikey will be in charge of helping to rebuild the damage that was caused from yesterday, Donnie and I will hunt down any of the smaller creatures and take them to Draxum. He might be able to figure out where they’re from and he might have some other theories on how they got here in the first place.”

While it sounded like Leon still wasn’t a fan of their idea, at least he was allowing them to go out and check on it. For now, that was good enough and a part of Casey felt marginally better by the fact that they at least now had some sort of plan.  

“You could grab Mikey and go now, Don and I will head out after we get our gear together and Casey you can take Leo out after-,”

“Wait,” Don interrupted, hopping in front of the leader of the MadDogs with a finger in the air and his eyes on his wrist gadget. “Before you send little you out there-,”

“Please stop calling me that-,”

“-SHELLDON 2.0 is finished with his new gear and should be here-,”

“Hey dudes!”

“Ah, well now, I guess.”

Casey reached out and grabbed the back of Leo’s shell, shoving him down barely seconds before Shelldon swooped in and nearly took them out. If Leo was bothered by Casey manhandling him, he didn’t say anything about it. His eyes glued to the bot that swirled over them, his eyes wide and mouth open as he took in the craftsmanship of Donald’s work.

“What is that?”

Casey couldn’t help but smile at his awe, looking away from where Don was talking to his little AI companion and to the large blue eyes of the one still in his hold.

“That’s Shelldon 2.0, not the original apparently. They said he was… destroyed a few years before I got here.”

“Donnie would love to study that.”

Hearing the slight melancholy in his voice filled his chest with an almost painful pressure. Sliding his hand from the top of his shell to his shoulder, Casey waited until those ocean pools turned to him. He forgave himself for taking a second to admire them before he gave a reassuring squeeze to the muscles under his hand.

“We’ll get you back to them Leo. Sooner than you think,” he promised, speaking as genuinely as he could. “And when we do, you can show them everything you’ve seen that you love about this world.”

Leo’s eyes grew soft, the corners of his lips calming into a small smile. It was a relief to feel him relaxing under his hold, that he was already comfortable enough around Casey that he could relax. Casey’s smile grew just that much more while Leo tilted his head in a small bow, patting at Casey’s hand briefly, before letting out a light sigh. “Thank you Jones.”

“Anytime Leo.” His smile grew a little wider as he leaned in close, taking it as a good sign when Leo tilted himself to make it easier for him to do so. “If you’re interested, I can show you some of the most exciting places in our world, make you an expert before they get here.”

Leo hummed, his eyes lighting up, clearly intrigued by the idea. “You don’t mind playing my personal tour guide even during your off time?”

“Not at all.” Without thinking about it, Casey moved his hand from gripping Leo’s shoulder to slipping his arm around Leo, making himself comfortable tucking the other close to him and feeling his warmth radiating against his side, his grin growing brighter when he could feel Leo shifting to lean against him in return. “So long as you don’t think you’re going to grow tired of hanging around me so much.”

“I guess that depends on the places you end up showing me.” Leo said, a slight smirk on his lips.

Arching a brow Casey found himself mirroring the slightly smug glint in those captivating blue eyes, “Oh really?”

“What can I say?” Was that a slight purr in his voice? Or was Casey’s mind just looking to deeply into the underling vibrations of his words? “I don’t like to be bored Jonesy.”

A low churr that he could barely pick up rumbled from his chest quietly, his fingers stroking against the firm muscles of Leo’s arm, enjoying the heat of his skin under his fingertips. “Than I’ll make sure to keep things interesting.”

“Do ya see what Raph means?”

“Oh yeah. We’re third wheeling hard.”

“Considering the fact that there’s five of us and not just three, I’d say we’re actually more of a quinte of wheels.”

“Uh, don’t forget about me dudes! So that makes it, ah, um, a sextet of-.”

“No. Just. God no.”

With a small task Casey felt a rare spike of irritation pulse through him, removing his hand from Leo’s shoulders before hitting their nosey audience with the flattest look he could manage. “Really guys?”

Normally he was used to his future past uncles chirping in with their own commentary on things, but did they have to do that right now? Besides, he had no idea what they were talking about when it came to being extra wheels. It’s not like he was cutting them out of the conversation, it was just that him and Leo were… talking. They didn’t have to make it weird. Talking was a normal thing.

Even though Leo was the first person who ever made him feel like he was either going to float away or throw up butterflies whenever they spoke. But he was sure that was nothing.

“Lo siento Pequeno,” Leon chuckled, finally looking a little more at ease. “It’s just cute.”

Cute? What about them talking was cute?

“Okay! Now that we have your attention though, I can do this!”

The second Don snapped his fingers Shelldon jumped into action. Casey barley had time to blink before Leo suddenly vanished from his side with little more than a yelp. He twisted himself around, his jaw dropping to see a whirlwind of activity happening midair, a blur of movement happening so fast he couldn’t keep track of the blur of colours let alone what was happening. While he could make out the snarl in Leo’s voice, the casual conversation of the ones behind him drew his attention, shock making his limbs loose as he stared at them slack jawed.

“Don…”

“Oh relax. This will help.”

He normally didn’t question the genius when it came to certain… things that he did, but he had no idea how this was going to help anyone. Leo had already shown that he wasn’t a big fan of just being snatched out of anywhere and yanked around like a ragdoll. He couldn’t imagine how this would help build rapport with him.

A loud bang ran through the lab, the brothers ducking to avoid Shelldon as he crashed into a burst of flames and smoke. “Ow!”

Snapping back around Casey shrunk back.

Leo had landed crouched on one of Don’s worktables, his eyes mere pinpricks as small pants fell from lips that were pulled back to show off the sharp points of his teeth. He looked pissed, and Casey couldn’t blame him.

“Did you just toss my baby!?”

“Try that again.” The hiss was absolutely venomous, sending a chill down Casey’s spine just from being in the proximity of it. “I dare you.”

“Heeey Raphie boy, is Shelly okay?”

“Uhhh, Raph might need some help Leo.”

While the two checked on the little bot, Don tossed his hands in the air, marching up to the snarling stranger with a screech. “You are the most difficult injured person ever!” He snapped, “And I’ve had to patch up Leo before!”

“Well maybe you should talk to my Donnie because your bedside manner is-.”

“How’s your leg you ungrateful cretin?”

The interruption made Leo pause. Within a blink the raging fury etched across his expression disappeared, falling blank. Casey watched, curious to see what would happen next as Leo than dropped his eyes to his leg, stretching it out to show the high-tech looking brace wrapped around it.

This one was much more intense looking than the one that Leon had offered him yesterday. First off, it was sturdier, with thicker straps at both the bottom and the top, wrapped firmly around his upper thigh and a few inches below his knee. Shelldon must have taken away his knee pad to make sure that it fit properly because the small amount of skin that he could see of Leo’s knee was bare. Never one to lack on style however Don had also taken the time to colour coordinate it in Leo’s signature blue for the accents while the main base was a matted black.

The metal was the same matted blue that sat snuggly overtop of padding, leading down to a round circular disk right at Leo’s kneecap where another piece of metal moved down to brace his lower leg.

All in all, it moved with Leo seamlessly as he stretched his leg in and out, none of the mild gears that Don had jazzed it up with making a sound as he moved.

“What…?”

“It’s your new knee brace.” Donald mumbled with a lackluster gesture of jazz hands. “And no, you can’t take it off unless I remove it for you.”

Hearing that Leo snapped his attention back to the purple masked mutant, fuming once again and ready to argue. “Why would you-,”

“Oh, it also does this.”

With just the right amount of flair, Don pressed down over his gauntlet.

“Ah~!”

Casey could feel his stomach swooping sharply at the sweet little gasp that cut into the air, his throat growing tight and dry, unable to look away from the downright sensual expression that shifted over Leo’s face.

When he let out the softest little churr, Casey didn’t even have time to think before he was responding with a rumbling one of his own, finding himself taking a step towards the other before he could even tell his body to do so. Almost like a sailor being drawn in by a sirens call. Wanting- needing- to be close, to offer comfort and-

All three of them froze.

“Huh.” Don mumbled, staring down at the object on his wrist. “That’s an interesting reaction.”

Sucking his lips behind his teeth Casey could feel his cheeks burning. From the beet red splashed over Leo’s face, he could tell his would probably feel the same though neither of them could seem to find it in themselves to look the other in the eye.

“I didn’t realize it would have such a strong effect.” Don carried on nonchalantly, as if he hadn’t just created the most embarrassing atmosphere ever. “Let me just lessen the intensity. Hm, that should do it... Anyways, how does your leg feel now?”

His brows furrowed in concern to see Leo curling in on himself, tucking his head against his knees and hiding away with his arms wrapped tightly around them. He was probably mortified, not that Casey could blame him, but he didn’t see why Leo should feel that way. His call had been… nice, alluring really.

Biting his bottom lip Casey awkwardly shuffled the last few steps he needed to be at the other’s side. He didn’t dare raise a hand to touch, instead locking them behind his back to keep the temptation at bay, but he still did tilt himself forward slightly, enough to try and peer at the small gaps between Leo’s arms.

“Do you feel like you could kick Donald’s butt across New York?”

Leo’s head snapped up quicker than Angelo could agree to inhale pizza.

“Absolutely.”

“Uh, rude.” Snickering at the put-out huff they both turned to the brainiac, Leo with the intent of a murderous glare and Casey with the slightest of amused smiles. “And here I was just trying to help. I didn’t need to add the icing features, or the deep tissue massage vibrations you know. Those are perks to help when it gets really bad.”

“…” Leo just stared Donald down from his spot on the counter. Eventually, after a long, long pause, he mumbled, “those features are way to strong.”

Finally understanding what happened, Casey sunk his teeth into his bottom lip, but even so he still couldn’t stop his shoulders from jumping up or the bubble of laughter that burst out of him.

The side glare he got for his amusement nearly sent him.

“Don’t make me smack you Jones.”

“Sorry,” Though his continued snickering showed he was anything but, poking lightly at Leo’s arm to keep his attention. “Would you say its just not your vibe?”

Following through with his threat, Leo gave him a firm smack against the shoulder.

The hit didn’t hurt any and he found it easy to play along with, cradling his shoulder like he was in pain and hitting Leo back with the best puppy eyed look he had. He knew it would have to be effective, he’d learned it from the best after all, and Micheal could get anything when he pulled them out.

“Ow bonito azul. That hurt.”

The words fell from his lips so easily, Casey didn’t even think about it. In fact, the only thing his mind could seem to focus on was the beautiful expression that fell over Leo’s face as he chuckled at his antics. He decided that he really liked Leo’s laugh, and seeing the bright way his smile could light up his features. He was going to have to try new things to see that more often.

“Um, Casey…”

“Shelldon’s all good Dee!”

Whatever Donald was going to say was drowned out by Leon’s shout, him and Raphie rejoining the group with Shelldon hovering low and sticking close behind the large snapper. From the way that Casey could see him glaring over Raph’s shoulder at Leo, he didn’t have to wonder why the little bot was basically hiding.

“You guys all ready to go?”

While Casey was going to mention that they should probably finish eating breakfast first, Leo didn’t hesitate to leap off the table, hitting the landing on both legs this time before springing up and hopping from side to side. The brace must have really been helping because there was barely a flinch in his expression now, even a small smirk coming to his lips when he turned back to the group.

“I’d say so. Just let me know where my swords are and I’ll get started now.”

“Oh right,” Casey mumbled when Leo turned a knowing eye to him, having forgotten that he had actually had them last. “I left them in the med bay.”

“Perfect.” Leo said, wasting no time in turning that way. “Let’s get going then.”

But Casey didn’t move to follow him, a question that had been nudging at the back of him mind finally spilling past his lips that stilled Leo’s momentum. “What about Ozzie?”

They couldn’t just leave her on her own after all, and Splinter still wasn’t back and as much as Donald trusted Shelldon, Casey was pretty sure he wasn’t programed with any babysitting features.

Watching Leo’s back he could see his shoulders slumping, his arms dropping to his side as if defeated before he turned around. There was a slightly sheepish look on his face as he slowly shuffled his way back to the group, his eyes on the ground as one of his hands came up to rub at the back of his neck.

“Right, I… forgot.”

Casey blinked down at him. “You forgot?”

Leo had the decency to at least look a little guilty. “Yeah…”

“Ozzie? Who’s Ozzie? Did we get a new dog or something I didn’t know about? You guys know how I am about fur.” Don tasked, pulling a face as his eyes snapped over to the door of his lab. The way he was leaning back with his hands clenched before his chest Casey would almost think that the genius believed the worlds sheddest dog was about to burst in and shake her fur everywhere. “Mayhem is my only exception.”

“She’s not a dog Donnie.” Leon assured his brother, patting a hand on his shoulder in comfort before his eyes drifted back over to Leo. “Did you seriously forget about your own niece dude?”

“I-,” Leo’s voice died before he could really start.

“A niece!?” Don shouted taking in a large gasp of air. “Gasp! One of us has CHILDREN!?”

Chapter 11

Notes:

Anyone watching the solar eclipse today? Make sure you have your eyewear!

More of Leon being moody, Leo being done with it, and everyone else trying to keep the peace. Also, Don just being... Don.

Enjoy!

“Okay, I just want to make it clear.” Leo held his hands out, blocking off the door before any of them could draw closer to it, his eyes burning into Donald as the brainiac flittered about in excitement. “My niece doesn’t belong to any of you. She is not your kid.”

“So what I’m hearing, is that she is a Donatello child though eh? Nice.” Donald hummed, rhythmically tapping his fingers together like an old timey villain in those shows April sometimes dragged him into watching. “We’re going to have sooo much fun building things! Just wait until I teach her all about the possibilities of uranium!”

“Are you still on that hermano? You need to- Let. It. Go.” Leon muttered.

“Never! If you neanderthals would listen to me we could be-,”

“We know she’s not our kid,” Raph chuckled somewhat awkwardly, his fingers pressing together in the nervous tick he had. “Raph believes he’s kept a good enough eye on his brothers to make sure of that-,”

“Well, we know we’ll never have to worry about Nardo reproducing- thank god.”

“Bite me Donald.” Leon sneer, his smile all teeth as he lend in to grin maliciously at the tech wiz who tilted himself away. “If I wanted, all I’d have to do is talk to Draxum and he could create all kinds of little mes to run around your lab. So don’t tempt me.”

“You absolute heathen!”

“Draxum?”

“Guys- knock it off.” Leo’s voice was drowned out by Raph’s growling while he scowled at his brothers, shoving the two snarling males away from each other. “Don’t make Raph put you in time out.”

Leon rolled his eyes, crossing his arms but no longer pushing against Raph’s hold. “Don’tcha think we’re a little old for that big guy? We’re not kids anymore.”

Casey bit his tongue on that- because, they kind of were- his eyes trailing over to watch Leo observing the situation in front of him before turning back to watch for himself.

Raph himself didn’t flinch however, and Casey watched as a silent conversation seemed to pass between the two, Raph’s hand flexing just mildly against Leon’s shoulder. Whatever they were speaking about, Leon seemed to back down, but not without attitude.

He let out a large sigh and an even bigger roll of his eyes, shifting his weight over to one side with a tilt of his head, eyeing his twin with a put-upon frown. “I’ll play nice if you do.”

“…”

“Don…”

“Ugh. Fiiiine.” Donald mumbled, rolling his eyes to the ceiling with a huff. “I’ll, ‘play nice’.” He echoed, his fingers twitching by his head in quotes.

“Good. Thank you.” Once again Raph was all smiles, rubbing the tops of his little brothers’ heads fondly and only then returning his attention to Leo. “You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want,” Raph said, “We’ll still take care of her regardless while she’s here.”

Leo seemed to think of it, hesitating, but only for a moment until he let his shoulders drop, his body relaxing. “She’s Raph’s kid.” He admitted. “He’s got two.”

“Two! Someone came back for seconds?” Leon was instantly shut up by one of Donnie’s attachments grabbing at his mouth and forcing his lips closed while the soft shell himself leapt forward to get in Leo’s space.

“You have other mutant turtles in your world? Or did he mate with a Yokai? I have yet to do my own research on whether our DNA is compatible with others and if we’re even able to produce offspring so-.”

Leo clamped a hand over Don’s face, his mouth specifically, and Casey found himself snickering at how red Leo’s face had become.

“His wife is a Salemandrien. Her name is Lieutenant Y’Gythgaba, but Raph calls her Mona Lisa.”

“Whoa.” Raph said, his eyes wide in wonder.

“A Salemandrien?” Don mumbled, his words muffled behind Leo’s hand.

“She’s from space.”

“Double whoa.” Leon agreed while Casey found his mind drifting.

When he saw Ozzie’s long tail and lack of a plastron like the rest of the turtle mutants he knew, he assumed that her second parent wasn’t a mutated turtle, but he’d just figured she must have been Yokai.

The thought that she could be part alien, that in their world, there were other planets that held worlds and cultures and life…

Was that the same for their world? The only aliens he’d ever known were the Krang. No one had ever come to their aid from any other part of the galaxy, it was only ever the living still on earth that were left to defend it. Had there been other worlds out there? Could there still be? Had the Krang destroyed them all? And if the Krang had, just how much of their dimensions were supposed to be similar? Was Raphie supposed to find his mate in Space somewhere? Have two kids and settle down?

Was that now all taken away because their Krang had destroyed everything?

“But his older child Chompy,” Blinking himself out of his own thoughts, Casey turned back to the conversation, watching the others carefully as they took in the information, “is a Volcanthian Fire Tortoise from the planet Magdomar.”

“Your brother bagged two alien space babes huh?” Leon chuckled, having removed Donald’s metallic arms from his face. “Guess he has a type.”

“Do- Not- talk about my brother that way.”

Leo’s tone was sharp, a glint in his eyes as he turned to Leon, his shoulders becoming tense.

“Raph is incredibly dedicated to Mona. She is not a ‘space babe’, she is a strong and loyal fighter who has stood by his side through everything the world has thrown at him.” His voice was a low hiss, a warning, a threat.

No one stepped in to correct his tone.

“He took Chompy with us after we all believed his mother had been killed during a retrieval mission on their planet, and Mona has always treated him like her child, even before they permanently got together. They’re good parents and the most fearless warriors I have ever known, and I will not let you disrespect either of them in my presence.”

The lab fell quiet. Nothing other than the hum of the equipment penetrating the heavy atmosphere. Leo and Leon didn’t turn away from each other, one with a barely concealed simmering rage and the other with an eerily still expression. Not sure what he should do, or if it was even his place to do anything, Casey took a glance at Raph and Don, wondering if either of them were about to do something.

Both had their attention on Leon though, neither looking very impressed.

Just when he was thinking of maybe taking a chance and stepping in or changing the subject entirely, Leon spoke. “You’re right.” He mumbled dejectedly. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”

Though the tone of his voice was stilted and monotone, it seemed to ease Leo enough that he was willing to settle back.

With the situation resolved for now Casey felt like he could breath a little easier and not have to be ready to throw himself between the two leaders.

Don, ever the one to move on from an awkward situation without much thought was ready to jump back into his questions.

“So, your Raph has two kids, do any of the others have children? What about yo-.”

“That’s all I’m saying on this topic.” Leo muttered, shutting down any further questions. “Right now we have more important things to be focusing on.”

“Right.” Leon agreed, holding his hands up in a shrug as he walked towards his counterpart with a smirk. “Like remembering that your niece is here and that you can’t just go running off if we’re all busy.”

Again, Leo’s face flushed, obviously still embarrassed that he’d forgotten about her until Casey had brought it up. The sharp toothed smirk that flashed across Leon’s face once he saw the effect his call out had on the shorter male didn’t spell anything good. Stepping in before his sensei could do something stupid, Casey got between them, gently cradling his arm around Leo and carefully herding him to the door, away from the now scowling face of his surprisingly moody leader.

“I’m sure we can find someone who won’t mind watching her. We have a few friends that I would trust my life with so long as you don’t mind.” Casey suggested, keeping his tone light and open, the tight coiling in his chest finally finding some release when the tension in Leo’s face fell.

As they walked out of the lab, hearing the others following behind he took a quick glance back, arching a brow to see Raph mumbling lowly to Leon about something he couldn’t make out.

But he could talk to Leon later and see what was really going on with his attitude towards Leo, because there was something weird there. Unless they were an enemy he really couldn’t stand, Leon was never this oddly confrontational with others for seemingly nothing.

Putting that in the back of his mind, Casey turned back to the mutant by his side. “We could stay here today until we find someone who could watch her and look over some maps in the meantime and build a plan before we start searching tomorrow.”

Leo sighed, but a smile did turn at the corner of his lips, a small huff of a chuckle escaping him as he lifted his eyes from the floor in front of him up to meet with Casey’s dark gaze.

“That’s not a bad idea Jones.” He admitted, Casey perking up at the small praise, “And I wouldn’t mind hearing your suggestions if you know anyone you think would be trustworthy enough to watch her.”

Glad to hear that Leo was willing to put his trust in him when it came to his niece Casey beamed.

“Eeo!”

All their attention was pulled to the center of the Lab to see Ozzie holding up a big sheet of paper over her head, bouncing on her toes in excitement.

From behind him, he could hear Donald gasp in excitement while Raphie let out a small coo at the child.

“Eeo!” Ozzie called again, Leon mumbling behind Casey about having to fix the wraps around her fingers.

When she ran towards the group, Casey lifted his arm behind Leo’s back to help support him when she launched herself at her Uncle, nearly taking him out even with her tiny size. “Oof!”

She squealed happily, Casey snickering along with her joy as Leo struggled to keep her in his arms and not drop the squirming child on the floor. “Easy Ozzie.” Casey said, grabbing her attention with a small churr, bopping her on the nose when she paused in her high energy long enough to look at him. “Uncle Eeo’s old, you don’t want to hurt him.”

She did fall still than, settling in Leo’s arms while blinking her big, wide eyes at Casey.

Chuckling at her Casey ignored the flat, mild glare Leo was side eying him with that held absolutely no heat and instead turned his attention to the paper she pushed towards him.

“Oh? What’s this?”

Carefully he took it from her, the smile remaining on his face until he took a look at the picture she had painted.

It was a little family portrait, with things Casey recognized and things he didn’t, but that wasn’t what really caught his attention.

In the middle of it was Ozzie, held up in the arms of the blobs that must have been her parents in respective green and an odd blue he couldn’t help but wonder where Mikey had found it. There was also a deep red… turtle? Chompy maybe? That stood tall over both adults and were covered in spikes. If that was supposed to be Raph though, he found it odd that he wasn’t wearing a mask.

Then there were the other blobs. It wasn’t that Casey was trying to insult her artwork, she was a child and everyone had to start somewhere, but the details that would normally help him to pick out who was who were missing.

There were other green… turtles, a tall one that stood almost as tall as the one who must have been Mona waving happily with a smaller white and pink blob in his arm and Casey couldn’t help but wonder if this was the second niece that Leo had mention yesterday but hadn’t want to speak on today, and than another turtle doing a handstand… or a cartwheel maybe. Neither of them wore masks, but if Casey had to guess he’d say that the cartwheel/handstanding turtle was probably Mikey, and if the one holding her was her dad that would make him Raph which meant that the tall one would have been Donnie.

There were a few other people in the picture too, and Casey did mean people, as in humans, but he couldn’t recognize any of them. A person with bright red hair, two blobs standing so close he almost thought they were one person until he noticed that one was just carrying the other, one with bright yellow and black hair and one in a pointy hat, and than one in… was that a bandana?

They were all grouped together, pretty much on top of one another, all with wide smiles on their faces.

It would have been cute, if it wasn’t for the fact that standing over to the side and in the back was the only turtle easy to pick out.

Because he was still in his mask, because he was the only one still holding his weapons, because he was still decked out in the same gear he wore now, minus the knee brace, a straight line as a mouth and nothing but white in his eyes.

While his brothers stood among a large group, gear gone and replaced with the regular garb Casey could remember his own uncles wearing in their older years, Leo was the only one who continued to promote his original gear.

Which was… telling, especially in a child’s drawing.

He looked up from it when Leo gently took it, only taking a quick glance at the drawing before handing it back to Ozzie.

“It looks great kiddo.” Leo mumbled, his smile much more reserved now as he stared at her.

Before they could get much further Donald popped up over Leo’s shoulder, startling him enough to make him jump.

“How fascinating.” Donald mumbled, wide eyes on the tiny child in Leo’s arms as she stared back at him. “An alien, mutant mix. I would love to take some blood samples and maybe-,”

Leo growled, snatching Don’s hand before it got to close, snarling lightly at the other so he wouldn’t freak out his niece. “I-,” He hissed, Don’s eyes snapping over to him as he sunk into his own shoulders from the seething look Leo was aiming at him. “-will bite you.”

“Yeesh.” Don jerked back fast at the threat, Casey unsure if he was more disturbed by the idea of the pain of the bite, or grossed out by the thought of the saliva that would be involved. “You know Nardo, I don’t say this often, but you were right.” He mumbled, standing next to his twin’s side with a small frown over his lips. “Mini you is feral.”

“Again,” Leo hissed, twisting to glare at both of them. “Stop calling me that. I’m not mini anyone. We might both be Leonardo Hamato, but we are not the same person.”

“Obviously.” Leon scoffed, striking a pose and giving Leo a wink with the sharpest smirk Casey had even seen him pull sitting smugly across his face. “I’m much better looking.”

“Leo…” Raph dropped his forehead against his palm with a loud smack while Don just let out a long groan and rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

Casey didn’t even realize that he still had his hand around Leo’s shell until he had to drop it when the fighter turned in his hold to avoid holding his waist, his cheeks growing warm at the thought before he could shake it off.

“You should hope those looks never fade than because from what I’ve experienced, you don’t have much else to offer.”

Everyone choked at that.

Casey’s eyes blew wide, his jaw dropping as he stared at the unreadably blank look over Leo’s face, not expecting such a biting comment from someone with such a sweet face.

Leon looked just as shocked, his face flushing darker than his stripes, his cheeks taking on an almost ugly reddish, purple hue that clashed with the green tone of his scales. Donald was nearly dying next to his brother, a hand pressed to his mouth and his cheeks ballooned out in barely held back laughter. Raph was just… staring, his jaw unhinged and nearly on the floor, but Casey had a feeling that with the snark Leon had been aiming at his counterpart since he’d gotten here, he might not say anything about the insult either.

They must have looked priceless, because Ozzie let out a peel of laughter, Leo taking that as his cue to turn on his heels and leave them behind.

“That little shit.”

Casey shifted his attention from watching the other’s back to his Sensei with a small frown, seeing the tense line of muscles twitching in his jaw as he gritted his teeth.

When he went to charge forward, Casey stuck his arm out, frowning at the glare shot at him not even a second later.

“You’re taking his side now?”

Brows furrowing Casey didn’t rise to the bait. “We’re on the same side Sensei.” He reminded him calmly.

Leon’s teeth clicked when he went to snap something back. They clanked closed again not even a second later though as he turned away. Seething and grumbling he glared off into nothing, Casey growing more concerned when he turned to look at the others behind him.

They seemed just as confused as him by the hostility of their leader towards their guest, not even Don was laughing anymore as his eyes flittered from Raph to Leon and back, his shoulders sneaking up as he drew away.

Casey was so lost in trying to read the others that he wasn’t prepared for it when Leon smacked his arm out of the way, startled by the aggressive action but not nearly as shocked as he was at the intense seething burning in his sensei’s dark eyes.

“Whatever.” He sneered; his eyes narrowed sharply. “Choose him if you want. I’m not going to stop you.”

Wait. What?

“Le-,”

“Have fun babysitting, Jonesy.” Leon smirked; his lips twisted sharply before he snapped back to his brothers. “We’re heading out.”

“Wait, Leo-,”

“Come on guys. Let’s go.”

Leon pushed by him, ignoring Casey’s attempts to speak with him completely.

He watched, his chest heavy and his stomach twisting up in knots to see Leon walking away from him.

Had he- had he done something wrong?

Fingers curling tight in his gloves Casey slowly turned to Raph, guilt eating at him as he stared up at the giant snapper. “Uncle Raph…?”

“It’s not you Case.” Raph wasn’t looking at him, his eyes on his brother and a deep crease in his brow. “Raph’ll talk to him.”

“Mikey!” Leon’s shout echoed around the lair, his voice sharp and putting an instant end to the casual conversation Micheal and Leo had been having. “We’re heading out. I’ll run the plan by you in the tank.”

“Uh… Okay Leo!” Mikey shouted back, turning to shoot a confused look over at the others who could only offer him a few shrugs of their own.

Letting out a long sigh Casey watched as Leo was dragged to the mess in the middle of the floor by his niece, accepting a paintbrush that was shoved into his hand. When Don went to pass by him, Casey grabbed his arm.

“The Turtle Tank is downtown. I- uh… took Leo out in it last night to get to his niece’s location.”

Donald scowled, raising his hand to point his finger in Casey’s face.

Ozzie let out a loud giggle, both of them looking over to watch as she then growled playfully before launching herself at Leo. He let out a small yelp, a smile twitching at Casey’s lips to see Leo allowing himself to play along with her, even though his eyes drifted over to the others who were heading to the garage with envy, obviously still wanting to be apart of the action.

When Don sighed however and they shifted their attention back to one another, Casey watched as he softened up and dropped his hand back to his side.

“I suppose if it was for a good reason, I can’t be to upset.” He mumbled, Casey figuring he was off the hook until the finger was back in his face again. “But know this, you have absolutely zero permission to take it for a late-night joy ride with mini L- with… with the other blue… one. You know what I mean.” He grumbled, waving his hand this way and that with a roll of his eyes.

Casey chuckled at his antics, sure that Leo would be appreciative of Don correcting the nickname he hated.

Patting a hand against his shoulder he joined him in walking in the direction they both needed to go.

“I promise we’ll only steal it as a last resort.” He assured, laughing lightly as Don grumbled when they split off.

“I admire your honesty, but I hate what you’re saying.”

“Tell Draxum I say hi!” Casey called after him as he stopped by where Leo and Ozzie were sitting.

Don let out another grumble, but waved back before he disappeared around the corner.

Casey stood there for awhile, looking into where his team had disappeared, letting out a breath as he accepted the fact that they were heading out to go look for answers to what had happened yesterday and to fix up the city…

And that he was here.

He had chosen to stay behind, but he didn’t feel like that meant he was choosing Leo over his team. They were still going to go out and do their part to help and figure out what was going on, but they just wouldn’t be able to do so right now. That didn’t mean he was turning on Leon or anything like that. At the end of the day, they were still his team, and his family.

… Weren’t they?

His hands gripped at his arms tightly, his throat flexing around a large knot that suddenly formed in his throat.

These guys weren’t really his uncles. Not this version of them anyways. They’d barely known Casey for more than a handful of months. They were just kids themselves; they weren’t the ones who he had grown up around. He only lived here because where else was he supposed to go?

They didn’t have a responsibility for him, and he didn’t really know them. Did Leon even want him on his team in the first place? Or had he just felt bad and not knowing what else to do, had just allowed Casey to hang around?

“Jones?”

Blinking the burn from his eyes Casey cleared his throat, shaking his head as if he could shake away the thoughts, he forced a weak smile to his lips before turning to the one sitting on the floor.

“Sorry Leo,” he apologized, knowing that he probably wanted to get started. “Did you want me to get the maps first or do you want me to make a list of the people who might be able to help?”

Leo didn’t respond right away, his eyes slightly narrowed and searching as he stared up at him.

Not sure what he was looking for and growing antsy with just standing there being stared at, Casey darted his eyes away as he looked around. “I’ll, uh, I’ll get the maps.”

When he went to walk by he found himself being stopped, a gentle hand wrapping around his wrist and resting there. He paused, standing and staring at the floor for a moment before he turned to face the one holding him once more.

At first, Leo didn’t speak, only Ozzie’s little hums of whatever song filling the space between them as she painted some sort of thing across his free arm, but than he gave a small tug, more of a suggestion for Casey to come closer than a demand, the roaring oceans of his eyes calming to still pools.

“The maps aren’t going anywhere,” He said, giving another small tug, pulling Casey closer.

Knowing he was right, Casey allowed himself to sink down beside him. There was a lingering moment where Leo didn’t release his hold, and he could feel a shiver shoot up through his arm at the way the other’s thumb dragged over his pulse, leaving a burning trail in its wake before lifting away.

“Thank you by the way.” Leo said, Casey’s mind still a little foggy from the turn in the conversation that he found himself having to really focus on what Leo was saying to hear him.

“For what?” Because he wasn’t sure what part of the last few hours Leo could have been thanking him for after everything that had happened to him with the others. Especially not with Leon’s constant hostility towards him.

“For staying back with me.” Leo mumbled, lifting his arm up slightly when Ozzie pushed against it so she could have a flatter surface to paint on. “I know you could have gone with them and left me here, which would have been fine, but, you know, thank you. It definitely makes it a lot less awkward.”

“Oh,” He hadn’t even thought about that. How awkward it would be for Leo to be left here, alone, in a strangers home while they all went out, with no way to reach anyone if something went wrong... Hm, he should talk to Donald about building Leo a communicator.

With a small smile he nodded his head at Leo. “You’re welcome. Eeo.”

Leo gave a sharp tisk at his use of the nickname, shoving his hand against Casey’s shoulder and shoving him to the side. From the bright glint in his eyes however and the curled edges of his lips Casey knew there was no malicious intent behind the action, chuckling as he straightened himself out.

With his mind on revenge, he rocked his shoulder into Leo’s gently. -And then he instantly regretted his choice when Ozzie squealed in anger, shouting gibberish at him angrily for jostling her canvas and making Leo snicker at the not entirely fake fear that bloomed over Casey’s face. “I’m sorry!”

Her eyes were squinted points, but eventually she turned back to her paint project, leaving Casey to breath easy once again.

“You know,” He mumbled, tilting towards Leo to stage whisper close to his ear. “I almost think it would have been safer to go with the guys.”

“Oh for sure.” Leo said with absolutely no hesitation.

As if she knew what they were talking about, Ozzie looked up and glared at them.

They both broke out into laughter than, Casey feeling the tightness in his chest and the knot in his throat dwindling as they leaned towards each other, Leo’s hand pressing against his shoulder to help keep him balanced as he pressed his forehead against the back of his hand. Casey wasn’t sure if the warmth spreading through him was coming from the one tilting into him or just from the comfort in the atmosphere in general, but he also found that he didn’t care as his laughter slowly petered off, his eyes still squinted in amusement as he watched Leo continuing to snicker to himself, not seeming aware of the little glare he was getting from the serious artist for moving around so much.

Yeah. He was glad he’d stayed back too.

Chapter 12

Notes:

Hello! Sorry it's been so long since I updated! I hope you guys enjoy this one. :)

“Can I ask you something?”

While Casey couldn’t move his face since Ozzie had decided that would be her new canvas, he still gave out a small hum, and tilted his brows up, keeping his eyes closed while the brush moved over his libs.

“How long have you been here for?”

Waiting until the brush left his face before he spoke, Casey sat up straighter as the little mutant turned back to her paints, mixing more colours that just turned a smoky grey. “A few months? Not long. Maybe about… four? Most of my time here has been spent helping rebuild the city so I haven’t really been keeping track.”

“Rebuilding?” Leo mumbled, sounding intrigued enough that Casey knew to explain it in a little more detail without having to be told outright.

“Yeah,” He closed his eyes again when Ozzie climbed back into his lap, her little feet using his knees as a standing post as she shoved the end of her paintbrush against his nose. A little harder than he was comfortable with if he was being honest, but he wouldn’t hold that against her. “When the Krang first came through they… did a fair amount of damage. Leveling entire neighbourhoods to the ground and taking down almost all what Leon said was Central New York, they pretty much wiped out the power grid, which took Donald weeks to get back up and running and the chaos that created alone…”

Casey paused, his hands clenching against the floor where he was leaning back on them, having to take a moment to collect himself before he could push forward with the rest. “Then there was finding and identifying the bodies. Though honestly, there’s still so many that haven’t been laid to rest properly.”

Though he knew that to this day Leon would scour through the countless data bases Donnie had access to through his backdoor programs, the new hobby giving him something to do on those long nights where sleep would slip through his fingers, hunting through the missing persons reports and trying to match them up with unidentified persons through whatever small details he could.

His response brought nothing but silence, and if Ozzie wasn’t working on his eyelids, he might have risked cracking one open so he could gauge the expression across the other’s face.

The only thing that informed him that Leo hadn’t just gotten up and wandered off was the soft rustling of the maps as he moved around and the slightest feeling of displaced air he could feel shifting around him.

“Your Leo,” If Casey hadn’t known that Leo was moving closer, he would have jumped at how close his voice was now. “Said there was only three Krang?”

“Em, hm.”

“And they still did that much damage?”

Casey let out a hollow chuckle, “If there’d been more, there probably wouldn’t have been a world for me to be born into in the first place.”

Once again, silence.

