The Rise of Leonardo

by Slady

Summary:

Rise!Leon visits 2012!Leo

Leon shows up! Leo is surprised! Raphael is annoyed! Donnie and Mikey are confused!

Chapter 1: “Mi Hermano” or… Okay, you’re kind of creeping me out now.

Leonardo walked around the lair, silently checking entryways and rooms to ensure everything and everyone was secure. It was an evening ritual that only got interrupted by late night missions or when one brother in particular stayed out too late with his vigilante friend. No matter what anyone said, he just could not sleep unless he knew all three of his brothers were safe and sound in their bedrooms—even if that meant escorting Donatello from his lab to get some rest.

Once satisfied nothing was amiss, the leader returned to his own room. He would meditate briefly with the door closed then, once finished, put everything away and crack it open for two reasons. For one, it cleared out some of the smoke from the incense he used in such a smaller space than the dojo but also, he felt the need to have an open-door policy for his brothers. With everything that had happened in their lives he wanted to improve their relationships and not create any more barriers between them, no matter how slight. He remembered when their Father was still alive how far away his room seemed to be when they had night terrors, not just as tots but after some harrowing adventures topside. Whether it was one or all three, he would welcome each brother into the sanctity of his space if it meant offering the comfort helped them feel safe.

Lately he had sensed a lingering presence. It was not familiar as would be the spirit of his Sensei, but it also felt corporeal. As if there was someone watching from the shadows in the room, but the odds of a person entering their lair and being concealed from the eyes of not just him but three other highly trained ninjas was low. Never zero, Leonardo often reminded himself, but unlikely enough that he recognized there was only so much he could do to stay balanced between vigilant and paranoid.

Just as he was finishing up his meditation, he sensed a shift in energy, slowly opening his eyes to a silent humming vibration he could feel in the air. His eyes widened as a long leg presented from a circular blue glow, a leafy green shade in color, then the remaining body slipped through gracefully before the portal closed behind him. Speechless, he stared at the intruder for only a moment before quickly jumping up and reaching for his katana.

"Whoa, calm down, mi hermano! I'm good, it's you who are your worst enemy!"

"What kind of greeting is that?!" Leo snapped.

"A funny one," Leon sat down, crossing his long legs with a look like a cat perching atop a ledge staring at a canary. They stared at each other in silence for a full minute before the visitor rolled his eyes. "Wow, you ARE boring!"

The smaller turtle gave a defensive scoff, "You're lucky I haven't attacked you!"

"I mean, at this point I'd take that. Isn't that how you have fun anyway, sparring and training?"

"Better than breaking and entering!"

"Um excuse me!" he waved a hand around the room. "Nothing is broken or entered, the door has been closed this entire time!"

"You invaded my space and haven't explained yourself!"

"YOU haven't made me feel very welcomed."

"How do you expect me to make an unexpected intruder feel welcome?!"

"Buddy, you're asking all the wrong questions. Or is this some kind of weird leader strategy? Is this like, reverse psychology asking useless questions instead of the more obvious and important ones like who, what, why?" He held up all three fingers counted off individually and wagged them in front of the other.

Leo sighed, cautiously sheating his blades and resuming his seated position on the meditation mat across from the other. "Fine. My observations tell me that you are likely another mutant turtle, going to guess a teenager who knows ninjitusu at that. I'm pretty sure you are not from this dimension but that said, I’m less confident that even with a blue bandana you are supposed to be a version of me."

"Hmm not bad, other than the last part where you're wrong. Tsk tsk, we are never wrong!"

"You cannot be serious..."

"You cannot be so serious, that's the problem! Lighten up!"

"I can't relax when someone just suddenly magically appears in my room!"

Leon laid down on his side, leaning his head against his right hand propped up on an elbow on the floor. "Deep breath, isn't that what all this," he waved his left hand across the candles and incense that had burned to a smolder, "meditation stuff is for? To stay calm? Seriously my guy, I'm here to help you as much as you gotta help me."

Leo smirked, "YOU are going to help ME? How?" The other snapped up in excitement.

"FINALLY! You're starting to ask the right questions!"

"You want questions? Here goes..." He raised one finger with each question, "Who are you? Where did you come from? What are you doing here?"

The other laughed, "I like to stop asking questions when I run out of fingers too!" His joke only received a chagrined eyeroll. "First up—as if it isn't obvious—yeah we're both teenage mutant ninja turtles named Leonardo with a rat dad named Splinter and three annoying but adorable brothers named Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo. Second… yup, another dimension. I could tell you more but it'd be way more fun to just bring you by some time!"

"No thanks. How did you get here? Most of my experience with dimension traveling portals involve the Kraang."

A shadow crossed the carefree face, "Let's… not talk about them. My portals are my mystic powers, all of my brothers have their own and each are different."

"Whoa..."

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. Then again we're pretty cool. Except DonTron, he’s a nerd." He half-heartedly chuckled after dragging out the last word, starting to reclaim his normal demeanor but still seemingly a bit shaken up.

"I do want to hear more about your brothers, but you still haven't told me why you're here. Especially without them, are they okay?"

"Sí, mis hermanos están bastante bien!"

"Uhh, your brothers are good? Sorry, my Spanish is not as proficient as my Japanese."

"Hakuna Matata, my dude. But look..." In a swift motion Leon sat up, mirroring the cross-legged position Leo sat in across from him. "I just got promoted to leader which means you just got promoted to be my Sensei."

"Did you lose your father too?" Leo asked sadly.

Leon looked horrified. "What? No! He just told me to figure it out. So... here I am, figuring it out."

“So your Master Splinter is alive and… lazy?”

“Pretty much,” he chuckled.

"Oh... Well, at least he gave you a straight answer and not something cryptic and confusing."

"If he did that then we'd never get anything done!"

A small smile crossed the smaller turtle's lips. "Yeah, well I guess my Master Splinter felt figuring out enigmas was part of character development. Still, I wish he were around so I wasn't Sensei already. You're lucky."

"Yeah, I am. I won't deny I've gotten away with a lot of stuff I probably shouldn't have, but Dad's never been very strict and Raffaella always mother hens us all."

“Wait! Is your Raphael… a girl?!”

“Oh no! In fact, I assure you…” Leon leaned far forward, hands gripping his knees for balance as he lowered his voice. “Big Daddy is ALL boy!”

"That's... weird to say." Leo couldn’t help but lean away a little.

"Embrace it, Baby Blue." He winked with a lick of his lips.

“Okay, you’re kind of creeping me out now…” He jumped at the sound of knocking on his bedroom door.

“HEY, LEO! Are ya talking to yourself again?”

Leon’s eyes lit up as he squealed, “Speak of the red devil!” Leo jumped forward, slapping his hands over the other’s mouth and hissed, eyes squinted threateningly.

“Sorry, Raph, didn’t mean to be so loud.”

“Ya weren’t that loud, ya just… sounded different. Ya okay?”

“Yeah, I’m… fine, I was just—AH!” Leo yelped feeling warm wetness against his hands as Leon licked his palms, taking the moment of distraction to practically fly across the room and stand next to the bedroom door. “Ah, out loud—thinking—is all.”

“But you are so thoughtful to check up on me, Raphie!” Leon cooed from inside, discreetly locking the door in time to hide the sound while he spoke.

“WHAT?! Raphie?!” the hothead growled in annoyance. “Leo, ya been breathing in too much of that incense crap, I’m coming in to check on ya.” That’s when both smaller turtles realized the door was locked as the handle jiggled in the frame. Leo raced across the room in time to hear his brother’s voice hitch. “Uh… ya sure ya okay? Ya don’t usually lock the door.”

Leo reached to unlock the handle only for his right hand to be slapped away by Leon. He attempted with his left hand to the same effect. Their actions devolved to both childishly slapping their hands at each other repeatedly.

“Okay, that’s it. I’m gonna kick down ya door.”

“Really, Raph? Just pick the lock!”

“Oh please, kick down the door!”

“You’re not helping!” Leo glared up.

“I’m not trying to!” Leon smiled down.

A loud sound made both jump as Raph’s shell crashed into Leo’s door with an ineffective thud. The taller terrapin grinned, “ya know, I’m gonna leave you two to talk so off Ah-Me-Go, amigo!” The smaller leader watched a portal appear with the flick of a wrist and just as quickly as he appeared, the stranger exited. But a second thud jolted him out of his reverie as he quickly unlocked the door and opened it only to have Raphael run into him, both colliding and falling onto the floor.

“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!” Donatello exclaimed from out in the hallway with Michelangelo standing next to him, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

~*~*~*~*~

“So it ain’t one of the other versions of us we’ve met before? Not even the weird Turtle Power ones?”

“No, never seen this guy before.”

“Hmm, I guess there’s no way of knowing how many alternate dimensions of us exist. But this one seems quite the anomaly considering all factors involved.”

“Right, ‘cuz there were a lot of factors…. Involved. So many that D’s gonna go through them so we can all figure this out together,” Mikey exclaimed.

“We’re not staying up all night repeating ourselves because ya confused, shell for brains!”

“Leo, are you sure you told us everything he said?” Ignoring the other two, Donatello’s voice was concerned as he noticed how deeply the oldest stared into his cup of tea.

“Um… it happened pretty fast. Pretty sure I mentioned most if not all of it.”

“Translation: he’s hiding something,” Raph sneered. “He said something that bothered ya, what was it?”

“He magically teleported in my room, am I not allowed to be bothered by just that alone?!”

“He talked weird.”

“Dude, you talk weird,” Michelangelo retorted. “He said he had red marks on his face, maybe he was another version of Raph wearing a blue bandana to prank our Leo!”

“Mikey, that’s… well not likely, but I guess possible,” Donnie mused.

“What?! How is that possible? Pranking is Mikey’s thing! As goofy as the guy talked, he honestly sounded more like him anyway.”

“At this point I guess either could be equally true. I’m honestly more interested in the portal and these powers he mentioned though.”

“I’m more concerned that he would risk traveling alone leaving all three of his brothers behind.”

“So is that what’s bothering ya? An irresponsible version of yourself? Because you’ve gone off solo a few times that ended up being an irresponsible thing ta do.”

“You’re not helping, Raph.”

“I’m not trying to,” the hothead sneered. Leo looked up slowly, catching the immediate younger’s gaze for the first time since they sat down at the kitchen table. His eyes narrowed.

“Why would you say that? We’re all supposed to be here trying to figure out who this guy is and what he wants.”

“Or maybe he already told ya and for some reason ya don’t trust us!” he glared back.

“That’s not it at all! I told you... he randomly showed up during my mediation through a portal he made with a sword, stated he was another dimensional version of me, he even reassured me all of your versions were fine, explained they all had mystic powers, and that Father is still alive in his timeline. He was rude, weird, and then expects me to give him tips on being a leader since he's gotten to goof off all his life. Oh!” Leo’s eyes lit up as he recalled one detail he had overlooked. “Wait a second, he did change the subject quickly when I mentioned the Kraang... That seemed to really bother him.”

“So maybe he’s one of those advanced Kraang droids, kinda like April’s friend Irma was?”

Donatello’s hand returned to his chin as he pondered Mikey’s suggestion. “If that was the case, it would explain both the portal and very unlike-Leo attitude.”

“That’s even more terrifying than thinking he really is an alternate version of me,” Leo shuddered.

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

Translation:
mi hermano means “my brother”
amigo means “friend”

 

2025-Jan-09
Thanks to Put_something_cool_here who corrected the line I had originally as: "Si, mi Hermanos es muy bien!" 

Chapter 2: “Mi Pequeño Yo” or… Second Abduction, Take Two!

Notes:

Posting a little earlier than planned because LO0KATTMN is excited and too kind!

"Same bat time, same bat channel!"

"So we meet again," Leo stated, not bothering to open his eyes or move from his lotus position although his meditation was again interrupted.

"Lucky you!" Leon smiles brightly, looking around the dim room. "Okay, so where is it?"

"Where is what?"

"Pish posh! We both have a Donatello, no way he didn't install a surveillance camera after a tall dark and handsome stranger mysteriously appeared in your bedroom last night."

"That's... pretty invasive." He opened up one eye to look up at the tall terrapin.

"Invasive is Don's middle name, next to paranoid. Any chance he can disguise curiosity as concern he'll do it. Eh, no matter!" He turned toward the door with his arms outstretch as if presenting something grand about to happen.

"Hola, dimensional hermanos! I need a bit of privacy so I'm gonna take a walk with me, myself—" he suddenly grabbed Leo tightly, jerking him up high enough that their cheeks pressed against each other causing Leo to gasp, "and I!" At the last word, he pointed to their eyeballs and laughed.

"Ahh, EYE am hilarious! Anyway, don't wait up—we're gonna get pizza and have a chat." He began creating a portal with his ōdachi. "Mikey, of course we'll bring some home! Donnie, if you're lucky I'll grab ya a Hawaiian!” At this point his eyes found the location of the camera and lit up, gesturing a finger gun with the free hand not restraining the other turtle before stepping forward and leaning closer to the lens. “And Raphie," he winked and blew a kiss, "meat lovers for the meaty hunk!"

With that the two suddenly disappeared just as the three brothers burst into the empty bedroom.

~*~*~*~*~

Donatello played the footage from minutes before, his sunset-colored banded brothers each leaning over a different shoulder.

"Wow, he really is taller than Donnie!"

"And goofier than ya! No way he's a Leonardo!"

"His mannerisms are very different. But considering how offensive I find his description of me, perhaps their versions are all a bit sharper in contrast to us."

“The camera comment hitting close to home, Donnie-boy?” Raph joked, almost regretting his words at the glare he received from the genius.

“Well, RAPHIE…” he drawled out earning a snicker from the youngest. “If not for the camera Leo gave permission for after last night’s incident, we’d have no idea what this guy looks or sounds like!”

“Yeah but we still don’t know where he took Leo! Also, I thought we were thinking he was a dimensional version of Kraang?”

“That was just one theory… but after seeing his portal in use I’m considering it less valid.”

"So if that’s really Leo, aww man… I can't imagine their Raph being even meaner than ours! Ugh, maybe if they’re really different from us he's nice like a cuddly teddy bear instead!"

"Both of you stop it!" Donatello's admonishment caused Raphael to freeze right before punching Michelangelo. “Those portals were so brief, I’m not even sure I can pick up any trace energy signatures. I’ll try but our best bet may be to hope he really doesn’t mean Leo harm and will bring him back safe.”

“The real test will be to see if he keeps his promise and brings back pizza for us! OW!” Mikey exclaimed after feeling Raph slap him against his head while Donnie just sighed.

~*~*~*~*~

“What... are you doing?”

Leo, pressed against the side of a building and hissed, “hiding in the shadows—like a true ninja! You’re gonna be seen just standing out in the street!”

Leon looked around unconcerned before glancing back at the smaller turtle. “Um, maybe you should ninja your way back out here and look around. We’re not on the streets of New York. But don’t worry, I didn’t take you to Jersey!” he laughed.

Blinking, Leo slowly stepped away from the wall and observed the moving figures around them. They were certainly not human, were they all… mutants? A city full of mutants? He could just stand… in the middle of the sidewalk… and no one is screaming or running away from him?

Equal parts shock and awe mixed in with a third feeling… jealousy. This alternate version of him got to enjoy a society he didn’t have to hide in! He who seemed the same age but never knew the burden of leadership or even the duty of being responsible for his siblings. Who got to go home to his father who seemed loving but also, non-judgmental. With that thought, his envy was surpassed by a feeling of guilt for thinking the least bit ill of the dead.

Seeing the change of temperament, Leon spoke up. “So we’re actually underneath New York.”

“You don’t live in the sewers?” Leo asked quietly.

“We do, got a lair in a subway station set up pretty good actually.”

“Leave it to a Donatello to work his magic.”

“Yeah but don’t dare say that to his face, even with mystic powers he’s all, science rules and magic is an illusion blah blah blah.” Watching the exaggerated finger movement to indicate scary undertones, a small smile crept on the other’s face but it was obvious something was still bothering him. “Anyway, the Hidden City is way below New York and the sewers, only accessible by portals which you’ll see is pretty common here. There are some newer mutants who sought refuge but mostly it’s Yokai who’ve lived here for who knows how long.”

“Yokai…” Leo muttered softly, nodding. “So are humans not allowed here?”

“No one worries about that. Sometimes you almost can’t tell anyway… those who want to go topside can use a cloaking broach if they don’t have their own transformation ability.”

“Wow,” a sound, almost like a sigh or scoff, escaped him. “If only we had a place like this, I bet Donnie would ask April out on a date here. Mikey would meet so many friends, he doesn’t know a stranger...” He looked up, eyes filled with emotion. “You really are lucky.”

It wasn’t often Leon found himself speechless, but his wit died on his tongue and his brain could only focus on the feeling of heaviness in his heart. They stood there for a minute before a quiet voice spoke up, “I can’t do this. I want to go home.”

“Oye, no te sientas mal… come on, I promised we’d get something to eat.”

“I’m not hungry and besides, my brothers will worry about me. I’ll agree to come back tomorrow but… not tonight.”

Leon shifted nervously, fidgeting with his bandana tails as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Is it Splinter? Do you just wanna head to the lair and see him? Meet my brothers?”

“No, I really do not want to do that at all.”

“Come on, you said you wanted to hear more about my brothers—this way you can hear and see them!” He gasped as suddenly Leo ran off. His head start didn’t offset the advantage Leon had with both knowing the area and having longer legs, but even with shorter strides the other was quick! He could portal and catch him immediately, but realized maybe it was more important to not lose him while letting him have some space… so he fell back to keep at a distance, tracking his general direction. Like most cities, even the safest ones have some unsafe areas and despite him being able to get out of trouble Leon would prefer that Leo not get into any trouble to begin with…

~*~*~*~*~

"You followed me?" a quiet sigh followed the low murmur.

Leon sat beside Leo on a high ledge facing towards a waterfall in the distance. "Seems I didn't need to... Somehow you instinctively found my favorite spot to brood."

"You, brood? Isn't that too serious for you?" Quiet followed between the two once again, minutes passing with the only the quiet roar of rushing water before either spoke. "Sorry, that's rude for me to act like you don't have emotions too."

"No, it's okay. I make being a culo part of my personality."

"I'm going to assume that means being a jerk."

"We can go with that; close enough."

"It's a coping defense, I get it," Leo raised his head a little to look at Leon. "Same reason my Raph can be a jerk to all of us. We know he cares but, sometimes, he's a bit much."

"Being a bit much is usually because you feel like you're not enough," he sighed, both of them staring straight ahead.

"The burden of being leader is scary no matter how confident you try to be. Especially if you have brothers who don't listen to you with one being a hothead who questions everything you do. We've gotten better but it was a rough start."

"Raph wouldn't do that. He should considering all the times we've given him grief, but as angry as he gets he's still so forgiving! And trusting... he's listened to my plans so much even when no one else would."

"Wait... Raph was the leader?"

"Yeah, he's the oldest and always looked out for us so it just made sense."

"You're not the oldest?" Leo exclaimed, causing Leon to turn towards him.

"Yup and even though he never complained, I noticed how much it stressed him out. I hated it for him, but obviously not enough to resist being a brat."

Leo rested his head back on his knees which were drawn up to his chest. "You conflict with everything I thought I knew about my dimensional selves. What few constants I thought made me who I am just, well, flew out the window." He glanced back, "let me guess, you never gotten almost killed and thrown through a window?"

"If you consider a portal like a window, I got thrown into a prison dimension. Does that count?"

"Yeah, let's go with that. Close enough...” he sighed. “At least when I was in a coma for three months I was unconscious, prison dimension sounds worse. Kraang?"

"Yup." Leon mirrored the other, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs.

"I'm sorry... I assumed you all spent your entire lives just goofing off until now and hadn't dealt with the stress of missions, life-or-death battles, or any of the traumatic stuff we've had to face. But still... I'm having an identity crisis because what do we have in common besides wearing blue bandanas? You're not the oldest, you're not the leader, you're loud, you use one blade instead of two, you can show your striped face around an entire city... we look and act nothing alike."

"Well there's this whole situation of being teenagers, mutants, ninjas, and turtles. That's a pretty major thing, there's only four of us in existence ever."

"There's one other mutant turtle in my dimension. Raph had a pet turtle named Spike who got mutated. Goes by Slash now."

"Spike... that's funny, my Raph is covered in spikes," Leon chuckled.

"How's that?"

"How do you mean, that's what he looks like?"

"But you don't..."

"Oh right," he facepalmed. "You and your brothers don't look alike but it's more obvious we weren't all hatched from the same clutch... I'm a red-ear slider but Raph is an alligator snapping turtle, Don is a softshell—species, not personality—and Mike is an ornate box turtle." He fumbled for his T-phone but before he could open it, another hand reached out to keep it closed.

"I'm... not ready to see what your brothers look like. Not yet. I know that sounds weird but—"

"No worries. Don't need to explain either," he put his device back into his belt and stretched his limbs with a yawn. "Hungry yet? Let's go get some pizza— definitely something else we have in common."

"Us and every teenager since the 18th century," Leo quietly chuckled. He looked up to the hand reached out above him and accepted it to help steady himself while standing up. He also stretched his body and limbs, muscles stiff from sitting and the emotions he worked to decompress from.

"It may be too early to say for sure, but... I think maybe one day I might like to bring my brothers here and meet yours."

"One day at a time, mi pequeño yo."

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

Translations:
Hola, dimensional hermanos! means “Hello, dimensional brothers!”
Oye, no te sientas mal…… means “Hey, don’t feel bad...”
culo means “ass”
mi pequeño yo is “my little me”

Chapter 3: “Otra Tortuga” or… Not Your Run of the Mill Date!

“Hola! Welcome to Run of the Mill—oh no, otra tortuga…” Señor Hueso sighed.

“Kon’nichiwa, sir,” Leo bowed slightly with his arms straight against his sides. “Your establishment is the most amazing pizza place I’ve ever seen!” The skeleton manager noted the wide eyes admiring his prized place and nodded approvingly.

“Eh, at least this one has manners. I hope you are taking lessons, Pepino,” he glared at Leon.

“Whaa! My brothers and I have manners! Well, okay… Raph has manners,” he threw an arm around the other’s shoulders. “Maybe it’s an oldest brother thing? Señor, meet my dimensional counterpart! It’s his first time in Hidden City, or actually anywhere out in public. His universe apparently isn’t nearly as cool as ours.” The bone man regarded him wearily, rejecting both a withering retort as well as a pressing question. Instead, he just turned and stated he would show them to a table.

“This is just… unreal!” Leo breathed.

“Oh I assure you, it’s very much real! As is the complimentary extra toppings,” he grinned at Señor Hueso.

“I charge extra for extra toppings, that’s why they are extra,” he replied dryly. “For you, I consider charging double.” Leo bit his bottom lip in amusement as Leon just laughed it off, slapping the fellow on his bony shoulder.

“Ahh, Hueso! You’re such a jokester!”

“I’m as serious as a heart attack, if I had such an organ. I’ll be back for your order so your company can look at the menu.”

“What do you recommend, sir?” The smaller asked while the taller terrapin chuckled.

“No need to bother, we’ll start off with a supreme and a veggie—you look like a veggie lover kind of guy. Usual drinks, my good bone man!” Señor Hueso rolled his eyes as he walked away, choosing to leave the menus at the table for the visitor to peruse if given a chance by the regular.

“I don’t think you’re his favorite customer.”

“Nah, Señor Hueso is like mi tio! He’s practically family!”

Leo just nodded quietly, looking around at everything and everyone around him. The closest he’s ever been to dining inside a pizza establishment was when his family hid out in Antonio’s during the Kraang invasion. It was Mikey’s idea of course, but despite how tight the accommodations were—especially with Donnie needing lab space to work on retro-mutagen for Karai—the seven of them adapted during the temporary but trying time. He had no idea what this dimension’s version of the Kraang invasion was like and had no plans to ask, but it made him wonder if he had his own underground city that they just hadn’t discovered yet. Or was a hidden society unique to this universe? Since they had Kraang, do they also have Shredder? What about Karai? Maybe in this universe she was raised by her real father and was only known by her real name of Miwa. Then again, as much as he’s mentioned their father and brothers he said nothing of having a sister. Although he only briefly mentioned April. Wait, did he mention April or was that just him talking about his own Donnie? On one hand he wanted to ask but on the other he dreaded such a complex conversation, especially one that threatened to elicit emotional baggage.

“Dude, if you don’t want veggie you can just say so. No need to sit there looking depressed,” Leon’s voice had less of an edge as his usual joking manner and Leo wondered if perhaps they shared a spiritual connection that helped them sense the other’s inner feelings. That thought made him feel even more vulnerable…

“Veggie is fine. I’m just, observing the entire atmosphere. It’s a bit overwhelming how different your dimension is from mine.” Without a word, a waiter dropped off a couple of glasses of water along with whatever drink it was Leon ordered as his usual.

“You know, we already had a serious chat earlier so let’s just have fun during dinner. In fact,” his eyes lit up mischievously, “I’ll even let you pretend we’re on a date!”

Poor Leo had just started sipping his drink only for that comment to cause him to choke, some of it spurting out through his nostrils. He was relieved he had reached for the water first and didn’t have to deal with the burning carbonation if the other drink was soda… let alone something else unfamiliar. It looked like soda but he was going to ask to be sure, only for him to be startled by such a crazy suggestion.

Coughing to clear his throat, he hissed. “What is wrong with you?!”

“Come on! That was funny! Although on second thought, who better to date than myself? I’m full of surprises!”

“I don’t like surprises, especially since they are usually not good ones.”

“What are you talking about? You sure looked surprised when I showed up in your room!” he winked.

“Thus proving my point,” Leo deadpanned.

“Ya know, I owe you an apology, little me…” Somehow Leon angled his lithe body in the limited booth space to stretch his legs across the other’s lap. “I said you were boring when we first met but actually you’re a lot of fun to hang out with!” His smile remained unphased even when Leo shoved his limbs off his lap with an annoyed look.

“Unfortunately, it’s nothing new. Of all the weird stuff you’ve said and done, that’s the one thing that didn’t bother me. At least you didn’t call me Lame-onardo,” he grimaced. The other gasped in mock offense, clutching the spot on his plastron where his heart would be underneath.

“Gasp! Who would absolute dare?!”

“Our brothers?” Leo raised an eye ridge questioningly. “Also, did you just say ‘gasp’ after you literally gasped?” Leon chuckled.

“Yeah, it’s a Don thing. Although usually it’s just him scoffing or narrating his utter sarcasm. Which is pretty much the majority of his personality.”

“My Donnie is capable of some scathing sarcasm, but usually it’s warranted. Like the time we went to destroy—” he paused, not wanting to mention the K word… “Destroy a device only to find out it was unexpectedly surrounded by a force field. I spent so much time coming up with plans to infiltrate the building and attack the enemies before I had the team review them, but none of us considered the possibility… Yet here I am announcing it will all be over at the count of three only to watch the blast get deflected! I snapped at Donnie asking why he didn’t tell me about a force field, as if he was supposed to know. So I deserved the reply I got...”

Two sliced and steaming hot pizzas slid effortlessly on the table before them, both nodding their thanks to the server before reaching out for a piece each. “Nah, that’s a fair response… Don prides himself on thinking of every contingency and I’m pretty sure he delights in finding flaws in my plans. I’d blame him too.”

“That’s because you don’t take responsibility,” Leo meant it in a teasing tone but immediately worried he communicated the statement too seriously. Fortunately, Leon took it in stride.

“That’s because you take too much responsibility,” he swallowed his first bite. “You said you reviewed the plan with your team. The hard part is coming up with ideas to begin with; once everyone knows about it then it’s shared accountability.”

“I don’t think that’s fair to my brothers. Donnie has to figure out and execute all the science and machine stuff both on and off the field, Raph is the muscle and takes care of the distractions so whoever has a specific task can focus, and Mikey stays versatile to do whatever is needed even if it’s to play bait so the rest of us can do what needs to be done. The least I can do is own any oversights during plan development.”

Leon finished off his first slice of pizza thoughtfully. “Miguel does make good bait. Lemme tell you about the time we dressed him up as a giant cucumber to scare a monstrous mutant cat…”

~*~*~*~*~

“Sorry about this,” Leon stated.

“Sorry about whAAA!” Leo yelped as he was suddenly pushed through the portal, fumbling and trying to not drop the three boxes of pizzas he was holding as he stumbled into his room and almost into the laps of his three brothers.

“BRO!”
“LEO!”
“PIZZA!”

All three brothers exclaimed at the same time, Raphael and Donnie catching the oldest while Mikey saved their dinner from falling on the floor.

“Did that lunatic just shove you through the portal?!” Raphael huffed.

“At least he brought him back. I’m guessing he doesn’t want to meet us just yet,” Donatello hypothesized.

“Dudes, ya gotta trust him now—he kept his promise! Man, do these pizzas smell good!” Mikey opened the top box, enjoying a deep inhale filled with scents of cheese and carbohydrates. The other two helped the oldest to a standing position.

“What did he do to ya?”
“Where did you go?”

Leo looked wearily at both brothers, knowing that the simultaneous questions were just the beginning of an onslaught of inquiries. Physically he was fine, but mentally and emotionally he felt so tired that the only thing he wanted to look at in the room was his bed.

“Guys, I just… want to take a shower and get some sleep.”

“Oh no! Ya don’t get whisked away by someone claiming to be ya and then when ya finally get back, just hide under your blankets when we’ve been sitting here for hours waiting on ya!”

Donnie placed a hand gently on Raph’s right arm and after they made eye contact, turned to Leo. “What Raph is trying to say is… we were worried about you and now we have questions. I’m sure you’d feel the same if this happened to one of us.”

The eldest sighed, only looking at his tallest brother. “Yeah, I would. But honestly, I’m unharmed and exhausted. Can this wait until morning?”

“How about a compromise?” Mikey piped up. “We eat while you take your shower so you can just join us in the kitchen when you’re done.” Leo looked at Mikey before closing his eyes and nodding as he again sighed.

“Then that’s settled. Go ahead and remove your wraps here before heading to the bathing area,” Donnie instructed.

“Wait, what? Why?”

“Because this, that’s why!” Raph said as he grabbed Leo’s wrists, slipping out the hidden tanto from one and then another hidden blade from the other wrist in a deft motion. Even with the abrupt removal of his personal affects, he noticed that Leo would not make eye contact with him.

“Was that really necessary?” the leader snapped.

“Consider it a precaution,” the hothead replied.

“Yeah, bruh, you could MacGuyver your way outta anywhere just to avoid a conversation.”

“MacGuyver?” Leo looked at Mikey in confusion.

“Old TV show, bro. Dude is like a combination of you and Donnie.” All three gave him an odd look as the genius spoke up.

“Mikey makes a good point. Not about the TV show but maybe with your history of shutting down and running off one of us should go with you.” Donatello spoke gently, hoping to avoid a conflict.

“Are you serious? I don’t need a babysitter or my shell scrubbed, I can take a shower by myself!”

“It’s just a precaution and maybe one we should discuss at length considering you just got abducted!”

“I’m your leader and I say it’s not necessary!”

“I’m your doctor and I say it IS necessary!”

“I’m the clan Sensei now.” Inaudible gasps could be seen more than heard as the leader usually avoided pulling rank in such a serious manner.

Composing himself, Donnie snapped back. “Concerning matters of health, medical orders take priority!”

“Fine!” Leo growled, “But I choose who. Come on, Mikey!”

“What? Me? Why not—”

“Come ON, Mikey!” Leo growled, storming out of his bedroom. The youngest looked over at the other two and handed the stack of pizza boxes to Raph before running after the oldest.

“Okay… that was weird,” Raph stated.

“Yeah, that was worse than the argument we had when the Kraang invasion started and we disagreed on whether to stay and fight in the Turtle Mech or escape town for a secondary base to regroup.” Donatello’s face darkened at the terrifying memory. “That time I was wrong. The one time I strongly disagreed with Leo and he ended up in a coma because of me.”

Raphael shifted the boxes to one arm so he could place a hand gently on Donnie’s left arm and waited for them to make eye contact again. “That wasn’t your fault. The only one to blame for Leo’s coma was Shredder for attacking him and he’s dead now, so let it go. I don’t know what’s got Fearless shaken up—he won’t even look at me if ya hadn’t noticed—but we’ll figure it out. And by we I mean, probably you.” He offered a half-hearted grin to the genius who nodded appreciatively to his immediate oldest brother.

“You’re right, let’s head to the kitchen and make sure we get something to eat before Mikey has a chance to finish off all of our pizzas.”

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

Translations:
otra tortuga means “another turtle”
mi tio means “my uncle”
Yo Pequeño is just “Little Me” which Leon will call Leo often

Chapter 4: “That’s just awkward” or… Two Three Brothers Tag Team!

Notes:

Posting a day early because LO0KATTMN is stressing out over Leo & Donnie having an argument. LOL

Mikey caught up to Leo in moments as the leader furiously unfurled his wrist wrappings while walking. When finished he laid it across his arm as he started on the other; Mikey reached over to collect it and began rolling the fabric up as they crossed the hallway. He thought about asking why again, but already knew the answer he would get. Leo would say because it was his idea even though the real reason is he was upset about arguing with Donnie and, for some reason, avoided even looking at Raphael. Although the youngest could and would eat his entire pizza, at the moment the tension put a damper on even his appetite.

The eldest waited until he was inside the shower room before slamming the door closed. While he kneeled to remove the rest of his gear, the orange-banded brother turned on one of the shower heads so that the water would warm up by the time his brother was ready. He then positioned himself sitting on the sink countertop, gently swinging his feet back and forth. He had questions too but as impatient as he could be, he would wait. Unfortunately, his mind blanked on making any kind of casual conversation.

At first Leo appreciated the sound of silence before realizing that he had subconsciously hoped for his baby brother’s inane chattering to help distract him from the mood he was in. It was uncharacteristic for him to be so quiet, meaning he was obviously concerned. Stepping under the warm water, Leo cleared his throat and spoke up.

“Hey, Mikey… you’ve been so busy with that new video game of yours lately, have you been drawing anything lately in that sketchbook I got you?” He could hear the sound of swinging legs stop, indicating that he was heard but was a bit unnerved when there was no response. Just as he started to repeat the question, the youngest spoke up.

“Uh, yeah, actually. Nothing special but if you wanna see I’ll be glad to show you, bruh!” He relaxed, practically able to see the bright smile even behind closed eyes.

“I’d like that. A lot.”

“Want me to draw something for you? Sometimes I’m looking for ideas on stuff.”

“I have a hard time imagining you running out of ideas!” Leo laughed. Now it was Mikey’s turn to feel relieved.

“I didn’t say I run out of ideas, just that I’m looking for inspiration. There’s a difference.”

“I understand. I’ll get back to you when I think of something.” Leo smiled, amazed at how much his mood softened and washed away down the drain with the water dripping along his skin and shell.

“Alright but don’t wait too long or I’ll need another sketchbook!” His bubbly laughter echoed and filled the shower area, even being heard over the squeal of the shower faucet being turned off. Before he could step all the way out, a large towel flew towards Leo for him to dry off with.

“Anytime you need another I’ll be glad to get one for you.” Minutes passed as Leo dried himself off and he grabbed a fresh mask from the drawer they kept clean ones in. “Thanks for the company, Mikey.” Leo smiled, reaching out to help the other jump down to the floor. He was surprised at an unexpected hug but returned the gesture before they walked out and headed to the kitchen.

~*~*~*~*~

“Hey, guys, sorry about earlier.”

“No need to apologize, Leo. I’m sure we’re all a bit on edge but you more so than any of us have a right to be.” Donnie reassured, relieved that the mood had improved for everyone.

Mikey dove in for his box of pizza while Leo gratefully accepted a cup of hot tea that Raph slid before him but didn’t look up. “Thanks.” He blew over the steaming warmth before taking a sip. “Guys, I know you have questions and I have a lot to tell you about. But I really am exhausted and think it’d be a better conversation after a good night’s sleep if that’s okay with all of you.”

“It is, actually. We’re all a bit tense and could use some rest. But there was one thing Raph and I discussed that I hope you’ll humor us about…” Leo looked up cautiously at the genius as he cleared his throat. “Leo… I know you’re probably not going to like this, but we would all feel better if you let us take turns staying by your side until we figure this out.”

“But, Donnie, you already set up a camera in my bedroom!”

“I know but that didn’t help us get to you in time! At least we could see what happened but as much as this guy seems unlike you, I’d rather not risk his ability to make plans to be as good as yours. Think about it… he already knew I would add surveillance and just laughed about it.” He paused before continuing. “Maybe after our discussion tomorrow we might decide on a different approach, but for tonight at least I’d like you to not be alone. Preferably in someone else’s room since I’ve already finished setting up additional cameras everywhere except the bathroom.”

“That’s just awkward.”

“It’s temporary, I prefer to only monitor entrances for security reasons. I don’t like the idea of constant recording everywhere despite whatever one of my dimensional counterparts might do.” A note of bitterness belied Donnie’s tone.

Leo nodded begrudgingly. “Fine, I guess I can grab a cot in your lab.”

“You can but Raph is going to be the one with you.”

“Wait, why Raph?”

“Why not me?!” the hotheaded interrupted, his patience wearing thin.

“It has to be Raph for multiple reasons. Even if Mikey and I weren’t heavy sleepers, Raph is the strongest of all of us and most able to protect you. But also… this guy seems to have some sort of propensity towards Raphael. Finding him with you may help us catch him off guard.”

Leo stared into the depth of his tea, his hands warmed by surrounding the ceramic mug. He nodded, unable to dispute Donnie’s reasons. “Alright.”

~*~*~*~*~

Raphael stretched out in his hammock, watching Leo pull back the sheets of his barely used bed. He didn’t mind that one of his brothers was camping out in his room for the night, but he did mind it was done so unwillingly and wanted to know why.

“Why are ya mad at me?”

“I’m not mad at you,” Leo answered without looking up.

“Ever since ya got back ya haven’t looked at me and ya been avoiding talking to me.”

“I’m sorry, it’s not you.” Even though the room was now dark with a very faint light source, Raph could sense that the oldest finally was looking right at him.

“Then what is it?”

Leo sighed, “we all agreed to talk about this in the morning.”

“No, we agreed to talk about that guy and what’s going on in the morning. Now we’re talking about you and me.”

“It’s connected to him, just stuff he says… I promise it’s not about you, Raph, please don’t take it personal.”

“Leo… he ain’t you and ya ain’t him! It’s different, just like ya don’t walk around screaming, ‘turtle power’ all the time like those other dimension versions of us.”

“I know but… hopefully it’ll make sense in the morning. I just need to rest.”

Raphael looked over the clock and waited a few minutes until it crossed the threshold of midnight…

“Okay, it’s morning. So what’s up, is this about his Raphael?”

Leo groaned, “it is not morning, it’s not even midnight!”

“It just turned midnight. 12am, the AM means morning.”

“No, sunrise means morning and it’s still dark out,” Leo reasoned sleepily.

“It’s always dark in the sewers,” Raph retorted. “What’s my counterpart like?”

“I don’t know, never met him.” Leo’s voice was now muffled as he pulled a pillow over his head.

“Ya don’t have to meet someone to know if other people think they are good or not,” he mused. “Mikey has a bet going that he’s nice.”

“How much?”

“How much what?”

“How much did you bet him?”

Raph grinned, “a knuckle sandwich and I already collected payment.”

“Well then,” Leo flipped the pillow back over and collected a lungful of fresh air. “At least you’re not out anything. Good night, Raph.”

“Good night, Leo,” Raph sighed.

~*~*~*~*~
MEANWHILE…

“Who’s up for a little midnight snack!” Leon announced, stepping through a portal in the living room where his brothers were finishing up a movie.

“Ohmigosh, you are my second favorite brother for the rest of the night!” Michelangelo exclaimed, jumping up and grabbing the box on the top as if he knew that one was his.

“Whaa—second favorite? Who’s the first?” Leon’s question was cut off as Donatello grabbed the second box.

“My appreciation is extended to you for—” he opened the lid of the box with a disgusted look on his face. “Nardo! I retract my previous statement, you may resume having only my contempt and disdain! You KNOW that I find pineapple and ham incompatible!”

Raphael reached over and grabbed the box from the genius, handing him the one on the bottom. “He also knows that Raph will eat it and got you something else you’d like instead.” The largest turtle smiled as he watched the other cautiously check the contents before nodding approvingly and walking away.

“Taking the lead as always, Big Daddy?” Leon grinned.

“It ain’t like that, I thought we agreed no more food pranks after the poison pizza rolls.”

“What?” he dragged out in a mock whine. “Like you said, this Aloha is for you and his was on the bottom. Not my fault he grabbed the wrong box!” His smirked was matched by the other.

“Yeah, because it’s not like you don’t always hand out our pizzas in the same order every time, youngest to oldest.”

“Huh, must be something subconscious I didn’t realize I was doing,” he grinned, flipping open the box and holding a slice towards the alligator snapping turtle’s mouth. Raph snatched it out of his hands and away from his face.

“Raph can feed himself, ya nut.” He took a bite before chewing thoroughly and swallowing. In a lowered voice he asked, “how’s your little secret mission going?” A slow smile crept on the red-ear slider’s face.

“Now, Raphadoodle, it’s not a secret if I give you updates!”

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

The rest of the RISE team has finally made an appearance!

P.s. Spanish translations have been updated on the previous chapters.

Chapter 5: “My second-favorite Leonardo” or… I’m not warming up to you!

The next morning the 2012 turtles convened at breakfast, Donnie showing the recorded footage of the incident the night prior. Leo shook his head.

“It all happened so fast, I don’t even remember most of that!” He hoped the blush he felt was understood to be embarrassment over being kidnapped and nothing more…

“I dunno, guys… I kinda like him.” Mikey commented, ducking before Raphael’s fist came into contact with his cranium.

“The guy brings you one pizza and you’re okay with him kidnapping me?” Leo asked, obviously hurt.

“Duh, I don’t like the whole kidnapping thing! It’s not even about the fact he brought us pizza either. I just think he’s funny and, I dunno, it’s kind of nice to think that Leo could be that happy.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” the eldest asked. “I’m… happy.”

“Yeah, that hesitation screams happiness,” Raphael snorted.

“Look at him, bruh! He’s just so carefree whereas you always look tired from having the weight of the world on your shoulders. Whatever he’s got going on that makes you two different, I just wish he could share so maybe some of it could help you.”

Leo froze, suddenly remembering one of the first things Leon said to him:
“Seriously my guy, I'm here to help you as much as you gotta help me.”

Donnie took the pause to speak up. “Speaking of sharing… now would be a good time for Leo to tell us more about what happened last night.”

Everyone listened intently over quiet chewing while Leo described the Hidden City and the Yokais who lived there. He then told them how they later went somewhere they could just walk into a pizza place and sit at a table like it was normal, because there it was.

“Whoa… D, do you think it’s possible we have a place like that here?”

“I dunno, Mikey… I suppose it could be possible. But considering our counterparts in that dimension also have mystic powers, I think the odds are nearly nonexistent.”

“Ain’t it possible it could exist and we just haven’t tapped into these powers?”

“Also not likely. Usually powers are triggered somehow, I would think with the life-and-death situations we’ve been in that if it were possible that at least one of us would have tapped into it by now.”

“What about the healing hands thing that Splinter taught Leo to do? Isn’t that like, magic powers?”

“I’ve taught those to you, Mikey, you should understand those are chants that draw upon focusing your chi energy—not magic.”

“Also, keep in mind the fact that April does have powers and she’s not sensed anything like that.” An almost wistful look crossed Donnie’s face as Mikey suddenly looked dejected.

Raphael shoved another forkful of food in his mouth before speaking up. “Ya two really want an entire other place that can harbor new enemies to exist here? I don’t trust it!”

“Dude, you don’t trust anything or anyone.” Mikey didn’t even bother to look over at his hothead brother.

“And it’s kept us out of a lot more trouble than you trusting anything and everyone!” Raphael snapped.

Leo stared into his mug of tea that had grown cold. He had told his brothers so much but not everything. The whole situation was overwhelming, more so than the other times they met alternate versions of themselves. The ones they spent the most time with, those guys had their own battles but they just seemed… simpler. The four of them looked exactly alike and got along as if nothing bothered them. Unlike his own family where none of them looked alike and they all fought with each other almost as much as their enemies.

It made him wonder what Leon’s family was like. From his description, they not only looked different but weren’t even the same type of turtles. He was pretty sure his family was at least the same species, diamondback terrapin according to Donnie who stated that no two looked exactly alike in color and pattern which seemed to fit them. Splinter had forbidden him from doing DNA testing out of concern that the risk they were not biologically related would cause division among the family. Leo had agreed, granted none of them would dare tell Splinter that he wasn’t their “real father” no matter how angry they got—even Raphael—but he wouldn’t expect that same courtesy extended to him. He had a hard enough time being the oldest without that ammunition being used against him…

“LEO!”

The leader snapped out of his thoughts and was surprised to see an angry glare from his brother. “What, Raph? You don’t have to yell.”

“I do when I’ve been calling ya name and being ignored!”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry, Leo… it’s a lot for all of us to take in, no one blames you for being a bit overwhelmed.” Donnie felt bad seeing an embarrassed look cross his eldest brother’s face, something that did not pass the notice of the other two as well.

“Maybe what Mikey said would help… if you all can list everything I’ve mentioned, I can check to make sure I remembered it all. Right now my head is pounding.” Donnie nodded.

“We’ll do that, maybe you should get some more rest.”

“How are we going ta talk things over the three of us when we ain’t leaving Leo alone?”

“I can meet with you and Mikey one-on-one to compile notes, or we can group together if Leo ends up taking a nap.” He turned to the leader. “Leo, do feel like your exhaustion is primarily physical, mental, or emotional?”

Leo paused. “Hard to say.”

“Okay. Maybe I should start routinely taking your vitals in order to track your health. As irresponsible as it seems to casually travel by portals anywhere—let alone other dimensions—it seems this other Leonardo is fine. But maybe with his powers he’s used to the energy and it doesn’t affect him like we might be. That would be a logical start since obviously it is more difficult to objectively track the effects this whole situation is having on your mental and emotional states.”

“Okay, let’s head to your lab. I might as well lay down there so you can get some work done.”

“Yeah, that may be the best plan. You stay with me in the lab during the day since I have the most sensors and surveillance there, Mikey can cover any breaks we need including showering or training—I’ll even let you in the kitchen when he’s cooking as long as you don’t touch anything,” to this the other two snickered. “Whereas Raph can be the night watch.” Everyone nodded. “One thing to keep in mind, guys… if somehow Leo does get abducted again, we need to focus on how it happened and not just be upset it occurred again. If this guy is familiar with how we look, he may have observed us in the past without anyone realizing it. There’s a reason he knew the best time to find Leo was in his room during his evening meditations—it was basically the only consistent time Leo is alone behind a closed door.”

“Bruh, that’s kinda creepy.”

“I thought you liked him,” Raph sneered.

“That was before I realized he was a stalker dude!”

“Everyone, keep your T-Phones on you at all times. If something does happen, I want to make sure we can all respond as quickly as possible. Leo, let’s head to the lab.”

~*~*~*~*~

“So, what exactly happened with the toaster?” Raph tried to hide his smile while racking up the free weights in his bedroom as Leo pulled back the sheets on the bed.

“Again, I didn’t touch it!” he sighed.

“It just spontaneously combusted as soon as ya looked at it?” A teasing grin crossed the brawler’s face.

“It’s old, Raphael. Could have happened at any time.”

“Yet the one time ya were in the kitchen while Mikey was cooking dinner, it panicked and wanted to commit seppuku.” Unable to contain his humor, Raph began laughing.

“I know the feeling,” the eldest muttered, taken by surprise when he soon felt his shoulders gripped tightly.

“Hey! Don’t even joke about that!” The two froze, both staring at each other with panic-stricken eyes. After a minute of silence, Raphael let ago and turned away. “I need to rinse off real quick so I don’t go to sleep all sweaty, come on so that weirdo doesn’t snatch ya up as soon as I step away for a moment.” He looked in the corners of the room with a shiver imagining someone lurking in his own bedroom.

Although it was well past the time frame Leo went missing both nights prior, Raph couldn’t relax. The interloper guessed their move with the camera after the first visit, it only made sense he would anticipate changing up his routine to keep them guessing. He left his lamp on to help him stay up at least until he could hear sounds betraying that his brother had fallen asleep. He wasn’t sure how long he nodded off for when he heard Leo mumble in his sleep.

“Leo, ya okay?” Pause. “Leo, ya hear that?” Groggily, he looked over to the bed across from the hammock and almost fell out when he realized it was empty. “AW SHELL! DONNIE! MIKEY!”

~*~*~*~*~

“Isn’t it rather late to be out?” Leo yawned.

“What? Are you still sleepy after the long nap you got today?” The other sobered quickly, giving him a quizzical look.

“How do you know that?”

“Lucky guess,” Leon laughed. “Actually, I get insomnia a lot and tonight is one of them, so figured I’d hang out with my second-favorite Leonardo!”

“Lucky me,” he deadpanned. “So, where are we tonight?”

He looked at the building in front of him, asking the obvious question that the other still gladly answered. “Late-night coffee shop! Since you’re warming up to me, it seemed fitting!” he beamed.

“I’m not warming up to you, I’ve just resigned myself to the outcome. Nothing I can do until you decide you’re good and ready to take me back home. Also, I don’t like coffee.”

“You poor thing, do you always sound this depressed even when good stuff happens to you?”

“What is good about getting snatched out of my bed when I’m sound asleep? I even told you I would willingly meet with you if that’s all you want so my brothers don’t worry!”

“But where’s the fun in that?” the taller terrapin teased. “Now come on, I took you to the best pizza place here in Hidden City and now, the best menu for all sorts of tea!”

“I told you, I don’t drink coff—did you say tea?”

~*~*~*~*~

With a sense of déjà vu, Donnie played the footage from minutes before, his sunset-colored banded brothers each leaning over a different shoulder.

“Good call leaving the light on, Raph, makes it much easier to see what happened.”

“Don’t ‘good call’ me, ya set me up! Ya knew this would happen!”

The genius sighed. “I knew it was a possibility, the only one setting us up is this guy. It could have easily happened on Mikey’s or my watch.”

“That’s why ya said if it happened to not get mad about it, that wasn’t directed towards me?” Raph snapped.

“Chill, dude,” Mikey interjected. “D and I would be upset if it happened on our watch too! In fact, maybe more since we would have been awake.”

“Yeah well, from now on until we figure this out I’ll be sleeping during the day and staying up at night!”

“Leo won’t like you missing training.”

“Raph don’t like Leo going missing, so he’ll have to get over it.”

“Dude, did you just talk in the third person?”

Raph facepalmed as Donnie explained, “He was just echoing what you said, Mikey. We’re all tired, you two need to stop snapping at each other. Look here,” he pointed at the screen. “Look how small the portal is, he got it so precise that he just reached out and grabbed Leo, muffling his mouth and yanking him through.”

“How is that scrawny dude so strong?”

“Longer limbs can distribute the weight of lifting something easier than when there is a shorter length, simple concept… the formula of law of lever.”

“Sorry I asked… So now what, Brainiac?”

“Well, Meathead, all we can do is wait. We should have suggested that Leo ask him if they could just agree to meet rather than pull these disappearing acts, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he already did and this guy just finds this, well, amusing?”

“I ain’t having fun.”

Donnie sighed, “neither am I. We’re going to have to think of something else.”

“But what, D? The only thing Raph could have done differently was laying right next to Leo and who knows if this guy still could have snatched him up! Leo is gonna start feeling smothered, bruh.”

“I know, Mikey, but it’s only temporary. He’ll understand that. At least, I hope he will…” He noticed the brawler shift uncomfortably. “We can change duties. Mikey can take the night shift, his snoring should scare anyone away and this way no one misses morning training.”

“No, he’ll sleep through anything. I’ll handle Fearless if training becomes an issue.”

“Maybe we should all have one big sleepover like we did when we were younger? That way we can take turns staying awake and it would be harder to get past all three of us than just one!”

Both older brothers stared at the youngest. “Mikey… that’s a good idea! Also, maybe instead of just piling all into one bedroom it’d be better to be out in the open.”

“Alright, movie night sleepover!”

“No, Numbskull, we’re not having a movie night every night.” Raph saw the disappointed look on Mikey’s face and softened. “We can one night when we don’t have training in the morning though.” A small smile crossed his face when he saw the youngest’s expression brighten.

“Can I make the world’s biggest pillow fort?”

“Not the world’s biggest, but one large enough for all four of us sounds fine to me.” Donnie smiled, nuzzling Mikey’s head with his hand.

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

Did I throw in a subtle reference to 2007? Yes, yes I did.
Raph can be the night watch-er. LOL

Chapter 6: “Love, Leon” or… Have you ever considered not annoying people?

“Hold on… your Raph is scared of rabbits?” Leo asked in disbelief.

“Being scared of roaches isn’t much better,” Leon laughed.

“Well yeah but a lot of people don’t like roaches. Unless you’re Donnie and use them for undercover spies and one gets mutated into a big monster!”

“That sounds as bad as an evil rabbit toy feeding on screams until she’s a big monster!”

“As bad, sure. But yours is definitely weirder!”

“Hey, we can’t help the weird things that happen to us. Although come to think of it… we get a lot of strange stuff happen to us because April can’t hold down a job.”

“A job? Is your April an adult? Ours just graduated high school not long ago.”

“Same! But she likes to have spending cash. That and she gets bored easily.”

“April from my universe would probably appreciate the chance to be bored, especially with the whole situation of being the center of an alien inva—” Leo stopped himself, realizing he accidently said too much. Leon squinted at him.

“Say what?”

“We can switch subjects, forget I said anything.”

“No, go ahead. You can’t just leave me on such a cliffhanger.”

Leo sighed before taking a long drink of his tea. “So our April’s dad is a scientist. We first met her when she and her dad were getting kidnapped and later learned aliens—”

“Kraang,” the taller terrapin spat bitterly.

“Yeah, Kraang… were abducting scientists for their invasion plan. Eventually, we learned that they were actually after April and not her father.”

“Why?”

“Long story short… they needed her DNA to terraform the Earth like their dimension. Turns out she is actually a mutant as well.”

“Your Donatello didn’t figure that out before then?”

“He had no reason to test her DNA before then.”

“Pssh… The only reason Don needs is science because he’s a nerd.”

“You can’t just randomly test people’s DNA without their consent!”

“Hey, I didn’t do it! I’d say try telling him that, but you won’t get very far.” He sipped his tea, finishing off the cup.

“Your Donatello sounds scary.”

“Absolutely intimidating if you don’t know him well. Sure, he’s tranquilized us a time or two for fun—”

“WHAT?!”

“And sure he may or may not have experimented a few times on Miguel…”

“Oh no…”

“But everything he does is out of love!” He tried to take another sip, forgetting his cup was empty. “Okay, maybe half of what he does is out of love. He’s not so good with emotions, that’s more Miguel’s area of expertise. He’s very understanding about it all.”

Leo crossed his arms and sat back in his seat. “Finally something that makes a little sense… Mikey is definitely the most emotionally intelligent out of all of us. Plus, him and Donnie have always worked well together. In fact, Raph calls them the B-team.” He chuckled, stopping when he saw a sly grin cross Leon’s face.

“Making you and Raphie the A-team?”

“I get you all have a bunch of different nicknames for each other, but could you maybe stop using that one? If I slip up and call mine that it will start a major fight—you heard how he reacted when you said it the other night.”

“You worry a lot about what he thinks.”

“I care about how all my brothers feel, that’s why I suggested for us to schedule times to meet like people normally do and not just kidnap me randomly unannounced from my home making them worry.”

“Yeah, but you have a soft spot for him.”

“That’s… not true. Sure his respect is the hardest to earn and he’s given me more grief than the other two combined, but I don’t think I treat him differently. Raph can take care of himself, it’s usually him and me looking out for Mikey and Donnie. Not that they can’t take care of themselves but in missions Donnie usually is working on something he needs to focus on so the rest of us either do lookout or are taking care of the battle going on so he’s not interrupted. Outside of missions Mikey is easily distractible. We’re a team and we take care of each other equally.”

“Thou dost protest too much.”

“I’m not protesting! Also, that’s probably the most cultured thing I’ve heard you say aside from knowing another language.”

“Touché!” He walked back up to the counter to order another drink, leaving Leo to his thoughts for a minute before returning with two drinks—one of which he slid over.

“Thanks.”

“No probbles.” Leon leaned back, crossing one long leg over the other and taking a long sip of his new drink while looking around the cafe. Leo followed his gaze, noting nothing in particular.

“Won’t your brothers worry if they wake up and find you missing?”

“I left Raph a note, he’ll be fine. Actually,” he sat up and leaned against the table. “I left both our Raphs a note. They’ll be fine.”

“Not sure what my note said, but I am sure whatever it was mine will be furious…”

“That’s what I’m counting on.”

“Have you ever considered not annoying people to the point of anger?”

“Only when someone asks me that ridiculous question, then I laugh about it.”

Leo sighed.

~*~*~*~*~

“Hey, what’s that?” Donnie asked, noticing a folded piece of paper laying on Raph’s bed. Mikey dove for the mystery note before his brothers could get to it first.

“Ohh, it’s addressed to Raphie… Can I open it?”

“Only if ya name is Raph, Numbskull,” the hothead snatched the item in question from the youngest. As he read it, he angrily crumpled up the paper and tossed it in the trash bin.

“Well?”

“Well, what!” Raph snapped.

“What. Did. The. Note. Say. Raphael.” Donnie spoke slowly, emphasizing condescension in each syllable. Meanwhile Mikey had retrieved and smoothed the paper before reading it out loud.

“Dear Raph,
Try holding on to your brother more than your pride.
Love, Leon”

“Ouch.” Mikey gave Raphael a sympathetic look which seemed to anger the hothead even more.

“Call me when Leo’s back, I can’t keep standing around here waiting! And don’t touch nothing else in my room!” Raphael slammed the bedroom door as he stormed out.

~*~*~*~*~

“Well, guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Maybe so, maybe no.”

“Seriously? You know planning is important for a leader.”

“What? I can plan! I make great plans! Like I said, it’s more fun this way!”

“For you, maybe.” Leo rolled his eyes, carefully balancing three drinks in his two hands.

“Uh yeah, that’s exactly what I mean! Besides, shouldn’t leaders expect the unexpected?”

“You’re the one who wanted to be trained, not me. I remember you telling me I should learn to relax more and this is not conducive to that.”

“It is, you just haven’t figured out how yet.” Leo hated the smirk Leon had when he said stuff like that. “Alright, Mi Pequeño Yo, good night!”

“Pretty sure it’s morning now,” Leo muttered as he watched the now-familiar portal appear and walked through. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust from the early dawn light of Hidden City to the dimly lit lamp in his brother’s bedroom at home.

“Mmph… Leo, is that you?” Mikey’s eyes flew open.

“Yup, unless someone else went missing?” Leo asked with concern, looking around.

“Raph stormed off, I think he just went to beat on his punching bag. He was already angry you got taken again but then got even madder after reading the note.”

“What note?” Leo asked, knowing there was a note but not what it said.

“D’s got it, I think he was going to study the handwriting or something. Hey, D,” he shook his brother who had fallen asleep next to him. “D… Leo’s back. Looks like he brought coffee.”

“I did,” Leo smiled, seeing the olive-toned arm reach out with hand outstretched despite his smartest brother not getting up. “Sit up first, Donnie, or else Raph will be furious if you spill anything on his bed.”

“He’ll be mad about something one way or the other,” Donnie muttered, sleepily sitting up anyway.

“Ooh, bro! What did you get me?” Mikey bounced, suddenly energetic.

“Something Leon recommended, said it was his Mikey’s favorite. Description is on the label. Same for you too, Donnie. I told him I know how you like your coffee but he insisted since it was his treat.”

“From what I’ve heard about my counterpart I have a hard time believing—” Donnie froze after his first sip. “Wow, actually this is good!” He turned the cup to read the label. “Huh… guess we have something in common after all.”