His questions however did pique an interest in Casey, his eyes cracking open when he could feel Ozzie bouncing away from him and back to the paint. He watched as she abandoned her most used brush and grabbed another one, dipping it heavily into the white paint. “What were your Krang like?”

Leo hummed, again the sound of the map rustling being the only sign that he hadn’t moved away.

“They were… persistent.”

“That’s an interesting description.” Casey chuckled, reminded of the diplomatic way Master Leonardo had taken to speaking around others, only letting the truth come out when he got caught up in a rant as he would pace back and forth among the small audience of his closest family members.

It seemed this Leo shared the same reserved way of speaking when he wasn’t too certain about his audience. Casey didn’t take any offence. They hadn’t known each other that long after all, he could understand if Leo wasn’t to interested in sharing what his own worlds Krang had been like.

He himself wasn’t even really sure what he should and shouldn’t tell Leo about their world and their Krang. It didn’t feel like his place to mention the damage they had done to the young fighters and the permanent injuries they suffered as a result.

He was already on thin ice with Leon… which… he was really going to have to have a sit down with his Sensei some time soon and talk with him about whatever the situation was. From his years spent having to put his upmost faith in others and their communication he knew that leaving an argument to fester was one of the worst things someone could do. The last thing he wanted however was to make the situation worse by mindlessly spilling to Leo everything his masters had suffered in their efforts to protect the people of this planet. If Leo wanted to know more, he was going to have to ask the others about it or allow Casey to talk to them about what they were alright with him sharing and what was absolutely off the books.

“How were they able to do so much damage with just the three of them?” Leo asked, Casey turning the question over in his mind as he tried to figure out how to explain it.

“Their mechanical engineering was beyond what anyone could even think was capable.”

His eyes slipped open as Oozie pulled back from his face, glancing over at Leo to see he wasn’t facing him as he spoke, those bright blues scanning over the map in one hand with a thick marker in the other, occasionally circling areas that seemed random to Casey but must have held some importance to Leo.

“They were able to merge organic material with robotics. Turning every living and artificial thing into a nightmare combination of tech and living matter.”

He watched as Leo paused; his eyes still turned to the paper but his attention wholly on Casey’s words.

“There were rare times when Master Michelangelo would manage to capture some alive. He would bring them to Master Donatello to try and see if there was any way it could be possible to separate them, but… nothing ever worked.”

Casey could recall being so small, curled up in a tight ball at his Sensei’s shell, shaking as he listened to the cries that would rattle whatever flimsy little structure they could find. He would stay awake, even long after the screams would stop. The silence following their screams almost more terrifying as he imagined those twisted and mutilated bodies now contorted and slinking through their hallways, hunting for revenge after whatever it was that Master Donatello had tried on them, staring wide eyed into the darkness with the unshakable feeling that their long, clawed hands were barely inches from his face…

It wasn’t something he’d ever mentioned to anyone else, not seeing a reason to scar them with the actions their older selves had been forced to take. He didn’t mention a lot of things from the timeline he’d come from outside of telling his new family about the great feats their older counter parts had achieved. There was no reason he could think of to force more nightmares on them then they already suffered through from the short interaction they had with the Krang.

Letting the thought drift away he pulled himself back together, shaking his head a little and closing his eyes once more when Oozie returned to continue her work.

“I’m guessing if you’re shocked by the small amount though, you guys had more?”

“Oh, um…” Leo didn’t answer right away, his hesitation leaving Casey to wonder if he was trying to wrap his mind around Casey’s description. If the way he described them however wasn’t familiar, Casey was curious to know what the differences would be. “Well, yes. There was a whole society of them. Our Kraang were highly advanced as well, but… from the sounds of it, they’re experiments were nothing like what you’re describing. They were more interested in terraforming our world to make it suited for themselves. I think if they had their way, they would have mutated every living thing on the planet to either be a slave or a food source, but not to join their ranks as weapons.”

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing they didn’t succeed than because from what little I know of you, you don’t really take orders well and although you look sweet, I’d bet you’d be pretty sour to taste.” Casey chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood a little as he cracked an eye open to see what reaction he would get.

He could feel his lips twitching upwards even as he struggled to keep his natural expression so he wouldn’t mess up Oozie’s work to see a small smirk flickering at Leo’s lips as he moved back to circling whatever it was on the maps. “For your information, I take instruction very well, when I think the person giving orders is worthy of my compliance.”

“Ah, is that so?” Casey muttered, his tone light and amused while Leo hummed in agreement.

“It is.” He had to close his eyes again when Oozie got a little to close to with the pointy end of the brush, but he could still hear the smug grin grow as Leo continued. “And I’ll have you know I’m nothing but sweet inside and out thank you very much. I would have been a fought over delicacy.”

“But of course.” Casey agreed. “You’d be the worlds sweetest blueberry cupcake.”

“Aren’t the blueberry flavoured one’s muffins?”

“Cupcakes are prettier.” Casey shrugged without missing a beat. “It suits you more.”

The compliment had slipped out without much of a thought, but the second Casey’s brain caught up with his mouth he could feel his stomach plummeting.

Instantly his mind went into overdrive, trying to come up with every apology he knew of that he could possibly beg for forgiveness with. Because he wasn’t just partaking in playful banter anymore, was he?

Was he flirting? Had he been flirting this whole time? Is that why the others kept making fun of him? Had he been flirting this time, and it literally took him calling Leo cute for him to notice?

He’d- he’d never really flirted with anyone before. Surviving the apocalypse didn’t leave much time for anyone to spend much of it swooning over others. Sure, there were times here and there where he met visiting rebel groups with members he thought were cute, but it wasn’t as if there was much time to spend talking about those kind of things before they would either need to get ready for battle or taking the rare moment to sleep.

The most any of them got were stolen moments here and there to relieve tension. Moments that were over as quickly as they started and than were never spoken about.

But the leisurely way people would take their time in wooing the ones they found attractive like in those romcom movies and shows that Splinter and Angelo introduced him too?

Casey had… he’d never experienced that before.

As Ozzie continued to shove the brush against his cheek, Casey was almost grateful for it, the cool paint offering a break from the burning that was flooding over his entire face.

Maybe he was thinking to much into it though. Maybe Leo was used to being complimented. Casey could imagine that he must get praising comments all the time. He was such a skilled fighter and a pretty cool guy and, yes, he was ridiculously cute.

The long, long pause of silence however wasn’t sitting well, and his stomach twisted tight as he peeked his eyes open again and tried to catch a glimpse of what expression was on Leo’s face.

He wasn’t looking at the map anymore, his hand frozen with the permanent marker hovering inches away from the paper. It was the colour that had Casey feeling a little bit better about though, a bright pink that showed even through the darker hue of his green scales.

“Um, sorry was that-,”

“Do you guys have the Utroms too?” Leo asked, as if he hadn’t heard Casey, apparently changing the subject, “or is it only the Kraang?”

“Utroms?” Deciding to move on as well, they could always go back on it later he supposed Casey tested the word out on his tongue, chewing it with his teeth and stretching it with his lips. It didn’t sound like a word he’d ever heard before. Could it have been one of the other alien races that Leo had mentioned briefly before? If it was, could it be possible that the reason he never heard of them was because they had been taken out by their Krang years ago? “That… doesn’t sound familiar.” He admitted.

“Hey!” Casey jumped when a hand grabbed at his face and pulled it forward again, his lips puffed up like a fish with how hard those little hands were squishing his cheeks. “Ook!” Ozzie demanded, her little brow narrowed in annoyance and a scowl on her face for him having his attention anywhere else than where she needed it.

“Sorey!” His apology didn’t come out sounding right at all, but she seemed to understand what it was he was trying to say.

With a small huff she went back to her work.

He flinched when she ran it over his lips, fighting hard against his body’s sudden urge to gag on the acrylic paint he could taste as it was shoved roughly across them. He made sure not to move though, worried about messing up her work and than being stuck here longer if that made her want to start over. Surrendering to the fact that he was going to be here awhile with no way to talk to speed up the process he let out a long sigh and slumped where he was.

“If one of your Kraang did survive,” Leo spoke up again, Casey giving a small hum to show he was listening. “And the portals opening around the city do end up being linked to them, it would be a good idea for me to know what I’m dealing with and what I’m going to be walking into. Do you have any more information on their weakness? Is there anything that you learned during your timeline that would-?”

“Done!” Ozzie interrupted, gleefully hopping away from Casey as she waved her paintbrush around. “Eeo! Eeo ook!”

Glad that she was finally done with her little painting project, Casey couldn’t help but wonder just what it was that she had painted across his face with only two colours. Curious he turned to Leo with a small smile, leaning back on his hands as he asked, almost meekly. “How do I look?”

Leo let out a small hum asking without words for a quick second as he rested the map in his lap. He didn’t look to pleased with being interrupted as his eyes darted over to his niece, but a small smile did come to his lips as he seemed willing to play along, reaching out and petting her head briefly before he finally turned to Casey.

Only for him to do a double take.

His wide eyes went round, his lips parting as if he wanted to say something and yet, nothing came out. Not sure just what it was that was creating such a reaction Casey couldn’t help but feel suddenly self conscious. Tilting away from Leo he could feel a heat coming to his cheeks, one that felt so strong he couldn’t help but wonder if it would melt the paint.

“Am I not pulling it off?”

Shaking his head Leo still didn’t say a word, his eyes darting across every detail of Casey’s face with a kind of intensity that he didn’t expect to see linked to a child’s painting regardless of their canvas.

He didn’t answer Casey though, shaking his head and turning back to Oozie with a small frown on his lips.

“Oz why… Where did you…?”

“Unc’e Casey!” She shouted the name gleefully, lifting her hands in front of her and making small swiping motions with her claws while baring her fangs playfully. “Totay metaa! Rawr!”

Having absolutely no idea what she was talking about, Casey smiled politely at her as he stared emptily between the two.

“What is she talking about?”

“She’s…” Leo’s eyes were glue to his face, but Casey had a feeling he wasn’t seeing him so much as what she had painted. “She’s talking about our Casey.” He explained, his eyes cutting back to the map now clutched in his hands. “She did your face up like how he used to paint his years ago. Before we would go into any fight.”

“Oh?” Well now he kind of wanted to see.

And he would have asked Leo if he could pass over the hand mirror he knew was sitting on his other side so he could take a look at it if it wasn’t for the stiff look that etched its way across Leo’s face and the way he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes on Casey’s face for longer than a few seconds at most. Feeling his amusement tampering down he could feel his hand coming up to rub nervously at the back of his neck, his own attention darting over to watch as Ozzie continued dancing around Angelo’s borrowed paint set.

“Is it… making you uncomfortable?” He dared to ask, risking a quick glance. “With me in your Casey’s face paint?”

“No! No, you look- It’s-it’s fine.” Leo muttered, and it was only than that Casey could see a small flush in his cheeks. “It- it suits you. Oz did a good job.”

“Oh,” Now he could feel his cheeks heating up too, unable to help the small smile from creeping across his lips. “Well thank you.”

Unable to help himself, and curious to push a little further, Casey scootched closer, sinking his teeth into his bottom lip as he thought through if he was really going to do this or not before deciding to give it a shot. The worst that could happen is that Leo would shoot him down so…

-Or well he supposed he could also stab him- but he didn’t think Leo would be the type to reject someone so harshly right off the bat and if he was uncomfortable with it Casey would put an end to it before it got that far-.

Clearing his throat to give himself one last second to back out he doubled down as he gently knocked into Leo’s shoulder. “Would it be… impolite, if I ask who wore it better?”

He felt like he’d done something right when Leo snickered, gently nudging him back as he returned his attention to the papers in front of them.

“Fishing for compliments only gets you an empty hook there Jones.” Leo tisked, taking his eyes off the map for long enough to tap the cap of the marker against Casey’s nose. “But I will say Casey would only beat you by a hair.”

Although that wasn’t the answer he had been expecting- or hoping for honestly- Casey took it as a good sign that Leo seemed to be okay with playing along.

In the movies, it was always good if the person the main character was trying to ‘woo’ smiled and appeared at ease around the one trying to win them over, and so far, Leo did seem to be the most relaxed when it was just the two of them.

Snatching the marker from Leo before he could go back to his circles, Casey than held it out of the other’s reach when he tried to nab it back, a smooth smirk coming to his lips as he tapped Leo’s nose back with the tip of his finger.

“Guess I’ll just have to try impressing you in some other way than.”

It was cute to watch the way that Leo’s eyes crossed as he followed Casey’s finger, his pretty blue gems wide and round in shock from the action but no tension in his shoulders or furrow in his brows to show that he didn’t like it.

Giving one last tap to the tip of Leo’s nose, Casey chuckled, pleased with the results before taking his turn to switch the topic, nodding his head towards the map now being ignored on the floor in front of them. “What are you circling these areas for anyways?”

There was a small part of him that curled in pride at the way Leo seemed to need to take a second to answer.

“I’m, uh…” Once again Casey found his teeth biting down on his bottom lip, this time to try and hide his amusement rather than settle his nerves at the way Leo took to shaking his head to seemingly clear his thoughts before he cleared his throat and leaned forward to point here and there. “I’m circling the areas where I believe the bases of our enemies would be if they were here.” He mumbled, squinting down at the paper. “But it’s only a guess. A lot of these places though… it’s just so different.”

Setting aside his feelings to be able to better concentrate on the job before them, Casey tilted his head at the places Leo was looking over. “Are there different street names?” he asked, curious now about the other places Leo had mentioned earlier. “Where those alternate dimensions different from your own too?” 

“Different names, different sizes of locations, there’s entire neighbourhoods that are in different places.” Leo sighed, leaning back and crossing his arms as he stared down at the thick paper displayed over the floor. “To be honest, I’ve never stayed in the other locations long, they were always more of an in-out kind of situation, so I have no idea if they might be different as well but…” His words trailed off, his eyes narrowing before he pulled back.

His expression softened as he shook his head, letting out a small sigh before finally turning to face Casey. “I’m trying to figure out where their bases would be if they were here based off the way the layout has changed. Those will be the areas I want to check first. I know you don’t have the Utroms and you’ve perhaps dealt with all of your Kraang, but I want to check if there’s something going on with your Foot Clan or your Purple Dragons. Have you made peace with your Foot Clan? How about Karai? Where do her allegiances lie? Also, do you know about the locations and who is working with who with your local gangs? Because if they’ve been moving the left-over pieces of Kraang tech, they would have needed a way to move it discreetly and depending on how big it would be and how much space they would need it could mean that-.”

Leo’s words cut off when Casey, sheepishly, placed a hand on his shoulder. The second that those crystal gems were on him he gave him a tight smile, “Leo, I’m… not really sure what you’re talking about.” He admitted. “I’ve never heard of Purple Dragons and I don’t know who Karai is. The only Foot Clan I know are funny little stories my mother would tell me when she was still alive about a group of goofball goons who were really bad at being evil.”

They stared at each other. Leo opened his mouth, nothing came out, and than he closed it again.

The sound of Ozzie singing… something, to herself as she painted away on a loose sheet of paper was the only thing to fill the silence as they looked to one another.

“Right.” Leo eventually mumbled. “You’ve… only been here for about four months. Most of which was spent fixing up the destruction that was caused from the battle with-,”

“-Battle with the Kraang, yeah.” Casey finished for him with a nod. “We’ve done missions here and there don’t get me wrong, but it was more like, we were already in an area, and they just happened to be there as well causing trouble or someone we knew called us to the location for help. We don’t… we don’t go looking for gangs or mobs. At least, not since I’ve been here.”

Leo hummed, nodding his head as his squinted eyes turned back to the map of New York. He didn’t say anything, Casey suddenly feeling stupid for not being able to offer much help and just sitting on the sidelines.

“I guess, I’m going to have to talk to… Leon.”

Oo.

Neither of them could hold back their wince.

Right. He knew with Leo staying with them for now, they were going to have to talk to one another at some point, but this morning had been… not the greatest interaction between them.

Leo let out a soft sigh, his shoulders dropping just the slightest bit.

“I was… I shouldn’t have said what I did to him earlier.” His words were so quiet Casey had to lean close to hear what he was saying.

Before he could say anything on it though, Leo tapped his finger against the map, shaking his head once more before his eyes glanced towards where Ozzie was.

And than drawing Casey’s attention towards her as well when he suddenly snapped his head around to stare pointedly at the spot she was in.

Casey could understand why.

Ozzie was gone.

“Ozzie?”

They both scrambled to their feet, Leo’s head on a swivel as he tried to scan the entire lair for her in one go.

“Oz!?”

“Here.” Casey grabbed a hold of the strap of Leo’s sword belt, tugging him towards where he could hear the far-off giggling near the entrance of the lair.

He didn’t have to lead Leo for long before he understood the direction they were going in and sped in front of Casey. With the fact that she was giggling and so presumably safe enough, Casey allowed himself to fall behind to watch Leo’s stride. The limp that had been hidden in each step was missing, and he could feel himself smiling a little bit at the fact that the brace seemed to be working. He was going to have to mention to Donald how well his invention worked when he got back.

When Leo disappeared around the corner, Casey picked up his pace, nearly slamming into Leo’s shell once he rounded the same corner. Startled at the unexpected obstacle, his arms windmilled, just barely managing to stop as he curled around the other’s shell, going up on his tip toes only to rock himself back on his heels in order to reverse the momentum. Knowing that he avoided disaster Casey stepped over to the side, his head perking up to see just who had made the mutant halt in place.

“Oh, Master Draxum, Master Splinter, welcome back.”

Chapter 13

“Master Splinter…?”

“Ahh!” Leo’s soft mumble of the mutant’s title was drowned out by Splinter’s scream. The old master leapt back with his arms waving around in the air, before a long, clawed hand was shoved towards Casey. “What is wrong with your face!?”

“My face?” For a moment, Casey had no idea what he was talking about, his brow furrowing as he tried to think if maybe he had taken a heavy hit he didn’t remember and his face was awkwardly swollen, Casey’s eyes went wide when he finally remembered the face paint. “Oh, this?” He asked, pointing to his head.

“Yes that!” Splinter exclaimed, his hands waving wildly, all the while Draxum stood next to him, perfectly stoic, holding a giggling Ozzie in his arms with a flat look at the shenanigans.

“Ozzie did it for me.” Casey explained. “She wanted to paint.”

“Oh.” The mutant instantly calmed down, nodding his head as he rested one arm behind his back while the other stroked at the short hairs of his goatee. “Well, yes, that does make sense than.”

Suddenly his hands were flying again, swinging towards Ozzie, “but whose child is this!? I am far to young to be a grandfather!” before either of them could answer he than swung his hand to Leo who startled back at the abrupt action. “And why is Blue shaped like that?”

“Shaped like…?”

“This is Leonardo Sensei.” Placing a hand on Leo’s shoulder Casey took over the conversation as it seemed the small mutant was blanking out. “He was pulled here from his own world to ours by the portals. And Ozzie is his niece.”

To that both of the older males appeared shocked, Splinter’s eyes going wide while Draxum turned his attention to the child in his arms with renewed interest.

“Another turtle warrior from another world? Also named Leonardo?” Draxum hummed, his hand gently stroking Ozzie’s head while she played with the long strands of his hair. “Interesting.”

“Another Blue?” Master Splinter said, looking Leo up and down with a scrutinizing eye. Once he seemed satisfied, he gave a small shrug of his shoulders before holding open his arms. “Ah well, a Blue is a Blue whether they come from this world or another and therefore will be treated as such. Welcome to our home Blue Two!”

“I-,” At the strangled sound of Leo’s voice, Casey looked over at him, concern flooding his chest to see how misty those ocean gems had become.

He looked like he was ready to shatter, as if he was barely holding himself together, his eyes wide but unseeing of anything other than the mutant standing before him. From under his hand Casey could feel the slight tremble that echoed through his entire body.

There was a heaviness to him, a haunting like quality sunk into the depths of his eyes that Casey recognized all to well. That he had seen all to often.

Squeezing at his shoulder, Casey inched closer.

“Leo…?”

He didn’t get to ask. Before he knew it, Leo had ducked out of his hold, his arms stiff by his sides and his body hitched at the waist as he bowed low.

 “Thank you, Sensei. It’s an honored to be in your presence.”

Casey shot a look to the others, watching the utter puzzlement fall over Splinter’s face while Draxum simply arched a single brow.

Though Casey himself was used to others treating Master Splinter with high levels of respect, he was also more familiar with the strict, battle hardened warrior who had led almost as many successful missions with the last of humanity as Master Leonardo had, than he was with this version of his old grandfather who wasn’t as well known for his feats in this timeline. All his masters stayed closers to the shadows and the Yokai city than the ones he had grown up with, even though humans had become more aware of their existence after the Krang evasion.

It had been a rule set in place by Leon himself. He didn’t mind working with the authorities on the side, or with the construction obviously, but he had decided that it would be safer for the family if they stayed mostly out of the human eye.

That being said, while Splinter did help his sons out from time to time on their missions and had- apparently only recently- started training them on a daily basis, he was still a very laid back and pretty relaxed guy.

It made him wonder just what Leo’s own Splinter was like if he automatically switched up to such a formal way of greeting that he didn’t even extend to Leon who was an alternate version of himself.

Whatever uncertainty Splinter had, he seemed to move past fast, letting out a pleased huff as he grabbed at the edges of his robe, a large smile on his face. “Ah, now that is a greeting worthy of the Lou Jitsu name!” He crowed, giving a firm tug to his clothes to smooth them out before he moved forward to grab Leo’s arm and lead him back towards the entrance of the lair, Casey catching the slight limp in his step, only than noticing the splint wrapped tightly around his leg and foot.  “Come with me Other Blue! I want to hear all about the exploits of my other worldly self! I must know if his movies are better than mine!”

“Movies?” Leo mumbled, his brow furrowed as his eyes darted over to Casey before they cut over to Draxum.

He let Splinter pull him forward a few steps but didn’t allow himself to be completely turned. He stared at Draxum, long and hard, as if he was trying to piece together who and what he was.

It only hit Casey a moment later that maybe Leo didn’t actually know who Draxum was.

Could it be possible that in his world, he’d never met the warrior scientist? Could it be possible that he didn’t even exist?

And if that was the case, how might he be feeling about leaving his niece in the hands of someone he didn’t know?

Catching onto what might have been causing the unspoken tension, Casey lifted his hands towards Draxum. “Hey Ozzie, why don’t you come hangout with me for a bit?”

“Unc’e Casey!” Ozzie cheered reaching out for the human happily as he smiled back at her.

If Draxum was offended by the switch, he didn’t say and it didn’t show, he just easily handed her over, his eyes observing the turtle like shell and the lizard like length of her tail.

Once Casey had her cradled in his arms he caught the smile on Leo’s face, a smile twitching up at his own lips as he carefully handed her over.

Oozie didn’t seem to mind being passed around so much, leaping into her uncle’s arms and curling up under his chin. At her sudden appearance, the rambling of Splinter came to an end. He quickly dropped the lifestyle and career of this other world Splinter to coo at the small child in Leo’s arms.

“She doesn’t seem like a full turtle mutant.”

Casey almost startled to be addressed by the Yokai, Draxum being the one he knew the least next to Raph due to the fact that he had died shortly after he was born.

After he’d been brought here, they hadn’t spent many times in each others vicinity without someone else to act as a buffer. Casey was just never sure what to say to him, and from how standoffish the other male was with him he just figured Draxum didn’t seem to interested in him. Not that Casey could blame him, he had a lot going on with helping to rebuild and relocate the most damage sections of the Yokai city, along with helping out Donald and Leon when it came to their efforts of fixing up the power grid and recreating a new system for their damaged fresh water distribution on top of everything else.

Out of everyone he’d found himself coming back to, Casey felt the most ill footed with the most stoic of all their allies.

He wasn’t even sure if he was supposed to respond to his words though, they weren’t much of a question after all as they were an observational statement.

He didn’t realize that Draxum wasn’t really talking to him until Leo tossed the towering mutant a look over his shoulder.

“Mixed lineage? A different type of Yokai?”

Figuring this was one for him to stay out of, Casey kept his lips firmly sealed, his eyes darting between the two as they moved closer to the entrance.

Leo didn’t respond right away, his eyes narrowing, not so much in a threatening manner, but one that was definitely not all to friendly. It was more as if he was trying to size up an opponent, and Casey was almost starting to wonder if he should get between them.

Draxum picked up on this too, filling in the dead air around them with a simple hum. “Just for the inquiry of the scientific mind.”

Leo’s eyes narrowed just that much further, before he relaxed and settled back to face Splinter.

“Alien.”

“Ah,” The sound was soft, but still sharpened with an air of surprise that Casey found his eyes darting over to the goat mutant in question. “Alien.”

The two fell easily behind the others, Casey feeling awkward walking next to the surprisingly intimidating warrior scientist but not wanting to interrupt the light conversation the other two were having either. Feeling a little stuck where he was, Casey found his fingers tapping against his thigh, the build up of energy needing to escape somewhere as he carried on ahead.

“Not a very friendly Leo, is he?”

Casey took a moment to realize that he was in fact the one being addressed this time, sneaking a subtle side glance at the one next to him to see his attention was on the three mutants before them.

Seeing as how he hadn’t had any problems with him so far but having witnessed his perhaps more… aggressive behaviour being aimed at others, Casey wasn’t sure what to do other than give a small shrug of his shoulders. “Well, I’m sure anyone would be on edge in his situation.” he mumbled, defending this alternate version of his master. “He just gets thrown into a portal, separated from the world he knows and the ones he loves, dropped in a place that’s familiar but uncanny because at the same time nothing is the same, not even the people you grew up next to or bled with…? Not sure if you’ll ever get back? If there’s anything to get back to… It’s- it’s not easy.”

From behind him, the towering Yokai hummed in acknowledgement, and Casey could feel his face flush slightly as the silence carried on.

He didn’t know why he felt embarrassed, he shouldn’t, and while he was used to long stretches of silence, something about this one was putting him on edge. There was a part of him that wanted to not care about what this mutant thought about him, but there was also another part of him that recalled how everyone used to speak of the Yokai as he’d been growing up. Telling Casey how much he had done for them, how tirelessly he had worked with Master Donatello to help build the machines, tools and weapons that had kept them all alive this long. He could even remember, when he’d been very, very small, drifting off to sleep in his Sensei’s arms, how his master had thanked the long since dead scientist for giving them Casey before he died.

Just as he had opened his mouth to say something, anything, to fill the dead quiet between them, he was beaten to it.

“Are you perhaps, speaking from experience?”

Casey could feel his shoulders tighten, the line of his mouth becoming firm and tense. “I’m nothing if not grateful to have been given a second chance. No one in this timeline owes me anything and still they have given me everything, even things I didn’t know existed.”

“And yet they seem like nothing more than strangers wearing the faces of past loved ones.” Draxum carried on as if Casey had given him nothing more than ammunition to stump him with. “I have been meaning to ask you about your time spent in the failed timeline-,”

He had to grit his teeth against that. His masters hadn’t failed. His Sensei hadn’t failed. They might not have been able to fix what had happened in their timeline, but they did stop it. They still saved billions of lives, even if they couldn’t save their own.

“-but with my assistance required elsewhere and Leonardo’s need to play hero with you all on a nightly bases, there hasn’t been time to speak one on one.”

“Leon isn’t ‘playing’ hero.” Casey corrected, wondering if this guy was anything like his lost future counterpart, and if they were similar, how any of his masters could stand him. “He’s leading us to help the people and to do the jobs that no one else-,”

“Yes, yes, all fine and noble pursuits, though pretty much the opposite of what I originally created them for.” Draxum said, hand waving away Casey’s defense. “Now that I have you here however I would like to talk about running some tests and taking some samples.” He continued, his eyes narrowed as he scrutinizingly looked Casey up and down.

“This should have been brought up earlier, but who knows what kind of contaminants and diseases you might have brought from your timeline and if that might lead to some negative effects to those closest to you further down the line, not to mention that I highly doubt from what little I’ve managed to gather about your upbringing, anyone had the access to make sure you were properly guarded from viruses and the like. Who knows if you now carry some future form of scarlet fever or smallpox that is only one small cut away from being activated. And than there’s the whole radiation front. With the amount of destruction that was caused it is very likely that you grew up surrounded by high levels of radiation your body would have adapted to.”

Not sure about most of what he was saying Casey could still feel himself getting overwhelmed by the vast amount of words Draxum was saying. He’d never seen him speak this much to anyone else let alone to Casey, and he could feel a sudden wave of relief flooding through him at the sight of a bright blue portal suddenly popping into existence.

“Sensei!”

Using the excuse to break away from the overbearing scientist at his side, Casey jogged a head of the group to head towards the center of the floor where the rest of the group was piling out.

“What are you guys doing back so earlier? I thought you-,”

“Holy snickerdoodles! Portal monster!”

Casey leapt back as Donald whipped out his bo, the blades already out and spinning as he snarled at the approaching human.

“Whoa! Master Donald! It’s me!” Yelping out his defense quick, Casey threw his hands up, catching Raph appearing through the portal and giving the scene a doubletake from the corner of his eye. “Ozzie just wanted to paint.”

“Paint what? The stuff of nightmares?” Although Don didn’t sound impressed, he did retract his weapon quickly enough.

Allowing himself to relax Casey dropped his arms to his sides with a small sigh. “Leo said it looked nice.”

“Colour me shocked that he has no taste.” Don mumbled, rolling his eyes sky high as he continued walking away.

Giving a smile and a nod back to Raph as he passed by, Casey waved absently at Mikey as he bounced past, keeping his eye on their team leader. “Did something happen? Why are you all back so soon-?”

“Lunch break.” Leon interrupted, his tone a little sharper than Casey was used to but not nearly as bladed as it had been earlier. His dark eyes mirrored Casey’s own from between the bodies of his brothers while they made their way out of the portal he stood beside. “We’re taking a short break for lunch and while doing that I’m going to get an update on everyone’s progress, then I’m portaling everyone back to their tasks.”

“Oh.”

He guessed that made sense and, right, food. He’d kind of forgotten about that. He was so used to being hungry even after all his time spent in this new world, he had to be reminded to eat constantly and that it wasn’t normal to go a few days without eating.

Leon must have picked up on it as he arched his brow ridge, closing the portal with a flick of his wrist before spinning his sword to lean against as he tilted himself towards Casey. “You guys did remember to give snacks to Ozzie right? Or at least give her water or something?”

Opening his mouth Casey blinked when nothing came out, because no, he hadn’t done anything of the sort. The thought hadn’t even crossed his mind.

Casey had never really dealt with kids before. There were very few that he had met in the apocalypse and even fewer that were younger than he was. He wasn’t really aware that other than playing, they might need other care on top of that.

“Uh…”

“Por amor de Dios.”

Leon’s hand met his forehead with a heavy smack, his eyes screwed shut as he dragged his fingers down his face with a long sigh before it fell back to his side. A wave of guilt collided in his stomach, Casey’s hand coming up to rub at his neck and his teeth biting down on the corner of his lips in built up nerves. He didn’t like to disappoint his Sensei, especially after they had already gotten off on the wrong foot this morning.

“Oi! Pitufo! You’re helping Miguel in making lunch!”

Leo and Splinter had made their way over to the old projector set, Splinter happily going through the movies of his glory days while Ozzie played with Leo’s mask tails. At the call of Leon’s nickname for him however he looked up, his brow furrowed as he looked to his counterpart.

“Lunch?”

“Yeah, lunch.” Leon repeated with a roll of his eyes and a wave of his hand as he spun around to follow his brothers to the kitchen. “You know that meal that happens between breakfast and dinner?”

“But Blue! I am introducing him to my many, many, maaany great features! Do you know his father was not an actor!? He has been deprived of so much!”

“Show him later Dad.” Leon called over his shoulder. “If he’s going to stay here, he can at least be useful.”

Looking away from the back of his leader’s shell, Casey looked over to Leo, watching as he glared openly at his Sensei. The slight irritation in his face disappeared however the second he turned back to the old martial arts master, once more bowing lowly to him with a careful hold on Ozzie.

“Sorry for the interruption Master Splinter.” Leo mumbled, straightening out once more with a seldom look on his face. “I would love to continue our conversation afterwards, and so long as I’m not overstepping, I was wondering if it would be alright for me to be able to sit in on a training session of yours.”  

“Alright? It is more than alright my dear boy!” Splinter boasted, Casey watching as Leo was jolted slightly by the hearty slap he gave to his shoulder. “Maybe you can even show my boys a few tricks!”

His statement made Leo perk up a bit, and Casey could just catch the wag of his tail swaying at the older mutant’s suggestion.

“If that’s what you want Master Splinter.”

“Yes, yes. I’m sure the boys will love it!”

Somehow, Casey highly doubted that. In fact, he was already foreseeing another med wing visit coming up real soon.

“While you boys cook though, why not leave the little one with me, hm? At least than I can show one of you the greatest cinematic master pieces of our time!”  

“Oh, uh… I don’t…”

 Before Leo could finish stumbling through his response, a blue light appeared beside the two of them. With no warning other than that, Leon popped out of it, leaving it open as he carried a small… something in his hands Casey couldn’t see from where he stood.

“Hey little mija,” Leon cooed softly, obviously talking to the child in Leo’s arms as he held out what Casey could now see was a bowl. “Why don’t you snack on this why the others and I make you something else a little more filling hm?”

Ozzie didn’t even wait to get the go ahead from Leo, snatching the bowl out of Leon’s hand and wasting no time in chomping down on the food inside.

From the way that she was basically inhaling it, Casey could again feel his guilt grow as he realized how hungry she must have been this whole time. Leo looked surprised too, his eyes wide and round as he stared slacked jawed at the way she shoved her whole face into the bowl.

Leon didn’t seem to pay Leo any mind, popping Ozzie out of Leo’s hold with no problem and only seconds before the visiting mutant dropped through the portal that had appeared out of nowhere below his feet with a yelp.

“Hey Pops, do you mind watching her for a bit?” Ozzie was so distracted with her food she didn’t seem to notice, or care maybe, that she was being passed around as Leon carefully placed her in his father’s arms.

The robust mutant chuckled happily, patting the little mutant on the head before he turned back to his VCR tapes. “But of course! Me and the little one will have a great time together!”

“Great, thanks Dad, and Casey,” Casey jumped a little bit at the call of his name, figuring Leon hadn’t noticed him hanging out. “Any day now Peque.”

“Right! Sorry!”

As he turned to start his way over to the kitchen he jerked back, not expecting to see Draxum hovering just a few inches behind him.

“Oh, um, sorry.”

“Stop by my lab at some point.” Draxum said as if Casey hadn’t spoken and wasn’t trying to discreetly move around him. “There are many tests we need to run.”

“Uh huh,” Casey mumbled, nodding along, just wanting to be out of the conversation and back with the others. “I’m sure I’ll get to that at some point.”

“And bring your new friend.”

Casey paused at the words drifting up from behind his back, taking a glance over his shoulder to see that the tall Yokai was already leading himself to the exit of the lair.

“I’d like to get a look at him too, maybe see what the differences are and what was used to mutate him in the first place. No telling what you can learn from a little, reverse engineering.”

Something about that left Casey feeling a little unsettled, but he didn’t bother asking the other to stick around to question him to explain what he meant in further detail. Besides, the chance of them being able to have the time to just stop over at his lab with everything else going on was low. So, ignoring his words Casey turned back towards the kitchen and hurried the rest of his way there.

He didn’t want to risk getting even further on Leon’s bad side after all, and he wasn’t sure leaving Leo alone with the others was a good idea.

Chapter 14

Notes:

And here comes Casey/Leo flirting, Leo failing at helping to cook and some bonding between the Rise! boys and Leo! Finally... Dear god do we need it. XD Anyways, enjoy. :)

Casey had to admit, he was shocked that when he finally got to the kitchen, Leo and Leon weren’t already at each other’s throats. Instead, Leo actually appeared pretty relaxed. There was even the smallest of smiles on his face as he stood next to Mikey’s side, listening to the youngest member babbling away about whatever it was he was talking about as they worked together on peeling potatoes.

It was shocking, quite honestly. So far, he’d been pretty confrontational with pretty much every other member of the Mad Dogz, but he didn’t seem to be having the same issue with Angelo. That could have been due to the fact though that this was Mikey he was talking about. If anyone could worm their way through someone’s walls like there were barely even there it was the surprisingly emotionally in tune youngest member of the Mad Dogz.

Then again, it probably also didn’t hurt that Leon was nowhere to be seen, which drew a brow rise from Casey as he did one more quick scan around the room. He’d honestly thought that he had teleported straight to the kitchen after he’d left, but he guessed that he could have made a pitstop somewhere else first. A theory he held to when he noticed that Donald was also missed from the large space.

That was pretty common though. It was a well known fact that Don wasn’t a big fan of the kitchen, grossed out by all the different textures sinking into his scales along with normally being overwhelmed by the smell of so many different ingredients being tossed together along with feeling overstimulated by the sounds of the actual cooking and alarms going off in general. If both of them were missing they were probably in Don’s lab, going over the information that they had gather during their outing.