“Guess I’ll take Raph’s to him.”

“Don’t bother, he told us to call when you’re back. Besides, we don’t know if he left or not…” Donnie flipped open his T-Phone to call his immediate older brother. “Yup, he’s back…” He looked at the phone in annoyance, obviously having been hung up on. “Don’t know why he’s taking this out on me.”

“Because I wasn’t here,” Leo smiled with a hand on his brother’s arm. “Don’t take it personal, that’s just how he deals with things.”

“You know, April’s dad is a psychologist. Would be nice if Raph saw him for some anger management.”

“Dude, he’d never go for that. Not unless we all got therapy for all the insane stuff we’ve been through and still maybe not even then.”

Leo looked at Mikey curiously. “You… think we need counseling?”

“Psshh, who wouldn’t? Besides, probably couldn’t have hurt even before everything happened.”

“Mikey,” Donnie hissed. The eldest looked between the two of them.

“What… do you mean?”

“Nothing, Leo. Mikey’s just rambling about random thoughts I’ve rambled on about that lack evidence to support.”

“Come on, D… you’re probably the smartest guy in this entire city if not the world, you don’t have to be qualified to know stuff.”

“But you do have to have a medical license before you go around diagnosing people!”

“Well then let’s get you enrolled in medical school. Oh wait, looks like that’s a problem. Guess we’ll just have to trust your genius brains which are probably better than most of the official people out there!”

“Guys, stop! Sorry I asked,” he sighed, not hearing the door open quietly. “If nothing else, I know I could have probably handled Splinter’s death better… both of them. I’m sorry how badly that affected all of you.”

“Stop apologizing for everything, Fearless. Ya always act like everything’s all your fault.”

“I can at least acknowledge my shortcomings,” Leo handed Raph his drink.

“Nah, that’s my job. So what,” he glanced at the drink label. “Y’all go have a tea party this time?”

Leo chuckled, “not a formal one, just a coffee shop.”

“How do I know mine’s not poisoned?”

“Dude, your pizza was fine and our drinks are good. Why would he do that?”

“I dunno, Mikey, why is this lunatic doing half of the stuff he does?”

“Guys…” Leo warned. “Raph, I watched the drinks get made and I’m the only one who touched yours. Mikey, there’s nothing wrong with being a little cautious.”

“If by cautious you mean paranoid,” Mike muttered. Donnie placed a hand on his arm and shook his head.

“I’m cancelling morning training. We all need to get some rest since none of us have gotten a full night’s sleep.” He started to walk to Raph’s open bedroom door. “The other guy needs sleep too so I’m not about to disappear anywhere, so I’m going to my room—alone. Mikey, I’ll find you when I wake up. Donnie, later I’d like to watch the security footage from last night. And Raph,” he looked from the younger two to his second-in-command, “don’t be upset about tonight, seems no matter what we do he’s determined to make a game of this.”

“Leo, did you ask him if he’d just be willing to just meet with you instead of abducting you?”

“I did, Donnie. He said it was more fun this way.”

“That’s what I figured. Oh wait, I need to take your vitals again!”

Raph scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Everyone, get outta here and go ta ya own rooms!” The younger two got off his bed and walked over to the door where Leo stood, the eldest holding it open as they walked out. Before he closed it, he poked his head in and smiled.

“Good night, Raph. Thanks again.”

“Don’t mention it. Night, bro.”

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

That’s the end of the third day! Or… technically the start of the fourth morning. 

Chapter 7: “Turtle Power!” or… Hey, there’s some buttons! [push]

Most of the day proceeded uneventfully. Mikey made a big brunch while Donnie reviewed the most recent footage and what little information he had tracked thus far. Although Raph seemed more annoyed than usual, Leo appeared more relaxed. He explained that there wasn’t much to share from conversation in the coffee shop and it was the least stressful interaction they have had yet, most likely due to Leon’s insomnia. He did mention that there was the implication he might not see him today but noted that could just be a misdirection.

“Well, technically he did see you today if you account for the time he showed up. Unless by tomorrow he actually meant the day after today rather than in terms of last night referring to the following day in terms of daylight which would be today.”

“English, Donnie!” Raph snapped.

“He could have meant today or tomorrow.”

“But if he meant today, he’s probably too tired. Which means he probably meant tomorrow, then we’re safe today right?” Mikey asked.

“I wouldn’t count on either, like Leo said it could just be subterfuge.”

“What does this guy have to do with your centri-fudge?”

“You’re thinking centrifuge,” Donnie sighed. “Subterfuge is a deceitful trick to accomplish an objective.”

“Speaking of tricks, why can’t we just catch him in some sort of trap so we can confront the creep?” Raph punched his right fist into his left palm.

“If you can think of an effective way to do so, please be my guest and share with the rest of the class,” Donnie replied dryly.

“Leo said he’s bilingual, I say we introduce him to my two favorites languages—fists and feet!”

“Of course—such a foolproof plan, why ever did I not think of that?” The genius shot an annoyed glare towards the hothead.

“At least I’ve thought of something!”

“Dude, it’s literally the same suggestion you make for everything,” Mikey piped up to Donnie’s defense.

“It’s got a great success rate!” Raph snapped, his attention distracted when Leo reached out and touched his arm.

“When it’s part of the plan, it’s a good success rate. When you go barreling in without the rest of us, not as effective.” Knowing he referred to the multiple times he ran off and made things worse, the brawler crossed his arms and begrudgingly resigned himself to not arguing back. The leader then spoke up. “Guys, maybe this isn’t worth you all stressing out so much…”

“What are you saying, Leo?”

With a sigh he answered the genius, “Other than being an annoyance and a disruption, us worrying about it seems to be causing more harm than me just dealing with the unexpected interruptions.”

“You just want us to ignore you getting kidnapped?” Mikey asked incredulously.

“I appreciate you all being aware when it happens and your concern for my well-being, but it seems I’m not being put in danger. Meanwhile you all are really being put out about this.”

“Ya haven’t been put in danger YET! Ya really just gonna give up and go along with this nonsense? Or do ya not trust us to keep ya safe because I’ve already let ya down once?”

“Raph, that’s not it at all! None of you have let me down and I trust you all with my life! So far their world seems more peaceful than ours but even if they were preparing for some major battle, I would expect they’d want all of us to join forces and not just me anyway.”

“I’m sure all the humans thought our world was peaceful moments before they got mutated by aliens they didn’t know existed! Ya talking about what ya expect, ya didn’t expect this guy to show up let alone be anything like he is either. How much do ya really know about him? Or his brothers of us?”

“I don’t want to know!” Leo snapped unexpectedly before covering his mouth.

“Leo… what do you mean you don’t want to know? That doesn’t sound like you.” Donnie didn’t bother to hide his look of surprise.

“Yeah, bruh, you always know everything! Learn about your opponent and all that stuff.”

Raph crossed his arms again. “What are ya not telling us that he told ya? Or is this just ya blocking your emotions like always? What, too disappointed another version of ya isn’t perfect?”

“That’s rich coming from the hothead who hides behind sarcasm and anger!” Leo glared.

“What?!” The brawler jumped up, leaning over his leader threateningly who followed his actions and also stood up so that the two of them were face-to-face staring each other down. “At least I’m expressing some kind of emotions unlike you who just hides everything but brags about being honest!”

“I. Do. NOT. Lie!” The blue-banded turtle spat between clenched teeth.

“Okay ya might be honest with what ya say but ya ain’t no open book neither! Lying by omission is still lying, or do I need to remind ya of all the secrets ya kept from all of us?” the red-banded ninja challenged.

“Guys, watch out!” Mikey exclaimed as a purple orb bounced through a small portal that appeared above the two oldest, a metallic sound made as it thudded against the floor before mechanical arms wrapped around Raphael and restrained him.

“Raph!” Leo exclaimed before a thick arm suddenly stabbed a needle in his neck and orange chains yanked the now limp body through the blue portal right before it disappeared.

“By Darwin’s beard I’ve seen it and I still don’t believe it,” Donnie muttered in shock as Mikey ran over to help Raph who had fallen over in the commotion. Hearing the youngest call his name, the genius hurried over to study the device before noticing the words engraved on it…

Genius Built (TM)

“Oh, come on!” Donnie grimaced.

“What is it, D?”

“Who cares what it is, get me outta this thing!”

“Raph, stop fighting so I can figure out how to do just that. Mikey, this is obviously something that my counterpart created. Of all the arrogance to attribute his inventions with a brand name!” he scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“What’s the big deal? Seems kinda smart to me.”

“No, it’s not. It’s not smart at all! If it were to get in the wrong hands, slapping your name or even a brand designation that could be traced back to someone who is supposed to be living in hiding is counterintuitive! Seems his genius is only outmatched by his ego.”

“I don’t know what’s worse, being stuck in a Donatello invention or having to hear Donnie complain about another Don!” Raph grumbled.

“Quiet, Raph! I’m still looking for a release switch of some kind.”

“Hey, there’s some buttons!” Instinctively Mikey pushed an orange one that was right next to three others that were purple, blue, and red.

“Mikey, wait!” Before he could react, the device quietly retracted into itself with no ill effects. “Huh… I would have guessed the purple button would have been the off switch.” Donnie mused, rolling the orb in his palm.

“Wouldn’t that have been red, like for stop?” Raph asked, rubbing his wrists.

“Hmm… my guess is, these buttons are color-coded based on his feelings about each of his brothers. Since my counterpart seems a bit… devious in nature, perhaps the purple button would have been more destructive?”

“Ya mean if ya pushed that button before Mikey did it could have exploded with me in it?!”

“That wouldn’t make sense though… exploding an invention would be a last-resort option. Perhaps the purple button is what activates it?” He tossed it up in the air after pressing the purple button again. Just as before, there was a momentary pause before the sphere landed and mechanical arms wrapped around the closest body.

“HEY! What the heck, Donnie?!”

“Sorry, Raph, I just figured before it was tossed in your direction since you were so close to Leo but seems it can somehow sense out the nearest person.”

“Great, well one of ya push the orange button again!”

“But what does the other two do?” Mikey again reached over Donnie and pressed a button, this time the blue one which resulted in an electrical shock.

“Mikey! I’m gonna kill ya! Or better yet, I’m gonna put ya in this and test the red button!”

“No need. If purple is to activate and orange is to deactivate, but blue is to cause a punishing response then that would leave red to be the destruct command. Makes sense given the explosive temper Raphaels have a tendency towards. Even the weird versions of ourselves, their Raphael immediately went on the aggressive and made fun of my voice.” Realizing he was rambling on a tangent to the situation at hand, Donnie cleared his throat. “Of course, I’d like to examine it closer to determine if this is accurate and perhaps even replicate it.”

“Can you do that if it’s trademarked?”

“Mikey,” the tallest brother sighed, “even if it’s a legitimate trademark—which I can assure you it isn’t—it would only apply to his world. Besides, what is he going to do, take legal action against me?”

“Gonna guess a mad scientist isn’t one to trust someone else for revenge in stealing his intellectual property. So, any day now?” Raph huffed as Donnie reached over and pressed the orange button again, the hothead again rubbing his wrists. “Thanks, so now what?”

Donnie sighed, “I guess all we can do is what Leo suggested… try not to worry and just wait until he’s returned home. But this is bothering me.”

“Yeah, that was my point, it bothers all of us! Leo just ain’t got the sense of self-preservation to stop playing martyr.”

“No, that’s not it… every other time it was obviously his counterpart sneaking him out at night. This was during the day and if you two hadn’t noticed, he wasn’t alone.”

“You mean the blue portal, purple ball, and orange chains?” Mikey asked.

“Yes, plus there was a hand that tranquilized Leo in the midst of all that commotion. What if we should have listened to Leo and by not doing so just made it worse?”

“Worse than being abducted?”

“Before it was just the two of them. Now it seems that since Leo got us involved, the other one might have gotten his brothers involved. If that’s so, it leaves us at even more of a disadvantage.”

“I didn’t imagine we had counterparts more annoying than any of the other ones we’ve met, but hearing ‘turtle power’ over and over is better than this headache.”

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

(1) There is actually an episode where 2012 Raphael jokes about speaking two languages—fists and feet.
Season 1; Episode 8: Never Say Xever

(2) Remember the third episode of Rise, “Donnie’s Gifts” where Don made Leon a shock collar to curb his punny humor? LOL

(3) 2012, Season 4 Episode 10: Trans-Dimensional Turtles
Rob Paulsen voiced both ’87 Raphael and 2012 Donatello, so the exchange they had when ’87 Raph told ’12 Don he had a weird voice was a reference to them having the same voice actor. ^_^

Chapter 8: “Mis Hermanitos Favoritos!” or… Why a dumb-dumb like you has to consult with a genius like me.

Notes:

(1) If you’re keeping track, this is day 4 since the shenanigans began!

(2) 2012 turtles are referred to as: Leo, Raphael, Donnie, Mikey
Rise turtles will be referred to as: Leon, Raph, Don, Mike
However, this will not apply to nicknames when the characters are talking to each other, especially with all the terms of endearment the Rise turtles use like Nardo, DonTron, Miguel, Michel, etceteras.

(3) Posting a bonus chapter this week because my birthday is Friday and I appreciate each of the awesome comments I’ve received!

“So what are we gonna do, Dee? Want me to go all Doctor Delicate Touch to find out what Leon is up to or Doctor Feelings because he’s keeping secrets from us?” Mike was perched over Don’s computer chair, obviously irate.

“Put a pin in both for now, Michel… considering that Raph insisted on talking to Nardo alone, we can surmise that both our dumb-dumb brothers are working together. The question is, how and when did they discover his portals could cross into another dimension let alone so frequently as well as one that coincidently has alternate versions of us? Albeit inferior counterparts, which—”

“Which begs the next question of why?”

Don patiently patted Mike on the head, not complaining that he was interrupted. Baby brother privilege aside, he was setting aside his anger for the two oldest…

~*~*~*~*~

“So… scale of one to ten, how mad do you think our brothers are at us?” Leon shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.

“Us? This is all on you, Leo!”

“Pish posh, guilt by association, Raphie.”

“Nu uh, this was your idea and whatever all Don knows, it’s gonna track back to ya. Raph hasn’t stepped foot in another dimension and until now I hadn’t even seen what Little You looks like.” He paused for a moment, “Is uh… Little Me always that angry?”

“Oh yeah. He’s got some pent-up rage for sure.” Seeing the serious look on Leon’s face, Raph looked sadden.

“Leo, look… I know we get into our fights, but—”

“Relax, Raph. Our worst fight is nothing like that. I mean, I hope for you it isn’t, although…” the blue-banded turtle rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “I’d deserve it if you did get that mad at me.” He gasped as he felt the larger turtle hug him tightly.

“Nah… Ya a brat for sure, but ya my brat,” the oldest smiled. Leon rested his head against the other’s shoulder and sighed.

“If there’s been one thing I’ve come to realize lately, it’s how lucky I am. Especially to have you.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah… All those years I took for granted the burden you had being the responsible big brother and then trying to lead us uncooperative little brothers as a team, figuring both out on your own because Dad had his own stuff to work through.” He closed his eyes and rested his hand on the part of his brother’s plastron that his heart would beat underneath.

“Thanks, Leo… Raph appreciates hearing that,” he sighed. “But if you’re trying to sweet talk me into taking some of the blame, that still ain’t happening!” The other’s eyes widen as he looked up.

“Aw, come on!” he playfully pounded his brother’s plastron. “Fine… just promise me one thing?”

“What’s that?”

Leon coyly traced his fingers along Raph’s biceps, following the curve of his muscles down past his elbow and along his forearm until he folded their hands together. “Just promise me you’ll be the one to punish me, Big Daddy.”

The red-banded turtle playfully shoved the smaller one away. “There really is something wrong with ya!”

Leon grinned just as he heard the lab door open and the other two brothers exit. His smile faltered before he chuckled, “Heyyy, mis hermanitos favoritos!”

“We’re your only little brothers, that won’t work. Not again!” Mike pouted.

“Aw, come on… after all, I should be the one upset at you two for spoiling your surprise,” the sword wielder deflected.

“Really, Nardo? Pray tell, what benefit this secret of yours was intended as a surprise for us rather than a deception… It truly is an insult to my intelligence that you even believed this would escape my notice for long. Have you no faith in my genius-built brand of surveillance to keep us all safe from threats both outside and within?” Raising one drawn eyebrow, Don knew his glare was scathing.

“You can’t tell me that you aren’t amazed I’ve trained my powers to portal into an entirely different dimension!”

“As unexpected that you were able to do so at all let alone that you’ve already developed a mastery of commanding such a skill, this was absolutely something you should have informed all of us about—mostly me—so I could study it!”

“What’s there to study? I wasn’t trying to do it on purpose, it just happened one day and then I figured out how to do it again.”

“See, that’s why a dumb-dumb like you has to consult with a genius like me! You have no idea the implications that could be caused by your actions!”

“Like what, Donnie? Is something wrong?”

“Oh ho, and you!” Raph pointed to himself questioningly at the accusation. “Don’t tell me you weren’t aware of his shenanigans and pretend you weren’t in cahoots with this degenerate!”

“Raph was not in cahoots—I didn’t see this other dimension until the same time ya two did!”

“Oh, so you claim to have no knowledge whatsoever of what he was doing?”

“Leo’s leader now, he ain’t gotta report to Raph about everything.”

Mike stood with his arms crossed and exchanged a knowing look with Don. He glanced over to Raph and shook his head in disappointment. “Raph. Raph. Raphie, Raphael…” He looked up and glared at his tallest brother as if there was no height difference between the two. “That was total avoidance of Don’s question! We are brothers first and a team second, but we can’t be either if you’re not going to tell us the truth! I mean, I would expect this from Leo but not you! You, our oldest brother…” The edge in his voice had soften as his eyes widened. “The one we all confide in, the one we all rely on to give us guidance, the one we can all curl up next to on the couch during scary movies or crawl into bed with after nightmares. If we don’t have that, then what do we have? What’s left for us as a family? I just can’t believe—”

“ALRIGHT RAPH KNEW!”

Mike stepped back, smirking in satisfaction as Leon rolled his eyes. “Raphael… best big brother, lousy leader.”

“Hey!” the oldest growled, “I did the best I could and I’m still doing just that trying to help ya out!”

“Of course you did,” Mike stretched, encouragingly patting Raph on his arm as high up as he could reach. “Raph, it’s okay… we all know how Leo can be, it’s not your fault.” He spoke softly, a drastic contrast to the sharp tones he had just used. “Now, my second favorite big brother… why don’t you explain to Donnie what trouble Leo’s been doing so he can figure out how much damage our irresponsible leader has caused?”

“Aww, come on!” Leon exclaimed. “You all are making way too big a deal out of this!”

“Leo…” Mike turned to him, “your time to talk has expired. If you had something to say, it should have been done before today. So now, if you’ll excuse us… NO ONE IS TALKING TO YOU, SON!”

“I concur, another word and I will personally gag you,” Don warned. “I mean, not me personally, you might get saliva on me,” he shivered in disgust. “But I will see to it that it will happen and uncomfortably so.” At that threat Leon crossed his arms and flopped back on a couch.

“Okay so… Raph didn’t know Leo’s portals could do all that. It felt like forever I was yelling at him to get a handle on his damn sword before he could even use it right! But that’s what training’s for right?” He waited for confirmation of the two nodding before continuing. “Anyway, I know since Pops changed things on us after—well, things happened—we all know how much it affected all of us, especially Leo. But there’s not much I can do to help him, we just got told to figure things out and hope our best is good enough, ya know? Besides, Leo was always better at making plans.”

“The salami paper left much to be desired,” Don deadpanned.

“Raph liked that plan,” the oldest defended.

“You mean you liked eating that plan. Continue.”

“Right. Anyway, I don’t know when it happened but yeah, at some point Leo admitted he opened a portal and saw versions of us. Then he had this crazy idea which seemed kinda smart, he said he could learn how to be a leader from watching them since we don’t exactly have anyone to train us here.”

“That… actually makes sense,” Mike admitted.

“Raph thought so! I mean, leave it to Leo to find some off-the-wall solution to a problem. I figured, if he’s just watching and doesn’t get caught, what’s the big deal?”

“What’s the big deal, he asks… Scoff! Surely no concerns about ripping a hole in the delicate fabric of reality or causing possible repercussions due to the tear between dimensions, especially opposing ones with alternate versions of the same reality.” Don rolled his eyes in the most exaggerated way possible. “Ignorance surely is bliss, if only stupidity was painful only to those afflicted so I would not suffer!”

“How is this any different from the time travel that saved our world?”

“A lot different! It’s really, really, really different—that’s three reallys if you’re keeping count because it’s that serious! I don’t even have the crayons to explain to you how drastically different the implications could be!”

“I can get my crayons, Dee! I have the biggest size box with all the different colors,” Mike offered.

“Another time, Angelo. I need to hear the rest of this first.” The youngest smiled as he nodded.

“I don’t know how often Leo observed the other us-es, he did ask if I wanted to check them out too. Raph was curious but also, felt kind of weird about spying on them. So I told him I trusted him to just be careful.”

“An obvious mistake. Poor judgement on your part.” Raph ignored Don.

“Everything was fine until a couple of days ago when he admitted he met the other Leonardo, he said he just needed to talk to him directly.”

“Why?”

Raph fumbled with his fingers for a moment, “it’s not Raph’s place to say. But in Leo’s defense, it wasn’t all about him… his reasons were good enough for me to approve this secret mission of his to become a better leader.”

“There’s only four of us, why would anyone need a secret mission?” Mike questioned.

“Except for me.”

“Except for Don.”

“So…” Don continued without waiting for a response, musing out loud. “The perceived benefit is that we would operate better as a team if Leo was to be successful in learning leadership lessons from our counterparts. I suppose experience from those in our same situation is the most ideal. However, just because you are able to do something does not always mean that is the optimal choice.” He paused, “for the record, this does not apply to myself and is only up to my own discretion as it applies to all of you.”

“Donnie, do ya really think this could cause bad stuff to happen or are ya just tryin’ to scare us?”

“Oh, the possibilities of consequences are very much real, my dear eldest brother. However… as Leon tends to leap without looking, some of my initial concerns had I been notified prior to his actions seem to have had no consequences thus far. I would still like to evaluate some factors for both him as well as his counterpart to ensure there are no… unfortunate side effects of crossing over. Hence my decision to retrieve him.”

Don turned to look at Leon who was currently lounging on the couch, one leg bouncing off the other impatiently. “Nardo, I will need you to report to my lab thrice daily for tests so I can begin tracking your vitals and such to ensure you have not been subjected to any changes with this drastic transformation in your ninpo ability. Your visitor will need to be subject to evaluation during every visit. Further, I will need you to take me to all of the locations you’ve created a portal from between here and there to see if I am able to detect any abnormalities.” Seeing Leon do nothing but offer a silent thumbs up, he rolled his eyes. “Your cone of silence is lifted, although it should go without saying I reserve to right to gag anyone at any time for utter nonsense said to me.”

“First question… how long should that tranquilizer keep Yo Pequeño knocked out for? Because if he suddenly wakes up and I’m not there, he will probably panic and find a way out to run off.”

“You know this from experience?” Don arched a drawn eyebrow again.

Leon stood up, sauntering over to his other brothers who were still standing in the middle of the room. “I know he is freaked out over the idea of meeting all of you, so I’m not sure how you are going to test him.”

Don waved dismissively. “That is simple enough, what I cannot complete when he is unconscious you can evaluate after I’ve finished the process with you.”

“How long will that be? I don’t usually keep him gone long, he gets really stressed about his brothers worrying.”

“I can’t answer that just yet.”

“Hey, Leo…” Mike spoke up. “Raph said you had other reasons for doing this, should we be concerned about those versions of us? I mean, we’re not perfect but that fight we interrupted was kinda scary.”

“Ah, Miguel… intuitive as always! Yeah, they’ve not had it as good as we have. I thought, maybe, if he could teach me how to be a better leader I could try to figure out a way to help him work though their family issues in return.”

“How’s that goin’ so far?” Raph looked over as Leo shrugged.

“Could be better. The way these guys work through their emotions make DonTron look like Mr Rogers.”

“That’s quite concerning,” Don admitted, an almost sympathetic expression crossing his face. He opened his arm gauntlet, reviewing some readings as well as the camera focused on Leo. “Nardo, since your guest is still sedated let’s go check on him first and get the initial findings to establish a baseline moving forward.”

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

Translation:
mis hermanitos favoritos means “my favorite little brothers”

Chapter 9: “I could hear light!” or… It’s only science fiction until it is proven as science fact.

For the third time, Donnie played the footage from minutes before again with his sunset-colored banded brothers each leaning over a different shoulder.

“It all happened so fast… Mikey, good job noticing before the rest of us realized what was going on.”

“Dude, I could hear light!”

“Probably just the portal emitting some energy waves.”

“If they’re able to coordinate a stealth attack on us in our own home, what do they need Leo for?” Raph snapped.

“How should I know? I have such limited information as it is and even less data to analyze!” The genius rested his head in his hands. “It’s like the invasion all over again, if I had just listened to Leo…”

“Hey,” Raph placed a comforting hand on Donnie’s shoulder. “No, it ain’t. This is nothing like that.”

“Yeah, bruh… Leo was stressed then, but you heard him this morning. He didn’t even seem worried.”

“Leo not being worried actually worries me more,” Donnie sighed. “Raph’s right, he just resigned himself and is giving up.” He rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. “Which means he’s probably starting to spiral again…”

With a low growl, Raphael stomped over to the reinforced lab door and punched it in anger. He stared at the spot for a moment and, as if the point of impact doing no damage mocked him, suddenly raged and repeatedly hit the surface with a yell. Mikey ran over and tried to pull his older brother away while carefully dodging flying fists. “Bro… deep breath, it’s okay!”

“NO, IT’S NOT OKAY! What if the weirdo brought him back but now his other brothers don’t let him? Y’all think I was always jealous of not being leader but I don’t want that! I hated it when I got the chance! So if their own Leo didn’t want to be leader, no way any of us would step up... Maybe they all decided to just take our Leo so none of them have to worry about it.” He panted as if he was out of breath from running rather than a fiery burst of brief energy.

“Dude… you can’t think like that! No way any version of me would let that happen! We’re a family and a team, we can’t be separated like that or we’d all fall apart. No way we’d let that happen!”

“I mean, it’s possible, Mikey… we’ve only met good versions of us, but who’s to say there isn’t an alternate where we are the bad guys?”

“Say what?” Raph froze.

“Think about it… Teng Shen was initially torn between Yoshi and Saki. What if she chose differently, who’s to say Splinter might not have reacted similarly as Shredder did? What if—oh my…”

“What?” both brothers pressed.

“Leo… he swore to us that he was over his crush with Karai and that seemed to be the case, but then after she got mutated he became obsessed over her.”

“Yeah, but he also knew she was Splinter’s daughter before we did.” Mikey reminded.

“Exactly. Meaning while you were teasing him, his real reason was probably trying to avenge Sensei or felt honor bound to help her home to her real father.”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Think about it, Raph… what if Leo masked his mission with Karai not just because he felt he was obligated to Father, but he feared being her?” He continued to try and clarify the confusion he saw on the others’ faces. “Leo had more patience with the whole situation not just because we lost interest, but he realized that he could have been her. If somehow we had been raised by Shredder and not Splinter, who’s to say the four of us also wouldn’t have fought in the Foot Clan?”

Raph froze, his blood suddenly feeling as if it ran cold through his veins. Mikey’s jaw dropped. “Dude… it seemed so obvious to us that it would be hard for her to realize her entire life was a lie, but thinking about it like that… now I feel bad giving up on her so fast and not knowing how hard it really was…”

Donnie stood up and walked over to his brothers, taking Mikey in a hug. “Don’t beat yourself up, Mikey. She’s better now anyway, but still… this isn’t our fault and we have to remember we helped her.”

“Ya mean, Leo helped her,” Raph scoffed. “So that whole, helping her take over the Foot Clan nonsense wasn’t just him finding a new favorite sibling but somehow righting some imaginary wrongs he worried he was capable of?”

The genius looked over at the hothead. “It doesn’t make sense, but with Leo’s depression there’s only so much I can try to understand his guilt and martyr complex.” Raph rubbed his eyes.

“So… maybe these guys just want to learn from our Leo. Or maybe they kidnapped him to be their leader. Or maybe they are bad versions of us and we have no idea what’s going on. What?” he noticed an odd look flash across the genius’ face for just a moment.

“Nothing, the thought just occurred to me what if some lunatic tried to clone us and we had dark versions of us too…” He sighed, “I think we all need to take a break, our minds are running wild with the random possibilities and it’s not productive.” He looked at Mikey who leaned back from his loosening embrace.

“Yeah, dude… I read a lot of comics like this and my head still hurts. Our lives are weird enough without all this sci-fi stuff.”

“Well, truth can be stranger than fiction and it’s only science fiction until it is proven as science fact.”

“Please… stop with the geek and nerd talk. I just want to get Leo back but we don’t even know if they will this time,” he looked down, his fists clenched tightly. “I can’t even pretend to promise I won’t let him outta my sight or let go of him if given another chance, because I was right there and they literally took him away from under my nose! Literally! We were standing face-to-face with each other, I could feel him breathing down my neck… and then he was gone!” He suddenly swerved around but not before the younger two heard a sniffle and walked over on opposite sides to half-embrace the brawler. They rested their arms across the top of his shell, making sure to stand slightly behind him so as to not embarrass him while he attempted to hide his emotions. Raph could sense that they were making eye contact with each other and not looking at him, which he appreciated even though it was obvious how vulnerable he was feeling.

“We have to trust Leo. Regardless of their intentions, if he had to Leo would somehow find a way to figure out how to learn that portal magic just to come back home to us. So it’s not a question about if he will be back, just when he returns.” Mikey’s face was filled with renewed resolve as they both felt Raphael nod.

Donnie wished he felt as confident as he sounded.

~*~*~*~*~

“The good news is, Leon is completely fine. Seems his ninpo has no different effects traversing into a different dimension as it does going across the room.”

“And little Leonardo?” Raph asked.

“Don has designated the subject as just ‘Leo’ since that is the smallest nickname rather than the redundant use of ‘little’ or his full name of ‘Leonardo’.”

“Mike, who asked ya?”

“Um, hello? I’m Dee’s assistant to handle the less important questions!”

“Isn’t that Leo—er, Leon’s job? He’s kinda the medic after all.”

“Nardo is too involved in the matter. I need an unbiased aide who I can also trust to fully disclose information to myself while withholding from the two of you if necessary.”

“Raph thought we were all involved in this now? Ya said no more secrets.”

“I said ‘if necessary’ and always reserve the right to only release details when I deem necessary,” he stated, not looking up from his device. “Speaking of which… at this time, Leo is stable but I have no data to support any effects or the absence thereof as this is only establishing a baseline moving forward.”

“Great, so I can just drop him off at home and let him sleep this off. It’ll just be like a weird dream to him then.”

“Not so fast. You return him now and his brothers—who are probably even bigger dumb-dumbs than all of you—will make it more difficult to retrieve him for the necessary follow-up testing and observation.”

“I told you, I don’t keep him here for very long. I’m trying to help him, not make things worse!”

“Making sure he doesn’t destabilize due to dimensional effects is helping,” Don retorted dryly.

“How can you track any changes if he stays here and doesn’t leave or return?”

“The act of disrupting additional incidences could affect his vital signs due to stress or aggravation; it would flaw the testing.”

“The act of withholding him against his will absolutely would affect his vital signs due to stress AND aggravation, flawing your testing even more!”

“Is that even the right grammar?” Mike asked but was ignored.

“Donnie, they don’t even have their Splinter anymore. Imagine if it was just the four of us and Raph suddenly went missing…” Seeing the genius’ resolve start to falter, he continued. “Besides, Leo has offered to plan and meet with me willingly. I know he’ll cooperate, but not like this.”

“So instead of taking the reasonable route you chose to randomly kidnap him for, let me guess, your own amusement?”

“Culpable, okay? In my defense, he’s easy to tease and it’s adorable!”

“Aw, he is pretty cute. He’s so tiny in Raph’s arms,” the oldest gushed as Leon grinned.

“Ugh, enough with your coquettish behavior! Need I remind you that my threat to gag anyone at any time for utter nonsense is still and always will be in effect?”

“Uh uh, DonTron, you said and I quote ‘said to me’ but Raphie was talking to me,” he continued grinning at the eldest’s smile.

“Fine, from henceforth I amend my statement to reflect that I reserve the right to have anyone at any time gagged—in an unpleasant way—for utter nonsense said within hearing range of myself.”

“Does hearing range include audio from cameras?” Mike asked with concern, causing Don to sigh again.

“Okay, provision made for an additional revision: I reserve the right to have anyone at any time gagged—in an unpleasant way—for utter nonsense said in my presence.”

“We need to get back to the matter at hand!” Raph redirected. “Ya gonna let little Leo go home?”

Looking at the still sleeping figure on his screen, Don rolled his eyes. “Upon further review of the additional information provided, I am willing to arrive at a com—comp—”

“Compromise?”

The genius sighed. “Thanks, Michel. Yes, one of those,” he said with disdain. “Leon will take me to all the portal points to check and ensure there’s no dimensional residue or whatever may be found, then when we return I’ll do additional testing before discharging him to his home dimension.”

“Is he about to wake up? Because it won’t take us long, I only created portals between dimensions,” he counted on his fingers, “here, by Run of the Mill, and our favorite coffee shop.”

“Wait! You went there and didn’t bring us any drinks?” Mike asked sounding hurt.

“You were all asleep! But don’t worry, I put like 7 drinks on your account so you got all the points!”

“Aw, thanks, bro!” Mike smiled, giving the blue-banded turtle an appreciative hug.

“Guys! Raph is losing patience and I’m sure Donnie is too.”

“I have both exhausted and infinite amounts of patience for this possible breach in science stability,” the genius sighed. “To answer your question, Leon, we cannot portal directly to each spot as I do not want the recent activity to interfere with any possible readings from the previous incidents so there will be walking involved.”

“Still won’t take long. Even less time if we skateboard!”

“Skateboarding accepted, but not the additional sedative. It will affect the testing of vital signs and other parameters I’m measuring.”

“But what if he wakes up and panics?”

“If that were to happen, I—of course—have a contingency plan. But since we are both in agreement this is not something either of us wants to happen, I suggest we expediate our next task at hand to try and avoid the occurrence of such an undesirable event.”

“Fine, how close can I portal to without messing up your calculations?” Leon rolled his eyes. He looked as Don pointed to some coordinates on a map that he pulled up on his wrist gauntlet and started to open a portal just as Mike tossed both of their skateboards towards them.

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

(1) Translation:
Culpable means “guilty”

(2) Thanks to everyone who wished me happy birthday! Yesterday was a good one. ^_^
If you’re interested… Since this is a crossover with 2012 and Rise, here’s a couple of fanfics so now you have a taste of even more TMNT universes since I can’t share any cake with y’all!
- Birthday theme involving 2k3 universe turtle tots:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/55963054/chapters/142119442
- 2007 movie explaining Leonardo’s additional year in the jungle:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/55963411

Chapter 10: “B-team, baby!” or… That will both confuse Leo and anger Raph.

Notes:

Sorry for the delay! I was on a road trip for a holiday and although I brought my laptop, I didn’t use it the entire weekend.

“Thanks for helping with Raph, I hated to ask that but…” Donnie sat up on the couch, accepting a fresh cup of coffee.

“I get it, bruh… we all know how he is about taking pain meds, the least he can do is sleep this off.” Mikey shook his head, glancing over to Raph sleeping on a different couch from the one the younger two sat on before quietly popping the tab of his soda can open. “He’s gonna be mad he fell asleep though.”

“We’ll wake him up when Leo gets back, otherwise I don’t know how much sleep he’s going to get any time soon until this is all settled.”

“Right, he already plans to stay up all night.” The two sat quietly, staring at the paused screen on TV but neither moving towards the remote. “Hey, D…”

“Yeah, Mike?”

“You find out anything from that note?”

“Nothing to be concerned about at least. Seems the most malicious indicator was the message itself.”

“It was weird. Like it was personal but they never met.”

“No but who knows what he’s seen that we aren’t aware of. I wonder if that’s why Leo got taken this time, to stop the fighting.”

“Do you think we argue too much?”

“We can’t control how Leo and Raph are. Besides, they’ve always been like that.”

“Not just them, we all fight with each other.”

“No, not really,” Donnie reached over and pulled Mikey in for a side hug. “Let’s be honest… most of the fights and arguments involve Raph. You and I rarely argue with each other or Leo, at most an occasional disagreement which is normal for any family or friends.”

Mikey sighed, glancing over at their immediate older brother. Setting his drink down on the table before tucking his legs underneath him, the youngest curled up under Donnie’s arm. “Is it normal for someone to be so angry like Raph is? Are we just not good enough for him, like do you think he wants to leave?”

“No, I don’t think that. Technically he’s had opportunities to go and never left us.” He sighed, “I can’t answer definitively why I think he’s always been so angry, but now more than ever I wonder why we aren’t all just as mad as him...”

Shocked at the response, he jerked his head up to look at his tallest brother. “What do you mean?”

Taking a deep breath, he answered. “Come on, Mikey, doesn’t this just…” he bit his tongue. “Don’t you just feel absolutely infuriated about everything sometimes?” Seeing his baby brother shake his head slowly, Donnie shook his head and offered a tight squeeze. “Never mind then, probably for the best.”

Mikey sat up and looked directly at Donnie. “Do I think our lives are unfair? Yeah, I do! Am I jealous that other versions of us have things better than we do? Of course! But what can we do about it? Isn’t that the logical thing, to accept things out of our control or change?”

“Here we are… you’re lecturing me about logic and I’m reminding you that emotional responses are normal,” the older scoffed.

“Yeah it’s normal but I’m talking to the smartest turtle in the world, an absolute genius!”

“The same guy who uses a hopeless crush as an emotional crutch…” he bit back bitterly.

“Look, I know we all thought you had no chance with April at first. But that was a long time ago, you two have been through so much. Besides, she’s a mutant too so maybe it’s not hopeless anymore...”

For the second time that day, Donnie leaned forward and rested his head in his hands. His elbows rested on his knees, supporting his long arms. “I have neither the mental or emotional bandwidth or desire to discuss this right now.”

“Why? You brought up how much our lives suck.”

“I’ve tried to make us as comfortable as I can, there’s only so much I can do! You’re welcome!”

“I’m not talking about that! You’re right, we’d be lost without you! We’d probably have all frozen to death if not died from boredom. But it sucks you have to do so much… you’re the reason we have running water and electricity, you fix old things and invent new stuff… there’s no way we can thank you enough for that and I’m sorry you feel taken for granted… or that none of us are smart enough to even understand half the things you say. You must be so bored around us, more than all of us you deserve better. Like you could be an astronaut or NASA genius!”

“We’ve all spent time in space.”

“Yeah and you were probably the happiest there than you’ve ever been here! Fugitoid was a better mentor to you than Splinter ever could ever be, you got to science and nerd-out with someone as smart as you!”

“Professor Honeycutt’s genius far surpasses my own, no comparison.”

“My point exactly. He challenged you to learn stuff, you could use all your big words with someone instead of having to only dumb things down for us. Everyone else was going crazy except you, because for the first time you didn’t have to worry about taking care of us but just be Donnie.”

“I should have paid more attention to all of you though, especially Leo…”

“Dude, none of us knew how to handle that whole situation. Never mind we were all dealing with our own stuff—and not very well I might add. Except you, bro.”

Donnie leaned over and wrapped both arms around his younger brother again. “Sorry I snapped at you, Mikey… here we just had an argument after I reassured you that the two of us rarely disagree.”

“It wasn’t that bad… we’re all confused and worried about what’s going on. Wish we could just meet the other us, I bet that would give us more answers than questions.”

“Indeed. Also, what about when Leo said he didn’t want to meet our counterparts yet? He seems to have established some rapport with his alternate self but is avoiding ours.”

“Think it’s personal, like about us? Or maybe he thinks it will just be more little brothers to worry about?”

“Those are good points. Maybe both, or maybe just about Raph since he is both closest and at odds the most with him. Might be why he left that note—oh!”

“What?” Mikey snapped up, noting the change in the genius’ voice. “What is it?”

“The solution might just be that simple and I’ve been overthinking it!” Donnie turned to Mikey. “I’ve been so at odds with my counterpart after finding him contentious that I completely disregarded he may serve better as my ally.”

“An alliance?”

“Of sorts. Remember when we were done talking and you commented about how good the pizza was when he asked me if mine was okay?”

“Right, he said the other Don hated Hawaiian but we all liked what we got.”

“Including the drinks! He finds ham and pineapple incompatible whereas I think that some things that don’t seem like they go together actually make a great food.”

“Like pizza gyoza!”

“Exactly!”

“Great! So… what’s that mean?”

“It means, while he and I have some things in common we may be reversed in other matters. For example… we’re both inventors and based on the button sequence of the orb, I would surmise that he is closer to his Mikey just like you and are.”

“B-team, baby!”

“This detail gives context to the other Leo and Raph’s relationship as well. At first I thought maybe it was similar to how you prank Raph rather than if there was something between the lines we weren’t reading. When our Raph mentioned Leo being disappointed about an ‘irresponsible version’ of himself, that seemed to support my initial theory, especially since he also said the other Leo reminded him more of you than Leo.”

“I’m starting to get confused, D…”

“Stay with me, Mikey, because you may be the biggest part of the solution!” He grew more animated, talking with his hands moving rapidly. “The biggest difference between the Leonardos and the Raphaels is perceived birth order, which affected their personality and—ultimately—leadership. You noted the other Leo seemed happier than ours, which could easily be explained by lack of responsibility and burden. So it makes sense that their Raph is different than ours, perhaps having even managed his temper out of necessity.”

“Whoa… Think our Leo would be jealous of that? Or feel guilty somehow?”

“Both, knowing him,” he pointed. “He may be jealous if the other Leo gets along better with his Raph—hence the banter from the first night or the note the second night.”

“Yeah, I don’t think our Leo would never risk raging our Raph that way on purpose.”

“Exactly. Aside from jealousy, even though we know it’s not true, he may feel guilty too. That him becoming leader got in the way of Raph’s personal development and that he’s to blame for him never managing his temper.”

“My head hurts, why does Leo have to make things so complicated?” Donnie chuckled, lightly patting Mikey on the head.

“Maybe this will be easier. Back to us… the other Donatello shares some key traits of mine such as intellect and inventing, but also some drastic differences including respect for privacy and untethered ego.”

“Maybe he’s more confident than arrogant?” Mikey hesitantly suggested.

Donnie momently considered what he heard but shook his head. “Distinguishing the difference is not important right now. My point is… as much as I am concerned about our Leo, he may feel otherwise. Possibly even contempt.”

“Because you’re more about feelings and he’s more about logic?” Mikey jumped when Donnie snapped loudly.

“Yes! If we could get a message to him in which I appeal to his sensibilities, he may reach out to commiserate the inconsideration he’s being caused.”

“Because misery loves company?”

“Not that, but what you said to me earlier… about needing someone on my intellectual level to understand me. At one point Leo said that this Leon often refers to his Don as a nerd rather than by name, which reminded me about how our Raph talks about me. If that’s the case, no doubt he runs out of patience with his brother the same I do mine.”

“But you’re patient with Raph?”

“Only because, unlike you, I prefer to not risk being his next punching bag.”

“So you’re going to write him a letter?”

“Yes and no. I’m not sure Leo would deliver it and, even if he does, if he will resist the temptation to read it. Those risks aside, regardless he will worry about what it says. My best bet is to conceal a message in the orb then return it. The risk with that is Leo may be suspicious of me willingly giving back advanced tech.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t sound like you.”

“Right, that’s where you come in.”

“What do I need to do, D?” Mikey was nearly bouncing in place from excitement.

“I can only say so much in a note small enough to fit in the orb. But returning it without suspicion is another matter. You can be the one to give it to Leo and ask him to return it, make up a Mikey excuse so it makes sense coming from you.”

“Ooh! Like suspecting it may be a trap or spying on us like some of the stuff in my comics?”

“Sounds like something you’d say. Make sure he thinks you’re doing it out of concern for me and that I don’t know.”

“Plenty of experience with that, bro!”

“Wait, what?”

“Is that all I gotta do?” Mikey continued, trying to deflect the conversation turning to him being forced to offer an explanation of past behavior. “But, what if other me is really different from me?”

“That’s the thing… As usual, you’re the wild card in this. We know the least about your counterpart, so we’re going to have to take that chance. If you can somehow think of a way to send a message to the other Michelangelo that he can relate to then that should reinforce to my counterpart that my communication is legitimate and not some sort of trap which may be his suspicion due to his paranoia.”

“Dude, was that all one sentence? I feel like that was the world’s longest run-on sentence. Either that or you forgot to breathe.”

“In other words, you earning the other Michelangelo’s trust should help me earn the other Donatello’s trust.”

“So I should write other me a note?”

“That’s too normal, Mikey. If the other you reached out first, what would get your attention in the most discreet and non-edible way possible?”

“That’s easy, I’d draw some art!”

“Anything you could maybe have a secret Mikey message only you two would understand, or possibly something a Donatello might notice and figure out but not anyone else?”

“Psh! Do turtles like pizza?”

“Not normally, no…”

“Uh… I mean, do mutant turtles like pizza?” he grinned.

“That’s more like it!” his grin mirrored his only younger brother. “So you ‘sneak’ the orb to ask Leo to get it out of here and ‘while he’s at it’ you wanted to give the other you something as a thanks for the drink recommendation.”

“Perfect, that will both confuse Leo and anger Raph if he finds out. You’re a genius, D!”

“Couldn’t do it without you, Mike. There’s only one thing I’m worried about…”

“What’s that?”

“You not pushing any of the buttons while the orb is in your possession,” he spared a warning look as the other chuckled nervously before offering a mock salute.

“You can count on me!”

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

I know some of you are just waiting for Leo to wake up and freak out, I promise he will be awake in then next chapter! Rest assured that I absolutely am not one of those writers who would say something like that and it only happens in the last two lines…

Chapter 11: “Dangerous Duo” or… Am I in some weird daycare?

“Alright, Leon, you’re free to take him home. I will also take this moment to point out and gloat that, as I assured you, no additional sedative was needed. Seriously, your doubt in me wounds me to the core.”

“I’ll be sure to not question your judgement for at least the next 6 hours,” the other grinned, eliciting an eyeroll from his genius brother.

“Whatever. When you get back be sure to take down,” he waved at the random signs and drawings stuck to the windows of the room, “all of this. I don’t care what you do to Raph’s drawings but don’t damage Michel’s or else we’ll both be subjected to his displeasure of disrespecting his artwork.”

“Aye aye,” Leon gave a mock salute as Don exited the room. He grinned, noticing the other two brothers standing outside the door before it closed and left the two blue-banded turtles alone. The taller terrapin looked on at the still sleeping smaller one who began to stir slightly. He sighed, then took out his T-Phone to text his family as he sat in a chair next to the cot.

Leon: I think he’s about to wake up soon, I’ll wait until he does before taking him back.
Raph: Want some company until he does?
Mike: Don’t be late for dinner, bro!
Don: While it is true his sedative should wear off soon, if you belay his stay too long then additional testing will be required.
Leon: Thanks, Raph, but he’s not ready to meet any of you yet.
Won’t be late to dinner, Mikey—perish the thought!
How long is too long, Don? You can’t just make stuff up!

Leon set his phone aside and stared at his counterpart. As much as he had taunted Raph about his worry chasm, he could tell there was a deeper one on Leo. He shook his head before gently nudging the other’s shoulder. “Psst… hey, Leo… wake up…” A groan was heard before a hand rubbed against both eyes. “Hi there, buddy,” Leon spoke softly, “how are you feeling?”

“Where am I now?” he mumbled groggily. Leon reached over and opened a bottle of water.

“Here, drink this first and then we’ll talk.” Leo yawned while trying to sit up, slowly opening his eyes and trying to look around while his eyes focused on his surroundings.

“What is this place?”

“Well, the answer to that question is the same as the first one.”

“Oh,” he muttered, accepting the water and starting to drink the full bottle. When he was done, he turned towards the various signs written and drawn in crayon. “Am I in some weird daycare?”

Leon chuckled. “No, let me explain. So…” he stretched out his legs and sat back. “First off, don’t stress out. I’m not forcing you to meet my family.”

“So we’re in your home?” Leo looked around again with new curiosity.

“Medic bay, the little welcome signs are just how Mike and Raph passed the time while Don checked us out to make sure we didn’t have dimensional dirt or whatever nerd stuff he used as an excuse to science whatever.” When the other just stared silently he cleared his throat and continued. “Anyway, I told them you weren’t ready to meet them so they covered the windows up so I’d be the only one you see when you woke up.”

“Should I be concerned? We’ve never had any issues traveling between dimensions before.”

“Well, this is kinda new to us but also like I said, Don will use any chance he can to disguise curiosity as concern.” At that he heard his T-Phone buzz with a text message.

I heard that. Also, I reserve the right to ‘make stuff up’ as it is needed to adjust plans accordingly due to changes in circumstances.

Leon rolled his eyes and called out, “Shell out of the conversation, Don! Some people here are used to privacy.” Another buzz…

Ignorance is not a privilege we afford here.

Another eyeroll and he put his phone away, nodding apologetically. “Sorry about that. Guess that brings me to the next point... not much gets past Don and my secret mission didn’t stay so secret for very long before he and Mike found out.”

“Mikey I believe, he tends to be nosy.”

“They are a dangerous duo, those two.” Leon sighed hearing his phone buzz again.

Don’t you forget it!
Mike’s text was followed by a string of emojis including smiley faces.

“Anyway… I was rudely interrupted from my sleep this morning, which woke up Raph and after a… family talk… I may have been persuaded to open a small portal so Donnie and Mikey could observe...”

“Your family’s lack of boundaries is frightening.”

“Well, the good news is since it’s no longer a secret we can plan out meeting instead of me sneaking off when I can get away and, you know…”

“You randomly abducting me and stressing my brothers out?”

“Oh? Sounds like you’re not so worried about it now.” Leo just shrugged so the other continued. “Anyway, I apologize for today… Mikey freaks out when someone besides him is yelling and Raph thought you were about to get hurt so Donnie decided to intervene.” Leo blinked.

“That’s right, I don’t remember how I got here! One moment I was arguing with Raph and the next I’m waking up here. What happened?!”

“I’m explaining that now… my brothers decided to help before you got punched or something.”

“It’s not a big deal, that’s just how Raph works things out sometimes.” Leo looked away, not making eye contact when saying that. Leon’s eyes widened as he leaned over to shush the other.

“Quiet! He’ll hear you,” he hissed.

“He who?”

Another buzz. Leon sighed, opening the inevitable text.

Appointment scheduling with Doctor Feelings STAT!

Leon paused to text back a reply…
Too soon, Miguel… Another time.

Another buzz signaled a string of angry emojis sent as a reply.

“Anyway, I wanted to wait until you woke up so I could explain and apologize before sending you back home. You were kind of out for a while, what with the sedative and all.”

“You tranquilized me?!”

“Not me!”

“Donnie?!”

“Actually, it was Raph… he didn’t want you to freak out being rescued so he grabbed a tranq dart so you’d be calm.”

“And you just have those kind of things laying around?”

“Well, we were in Don’s lab, so yeah.” Another buzz. “Oh yeah… Don wants his orb back.”

“His what?”

“He… might have restrained your Raph with some doohickey of his.” Another buzz.

Would it hurt you to call it an invention or at least a device and not some degenerative term of nonsense?!

“Okay, device! Don used one of his Genius Built brand inventions that is now in your dimension which he would like returned.” Leon announced loudly.

Leo looked unimpressed. “Sounds like a him problem. Maybe he shouldn’t be throwing weapons in my home at my brothers!” The other nervously chuckled.

“Touché! Alright then… I annoyed one of your brothers and you just annoyed one of mine, we’ll call it even and leave it at that.” The visitor noticed that the statement was not directed to him but more in a general sense but paused to consider his words. Despite Leon’s bravado, it was clear to Leo that there was quite a difference between their Donatellos in terms of intimidation.

“So, ready to go home?”

“Yes,” Leo swung his legs to the side of the cot. “Guess I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon then?”

A slow smile spread on Leon’s face. “After lunch?”

“Sounds good,” he returned the smile. “If I can wrestle it away from my Donnie, I’ll bring the orb back. Although more than likely my Raph broke it into pieces,” he joked, hearing another buzz.

If that brute managed to break my orb then I will personally schedule his appointment with both Doctor Feelings and Doctor Delicate Touch.

Leon chuckled before feeling another buzz but not seeing any additional messages in the group chat. Curious, he exited out and saw the message was in an individual conversation from the brother who had been quiet.

Can ya give Little You a hug from me?

Seeing a warm smile cross the other’s face, Leo gave him a curious look. He was surprised when the other leaned forward to whisper in his ear slit, “Raphie wants to know if you mind me giving you a hug from him.” Surprised at the request, he nodded slowly. He rarely got hugged at home, so feeling an almost-complete stranger doing so felt weird but… not unpleasant. A bit uncomfortable but not in a bad way, just unfamiliar.

“Alright,” Leon said softly, “off you go, amigo… Tell your brothers we’re sorry for the trouble and let them know I’ll be by tomorrow, no ambush or abductions at all.”

Leo nodded before stepping through the portal and not hearing the words that broke across an intercom.

“I make no concession or apology for my actions!” Don announced.

~*~*~*~*~

Stepping into his kitchen, the eldest looked around and was relieved to see no damage was done. All of the furniture was intact and as far as he could tell, no new scratches or scrapes. He stood there quietly for a moment before hearing a familiar and welcomed voice.

“Dude, I just heard the light again!” Hearing footsteps running towards him, he smiled as he turned towards the door and braced himself for Mikey launching towards him in a hug. “Leo! You’re back! D, wake up Raph!”

Before long all four were sitting around the kitchen table again. The leader spoke up, “honestly, not too much to tell since I was asleep most of the time I was gone.”

“Know the feeling,” Raph muttered, throwing an annoyed glance at the younger two who pretended to not hear him.

“He said his brothers intervened this time and they all apologize for everything.”

“Oh, is that what we’re calling being attacked in our own home? Intervened! Glad that makes it all better,” Raph grumbled.

“So, that’s it? It’s over?” Donnie asked, surprised to find he was feeling a little disappointed.

“No, he still wants the two of us to keep meeting but said no more unannounced visits. In fact, Leon will be by tomorrow after lunch.”

“Hold up! Leon? You’re on a first name basis with this weirdo now?”

“Ohmigosh, why have we never called you that before? You could have had a totally cool gamer tag like, Neon Leon!” Mikey gasped. The eldest chuckled.

“I like my gamer tag as it is now, Mikey. Also, yes, I suppose so, Raph. But at least this way you all don’t have to worry.”

“I ain’t worried! I don’t trust him! There’s a difference!”

“Is there?” Donnie asked, but was ignored.

“This portal business is a one-way street and if he ever changes his mind or becomes a threat, we got no way to reach ya! Plus, we know nothing about his brothers!”

“I mean… they seemed like they meant well? They got worried when they saw us arguing and thought they were helping by interrupting. I told you they apologized for misunderstanding.”

“Wait, you met his brothers this time?!” Donnie asked as Mikey gasped again.

“No. I didn’t even see what they looked like—or hear their voices for that matter.”

“More reason to not trust them!” Raph snapped.

“Actually, they were doing that out of respect for me.”

“Respect how, Leo? Are you avoiding them for some reason?” Donnie prodded.

“It just… doesn’t feel like the right time to meet them.” He nervously rubbed his arm and noticed but did not acknowledge the skeptical look Raphael gave him.

“But can’t we at least see what we look like?” Mikey asked.

“I’m still figuring things out, guys. But I expect at some point it’d be interesting for all of us to meet all of them. I’d like to take you to the Hidden City too, just to see how different things are and maybe then you’ll understand why I feel so overwhelmed about all this.”

“How come you talk the least about me? What am I like?” Mikey asked. Leo reached over and tugged the youngest’s short mask tails.

“Probably because you’re the least complicated,” he smiled. “But I did learn something today, he likes to do art too! So you two have that in common.” A huge grin flashed over the orange-banded turtle’s face, the reason behind it known only to Donnie who refrained from smiling in relief and instead just nodded. “Oh yeah! Donnie, sorry, the other Donatello wants back whatever his device was that got left here.”

“Tell him I smashed it,” the hothead snapped.

“I did warn them that was more than likely but apparently he threatened Leon to bring back all of the pieces anyway.”

“What kind of messed up universe is it where a Donatello threatens a Leonardo?” he grumbled.

“Hey! Just because I’m not some mad scientist and choose to use my intellect for good doesn’t mean I’m not formidable!”

“Right! D makes our lives so much better and we don’t even appreciate him enough for it!”

“Okay, okay! Forget I said anything. Is that it?”

“I think so,” Leo answered.

“Good, I need a break. Donnie, go play with your ball before you have to return the new toy. Mikey, go—I dunno, draw something or whatever. Leo, you’re with me.” Everyone looked at the brawler with confusion as he had already stood up and started walking out of the kitchen.

“I thought you needed a break? I just got back, I’m not going anywhere even if he hadn’t promised to wait until tomorrow.”

“Forgive me for wanting to spend time with ya since ya been in a different dimension all day,” he scoffed, not turning around as he kept walking away. “Forget it.”

Leo jumped up, almost stumbling over his chair. “Wait! I’m sorry, I thought you felt like you had to babysit me.” He hurried beside his second-in-command and stood next to him, surprised when his hand was grabbed.

“Ain’t never sat with no babies. Come on, let’s go.”

The younger two watched the older two walk off, dumbfounded. Waiting until they were out of earshot, one whispered to the other, “That was weird…”

“Yeah it was.”

“At least it looks like our plan will be easier!”

Notes:

See, BeautifulChaos56— Leo woke up long before the last two lines of the chapter! Y’all can totally trust me!

I am sorry, MyEver_Growing_BookSearch, there is no way that was nearly enough chaos that you were hoping for! That sedative was made for taller turtles, not our little ’12 boys so Leo was knocked out.

**I just noticed upon posting this I've now hit the 200k word mark on AO3. That seems significant, so thanks everyone for reading!**

Chapter 12: “Cálmate, tipo!” or… A terrible reputation as the worst hosts in the sewer.

Raphael led Leo to his own room and closed the door.

“Look… I haven’t slept off whatever it was those dorks slipped me, so I’m still groggy from them waking me when you got back. I just didn’t want them to know that.” Leo nodded. “So, like, lemme take a quick nap and then we can do something not boring. Figured if you didn’t mind me crashing on your bed for a few, you’d be more comfortable in your room to read or meditate or whatever.”

“Thanks, Raph. Sounds like a good plan,” Leo smiled before pausing. “Actually, you weren’t the only one who got woken up… Maybe we both could use a short nap? We can go to your room so you can be more comfortable and sleep in your hammock instead.”

“Nah, here’s fine. Come on, Fearless.” The brawler directed the leader to settle in first so he could take the protective outer position, both crawling under the comforter and facing the wall. Leo yawned.

“I hope this doesn’t throw off my sleep schedule, I’d hate to be up all night.”

“Pshh, ya say sleep schedule like ya got one.” He waited but got no response other than soft breathing. With a shrug, the younger wrapped a protective arm around his brother’s shell and was asleep the moment his eyelids closed.

~*~*~*~*~

“That is so crazy how Raph and Leo literally helped us with our plan without knowing it!” Mikey stuck his tongue out as he started to draw.

“As disinclined as I am to believe in coincidences, perhaps this affirms we are proceeding in the most sensible direction.”

“Sounds like a coincidence to me!” Mikey swung his legs a little, his feet in the air as he laid on his plastron on the floorspace in Donnie’s lab designated as his own corner.

“Regardless, at least we don’t have to worry about it seeming odd I’m willingly returning this thing. Hmm,” the scientist held up the orb to study it again. “I considered some subtle programming, such as encoding a message using binary or morse code but I think that would run the risk of upsetting him by tampering with his device. I just need to figure out the best way as well as what to say… Any luck on your end, Mikey?”

“Hm?” the youngest looked up in confusion and glanced behind him. “What’s my end got to do with anything?” The genius facepalmed.

“Not your bottom, Mikey, your drawing! The part of the project you are literally working on right now!”

“I mean, I’m just getting started so… good I guess? So far, so good.”

“You already know what you’re going to draw?”

“Of course, dude, but no peeking ‘til I’m done!” Donnie shook his head, chuckling.

“I wouldn’t dare interfere with the genius that is a Michelangelo,” he joked.

~*~*~*~*~

The rest of the day and evening were uneventful, the only difference being that Raphael insisted on sleeping in Leo’s bed just as they had napped earlier. Despite his reassurances that things would be fine, they didn’t argue long before the leader conceded.

Breakfast the following morning was much more peaceful than the day before and was followed by routine training. Things were feeling normal until the end of lunch.

“So when’s he coming?” Mikey asked with a mouthful of food and was kicked under the table by Raphael who sat across from him.

“Mikey, don’t talk with your mouth full. Raph, please stop kicking him.” Leo admonished the two. “Also, I told you… Leon said he’d be by after lunch.”

“Mikey’s question still stands as that’s a bit vague,” Donnie pointed out. “He didn’t decide on a time?”

“Right! ‘After lunch’ could be 12:34 or two minutes before dinner!”

“I know but it took this long to get him to agree to a planned meeting, I didn’t want to push my luck insisting he commit to a specific time.”

“Ya would for us,” Raphael pointed his fork at Leo.

“That’s different.” The other shrugged in response and didn’t say anything else. “Donnie, did you have enough time to study that orb? Sorry you have to give it back.”

“It’s okay, Leo. There really wasn’t much to it anyway.”

“Ohh! Want me to go get it? I have something for you to give him too!” Leo looked skeptically at the youngest.

“First, not sure Donnie wants you grabbing something out of his lab. Second, I’m a little concerned with you handling the device. And third, what could you possibly have to give—wait, who is it for?”

“I need you to give Leon something for his Donnie to give the other me!” Discreetly Donnie nudged Mikey. “Well, I guess Leon could just give it to his Michelangelo. That probably makes more sense. Whatever, dude, as long as he gets my thank you note!”

“Thanks? For what?” Raphael asked angrily.

“Duh, for having such great tastes! If he had no flavor then the pizza and drink Leon brought back for me wouldn’t have been so awesome! I owe other-me!”

Leo chuckled as Raphael just shook his head. “Okay, Mikey, I’ll pass along your note. But how about both of us leave handling the orb to Donnie, okay?”

“Sure, bruh!”

~*~*~*~*~

“Are you sure you want to be here when he arrives?”

“Ya trying to get rid of me?”

“To the contrary,” Leo turned a page in the book he was reading. “I’m enjoying your company.”

“We ain’t doing nothing, just sitting here reading.”

“My point remains. It’s been nice spending more time with you.”

“Then why ya want me to leave ya alone now?”

“Because,” Leo looked up from his book, “I know you don’t like him and I don’t want you to get so upset you end up skewering yours sais into his side.” He refrained from reacting to Raphael’s smirk at the statement. “We’d get a terrible reputation as the worst hosts in the sewer and, besides, we all know how hard it is to wash blood out of bedsheets.”

“Ya jokes are worse than Mikey’s but, hey, E for Effort,” the hothead grinned.

“Does the E stand for Entertaining too?” the leader allowed a small smile watching the other shake his head.

“Ya said ya don’t want to meet his brothers, do ya not want him to meet us either?”

Startled at the serious shift in conversation, Leo paused to ponder the question. “No… it’s not that. Honestly, knowing he’s observed all of you—”

“Spying, Leo. He’s been spying on us.”

“Point is, he’s seen all of you so it seems only fair if you all want to meet him. Guess we could use the Donatello orb and Mikey’s drawing as a reason for them to say hi too.”

Raphael studied Leo’s face. “I expected ya to put up more of a fight about this. What gives?”

“Are you disappointed?”

“Just surprised.”

“Good surprised or bad surprised?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course, good! I mean, it’s not like I want us to argue over stupid stuff.” He glanced down at his brother’s hand placed on his arm.

“Me too,” he smiled softly at the person he both fought the most with and for.

After a minute of silence just sitting there, Raphael cleared his throat and pulled back the arm that had been touched to rub against the back of his neck. “Ya plan on hanging out here in the lair then? Since he ain’t sneaking off with ya this time.”

“I’m okay with that if he is.”

“And if he ain’t, ya just gonna run off to who-knows-where when we ain’t got no way to reach ya or follow?”

“I’ll tell him I’d rather we talk here.”

“Okay…” He said, trying to hide the relief he felt. “Ya wanna hang out in the dojo? I’ll even dust off the old set so ya can have a little tea party,” he smirked.

“That would be nice, but you don’t have to go through all that trouble. We can just hang out here.”

Raphael paused, “ya don’t hang out with April or Casey in your room and we trust them.”

“We do but also, they don’t really hang out with me… April spends most of her time with Donnie and Casey gets along with all of you way better.”

Raphael crossed his arms. “Ya don’t give Casey a chance.”

“What are you talking about? I have nothing against Casey, him and I just don’t have as much in common as all of you do. Besides, he’s so much like you that if I had to choose I’d rather,” at that moment he stopped.

“Rather what?”

“Never mind.”

“No, finish what ya were saying!”

“Fine,” he sighed. “I just mean, you two are enough alike I could just, hang out with you. Casey can keep up with Mikey’s jokes and he can work with Donnie on the vehicles, but he’s your best friend and I’m not trying to take away from that.”

In that moment a blue light flashed and the two brothers turned to look at the source.

“And, if I might add, I’m sure you have a much cuter smile!” Leon grinned, amused at seeing Leo blush while Raphael snarled and balled up his fists.

“Can’t ya like, interdimensional knock or something? How long have ya been listening in on us?!”

“Long enough to know that apparently we need to compare notes on Junior because in my universe, I was his Sensei.”

“Junior?” Raphael asked at the same time as Leo exclaimed, “Sensei?”

“Cálmate, tipo! I may have gotten a little ahead of myself there. Forget about it for now.”

Both of them crossed their arms simultaneously. “That’s easier said than done.”

“If you’re already someone’s Sensei than why bother us, er, Leo?”

Leon sighed, running a hand down his face as he sat down cross-legged on the floor in front of the two smaller turtles. “Okay, but we’re not getting into a long discussion about this because it’s…” he glanced away, “complicated.”

Raphael turned his head to see what Leon was looking at but found nothing. When he turned back, for the first time he saw a completely different expression than what he was used to seeing from this flamboyant counterpart of his older brother. In fact, in that moment he froze after recognizing a similar emotion that often plagued the blue-banded turtle… For the first time, he saw Leo in Leon.

“Very long story short—but unfortunately, not sweet—our Casey Jones is actually a Foot Clan recruit named Cassandra.”

“CASEY’S A GIRL?!” Raphael’s jaw dropped.

“Huh,” Leo mused, “I think our April wouldn’t mind that, she sometimes complains about being the only girl in the group. Except for the part about the Foot Clan.”

“Ya think?” Raphael sneered. “Surely ya remember how she warned ya about not holding hands with the foot!”

“It wasn’t like that! I mean, at first maybe but obviously there was more to it. We literally saved Miwa!”

“I know, Leo, but that was just your weird turtle luck! Leave it to ya to get a crush on our own sister.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” The two were glaring at each other, so focused on their argument as if they had forgotten anyone else was in the room.

“Sister?” Leon asked. “Like Splinter had a real daughter or just adopted like us?”

“Yeah,” Leo turned, embarrassed. “When he was human, he thought she died with her mom but instead, turns out the baby was kidnapped and raised by his enemy.”

“Well that’s… messed up.”

“It was. It took a long time for Karai to believe—”

“Gram-Gram?!”

“WHAT?” both smaller turtles exclaimed in unison.

“Gram… gram?” Raphael asked in disbelief.

“Karai is your… grandmother?!” Leo started to look a little greener than usual.

“This enemy of your Splinter… was he the Shredder?”

“Yeah,” Raphael glanced over at Leo. “I’m not sure how we went from talking about Casey to Shredder, but we are getting more questions than answers. Bro,” putting his arm around the elder’s shoulders, he guided him to the bedroom door. “Hey, why don’t ya go to the bathroom and splash some water on your face—I’ll catch up with ya in a second.”

“But…” the leader hesitated, glancing between the two.

“I’ll be the best host in the sewer, don’t ya worry. Just take a minute to yourself and we’ll be right here.” Attempting a wry smile but only looking weary, Leo nodded before stepping out of his own room. As soon as the door closed the brawler spun towards the taller terrapin.

“Look, Leo said there’s enemies ya don’t want to talk about and here for him, that’s Shredder! Along those lines includes Splinter and Karai being sensitive subjects.” Leon nodded. “I’ll go along with the whole Casey Jones being a girl thing but I refuse to believe him—or her—having anything to do with the Foot Clan! He’s just a normal kid! Well, a goofy kid but a regular human! That’s worse than saying there’s a version of us where he grows up and becomes a cop!”

“Capisce!” Leon exclaimed, raising his hands to the sides of his head as he stood up and towered over Raphael. “To think, all this from complimenting your smile… you have some serious anger issues, Guapo.”

“Yer blaming this on me?” the hothead growled, reaching for his sais.

“You promised to be nice, don’t let him come back here and see you drew your weapons out on me.” His expression completely changed to a serious tone, Raphael froze once again at seeing this different side of the other turtle.

“I’m going to check on him, ya stay here!” he growled.

Raphael opened the door surprised to see Donnie and Mikey standing outside.

“Raph, what’s going on? Is Leon in there?”

“Dude, what happened to Leo? We just heard the bathroom door slam and ran upstairs.”

Raphael pinched the bridge between his eyes in frustration. “Yeah, Dorknardo is in Leo’s room. Conversation got awkward, I was worried Leo was going to have one of his—things—so I told him to go splash some water on his face and I’d check on him.”

“Which thing, Raphael? I need to know!” the genius exclaimed with some exasperation. “There’s a difference between his anxiety escalating, if he has a panic attack, or if he starts spiraling into his depression.”

“I dunno, Donnie! All three I guess? Maybe?” Raphael exclaimed, starting to walk in the direction of the bathroom. “Look, I told him to can it on the conversation and wait for us.”

“Us as in, we can meet him too?”

“I think he meant us as in them, not all of us, Mikey.”

“Aww, bummer.”

“Actually, Leo is fine with ya both meeting him if ya want—we just started to talk about it before he showed up. But probably wait for him to calm down and introduce ya.”

“Well, we can’t do any worse than you, bruh, so the hardest part is over.” The youngest dodge the incoming hand he knew was aimed at slapping him upside the head.

“Tired of everyone blaming me!” Raphael stomped away until he could open the bathroom door.

“But we weren’t—” Donnie was cut off by the bathroom door slamming closed.

Notes:

Translation:
Cálmate, tipo means “Calm down, guy!”
Guapo is “Handsome”

I promised Leo would wake up before the end of the last chapter, I didn’t say he wasn’t going to go back to sleep at the beginning of this one. LOL

But for those who wanted drama… um, well, Raphael almost stabbed Leon.

Day 5 begins in this chapter…

Chapter 13: “Pequeñas Tortugas” or… We’re being rude to our guest.

Raphael stood against the door, watching Leo stare into an empty sink. He licked his lips and asked quietly, “ya okay, bro?”

“If I say ‘yeah’ would you believe me?” Leo whispered.

“No…” Raph approached quietly before he was able to reach over and grab his brother’s hands. “And it’s okay to say you’re not okay. I’m not feeling great right now either.”

“Well, your hands are still clean so… glad to know you didn’t stab him.”

“I told ya I’d be nice. Leon might have reminded me I promised too.”

A dry chuckle escape Leo’s throat. “You know… at first, I was so jealous of him. Everything is so much better for them… but the more I get to know him, the more I realized something else…” He looked up at Raph with a desperate look. “That no matter the universe or dimension, we’re always fated to fight. Why are there so many versions of us and yet even then, can none of them just get through childhood being safe? Let alone live life happy… Are we always destined to be desolate?”

Raph pulled Leo into a tight hug. “Even Donnie couldn’t answer those questions. But I don’t wanna believe we have no choice, even if it means fighting for some happiness. We just gotta stick together.” He sighed, “Leo?”

“Yeah?”

“Do ya think—”

Suddenly the bathroom door swung open and Mikey ran through and hugged Leo from the side, ignoring Raphael who quickly stepped back. “Dude, you’ve been in here forever! Are you okay?”

“Sorry to worry you all,” Leo patted Mikey on the shell. “Yeah, I’m okay now, I just needed a minute.”

“What happened, Leo?”

“I’d rather not talk about that right now, maybe later. Besides, we’re being rude to our guest.”

“Guests are invited,” Raph snorted as Leo started to walk out of the room.

“Technically, I invited him in lieu of our former arrangements…”

Raph dropped his crossed arms and started to follow when Leo turned back to the younger two. “Do you guys want to meet us all in the living room soon? Him and I will be spending time in the dojo today.”

“Sure, Leo. Sounds good,” Donnie agreed softly, stopping in the hallway and watching his older brothers re-enter the eldest’s room.

“What do you think upset him, D?” Mikey asked the moment the door closed.

“I don’t know, Mikey… I just don’t know.”

Inside his bedroom, Leo strode up to Leon who was standing at his bookcase with a copy of “The Art of War” in his hands.

“Oh! Are you familiar with that?” Leo asked excitedly.

“Not at all… why do you have more than one copy of the same book?”

Raph chuckled as Leo nearly choked in response. “Apparently,” he leaned down to a lower shelf to grab an unused copy which he handed to the other, “to share with someone who’s never read it and should.”

“Whaaa,” Leon whined, closing the worn copy in his hands and returning it to the shelf. “This whole thing?” He flipped through the pages. “O-M-G this is already boring me!” he rolled his eyes.

“Guess there’s one thing we can agree on after all,” Raphael laughed and Leo shot him an annoyed look.

“I wouldn’t have so many copies of certain members of my team actually studied it…”

“It’s an ancient book about large human armies fighting over bits of land, not four turtles saving the entire world! What’s the point? I don’t need some dead guy who would be confused about what a book even is because he didn’t even live through the printing press age tell me how to fight!”

“It’s not a history lesson, Raph. It’s about learning how to form strategy and outthink the enemy!”

“Whatever. All I need to know is how to fight, Leo!”

“I can see that,” Leon interrupted. “Wow… just… wow…”

“Nobody asked you!”

“All the better I’m here to give a completely impartial impression that this whole situation,” he wagged his fingers back and forth between the two, “is not okay. You’re arguing over a book!” He held up the copy Leo had just handed him. “I get it… I’ve been told a time or two I should read more but seeing this? Even I feel bad enough to read a few pages at least!”

“I can highlight some of the sections if you just want to focus on the most important parts. It’s not something you have to read in order,” Leo glared at Raph, “because it’s not a story book!”

“Maybe it should be.”

Both turned to the taller terrapin in confusion. “Say what?”

“If you want your brothers to read it so bad, then the next time they can’t sleep or crawl into bed with you after a nightmare just read some of it to them. Either they listen and learn something or they fall back asleep out of boredom, win-win.” Seeing their expressions change, Leon continued. “You run the trainings here, maybe start off each one with a page or whatever before practice starts.”

“Those… are really good ideas,” Leo stated in amazement, his hands flying out in excitement. “It seems so simple, I’m embarrassed I didn’t think of those kind of solutions before!”

“See, ya always gotta blame yourself! But ya shouldn’t have to do that, that’s like trying to sneak vegetables in other food to get kids to eat healthier. You’re not our fath—” Raph stopped suddenly, but not quick enough. Leo’s clenched his fists slowly, taking a deep breath and unclenching as he exhaled. Repeating this a couple of times, he looked at Leon and spoke up.

“Let’s go to the dojo.” Silently the other two walked towards the door, glancing back as Leo set up a stick of incense. As he lit it he explained without looking up, “Just trying to… clear some of the energy in here.”

The three walked out and made their way to the living room where they found the purple and orange banded ninjas waiting. The tallest scrambled up and stood before Leon, stretching out his hand whereas the youngest bounced up to his side. “Donatello!” Leon exclaimed, shaking his hand. He then turned to Mikey with outstretched arms, “Michelangelo!” The two paused for a moment to look at each other before the other lowered his arms and just patted him on the head affectionately. “Nice to finally meet you two,” he smiled.

“Agreed, especially the part where we’re not being spied on.”

“Okay in my defense, I assumed you probably had a lot more surveillance based on my Donatello.”

“How does that change anything?”

“It doesn’t but changing the subject is my go-to strategy when talking to Don,” he laughed as Donnie resisted rolling his eyes. “Speaking of which, I gotta get that orb thing back before I go or else I’m going to be sleeping here tonight!”

“No ya ain’t,” Raph muttered under his breath as Mikey’s eyes lit up.

“We’re seriously going to have a sleepover? Can your brothers come too? I want to meet me!”

Leon laughed again, “There’s the Mikey attitude I know and love! Not yet, maybe one day… But seriously,” he turned to Donnie, “I can’t go home without his little toy or I’m going to have to hear blah blah science nerd blah blah all night long—no offense.”

“Some taken actually.”

“Aw, man, this is great!” He sat down on a couch, crossing his long legs and looking at each of the four brothers. They looked so different from each other, but not nearly as differently as he did from his own brothers. When Draxum gathered them together, he wanted to study the variances of strengths and weaknesses to compare for the various species of turtles so it was obvious they weren’t biologically related. Leo had mentioned that their Splinter bought them at a pet store which he was pretty sure meant they weren’t from the same clutch either to avoid selling siblings to potential breeders. Curiosity started getting the better of him especially knowing how more than eager his Don would be willing to help…

Then again, seeing up close how volatile the dynamics were in this family, perhaps their Splinter had been right to worry that discovering their DNA might be divisive. Personally, to him family was the people closest to you. He considered April family even though she didn’t live with them and even Casey Jones Jr despite the fact he was still a bit weary of his mom.

Leo cleared his throat, “Leon, do you want to see our dojo?”

“I’m just waiting for Donatello to tell me he has questions and Michelangelo to offer me something to eat.” Leon leaned back with his arms across the back of the couch, smiling.

“I do have a lot of questions…”

“Aw, my bad—I totally got excited and spaced it out! I’ll grab some of Leo’s chocolate snack cakes!”

“Hey! Stay out of my stash!” the oldest exclaimed in vain as the youngest was already out of the room. Raphael sighed, wishing he could go hit his punching bag but not feeling comfortable enough to step away from his brothers as long as this stranger was in their home. Even though with each passing minute they learned more about him, he still felt like they knew nothing. More importantly than who what why or when was the question of where that concerned the brawler…

Glancing at his leader, Donnie cleared his throat. “I know you’re here to visit with Leo, my questions can wait if you two are busy.”

“That sounds like code for you really, really have a lot of questions—that’s two reallys,” he grinned.

“It’s okay, Donnie. Just make sure you remember the orb.”

“Oh, I can’t afford to let him forget that!”

“I can grab it now if you want.”

“Nah, just have it ready before I leave. Take the last bit of time to dissect or whatever you genius types do with stuff that can kill you.”

“Wait, that orb is lethal? Is that what the red button does?”

Leon sat up and laughed, “I have no idea. For all I know the red button could just be a recorded lecture from Raph reminding us all to take things seriously.”

Handing over a couple of packages of snack cakes, Mikey laughed. “That sounds like our Leo always reminding us to be quiet,” he coughed. “Guys, shh! We have to be quiet. Ninjas are quiet. Quiet down.” At this reference the others laughed, except for Leo who stood with his arms crossed and lips pouted.

“Maybe one day you’ll learn that being silent is the most important part of being a ninja so I won’t have to keep repeating myself.”

“Aw, now that!” Leon leaned forward, pointing at his counterpart. “That’s what my Raph doesn’t do. This whole situation,” he waved his hand over his own face. “That’s like a Don look right there!” Noticing Donnie’s expression, Leon added, “I’m sure the orb is fine. At least, not lethal probably. He tends to not casually cause injuries I can’t patch up.”

“Wait, you’re the family doctor?”

“Just a medic. Don does the physical doctor stuff, runs tests and all that. Mike does the emotional and mental health doctor kind of things. I just patch up injuries when we get them.”

Seeing Donnie’s stunned expression filled Leo with guilt. He reached up, patting him on the shoulder and giving him an apologetic look while explaining out loud. “All of those burdens have always been on just our Donatello’s shoulders… I’m sorry, Donnie.” The genius just shrugged, at a loss for words.

“Imagine leaving our mental health up to Mikey. That explains a lot about this guy,” Raphael sneered.

“If by ‘explains a lot’ you mean well-adjusted, charming, and happy then yes,” Leon leaned back, resting his head against his arms folded behind him. “Miguel’s approaches may be a bit… unconventional… but he knows how to handle feelings which is not DonTron’s area of expertise. Being a medic is easy, you just know the basics of First Aid like everyone should and then kick it up a notch learning how to stitch wounds and reset broken bones. I deal with the short-term stuff but my brothers handle the long-term things.”

“What about your Raph? What’s he do?” Mikey asked.

“Oh, he’s all emotional support!”

“I thought you said your Mikey was your emotions doctor?” Leo asked.

“Mike does the hard emotional stuff—the uncomfortable conversations and working through issues things. Raphie though… he handles all the soft moments, the one whose bed you crawl into after you’ve had a bad nightmare or if you just need a hug by the biggest arms in the world to protect you.” There was an unmistakable soft glow on his face as he spoke about his eldest and most protective brother. The other four stood stunned.

The first to break out of their shock, Mikey exclaimed, “I KNEW IT!” Everyone else startled at the loud yell. “I knew the other Raphael had to be nice like a cuddly teddy bear because no way could he be any meaner than our Raph.”

“WHAT?!”

“Yeah, our Raph would sooner hit us than hug us,” Donnie muttered.

“If ya two weren’t so annoying!”

“Come off it, you know it’s not just us!”

“Yeah, you and Leo fight every day, bruh!”

“Come on, guys. It’s not every day and besides, we all have our… different personalities.”

“I don’t need ya to defend me, Fearless!”

Leo scoffed, “I… I’m not, I’m just pointing out we’re all different and it’s not all about you. Or your fault.”

“Fighting isn’t a personality, Leo, it’s a behavior,” Donnie asserted.

“Yeah, he fights with everyone! Remember Spider Bytz? Or when he first met Casey?” Mikey added.

“To be fair, Spider Bytz was a jerk and Casey is, well, Casey…”

“Not the point, D. His whole rivalry with Fishface? At least with Dogpound aka Rahzar we were ex-friends. But seriously, that’s just the start. Remember—”

“That’s enough, both of you!” Leo interrupted. “Need I remind you that Raph balances out the rest of us? Just because he has a tendency to distrust—”

“Like someone else we know.”

“Mikey, I remember a couple of times when you were the only one who saw through someone who was a threat, especially when we thought we met Mrs O’Neil. You should be defending Raph on this!”

“I guess if we followed your example then we would,” Donnie muttered.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means, you get into heated arguments with Raph until the moment someone else agrees with you… then suddenly you’re both yelling at us with you defending him!”

“I… I don’t do that!”

“Bruh, you literally just did!”

“Okay, pequeñas tortugas… As the tallest I’m going to pull rank and give you the option to hug it out or go chill out in your respective corners.”

“Ya ain’t the boss of us!”

“No but here’s the condition: you all stop arguing here or I take Yo Pequeño home with me to hang out.”

“That wasn’t the agreement,” Leo spoke up. Leon only looked down at him before glancing back at the others. The first to react was Raphael who just stormed past the group towards his punching bag nearby. Donnie and Mikey nodded towards each other and headed towards the lab.

“Interesting…” Leon muttered quietly to himself. He then spoke louder, “Dojo, you say?” Leo nodded, leading the way to their training room.

Notes:

Translation:
pequeñas tortugas means “little turtles”
(Thanks to darkennight for the correction from pequeño tortugas!)

Chapter 14: “Mi Hermano Pequeño” or… Seriously, I almost got shanked!

“Whoa, the tree is a nice touch!” Placing a hand reverently on the trunk, Leo nodded.

“It’s been through a lot, but honestly it’s my favorite part of the entire lair. How it managed to thrive down here for so long is an inspiration. But I also feel like I breathe easier when I’m around it. I know scientifically that makes sense since plants give off oxygen, but I think spiritually too… that somehow it helps just having such a strong piece of nature right here.”

“Is that why you spend so much time training? Just to be in here?”

“No, I do that to get better. It’s my purpose, protecting my brothers.”

“Ever think you’ve already pushed past your limits?”

Leo turned, looking at Leon skeptically. “What do you mean?”

“You act as if the more you train, the better you’ll get. But at some point you’ll hit the best you’re able to be and the training starts to wear you down.”

“Maybe during an individual training session, but there’s always room for improvement.”

“There’s also a need for balance. That extra training time you spend on yourself is taking away from quality time you could spend with your brothers. What good is being strong to protect them when you’re not even present to be with them?”

“I spend time with them.”

“As much as you should? Because I see a lot of fighting for each other, like you all are desperate to be seen and heard.” Leon walked over and placed an arm around Leo’s shoulders. “Look… I don’t know what your Splinter was like, but my Father lost everything too. He struggled trying to deal with this whole situation, but we never questioned that he would do it all over again just for us. Even when we got older, the most important thing was we all came home safe. At one point he was willing to sacrifice the entire world just to save us.”

“That doesn’t make sense. What’s the point in saving you if the entire world is destroyed?”

“Logically speaking, sure. But it wouldn’t be because he made the choice. Instead, he saved us and gave us the chance to save the world. Hope,” he smiled, tears in his eyes, “that’s a ninja’s greatest weapon!”

“Deception,” Leo growled angrily.

“What?”

“My Splinter told me that deception is the ninja’s most powerful weapon.” He stared at a crack in the floor and could hear Leon suck in his breath. “The first time the Kraang nearly killed me, he had ordered me to complete the mission no matter what—or who—was sacrificed.” He closed his eyes, causing his tears to fall. “My brothers, they… I know they don’t understand and think I just have a death wish or be a martyr for our cause or want to die a hero in battle, but the truth is… I would die a hundred times if it kept them from losing even three months in a coma like I did… So it was the only way.”

“That is some traumatic messed up thing to say.”

“He was just focused on the greater good,” Leo mumbled.

“Did you ever tell them the truth?”

“I would not dishonor my Sensei’s memory that way.”

“Lying is dishonor. I heard how upset you got the other day when you felt accused of lying…” He continued as the other’s shoulders slumped. “Then your Raphael said omission was still deceit and mentioned you keeping a lot of secrets from them. You all have to trust each other and that means telling the truth.”

“Is that how you all do it? Get along so well because you’re always honest with each other… No secret missions or anything like that, huh?”

“Yes, actually,” the taller terrapin replied, unfazed by the biting tone. “Even my secret mission, I told Raph. I knew it was a matter of time before Don figured out and told Mike or somehow Mikey sensed it and approached Donnie instead. Sure we’ve all struggled with fears and insecurities, but the biggest family secret we’ve ever had was probably the time when we flushed Splinter’s goldfish and tried to replace her with a pet rock.”

Leo looked up in disbelief. “Are you… kidding me right now? You can’t be serious, you just can’t!”

“Okay, so not my best plan…”

“That stupid idea was YOURS? I would have thought maybe Michelangelo…”

“Oh no, Miguel was the one who was wracked with guilt and wanted to confess.”

“Please tell me you were like, 4 years old or something.”

“Yeah, 4…” he lowered his voice, “plus ten-ish.”

Leo grabbed his head and then flailed out his hands in frustration. “Argh!” He started to pace a bit before Leon placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, how about some tea?”

“That we can agree on.” Just as they approached the door, they saw someone standing there. “Raph?”

He froze, holding a tray in hand with a tea pot and a couple of cups. Some biscuits—hard cookies that he thought tasted more like crackers—were included. “Yeah, I, uh, almost forgot I promised ya I’d dust off the old set. Had to wash it out first actually.” He held out the tray towards his brother, ignoring the other. “This what ya two were gonna go get or is he leaving?”

“Tea, actually. Great timing, bro.” Leo nodded, graciously accepting the tray and smiling. “Thanks, Raph. I really appreciate it.” They stared for a moment before Raph cleared his throat.

“No problem. Ya welcome. If, uh, ya need anything—”

“I’ll let you know,” he promised. Raph gave a half-hearted wave as he turned and left.

Turning back towards the tree, Leo arched an eye ridge at Leon. “What?”

“Hm? I didn’t say anything.”

“No but you’re thinking something.”

The taller terrapin stretched lazily. “I think a lot of things I don’t say.”

Leo set the tea tray down and rolled out a large meditation mat. “Considering all the things you do say that I can’t believe you even think of, I’m surprised to hear you have a filter.” Watching the other place the tray in the center of the mat, Leon sat on the other side.

“Just because I dived into your dimension doesn’t mean I want to completely violate the Prime Directive,” he joked and the other’s face broke out into a grin.

“Do you have a show about Captain Ryan in your universe?”

“Never heard of him, but we do have a Jupiter Jim!”

~*~*~*~*~

“Here ya go, DonTron!” Leon walked by, casually tossing the orb to Don.

“Nardo! Careful, you could set it off like that! Why have you no respect for my genius inventions?”

Shrugging he slipped out a rolled piece of paper and handed it to Mike. “Miguel, I’ve got something for you too!”

“What! For me? What is it?” he asked even though he was already reaching out to receive the page being handed to him.

Raph grabbed the returning turtle in a strong side hug. “Any gifts for Raph since everyone else got something?”

“You’re looking at him,” he grinned. “It’s me, I’m your gift.” Raph blew a raspberry and playfully shoved the other away. “Seriously, I almost got shanked! Your gift from Little You is no new scars on this beautiful body!” He waved his hands down the full length of his body in a grandiose gesture.

“Ah and you said our counterparts weren’t living the dream,” Don deadpanned before something caught his eye. “What…” He glanced over at the youngest. “Miguel, what do you have there?”

“Aww, it’s a thank you note!” he hugged the paper carefully. “My little me—wait,” he turned to Leon, “can I call my counterpart ‘little me’ too? Am I taller?”

The blue-banded ninja patted the orange-banded brother on his head. “From where I stand, I’d say you two were about the same size, maybe give or take an inch.”

“Aww man!” the youngest pouted. “Am I at least cuter?”

“Of course you are! But he does have freckles going for him so it’s a close call, mi hermano pequeño.”

“Ya gonna hang ya drawing on the fridge, Mikey?”

Before he could answer, the genius interrupted. “That paper is going straight to my lab so I can analyze it first along with my orb and Nardo. Come along.”

“I know, I know… mandatory testing and vitals, blah blah.”

Once Leon was done and Raph reassured everything was still fine, the two retreated to the living room to watch television. They had invited the younger ones but Don wanted to check the two items brought over from the other dimension first.

“What’s going on, Dee? You got that look that something is up or something is going down…”

“No unusual traces on the drawing,” he muttered. “Angelo, please forgive me for this.”

“Forgive you for wha—” Mike gasped as the orb sprung to life and restrained him. A small piece of paper fluttered to the floor. Don reached over and pressed the orange button before reaching down to pick up the scrap that had been released by the orb being activated.

“I guess since you freed me before picking up that piece of paper you were after, you really do love me. I forgive you,” he grinned.

“Thanks, Angelo.” He threw an uncharacteristic smile at his youngest brother before unfolding the slip of paper. As small as it was, the brief note was legible.

Have questions. Need genius answers. –D

Looking over the other’s shoulders, Mike nodded. “Huh… I didn’t even think about how confused they probably are right now.”

“I did, but at least the other me is smart enough to recognize my genius and calculating enough to communicate through Nardo without him knowing. It seems—wait! He exclaims as he realizes a possibly even more secret message… Quick, let me see your drawing!” Without question, Mike handed the paper over. Looking over it, Don nodded. “In your astute manner, please describe to me what this is.”

“It’s a thank you note!” he beamed.

“But it doesn’t say thanks anywhere on it.”

“Doesn’t need to, look!” He pointed at a freckled, orange-banded turtle holding up a drink in a cup that looked like the kind used by their favorite coffee shop as well as a stack of four pizza boxes. The top box was opened to reveal a colorful array of toppings on the pizza. “See the four pizza boxes that look just like the kind Señor Hueso uses at Run of the Mill? Leon said he got them all pizzas the same night he brought some home to us, then the next night they went to the coffee shop that has all those flavors of teas. I checked my account to make sure I got all the points Leo promised and noticed he ordered our favorite drinks for our counterparts.”

“He didn’t know anything about their preferences, so he just defaulted to what we like,” Don mused.

“Obviously the other me must have liked it a lot and this was his way of letting me know. He looks so happy!” Mike smiled, giving himself a hug.

“Tell me what else you see here.”

“Well, his Donatello seems to have enjoyed his drink and pizza too—see he’s holding both. Plus, they’re standing close together—”

“So they probably operate as a team within the whole group like you and I tend to.”

“I wonder if his Donnie interrupts as much as you do me,” Mike pouted.

“My apologies again. Please continue.”

“Nah, it’s okay, D. You’re just excited!” He smiled apologetically before pointing again. “Looks like they are the tallest and shortest of their group, see how they are compared to their Leonardo and Raphael?”

“Concerning height, the other two look like they were drawn as we were.”

“Perspective! Look where they are all at… you and me, we’re up front. Their Raph is farthest back with their Leo closer to him but also trying to hang in the middle between everyone. So it makes the Leo look taller than the Raph compared to how they probably really are because they aren’t as close together like the you and me are.”

“Do you also surmise that when our Len stated he wanted to figure out a way to help their Leo work through his family issues, it has a lot to do with their Raph isolating himself from the rest of them?”

“Definitely, dude. He looks as angry as I remember him from the other morning. Maybe that’s why there’s a punching bag next to him?”

“So…” Don leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers in front of his face. “Leon bumbled his way into a dimension where their Leo is leader and gets the idea to learn from him… tells Raph because he not only needs the affirmation but also likes to take someone else down with him when he eventually gets caught by us… Our counterparts are similar to us, but their counterparts seem to be different…” He paused, pondering over reasons why. “Perhaps… being the oldest and leader made our Raph temper his anger, but their Raphael is defiant because he isn’t the leader? If that’s the case, possibly not even the oldest since that seemed to be the defining requirement by Splinter.” He tilted his head, “I would wager the two of them are still protective over the others but show it differently than ours do towards us.”

Mike nodded along at every statement. “Leo also mentioned they lost their Splinter, so maybe that has something to do with it?”

“Or—he says with a level of emotion that feels foreign—their Splinter could be the cause? What if he was a different kind of person, maybe a Lou Jitsu who didn’t abandon duty and honor for fame and fortune? Or maybe he started off as a rat before being mutated?”

“Does it even work like that? Isn’t everyone we know yokai or a mutant made from a human?”

“Repo Mantis’ cat wasn’t human.”

“Yeah, but he’s also still a monster cat and not human at all.”

“Speaking of yokai… Nardo mentioned Leo not being familiar with them outside of myths. Plus, they don’t have mystic powers like we do. There are so many possible factors, never mind we know nothing about April or any of the antagonists we’ve faced.”

Hearing a deep sigh, Mike turned to Don with concern. “What’s the matter, D?”

“Initially, I was intrigued about the science of it all… the risks of interacting with another dimension of course but also tapping into new knowledge and possibly an alternate source of uranium. Assuming my counterpart isn’t hindered by qualms of particular ethics, even collaborating with a like-minded intellectual such as myself. But now there is a level of moral quandary I am unfamiliar with causing…” he smacked his lips in distaste, “emotions I don’t care to be experiencing…”

Mike gently caressed Don’s shell soothingly.

~*~*~*~*~

Later that evening Leon stood outside the door to Splinter’s room. Tapping on the frame quietly, he quietly spoke. “Hey, Dad?”

“Blue! What’s up?” Splinter greeted happily.

Without saying a word, the turtle walked across the room—his long legs doing so in only a few strides—before sitting down in front of the rat, resting his head on the furry lap and closing his eyes. Instinctively, Splinter started patting his son’s head.

“Leonardo?” he whispered softly. “Are you alright, Son?”

A deep sigh was the only answer he received as they sat there in silence while Leon cried himself to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

Translation:
mi hermano pequeño means “my little brother”

Chapter 15: “You are a good son, Leonardo.” or… I’m glad you’re here with me.

Splinter didn’t ask any questions when Raph appeared looking for Leo. The giant snapping turtle carefully picked up the red-ear slider from where he fell asleep, feeling a furry paw on his arm. A silent exchange of looks passed between the two, the eldest son nodding before standing back up and leaving the room with his brother cradled in his arms.

The two of them had always been close, no matter how crazy Leon drove Raph mad. Their father unexpectedly passing the leadership between them was both a blessing and a curse. No one wanted the burden so they had secretly been sharing the responsibility; the former leader supportive with his experience and consulting in private so that the other could step up his face man persona and present his plans with more confidence and less pushback than he had in the past. To the team (and coach) there was one leader, but to them they were co-captains.

Still, that left the blue-banded brother taking on new obligations despite the fact he was still recovering from his trauma. They all were and while it was one thing the brothers weren’t competing for, at times they all wondered who had it worse… They all almost died, but Mike needed intensive therapy for his arms and Don had merged with a spaceship. Meanwhile Leon dealt with the guilt of everything being his fault and was almost lost to a solitary existence in the prison dimension while Raph had been controlled by an alien entity who cruelly tried to force him to murder the same brother he had sacrificed himself to save.

For a long time after the ordeal, at night the four brothers slept together in their father’s room just as they did when they were tots. It didn’t prevent the nightmares, but at least when they woke they were immediately reassured that everyone was still there…

During the day, they stayed together even when paired off trying to heal emotionally and physically. With the younger two… Donatello worked with Michelangelo constantly to regain and rebuild the strength in his arms, then stayed beside him when he began drawing again. All that time together included a lot of conversations which subtly and slowly allowed discussion of emotions at a pace that the logical one could process without being too discomforted. With the older two… Raph cuddled Leo constantly, as if to reassure both of them that he was still on earth and not drifting lost in the prison dimension. For Leon, the message was that Raph did not blame him for the events that happened but for Raph, the message was his brother was still alive and not murdered by his own hands.

They were getting better but, as with any trauma, still had healing to do. Sometimes their brains were filled with flashbacks and so they still avoided sleeping alone, many nights pairing off with the brother they were closest to but at least once a week everyone piled into Raph’s room which was truly “the best room” according to Leon as he had the biggest bed (it was actually two sewed tightly together) and enough plushies to make their turtle pile feel as if they were napping on warm clouds. (Which Don reminded everyone was impossible since clouds consist of water droplets mixed with dust and sometimes ice.)

But every step of the way, Splinter supported all four of his adopted turtle sons. He was the one who set up the means for pillow forts and warm drinks every night they camped out in the living room. At least once a week April and Casey Jr joined them to avoid the overnights from becoming mundane. Splinter asked April to help get extra blankets for the cause and the two of them taught Casey Jr how to cook real food so they could make at least one homemade meal a day. Most importantly, he told all four how much he loved them and individual reasons why—not the least important being that, no matter how deep his depression was at times, they gave him hope when his own life had felt hopeless.

~*~*~*~*~

After Leon left, Leo and his brothers hung out but no one spoke much about their visitor. For the older two, there were tensions to be talked out privately before being able to share with the other pair. For the younger two, there were plans in motions that they needed to remain discreet about.

To help decompress from the day’s emotions, the brothers invited April and Casey over for a movie night sleepover. Everyone ended up crashing in the living room pit, either stretched out on the bench or in sleeping bags or cozy in a pile of pillows and blankets. The teenagers slept in, had a late brunch, and eventually the humans headed home to their families.

Home to their dads.

Leo tried not to fixate on that thought. That all of their guests during the past 24 hours still had loving fathers who would miss them if they were gone too long. Parents who sacrificed their personal safety to protect their kids. Oddly, each one had been mutated too.

Huh. What a strange world they lived in.

Dinner was filled with conversation about the different movies from the night before and Leo could already tell that Mikey was going to either crawl into Donnie’s bed or fall asleep on the cot in the lab if he stayed up working. Why the kid chose horror movies when they gave him nightmares escaped Leo’s understanding, unless he just found it easier to worry about fictional monsters rather than the real-life nightmares they’ve had to face.

He glanced over at Raphael, already knowing that he was going to insist Leo not be alone overnight as well which meant he’d be on duty again since—well, if Mikey didn’t want to sleep alone then he might as well take on guard duty as it were and give Raph a break. Maybe he would suggest it later, that would also allow Donnie some peace and quiet to work on—well, whatever his project was. He suddenly realized he had no idea what his genius brother kept occupied with outside of various repairs—including the toaster again—and felt bad for not being involved and taking an interest in his projects considering everything he does for the family.

The guilt from that thought made him wonder about something else from the day prior… Did his brothers understand his attempts at self-sacrifice was for their sake and not a selfish desire for perceived glory or honor? Speaking of honor… even if it’s the truth, wouldn’t it still be dishonorable to speak ill of the dead? He was starting to see more of himself in Leon, which is odd considering how different their Master Splinters seemed to be… how is it one could emphasize deception whereas the other embodied hope?

He had trained constantly beyond what was expected just for the rare praise from his father… even the few times he bested him during a spar he got admonished for hesitating because he had been both shocked at the success and not wanting to hurt him. The day he retrieved his most treasured item—the photo of his human family—Splinter told him he was a good son.

Those words were like a gulp of fresh air, as if he hadn’t been able to fully fill his lungs in months.

“You are a good son, Leonardo.”

Leo sighed loudly before noticing all three of his brothers looking at him. Before anyone could ask, he rushed with a response. “Sorry, guys, feeling tired—I’m gonna go take a hot bath and head to bed early.” He gathered up his plate and utensils to take to the sink before leaving to walk out of the kitchen.

“Hey, Leo, ya want—”

“I’m okay, Raph, thanks. Oh,” he turned back around, his hand on the doorway. “Guys, I’m fine, you don’t have to babysit me. But, Mikey, if you wake up from nightmares let the others sleep and just stop by my room, okay? They deserve a break after everything I’ve been putting everyone through.” He left quickly so no one could protest.

Waiting until the bathroom door closed, Raph turned to Donnie. “What do ya make of that, Donnie?”

The genius shook his head. “More than likely, he could just be decompressing from all the social activity yesterday; we don’t normally get too many visitors. Most likely it’s the emotions during all the discussions over the afternoon, although it seems they ended on a calm note.”

“Yeah, he said they were talking about space shows and stuff. Apparently, they don’t have his ‘Space Heroes’ show in their universe,” Mikey supplied.

“They really are the lucky ones,” Raph stated sarcastically.

“There is also the possibility he’s gotten used to seeing Leon every day so it might feel weird going all day today without them meeting.”

“Think he might show up tonight?” Raph jumped, placing a hand on the table.

“No, but did Leo say when he was supposed to visit?”

“Noon tomorrow,” Raph stopped halfway through the sentence as Mikey spoke at the same time.

“Hey, how’d ya know that? He only told me after the guy left.”

“Leo asked if I’d mind making extra for lunch since we’d have company.”

“Can’t we just eat early? Not like he’s family and we gotta sit around the table with him.”

“Maybe to Leo he’s starting to feel that way, Raph…”

“Yeah, plus it’s less awkward to sit around and talk when you can eat at the same time! Why do you think humans always hang out at restaurants and ice cream places? Or go to the mall food court?”

“Mikey, ya watch way too much TV!” The hothead got up and pushed in his chair, grabbing his plate. “I’m gonna go check on Leo.”

“Raph, he made it pretty clear he needs some space from all of us.”

“Yeah, well,” he growled, letting the plate clatter in the sink, “let’s see how ya feel when our new ‘big brother’ leaves ya a nasty note about what a lousy failure ya are to the family.” He stormed out, the younger two observing him grab a magazine from the couch table then sit outside the bathroom door quietly.

“Hey, D?”

“Yeah, Mikey?”

“I’m glad you’re here with me. I think those two would drive me crazy if you weren’t here to keep us sane.”

“Aww, thanks,” Donnie reached over and squeezed one of the youngest’s hands. “The feeling is mutual. We’d all be lost without your upbeat attitude reminding us not to take ourselves too seriously.”

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

Quote from 2012 series— Season 3, Episode 10: Serpent Hunt

Short chapter because it’s so heavy.

This chapter covers day 6…

Chapter 16: “Bebe Azul” or… Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow.

Notes:

Sorry for the delay in update, I’ve been ill all weekend. ~Slady

Leon showed up right at noon as promised, even offering to help set up the table although everything was already out. Raphael noticed the almost immediate change of expression on Leo’s face once his guest arrived and grew more annoyed noticing the ambivalent attitudes of his younger brothers.

He didn’t like that guy. He didn’t like being spied on. He didn’t like him randomly showing up. He didn’t like him in his home. He didn’t like this little lunch date. He didn’t like watching Mikey offer him a plate. He didn’t like Donnie waiting to ask questions. And he most especially did not like all of the time Leo spent with him.

"So what's the whole situation with humans and mutants here? Are they completely oblivious up there or do they just deal with it when it happens?" Leon asked the group.

"Actually, at one point pretty much the entire city was mutated but at this point it's basically become a Mandala Effect."

"Funny thing, I'm actually behind in my studying of the effects," Leon used air quotes, "and only on the letter L..."

With a sigh, Donnie explained further. "The Mandela effect refers to a situation in which a large mass of people believes that an event occurred when it did not."

Mikey turned to Leon. "You find even cooler ways to ask D to explain stuff than I do!" The taller terrapin smiled as the genius continued.

"Back in 2009 a lot of humans realized they recalled a time in history that Nelson Mandela died while he was imprisoned during the 1980s, however he was still alive! Lived until December 2013 actually. It lead to the discovery that there were other common false memories and cognitive errors in society. We probably know a few ourselves, like infamous movie lines—even an entire movie that never existed—as well as book titles, brand logos, board games..."

"Nerd!" Leon and Raph exclaimed at the same moment, both glancing at each other with the latter quickly looking away in annoyance at the grin he was given.

"As I was saying," Donnie bit back in annoyance, "Confabulation—supported by suggestibility especially with the accessibility of social media—is the most likely explanation. However, there are also theories not supported by mainstream science such as parallel realities including string theory and mixing of different universes." Noticing even Leo staring at him quietly, he sighed and waved a hand at Leon. "Mixing. Of. Different. Universes..." He pronounced each word slowly in a higher pitch than his normal tone of voice.

"Are you saying it's possible that in one universe Nelson Mandela did die during his imprisonment while in ours he survived, but somehow the two realities might have somehow affected each other so that a number of people actually do remember differently?" the leader asked in confusion.

"I can't say that with certainty, but as I've said before things are only thought of as science fiction until proven as science fact. Back to Leon's original question, here humans don't know about us let alone mutants in general." The genius then turned to their guest, "What about where you are?"

"It's kind of a thing?” He twirled his fork in a circular motion with a slight shrug. “Like, a celebrity on a famous cooking show got mutated on live TV so people definitely saw it... then again, it's New York City. You can go to Times Square and there are all sorts of people in costumes taking pictures for money. We can't just walk into a store and go shopping like humans do but at least if we're seen we just make up something like saying we're with whatever random convention is going on.” He chuckled, “do you have any idea how many people dress up as wizards? Geesh!"

"Yeah, we can believe it," Donnie deadpanned as Leo giggled. Mikey brightened.

"Dude! D totally dressed up as a wizard for our Mazes & Mutants game AND when we were in the medieval times!"

"Medieval times? Like the 1980s?"

"That's what I said, but no—even older!"

"Proving my point this guy is more like Mikey than you," Raph muttered to Leo.

Mikey turned to his eldest brother, "O-M-G can we do that? Bruh, why didn't we think of that?! Leo, we need to do the Times Square and Comic Con stuff!" He then continued excitedly to Leon. "Are you all, like, superheroes in your dimension? We heard that in the future we become known as Turtle Warriors of Legend!"

"We heard that from an idiot!"

"Come on, Raph," Donnie interjected calmly. "While the source is questionable, our experiences were legitimate."

"Whoa whoa... Time travel?"

"Ya ain't missing much. In fact, consider yourself lucky!"

"Yeah..." Leo looked uncomfortable. "I prefer to stay in our own timeline on our own planet."

"I hate space," the hothead grumbled.

"But Raph--" Mikey stopped seeing the glare he received.

"Hate. It," he growled.

"Well, good to see some agreement between you two." Leon took a bite of his food. "Nope, no outer space or time travel for us. Probably for the best, who knows the chaos Don would cause. He didn't even believe Junior was from the future because he insisted he would have given himself winning lottery numbers," he chuckled before realizing the room fell in deaf silence.

"You said you had no time travel though? And who's Junior?" Leon froze at Donnie's questions as both Leo and Raph glanced at each other.

Everyone sat in quiet for a minute before an unfamiliar voice answered, Leon closing his eyes and taking a tone that three of them had never heard before…

"It was a one-way trip at the cost of the ultimate sacrifice."

All five turtles stared down at their plates and didn't speak for an entire minute until Donnie cleared his throat.

"You said a human was mutated on live TV... how did that happen?"

"A guy named Draxum created ooze he put in carrier bugs that bite people and turn them into mutants." He recited, recalling his Don's description.

"What kind of carrier bugs?"

"Mechanical flying insects filled with mutagen. We tried to stop it but… they kinda got released all over the city." Now his expression became a bit sheepish recalling the botched mission.

"Eh, it happens," Donnie shrugged recalling a somewhat similar incident they had with mutagen being released all over their own city.

"Dude, robot mosquitos filled with mutagen ooze? I would have totally named those things Oozesquitoes!"

"O-M-G! That is totally what we call them!" Mikey's excitement was contagious as he offered a high-three, which started to cheer Leon up.

"Did your Michelangelo name them? I'm totally the naming guru of the group!" he boasted proudly.

"I don't even know! First time I remember hearing it was when we were suiting up to try and exterminate them, Raph mentioned this hotel we were going to was full of oozesquitoes and no way he made it up himself!"

"Who's Draxum?"

"A warring warrior scientist," he answered with a laugh and Mikey joined him.

“Hey, D, you’re a warrior and a scientist—maybe this guy is related?” Leon’s jaw dropped and he threw an arm around the youngest’s neck with an affectionate nudge.

“Leave it to a Michelangelo to just instinctively understand things he doesn’t even know! Okay, spoiler alert… my Michelangelo does consider us related.” He released the youngest, ignoring the bewildered look on the others’ faces as he continued. “I mean… we really didn’t get off on the right foot, there was a whole situation with us exploding his science lab and him throwing me off a building.”

“An understandable reaction,” Donnie joked.

“Spoken like a true Donatello!” Leon laughed, not noticing how the purple-banded ninja cringed at the statement just as Raph spoke up.

“But did you die? No, you’re fine and here annoying us.”

Leon leaned forward, his chin in one hand. “Only because MY Raphael rescued me.” Before he could make a sharp-witted retort, Raph felt Leo stretch his arm in front of him.

“Same here! Raph rescued me after I fell off a building! No one pushed me off, though, I just…” He awkwardly scratched his cheek, “kind of blew up the building with me still in it.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Raph crossed his arms with a huff. “I saved ya only for ya to turn around and try to die a second time in the same day!” Leon watched the two closely.

“I was trying to save the world...”

“Ya say that like it was a solo mission and we weren’t doing anything as a team!”

“Not at all! You were all ordered to escape before the explosion, it was exactly how a team should work together.”

“Yeah if the team didn’t mind losing their leader, which this team did! And still does!”

“Come on, guys, not this again…”

“Mikey’s right, we’ve talked about this. There’s no need for you two to argue about it all over again!”

“This is new to me. Please go on,” Leon stated, moving to rest his chin in both hands.

“We ain’t ya personal entertainment!”

“Who’s entertained? I’m concerned and want to see how Leo responds… leadership lessons and all that,” he wrote off dismissively but noting the slight relief in the other blue-banded turtle’s eyes.

“I, uh… was inexperienced and with everything going on, the only back-up plan I could come up with at the last minute for our failed back-up plan seemed successful enough as long as least the three of you were saved along with the rest of the world...” The three youngest stared in shock at their leader who kept his gaze on his empty plate. “I didn’t have a death wish or anything like that, I just couldn’t live with myself if something were to happen to any of you. So…” he took a deep breath. “With the world at stake, the only thing of importance was completing our mission… sacrificing myself for the greater good made sense at the time.”

Unable to look up and make eye contact, Leo felt strong arms wrap around him as he was embraced by Raphael. Glancing up in surprise, he noticed Donnie and Mikey had left their seats and were approaching him as well. Just over their shoulders, he noticed Leon giving him a subtle nod. He had worried the taller terrapin might betray his confidence during their last conversation, yet not only did he keep his secret but his response helped him find the strength to share closer to the truth without exposing the most hurtful part…

He sat there, closing his eyes and losing himself to the affection of being surrounded in a group hug by all of his brothers. If he could somehow enjoy the warmth indefinitely, he would fight whoever he needed to do so. At one point his arms hands slipped up to grip tightly to whoever’s arms were around him, as if pleading desperately for them to not let go... But eventually their embrace loosened and as they started to slowly drift apart they heard someone clearing his throat.

“I was promised I could see the first episode of this ‘Space Heroes’ show!” Leon chimed cheerfully, knowing that Leo had offered for him to watch the show with him at some point but no promises today in particular. All the more reason he was grateful for the other blue-banded ninja providing a smooth transition between the rare emotional moment back to normal daily life.

He arrived claiming to seek Leo as his Sensei, but he also was keeping his promise to help him just as much. In fact, at times like these Leon was more like a mentor than his student.

Or maybe, possibly, they were becoming friends? Is that weird, to be friends with yourself? Probably stranger to not be friends with a version of yourself.

As they settled in to watch the first episode, Leo’s thoughts drifted…

He needed time to process the flaws from Splinter’s teachings, not just for himself but for his brothers… their father’s advice of a successful mission no matter who was sacrificed was something he always disliked. While he had shouldered the burden of that knowledge, he did not want to cause his brothers the same pain in feeling expendable. Not Michelangelo, whom their father often made flippant comments about and rarely praised. Not Donatello, invaluable in the home but often critiqued in battle. Not Raphael, reduced to brawn of which value was questioned due to the cost of his temper. He knew Splinter loved each of them—he cared for them as best he could—but eventually he had come to understand that loving someone doesn’t mean that you know how to appreciate them or prevent you from taking them for granted.

Mention of the time travel earlier reminded him of meeting Renet and he thought back with disdain about how she had described them… Raphael the Warrior—they were all warriors, him being the strongest not out of vanity but the desire to protect them! If Leo was a sword then Raph was the shield, although the reverse was also true. The roles were interchangeable for the older pair. She had only described Michelangelo as ‘the cute one’ disregarding his raw talent and strong skills that would long outlast his looks! (How many humans would find mutant turtles cute anyway?) While Donatello’s description as an Inventor was accurate, the same could be said of a particular buggy mad scientist they knew—but his brother was so much more than his brains, his heart was just as big!

Despite finding her assessment flawed, he still felt ostracized. Being endearing—or cute as she referred to him—was Mikey’s charm. Donnie was an inventor and Raph was a warrior—those were facts. But a leader only exists with his team, therefore without his brothers Leo felt that he was nothing.

He was often accused of being Splinter’s favorite son, but that wasn’t true—he was Splinter’s favorite student. For the rat master, the two terms were one and the same. The desperation for his father’s approval as well as his brothers’ respect drove him to the point that he only focused on what he was—and not who he could be outside the roles of a ninja warrior.

Leo noticed the ending credits of the first episode when Leon leaned closely to whisper. “You doing okay?”

The smaller ninja nodded and whispered back. “Yeah, thanks for earlier.” He felt an arm wrap around his shoulders and give a tight squeeze.

“Me? You’re the one who came up with that boss response! I’m proud of you, Bebe Azul.” The two smiled brightly at each other before one caught a glare out of the corner of his eye and casually stood up and stretched.

“If y’all like that, I think you’ll really enjoy ‘Jupiter Jim’ that me and all my brothers watch! We even got to meet the actual actor and audition to be his sidekick!”

“Really? That must have been so cool!” Leo exclaimed.

“All of your brothers? Even your Raph?” Mikey asked incredulously.

“Especially Raph! He won the sidekick role, he wasn’t even trying either! Okay so, actually, he was kind of reminding us the actor was a bit crazy since he really believed he was Jupiter Jim but I totally convinced him he should let us because, FUN! So he did.” Raphael snorted from behind his magazine but Leon continued. “Mikey, Donnie and I are trying to earn space points when suddenly JJ announced Raph gets it because,” he starts snickering, “his color is red and he just wanted to replace his previous sidekick, Red Fox!” He laughs as he continued, “I reminded him he didn’t even want the job and he’s like, ‘that was before I won!’”

“That does sound like a Raph thing to say,” Donnie grinned.

“No, it doesn’t,” Raph scoffed.

“Hey, Leo—think we can visit Leon’s brothers and meet ourselves too?”

“I would also be interested in sharing research projects with my counterpart.”

Seeing Leo look between both younger brothers with uncertainty, Leon quickly spoke up. “We’ve talked a little about it, we’ll see what we can work out provided it gets my Donatello’s stamp of approval.”

“Why’s that? Ain’t ya the leader, what ya say goes?”

“He’s probably monitoring that there are no disturbances between the dimensions that might be causing any effects on space or time let alone those traveling between the two.”

“That right there!” Leon pointed excitedly to the genius. “Every time I visit here I have to report for testing to make sure I don’t destabilize or something.” He shrugged, “I don’t know. I only argue with him because it’s funny, but for the most part I just go along with what he wants so he doesn’t freak out. Because if Don freaks out than Miguel gets upset and then that causes Raph to worry and it makes his whole chasm deeper and that pretty face doesn’t deserve to have any undue crevasse!”

“Do ya ever shut up?”

“Nope, I even talk in my sleep,” he joked.

“That wouldn’t surprise me.”

“What can I say, a good face man has to have a… talented tongue,” he smirked, challenging Raphael who sneered at him. “Am I right, Bebe Azul?” He nudged Leo, “Leaders have to speak well and, uh, what’s that fancy word…”

“Orate?”

“Yeah,” he snapped. “I gotta work on more book words like that. Will totally up my game!”

“Weren’t ya about to leave?” Raphael snapped.

“Alas! Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow.” Leon grinned again at Leo. “Eh? How’s that for fancy book talk?”

“You just quoted a popular line from Shakespeare,” Leo gave him a small smile. “I think most people know that from ‘Romeo and Juliet’ without even reading any of his plays. Start quoting Sun Tzu and I’ll be impressed,” he smirked.

“You are one strict Sensei!” he chuckled. “¡Hasta luego, muchachos! I’ll head out once I get to talk to your best big bro for a few.” He waved with one hand, using the other to gently guide the other blue-banded ninja by the elbow. Walking towards the dojo, Leo looked up at Leon.

“What’s up?”

“Think you’re ready to meet my brothers tomorrow?”

Notes:

(1) Translation:
Bebe Azul means “Baby Blue”
¡Hasta luego, muchachos! means “Later, guys!”*
*Thanks to Mitzi1429 for correcting my error!

(2) Day 7 begins in this chapter.
That’s right, it’s been a week since Leon showed up in Leo’s life like a menace!

(3) To learn more about the Mandala Effect:
https://www.britannica.com/science/Mandela-effect

Chapter 17: “A new favorite sibling” or… We’re rehashing an old argument that doesn’t even matter anymore.

“I don’t like it.”

“I know,” Leo replied, not looking up while washing the dishes leftover from lunch.

“But ya want to?”

“Not really, no.”

“Then don’t!”