Knowing that meant Leon would be here eventually, Casey walked up to Raphie, offering a small smile to the giant snapper as he pulled up next to his side.

“Hey Raphie,” he greeted, keeping his voice low in hopes he wouldn’t draw the others attention and ruin their conversation, “what are we making?”

Although Raph tried to smile back at him, it was more like a wince, his eyes not staying on Casey’s face for long before darting away. “Raph thinks it might be a better idea to wash your face first. You know, along with your hands.”

Although he’d been planning on washing his hands anyways- he’d fallen in love with the idea of a real soap when he’d been introduced to it- Casey was a little surprised by the face washing request as well. Hesitantly he raised his fingers to his face, lightly tracing over the long dried paint, his lips only slightly touched by a bit of self consciousness as he wondered just what it was that everyone found so unsettling about the design.

“Is it really that bad? Ozzie worked so hard on it.”

He knew that Leo said it was a design that his Casey had only ever worn when they were about to enter into a fight, but he was still surprised that its effects seemed to work so well.

“The kid made that?” The surprise in Raphie’s voice was palpable, he didn’t wait for Casey to continue before he asked another question. “Why?”

“It’s what her Uncle Casey wears I guess.” He shrugged, not sure how else to say it. “He might have taught her how to do it and maybe she thinks were the same person…?”

Raph hummed, looking over Casey’s head to the counterpart of his brother. “I dunno. Their Leo seems different enough to Raph that he can’t see their Casey looking the same either.”

“Well technically, she doesn’t.” Casey reminded him. “I’m Casey Jones Junior. Casey Jones is my mom. The fact that theirs is a guy at all makes them different enough for me.”

“Oh yeah.” Raph mumbled, his eyes darting back towards Casey, the milky white of his one eye still following the path of the other as if it could still see. “Raph supposes that’s true.”

Sometimes Casey wondered if they forgot that Cassandra was his mother. Not that he could blame them for it. She was only about twenty, a whole two years younger than Casey himself.

Lifting a hand to Raph’s meaty shoulder Casey gave it a few firm pats. “I’ll go get cleaned up. Let me know what you want me to work on when I get back.”

Only after he received a nod to his words did Casey set to work on taking off his cape, sighing at the weight of the heavy fabric being removed from his shoulders and dropping it over the back of a chair for now. He rolled his shoulders, not used to how light they felt without the added piece that hid most of his upper half, taking his time to enjoy the freedom before he started on removing the thick gloves from his hands.

His lips pulled to the side at the feeling of the coarse insides scrapping over his forearms, never liking the way they felt but knowing that they had saved him more than once from losing his fingers or earning nasty scars across the back of his hands. Once they were free of their bonds, Casey let out a relived sigh to feel the air caressing against the slight dampness of his skin, taking turns of running his large hands over the thick muscles of his forearms, working the slight tension and heat out of them with the pads of his fingertips.

“Shit!”

“Ohmigosh! Leo are you okay?”

Casey’s head snapped toward the two across the table, his eyes blowing wide to catch a glimpse of the red gushing down Leo’s green scales before he cradled it out of sight.

“I’m fine.”

Leo ducked away from the concerned hand of Angelo, moving around him and heading towards the sink.

Without hesitation Casey followed after him, meeting at the counter only to have Leo shoot a snarl at him from over his shoulder. He didn’t rise to the bait however, churring softly at the aggravated hiss as he stepped in close. Leo… didn’t seem to know what to do with that. The spitting rage that had him all railed up settling back as those bright blue eyes locked on Casey with apparent suspicion.

Casey didn’t blame him for being on the defence when he was injured. A lot of the mutants and humans alike that he knew jumped to that state naturally when they got hurt. It was a pretty common response when one connected injury to being vulnerable in battle. He’d just seen Donald himself biting Leon yesterday when his brother was trying to do nothing more than bring him to the med wing to patch him up.

So, Casey didn’t risk reaching out to him just yet, continuing to calm him, the deep, but comforting rumble vibrating in the air between them until, slowly, Leo showed him his injury.

Raising the pitch of his churr just the slightest to show his appreciation Casey carefully cradled the wounded hand between his own.

Now that he could actually see what the injury looked like, he could feel his shoulders relaxing. There seemed to be a fair amount of blood, but the cut itself didn’t look to long, maybe a little deep, but nothing Leo’s mutagen body wouldn’t be able to heal in about an hour or two tops.

As he moved Leo’s hand into the sink, Casey checked the temperature of the water, making sure it was at least lukewarm before gently leading it under the tap.

“You know,” He mumbled quietly, aware of the hushed voices behind them. “For a guy who uses swords as his main weapon, I thought you’d be better with knives.”

Leo scoffed at him, leaning into Casey and the sink more with a shrug. “My hand slipped.”

Casey’s eyes darted from their hands to Leo’s face. Though Leo wasn’t looking at him, he could see the slight red hue colouring his cheeks.

Was he… embarrassed? And if so than, why? Accidents happened, Casey had witnessed enough in his time that he knew it didn’t matter how good someone was at something, sometimes, things just happened.

But than he noticed those baby bright blues darting quickly from their hands to something else before going back again, staying there for a few seconds before starting again.

Although the behaviour was odd, Casey didn’t comment on it, delicately letting Leo’s hand go with wordless instructions for him to keep it there as he crouched next to the counter to grab the medical kit under the sink.

One of the first things Leon had made sure he knew the location of when he first started living with them was the first aid kits that were stashed all over the lair, and the four fire extinguishers along with the one fire blanket.

Apparently, growing up in a house with four unruly teenage boys and one ride or die sister- Casey had been shocked to see what a hellraiser Commander O’Neil was in her youth- meant that one had to be prepared for anything, anywhere at anytime.

As he stood, he placed it to the side of the sink, turning the tap off before he grabbed a few pieces of paper towel. “Here, dry your hands off with this and than use these ones to press against the wound.”

“I’m really fine Jones.” Leo mumbled, doing as he was told anyways. “I can take care of it from here.”

“It’s alright. It’ll be easier for me to wrap the plaster around your finger with two hands than it would for you to try to do so with one.”

“Well… yes but-,”

“Leo,” Casey chuckled, the rumble in his chest just as deep and amused. “Just let me help you out, okay?”

Leo fell quiet at that, his eyes back on his hand as he removed the paper towel he’d been using and held his small injury out for Casey to take care off. Pleased with the other’s willingness to be helped Casey churred his appreciation, his smile growing at the barely audible but smooth churr he got in return.

As he laid the padding over the injury, Casey carefully wrapped the adhesive around his finger, pulling it just tight enough to make sure it added enough pressure to the cut to help slow the bleeding.

“We might have to change that in a bit.” He admitted, looking over his work for a second before turning his smile up to Leo. “We also might want to move you off knife duty in the meantime.”

A frown fell over Leo’s face, but from the light in his eyes Casey could tell that there was no bite behind the look. “I’m very good with a knife. I just got distracted.”

“Distracted?” Humming out the question as he packed the kit away, Casey took his time putting it back before he stood again, turning to Leo with a soft smile over his lips. “Is that what made your hand slip? What did you find so distracting?”

It was fascinating to watch the red overtaking the green of Leo’s cheeks, his eyes darting away from Casey’s as the colour only grew stronger. “Nothing.”

Oh? That was a pretty interesting reaction for nothing.

The edges of Casey’s smile curled a little higher with a dab of smugness, not sure just what the mutant was lying about but knowing from the red in his cheeks and the way he couldn’t seem to hold Casey’s eye it probably had something to do with him.

Having mercy on him Casey turned the water back on, waiting for the water to warm as he let it run over his fingers.

When he tossed a glance over at Leo, ready to ask him another question, he was surprised to see that once again he was looking at… his arms?

Well, that was curious.

And somewhat familiar.

Back in his timeline, Casey could remember plenty of humans and Yokai alike who would look at his Master with a wanting eye, acting odd and foolish around him in ways that they never were around anyone else. He remembered asking his Sensei about it once when he was little, asking why their faces would go all pink and they’d start talking all weird whenever he was around.

He could remember the way Master Leonardo had laughed, telling him they just thought he was cute and that when Casey got older, others would act that way around him to, nudging Casey and telling him that having muscles never hurt either.

Now having strong bodies wasn’t just for show where he came from, becoming a necessity in his timeline if one wanted to survive long, so Casey had never really given it a thought.

But seeing Leo’s eyes tracing over the curves and dips as they trailed up from his forearms and to his biceps Casey couldn’t help but wonder if maybe his Sensei had been right.

Taking a page from Master Donatello’s book, he decided to test his theory.

As he cupped both his hands under the tap, he flexed his arms just a little bit.

And instantly watched as Leo’s face grew an even brighter shade of red.

Biting down on the corner of his lip in an attempt to keep his smile from splitting his face in half Casey ducked his head over the sink and splashed the warm water over his face. Rubbing it across his skin he kept himself under until he was sure the amusement had disappeared from his own lips. Only than did he drop his hands, twisting the tap off before grabbing a handful of paper towels and pressing it dry.

Finished with that, Casey turned on his feet, leaning back against the counter, tilting his head towards Leo with a small smirk as he dried his hands. “You know, maybe you should ask Mikey if there’s another task to do. You can leave the sharp things to me.”

“Please.” Leo scoffed, rolling his eyes with a smirk of his own, snatching the sheets out of Casey’s hand and stepping in close. “I still stand by my word that I only trust Casey’s with blunt weapons.”

Casey didn’t flinch when Leo raised his hand to his face, but he did close his eyes, allowing the other to gently run the still damp tissues over his face, assumedly getting the spots he had missed.

“I thought I already proved that I could handle your sword?”

He thought his question had been innocent enough, but the squeak that Angelo gave out and the choked cough that erupted from Raphie had Casey opening his eyes to see what was going on with them only to see that even Leo had stopped what he was doing, his eyes wide as they stared up at Casey with his lips pressed into an awkward line with an almost unhealthy shade of red covering his cheeks.

Concerned, Casey gently grabbed at the hand that was now just hovering by his face, arching a brow at the reaction his statement got him and worried about the effects it was having on Leo.

“You okay Leo? Did I… say something wrong?”

“Nope.”

Casey didn’t believe him with how quickly he pulled away and stepped back.

“I’ll see if Mikey wants me to do something else. You can take over the potato’s if you want.”

“Okay?”

Watching the other as he walked away, Casey took a quick glance at his young uncles, wondering why their faces were also red.

Had he said something wrong?

Sighing silently to himself Casey would have been tempted to bang his head off the wall if he was alone. Instead, he balled up the paper towel he’d taken back from Leo and tossed it in the trash, pushing himself away from the counter and making his way over to fill up Leo’s old spot by Mikey.

Seeing that the knife and blood had already been cleaned up, he picked up the fresh blade, setting to work while he wondered if he’d just put himself back in his ‘wooing’ attempts of the blue banded mutant.

“Why don’t you help Raph with making the burgers?” Micheal suggested, Casey watching as Leo gave a nod of his head without argument, walking over to the snapper’s side.

Casey had to bite down on the corner of his lip and look away to see the size difference between the two. Not only was the size amusing though, but the way they held themselves was also funny to see. As small as Leo looked standing next to the behemoth of their team, he held himself with an air of control and command, looking every bit the part of a leader, while Raphie, for all his height and physical ability to intimidate, stood with his shoulders curled, his eyes darting from the smaller male at his side and back to his work with quick jolts, obviously unsure of what to make of this stranger in his home.

“What do you need me to do?”

Raphie jumped a little at Leo’s question, his eyes darting over to his baby brother who was happily peeling away at potatoes at Casey’s side before looking back over to the one awaiting his answer.

“Oh, uh, well, we need to add spices and filler so…”

“Filler?” Leo echoed, his brows furrowing before taking a look at the mass of ingredients scattered about the surface of the table. “And what is that for?”

“Well, it helps to bind the meat together so that it keeps it shape. You see that bag of chips over there? If you want, you can add it to the bowl and-.”

Before Raph could finish Leo did just that, grabbing the bag of Doritos and tipping them into the steel bowl. He watched as the snapper just stared, unblinking, at the bowl, Mikey’s head twisting slowly with a tight smile frozen across his lips as he stared at what had been done. Leo on the other hand gave a nod at his work, turning to look up at the taller male. “What’s next?”

“Um…” He could see the sweat appearing through the thick fabric, dying it a darker shade of red as he just stood there. “Well, you were supposed to crush it into little bits first.”

“Oh.” Leo turned his attention back to the bowl, staring into it for all of two seconds before dipping his fingers inside and picking up a chip, ripping it into a few sharp pieces before dropping it back in. “Like that?”

Casey kept his mouth shut, side eyeing the heat rising in Mikey’s cheeks and discreetly taking a step away.

“You know what?” His ‘bubbly’ voice was a little strained, Mikey popping up between them placing his hands on Leo’s shoulders and shoving him towards a cookie sheet laying a few inches away. “Why don’t you let Raph take care of seasoning the burgers? You can ball them up and flatten them out instead!”

Leo didn’t say anything, his brow furrowed and a pink hue coming to his cheeks as his eyes glanced at how carefully Raphie was plucking out each chip and adding them back into the bag. “Right… Right. I can- I can do that.”

“Good boy!” Angelo chirped in encouragement, patting at Leo’s head like he was a child.

Surprisingly, Leo didn’t snap at the baby of the family for it. He just stood there, staring at the little mutant even when Mikey had his attention on his brother, warning his big bro to be careful about crushing the chips in the bag without completely destroying it. He didn’t look angry though, he looked more… forlorn.

“Mikey was hurt before I got portaled away.”

If he knew anything about how Leon worked, it was that the guy would lose his mind if any of his brothers got hurt. It didn’t matter how injured he himself was, if any of them went down everything stopped and nothing else mattered until he was sure that they got the proper care they needed and would be okay.

Casey himself knew how awful it was to be forced to leave his own loved ones behind and he couldn’t help but wonder if Leo felt just as guilty in taking moments of comfort while he was still uncertain of their outcomes back at home.

“Wait! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?”

In the time he’d taken to drift off in his thoughts, Raph had done up a few meat lumps to pass to Leo, who Mikey was now foaming at the mouth about as the sword wielder inched away from him with a sheepish look on his face.

“I’m… making burger patties?”

“Dude!” Leaning forward to be able to see around the three of them Casey took a look at the sheet Angelo was freaking out over, shocked to see what Leo had turned the lumps into. “These aren’t patties! This is paper! Why did you press them so thin?”

Mikey looked aghast, attempting to peel the thin slices up only to have them snap and fall apart in his hands. Leo seemed confused by his disappointment but didn’t step in to stop him from clearing off the few that he had made.

“If they’re thin,” Leo mumbled, “don’t they… cook faster?”

Oh so slowly, Mikey twisted his head to face Leo.

“Cook. Faster?” The tiny turtle took in a deep breath, stapling his fingers before pressing them palm flat and bring the tips of his fingers to his lips.

They all waited, waiting with great tension as Mikey stood there, stone still, eyes closed.

 But shockingly, he didn’t start screaming. Dr. Delicate Touch making no appearances. Taking in yet another long- looong breath before pointing his fingers at Leo, his smile stretched thin.

“I’m guessing your Mikey doesn’t let you help much in the kitchen hm?”

Casey thought Leo’s face would have gone red at the question, or that he would have stuttered his way through some type of excuse.

That didn’t happen though. His eyes grew distant, his posture ridged.            

“No.”

The lack of life in his response made Mikey ease up a bit, his shoulders falling lax. It was obvious to everyone in the room that he might have just poked at something, an emotional wound of some sort that he wasn’t going to continue picking at.

“I’m sorry.” Leo paused; his lips pressed into a thin line as he stared at the now empty tray. “If you… I mean, so long as you wouldn’t mind, could you show me how you would like them done?”

Any of the tension in Mikey’s body fell away. He stepped closer to his brother’s counterpart, putting a clean hand on his shoulder and giving it a few pats.

“Sure, thing cutie pie.” Mikey said softly, smiling up at Leo as he scooped up a handful of raw meat. “So, the first thing you’re gonna wanna do is-,”

Casey smiled as he turned back to his own work, listening to the two speaking quietly back and forth as Raph easily slid the bowl of finished meat towards them, leaving them to it as he went to wash his hands.

After Leo seemed to get the jist of how thick the patties were supposed to be, thick enough that Mikey wouldn’t have any problem flipping them on their little inside barbeque April and Raphie had teamed up and gotten him for his birthday one year, the two fell into an easy back and forth that Casey didn’t feel bad passively listening to as Raph joined his side and took to helping him peel and chop up the rest of the potatoes into wedges.

At least until his attention perked up when he heard Leo ask his next question.

“Do you think I could ask you guys a few questions? Just about some things that might be different in your world from mine?”

Mikey gasped, this time in excitement as he hopped on his toes, his eyes wide and bright. “Ohmigosh! Of course! I have sooo many questions!” He said, smile wide as he attached himself to Leo’s side. “Like, what is the other me like there? Does he love cooking and art too!? Would he paint with me once we figure out the portal switch stuff? Ah! Does he skateboard!? Ooo! We haaave to show him our new skate park! I’m sure he would love it! Oh and the Hidden City! What does yours look like? And how long did it take before you knew about it? What’s your April like? Do you guys have a-urmp!”

“Hey Mike, easy there big man.” Raph cooed, still keeping his hand over his little brother’s mouth even as he chuckled at his excitement. “Ya gotta give the guy a second to answer.”

“Buuut Raaaph,” Mikey got out, easily removing the massive hand from his face as Raph allowed him to. “I have sooo many questions. Don’t you?”

Raph paused at that, his eyes darting over to Leo before turning back to the tiny mutant, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Raph’s got lots of questions,” he admitted, “but maybe we ask one and than he asks one yeah? Give everyone a chance to speak?”

Mikey didn’t hesitate to nod along, happy with the idea as he turned back to Leo, “That sounds fair. What do you think Lee?”

Casey grew curious as he watched something flash in Leo’s eyes. It was gone before he could figure out just what it was, like an elusive animal that did well to stay out of sight, but he slowed his hands, turning more of his attention to this new conversation and wondering if he could catch another glimpse of whatever that swiftly buried emotion had been if it came up again.

“I think it sounds fair.” Leo agreed.

Casey couldn’t wait to see where this went.

Chapter 15

Notes:

Sorry that this chapter is so long and probably not what anyone was thinking. I swear I have two completely different other version of this chapter where they went more in to depth with the characters differences and their worlds and what they went through, but it felt like more of an exposition dump than it did a flowing conversation so I nixed both of them and you get this.

Also, I've been concerned lately that maybe my chapters are to long. So let me know if you guys want shorter chapters going forward.

Anyways! Enjoy if you can. :)

“Great! Youngest goes first!” Mikey cheered, throwing his hands up in the air before hopping into Leo’s space again. “Does your Mikey play video games?”

Leo chuckled at his enthusiasm, shaping another patty and turning to the cookie sheet to place it on. “I believe he still plays every once and awhile. Last time we spoke, he said that he and Donnie had this open world roleplaying game that they play with one another when they’re not busy.”

“How is he to busy to play video games!?” Mikey cried, Leo looking back at him with a wink.

“Only one question there Michealangelo.” He snickered, Mikey giving him a playful pout back. “My turn.”

“Yeah, alright.” The box turtle sighed before hopping right back to it with a large grin. “Ask away!”

“Who would you say are your biggest problems?”

“Big Mama.”

Casey could only snicker at the deadpanned response that spilled from both brothers in unison, Leo not seeming to catch the joke as he stared back at them with a tilt of his head and a furrow to his brow.

Aw. What an adorable expression. He was going to have to find a new way to confuse the guy if these were the kind of expressions he pulled.

“Raph thought she was bad before the Kraang.” Raphie mumbled with a heavy roll of his eyes as Mikey puffed up his cheeks.

“But she actually got so much worse!” The little mutant shouted, waving his arms in the air, causing Leo to have to duck out of the way to avoid getting hit.

“Who-,”

“Well, she’s a Yokai of opportunity.”

Casey had to suck his lips in to keep himself from laughing out loud at the way Leo startled when Leon popped up behind him, stepping out from a portal like he was stepping in through a doorway.

“Of course she’s going to use the chaos and destruction to build up her empire… Or rebuild it I guess.”

Leon didn’t toss Leo a glance as he breezed by him but had no problem slotting himself between their guest and his baby brother as he tossed an arm around Mikey’s shoulders. “What are we working on here Miguel?”

“Hamburgers!” Angelo cheered, before nodding his head towards the others. “Raphie’s working on the chefs salad now and Casey J over there is peeling up potatoes for wedges.”

“Oh yeah? And what’s Me-Point-No working on?”

“Patties.” Leo cut in, answering the question and finally earning a small side eye from the Slider as he dropped a ball of meat out of his hand and on top the tray with a heavy splat. “Pretty sure we’re all good here so you can probably go.”

Casey let out a small sigh that was more of a motion than a sound. This was going to have to be a new record for how little they tolerated one another the second one of them showed up. Eyes darting between the two Casey found his lips parting, ready to step in, but didn’t get a chance to speak before Mikey leaned forward to be able to see around his brother and face their visitor.

With a smile on his face that was just a touch to sharp to be friendly, he leveled an unnerving eye at the other. “Hey cutie pie, don’t boss around my brother in my kitchen, okay?”

Leo’s eyes went round at the call out, not seeming to be able to come up with anything fast enough before Mikey had settled back in his spot and turned to his big brother with his eyes closed in a bright smile. “So long as you don’t have to go back to Dee, do you mind chopping up some toppings for the burgers? You know how Dad gets if there’s no onions.”

“Ugh.” Leon mumbled, tipping his head back as he spun his body towards the direction of the fridge. “Don’t remind me. Imma chop up double.”

“Leo please don’t.” Raph pleaded, turning away from his own task to twist his body as much as he could to plea with his leader. “You know how Pops gets after he eats those. The smell...”

As the two continued to banter back and forth, Casey snuck a look at Leo, winching slightly at the flush on his cheeks and the slight tension around the corners of his mouth. He wasn’t looking at anyone else, staring down at the tray like it was the only thing in the room that existed. Casey couldn’t blame him though, he’d been scolded plenty of times as a child and knew the embarrassment that came with it regardless of how little it was.

But Mikey didn’t seem to have any problem with sliding up next to him, bumping gently into Leo’s side just enough to nudge him and get a small, airless oomph from the other in surprise. Obviously the littlest box turtle wasn’t going to allow the moment to fester, his smile soft as he spoke so low to the other Casey found himself leaning forward slightly in his spot to hear him over Leo’s and Raph’s conversation. 

“I know that this must be stressful for you,” Miguel hummed, his expression as soft as his smile while he kept his attention on his own task and off the still burning face of the one he was speaking to. “And I get that you’re on edge, but this is our home.” Casey could see the colour only growing in Leo’s cheeks, but he didn’t snap at Mikey like he already would have with Leon, he just stood there, slowly reforming the same ball over and over again as he listened. “And I don’t like watching my family being disrespected in it.”

“I understand, but-.”

Mikey interrupted him there, not allowing Leo a chance to find an excuse as those honey dark eyes of his drifted up to give a half lidded side eye to the blue banded mutant. “Would you have allowed anyone to speak that way to one of your brothers?”

Leo’s jaw snapped shut, his shoulders going rigid before slumping in defeat. “No.”

Casey found himself fascinated, watching as Micheal easily took control of the conversation and lead the other where he wanted him to go.

Not that this kind of scene should have been all that surprising. Master Michealangelo had always had a gift for being able to work people in ways that no one else could, but since being here, Casey hadn’t seen many moments where he could do so. While he still had his moments here and there that Casey could spy between the brothers when they didn’t think anyone was around and would fold under the pressure and the stress of what they’d been exposed to, this younger version of his old Master spent far more time playing around and goofing off than he did twisting others around his fingers and sitting in contemplative silence.

Watching him now however, carefully threading the misplaced mutant into a difficult conversation even with others around and keeping their voices level and not reducing it to a screaming match or a trading of barbed insults, he found his interest peaked as he watched the remaining tension loosen from Leo’s body.

“You’re right. I wouldn’t have tolerated someone speaking to my brothers that way. I’m sorry.” Leo sighed, sounding tired but genuine, almost pouting now as he stole a glance at Leon across the kitchen. “He’s just… He irks me.”

“Of course he does.” Mikey chuckled, again swaying into Leo’s side good naturedly. “He’s you, but he’s not, and you guys are nothing alike.” Mikey pointed out. “You’re judging him based off the standards you’ve set for yourself but he’s never going to meet them because he already has his own. If you keep comparing him to who you think he should be and not who he really is, you’re going to miss what makes him our Leo, and not your double.” Casey blinked, surprised that even at such a young age, his uncle was so insightful.

“And I might be bias, but I think my bro’s pretty great.” Mikey finished off with a wink, Leo blinking down at the little mutant, apparently just as surprised as Casey himself was.

Once he seemed to be able to peel his eyes off the youngster, turning back to his job of rolling the proper patties, Leo gave a small little clear of his throat. “You know, you’re oddly insightful. I don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation like this with my Mikey.”

Mikey shrugged, not seeming to take it as a complement or an insult, simply letting it sit there as he checked the thickness of the patties Leo was putting out. “Well, how often have you really spoken with your Mikey?”

Again Casey watched as a shadow seemed to pass over Leo’s face, his posture closing off again as he turned his full attention back to his work. “It’s… been awhile.”

The bubbly mutant didn’t miss the shift, his eyes lingering on the profile of Leo’s face for a moment before he turned away. “Maybe when you get back, you can change that.”

Leo didn’t seem too enthusiastic about the idea, the chuckle he gave out muted and lifeless. “Yeah. Maybe.”

Casey frowned as their conversation drifted into silence. That wasn’t the first time that Leo had mentioned in passing about not being around his brothers often. Was there-?

You know, its rude to eavesdrop

Casey startled so hard at the sudden voice drifting into his mind that he nearly joined Leo in the ‘sliced finger’ club.

The first time Casey had mind melded with one of them, it freaked them all out. He’d forgotten that while he’d grown up with it being a normal thing between him and his Uncles, such was not the case when he got here. Donald had drilled him with questions, wanting to know how that was possible, but Casey had never been able to give him any answers. It just always was what it was and after a while of coming up with nothing, they’d just accepted it as another strange ‘Casey Jr Quirk’, like how he could speak their language in chirps and churrs and seemed to pick up on their scents just as well as any of them could with each other. 

So Casey hadn’t minded when he’d let them in on the fact that they could all communicate together telepathically.

A fact that he was now regretting immensely.

When his eyes darted across the table, he could feel his stomach dropping through the floor at the playful smile and the hollowed eyes staring back at him.

Oh Kraang.

Sorry Mi-

We’ll talk later

Well, looks like he was going to be on dish duty for the foreseeable future.

“Alright, I think I got everything.”

Having been non the wiser to the conversation that had just ended, Leon joined the two again, now standing between his two brothers but still shifting a glance at his counterpart from over the head of his baby brother. “Everything all good here?”

“Good as gold Leo!” Mikey chirped, snatching the tray from Leo the second he placed the last patty down. “I’m just going to pop these on the grill and Little Blue here can help you cut up the toppings!”

The silence that followed after was thick enough it felt suffocating.

Grabbing the bowl, Casey lifted his eyes from his current potato, seeing Leon frozen in place at his brother’s side, a look of barely concealed panic buried deep in Leo’s eyes as his fingers hovered over where the tray had been not even two seconds ago.

“Mikey…”

“You asked Leo.” Mikey’s smile never wavered, staying just as bright and cheery as it always was. “Raph’s doing salad, and he’s going to be cooking the wedges after that, I’m going to be working on the burgers, and Casey’s on clean up duty. That leaves you and Lee on toppings duty.”

“But-,”

“Leo,” The happy little tone went flat, the smile turning lethal as Angelo peered at his leader through slitted eyes. “The Chef has spoken.”

No one spoke. Not even Leon was going to make the mistake of challenging Mikey in his own domain.

With a heavy side, the Slider gave up, putting his hands in the air in surrender before he shot a mild glare to his baby brother. “Yes Chef.”

“Great!” Without missing a beat, the sunshine and bubbles were back again. Still Mikey kept a careful eye on his brother as Leon sulkily made his way over to stand next to Leo. “Let’s all work together to create a nice and nutritious meal!”

“Yay…” Leon muttered with a large roll of his eyes as he scooped up the knife that had been abandoned by Angelo at some point.

“Lee, honey, don’t forget to wash your hands!”

At the reminder Mikey gave, Casey was shocked to see that Leo had been about to grab at some of the vegetables Leon had pulled out, his face flushing again at the ridge raise Leon shot at him before he yanked his hand back.

“R-right. Sorry.”

“It’s all good!” Mikey chirped, bright and happy as he made his way to where they kept the grill. “Now I believe it’s my turn to ask a question!”

“Question?” Leon echoed, his brows furrowing now as he spun the blade in his hand idly. “You guys playing twenty one questions or something?”

“It’s ask a question and answer one.” Raphie supplied, finished with his salad and moving to add it back into the fridge to keep it cold. “Leo asked us one, so now we get to ask him one.”

“Ho ho,” A wicked grin twisted over Leon’s face, his eyes narrowing sharply as they shifted to Leo when he rejoined his side, now with newly washed hands. “Is that so?”

“No inappropriate questions Leo.” Mikey warned, the lack of warmth in his voice a testament to how serious he was about it.

“Yeah, yeah.” Leon mumbled, easily waving his brother off. “When do I get a turn?”

“After Raph.” Raphie said, interrupting his baby brother before he could even speak. “Because Raph has a question.”

When he didn’t follow up right away with said question, they all turned to him, Casey’s eyes catching the unsure confusion on Leo’s face.

“Uh… okay? What’s your question?”

Happy now that he’d been asked, Raphie perked right up, his smile wide. “Does your world have wrestling?”

Obviously not expecting that question, Leo just stared at the Snapper, pausing as if he was expecting Raph to start laughing in his face and say how he was only kidding before asking him his real question. When he didn’t Leo just nodded, accepting the onion Leon handed him with no argument. “Yes.”

“Sweet!” Raph cheered, his clenched fist making a quick pumping motion of victory. “Imma ask if they have Ghost Bear with my next question.”

“Right.” Leo mumbled, but from the tilt of his brow if they did have a Ghost Bear there, Leo had never heard of him. “My turn. What do you guys know about the Purple Dragons?”

“Oh, you mean Donnie’s tech rivals?” Mikey asked, tossing a look at the group from over his shoulder. “I don’t think we’ve seen them since… hm, actually, I dunno. When was the last time you heard anything from them Leo?”

“Those nerds?” Leon scoffed, their interaction only seeming to confuse Leo further. “Donald was just bitc-,”

“Language.”

“-fine, whining- about Kendra last week. It seems after the invasion they’ve stuck more to helping out in getting the city running again. But Don’s upset that she’s been hired on with some fancy high-tech security agency lately. Though I told him to forget about it. The jerks won’t even look at a mutant let alone hire one.”

“They’re not a street gang?” Leo asked, before jerking away when Leon spun a knife close to his face.

“Hey, one question at a time bub, and it’s mine turn now.”

If there was a challenge there, Casey didn’t see it, but it didn’t stop a certain glint from shining through Leo’s eye any less as he narrowed his gaze back at the leader.

“Fine. But I feel like I have to remind you about the ‘no inappropriate questions’ rule.”

Smile stretching into a smirk, Leon made a wave gesture with his hand, spinning the blade between his fingers before draping his arm over Leo’s shoulders. “But of course not Pitufo.” He scoffed. “You’ll get nothing but clean questions from me.”

Although Leo didn’t look at all happy to be trapped under the other’s arm, he didn’t pull away or shrug Leo off, just letting out a heavy sigh of acceptance before he nodded his head.

“That’s the spirit!” Leon’s grin grew wider, patting the shorter mutant on the shoulder hard enough it almost made the knife in Leo’s hand slip. “Sooo, what’s your body count?”

“Leo!”

“Leonardo Hamato Draxum!”

Casey jumped, startled by the sudden shout of his other two uncles, ducking back when Mikey whipped the grill cleaning brush at his leader’s head. It missed, Leon popping his head into his shell and hopping out of the reach of Raph’s hands to dart behind Leo for cover. The grin on his face was huge, and one that Casey had come to attach to what he occasionally heard Donald muttering as his ‘shit eating’ smile. Though there were many sayings that Casey didn’t fully understand, he had to admit that one baffled him a lot.

For as steamed as the sunset banded brothers appeared however, Leo himself didn’t seem insulted by the question, more confused by their reaction and uncomfortable with Leon’s hands gripping his shoulders and being used as a turtle shield.

“What?” Leon snickered, doing well to stay out of Mikey’s line of fire with his new barrier to duck behind knowing his little brother wouldn’t want to hurt their guest. “Can’t a turtle be curious?”

“I said no inappropriate questions!” Mikey barked back, the spatula in his hand shaking with the strength it took for him not to toss it in his brother’s face.

Casey arched a brow, slowly reaching out and stealing a piece of sliced cucumber to slip between his lips as he watched it all unfold.

In a sense, he could understand why they might be so upset. He knew their stance on killing, and while it was a common enough question to get asked in the apocalypse about just how many Kraang proxies or surprisingly enough, rival rebel groups, they had put down, he’d never shared his own numbers with MadDogz after their first initial reaction to him taking out one of their targets on one of their first patrols together after the invasion. If they preferred to live without the knowledge that maybe someone who stood as a counterpart for their brother was capable of killing, or maybe even just having a high number, he could see why they would be mad at Leon for asking the question in the first place.

What was it that Master Splinter had said one night when he stumbled upon a box of Master Leon’s labelled ‘Jupiter Fanfics’?

Ignorance is bliss?

Maybe it was like that.  

If Leo caught on to this he didn’t show the same huff of irritation for the other blue leader, a somewhat sheepish smile on his face as he held his hands out to calm the others. “I don’t mind answering the question Michelangelo.”

The stunned looks on the eldest’s and youngest’s faces were priceless, but Casey was quickly drawn away from them and back to the absolute squawk that Leon gave as he suddenly popped up from behind Leo, now hanging his arms over Leo’s shoulders and forcing him to tilt forward some as he leaned all his weight on him, his grin somehow even bigger.

“Fer real? Ooooh ho! This is toooo good! Okay, okay, okay! Go! Tell me them numbers Little Daddy.”

Now Leo seemed annoyed, elbowing Leon hard enough in the plastron to pull a wheeze from the guy and causing him to slide off him entirely and to the ground.

“Why I don’t understand your enthusiasm, I will have to admit that I’ve never actually kept track.” Leo muttered, crossing his arms and waiting for Leon to pick himself up off the floor before he turned to the rest of the group.

Placing his chin against his palm Casey waited to hear what it would be, understanding completely how one eventually just lost track after awhile when the numbers grew to big. Besides, they could never be truly accurate. Who’s to say that in the midst of battle that someone that was believed to be put down didn’t spring back up later? Or someone who got nicked in the arm didn’t bleed out? Casey himself generally always ended up lowballing it. Only ever counting the ones that he knew went down for sure.

Though he was sure there were plenty more that could be added to his list he would never know about now.

“You didn’t keep track?” Raphie asked, his ridge arching on one side.

“No.” Leo repeated with a shake of his head. “But I do believe by now it would probably be closer to around at least over… one fifty?”

“WHAT!?”

Casey arched a brow at the way his master howled in laughter and at the way that Micheal and Raph shared looks with one another, confused by the concern in their eyes that they than directed at him.

He wasn’t sure why they thought he would be shocked, though he guessed that if Leo’s world wasn’t an apocalypse that might be a high number, it made him wonder what their reactions would be if they found out just how high his body count was.

“Uh… While Raph is completely for ones own choice, he’s gotta ask… You’ve been tested, right?”

“Tested?” Leo mumbled, switching from looking annoyed at a still dying Leon to giving a confused look to Raph. “I guess? I mean I assumed me still standing was proof enough?”

Mikey let out a gasp, his hands waving wildly as he turned to face the group fully, now completely ignoring the grill. “You haven’t had proper testing!? Dude! You could have some serious problems right now that you’re not dealing with!”

“Wha-? Mikey how do you know about any of this!?”

“I have access to the internet too Raph!”

“Well Raph’s telling Donnie to put the parental controls back on!”

As they argued back and forth about… the internet for whatever reason, Leon heaved himself up on the island, still gasping for air for a mere few seconds before he shoved himself away and turned back to Leo, a wide and sharp smirk over his lips like it lived there.

“Well, well, consider me dumbfounded.” Leon chuckled, crossing his arms as he rested his hip against the counter. “I didn’t think you had it in you Pitufo. So tell me, were they men? Women? Bit of both hmmm? A little in between maybe? Top? Bottom? A little of a switcharoo?”

Casey shared the same look as Leo at the questions, both just as confused as to who kept track of gender in this situation. “What are you talking about?”