“Raph,” Leo sighed. “It’s inevitable, might as well get it over with. Besides, you heard how excited Mikey and Donnie sounded.”

“Then buy them something so they’ll get distracted and forget about it.” Leo chuckled a little at that suggestion.

“Not quite how it works, besides… this is a big deal, they won’t let it go. You know how they are.”

“Yeah yeah… Mikey will keep nipping at ya heels like a yippy dog and Donnie will find a way to mention it in every conversation,” Raph grumbled. “But tough! They’ll get over it.”

Leo began rinsing the dishes as he drained the soapy water. “It’s possible the other Donatello won’t approve, so it might not work out anyway.”

“If that’s the case than ya don’t have to bother meeting them tomorrow then.”

Leo sighed, “maybe… but I already agreed to it.”

“Big deal, tell him ya changed your mind.”

“Why aren’t you curious like our brothers are?”

“Probably for the same reason ya wouldn’t be either. Leo, we know who we are—and who we ain’t. We don’t need to meet more versions of ourselves who got nothing to do with our dimension or how differently our lives are from theirs.”

“That’s not the reason I would have chosen to avoid this,” Leo said quietly. Raphael looked at him with a guarded expression as he slid off the countertop he had been sitting on.

“Then what is?”

Putting the last of the dishes in the drying rack, the eldest turned to face his brother. “Just between you and me—the others don’t need to know this—there are certain matters I prefer to remain private. If it’s a common element of my identity between universes, I would prefer that not be exposed just because another version may be… less discreet about such things.”

“So why tell me?”

“You asked.”

“Bullshit, ya avoid answering questions all the time. Either ya deflect entirely or ya answer a question with another question.”

“Language, Raph. Please.” Leo was surprised how calm Raphael was staying during the conversation and didn’t want to escalate any emotions as usually happened between them.

“Fine, Fearless…” he rolled his eyes. “Why ya telling me something ya wouldn’t tell our little brothers?”

“Because I can tell you I’d rather keep certain matters private and you won’t ask what those are. With Mikey and Donnie, explaining I have my reasons only leads to more questions.”

“Ya saying I don’t care like they do?”

“I know you care, but you don’t bother to press an issue unless there’s a reason. Donnie and Mikey are just both naturally curious even when something doesn’t concern them.”

“What makes ya think I won’t talk to them so they will ask, just to straighten all this stuff out?”

“I trust you,” Leo raised an eye ridge. “You could have told on me to Splinter when you first found out about Karai, but you didn’t. Even though my sense about her was accurate, at the time my judgement of her wasn’t. It was the perfect opportunity for me to get into trouble as well as a valid chance for you to question my leadership, yet you kept my secret.” Raphael said nothing and Leo continued, leaning against the sink countertop. “Just like you’re doing right now. You didn’t come at me confrontationally… I never forgot how you just asked what the deal with her was and then, let me handle it. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out so well. But the good thing was that, despite our differences, you still had my back.”

“April knew and didn’t tell the others either, I ain’t special.”

“April wasn’t as invested in the situation. Nor is she my best friend or my second-in-command.”

“I exposed her to Donnie and Mikey back at that lab.”

“She was snooping, so it was fair game. Besides, that was when she proved herself unreliable so—as I told you back then—you were right.”

“What she did was reliable—she caused chaos and left us to clean up the mess!”

“Okay, then she proved herself untrustworthy.”

“She was in the Foot, ya never could trust her! Even April told ya that!”

Leo sighed. “We’re rehashing an old argument that doesn’t even matter anymore.”

“Were ya scared?”

“What?”

“That whole thing with Karai… were ya scared about if things had been different, ya could have been just like her?”

“Raph, what are you—”

“Be honest, Leo! She said something to ya back then that ya never told us, didn’t she? Before Splinter even told us that Karai was a master of deception, she already got in ya head but ya ain’t been honest about it!”

“I told all of you, I kinda liked her a little back then. It compromised my judgement.”

“No, no ya didn’t. Ya got over that way too fast.”

“We can’t all be as committed as Donnie.”

“Try again.”

“Come on, even you thought she was—and I quote—hot in an evil kind of way.”

“I said I could see how ya would think that. I never liked her! But I only said that so you’d feel less stupid. We both know evil ain’t your style. Remember how ya kept her knife and told me it was so ya could give it back?”

“I was happy she helped us out.”

Raphael crossed his arms in frustration. “Why do ya do this? All this time, I figured ya were just happy to have a new favorite sibling—”

“What?” he exclaimed.

“—a new favorite sibling, ya heard me! Ya went along with her and her little girlfriend behind OUR shells trying to reform the Foot Clan so the princess could rule her kingdom. We had a history of not listening to ya and giving ya grief, then ya got the chance for something different.”

“Raph—”

“Mikey thought ya were still sweet on her despite the whole, sister situation. Donnie knew it wasn’t that but figured maybe ya were trying to honor Splinter or maybe ya felt guilty we spent our childhood with him and she didn’t.” Leo swallowed quietly as he licked his lips that suddenly felt dry. “And me?” He uncrossed his arms and clenched his fists to his side, “I figured I’d been replaced.”

“I don’t play favorites.”

“Doesn’t mean ya don’t have them! Ya baby Mikey so much and ya defer to Donnie for smart stuff, but no matter how much ya tried to help Karai, we both know ya waste the most time and energy on me.”

“It’s never a waste, Raphael.” Hearing his full name caused him to pause so the leader continued. “I love all of you and just try to meet each of you at whatever points of need you have, just like how I organize our trainings—to address our strengths and weaknesses.”

“That’s all there is to it, huh?” he scoffed.

“What more could there possibly be?”

“See, ya doing it again. Answering a question with a question, deflecting… ya don’t want to lie so ya just avoid being straight.” At that Leo snorted and rolled his eyes.

“Are we done now?”

“Not until ya answer my question.”

“Fine. Yes, that’s all there is to it.”

“The other question.”

“What?”

“What did she say that had ya so scared ya didn’t tell any of us about?”

A shadow cast over Leo’s face, his blue eyes darkening as he remembered back to the night in question. He stood frozen in place, barely registering as Raphael stepped up to him and grabbed his arms. “Look, the night I first met Miwa wasn’t good. You said I gave bad orders and called me the worst leader…”

“I remember how much of an ass I was to ya that night, ya were so upset ya put me in charge and stormed off.” Leo nodded, not wanting to look at his brother. “Then ya tried to be part of the team and I wasn’t having it. But I couldn’t handle being leader even one night…”

“Didn’t stop you from making me miserable afterwards.”

“I know… and I lost count how many times I regretted it so much I apologized.”

“I appreciate you holding me accountable, but sometimes you went too far and even then Splinter wouldn’t even let me step down.”

“Wait, ya tried to quit being our leader?”

“Not 37 times, but more than once. He wouldn’t allow it. So let’s leave it at that.” Raph’s green eyes narrowed.

“There’s more?” Leo grimaced at the question, realizing his mistake.

“I had to make all of the decisions except the one about not being the leader. He said it doesn’t matter if the burden is heavy, only that I carry it.”

Raphael sucked in his breath, not realizing he was gripping Leo’s shoulders tighter at hearing those words. “So... ya weren’t scared about what if?”

“What if what?”

“What if what happened to her had happened to ya… if we got found by Shredder instead of Splinter only to grow up fighting for the Foot Clan.” The leader exhaled heavily and his shoulders slumped defeatedly.

“Fine.” He looked up, sapphire-blue eyes gazing into emerald-green ones. “That too. Yes, she got into my head… she offered me an escape.”

“Escape?”

“From the burden. Less responsibility. A chance to have fun for once.” He sighed in shame. “All I had to do was go with her to steal the sword of Miyamoto Musashi… but I couldn’t even do that.”

Shaking the eldest, Raphael corrected. “Yeah, ya could have—but ya didn’t want to! Ain’t no honor in stealing.”

“I did want to! I thought I was past that until months later when you three disrespected my training and you defaced my swords with ‘lame-o-nardo’ only for her to show up again, this time with no respect for me either. All this after I had just tried again to step down, but Father said it was my fault you all don’t believe in me because I didn’t believe in myself.”

“Leo… he blurred the lines between us being his sons and his soldiers, that wasn’t fair to none of us but especially to ya.”

Anger flashed across the leader’s countenance and he jerked out of his brother’s reach. “So you did understand!” Raphael looked confused as he continued, “all this time I thought, they’ll understand one day. But you already knew and yet you still accused me of being his favorite son! I wasn’t his favorite son, I was his best student!”

“…which was the same thing.”

“Yes! And No! At least… it shouldn’t have been! You all don’t know what I went through, not just all the extra training but all the conversations between us. You think we just sipped tea and discussed the weather when he never left the lair? We grew up on worms and algae when he could have introduced us to real food. Sure, I thought, maybe he was worried one of us would have a fatal food allergy so he just played it safe. But then I realized, no, or else that would have been one of the things he warned us about when we finally got to go topside—more important than avoiding public bathrooms!”

“Yeah, that was pretty lam—messed up.”

Leo stopped, composing himself. “I shouldn’t have told you any of that. It’s wrong to speak ill of the dead.”

“What’s wrong is some of the stuff Father said and did. Ain’t no one perfect, yet ya revere him like a saint to justify being a perfectionist. And it ain’t ill or even dishonorable if it’s the truth, especially if it will help ya with all this guilt for having normal feelings about stuff that ain’t fair.”

“Seek victory not fairness.”

“Yeah, I remember him telling us that. Like that was supposed to make us feeling better about how unfair our lives were.”

“I need to go meditate.”

“I’ll go with—”

“Alone.” Raphael noticed the glassy gaze shot at him and looked away to ignore the tears that threatened to fall from his brother’s eyes to help put him at ease.

“Sure, Leo. Lemme know if ya need anything…” His words faltered at the sound of retreating footsteps.

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

Disclaimer: 2012 boys eating only algae and worms for fifteen years is pet peeve of mine. Splinter used to be a human too, I find it hard to believe he avoided real food. I’ve pondered this and just cannot come up with a sensible or valid reason for this detail.

P.s. Next chapter will be more light-hearted, I promise!

Chapter 18: “Pecas” or… I suppose I’ll acquiesce your request.

Mikey slipped into Donnie’s lab and grabbed onto his chair, startling the genius and causing him to struggle regaining his balance.

“Mikey! What—”

“D, ya gotta pull up the camera recording from the kitchen!”

“What! Why, did Leo get taken again?”

“No, it’s just…” he palmed his face, dragging it down as if it would help him calm down. “Okay so, I was going to the kitchen to get something to drink. Leo was doing dishes but he should have been done by then, but I heard him and Raph talking and, I dunno, something told me not to interrupt.”

“So you eavesdropped?”

“I listened with concern in case I had to interrupt our brothers getting into a fistfight! Again.”

“Fair. But if you didn’t need to intercede after all then we shouldn’t violate their privacy purposefully. The cameras are for security surveillance only, not to spy on each other.”

“Leo almost left us to join the Foot Clan!”

“Do you mean when he was helping Karai take over?”

“No! Like, before we even knew about her.”

Donnie froze at Mikey’s words. “What?”

“It was just like you said the other day about how he worried, what if he had been Karai. But then Raph got him to admit there was more he didn’t tell us and some stuff about Splinter!”

Donnie pondered over the situation. His younger brother overheard their older brothers talking in an open space of their home where either of them could have innocently walked into. Maybe what Mikey heard he misunderstood due to missing context from an earlier part of the conversation… People often tended to imagine worse possibilities than what actually transpired, so perhaps it was for the best to seek clarification—it wasn’t as if it was a secret chat in the privacy of their bedrooms or even somewhere with a closed door. He could just play the footage only for Mikey, but maybe Donnie should watch with him to provide a more objective observation? That and, to be honest, it didn’t seem fair for him to be left out.

He sighed, “close the lab door please.”

~*~*~*~*~

The following afternoon Leo laid in his bed, periodically glancing at the clock. The night before Mikey asked for a movie night and it was comforting how they all sat closer than usual, like they used to do when they were younger. He had gotten so relaxed that he almost wished they could all just crash in the pit like a small slumber party, but they all were mostly still awake when the movie ended. Again Raph had insisted on accompanying Leo and when the latter protested, Donnie interjected that his recommendation was to maintain overnight vigils until a routine pattern was established. The most curious part was after saying so, he allowed the youngest to follow him to his own room. The movie they watched wasn’t scary so it wasn’t as if Mikey wanted the company in case of nightmares. Had something else upset him since the night prior that Leo had been remiss to notice? The younger two—the B-team as they joked—had always been closest to each other, but there were times Leo wished they talked to him more often.

Morning training went well although all of his brothers seemed a little distracted. Breakfast had been unusually quiet which he hadn’t minded too much considering he had a lot on his mind. Meditation had helped him clear his thoughts but as he waited for his counterpart to arrive, his nerves began to resume the unease he had been feeling for the past day. When Leon finally appeared, he wasn’t sure if he felt more relieved or anxious.

“Morning, Pecas!”

“Not for much longer, it’s almost afternoon. What does that word mean, I don’t recognize it?”

“Freckles!”

“But Mikey is the one with freckles, not me.”

The taller terrapin sat on the edge of the bed, stretching his long legs out. “True, but the word for freckles sounds much cuter than the translation for spots which you do have.” He gently poked at one of the lighter colored splotches on Leo’s cheek. “Plus, if I start calling you spots you could retort with stripes for me and I’ve already decided those nicknames just don’t work out for us.”

“You used retort instead of reply, did you have to study hard for that one,” Leo rubbed his snout trying to hide a humorous snort.

“See, that’s one of the things that makes you a great leader—you notice the little details!”

“If you say so.”

“I do say so,” he nodded with satisfaction before wrapping an arm around the other’s shell. “So… what’s up with you today? Your mood is way different than when I left.”

“I’m fine.”

“Fine, huh? How about a change of plans then?”

“Why?”

“Eh, I’m feeling more a one-on-one visit. We’ll give my bros a rain check, turtles love water!”

“But aren’t they expecting me? I don’t want to be rude…”

“You won’t be, I am. But not really, I mean… it’s just lunch. Happens every day.”

“Oh,” Leo responded, surprised to realize he felt a little disappointed. As nervous as he felt seeing Leon’s brothers, maybe he was hoping they were looking forward to meeting him after all?

“Raph’s going to be the most disappointed…” Leon said suddenly, almost as if he could hear the other’s thoughts.

“Maybe we should stick to the original plan, I don’t want to upset any of your brothers—especially Raphael.”

“He won’t get mad if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Oh… That’s good. Still… he sounds nice. I mean, the hug and all… You two seem close. Why would you upset him on purpose?”

“It’s not about me upsetting him, it’s about him understanding me. We had plans and if something happens that I need to change them, he trusts I’m doing it because I need to and not some misguided want to hurt him.”

“But nothing happened?”

“Yeah it did. We’re both not on our A game today, so let’s try again tomorrow. Meanwhile, how about we check out someplace here?”

“We don’t go out during the day and there’s nothing like Hidden City here.”

“Oh yeah… Well, wanna hang out here or in your dojo?”

“Not really. Can… can we go to your dimension? Maybe some place not too busy but enough to people watch?”

Leon smiled, gently tugging on Leo’s mask tails. “I’ve got just the spot, mi amigo!”

~*~*~*~*~

Raphael knocked on the frame of the open lab door before walking in. He waited until Donnie nodded to acknowledge his presence.

“So… Leo’s room is really quiet... Thought maybe ya could, ya know…”

“Check to see if he’s still home or if they left for the other dimension?”

“Yeah.” He glanced over his shoulder as he noticed Mikey poke his head up from the comic he was reading. Closing it, he walked over to join the two middle children.

“I’m not doing this to spy, but if Leo has left I’d like to be sure to continue monitoring him for any changes or effects from traveling between—”

“I know, Donnie, I know! Ya not like the other Donatello, we get it. Chill.”

“Hmm… this is odd.”

“What is, D?” Mikey leaned over Raph’s shoulder to get a closer look at the monitor only to have Raph palm his face and shove it back out of his personal space.

“Looks like Leon showed up, they talked for a few minutes, then he left for a brief amount of time before reappearing with… clothes? Then they both left together.”

~*~*~*~*~

“Are we at Coney Island?” Leo asked incredulously, shrinking inside the blue hoodie he was wearing.

“What? No way! Coney Island is a tourist trap. This here is only for REAL New Yorkers—and some folks who wander in from Jersey… Alberto Land!” Leon held out his arms upward as if presenting a wonder of the world.

“But… the humans?”

“Are native jaded New Yorkers! Come on, I’ll show you!” The taller terrapin lead the way, strolling up to the ticket booth behind some guy talking on his cell phone. He then spoke up, loudly enough to interrupt the conversation. “Man, I can’t wait to grab me a funnel cake and hit the Bumper Cars!”

Leo’s eyes widened in horror as the man looked directly at them… then was shocked as he just rolled his eyes. “Geesh, how many geek conventions can one city have, ya know?” he complained into his phone. Then a pause before he replied into his mobile, “Yeah, some weird lookin’ kids behind me dressed like green aliens or somethin’… No, I don’t know what movie they’re from! Obviously a bad one if I ain’t recognize it!”

Leon grinned at his companion. “See?” he said quieter, leaning closer. “New York… what a town!”

“I don’t think our New York will ever be anything like this. Even during the invasion when we literally saved people from being abducted or attacked by aliens, they still ran off screaming and calling us monsters.” He sighed sadly.

“I’m starting to think your universe really does suck.” They approached the ticket counter and he pulled out a shiny holographic purple credit card, ordering two admissions with unlimited ride bands.

“Thank you, Mr Von Ryan, have a bear-y good time,” the attendant stated in a monotone voice.

While they were walking away, Leo asked, “Who’s Von Ryan?” At that moment both heard Leon’s phone buzz.

WHY DO YOU HAVE MY CREDIT CARD??!!

He spoke out loud as he typed back. “Relax. Treating… our… friend… gotta be… a good… host!”

Don: Cancelling plans with someone then stealing their credit card is nefarious!
Leon: So… you’re proud of me then? He snickered as he added a winking emoji.
Don: If it didn’t affect me, maybe I would be. As it stands you’ll pay for this, Nardo!
Another snicker as Leon typed... Cash or credit?

He put his phone away as the other looked at him curiously. “Everything okay?”

“Oh yeah!” he smiled, waving with a shrug. “Don was just checking in to see how we’re doing.”

“You mean he’s mad you took his credit card,” Leo smirked.

“I borrowed it! Mistook it for the family petty cash debit card,” Leon grinned.

“Is that card also holographic purple?”

“Nope, as plain green as you and me! We had to make it easy so Raph remembered it was a money card and not an arcade pass.” He laughed as they both shook their heads. Then Leon turned to Leo, “I’m going to guess you’ve never been in an amusement park before?”

“Coney Island. After hours. Wasn’t a good time.”

“I take it you weren’t there for the elephant ears and Ferris wheel.”

“More like a rhinoceros who hits like a truck and falling out of a roller coaster cart.”

“Sounds rough!”

“It was. So… this should be an improvement?” They grinned when suddenly Leon grabbed Leo’s hand and pulled him to their first ride.

~*~*~*~*~

“Hey, Donnie! Ya busy?”

“You want me to track Nardo’s phone to find out where he went after cancelling our lunch plans?”

“See, that’s why ya the genius in the family!”

“That’s just you being predictable and me stating the obvious. I’m a genius for far more—”

“Just take the damn compliment!” the oldest snapped.

“Only if you take this!” Mike piped up, suddenly showing up behind the large snapping turtle with some leftovers in a container. “I made extra for the little Leonardo and since he missed out, figured I’d send some home with him!”

“Little? I thought we—”

“Brilliant, Michel! I can attach a transmitter—no wait, that might not work across dimensions. Perhaps a device that just records instead of listens…” He glanced at the other.

“But what if they wash the container? Or worse,” the youngest gasped, “microwave the food still in the bowl!”

“The loss of their appliance would be a steep cost for their laziness. But, more importantly, your concern for the damage to my technology is appreciated.”

“GUYS! Seriously? Raph’s still here.”

“Of course you’re still here, you gotta take the leftovers with you!” The youngest shoved the container in the eldest’s hands and patted him on the shell. “There, off you go!”

“I suppose I’ll acquiesce your request, if nothing else on behalf of my favorite lab assistant.” Mike smiled at the praise lavished by his brother—as well as for getting his way.

“Ya know… for all ya complaints about Leo and I, ya get sappy too.”

“Do you want his location or not?”

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

Day 8 begins in this chapter… On to the second week!

Chapter 19: “Mi Ángel Rojo de Prevenir el Daño” or… I am on your side.

Notes:

My apologies for the delay in updating! It took me longer than I expected getting over being ill then I was busy attending a major gaming convention for nearly a week.

The two blue-banded turtles sat at an empty table to chat about the rides they had been on when Leon’s phone buzzed.

Raph: Ya got 30 seconds.

Staring at his phone in confusion, he muttered out loud, “Thirty seconds for what?” Before Leo could ask anything, he noticed a shadow start to overcast him and he jumped up while reaching for his swords that were not there.

“Whoa, whoa… sorry to come up from behind ya, Little Man. Didn’t mean to startle ya!”

“Whoa…” Leo murmured, staring up at the very tall and very large snapping turtle.

“Ra—Raph! Haha… what are you doing, here, uh, Big Guy?” Leon stood up, leaning nervously with one hand propped against the table.

“Funny thing ya should ask, ya knucklehead…” Raph set down a tray with three drinks and a large order of nachos on the table before taking a seat between the two. Following his lead, Leo sat back down. “See, I kinda had a lunch date planned that I was really looking forward to that got cancelled at the last minute so…” he reached for a chip loaded with cheese and meat, taking a bite and looking pointedly at Leon who started to sit back down as well. “Raph figures, might as well go out and do something else instead. So here I am… Small world, running into ya here.”

“Ah… New York, what a… town?” Leon grinned weakly.

“Uh huh…” Raph continued staring at Leon, unamused but setting a drink in front of each turtle.

“Why are you looking at me like that? You’re the one who had Don track my phone!”

“Actually,” Leo spoke up, “he would have known the moment you used his credit card.”

The biggest turtle laughed, “WOW, Leo! You used Donnie’s credit card? That’s bold. Clearly this one is smarter than ya, no wonder ya trying to learn from him.” He glanced over to the smallest turtle who was sitting on his right side and flashed a smile before reaching out his hand. “Glad to finally meet ya! I’m Raph!”

Leo couldn’t help but be amazed how tiny his hand felt enveloped by the larger one during the handshake. “I figured. It’s… nice to meet you, too… Raph…”

“Oh you’re adorable!” He grinned even bigger then looked back to his left side, “Leo, he’s so adorable! Is that why ya trying to keep him to yourself?”

“Haha… no fooling you, Big Daddy!”

Raph placed his large hand over Leon’s face and gave him a slight shove. “Don’t call me that here! Geesh, what is wrong with you?!”

“I’ve asked the same thing,” Leo said to himself, but Raph overheard him and started laughing. When he stopped he then turned his focus back to Leon, his tone sharpened. “Seriously though! We had a plan!” he pointed at the table, mildly angry.

“And the plan changed!” Leon retorted defiantly, crossing his arms.

“At the last minute!”

“Things happen at the last minute!”

“It ain’t a battle, it was just lunch!” Raph clenched his fist, emphasizing the last word.

“Exactly. Lunch, it happens every day!” Leon threw his hands up in the air.

“Yeah and today was important!”

“Then tomorrow will be important instead!”

“Some of us already been waiting for today!” The two glaring at each other as their anger escalated, not initially noticing the laughter from the third. They turned and looked over at Leo with surprise.

“You, uh, finding this whole situation funny, Yo Pequeño?”

“I’m sorry… more like a relief. This dimension is so different, it’s kind of nice to see something familiar.”

Seeing his sincere smile caused the other two to relax before glancing at each other with a sheepish look. The oldest cleared his throat.

“Hey, uh, Raph’s sorry for snapping.”

“I don’t blame you, I knew you’d be disappointed. Sorry I didn’t handle that better… I should have told you in person and not just a group text like the other two.”

“Yeah, ya should have. Ya knew I wanted to meet him before the others anyway.”

“Now you did! I’m glad you showed up, Raph.” Leon reached out, grabbing a loaded chip and shoved it in his mouth. “Even without the chips and drinks, you’d still be the best big brother ever!”

Raph reached out and grabbed Leon by the back of his head, pressing him forward for a gentle head bump. “Don’t talk with ya mouth full! And you’re welcome, had a few minutes when I saw ya go on the ride right there.”

“Yeah, I know I’m here but… never hurts to have other snacks around,” the other joked. At that Raph leaned away and again placed his hand over Leon’s face to gently shoved him back.

“Okay, moment’s over!”

Leo, realizing he had been staring, grabbed his drink and started sipping at it as if the liquid would quench the slight bit of jealousy he was starting to feel. “You two worked that out well…”

“I told you, Raphie is so forgiving,” Leon took a sip from his own drink. “I don’t deserve him,” he smiled, gazing at the larger turtle who started blushing and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

“Ain’t worth staying mad about. Love ya more than that,” he grinned, “ya brat.”

“Your brat!” the other winked.

“Leo!” Raph stated the other’s name in a clipped tone, subtly tilting his head to the third as if he forgot they weren’t alone.

“What? He doesn’t mind!”

“Actually, I kind of do? I told you some of the weird stuff you say kind of creeps me out.” He turned his attention from Leon to Raph and pointed at the chips. “May I?”

“Of course!” Raph looked surprised at the question. “I got ‘em for all of us to share. See,” he gently slapped the other on the side of his head. “Manners! If ya ain’t gonna learn them from Raph after all this time, maybe ya can pick them up from him!”

“Huh,” Leo scooped up some of the topping onto a nacho chip, “everyone keeps saying that.”

“Come on, only two people have said that!”

“Which is literally everyone I’ve met in this dimension,” Leo replied with a smirk.

“Et tu, Brute?” Leon exclaimed dramatically.

“I told you, quoting popular lines from Shakespeare doesn’t prove you read a book.”

“Ha! Leo, read a book? Hope it’s got a lot of pictures,” Raph joked.

“Fair. Maybe I should have him start off with some coloring pages instead,” Leo looked up at the large turtle jokingly which made Raph laugh loudly as he clasped his right hand on the back of his shell in approval.

“Leo, Little You is smart AND funny!”

Folding his arms across the top of his plastron, Leon looked across the table at Leo. “Shouldn’t you be on my side?”

“I am on your side… if you want to learn leadership from me, literacy is important,” Leo shrugged, reaching for another loaded nacho chip. Leon did the same with a slight pout, causing Raph to reach over and give him a side hug.

“Ain’t never stopped ya from being the best face man we got, Pretty Boy!”

“Well, that’s true,” Leon started to smile. “But, Raph,” he began to whine, “you should see this book he wants me to read. It’s huge! I’ll never get through it.”

“Aw, poor baby,” he rolled his eyes.

“I know!” He coyly leaned against Raph’s arm. “How about you read it to me before bed?” When he got no response, he sat back up. “Seriously, it would probably cure my insomnia.” He added dryly, taking another chip.

“Why not follow your own advice and read an excerpt from it as a reflection prior to training sessions?”

“That was Leo’s idea?”

“Yeah, I thought it was a good one too. My brothers won’t read it either, even Ra—”

The other two looked at the third curiously.

“Sorry… feels kind of weird saying my Raphael’s name in front of another Raph.”

“Hey! Raph has an idea!” The snapping turtle punched one fist into the other palm. “How about some time ya lead one of our training sessions?”

“Really?” Leo perked up.

“Yeah! Raph bets ya know lots of fighting styles we’ve never seen before!”

“Hey, that’s right! Aside from threatening to attack me the first time I showed up, you and I have never sparred before.” Leo mirrored Leon’s look of realization.

“One, I didn’t threaten you—I said you were lucky I didn’t attack already. Two, that is kind of surprising now that you mention it…”

“And three?”

“Uh, three…” The smallest turtle paused to think. “Yeah… sure… In fact, how about two—one in my dojo and the other in yours?” He offered a small smile, excited at the thought of training others. In the back of his mind, he wondered if he liked the idea even more so because he wouldn’t just be training anyone but additional “little brothers” of his own—kind of.

“Deal!” Raph reached out to shake the other’s hand with a grin before he noticed Leon reaching for the last chip and suddenly smacked his hand. “Ya supposed to ask if anyone wants the last one before ya take it!”

“What kind of rule is that? Pretty sure you’re making that up!”

“Raph isn’t making up rules, it’s called manners!”

“Well, it’s a stupid manner. You snooze, you lose!” He quickly grabbed the last nacho chip, but not before pressing it against the container causing it to snap in half and nodding towards his counterpart. Noticing this, Raph gave Leon a side eye.

“Guess that’s an improvement,” he muttered.

Not really wanting the last bite but feeling somewhat obligated, Leo smiled and took the last piece. “Thanks, guys… this has been a nice visit.”

“Just call me the hostess with the mostess!” Leon grinned, leaning against the table. Raph rolled his eyes at his brother’s typical theatrics.

“Ya gonna be called mud when Donnie gets ahold of ya after taking his credit card. In fact,” he held out his hand. After Leon placed the holographic purple piece of plastic in the other’s hand and it was securely put away in his Mad Dogz wallet, the older of the two turned to their guest.

“Sorry about all the grief my Leo has no doubt been putting ya through, I know he’s a lot to handle.”

“Thanks. It’s been interesting to say the least. But,” he paused, “I guess not too bad.” He gave the other blue-banded turtle a small smile which he returned in kind. “And honestly, I can’t say for certain this whole situation isn’t the weirdest thing I’ve been through.”

“Man, ya must have so many cool things to talk about!”

Leo chuckled a little. “It’s weird hearing a Raphael want me to talk more. Usually mine complains I talk too much.” Leon set down his drink that he had been sipping on.

“That’s not what I’ve heard.”

“What?” he asked, genuinely confused.

“I’ve heard him complain about your Mikey and Donnie talking too much and yeah he complains when he feels you’re lecturing them, but I’ve overheard him asking you to talk to him more. He was practically begging.”

“Raph isn’t the easiest person to talk to…”

“But you still want to.”

“I do,” he nodded. “It’s just we tend to argue a lot that sometimes I avoid it just to prevent more fighting.”

“Ain’t nothing wrong with arguing,” Raph sipped on his drink, “it’s how ya fight that matters.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ever watch how your Michelangelo and Donatello argue?” Leon asked.

“That doesn’t happen very often. When it does, it’s usually Donnie complaining about Mikey messing up things in his lab.”

“Same with us,” Raph noted. “But they don’t fight like we do. We stay at each other’s throats while they step back and apologize. If it even gets that bad, usually they just work it out right away.”

“But our dynamic is different,” Leon added. “Just like yours… The two of you get so angry that even when you do separate you go off to hit something.” He took another sip to give some time for his statement to sink in. “He goes to his punching bag and you go to beat yourself up.”

The third turtle sat in silence for a minute, pondering over the observations he just heard. With a sigh, he looked up at the other two. “Then how did you two start to work things out? What do you do differently?”

“Well… Raph had to understand I’m not responsible for everyone else’s mistakes. If my brothers did irresponsible stuff like not show up for missions or eating poison,” he continued despite Leo’s horrified expression. “I had to help them learn how to solve things on their own and not bail them out every time.”

“And I had to learn that I was fighting Raph because I didn’t understand him… He wasn’t challenging me because I didn’t do things his way, he yelled at me because he was scared from all the responsibility he held.” Shame and sadness crossed his face, a look Leo had only seen once before his first night in Hidden City—but even during the day his expression was even darker than before.

“And now I know what that feels like… As a leader anyway, not as the oldest. So he’s still got a burden on his shoulders, but at least now we both know we’re not alone.” Raph reached over and held Leon’s hand, unspoken words and love communicated with just a look.

Leo realized then that whatever they had experienced—his best guess involving the Kraang—had tested their relationship just as strongly as some of the traumatic events he and his own brothers had faced. But what was the difference? Was it because they were always open and affectionate before? Or did they just do better at healing after their experiences? Was this just who they were as individuals? How much influence did how they were raised contribute to the world—no, dimension—of difference between the two sets of four brothers?

A sinking feeling settled in his stomach as he fought against the realization of the possible reason… Belief that a ninja’s greatest weapon is hope or deception.

~*~*~*~*~

“Wait, Leo! Donnie said both of ya have to check in whenever he leaves here,” Raph reminded.

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t mention that so I can pretend I forgot,” Leon shrugged. “He’s had a long day and besides, he’ll be back tomorrow for lunch.”

“OH! Speaking of that…” The biggest turtle pulled out the container of food and handed it to Leo. “This is from our Mikey, leftovers from lunch since he made extra for ya!”

“Aw,” the smallest turtle smiled, touched by the thoughtful gesture.

“He’s gonna want the container back too.”

“No problem, I’ll be sure to wash it and return it tomorrow.”

“Just in case… don’t microwave the container.”

“Uh, okay…”

“Hmm… looks like you have company,” Leon nodded for Raph to take a peek through the portal he just created. After a glance, he nodded before they both stepped aside and let Leo walk through.

As he appeared in his bedroom he noticed the door was open. Leaning against the frame was Raphael who was sitting on the floor reading a magazine. Seeing the elder show up, he quickly closed the magazine and stood up.

“Leo! You’re back! I—”

He was stopped as the blue-banded brother walked up to him and, without a word, placed his arms around his neck in a tight hug. Leo closed his eyes and rested his face against the other’s neck who then relaxed and wrapped his arms around his shell to return the hug.

Back in Alberto Land, Raph turned to Leon…

“Raph’s proud of you, Leo.” He hugged him tightly, the other releasing a deep sigh.

“I don’t deserve you, Mi Ángel Rojo de Prevenir el Daño.”

Notes:

(1) Translation:
Mi Ángel Rojo de Prevenir el Daño for “my Red Angel of Preventing Harm”
[Season 2, Episode 5: Pizza Puffs]

(2) Speaking of gaming conventions… I posted the first chapter of another fanfic I’ve been working on in which the 2012 turtles attend Comic Con! The premise was partially inspired by Rise universe and I’ve been developing ideas with every event I’ve visited this year. Currently I’m only halfway through chapter three despite a plethora of notes I’ve written to plan out so many details, but I hope you enjoy so far!

 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/57811771/chapters/147145501

Chapter 20: “Raph’s right” or… Still isn’t going to help Leo right now though.

“I made you a deal…” Don stated slowly, his chin resting on his clasped hands.
“He made you a DEAL!” Mike echoed, standing by his side with his arms crossed.
“You get all this genius…” He waved an arm to gesture slowly around the room they were in.
“ALL this genius!” Both arms flew dramatically above his head.
“Yet… I ask so little in return.” He gave an exaggerated sigh.
“SO. Very. Little!” The other lamented.

Leon and Raph glanced at each other and looked back at the younger two.

“What part of ‘Your visitor will need to be subject to evaluation during every visit’ was too complex for your brain to retain?”

“The change of plans threw me off, he wasn’t even anywhere near the lair!”

“You were the one who changed your own plans, Nardo!”

“It was one time, okay?”

“It was the first time! Literally, not okay!”

“He’ll be back tomorrow. Just test him twice—when he gets here and before he leaves.”

“That is a poor substitute for a valid data point!” the purple-banded brother pointed angrily.

“I don’t even know what that means!” the blue-banded brother yelled, throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation.

“Exactly! You don’t know what you’re doing and I do! It means YOU need to adhere to MY protocol!”

“I forgot, sorry!”

“Raph didn’t forget the leftovers,” the eldest interrupted, hoping to change the conversation.

“I appreciate that!” Mike smiled sweetly before smirking. “Still isn’t going to help Leo right now though.”

“Dangit,” he muttered.

“Is that your final answer, Nardo? That you forgot?”

“Of course not,” Leon crossed his arms. “My final answer is… Hawaiian pizza for dinner!” Raph facepalmed as Mike’s jaw dropped. Don’s jaw set firm as he reached over to press a button while not breaking eye contact with his flamboyant brother.

In moments a recording played back…
“Wait, Leo! Donnie said both of ya have to check in whenever he leaves here.”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t mention that so I can pretend I forgot. He’s had a long day and besides, he’ll be back tomorrow for lunch.”

“Wait! How did you…”

Raph growled, reaching around his shell to feel for a bug. “Dangit, Mikey!”

“Angelo was kind enough to assist with placing a listening device on big brother after he inquired as to your location. Speaking of which…” Don held out his hand, palm outstretched, towards Raph who quickly realized what he wanted and reached for his wallet to return his credit card along with the listening device. He paused, returning the item to his own wallet, allowing some time for the others to think back as to what parts of their conversation was overheard.

“Donnie, ya gotta stop spying on us so much!”

“It’s not spying, I’m documenting for my archives. Need I remind you how crucial this has been in the past?”

“Seriously, I’m gonna tell Pops one day!” At that statement Don arched a drawn eyebrow at Raph.

“Our Papa? The same person who was thrilled when a toaster oven could work itself so he didn’t have to program it? What makes you think he would be opposed to exploiting access through my current surveillance for his own benefit and/or amusement?”

“I, uh… he wouldn’t?” Raph guessed.

“Probably not. Trust me, if I thought it would minimize the frequency of him walking around in tattered robes I would have informed him myself a long time ago.” A collective shudder was shared among the four.

“Okay, so… we cool now?”

“My answer for that is contingent upon the matter improving.” Seeing Leon pause, Mike clarified.

“Don’t mess this up again!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it!” Leon nodded at Raph and they both waved as they started to walk out.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Don turned in his chair to face the retreating figures, “the protocol extends to every visitor, every time—including those training sessions Raph suggested. All of us—and them—will be monitored to ensure safety and stability.”

“Makes sense to Raph, better safe than sorry!”

“What he said. Now if you’ll excuse me I have anywhere else to be other than here,” Leon joked.

Don and Mike watched the older two leave the lab before they looked back at each other.

“My appreciation for placing the bug on Raph. The insights we gained from that particular conversation proved much of our theory about the alternate versions.”

“So what’s our next step, Dee?”

“Lunch, my dear Angelo… lunch.”

~*~*~*~*~

Raphael knocked on the lab door as he walked in, glancing over at Mikey in his corner before turning to Donnie.

“Hey, Raph… is Leo back?”

“Yeah, he was feeling tired so I left him taking a nap in his room.”

“I’d prefer to check him over as soon as he got back, but I guess since he’s already asleep I’ll just have to wait until later.” He paused, thinking for a moment. “Although I am concerned with how tired he’s been lately… he seems to go to sleep whenever he returns from visiting the other dimension.”

“You’re right, D! Like when he got back from the pizza place he was really cranky and just wanted to go to bed. Then there was the time he brought us the drinks but cancelled morning training so he could get more sleep. Plus, when they all grabbed him during the argument at breakfast—”

“That one don’t count, he got sedated,” Raphael crossed his arms. “And wasn’t the only one either.”

They ignored him as the youngest continued, “and now today… gets back, boom, naptime!”

“There’s definitely a pattern developing, although it’s a bit soon to determine definitively,” Donnie mused. “We also have to consider that the first visit was right before bedtime, the second he was woken up after falling asleep, the third time—as Raph said—he had been sedated, although this time should be different.”

“I don’t think it’s that complicated, Donnie. This stuff is stressing Leo out, I think he’s just… mentally tired, ya know? Or,” he blushed slightly thinking back to earlier, “emotional?” The other two regarded him curiously.

“That’s… possible. How did he act when he got back today?”

“He didn’t say anything, just walked up and hugged me for a minute. Then told me he was tired and gonna take a nap. Didn’t even look at me to say it, just turned around and laid down.”

“Well, considering the conversations we’ve had with Leon I can only imagine how heavy some of the things they discuss might be…”

“I didn’t mention this but…” Raphael rubbed one of his arms and glanced away, “that first time we all met him, right before ya two showed up, him and I had words.”

“Dude, you’ve been mad at him ever since he showed up. What’s so different about that?”

“We were talking about Casey and he brought up the girl Foot Clan thing which brought up Shredder, Karai, and Splinter all at once… ya know how none of those ain’t good conversation with Leo, so that’s why I sent him out of the room and snapped at the guy.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa… dude, I feel like you skipped a lot of stuff right there!”

“Point is, if that’s what he’s talking about in front of us then who knows what depressing Leonardo stuff the two of them talk about when they’re alone. I’m exhausted just looking at him!”

“I’ll make a note of that being a possible cause. Now you can explain the rest of what you just told us…”

~*~*~*~*~

Relieved to escape Don’s lab, Raph waited until Leon and him were alone before asking the question he’d been wanting to know for hours…

“So, Leo… why’d ya change the plan today? Little You still nervous about meeting us? ‘Cuz he seemed fine today when I got there.”

“Because I forgot something,” Leon sighed. “We haven’t told Splinter yet.”

“Oh!” he facepalmed. “Right. Well, can’t we just send Pops over to April’s for lunch tomorrow? Since ya weren’t wanting him to know why ya doing all this…”

“That’s the thing, I hadn’t thought about Yo Pequeño actually wanting to meet our Splinter. But I’m pretty sure he will.”

“Why didn’t ya just ask?”

“I told you, his Raphael was going to shank me!”

“For talking about Splinter?”

“Yeah, it’s a really sensitive subject over there! I mean obviously we already talked about Splinter before I even met him and then Bebe Azul mentioned theirs literally a little while later.” He sat down with his legs crossed, looking at his hands folded in his lap. “I think it might help him, meeting our dad… but what if it makes him worse?”

“Leo… what are ya not telling me?” The gentle giant placed an arm around the other’s shoulders. With a sigh, the smaller turtle looked up with a lost expression. The eldest brother squeezed the other in a tight hug. “Maybe it’s time ya tell me and Pops why ya cried yourself to sleep the other night…”

~*~*~*~*~

“So the only other one you met was their Raph then.”

“Aw, man! What a waste, I wanted to hear about the other-me!” Donnie patted Mikey on the head who dropped his cheek on the table.

“Sorry, Mikey,” Leo apologized before taking another bit of dinner.

“AND you got to go on rides? That’s totally not fair!” the youngest continued to whine.

“That was a surprise to me too.”

“Whole lotta training going on there,” Raphael muttered which everyone ignored.

“You didn’t even bring us nachos or elephant ears or cotton candy or—”

“Enough whining!” the hothead snapped, pounding a fist on the table.

“Raph’s right. Besides, I split the lunch the other Michelangelo sent home with you.”

“Yeah,” Mikey sat back up, “at least I know we’re both good cooks.”

Donnie glanced over at his immediate older brother and decided to forgo the question he wanted to ask. With a sigh he opted to continue the conversation. “Were you a little disappointed about not meeting all of them today?”

“Oddly enough, I was a little… even though I was uncomfortable about it before, I guess now I’m less nervous for tomorrow. Especially since it was easier just meeting one of them today instead of all three together.”

“You mean, just meeting their Raph…” Mikey commented with a tone Leo couldn’t describe.

“Why do you say that?” the eldest eyed his baby brother.

“It only makes sense,” Donne interjected. “If the two of you consider yourself the A-team of the group, they might too. So meeting him might have been both the easiest and the hardest counterpart to face.”

Not wanting to admit he was right, Leo just shrugged while Raphael stole a glance to see his reaction. After a pause he asked, “How long is this gonna go on, Leo? It’s already been a week.”

“I haven’t really thought about that.”

“I mean, does it have to be every day?”

“He just visited today and yesterday, remember before that we had the sleepover with April and Casey?” He didn’t answer so once again Donnie spoke up.

“So at some point all of them are going to visit us here for a training session?”

“Yeah,” Leo brightened. “Cool, huh?”

“As intriguing as it may be to meet them, I’m honestly more interested in observing their mystic powers.”

“That and their fighting styles! They learned a completely different way than we did.”

“Ya seen ‘em fight?”

“Well, no… but while their Splinter was taught traditionally, he focused on other types of martial arts that he incorporated when he was a movie star. But he didn’t even tell them so they grew up watching his movies not knowing their dad was famous!”

“Wow! That’s so cool! They got to train by watching TV? That’s like my dream, dude!”

“Their Splinter definitely doesn’t sound as strict as ours was,” Donnie noted.

“Yeah, things are definitely a lot more… casual with them,” Leo nodded.

“Then what’s up with the paranoid egomaniac Donatello?” Raph asked.

“That’s actually an interesting question, Raphael… If I had a stricter sensei but am less stringent than my counterpart who had more lax parenting, it could be a way of compensating for balance in the family or it may just be a result of discipline. Perhaps his personality or even his entire outlook on life reflects the free reign he might have had to continually push the boundaries of experimentation which would also account for some of his questionable ethics.”

All three stared at him, the brawler with his jaw dropped. “I’m sorry I asked.”

“I think Donnie is trying to say that he was held back by having to justify his projects with focusing on keeping our home running and taking care of us, all things the other Donatello didn’t have to worry about and could focus on his own interests.” The genius stared at his oldest brother in shock.

“I… wasn’t saying that exactly but… it means a lot to hear you say so, Leo…”

“You’re welcome, Donnie. I’m sorry we’ve always tended to take you for granted. I’m pretty sure the other Donatello doesn’t get bothered to fix toasters all the time like you do.” He offered a small smile and the others could tell he wanted to avoid pointing out that all of them constantly interrupted their brother for every little broken item.

“I’m glad to help, really… but it is nice to get to work on my own projects uninterrupted too.”

“I’m sure we can all relate in some way. Hopefully we can all be more mindful moving forward. In fact, I’m going to work on learning more than just basic first aid.”

“It would be a relief to know someone else would be able to help if I’m the one who ever needs serious treatment like stitches and such…”

“Exactly,” Leo nodded. “We’ve gotten lucky and risking otherwise wasn’t fair to you.”

“Hold on! That’s not entirely true! Leo, most of your plans involve us protecting Donnie because he’s focused on computer stuff. We fight more so he doesn’t have to—he’s proof of that, just look at him!”

“Raph’s right,” Mikey added. “Donnie’s the prettiest out of all of us because he’s got the least amount of scars and scratches!” His immediate older brother blushed at the compliment, speechless.

“I understand both of your points, but the fact is Donnie could still have gotten seriously injured and have been the only one who knew what to do. Remember the time he wasn’t smart for a while and we had to figure things out on our own because he wasn’t able to fix it for us? Any time we face off against someone, it’s a risk.”

“But you have your healing hands thing, Leo.”

“Mikey, again, I taught all of you that. It’s not just my thing.”

“Well, you’re better at it.”

With a sigh, Leo shook his head before standing up and offering to take everyone’s empty plates. With a smile he asked, “you all up for a board game or something?”

~*~*~*~*~

“Hey,” Raph grabbed Leo’s arm as they all separated after saying good night. “Ya need some company?”

“No, I’m fine,” Leo turned and smiled. “Thanks for asking though, I appreciate it.” When his brother didn’t move or respond right away, he tilted his head curiously. “Do… you want some company?”

“I’m not the one who gets kidnapped.”

“Well, I’m not in danger of that again. Everything has settled down and we’re back to as normal as we’ll probably ever get.” His laugh was short lived as he noticed the other only nodded.

“Better stay that way. Good night, Leo.”

“Good night, Raph.”

~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 21: “Pequeño Tu” or… Pish posh, do you really want to ruin your surprise?

“What is all this?” Leo asked before putting another forkful of food in his mouth at the breakfast table.

“Stuff for the other-me! And I want a photo, Leo! I’m serious!” Donnie sighed as Raph rolled his eyes while the oldest was glancing at the contents inside the bag.

“Maybe this should wait until the second visit? Or… you’ll get to meet him eventually, you can give it to him yourself.”

“Well this would have been the second visit if you hadn’t gone to Coney Island—”

“It was called Alberto Land.”

“That’s even worse! I’ve never been to Alberto Land!”

“Mikey, it doesn’t exist here,” Donnie pointed out.

“That’s even worse than worse! Besides,” he lifted a container with some dessert he had made last night, “this won’t be good if I have to wait that long.”

“Then how about I just give him the slice of cake since I shared the lunch he made with you?”

“Hey… is that one of our Robo Mecha Force Five tapes?” Raph snapped, reaching for the bag but not quick enough before the youngest snatched it back.

“Chill, Raph, I had D make copies of the first episodes of all our favorite shows… Super Robo Mecha Force Five, Crognard the Barbarian, Chris Bradford's 2 Ruff Krew—”

“Wait, what about ‘Space Heroes’?”

“Bruh, I said our favorite shows. Only you like that one.” Looking slightly surprised, Leo looked at the two middle children to see one shrugging and the other smirking. Finding no support, he stuck his bottom lip out in a pout as he poked at his food with his fork.

“Sorry, Leo, I went through the bag last night but he’s added stuff since then.”

“Thanks for helping, Donnie. Mikey,” the oldest turned to the youngest. “Five things. That’s it.”

“Does that—”

“Including the cake. That counts as an item.”

“What about—”

“The photo counts too.”

“Why ya wanna send a photo? They all know what we look like since they been spying on us!”

“I was under the impression their Michelangelo and Donatello were only recently aware of us.”

“Donnie’s correct, Leon only told his Raph when he discovered our dimension. It’s the reason he would randomly show up when this all started.”

“Still, they all know what we look like by now and how to find us. Meanwhile, we have no way to get to ya when you’re over there.”

“At this point, I am a bit curious to see what they look like myself,” the purple-banded ninja added.

“Actually,” Leo picked up their family photo and looked at it thoughtfully. “Maybe their Splinter would want to see what we all look like…” He tapped the edge against the table a couple of times before setting it on top of the container of cake.

“So does that—”

“It still counts as one item. The video tape makes three.”

“Aw man,” Mikey groaned. Shoveling the rest of his breakfast in his mouth, he cleared the dishes at his seat before dumping the contents of the bag in front of him.

“Do ya got to do that here? Sort ya junk in the living room!”

“Or we could all just finish eating and leave Mikey to make good choices here,” Leo said as he got up to clear his place setting as well.

~*~*~*~*~

“Ya ready for this?”

“Yeah, Raph... Thanks for being here and helping me talk to Dad about this whole situation.”

“Anytime, Leo. I got ya back, ya know ya ain’t alone.”

“I know,” Leon replied as he hugged Raph. His face then lit up as he grabbed one of his hands—his slender one gripping over the larger fingers. “Hey, come with me?”

“What? Ain’t ya bringing him here?”

“Well yeah but I got to go there to bring him here!” As the older one hesitated the other grinned as wide as possible. “Come on, what’s better than one me? That’s right, two of me!”

“Ya sure that’s okay? Don’t I have to meet with Donnie first?”

“Only after we get back, then we’ll all report to him together—the three of us!”

“What are you up to, Leo?”

“Pish posh, do you really want to ruin your surprise?”

“Raph thinks as far as stuff concerns the other us-es there shouldn’t be any more surprises.”

“Alright, fine. Thought maybe since the others were going to meet Yo Pequeño, you could get a chance to go ahead and meet Pequeño Tu…” He flashed a mischievous grin waiting for the other to understand his intention.

“Does that mean, Little Me? Er, Little You? Like are you saying—”

“I’m saying, visit before last I dropped by and your counterpart was there waiting for me to show up. He usually isn’t since he avoids me.”

“Imagine that. I wonder why,” he smirked.

“Come on, aren’t you curious? Besides, it will only be for a minute!”

“Ya just want me there so he doesn’t try to shank ya, is that it?” Leon laughed as he lifted his sword to begin opening a portal…

~*~*~*~*~

“Ya ready for this?”

“Yeah, Raph... Thanks for being here and helping me with this whole situation.”

“Anytime, Leo.” A minute of silence passed before he spoke up again. “What did Mikey end up deciding on?” Having switched out the plastic sack for a nicer paper gift bag with handles, Leo let him look inside.

“The cake, the photo… a comic book, an action figure… then at the last moment he switched out the video tape for spicy gummy worms…”

“Of all the most mundane things to send to another dimension.”

“Right? I was relieved though, could have been worse.”

“Ya mean ya don’t want to hand off human underwear to someone ya meeting for the first time?” he joked as the other rolled his eyes.

“That’s so gross, wearing them so he doesn’t have to bother using napkins to wipe his hands when he’s eating in his room.”

“It’s because his comics are the one thing he tries not to get his greasy pizza fingerprints on.”

“He’s not even supposed to be eating in his room!”

“Unlike someone I know who has a stash of dark chocolate hidden around his room.”

“Why would I have sweets hidden in my room?”

“Huh, I didn’t mention anyone specifically… Why would ya think I was talking about ya?” he grinned. Leo frowned, realizing he should have responded differently.

“Candy is different than food.”

Before Raphael could reply, his attention turned to a faint blue light that appeared in the room and grew increasingly in size. He suppressed a groan, trying to quell the annoyance that automatically crept up at the voice starting to speak as Leon appeared. But the words being said were lost on him as his attention was immediately captured by a second figure that was much, much larger.

When he imagined the other counterparts, he just thought of their Mikey being the shortest and loudest while their Donnie was the tallest and smartest. But while he was the second smallest in the family—height anyway, he gained more muscle mass once he began to work out for the same amount of time Leo did during his additional training. But that was no comparison as the other turtle wearing a red mask was a behemoth!

The day Leo got abducted during breakfast he had ranted about possible malicious objectives, one of which being that the other versions could kidnap his older brother and he would not know how to find him. For some reason, seeing his counterpart made that threat feel even more real. The worst part was realizing that, even though he was willing to die fighting, he was at even more of a disadvantage and had less power to prevent such a thing from happening than he initially worried about…

~*~*~*~*~

“WHOA! He’s huge, D!” Mikey’s jaw dropped at the unexpected sight of the unknown turtle in his eldest brother’s bedroom. “He almost looks like Leatherhead, just like, not in the face because his nose is so long and all.”

“Fascinating…” Donnie mumbled before turning to the other. “Well, he is an alligator snapping turtle so resembling an actual alligator isn’t too unusual. He then reached over and unmuted the audio so they could hear as well as see what was going on.

~*~*~*~*~

“Raph! What are you doing here?”

Turning his head, Raphael was confused at first before realizing his brother was talking to his counterpart. A sourness settled in his stomach as he found something else he disliked…

He didn’t like alternate versions of his family in his home, now more than ever before. He didn’t like them spying, didn’t like them just showing up, didn’t like the lunch dates. He didn’t like Leon. He didn’t like Leon spending time with Leo. He didn’t like watching Mikey wanting to make friends with his counterpart. He didn’t like Donnie wanting to do science stuff with his weird nerd counterpart.

And now he did not like seeing how Leo’s face lit up at seeing his own counterpart.

He watched as the giant snapping turtle flashed a big dumb grin towards Leo and Raphael decided that might be what he didn’t like most of all. That stupid smile for his brother, who he had only met once—just yesterday—reminded him of the dorky look his leader had when watching his favorite show. Except it was kind of adorable when he was caught up in a fanboy moment; not sadorable like his other brother over his persistent crush, but those infrequent times when Leo let himself be a kid and enjoy something fun that made him happy. They had become even rarer once Splinter died, passing the full burden of Sensei and Clan Master upon the eldest. It was why Raph so often sat nearby, his nose buried in a magazine or comic but really looking at the oldest… because when Leo didn’t pay attention while watching ‘Space Heroes’ it meant he was losing interest in life and a sign he was struggling with his mental and emotional health.

Never before had Raphael wanted to punch himself in the face so bad. There’s being angry at yourself and now he just discovered being so annoyed at a version of yourself you’d be willing to hit yourself with the hope it was hard enough your alternate could feel the pain. He was fairly certain it didn’t work like that, but he was willing to take the chance and try to find out.

Leo and Raphael both tended to not trust new people, but the difference was someone could say something to convince Leo to listen and give them a chance whereas Raphael refused to until their actions spoke louder than words. As far as he was concerned, Leon doesn’t get credit just because he returns Leo home safe and sound because he should have never showed up and kidnapped him to begin with! They didn’t belong in another dimension any more than they belonged in outer space, both things that should have never happened to begin with…

~*~*~*~*~

“Wow, Raph looks really mad.”

“He usually looks mad, Mikey.”

“More than usual, D.”

“They haven’t even said anything.”

“Since when does that matter?”

“Eh, true.”

~*~*~*~*~

“Hey! Little Leo! What’s up?”

“Surprise!” Leon laughed. “I thought I’d have Raphadoodle show up and break the ice before meeting up with our brothers.” Leo smiled before gasping.

“This is great! You can meet my Raph!” He reached out to grab Raphael’s hand even though he was standing next to him, but with his arms crossed so that Leo gently tugged at his left arm which he begrudgingly loosened.

“This is SO cool! Raph’s never met another Raph before!” He reached out a large hand which the smaller red-banded ninja regarded for a moment. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his brother smiling at him so, with a sigh, he shook hands with his counterpart without a word. “Ah, strong silent type I see!”

Raphael had never seen someone be both so intimidating and look so innocent at the same time. Well, except for Leo. As far as he was concerned, his fearless leader was the best ninja to ever exist—but he also always wanted to believe in the good of others, even some of their enemies. Not just Karai, which was really an odd twist of fate. But he even tried to reason with the likes of Stockman and offered to help him, whereas he personally would have been fine just squashing the bug and not giving him a second thought. But that was yet another difference between them—Leo would help anyone.

To be honest, sometimes it just made him angry that he wasn’t more selfish. Sure he could be arrogant, but being overconfident wasn’t the same thing as making yourself a priority.

Just thinking about that made him want to punch Leo.

He was consoled for a brief moment, imagining that punching his brother in the face would prevent any more silly lunch dates with their annoying counterparts… Leon with his goofy voice and that smug smirk with those skinny legs that looked like they would snap just like the limbs on a Kraang droid. Now this other Raph with his friendly voice and that dopey smile with those puppy eyes undermining the advantage of his sheer size, it was unfair he was so short compared to the gentle giant!

The handshake ended but Raphael didn’t trust himself to say anything that wouldn’t ruin the smile on Leo’s face. That and his brother was still gently holding his other hand which had fallen into place as he lowered his arms moments before. The touch grounded him, somehow keeping him calm.

“This is great!” Leon grinned and turned to his Raph. “I can tell he likes you a lot, he’s way nicer to you than the first time I met him!” Raphael bit his tongue, refusing to be baited into a response.

“Leo, ya crazy. He ain’t said two words to me!”

“No way! Look at his face, he’s definitely got at least two words he wants to say.” Again with that irritating smirk!

“Ya have that effect on people, ya annoying brat!”

Okay Raphael wasn’t expecting that and he couldn’t help but snort in amusement. He felt a light squeeze on his hand and could see his Leo was trying not to laugh. There was an odd look of fondness on his face and suddenly he wanted these two to stay a little longer if it meant the argument would continue as if they weren’t even there.

“Gasp! You wound me, dear brother.” With his usual theatrics, Leon clasped his hands over the left side of his upper plastron. Suddenly he stumbled, forcing his Raph to instinctively catch him before he collapsed. “Oh, the pain of a broken heart! To think, my favorite oldest brother—”

“Raph’s ya only older brother,” he rolled his eyes.

“Ahem, don’t interrupt me!” He placed an arm over his forehead, “As I was saying... my favorite oldest brother, your words cut me down to my very soul and—” He paused, opening up his hands and glancing at his palms before resuming the awkward position, “Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.” With a dramatic sigh he dropped his arms and closed his eyes. Shaking his head, Raph let go allowing Leon to fall on the floor.

What the heck was that, Raphael wanted to yell.

~*~*~*~*~

“What the heck was that all about?” Donnie asked.

“Man, that dude should be on Broadway or something!” Mikey laughed.

“Well, Leo did say their Splinter used to be a movie star… Hope he was at least a better actor.”

~*~*~*~*~

“What the heck is wrong with ya? Can’t ya act right even when ya a guest in someone else’s home?” Raph snapped, his brother looking up at him with a wide grin.

“What?” he chuckled, “that was fine cultured theater I just performed! It’s called Shakespeare! Historical too!” He looked over at Leo who had stepped forward and grabbed one of his wrists.

Raphael wanted to smack that arm out of his brother’s hand.

“Could you seriously not memorize two lines that you had to write down one in each palm?” Leo asked, twisting the hand to show ink scribbles that had started to smudge. “Again, everyone knows Shakespeare. Doesn’t prove you read a book.” The smaller blue-banded ninja let the limb drop as he crossed his own arms and pursed his lips together.

Did he plan this, Raphael thought incredulously. Did Leon seriously decide he was going to find a way to say those two lines because he was still on about what Leo said the other day? He wasn’t impressed last time and there was no question he wasn’t impressed this time with the look he gave his counterpart.

“That was ya plan?” Still laying on the floor, Leon felt a heavy weight land on his chest and looked up to see his brother leaning directly over him as he growled angrily. “Invite Raph to be a prop in ya one-turtle performance to show off? Of all the worst things to come out of ya mouth, THAT’S what ya quoted? I asked ya and ya told me Yo Pequeño Tu or whatever stupid nonsense ya say knowing no one understands when ya don’t speak English! No one else speaks Spanish in our family, Leo! We don’t even speak Japanese and we’re ninjas!” He panted heavily as Leon gripped the wrist pinning him down with both hands.

“Hey, Raphadoodle—”

“Don’t give me none of that right now! Ya so proud of being the face man when ya ought to worry about making others want to punch ya in the face! If ya spent half as much time doing anything else as ya did acting a fool pulling stupid shenanigans, that would be worth showing off. Even Piebald told ya to read a book—a freaking goldfish lectured ya on being illiterate! Now ya got someone trying to help ya saying the same thing and ya act like it’s too much to flip a few pages.”

“Says the guy who didn’t read ‘Horrible Wolfie the harmless wolf pup’ to the end!” His retorted was cut off with a gasp as Raph applied a little more pressure holding him down before snorting while he leaned in closer.

“Keep running ya mouth, Leo. No wonder Little Me wants to shank ya, I ought to let him do it too!” Leon’s eyes widened, not breaking their gaze even when Raph started to stand up while yanking him up by his right arm. “Make the dang portal. Now!” As Leon created the portal, he just barely heard, “Keep it open!” before Raph shoved him through.

Taking a deep breath, he turned to the two smaller turtles sheepishly. “Raph apologizes for all that and I’m sorry about my brother being a pain in ya shell. He ain’t always easy to deal with but I love him even if sometimes he only learns things the hard way.”

“Well… we can’t say that was worse than any fights we’ve had,” Leo admitted, glancing at Raphael.

“Thanks for understanding, guys. Ya ready for lunch, Leo?”

“Sure, just let me grab this.” As he leaned down to grab the bag from his baby brother, Raphael grabbed his arm.

“Ya really want to go with these maniacs?” he whispered.

“Raph!” the older of the two hissed, obviously embarrassed. He straightened, speaking in his regular tone. “I’ll be fine, just like I always am.”

“Ya ain’t always come back okay, not from everything…”

“Leon’s always brought me back home safely.”

“Leo, I’ve got a bad feeling…”

“Hey, Little Me,” Raph spoke up, “I promise, one Raph to another, I’ll bring ya brother back even if I gotta carry him home.”

Raphael looked at him but said nothing. He grabbed Leo a bit roughly and pulled him into a quick hug. “Don’t get food poisoning,” was all he said as he stepped back.

“You too,” Leo gave him a small smile. “See you soon.”

Watching his brother walk through the portal, he heard the remaining turtle clear his throat to get his attention. “Hey, uh, ya wanna come too? Our Mikey’s a really good cook…”

Raphael looked at Raph with surprise. On one hand he wanted to say yes, to make sure Leo was safe surrounded by these imitations of them and their family. But on the other hand he realized… this was Leo’s thing. If he was going to be invited, it had to come from his own brother. He sighed reluctantly.

“Thanks, but it’s my turn to do dishes after lunch.” He watched the other nod understandingly, the same look he’s seen many times before, just on a different face... Maybe it was an oldest brother thing.

“Maybe next time? It was nice to meet ya,” Raph said as he waved and stepped through, the portal closing behind him.

There better be a next time,” Raphael thought as the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach grew heavier…

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

Day 9 begins in this chapter…

In less than two weeks Raphael meets Raph and Leo is about to meet the rest of Leon’s family!

Chapter 22: “Trato” or… Do be gentle with our guest.

Raph stepped through the portal and the other two blue-banded ninjas started to follow him silently before Leo spoke up.

“Do you two need a few minutes alone to talk?”

“That would be rude, we can wait ‘til later.” Raph’s tone was clipped as he stared straight ahead and wouldn’t even look at his brother. The smaller turtle jogged ahead and stopped in front of the two taller terrapins.

“It’s okay, really. I’d rather wait for you two to work things out.”

“We appreciate that, Little Leo, but we gotta report to Donnie and Mikey’s making lunch—”

“I’ll feel better if you two are speaking to each other again,” he interrupted. “Look, I saw what happened and I’m not entirely sure what happened… You two are great about settling stuff and there’s obviously some sort of misunderstanding going on.” Seeing Raph hesitate and noticing Leon still looking away he pressed further. “Besides, I’d like to meet with your Master Splinter so maybe I could visit with him for a few minutes while you two talk privately?”

Glancing down and seeing the look on Leon’s face, Raph sighed.

“Donnie first.” Leo nodded and stepped aside, following the two the rest of the way as he started to study his surroundings. He was surprised to see that for an unground sewer, it was full of life and color. Suddenly his own home felt a bit dark and dingy, even though looking around he could tell their lair was not nearly as well-kept as his back home. Even after their father passed away, Leo ensured every room stayed clean and organized with two exceptions: Donnie’s lab and everyone’s private bedrooms.

With the latter was one exception, that being Mikey’s room since he often checked to ensure food crumbs and dirty dishes were not lying around forgotten. The sewers were large enough that they didn’t need to attract rodents and roaches in their living space. Leo was the only one who did sweeps of the youngest’s bedroom because Raphael would freak out if he saw Donnie collecting any more bugs close to where he slept. Well, anywhere actually. Just because he faced his fear against Spy Roach or survived an entire plant of insects didn’t mean bugs stopped bothering him.

“Leon! So glad to see yesterday’s discussion left a positive impression!” A sweet but sarcastic voice seemed to dance in the air with every word and, looking between the two turtles in front of him, Leo caught a peek at this dimension’s Michelangelo. Smaller and a bit petite, his presence was authoritative as he stood there in an open white lab coat that looked as if it had just been hurriedly thrown on while holding a clipboard with a crayon.

“I try to only mess up one thing at a time,” Leon replied flatly as he stepped aside to introduce his guest, realizing too late he probably should have warned Leo as he was nearly knocked down by Mike leaping towards him for a hug.

“Hey new big brother!”

As odd as that sounded to hear, Leo couldn’t help but chuckle. He now understood why, when meeting his Michelangelo for the first time, Leon had stretched out his arms. Mikey was easily the most loving one in the family, but growing up there wasn’t much physical affection shown in their home. He wondered if things would be any different—easier at least for his baby brother—if he felt free to express himself through hugging more often?

Mike hopped down and picked up the clipboard and crayon he dropped, then turned his name badge over as it had flipped to the wrong side. He spun around and started to step forward, “follow me!”

It was only a few steps but before he could pass through the entryway Leo was already stunned. The feeling of unfairness suddenly returned and settled into his chest. Donatello of this dimension had a lab that glowed and hummed in ways that the one back home could not begin to compare to… It was immediately obvious that he most certainly didn’t get bothered with mundane tasks like fixing toasters all of the time. In fact, the area felt so advanced and futuristic he wouldn’t be surprised if there was a robot who would fix the appliance and then make the toast for you.

“Impressive, I know. But you’re going to need to actually step inside the lab so I can proceed with the necessary exams which, may I remind you, is required for every visit and explicitly consented to whenever you agree to travel between dimensions by stepping through any of the portals my Leonardo creates.”

Leo followed the sound of the voice and saw a purple-masked turtle who spoke without looking up from a gadget on his wrist as he tapped furiously. He was always impressed how quickly his own genius brother could type with only six fingers, even on the custom keyboard he designed to accommodate their larger size. He entered the room, walking up to where Raph and Leon were standing.

The scientist stood up and, aside from being an obviously different species of turtle, resembled Leon’s tall and lean figure. At least, in comparison to the major contrast of size difference with Raph and Mike. His shell had some sort of armor which Leo made a mental note to ask about later as the taller terrapin approached him. He stood there for a moment, studying him intently before leaning down to make direct eye contact. The leader stared back, unwavering, issuing a silent message that he refused to be intimidated.

“Hmm… fascinating.” His eyes descended from head to toe before he spoke. “So what did these two dumb-dumbs get into an argument about this time?” He stood back up, straightening his stance with his hands behind his back.

“Sorry, I’m not one to disclose details of private conversations between others.”

“Knowledge is power and ignorance is not a privilege we afford here.”

“Discretion is the better part of valor.”

“On that we can agree, provided the discretion is my own.” Before Leo could reply he continued, “at any rate, you’re certainly more articulate than Nardo. Michel!”

“Yes, Dee?”

“Do be gentle with our guest while I deal with our brothers.”

“But I—”

“I know. Please.”

Sparing a concerned glance at Raph and Leon, Mike nodded and flashed a bright smile. “Sure, Dee—you can count on me!”

“I always have.” For the first time, Leo saw Don smile as he looked at Mike affectionately.

That was it. Don spoke in a calm manner, not needing to raise his voice because Mike did not ramble or whine. There seemed to be a non-verbal understanding between the two that helped them evade conflict or, at least, resolve for now until they could discuss later.

Despite the fact that the Donatellos and Michelangelos share a lot of similarities with each other—unlike the drastic differences between the Leonardos and Raphaels—there was definitely a dynamic in this dimension that was unfamiliar but, he sensed, maybe better.

~*~*~*~*~

After receiving unremarkable observations during their evaluations—including the unexpected third for Raph—Don dismissed the three but not before Mike reminded them that lunch would be ready soon. (It was already but he could tell the others needed a little time first and didn’t want them to feel rushed.)

Leon escorted Leo to meet Master Splinter, knocking on the frame of his bedroom wall. “Hey, Dad… you have company.”

“Ah, Blue! Wonderful, let me see him!”

Leo froze at the sound of the voice. It sounded familiar, enough to elicit his body and mind to be on guard as if he needed to be careful. Perhaps it was a reminder of how he was scared of disappointing his strict Sensei, or perhaps it was guilt from dishonoring his memory as if it were an enemy…

Watching him hop down from a recliner, Leo quickly took note of every detail he could focus on. He was shocked how differently this Splinter looked, reminding him more of a gerbil than a rat. His diminutive size seemed friendly as he smiled and clasped his hands in front of him instead of behind him in an authoritative pose with a serious expression that his own father had all of the time. Aside from their build, his fur was not as sheen—another indicator of how casual the former movie star was compared to the traditional personality of his former sensei. They did at least seem to share a similar fashion sense as this one wore a robe as well and he took comfort in at least that one detail…

Pressing his arms straight against his sides, Leo bowed. “Kon’nichiwa, sir!”

Even though he was now a Sensei himself, he was in the presence of an aged Sensei whom he considered his superior. Thus, just as he had been trained, he maintained the position waiting to be dismissed formally. Instead, he felt long fingers reach for his hands, pulling them forward.

“You are not in a dojo, you are in my home.”

Maintaining his balance, Leo continued to keep his gaze down. “It is only proper I defer the respect deserved by a ninja master of your experience, sir.”

“Uh, okay then… you are dismissed?” Splinter scratched his head, giving a questioning look to his own blue-banded son who just shrugged. Leo straightened and nodded before remembering that they were not alone. He glanced over at Leon who was leaning against the wall.

“So, you two okay for a few minutes? I gotta talk to Raph before lunch.”

“Yes, yes,” Splinter waved dismissively. “I can already tell your friend will be good company. Go to your brother.”

Friend? Leo tilted his head, his eyes a bit wide in surprise with a hint of confusion. Before he could think much about that statement, he heard something else that caught his attention more.

“How would you like to join me for tea?”

~*~*~*~*~

Leon knocked on Raph’s door, entering without waiting for a response he knew wouldn’t be given. Seeing that his eldest brother had already pulled out his desk chair facing him as he sat on his own bed, Leon took a seat and spoke.

“So…”

“Why’d ya have to say that?”

“I said a lot of things, which part specifically?”

“Of all the things ya could have quoted… why about dying, Leo?”

His jaw dropped and the color flushed from his face as sudden realization hit him. He covered his mouth before apologizing, “Ohmigosh… Raph, I’m sorry!”

“Don’t just be sorry, answer the question!”

“I wasn’t thinking…”

“Obviously! How can ya not?”

Leon sighed, his shoulders slumped. “I was just scrolling through some quick quotes and when I saw that, figured it was easy to work in conversation what with how much the other Raphael is always giving me death glares and looks like he’s ready to kill me. I guess since I know he won’t really, it just didn’t seem real? Like an actual threat?” He looked at his hands helplessly before noticing the other look away. Getting up to sit next to him, he placed a hand on his large left arm. “I’m so sorry, Raph…”

“That’s a stupid reason!” he spat.

“I’m a stupid turtle who says stupid things without thinking.”

With a belabored sigh, Raph lifted his left arm and wrapped it around Leon. “Ya do say a lot of stupid things without thinking, but that don’t mean ya stupid.” Not hearing a response, he glanced down and recognized the downcast expression on his brother’s face. “Hey! Don’t even think about that!”

“Me doing stupid things almost—”

“Leo,” Raph growled, yanking him up by both shoulders and literally shaking him. “Snap outta it! It’s over and we’re okay, all of us! Everyone in the entire world.” He lowered him in his lap and hugged tightly. “You’re okay, I’m okay… Donnie and Mikey are okay… we’re all here and gonna have lunch like a regular family just like we do every day now… Ya even got a new friend and everything.”

“Dad called him that too,” he sniffled.

“See?”

“I don’t think kidnapping is how you make new friends.”

“Yet somehow in your off-the-wall way, ya made it work.”

“Pretty sure he wouldn’t agree.”

“He’s probably having tea with Pops right now. I bet ya he would.”

Leon wiped at his eyes. “There you go, fixing up my messes. Cheering me up when I’m the one who upset you.”

“That’s what big brothers are for,” Raph smiled before adding, “I guess Raph should be glad it didn’t bother ya. I probably overreacted.”

“You didn’t overreact… Well, maybe a little?” he offered a half-hearted smile.

“Talk to me about anything, but please don’t joke about dying anymore.”

“Trato—uh, sorry… I guess my random Spanish is kind of pretentious.”

“A little, but so are ya,” he smiled teasingly. “Seriously, don’t stop doing that just because I said something mean outta frustration in the middle of yelling at ya. Besides, ya hear more from Señor Hueso than the rest of us because ya talk too much.”

“What,” he whined, “I’m his favorite customer!”

“No, ya ain’t. He only puts up with us because we eat so much.”

“Pretty sure we really did put his kid through bone college.” The other paused.

“What would ya study at bone college?”

“How to be… humerus!” he chuckled as Raph groaned.

“Ya think ya so funny.”

“I know I am! Although now that you mention it… I guess it is kind of weird we don’t know any Japanese.”

“Yeah but I bet Little You probably knows more than Pops does,” the older one laughed.

“OHMIGOSH, I FORGOT HE WAS HERE!” Leon exclaimed with widen eyes.

~*~*~*~*~

“I apologize for my son, no doubt Blue has caused you frustration by disrupting your life.”

Leo held the Japanese style cup in his hands, enjoying the warmth that radiated in his palms and fingers as he admired the design on the matching tea pot. “I don’t know if he mentioned that I’ve met other dimensional versions of ourselves, but none of them have been so…” He tilted his head to decide on the best adjective to summarize the past week, “different.”

“I have known about you for less than a day, so I am sure there is much that has not been mentioned—even between you two.”

Softly blowing over the top of the hot liquid, the turtle nodded. “It has been a bit overwhelming.”

“They were concerned my presence might be painful. I am sorry for your loss, child.”

“Thank you.” Setting his cup down, he shook his head. “It seems silly now, but I was hesitant about meeting your other sons. Yet I have never met an alternate of my father, so I was the most curious about you.”

“Based on your refined manners, I would not doubt that the reality might be a disappointment to the idea you may have expected to meet.”

“Not at all. My brothers are not as formal, but we were all trained well.”

“No doubt because of you.”

He paused from picking his cup back up and asked curiously, “Why would you think that?”

“A parent can raise children and a master can teach students, but ultimately it is the individual who determines how they use what they learn and choose to grow. You obviously have taken your roles as a ninja warrior, as a dutiful son, and as a protective brother very seriously.”

“You’ve determined all that within minutes of meeting me?”

“Yes. Well, that and talking to my sons. Red is very impressed with you.”

“Really? Why’s that?”

“Why not? Being the oldest has not been easy on him, especially since I was not… the most present parent.”

“My father could be withdrawn as well. Losing everything he had was difficult to deal with. The only time he really discussed things was over tea.” He took a sip of the warm drink. “I don’t have the impression that you are as… distant, as he was with us.” Suddenly his eyes lit up as he remembered something. “Oh! I brought a photo, if you’re interested. I know your sons have already seen what my brothers look like even though they all haven’t met.”

“Please,” Splinter reached out his hand as Leo pulled out the photograph of him with his brothers. Looking at the young faces, the elder smiled. Although he was naturally curious what his counterpart had looked like, he realized that he was relieved the picture seemed current.

“I can see how proud you are of your family. Is this an extra copy I may keep?”

“Sure… if you want to?”

“Of course I do! Perhaps one day I will be able to meet them.”

“I think… they might like that?”

“Orange likes you, although he likes everyone.”

“But I just met him?”

“But he already met you.”

“Oh. I guess that’s kind of true.”

“Purple does not dislike you, and he doesn’t like many people.”

“That’s surprising.”

“It is. I, uh, might have overheard you talking with him. It was very funny!” he laughed.

“I anticipated his respect would be the hardest to earn.”

“Yet you did so!”

“Did I? He passed me off to Michelangelo for evaluation.”

“Absolutely! I know my sons and that was actually a show of trust, otherwise he would have dealt with you directly separate from his brothers.”

“Oh!” Leo took another sip of his drink. “Now that you explained it that way, it does make sense.”

“I worry about you and Blue.”

“Me and Leon? Why?”

“He is loud but hides many things. You are quiet but also hide many things.”

“I don’t understand.”

“His mask is humor and yours is honor, but you both wrestle with insecurity and self-worth.”

“I’m… not sure what to say to that.”

Splinter paused as he drank his tea. “My boy, it is what you didn’t say to that which matters.” He set his cup down. “You didn’t say that you think I am wrong.”

Before Leo could respond, Leon and Raph showed up.

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

(1) Translation:
Trato means “deal”

(2) Shout-out to MyEver_Growing_BookSearch who pointed out to me back in Chapter 8 that Rise Splinter has the same voice actor as 2012 Tiger Claw! So, of course I had to immediately go back and edit this chapter to reflect that detail!

Chapter 23: “PTSD” or… I’ve tried to hide it for so long I don’t even think about it anymore.

“Sorry if we’re all late for lunch, Miguel. I know how much you hate that,” Leon greeted as he looked at his two younger brothers standing in the kitchen while three others walked in behind him.

“Not a problem, it’s actually ready right now!” He smiled, his understanding of the extenuating circumstances eliminating any annoyance he might have normally felt. When he turned around, he was surprised to see Leo standing before him holding out a gift bag.

“My Mikey wanted me to give you some items since he’s disappointed that I know the least about you so far. He was really happy I shared the food you sent back with me, so he made a cake for you to have some as thanks. Which, I haven’t thanked you for lunch yesterday either so, please accept my appreciation for that as well as today. Here you go.”

Mike’s eyes had lit up and the more Leo talked, the more he practically vibrated in place until he heard the word ‘here’ and immediately snatched up the bag. He squealed seeing the comic book wrapped in a protective plastic sleeve propped up against on the side of the bag, squealed again when he pulled out the action figure, and then gasped at the bag of spicy gummy worms that had been placed on top of the food to cradle the toy.

“SPICY gummies?! Aw yeah, son! How did he know?”

“He didn’t,” Don stated flatly, but afforded himself a tiny smile formed at the corner of his mouth that faced away from the rest of the family. He watched as Mike removed the last item—the container with chocolate cake—immediately popping off the lid and, in quick motion, lifted the dessert to his open mouth.

“Hey! Ya can’t eat dessert before lunch!” Raph admonished.

“I can too! I’m old enough and besides, not like it’s going to spoil my appetite!” Unable to think of a response, Raph pouted as Leon wiggled his hand towards the youngest.

“Actually… I’m pretty sure you can’t have that until Dr Don analyzes it. I’m just the medic but I would think his Lab Assistant would remember that everything is supposed to be checked for safety and quality assurance,” Leon teased. Mike stopped in surprise, looking towards Don with an almost begging look. The genius glanced from him to the cake dropping crumbs into the container as it was held in the air before he sighed.

“At least leave one bite for me to study—a large bite!”

“Thanks, Dee!” Almost immediately the majority of the confection disappeared, the rest placed back into the container. Snapping the lid back on and handing it to Don, Mike licked the frosting off each finger. Leo smiled knowing how happy his Mikey would be to hear his baking was equally enjoyed.

“Ungrateful children, not even sharing exotic foods with their own father!” Splinter joked despite his tone sounding serious as he sat down at the head of the table. The rest then took their seats, Leo standing to wait until he saw Leon pat a chair beside him. Full plates slid in front of each occupant before Mike hopped into his own spot.

As Leo began to take his first bite he sensed someone staring at him and looked up, making eye contact with Don. He gave him a questioning look and the genius—who had yet to lift a utensil to begin eating—spoke.

“In case Leon didn’t debrief you fully, this visit will require an evaluation upon arrival and prior to departure due to the data missing from yesterday.” Satisfied that the other nodded without protest, he continued. “If you will, I would like to also more thoroughly exam your right knee before you leave today.”

“My knee?”

“Is your question in surprise that I noticed or are you attempting to deny that I have observed you masking that you harbor a slight limp due to a previous injury that is either somewhat recent or did not correctly heal properly?”

“You didn’t tell me you hurt your knee,” Leon asked with slight surprise.

“Nardo, as a medic I am disappointed in your failure to notice with multiple visits what it took me only minutes to deduce.”

“First off, this is his second visit—”

“The first one doesn’t count, he was neither awake or ambulatory the entire time for me to have any indication that something was amiss.”

“Fine, but second—”

“Didn’t you just say second? Aren’t you on third?” Mike asked.

“Who’s on third? When did ya start talking about baseball?”

“No! I said, first off this is his second visit!”

“Ohh!”

“Anyway…” Leon again turned to Leo, “what’s up with the knee thing, Yo Pequeño?” The latter sighed before answering matter-of-factly.

“Don’s right, my knee was injured really bad during one of my battles against our Shredder.”

“Whoa whoa! Hold up, are ya saying ya took him on alone one-on-one?”

“It… was four to one.”

“There’s a reason you said “my battles” and not “our battles” isn’t there?” Mike pressed.

“Ya mean the four wasn’t you and ya brothers?” Raph realized with shock.

“Yes,” Leo sighed. “I was faced against Shredder and three of his major henchmen.” He hid the shiver that he felt go through him. In that moment, he could almost feel the snowflakes as they started to fall against his skin...

“Where were your brothers, Leonardo?” The young leader could hear the aged rat’s gentle but firm voice as if he was talking to him through space and time…

“We got separated…” Leo answered as if almost in a trance, disassociating was the only way he could recall the memories from that fateful day. “Our home had been invaded, destroyed… Splinter ordered me to lead the others out as he fought back… I told Mikey to take Donnie and April away so I could go look for Raph and Casey… but I failed to find them… I was trapped, a downpour of arrows raining from above… looking down on me were Fishface, Rahzar, Tiger Claw, and Shredder. I fought them all… but I failed.”

A hushed quiet settled over the room. It took nearly a full minute before Leo was able to realize he had gotten lost in his memories and that everyone was waiting on him. He lowered his head slightly.

“I’m sorry… for all that. Don, to answer your question, I spent three months in a coma so my family kept me in a bathtub filled with water while I was unconscious. I know they did some physical therapy but it probably wasn’t the best position for my knee. I know it didn’t help that I was frustrated and rushed trying to get back to my normal rather than patiently waiting for it to heal... In fact, even Raphael was more patient than I was… I just felt so uncomfortable feeling weak, feeling like I was behind everyone and we had people to save including our Sensei…”

He felt Mike hug him from behind his chair unexpectedly. “Dee, you can fix it right? Does it still hurt, Leo?”

“I’m kind of used to it.”

“That answer was not a denial so I will take it as an affirmative, which would make possibly two positive responses in regards to both of Michel’s questions,” Don answered as he tapped at his wrist gauntlet. “You are correct, regardless of the size and shape of the bathtub that would not be the ideal position to heal damage to any part of one’s leg including the knee. However,” he sighed as he closed the cover and looked up at Leo. “It sounds as if your Donatello had the burden of addressing more pressing matters and had to make the difficult choice to treat your knee secondary to saving your life. He has my respect for that as you are clearly physically survived from the ordeal.” He looked over to Mikey before glancing down at the table. “I… may have been a bit abrupt in my assessment of the circumstances and for that I apologize.” He lowered his voice slightly as he looked over to one brother in particular. “That includes to you too, Nardo.”

“In Leon’s defense, I’ve tried to hide it for so long I don’t even think about it anymore. It’s never good to let an enemy know any weakness, so I’m surprised you noticed it—unless I hadn’t realized I’ve become less efficient at concealing it.”

“Knowing Donnie, he probably found a way to scan you for broken bones and missing organs without any of us noticing.”

“Nardo, please don’t make me regret extending consideration to you out of courtesy that may or may not have been warranted.” Although both spoke in their normal tones, with a simple look they could tell each other was joking and both nodded before resuming their meal.

By this time Mikey had sat back down and was eating again, listening to the rest of the conversation. As it wound down, he piped up. “So… Leo1 and Leo2, when do I get to meet the other me?”

~*~*~*~*~

“Leonardo, it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope my own Blue will learn some of your manners as well.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?!” Leon threw his arms in the air above his head.

“That makes three,” Leo smirked, startled by Splinter’s boisterous laughter. He turned to the elder and bowed slightly. “I would be honored if perhaps we could meet again over tea.”

“Of course! Anytime. Purple can record my shows so I don’t miss anything,” he grinned.

“Wait, whaaa—” Don’s jaw dropped. “Are you saying you spent one-on-one time with…” Flustered, he fumbled to finish his question and received another questioning look from their visitor. Mike walked over, grabbing his brother’s hands as his arms hung limp against his sides.

“Hey, how about we go review the results of today’s exams? Data collection always cheers you up!”

“Data collection calms me down, but your point is sufficient.” Allowing himself to be led, he gave a little nod in Leo’s direction as Mike waved enthusiastically.

“Bye, other blue brother! Tell other orange me I say hi too!” He thought for a moment, “Ohh! Tell the other Donnie I say hi three!”

“Ain’t ya forgetting someone, Mikey?”

“Nah, I didn’t forget. Leo can tell him if he wants to,” he shrugged.

“Rude,” Raph huffed, crossing his arms. “Well, even though Raph didn’t get to talk to him much, I liked meeting Mini-Me.”

“I’ll let him know that,” Leo smiled before turning to Leon. “Feeling better? You’ve been really quiet today.”

“Yeah I’m fine, just trying to share the spotlight with the others while you’re here,” he joked lightly, giving a playful wave as if to dismiss the concern.

“Of course. Are you okay with me meeting with your…” he paused, realizing the word he was going to say stuck on his tongue as if it were tacky paper. “Master Splinter again? I don’t want to intrude.”

“Why would I mind? I was the one who brought you here!”

“Besides,” Raph added, “Pops don’t get too many visitors, he likes the company.”

“It’s just…” Leo paused, hesitating to share what he was feeling.

“Are you… worried we’ll get jealous?”

“Really? Why would ya think we wouldn’t want to share, especially—“ Raph stopped, not wanting to say anything awkward or hurtful.

As he fidgeted with the container of leftovers in his hands—appreciation from Mike to Mikey, he was starting to feel like a delivery service—he stared intently at the contents through the clear glass…

“In my world, Hamato Yoshi had a biological daughter who was taken from him by Oroku Saki. She was raised believing the opposite of the truth about who was her father versus who was responsible for her mother’s death. I became obsessed with the obligation to reunite them and despite how difficult that was, the first time he sat with her over tea it was… bittersweet. It was what I wanted for them, but it just felt—”

“Like it was just your thing you shared with him?”

“I guess so,” he shrugged and looked up. “My brothers rarely spent time with him over tea but I did so daily except when he wanted to be alone.”

“What about when you wanted to be alone?”

“Huh?”

“Weren’t there days you wanted to be alone?”

“I spent a lot of time alone. Besides, it was my place to defer to him as both a student and a son. The elder dismisses the youth, not the other way around.” He didn’t hear the sharp intake of breath between the two as he again was immersed in an uncomfortable memory. “I didn’t mean to listen in, but I heard him tell her that them being together again was all that mattered. I’m sure he meant, all that mattered as far as putting the past behind them and moving forward with their future. At least, the future they should have had. She didn’t get to know her own father for very long because I didn’t stop her—”

“Leo…”

“I should have stopped her! She wanted vengeance and I offered to go with her, but then she ran off without me! After I spent all that time, all that failure, trying to save her… I failed him so many times—”

“Hey, Leo…”

“Then I was right there and I didn’t rescue her in time! She got mutated and it made things even worse! Like they weren’t already bad enough… and it was my fault.” His voice had reached a fevered pitch as his breath started to quicken and he clutched the container he was holding, oblivious to the steady and heavy hand placed on one of his shoulders…

“And of all the things, he turned her into a SNAKE! Just to hurt him even more, because he was a rat! And I was right there, in the middle of it all, hearing both of them call for her by different names—”

“Leo! Leo?” Raph called, trying to call out for both his brother’s help and the brother’s counterpart’s attention.

“He lost his daughter and was stuck with me. He would have been much happier if he always had her and I could have just, just taken care of my brothers myself! He told me, he told me when he was gone that it was MY responsibility to be their father!” The other two both froze at the statement, sparing a momentary glace at each other.

“He said I was only leader because I asked, but when I asked to not be the leader anymore, he said that wasn’t my choice! I had to make all the decisions except that one!”

“DON!” Leon hissed into his panic alarm.

“Already on the way,” came the answer.

“Leadership is not about being appreciated but responsibility! It doesn’t matter if the burden is heavy only that I carry it. A true leader helps his followers to flourish and doesn’t impose his will. It’s my fault, I can’t expect them to believe in me when I don’t believe in myself! I’m more or less the leader. But I couldn’t sacrifice any of my brothers—"

Leo’s words faltered as a tranquilizer had been stuck in his shoulder, Mike stepping back so Raph and Leon could lower the unconscious turtle to the floor as Don rushed in moments later.

“What just happened? He was fine a few minutes ago!” Mike exclaimed.

“His panic set off one of my sensors so I started to monitor and when I realized he was continuing to escalate I grabbed a tranq pen and sent Mikey to help since I knew he’d get here faster than me.”

“He’s…” Leon rubbed the back of his neck, uncertain of how much he should say.

“Leo, everything’s recorded—they’re gonna hear it anyway, ya know that.”

“If our conversation after me asking about his knee is any indicator, it seems like unresolved PTSD. From what portion I already heard, I am concerned my reaction about him spending individual time with Papa may have contributed to his—”

“NO!” Leon snapped. “No, this is NOT your fault! This isn’t any of our fault and especially not yours, Donnie!”

“Now ya two see why Leo wanted to reach out to them…”

They all looked down at the now sleeping turtle before looking up at hearing approaching footsteps. Seeing Splinter standing in the entry to the room, he slowly approached them.

“It is true, this is the fault of none of you… but it is now all of our responsibility to help however we can.”

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

When I began writing this chapter, the ending was absolutely not what I had anticipated. Leo was simply supposed to go home without incident, but our little traumatized blue turtle is not yet okay…

I pulled a lot of quotes from the 2012 show and referred to my series “The Journal of Hamato Leonardo” which is a project I have worked on for months to explore the transitioning of trauma in this series as well as both Leonardo's intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships. (It is currently on pause but will continue.)

Chapter 24: “Hold on, Mini-Me” or… It can’t be that bad if Little Me likes it.

“One more thing,” Don added, handing a flash drive to Leon.

“What’s this?”

“A recording of what happened so his brothers can see for themselves what preceded the panic attack and can observe we did nothing to harm him but only intended to help.”

“That’s not going to stop his Raphael from blaming me. He told me to avoid talking about Shredder, Splinter, and their sister which I failed to do.”

“I asked about his knee, which is why he brought up their Shredder.”

“And he wanted to meet Pops, in fact he was just asking ya to have tea with him again.” Raph reminded.

“Each time he mentioned his father, the burden was apparent. I had hoped it was grief from mourning, but it seems there may be much more he carries…” Splinter sighed.

“The stuff with his sister sounded messed up, but we didn’t bring it up or ask about it. Like you said, Leo… This isn’t any of our fault and especially not yours.” Mike hugged Leon, then handed him the container of food and a bottle of medicine.

“Thanks, everyone,” Leon sighed. “You ready, big guy?”

“Ready when ya are,” Raph answered, cradling the sleeping Leo carefully in his arms as his brother peeked into the newly created portal.

“Good news is, Raphael isn’t in his room right now. That’s odd though, he usually is.”

“Maybe he went to the bathroom?”

“Whatever the reason, let’s get him in his own bed and slip out so we can talk to his brothers without disturbing him.” Raph nodded before following the other through. Once inside the bedroom, he carefully laid the other blue-banded turtle on his bed and covered him with his blankets.

“What are ya doing?” He watched as the other was tapping on a camera lens.

“Hey, can you all hear me? We need to talk, meet us in the living room.” He then nodded to his brother and opened the door.

Once he closed the door behind Raph, he looked up to see three sets of eyes looking in their direction—all from different areas. Mikey was on the couch with his eyes lit up in surprise, Donnie had just stepped out of his lab looking concerned, and Raphael was exiting the bathroom. The latter, with a muttered curse under his breath, started to walk towards Leo’s room when Raph stopped him.

“Hold on, Mini-Me… We gotta talk.”

“No, ya gotta step aside and let me see my brother. Where’s Leo?”

“He’s asleep in his bed, we came out here to talk so we don’t disturb him.”

“What did ya do to him?!” Raphael snapped at Leon.

“Leo—er, Leon—didn’t do anything to Little Leo. Come on, Raph will show ya just… we gotta be quiet, he needs to rest.”

Glaring at his larger counterpart, Raphael peeked in to check on his older brother. Seeing that he was, indeed, sleeping soundly, he closed the door quietly and walked over to the pit to join his younger brothers. Without a word the two visitors followed.

“Dude! You looked huge on the camera but wow you’re even more giant in real life! Do you have a Leatherhead in your dimension? He’s one of my friends, he’s a giant mutant alligator and Donnie says you’re an alligator snapping turtle—”

“Don’t even think about it,” Donnie warned as Raphael grabbed Mikey’s shell to stop him from impetuously climbing on top of their large visitor.

“Ya know he don’t even think about half the stuff he says or does.”

Not to be dismayed, Mikey continued excitedly. “Hey big Raph! Leon says your Michelangelo is my height, is that true? Are we both the same size? Did he like the stuff I sent?”

“He did and sent you this,” Leon answered, handing Mikey the container of food that was leftover from their lunch. Raph couldn’t help but smile at seeing his baby brother’s counterpart be similarly excitable as him.

“Knock it off, knucklehead!” Raph’s smile faded a little, even though Mikey didn’t seem dismayed at all. He then noticed the tallest of the three—about Leon’s height—approach him and reach out his hand.

“I’m assuming you’re Raphael’s counterpart and, as I’m sure you’ve already guessed, I’m Donatello.”

“Ya can call me Raph, it’s nice to meet ya.” He gently shook the small hand in his own. “Ya really are different from our Donnie.”

“As you can see, I can say the same…” he tried to joke, ignoring his own red-banded brother. “Leon, you said you we need to talk. What happened?”

“Speaking of Don,” Leon handed him the flash drive, “he sent this so you all can see for yourself what happened.”

“How about ya tell us in your own words?” Raphael growled.

“Or… you could listen to it in your brother’s own words,” he snapped back before feeling his older brother’s hand on his shoulder.

“Leo, chill. They’re just worried like we are.” The smaller and younger of the two nodded.

“Thanks,” he took a deep breath. “Blame me if you want—”

“Already do,” the brawler snapped, his arms crossed over his upper plastron as he stared angrily.

“Blame me all you want, but none of us brought up the three things you warned me not to mention and everyone respected that. He seemed completely fine after meeting our Splinter, but when Donnie noticed his knee injury he was the one who mentioned how he got hurt by your Shredder.”

A silence fell on the three at the mention of their former Sensei’s name and then a collective breath at the mention of his former adversary. Donnie sat down, fidgeting with the flash drive between his fingers.

“I really tried to—”

“Hey, we get it. In fact, our Donnie actually said he respects what you did which—coming from him—is really, really high praise. You saved his life and his knee.”

“Leo’s right, it takes a lot to impress him and even more for him to admit it. Ya should be proud.”

“He doesn’t talk about the damage to his throat much, it was so bad it completely changed his voice…”

“Yeah,” Raphael sighed. “Used to be ya couldn’t get him to shut up sometimes, but for a while some days he barely talked. As if we hadn’t already gone three months without hearing him…”

“His voice now, it makes him sound so much older…” Mikey added. “I miss the old voice, it seemed like he wasn’t as serious back then. At least, he seemed like he was happier.”

A sad silence settled in the room, the smaller turtles staring down towards the floor. None of them noticed the large alligator snapping turtle suddenly launch forward, somehow sweeping up all three in a desperate group hug. The slightest protests died on their lips as they all decided to accept the gesture. When Raph finally set them all down gently, Leon cleared his throat.

“Look…” he rubbed the back of his neck and glanced away before looking back at the group. “I don’t know what all you four have been through, but what I do know is he’s obviously still dealing with a lot of stuff. And maybe you all are too, in your own way. We’ve been there.”

“It ain’t the same, but what Leo’s trying to say is… he just wants to help. We all do, if we can.”

Donnie had resumed fidgeting with the flash drive between his fingers before holding it up, “do we really want to watch this?”

“Want to? No. Need to? I don’t know,” Leon shrugged.

“We can tell ya this… he got this weird look when he was telling us about getting hurt, like he was reliving it all over again. He snapped outta it and was fine until he was ready to leave, he asked if he could visit again with our Pops like he was worried we’d be jealous about it.”

“Oh no…”

“Next thing we know he’s talking about your Splinter and his daughter, saying how much he failed and starts quoting some messed up stuff—” He stopped himself before saying what he felt about their Splinter and hurting their feelings. Sensing that, Raphael spoke up.

“It’s fine, we know Leo was told some messed up stuff by our father. Now he’s a perfectionist who feels guilty about things that ain’t his fault including having normal feelings.”

“He was strict… he never took Mikey seriously, I was too smart, Raph was too angry, and everything was on Leo’s shoulders. Even when we didn’t listen and caused his plans to fail, he was held responsible.”

“We loved him, he was all we had but… he didn’t really seem all that happy with us. Especially me, always talking about how I don’t think or acting surprised when I did something right.” Mikey turned as he felt Donnie lay a hand on his shoulder, then decided to rest his head on his shoulder.

“Is that medicine for our Leo?” Donnie asked, catching Leon by surprise as he forgot he was holding the pill bottle.

“Yeah,” he handed it over. “If you watch what happened, you’ll see that I called for help before Don had Mike tranquilize him so he’d calm down and Raph caught him before he collapsed.” Donnie held the bottle of pills in one hand, reading the label as the other hand rubbed Mikey’s arm in a soothing manner.

“I wasn’t sure if you knew before today, but Leo does have a history of anxiety and depression… sometimes it can be difficult to tell if he’s escalating into a panic attack or spiraling down.” He stared thoughtfully before speaking up again. “We didn’t think to warn you about his knee injury… He’s always been bad about hiding when he’s not feeling well and it happened long enough ago that sometimes we forget about it. That certainly sounds like it was the main trigger.”

Knowing the other two wouldn’t mind, Leon turned to Raphael. “We can stay until he wakes up to tell him it’s okay and not to worry about what happened…” The hothead’s eyes darted over to his brothers then back towards Leo’s room.

“Maybe we shouldn’t tell him,” he suggested.

“Ya think he won’t remember something like that happening?” Raph asked incredulously.

“Leo is prone to nightmares sometimes, granted as far as I can tell he hasn’t had any in a while…”

“I don’t like it, D. We can’t all keep this secret forever and when he finds out, he’ll feel worse.”

“How long is that stuff gonna keep him knocked out for?”

“Same as last time,” Leon answered.

“Last time ya woke him up and he was still tired,” Raphael reminded.

“Okay so same as last time but longer?”

“Whatever, I’m gonna go sit with Leo.” The other four watched the angriest turtle walk off before Mikey looked at Donnie, then ran off after their brother after seeing him nod encouragingly.

“Wait, Raph!” Catching up with his older brother in the hallway leading to their rooms, Mikey grabbed his hand. “Wait out here with all of us!”

“I’d rather wait with Leo then be out here.”

“Come on, bro… It’ll be boring just sitting there watching him breath.”

“Breathing means he’s still alive, Mikey.” Raph turned away, staring at the eldest’s door. The realization hit the youngest hard and he took a deep breath.

“Leo is fine, Raph… He’s not injured, just taking a nap. It’ll be a few hours at least before he wakes up.”

“I waited three months for Leo to wake up before, a few hours ain’t a bother.”

Gently tugging at the hand he was holding with both of his own, Mikey gave his brother a pleading look. “Please!” he begged.

“One movie,” he sighed before trying to hide a small smile after the youngest jumped up to cheer excitedly. He made a show of dragging him back, as if he didn’t trust him to follow. They returned to the pit, Mikey leading Raphael every step of the way to his usual spot. The older of the two sighed ahead, grabbing one of his magazines nearby.

“Wait right there, I’ll make some popcorn!” Before anyone could respond, Mikey ran off to the kitchen. The other four sat there… Raphael opening up his magazine and flipping to a particular page, Donnie fidgeting with the flash drive, and Leon glancing at Raph.

“So, uh…” The oldest spoke up as he leaned forward, tapping his fingers against his knees. “Leo—uh, Leon, here, says y’all don’t have ‘Jupiter Jim’ movies in this universe.”

“No, I checked. Seems like the closest thing we have might be Leo’s ‘Space Heroes’ show,” Donnie replied.

“Leo’s show? Y’all don’t like science fiction?” Raph asked with surprise.

“Oh no, we like the genre as well as others… just not that show.”

“It can’t be that bad if Little Me likes it so much, right?”

“Sorry, dudes,” Mikey spoke up as he walked up to the group with the promised popcorn, “it’s a lot boring and a little cringe.”

“Just like Leo,” Raphael muttered. Sensing he was being watched, he glanced up to see everyone giving him a judgmental look. “What? It’s just a joke!” He rolled his eyes and deadpanned, “Leo’s only a little boring and a lot of cringe…”

“Says the guy who quotes the show more than anyone other than him,” Donnie pointed out.

“It cheers him up! It wouldn’t hurt ya two knuckleheads to do it once in a while too.”

“Says the guy who said it literally hurts to listen to him sometimes,” Mikey added.

“It hurts to listen to you all the time, why’d I even let ya drag me out here?”

“So we can all watch a movie that isn’t ‘Space Heroes’ since Little Me would be upset we watched without him!” Donnie nodded and reached for the remote, grateful for the blue-banded turtle taking the lead to redirect the conversation so the argument didn’t continue.

“To answer your question, Leon, we don’t really know why he likes it so much.”

Raphael looked at Donnie quizzically as he chose something to watch. Catching a knowing glance from Leon, he diverted his eyes back to his magazine while pondering over his immediate brother’s words. Did he really not understand why Leo was so attached to that space dork show? He just assumed they all remembered it being the first show they watched together when they were tots…

Splinter had just scavenged their first television set and there was a marathon of the series playing. Relieved for the distraction, their father let them stay up late until they fell asleep watching one episode after another. It was their very first movie night and they had been so excited to not have a bedtime that evening! That was before the days of morning training, back when they were allowed to sleep in as long as possible in order to afford their dad any quiet time he could get and spare his sanity of four kids running around their home… For a mutant single parent, the electronic device became the only form of support he had to help raise his adopted sons.

The tots had no idea what was really going on in the series, but they learned about outer space—an even more faraway place above the sewers. Humans traveling in alien territories made the characters feel more relatable since that’s how they imagined going topside would feel like. There were even four main characters, all male, that the rest accepted as ‘their characters’ when playing pretend. Of course, Leo was Captain Ryan who gave orders and kept everyone safe. (Well, mostly… the main characters anyway.) Raphael was Commander Grundch and probably the reason why Leonardo eventually started referring to him as his second-in-command after hearing it on the show. Dr Mindstrong was, of course, Donatello which left Crankshaw for Michelangelo.

In the mornings they could watched public educational kid shows then regular cartoons in the afternoon. But before bedtime Leo would have everyone settle in to watch whatever episode of ‘Space Heroes’ was on, even if it meant trading two of his daytime turns for whoever had choice for the nighttime.

At some point the show ended and it was difficult to catch reruns… Raphael could not remember how long Leo went without watching his old show, but he would never forget the day he found some discarded VHS tapes full of nostalgia. He snuck them home, cleaned each one, and even volunteered to clean Mikey’s room in exchange to borrow his TV and VCR player for a few days as he was the only one of them who had their own. After testing each video, his patience was spent and he had no interest in waiting for a special occasion like their Mutation day.

So he invited Leo over to this room and his reaction made every moment of work worth it! They stayed up past bedtime, watching the show with captions on so they could play it quietly, and it was almost like the first movie night… Except it was just the two of them so that when they fell asleep, there was no whistling snores from Donnie or kicking feet by Mikey. When they overslept, Leo tried to take the blame but he’s a terrible liar so Splinter quickly ferreted out the truth… but they didn’t get into trouble. In fact, it was one of the warmest smiles his father had ever given him… While he didn’t quite understand their fascination with most of the shows they watched, even he could see how happy it made the oldest.

Leo is still a terrible liar—like the time he told ‘Mrs O’Neil’ that Kirby was on safari in Jamaica. (Proving his point that big brother could be cringe!) Or the time he mentioned ‘hanging from a rope’ as a superpower after Raphael just helped hype up Mikey to be bait as Turflytle. (Proving his other point that big brother could be boring.) Unfortunately, he learned to compensate by more subtle ways of dodging the truth and keeping secrets.

While they all kept a thing or two to themselves, it drove Raphael crazy because their leader didn’t just have little secrets like a hidden horde of dark chocolate in various spots that even Mikey hadn’t sniffed out. No, when he did stupid things he went big—like holding hands with the foot!

Okay so that mostly worked out… but the irony that Karai was actually Miwa seemed like fate and drove him towards an obsession with saving her for Splinter’s sake. When it came to their sister, he fought against his brother the most… that she was evil, then she might not be evil but she was still bad news, then not just bad news but Shredder’s daughter, then she was still trouble because she was raised by Shredder, then she wanted vengeance against him and even though that was the very same thing Raphael had just been arguing for it still felt different… then the mind worm stuff (which he’d rather soon forget but it haunted him in several ways), then she was mutated, then the retro-mutagen didn’t work because of course it was different for her—things were always different for her! Then the Foot Princess wanted to restore her kingdom to help stem the criminal activity and Leo could help her with that but when Raphael wanted to wear cool armor and call himself the Nightwatcher to fight crime that wasn’t okay!

Maybe girls in general are difficult to deal with… either way, as much as his brothers could annoy him, they didn’t compare to his sisters if he were to include April as she could be annoying too. Of course he’d always fight and protect all of them, but that didn’t mean they weren’t irritating at times. Sure he complained about his brothers, but that was different… he had loved them every day of his existence, no one else but those three could relate to what life was like for him.

Which is why, no matter how lame he thought ‘Space Heroes’ was, he almost always hung out nearby just so he could see his dorky brother look happy when he watched it.

~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 25: “Something in common” or… We’d all be lost without you.

“Movie’s over, gonna go check on Leo.” Raphael announced as he stood up.

“Hang on, Mini-Me, Raph will go with ya.” The first turtle raised an eye ridge.

“Why?”

“Why not?”

“Would you rather it be me?” Leon asked without looking over, tossing the last popcorn pieces in the air and catching it in his mouth.

“Absolutely not! Ain’t gotta be none of ya.” His glare being ignored by the intended target, he glanced over and was surprised to see the hurt expression from his counterpart. Without a word, he nodded his head to indicate for the larger turtle to follow him.

And that’s how Raphael found himself sitting in his brother’s bedroom, listening to Leo sleep soundly as if he didn’t have a care in the world… as if he didn’t try to carry the world on his shoulders. Raph had sat on the floor nearby, quietly looking around until the other handed him a couple of comics to read. They remained that way for a while, so silent they could hear the water dripping through the pipes around them.

A few times his reading was interrupted when he suddenly remembered there was a third person in the room. Each time he’d consider speaking up and saying something, but every time he decided he was more comfortable not talking. Although he thought it odd for someone who was supposed to be the eldest and a leader to not initiate conversation, then he’d wonder if that was supposed to be his responsibility as the host. But that would mean the other was a guest, which he wasn’t because he didn’t invite him to be here!

Then again… Raph did invite Raphael to lunch. Maybe if he had accepted the offer, Leo’s visit would have been better. Or, if not better, at least uneventful. Clenching his fist, he tried to steady his breathing that had started to quicken by counting slowly to himself. Whatever happened over there, he might have been able to prevent had he been there for his brother. But he wasn’t there, he hadn’t been there, and now he’s here once again waiting for him to recover.

A small smirk teased the corner of his mouth. Raphael had watched Leo put himself into harm’s way so many times, the thought that a simple social lunch could be his final straw would be a cruel twist even for their turtle luck…

Of course Leo would be fine, he somehow always makes it back—even if a little more broken every time. But if Raphael had to stitch his brother together piece by piece then he would do so, time after time.

“Ya get all the dishes done or ya want Raph’s help to finish?” Hearing the voice interrupt his thoughts, he turned to the larger turtle.

“Donnie helped after I accidently broke a glass,” he muttered.

“Ya okay? Did ya get cut?”

“Yeah I’m okay, no cuts.”

“That’s good…” Raph’s voice trailed off as he studied Raphael’s face. “Ya know… Used ta think nothing was worse than a Leo who wouldn’t shut up, until I couldn’t hear his voice no more.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah… especially when he says some of the stupidest stuff,” he softly chuckled.

“Like, halt, villain?”

“Yeah! Or, looks like these fish are all washed up.”

“Let’s put Old Mother Hubbard back in her cupboard.”

“Oof, that is painful,” the other chuckled. “One time Donnie made Leo a shock collar that went off whenever he made some goofy pun or joke. Still didn’t stop him from running his mouth though.”

“That explains the blue button on the ball thing…”

“Oh, sorry about that. That was my fault, I kinda freaked out when I saw ya two fighting.”

“Eh, you made up for it letting me watch ya two fight.”

“Really? That was awkward though.”

“Made me feel better. Leo talks about ya like—” he stopped, changing his mind.

“Leo wasn’t uncomfortable the first time he saw us argue either. In fact, he said it was a relief to see something familiar with everything being so different.”

“He always says things better,” Raphael shrugged. “I’m not much for words.”

“Raph neither. I ain’t quoting that Shakespeare guy or nothing.”

“That was weird. Leo wasn’t impressed the other day either.”

“He did that before? What was he talking about then?”

“I didn’t hear him, Leo told me. Something from ‘Romeo and Juliet’ saying goodbye or whatever.”

“Don’t they die in that too?” Raphael started to shrug and then stopped, looking over curiously at his brother before asking something in a quieter voice...

“Ya Leo seem like he got a death wish too?”

“Nah, but I almost lost him. Took almost everything the three of us had to get him back and that’s only because Mikey didn’t give up… Felt like forever until we healed up.”

This stupid leg is never gonna heal!

Raphael sighed at the memory, glancing at his brother before fixing his gaze on the ground. “Leo felt the same about his knee, ya think three months in a coma would be long enough to heal…” he sighed again.

“More important ya saved his life, but my Donnie said he might be able to help fix it.” Raphael just nodded.

“I’d say I lost count of how many times Leo did something stupid. Not just stupid, suicidal I mean… But I ain’t… I’ve counted every single time—at least the ones I know about. Used to think he just wanted to die in battle with honor but it really was just him trying to protect us, even if it meant sacrificing himself… and he never thought twice about it, like he just didn’t care…” He clenched both fists as he leaned forward on his knees. “He’s so smart and yet, so stupid! I can’t stand him sometimes for that and yet… sometimes it feels like I can’t breathe if he isn’t. It’s… it’s so weird!”

A large hand rested on his arm, warm and comforting. “It ain’t weird.”

“I’m always SO ANGRY! The second night we went topside I just… ripped off the arm of a robot to barricade some doors, didn’t think twice about it. It just… felt natural. But then my brothers are just staring at me and Leo said I was seriously twisted. But while Mikey and Donnie are looking at me crazy, Leo says it so calmly like he thought it was normal for me… That was before all the craziness happened, before I really had reasons to be mad!” He stared at his hands. “Sometimes I just need to punch things until I pass out, because…”

“Because ya tired. That anger, it’s exhausting. Raph knows.”

“You? You’re way calmer and quieter than I’ll ever be!”

“Until I snap. It just… builds and builds,” he juggled his hands slightly like he was trying to contain something unseen. “But Raph’s the oldest and, until recently, I was the leader. I had to keep those bozos safe even when they didn’t listen to me. But Leo, he was the hardest to manage. If I didn’t have him on my side, he’d go off the rails and the other two would follow because he even though he could be an idiot, he’d be confident. Raph felt so weak because I second-guess what to do.”

Raphael looked up, guilt-ridden. “I’m sorry.”

The other looked back, confused. “For what?”

“Ya just described how I’ve treated Leo in the past. Mikey and Donnie would follow me if I walked away from him, because they knew Leo would forgive them but I intimidated them… I’d tell myself I’m keeping him on his toes, that he likes to be challenged to be better… but sometimes I’d take it too far and hurt him a lot. Then the times he’d almost die, I’d apologize and promise to be better… but I didn’t. And it would happen again because I like it when he fights back! I don’t like that we argue so much, but as long as he didn’t have that look like he was some sort of… wounded puppy, that—that kicked dog look on his face… it meant he wasn’t giving up!”

“Raph can’t see ya Leo giving up any more than mine.”

“I’ve seen it, it’s in his eyes sometimes… Like he just wants to, so much. He doesn’t and maybe he should. At least on me. But even when I had that mind-control worm, it was Leo who fixed me… not even Donnie figured it out but somehow Leo got through to me…”

“Mind control worm?”

“Ugh, yeah it was the worst! Fucking thing went and entered through my eye too!” he pointed angrily. “They could have had it go through my mouth, my nose, even my—hey… Hey, are you okay?” Raphael jumped up, shaking Raph who seemed lost in his thoughts as a shadow crossed his face. Panicking, the smaller of the two ran across the room and threw open the door. “GUYS, GET OVER HERE!”

The three rushed over to see Raphael shaking Raph. Leon quickly stepped in front of his brother, not realizing he subconsciously shoved the other turtle away. He started to make soft shushing sounds as he knelt in front of him while grabbing his brother’s hands in his. He placed Raph’s right hand on his own left thigh, then used both hands to position his smaller fingers on his left hand intertwined with his brother’s larger fingers on his right hand, clasping their palms together. Using his own right hand, he began to rub up and down the other’s arm then tracing some sort of pattern before repeating the process.

“Raph… Hey, Big Guy, it’s Leo… I need you to listen to my voice, okay? Boss man, you gotta focus on what I’m saying!” He paused to take a deep breath. “You’re safe and I’m safe too, I’m right here with you! Raphie, I know we’re not at home but we’re okay… Right now we’re visiting friends. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear all of them breathing because they’re okay too… He isn’t snoring, but Little Leo is sound asleep, safe in his own bed. Think about how small they are, Big Daddy! Remember how tiny he felt when you had to carry him? Then once we got here, his Mikey was about to climb all over you just like our Mikey does then his Donnie shook your hand and welcomed us…”

He squeezed the other’s arm with one hand. “Now… I need you to nod if you feel me squeeze your hand, can you do that for me?” Leo paused as he felt Raph squeezed the hand he was holding, noticing a very slight nod. “Good! There you are… Raph-a-doodle, I want you to give me a hug when you come back to me, okay? But for right now, just keep holding on to me. You’re doing a great job! I got something for you… I’m going to take my hand off your arm for a moment to give you a piece of candy so don’t worry, I’m not letting go.” In one motion, Leon did as he said before holding up a piece of hard chocolate to his brother’s mouth. As the other received it and started slowly moving the item around his mouth, the medic started to smile. “Raph-a-roni, concentrate on how that feels and tastes. Just focus on that and how my voice sounds.”

The other three stood, attention fixated on the scene before them. It wasn’t until they heard a soft groan in the corner of the room that they even started to move. Raphael stood next to Leo’s bed while Donnie sat down on the edge after Mikey jumped on top to position himself on the other side of his eldest brother. As Leon talked to Raph, asking him more questions to engage him while talking about various things including what they had for lunch, Leo stirred awake.

“Guys, what—what’s going on?”

“Raph seems to have disassociated. At first I thought it might be a mild seizure, but the way Leon is handling it indicates more of a dissociative disorder.”

“Is he okay? What happened?”

“We were just talking and it happened all of a sudden,” Raphael explained, not wanting to mention he was the only one present when it happened. He stood there awkwardly, noticing that both his younger brothers had reached out for Leo’s hands with each holding one. He looked back to the taller terrapins positioned on the floor seeing as Raph leaned forward to hug Leon.

“Raphael, I love you, my brother…”

~*~*~*~*~

Once the two eldest brothers were fully awake, they were redirected to the living room to watch something as both were feeling tired for different reasons. Raphael noticed the look Leon gave to him and, as much as he didn’t want to, knew they were going to have to talk.

They followed the group until Raphael deviated to the dojo to wait while Leon checked to ensure Raph was settled in before excusing himself for a few minutes. When he stepped into the dojo it was clear he was trying to contain his anger.

“I sure hope you weren’t trying to get back at me because of what happened to your brother, because I told you I didn’t bring up anything you asked me not to mention!”

“WHAT?! You’re blaming me?!”

“Yeah, just like you blame me! You gave me a list of three things to avoid talking about but you only have one! I know Leo had to have told you we don’t talk about Kraang so it’s obvious you did just that the moment you got my Raph alone!”

“Neither one of us were talking about them!”

“Come off it, Raphael,” Leon hissed. “That’s the only thing that causes my Raph to disassociate like that! You talk to me however you want, I don’t care but you do not—” he shoved his finger in the other’s chest, “Do NOT talk to my Raph that way!” The smaller turtle slapped the other’s finger away.

“Hey, he asked to follow me! We didn’t even talk most of the time!”

“So when you finally did open your mouth you just went straight for the trigger, is that what you’re saying?”

“No! He started talking about ya saying stupid stuff and being lame!”

“Oh I’m sure you enjoyed getting the chance to complain about Lame-o-nardo,” he sneered.

“Hey, I’ve apologized to Leo for that and I’ll keep apologizing as many times as it takes! But I don’t owe YOU nothing!”

“Yes, you do! You need to explain to me why you thought it was okay to hurt me through my brother! You’re about to find out the hard way that my Mikey and Donnie are not as forgiving as yours are!”

“Raph’s right, ya are a confident idiot! Ya have no idea what ya talking about! We didn’t even talk that long, mostly about Leo. We didn’t talk about anyone else and especially not any stupid aliens!”