“Aw come on, don’t get shy on me now.” Leon grinned, reaching out and pinching Leo’s cheek, allowing himself to be swatted away not even a second later. “You’ve already given me your bed numbers and I gotta know-,”

“Wait. What?” The utter confusion in Leo’s voice drew everyone’s focus back on him, all of them watching him do his cute little head tilt thing again. “What does… my bed have to do with body count numbers?”

No one spoke. Other than the sound of the burgers cooking on the grill, there was no other noise to be had in the room.

A beat passed.

Two.

Then-

Leon chuckled, the sound a little to airy and high for it to be normal, his hands now gripping his biceps rather than resting overtop of them. “Come on, you know what I’m talking about. Body counts? Beds? Preferences?”

When Leo just slowly shook his head, the smile over Leon’s face dropped, along with any amusement in his eyes. “I’m talking about sex.”

“What!?”

Oooh. He guessed he could understand why Mikey had been upset at Leon for asking that. People were odd about all kinds of thing in this world he found, death and sex being two of them. Which, while courting wasn’t really a thing where he was from, people weren’t to shy about making eyes to someone they would than find a side room with.

But if the deep red covering Leo’s head from top to bottom was anything to go by, Leo himself wasn’t to pleased about it either. “Why-Why would you ask me that!?”

“What did you think I was asking about?” Leon snapped back, pushing himself away from the island and away from Leo, moving closer to his brothers sides, herding Raph closer to where Mikey was and stationing himself nearer to Casey. “What? You’re completely fine with having killed over a hundred and fifty people but sex is going to far? What the fuck-?” For once, Raph didn’t get on him about his swearing, his wide eyes and slacked jaw saying enough about his stupefied state. “-kind of number is that? What are you? A fucking serial killer?”

Casey flinched at that, unable to look his Sensei’s way, his hand clenched tight where it sat over the table.

Any of the embarrassment that Leo had was gone the second those accusations left Leon’s lips, his body growing still as he pressed his mouth into a flat line, his eyes narrowed as he stared him down.

“I know it seems hard to believe right now while you’re still young, but you’ll come to understand that sometimes to protect the innocent, you have to get your hands dirty. And that means putting down evil, permanently in some cases.”

“Well I’m glad you found a way to justify it that helps you sleep at night.” Leon muttered back, Leo’s eyes flashing briefly, the shift of light just as sharp as the way his lips framed around his fangs to lift in a smirk.

“Trust me, it’s only the ones I didn’t put down sooner that haunt me.”

Casey flinched, knowing just what he meant, his heart squeezing painfully at his own loved ones that didn’t make it because he had been just a second to slow or missed by a single inch. He’d always been taught to put their enemies down swiftly and finally. Hope might have been their greatest weapon, but their ruthlessness kept them alive.

Leaning back in the stool he’d taken for himself, Casey took in a short breath before giving up his own. “Mines somewhere up in the high hundreds. Probably close to the sevens or eights. There’s never a shortage of enemies to fight in war.” He admitted, his eyes locked with Leo’s, ignoring the burn he could feel of the eyes on his back. “Master Leonardo took me out on my first mission when I was eleven, I made my first four kills that day and celebrated with everyone else as my initiation into becoming a full part of the soldiers of the rebel alliance.”

Finally the bite in Leo’s eyes softened, losing the harsh edges as he bowed his head to Casey in sympathetic comradery.

“I’m sorry you had to start so young.” Although Casey had heard his own Masters share the same sentiment when he’d been growing up in the rare moments when they might have had a bit to much to drink or to little sleep to think straight, it was the only life Casey had even known and he didn’t regret any of it. Still he accepted the condolences for a lost childhood he would never know as he mirrored the bow back at the other.

“It is what it is.”

Unable to ignore the eyes at his back anymore, Casey twisted his seat until he was facing them, his hand still gripped tight against the island as he met the silent look on his Sensei’s face. “I’m sorry Sensei. I know you don’t agree with it, and I know you said here it’s unneeded, but please understand that it’s not… it wasn’t, a taboo subject where- when, I came from. It was just a part of life.”

He didn’t know what he was expecting, maybe an argument, maybe disgust, horror? But all his Sensei did was stare at him, his expression unreadable.

Was this it? Was this going to he the moment that they realized that he didn’t fit in with them after all? That they would stop deciding to deal with the cultural differences he kept fumbling into? Would they think he was a monster? Would they want him out? Unable to see him the same way anymore now that they knew without a doubt just how stained his past was in contrast to the clean slate they now had to work with?

He couldn’t even blame them. Honestly, he’d been shocked when they’d agreed to take him in despite having no real reason to feel responsible for him. Sure, their Future No Longer selves had taken care of him, but that didn’t mean they had to. So, if they decided that they didn’t want a ‘serial killer’- whatever that was, living in their home, than so be it… if that’s what they decided well, Casey would respect it.

He was so lost in his own mind that he didn’t realize Leon had stepped towards him until he was right in front of him. Unsure of what to expect but ready for the worst Casey braced himself when his leader raised his hand.

Only to find himself shocked when Leon placed a hand to the back of his head and pulled him in. With him sitting, his face bumped lightly against the other’s chest, the simple moment jarring him back to the past when he would curl up as a child on his Sensei’s plastron as the man would stay up going over schematic and ration lists while Casey drifted to sleep.

Something in his chest worked loose, something he hadn’t even noticed had been wrapped up into a tight, suffocating pressure that he hadn’t even realized was making it hard to breath until he finally let it go.

His arms were up and wrapped around his Sensei before he even realized it, tugging him in closer when he felt Leon tucking him in under his chin.

For a moment, with his eyes closed, if he ignored the small size, if he ignored the sweeter scent and the lack of the heavy weight of a prosthetic limb wrapping around his shoulders, he could almost pretend he was hugging his old master. Getting in one last embrace he didn’t get the opportunity for in the madness before he’d been tossed in the portal.

He knew it wasn’t. It was very clearly Leon, not his Master Leonardo, but for a moment, he allowed himself to believe it.

And than he let that go too, allowing himself to hold Leon back.

“I’m sorry Sensei.”

“Don’t be.” Both kept their voices low, the conversation to themselves as Casey felt the rise and fall of Leon’s chest while he let out a small sigh. “I should be the one apologizing.”

Casey’s brows furrowed, wanting to know just what it was that Leon was apologizing for. But he never got a chance as his leader pulled away, letting his hands slide from Casey and turning to face Leo.

“I know you have a problem with following any rule I give you, but if you don’t listen to anything else, keep in mind that if you go on a murder spree while you’re here, I will have Donnie keep you muzzled and tied in a straightjacket until we can find a way to get you home. Capeesh?”

“I wouldn’t-,”

“And Junior.” Casey blinked, looking up at his master only to find himself being tapped just somewhat harshly on the top of his head. “I won’t ask you to do that kind of work again, so please keep to our no kill rule.”

Not sure what to say and pinned by the stern look being aimed down at him, Casey gave a quick nod. He was almost surprised that he wasn’t being thrown out and he was sure that this would make things weird with them for a little while, but he was kind of glad that he had said something.

“Si Sensei.”

“Bueno.” Leon sighed, giving his head a few pats. “Gracias, Pequeno.”

After his words drifted off, the silence that was left hung heavily over everyone, no one willing to pick up their little game where they had left it and no one willing to speak first. Even so Casey didn’t miss the way Leon’s face grew oddly blank, unreadable even as he plastered a smile on his lips while shaking his head. He didn’t speak when he moved over to Mikey, giving him a quick pat on the head, the only sign to his brother that he was leaving as he exited the kitchen, abandoning his job and heading to who knows where.

But no one stopped him.

Slowly, Casey turned back to the island, no one willing to bring up the game or continue the conversation as they allowed the sound of everyone returning to their jobs to fill the space. Casey picked up his last potato, his mind wandering as he thought over his Sensei’s reaction.

And why his eyes had shimmered a bit before he’d turned away.

Chapter 16

Notes:

Siiigh. I miss action scenes... But they will come back!

Anyways! Enjoy this lunch scene and finding out more about the Leo and his family!

Casey wasn’t going to lie, this, was awkward.

Outside of Splinter, no one was really saying much, Casey’s eyes drifting to the rest of the group as he took a sip from his glass of water.

Donald seemed to be more interested in typing away whatever it was he was he was doing on his phone, mostly ignoring the no bun burger and plain salad on his plate. Mikey was poking at his food, only taking a bite every now and then, spending so much time chewing on a single bite that Casey was sure it had to be liquid by the time he swallowed it. Raph on the other hand was devouring his food, clearing his plate and than refilling it over and over, not seeming to want to leave his mouth empty for long in case anyone might try and ask him something. Now master Leon on the other hand seemed to be he most normal of the bunch.

Which is why Casey didn’t believe it for a second and found his gaze lingering on the silent smile and far to carefully timed bites and sips his Sensei was taking. It was far to well… executed to be as natural as he was sure the other was trying to make it seem.

Leo on the other hand had only taken a bite of his food before his attention had turned to Ozzie, helping to feed her and make sure she kept her mess to a minimum. He didn’t seem bothered by the tension at the table, moving throughout the heaviness of it like it wasn’t there.

Turning back to his own food, Casey scooped up a bite of salad, trying o figure out what he could do or say to ease the tension that he had helped create.

“So, Mini Blue-,”

Or, he could just wait for someone else to break it.

“Tell us, what is your life like at home?”

“I’m sorry?” Leo’s head popped up at the question, Casey reaching around Leo to place a hand against Ozzie’s back when she squealed and tossed herself hard against the back of her chair now that Leo’s eyes were no longer on her. His attention quickly snapped back to his niece, shooting Casey a thankful look before lightly scolding the girl to stay still while she was eating.

Splinter chuckled at his reaction, reaching out and patting the top of Ozzie’s head before he turned his attention back to her uncle.

“Forgive me if the question is too personal, but I am just curious about how my sons from another universe live their day to day lives.” Splinter explained, waving around his fork, uncaring when the salad on the end fell off. “As the oldest I assume Red was the first to leave the nest yes? And has already become a father! You must tell me what he does for work. Childcare in the Hidden City perhaps? I always imagined Red would make a wonderful teacher for early education. My boy is such a nurturing and caring soul.” Splinter laughed before leaning forward, hiding his mouth behind his hand to stage whisper to Leo. “He looks scary, but he is more like a very reliable teddy bear.”

“Aw, Pops.” Casey looked over at the sound of sniffling, a smile twitching at the corners of his lips to see the teary-eyed smile on Raph’s face.

“Uh, well, actually, we’re all the same technically but, I’m the oldest,” Leo corrected, Splinter letting out an exclamation of shock as he jolted in his seat. “But Raph lives in April’s old family’s farmhouse. She gifted it to him and Mona as a wedding gift and they run a very successful animal rescue through it.”

“He works with animals?” Raph gasped again, his eyes big and in awe at the thought of being surrounded by sweet little fury creatures. “And they don’t attack him on sight?”

“No?” Leo seemed confused by the big guy’s shock, obviously unaware of Raphie’s terrible record with trying to cuddle any animal of any kind.

“Oh?” With his first guess being so off Splinter hummed, grabbing at his short beard before he spoke again. “Well, what about the youngest then? That is still Orange at least right? Tell me, does he pick food or art to pursue when he is older? My son is so talent in both I am never quite sure what he will pick when he decides to pursue his passions.”

“You think I’m talented?” Mikey’s voice was almost a whisper, his eyes lit up like stars as he stared at his father.

Again though, Leo slowly shook his head. “Actually, Mikey runs a radio talk show.”

No one seemed to expect that, even Donnie tossing a glance at his baby brother who was now bouncing in his seat. “Ohmigosh really!? That’s so cool!”

“Radio? Huh, I guess that also makes sense.”

“What do I do?” Don didn’t even wait for Splinter to ask about him, the conversation intriguing him as he rested his elbows on the table and dropped his chin on his intertwined fingers. “Do I run a highly respectable green house empire? A fully operational Organic food market? Botany is such an interesting science.”

Leo just stared at Donald for a pause. “No.” He eventually settled on. “He designs weapons and medical aids for our sister, Karai’s, clan.”

“Auntie Karai!” Ozzie cheered happily, waving her hands around, little care for the food she was tossing this way and that.

“Wait.” Leon finally piped up, his eyes wide as he stared across the table at Leo. “Did you say Karai is your sister?”

“Is she not yours?” Leo asked, darting a look over to Master Splinter. “Do you not have a daughter?”

“A daughter!?” Splinter shouted, waving his hands out in front of him. “No, no, no. I don’t have… well… not that I know of anyways- but no. My only children are my boys.”

“Really?” Leo asked, “So you never had a wife?”

To that Splinter pulled back, his eyes darting away as his body curled in awkward chuckles. “Ah, well, I did propose once but… it did not end well.”

“Karai was our great- great- great- great- great- gre-.”

Raph clamped a hand over Mikey’s mouth, putting an end to the long list of greats, abandoning his food as he joined in the conversation.

“Karia is our great grandmother and the original creator of the Hamato clan.” He explained. “Oroku Saki was her father.”

“She was… Saki’s daughter?” Leo appeared shocked, barely stopping himself from leaning into his food. “Like, his blood daughter?”

“As opposed to what? His water daughter?” Leon shot back, tapping his fork against the table as he spoke, drawing an eye of ire from the twin next to him. Though Donald didn’t say anything and Casey could guess why. They both knew the Slider’s jittery habits were a good way for him to release some energy when he was forced to be still for to long, a habit that only got worse when that was coupled with nerves.

Leo shook his head though, ignoring the sarcasm as he reached out and clamped his hands down over Ozzie’s ear slits. “In our dimension, Oroku Saki attempted to murder our Sensei by setting fire to his home, but he wasn’t there, only his wife, Tang Shen and Karai, known as Miwa at the time, were inside. It was too late to save Tang Shen, but Saki managed to get Karai out of the fire and flea before Master Splinter got back. Believing they were both dead, he left for America to start a new life and ended up getting stuck with us. He had no idea his daughter survived until Karai showed up in New York sixteen years later, believing that Sensei had been the one to kill her mother and became solely determined to put an end to his life.”

As Leo wrapped up his story, no one said anything, just staring wide eyed at the mutant in utter disbelief at what they were hearing. Even Casey himself was stunned, the story sounding more like those shows that Splinter enjoyed watching and not like the life of someone who actually lived.

Apparently though, Micheal wasn’t ready to leave the story at that, swallowing down a barely chewed through bite before he squeaked out, “What happened? She didn’t… you know?”

“No.” Even Casey could feel himself letting out a breath when Leo shook his head. “She did end up taking over Shredder’s Foot Clan though, reshaping them in her new image. With April and Shini as her second and third in command and Donnie designing her weapons and expanding her reach in the advance tech department it didn’t take her long to reclaim the territories in both America and Japan. Last I heard they were planning on expanding to Central America as well so I believe she’s doing well.”

“April? She works as a second… or third, in command for a… is your sister an underworld crime lord?” Donald asked, his fingers rubbing at his temples like all this information was giving him a headache.

Casey drew his attention back to the mutant at his side when Leo chuckled, removing his hands from over a very fussy Ozzie’s ears and instead patting at her head. “I suppose in a way you could say yes, but for what it’s worth, she runs her organization very honorably.”

“I’ll bet.” Leon muttered, the skepticism in his voice ringing loud and clear. “But tell me, what happened to your Shredder than? Did she run him out of town or-,”

“No.” Again Leo slid his hands over Ozzie’s ears. “He was my first kill actually.”

The blue banded mutants held each others gaze, none of them wanting to be the first to look away, even as Casey could see his Sensei growing tense.

“Couldn’t find a peaceful resolution huh?” Leon tried, a barely there smile flickering at the corners of his lips.

“He killed my father.” The table fell dead quiet, Casey’s grip around the utensil in his hand going tight to keep himself from reaching out. “You could say I wasn’t interested in a peaceful resolution.”

Unsurprisingly, it was Angelo who broke the silence, sucking in a heavy sniffle. That seemed to be the only thing that broke Leo’s concentration, the apathetic expression over his face falling as he shot his attention to the tiny turtle tot.

The instant panic that fell over him would have almost been sweet to witness in any other situation as he stuttered dumbly at the tear eyed tot. “I-I’m so sorry Michelangelo.” He got the words out quickly, letting go of his niece who was staring openly at the tears running freely down the brightly coloured turtle’s face. “I shouldn’t have-.”

“Father!”   

Mikey was full on wailing now, throwing himself at his dad, wrapping his arms around the mutant’s neck and sobbing openly into his chest. Splinter was quick to console his son, petting at his head and holding him close, cooing softly to the distribute teen in hopes of easing his stress. “I am right here my boy, and I will always be here.”

Casey shifted his attention from the solemn scene to the one at his side when Leo sunk back in his seat, guilt plastered clearly on his face as he turned back to the rest of the table.

“I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“When did he die?” Leon was asking the question now, his food all but forgotten as he pushed his plate to the side, resting his crossed arms over the table.

As Leon leaned forward, Leo straightened himself out, but the bite he’d had in his pose earlier was stripped away, replaced with guilt of upsetting the youngest and brightest member of the MadDogz. “Back when I was sixteen. He was murdered during one of our final confrontations with the Shredder, in front of my siblings and I.” Leo shrugged. “It’s been over eight years since than.”

“That’s all kinds of messed up.” Leon muttered, Don nodding in agreement at his side. “I’m sorry you guys had to go through that.”

Casey watched as Leo kept his eyes on the table, his jaw clenched in a hold so tight he could see the muscles twitching. Eventually however Leo settled his expression into one of indifference wiping his hands on the napkin that had been provided at the beginning of the meal.

“It is what it is. Mistakes were made and lives were lost.” Casey didn’t stop him when he got up, bowing back when Leo tipped his head to the table. “Please excuse me.”

No one stopped him from exiting the room, Casey scooting closer to Ozzie in his absence and keeping a hand hovering behind her back just in case.

“He would have been Mikey's age.” The first one to utter anything was Raph, the Snapper shifting his eyes to his baby brother still clinging to their very much alive father. “That’s a young age to be left alone.”

“He wasn’t completely alone.” Leon corrected, though he didn’t sound like he was trying to make an argument against it. “He still had his brothers and… sister, apparently.”

“Leo,” Raph sighed tossing a look over at his leader. “That’s just more people for him to take responsibility for as leader.”

“A child raising children. Where have I seen that before? Hmmm…”

Raph took to narrowing his eyes as Leon tapped a finger against his chin in mock thought.

His brother’s sass didn’t phase him though, Raph leaning closer to the Slider and lowering his voice so no one at the end of the table could hear them. “That’s what Raph means little man.” Leon kept his mouth shut, not daring to interrupt his brother when he was in big bro mode. “Raph has been there, and he knows how much it sucks and how iso- iso… Donnie, what’s the word?”

“Isolating.”

“Thanks. How isolating it can be.”

Leon let out a heavy sigh, not so much as rolling his eyes as lifting them to the ceiling before dropping them back down to meet the eyes of his brother once more. “I’m not saying that you’re wrong Raph. I don’t even want to think about if Dad had….”

He didn’t finish, his eyes darting to the side as his voice trailed off. With a quick shake of his head however he was back to it, placing his forearms across the table to be able to lean further towards the Snapper on the other side.

“But there’s just something… off about this guy.”

“In what way?”

It had been Casey’s first time contributing to the conversation since the kitchen, and the two seemed almost startled by his presence. Not that it stopped him from pressing forward, his attention solely on his old master.

“Junior…”

“What?” Brows furrowing at the tension resting in his Sensei’s eyes Casey didn’t back down. “What do you think is off about him? Do you think he’s evil or something? Is that why you don’t like him?”

“Evil?” To that, Leon scoffed. “I wouldn’t go that far. A prick? Yeah, sure. An egotistical know-it-all that doesn’t listen to others even when he’s in their home? Absolutely. But evil? Ay, Peque, don’t make me laugh.” Though Leon was still chuckling when he brought his drink to his lips, taking a sharp sip before lowering it with a hiss. “No.” He shook his head, shoving his drink away to drop his arm across the space it had occupied before returning his attention to Casey. “Don’t tell me you haven’t picked up on it though.”

Having absolutely no idea what he was talking about, Casey wasn’t sure how to respond. His silence made Leon hum, his head lazily tossing this way and that as he observed his other two brothers, both of whom looked just as unsure as Casey himself.

With a chuckle Leon brought his hand up to the rim of his glass, following along the lip of it in a smooth circle. Over and over. His gaze half lidded and yet still as intense as they always were. “I guess that’s a no.”

Back when he was younger, Casey had never been a fan of the way Master Leonardo would sometimes become so relaxed when he held something he knew others wanted. He used to do it all the time when Casey had been very small, hording all the rare sweets or holding them out of Casey’s reach just to annoy him. It wasn’t even like he wouldn’t end up giving Casey the cookie or the sweet bread at the end of the day anyways, but he never had a problem dragging it out if only to get on Casey nerves.

Yet another similarity he could see already appearing in Leon, or maybe one his Master Leonardo had never let go in the first place.

Still, it annoyed him now just as much as it did than, and Casey felt his lips press flat as he turned back to his own plate, reaching for his own glass. “I think he’s fine.”

“Hm, yeeeah. But you also want to jump his tail sooo, pretty sure your opinion is bias there, Jonesy.”

Casey choked on his sip of water, Raph letting out a scandalized gasp as Donald arched a thickly drawn brow at his oldest brother, helpfully extending a mechanical arm to offer them both- very firm- pats on their backs.

“Sensei!”

“Leo!”

“What?” Now it was Leon’s turn to ask, a look of wide-eyed innocence aimed at Casey as he tucked his fists under his chin. “Do you not like him?”

The heat jumped to his face so fast it made him dizzy.

He wasn’t sure what to do here. He’d never been in this position before. All his past relationships were just physical releases that no one really bothered to talk about. He’d never felt… Not the way he did about Leo, so there hadn’t been any taunting involved. How did one even defend themselves in a situation like this? It wasn’t even that it wasn’t true but, he just- He didn’t know what to think!

“That’s not really-!”

“Em hm.” Leon interrupted, sitting back in his seat with his arms crossed, giving Casey a pointed look. “I rest my case.”

His face burned.

Worse yet, he didn’t know how to make it stop.

Ducking behind one of his hands in an attempt to hide just how red he was sure it was- and could he even feel how hot his ears were already- Casey attempted to move the conversation on. “With all due respect Sensei, I don’t think now is the time for this conversation.”

Not just after learning that Leo’s father had died.

Thankfully, Leon seemed to agree with him, falling quiet.

“Unc’e Casey!”

He jumped, almost having forgotten about the child at his side until he could feel her tugging on his arm.

Feeling tired and somehow defeated Casey still worked a small smile on his face when he looked down at her. “Yes Ozzie?”

“Unc’e My-my sad.” She said, pointing over to Mikey who had calmed down a little by now, sniffling as he still clung like an octopus to their father.  

Sighing softly Casey pet at her head, eyeing the two briefly before giving them their privacy and turning back to the tiny mutant/alien mix. “I know Oz. He’s just-.”

“Kiss better.”

Casey gave her an owlish blink. Leon sucked in an ugly snort sound that was barely drowned out by Raphie’s surprised series of chirps.

“Ooo, drama.” Donald on the other hand sounded flatly amused, making little claps with his hands while the rest of the table died in various states.

Almost positive he had heard her wrong, Casey forced the smile to stay attached to his face. “I’m… sorry?”

This time Ozzie’s face scrunched up in frustration, her little hand coming down to deliver harmless little hits to his arm. “Kiss! Kiss! Make better! Unc’e My-My needs it!”

“Uh…”

“Or’xzygaba Hamato.”

Ozzie ducked low, her eyes darting over to the one who had returned the room to see Leo standing there with a tight frown across his face.

When he opened his mouth again, Casey just stared, because he didn’t understand a word that was coming out of it. Tossing a look over to his Sensei he couldn’t help but wonder if he recognized it at all. Sure, Leon wasn’t anywhere close to the master linguist he would later become… or maybe never become now, who knows, but he still had a better grasp of foreign languages out of the lot of them. Even Leon looked confused, however. Intrigued, but confused, his full focus on the mutant that was walking back up to the table.

When Ozzie started to speak, her words quick and her sentences longer than he was used to, making Leo shake his head with a sigh, he couldn’t help but wonder…

“Wait. Are you two speaking Salemandrien?”

Leo tossed Casey a quick, somewhat sheepish smile as he rubbed his hand overtop of her head, calming her a little as she sat back in her seat with a huff but didn’t argue any further. “Yes. Sorry about that. I know it’s rude to speak in a langue others don’t understand while in their company but she understands Salemandrien better and has a much easier time speaking it than she does English.”

“Fascinating.” Donald voice piped up, and Casey could already see the cameras he was no doubt recording them with even without having to look. “Do you think-?”

“Cool. Great.” Leon interrupter, arching a ridge at Leo when he turned to face him. “Why is she telling Casey to mac on our little brother?”

“She’s just confused.” Leo sighed. “She thinks they’re our Mikey and Casey.”

“And not the rest of us?” Leon added in, seeming no less confused.

“Well, everyone else looks way off to be her uncles. Mikey’s the only box turtle and he has short mask tails and he’s bright and happy. That’s what she knows Mikey for. And Casey… well, you vaguely look like him, though you are taller, and broader, and have more muscles, and a flatter nose, and slightly longer hair, your eyes aren’t really the same shade, but they are pretty close, and…” Leo tailed off, both of them staring at each other in the newfound silence.

Then he looked away, a slight pink hue to his cheeks that Casey didn’t miss. “But you’ve been really nice to her since she got here and Casey’s always loved Ozzie. He loves all the kids honestly.”

“Okay, and?” Leon probed, “She tells all of her favorite Uncles to kiss each other?”

“Only the married ones.” Leo deadpanned.

There was a beat of silence. Then…

“Oh.” Leon instantly sat back, shocked not for the first time. “Huh. I just thought with how fast you and Junior got along you might have had a thing going with your Casey back home but I guess…”

Leon trailed off, his expression shifting the longer he watched Leo’s face. A light seemed to go off, his head tilting slightly before his eyes shifted to Casey. Not sure what was going on Casey switched between looking at his leader to the mutant still hovering by his side, noticing how tense Leo seemed to be as he stood there. He looked like he was waiting for some kind of attack to happen, ridged and twitchy.

Eventually, Leon turned away from them both to face Master Splinter who was only now carefully putting Mikey back on his feet. A monumental task with how the little box turtle still clung to him.

“Hey Dad?”

“Yes Blue?” Splinter grunted, struggling to get Mikey to release his hold on his neck.

“Would you mind watching the little dumpling for us so I can bring these two topside with Donnie and I?”

Apparently just as shocked at the offer as Casey was, Leo stood dumbfounded at Casey side. “What?”

Chapter 17

Notes:

Okay... I have 4 different drafts of this chapter, have gone over all of them countless times, and this is the one I finally decided to go with. Hope you guys enjoy it. :)

“Are you really sure you don’t mind? Because I can-.”

“Yes, yes. Go.” Splinter huffed, waving Leo away from where Ozzie was already perched on his hip. “She will be fine here.” He assured the still hovering mutant, before letting out a big bellied laugh. “I am going to introduce her to all my best films and than see how well we can act them out! Children love playing that game!”

When Leo still didn’t look sure, one arm crossed around his waist and the other chewing on the knuckle of his finger, Casey looped a finger through the loose tie of his belt and tugged him a few steps back.

Leo didn’t hesitate to twist his head around to spot the one who had grabbed him, but he instantly relaxed once he recognized it was only Casey smiling at him from over his shoulder.

“She’s going to be okay Leo.” He assured him. “And if anything happens, Sensei can just portal us back here.”

While he still didn’t look to sure, Leo did eventually nod his head, allowing himself to be dragged back a few more steps before reluctantly following behind Casey.

“Put some pep in your step amigos!” Leon yelled, hanging out of the back of the Turtle Tank with his hand cupped around his mouth to help carry his voice. “There’s still a lot of ground to cover muchachos!”

“… I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to the amount of energy he has.”

Snickering at the exhausted voice slightly behind him, Casey gave a small shrug of his shoulders, watching as Leon leaned against the opening, arms crossed and laughing at something Master Donald must have said.

“I think it’s nice.” He countered, “Master Leonardo was always so reserved when I was growing up and only got more so as the years passed and… suffered some heavy losses. It’s nice to know he wasn’t always that way. And now that we stopped that timeline he won’t…”

Casey trailed off, his lips pressing into a tight line as the thought creeped up on him once more.

That Leo would never grow into his Master Leonardo. Even if they would grow to have some of the same traits, there was no way he would grow to be the exact same. So many of Master Leonardo’s personality had been shaped and hardened around the apocalypse he had lived and survived through. That was something Leon wouldn’t have to worry about anymore now that he and his brothers had stopped it. Which was great. That’s what they had been aiming for but…

He swallowed passed the lump in his throat, smiling to his leader and nodding his head in thanks when Leon helped to pull him into the van.

At some point, he would accept that he had to stop seeing his Master in the young one before him today.

But it was hard not to compare the two even when he knew they weren’t technically the same person.

“You all good Junior?”

“Hm?”

He didn’t even realize that he’d spaced out until Leon spoke, or that he was still clinging to his Sensei’s hand as he now stood in the back.

Embarrassed he quickly let him go, offering the young mutant a sheepish smile. “Sorry Sensei, I… got lost in thought.”

Leon’s eyes narrowed, and Casey quickly found himself moving deeper into the vehicle to avoid the eerily observant eye that had cracked more than one enemy in the past… future…present… whichever.

“Where are we off to?”

Wanting to avoid being studied he clasped his hand on the back of Donald’s chair, attempting to draw his other uncle in a new conversation.

“Hm, weeeeell, as Nardo mentioned before, we were supposed to go around the city collecting the smaller specimens that we missed yesterday to bring to Draxum so we could run some tests, but-,”

“But we couldn’t get our hands on any of them.”

Leon mumbled, coming up on Casey’s side, but his attention was now on a hologram that splashed across the screen. Happy to be out from under the other’s observation, Casey also turned his attention to what was being displayed.

It was a map of the city, showing clusters of many different colour dots… everywhere.

“This is what it looked like when they first showed up,” Donald mumbled, his fingers flying across the screen. “And this is what it looked like by the time Leo decided to call it a night.”

The dizzying array of colours faded, splotches here and there but nothing to crazy. Though Casey could only imagine the number of problems even that amount could cause if left unchecked.

“When we went to do another hunt today however…”

He clicked a few more buttons here and there and then-

The screen went blank, nothing but clear streets and the hard, clean lines of the layout of New York.

“Huh.” Casey hummed, his brow furrowing as he stared at the empty space. “That’s…”

“Someone got to them before you did.”

They all turned to the mutant, none of them having noticed that Leo had stepped up to stand on the other side of Casey. He didn’t pay them any mind though, his eyes squinting at the map being projected across the front window.

When he was done, presumably trying to study the map and the differences like he had with the map he’d been given in the lair, Leo shifted his attention back to the group. “Do you know if there are any other groups here that could be involved? Or anyone who might have an interest in studying such creatures?”

“Ugh, so many.” Don groaned, swivelling himself in his chair to face Leo. “Shady government agencies are nothing new, but I’ve already done a deep dive into most of them and haven’t found any that might be holding our dimensional traveling friends.”

When Leo chuckled at that information, Casey watched as Leon shot him a mild glare, arching a brow ridge at him as he shifted just enough to be blocking his brother partially. “What’s so funny?”

Leo’s eyes darted from Donald to Leon, a soft smile across his lips.

“I apologize, I don’t mean to offend you or your brother.” Leo said with a small bow of his head, “I just find it amusing that Donatellos are Donatellos no matter where you go.”

Leon studied him for a moment longer, his eyes narrowing by a fair margin as if he was looking for any sign that Leo might be lying. When he came up blank, he slowly faced the screen again, the conversation dropped.

“As far as we know, we’re dealing with something completely new. Before we came back, we were taking a look at some of the areas with the biggest numbers before they went missing but there wasn’t anything left behind.”

“So whoever they are, they’re professionals.” Leo chimed in, “And they must have a fair amount of people working for them in order to clear the area so thoroughly, and if not, then they are very well organized. Do you possibly think that these cases of missing… creatures, could be linked to the missing Kraang you guys mentioned you couldn’t find?”

There was a beat, Leon staring at the map for a pause before admitting, “I supposed it could be possible.”

Again Leo hummed in acknowledgement before leaning forward a bit so he could meet eyes with Donald again around his brother.

“I know you said you looked into the agencies you know, but could it be possible that this is a new one? Or one that you might have never heard of?”

To that, Don scoffed, sinking in his seat and stapling his fingers together as if he was posing as a villain in one of Master Splinter’s old movies. “One that I’ve never heard of? Oh please my tiny little box turtle-,”

“-not a fan of that…”

“-If they have a presence online, I can find them even in the darkest of darkwebs.”

“What about in radio signals?”

Casey could feel his ears perk up at that, his mouth moving before he could stop it.

“Oh! That’s how we used to communicate!”

Leo spared a look at him, nodding his head at Casey’s input. “That would make sense. You said your world was apocalyptic right? When the cell towers failed, it would have become one of the only ways to communicate. It is a surprisingly frequent occurrence you run into out in our universe. Every planet seems to have their own kind of radio wave that their inhabitants can use to communicate with when they don’t want the powers at be to know what they’re doing.” He then turned his attention back to Don, his arms crossed with an odd… almost troubled look on his face. “Depending on just how secret this… organization is, they could be using more… covert ways of communicating, which means you might have a harder time tracking them if you’re simply going through online access.”

Don opened his mouth, came up short for whatever it was he was about to say, and slumped back in his seat, staring into nowhere.

“I… hmmm, Da Vinci’s Code… That didn’t even cross my mind.”

“Yeah, mine neither.” Leon agreed, his eyes narrowed with suspicion at their new teammate. “What gave you the idea Pitufo?”

Finding himself curious as well, Casey just watched as Leo chuckled at them, playing it easy as he took a step back in order to move towards one of the other seats available. A play Casey himself would have fallen for if he didn’t notice the little twitch of his hand before he curled it into a tight fist.

“I think you two forget that I’m a fair amount older than you. I’ve been doing this kind of work for years. You pick up on things here and there.”

“I’ll bet.” And while Leon still sounded suspicious, he didn’t press further as he turned back to his brother. “Can we do anything with that DonTron?”

While Don let out a very- very long hiss, slapping his hands over his face and dragging them down with a less then enthusiastic ‘yessss’, Casey made his way to the seat beside Leo. Leo almost seemed surprised by his appearance but did give him a small smile before his eyes darted back to watching the other two.

“It’s true that I can technically ‘hack’ into radio frequences, but… it’s so very annoying.” Don mumbled as he slumped in his seat, Leon offering him a pat on the back in solidarity.

“Well, if anyone can do it, it’s you hermano.”

“If there is a group out there using this form of communication to help them stay further under the radar I am going to personally send them a strongly written letter to join the twenty first century.”

“We should hit some of the other spots you two didn’t get to search before coming back.” Leo said, his eyes sticking to Leon as he strolled by him on his way to his own seat. “Maybe we can find something at-.”

“Oi, hijo.” Leon mumbled, tossing one leg over the other as he took a seat and automatically dropped his chin to rest against his fist, his smile a little to sharp to be friendly as he stared down at the other mutant in blue. “You might have been the leader where you came from, but este es mi equipo, entiende?”

“Ah…” Leo’s brow ridge furrowed as he stared up at Leon, not quite seeming to get it.

“He’s saying that this is his team and asking if you understand that.” Casey translated for him, to which Leo made a small ‘oh’ face that he couldn’t help but find absolutely adorable.

None of them seemed to be bothered when the tank started moving, Leo keeping his eyes on Leon and his ridges arched in curiosity as he did his cute head tilt thing once more.

“Why do you speak Spanish?”

For a moment, Leon just looked confused, his eyes darting from the front window to Leo and back. “We live in America, it’s our second language.”

“Do your brothers speak Spanish?”

“Meh.” Don called back over his shoulder, not taking his eyes from the road. “We all understand it well enough, but Nardo’s the one who decided to study it more seriously. What was it you said you wanted to do…?”

“Donnie…”

“Oh yes that’s right,” Don carried on as if his brother had never spoken. “You wanted to be able to flirt with the prettiest boy in all the world in the ‘language of love’. Wasn’t that it? And who was that ‘prettiest boy’ again?”

To this Leon just let out a long and almost shamefully embarrassed groan, covering his face in his hands as if that would somehow stop his brother from carrying on. “Don, please?”

“Wait! I remember now! Captain Starboy of the Starboy marshmallow cereal!”

“I was eight!”

“Papa, used to have to put the boxes on the highest shelf.” Don explained, tossing a smirk over his shoulder to Casey who had a wide grin stretched across his face that he tried to hide behind his hand, though he was fascinated to hear any part from his Sensei’s childhood. “If he didn’t, Leo would steal it and throw these little tea parties and host weddings. Sometimes he would even take naps with it.”

“Like you were any better!” Leon barked back, his attempt to look angry absolutely ruined by the bright red flush on his face. “At least my crush wasn’t a talking tomato in striper heels!”

“What?”

“Oh please.” Don tasked with a sharp roll of his eyes. “Everyone knows Atomic Lass is still my go to gal. That tomato was a passing thought.”

As the two dissolved further into their argument, getting louder as they carried on, Casey nearly jumped out of his skin by the voice suddenly whispering right by his ear. “Are they always like this?”

Before Casey could get his scrambled mind together fast enough to make a response, the answer was given by non other than Leon himself.

“What? You don’t argue with your brothers?” He chuckled, dropping both of his feet to the ground so he could lean forward. “Bet that your Dad loves-.”

The words froze in Leon’s throat, his mouth snapping shut as what he just said caught up with him.

No one said a word.

A thick, heavy air hung over them all. For all his quick thinking and the sharpness of his silver tongue, Leon seemed to come up blank for a way to backtrack himself out of the situation he’d just walked into.

The smile slid off his face, his tone taking on a more serious air, losing all the vibrato that he normally used to put on whatever show he was going for as he bowed his head to Leo. “I’m sorry. I… didn’t mean that as some sort of attack. It was just… I wasn’t thinking and I’m-I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Although Leo’s smile was tight, he did look honest about his words, even going so far as to attempt to lessen the tension in the corner of his lips when Leon shrunk further in guilt. “I know it… it took us awhile to stop speaking of him in the present tense. I even…” Leo trailed off, the look in his eyes distant before he shook himself out of it. “If it means anything, we used to drive our Sensei crazy with our arguing.”

The olive branch of that little tidbit of information was grasped by Leon, a smile flickering at his lips as some of the tension bled away from his shoulders. “Called it.”

As the two blue masked mutants allowed the conversation to pitter off, Leon lifting his attention back to Donnie and Leo swinging his chair back around to face the front, Casey felt a little grin crawling across his own lips.

Was that… was that progress? It kind of felt like it. Was Leon actually trying to get along with Leo? Was that the reason he had ordered that they join him and Donnie in their search? Maybe after what he’d learned at lunch was opening him up to relaxing around the guy. Was he really looking for a way to get some one on one time with Leo? It made sense, he guessed. If Leon didn’t like Leo because he thought something was off with him, of course he was going to want to spend more one on one time with him. Ask him some questions, find out more about him. To poke and prod at him, to look for openings and weaknesses and…

As Casey’s thoughts wandered, he felt the smile slipping from his lips, his gaze shifting back to watch his Sensei as discreetly as he could.

If Leon had some sort of nefarious plan, Casey had to admit it didn’t show up on his face.

But he supposed he should suspect nothing less from his Sensei. The guy could be a stonewall when he was hiding something.

That being said though, Leon doing a one eighty and trying to play along with Leo was… odd.

Narrowing his gaze Casey wondered just what it was that his Sensei was up to.

Because he’d known Master Leonardo long enough to know that he didn’t just switch up out of nowhere for no reason unless he was planning something.

And that didn’t normally bode well for those he was planning against.

Chapter 18

Notes:

Some Caseynardo flirting anyone? :)

Enjoy! :D

Next Update: Thursday Aug 9th

As they pulled up to the first stop they’d be making, Casey made sure to stick close to Leo and keep an eye on his Sensei as Leon spoke to Donald at the front. A part of him felt bad for allowing the thought that his old Master was up to something to rule his actions now, but a bigger part of him could pretty much feel its hackles raising knowing that his actions weren’t as innocent as they seemed.

It was a pretty large one eighty for him to go from poking and prodding endlessly at Leo to backing off completely and offering an olive branch within the past hour. There was the little tidbit that he’d learned more about Leo in the last little bit that might be making him ease up now that he knew what the other had been through but…

‘There’s something off about him.’

While he couldn’t see what Leon was talking about, he knew that Leon could be relentless when he locked onto an idea, doubly so if he believed that his family was in danger, and with Leo currently living in their home, he wouldn’t doubt it that if Leon saw Leo as a threat, he’d be ranked at the very top.

“Okay, these are the next sections that we need to check. If we break off into groups of two, we can reconverge at this section here,” Casey was only half listening to the plan, his attention more on the face of his leader as Leon observed the map, pointing out different areas. “If we don’t find anything we’ll move out and try the next section, however, if either group finds anything, a creature, evidence of another group, anything, we let the other team know right away and meet back up at the tank.”

“How do we communicate?” Leo’s question drew Leon’s eye to him, and Casey watched, looking for any signs of aggression or distaste in his Sensei’s eyes as they landed on the smaller mutant. “Do you have walkie talkies or phones we could use? Mine doesn’t get any reception here.”

“You have tech from your universe!?” Donnie gasped, instantly spinning on his heels to face Leo, “Ooo! Let me see! Was it made by your Donatello? I must see what kind of-.”

But before he could get close and catch Leo in his metal claws again, the smaller mutant back up a step and held his hand out warding the other off as he shifted closer to Casey.

Was it bad that a part of him couldn’t help but feel an almost prideful satisfaction over the fact that Leo chose to move closer to him when he was seeking comfort? Although he felt a little bad about it, there was a bigger part of him that churred deeply from within, more than pleased enough by the show of trust the other was displaying towards him. Unable to help himself, Casey held an arm out in front of Leo, stepping forward until he was partially tucked behind him as he smiled at Donald.

“Maybe that’s something we could look at later?” He offered, “When we get back to the lair?”

Although Donald tisked, he did pull back, crossing one arm over his chest while the other rubbed at the bottom of his chin in thought. “I suppose my lab would be a better place to take it apart. Save me the headache of maybe losing a few pieces…”

“Please don’t take apart my phone.” Leo mumbled, coming around to stand at Casey’s side. “My brother made it for me, and I don’t want it to be accidently broken.”

Donnie simply tisked, giving a roll of his eyes so large that it moved his head with it. “Are you saying you don’t trust me to do something as easy as dismantling and reassembling a simple piece of technology? I can assure you I have worked with far more complicated devices in my time than-.”

“It’s sentimental.” Leo interrupted, his voice soft, his eyes not meeting any of theirs as he crossed his arms almost protectively around himself. “I really don’t want to take the risk.”

Casey could feel himself frowning slightly as he stared down at the one at his side. He had questions, but from the look he could make out on Leo’s face, he didn’t want to ask. At least not in present company. When he turned to look back at the twins, he could see Leon giving the other very much the same contemplative look.

Donald on the other hand gave a soft scoff at his worries, waving a hand in the air before twirling it to press against his chest as he rolled back his shoulders and stuck up his chin.

“Again, there wouldn’t be any risk, for you see-.”

“Don.” Leon interrupted this time, his arms crossed stiffly over his plastron and his eyes on his counterpart. “Drop it.”

“Gasp!” Don snapped his head quickly towards his brother, a look of slack jawed disbelief set across his features. “Really Nardo?”

Leon on the other hand just shrugged, tossing a quick glance in turn to his brother. “He doesn’t want you fooling around with it.”

Donald’s arms dropped to his side, his grumbling doing little to change Leon’s mind. Seeing that he wasn’t going to get his leader’s attention that way, he eventually brought his arms up high to cross over the upper part of his chest. “Well, I didn’t want him fooling around with things in my lab and taking the Turtle Tank for a joyride. Guess we don’t always get what we want hm?”

Seeing as how he had them both there, Casey couldn’t help but flinch slightly, raising his hand and drawing the genius’s eye to him.

“Um, actually, I was the one who suggested taking the Turtle Tank and I let him into the lab and used the equipment.” He could feel Don trying to melt his bones from just his glare alone. Sucking his lips behind his teeth he tried to think of a way out of it before letting out a sigh and going with what he should have done in the first place.

Pressing his arms to his sides he bowed low, keeping his head down as he spoke.

“I am sorry for invading your lab and for taking your Tank after being told not to. Allow me to take full responsibility for the transgression.”

Casey startled slightly at the feeling of a hand clasping onto his shoulder. Taking a quick glance at his side, he was surprised to see Leo offering him a small frown and a small shake of his head. Before he could question him on it however, Leo turned to face Don, dipping his head forward and offering his own bow.

“Please ignore him. I was the one who pressured him into breaking into your space and using your equipment even after I was ordered not to. He tried to get me to stay in the lair after taking the risk to help me. The only reason he decided to take your tank was because he knew I would go anyways and that it would be the best option to get us there safely and quickly. If the blame lays with anyone, it should be with me.”

Straightening himself out, Casey shook his head down at the one next to him. “It’s not all your fault.” He corrected. “I played an equal hand in it.”

Leo gave a small huff at his response, his mask lifting along with the ridge of his brow before he spoke.

“You were only trying to help me out. If I hadn’t been so insistent and willing to go behind your back anyways there would have been no reason for you to feel like you needed to assist me in case I could have been hurt.”

“But I-.”

“Okay we get it.” Leon interrupted, drawing both of their attention away from each other and back to the twins at the front. “You both are at fault and you both owed Donnie an apology.”

“Well-.”

“Dontron,” Ignoring the thought Casey hadn’t even really crafted, Leon turned his attention to his brother. “Do you accept Tweddle Dum and Dee’s apology?”

“Why so many nicknames?”

Leo’s small murmur went unanswered as Donald let out a small hum, his brows narrowing before a smirk came to his lips.

Just that small action alone was already enough of a warning that whatever was coming next, was going to suck.

“I suppose I could let bygones be bygones.” Master Donald said, his fingers stapling together as he shifted his eyes between the two. “If, they agree to do something for me in return.”

Lips pressing into a thin line, Casey held his breath as he waited for whatever it was the mad scientist of the team was about to come up with. From next to him he could feel Leo growing tense in suspicion, and almost without thought he found himself shifting closer to him, hoping to offer some form of comfort with his presence alone.

“Casey, you’ll be in charge of detangling my vast collection of wires for the rest of the month.”

A wince pulled at his features, his mind supplying him with a jump scare of the very wire collection that Donald was talking about. He could be at that job for twelve hours straight every single day for the month and still not get anywhere close to managing to detangle even a quarter of it.

But, it was a fair enough punishment, so with a small sigh and a droop of his shoulders he gave a small bow of his head. “Si Master Donald.”

“Now as for our tiny little box turtle-.”

“-Still not a fan of that.”

“Allowing me to run a few tests here and there should be sufficient enough to make it up to me.”

Taking a quick glance at him, Casey watched as Leo’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

“What kind of tests?”

“Nothing to invasive I can assure you.” Donald hand waved. “Just a few more DNA samples, some blood work, maybe a few x-rays, ectara, ectara. You know, just the basics.”

“I…” Leo paused, not seeming to be able to come up with a way to deny such a request and eventually accepting defeat. “Fine. If that’s what you want.”

The dark smile that twisted at Don’s lips not even a second later had even Casey’s hair standing on end. Leon pulled a face at his brother, giving a click of his tongue as he shifted closer to him.

“Uh, those are gonna be nonlethal tests, right boyo?”

Donald’s face fell flat in the same second his hands dropped back to his sides. “Why do you doubt me?”

“Because I know you.”

Watching the two in front of him Casey nearly jumped at the hand he felt landing on his shoulder, heat crawling up his neck to overtake his cheeks when he felt himself being tugged down and to the side.

But the thing that really got him were the lips he could feel brushing softly against his ear, the velvet hum of Leo’s voice whispering against his skin.

“Should I find it concerning that he even has to ask that question?”

While he wished that he could figure out how to move his mouth to answer, he instead found himself swallowing past the sudden dryness in his throat, his mind whiplashing him back to the last time he’d had someone with their lips that close to his ear, their nails digging into the flesh of his shoulder.

Though it hadn’t been to ask him questions, but to beg with the sweetest of pleas in the loudest whispers they dared. Pleas that would dissolve into choked off moans that they attempted and failed to stifle as he would sink his teeth into the curve of their neck while leaving indents of his own claws in the firm flesh of their thighs and hips.

“Jonesy?”

Without thinking about it he clamped a hand over Leo’s mouth, cutting off anything else that might further add to the heat pooling down south. He didn’t risk checking the expression that he could feel shifting across Leo’s face, not trusting his mind to not turn it into something it wasn’t currently as he took in a deep breath through his nose.

Something he regretted immensely when he realized how close Leo was.

And how good he smelled.

Which, admittedly, should have been a little weird or maybe not even possible.

They’d spent the last few days nonstop fighting with monsters from strange places and neither of them had managed to grab a shower just yet. Leo should have smelt like sweat and iron. He should have at the very least maybe smelt a little like Raph after he skipped out on a shower once he finished a long night of patrolling and than hit the gym first thing after he woke up.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he smelt almost… sweet? It was subtle, but once he caught on to it, it was like someone had taken him by the nose and yanked his head back in Leo’s direction. He found himself stunned as he stared into those big blue eyes that gaped back up at him, surprised to find that Leo hadn’t started to pull back or even attempt to break out of the hand clamped firmly over his face. Sure, his hands were raised, but they hovered a good inch over Casey’s own arm, not touching, just… hovering.

A part of him was fully aware that if Leo really wanted, he could break out of such an easy hold and knock Casey on his ass. Which would have been well deserved really, but… he didn’t. Instead, he stood there, staring at Casey- observing him, watching and waiting to see what his next move would be. An anticipation swirling like a creature just waiting to be unleashed in the depths of his endless ocean waters. An anticipation for something that he was waiting to receive from Casey. Waiting patiently in his hand for whatever it was Casey wanted him to do.

What Casey wouldn’t give to make him squeal…

That thought hit him like a bucket of ice.

Coming back to himself Casey only than realized how deeply he was actually breathing, his breath coming in deep and sharp passed the slight part of his teeth, as if he was trying to drink in Leo’s scent like it was the last water source and he was a dying man. A scent that only seemed to grow stronger and sweeter the longer they lingered in close proximity of each others space.

Blinking himself out of… whatever kind of state that was, Casey licked at his parched lips, his eyes darting away from Leo’s in a sudden and intense embarrassment as he carefully let him go.

“Uh… S-Sorry about that. I’m… I’m not sure…”

“It’s- it’s fine.” Leo filled in quickly when Casey started to trail off, his mind coming up blank for just what out of everything he should be apologizing for. “I’m sorry,” When Leo started to pull back, Casey could feel something inside of him lurch, like it was trying to break out of his chest and yank the other back. “I didn’t mean to…”

Snapping his hand out before he gave the other time to finish, Casey caught Leo’s wrist before he could retreat fully, holding fast even as his heart jumped into his mouth when those bright, wide eyes turned back to him. “It wasn’t you- I just-. You just startled me is all.”

Leo didn’t quite seem to be able to hold his gaze for more than a handful of seconds at a time, but the smile on his lips was sweet, a little shy and awkward, but sweet.

The thing in Casey’s chest rumbled in content over such a soft display. And waited with rapid interest over what it was that Leo was going to say when he parted his lips. “I guess I should have warned you before getting so close.”

“I don’t mind you close.”

His little confession pulled a round eyed look of surprise from the darker toned mutant, though his surprise didn’t last long. A look of contemplation fell over the other’s face, his eyes darting away as he slipped further into thought. Wondering what he could be thinking about Casey just continued to stare at him openly, his smile picking up at the corners when Leo’s attention shifted back to him.

“I feel like I should tell you that my worlds Casey, and I… We- we dated.”

Hm, even if they had, from his scent alone it would have been forever ago. There was a severe lack of another’s scent mingling with Leo’s that he wouldn’t be surprised if it had been a while since he’d been with anyone.  

Though, could this have been what Leon was implying right before he’d asked Master Splinter to watch Ozzie?

“It was before he got together with Mikey- years before actually- and we- well we weren’t together very long, we didn’t even tell the others about it, but… I don’t want you to think that… I just feel like it might be unfair to you if I don’t say anything because-.”

“Because I look like the guy you used to date, and we’ve been flirting with each other?” Casey questioned, quirking a brow with a small smirk at the way Leo’s face turned a soft pink.

He did let out a little laugh though, so if he took offense to Casey’s words, it didn’t show. “I was wondering if maybe I was just reading to much into it…”

“Well, to be honest, I’m new to the whole… flirting thing,” Casey admitted with a shrug, his smile somewhat lopsided and a little awkward. “So that could also be my fault. Flirting wasn’t to much of a… thing, in my timeline. It was more or less just a yes or no kind of…” What was the word the others used all the time? “Vibe?”

The confession felt clumsy falling from his lips, but from the small nod Leo gave and the understandingly soft hue in his gaze, Casey could tell he was being understood. Although…

“I can stop if you want me too.”

Again, there was a low rumbling within him that rejected this offer, but he held strong to it. If Leo wanted him to stop. He would. Plain and simple.

But instead his offer got him that cutely confused little head tilt, the folds of Leo’s mask furrowing with question.

“Oh, I-,”

“If it’s weird.” Casey explained, “from the sounds of it there are some… similarities, between me and him, right? If it’s to weird for you I can-,”

Leo cut him off with a snicker, pulling back and yet not moving far enough to force Casey to have to let go of where his hand still sat loosely around his wrist. Not sure if maybe he’d done something wrong to have Leo pull away or said something right by making him laugh and willing to keep them connected, he just stood there, a small smile on his lips and a crease between his brows as he waited to see what Leo would say next.

“Trust me Jones, you two are very different people.”

While he’d assumed as much considering how different their worlds appeared to be from what little information Leo had given up, Casey was still relived to hear it.

Taking a step closer, now inviting himself into Leo’s space and feeling his chest puff up a little when he wasn’t shoved out, Casey slid his hand up from Leo’s wrist to slid along the flesh of his forearm, pausing in the crook of his elbow to caress the sensitive area, his lips twitching with the edges of a smirk at the small shiver the move created. Stepping in closer he crowed Leo to the curve of the tank, removing them both from view of the others as they were lost behind giant seats and equipment Donald shoved here.

When Leo tilted himself against the wall, seemingly uncaring of being cornered as such, or maybe even enjoying it if the amused look in his eyes was anything to go by, Casey didn’t hesitate to push if further. Removing his hand from Leo entirely he took his final step in, the space between them more of a concept now then a physical space as he slid his hand to grab at one of the bars near Leo’s hip, his lips quirked up in amusement as he stared down at the small mutant.

Leo didn’t look bothered by the fact of their closeness, a curious tilt to his own lips as he crossed his arms loosely over his chest. If Casey was even so much as an inch closer, he would have felt the tips of Leo’s elbow pads brushing against the protective padding of his chest piece.

A low, pleased churr rumbled softly from Casey, the sound so low and unassuming he barely even registered he was making it until he caught the light response of Leo returning the small call.

Gripping the bar tighter Casey lifted his free hand to wrap his fingers loosely around the stray tails of Leo’s mask.  

“Can I take this as approval to continue then?”

Leo hummed, his eyes resting at half mast, his smile soft and tinted with an edge of playfulness as he sunk further against the equipment wall at his back.

“Currently there are plenty of other situations that should require our attention more,” The reminder pulled a small hum from Casey, his disappointment overshadow as he watched the way Leo’s lips worked around the words, “but,” His eyes darted back up to meet with the endless pools, his hopes rising just like the interest being mirrored back at him. “I wouldn’t be apposed to seeing where this goes in the calmer moments.”

“Really?” Casey hummed, admiring the way the fabric felt slipping between his fingers even if he couldn’t truly feel it through the thickness of his gloves. “And what would you say counts as a ‘calmer moment’?”

He loved the flush that covered Leo’s cheeks at the tiniest tug he gave to the strands, his smirk growing as he ducked down closer.

“Would you say that this counts?”

“Oi! Peque! Pitufo! Where did you two go?”

They both jumped at the boom of Leon’s voice, Casey jerking back and taking a few large steps out of Leo’s space. Leo on the other hand set to work on moving his mask back into place, the bright red hue on his cheeks standing out starkly compared to the deep blue of the bandana.

Thinking quickly Casey reached past Leo and snatched an item off the equipment wall, willing down his own flush- and his heartrate- before he slid back into the open space.

“Right here Sensei!” He said, keeping his smile wide and bright in hopes it would distract them from glancing at the mutant that came up behind him. “We were just looking for some equipment to take with us is all.” He lied, taking a glance at the map before tucking said item out of view just in case they questioned him on why he grabbed that one precisely.

He didn’t want to fumble his way through a reason for why he apparently felt like he might need a set of wall claws for a ground level check up.

“So that’s the area you wanted covered? Consider it done Sensei!” He chirped, not even bothering to look as he reached back and grabbed at Leo’s wrist to keep him close while waving to the others as he herded them back towards the opening of the tank.

He hadn’t forgotten that Leon was still acting a little strange around Leo. The last thing he wanted was for the leader of the MadDogz to decide that he should be the one splitting them into groups and getting Leo alone.

“Don’t worry, we’ll check in if we find anything! See you guys in a bit!”

“Uh, bye?”

He finished waving to Donald’s confuse farewell, waiting until the doors had lifted shut once more before letting his shoulders sag.

That had been close. He was pretty sure that Leon would give him a mouthful if he caught them in the position they’d been in. Not to mention if he was trying to offer an olive branch earlier, he would have cut clean through it if he caught Leo getting that comfortable with one of his teammates. He was sure that Leon would be fine with it… eventually, just maybe not right now.

Letting out a small sigh he almost forgot that he was still holding on to Leo until he could feel him pulling away.

Instantly letting him go, Casey put his hands up, smiling sheepishly as he turned to face the one who was looking up at him, brow ridge raised and arms crossed.

“Sorry about that.”

Leo just scoffed at him, closing his eyes with a small smile as he shook his head. Without saying a word, he turned to take in the area around them, scanning the rooftops before focusing on the ground they were standing on.

Casey found himself straightening out when those sharp blue eyes turned back to him, being eased by the small smile he could see gracing Leo’s lips.

“I suppose you’re going to lead the way?”

Being the one with the most knowledge about the area they were in Casey had no problem stepping forward, though he did feel a little awkward with how abruptly they had left things. “Sooo, about-.”

“Ah, ah.” Leo interrupted; a smirk set smugly across his lips as he slid his swords from their sheaths. “We’re on a mission now Jonesy. Focus is key.”

Looks like it didn’t matter if there was anyone for them to fight right now or not, Leo was drawing the line at doing their jobs with as few distractions as possible.

Looks like ‘calmer moments’ didn’t in fact include any moment that was calm.

Shaking his head with a smirk of his own Casey nodded his mask down and into place, looking around the area and scanning for any of the signatures that Don had uploaded into his mask.

Though as he went to pass Leo, he did give a little yank to his mask tails, chuckling at the little squeak the mutant let out at the sudden action as he used the distraction to pull a head in a steady run.

“Ay Mi Azul! Mantenga!”

“Wha-!? Jones!”

He laughed at Leo squawking behind him, tossing a look over his shoulder to see that even if he sounded huffy, Leo was smiling too.

Was it bad that there was a small part of him that hoped it took a long time for them to figure out how to send Leo back home?

A very, very long time?

Chapter 19

Notes:

Here you go! Have some cute moments and some angst. 😊

Next update: Aug 22nd.

Enjoy!

The skies were such a strange colour.

It wasn’t a thought that was hitting Casey for the first time, but one he still found he couldn’t really get over whenever he saw it. While it was rare that he ever found himself above ground when the sun was up and the skies were a jaw dropping blue, he found that the later darker hues of purples and blues and the soft red and oranges weren’t any less inspiring.  

Even as he admired the natural sight before him however, he couldn’t stop his eyes from scanning the skies.

Waiting for them to be stained red.

Looking for the thick clouds that would swirl from the death machine hanging like a merciless and uncaring god above.

Waiting for the search drones to swoop down, cutting into the clean walls of the alley where there was nowhere for him to duck in cover, no where for him to hide if-

“Jones?” 

He darted back, weapon in hand and whirling to life, a growl rumbling out of him, the sharp ring of steel hitting steel booming around the suffocatingly close walls that towered above him.

Past his rage and fear so finely honed it became its own weapon, it was the bright blues sitting behind the cold silver that jolted him back to reality.

Quickly disengaging his staff from Leo’s sword, Casey drew back, unable to meet those eyes for a second time as he worked on getting the air back in his lungs and stabilizing his heart from its abrupt adrenaline spike.

“I-I’m sorry.” Bringing his hand up he ran it through his hair over and over, a calming habit that had been ingrained into him from his Auntie April that he’d never been able to shake. “I…”

“Slipped away?”

Pausing with his hand buried in his hair, Casey blanked out for a moment while his mind processed what Leo had said.

Slipped away? Was that what people called it?

Brow furrowing, he slowly turned back to look at the other over his shoulder. Leo’s sword was still out, but hung relaxed at his side, his other hand on his hip. He didn’t look annoyed or freaked out that Casey had attacked him out of nowhere. He didn’t even appear angry to have a spinning saw nearly sliced through him. He just stood there, staring at Casey as if he was all to ready and willing to dodge or block again in case he might lash out again.

Straightening himself out, Casey hesitated to turn back to him. He watched the way Leo observed his motions, darting to the weapon in his hand before he slid a foot back, getting into his own stance as he held his sword at the ready in front of him with two hands.

“I’m ready if you need to fight someone to help get your head back in the game.” He mumbled, his gaze narrowed slightly in focused concentration that Casey couldn’t find it in himself to match.

Eyeing the point glinting in the faded light of the day, he eventually found himself giving a small shake of his head. He ignored the ache between his shoulders and the twitch in his limbs that was all to ready to take Leo up on his offer. Jumping into a fight right now would help to shake off the excess energy thrumming through him at the moment, but he also knew it might end up hyping him up more in the long run.

So, he let out a sigh, settling his staff across his back and instead offering Leo a somewhat awkward smile.

“Thank you.” Leo tilted his head slightly at his gratitude, but did ease up his stance, “I appreciate it, but I- I’m good.”

“Oh?” Though Leo sounded like he wanted to ask, he left it at that, sliding his sword back in its sheath and turning back to the task at hand. “Let’s continue then.”

He was almost surprised with how swift Leo was to drop it, used to being grilled the second he did anything outside of his ‘normal’ behaviour. Glancing around the area once more, his eyes scanning the quickly darkening skies, Casey jogged to catch up and fall in step with the mutant.

They didn’t say anything, their eyes on taking in the area around them and looking for clues, Casey looking for any discrepancies in the scanning that popped up on screen. If there was anything wrong with the space around them though, his tech wasn’t picking up on it, his mask unable to help him see anything more out of place than a piece of graffiti that was created with a specific kind of paint only found in the Hidden City.

Sticking close to Leo, Casey found his eyes darting over to him every few steps, a reaction built upon years and years of having to look out for one’s partner when breaching the surface became a need. Always making sure they were close and still there. Making sure that they hadn’t been snatched and dragged into the shadows by-

A shadow passed overhead, and Casey snatched Leo close, shoving him down as he whipped out his bo and swung it around to-

…point it at a… pigeon…

As the tiny creature cooed at him from the clothing lines above, Casey could only find it in himself to stare at it blankly.

Because it was just a bird. Because of course it was a bird. Because the Kranng weren’t…

“Ah yes. My hero.” The dry delivery had Casey’s head snapping down to the one still pressed low in a crouched position shielded by his body. “Whatever would I do if you weren’t here to save me from the dreaded terrors of Pigeon Pete?”

Flushing hard enough that he suddenly felt suffocated under his mask, Casey let him go and shuffled back a few steps.

Flipping his mask up to be able to breath better, his eyes darted everywhere but at the one straightening out in front of him.

“S- Leo I’m sorry. I didn’t-.”

“Hey.” With how close the voice sounded Casey snapped his attention towards it, seeing Leo standing a lot closer now, his eyes didn’t stay there long before he found them returning to the sky, even though he knew it was stupid, even though- “Come here.”

He had all of two seconds to feel a hand twisting in the fabric of his cloak before he felt himself being dragged to the closest building to them and-

He flinched at the loud crack when Leo wasted no time in kicking a door straight off its hinges and yanked him inside.

Thankfully the place was abandoned, their steps disturbing nothing more than the thick layer of dust that swirled into the air and tickled his nose. Tossing a glance around he was glad to see that the space was pretty much empty, leaving no room for anyone- or anything, to hide.

The deeper Leo pulled them in and the darker it got, he could feel himself growing calmer, the tension in his body easing, the pressure in his lungs lessening as he took in a deep breath. Once they pulled to the center, he felt Leo’s hand slipping away but didn’t pay it much mind as he focused his attention on settling himself down.

Surrounded by the darkness and closed in by the walls, he dropped his head back, taking in a deep breath and allowing his eyes to slip closed.

He was fine. This was fine. The Kranng weren’t here. They’d defeated them and sent them back to the Prison Dimension. They weren’t going to drop out of the sky.

Repeating the facts over and over again in his mind like his Uncle Donatello taught him, he could feel his panic ebbing until it was tucked away. Opening his eyes he scanned around the space until he found who he was looking for.

Leo stood by the door, his arms crossed and his eyes scanning the space just outside the door.

Sucking in a short, silent breath, Casey brought a hand up to his face, rubbing his fingers against his forehead, a vain attempt to chase away the embarrassment he could feel twisting in his very bones.

This was… probably not the best impression to be giving Leo right after they’d agreed to… see where this goes. Would Leo change his mind about it now? Would he tell Casey that he would rather not?

Not wanting to waste any more time than he already had, he brought himself to stand slightly to the side behind Leo, glancing outside and feeling somewhat comforted by the fact that he couldn’t see the sky from here.

He was barely there for a moment before Leo spoke up. “I haven’t noticed any signs of a struggle or a fight. Everything looks pretty normal for a New York city back ally, though your dumpsters are in surprisingly good shape and your graffiti I would almost say is tasteful. However, I’m wondering if maybe-,”

“Are you not going to ask?”

While he hadn’t spoken loud enough to really interrupt Leo, he still fell silent anyways.

Neither spoke, nothing but the sound of distance cars and shouts of civilians filling the distance between them. He wasn’t sure what to make of it as Leo continued to face away from him, but he could feel a strange twist in his stomach and an erratic beating of his heart as the seconds stretched on.

Eventually, Leo let out a small sigh, looking up at Casey from over his shoulder.

“Not unless you want to talk about it.”

Casey blinked, surprised by the answer. “You… would be okay if I didn’t?”

“It’s not my place to force you.” Leo said, and while he wasn’t wrong, it wasn’t an answer that he’d been expecting. “Besides,” Leo looked forward again, his fingers tapping against his arm, falling still, and eventually turning to face him completely, leaning against the frame of the door and making himself comfortable. “I know how much it sucks when you… slip away, and the second you’re back there’s someone there jumping down your throat with questions when all you want is a moment of peace to get yourself right again.”

“Or a fight?”

His question drew a small huff of laughter, an amused glint shining in Leo’s eyes.

“Yes.” He agreed. “A moment of peace, or a clash of steel.”

“Ah,” Casey hummed, coming up to stand next to him, his eyes darting automatically to the sky once more. While he could feel his nerves still vibrating through him, somehow it felt a little better now as he scanned above for the threats he knew would never come. “But of course. A moment of meditation or a throwdown. Why would it be anything else?”

“Judge if you want, but it works for me.” Leo shrugged, not sounding offended in the slightest, even sounding slightly, playful.

Shooting him a side eye, Casey could feel a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“You want to know another way that might help?”

Something in his voice must have given him away, because Leo’s eyes suddenly narrowed, filled with nothing but suspicion as he arched a ridge.

“Depends…”

Forgoing an explanation and deciding it was better to show rather than tell, with no warning, Casey’s hand darted out, aiming for the soft spots between the hard plates of his sides, pulling a surprised squeak from Leo followed by an involuntary burst of laughter as he attempted to escape the sudden attack only to find himself stopped by the solid frame at his side.

“Jones!”

Snickering to himself at the scrunched up eyes and wide smile across Leo’s face as he dissolved in a fit of unrulily cackles, Casey could feel his own grin growing as he continued his attack.

“What do you think Leo? Think it would work?”

Leo was gasping, curling in on himself and failing to peel Casey’s hands away from him or escape from his spot. “J-Jones! Please?”

Aw. How could he say no to such a sweet plea?

Chuckling softly, he pulled back, crossing his arms loosely over his chest, watching as Leo slumped against the frame, gasping down lungful’s of air that were interrupted every once and awhile by stray chirps of laughter.

He figured with how closely he was watching the other, he should have caught it when Leo struck out, smacking the back of his hand heavily enough against his stomach that it pulled an oomph of a wheeze from him, feeling it even through the thick padding of his gear. From the smirk set across Leo’s face however he could tell there was no actual malic behind the hit and found it all to easy to grin back.  

“Not a fan I take it?”

Leo gave a snort at that, his eyes closing as he turned away with a shake of his head.

“It’s definitely a strange one.” He said, his smirk growing along with the smug glint in his eyes as he looked Casey up and down. “So, I say it suits you.”

Having walked into that one, Casey couldn’t defend himself against it, sucking in a sharp hiss while dropping an arm across Leo’s shoulders only so he could pull him in while pinching at his cheek. “Duro, pero justo.” He hummed, giving Leo one final tug before letting him go completely, the smile on his face soft as he turned back to glancing outside once more.

As he eyed the edges of the rooftops, between the flutter of the clothing, at every shifting shadow… he took in a deep breath and let it out slow.

“I’m still not used to walking around the surface.”

The confession came out quietly between the two. Leo didn’t say anything, but Casey knew he was listening. Knew that he would be an ear for him to speak to, one without judgement or attachment to just what it was he was saying.

“When we met, there was so much going on, there was always something to fight… It felt- It felt normal. When we were driving to find Ozzie, it was fine because we were in a literal tank and covered on both sides. We were…”

“Protected,” Leo filled in for him when he stumbled over how to explain it.

“Yeah… Protected.” Which sounded pathetic when he repeated it back, but he tried to push it aside as he pressed his lips into a tight smile and shot Leo a quick side eye. “Guess that explains to you why I don’t like the shellcycles.”

“I suppose it does.” Leo agreed, but Casey found his breath catching in his chest when Leo raised a small smirk his way. “Though you know, if we rode one together, I could watch your back.”

The thought of Leo’s arms wrapped tight around his waist, their bodies pressed close together as they sped down the roads in the middle of the night. Their heat keeping each other warm against the chilling bite of the wind whipping past them…

He could already feel his heartrate speeding as fast as he knew the bikes could go, and considering they were made by Donnie, they shot far past the legal limit.

“That is definitely something I would be interested in trying.”

Leo bumped into him lightly, barely hard enough to sway him, but when he didn’t pull away and simply rested against Casey’s arm, he took that as his turn to continue.

“Most of what I can remember is living underground. Hiding away in whatever rubble was deemed safe enough for us to take cover in. When we had to leave, for supplies or scout runs, it was always with groups as small as three or as big as twenty. You never wanted to stay above ground for long, the atmosphere was pretty much hostile to humans.”

Although there were some memories that tried to claw their way to the surface, screaming in his mind and trying to drag him under, the reliable weight of Leo leaning into him helped to ground his thoughts to the here and now, helped to keep him from being snatched and slipping away.

“The rain burned.” He muttered, still feeling the scars across his elbow that he’d obtained when he couldn’t fit his whole body into the small cavity left by the rubble.

“The wind would suffocate you.” So long as the air was still, one could gasp through it for a time. While the mutants and Yokai had been better off to deal with it and while Casey himself managed better than most, he’d lost some of his teammates when a swift breeze would roll in. The toxins would grow stronger and stronger to the point where they would be left with blue gaping lips and eyes held wide open, nearly bulging out of their skulls.

“Anything the land produced would kill you. The oceans were thick and could eat through your skin if you touched it. The stench that would come off it stunk of rot so strongly that you could only get so close before it would burn against your flesh and could even melt your eyes straight out of their sockets.”

He shuttered at the flash of a memory jumping to the forefront of his mind of someone screaming as they were rushed through the tunnels, pushing others out of the way and against the narrow walls. He could still see the thick, clear liquid running down their cheeks. Could still feel the burn of the smell buried in his nose if he thought on it to long.

Shaking his head he pushed all those ideas away, wrapping his arm around Leo’s shoulders and holding him close, to help bring his mind away from that horrific place and back to the one he was currently in.

“Under the surface you were safe. You were protected. The spaces were mostly small and closed off. There were places you could go, places that were hard for them to get into and… That’s… It’s not the same on the surface.”

Which was stupid because it shouldn’t have mattered.

Letting out a sigh that showed more disappointment to himself that the world around him, Casey brought a hand up and pinched at the space between his eyes.

“This is so stupid. I should be over it. It’s been months.” He mumbled, screwing his eyes shut until he could see pinpricks of black and red swimming in his vision. “And- and the worst part is, sometimes it’s fine. Sometimes I can come up here with April, or the guys and it’s- I don’t have any problems. But than there’s other times and it’s just- I jump at everything and I…” He trailed off, the sinking in his chest growing and growing as he dropped his hand.