“Then what was the last thing you said?” Leon snapped, crossing his arms angrily.

“I was saying how Leo don’t give up and how he had been the one to fix me when I was dealing with the mind-control worm.”

“Mind control?” A concerned look grew on his face as he asked, “Then what?”

“Then nothing! I didn’t even tell him how Leo figured it out or who done it to me, just that the fucker went through my eye which was the worst—uh, what is it?” He fought off an impending sense of déjà vu seeing Leon’s reaction.

“I can’t believe this… we both fucked over our brothers today…” Leon collapsed down to sit on the floor and Raph knelt down.

“What are ya talking about?”

“I didn’t know about Leo’s knee and you didn’t know about Raph’s eye,” he sighed, holding his head in his hands. “Raph, he was mind controlled by the Kraang and his eye… with the tentacles… all huge and deformed, yellow, glowing…”

“Hey, that’s enough!” Raphael shook Leon’s shoulders roughly. “Your Raph don’t need ya getting upset too!” He waited as the other took a deep breath to collect himself. “Guess now ya know I didn’t do anything on purpose.”

“Yeah… yeah, you’re right. I’m, I’m sorry about what I said.”

“It’s okay, I’ve said worse.”

“You have but you can do that. Me? I have to be a leader now and I can’t lose control like that.”

“Don’t do that to yourself! Leo thinks like that all the time and it eats him alive. Just because I don’t like ya doesn’t mean ya shouldn’t be yourself.” Raphael stood up and held out his hand. Leon looked up before nodding and accepting the help to stand up as well.

“Guess we do have something in common.” When the other only looked at him curiously but didn’t ask, he explained. “We don’t deserve our big brothers. They’re too good for us.”

Raphael looked away, staring at the tree when he replied. “Yeah, we can agree on that.”

~*~*~*~*~

Mikey watched Donnie who was oblivious to anything and everything but the flash drive he fidgeted with between his fingers. He had invited their guests to stay for dinner, but everyone was so emotionally exhausted that they opted to go home to take a nap before dinner. He noticed that Raphael had been quiet after exiting the dojo with Leon, but neither mentioned what they talked about although he was sure it had to be about how both of the oldest had experienced some sort of mental health relapse after meeting the entire family that day. Once the other two left, his own older brothers stayed by each other to the point Leo rested against Raphael as they watched one of the ‘Space Heroes’ movies.

After dinner the four of them played a board game and afterwards Leo retired to bed early. So Mikey followed Donnie to his lab, knowing that the contents of the flash drive had been on his mind all day.

“D?” With no response he got up and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, D… I’ll watch it too. You aren’t alone in this. I got you, bro.” The genius sighed.

“I think it’s best we don’t watch it until after we talk to Leo and hear his version. I want to be unbiased to understand his recollection.”

“So what’s bothering you then?”

“A lot of stuff… the fact it happened at all, if there were any other triggers we—or at least, me—could have caught to prevent this from happening, and the fact that my counterpart has this sort of stuff recorded on a regular basis.”

“That last one bothers you the most, huh?”

“What?” Donnie fumbled the flash drive and it fell from his fingers to the desk. “No, Leo suffering what happened today is the—”

“It’s okay, D. Yeah it sucks but we can’t control this stuff sometimes. But this,” he picked up the flash drive, “means a lot. That our brother had a moment of weakness recorded as well as seen by someone—several someones at that—outside our family. But, as much as you don’t like it, the other Donatello having all those cameras made it so he can prove what happened.”

“There’s such a lack of boundaries there…”

“Yeah and now you’re trying to figure out if the ends justify the means.”

“I—yeah, you’re right, Mikey. I am.” Donnie sighed.

“But I think that’s just a distraction. If he never recorded it, then you wouldn’t have to worry about watching it. So now it’s bad enough we get to experience yet another one of Leo’s relapses but one that we can’t even help with because it happened in the past when we weren’t there.”

“When did you get so wise, my little brother?”

“Probably about the same time Raph learned to calm down and not yell at Leo all the time.” Mikey sat the flash drive down on the desk and pulled Donnie’s chair away from the desk far enough to give him a hug. “Seriously, you’d be lost without me, D. Remember who came up with the retro-mutagen back at Antonio’s!”

“You had no idea what you did so I couldn’t replicate it.”

“Yeah but it still saved you months of work just making that batch alone. You’re welcome!” the youngest smiled, waiting as his immediate older brother slowly did so as well.

“Honestly… we’d all be lost without you, Mikey.” He reached over and hugged him back.

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

(1) Leon’s techniques to help Raph reassociate included helping him focus on the present (see/feel what is around them) and grounding (how something tastes/feels).

(2) All of the nicknames Leon used is from the show and most of them I could probably tell you which episode, but the last line is directly from the episode “Down With the Sickness” (Season 1, Episode 4B).

(3) Me before posting Chapter 24: I hope everyone isn’t disappointed with two stressful chapters back-to-back, definitely heavier than the usual light-hearted banter and theatrics.
Me after reading comments: Oh yeah, people tend to enjoy angst too…

So here is three chapters in a row with some unfortunate events plaguing our eldest brothers—none of which was initially planned prior to writing but sometimes these things come up and even I’m left wondering what just happened here…

As always, thanks to everyone who reads and especially those who take time to comment—whether it’s questions, suggestions, feedback, or discussion I enjoy interacting with you all! I just recently reached 400k words here on AO3 and honestly I don’t think I would have written as much if I thought no one was enjoying the works (especially this one!), so again—thank you!

Chapter 26: “Crossover Dimensional stuff” or… A lot in less than ten days.

Notes:

I was stuck on this chapter for months. The last few had been so hard to write, especially when #23 suddenly went sideways. (sigh) ~Slady

Leon’s portal took them straight to Raph’s room and in moments the alligator snapping turtle laid down and clutched one of his stuffed animals close to his plastron before yawning and nodding off. The red-ear slider sat beside him, resting a hand comfortingly on the top of his head until he was confident the other was sound asleep. With that reassurance, he left to look for his other two brothers.

“Nardo, welcome back.”

“Hey guys.”

“How long have you been home?” Mike asked from the living room couch.

“Just got back actually.”

“Where’s Raph?”

“He’s taking a nap in his room.”

“Did you have to stay long to address what happened with Leo’s family?” Don inquired, genuine concern in his voice as he scooted closer to Mike to allow space for Leon to sit with them.

“We offered to wait until Leo woke up to reassure him things were fine and he shouldn’t feel embarrassed or anything. I didn’t think his Raph would let us stay but his brothers convinced him that we should all watch a movie together. After that he let our Raph sit with him to wait for Leo to wake up.”

“This guy must be dealing with some major guilt to go from almost hitting Leo one day to waiting for him to wake up another,” Mike thought out loud.

“He is really protective over him. All of them really, but especially Leo.”

“So then what happened?”

“Then,” he sighed, “the Raphaels figured out something they had in common and it wasn’t good.” He looked sadly at his younger brothers. “Seems the little Raph is still angry about the time he got mind controlled by a brainworm that went in through his right eye.” The other two gasped.

“What are the odds?” Mike exclaimed.

“Oh, that’s gross! I think I’m going to be sick…” Don blanched. Leon jumped up and grabbed the closest trash can. The genius hovered over the waste receptacle slightly while the youngest gently rubbed his arm, quietly counting while coaxing his breathing.

“So yeah… not the best day to be the oldest brother of mutant ninja turtles I guess,” Leon attempted to joke lamely but was relieved the others either ignored it or didn’t hear him at all. At that point Splinter walked into the room.

“Blue! Where’s Red?”

“Taking a nap, Pops. He, uh, had a rough visit.”

“Raph relapsed, Dad,” Mike explained.

“Oh no!” Splinter sighed. “Is he resting in his room?”

“Yeah, we got back not too long ago. We were waiting for Leo to wake up when it happened.”

“Did they,” Don gasped for a moment catching his breath before exhaling slowly. Mike continued to rub his arm soothingly as Splinter looked on questioningly.

“No, they didn’t watch the video yet. I think they wanted to talk to Leo first.”

“What’s the matter with Purple?” Mike glanced at Leon who leaned down and whispered in the rat’s ear.

“Oh, that’s gross!” their father cringed.

“I concur—er,” the genius resisted another dry heave.

“Blue! You’re a medic, go get your brother a cold washrag or something!” Splinter snapped.

“Yeah, Leo! Why are you just standing there?” Mike asked.

“Excuse me, we were having a conversation!” Leon went to the kitchen, wetting a washcloth and filling up two glasses of ice water. He dropped off one of each item for Don, handing both to Mike. Then he nodded and returned to Raph’s room where he waited for him to wake up, hopefully before dinner.

~*~*~*~*~

“Hey, big guy!” Leon cooed as Raph woke up holding his head with one hand.

“Ugh, I hate waking up with a headache,” he groaned.

“Exactly why your favorite brother is prepared,” the medic smiled as he handed him the glass of water and pain pills. The larger turtle nodded in appreciation as he received both items.

“Raph’s a disaster,” he sighed.

“Wait, what?” the other asked in alarm.

“I made a lousy first impression on your friends today! We get into that argument right in front of Little Me, Little Leo was so upset he asked us to talk things out before lunch… when I told the other Raph I’d bring his Leo back even if I had to carry him home, I didn’t think I would do that literally! He spent most of the time not even wanting to talk to Raph and when he finally did…” he sighed. “I probably should have stayed and hung out more with Little Donnie and Little Mikey.”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Leon pointed his index finger on Raph’s upper plastron. “You are not the disaster in this family, that is me if anybody! Well… probably Donnie too. He does like to make things explode.”

“Mikey ain’t all that innocent either,” he shrugged.

“See? We’re an entire disaster of a family!” Leo joked.

“Except Pops.”

“Especially Pops! Who else did we learn it from?” he laughed.

“Speaking of Pops, does he know yet?”

“Yeah,” Leon nodded. “Everyone is just relieved you’re home safe and looking forward to seeing you for dinner which,” he glanced at his wrist despite the lack of a watch, “should be soon!” Raph chuckled at his brother’s antics before laying back down, crossing his arms behind his head. He stared at the ceiling while the other got up and shuffled besides him to do the same.

They laid there in silence for a few minutes before the younger spoke up.

“Do you ever get upset about being the oldest? I mean, technically Lou Jitsu picked me up first before we got mutated so… wouldn’t that make me the oldest? But then Splinter decided since you were the biggest size then you should be the biggest brother. You stepped up without complaint no matter how much you struggled making sure the three of us didn’t kill each other and take you down trying.”

“Well, yeah… no one expects to have to tell people to not eat poison. Or drop refrigerators and shattering someone’s shins,” he joked.

“Okay that last one was a total accident, you know that!” Leon pouted.

“Look, Leo… we’ve had some crazy adventures even as tots. But I’m sure any family with lots of kids can say the same, even the humans. Shoot, April’s an only child and she gets into all sorts of shenanigans on her own.”

“That’s true, but we’ve been friends for so long maybe some of that’s on us?”

“Maybe, or maybe she’d find other friends to stir up trouble with. I mean, lots of people like to think they’re invincible. Little kids, they don’t know better. Then we get older and we just don’t like to think about it—unless ya the oldest and realize, oh dang if someone gets hurt that’s on me... Ya ain’t even thinking, ‘wow we could die ripping out these random electrical wires and getting electrocuted’—just ‘oh that’s something we can pull and destroy for fun, cool!’ But I don’t know how many other families the oldest got someone covering their back like ya always did for me. Like when I wanted to free Mayhem by busting the mirror and ya warned me that wouldn’t help. Or sometimes making me stop by asking what are we getting into, even for staying home instead of going out during an anti-mutant panic.”

“Nah, that’s just self-preservation speaking. Like going after paper thieves instead of dangerous criminals,” he grinned.

“Yeah right, like ya have that much self-preservation,” he laughed. “The paper thieves, though—geesh!”

“Right? That got more complicated than I expected!”

“Don’t everything though? At least with us.”

“Guess so.” Another minute of silence passed before he spoke up again. “Hey, Raph… how long do you think this will go on?”

“What do ya mean, Leo?”

“This crossover dimensional stuff… Like, I guess when it started I thought it would just be a brief adventure. At most maybe a few chapters then on to the next episode. But this has really taken on a life of its own and now I can’t imagine it just being over that quickly.”

“It has been a lot in less than ten days…”

“Right?” he exclaimed. “It’s like, every day is two or three combined or something…”

“So what do ya want to do?”

“I dunno,” Leon shrugged. “Like, what if something happens?”

“Like what?”

“What if one day I can’t portal to dimensions anymore, like this is all temporary? Or just not to their dimension, like suddenly one day it opens a different dimension with another set of us-es?” Since they were laying on their backs staring at the ceiling, Leon couldn’t see Raph wince at the thought. “I didn’t know this was even possible, it happened by accident! Yeah, I figured out how I could control it, but what if I lost it as suddenly as I gained it? We wouldn’t even have a way to tell them what happened, they’d think we just suddenly abandoned them!”

“Leo…” Raph rolled to his side and laid an arm around his little brother. “That’s a lot of what-ifs to worry about may never happen. We got no way of knowing all that except the last part—they would know we’d never abandon them.”

“Their Raphael is worried they’d have no way to rescue Leo if we didn’t bring him back and I didn’t worry about it because of course we’d never do that… on purpose! We wouldn’t, but what if we couldn’t?”

“Guess that would definitely change the ending to this story,” Raph conceded.

“I won’t let that happen,” Leon vowed.

~*~*~*~*~

When Leo woke up the next morning, he found a note from Leon:

Hey, Leo!

Just letting you know my Raph is feeling better, except for the whole situation of feeling bad about what happened—first impressions and all. Which I told him is not his fault and nothing to worry about, but you’re probably feeling the same way so I’m telling you the same thing too! We all hope you’re feeling better and not bad at all, just as I’m sure you and your brothers feel about my Raph. So get some rest and let’s hang out again in a couple of days!

XOXO,
Leon

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

Sorry for such a short chapter (like #15), but hopefully you all enjoyed the touch of fourth-wall breaking during Leon’s existentialistic crisis!

I assure you that his vow is true—I promise this is NOT the end even if it does kind of sound like it could be in an ominous sort of way… Although the present-mode of the fanfic stalled, some ideas for future interactions have developed so there’s certainly more story to tell!

In the meantime, I’d like to share about a new fanfic multi-chapter! It’s only eight chapters but will follow ’12 Leo as he writes Space Heroes fanfiction. For those who have been following this series, a couple of paragraphs in the first chapter will sound familiar but the rest is new work that I hope everyone enjoys!
’12 Leo’s Adventures in Fanfiction

Chapter 27: “Bring Your Own Breakfast” or… Fun-loving free-spirit who is often under-estimated.

“Guys, I got a note from Leon…” Leo announced as he approached the breakfast table with his brothers.

“Another one?” Raph grumbled as he shoved another spoonful of cereal in his mouth.

“Only makes sense he’d want to check in after all that happened yesterday,” Donnie commented as he ate a pop tart. Leo looked at the two middle children and then to the youngest.

“Are we doing a Bring Your Own Breakfast this morning?”

“Don’t even think about it, bro,” Mikey squinted at the eldest. “Just tell me what you want and I’ll get it for you so that no one gets hurt.”

“Come on,” Leo waved his right hand towards the tallest brother. “Donnie can’t cook either but he got to heat up his own pop tarts!”

“That’s because I fix toasters, Leo—not break them!” Raphael laughed loudly.

“Our Fearless leader, conqueror of evil villains and innocent appliances!” Leo crossed his arms and started pouting.

“I don’t do anything, in fact I wouldn’t be surprised to find out one day you all are setting me up!”

“Hardly,” Donnie stated dryly as he set down his coffee mug. “I have no vested interest in wasting my time with unnecessary repairs and these two have other things they’d rather me work on for them than to risk my ire for the sake of a prank.” He arched an eye ridge warningly at the youngest who nodded while raising his hands up defensively.

“No way, bruh! You know I can’t stand anyone messing up my kitchen—this is my kingdom!”

“Here ya go, ya highness,” Raph joked as he shoved his empty cereal bowl and dirty spoon towards Mikey’s open hands. Seeing the oldest was still pouting besides him, he patted his arm closest to him. “Look at it this way, Leo… ya can’t be perfect at everything. Gotta leave something for the rest of us to be better than ya at!” The other unfolded his arms and looked at the brawler.

“There’s a LOT you all are better than me at! But not being allowed to make some toast in my own home is really pathetic.”

“Leo,” Raph waited to make sure the sapphire eyes met his emerald ones. “There’s a lot of things we can say about ya, but pathetic ain’t one of them.” Leo pursed his lips.

“Not even when I’m watching ‘Space Heroes’?” he asked.

“Not even when ya watching ya Space Dorks shows.”

“I believe the word you used for me was, sadorable.”

“No, pretty sure that’s still just ya.” Donnie stuck his tongue out as Mikey laughed.

“Keep laughing, Mikey. You’ll be the one he calls ‘Chuckles’ next.”

“Nope, still just ya, Donnie-boy. Mikey’s laughs are too loud and obnoxious,” he smirked teasingly.

“Hey!” Mikey shoved the dirty spoon in the empty cereal bowl and shoved both back towards Raphael. “Just for that, you can be on dish duty all day!”

“I will gladly do the dishes if someone either makes me some toast or let’s me do it myself!” Leo exclaimed. The younger three paused, looking at the exasperated expression on the eldest’s face and started laughing. After a few moments it became infectious, making him smile and giggle as well. He wasn’t quite sure what was so funny, but he sincerely enjoyed seeing his younger brothers happy.

~*~*~*~*~

“Hey, Leo! What did the note say?” Mikey asked, not looking up from the screen as he furiously tapped the buttons on his game controller.

“Oh that’s right, I didn’t get a chance to tell you all since you were too busy holding my breakfast hostage.”

“Self-preservation,” Donnie muttered, his dry wit almost sounding serious.

“So? Spit it out!” Raphael sighed.

“Mainly he was reassuring us that Raph is okay and letting us know that he’s going to need a couple of days to rest. Mostly he’s worried about bad first impressions,” Leo rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“I’m guessing that would make two of you?” Donnie supplied, relieved to see the eldest nod in admittance. “In that case, we’ll be sure to reassure him—just as much as I hope his brothers reassure you—that our priority is the well-being of both eldest brothers.”

“So weird that their Raph is the oldest!” Mikey interrupted. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and noticed his own red-banded brother start to say something and stop. After a pause, he spoke up.

“Our first impressions of him were fine. What happened, happened after we already met and hung out.” The younger three turned with surprised looks, causing Raphael to look back down at his magazine.

“Thanks, guys. I’m sure that will mean a lot for him to hear, he’s… well,” Leo paused, trying to decide on an accurate adjective to describe the alligator snapping turtle.

“Sensitive?” Donnie suggested.

“Just like our Raph?” Mikey added.

“I’m NOT sensitive!” Raph snapped.

“Kinda snappish there, Meathead.”

“Yeah, almost like you’re a bit… sensitive.”

The youngest two looked at each other and started giggling before they froze hearing a familiar growl. They both startled and jumped up ready to run just as Leo intervened by stepping in between.

“I was going to say… Raph is very considerate of imposing on others. I imagine being such a large size might make him a little self-conscious about accidently hurting others since, as we all know,” he looked directly at Raphael as he grabbed both of the hothead’s wrists. “Raphaels are very protective over their loved ones and would never intentionally hurt their younger brothers.” Raphael paused and gave a slight nod before wrenching his wrists away from Leo’s hands.

“Except when they need some tough love,” he sneered at the younger two.

“How’s your omote kote gyaku coming along?” Donnie retorted.

“Aha, burn!” Mikey laughed. “Man, good times.”

“No,” Leo interrupted, placing a firm hand on Raphael’s shoulder. “Not good times. We’re not doing ninniku seishinis! Unless one of you two want to volunteer…”

“Eh, we don’t need to.”

“Right, it’s ninniku seishinis every day when Raph gets annoyed with us.”

“Which is basically every day,” Mikey nodded in agreement with Donnie. Before Raphael could snap, Leo looked back at him.

“No, it’s not. Be honest you two… Raph is a lot more even-tempered now than when we were younger. Which is kind of the point of getting older.” He turned with a teasing smile. “Not that we’ve ever loved our impulsive, loudmouthed, super-violent hothead any less, right?” Seeing the other two nod quietly, Raphael looked back at Leo flustered and gently shoved him away.

“That’s enough mushy stuff, ya sap!” He sat back down and Leo was relieved how much calmer everyone was after he diffused the situation. “Anyway… whenever ya go back on ya next outing, I’m going with ya.”

“I’ll have to ask first, you can’t just invite yourself along.”

“I can but I don’t even need to, Raph already invited me. So I’m going with ya!” Leo looked around, confused that no one else looked surprised.

“Wait, why am I just now hearing about this? Did you all already know?” The younger two murmured and nodded without more than a glance up. After a few moments, Leo once again turned to Raphael. “You’re not blaming yourself for what happened to me, are you?” he asked suspiciously.

“No, Leo—only you blame yourself for things that ain’t ya fault!” he snapped. “But I was invited and didn’t go, had I been there it might have changed things and prevented ya relapse from happening…”

“Dude, Leo’s been over there before and it was always fine. Just because the one time you got invited and threw a hissy fit about not going—only for something bad to happen—doesn’t mean you would have magically fixed everything by being there.”

“Ya don’t even know what ya talking about and it’s making ya sound like an idiot!”

“Hey! Mikey is NOT stupid,” Donnie defended.

“Donnie’s right and so is what Mikey said… Raph, something can go wrong every minute of every day. You know that,” Leo quietly tried to reassure him.

“I didn’t ‘throw a hissy fit’!” Raphael crossed his arms.

“Then why didn’t you accept Raph’s offer and join me? You barely leave me out of your sight since this all started,” Leo asked calmly.

“Because!” His arms flew out to his sides in exasperation. The three looked at him waiting patiently and eventually he sighed, crossing his arms again and taking a deep breath. “Because… this is your thing, Leo. The only invitation that counts is if yours but ya already went through the portal so I had no way to know if ya were okay with it or not. I… I didn’t want to interfere.”

The room went quiet as each brother thought over the significance of Raphael’s admission. After a minute, he cleared his throat.

“Sorry, Mikey… I shouldn’t have called ya an idiot. Especially when ya were right too.”

“Appreciate it, bro.”

“See, guys? Raph is a lot better about apologizing than he used to be.”

“I don’t need ya coddling me for doing what I’m supposed to!”

“What? I’m not! I’m just acknowledging how much you’ve changed.”

“Leo’s right, Raph… it’s hard to alter learned behavior. You—and the rest of us—should give yourself more credit. We didn’t exactly have the healthiest examples modeled for us as kids from Splinter.” Leo shifted uncomfortable.

“Splinter did his best. He suffered a lot of loss,” Leo began.

“We all didn’t have it great, but his best could have been a hell of a lot better,” Mikey grumbled. The oldest two paused, unfamiliar with the youngest using curse words outside of song lyrics or quotes. Even jokingly he wouldn’t refrain from certain vocabulary, but to hear him say so seriously was different. Donnie reached over and rested a hand over the youngest’s knee.

“Mikey’s right. Leo, you know as well as us that words have weight. There’s doing your best and then there’s putting forth effort to say something with tact. Splinter was often so dismissive of us—all of us, yes, but especially Mikey.” The youngest sighed and paused his game before putting down the controller.

“They ain’t wrong, Leo. In fact, we even told our counterparts as much… Mikey was too silly, Donnie too smart, me too angry, and ya responsible for all of us.” Before Leo could respond, the genius spoke again.

“I know Splinter said he was challenging us, but sometimes it felt like he set us up to fail. Giving me a simple stick while I was teaching myself complex machinery? It felt like an insult!”

“He was challenging us! Giving us weapons opposite of our personalities… like with my katana to remind me to not take shortcuts with deadly force but to use my blades for protection and defense rather than attack and offense.”

“What about when he told us to switch weapons and sent us into battle without time to train on them? We could have been killed, all over a lesson! Ya remember that one?”

“We’ve all practiced on various weapons…”

“Yeah but not enough for actual battle out in the field!”

“Right we can’t always sink or swim, bruh!”

“There’s a difference in teaching lessons in the dojo and learning in a life-or-death situation, Leo,” Donnie interjected a little more calmly. “We were just little kids when he gave Mikey one of the most difficult weapons despite the fact he obviously struggled with focusing. Even if he didn’t know what ADHD was, we all could tell how much harder he has to work on concentration than the rest of us!”

“All that aside,” Mikey spoke up, “I know I’m not as brave or strong or smart as you all, but it did hurt he didn’t at least find more positive things to say. Like Donnie just mentioned, remember when we got our weapons? Everyone had something special but when he got to me he just says, ‘uh, they are perfect for you’!” He spoke bitterly while imitating their father’s voice, staring upset at the floor. His brothers all moved closer to sit around him.

“You’re right, Michelangelo,” Leo spoke softly. “He could have made up anything and still sounded wise. I don’t understand why he didn’t say something more significant for you as he did for the rest of us. In fact…” He gently reached over and slipped out his brother’s weapons from his belt before sitting seiza directly in front of the youngest as he held out the nunchaku. Mikey looked at his weapons curiously as both middle children also looked from them to their leader.

“The katana, a royal Samurai weapon, for those with courage and keen skill,” he began quoting solemnly. “The sai, for a fierce and,” Leo glanced at Raphael with fondness, “fearless warrior, who will always fight the hardest for his family… The bo staff, for a thoughtful soul, and a peaceful heart.” He looked at Donnie with reverence and nodded before turning to the youngest and glancing at his hands. Mikey’s eyes widened as he placed a hand on the other end of his weapon. “The nunchaku… complex and difficult to master, it is often unpredictable to opponents and thus, perfect for a fun-loving free-spirit who is often under-estimated.” The eldest smiled at the youngest, starting to release his grip on the nunchaku before Mikey looked up with tears in his eyes and suddenly threw his arms around Leo’s neck.

Both middle children placed a hand on one of youngest’s shoulders while looking up at the oldest with admiring—and appreciative—looks.

~*~*~*~*~

“¡Buenos días, hermanos míos!” Leon bellowed enthusiastically.

“Leo, chill! Try toning it down a notch.”

“Ah, my apologies, my favorite oldest brother!” he bowed towards Raph who shoved him down towards the chair next to him.

“Ugh, what has crawled up in your shell this early in the morning to make you even more unbearable than usual and please don’t answer that it was a rhetorical question, I do not care what your answer is.” Mike giggled as Don lamented their older brother’s ebullient demeanor.

“Go ahead, Leo. I, for one, think it’s a great morning too!”

“Miguel, why do you mock me and encourage our degenerate brother? I just want to drink my coffee in peace!” Don threw his head into his hands, covering his face.

“Now, Dee… this wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact you noticed what’s coming up on the calendar soon, would it?” Mike teased.

“The calendar?” Raph turned, grabbing the back of his chair and looking to see that it had been flipped for the month. Seeing a particular date circled in red, he grinned. “Ah, so that’s why this bozo is so excited!” He slapped Leon against his shell playfully, but enough to almost knock him out of his seat.

“Wait, what? No! I haven’t even looked at my full monthly calendar yet.” The genius immediately flipped open his wrist gauntlet and pulled up his calendar icon to quickly scroll through the view settings.

“Uh, Donnie? You can just look up, it’s right there hanging on the wall,” Leon thumbed over his shoulder.

“Nardo, I only trust my calendar in which you do not have access to—ohmigosh, that time of year already?” He looked up a bit apprehensively.

“Aww, why the long face? You had a great time last time!” Leon teased.

“Right, Dee!” Mike popped up behind him, slapping the top of his battle shell excitedly. “The single greatest day of the year!”

“So great we skipped it last year.”

“Aw… don’t be like that, Donnie. Ya know we had to since we were still recovering and all.”

“That’s why this year will be the best one yet!” Mike cheered.

“Indeed it will be!” Leon jumped up, wrapping his arms around the shoulders of Raph and Mike while leaning forward to Don. “Because I thought of a way not only to make up for last year, but double our fun more than ever before!”

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

Anyone want to guess what the Rise crew is talking about?

Chapter 28: “Attention all little brothers!” or… It really is tough being the oldest brother.

“I see you have been expecting me!” Leon smiled, seeing Leo sitting in the dojo with the tea tray set up.

“Oh, was that today?” Leo looked at Leon with feigned innocence, ignoring the muffled sound beside him as he indicated for the taller terrapin to sit across from him. “Well, I suppose while you’re here you might as well join me.”

“¡Gracias, Bebe Azul!” Leon gave a mock bow before crossing his long legs and sitting down. “You look well since we last seen each other.”

“I’ve gotten a lot of rest since then,” he replied without affect. He then lowered his voice slightly as he began to pour from the pot into two cups. “How has Raph been?”

“Like you, he’s taken my advice and also gotten a lot of rest the last couple of days.” Glancing towards the shuffling sounds several feet away, he lowered his voice a little more. “So, uh, jokingly quoting about heroic deaths—not my brightest moment.”

“Oh…” Leo’s eyes lit up with realization over the top of his cup. “Oh, yeah, that makes sense. I hadn’t thought about it that way either.”

“Yeah, didn’t help that he mentioned it to the other two and now somehow Don has blocked my ability to search anything Shakespearean entirely!” He held out his phone as if that would prove his point, which it didn’t but was enough to make Leo smirk.

“Well, at least some good came out of it,” he joked as he took his first sip and Leon followed form. They sat there for a minute, glancing over and watching their red-banded brothers spar over a punching bag. Raph was holding the item still while Raphael was pummeling at a particular rhythm that looked like he had rehearsed often. They both glanced back at each other to see the other smiling as well. Leo coughed and cleared his throat.

“Looks like your Raph was expecting mine,” Leon grinned.

“He didn’t mention anything to me about it, but I try to train my ninjas to expect the unexpected and be prepared for various outcomes.”

“Is that your way of covering for him to pretend he wasn’t looking forward to seeing us again?”

“Well,” Leo threw a quick glance over his shoulder, “I think he doesn’t mind seeing Raph. I don’t think he’s warmed up to you just yet.”

“Aw come on! We came to an understanding last time, we even bonded!”

“Really?” Leo blinked. “How so? Over what?”

“Pish posh, details aren’t important!”

“Try telling that to a Donatello. But also, to me. Details and accuracy absolutely matters!”

“All I’ll say is that he told me I should be myself and,” he rushed before the other could interrupt, “we agreed that we both have the best big brother ever!” Leo blushed.

“Raphael did not say that. Either of those statements.”

“He did! He totally did! ‘Just because I don’t like you doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be yourself’ is exactly what he said.” Leo looked skeptical, again glancing over his shoulder at his immediate younger brother as Leon continued. “Then I said our big brothers are too good for us and he agreed with me.”

Slowly turning to look back at his guest, Leo shrugged. “Well, not like I can ask him. Even if he did say either of those, he’d never admit to it.”

“Hey! Why do ya two keep glancing over here? Ya better not be critiquing my moves, ain’t nothing wrong with the way I’m throwing my punches!”

“Not at all!” Leon cooed, waving at Raphael. “We’re just sitting here admiring how your sweat is glistening and rolling off those big hulking muscles of yours, Big Boy!”

At that moment several things happened… The first: Raph facepalmed, letting go of the punching bag he was holding steady. Which caused the second, which was the punching bag swinging wildly back before moving forward. The third: Raphael froze at the awkward compliment before glaring at the person speaking. The fourth was when the punching bag smashed into him, nearly knocking him down before two other things happened—Raph reaching over and catching Raphael from falling over while Leo reached over and punched Leon in the arm.

“Ah, nice throw there,” Leon rubbed his arm. “Maybe you should take a turn next,” he joked before seeing Raphael storm over as he wiped the sweat off his face with a towel.

“Leo, why do you run ya mouth and say the weirdest things?” Raph snapped.

“Because it’s adorable watching your cheeks match your masks!”

“Oh yeah? Keep running ya damn mouth and ya face is gonna match my mask!”

“I told ya, Leo… if Little Me wants to shank ya, I ought to let him do it.”

“Raph,” Leon whined, “Aren’t you going to lecture him about his language?”

“I ain’t lecturing someone about their language in their own home!”

“That doesn’t stop you from lecturing me in my own home!” Leon whined before turning to Leo who was just sitting there, quietly sipping tea. “Aren’t you going to say something?”

“Just waiting to see how you resolve this diplomatically like a good leader should,” Leo replied, refraining from smirking but not entirely hiding the teasing tone from his voice. “Besides, if Raphael has his way that will give you a chance at giving me lesson about being a medic.” He stole a glance at his brother who, hearing his words, crossed his arms with a satisfied smirk.

“Looks like I got the green light from both our big brothers to teach ya a lesson!” Raphael gloated, punching a fist in his palm.

“You’re totally giving me mixed signals here! One day you said I should be myself and today you’re complaining when I’m just joking around.” Noticing that Leo could see for himself how Raphael recognized his words and what he said was actually true, he continued to prove his other point. “But like you said… our big brothers know what’s best so I guess if they say so, you gotta do what you gotta do.”

Raphael looked over to Leo and, seeing him turn away quickly, frowned before angrily throwing his sweaty towel at Leon’s face. He caught Raph’s attention and, nodding towards the door, started to walk away without another word as his counterpart followed.

“Is it possible to just decide you shouldn’t annoy people?” Leo asked as Leon removed the towel from his face with a wide grin.

“I’m getting a sense of déjà vu here… haven’t you already asked me if I’ve ever considered not annoying people to the point of anger?”

“Yeah, I did. Thought maybe if I use less words you’d understand better.”

“And again I ask you, where’s the fun in that?”

“Raph’s right, you do tend to only learn things the hard way.”

“Interesting… your Raphael said something similar the other day.”

“Okay, you proved your point about what you said earlier. Which, in a way, brings me to something we need to discuss and that’s our younger brothers.”

“You mean the meeting of the minds and the joining of the jokesters?”

“If that’s your way of saying to introduce the Donatellos and Michelangelos, then yes.”

“Any ideas in particular?”

“One concern is… I worry that my Donnie may feel a bit inadequate when he realizes how advanced Don’s lab is in comparison.” Leon tilted his head to look at Leo who set his cup down in his lap, trying to keep his hands occupied. He could feel both energies of protectiveness and insecurity from the other.

“Don may come off a bit vain. Okay, he can be arrogant. But you already heard how impressed he is with what little he knows about your Donatello. We’ve had our share of crazy adventures but from what you’ve told me you all had way more things going on, much of which relied on his genius. When he hears about the things you’ve done and sees the things he’s worked on, I bet he’s going to be even more impressed with how he did so much with so little. I mean, didn’t you say he repurposed some alien droid into a turtle robot that saved your lives?”

“Your Donatello literally has a robot flying around his lab!”

“But you all don’t have ninpo power or special abilities like we do! You don’t even have a place like the Hidden City to go to for the random cool stuff we can get there let alone hang out in!” He paused, seeing the other’s face crack into a smile as he quickly tried to cover his expression with his fist. “What? What’s so funny?”

“I’m sorry, it’s just…” Leo stifled a chuckle. “I was just thinking about how mad Mikey was at me the other day because he thought we got to actually enjoy Coney Island and when I pointed out it was Alberto Land which we don’t even have, he said that was even worse.” Leon snorted in amusement. “It’s not even funny, because it’s true! It’s not fair but—”

“But when a Michelangelo gets mad, the least serious thing because serious business?”

“Exactly!”

“Well, we’ll definitely have to add that on the list of things to do! Your Mikey like puppies?”

“He has a cat made out of ice cream, does that count?”

“I’m sorry, he has what?”

“Ice Cream Kitty, he’s usually in the freezer.” He watched Leon quickly tap his fingertips against his knee.

“I am both hurt that I’ve not been shown this frozen feline and yet, probably best I don’t meet it before my Mikey gets here.”

“Tough being an older brother, isn’t it?” Leo joked.

“Very funny. So, definitely sounds like I need to bring my little brothers here to meet yours.”

“I think that would be best. We haven’t talked yet about how they will feel meeting your Master Splinter either.”

“I get that. It’s, uh, kinda why I rescheduled our lunch the first time. Forgot to mention you to Dad.”

“Really?” Leo’s surprised look passed after a moment. “Although he did mention he had only known about me less than a day when we met over tea. Oh wait, you and Raph don’t always report to him about how patrols and stuff go, right?”

“Psh… Raph wishes anyone cared to listen every time he went out on patrol!”

“Wait! Why is Raph going out by himself? Does he hang out with Casey to go play vigilante?”

“What? No, nothing like that and, uh, well, sometimes we forget…”

“You forget?” Leo exclaimed incredulously.

“Or, you know, we’re kinda busy…”

“You’re ‘busy’ with patrols first, then you make plans around them,” he snapped. “I can’t believe you were leaving him to do all the work!”

“Okay, okay, okay, I get it! We suck, but Raph is a sucker for always wanting to being a big hero and—” Leon’s words faltered at the reprimanding glare he was receiving from his counterpart.

“And I really owe him an apology,” he finished.

“I’m sure he’ll appreciate that. Suddenly I feel a little less bad about some of the grief my brothers gave me while out on patrol.”

“Really?”

“On second thought,” Leo paused thoughtfully. “No, not really. You’re right, they suck too.”

“You’re right… It really is tough being the oldest brother, isn’t it?” Leon asked somberly.

“I don’t know anything else,” he shrugged. “It’s always been the most important part of my life.”

~*~*~*~*~

“Attention all little brothers in the room,” Leon announced as he walked into the pit with Leo. All eyes turned to him as he leaned over the couch where the others were sitting playing video games. “I have an announcement to make,” he grinned.

“Wow, ya don’t say.”

“I do say! Now, no promises but—”

“Uh, excuse me, Leon, but I’m going to stop you right there. Anything you can’t promise needs to not be mentioned in front of Mikey or else he will drive us crazy about when it’s going to happen,” Donnie stated plainly as the youngest smiled apologetically.

“It’s true, I can’t help it! I get really excited when I know something good is about to happen!”

“Okay then… I promise, we’re planning on—”

“Within one week,” Leo supplied.

“Within one week… bringing my Donatello and Michelangelo here!” Mikey cheered as Donnie’s eyes widened and Raph’s jaw dropped.

“Leo! We didn’t discuss what day for all of them to meet, what if Donnie has some sort of thing?”

“Don’t worry, Big Guy,” Leon patted Raph’s jaw. “That’s why I said one week! Give or take a day, whatever works for everyone. Maybe they have plans,” Leon waved an outstretched arm towards Leo’s brothers. “We’ll figure out the details later, I just thought it fair we let everyone know to plan ahead or whatever. I know how excited Mikey here is and I’m sure he needs time to clean his room,” he grinned as Leo smirked. The youngest froze from his excited bouncing which elicited a snort from Raphael.

“Before you ask… no, Mikey, I’m not going to clean it up for you. The faster you get your room fixed up, the sooner you can meet the other Michelangelo.”

“This is whack, bruh! I feel like I’ve been set up!” Mikey crossed his arms in a pout.

“Are ya really whining about this? Ya know Leo’s gonna save ya shell.”

“Leo, you’re okay with all this?”

“With Mikey cleaning his room? Donnie, he should—”

“No, about… well, I know it’s been a lot for you to process. I just don’t want you to feel like you’re rushing anything on our accounts.”

“I appreciate that, Donnie,” Leo smiled at his tallest brother. “Since it’s been less than two weeks since this all began, I think one week is a reasonable expectation if not a bit generous at this point.”

“Wait, if I get my room clean tonight does that mean I get to meet the other me tomorrow?” Mikey asked hopefully.

“Not that soon, Little Man,” Raph patted the youngest on the head. “I already invited Mini-Me over so I gotta make good on that first.” Raphael’s arms fell from their crossed position.

“Wait, me?”

“Yeah, you,” Leo said matter-of-factly, suppressing the urge to smile. “You promised you were joining me on my next ‘outing’ as you called it since Raph already invited you. Unless you’ve changed your mind?” he tilted his head inquiring in an innocent manner.

“Of course I ain’t changed my mind, ya get into enough trouble on ya own!” Raphael recrossed his arms, trying to look annoyed but the relief that shone in his eyes was apparent.

“So, big brothers join us for lunch tomorrow—”

“Then you all visit the day after?”

“There’s no way you’ll have your room cleaned by then,” Donnie looked at Mikey seriously.

“Besides, we’re inviting them over for lunch… is that going to be enough time for you to decide on what you want to cook?” Leo pointed out.

“Ohmigosh, you’re right, Leo!” Mikey exclaimed as he turned to the genius. “D, you gotta help me!”

“I am not cleaning up your room, Mikey.”

“No, not that! I’m gonna need some help cooking such a big lunch for everyone. Come on, you owe me!”

“I owe you? For what?”

“For all the times I’ve helped out as your lab assistant! I need a sous chef!”

“Now hold on right there…” Donnie warned.

“Looks like that’s our cue to leave you all to sort out the details,” Leon interrupted, quickly opening a portal. “See everyone tomorrow!” Raph jumped up, not expecting the sudden exit and followed his brother through while waving goodbye to the others. Once they were in their own home, he looked at the other confused.

“Leo, did ya mention the thing?”

“Not yet, had some other ideas come up that I think will be better first.”

“Sounds like ya got a plan in mind. Sure we’ll have enough time?”

“Absolutely, mi Ángel Rojo! But first I want to check a few things with you. Also, something else…”

“Yeah?” Raph almost jumped at the unexpected hug from Leon. He paused for a moment before slowly wrapping his arms around the other.

“Sorry for all those times I blew off patrol, that was really lousy of me.”

“Yeah, it was.” Although he agreed, his voice lacked any malice.

“I decided that you get to stay in charge of the patrol schedule and I will personally enforce mandatory attendance—from the entire team!”

“But, Leo… ya supposed to be the leader now.” Leon looked back and stared with intent at Raph.

“Yeah and as leader I am delegating you in charge of patrols.” He pointed, slightly leaning forward with the other hand on his hip. “You have the most experience, so I need you to focus on that while I work on the rest of the team doing better… starting with showing up!”

“Raph appreciates it, bro. Seriously. I ain’t half the hero I could be without all of ya!”

“Oh, Raph… I feel like you’re more a hero than I’ll ever be.”

“No way, Leo. We’re not just a team, we’re a family of heroes!”

“It’s a good word, heroes…” he nodded. “Also,” he said with concern. “We need to step up our game or else we’re gonna get our shells kicked when Sensei Leonardo does our training session!”

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

For those of you who guessed Lair Games at the end of the last chapter, you’re correct! So I am opening up comments for suggestions about what other games to use that weren’t featured in the show!
Also, the turtles will be discussing about competing individually or in teams so I’m curious as to what everyone thinks about that aspect also.

Chapter 29: “Hai” or… Leo uses big words and Leon speaks Spanish.

“You ready for this?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be. Told ya, I would have went with ya last time.”

“You’re right that I would have rather staked out the place on my own before putting any of you at risk.”

“Ya think we’re at risk?” Raphael raised an eye ridge.

“No, but the odds are never zero. I meant it when I said I would like to take you all to see the Hidden City. It’s quite an experience and I was sad to see it without all of you.”

“Wanna give me a heads up what the others are like? And, uh…” he faltered and glanced down.

“Master Splinter?”

“Y… yeah.” Leo reached over and grabbed Raphael’s hand in a tight clasp with an understanding look in his eyes as he nodded.

“Try closing your eyes and imagine our Father.”

“Okay.”

“Alright…” Leo took a deep breath in. “He looks nothing like that. At all. Whatsoever!”

“Grr,” Raphael growled as his eyes flew open and glared at his brother. “Leo!”

“I’m sorry,” Leo chuckled, not letting go of his brother’s hand. “I just wanted to—”

“I know, ya don’t gotta say it. Okay, so seriously… what’s he look like?”

“Well, they are both humans mutated as a rat and both have similar fashion choices, wearing maroon-colored robes and all. But that’s about where the similarities end really.”

“Okay…”

“Our father was six-two and he’s about half his height.”

“Wait, seriously?” he exclaimed.

“Yeah. He’s a lot more… laidback. Very casual.”

“Explains why you and Leon are so different.”

“How so?” Leo tilted his head questioningly.

“Never mind, tell me about the counterparts for our brothers.”

“Imagine our Donnie and Mikey…”

“Leo!” the brawler growled warningly.

“No, I’m serious this time! Physically, they basically resemble our own except a few inches smaller and Don resembles Leon as far as body build.”

“Here I was imagining an evil mad scientist cackling in his lab with his crazy assistant staring at us weird.”

“That… might not be too off the mark, honestly.”

“Ya better be messing with me on that one.”

“Don comes off standoffish but… well, he’s kind of like you.”

“How in the world can a Donatello be like a Raphael?”

“Our Donnie did sound a lot like that other Raphael we met…”

“Please don’t remind me, that guy was annoying!”

“Anyway, about Don… he seems a bit distant and sarcastic, but he really does care about his family.”

“I hate him already,” Raphael grinned as Leo bumped his shoulder against him.

“Be nice!” he smiled. “Mike is pretty much like ours, except he can get a bit ominous at the drop of a dime. But overall, he’s like Don and seems fine if you stay on his good side.”

“Does that change at the drop of a dime too?” Leo shrugged in response.

“I’ve only met him once, most of what I’ve heard is through Leon.”

“Great. Finally get to meet our captors.”

“Our captors? I’m the only one who got kidnapped and that was by Leon.” Raphael turned to him, raising an eye ridge.

“Ya forgot about that one breakfast when I got trapped in a device and all of them snatched ya?”

“Oh, that,” Leo glanced away. “It all happened so fast and I was knocked out for most of the day…”

“Fair,” the other nodded. “Hey, Leo, look—”

“We’re here!” Leon announced as he stepped through with Raph right behind him. He almost missed the way Raphael quickly let go of Leo’s hand before crossing his arms.

“Took ya long enough!”

“Ah, I missed you too!” Leon joked as he walked over to the camera on Leo’s dresser and waved. “Bye, little bros! Us big brothers will be back soon!”

“Leo, what are ya doing?”

“They put up a camera so I can say hi when I show up!” he smiled.

“No! Donnie installed cameras all over our lair after ya kidnapped Leo the first time!” Raphael snapped.

“That’s basically what I said,” he chuckled. “Ready to go?”

“Oh, wait! I forgot to ask Raphael something… in private.” He looked over at the two visitors, watching as Raph pulled Leon away.

“Of course, we’ll wait here.” Raph said with a hand over Leon’s mouth to prevent him from protesting while Leo pulled Raphael aside to a corner of the room.

“I almost forgot to ask… do you want to meet their Master Splinter just the two of us? Or even,” he paused, “just the two of you?” Raphael swallowed.

“Nah, I’ll just meet him with the rest of them… get it all done at once.”

“Okay. If you change your mind, just give me a sign and I’ll ask. I’m sure he’d like to meet you. When I met him, he worried he’d be a disappointment to us.”

“Really?” He asked with disbelief, watching his brother nod. “I’m good, bro. But, uh, thanks for asking though.”

“Of course.” Leo felt his arm grabbed as he began to turn and walk back to the other two. He was pulled into a quick hug that ended before he could reciprocate then was pulled along towards their visitors.

“Let’s get this over with,” Raphael stated, masking his curiosity under his typical gruff exterior.

~*~*~*~*~

Leo’s eyes never left Raphael as they walked through the portal as he observed his reactions of not only the other environment but his first time passing through dimensions in this way. He watched as the other squinted as they passed through, then blinked repeatedly as they walked into the bright lair…

Raphael looked around dumbfounded at the stark contrast of his hosts’ home versus his own. He had expected something similar to when they were briefly in another turtle dimension but this was unlike anything he had ever seen, which says a lot considering he had seen outer space. He grimaced at the brief thought before shaking his head and glaring over his shoulder at his only older brother.

“So bright in here, I’m surprised ya didn’t have a seizure. Half expecting a disco ball and strobe lights, please tell me nobody is gonna start playing rave music.” Before Leo could respond, Raph quickly reached over to place a hand on Raphael’s right shoulder and, using his other hand, raised a finger in a shushing gesture in front of his own face.

“Sshh, careful Mini-Me… our Donnie has, uh, unique music tastes.”

“He what?”

“Do you wanna listen to techno? Because that’s how you get DonTron in the groove and then we’re all stuck listening to techno!” Leon exclaimed in a low whisper while throwing his hands up in the air.

“I ain’t here for anything but lunch,” Raphael replied, crossing his arms. He turned as he felt Leo place a calming hand over his bicep.

“I’d like you to take a tour of more than the kitchen, just so I can get your input before we bring our brothers here.”

“Ain’t they visiting us though?”

“Yes…” Leo dragged out. “But eventually we will be bringing them here and—”

“Enough said, I get it.” Raphael shrugged, not wanting to leave Leo alone to deal with whatever thoughts or concerns he wasn’t yet saying. “Yeah, we need to look around before Mikey gets into everything.” He worked a small smile on his face to put the other at ease. “Ya wanting us to stop by that Hidden City place too while we’re here?” Leo shook his head.

“Not yet. In fact, that might be best as a group outing.”

“Why? Ya worried about their home more than outside?” Leo glanced over and saw that Leon and Raph also had questioning looks on their faces.

“No,” Leo held his hands out in a reassuring gesture. “I don’t consider this lair a threat, but it’s more… personal.” He noticed the look of understanding cross the other blue-banded turtle’s face.

“Say no more, Yo Pequeño! I get it.”

“Ya do?” both red-banded brothers asked simultaneously.

“Of course,” Leon smiled as he walked over and casually leaned on Leo, their height difference leaving him to bend down a bit to rest an arm across a shoulder after receiving a glare before he started to do so on top of the smaller turtle’s head. “Going to Hidden City and Alberto Land is not the same as visiting New York City or Coney Island. With one they have nothing to compare it to, with the other they have to deal with how different it is. It’s a lot to wrap one’s mind around.”

“Oh, Raph guesses that makes sense.”

“Of course it makes sense. Come to think of it,” Leon’s eyes widened with realization. “We have no idea what you’ve been going through all this time! The only place I’ve visited was your lair… None of us have even seen your New York or anything—or anyone—outside of turtles in their natural environment.”

“I don’t think sewers are our natural environment, Leo.”

“Not for regular turtles, no—just the ninja mutant kind!”

“You might be getting a bit ahead of yourself there, but I appreciate the understanding,” Leo spoke up. “Raphael’s right, Mikey is going to want to see everything. But also, Donnie is going to be curious about your tech as well as your ninpo abilities. It’s only fair if your brothers have the same interest likewise. The problem is our world is a lot more restrictive than what you all are used to.”

“Meaning ya already thought about all this and more several times over.”

“A ninja should be prepared and expect the unexpected.”

“Leo, did ya expect all this?”

“Did I expect that we may ever meet other dimensional versions of ourselves again? Yes. Although admittedly, I expected it to be an isolated situation concerning handling an end-of-the-world crisis as prior rather than repeated social visits.”

“So basically, no. Ya didn’t expect this whole situation,” Raphael said as he waved a hand around to indicate where they were.

“I may not have anticipated a detail or two…” Leo shrugged with a bit of reluctance.

“Wow, do we sound like this?” Leon asked Raph.

“Of course not,” Raph blew a raspberry jokingly. “Leo uses big words and ya speak Spanish.” Pleased to see even Raphael crack a smile at his jest, he thumbed over his shoulder towards the kitchen. “Come on, guys—we keep Mike waiting for lunch and we’ll be stuck sleeping over at Todd’s puppy farm.”

~*~*~*~*~

Although it was his first time meeting three complete strangers, Raphael could sense that Leo was more nervous than he would show. Recalling how his last visit ended, he understood why and became all the more relieved that his family decided against reviewing the footage. It wasn’t that they didn’t care what happened nor did they want to just pretend it hadn’t happened—and if Leo had asked them to watch it, they would have. But when he talked with his younger brothers, he could see the pain he felt in their eyes… so they asked the eldest if he wanted them to know.

”I only want to know what each of you decide individually. I can’t fault you for feeling the need to be aware of what occurred, especially considering I was in an unknown location with individuals you have never met… I cannot expect you to three to blindly trust they did not intentionally harm me, so I accept you may need that reassurance.”

That was definitely Leo speak for, he’d rather not but he wouldn’t stop them. After the eldest said that, Donnie nodded to both his younger and older brother before attaching the flash drive to his laptop and reformatting the information, erasing it from their dimension’s existence. They knew immediately it was the right choice when they looked up and saw the relieved look on their leader’s face.

Without a word, Raphael simply placed his left hand on Leo’s right shoulder as they approached the entryway to the kitchen.

This world was so bright and colorful. How could they still be underground and not feel so dark? Was this part of their magic or whatever it was, did the world just glow in a supernatural way? He really didn’t care to understand the science behind it, that was Donnie’s department. Heck, he didn’t even care to be in the same room when the other middle child started excitedly babbling with Mr O’Neil when they visited April or get into debates with Dr Rockwell when they visited the Mutanimals. Not that he had been subjected to either for a while, but nor did he want to again since—as far as he was concerned—he had suffered enough science in one lifetime.

He had only a moment to realize that while he had heard a couple of details about Casey, nothing had been said about this universe’s version of April. He groaned, wondering if it was possible to not meet her and avoid any awkward interactions so his little brother wouldn’t be reminded of his former crush. He refrained from sighing, no longer surprised why his brother always slept when he returned home. Being in this dimension gave him a lot to think about, it was exhausting and he was pretty sure a nap was in his future.

“Smells good, Mikey!” Raph greeted before turning to gesture to the two smaller turtles behind him with his big toothy smile. “Of course ya both remember Little Leo, now ya get to meet Mini Me!”

“Hey, guys… thanks for inviting me back and letting Raphael join too.” Leo reached up and removed the hand on his shoulder to hold in his own, grateful when his brother squeezed back in support. For a moment the six turtles looked at each other quietly, the younger two obviously assessing the very different version of their eldest brother who stared back at them unflinching.

“Of course you were invited back, you are welcome here anytime!” Raphael’s head snapped over to look towards the sound of the voice that spoke, recognizing it was not from the other two by the table. It sounded familiar enough to cause a pit to form in the bottom of his stomach and although he was already on guard for something to happen, he started to feel even more on edge.

He watched as Leo politely bowed and, even though he knew to expect a very different Splinter, he could not completely mask his surprise at the rodent who walked up behind them. He felt his brother nudge him and, while appreciative to be redirected, he grunted before offering a brief casual bow.

“I told you, Little Blue… You are not in a dojo, you are in my home. Did you only bring one of your brothers today?” Splinter greeted Leo before smiling at Raphael.

“Hai. I mean, yes, sir.” Leo straightened and gently squeezed Raphael’s hand this time. “This is my brother, Raphael.”

“It is wonderful to meet you,” Splinter reached out to shake his hand which Raphael hesitated only a moment before doing so with his free right hand.

“Hey.”

“Strong silent type I see!”

“Hey, that’s what Raph said!” the alligator snapping turtle smiled.

“Raphael, I said this to your brother but I will say to you as well… I apologize for my son. No doubt Blue has caused you frustration by disrupting your life.”

“Blue?” Raphael arched an eye ridge at both Leonardos. “Oh, Leon… Yeah, he’s been a pain in our shells.” He slipped his hand away and crossed his arms. “I don’t blame ya for that. Or Raph, he’s fine.”

“Nardo does make being annoying a personality trait,” Don nodded.

“Leo tends to be a bit attention-seeking.” Mike acted like he was whispering but stated loud enough for everyone to hear.

“I’m right here!” Leon exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

“A good leader brings a group together and it seems,” Leo grinned teasingly, “we have a general consensus.” Now it was Leon’s turn to cross his arms as he tried to ignore several amused snorts, including from both red-banded brothers.

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

(1) Some readers were concerned about the flash drive containing evidence of Leo’s relapse in Chapter 23 so I made sure to explain what ended up happening with that.

(2) Just as with Chapter 22, I decided to have Raphael react instinctively since Rise Splinter has the same voice actor as 2012 Tiger Claw. Shout out again to MyEver_Growing_BookSearch who pointed out this detail back in Chapter 8.

(3) Per last chapter, I welcome comments for suggestions about what other games to use that weren’t featured in the show in the “Lair Games” episode!
Also, the turtles will be discussing about competing individually or in teams so I’m curious as to what everyone thinks about that aspect also. This storyline arc snuck up on me so I admit I don’t have a lot of it planned out but definitely don’t want to disappoint!

Chapter 30: “Don translation: no” or… I felt that I was nothing without my brothers.

“I hope my dumb-dumb brothers informed you about the necessary exams which are required for every visit and explicitly consented to whenever you agree to travel between dimensions by stepping through any of the portals my Leonardo creates.”

“Leo told me. Our Donatello is doing the same thing, can’t ya just compare notes?”

“Perhaps in the future when we are able to collaborate, I may consider it.”

“Don translation: no,” Leon stated as he took a bite of his food.

“I don’t speak geek but I recognized that,” Raphael sighed and turned to Leo. “So we gotta get poked twice every time we come here?”

“Better safe than sorry,” he shrugged.

“I’m already sorry,” he muttered.

“Is the food okay?” Mike interjected. He looked at their guest with familiar wide puppy eyes he had seen far too often on his own baby brother.

“Yeah, it’s good. Thanks.” He paused before considering his question. “Ya have chicken parmesan for lunch often?” Hearing his unspoken question, Leo grinned at Mike.

“I might have asked your brother about some of the things you like and based on what he told me, they might have been the same as my own Raph prefers,” the youngest smiled slyly.

“Oh?” Raphael looked over at Raph who was also smiling. “Cool.”

“Ya should see how hard Mini Me pummels a punching bag, it’s crazy!”

“Oh yeah?” Mike asked excitedly.

“Yup, don’t know what it is with you little guys packing a big punch but man it’s something to see him go at it!” Raph turned to Raphael, “Mikey here is crazy strong too! Bad guys never see it coming,” he laughed. The smaller counterpart nodded as he took another bite.

“Speaking of Michelangelos… he’s pretty excited for all of us to finally meet. Leon promised him within the next week we can invite you over for lunch, depending on your schedules.”

“I’ll review during your exit exams and see if I can find the time for us to coordinate within those constraints,” Don stated flippantly while Mike looked at him confused.

“I thought you said we have nothing planned the rest of the—”

“Tsk tsk, my obligations are fluid and thus my schedule is ever changing,” Don insisted over Mike’s protests. “As I said, I will see what accommodations I can make for the sake of both teams.”

“So kind of you,” Leon smiled sarcastically at the genius. Before the softshell could reply, Splinter spoke up.

“Schedules indeed… I still can’t believe I missed my chance to send you boys to the Yokai high school! All that wasted time I could have had some peace and quiet!” Although they picked up the subtle teasing tone, Leo and Raphael exchanged glances as if they each knew what the other was thinking.

“Hey, hey! What was that you two just did?” Leon exclaimed.

“What?”

“We didn’t do anything!” Leo insisted, perplexed.

“Are ya able to ninja mind meld too?” Raph asked.

“Ninja mind meld? That sounds like something from Leo’s Space Dor—er, Heroes show.”

“Is that a special ability your ninpo gives you?”

“Nah, we, uh, had some intensive ninjitsu training from Pops when Leo and I picked it up.”

“Really?” both the visitors exclaimed.

“Yeah, special connection and all,” Leon smiled, stretching his arms out behind him and above his head. “It’s been a life saver too!”

“I bet,” Leo murmured, impressed.

“Especially when we run out of toilet paper.”

“LEO!” Raphael facepalmed and Leo’s expression fell into disapproval. Mike, Don, and Splinter all snickered.

“Yeah, never mind… that sounds dangerous,” Raphael shook his head. “Wouldn’t want Fearless to start dropping f-bombs,” he laughed.

“Who?”

“No one,” Leo rushed. “That sounds like a useful ability in battle. Is it something you would be able to teach us?” he asked Splinter.

“Seriously, Leo? Ya don’t want to read my mind, trust me.”

“It doesn’t work like that. There’s like a, thing… ya gotta agree to it. Like a door, not a window?”