“I feel like I’m not fitting in here. That I don’t fit in here.”

And it felt awful saying it out loud. It made him feel selfish and stupid. He was the only one from his timeline that managed to survive, that made it back to safety. As much as he wanted to be naive and think that this world being saved meant that they never truly died, he couldn’t lie to himself about it either.

He’d been lucky enough to live.

And it killed him that he sometimes found himself hating it.

That sometimes, he almost wished he was back there.

His Sensei had given up everything to give the world- to give him a second start.

And all he wanted was to return to that awful place. To see-

“You miss them.”

The blunt statement caught him off guard, leaving him defenseless against the rare all-consuming sorrow that wrapped around his chest with sharp claws and squeezed.

“You miss how safe you felt with them.”

Sucking his lips behind his teeth, Casey couldn’t even breath through the ache that pulsed though him.

“How it didn’t matter how dangerous your world was, how often death stood at your door, you miss how when you had them, there was no where else you’d rather be than standing by their sides.”

Letting go of Leo, Casey pressed his hand flat against his eyes, wishing that would be enough to ease the burn in them. Wishing he knew how to ease the knot that just grew bigger and bigger, replacing every inch of his heart with nothing more than a twisted and suffocating hole.

He did miss his uncles. His missed his Aunt, his mom, his grandparents, his family, his home.

He was thankful to the versions of his masters he had now. He didn’t know what he would do or how he would live if they hadn’t taken him in and allowed him to stay with them. But it never stopped his mind from running off the fact that it didn’t feel like home. No matter how welcoming they were, no matter how hard he tried or how much it should have been fine, he couldn’t get used to it. He couldn’t get himself to fit in.

He couldn’t get himself to feel at home.

They were great, but they weren’t the ones who had raised him, who he would call father in the privacy of his heart and the edges of his smiles.

When he felt fingers caressing the back of his hand with a feather light touch he wasted no time in twisting his hand and scooping them up. Offering Leo’s hand a tight squeeze in thanks, he swallowed past the thick knot in his throat before he finally spoke.

“Yeah. I wish… I wish they were here.”

But they never would be, and although he told himself that it was fine, that he had accepted it, he knew there was only so long he could lie to himself about it.

Feeling Leo’s head resting against his shoulder he allowed himself to once again feel comforted by the weight.

He knew at some point they were going to have to get moving again and finish their search.

For now though, he was more than content standing in the doorway of some back alley with Leo at his side, watching the colours fade as the night took over fully and the memories of his loved ones slowly lapsed into the shelter of his thoughts.

Chapter 20

Notes:

Aaaand here you go! Hope you guys enjoy it! The next chapter is (finally) going to be a little steamy. Hopefully. We'll see how I do. :)

While their search had started off… slow, they had managed to make up for lost time well enough. Not that it seemed to matter however because other than the smallest strips of fabric that Leo had found attached to a rusty rung of one of the fire escapes at their third location, they had shown back up at the tank empty handed each time.

“And what was the thought process behind this?” Leon asked as they were all sitting in the tank and on their way home, his attention on the tiny vial in his hand that Don had reluctantly placed the piece into.

With his mask furrowed in an expression of confusion, he tossed it in the air and caught it all in one smooth move before leaning into the arm of his chair to bring himself closer to Leo’s seat. “Why did this stick out to you of all things?”

Leo swivelled in his seat in lazy half circles, seemingly not hearing Leon at first as he watched Donald swipe through an endless list of information all while the Tank drove itself back to the lair at breakneck speeds.

“Oi, Pitufo.”

Casey snickered a little bit at how quickly Leo snapped his attention towards Leon at the little nickname he’d been dubbed with.

If Leon thought it was funny, he didn’t say, swinging the vial back and forth to draw those bright blue eyes to it before he spoke. “What’s the story behind this?”

Seeing that he was being addressed for mission related information, Leo’s expression shifted into a more serious line, sitting up a little before he spoke.

“The material.”

Even Casey found himself shocked at that one, staring at Leo for a pause before he turned to the little glass container. “The material?” He muttered, arching a brow at it before shifting his eyes over to the smallest mutant. “What about it?”

“It’s high quality.” Leo said, “Found in a low-income area, not something people there would purchase based off the clothing they had on the lines.”

“Sooo, your reason for saying this is important is because you don’t think that the average American citizen could afford it?” Leon scoffed, tossing it and catching it to curl in the palm of his hand, his gaze flat as he leaned his cheek to rest into the fist he had propped up on the other arm of his chair.

When Leo’s expression didn’t budge, Leon gave a roll of his eyes before swinging the tube out to point at the other mutant. “Tell me your classist without telling me your classist.”

If Leo was insulted by the jab, he didn’t show it.

“The material is thick and stiff.” He pressed on, the mild annoyance across Leon’s face not fading but not pushing to stop Leo from talking in the slightest. “I imagine if it came from an article of clothing, it would be the type used to make combat types of uniforms. It looks and feels very similar to a Kevlar, sturdier than the type used in the protective equipment used by motorcyclist. I don’t see a reason the average American citizen would need it.”

Leon hummed, twirling the piece around in his hand, seemingly unable to keep himself from fiddling with it, ending with tapping it against the arm of his chair. “I mean, have you seen the news lately?” He quipped, Leo’s eyes narrowing at him in turn.

It seemed that maybe the little truce Leon had brokered between them wordlessly was over now, at least that’s what Casey thought until he noticed his leader eyeing Leo’s reaction to his words.

When he went to speak again, his tone was slightly calmer, more inquiring than accusing as he tossed a lazy glance at the vial in his hand. “Kinda a far stretch to make from such a small sample don’t cha think?”

“I concur!” They all jumped when Donald chimed in, Casey jolting when he felt hands slam down on the back of his chair. “I would say that the specimen that you found is much to small to be able to make a proper assessment!- With the naked eye.”

When Don snatched it out of his brother’s hand, Leon didn’t so much as flinch, allowing his twin to steal the item. Once it was in his clutches, Don wasted no time in flipping his goggles down, allowing his scanners to break down what it could.

“Shouldn’t…” Moving his eyes over to Leo Casey followed his finger pointed towards the front. “Shouldn’t someone be driving?”

“It’s on autopilot.” Don handwaved. “And would you look at this? Our little box turtle-,”

Leo let out a long sigh, crossing his arms before he interrupted. “Actually, Donnie believed we were more derived from Diamondback turtles with maybe only a small mix of Three Toed Box turtles.”

“Ooh?” Don allowed for the interruption, spinning on Leo with his goggles down to scan over him as he grabbed at his wrist and lifted it up to inspect it, Leo yanking his hand back in the same instant “A mix of terrapin species you say? Bougie.”

But Don didn’t pause for long on that thought, slipping around the back of Leo’s chair and clamping his hands down on a startled Leo’s shoulders. “Anyways, as I was saying- our little mixed breed DimondBox- is right.”

Before Leo could give any impute on that nickname, Don turned back to the vial in his hand, humming as he made his way back to stand in front of his brother.

Flipping his goggles up he handed the vial back to Leon, the leader of their team squinting skeptically at it while Don continued to speak. “From my brief scan I can already tell you that the fibers found in this material are in fact mixed with a certain type of Kevlar as well as another strand of an unidentified source my systems don’t recognize. Which is…” Donald trailed off, pressing his hands together as he gritted his teeth in a far to wide smile. “Fine. I don’t have every fiber coded into my daily gear after all since I need the storage space for much more important things like-,”

“Donnie.” Leon mumbled, hitting his brother with a flat look. “The point.”

The genius made a disgruntled noise, obviously offended by being interrupted from his rant but willing to move on well enough.

“The point,” He echoed crossing his arms over his chest in a huff. “Is that depending on what my lab results can pull up, I more than likely will be able to figure out just which manufacturer produced said garment and from there I would be able to track them though the sales easy enough. After all, ‘follow the money’ is a tried and true dictum that has lasted through the ages for a reason.”  

“Really?” Even Casey found himself impressed with the news. Don being a genius was nothing new, and while he hadn’t even begun to scratch the surface of what he would be able to do in the future, Casey still found himself impressed with every project and tech he had now that he never got to see. “That’s amazing Master Donald.”

He smiled as Don flushed in pride, his chest puffing out as he rolled his shoulders back while he spun to face Casey. The complement pretty much made him glow, and Casey chuckled as he crowed a little bit in smug satisfaction. “Why thank you. It’s nice to know my genius is appreciated by someone.”

“Ugh, Casey please don’t inflate his ego. His head’s already almost to big for his mask.”

“You would know all about inflated egos, wouldn’t you Nardo?” Don bit back, Leon bringing a hand to his chest with a mockingly loud gasp.

“Sir!” He exclaimed. “You wound me!”

Smiling to himself as he sat back and stayed out of the ‘Disaster Twin’ banter- getting in the way of said banter a mistake he only made once- it didn’t take him long for his eyes to drift back over to Leo.

When he caught those blinding skies staring back at him, he could feel his grin growing softer at the corners, risking the chance and hitting Leo with a hidden wink out of the view of the others. While the lightest shade of pink came to Leo’s cheeks, he didn’t duck away in embarrassment, simply shaking his head with a fond edge of exacerbation.

Feeling like that was a good enough sign, Casey couldn’t help the warm feeling in his chest, spinning his chair to be able to keep his eyes on his masters, fearing that if he looked at Leo any longer, he’d give himself away and wouldn’t be able to hide the goofily wide grin that tugged at the corners of his lips.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“Ah! Welcome back my boys!” Splinter shouted from the kitchen as they entered the main part of the lair. “How did it go out there?”

Casey was almost more shocked to see that Splinter was stirring a spoon around a pot then he was to see Ozzie snoring away, wrapped tightly to his back with bright red fabric in a baby sling. He stared for a long moment, suddenly wondering if that was something he used to do with his sons when they were younger.

He held back a snort at the idea of Master Leonardo’s large form strapped to the old man’s back, whining and flailing around his arm and stub.

Tossing a look towards the main entertainment center, the reason as to why their old Master was taking care of dinner was made clear when he caught sight of the two missing brothers on the couch. Raph laid across the entirety of the couch on his stomach, Mikey curled up on his shell and sleeping soundly, all tucked up like a little turtle catloaf. Considering they had been sent to go help fix up the city, he could see why they were wiped out. It did make him wonder if maybe Leon would allow them to take a break tomorrow or if the two would be fine to head out after a good rest.

Figuring Leon wouldn’t push them past their limits for something like that, he didn’t ponder on the thought for long before he watched as Leo broke away from the group.

“It went as it went.” Leon sighed, rolling one of his shoulders and instantly attracting the attention of both Casey and his twin.

His shoulder must have been bothering him again. Glancing over at Donald, Casey could already see him grumbling away to himself, catching the images of a custom made shoulder brace on his screen for all of two seconds before he waved the hologram away and glared at the back of Leon’s head.

Well. Looked liked Sensei would be getting a scolding from Don later about making sure to wear his gear when he was working long hours.

Again…

“Thank you for watching her.” Leo’s gratitude couldn’t have been more sincere as he stepped up to the furry mutant, the only one he was taller than. He watched as Leo made to reach out to pet her head before he froze, slowly bringing his hand back to himself. “I hope she wasn’t to much of a handful for you.”

“She was a complete angel!” Splinter laughed, the sound deep and full. “But I believe that I was the one who turned out to be a handful for her! Haha!”

“Ah yes, the child.”

Leo jumped when Donald popped up on his side, his fingers wiggling as he hovered behind them both.

“You know I would love to-.”

Casey chuckled at the low growl Leo let out, Don leaning away quickly with a scowl of his own. “Yeesh. Still so touchy.” He mumbled before leaning in close as he arched a brow. “Our deal to let me study you is still on the table though I presume?”

Although Leo looked less than enthused by the idea, his shoulders slumping and his face falling flat, he did eventually nod. “Yes.”

“Yesss!”

“But not now hermano.” Leon interrupted, sliding smoothly between the two as his arms fell over their shoulders, Casey catching the wince he tried to hide as he leaned more into his good one but tried to play it off as him just hanging off his brother to bother him. “Right nooow, we should head to your lab and see what kind of yadayada we can get from this little number Pitufo here snagged for us.”

“Pitufo?” Splinter repeated, sounding confused as he looked over his shoulder at all the mutants standing at his back. “Smurfs are real? I thought that was only a TV show.”

“What!?”

“Euugh boy…”

Leo’s shout came out loud and sudden, apparently shocking even himself as his hands slapped over his mouth before he could even finish, his eyes shooting over to Ozzie to make sure he hadn’t woken her. When he saw that she was still snoozing away he spun around to face Leon, his voice a low hiss as he glared.

“Have you been calling me a Smurf this whole time?”

Even though Leo barely reached higher than Leon’s chin, he still pulled off a plenty enough intimidation scowl as he seethed in irritation at his taller counterpart. Leon himself pulled back, his hands held out before him with a nervous smile set across his lips.

“Hey, calm down Little Daddy, it was all in good fun.” He reasoned with a chuckle, stopping his retreat to drop a hand on Leo’s head and give him a few pats. “Besides, it kinda suits don’t cha think? Smurfs are small and blue. You’re small and blue. Sooo, ya know...”

“I am not a Smurf!”

“Boys!”

They both snapped to attention at the yell from Splinter, even Casey winced from flashbacks of his much, much younger self being snapped at in that tone. That was Master Splinters ‘shut up and play nice or get whacked’ voice.

And true to form the wooden spoon he’d been using to stir the pot with rang out with two solid whacks, one for each leader as they let out startled cries.

“Ooow! Pops!”

While Leon whined, rubbing at the fresh red spot on his head, Leo clasped both hands over his injury, his shoulders slumped and looking so confused and defeated he looked more like a miserable wet cat then a battled hardened warrior. Casey found his cheeks puffing up briefly in a poor attempt to stifle his laughter, but neither of them paid him any mind, keeping their attention on the man scolding them.

“You are going to wake up poor little Ozzie with your petty bickering! Either get along or I’m stuffing you both in the ‘get along’ shirt!”

While Leon pulled back with a shutter, Leo just looked confused, but still unwilling to tempt him to follow through with the idea, tipping his head in a bow.

“Sorry Sensei.” He muttered, sounding truly apologetic for his actions. “You’re right, I was overreacting.”

“Sooo,” Leon dragged the word out, leaning into Leo’s space. “We still good on pitufo?”

“No.” Leo didn’t hesitate to shoot down the name, and although Leon gave a heavy roll of his eyes while he crossed his arm, he didn’t interrupt as Leo continued. “I don’t want to be called a Smurf, I don’t care if it’s in Spanish or not.”

“Ugh, you’re no fun.” Leon groaned, before straightening out, his hands on his hips. “Fine. What do you want me to call you? Because Leo just sounds weird for me to say. Feels like I’m becoming Raph yu know? All that speaking in third person and what not? Yaaa, not my thing Little Blue.”

When Leon’s hand hovered towards Leo, mostly likely with the intent to pet his head again, Leo didn’t hesitate to lightly knock it off its target.

Casey didn’t miss the twitch at the corner of Leon’s eye, or the tensing at the corners of his lips, but he seemed to play it off, a tight scoff huffing from his chest as he dropped his hands to cross over his chest.

“Al’ight.” Leon grinned, the expression not the friendliest Casey had ever seen on his Sensei’s face as he hitched forward at the waist and leaned into Leo’s space. “Why don’t you come up with a little nickname for yourself than Blue?” He suggested. “I swear I’ll call ya whatever it is you pick.”

“Hm,” Leo hummed, the edges of his lips twitching upwards in a barely concealed smirk. “What if I want to go by, The Better Blue?”

To that Leon’s dark eyes narrowed, his smile all edges now as they stood nearly face to face. “You just love testing people don’t you?”

“Say’s the guy who’s been calling me a Smurf since I got here.” Leo chimed back, his expression falling flat a second later. “You can call me Ato.”

“Ato?”

Leon wasn’t the only one who seemed shocked by that suggestion, or how fast he came up with it, the twins sharing glances with each other while Splinter arched a thick eyebrow from over his shoulder as he tried a spoonful of whatever dish he was working away on.

“Where do you even come up with something like that?” Donald asked, rubbing his finger under his chin in thought, Leon shifting over to him to give him somewhere to rest his elbow as he worked through it in his mind. “The A and the O are in Leonardo. But where do you get the T from? Does this name stand for anything? Are you just throwing a bunch of-.”

“Oh!” Leon pipped up suddenly, jerking out from under Donnie’s arm, leaving his twin to flail for a little as he pointed at Leo. “Ato!” He repeated, Leo blinking at the finger being shoved in his face. “Ham-ATO! It’s a nickname from Hamato! Ha!”

Was that what it was?

With his answer presumed right, Leon settled back, taking his turn to rest his arm on Donald’s shoulder like it was a countertop. Although the genius looked perturbed for having been dropped so quickly, he did in fact lean his shoulder down to make it easier for Leon to strike a pose.

“Makes sense that you’d default to your family name. Better not to compete with the real deal.”

Casey carefully watched Leo’s expression as Leon carried on, noticing the way that Leo tightened his hold on his arms from where they rested crossed. He then allowed his gaze to move up, catching a brief glimpse of… something swimming deep in those ocean pools, catching the barely visual flinch that twitched at the corners of Leo’s lips.

Deciding to jump into the conversation Casey cleared his throat pointedly. Once he had all their attention he arched a brow at his Leader. “I thought you guys wanted to get to the lab right away?”

Leon’s grin turned sharp, “In a hurry to get rid of us Peque?”

“Not at all Sensei.” Casey corrected, the smile on his face carefully more amused than challenging as he loosely crossed his arms over his chest. “I just thought you wanted to get to the bottom of what happened to all those missing portal creatures as soon as possible.”

The two held each others stares, their expressions friendly, but with the slightest amount of edge. If he was being honest, this wasn’t the first time he was having a staring contest with his Sensei, even if it was his first time having it with his younger counterpart.

Let’s just say, Leon hadn’t developed Master Leonardo’s ability to make him flinch just yet.

With a huff, Leon pulled back, rolling his head to face his brother who had been patiently waiting for him.

“Whada think Dee, should we get to work?”

Although Donald gave out an annoyed click of his tongue, he only spared a quick glance at his vambrace before turning back to the nuisance hanging off his shoulder. “Whenever you’re ready dear brother. After all, I wasn’t the one holding us up with all this talk of nicknames and what such nonsense.”

As he stepped out from under Leon’s weight, uncaring of how fast the Slider lost his balance and windmilled his arms all the way to the ground, he turned another look to their father.

“May I request getting a plate sent to my lab? Once I set everything up for the scans it’s going to take awhile for it to search the data base for every material known to man so I want to start seeing if there’s anything I can do to find the right dimension for our little traveling friend.”

Although Casey couldn’t help the small sigh that escaped from him as his shoulders sagged, unfairly disappointed with the idea of Leo being able to go home so soon, he found himself confused when he tossed a look over at Leo.

Because Leo didn’t look as thrilled as Casey would have assumed he should have been. He looked almost… deeply petrified at the idea of being able to return home to his brothers.

The look didn’t last long once he caught Casey watching him, quickly shifting into a small, tense smile before he turned back to Donald.

“Oh.” Leo chirped, his previous slip up swept under the rug as he spun around to face Donald, Casey’s eyes trailing down to watch the cute little wag his tail gave, trying not to be as distracted by the little action as he was. “Do you think I can join you?”

“No.”

The blunt response didn’t seem to be what Leo was expecting, his whole form falling still as Don made sure to snatch up Leon on his way past, his eyes already on his holoscreen and not the disappointed mutant left behind.

“You’re not allowed to step in my lab unless it’s for the explicit purpose of running some tests until I say otherwise.”

“O-okay...”

Tisking gently at his clear and ignored disappointed, Casey made his way up to him, gently nudging him with his shoulder. When Leo lifted those sad blue eyes to his, he offered him a small smile. “Don’t worry, the second he finds anything, he’ll let you know. So you don’t have to worry about being left in the dark.”

“But what if I’m sleeping? Or what if-?”

“Trust me.” Landing a heavy hand on Leo’s shoulders, Casey made sure their eyes were locked before they continued. “It doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing- he will knock down your door and let you know what he’s uncovered.”

A habit Casey had been on the end of countless times before. One moment he would be sleeping away peacefully in a cot set up against the opposite side of his Sensei’s- and the next he would find himself shooting up, already grabbing for his weapon only to hear Master Donatello rambling on about something he’d found.

Leo’s mask furrowed as his ridges shifted in confusion, his eyes shifting from Casey to watch Donald and Leon walking further away. There was a small flash in his eyes that made Casey wonder if he was going to have to grab him to stop him from following the two, but then Leo sighed and settled back.

“Okay, if you say so, I trust you.”

When Leo leaned into Casey’s hold, placing a hand over the one Casey’s had on his shoulder, he could feel his heart melting a little bit.

The touch didn’t last for long, but even when Leo pulled away and Casey in turn removed his hold, he could still feel the warmth burning against his skin. He didn’t bother hiding the smile on his lips, even if it didn’t go notice by Leo when he turned back to Splinter.

“Would you like me to take Ozzie back?”

Splinter laughed at that, his whole body shaking with his amusement. “Not at all! She is soundly sleeping. But if you boys aren’t doing anything, maybe you could set the table.”

“Of course, Sensei.” Leo said instantly, bowing deeply. “We’ll get on that right away.”

Seeing as how Leo had pretty much agreed on both of their halves- not that he would have said no of course- Casey started in the direction of where the plates were, cradling an arm around Leo’s waist loosely as he passed by and softly dragging him with him to the other side of the kitchen.

He snickered at the little squeak the action got him, sneaking a quick nuzzle against Leo’s cheek, enjoying how warm it got before he pulled back and let him go. Leo let out a chittering noise, Casey responding with an amused chirp of his own while he got the plates out of the cupboard.

“So…” He dragged the word out, stealing a glance at Leo from the corner of his eye before he continued. “Should I start calling you Ato now? Or-?”

“Leo.” He jumped in quickly, grabbing the plates from Casey’s hands, not meeting his gaze but keeping a firm expression over his features as he corrected him. “Please. Just- Just keep calling me Leo.”

Pausing at the slight manic edge, at the desperation lacing his words, Casey felt his brows furrowing at the tight line pressed over Leo’s lips seconds before he turned away.

Catching a finger in the worn leather of his belt Casey tugged him back.

“Mi Azuel…”

Leo didn’t turn to face him, but Casey could see the tension in his shoulder at his words.

“I swear if you’re calling me another word for smurf or anything along those lines…”

With a huff of a chuckle, Casey walked forward, switching his hold on the belt to drag his hand up the back of the tough shell, humming deeply as he dipped it between the separation of Leo’s neck and carapace, his gaze half lidded as he watched the other try to hold back the shiver it must have sent through him.

“Mi Azuel,” He mumbled low, knowing how well Splinter’s ears worked even from the other side of the kitchen. “Means, ‘my blue’.” He explained, easily taking the dished off Leo’s hands and placing them on the counter, his lips quirking upwards at the intensity in the other’s eyes as those pretty gems finally turned up to him.

Separating himself from Leo as he moved to lean against the counter in front of him, he allowed the ease in his form to drop some, really giving Leo’s cute little face a once over and checking for the slightest dips in his expression.

“Are you okay though?” He asked, easily catching the way Leo’s fingers curled into tight fists. “Because if you don’t like Ato, we can get them to call you something else.”

“No.” His suggestion was shot down barely before Casey could finish getting the words out of his mouth, Leo shaking his head firmly. “No. Leo’s- Leon’s right. He’s the original here. It makes sense he keeps the name. His brothers… It would be confusing to try and call us both ‘Leo’. Ato is fine.”

“But you want me to keep calling you Leo?”

“Yes.”

Although Casey had intended for his tone to be more playful, the almost pleading way Leo agreed, looking up at him with those big blue eyes…

This distress in not only his voice, but written all over his face, basically vibrating through him in a soundless cry-

Casey shoved himself away from the counter, almost unaware of what he was doing until he found his arms wrapping around the smaller mutant. Something in him wanting- needing, to be close. A primal part of him hissing at the fact that the other was so upset, phantom teeth snapping like hungry jaws pulsing in his chest with the need to eliminate whatever it was that was making Leo so distraught.

At the heavy gloom suffocating the one in his arms Casey let out a series of comforting chirps, tucking Leo under his chin and holding him close. His soothing actions a far cry from the burning fury coiling inside him that was growling with want to protect the one shielded in his arms.

I’m here. You’re okay. I got you.

Leo gave a small chirp back, tilting his head up to press his snout against the bottom of Casey’s jaw before pulling back.

He really, really didn’t want to let him go, more then happy with the idea of keeping him close, but when Leo stepped away, Casey let his hands fall, checking the others expression once more. Seeing the calmer look over the mutant’s face now, he felt at least a little bit better, the unrest swirling in his chest placated by the tiniest smile across Leo’s lips.

“Thanks Jonesy.”

“Do you want to talk-?”

“No.” Again Leo shot him down, but his smile was soft this time, and Casey found himself being surprised when Leo leaned into his space, feeling the gentle brush of lips over his cheek not even a second later. “But thank you.’

It was the tiniest of actions, but it still fried his brain.

As if his IQ had taken a nosedive into the single digits, Casey just stood there. To his embarrassment, Leo snickered at him, picking up the plates off the counter and getting back to the task he’d been assigned. With Leo out of his direct sight, it felt like Casey could get his thoughts back in order, his whole body jolting back into work mode as he snapped his head around to watch as Leo set to work on placing down each dish around the table carefully.

Maybe it was time he actually got to work too.

With Leo attending to the plates, Casey decided to go for the silverware.

With the snores of the sunset duo sleeping soundlessly on the couch in the living room, and the midnight twins busying themselves with finding out information on the small amount of samples they found today, with Splinter humming away to himself as he continued to cook with Ozzie wrapped to his back, the lair was oddly at peace.

Standing across the table from Leo, Casey lifted his head up, both of them sharing a contented smile as Leo finished up with his plates and Casey put down the knives and forks, only turning back to his own work when Leo moved on to his next task. He wasn’t expecting the hand that dragged over his forearm as Leo passed, and he found his smile growing as he shared a quick side eyed smirk with the other before Leo was out of his sights again.

As he rounded the table to set up the other side, Casey found that a part of him was secretly tucking away the fact that he could get used to this.

Chapter 21

Notes:

Holy shit! I finally came up with a draft I didn't hate! I hope you guys like it! Have a nice little chat with Leon and Casey! :D

“Master Donald? Sensei?” Casey gave a courteous knock to the door as he stepped into the lab. “I brought you your plates.”

The two were easy enough to spot, stationed in front of the large monitors that he and Leo had been in front of just a short while ago. Donald didn’t look back at him, his attention completely captured by the mass amount of information scrolling at a dizzying pace over the screen. Leon on the other hand did. Standing just off to the side of his brother’s chair, he twisted himself to face Casey, yet there was no smile across his lips as he spotted the food in his hand.

“Thanks Junior.” He mumbled, before turning back to the screen, his hands locked tightly against his biceps in a stiff cross of arms. “You can put it on the desk.”

Knowing that there was no way that Leon was talking about placing them on Donald’s desk, Casey crossed the small space and placed it on the one Leon had set up ever since he’d taken over the role of leader properly.

With that done he took a few steps towards where the two were, squinting at the bright lights of the screen, trying to figure out just what it was they were looking at.

“What have you found so far?”

Leon didn’t make a sound, his eyes narrowing at the screen while Don sucked in a sharp breath. “Nothing great.” The genius muttered. “Not great at all actually. Turns out your little diamondbox miiiight be stuck here for a little while.”

His little diamondbox? He wondered if Leo would get annoyed or pleased at hearing the title. Casey himself knew that he didn’t mind it at all, an almost silent churr rolling out of him at the thought of Leo actually enjoying being addressed as such.

He was so distracted by the first part of Donald’s sentence, that the second part almost went completely over his head. When it finally landed, he had to bit down on his lip  to keep himself from smiling. As bad as he felt about it, Casey couldn’t help the little jump his heart gave to the news.

Leo might be stuck here for awhile? Sooo, they could hang out for awhile longer?

“Oh no.” Casey mumbled, bringing his hand up to rub at the lower half of his face in a bad attempt to cover the slightest twitch of his lips. “That sucks.”

“Try not to sound so heartbroken about it Peque.”

Understanding now why Leon looked a little huffy, Casey cupped his hand around his mouth, giving himself a second to tamper down his smile before he dropped it back to his side. Knowing that he was being watched he gave a small shrug of his shoulders, before loosely crossing his arms.

“Well, I enjoy his company, and Donald will figure out how to get him home eventually. I don’t see a problem with him sticking around a little longer.”

“Em hm,” Leon hummed, patting the back of his brother’s chair. “I’ll be right back DonTron. Junior, can you come with me please?”

As Leon passed behind him, walking into the deeper parts of the lab, Casey breathed out a long exhale, but he still dropped his arms and followed after his leader anyways.

He had a feeling he already knew what this was going to be about.

Nearing the back part of the lab, Casey’s nose twitched at the sight of the wire collection he was going to have to try and detangle at some point. He wasn’t looking forward to that.

When Leon stopped at the back wall, Casey already found his eyes darting around, easily spying the camera in the corner.

What he wasn’t expecting was for the little red light to flicker off, the lens dropping to point at the floor, by all intentions, looking completely dead.

Had Don… turned off the cameras?

“Okay.” At the sound of Leon’s voice, Casey turned back to him, watching as his Sensei spun on his heels, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall all in one fluid motion. He tried not to, but in his mind it looked like Leon was taking up a villain type pose and he still couldn’t help but want to snicker at the position the other had taken, reminding Casey of all of the shady characters in those cartoons that Miguel liked to watch.

It was more the rare stoic look set across his features however that kept him from making a joke out of it. Seeing the situation for what it was, he stopped a few paces away from the other and got ready for whatever it was that he was about to be scolded for.

“We need to talk.”

“Kind of figured that’s why you asked me to follow you.” He mumbled, a pang echoing in his chest at the sudden reminder of the last time he’d heard those words from his Sensei and ended up in a similar situation.

Master Leonardo never liked to scold someone in public, not unless he truly lost his temper and wasn’t thinking clearly. If he had an issue with anyone or saw a behaviour that needed to be corrected, he would always try to find a way to pull them aside and speak with them privately.

The first time he’d done so with Casey was shortly after his mom had… He’d become a terror around their base. Lashing out in pretty much any way he could and taking out his pain on everyone around him.

Master Leonardo had pulled him aside, quite literally since Casey hadn’t wanted to go with him anywhere, and they’d had a talk.

And another.

And another.

And as many times as Casey needed until he finally broke and accepted the help his Da- Master, was trying to give.

Taking in a deep breath, he let out it, forcing himself to relax.

“Can I just say that I know what you’re going to say?”

“Do you?” Leon asked, arching a ridge as he tilted his chin up. “Well then, why don’t you tell me mi Peque?”

Giving a click of his tongue Casey waved his hand, his eyes darting over to pause on the camera, seeing it was still off, wondering if that was true or not.

“You don’t like Leo, you think he’s bad, I shouldn’t get attached, he needs to go home.” Casey counted off. “What did I miss?”

“That he has a family.”

Snapping his mouth shut Casey found a blooming of shame growing in his chest. Slowly, he returned his attention to his leader, his lips pressed thin at the sight of the flat stare he was met with.

“You also forgot about Ozzie.” Leon added, pushing himself away from the wall, closing the distance between the two, his hand coming to rest on Casey’s shoulder. “She was also pulled away from her family, and if what Ato’s said about how he just ended up here, that probably means that she also got zapped out of nowhere and her parents must be going crazy worrying about her.”

A plight that Casey could sympathize with and one that only made him feel worse to have ignored.

There had been plenty of times in his life where those he was close with just vanished into this air. Or more likely, were vaporized. Their bodies were never found, so no one could really be sure, but it was a well known fact that if someone went missing for more then twenty hours, they were likely to never be seen again.

He’d been the witness to see just how it destroyed someone too. When Auntie Sunita went missing, Aunt April just… well, she was never the same after that.

Granted, Leo and Ozzie hadn’t been wiped off the face of the earth. They weren’t dead or dying. They were safe and currently Ozzie was even snuggled up in his bed again getting a good nights sleep.

But it’s not like her family knew that.

For all they knew, both their leader and their daughter had just disappeared and were in the middle of some hellscape.

A squeeze at his shoulder brought him back, his dark eyes lifting to ones that mirrored his own so perfectly.

“Look. I get that you… like the guy.” Leon said, not seeming to be able to keep the slightest hint of scepticism out of his voice at his choice. “And why I don’t understand why I just… I don’t want you to get to attached to someone who’s going to have to leave.”

At that, Casey couldn’t help the small scoff he let out, but he didn’t shake the hand from his shoulder. “With all due respect Sensei,” He did however grab at the back of Leon’s hand, gently removing it from his shoulder before he continued. “That’s been my whole life.”

Neither of them said anything.

The look that sat across Leon’s face was hard to read, but he didn’t push further, maybe even waiting for Casey to continue.

So, he did.

“I get where you’re coming from.” And he did. He really did. “And I appreciate what you’re trying to say but, where I come from, you learn to take the opportunities that fall into your lap.”

“Or perch there.”

It was a struggle, but Casey tried not to allow himself to become distracted by the thought of Leo perched in his lap. All hard lines and strength, sweet and soft under his touch, politely asking for-

Shaking his head he tried to stay on point.

“Besides, maybe he’ll end up sticking around for a while even after Master Donald figures it out.”

“¿No escuchas? He has a family, Casey.”

“Si,” Casey agreed. “One that sounds like they’ve gone their separate ways. But you must have picked that up already.”

From the tightening corners of Leon’s mouth, Casey could tell that he had.

“And it sounds like he spends a lot of time away from home anyways. What’s the difference if he spends his time here of there?”

“He doesn’t belong here Casey. This isn’t his world.”

“It’s not mine either.”

Leon fell quiet, his eyes widening at the sharp bite to his voice.

Surprised by the level of aggression lacing his words Casey jerked back.

How could he have said that? To Leon of all mutants? The one who had given him a home, a family in a sense. Yet here he was, spitting it in his face like all their hospitality didn’t mean anything.

Cupping his hand over his mouth he turned to the side, needing to add some space between them to get his head together.

He really hadn’t meant to say that.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t…”

“Didn’t what?” Leon mumbled, neither of the looking at each other. “Didn’t mean to say it out loud?”  

He swallowed hard, knowing he had no defense to the callout.

“Sensei…”

“Can you- can you not call me that?”

Glancing over at him Casey felt his heart being squeezed in his chest. Leon was pretty much curled in on himself, his arms crossed, his hands clenched and his shoulders hunched up so high it almost looked like he was trying to tuck himself into his shell.

He still wasn’t looking at Casey, his eyes darting everywhere but stubbornly staying off the one standing before him.

“I just… I’m, I’m not a sensei. I’m- I’m barely a student, but somehow I’m now a leader and it’s just… Every time I hear it I just- I-,” He couldn’t seem to finish, tripping over his words, bringing a hand up to chew deeply against his nailbed.

Not sure what to say, not sure if there was anything he could say that would help, Casey stood to the side, eventually saying the only words he could think of.

“I’m sorry, I… I didn’t know it upset you.”

Leon’s scoff was dry, devoid of its normal verbose personality, his voice tight when he spoke. “Upset me? Why would it do that?” Now his hands were out at his sides, making a big gesture as if he was banishing shadows from whispering in his ears. “Why would I have a problem with being labelled with a title that I didn’t earn? One that I’ll probably never earn or live up to because how am I supposed to be the guy who led a rebel army and forced children to kill at a young age? And celebrated it of all things?”

Casey winced at that, pressing his lips firmly to keep himself from jumping to his Master’s defense.

It’s not like Master Leonardo wanted to send kids into battle, it was just the way things worked. He hadn’t thought that Leon would be so appalled by it, but he suppose he should have known better. They might have shared the same name, the same DNA, but the two were nothing alike.

But now Leon was breathing hard, pacing back and forth in tight little circles, his hands clawing at the air at his sides with a sort of restless energy about him.

“I can’t even find creatures that got portalled here that Donnie can track. It should have been the easiest thing in the world. It shouldn’t have even happened in the first place! Or- or at least I should have- I should have had some sort of plan for if it did! So that when it happened I could have been ready for it!”

He didn’t say a word, keeping a careful eye on his leader, wondering if he even remembered that Casey was here at all.

If Leon did, he didn’t bother facing his audience, his hands running over his head now, down to his neck and then squeezing at his shoulders before moving back up. Again and again. Over and over.

“I can’t even lead my brothers properly without them getting hurt. I can’t figure out what’s going on and now I’ve got this- this-, this other me!- who’s nothing like me but who- who just, he just- he doesn’t listen and he thinks he knows what’s best and it’s so frustrating because sometimes he has good ideas that I haven’t thought about and he’s got more experience than I do. But he’s also impulsive and tramples all over any rules I try to put down and yet- and yet-!”

Seeing how he was stumbling, skipping like a record, stuck with the words locked just behind his teeth, Casey decided to press just a little bit, “and what, Leo?”

“And yet you just follow him so easily!”

Casey wasn’t expecting to be turned on, jarring back when Leon spun on him, letting out a small grunt when he was shoved back.

“You look at him like he’s some great hero or something! Like he’s- like he’s- I don’t know! Like he’s the Leo you wish you had instead of getting stuck with me!”  

The lab fell quiet.

It was only the deep pants hissing from between Leon’s teeth that added any other sound to ease the deafening silents that had hit them both. It was only the thick swallow Casey tried to use to sooth his suddenly dry throat that offered any relief to the silence now suffocating them both.

Is that… is that how Leon really felt? Had he really been making him feel that way by how easily he and Leo just seemed to… fit together?

Wetting his lips Casey’s voice was almost a whisper when he spoke. “Se- Leo, I- I didn’t get stuck with you.”

“Bull. Shit.” Leon’s voice was a low hiss of a thing, tampering off into an almost manic snicker. “If you had a choice, you’d follow him anywhere. You’d probably even trade me out for the future me in a heartbeat.”

The words hit him like a slap to the face, catching him completely off guard, because, where had that come from? Weren’t they just talking about Leo?

Straightening out, the softness in Casey’s features shifted. “That’s a cruel thing to say.”

“Why? Because it’s true?”

“Because he was my father.” Casey pressed, voice tight. “So of course if I could get him back, if I could get any of them back, I’d-.”

His voice died.

His vision grew blurry.

Gritting his teeth Casey turned away.

Sucking in a sharp breath he tried to ignore the painful ache consuming his chest, the place where he was sure his heart was supposed to be but right now it felt like nothing more than an empty space trying to consume him whole from the inside out. His throat burned, the muscles tight and aching, feeling like they were being stretched to their limits by a lump he couldn’t seem to breath through.

Pressing his fingers to his eyes he squeezed them shut, fighting to keep the tears at bay, refusing to allow them to fall as his body stood ridged and unmoveable, wrapped around himself in the cold, cluttered space of the past counterpart of a great mutant he’d had the honor to call Uncle once upon a time.

“Casey?” Leon’s voice drifted towards him, and Casey slid his hand heavily down his face to clamp down over his mouth, almost afraid of what he might say if he wasn’t careful. He still kept his back to the other, but he could hear the slow shuffle of him moving closer. “I- I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-.”

“It’s fine.”

He wanted to curse at the low rasp his own voice came out with. Instead, he took a deep breath, lifting both his hands up to drag through his hair as a sort of self soothing gesture before he dropped them along with forcing out a deep breath.

Once he felt like he had a better handle on himself, only then did he turn back to face his leader.

And his heart snapped the second he saw the other draw back, curling in on himself once more and just looking so small and so unsure.

Letting out a sigh Casey walked up, closing the distance between them and embraced the one who would never grow up to be his father.

He could feel Leon going tense in his hold, his hands stuck out by his sides like he didn’t know what to do or even how to react to such a universal gesture. Casey didn’t let him go though, holding him tighter and eventually, Leon relaxed and hugged him back.

“I do miss my dad, and if there was any way I could get him back, I would anything to make it happen,” As he spoke, he slowly let go, sliding his hands up to grab at Leon’s face, making sure that he was looking at him, that he was hearing him, before he continued. “Anything but trade you for who you are now for who he was then.”

He watched the mist filling Leon’s eyes, pools that he refused to let fall. Watched as his chin quivered, before he held his jaw tight, so tight in fact that Casey could see the muscles feathering from the tension.

“You don’t have to be him Leo, and you’re never going to be him, and that’s okay.”

Leon let out a bitter, wet laugh, trying to pull himself out of Casey’s hold.

“He was the greatest ninja you ever knew. He was the leader of the apocalypse. He kept everyone alive for as long as he could and then sent you back to fix my mistake.”

“It was his mistake too.” Casey pointed out. “And he was a great man, but he wasn’t a flawless one.” Casey chuckled, wiping away a stray tear from a green cheek with his thumb when it fell. “And you don’t have to be either. You’re allowed to make mistakes. You’re allowed to not know what to do in situations you’ve never dealt with before. You’re still young, you’re allowed to be you. You don’t need to be him. Not for me, not for anyone.”

He chuckled as Leon sucked in a sniffle, pulling him back in for a hug, rubbing a soothing hand up and down his shell softly as he spoke. “And you know you don’t have to try and look out for me like a dad either.” He continued, feeling the tight grip Leon was digging into his shoulders with his own hold.

Which was something he’d been meaning to have a conversation with him about. With all of them actually.

Because he knew sometimes they froze when it came to interacting with him. It had been especially bad when he’d first gotten here, and they had to show him everything. He was treated like a child, and then the more stories he told them about how they had raised him and how they were like his uncles… Maybe it hadn’t been the best idea.

Pulling back, he finally let his hands fall to his sides, smiling softly but politely not mentioning how Leon was quick to wipe his eyes.

“We can just be friends; you don’t have to feel like you’re responsible for me. I’m the adult here after all, and I can look out for myself.”

“Ugh, I know, I know.” Leon muttered, taking in another large sniffle as he dragged the heel of his palms across his eyes, blinking rapidly to clear his vision before turning to Casey with a small pout, “But when it comes to you just blindly following that other guy-,”

“He’s cute.” His face went absolutely beat red as he blurted it out, but he didn’t take it back, overlooking the slack jawed looked Leon was hitting him with as he scrambled to go on. “And he’s my age and he’s a good fighter and he’s lost his loved ones, and he’s fought and killed and is still fighting now even though it sounds like his brothers have left it behind long ago and he’s really sweet when you let him be and he’s stubborn and doesn’t like to admit that he needs help sometimes and-,”

“Yeah okay,” Casey’s rant was cut off when Leon’s hand slapped over his mouth, “I get it. You got a thing for emotionally detached cinnamon bun looking killers with family issues and a rap sheet, and it makes your brain stupid.”

Giving a small roll of his eyes Casey removed Leon’s hand frowning slightly at the grouchy expression being shot back at him.

“Sen- Nardo-,”

“Ooo, Donnie Boys not gonna like it if he hears you stealing that nickname.”

“-I know I didn’t help with him disobeying you at the beginning, but you have to admit you haven’t really been helping to ease the tension between you two either.” Casey pointed out, to which Leon only huffed at. “He’d be a lot nicer to you if you weren’t asking him invasive questions and trying to get under his skin every two seconds.”

“When have I-?”

“Really?” Casey didn’t even let him finish, crossing his arms and arching a brow, watching the quick way that Leon snapped his mouth shut.

“Ehuo.” Wagging a finger with no points to wag them to, Leon eventually crossed his arms in a similar stance to Casey’s. “I still say there’s something he’s not telling us.” He muttered, “something big that he doesn’t want to admit to. There’s just… there’s something… off.”

“Well yeah.” Casey agreed easily. “There’s probably a lot he hasn’t told us, but why should he? He doesn’t know us.”

Leon opened his mouth to protest, couldn’t seem to come up with anything, and closed it again.

“Give the guy a chance Leo.” Casey chuckled. “A real chance. Who knows, maybe you guys would get along. Maybe instead of picking at his bring for weaknesses, you can study his strengths and incorporate them into something you can use.”

“What could he possibly have to teach me?” Leon mumbled, kicking at the spotless ground as if Donald would ever let a spec of dust collect in his lab, even in the darkest corners. “From the sounds of it, not even his own family follows him.”

With a shrug, Casey hummed. “Maybe they decided they didn’t want to fight anymore.” He pointed out, Leon looking up at him even with his head still tilted at the ground. “Some people get tired of fighting. For others, it’s all they live for.”

For a pause, neither of them spoke. Then, Leon tilted his head back up, his eyes curious and searching as he stared into the deep pools of Casey’s own darkly coloured orbs.

“And which one are you?”

Smile small and thin, Casey ignored the question and instead placed a hand on his shoulder. “Please try to get along with him? If he starts anything with you going forward, I’ll do what I can to reel him back, but maybe just lay off the guy a bit? Kind of like how you did today, after you found out about his dad?”

To that Leon’s eyes darted away, his fingers twisting around themselves. “I… I wouldn’t have pushed if I’d known.”

Giving his shoulder a solid squeeze Casey sighed. “I know.”

It took a second longer for Leon to look back at him, a small breath escaping him before he finally gave the tiniest nods of his head.

“Okay. I’ll… I’ll try to get along with him a little better.”

“Thank you.”

Leon’s smile was small, but real, as he accepted Casey’s thanks.

With the conversation done, they both started to make their way back to the main part of the lab, Casey feeling far lighter walking out than he had in a long time.

Chapter 22

Notes:

Bwaha! Sorry this took so long to get to you guys! But I finally finished it!
I will say;
this story is RATED M for a reason. Part of that reason is this chapter. If you don't want to read about heavy make out sessions and wandering hands, pretty much skip after Leo joins Casey.

Growing up in an apocalypse didn’t allow one to trust sleeping very deeply. Which is why just the feeling of something being...off had Casey’s eyes popping open to stare into the darkness.

Without getting up he rolled soundlessly off the couch, landing low on his feet and plucking up his weapon while sliding a blade out of his night belt. Peering over the top of the couch, he scanned the space for what it could possibly be.

His eyes landed on a shadow that shifted just the slightest bit by Don’s lab door, and he moved towards it without another moment of hesitation.

As he drew closer on soundless steps the shadow grew shape and form till eventually, he could make out-

Leo?

Casey darted behind one of the many pillars that helped to support the ceiling from dropping all of New York down on them. He didn’t even mean to do it, his body acting on instinct when Leo made a move to scan his surroundings before he-

The soft knock that reached his ears surprised him, possibly more than it should have. In his mind, he’d just assumed that Leo was going to try to break in again, a feat that wouldn’t have worked out well for him considering that Donald and Leon were no doubt still awake and would have caught him the second he entered the door. A small swirl of guilt shifted in his gut at his own thoughts, only weighing down heavier on him as he watched Leo patiently waiting for his knock to be answered.

An answer that came just as Casey rolled behind another pillar, close enough to hear the softly surprised greeting that Leon gave to his late-night visitor.

“Oh? Well, lookie who it is. If it isn’t Pi- uh, Ato. Knocking instead of a B&E? Are we living in the Upsidedown or what?”

“Sensei…” Casey almost wanted to call him out for the near slip up, but knew he didn’t have a leg to stand on as he’d also just uttered a title he’d been asked not to use. Some habits were hard to break it seemed and Casey wasn’t enough of a hypocrite to call Leon out for almost fumbling it.

“I… don’t know what that is.” Leo admitted, and Casey could hear the clear confusion in his voice that was quick enough to be dropped as he continued. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you; I was just wondering if I could talk to your brother? I figured he kept the same sleep schedule as… my worlds Donatello.”

“If by that you mean he lives off caffeine and manic mad scientist energy you would be right.” Leon sighed, rolling his head back to glancing into the lab, no doubt at the mad scientist he was talking about. “It’s like he thinks he can program his body not to sleep!” From the level of his voice, it was clear that the comment wasn’t meant for Leo, but for the one tucked away deeper in the lab.

“Sleep can wait for death!” Came the shouted response, and if they weren’t a fair distance from the bedroom quarters, Casey would have worried about them possibly waking up the others. “I need answers!”

“Yahuh.”

Feeling slightly like a creep as he carefully peered around the pillar to watch the interaction, but not enough of one to stop, Casey watched as Leon shifted a brow ridge at the one standing before him. “Soooo, he’s in hyperfix mode right now, probably not gonna be much of a help to ya.” Leon admitted, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe. “What can I help ya out with Blueberry?”

Blueberry? Aw. That was actually kind of cute. Casey wondered if Leon would mind if he stole that to use from time to time.

But if Leo had been fine with asking Donnie, apparently that didn’t extend to his twin. Instead of answering Leo pulled back a step, already shaking his head before he’d opened his mouth. “It’s nothing. Have a good rest of your night. Sorry for-,”

“Hey wait.”

It felt slightly voyeuristic, watching as Leon placed a hand on Leo’s shoulder, observing the way that Leo tensed but did, slowly turn back to him. He shouldn’t be watching this, or at the very least he should have let them know he was awake and watching, but he couldn’t move, couldn’t find it in himself to interrupt whatever was going on between them as Leon let out a small sigh.

“It hurts, doesn’t it.”

He could see the tension in Leo’s shoulders, the way his whole form seemed to go ridged.

“I don’t know what you’re-,”

“You’re leg.” Leon bulldozed right over the poor deflection, Casey’s own eyes dropping to examine Leo’s legs.

Correcting himself when he found his eyes… drifting, Casey refocused his attention on the weight shift in the other’s stance, on how Leo was ever so discreetly keeping the pressure off his one leg without trying to draw attention to it.

“Braces work wonders, but if you leave them on to long…” Leon finished his sentence with a small shrug, angling his body back towards the lab as he jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I know where he keeps the controls if you wanna take it off for the night, maybe try massaging it too just a little before bed. I’ve got this great little handheld massager that Dontron made me. It’s even got a feature for heat which feels like a godsend on rough nights if you’d like to borrow it.”

Although Leo looked politely surprised at the offer, Casey couldn’t hep but smile. It looked like Leon was going to keep to his word, not antagonizing the misplaced leader and instead offering him a sincere suggestion to help ease his pain.

If he kept this up, maybe they could actually be pretty good friends.

“I…” Leo didn’t rush to respond, still keeping himself a little over an arms length away from the opening and only balancing his weight further back.

Leon smiled at his hesitation though, stepping aside completely from the door as he waved one hand inside. “Come on amigo. I don’t bite… Well, I don’t bite much. I do have to warn you though I can be pretty competitive, and I will do what needs to be done to win.”

Flashing back to just a few months ago when Casey had sat on the sidelines with April and his mom to watch a new lair games, he could still remember the fuss Donald had kicked up about the little tooth imprints on his leg. Terrified of catching some unknown diseases, Don had hauled himself up in his lab for a solid twenty-four hours, running each and every test he could think of.

Huffing out a breath of laughter Casey could feel his chest grow light as Leo sighed but stepped forward.

Hopefully, that wouldn’t go poorly and the two would actually talk for once. He really wanted them to get along, and not just because it made being around them easier but, well, he cared for both of them honestly, in different way of course, but he’d like for them to be comfortable enough around each other that they didn’t feel tense, that they didn’t feel threatened. Who knows how long it would take them all to figure out how to get Leo and Ozzie home. The last thing he wanted for either of them was to feel like they couldn’t breathe in a space where they were supposed to find rest.

As tempting of a thought as it was to sneak after them and find out what they might end up talking about, Casey knew he’d never make it passed the door without Donald realizing and shoving him back out.

He also wouldn’t do it because it would be a massive invasion to their privacy. Obviously. That was the main reason and not just because he couldn’t figure out how to do it without getting caught.

…

Anyways.

Sinking back into the shadows, Casey made his way back to the couch, wondering if he should even bother pretending to sleep when Leo came out or if it might be a better idea to stay up and wait for him.

They might be able to talk. Without anyone else around and without having to worry about Ozzie, they could possibly… have a… calm moment finally.

Face flushing at the thought, Casey felt a stupidly large grin coming to his lips that he tried to tamper down and than just hid behind his hand when that proved to be useless.

There wasn’t really a reason for him to be feeling the excited flitter in his chest. Leo was probably tired. He’d probably want to go straight to bed and just see Casey in the morning with the rest of them. There wasn’t an apocalypse anymore, there wasn’t a need to rush through every moment like they might not have another chance to experience it if they didn’t.

It would be nice though, and it haaaad been a bit of a while since he’d last…

Apparently, he’d underestimated just how busy a post apocalypse that never really got to be an apocalypse would be to clean up after. Leon had kept him and the Mad Dogz running off their feet for months, and even when they weren’t focused on that, he never got much of a moment alone with how much everyone constantly wanted to show him things.

Not that he was complaining, far from it, he loved learning all about the world that his masters had always spoken so fondly of and he loved getting to see his mom and hangout with his grandparents and visit his Aunt.

Buuut, well, he was still a young man, and it had been… a while, since he’d ever waited this long to take care of certain… urges. He didn’t even have time to take care of himself because whenever he was ready to wind down for the night, he was either out like a light by the time his head hit the pillow, or his mind was in too much of a whirlwind from the day’s events to get himself into the mood.

He wondered if the same thing happened to Leo.

He seemed like a pretty busy guy too, and it wouldn’t surprise Casey at all if it had been a while for him as well.

Then again though, he was also a highly attractive guy and spent most of his time off earth and fighting battles in space. Casey knew how military like systems worked. Small quarters with a lot of high energy, fit, and adrenaline pumped adults? He wouldn’t be surprised if Leo found it all to easy to take care of any needs he needed to with a snap of his fingers.

As much as he tried not to, he couldn’t help his mind from wondering just who it might have been that Leo found attractive out there in the vastness of space.

Casey had never really met any other aliens outside of the Kraang, well, other than Ozzie too he guessed, so the only two types of aliens he knew were the large, murder driven tentacle aliens, or blue lizards. Without any other images of what the Salamandrian looked like outside of Ozzie it felt… gross, to think of Leo with anyone like that. Not that it got much better to think of him with one of the Kraang. All slimy limbs and superior condescension. He couldn’t imagine how Kraangs would even mate with one another let alone another person, and he didn’t give it much thought before banishing it from his mind forever with a shutter.

With the alien type angle brought to a dead end, he couldn’t help but wonder what his taste in humans was.

Now, he had mentioned how he’d dated his worlds Casey, and how they looked similar but also not enough that they could be mistaken for one another at all. Did that mean that Leo had a thing for guys with dark hair and dark eyes? Or was it the fact that they were both fighters? Or, at least he assumed Leo’s world Casey had to be a fighter, his mom was a fighter after all, a damn good one too, even in her younger years, and Casey himself had been brought up with a weapon constantly in his hand just in case. That had to mean that his Casey was a fighter too, right?

Hm, would he be interested in sparring then? Not normal sparring, but a fight with some… certain types of stakes?

He’d already admitted that he sometimes turned to having a lively sparring session when he needed to work through some things. Did that mean that he wouldn’t mind a little playful roughhousing on that end as well?

Intrigued by the idea Casey couldn’t help but let his mind wander.

The thought of their weapons clashing, the smell of sweat and maybe even the irony taste of blood. Listening to the small grunts that would be forced out of their chests as they struggled against one another to get the upper hand?

Who would win? Would it really matter? Was there really a position that they could get into where Casey could possibly feel like he lost?

If he managed to get the upper hand, he could have Leo pinned under him, on his back with their faces only inches apart, his hands pinned by his head, or maybe he could even get him pinned on his front, his hands stretched out on the floor before them as Casey laid himself over him, holding him down by his weight alone.

Then, if he ‘lost’, he’d be greeted with the victory of Leo straddling his waist, his hips, pressing down on him, probably breathing hard from the scuffle, his body already glistening with sweat. Or maybe he could be even higher, his shins pressing down on Casey’s shoulders, his thighs on either side of his head…

Yeah, he didn’t really see how he could lose in that situation.

Shifting on the couch Casey let out a small cough to clear his throat, his eyes darting back over to the clock as he wondered whether he should pretend to be sleeping when Leo came out or if he should let him see that he was in fact awake.

If he stayed awake, would Leo want to come and sit with him? If his leg was hurting him, would it be overstepping for Casey to offer massaging it out for him? He was actually pretty good with his hands, the other rebels used to beg him to work out the knots in their bodies, a service he would sometimes use to trade for different weapons or food tickets. No one gave those items up lightly, so he didn’t doubt his skills and he wouldn’t mind showing them off to the visiting mutant at all.

When he heard the door to Donald’s lab sliding open again, he shook himself out of his thoughts, lifting his head in the direction of where Leo was stepping out.

He watched as the two blue banded mutants spoke softly to each other, keeping a special eye on their body language, looking for any tension or locking in their muscles. They both seemed relaxed though, their arms and legs laxed, their hands unfurled and loose, even Leo’s hold on his new items weren’t being held like he was getting ready to use them as improv weapons.

Even better though, Leo gave a small bow to the Mad Dogz leader, Leon returning the gesture with a small tilt of his head.

Well, well, look at that. Maybe they would be okay going forward.

With a small smile on his lips, Casey rested back against the cushions of the couch, making himself comfortable as the door slid shut. He didn’t bother to hide himself or pretend he was sleeping when Leo turned around and it took no time at all for Leo’s attention to snap to him. A normal reaction for someone who’d spent their life fighting, always knowing when they were bring watched. Just out of habit Casey lifted his hands, palms facing outwards and held open.

“Well, hey there.”

When Leo smiled and made a path towards him Casey couldn’t have been happier.

“I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“Not at all,” Although there was more then enough room, Casey still made a slight shuffling movement to make space, hoping that would lead Leo to sitting down next to him. “I’m probably going to be up for awhile though.”

“Then I guess I’ll keep you company.” Leo hummed, shifting himself so close that Casey could feel the heat radiating from him. “So long as you don’t mind.”

Already pleased with how things were going so far, Casey smile “I’d love the company.”

Both turned away from each other, stupid smiles on their faces that they couldn’t quite control. In an attempt to try and get his features under control, Casey rubbed a hand against his jaw, knowing he could at least hide it if he couldn’t tamper it down. From the corner of his eye however he caught Leo rubbing at his leg, over the knee that had been causing him discomfort.

Right! Wasn’t he going to ask if Leo wanted some help with making that feel better?

“Do you want help with that?”

“Hm?” Leo seemed surprised by his offer, Casey tilting his head towards where his hand rested.

From how quickly he snapped his hand back, his face flushing bright in embarrassment, Casey wondered if he’d even been aware of what he’d been doing.

“Uh, no. That’s- that’s okay. I-,”

“You sure?” Laying his hand over where Leo’s had been barely even a moment ago, feeling the warm flush of his skin, the slight rise ridges of scars that crisscrossed over the area. As his hand squeezed around the area, he took in the way Leo’s leg twitched under his hold, his eyes catching the jump in his chest and the sudden intensity in those deep oceans. “I’ve been told I’m good with my hands.”

Leo didn’t pull away. In fact, he pressed his leg closer, leaning into Casey’s space, those pretty, pretty eyes of his becoming their own weapon pinning Casey in place, his smile turning into a sweetly coy little thing that had Casey tongue suddenly feeling a little tied.

“Oh? And who told you that, Jonesy?”

The syrupy hum dripping from between tempting lips stroked at something deep in his chest, A want so strong it was basically a need rolled through him, building momentum while his fingers twitched, clamping tighter as his hand dragged up to sink his nails in the soft flesh of a strong thigh.

For all the bravado Leo had been putting on, Casey felt a smug sort of pride at how quickly he seemed to be caught off guard by such a small action. A small almost squeak like noise left him that had Casey’s chest letting out a deep rumble in turn, Leo’s hips jolting, dark eyes sweeping down to watch the shy instinctive movement.

He wanted to see more of that.

A lot more of that.

The thought of him losing his ability to think straight, to have him simply giving into the natural movements of his body as he leaned into what felt good, into what felt right. Casey’s mouth watered, salivating at the thought of how tempting of an imagine that brought to his mind.

Dipping his hand down, his fingers drawing closer to the heat between those well shaped thighs he’d been fantasizing about since they’d wrapped around his head, he brought his other hand up, cupping Leo’s face in his hands and leading him in so close they could feel the heat of their breath mixing together.

“Do you really want a list of credentials?” Casey asked, voice soft and deep, almost playful as his fingers stroked down lower, feeling the quiver of the muscle’s underneath. “Or would you prefer to judge for yourself?”

As he spoke, he dragged the rough pad of his thumb over the curve of Leo’s cheek, allowing his eyes to blatantly admire the sheen of his mouth, a smile quirking at the corners of his lips as he watched a cute little tongue swipe out to add to the shine of the green skin before disappearing once more.

Pity. Casey would have loved to spend more time admiring it.

Glancing back up at the eyes that watched him intensely, it hit him that maybe that had been the point.

Curious.

Sliding his hand from Leo’s jaw until his fingers were lightly holding the edge of his chin, drawing him in even closer, he lightly pulled his own bottom lip between his teeth, wondering if he could be so bold as to go that far.

“Hey Blue?” Seeing as how the other had yet to respond and that at this point, he probably wouldn’t, he saw no problem with asking another question. “Does this count as a ‘quiet mome-‘?”

He didn’t even get to finish.

Not before he felt hands cupping either side of his face, yanking him forward until he felt the warm press of lips against his own.

The initial meet was painful, their teeth knocking together from the force of it and their lips no doubt bruising a little, but it wasn’t anything that Casey wasn’t familiar with.

He sucked down a sharp breath, almost overwhelmed by the scent of Leo that just seemed to be everywhere around them now. Curling around his senses and fogging his brain until all he could think about was LeoLeoLeo.

Like he was going to complain about that.

With a groan he slid his hand to wrap around Leo’s head, resting at the base of his skull and using it to tilt his head in just the right way to slot their mouths together perfectly. After that he wasted no time, tracing his tongue over the seams of Leo’s lips, feeling the body in his hands shutter before they parted to let him in.

After that he wasn’t really sure what happened.

All he knew was that at some point they had moved, Leo now straddling his lap, his fingers carding through his hair, scratching at his skelp in just the right way that had Casey’s toes curling. Not that he was slouching at all on his end, his hands never seeming to run out of places to explore, even if they did find a nice place to rest every once and awhile, testing just what kinds of strokes and drags pulled out just what kind of noises.

His favorite so far was tracing his fingers up the back of Leo’s thighs. The little gasps and whines it drew out had the heat absolutely burning between his legs. When he would stop just below the crease of the round muscles of his ass, it would make him tremble, gasping into Casey’s mouth before he would dive back in with renown vigour.

There was a certain kind of desperation, a need that Casey was only all to familiar with, dancing on the edges of their nearly manic actions as they held each other close. Even when they needed to come up for air, their hearts hammering and their lungs burning, they couldn’t keep their mouth off one another. Casey hissed, pulling Leo down as he pressed his hips up at a particularly sharp bite to the edge of his jaw, his hold sliding up to Leo’s ass and squeezing as he held him in place, rolling into the solid weight of him above. The pain didn’t leave as Leo lifted his teeth, the sound of his voice breaking so close to Casey’s ear high jacking his brain and turning every feeling and experience into nothing but pure pleasure.

As willing as he was to continue falling into the mindlessly good feeling that was rocking through him, he did manage to pull back, grabbing at the lower half of Leo’s face when he tried to swoop back in to make a mess of his mouth again.

For a single moment, he almost forgot why he’d put a stop to it, his attention yanked to the hazy gaze of eyes that had nearly turned black with desire, his mind distracted by the soft swell and messy wetness around Leo’s gasping lips.

Chuckling, he dragged his thumb over the soft skin, dipping it passed pliable lips and pressing down on the heat of a wet tongue.

Leo groaned, his eyes falling closed as his hands came up to wrap loosely around the one at his face.

And then he closed his lips around the digit invading his mouth, accepting it, the smile dropping from Casey’s face as he slid it in deeper.

“Oh fuck.”

He couldn’t disguise the tremble in his voice if he tried. Not that Leo seemed to mind, his snickers coming out muffled until he pulled back, Casey helpless at the swirl of his tongue circling around his finger, the feeling tingling down his arm, the heat and growing stiffness between his legs a pulse he couldn’t ignore.

His eyes were glued to Leo’s mouth, watching at how he let him go, the tip of his tongue lingering for a moment before disappearing behind those tempting lips once more.

“Language Jonesy.”

Letting out a groan he slid his hand free from Leo’s mouth grabbing lightly at his throat and using it to pull him in close. “Mi corazón, ten cuidado.”

From the furrow across his brow, he could tell that he had no idea what he was saying, but that was okay, he didn’t need him to.

With his one hand keeping him in place, he allowed his other to slid up from where he’d been ideally stroking along his thighs, inching his way up until his fingers grazed over that distracting little tail.

Leo sucked in a sharp breath, his body going tense, his knees pressing against Casey’s thighs as if they were instinctively trying to snap together before relaxing against his lap, spreading wide, shallow little bounces that followed the movement of his hand up and down. “Oo, ah~ah~ah~!”

“I want to ask,” Casey hummed, Leo letting out a growl that tapered into a whine when his hand stopped moving. “Is there anything off the table for you?”

“If you call me a bitch or a slut, I’ll break every bone in your body.”

Although his words came out in heavy pants, Casey hadn’t expected the speed of their delivery.

“Oh?”

“Other than that, I’d say the usual.” Leo mumbled, trying to push passed the hand on his throat to bring their lips together again. “What about you? Anything I should try to avoid?”

Seeing as how even though Leo had asked the question, he wouldn’t be able to respond with the other’s tongue down his throat, Casey pushed him back, his fingers flexing just the slightest bit. His warning earned him an interesting response, and he watched as Leo gasped, his eyes rolling back with a flutter.

Oh, he liked that reaction. A lot. Definitely something they could play with later.

“I don’t like being tied down.” Casey admitted, a wince pulling at his face when he remembered the one time someone had tried it. “Though I do enjoy strapping down others.”

The big puppy dog eyes he added to that last part as he stared up at the one perched in his lap drew a little laugh from Leo. A hand patted at the top of his head before a finger reached down to boop him on the nose, a smile coming to his own lips at the playful look on Leo’s face. “We’ll put that in the maybe category.”

“Fine by me.” Casey agreed, “We don’t have to rush anything.”

“Good,” Leo said, his hands sliding up the sides of Casey’s neck, until they were tangled in his hair once more. “Because I’d love to go back to kissing you right now.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Just so you guys know-,”

They both jumped, Leo letting out an adorable squeak of surprise as he ducked down, Casey straightening up as his arms lifted to offer the other some cover.

His face was on fire as he looked over his shoulder, seeing Raph standing in the kitchen, a red tinted glass in his hand and the flattest expression across his face.

“Don’s got cameras everywhere.” Casey paled, having completely forgotten about his Uncle’s habit of… intense security. “And he’s always lookin’ for blackmail material.”

“I’m going to be untangling wires for the rest of my life.”

“Em hm.” Raph deadpanned, Casey feeling Leo scrambling out of his hold. “We also use that couch ya know.”

“Right.” Wincing at the stare he was receiving from over the rim of the other’s glass, Casey flinched at the long slurp Raphie pulled from his cup. “S-Sorry Raph. It- We’ll- um-,”

“Have a good night.”

Thankfully Raph didn’t seem to want to be involved in the conversation anymore than Casey did, and having said his piece, turned and walked away without giving them a second glance.

It wasn’t until Raph was long gone that Casey risked turning his back on the entrance to the bedroom hall, sucking his lips behind his teeth as he checked out the expression on Leo’s face.

He looked just as shellshocked as Casey felt, his eyes lingering on the dark entryway for a moment longer before falling to meet with Casey’s from where he stood.

They both paused, holding their breath for a second longer.

Casey was the one to break first, a small burst of laughter jumping out of him before he could clamp a hand over his mouth to muffle it.

Leo was quick to follow behind him, groaning in embarrassment, his face flushing hot as he dropped it into his hands.

“Oh god. That… I can’t believe- Ugggggh.”

Having been caught a handful of times in much more compromising positions by his old masters Casey understood the first-time embarrassment perfectly. “Yeah… Sorry. I- I should have known better.”

“I am the worst.” Leo mumbled, plopping back down on the couch next to Casey. When he turned to him, his expression oddly serious, Casey stopped laughing. “Please promise me that if they kick me out, you’ll take care of Ozzie until they can figure out how to get her home.”  

“What?” Surprised that Leo thought they would toss him out for something like that, Casey grabbed his hand, pulling him in close with a small chuckle. “Leo, they’re not going to throw you out. If anything, they’ll just tease us about it later, aaaand maybe scold us because, yeah, I guess I kind of forgot about how, um, open this space is…”

Taking a look around he could feel his face burning as he noticed that yes, this area was huge, and that there was no doubt that Donnie probably had at least ten to fifteen cameras in here alone.

Fingers tapping at the seat of the couch cushion Casey couldn’t help but wonder if maybe there was something he could bribe his young uncle with to get the footage. Not that he would ever film it himself buuuut, if it existed, he didn’t see the harm in at least checking it out.

“Jones?”

“Hm?” Blinking rapidly, he refocused his attention on the one sitting besides him.

He could feel his face flushing at the scrutinizing way that Leo was squinting at him.

“I was thinking of how to bribe Don for the footage.” He admitted, although he wasn’t sure why.

Leo drew back a little at that, his eyes wide as he stared at him. “You think he would give it up?”

“I think I might be able to convince him to give me a copy.” Casey confessed, watching as Leo’s mouth dropped open.

Not sure if that was the right thing to admit to, Casey felt the relief washing over him when Leo eventually let out a snort of laughter. Feeling a small smile coming to his face when Leo knocked their shoulders together, he squeezed at Leo’s hand when the mutant turned back to him.

“At least you’re honest.” Leo hummed, tugging against Casey’s hand, leading him in closer.

Casey didn’t protest when their lips met again, this time lingering and sweet and short, his eyes fluttering back open when Leo pulled back. The tap on his nose caught him off guard, but not in a bad way, the corners of his lips twitching upwards at the soft smile he was being given.

“And cute.”

“Thanks,” cupping Leo’s face with his free hand he pulled him in, this time returning the chaste kiss with one of his own before letting him go. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

“Charming.” Leo’s grin became sharper, his fingers slipping into the neck of Casey’s shirt, twisting in the material. Casey let out a small grunt when he was tugged closer, his attention instantly captured by the smoldering look in those ocean pools. “If you do manage to get your hands on it though, I wouldn’t mind checking out our forms.”

Feeling a smirk pulling at his lips, Casey arched a brow at the look in Leo’s eyes. “Why? Want to see if you can improve your technique?”

“You think it needs to be improved?”

Biting his bottom lip to keep his smile from spreading to far at the playfully scandalized gasp Leo gave Casey didn’t even realize his hands were idly rubbing up and down Leo’s arms, or how close they were leaning into each others’ spaces again.

“Hm, I don’t know, I might need more of a demonstration before I can come to a proper conclusion.”

As Leo leaned in, he could feel his heart thrumming in his chest, a deep part of him fully on board with picking up where they had left off.

But they both seemed to freeze at the same time, blinking at one another as their hands paused where they rested, Casey wondering how he had missed when Leo had gotten into his lap for the second time tonight.

Slowly, Leo pulled away.

“We… should probably go to bed.”

“Yeah.”

Though he knew it was a better idea to follow Leo’s suggestion, he still found himself hesitating to let him go. He did though, not fighting against it when Leo got back to his feet.

“I’m... going to take a shower before I go back to Ozzie.” Leo said, Casey sucking his lips behind his teeth to keep himself from snickering as to why Leo probably felt like he should clean up and get himself under control before going back to his room.

“Okay. Let me know when you’re done, and I’ll grab one too.” Because there was no way he was going to be able to head to bed tonight before taking care of… something.

“Of course.” Leo agreed, with a little nod of his head, turning away from the couch and in the direction of the bathrooms.

Casey sat back with a sigh, trying to ignore the tightness in his lower half, focusing on his breathing, attempting to calm his mind and hopefully in turn his body as-

“Jones?”

“Hm?” Cracking a single eye open, catching Leo standing slightly twisted towards him to look over his shoulder. “Your, um, Donatello doesn’t have cameras in the bathrooms, right?”

He honestly hesitated, because… he couldn’t really say for sure whether or not Donald would put cameras in private areas but…

“No.” He shook his head as he answered, knowing that he was right even if he couldn’t say that the reason was because Don knew to respect people’s privacy. “His brothers would kill him if he did that.”

The little sigh of relief Leo gave out had Casey grinning as he sat back once more, resting his head against the back of the couch as he slipped into his breathing, attempting to settle his mind into a peaceful state.

“Jones?”

Humming this time to show he heard, Casey took a deep breath in, holding it and letting it out slow, trying to douse the smothering embers that were settled low in his core.

“Would you… care to join me?”

His eyes snapped open, his head whipping towards the direction of where Leo was standing.

“Yes.”

There wasn’t a single bit of shame in him for how quickly his response came out, and as Leo let out a huff of laughter, he didn’t wait for a further invitation before he was on his feet and moving towards the other, unable to keep the smile from his face when Leo reached back and grabbed his hand.

Squeezing the fingers between his own Casey quickly swooped in to nuzzle against Leo’s cheek, his heart feeling so light and giddy he was almost surprised it didn’t just fly straight from his chest.  

Notes:

For those who skipped it.
They made out, Raph caught them and pointed out that Don's got cameras everywhere, after he left they started flirting again and almost went back to making out before deciding they should head to bed for the night but Leo saying he wanted to shower first and inviting Casey to join him which Casey was only all to happy to do.
That's all. :)

Chapter 23

Notes:

Did ya miss me!?