“Yeah, like… You gotta make the connection and both open the channel for communication. It’s not like, one of us can listen in or spy on the other.”

“Is this something all of you can do or just you two?” Leo asked, glancing around the table.

“Even if I did harness that power, I would never admit it so as to avoid being requested to consent being of one mind with Leo,” Don deadpanned.

“Don translation: no, he can’t,” Leon gloated before taking another bite of his food.

“Leo translation: he’s jealous because Mikey has an additional ability compared to the rest of us.” The smile fell off Leon’s face as he set his fork down.

“Is… there something wrong with having an extra power?” Leo asked cautiously before he caught Raph glaring at Don.

“I… I’m sorry, Leo… Mikey… Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” Don looked apologetic before glancing away and nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

“Thanks, Donnie, but really, it’s okay… we all have our own unique abilities that make us each special in our own way,” Mike rattled off routinely while giving a nervous smile.

“You don’t have to answer my question. Forget I asked.”

“No, it’s okay. I don’t mind, if Leo doesn’t…” the youngest said looking towards his older brother. When Leon shrugged he moved his hands in his lap, glancing down at the table. “It’s just… we all can use random objects to form weaponry and then we all have something only we can do…”

“Like what?” Raphael asked before he caught himself. He heard his counterpart sigh next to him.

“Raph has some sort of, self replication. I can make clones of myself, like copies outta energy. Leo, he does his sword teleportation thing ya already know about. Donnie is able to do more stuff with his machines, like creating new things or improving his inventions. And Mikey,” he gave a small smile to his baby brother, “he creates this crazy chain that just, can come outta nowhere and go on forever it seems. It’s wild to see.”

“Makes it easy to hang a piñata for parties,” the orange turtle joked. The room already took on a somber tone and no one laughed even though his family looked at him endearingly for the lighthearted effort.

“He can also open gateways in space and time,” Don added.

“WHAT?” both visitors exclaimed. Leo collected himself first and cleared his throat.

“That sounds extremely powerful, even more than Leon’s transporting through dimensions!”

“Yeah, it is,” Leon spoke quietly with a heavy tone. “It’s also extremely dangerous and he is never to use it again!”

“But I’m okay now, Leo! Besides, look how much your abilities have improved! If you just let me practice a little bit, I could get better at it so if we ever have to—”

“No, Mikey!”

“Just in case—”

“Leo said no and Raph says no too!” The eldest set his fork down and looked at both younger brothers. “Pops agrees with us, it’s too dangerous!”

“Orange, please listen to your brothers.”

“Brothers, of which I am one and I just need more time but I am confident that Mikey will eventually be able to safely harness this ability!” Don asserted.

“IF that time comes, then we can discuss the matter then. But not until then,” Leon growled.

“Shit,” Raphael muttered.

“Really, Raph? Really?” Leo hissed. “Language!” His brother resumed eating as if he hadn’t heard him, suddenly focused on cutting the rest of his meal into bite-sized portions. The table stayed quiet until he spoke up again.

“I get it, Michelangelo. I don’t have fantastic powers like you, but that never stopped me from doing everything I could to save those I care about. Or even a world that doesn’t know I exist and, if it did, would be apathetic at best and loathsome at worse…”

He turned from the youngest to the second youngest. “Donatello, my Donnie is eager to learn whatever you can tell him about your ninpo and I don’t doubt between the two of you that you can figure out anything. I also know that if there is one thing a particular turtle genius does more than pushing the limits of his knowledge, it’s looking out for his only little brother and keeping him safe.”

Leo then glanced at Raphael before looking at Leon and Raph, “but what I understand most is being both the eldest and leading your brothers as a team, entrusted with not just their safety but their very lives. I used to never think twice about sacrificing myself to protect them and it took a lot of tough love before I realized that there is more to life than just existing. As much as I felt that I was nothing without my brothers, they love me too and need me to take care of myself in order to take care of them.”

Leo noticed how Mike had scooted closer to Don, neither of them hiding the fact they had started to cry. Leon, sitting on the other side of the end where Don was sitting, also scooted closer to his younger brothers just as Raph got up and stood behind to embrace all three in a hug.

He then noticed Splinter—sitting across from his Raphael—gesture at them to discreetly follow him. He guided his brother and, with the silent stealth of a ninja, they left the kitchen. Once in Splinter’s room he turned to the two guests.

“Thank you both for your understanding. It’s been a while since that discussion was brought up and they will need some time to apologize to each other. I hope you don’t mind waiting on them with this old man.” Leo shook his head before glancing at Raphael who shifted his gaze around the room before his sights set on a familiar image.

“Ya gave him the photo Mikey sent?”

“Your brother only offered to show it to me, I requested to keep it.”

“Ya haven’t even met us and ya got a picture of us in ya room?” The younger of the two turtles squinted, almost in disbelief. “Why?”

“Because, Raphael, I feel as if I already know you and your brothers through Leonardo. But before I even met him, I already felt as if I knew him through my own sons. Although I look forward to meeting your younger brothers, I am glad I had the chance to meet you both separately first.”

“I understand Leo, but why me?”

“Because I’ve often wondered about my choices with Red and Blue. Was I right to assign the role of leader to the oldest or should I have shared the burden between the two? Was it best to make the one with leadership qualities wait so that he was forced to learn how to support others and listen to his team?”

“Wait… you considered making Leon the leader from the beginning?” Leo asked incredulously.

“I did.”

“So why didn’t you?”

“Come, sit,” Splinter indicated to the mat on one side of his tea table for the two. He turned on a portable tea kettle as he sat and began preparing three cups. “When they were younger, Red struggled to control his temper. This is a difficult thing for anyone, but it was made worse by his larger size. He would get so frustrated how difficult it was to navigate spaces compared to his brothers. Blue, however, focused on the others more than himself to the point he would take the blame for his brothers.”

“That sounds more like us than them,” Raphael admitted quietly.

“Both deal with self-doubt in different ways. Giving Red responsibility for his brothers taught him to focus on their well-being outside of his own feelings. Meanwhile, relieving Blue of that same responsibility prevented him from taking on fault that was not his own. Red was fiercely protective and kept them all safe but became a gentle giant because Blue helped him to manage his anger while also learning to entertain Purple and Orange. The younger two, they balance each other out so that they are neither too serious or too silly. But it is the older two who not only balance each other out but shield the younger brothers so that they can fully explore their creativity and expand their individuality.”

“That last part sounds like what Raphael and I try to do for our Donnie and Mikey…” Leo nodded as Splinter began filling the three cups.

“I found my sons just as I lost everything in life. I wish I had the energy to have been more involved, but I never once turned them away if they sought me out for company or comfort. At times it almost felt like I wasn’t needed as they were so close with each other, but I had to remind myself that was untrue. My happiest memories are the ones in which I was able to read stories and bake cookies, but I also cherish the ones in which I was unable to leave my room and they came to visit me instead.” He lifted his cup and blew at the rising steam to cool off the hot tea. “Imagine how delightful it is for me to relive a similar moment as I now get to spend time with two more young turtles not unlike my own sons. Although I wasn’t always physically present, I tried to be emotionally available.” He set his cup down, sadly repeating. “Tried.”

“That’s the opposite of our Father…” Raphael muttered as he lifted his cup but only gently tilted it around and watched the liquid swirl.

“I suppose that is accurate,” Leo affirmed. “Our Splinter was physically present but… not as emotionally available.”

“I know it ain’t easy for a mutant rat to get family photos, but we all drew a lot of pictures hoping he’d hang it up like the one he kept in his room. But none of our family portraits was ever worth a place on the mantle next to his human family.” Leo’s head jerked up just as he was about to sip from his own cup.

“You thought that too?” he asked in surprise as Raphael shrugged.

“I didn’t think ya even noticed.”

“How could I not?”

“Ya didn’t draw much like we did.”

“I’m not as artistic as you three. Besides, I focused on what he wanted us to do which was mostly practice ninjitsu.”

“That’s why ya the best at it.”

“You’re great at both though,” Leo stated with a slight note of jealousy.

“More importantly,” Splinter interrupted, “you both are good brothers. Any father would be proud to call you two his sons.”

~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 31: “Mother Hen” or… Very vigilant oldest brother with lots of experience.

“Two turtles delivered, safe and sound!” Leon announced mutedly.

“Thanks, Leon. I, uh, hope—oh!” Leo stopped as Leon pulled him into a quick hug before releasing him.

“Thanks. For all of what you said at lunch. Meant a lot and gave us a bit to talk about.” He turned to Raphael. “Sorry if any of that was awkward for you.”

“Nah, it was fine. Ya, uh, ya talked it out and all.”

“Everything go okay with Splinter?”

“Yeah,” Raphael crossed his arms. “Ya dad, he’s cool.”

“Thanks,” Leon smiled sincerely. “That’ll mean a lot to him. Crazy… we grew up watching his movies and had no idea he was a famous star. He was always just, our dad. It’s like, the more we learn about him, the cooler he gets!”

“We appreciate you sharing him with us,” Leo said with a slight bow.

“Hey, don’t get all formal sensei on me! We’re like fam—uh, friends, now,” he paused uncertainly. “Right?”

“According to your father, yes.” Leo nodded but Raphael didn’t say anything—good or bad.

“Cool… Well, stop by tomorrow and check on Mikey’s room?” he joked.

“Sounds good. Lunch?”

“Sure. Bring Raph?”

“Of course!”

“Adios, amigos! Leon waved as he exited through the new portal.

“Finally,” Raphael exhaled.

“Sorry.”

“For what?”

“If you didn’t have a good visit.”

“It’s not that, just tired. I can see why ya always get some sleep when ya get back.” Leo nodded before rubbing the back of his neck. “What did you think?”

“It was weird. Nothing at all like the other dimension we visited.”

“I know. I mean the circumstances were different…”

“Still, the environment felt… I dunno how to describe it,” he shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Don’t worry about what?”

“Ya know, what ya asked before we left. Weird it worked out like it did but, it was… interesting.”

“It was. I have a feeling much of what Splinter told us even Leon and his brothers don’t know.”

“Ya thought that too, huh.” Raphael walked over to his bed and pulled back the sheets. “Climb in.”

“We need to check in with Donnie first.”

“Ain’t got it in me. I’ll text him and let him know we’re back unless ya wanna head down to the lab, but I’m taking a nap first.” Leo paused and considered the offer, knowing how tired he also felt. Without a word he removed his sheathed swords and walked past his brother to climb under the covers.

“You know I’m not going to get kidnapped to another dimension anymore, right?”

“Ya don’t know that. Who knows what other Leonardos are out there looking for the biggest mother hen of ya kind.”

“I am not a mother hen!”

“Sure ya are.”

“I’m just…” he paused to think. “A very vigilant oldest brother!”

“Who finds himself having random tea parties with little girls, going back in time and cradling our older sister as she tugs on ya mask tails, and somehow manages to befriend an obnoxious pug prince. Don’t get me started on how ya eyes lit up when we found Lil' Mikey, ya barely would let go of him!”

“A very vigilant oldest brother… with a lot of experience.”

“Get some rest, Fearless,” Raphael smiled. “I’ll let the guys know we’ll check in before dinner.”

~*~*~*~*~

“Hm?” Donnie heard his T-phone vibrate and checked the message he just received. “Dang it!”

“What’s up, D?”

“Raph and Leo are back, but he says they’re tired and need a nap first.”

“So now it’s not just Leo who’s tired after getting back from the other dimension…”

“True. I just really wish they’d stay awake long enough for me to assess them first.”

“Can’t we do some of that while they’re asleep?”

“Hm… Technically yes, I’d just prefer to do it all at once.”

“Maybe you should do what you can now and since they won’t know any better, do the entire thing after they wake up?” Donnie turned to look at Mikey with surprise.

“Mikey, that’s a good idea! I mean, there may be no discrepancies, but it wouldn’t hurt to have an additional data point...”

“For science and all,” Mikey grinned.

“Exactly,” Donnie smiled, playfully nudging his little brother on the head.

~*~*~*~*~

“Everything go okay?”

“Yeah, they seemed pretty chill about the whole thing.”

“That’s good. Ya said Leo was worried about Mini Me meeting Pops?”

“He was but Raphael actually called Dad cool.”

“Told ya, Leo… he’s gonna be alright. All of them are.”

“One day, maybe. Just not today. Not yet, anyway.”

“Ya worrying too much. Come on, follow Raph.”

“Where are we going?”

“Movie night sleepover. April and the Caseys will be by later.”

“When are we going to tell them?” Leon asked, following Raph to the common area.

“Ya sure ya wanna?”

“Honestly, I haven’t thought much about it.”

“So why bother worrying about it right now?”

“I mean, I don’t think this is ending any time soon so eventually we will have to.”

“Technically,” Don spoke up, overhearing their conversation as they walked in and already surmising the topic of discussion. “We don’t have to. But if April were to find out we were keeping such a secret from her, she would cause us—and by us, I mean you—bodily harm before burdening me with unwarranted guilt for failing to inform her of the family gossip as it is. Therefore, it would be in our best interest to do so eventually.”

“That is literally what I said in not so many blah-blah everything-is-all-about-Donnie words!” Leon exclaimed.

“That’s not fair, Leo,” Mike reprimanded. “Donnie was concerned about April kicking your shell.”

“Not so much concerned as simply relaying a matter of information,” Don clarified.

“Guys! We can worry about April and the Caseys later—and anyone else for that matter. Let’s focus on our counterparts first.”

“Turtles first,” Leon nodded. He startled as he heard someone clear their throat.

“And the coolest superhero father ever!” Leon corrected with a grin, nodding towards Splinter.

~*~*~*~*~

“Thanks for helping me with my room, D.”

“For the record, I’m not helping you clean. We’re just…” he looked around the disorderly space as he held open a trash bag. “Clearing out the refuse. You still need to organize your stuff and actually clean the room, like dusting off the shelves and such.” To emphasize his point, he reached over and ran a digit along a shelf before showing the accumulated dirt on his fingertip.

“I don’t try to be lazy or gross. I just… I dunno, forget? I know that sounds dumb since the mess is right here in front of me.”

“Mikey, you have ADHD. You get distracted like anyone else, but easier and more often than others. Everyone walks away from something that they have to remember and go back for, you just have to deal with it on a regular basis.”

“I don’t see the rest of you doing that.”

“We might be less obvious, but…” he raised an eye ridge. “If you stop and think about it, you’ll know that’s not true.” Mikey paused and stuck out his tongue in thought.

“Your coffee mugs? Dude, those don’t count.”

“They absolutely do. Why shouldn’t they?”

“Because, dude, you have to work harder to not think than most people do to think! Your brain has more important things to worry about than empty cups.”

“Problem is, they aren’t always empty. I forget where I set them because I’m so preoccupied with my train of thought that I just go into autopilot and get a fresh one. At least most of your mess is contained to your own room.”

“Okay, it is kind of funny to watch the Donnie trail of where you’ve been all day,” he laughed.

“I’m sure Leo doesn’t think so. He just doesn’t complain as long as I’m using a coaster.”

“And Raph doesn’t complain as long as the coaster isn’t one of his magazines,” he grinned. Donnie smiled in return before glancing at the clock then checking the time on his T-Phone.

“I’ll bring you a new battery for your clock later. When are you starting dinner?” The youngest looked over at the tallest’s device and paused.

“Still got an hour, why?”

“I suppose I can help you sort out your action figures before you organize them back on display...” The genius knew he made the right choice in offering when he saw Mikey’s eyes light up.

“You’re the best, D!” he exclaimed with a hug.

~*~*~*~*~

“We are better off keeping a low profile. We find people treat us better when they don't know we exist."

“With the world at stake, the only thing of importance is that you complete your mission no matter what you have to sacrifice. Or who.”

“There's nowhere for you to run, mutants. All of you will die here!”
Get away from my brother!

“You are beneath me, turtle.”
Give me back my family, freak!

Darkness… pain… cold… so cold…
Rain? Arrows are raining down around him.
No, not rain…
Snow? Snowflakes hit his scales, the cold ice melting against the bruises warming his skin.
No, not snow…
Leo?
Ice? A planet where his world grew even colder than before…
Leo!
No, the brightness is gone. It’s dark again. An explosion?
Yes… Space. Outer space. Drifting… Cold, so cold… Can’t… Can’t breathe…
Leonardo!

Pain… left bicep… hurts… so sore…
Darkness… No… shadows…
Must. PROTECT!
Keep. SAFE!
Brothers.
No…
From brothers?
Fearless!
No! Raph… right arm…
Donnie… left neck…
Mikey…. Help…
Failed…
Fatal.
Pull yourself together!

Leo woke up, rubbing his sore cheek as he looked up to see Raphael sitting above him and staring.

“Did you just slap me?”

“Ya wouldn’t wake up. Are ya having nightmares again?”

“First one in a while…” Raphael scooted over so Leo could sit up. He glanced over to the bottle of pills on the bedside table.

“Ya been taking those okay?”

“Donnie wouldn’t let me leave until he made sure I remembered today.” The younger nodded.

“You, uh, wanna talk about it?”

“Not particularly,” Leo responded as he reached for his bottle of water and started drinking. Seeing the disappointment in his brother’s eyes, he sighed.

“The usual, reliving some of close calls. Battling Kraang Prime, Shredder, outer space and...” he paused before taking a deep breath. “The wasp.”

“The wasp? Ya mean the one with the egg?” Raph shuddered as the older turtle nodded. “That’s new.”

“No, it isn’t. I failed you all then too. Of all the ways the humans above almost died under my watch, it seems the silliest. But I was no help at all! If Donnie hadn’t told Mikey what to do and if Mikey wasn’t able to finish in time before we turned him…”

“If ya gonna blame yourself, then blame me too. I was no help either then.”

“I was the one who got stung—”

“Because Mikey didn’t follow ya plan!”

“Still, I got stung and I…” He looked away embarrassed. “I was the one who bit you, but at least you put up a fight first.”

“Leo,” Raphael sighed. “Look, I remember what it was like being hypnotized or whatever it was that virus did to us. Shoot, you dealt with the wasp the longest but I… I’ve dealt with that shit multiple times.”

“Raph…”

“The brain worm, the vampire bat… it’s like, worse than any temper tantrum I’ve ever felt because not only do I feel out of control, I’m actually really out of control. Worse, I’m under someone else’s control. That’s fucked up! I’d rather blame myself because I know I won’t take it too far. Well, usually,” he said with an embarrassed look. “So if ya wanna blame anyone for the parasite wasp, ya blame the Kraang for mutating it to nightmare size. I mean, yeah, I wasn’t a fan of Spy Roach but he wasn’t out to harm anyone but me and that was only ‘cause I freaked out and tried to kill him first.”

“Sorry I had to use you as bait for that.”

“Eh, I deserved it. Besides, ya didn’t have many other options. Not like ya were gonna let me get hurt anyway.” Leo shook his head.

“Absolutely not.”

“Ya didn’t even lecture me as much as ya could have for messing up that mission so much.”

“We all know how you feel about bugs, that wouldn’t have been fair. I was more frustrated going against Spider Bytz honestly.”

“Yeah I know, ninja fail getting caught on tape and all.”

“Well that but mostly, you almost got hit by a van. Twice!”

“Wait, ya more upset I wasn’t paying attention and almost got hit than the fact we got recorded on camera?”

“If we got exposed, at least we’d deal with it together. If you got… hurt… I don’t know what I’d do without you… I’d rather deal with a bigger problem than lose one of my brothers.”

“Speaking of brothers, it’s about dinner time and ya know we’re gonna get a hundred and one questions about our visit today.”

“Do… you want to talk about it first?”

“Not particularly.” He looked surprised when Leo handed him his bottle of water and, after hesitating a moment, shrugged before deciding to drink the rest to finish it off. He then got up and holstered his sais before nodding towards the door, leading the way to the laboratory.

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

(1) If there is any confusion, during Leo’s dream the bold text is Raphael trying to wake him up, italics are quotes from the 2012 series, and if you don’t recognize the references just ask!

(2) This is the end of the 13th day since Leon showed up in the 2012 universe.

Chapter 32: “Flashy Blue Face” or… That’s what brothers are for.

“Alright, team, we need to be prepared so I’ve laid out some plans—”

“Whoa, whoa! Are ya serious?”

“Dude, we’re expecting company not infiltrating a Kraang base!”

“Top rule: Do NOT mention Kraang!” Leo admonished.

“We know already, geesh! Even if we didn’t see what happened to, ya know, Raph,” Raphael looked a little awkward mentioning his counterpart. “Ya have it drilled in our heads!”

“Yeah, ixynay on the Aangkray! We get it!”

“I’ve also repeated myself multiple times that ninjas are to be silent and yet,” the leader rolled up the large paper that was on the table. “That remains a lesson you all need to be reminded of!”

“We don’t forget, we just don’t care,” the brawler shrugged with a smirk earning a glare.

“Donnie, help me out here!”

“Sorry, Leo. As much as I respect your willingness to be prepared, even I didn’t create an entire flowchart until after I had already met and known April for a while. In this situation, I don’t really think such detailed plans are necessary.”

“It’s not even detailed!” Leo defended, unrolling the paper. “See? It’s not like I have an itinerary or anything, just a list of what is important to remember when they arrive as well as some ideas in case there is a lull in engagement to avoid boredom.”

“Lemme see that,” Raphael snatched the page out of Leo’s hand before he spoke. He skimmed over the list before gasping. “WHAT? ‘Chris Bradford's 2 Ruff Krew’? Are ya kidding?”

“Wait, what?” Leo grabbed the paper back and, recognizing the handwriting, glared at the youngest. “MIKEY! When did you get ahold of my notes and write on them?”

“Haha,” the orange-banded ninja folded his arms behind his head and leaned back. “You’re so predictable, big bro… I keep telling you, go with the flow!” With that he grinned then, glancing at Donnie, reached up for a high-three which the other one reciprocated.

“Donnie, please don’t encourage him,” the eldest sighed.

“Sorry, but with Mikey as my only younger brother it is my obligation to encourage him to antagonize the two of you instead of me,” Donnie grinned.

“Don’t think I didn’t see ya Space Dorks show on that list,” Raphael pointed at Leo. “Save it for bad movie night if ya trying to make a good impression.” He crossed his arms with a teasing smile.

“Fine!” Leo set the paper down and rested both hands on the table, taking a slow inhale as he looked down with his eyes closed. He then looked up at all three of his brothers. “Okay, so when they arrive we can give them a tour of the lair—common areas only,” he emphasized.

“No way!” Mikey objected. “I am totally showing the other Michelangelo my room and all my cool stuff!”

“You can’t really expect me to keep another Donatello out of my lab, especially when we have a lot of things to discuss about our different dimensions.”

“Besides, it’s kinda hypocritical considering our counterparts have already been in our bedrooms before. It ain’t a big deal, Leo,” Raphael pointed out. The leader looked around the table and thought for a few moments before nodding.

“I suppose you all are right and make fair points. Okay,” he grabbed the paper and balled it up before tossing it over his shoulder. “I guess we’re all predictable enough it shouldn’t be too chaotic…”

~*~*~*~*~

“Alright, boys! Feast your eyes, here’s what’s on the menu!” Leon exclaimed, unraveling a large paper on the kitchen table that his brothers were sitting around.

“Hey, this ain’t a menu!” Raph said in disappointment.

“What is this?” Mike inquired.

“Are you detailing an outline of all of us meeting our counterparts, he asked with complete disdain being treated like a small child on a play date.” Don crossed his arms and glared.

“Leo, seriously? Is this new or have ya been doing this all along?”

“Tut tut tut, pish posh…” Leon placed a finger across Raph’s lips. “I am the leader and this is my, leader-makes-the-plans job!” The eldest glared at him, only receiving a sly smirk in response before continuing.

“Pending today’s lunch visit, Raph and I will coordinate with the other team when all four of us can visit their lair. It’s possible this could be as soon as tomorrow if—” He was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat and glared back at Don before glancing at a corner of the page. “Thanks to Donnie for so graciously making accommodations in his schedule so that we could all share in this opportunity…” he recited in a monotone voice. Looking over at the softshell turtle, he wore a satisfied smile so he resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“As I was saying… our future hosts are looking forward to entertaining us as their guests so pending one stipulation that we will confirm has been met during today’s lunch visit, we will arrange that Mikey and Donnie join us for, the, first, time, ever!” Leon threw his hands up in the air excitedly, wearing a huge grin after emphasizing the last five words.

“What is the stipulation? I don’t recall you mentioning any criteria needing to be met,” Don asked, raising a drawn eyebrow while placing a hand on the table.

“It’s on their end, not ours,” Leon cleared his throat. “Apparently our Mikey is being used as leverage to get their Mikey to clean his room.”

“Wow… I feel so important!” the youngest grinned, hugging himself before he suddenly froze. “Wait a second… do I have to clean up my room before they all come here?”

“No.”
“Yes!”

Leon and Raph’s conflicting answers confused their brothers.

“Come on, Raph, if we have to force Mikey to clean his room they’ll never make it here!”

“Hey! My room isn’t that bad!”

“Leo, ya seen their lair! It’s so clean and tidy, it makes our home look like a disaster!”

“Our common areas could do with a bit better organization…” Don conceded.

“It’s not a disaster, it’s lived in and well loved!” Mike protested.

“Not helping, Mikester. Cleanliness next to godliness and all that…”

“I know that ain’t another Shakespeare quote,” Raph laughed.

“Okay, so I admit the place could bear to be cleaned up a bit,” Leon looked around, eyes set on the stack of pizza boxes left over from movie night with April and the Caseys. “So what about a compromise? Deep cleaning of the shared areas and maybe some light cleaning of each of our bedrooms?”

“I noticed how you didn’t bother to mention my lab which is neither a shared area or a bedroom, however it is also not in need of cleaning as I keep it well cared for in order to be functional.” Don’s statement was succinct but not absent of arrogance.

“Yeah yeah, we’re very proud of you. Although, speaking of your lab…” Leon’s expression shifted to one of hesitancy as he took a deep breath.

“If you’re going to ask me to be mindful of the fact my counterpart’s lab is not of the same caliber as mine, you don’t need to bother. It is obvious he has had a lot to do with a lot less resources, this aside from the fact that they are without ninpo abilities which exponentially improved my capabilities. I won’t reserve judgement, but only because I will have none for anything he may lack.”

A grateful smile crossed the blue-banded turtle’s face, his expression obviously one of relief.

“Thanks for being so understanding, Donnie.” The genius shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.

“Of course I’m understanding, I am a genius after all you dumb-dumb.” The purple-banded turtle couldn’t help but return the slider’s smile.

“So… now that we know when we’re meeting all of our counterparts, does this mean you’ve thought more about when we let our human friends know? What about Draxum? I mean it’s not fair they’ve met one of our dads and not the other.”

“Mikey…” Raph placed a hand gently on the youngest’s arm.

“What about him? They don’t have a Draxum in their universe as far as anyone knows.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re still mad about the whole building thing!” Mikey stood up, slamming his hands on the table.

“Well duh! But also…” Leon sighed and uncrossed his arms. “Kinda seems uncool we have two dads and they have none, you know?”

“Oh, I hadn’t thought about it like that…” The youngest sat back down. Feeling another comforting pat on his other arm, he nodded appreciatively at Don.

“Let’s look over Leo’s list… it seems that for once he has put a lot of thought into various arrangements and activities, including April and the Caseys,” he pointed out.

“Especially the Lair Games!” Raph exclaimed excitedly.

~*~*~*~*~

“Tomorrow will make two weeks since Leon showed up. Have you two discussed if this will remain just between us turtles or at some point are we going to tell April and Casey too?”

“Of course you’d ask that,” Mikey muttered. Before Donnie could respond, Raphael interrupted.

“I dunno, might be asking for trouble if Casey starts hitting on his girl self since some people,” he shot a judgmental look at Leo. “Don’t seem to be deterred by deceptive kunoichi from the Foot Clan.”

“Really?” Leo shook his head and, deciding to ignore the jab, turned to his tallest brother. “I’ve considered the possibility, but Leon and I haven’t really talked much about it to decide—”

“Oh so you’ll talk to him first before us? We’re your actual family!” Raphael snapped.

“We need to consider if they are even receptive to the idea or willing to coordinate it. Never mind that would be more work for the Donatellos, so more than likely they’ll have the final say.”

“I’m pretty sure I speak for more than myself in saying that there is no problem with additional tracking to provide more data points we can use to study for information,” Donnie commented.

“Why don’t we just make a list of everyone we know and have them do the same so we can compare them? I mean, obviously we aren’t going to do a meet-and-greet for everyone but it would be cool if they have their own Leatherhead or Mondo Gecko!”

“That’s a good idea, Mikey! I’m surprised Leon and I haven’t thought of that before now.” The eldest affectionately patted the youngest on the head with a smile.

“Can we save the kumbaya sharing circle for another time? I’m not ready for another visit full of drama because something or someone bad was brought up.”

“Also a good idea, Raph,” Leo nodded. “Besides, this is something Leon and I can do without bothering the rest of you.”

“It’s not a bother, Leo,” Donnie corrected. “While it is a simple task you can do on your own, remember to let us know if we can somehow help. I would even suggest making different lists of friends and foes as well as people we’ve only met once or infrequently. Might be easier than one long list, even if sorted alphabetically.”

“That makes three for three good ideas,” Leo smiled at his younger brothers. “Thanks, guys, I appreciate your feedback about everything.” After a few moments his smile changed into a frown as he rubbed the back of his neck. “There is something I’d like to check with you all about, for when we visit them. Or possibly any future visits here…”

“Splinter?” Donnie spoke up.

“Yes. Do you guys want to meet him at all? If so, as a group or individually? Or just the two of you since Raph and I already have, just to be fair?”

“I mean, last night Raph said it wasn’t so bad,” Mikey shrugged. “I will if D will.”

“I am curious… I opt for all of us as a group. Maybe even just lunch for all nine of us might be for the best. After that Mikey and I can decide if we want to meet him in a smaller setting.”

“Understood,” Leo nodded. “I suppose that leaves only one question remaining right now… Mikey?”

The question elicited an immediate mood boost and, with a smirk, the youngest stood up. “If you’ll kindly follow me, my dear brothers, let me show you the new and improved ‘Room de la Mike’!”

“Oh brother,” Raphael rolled his eyes.

“Why, yes, yes I am!” he stuck out his tongue and then ran ahead of the others.

~*~*~*~*~

“Funny you should mention that, we were just saying the same thing!”

“I suppose it’s bound to come up in conversation at this point,” Leo nodded.

“Okay but the first person has got to be April or she’ll have our shells!” Raph cringed.

“Ya scared of your April?”

“She’s…” Leon glanced at his brother. “Enthusiastic.”

“Especially with a baseball bat.”

“Gives new meaning to the expression, tough love!”

“Our April has a Tessen, but she’s never used it on us outside of sparring,” Leo glanced at his brother. “Although she did get a really good uppercut on Raphael before.”

“Lucky hit,” the brawler crossed his arms.

“But yes, we should definitely compile names to see who all we have in common. The suggestion was made to have separate lists of who are friends versus foes as well as those we barely know.”

“Ya know… Raph and Mini Me can help too.”

“Thank you!” Raphael exclaimed. “We tried to tell him that it’s not a bother but apparently Leonardos just want to do everything themselves.” Leo glanced at Leon.

“We just want to reduce the risk of anyone… being upset by certain unpleasant memories.” An awkward silence fell between the four and Leo cleared his throat. “I’m not trying to be hypocritical since obviously I was the first one of us eight to have experienced that. In fact, all the more reason I should be the one to do so to avoid it happening to our younger brothers.”

“Well, ya both already know the three worst things that bothers Raph so I should be good to help. I expect that Leon here has already told ya what triggers him and he’s already told me what Mini Me warned him about ya.”

“Wait, you what?”

“Don’t worry about it, Leo. Point is, the four of us are fine to do this.”

“What about you, Raphie?” Raphael angrily glared at Leon.

“What about me is pretty much everything pisses me off, especially you calling me that!” Just as he jumped forward to punch the taller turtle, Leo grabbed Raphael while Raph picked up Leon.

“I’ve asked you not to call him that!” Leo snapped.

“Seriously, Leo?” Raph frowned. “Last warning, next time I’ll let ya get shanked.”

“What? I was just proving a point here!”

“What point? That you have utterly no self-preservation?” Raphael looked at Leo.

“Guess it takes one to know one.”

“What is that supposed to mean? And why are you coming after me when he’s the one you’re mad at?”

“’Cause, Leo! I thought ya two were so different but it pisses me off how much ya ain’t but unlike ya I don’t,” he tried to jerk free and growled. “Argh! Ya don’t even let me hit him!”

“Ya know what…” Raph dropped Leon. “Good point. Have at him!”

“Raph?” Leon asked in surprise, looking up at his older brother.

“Wait, serious—”

“Let him go, Leo. He’s got it coming.” Raphael suddenly yanked free as Leo’s grip loosened as he stood stunned, unfamiliar with someone other than his Sensei having a leader-tone of command to his voice that he often used with his own team. His attention then shifted as Raphael stood over Leon as he panted, angrily kicking his leg aside.

“Eh, feeling’s passed.” He fumed, turning to leave the dojo.

“Wait, Raph!” Leo called out, reaching out to his brother who pulled away before he could be touched.

“Forget it, Leo! Have to see them tomorrow anyway, I need a break from all this.”

“Hey! I’ve got an idea: it’s been two weeks and we’ve not had a single spar between any of us.” He tapped his brother’s plastron with the back of his hand encouragingly. “Why don’t you do the honors, your choice!” He offered a smile, trying to diffuse the other’s temper.

“Why? So he,” he gestured to Leon, “can use his magic powers and destroy the dojo like he’s destroyed our lives?”

“Raph! He hasn’t destroyed our lives. Sure he may have… disrupted things a little bit.” Raphael crossed his arms with a questioning look of disbelief, causing Leo to rush and add. “Or a lot. But it’s not necessarily a bad thing. I mean, it’s been interesting.”

Raph started to turn away and Leo stepped around so that he continued to face him as he spoke. “At least wait for tomorrow to see how Mikey and Donnie react to meeting their counterparts. Besides,” he gestured at the large alligator snapping turtle. “You get along with Raph. So what if my counterpart annoys you? What else is new, right? Like you said, he’s still a Leonardo so of course he’s going to annoy any Raphael he meets.”

“To be fair, he annoys our Donnie a lot too.” Seeing Leon’s face form a pout, Raph swooped the smaller turtle in a hug. “But we still love the bozo anyway, that’s what brothers are for!” Before Raphael could respond, Leon cleared his throat as he struggled to get out of Raph’s arms.

“What’s the matter, Raphie? Need both of our big brothers to stop you from coming at me? Come on, I’m not scared of you!”

“What the—”
“Hell is wrong with ya, Leo?”

“Oh that’s it!” Raphael stormed over the few steps just as Leon broke free in time to land a solid punch straight to his face. The taller terrapin barely staggered back, rubbing his jaw with the back of his hand.

“Aw, that little punch was almost as cute as you!” he teased as the older two stood there with their jaws dropped just moments before Raphael launched himself to tackle Leon. The smaller turtle knocked him down then began landing a flurry of hits and punches. Leo started to move towards the two to separate them but was stopped by an outstretched arm. Looking up, Raph shook his head. So the two watched on, observing how the brawler vented his frustration out on the other through his fists whereas the other deftly blocked the hits to his face with his long arms taking the brunt of the impact.

“He’s… not fighting back,” Leo whispered.

“Ain’t that what ya do sometimes?” Raph responded, their conversation too quiet to be heard over the frustrated grunts and groans from the other two a few feet away. “I wonder if all versions of Leonardos let themselves be a sounding board for Raphaels to unleash on, just helping us deal with our temper.”

“That’s what brothers are for…” Leo murmured, repeating Raph’s words from earlier as he patted him on the shoulder.

“Nah, it shouldn’t be like that. But I figured if my Leo did this for me and I’m the older one, I figured ya did for yours too.”

“I guess it has been a while since my brother’s been able to take out his frustration on someone… He’ll burn through his rage soon.” They watched for a few more minutes before Raphael stepped back, breathing heavily. He glanced at the other two before storming out of the room without a word.

“Well,” Leon stood up a bit shakily, glancing at his arms that were already starting to bruise. “Looks like I better head home to put some ice on this, don’t want to go in your fridge and spoil the surprise of this ice cream cat I heard about.” He chuckled weakly, but his eyes showed his concern. Leo nodded.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“If you want to wait an extra day instead of tomorrow—”

“We’ll be fine,” he waved off, before grabbing his sore arm. “Anywho, we’ll be going now. Ready to go, Raph?”

“Yeah, Leo. Just do ya portal and I’ll grab the ice when we get back.”

“You’re too good to me, Big Daddy.”

“Ya knucklehead,” he softly patted Leon on the head. “Almost thought he was gonna mess up ya Flashy Blue Face,” he teased.

“Nah! You know I have to protect my most valuable asset,” he waved a hand in front of his own face. “Can’t be a good faceman with a black eye! Hey,” he turned back to Leo. “What are you doing standing around here? Go check on your brother, he probably needs some ice for his hands too. You’re right,” he turned back to Raph. “He really does hit hard.” With that he took a deep breath and pulled his Ōdachi to create a portal home.

“Take care, guys. See you tomorrow…” The other two said their goodbyes as well and left. As soon as the portal closed, Leo rushed to the kitchen for some ice and went towards Raphael’s room. His knock wasn’t answered, so he opened the door to see his brother sitting quietly in his room. Without a word, he offered the ice pack and placed it on the hands that were then stretched in front of him. They sat there for a minute before Leo cracked a smile.

“Raph’s right, you know…” Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Raphael glance up at him so he pretended to still be looking aside in thought before turning to face the younger turtle. “Leon did have it coming.”

The two smirked at each other, Raphael letting out a small chuckle.

“Hell yeah he did. I know he antagonized me on purpose so I don’t feel bad neither!”

“Feel better?”

“My knuckles not so much, but the rest of me, yeah.”

“I overheard him tell his Raph how impressed he was how hard you can hit.”

“I was going easy on him,” he smirked.

“No you weren’t.”

“No, I wasn’t,” he laughed.

“If anyone should know how hard you can hit, it’s me,” Leo grinned. “His arms are already starting to bruise.”

“Too bad, so sad.” Leo removed the ice pack and looked closer at Raphael’s hands.

“Let’s go to the bathroom for the first aid kit and get your knuckles treated.” With a gentle nudge he stood up and lead the other out of his room.

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

(1) Raphael tackling and taking out his frustration on Leon was partially inspired by the “Mutant Mayhem” episode in which Raphael was going stir-crazy from the rain when he suddenly took it out on Leonardo the moment he walked into the room. I know I shouldn’t laugh but the fact he did so and meanwhile his brother is just trying to calm him down instead of fighting back is so on par for these two.

(2) Next update after the New Year will include the long-awaited meeting of both Donatellos and MIchelangelos! I hope everyone has been having happy holidays and look forward to our adventures continuing into 2025!

Chapter 33: “Pizza Face” or… This is my excited face.

Summary:

This is it, the moment many of you have been waiting for! It only took two weeks of certified turtle-fied shenanigans that spanned the course of 33 chapters and over 80k words for all four sets of turtle counterparts to meet each other!

Notes:

For fun, I thought I’d share a couple of height guides I found on Tumblr:

(This one was shared by “TMNTmaster1516” via Tumblr.)

(This one I edited from all TMNT iterations created by "HyacinthsTears" via Tumblr.)

“Alright, mis hermanitos… Today is the day, the hour is upon us!” Leon announced with dramatic flair as Mike bounced in place clapping while Don simply rolled his eyes. “Hmm, perhaps we should arrive in order of excitement. That leaves Donnie last in line!” he teased.

“Nardo, this is my excited face,” he crossed his arms. “Of course I am looking forward to meeting someone of my own caliber. In fact, it is only natural that doing so requires them to be my own counterpart,” he bragged with a smirk.

“I’m excited!” Mike waved his arm as if trying to get Leon’s attention. Raph patted him on the head.

“We know, Little Man. We’re excited for ya too!” the eldest smiled.

“Enough with the pompous hype! Can we go already?” Don snapped.

“Patience, Purple.” The four turtles startled at Splinter suddenly appearing behind them unexpectedly. “Boys, I expect you all to be on your best behavior. Wait… your best behavior, but better!”

“Don’t worry, Pops! Raph’ll keep them in line!”

“Yes, that works every single time. No history of trouble here, ever! He said without a hint of sarcasm.”

“One more thing!”

“Yeah?” Leon paused, one hand on his Ōdachi while the other was on his slanted hip.

“Not you, Blue. Purple!”

“Yes, Papa?” the softshell asked hopefully.

“Group picture, all of you! This is a special occasion after all, each of my sons meeting another version of themselves is not an opportunity just anyone experiences. It proves once more how special you all are.” Don’s eyes started to well up with tears before he unexpectedly grabbed his father in a hug.

“You can rest assured that I, your genius son who has the most extensive database and thorough archives, will forever memorialize this moment at your behest!” He stood proudly, giving a short salute before walking back over to Leon and purposefully poked him in the plastron. “Nardo, stop with your dillying AND your dallying! Papa’s photo awaits to be taken as the perfect shot by none other than me!”

“Oh yeah, baby! Let’s get this show on the road!” Mike jumped up, fist pumping high above his head. At that moment Leon felt a heavy weight across his shoulders.

“Look at ya, Leo… ya did this,” Raph whispered. He looked down to see his brother smiling up at him.

“I just hope this goes well… I didn’t expect it to go this far,” he whispered back.

“Well, here we are,” the eldest grinned.

“Yes,” Don cleared his throat. “Here we are. Still. Waiting on you!”

“Come on, Leo!” Mike whined. “We don’t want to be late for lunch, it’s rude and Dad told us to be on out better-than-best behavior!”

“Got it, guys! Vamonos!”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Mikey, are you sure you have everything set up?”

“Of course, bruh! Don’t ever doubt me when it comes to food.”

“I think Leo is more concerned about you pacing a hole in the floor than about lunch being ready,” Donnie suggested.

“Can’t help it, dudes, I’m excited and nervous so much!”

“Sit the hell down before I make ya!”

“Not fair, man! Easy for you to say, you already met your self!” Before Raph could respond, Mikey turned towards a somewhat faint but familiar sound…

“OMIGOSH THEY’RE HERE!” Donnie stood up and walked over to Mikey, gently holding his shoulders in an effort to calm him down. They watched as Raph walked through, waving shyly with a smile. Next to appear was Leon who gave a slight bow with a grandiose wave. Both turned to the portal, Leon gesturing with his arms in a presentation mode just as Mikey turned to Donnie.

“I bet the next one is you, D!” His grin was wide while Donnie only nodded slightly, giving a brief pat to his younger brother’s left shoulder with one hand while subconsciously wiping the palm of his right hand on his leg.

The third turtle to step through was much smaller than the previous two and only had a moment to look around before a blur of green and orange tackled him. Realizing that the counterpart to step forward was Michelangelo instead of Donatello, Mikey ran from Donnie to tackle Mike in an excited hug! As the two rolled away a fourth turtle stepped through the portal which closed shortly after he passed through. He stood there, glancing around and taking in his surroundings… his older brothers standing to his right, his younger brother on the floor being hugged by his counterpart, the counterparts of his older two brothers sitting nearby observing the arrival of their guests, and to his left was who he could safely assume was his own counterpart who was staring back at him before he started to approach.

“Hey there,” he held out his hand and waited for the other to react. “I suppose my first question to you is… What do you prefer to be called by our brothers so they can tell us apart during conversation?”

~*~*~*~*~

The eight turtles sat around two large collapsible tables that had been set up for lunch, covered by what looked more like a bedsheet than an actual tablecloth but something Mikey had done to make it look nicer. In the middle was a variety of pizzas… cheese, meaty, veggie, supreme, Hawaiian, BBQ chicken, and something he said was ‘super supreme’ that looked like it had ingredients from every single pizza included with red sauce as the base and BBQ sauce drizzled all over the top.

Fortunately Mikey’s adventurous palette had stabilized from before. Going from eating only algae and worms to a world of possibilities made his appetite voracious, even when some unfortunate experiences didn’t deter him… such as the time he ate potato chips on the ground to learn they were actual snake scales shed by Karai in her mutant form or the time he got food poisoning and had the strangest dream about the owner of Antoni’s turning into Pizza Face.

It wasn’t until Donatello mentioned his concerns about having an eating disorder did he start to stop and seriously consider what all he was putting into his body. Suddenly big brother Leonardo’s lectures about honoring their bodies with respect to what they put into them made sense. Since he rarely got sick, he hadn’t been thought much about it. But realizing his family was concerned about his food choices possibly catching up to him and having a negative impact motivated him to redirect his habits. It helped to realize that it possibly was in part to being food insecure when they were growing up, so now he made a conscious effort to remind himself that he was fortunate to always know where his next meal came from—one that would be delicious as well as nutritious.

The two tables were side by side, allowing enough space for two turtles to sit comfortably beside each other. On one end were the blue-banded ninjas while on the opposite end were the youngest ones in orange. In between sat their own brothers, so that purple geniuses were across from each other next to their brawler brothers in red.

Leo looked around the table as he took a bite of his veggie pizza. The room was filled with the sounds of both Michelangelos chatting animatedly while the Donatellos looked on affectionately at their only younger brother, both sometimes smiling or chuckling at various comments made. Sitting to his left were the Raphaels who, as usual, were of different reactions in that Raph grinned happily trying the super supreme pizza while Raphael tried to look disinterested despite very obviously looking around the room as he dug through his slices of meaty pizza. He also noticed that Leon looked more pensive than usual as he was still on his first slice of Hawaiian pizza. Seeing his counterpart’s expression made him consider how his own family felt when he portrayed bravado he was not feeling in order to set a good example by being a strong leader, fearless Raphael sometimes called him. Granted, the first time he said that was before defacing his swords. But it was not the last time and eventually it grew from mocking to endearment, such as the time he first saw Slash after his mutation and was so unsettled he referred to him as Spike…

Lost in his thoughts, he almost didn’t notice the turtle beside him on his right side acknowledge that he had been staring…

Leon had almost forgotten about the slice in his hand and took a bite, noticing his counterpart glancing over at him. He nodded, offering a small smile. His older brother had praised him for being the reason their father and brothers were excited, but despite the conversations between them he had yet to admit that he felt like a fraud. When he desperately begged Señor Hueso to help find his family, admitting that he was nothing without his brothers, he was so upset he didn’t comprehend that being portal jacked took them all the way to Tahiti! He began training more, motivated by the allure of sandy beaches. But then when he learned in the future his baby brother could tap twenty-five years to the past, he suspected that there had to be more to what he could do as well. He just… certainly never expected that to include different dimensions! Spying wasn’t a good thing but he couldn’t help his curiosity… then to find a version of him that was somehow more responsible than him, Raph, and Splinter combined was almost unreal. He was too intrigued to turn away until the temptation to tease him—just a tiny bit—took over. It was just going to be a moment, just once to give his other self a clue that there was more to life than being serious…

But now here he was, eating pizza next to a turtle who was him but also the oldest brother who had always been a leader of both family and team…

Raphael watched Leo look around the table. He would never admit it, but he had gotten so used to the oldest overthinking everything that he stopped worrying about most things. At least, until the feelings got too strong. Whereas Leo often hid his emotions, Raphael found it easier to channel everything into the one he found most comfortable… Honestly, his brothers should be a lot angrier—life sucked! Sure they had good things going for them and they had some amazing adventures, but they had also seen some things that he would have gladly traded in for a normal life. Or as normal as one could get in New York City. It was one of the benefits of having a friend like Casey, he could live vicariously through the human boy who—despite fighting alongside them during some crazy times—could still do regular things that the turtles will never be able to.

Repressing a sigh, he glanced next to his counterpart who was basically like the polar opposite of him, openly smiling as he observed everyone getting along…

Raph always wanted to focus on the positive and, perhaps, this was one of the best days of his life. Yeah it was a lot of work, but his favorite thing in the world was being the biggest brother and now he felt like his heart doubled in size. The two Mikeys were just so little and he wanted to bury them under all his plushies like the adorable gremlins they were. Both Donnies sat there quietly, no doubt their minds buzzing a mile a minute with whatever big brain ideas rolled around up there—hopefully they could refrain from plans to take over the world or whatever it was that nuclear uranium was supposed to accomplish. Glancing down at his own counterpart, he caught a moment where the other must have noticed the bruises on his brother’s arm as there was a brief twinge of guilt on his face. If he had blinked too long, he might have missed it before his attention was redirected. So he did as well, looking at how quiet both Leonardos were—a stark contrast to the opposite end of the table that was rather loud with laughter. Leon always seemed larger than life and Raph thought it was due to his showboating, but Leo was also larger than life in a much different way. Yet, there was something about him that seemed small and fragile that he just wanted to scoop him up to sooth and protect.

He sat there, wondering when the last time little Leo had been comforted like a small child, if he ever had been? He hoped that wasn’t the case but he wasn’t confident otherwise…

Donnie observed those around the table but his thoughts were focused on the topics he wanted to discuss later. Although he had agreed with his younger and older brother that the eldest’s plans were unnecessary, that didn’t stop him from making his own lists of things to collaborate with his counterpart on. First and foremost, the data they had collected during their older brothers traveling between dimensions. But now, meeting him face to face, he was intrigued by the gauntlet on his arm as well as the armored shell he wore. Since he seemed to be a softshell variety, the protective cover made sense but suddenly Donnie felt it was foolish of him to not create a prototype as an option for his own family—especially considering Raphael’s injury from when they were tots. Granted, they tended to prefer the least amount of gear possible—especially Leo who preferred to not be weighed down more than necessary. Yet… what if something like that could have reduced or even prevented his injury that put him into a coma? Regardless, he was disappointed in the fact that he had not even thought about it despite his history of defensive mechanisms including an entire giant turtle mech.

But that could wait for later, he had waited this long and it wasn’t much longer until the two of them could convene. For now, he was enjoying his cheese pizza and listening to the random conversation besides him…

Don was nearing his limit of patience ever since he realized his dumb-dumb brother had somehow cut through reality to a different dimension and just waltzed on through like an idiot with no self-preservation. He chewed his cheese pizza slowly, biding his time until he could access the other Donatello’s data and compare what he has collected to perhaps finally calm down ever since this drama started up. He was curious what all accomplishments his counterpart had made with the resources available in this dimension. Did they even have nuclear uranium in this world?

Alas, he must wait a bit longer. For now, at least the conversation—and company—around him was not unpleasant…

It wasn’t that the Michelangelos were oblivious to their brothers, it was just that they were busy enough eating while talking so much. They had both had the idea to layer a slice of supreme with the BBQ chicken in a sort of calzone delight, the sauce drizzling over their fingers nearly as much as the food itself…

~*~*~*~*~

“Did everyone get enough to eat? I hope you all left room for dessert!”

“Ohh! What’s for dessert, other-me?” Mike clapped.

“I’ll go get it right now. D?”

“Yeah?” Mikey shot a serious look at Donnie, nodding his head towards the kitchen. When the older of the two continued to sit there, the younger sighed.

“You’re being summoned as my sous chef, duh.” The other rolled his eyes as he stood up to follow, collecting empty plates as he did so.

“A sous chef? Brilliant! Hey, Dee—”

“No, Angelo.”

“Aw, come on! You owe me for all the times I’ve helped you out as your lab assistant!”

“That’s what I said!” Mikey exclaimed.

“It’s easier to just accept it,” Donnie whispered to Don who reluctantly nodded in agreement. A minute later he returned with two large buckets of Neapolitan ice cream, ice cream scoops, and a bunch of spoons in one hand with a stack of bowls in the other. His brother was carrying a medium size cooler with both hands.

“The task delegation is rather imbalanced,” Don noted.

“That’s because I’m the one carrying precious cargo!” Mikey smiled, proudly setting down his item on the table as Donatello placed a bucket and stack of bowls on each end of the tables. “Tada! I present to you all… Ice Cream Kitty!”

With a flourish he opened up the cooler, the mutated feline popping its head up as it meowed at the sight of more turtles than it was used to seeing.

“OH MY… if that isn’t just the cutest—Raphadoodle, can we have one?” Leon exclaimed.

“Leo, Pops is a rat ya know!”

“OH. ME. GOSH! I saw a statue that looked just like him at an auction house!” Mike exclaimed.

“NO. WAY!” Mikey replied in disbelief. “I’ve GOT to have it! Money is no object, I’ll pay any price! Hey, Leo—can I borrow some money?” Before his oldest brother could answer, Mike sighed.

“I wish. It got broken by Cassandra when we were fighting over a game—er, artifact.”

“Cassandra? Is that your Casey?” Leo asked while scooping ice cream into four bowls.

“Back when she was still a Foot recruit, yeah.” Leon answered.

“So if she joined the Foot Clan by choice, does that mean she’s older than us?” Donnie inquired.

“Actually… she is the same age as our April who is around our age as well,” Don replied. Seeing the image he pulled up on his gauntlet, Leon quickly reached over and closed it just before he turned to show the others. Raph spoke up before Don could protest.

“Donnie, maybe we should wait on that. We’re already dealing with the fact our Caseys are different.”

“Which one though, Raph? We have two!” Mike pointed out as he reached over to pet Ice Cream Kitty before pulling back. “Oh wait, does she like to be pet?”

“Actually, she prefers to be licked!” Mikey then demonstrated, offering an affectionate lick on one side of ICK’s face.

“Won’t that, you know…” Leon gestured in confusion.

“It makes sense, Leo! Cats groom themselves by licking, it’s probably just like that.” Mike smiled, leaning over and licking along ICK’s ears. “Oh yummy!”

“Guys?” Donnie pointed towards the two buckets he placed at each end of the table.

“Oh yeah,” Mikey laughed as he opened the bucket closest to him and started scooping the dessert into bowls.

“What’s this about a second Casey?” Raphael asked, accepting the third bowl that Leo filled and passed out. The other four glanced at each other before all eyes settled on Leon who sighed.

“So… Junior is kind of displaced from the dystopian future that-we-don’t-like-to-talk-about and is actually older than us. Not by a lot, but still… which is even weirder since that makes him older than his mom now… and no one knows who his dad is, so we don’t talk about that either.”

“Wow,” Raphael commented, his hand frozen mid-air as he stared at Leon.

“That’s… certainly complicated.” Leo’s voice was stunned.

“I have questions,” Donnie piped up, finger in the air. “But I’ll respect the whole, we-don’t-like-to-talk-about-it part.”

“So, anything complicated about your April?” Leo asked, trying to change the subject.

“Nah, April’s just a normal human kid,” Raph answered in between bites.

“If normal human kids hung out with awesome mutant ninja turtles!” Leon laughed.

“Lies. April is incapable of normal. Is it possible that she could have a normal day? Short answer: no. Long answer? Noooooo. But being weird is her normal and that is what makes her cool.”

Donnie nodded just before catching Mikey looking at him. He tilted his head questioningly only for the other to shrug. Noticing the interaction, Mike spoke up.

“Maybe one day they can all meet each other too! I think that would be fun,” he smiled.

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

(1) Vamonos means “Let’s go!”

(2) “Pizza Face” was a reference to the S2E18 episode in which I explained as a dream sequence in my ’12 Leonardo journal series: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54879007/chapters/140296831

(3) Comments on Chapter 17 had a lot of discussion about the ’12 turtles eating only algae and worms for fifteen years.
Then in Chapter 23 SY_EX had raised an interesting thought by asking:
Seems 12!Mikey left his days of pizza experiments in the past?
So I wanted to respect the topic and include some insight as thanks for the conversations from you, the readers!

Chapter 34: “Meet Mikey Junior!” or… D likes Dinosaurs!

As Leo got up and started collecting the empty bowls, Mikey also jumped up.

“Hey! Want to see my room?”

“Do I!” his counterpart answered. “OH-ME-GOSH! I almost forgot!” He pulled out some decals that looked exactly like the ones on his shell, slapping them on the other.

“OHMIGOSH, we match! Look, D! Twins!”

“Very nice, Mikey,” Donnie smiled, humoring the youngest’s enthusiasm.

“Hey! Do you collect stuff?”

“Of course!”

“Any unicorns?”

“Nah, you?”

“Yes!” Mike suddenly produced a pudgy pink unicorn and held it up to show his counterpart. “Meet Mikey Junior!”

“Aww!” Mikey gushed. “Cute!”

“What are you—why did you bring that?” Leon sputtered as the youngest stuck his tongue out as he walked away.

“Do you have a trampoline and dinosaur costumes?”

“No, but D likes dinosaurs!”

“So does Dee!” Hearing the youngest two converse as they left, Donnie turned to Don who shrugged.

“I do, in fact, have a particular interest in our ancient reptilian ancestors.”

“Me too! Although, believe me, it’s unnerving to actually see them up close and personal.” Don’s jaw dropped.

“GASP! Are you implying that you have gone far enough back in time to the Mesozoic Era?” he exclaimed.

“Yes, unfortunately it wasn’t under the best of circumstances. Still, it was quite an experience!”

“Cretaceous, Jurassic, or Triassic? Do you have records of this in your archives or did traveling back in time somehow affect encryption and corrupt the data? Alas, that would be such a devasting loss to have no record of such an adventure! He laments, ultimately distraught.” Donnie nodded as he escorted Don towards his lab while he rambled, leaving their oldest siblings behind in the common area.

“On a scale of one to six,” Raph counted on his fingers. “How concerned should we be leaving the Donatellos and Michelangelos unsupervised?”

“From what I can tell, the biggest concern is our Mikey and your Donnie,” Leo commented.

“As long as the four don’t combine, we should be fine. I know how much trouble our Donnie and Mikey can get into together, so I’m sure you two can say the same!” Leon laughed.

“No joke… Donatellos cause explosions by experimenting like maniacs and Michelangelos destroy stuff by bouncing around like maniacs,” Raphael rolled his eyes. The four fell silent, standing around for a minute before he spoke up again.

“So, uh, speaking of not destroying stuff… I was promised a sparring match last time.”

“That’s right!” Leo punched a fist in his palm at the sudden reminder. “The only ninpo power we’ve seen from any of you has been the portals!”

“Yeah and no way our brothers ain’t gonna ask yours to show them so it’s only fair.” Raphael offered a friendly smile to the two guests as a gesture of good intention.

“Let’s do this… like a boss!” Raph declared as he fist-bumped Leon.

~*~*~*~*~

“Whoa! Are you into pirates and stuff?” Mike asked as he rested his hands on the helm used as a headboard. He glanced over to the pirate flag and back at his counterpart.

“Nothing major, was just some cool stuff that got found so I called dibs!”

“Have you ever been on a real pirate ship? Because if you want, I know a guy who’s brother is a pirate and has a real ship and everything!”

“Whoa, that’s so cool! Wait! You’ve been on a spaceship too, right?”

“Yeah…” Mike moved his hands off the helm and turned to Mikey with wide eyes.

“That’s even cooler! Anyone can sail on the ocean but going to outer space? Wait until Dee hears about that!”

“Oh yeah, I’m sure he’ll love it,” he said with a note of bitterness in his voice. “Donnie loved it so much he basically ignored us because he was spending most all his time with Fugitoid.”

“Fuji-who?”

“Some super smart professor whose brain got put into an android robot or whatever. I mean,” he sighed. “Don’t get me wrong…Professor Honeycutt was cool and all, like he literally saved us so we could save the world. It’s just,” he shrugged. “Donnie never had anyone smart enough who could understand all the stuff he talks about and then suddenly he’s feeling less smart because they know way more things. So on one hand it was great for him to finally have someone he could talk to but on the other, I felt kinda bad for him. Not his fault Earth is light-years dumber than other galaxies.” Mike moved next to Mikey who sat on his bed with his hands folded.

“What did he save you all from?”

“Oh you know, the usual… end of the world. Got to watch Earth blow up, just like in the movies.”

“That sucks,” he sighed. “Well, if your Donnie is like mine, that was probably just his coping method. Data collection calms him down. Besides, you had your other brothers, right?”