Hey guys! Sorry this took- so long- for me to update! I honestly didn't think it would but you know, life.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it!

It was the small whimpers that had Casey waking up with a start from his own empty dreams.

As his eyes opened to the darkness, he tensed.

Was that the Kranng? Had they gotten someone? Had they some how gotten past their security again and they were-

The whimper sounded again. Barely able to be heard over the sound of his heart hammering in his ears, but close and frightened and…

Casey moved to get up, his brows furrowing in muddled confusion as he reached out for his weapon, groping blindly for his most essential item as he ran through a list of their weakest security points. At least until he felt something tighten across his chest, the fabric pulling tight, his head whipping down to where the enemy had a hold of him and-

He fell still.

The combat ready look of rage that had twisted his features dissolved the second his eyes landed on the mutant clinging to his shirt.

It was Leo.

It wasn’t the Kranng. He- he wasn’t back there. That timeline didn’t exists here anymore. He was- they had stopped the Kranng and life was good and his family was safe and Leo- and Leo was- He was crying.

Casey blinked, the feeling of something warm and wet adding a chill to his chest as it was attacked ruthlessly from the ever shifting air around them.

Leo whimpered again.

Casey gave up the look for his weapon to bring his hand down so he could stroke it soothingly across Leo’s cheek.

“Leo?”

The whimper sounded again and this time, he caught the way Leo’s hand was pressed firmly over his mouth. Even in his sleep he seemed to be trying to control his emotions, to suppress them before anyone else could see them. It broke a piece of Casey’s heart and he let out a rumbling churr in hopes that it would help to calm the other down. Dipping his head forward he lightly pressed them together, letting Leo know he was here, that he was here and that he wasn’t going anywhere.  

The hand buried in the fabric of his shirt only twisted though, pulling him that much closer, the hand falling away from his mouth to paw at Casey until it grabbed his shoulder. He tried not to wince at the way that the nails dug into his shoulder. “Nononono…”

Brows furrowing deeply, Casey pursed his lips a little as Leo only seemed to get worse, catching the bright shine on his cheeks left behind by a trail of tears that glowed thanks to the low lights the hummed in the garage.

“Leo…?”

“Raph-,” Casey’s mouth snapped shut at the name that slipped out through gritted teeth.

At the way it sounded way to familiar. At how he could still remember Master Leonardo calling out for his brother even years after he fell in battle.

“No- No!”

“Leo,” He had to wake him up. He wasn’t going to let Leo suffer through whatever dreams he was stuck in. “Leo wake up.”

“Mikey!”

The way he cried out sounded as if someone had just ripped out his soul. Casey flinched, but he didn’t pull away. “Churri…”

“Dee! Dee-No! Please!”

“Leo-,”

“No! Casey!”

His heart stopped. For a split moment, he thought Leo was talking about him.

“No! No! Stop!”

It was getting worse. He had to wake him up. He had to get him out of this nightmare.

“Azuel-,”

“I said stop!”

He gasped, gagged when the hands flew up to his throat, finding himself completely off guard at the sheer strength fueled by rage as he was shoved back, slammed into the ground so hard he could feel what little was left in his lungs being forced out.

“I’m going to kill you!”

Leo was roaring, blinded to reality by whatever visions had followed him into reality.

“You’re dead!”

The threat was accompanied by his head being slammed into the solid flooring underneath them. A hit that struck so hard, it left Casey’s ears ringing and spots dancing in his vision. He really hoped he didn’t have a concussion, however he knew that if he didn’t get himself out of this situation, he’d be dealing with a lot worse than that.

Whoever Leo thought he was screaming at, it was very obvious that he fully intended to go through with his threats.

There was no way Casey was going to take their place though.

Thinking quick he slammed the heel of his palm upward against the bottom of Leo’s jaw, snapping the other’s head back with a clack of his teeth so loud that it left a faint echo around the room. While the hands at his throat didn’t fully let go, they loosened enough that he managed to break their hold, shoving Leo off and over to the side so he could squirm out from under him and get up.

He watched, crouched low as Leo spit out curses he’d yet to hear him say, fumbling from his discombobulate state hissing and snarling in pure loathing as he grabbed at his face.

Casey moved quick, reaching over to hit the light switch just as Leo turned back to him with his hands clenched.

Pain seared through his vision, and from the way that he heard Leo’s shout, he could tell he was suffering through it right along with him.

Still, as the sting faded from their skulls and the blinding white relaxed to a softer glow, exposing the rest of the room, Casey put his fists up, getting ready to defend himself if Leo’s dreams followed him into the light as well.

When those sharp blue eyes turned to him, a chill went down Casey’s spine at the way they cut into him.

He didn’t look like Leo.

That was the only thought that he found spinning in his brain. A thought so jarring and backed by an emotion so vile coming from the one in front of him that he actually backpaddled a few steps just to add some more space between them.

But then Leo blinked.

The knife cutting look in his eyes dulled to a confused pool of rippling water, his body stumbling as all the movement finally caught up to him and a wave of what looked like sever light-headedness passed through him.

“Jonesy?”

His words were a little slurred, but the tone was a far cry from the seething it had been just a handful of seconds ago.

When he stumbled again, Casey jolted forward, fully intending to help stabilize him, ready to grab him and hold him until he could stand on his own two feet, but Leo shoved a hand out to him and the water stilled to ice. “Don’t.”

Putting his hands up, Casey backed off.

Not wanting Leo to feel awkward, he didn’t watch him.

…

Okay so he did, but not openly.

He turned his head away to admire the… décor, of the garage, but really he was spying on Leo from the corner of his eye. A frown pulled at his lips as he watched the way Leo scratched at his arms, muttering to himself before he took in a deep breath and just went…still.

Casey went tense. Not because he thought that Leo would attack him again, but because he knew what he was doing, the thoughts that must have been running through his head.

In his relaxed state of unconsciousness, memories had come back to haunt him. Leo had slipped away.

It was Casey’s turn to guard him while Leo took time to remind himself that whatever he’d been remembering, he was no longer there.

Shuffling around, Casey reached down and scooped up where he’d laid his weapon, grabbing Leo’s and tossing them to him, saying nothing as the mutant on the other end caught them, grip them tight in his hands as he spun them into the right hold.

Done with that, Casey turned his back on him, his eyes trailing from one entrance of the room to the other, vigilante and ready for anyone- or threat- that Leo might believe would walk through those doors.

An almost peaceful silence hung between them, interrupted only by the distance hum of the lights and the never-ending whirling of machinery. Casey hoped it helped, like how the shadow and the silence had helped him.

Although he was keeping his eyes forward, his ears were focused on everything happening behind him. The way that Leo shifted, the soft swish of his blades lazily cutting through the air, more likely moving them around as a form of fidgeting than prepping for a fight, the soft scrap of his feet against the concreate.

And then, the barely audible steps of him moving closer.

“Jones…”

Hearing his name- or at least the one Leo had taken to calling him while he was here, allowed him to know it was okay to look over his shoulder.

He didn’t have to look far, Leo was right behind him. He wasn’t looking at him though, his eyes almost shamefully falling to Casey’s neck, his shoulders high and tense as he approached.

“I- I sorry. I didn’t mean… Is your neck okay?”

Hoping to break the tension, Casey smiled at him with a little smug amusement, rubbing at his neck and barely managing to cover a wince as he chuckled.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve been bitten harder before. Don’t worry, you’re good.”

For a heartbeat, Leo just stared at him.

It seemed to take him a second to piece together what Casey was talking about opposed to what he meant. When he did though, his face went red, his expression flickering with a smile for the briefest of moments before he gave a light shove to Casey’s shoulder.

“That’s not what I was talking about.”

Casey couldn’t help it, he preened a bit under the attention as Leo cut in closer, lifting his chin helpfully to expose his throat while Leo lifted his hands, gently inspecting the sore flesh there. Though it was a little harder for him to keep an eye on the other from the position his head was in, he still caught the tight frown that crossed Leo’s lips.

“That’s definitely going to bruise.”

“I’ve had worse.” Casey hummed.

Until he found himself letting out a sharp hiss in pain, his hand whipping out to grab at Leo’s and pull it back from poking his throat with a reflex that only came from years upon years of living in a world where even a millisecond in delay could cost someone their life. Glaring down at the pointed look on Leo’s face, he frowned. “Ow.”

With a sigh, Leo pulled back, and this time Casey lifted his own hand up to stroke across his throat, testing the area but trying not to make the pain radiating from it to obvious as he continued to stand there under the watchful gaze of Leo.

“I’m really sorry Jones. It’s- It’s been awhile since I’ve- since-,”

Seeing how he was stumbling over his words, the haze look that entered into his eyes as his mind started to slip away again, Casey stepped close. Scooping up one of Leo’s hands in his own he tried to keep his smile soft and open, attempting to coax Leo to look up at him.

“Hey, hey. It’s- I get it. It happens sometimes. I get that. You don’t have to apologize. I-,”

“I could have killed you.”

As if they were their own threat, Leo’s words hung over their heads like a guillotine just waiting to fall. Casey didn’t worry about it though, his expression shifting to one of a more apathetic nature, one that he rarely pulled out around others and never around his new family as they stood there, neither one willing to look away from the other.

“Yeah, you could have.”

Leo almost looked shocked that he agreed so easily.

Without a warning however, Casey took the hand in his and twisted it.

Leo let out a small yelp, not expecting the move, and before he could think to break out of the hold, Casey was already moving to manipulate it.

Using the hand to lead he turned the whole arm until it was bent behind Leo’s back, forcing him up on his toes and then sliding in close to keep him from being able to worm his way out. Locking an arm across his upper chest Casey pinned Leo in place. With skills honed over years and years, he pressed a blade to his throat, his eyes narrowing when Leo instantly fell still, knowing just how much pressure to apply to get his message across but not spill a single drop of blood.

Tension hung in the air as he paused, letting the situation sit for a moment, allowing the implications behind it to become clear.

And then, very carefully, he let him go.

Backing off Casey watched as Leo shook himself out, not moving far but just out of reach as he rubbed at his wrist, his eyes squinted but no malice behind the look as he peered at Casey over his shoulder.

“If you need to fight, or lash out, I can take it.” Casey put simply, sliding his dagger back into the pouch he always had on him. “I’m not going to break. You wouldn’t actually try to kill me, but, if you think I’m someone else, I can handle myself until you see it’s just me again.”

Finally, the look in Leo’s eyes softened, almost grateful before he turned away.

“I… You make a fair point.” Leo admitted, before he uttered something Casey had completely forgotten about, “but what about Ozzie?”

Right. Ozzie.

Leo and her slept in the same room. What if he’d had that nightmare with her instead of with Casey? She wouldn’t have been able to get out of the hold most likely. She was a tough kid, but she was still just a kid, and as small as Leo was height wise, he had crazy amounts of muscle on him that Casey had caught even Leon and Donald looking at with envy from time to time. She wouldn’t have stood a chance, and Leo never would have been able to forgive himself.

Deciding that maybe it would be best to set that aside for a moment, he could feel his brows furrowing together as he stepped closer.

He took it as a good sign when Leo didn’t move back.

“Well, do you get nightmares like that often?”

What he wasn’t expecting was the loathsome scoff Leo let out at that as he dropped his wrist and crossed his arms. “Nightmares.” He echoed, the word spat out with such distaste that Casey couldn’t help but wondered if he’d said something wrong.

Were nightmares not a thing in his world? Did they mean something different maybe?

Before he could ask Leo was already shaking his head, lifting a hand to pinch at the space between his eyes.

“No. No they’re not… I haven’t had one like that in a long time I just-, I think everything that’s been going on lately is just… messing with my head a little bit. Bring up old memories. Bad ones.”

Stepping closer, Casey kept his hands to himself, crossing his loosely as he shifted his weight to one side. “Would you… like to talk about it?”

“No.”

The instant shut down was to be expected, the way Leo was stubbornly avoiding his eyes to glare at the far away wall like it had insulted him also wasn’t to out of the ordinary. Still, Casey just wanted to make sure that Leo knew that it was okay.

“We’ll get you back to them Leo.” He wasn’t sure why his words seemed to have the opposite effect, Leo only curling in tighter on himself and tilting just the slightest bit away. “You and Ozzie, you won’t be stuck here forever.” He pressed, his brow furrowing deeper in confusion as he watched the way Leo’s nails bit into the flesh of his arms. “You’ll see your brothers again.”

“Stop.” Leo’s voice came out thick, but with what, Casey couldn’t pinpoint.

Not wanting to press his luck any further though he listened, sealing his mouth shut as he watched the way that Leo screwed his eyes shut and tilted his head away.

Casey didn’t comment on the sniffling, or the way Leo’s hand moved to seemingly rub at his eyes. He just stood back, giving him a moment to collect himself.

When Leo was ready, he turned back to Casey and Casey politely ignored the red rimming his eyes and the forced curve of Leo’s lips as he pulled back.

“I really am sorry about that Jones. I’m sure that wasn’t the most pleasant way to wake up.”

Not sure how to play this since he first attempt at trying to be playful had fallen somewhat flat, Casey just shrugged. “It’s… um… I…”

As he fumbled, Leo looked away again, seemingly thinking about something, his fingers playing with the mask that sat loosely around his throat.

Abandoning his original line of thinking Casey moved on. “You know, if you’re worried about Ozzie we could probably hunt down another train car.”

At that, Leo blinked, seeming to pause for a moment before he eventually looked back to the other. “A train car?”

“Well, yeah.” When Leo didn’t look any less confused, he figured that he might need to explain himself a bit more. “I- We really don’t know how long you guys will be here for, it could be days, weeks, months…” He trailed off, seeing that his words didn’t seem to be helping, clearing his throat before moving on. “Anyways, we can find another train car and than she can have her own room. I’m sure the guys would be fine with it. Michel would probably love to help her paint it and I’m sure Raph has some stuffed animals that he wouldn’t mind lending her. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about… you know.”

Not the most tactful way to state it he supposed, but Leo did seem to be thinking about it.

His fingers tapped across his arm in thought, his eyes looking off somewhere as he seemed to pounder over Casey’s words.

“You don’t think the others would mind it taking up more of their space?”

Thinking about it for all of two seconds Casey shook his head. “Not at all. This place is huge, one more train car isn’t going to do much.”

Accepting that as fact Leo simply nodded and moved on. “I suppose at the very least it couldn’t hurt to ask.” He admitted. “That would probably be nice for Ozzie too. Give her some space, and I’m sure you’d like your room back, I’ll take the couch and-,”

“Oh.” Casey didn’t mean to interrupt, but his shock must have come out louder then he intended, his brain not fast enough to catch his mouth before he was suddenly blurting out-, “you didn’t want to share?”

The second he finished speaking, he snapped his mouth shut so hard the click of his teeth could be heard across the entire garage.

Was that… Was that maybe a bit to forward?

Leo’s face was unreadable, a far contrast to the open book flush Casey could feel burning across his own cheeks.

Thankfully though, he wasn’t left to stew in his own humiliation for long, Leo arching a ridge at him as a playful smirk twitched at the corners of his lips.

“Are you only suggesting this so we don’t have to sneak away to a blind spot in the garage for ‘quiet moments’?”

“I-,”

“Jones…”

Feeling his face flush hotter Casey couldn’t quite control the stupid smile that came across his lips. “Okay, no, but I mean, two droids one grenade right?”

Leo tilted his head at him and for a moment Casey forgot that Donald was constantly correcting his ‘proverbial idioms’ from his apocalypse days to the more modern sayings, but he quickly waved it off, stepping in close, not quite making eye contact with Leo as his face flushed hotter.

“I just thought it… might be nice. You know? To have someone to wake up to after those… bad nights.”

Leo gave a light hum. Whether it was in agreement or simply to acknowledge what he’d said, Casey couldn’t be sure.

Not wanting to seem like he was forcing Leo or trying to trap him into a situation however he carried on.

“We could also get you your own train car.” He offered, Leo shifting his gaze back to him. “I know where they have a whole bunch of them. They were pretty unusable after the whole… um, invasion. That way you can have your own place to retreat to when you need it.”

“You don’t want me to retreat to you?”

Such simple words. Paired with the look in Leo’s eyes however and the slight change of tone in his voice and Casey mind was going places.

Biting at the corner of his lip he fought to keep himself from jumping at the idea, a part of him circling in frustrated circles over not taking the bait and claiming the offer right then and there.

Needing a second to recover because, wow- yes, the idea was very tempting- Casey gave a small shrug of his shoulders.

“I don’t want to feel like you have to.” He admitted. “But you’re more then free to come to see me if you want to.”

He felt like he’d said the right thing when the corners of Leo’s mouth flickered up into a genuine smile, his eyes for as red as they still were, finally allowing a shine of contentment to shine through them.

“Thank you, that sounds nice.”

At his approval Casey couldn’t help the way he suddenly found himself bouncing on his toes, a stupid grin stretching across his face as he beamed. “So, is that a yes to the sharing or…?”

As he trailed off, Leo let out a small laugh, Casey’s mood only shrinking the slightest amount when he shook his head. “Sorry, but no.” Leo confirmed, his smile still open and amused however when he turned to Casey. “I feel like the rest of your family would kill me if I did that.”

“I- Maybe? I don’t think- They could be mad but-,”

“It’s fine Jones.” Leo assured him, and Casey tried not to let his disappointment show to clearly at the quickly fading fantasy of them sharing a room together for Leo’s stay.

At least until Leo lips curled a little more, the look in his eyes shifting juuust the slightest as he leaned in close, his hand gently resting over the fabric of Casey’s shirt as he-, “Besides, who says visits are out?”

Casey didn’t hesitate to wrap and arm around his waist and tug him closer. “True.” He agree, happily cradling Leo in his arms, happier still at how content Leo looked to be there, the creature in the back of his mind churring, pleased with the outcome. “Feel free to knock on my door anytime arándano.”

Leo squinted up at him, no longer trusting of Spanish nicknames after finding out what Leon had been calling him this whole time. Not willing to give it up though, Casey just tapped a finger against his nose, distracting him as Leo briefly became cross eyed to watch the invasive digit.

“Want to head back to sleep? I can tie your hands if that will make you feel better, then you won’t have to worry about, you know, nightmares.”

Leo only tisked at him though, lifting his arms to rest them over Casey’s shoulders as he lend himself more into Casey’s hold.

There was a playful smile on his lips though, and the narrowing of his eyes was more coy then threatening, Casey allowing himself to shift his hands just a biiit lower on his back. “You just really want to get me tied up, don’t you?”

With a huff of a chuckle, Casey tightened his hold around Leo’s waist. “I’d just think you’d look cute in ropes.” He admitted, “If you’re not into it though…”

“Honestly, I don’t feel much like sleeping anymore.” Leo said, pulling back, his arms sliding down and away, Casey feeling the emptiness of his departure like a piece of his own soul. “But-,” Perking up instantly, he waited, anticipating oozing out of him at the darkening tint in Leo’s gaze. “Maybe we can still do your rope idea.”

Oh they were both going to be so tired tomorrow.

With a giant grin on his face as he leaned in, Casey found that he didn’t much care.

Chapter 24

Notes:

FYI!! This is just sex. There's no plot relevance. Feel free to skip if that's not your thing! For the rest, enjoy!

He’d turned the light off again before they’d laid back down.

As sure as he was that they were in the blind spot of the garage, he didn’t want Donald to be able to make out their shadows or to possibly catch their reflection in anything else laying around. There was going to be enough blackmail of them making out on the couch earlier, he didn’t need to give his past future uncle anymore then that.

Still, he supposed there wasn’t much he could do about the noise.

As he lifted himself from Leo’s lips the sound of their panting filled the otherwise quiet space. Although it was dark, he could still make out the faint flush on Leo’s cheeks, could see the glazed look in his eyes as he stared up at him through a gaze half lidded.

The hazy desire warming his features pulled at a nearly feral part of Casey’s mind. He churred, the sound rumbling out of him like a waiting beast, gaining in volume at the little gasp Leo gave in turn.

Deciding to go easy on him and give him a moment to catch his breath, Casey placed heated, opened mouthed kisses at the corner of his panting lips, working his way down Leo’s throat, listening to the way that he gasped, feeling the way that he squirmed, growling past the flesh gently caught between his teeth at the legs tightening where they were wrapped around Casey’s waist.

He shifted, his canines pricking the curve of Leo’s shoulder, his hands laying heavily on Leo’s thighs, his fingers pressing and sliding down the smooth muscles and feeling them twitch under his palms.

Years of training and drills had taught him to keep his head down, his chin tucked towards his chest to avoid leaving his throat open to enemies during their battles.

So when Leo tilted his head back and to the side, intentionally exposing such a venerable part of himself to Casey seemingly without a second thought, he couldn’t help the way that his core pulsed and his lips sealed over the area possessively. In his excitement, he might have bitten down a little harder than he meant to, but instead of Leo letting out a hiss of pain, it led to him letting out a breathless moan and had his hips jumping in Casey’s hands to grind their lower halves together.

Oh. He liked that reaction. He liked it a lot.

His eyes grew dark, desire stronger than he’d ever known before swirling in his head and filling him with a blinding need to claim, to mark, to serve.

Mate

The word flickered through his mind in a fog, unfamiliar and startling enough it should have cleared some of the burning want coursing through him.

It didn’t.

If anything, it made him press against Leo harder, to sooth the new marks his fangs had left behind with the heat of his tongue before he pulled back to admire the quickly forming bruise.

There was a small, appreciative churr that flittered between them, and it filled Casey’s chest with warmth as he responded back to it with a sweet one of his own, gently nuzzling at the underside of Leo’s jaw, sliding his hands up till they were cupping his face once again.

When he led Leo back to his lips, he followed without resistance, tilting his face up to line their mouths together, his legs hooking around Casey’s thighs and using the small bit of leverage to pull him in. Casey allowed it, pressing his weight down on the one contently laying beneath him and allowing himself to enjoy every inch of space their bodies touched.

Licking at the seams of Leo’s lips, they parted easily, allowing him entrance and basically coxing Casey in as the tip of his tongue reached out to greet his own. He brought his hand up, cupping the back of Leo’s head and deepening the kiss further.

They shivered against each other, Casey’s eyes lifting open part way when he felt Leo’s hands messily slipping between the strands of his hair.

“Azul…”

The word slipped past his lips with a burst of warm air causing Leo’s eyes to open, their gazes meeting.

Casey didn’t say anything, simply lifting a hand to the ones at his head. Slowly, he wrapped his fingers in the soft blue material twisted around Leo’s wrists, using it to maneuver his arms back over his head. Leo didn’t whine at the reminder, but he did tilt his head up, offering a chaste kiss to the underside of Casey’s throat in apology, the wordless promise to keep his hands where they were made clear as his fingers curled and his shoulders relaxed into the position.

Pleased with the results Casey returned to laying his own claim to Leo’s skin.

Slowly he worked his way down his throat, to his shoulders, his hands trailing the curves and dips of Leo’s limbs, following his path lower and lower, a smile curling over his lips at the way Leo slid his feet across the floor, bending his knees and squeezing them against Casey’s sides as he continued.

With one hand cupping around Leo’s thigh Casey gently stroked his thumb over the quivering muscles, listening to the way that Leo worked to keep himself quiet.

There was a spark of amusement that filled his chest at how hard Leo was working to keep his sweetest noises locked inside, but another part of him wanted to hear him whimper, needed to hear him plead for more.

Though he supposed there would be time for that later.

Right now was just about making sure Leo felt good, that his mind stayed here, in this moment, and not… somewhere else.

So, Casey pressed his lips to the inside of Leo’s thigh, holding his ankle gently in his hand as he gently maneuvered the curve of Leo’s knee to rest on his shoulder.

He didn’t press further, didn’t move any closer to his true target, allowing himself to be content with simply placing kisses and the occasional nip. His other hand continued to move soothingly down and back up from Leo’s thigh to his hip, feeling the way he trembled and twitched under his fingertips.

It was only when he felt the heel of Leo’s foot lightly pressing into his back, looking up to see the desperation in his eyes that he leisurely allowed himself to move closer once again.

But he didn’t go straight for his prize, huffing out a chuckle at the sharp growl that Leo gave in turn for his teasing.

Easy

The churr came out more like a command, one that Leo seemed to follow without thought, his body falling even more pliant under Casey touch.

As a reward, Casey gently took his tail into the palm of his hand and with a feather light pressure he pressed his lips to the underside of it.

The little gasp that Leo let out spilled into the air had the heat in Casey’s core swirling with life. He took in a deep breath, allowing his senses to be filled with the heavy scent of the one beneath him.

But it wasn’t enough.

He wanted to taste it. To feel it.

Finally, he moved in and placed his lips against the warmest, currently wettest part of Leo.

When Leo jumped, his legs twitching closed around Casey’s head, Casey locked his hands around those strong thighs and carefully pried them open, pressing them to the ground and holding them there. Leo whined, but kept his legs spread, shifting his hips from side to side while Casey pressed his palms flat back up his thighs to the heat between his legs.

Pressing his lips back to the slit of Leo’s sex, Casey ran his tongue over the quickly soften skin, dipping the tip into the warm slick of pre that was leaking from the cock still pulsing just behind the loosening flesh. Churring as the taste, smell and touch flooded his senses, Casey slid his hands back under Leo’s thighs, hooking them in the crook of his elbows before he sat up on his knees, dragging Leo’s lower half with him.

The new angle allowed him to work his way in deeper, almost drunk on what he was sure he would declare as the best tasting delicacy in every universe. His thoughts were interrupted by a high moan, one that broke into the air with a startled cry that only encouraged Casey to do more. To go further.

As he removed his mouth from his treat, he took in a few open mouthed breaths, not realizing the steadily growing volume of his own churring until he could hear Leo’s own desperately mixing in with his.

MineMineMineMineSafeSweetMine

The thoughts echoed in his head, given a voice through the consistent churring. One that Leo surrendered to and accepted as he eagerly echoed the statement back, the beast in the back of Casey’s mind preening with pride over the given submission.

Drop

Just like before, Leo followed his orders with a small cry as his penis slid out and into the air between them.

Licking his lips at the sight, Casey growled, pleased with the results of his work before pouncing on his new prize.

He could feel Leo’s heels bouncing off his shoulder blades and his fingers coming back down to curl in his hair. This time he didn’t corrected it, allowing Leo to do what he needed as he opened his throat and sunk all the way down with no warning.

There was a choked sound that broke into the air, not from him, but from the one beneath him, followed by a series of high and needy chirps that had Casey’s lips stretching into what they could manage of a smirk.

Encouraged by the sounds of the other’s barely muffled moans Casey pulled back, opening his mouth and allowing it to slip out, dragging his tongue at the underside of it until he reached the tip, sucking at the head and gripping Leo’s legs in place when they flexed back up by his head again.

Briefly he was reminded of their first meeting. Of how Leo had wrapped his thighs around his head in order to tug himself up on Casey’s shoulders so he could attack the monster trying to smash them into the ground. He remembered how distracting he’d found it at the time, unable to help but picture that happening in a completely different place and for a completely different reason.

It was almost like fate had decided to grant him mercy for once, allowing the fantasy he’d had of a complete stranger to bloom into fruition days after their meeting.

They’d fallen together so easily too and he couldn’t help but wonder if Leo was a temporary gift added to his life for surviving as long as he had in a world that had so clearly wanted him dead until he’d made it to one he clearly didn’t belong in.

All of that could be worked through later though. Right now, he had more important tasks to take care of.

Removing his mouth from Leo completely, he pulled back, a huff of a chuckle working out of him when Leo let out a high whine at the loss as he set to work on licking at the palm of his hand.

He sent a small chime of chirps back, reassuring the smaller mutant under him that he wasn’t going anywhere.

And that he definitely wasn’t done.

Wrapping his hand around the swell of flesh before him, he set a slow pace, slipping two fingers into his own mouth and wetting them as much as he could. When he was satisfied with the slick feeling between the digits, he slipped them out of his mouth, a nearly silent pop almost being drowned out by the sound of his hand working up and down on the cute shaft he couldn’t wait to get his lips around again.

Giving into his desires he stopped his hand at the base, laying his tongue flat just above his tightly closed fist and dragging the warm muscle upwards.

Leo spasmed beneath him, his legs clinging to Casey as his back arched hard enough he was pretty much up on his shoulders. By the time Casey reached the top and slipped his cock back into his mouth, moaning as he was reunited with the taste, Leo was gone.

He wasn’t working on trying to control his volume anymore, crying out as Casey removed his hand so he could swallow him down to the hilt, his throat tightening around the end of him and causing the hands curled in Casey’s hair to twitch, holding him in place for a stretch as Casey felt the way his hips rolled against his lips.

Amused at how such a simple act earned him such an adorable reaction, Casey couldn’t wait to see what this next bit would get him.

Lifting his newly soaked hand, he traced his slicked fingers over the edges of Leo’s slit, feeling the heat pulsing against his fingertips, loving the little gasp Leo let out at the touch before slowly pushing his fingers apart, spreading his silt open just enough to slip inside.

He growled at the wetness he was greeted with, at the heat.

This time, even though it was Leo who let out a wanton churr just on the right side of desperate, it was Casey’s hips that jumped, the bulge beneath the fabric of his sleep pants straining against what had once been loose fabric, a certain part of his body suddenly very interested in experiencing that heat surrounding him first hand.

But not right now. Not today.

Taking a moment to settle himself he instead turned his attention to something else, pressing in deeper with his fingers, lifting and dropping his head as he searched for what he was looking for.

Until he found it.

Until Leo cried out, tapping his hands desperately against the top of Casey’s head.

Trying to give him a sigh.

A warning.

Inwardly, Casey smirked, a deviousness taking over him as he memorized that spot.

And started abusing the fuck out of it.

He doubled his efforts, his hand and mouth working in opposite rhythms, not once giving Leo a break from the overwhelming sensation. Not allowing him to escape the pleasure he was giving him as he locked his hand firmly around Leo’s thigh and held him close.

Leo whined and squealed as he thrashed in Casey’s hold, seemingly stuck between trying to tug Casey closer as his eyes rolled back or shoving him away as the pressure built and built and built-

His hands left Casey’s hair, slapping over his own mouth as he screamed behind them, his body locking tight and his hips rolling up and pressing hard against Casey’s mouth.

Casey didn’t slow down, milking him for every last drop and only easing up when he felt hands batting at his head with quick, light taps. “P-Please.” The plea sounded wet and raspy and broken, Casey glancing down to see the teary eyed and red faced flush of his current partner. “J-Jones,” His core throbbed, a certain type of possessiveness he’d never recalled feeling before taking a sudden hold of him. “Please- I-It’s to much. I-I can’t…”

Showing him mercy, Casey lifted his head, his tongue sticking out for one final drag off the sweet treat he’d been enjoying, a smirk stretching over his canines at the way Leo slapped his hands back over his mouth as he screwed his eyes shut, his head tilting back as his body arched.

Cute.

Carefully sliding his fingers out, he placed soft, opened mouth kisses all along the inside of Leo’s thighs, working him back down until the trembling in his limbs was mostly gone. Taking Leo’s legs in his hands he gently lowered them back to the ground, proud of his work as he watched the way that Leo’s body still shook with the aftershocks of pleasure as he laid him back down.

Shifting himself to rest on Leo’s side, he stayed close but made sure not to touch the other, smiling at the blissed out glaze in Leo’s eyes as he stared somewhere past the ceiling. With his hands still tied by his own mask, they rested on his chest, Casey allowing himself to trace over the simple knot with his eyes only as he wondered when Leo would want him to undo it.

As Leo continued to settle and slowly come back to himself, Casey reached over and undid the makeshift bindings. Finished with that, he placed it next to them, bringing his hand up and soothingly running it up and down Leo’s arm.

“How you feeling Leo?”

The only respond he got was an inaudible garble of words that he couldn’t quiet put together. Snickering at a job well done, his humour was interrupted, a warm sense of fondness taking over when Leo rolled to his side and curled into him.

“Give me five minutes… Or an hour.” Leo mumbled, his voice dragging, sounding like he wouldn’t make it past three minutes with his eyes still open. “I’ll return the favour, don’t worry.”

Chuckling Casey reached over him and to the blanket that he moved to the side to keep from getting… mess do to their activities, pulling it over Leo and himself as he tucked the other bac in.

“Don’t worry about it.”

While Casey was more then content to slide his arm around Leo and doze off back to sleep, a hand being pressed against his chest had him tilting himself away. Brows furrowing, he looked down at Leo, bringing his hand to the troubled look on his face and stroking his thumb over his cheek.

“¿Pasa algo malo Azul?”

When Leo just stared at him, ocean blues swimming in confusion Casey felt a small flush come to his cheeks.

Right. Leo didn’t speak Spanish. He really had to remember that.

“Sorry.” He mumbled, his eyes darting to the side in embarrassment for a brief moment. “I, um, I was just wondering if everything was okay?”

Leo’s eyes brightened a bit in understanding, before they narrowed as he grabbed at Casey’s hand and removed it from his face.

Missing the feeling but not willing to push it if Leo was uncomfortable, Casey didn’t fight against it a worried frown coming to his lips as he stared at him. “Was it to much?”

An adorable cherry red blush flashed over Leo’s face, his eyes seeming to have a hard time meeting Casey’s own gaze, but Casey didn’t allow himself to be to distracted by it, more interested in seeing just how Leo would respond.

“I-N-no. I wouldn’t say it was- It was great, really.” Leo assured him, the worry knowing at Casey’s insides letting up a bit at the small sweet kiss Leo placed against his cheek. “I just… I want to make sure you get something out of it too.”

“Oh.” Casey blinked, shocked that, that was his concern. “Yeah, don’t worry. I got a mouthful out of it.”

Leo’s eye blew wide, a small, surprised squeak bursting out of him that he tried to cover by clamping his hand firmly over his mouth. “Jones!?”

“What?” His bashfulness after everything made Casey chuckle, biting at his bottom lip as if that would help to smother his amusement at the other distress. “I’m glad you enjoyed it so much. After all, that is the point.”

“I-I know that.” Leo muttered back, his words coming out quick, his voice tight and high, “but you- you can’t just say that!”

Full on laughing now Casey didn’t hesitate to pull Leo in, placing a kiss to the top of his head as he wrapped an arm around his waist. “Don’t worry about it Leo. I’m to tired to do much more tonight and besides,” pulling back just enough to stare down at the one in his arms he smiled softly at the skeptical look on Leo’s face. “I’m far more interested in serving my partners than I am in being served. Having you under me? Making all those cute little noises and letting yourself go? That’s good enough for me.”

Even in the dim light of the garage, it was still all to clear how red Leo’s face was, Casey could basically feel the heat of it radiating off him.

“I… Are you sure?” Leo mumbled, sounding uncertain and doubtful and it almost physically hurt Casey to think of him seeing their encounter as some sort of trade off. Like Leo believed he was only allowed to be brought to orgasm if he returned the favour and not because he deserved to be pampered in the most primal way sentient beings could. It hurt to think that maybe he thought that Casey might not be interested in doing it again if he didn’t drag his obviously tired and spent body into another round just for Casey’s sake. “Because I’m sure I can-,”

“Kiss me.”

Figuring that denying Leo outright might just lead him to spiralling in his own mind, Casey made the offer, smiling slightly at the surprised look that Leo gave him in turn.

“Only if you want too of course.” Casey hummed, his lips flickering up into a small smirk, “after all, I haven’t exactually rinsed out my mouth yet.”

Knowing Leo was catching on to what he was implying, he watched as his eyes fell to Casey’s lips, his gaze becoming shy as his blush spread down to his shoulders.

“Is… Is that all you want?” Leo finally asked, glancing back up at Casey, his brow ridges furrowed.

“Nothing would make me happier.”

Though he wasn’t really expecting Leo to do it, he was pleasantly surprised when he leaned in and did just that. This time, when Casey parted his lips, it was to enthusiastically accept the shy tongue he felt reaching out to greet him. Dragging his hand from the back of Leo’s neck up to cradle the back of his head he allowed himself to deepen it, all but sucking the other into him as Leo titled his head to the side to help put himself at a better angle.

There was a part of him that purred at the action, at how eagerly Leo was willing to taste himself on Casey’s tongue as he moaned into the kiss and pressed in further. It was so sweet, so addictive, and Casey loved it.

When they pulled back, Leo’s tongue still partially out and a dazed out look in his eyes as he kept staring at Casey lips, Casey couldn’t help but chuckle airily through his panting breathes. Shuffling in close, he tucked Leo’s head under his chin, draping his arm over his side once more as he placed a quick kiss to the top of his crown.

“Thank you, Leo. That was perfect.”

A shy little chirp was his only response, Leo wrapping his arms around him too.

As exhaustion lulled him into the darkness, Casey couldn’t keep the smile off his lips as he held Leo closer, listening to his breathing slow, hoping his dreams would be filled with better memories before he drifted off himself.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of 12 Leo/ Rise Casey Jones Junior Pairing Stories and oneshots