“Psh,” Mikey rolled his eyes. “The brother who acted so out of character he withdrew from us since he couldn’t run away? Or the brother who withdrew from us by setting a new record of self-sacrificing himself? Or both of them who spend all their time yelling at each other even more than usual?”

“I’m sorry. Going out to space sounded cool, but I guess stuff like that always comes with a catch. Kind of like my mystic warrior ability with the gateways and all.” He looked down at his hands, slowly stretching his fingers out and clenching them repeatedly.

“Isn’t that like the portals Leon uses?”

“It’s different. Don can explain it better.”

“Oh.” They sat in silence for a few moments before Mikey sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m being a lame host. I’ve been so excited for you to get here and I’ve just been, like, depressing.”

“No way! I’ve been having a great time ever since I got here!” He smiled brightly. “Like yeah, I figured stuff is going to come up and like, I’m totally here to listen. It’s kind of my specialty,” he grinned.

“Really? Bruh,” Mikey leaned back on his hands. “My bros try to listen but emotional stuff is still kinda hard for them.”

“I get that. Maybe it’s because we’re the youngest and they don’t always take us seriously. Like, I know they love me but I thought Raph was going to lose his mind the first time he let me go solo on a mission—Leo had to convince him since he wasn’t listening to me!”

“What was the mission?” Mike threw his hands up in the air.

“To go to that auction house and pick up the item we won a bid on. For a Lou Jitsu video game! That was the place I mentioned I saw a statue like your Ice Cream Kitty.”

“Geesh,” Mikey rolled his eyes. “I had to go to another dimension for my bros to realize I can do smart stuff too!”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, I ran off to go help a friend and there was a temporal differential so when they chased after me, I’d been there by myself for a little while.”

“How long?”

“I told them months just to freak them out,” he giggled. “But it was just a few hours.” Mike laughed and offered him a high-three.

“Hey, want to see something cool?”

“Do turtles like pizza?”

“Heck yeah!” With that, Mike summoned his ninpo power and filled the room with an orange glowing light. Mikey’s jaw dropped as he watched the other swing his mystic whip upwards towards a pipe above. Checking that it was secure, he climbed up and began draping the length above before dropping back down to the floor and sitting back on the bed. The two turtles looked up, admiring the illumination.

“Wow, I can’t believe I never thought to hang lights up in my room like this,” Mikey breathed in awe.

“Sorry it’s not permanent, but it seemed a good way to show you my ability since I’m sure you were wondering.”

“I was, but I forgot all about it once you finally got here.” His gaze lowered as he looked at the other turtle sitting besides him. “You’re not like the other dimensional versions I’ve met. I mean, they’re cool and all since they’re Michelangelos!” He smiled proudly. “But we didn’t get to hang out what with everything going on. Even then, you’re way more fun to talk to!”

“Aw, thanks!” Mike grinned, clasping his hands in his lap. “I’ve not met any counterparts, so this is extra awesome to me! Can you tell me more about them? If not, that’s fine—we can play video games or something instead.”

“Dude, I have ADHD—I can do both at the same time!” he chuckled.

~*~*~*~*~

“I use this garage as my lab space,” Donnie explained as he opened the door to the spacious room. Don looked around, taking in the open and simple layout of the area. He had expected far more clutter but was surprised how well organized everything was. His own lab was often so bright with all the monitors that at times he had to use screen filters or adjust his goggles to minimize eye strain, yet this one was dim and almost cozy despite being an obviously sterile work environment.

“I like it,” Don finally spoke up with a nod.

“Really? I figured based on the orb your technology seemed more advanced. It was impressive how well the sensors responded so specifically just by being tossed in Raphael’s direction!”

“Of course it is. But my inventions need not diminish your own accomplishments and from what I’ve been informed, I am already impressed by how it seems you have done quite a lot with quite a little.”

“Wow… No one’s ever, you know, put it that way before. Thanks.”

“It is an unfortunate aspect of being a genius when one’s brilliance is unable to be fully and truly valued due to others’ inability to completely comprehend the depths of what we do. At some point my work has been compared to magic which is rather insulting.”

“But… don’t you also have ninpo power that you use?” Don glanced down, fiddling with a random object on Donnie’s desk.

“I do utilize all of my abilities, yes, including that. Although I will admit it did take me some time to accept.”

“Reluctant to incorporate mystic powers out of concern your science expertise would be rendered unneeded or respected less?” Don’s gaze snapped up to look at Donnie in surprise.

“Yes, actually.” He confirmed with a slow nod before sighing. “I may have been… a tad miffed, that my three dumb-dumb brothers adapted so well and so quickly.”

“I get it,” the gap-toothed genius shrugged. “We’ve had to deal with some instances of magic users and it can be really frustrating trying to reconcile what is going on that shouldn’t be possible, meanwhile everyone else just goes along with it because they don’t understand the conundrum of the situation.”

“Exactly! That sort of chaos leads to random results of which they then expect us to figure out and fix!”

“Yeah, no kidding!” Donnie rolled his eyes. “Like, guys, I wield a bō staff—not wave a magic wand! Ugh, speaking of which… have you guys ever met someone named Renet?”

Don, who was walking over to a large tank, looked back over his shoulder. “That name is unfamiliar but based on your tone I would surmise that is not unfortunate on my part.”

“It’s not, you’re definitely lucky. Somehow she’s trusted with magic to travel through time despite being completely incompetent. The entire experience was exhausting and ones I could have done without.”

“Time travel nearly killed Mikey and yet there are those in this dimension that do so casually?” he spat with annoyance. “Although… perhaps if you could introduce me to this Renet, it might prove helpful for research I am doing.”

“Trying to help your Mikey master his other mystic ability?”

“Leo told you?”

“He only mentioned it, but not in much detail. He had hoped I could be of some help but I’m not sure how considering I understand nothing about your ninpo powers.”

“All in due time. First,” he tapped the cover and heard his claw against glass. “I’m curious to know what is under curtain number one.”

“An unfortunate failure,” the other sighed as he removed the tarp to reveal a frozen Mutagen Man. “This was—is—Timothy. A teen who thought being mutated would make him a superhero. He was annoying and a bit creepy, but he meant well enough.” Donnie placed a hand sympathetically on the tank, staring for the first time in a while at the contents inside.

“What deems him an unfortunate failure?”

“After his physical mutation, his mentality seemed to grow unstable and he became such a difficult threat to neutralize without hurting him that all I could think of what to do was freeze him. So now I have to deal with thawing him safely in addition to returning him to how he was as a human kid.”

“Just because you have not yet successfully cured him does not deem him a failure.”

“No,” Donnie shook his head. “I failed him. I thought if I taught him some defensive moves that might help him. The kid couldn’t fight his way out of paper bag.” He chuckled softly, looking down. “I knew he was going to put himself at risk no matter what I did, but Splinter said that if I train him that makes me responsible for whatever happens.” He looked up, “and this is what happened.”

“A word, if I may? To be clear, I will regardless if you approve.” Donnie looked at Don, only slightly nodding before hearing it was unnecessary. “That word… BOLLOCKS!” He crossed his arms angrily.

“Say what?” Don uncrossed his arms and raised a hand questioningly.

“I was going to say ‘bullshit’ but I was told by Papa to be on better than my best behavior.” He crossed his arms again. “Regardless, I am here to confirm that what you were told is foolish, insolent nonsense! Human brains are not fully developed until the age of twenty-six years so I don’t even need to know his age to understand he was not fully functional in regards to intellectual capacity. The fact that he was running around the city to put himself in enough danger proves the most negligent party was neither you nor even him, but his own family. Where were they, huh?” Don’s arms flared out in anger.

“I… don’t know,” he shook his head. “I searched for every single Timothy in the city since that was the only name I had to go on, but I found no record of a boy around his age by that name. Maybe he used an alias or perhaps it was a family nickname… I… I never bothered to learn his last name.”

“Doesn’t,” Don poked Donnie in the plastron, “I repeat, DOES NOT, make him your responsibility or let alone your fault! Also, he emphasizes with absolute resolve… just as he is a minor and under the care of his own family, so are you unable to be fully accountable for any sort of contractual obligations meaning that the responsibility is deferred to your own parent and/or guardian hence it is Splinter’s fault and NOT your own! He was wrong about what he told you and wrong for deflecting such a burden upon you!”

Don reveled in his satisfaction for only a moment before noticing the stunned expression on Donnie’s face. Biting his lip nervously, he stiffened before holding his arms straight out. Fighting back a sniffle, the other tilted his head.

“What… are you doing?”

“I… was prepared to offer you a hug. Mike says it helps with sympathizing.” Donnie chuckled as he wiped his snout.

“How about instead you offer me a fist bump and promise to help me fix him?”

“Deal,” he said with a relieved smile as he lowered his arms.

~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 35: “Turtle Dragon” or… It is dangerous to go alone.

Notes:

I had just posted chapter 32 before I watched the “Sonic 3” movie and heard the line Knuckles said to Sonic (who shares the same voice actor as Rise Leonardo) stating:
“The more you talk, the harder I want to hit you!”
Instantly knew I had to work the line in this crossover because that’s exactly the sort of thing 2012 Raphael would say to Rise Leon! LOL

“Let’s go, Big Daddy—I can take it!”

“Quiet, Leo!”

“Come on, don’t be shy,” Leon teased.

“Shut up!” Raph clenched his fists. “Ya ain’t throwing me off my game by running ya big mouth!”

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” he feigned innocently.

“Ya just trying to get in Raph’s head!”

“You know what they say about big-time moments?”

“Yes, I do. They say that in big-time moments—”

“Raphael, I love you, my brother, but you do tend to fail in big moments.”

“For the love of—DAMMIT, just get started already! The more you talk, the harder I want to hit you!” Raphael snapped angrily towards Leon. Leo sat there uncomfortably until the hothead turned to his leader and gestured in frustration towards their guests. “What the hell is this shit? This is the worst trash-talk I’ve ever heard and we live with Mikey!” Baffled, Leo just shook his head and shrugged.

“Distraction is a valid technique to gain an advantage.”

“I think he’s just an idiot,” Raphael crossed his arms. “Says anything for attention because he likes to hear himself talk!”

“You say that about me,” Leo protested.

“No… I say ya lecture too much because ya like to hear yourself talk.”

“Or maybe you argue back so much because you like to hear me talk,” he rebutted.

“Hey, guys!” Leon called out. “Do you mind? We’re trying to spar here and you’re not even paying attention!”

“See?” Raphael muttered as he again gestured with a wave of his hand. “Attention-seeking!” Leo sighed and shook his head before looking up to call out.

“Hajime!” With the command the other two turtles suddenly snapped into position and, with a slight bow, paced in a circular motion as they assessed the other for an opening to make the first attack…

“This will be interesting,” Leo spoke quietly to his brother. “Raph is a powerhouse like you but with his size, even more so but it likely slows him down. Especially if Leon is as agile as Mikey, it will be a matter of dodging.”

“Yeah, Mikey is fast but he’s also a smaller target to hit. Even though ya ain’t as quick, ya still more calculating so half the time ya know where to move before the other guy even knows where to hit.” At that moment, Leon feigned a lunge towards Raph who knowingly leaned towards rather than away to avoid the actual attack.

“That’s only if someone is thinking about their moves too much like Donnie used to… otherwise, it’s simply a matter of looking for all the subtle nonverbal clues given by your opponent’s movements.”

“Leo… I’ve fought with ya more than anyone else in the literal universe,” Raphael sighed. “Ya say simple like ya ain’t obsessively trained all ya life to be better than everyone else.”

“Not better. Just my personal best.”

“Same thing.” At that point Raph suddenly snatched Leon and tossed him down on the mat. Before he could lay his large hand over the leaner plastron, the other rolled out just enough to launch himself away by pushing off the arm reaching towards him. “Damn,” Raphael shook his head. “Thought he had him.”

“No… Leon teased Raph with words, so now he’s repaying verbal with physical taunting.” He nodded. “It’s a bit similar to the cat and canary bit you and Mikey sometimes do.”

“Ain’t a bit! He runs his mouth and I put him in his place.”

“Except when he says something to, as Raph just put it, get in your head. Which,” he added quickly. “You’ve done much better in withstanding. Not only has that been an improvement in your fighting, but it’s forced Mikey to adapt accordingly.” Raphael started to reply but stopped as they noticed the other two stopped and exchanged words that neither could hear. After a brief conversation, the two guests nodded and turned to their counterparts.

“So, uh, question… how attached are you to this tree? Like, say, if it were to get damaged?”

“Very much so,” Leo answered, a shadow flickering across his face.

“Okay, that’s what we thought,” Leon replied, holding his hands up defensively. He glanced over to see Raphael grimacing at him. “Problem is, there is a risk sometimes we get a little carried away and kinda sorta maybe,” his voice went a little high pitch on the last three words. “Cause a little destruction.”

“On accident!” Raph quickly added.

“Completely on accident,” Leon nodded. “We’re used to a more open space to spar and honestly, most of our ninpo-fighting occurs outdoors or somewhere we don’t mind a little, say, redecorating.” Raphael huffed, crossing his arms.

“So in other words, ya chickening out.”

“Naw, Mini-Me, it ain’t like that! My Leo’s telling the truth. Raph, sometimes,” he looked down at his feet while rubbing the back of his neck. Seeing the embarrassment cross his face and a flash of concern on Leon’s, Leo quickly understood their meaning and spoke up.

“Good point, guys—thanks for catching that before anything irreversible happened!” Seeing Raphael’s surprised face turn to him, he placed a reassuring hand on the emerald arm and looked at him while he continued to speak to the other two. “We were so excited to see how you fight, I hadn’t considered the space that might be needed. Maybe, you could show us your powers in a calmer setting and we can table the spar for your own dimension?”

“Good idea, Little Leo!” Raph smiled, suddenly slamming his arms together and generating tonfas that glowed red with energy. Raphael’s expression immediately changed from disappointment to impressed.

“Whoa… ya can create weapons just like that?”

“Yeah! We all can!” Raph smiled then, glancing at Raphael’s belt, repeated the motion. Immediately the tonfas disappeared and a set of sais were generated. Leon took a couple steps closer to Leo to stand next to him and they exchanged a knowing smile.

“Forget fighting, show me what else ya can do!” the smaller brawler smiled excitedly.

~*~*~*~*~

“Ohmigosh! Guess what?”

“Chicken butt?” The two orange-banded turtles started laughing.

“Good one! But no, I actually was going to say something cool… Speaking of cool, guess what?”

“What?”

“Chicken butt!” Another round of laughter and Mikey grinned. “Okay, seriously… Speaking of cool, you know how awesome it is to have a cat made out of ice cream?”

“That is seriously cool,” Mike nodded in agreement. “Literally!”

“What if I told you… we also have a fire-breathing dragon?”

“What?” the counterpart dropped his controller in shock. “No way!”

“Way! Totally way! It was like, the best thing to happen while we were in outer space.” Seeing the skeptical look, he dismissed the concern with a wave. “I mean, yeah it was good we saved the world and all but… FIRE. BREATHING. DRAGON! Okay, technically a turtle—which is even better!”

“A turtle dragon?” Mike raised an eye ridge in confusion.

“It’s like an alien turtle that breathes fire! His mom was like, as big as a planet!”

“What kind of planet? Like as big as Earth or as big as Pluto when they used to think it was a planet? Wait, is your Pluto still considered a planet here or did they realize it doesn’t qualify?”

“I dunno, you gotta ask Donnie for all that science stuff. But like bigger than the entire lair, bruh!”

“If it’s that big, where do you keep it?”

“I said the mom was huge. The one we have is just a tiny baby, he’s like the size of what we would be if we hadn’t been mutated.”

“I wanna see!”

“Okay, but there’s one catch…”

“Ah, boo!” Mike crossed his arms. “I knew it was too good to be true.”

“Relax, bruh, totally true… It’s just, it’s a dangerous journey to go see him.”

“Whoa, how dangerous?” The other orange turtle had uncrossed his arms and planted them to his sides.

“We’ll have to brave possible fiery pits of molten lava… if we get caught then our very lives could be at stake!”

“Maybe we shouldn’t go alone…” Mike asked, raising his hands to fidget with his fingers.

“It is dangerous to go alone,” Mikey nodded, crossing his arms. “So, you’ll have to take THIS!” Suddenly he reached out and gave his counterpart a high-three who looked at his hand in confusion.

“Your hand?”

“Duh, we gotta go together! Because if we get busted, no way will my Raphael beat both of us down with your Raph standing right there!”

“Wait… you’re saying a dangerous fire-breathing turtle alien is alone in one of your brothers’ rooms right now?” he exclaimed.

“Exactly,” Mikey crossed his arms with a smile. “Well, I didn’t say he was dangerous. Fire-breathing, yes. Turtle alien, also yeah.”

“So why is he in your Raph’s room?”

“Okay so when I say we I mostly mean he… My Raph kinda adopted him. I know he comes off all tough but he’s a real softie! Used to have a pet turtle named Spike but he got mutated and now is like, as big as your Raph! He was really bummed for a long time, even though they’re friends. Had some issues with Leo until he admitted he was like, trying to be a good leader like him and all. Anyway! We found this baby turtle on another planet and thought his mom died but she actually survived and came looking for him and there was a huge deal with her attacking Earth so we had to show her the baby was okay and then Raph was trying not to cry while giving him back but he totally bawled and for some reason she let him keep him so now he lives here with us. Guess he’ll still be small enough to hang out here he outlives us… after that he’ll just leave on his own to go back to his home world.”

“Wow… I wish I could go to outer space!”

“No, you don’t.” Mike was surprised how serious Mikey’s expression suddenly got. “Dude, turtles belong on Earth in close proximity at all times to a pizza place!” He smiled, but it wasn’t as sincere as moments before. “Anyway… wanna sneak into my Raph’s room to see Chompy?”

“Chompy? Your brother is very weird about naming things.”

“Tell me about,” he rolled his eyes. “Actually, not the worst he’s done either,” he muttered.

“He should let you name things, I bet you’re great at it!”

“I totally am! I’ve only been stumped like, one time. And it was already a confusing situation! Suddenly, Raph drags some human girl out, Leo starts yelling at both of them, they agree for a moment but then Raph starts arguing with Leo then he argues with the girl… meanwhile Donnie and I—once again—have no idea what’s going on between those two so we’re getting annoyed and don’t even know why!” He sighed. “Then she ditches us after mutating a bunch of stuff into this... thing. It meows like a cat with its ears all cute but then, YIKES! He’s got a snake neck, jellyfish eyes, fins like a cobra hood whatever-you-call-it, octopus tentacles, a shell and fins, forked tongue… Come to think of it, he did have a lot of snake features,” he paused thoughtfully. “That’s really messed up considering later on she got mutated into a snake…”

“The girl?”

“Yeah, that’s another story. Things get really complicated here.”

“Sounds like it,” Mike replied, eyes wide. “So, what did you name it?”

“Raph wanted to call him Octo-punk, but I just settled on Justin.” The other nodded understandingly.

“That was a lot you all had going on… and Justin’s not a bad name.”

“Man, you get it!” Mikey suddenly flopped on his back with his arms outstretched and sighed loudly. “Ugh, things were tense for a while… D was so mad at the two of them keeping a secret like that and not telling us. We’re supposed to be a team! Raph acted weird for a while, he didn’t even rub it in Leo’s face that he was right about her. I guess because Leo got a bit mopey after she ditched us. That and trying to pretend Splinter didn’t almost break his foot as punishment.”

“He what?” his counterpart asked, trying to withhold his shock.

“Yeah, Leo thanked Splinter for understanding and said he was glad he wasn’t mad. So, I guess to prove just how mad he was, he hit his foot with his cane really hard… Bro was trying to hide his limp the rest of the day.” Hearing his guest suck in his breath, Mikey glanced over and shrugged. “Anyway… I couldn’t believe Leo of all people trusted a kunoichi from the Foot Clan. First Donnie got a crush on April and then Leo got awkward around Ka—Miwa... It’s like, the smart ones are suddenly stupid and you can’t believe it. You think it won’t last long, but it goes on FOREVER! Like yeah, she betrayed us and nothing upsets Leo more than us being put in danger… but he was so sure he had to rescue her. Then,” he scoffed. “Turns out, we did! We did actually have to save her because apparently she was Splinter’s daughter who got kidnapped by Shredder!”

“That’s crazy!”

“Yeah… all of us were ready to give up, even Splinter! Sometimes we’d tease him about still having a crush, but we knew there was something more to it. Leo took saving her so personal, like it was his fault she got kidnapped or something. As if he…” he suddenly froze and sat up. “Oh no…”

“Oh no? Oh no what?” Mikey facepalmed.

“Leo blames himself! But wait, how could he? He didn’t even know yet! Unless… he did somehow know? Or somehow remembered? Like a repressed memory? Argh,” he grabbed his head in frustration. “Time travel is so confusing!”

“Whoa, whoa,” Mike grabbed Mikey’s hands and held them firmly. “What’s going on? Time travel? What does Leo blame himself for?” The other sighed.

“We got sent back in time to save Splinter when he was still human, back when he thought his family died during a fire in his old dojo in Japan. Donnie managed to grab him but I was too late to help Shen.” Seeing the confused look on the other’s face he clarified, “his wife.” Mike’s eyes widened as he nodded. “Leo and Raph were stuck outside, but later he mentioned he saw baby Miwa had been hidden under a bench. Splinter always thought both his wife and daughter died in the fire and was never sure how he survived, so when we find out Shredder’s daughter is actually Splinter’s daughter no one knew how it happened. Until the time travel,” he shook his head. “Leo saw her and didn’t grab her before Shredder did.”

“Wouldn’t that have altered history though?

“Yeah and who knows if it would have been good or bad? Like, if Yoshi was busy being a single father he probably wouldn’t have been lonely enough to adopt four random baby pet shop turtles that later saved the world! But even if Leo just didn’t think to rescue the baby because, we were all in a state of shock being there… like we knew what happened, we knew the dojo was going to catch fire during a fight between them… we knew someone could die… but to see the events unfold in real time, not just some story you grew up hearing about a time and place you’ve never been with mostly people you don’t know…” he sighed. “It just doesn’t seem real—until it is.”

Mike sat there, patting Mikey on the arm. He patiently waited, the room quiet with only the sounds of their breathing as they both processed what was just said… a revelation that would have to be brought up at some point to offer closure to someone likely still harboring guilt, questioning if his choice was the best one with no way of knowing the outcome of all the options. A heavy burden for anyone, but especially a child…

“Dude… how am I so depressing today? What is wrong with me?”

“Maybe part of your excitement meeting me is just knowing you have someone else who understands you? Like, I can’t pretend I understand everything you’ve been through… I can’t believe how different our lives have been—all this time I’ve been focusing on what we have in common! But like, man, am I glad you trust me enough already to get this off your shell and open up. Communication is so important and obviously you needed to talk about it so much you didn’t even realize how badly you needed someone on the outside to listen.” Mikey nodded, letting the back of his head hit the floor with a thump.

“I’ve spent most of my life being treated like I’m dumb… I’m not smart like everyone but, I get things they don’t!” He threw his hands up in the air, gesturing as if he were presenting something. “Splinter always dismissed me, Raph insulted me a lot while Leo babied me… Donnie was the best at looking out for me, like he could explain things but more importantly he’d do little things like, put his hand on my shoulder to help get my attention or pat my arm to help me focus. I’m not even sure he knows he does it, he just learned how to communicate in ways to calm everyone down—even Raph and Leo. He doesn’t like confrontation, just wants to solve a problem and move on to the next thing. He’s a great ninja, don’t get me wrong—but he’s so smart that it feels like he’s being wasted on us. But we’d be nowhere without him, he’s like the most important turtle in this family!”

Mike offered a small smile, patting Mikey on the hand with a few gentle taps.

“Speaking of important turtles…” The other glanced up with a questioning look. “One cool mutant ninja turtle promised to show me a fire-breathing alien turtle.” A smile broke across the host’s face, relieved that his guest was able to redirect the conversation before he could get too overwhelmed.

“Come on, Raph’s room is the first door on the left so he’s across from Leo’s room!”

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

Did I reference the classic “It's Dangerous to Go Alone!” meme? Yes, yes I did!

P.s. I promise the next chapter starts with Donatello content! 

Chapter 36: “Musclebound Meathead” or… I had Raph brain once, it was terrible!

Notes:

2012 S3 E22 “The Creeping Doom”
Donatello states: “They're not toys, Mikey. It's a trophy shelf. They're collectibles.”
I did adjust the reference slightly, figuring that after the incident Donnie would consider the items more like souvenirs rather than trophies or collectibles but Mikey will keep remembering them that way.

Donnie watched as Don perused the items on his display shelf.

“Souvenirs?”

“Of sorts. Mikey calls them my trophies,” he chuckled with a fond shake of his head.

“Interesting assortment. Mind enlightening me as to the significance of each item in your collection?”

“When you put it that way, you make me sound like Mikey.”

“There are worst things to be called.”

“Yeah,” Donnie laughed. “Like Raphael.” Seeing the other tilt his head, he facepalmed. “Oh wait, I forgot… your Raph isn’t like ours.”

“A musclebound meathead? I had Raph brain once, it was terrible!”

“Well… maybe they have some things in common then. But yours is way calmer and nicer!”

“You haven’t seen him angry,” he smirked. “He’s usually the gentle giant you know him as, this is true, but under the right circumstances he will certainly lose his cool like a hothead.”

“For my Raph ‘the right circumstances’ is pretty much anything.”

“I would wager a guess that a lot of those right circumstances involve a particular blue-banded turtle.” Donnie’s statement hung in the air as he nonchalantly turned his gaze back to the items on the shelf.

“Wait… are you implying that your Raph fights with your Leo?” The other genius turned back with a mischievous smile.

“It’s not an implication if I tell you that one fight was so bad, Miguel and I were struggling to separate them after Raph punched Leo through a wall.” Donnie’s jaw dropped. After a minute he leaned against his desk and brought his hand to his chin in thought.

“Interesting…”

“What is interesting, he asks with interest.”

“I’ve often wondered if the conflict between my older brothers was personality-based or if the main factor was their behavior towards one another.”

“Two concepts that are related but can be separate entities.”

“Exactly. They don’t argue with everyone else the same as they do each other, so Mikey and I have always wondered if Leo just ignored Raph more or if Raph was just less obstinate towards Leo—us too as an added bonus—if things wouldn’t be more peaceful at home.”

“Peacefulness is a lofty aspiration with four teenagers in one home,” Don arched a drawn eyebrow.

“Fair. But my point still stands to reason… Your Raph appears more in control and calmer than mine, yet in turn your Leo tends to tease and taunt him more as if seeking a reaction.”

“As you said, it would be an added bonus if he ceased to do so for us younger two as well.”

“True… Leon does seem to enjoy being a bother to my own Raphael.”

“Nardo enjoys being a bother to everyone,” Don rolled his eyes. “He considers it an endearing personality trait.”

“It certainly does make him memorable,” he chuckled before he froze. “Memorable…”

“Insecurity and fear of being unneeded?” Don stated more than asked, picking up on the other’s realization.

“Entire identity revolves around his family aside from a bit of sci-fi geekiness?”

“I’d say perhaps more than a bit, the incessant quoting gets redundant.”

“Ohmigosh, yes!” Donnie agreed. “You know… they’re going to make all of us sit through their favorite show right?”

“Actually, we all are fans of ‘Jupiter Jim’ although, irony of all ironies, our favorite was ‘Lou Jitsu’ who—spoiler alert if you didn’t already know—turned out to be our own father before he was mutated!”

“There’s a lot going on in that one sentence,” Donnie mused. “Although I suppose we are a bit hard on Leo and his whole ‘Space Heroes’ thing… In fact, I’m starting to suspect it’s perhaps more sentimental value than theatrical appreciation.”

“Speaking of a lot going on,” Don thumbed back to the items on the shelf.

“Oh, right!” Donnie sat up and walked over besides Don. He reached for a robotic head before pausing. “Um… so some of these items, they aren’t really, you know, from positive experiences… I just don’t want to bring up something you’d rather not hear about…”

“I presume you mean that something here belonged to the Kraang of your dimension?”

“Three actually…” He set the head he was holding and picked up a different one. “For us, the aliens are basically the size of human brains, a bit bigger, but they utilize robotic android bodies to integrate among people. As you can see here, their heads don’t allow space for storage of their actual bodies but instead they are centered in the abdominal part to navigate the rest of the body.”

“That is not the most strategic choice.”

“Right? Here,” he set the Kraang head down and picked up the Kraang communication orb. “Is a communication orb they used, which proved helpful once I was able to hack into their system and decode what they were saying. No easy feat, let me tell you… Especially since they’ve been trying to take over Earth for thousands of years and still can’t master the English language. Or, as they would say: The invasion of the planet known as Earth has progressed for the quantity of time that is thousands of years and yet comprehension of proper English and how to speak it proves elusive.”

“I almost wish I had a drink in which to choke on to express my utter perplexity at such an inefficient manner of speaking—and this is coming from someone who narrates his own dialogue in the third person at times.” The two exchanged a smirk before Donnie continued.

“Imagine trying to deal with that nonsense and take them as a serious threat at the same time. Speaking of which…” Setting the orb down, he picked up Kraang mind control chip. “Mind control chip. Granted, better than the brain worm that infected Raphael which no, I did not preserve a specimen of.”

“Even I can concede that would be for the best. I once increased the intelligence of my brothers to that of my own and it did not offer the promising results I had hoped for.” He shook his head. “Me suffering Raph brain was bad enough, but Raphael with Donatello brain is insufferable!”

“Really?” Donnie looked surprised as he set the item down. “Hmm… yeah, I can see how that might backfire.” He mused with a nod. “In fact, no, I don’t even want to imagine any of my brothers like that.”

“It was not my best decision.” He nodded at the first item. “Different robot head?”

“Yes, these are actually from Foot-Bots… Foot Clan decided it was more efficient to create robots rather than actual ninjas.” He sighed.

“Why the sigh?”

“One night we weren’t exactly following Leo’s orders and it resulted in him getting captured. Needless to say, he was already pissy about that even before they decided to use him as a guinea pig to train the Foot-Bots…”

“The small sharp items?” Don asked, changing the subject to avoid a bad mood.

“Claw from one of the first mutants we fought that Mikey named Snakeweed.” He scoffed, “that was another night we didn’t listen to Leo and things didn’t work so well… He stormed off and left Raphael in charge, Mikey got hurt, it was a mess.”

“At least you all showed up,” Don fiddled with his wrist cover. “Sometimes… the rest of us didn’t even bother to do that and left Raph to go alone.” Donnie chuckled bemusedly.

“As if Leo would ever let that happen! Even if he did, I’m pretty sure that would be the one thing that would make our Splinter come back to haunt us. Heck, he didn’t even let Leo sit out that one night—apparently he got lectured and sent back out to fix everything.” He shook his head and held up the other item he was holding. “Spike from the only other turtle mutant we know of named Slash… Although he wasn’t always Slash, he used to be Raphael’s pet turtle Spike.”

“A spike from Spike, I can appreciate that.” Donnie shrugged as he placed both pieces back and picked up a large tome.

“In a bit of irony, a big item for a small problem… which we realized after the fact. Long story short, some creatures known as Dream Beavers kinda messed us up but their plans to invade the world got sold short when they realized they were only inches tall despite being powerful in the sleep world.”

“Anticlimactic.”

“Indeed.”

“And the jar of goo? Is that your mutagen? I do so want to analyze some of the substance here to compare to that back home.”

“Glad to hear as I’m interested in that as well. Also, close… I had, uh, used some mutagen to make some medicine I had hoped would help Leo heal after his coma. It wasn’t as effective as I had hoped, worse it became a factor in creating something Mikey named The Creep which ended up draining Raphael.”

“Ew, that does sound creepy…” Don cringed. “Drained of what? His life force?”

“No,” Donnie shook his head. “It seems that it was feeding on mutagen.”

“Then did your brother return to his normal turtle form?”

“That’s what made it even stranger… he turned into a plant! Like, you’d think if he was drained of mutagen he would have reverted to his original self but no. Then again it was formed from the mutagenic medicine being expelled while Leo was out in the woods with Raph.”

“He threw up and this mutated?”

“Basically, then attacked us.”

“And here I thought salami paper ninjas were weird.”

“Okay any combination of those words is weird, let alone all three.”

“All courtesy of my dumb-dumb older brothers.” Don crossed his arms. “Well… the Foot Clan too. But mostly it was Leo’s idea to create salami paper and Raph ate so much of product that the plan would have been ruined had I not the foresight to place not one but two trackers!”

“You know… you’re weird, too,” Donnie grinned as he returned the Dream Book to the shelf.

“I prefer the term ‘eccentric’ as I feel it more accurately captures my ability to be prepared,” Don smirked before holding up a flash drive.

“Your data collected so far from the dimensional visits?”

“Genius as I would expect!”

~*~*~*~*~

Silently the youngest two brothers opened up a bedroom and quickly stepped inside, closing the door behind them. Waiting for their eyes to adjust, they heard before they saw the little alien turtle.

“Aww, he sounds so cute!” Mike cooed.

“He is, when he’s not trying to melt Ice Cream Kitty,” Mikey admitted. “Hold on, I know Raph has a nightlight he uses.” Using his phone flashlight, he made his way across the room and, finding the item, plugged it in.

“Ooh, good idea! Just enough light to see but not enough to be noticed under the door!”

“Yeah, after all what good is being a ninja if you can’t sneak into your older brothers’ rooms to borrow their comics?”

“Right! Wait… Raphael uses a nightlight?” Mike grinned.

“Yeah,” Mikey giggled. “He says it’s for Chompy and before that he said it was for Spike, but he used it even when neither of them were around.”

“OH. ME. GOSH!” Mike gasped, his eyes settling on the tiny turtle as he clutched both fists to his face in excited glee. “Is that Chompy?”

“It totally is! Come on closer, just don’t make any sudden moves since he breathes fire when he gets scared or startles unexpectedly.” The other turtle did so, approaching very slowly with bated breath…

“Oohh!” he squealed, making eye contact with Chompy. “Hi, little guy! You are just the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen, yes you are! And that says a lot since I’ve visited a puppy farm, but you are even cuter than all those dogs combined!” He glanced up at Mikey. “Uh, if you ever meet a guy named Todd in our dimension, please don’t tell him I said that.”

“No problem, bro! We don’t even have a Todd or a—wait! Did you say you have a PUPPY FARM?”

“Yeah,” Mike nodded. “Dee and I helped build it too!”

“Wow, that was nice of you.”

“Eh… not really,” he glanced away guiltily, rubbing the back of his head. “We were kind of there to repo the RV they were all living in.”

“Man, your dimension has everything! It’s so much better than here,” Mikey crossed his arms and began to pout.

“We don’t have a cool Ice Cream Cat or an amazing fire-breathing alien turtle!” the other pointed out, gently trying to reach out to touch the little snout in front of him.

“Caref—” before Mikey could finish, Chompy suddenly backed up and spat some fire towards Mike. Quickly pulling his finger away, he jumped back.

“WHOA! That was a huge flame for a such a little guy!”

“I told you he was like a dragon!”

“He’s just so incredible! Aren’t you, little guy? Huh, Chompy? I’m sorry if I got too close, I should have totally respected your personal space,” he nodded. The little alien turtle only looked at him curiously. The two continued to stand around and watch the small creature stare back at them, quietly admiring him while murmuring about little details such as the color of his scales and the shape of his shell.

“What are you two doing in here?” Leo asked sharply, causing the two to scream which startled Chompy who yelped and spat fire towards them.

“Oh, whew,” Mikey placed a hand over his heart while bracing his other hand on Mike’s shoulder. “It’s only Leo.” They looked up, seeing the turtle in question cross his arms while glaring at them.

“You’re going to rethink that once I tell Raphael I just caught you both sneaking in his room!”

“Bro, no! We were talking and I mentioned Chompy so he just wanted to see him. Figured it was easier to do this than bother asking Raph, you never know if he’s in the mood to show him off or not.”

“Mikey…” Leo lowered his voice, walking over to the two orange-banded turtles and placing his hands on both of their shoulders. “One thing we don’t know is, what if them encountering someone they’ve never met—like Chompy—somehow impacts their dimension? We just discussed Leon and I comparing various characters we’ve met before introducing any anomalies until the Donatellos decide we can do so safely.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Mikey reluctantly nodded as Mike glanced down. “But honestly, as far as Chompy’s concerned it’s probably for the best! Going out in space—”

“Mikey…” Leo warned.

“I’m just saying, if they have to then it’s going to happen regardless! But if they don’t have to, we might as well warn them to not even bother.”

“That’s not our choice to make. What if, for them, going out to space is a positive experience? Maybe they get to do so for fun and not to save the world or—” He hesitated for a moment. “Or just have a different set of circumstances that give them such an opportunity. I mean, I enjoyed some moments feeling like we got to experience something like ‘Space Heroes’ so surely they’d be excited about things similar to ‘Jupiter Jim’ that they all like over there.”

“Yeah,” Mikey crossed his arms. “No. No way was a few moments of pretending to play space captain worth all the times you got stepped on and, oh yeah, almost died!” He turned his shell towards his oldest brother, refusing to look at him.

“Mikey! I—”

“Save it, Leo.” Mikey interrupted, grabbing Mike’s hand. “Come on, let’s get back to my room before Raphael shows up. The only thing worse than hearing Leo lecture is hearing that hothead yelling.” Glancing over his shoulder, Mike looked apologetically at Leo as he followed his counterpart out. They left the eldest standing there, stunned, where he remained for a few minutes before he was found by another brother…

~*~*~*~*~
MEANWHILE…

“Hey,” Raphael announced his presence with a knock on the doorframe of Donnie’s lab. “Ya two ain’t blown yourselves or anything up yet, have ya?”

“Haha, very funny,” his genius brother retorted dryly. “Why are you checking up on us? Are Raph and Leon ready to leave already?” he asked with dread.

“Nah, nothing like that. Leo just wanted to check on Mikey so I figured I’d say hi to ya.”

“Oh,” Donnie paused in mild surprise. “In that case, thanks.”

“No problem, bro.” He nodded to Don before he turned, suddenly hearing a door slam across the lair. He looked towards the direction of their bedrooms, noticing his own was open. Curious, he quickly walked across the pit to the hallway…

“Leo? What are ya doing in my room?”

“I, uh… heard Chompy. Thought I’d go check on him,” he mumbled.

“Ya are such a bad liar,” he shook his head as he walked over to check his pet. Seeing that he was okay and in good spirits, he turned back to the other. “So besides hearing Chompy and checking on him, what else just happened?”

“Nothing.”

Raphael sighed, then squinted as he looked around his room. Seeing nothing amiss other than his nightlight plugged in, he shook his head.

“Mikey was in here, wasn’t he?”

“Please just, give him some space. He… seems a bit upset.”

“Upset? He’s been looking forward to this for two weeks! What,” Raphael stopped and scrutinized Leo’s face. “What did he say to ya?”

“It doesn’t matter. Come on, we need to get back to Leon and Raph—we don’t want to be rude hosts.”

“Leo,” Raphael stuck his arm out and stopped his brother from walking out. “What did the kid say to get so under your shell all of a sudden?”

“I… lectured Mikey about coming into your room without permission. Then I warned him that introducing Chompy to the others might have a negative impact on their dimension.”

“Why? They got to meet his cat.”

“That’s not the same. Mike said he saw a statue of ICK so, in a way, they already met his counterpart.”

“What about ya though? When this first started, Leon dragged ya all over the place getting pizza and drinks.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t meet anyone who was—oh!” He slapped a hand to his forehead. “Señor Hueso! I was thinking I didn’t talk or interact with anyone directly, but I did speak with him! Leon even introduced me as his dimensional counterpart and I had an entire conversation with him.” Leo stood there, shaking his head before his eyes widened.

“What?”

“I have to apologize to Mikey! If anything negative does happen from one of us meeting an unmatched counterpart and affecting the other’s dimension, then it would be my fault!” As he started to rush out, Raphael again stopped him.

“First, stop trying to blame yourself for everything. If anything does happen—which it’s been two weeks since so probably nothing is going to—it would be Leon’s fault. Not just because he started this, but because he was the one who introduced ya.” Leo slowly nodded. “Second, it really ain’t anyone’s fault because all this stuff is new to us and we’re just… trying to figure it out. Third,” he sighed. “I’ll go with ya when ya apologize to Mikey.”

“Please don’t get mad at him, at least not in front of company,” Leo pleaded. He looked surprised at the hand placed on his shoulder.

“I won’t and I’ll go with ya so he knows it, should make your apology go easier.”

“Well,” he said with a note of relief. “He did comment that the only thing worse than me lecturing is you yelling.” Raphael’s frown matched Leo’s for a moment before he shook his head.

“Whatever, let’s get this over with. I wanna see how Chompy reacts to Raph.”

“Oh, I’m sure Raph will like seeing Chompy too!” The two nodded, Raphael following behind Leo and closing his bedroom door as they walked across the hall to Mikey’s room and knocked.

“Go away, Leo!” Seeing the disappointed look on his only older brother’s face, Raphael frowned.

“Mikey, this door better not be locked!” he announced as he turned the handle.

“Dudes! Seriously? Can’t you save it for later?” the youngest snapped as his two oldest brothers walked into his bedroom.

“Look, I ain’t mad at ya. Wished ya asked first, but Chompy seems okay and my room ain’t burned down so… we’re cool.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah. Leo and I talked, so that was what I had to say from our conversation.” He then tilted his head, indicating towards the blue-banded ninja.

“I’m here to apologize. You sneaking into Raphael’s room is between the two of you and as far as the other part I said… even if it does happen, it wouldn’t be your fault. Especially since I neglected to remember I already did the same, so I’m sorry I even brought it up to begin with. I should have at least discussed the concern with Donnie before even saying so—oof!” Leo was interrupted as Mikey launched at him and pulled him into a tight hug before grabbing Raphael towards the two of them.

“Thanks, guys!”

“You’re welcome, baby brother,” Raphael patted Mikey on the head. “Just, stay out of my room okay?”

“Sorry, bro—no promises!” he grinned.

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

3,567 words make this the longest chapter in the fanfic thus far!
(3,543 words is second-longest for Chapter 21!)

Chapter 37: “I Know What I’m Doing” or… Ya even annoying the cat!

Notes:

My apologies for longer delays between updates. I’ve been going through a lot of stuff lately so most of my other stories have been chapters previously written (and usually much shorter than this one) rather than new work. I’m actually posting this chapter without having the next part complete which kinda makes me nervous. XD

Hope you all are doing well! ~Slady

“Pspspspspss! Who’s a good kitty?”

“Leo, what are ya doing?”

“What’s it look like I’m doing?” Raph blinked as he watched Leo empty out all the ice cube trays in the bowl ICK was sitting in.

“It looks like ya about to give the cat a concussion,” he answered, taking away the full tray he grabbed. “He’s got enough ice cubes! If ya so worried about him melting, put him back where ya found him!”

“Where’s the fun in that, yeah?” He leaned down, studying the front for a moment. “Too bad they don’t have one of those fancy ice dispensers with the good ice! We could use the crushed kind and make it rain,” he laughed, pretending to sprinkle something above the mutant cat who just looked at him with confusion.

“Stop bothering the kitty,” he placed the bowl in the center of the kitchen table and sat down. Sitting next to him, Leon kept waggling his fingers trying to entice the frosty feline to play. After a minute of failed attempts he lost interest, leaning his face in one hand.

“Wonder what’s taking them so long?”

“They’ve been gone less than two minutes.”

“Really? Are you sure? It feels like forever,” Leon sighed leaning back in his chair with his arms behind him and his head rolled back. After a few moments he sat up then stood to walk towards the drawers.

“Now what are ya getting into? This ain’t even our place!”

“Of course it is! Mi casa es su casa!”

“Even I know that ain’t how ya say it!”

“Relax,” Leon said as he peeked in some drawers before finding something of interest. “Aha!”

“Leo, whatever ya got—put it back!” Ignoring his eldest brother, he pulled his Ōdachi out to produce a portal in which he reached in and grabbed a visor cap. Placing it on his head, he smiled and sat back down at the table.

“Alright, Raphadoodle! What game do you wanna play?”

“Leo,” he growled. “If ya were gonna grab ya hat, why didn’t ya just grab ya own cards instead of going through their stuff?”

“Simple,” he answered as he started shuffling. “I wasn’t in the mood to play cards until I saw this deck in their drawer. And I can’t be the dealer without my official card-playing dealer hat!” He flicked the bill with his finger as if it emphasized his point.

“If only ya amused everyone else as much as ya amuse yourself,” he teased.

“I’m only here to impress you,” he joked with a wink.

“If I tell ya to stop trying, will it work?”

“Nope!” he chuckled, letting the ‘p’ sound pop. “Not one bit.”

“Didn’t think so. Wait, what are ya doing?”

“Again… What’s it look like I’m doing?”

“It looks like ya about to deal the cat some cards,” he answered.

“And B-I-N-G-O was his name-o!” Leon replied in a sing-song tone as Raph watched with surprise as Ice Cream Kitty picked up the face-down card and looked at it before setting it back on the table as he meowed.

“You got it!” Leon replied, setting another card face up.

“What—how did ya know what he wanted?”

“Simple… If he didn’t want any more cards, he’d just wave his paw to pass. If he wants another, he just has to ask!”

“Raph feels like something got lost in translation,” he bit his lip as he peeked at his face-down card while ICK waved his paw to pass.

“Alright, the frosty feline stands with only three cards. Total shown: 8.” He grinned at the cat with a serious expression. “You either got royalty there or an Ace, which is it?”

“Hey, ya can’t ask him that! That’s cheating!”

“He doesn’t have to answer!” Leon shrugged. “So, what will it be for you?”

“Raph stands.”

“Oh?” Leon arched an eye ridge as well. “Looks like somebody is sitting on royalty as well considering I only see 7 from you.”

“Maybe Raph is just playing it safe.”

“Too safe, mi hermano mayor. If kitty here is sitting on an 18, you’ve given him the advantage.”

“Raph knows how to count, Leo! Just deal the damn cards!” he snapped.

“Dealer shows 2…” He flipped the face-down card over. “And oh ho oh, another two! I should split and double my chances!”

“I don’t think the dealer can do that.”

“My house, my house rules.” He replied, separating the two cards. “Hit…” he flipped over another card revealing a 3 and frowned. “Hit…” next card was a 4 followed by a deeper frown.

“Leo, did ya shuffle these cards any good?” Raph also frowned.

“Hit… I know what I’m doing,” he mumbled revealing a 5.

“That’s 14… Remember ya gotta go if it’s under 17 then ya gotta stop.”

“I said, I know what I’m doing! Hit…” The next card was an 8, causing Raph to laugh.

“Busted!”

“No worries, that’s why I have a second chance!”

“Leo, you ain’t even doing this right! Dealer cards are supposed to be face up before players take turns!”

“No… everyone gets two cards, one face-down and the other face-up!”

“Even so, players go first and reveal their hand before the dealer goes.”

“Where’s the mystery and suspense in that?”

“There is no mystery in 21!”

“So you do admit there is suspense?” Leon grinned as Raph’s nostrils flared in frustration before he crossed his arms.

“Just deal and finish this stupid round!”

“Gladly! Dealer shows 2 and hit me…” With a flourish he produced another card. Recognizing the unique appearance, he froze as his only older brother slowly looked up at him with a glare. The two remained oblivious to the annoyed expression on the third mutant in the room.

“Raph KNEW ya didn’t shuffle these cards right! Ya forgot to pull out the Joker!”

“It was a… joke?” he weakly chuckled.

“Ain’t a joke if no one’s laughing,” he snorted. “Hey, Kitty,” the alligator-snapping turtle turned to the ice cream cat. “Go ahead and reveal.” He did so without a pause… with his paws.

“FOUR?” Leon exclaimed, his jaw dropping before looking at the other. “You chose to ‘stand’ when you only had a total of 12?” he facepalmed as the cat shrugged it’s melting shoulders. Flipping over his own hidden card, Raph rolled his eyes.

“18. Raph is the closet to 21 without busting.”

“You had an Ace?” Leon asked in surprise.

“Told ya, Raph knows how to count. And you,” he poked his brother in the plastron. “Need to look up the rules and learn how to play before ya waste anyone’s time again!” He paused, “and learn how to shuffle better!”

Ice Cream Kitty then mewled, throwing its cards towards Leon.

“See? Ya even annoying the cat!”

“Of course he’s mad,” Leon replied as he wiped melted ice cream off his cheek. “He lost!”

“Well, he’s going to get more annoyed if we don’t put him back,” Leo interrupted as he walked in with Raphael behind him. Glancing at the cards on the table, he raised an eye ridge as he picked up the bowl to return to the freezer.

“Ya really can annoy anyone, can’t ya?” Raphael directed towards Leon, protectively holding Chompy in both hands against his plastron. Noticing him hiding something, the latter was intrigued.

“Hey, whatcha got there?” he asked as he started to stand before feeling someone’s hand on his shoulder. It pressed heavily until he sat back down when he glanced up to see Leo looking down at him.

“Raphael wanted to show Raph first. Meanwhile, you can clean up all these cards.”

“Yes, Mama-Nardo!” Leon replied cheekily as he playfully saluted the leader who he rolled his eyes. He quietly looked out of the corner of his eyes as Raphael turned to Raph who twisted around in his chair.

“This is Chompy,” he said somewhat quietly, gently pulling back one hand to reveal the little reptile’s face. After lifting his head, he pulled back a bit at the sound of a low but loud squeal.

“OHMIG—Raph has never seen anything SO adorable!” He clenched both fists excitedly in cute aggression before unraveling one to slowly offer an extended finger towards the magenta snout. Sniffing in interest, he nudged it allowing the large turtle to carefully pet it.

“He’s a Vorkathian Fire Tortoise from the planet Magdomar,” Raphael explained proudly, watching his counterpart be entranced with his pet. “His mom is letting me watch him until he gets older and can return home to live with her.” Surprised to see Chompy so readily rub against the affectionate finger, he tilted his head.

“Do… ya wanna hold him?”

A few feet away, Leo refrained from gasping and Leon shifted nervously. For Leo, he knew that his brother was overly protective of his ward and didn’t easily trust others to interact with Chompy. For Leon, he worried about his brother’s history of animals not reciprocating his doting interest. It was an unfortunate thing that the gentle giant tended to intimidate small animals.

As if being offered a prize greater than gold, Raph firmly cupped his large hands together and held his breath as his eyes filled with unshed tears at his happiness of being able to cuddle such a small creature that was a living breathing entity rather than an inanimate plush toy. Raph opened his hands fully, allowing Chompy to willingly stroll from one pair of emerald-green hands to the second, much larger set waiting for him. Having far more room to move around, he twirled in a circle or two as his tail playfully wagged back and forth. Raph bit his lower lip, not realizing he was curling his clawed fingers just a little more protectively around the precious gem in his grasp, as he watched it smile before snuggling down.

“Hey.” Barely glancing at the hand on his shoulder, he remained focused on the creature he was holding as he heard his smaller counterpart chuckle. “Gotta remember to breath, won’t do no good to pass out.”

“Oh,” Raph exhaled slowly. “Right. Got it. Sorry, Mini-Me.”

“Nah, nothing to be sorry for, Major-Me,” he smiled. The blue banded brothers exchanged a smile.

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

I still chuckle at the scene of Mikey playing cards with Ice Cream Kitty. I opted for ICK to have a total of 12 to represent the 2012 show and Raph 18 to represent the year Rise was released.

Apparently, I’ve been playing Blackjack wrong according to some rules I found online since I’ve always played that everyone gets a card face-down and the other face-up, flipping over when it’s their turn… but several sites stated that’s only for the dealer and the players have both cards face-up. Whoops.

I know this chapter was a little shorter than usual, but the one prior was a lot longer than usual. Plus, I feel that we really needed some light-hearted fluff with the Fire & Ice combo to offset some of the heavier topics the Arts & Smarts duos have been discussing. 

Chapter 38: “Predict this!” or… No one’s taking that bet.

Both sets of Leonardos and Raphaels sat around the kitchen table playing cards, Chompy sound asleep on Raph’s shoulder.

“Got any 4s?”

“No, go fish,” Leo answered Leon before turning to Raphael. “Do you have any 7s?”

“Go fish. Raph, got any Queens?” With a shake of his head, he turned to Leon and held up one finger.

“Here ya go, Big Guy!” Leon replied, handing over the red 1 of Hearts.

“Ya know, ya ain’t gonna wake Chompy up just by talking. He can sleep through Mikey yelling at his video games.” Raph just smiled at Raphael before softly nuzzling the alien turtle on his shoulder with his fingertip.

“Speaking of little brothers,” Leon turned to Leo. “Let me use your phone.”

“Aside from the fact you didn’t even ask, let alone say please… No. What do you want it for?”

“Gotta text your Donnie to check that my Donnie hasn’t been so distracted he forgot to hydrate.”

“Or… you could just ask me to do that,” he deadpanned as he pulled out his T-phone.

“Why don’t ya just go take him something to drink?”

“That’s more Raph or Mike’s style. If I bring it, he’ll get suspicious.”

“Gee, can’t imagine why,” Raphael snarked as Leon leaned over to look at Leo’s screen.

Leo: Everyone doing okay? We’re in the kitchen if you need anything to drink, I can bring something.

“Five bucks says the Mikeys reply first.”

“No one’s taking that bet. Usually, we have to call Donnie or show up to get his attention away from his work.” Looking at his phone, Leo nodded.

“Raphael’s right, which is what I was going to say even before I got the text.”

“Is he? Or am I?” Leon grinned reading the next message in the group chat.

Mikey: Bro! It’s like you read our minds, we just ran out of soda!!

“Will you stop looking over my shoulder?” Leo snapped, turning his phone away as he looked back at his screen.

Donnie: Actually, your timing is good. Don and I wanted to share something with the group if everyone can meet in the kitchen in five minutes.
Donnie: Don says he would appreciate his beverage of choice to be prepared as he likes it.

“What’s his beverage of choice?” Leo asked.

“Flavorless juice,” Raph whispered. “Preferably grape.”

“Ya mean, water?”

“Eh, mostly. Really diluted,” Leon explained.

“I think we have some in the fridge, I’ll get it.” Leo stated as he stood up.

“Of course ya will.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Leo asked as he turned to look over his shoulder at his brother.

“He asked for HIS brothers to get him a drink, but Mama Leo steps up.”

“I’m NOT a mother hen!” the leader protested.

“Yes, you are!” Both Raphael and Leon replied in unison. Looking across the table, Raphael rolled his eyes.

“Don’t talk when I talk.” Raph snickered.

“Let Raph know how that goes. Also, ain’t nothing wrong with Leo looking out for ya so much.”

“See? I’m just being vigilant.”

“Ooh, big word!” Leon laughed, leaning back in his chair while folding his arms behind his head. He straightened up unexpectedly when Raph leaned over and slapped the back of his head.

“Here’s a word ya know: bozo! Ya try being the oldest some time and see how ya like it.”

“No can-do, bro! Too busy learning how to be a leader.”

“We’ll never get rid of ya then,” Raphael sighed.

“Then it’s a good thing we won’t need to any time soon,” Donnie replied as he walked in the room. Behind him was Don who Leo walked over to and handed a glass of watered-down purple grape juice.

“Hm, 90:10 ratio? My thanks,” Don replied. Just as he began sipping from the glass, both orange turtles raced into the kitchen.

“I win! Yeah, son!”

“That’s only because you know the layout better! Another visit or two and it’s on like Donkey Kong!” Mike challenged.

“Bring it, boi!” Mikey grinned, offering the other a high-three.

“Children,” Donnie spoke up. “Adults are talking.” Looking over his shoulder to see that, indeed, Chompy was still asleep on his shoulder, Raph nodded as he began gathering up all the cards to put away.

“Upon completion of analyzing results from both universes, we have compared and contrasted for all conjectured similarities and differences rather extensively. Regardless of origin, both sets of data show variances within reasonable range and are within acceptable parameters to not warrant concerns both short-term and long-term as can be determined at this time.”

The entire room remained quiet before Leo cleared his throat.

“In other words… your testing shows the same results and there seems to be no consequences for anyone in terms of traveling between dimensions?”

“A bit lackluster in presentation, but an adequate translation for the less academically inclined, yes.”

“Great, so can we stop testing now?” Raphael inquired. Donnie turned to Don with a small smirk.

“I told you he would ask just that.”

“That you did,” Don nodded.

“Hey! Stop predicting what I’ll say!”

“Stop being so predictable,” the taller brother shrugged.

“Predict this!” Raphael froze as he heard Leo’s voice simultaneously as he felt an arm wrap around to restrain him while another hand grabbed his fist. Mikey laughed as the smirk on Donnie’s face grew.

“Haha, Leo totally predicted what Raph was going to say AND do!” he pointed as the guests tried to refrain from also grinning.

“Further evidence proving my point,” Donnie nodded as he crossed his arms in satisfaction.

“Fine!” Raphael yanked his hand away from Leo and crossed his arms. “Then can we only get poked and prodded by one mad scientist coming and going?”

“Don and I already decided it would suffice that since we are now able to readily share data to correlate in real time, only one of us needs to do testing based on who is visiting.”

“Would it kill ya two nerds to answer with a simple yes or no?”

“It might. It very well might,” Don replied sarcastically as Donnie, with his arms crossed, simply nodded innocently.

“Anywhoo!” Leon interjected, glancing at Raph and wanting to change the subject quickly. “The real tragedy would be not getting a group photo like someone promised!” He grinned seeing the shocked expression on Don’s face drop. In moments his metal arms extracted from his shell armor as he started using those and his two arms to shoo everyone in place.

“Everyone gather around Raph!” As the other six started to crowd around, the genius looked around. “Is this the best lighting here? Maybe we should move to a different space—”

“I got you, dude!” Mikey exclaimed as he climbed on the counter and clicked on some additional lights.

“Um, Mikey? We literally have light switches on the wall!” Donnie exclaimed.

“I know, but I wanted an excuse to be taller than everyone for a moment!” he giggled before jumping down next to Mike.

“Hey, careful bumping Raph’s shoulder!”
“Ooh! You should grab Ice Cream Kitty too!”
“Ohmigosh, how did I almost forget?”
“Guys, maybe stand next to—oh, never mind…”

Leo watched as Raph stepped aside so Mikey could grab ICK before returning to his place standing in front of the refrigerator where his size rivaled the height of the appliance. Raphael stood next to Raph on the same side as the shoulder that Chompy was still napping on. At some point during the commotion, the little alien turtle had woken up before stretching, yawning, then walking over to the other shoulder from right to left.

On Raph’s right side was Leon, leaving an obvious space for Leo between him and his hotheaded brother. In front of Leon was Mike holding Ice Cream Kitty with Mikey, who stood in front of his Donnie. The latter was leaving an obvious space for Don to jump in beside him.

“Come on, Leo—ya can stare at all of us together after the photo is taken!” Raphael spoke up, waving his only older brother over besides him. With a small smile, the leader nodded and walked up before turning around and hearing a small sound followed by a series of beeps. Don quickly left the tripod set up and joined the group just before his camera made a flurry of sounds indicating multiple pictures being taken of the group.

“Fantastic!” Don smiled, pulling up the photos on his mobile. “I’ll go through these thoroughly and will email the best selections later!”

“I thought your phones and stuff doesn’t work across dimensions,” Mikey pointed out.

“Oh,” he looked up with a chagrined expression. “I suppose I could expediate the process now to share prior to our departure.”

“How long would—” Leo’s question slowed as he spoke seeing Don’s three brothers shake their heads and wave a hand across their throat. Seeing the turtle in question begin to look up from scrutinizing the selection, the leader thought quickly. “How long did you set the timer before it started taking the photos?” he smiled as the other three sighed silently.

“Hm? Oh, just ten seconds,” the genius returned his attention to his screen as he added with a mumble while he was lost in concentration, “Standard countdown.” Leo nodded and glanced around at the group.

“So… next visit at your dimension?”

“Abso-positively-lutely! Mi casa es su casa!” Leon replied to his counterpart with a grandiose gesture and bow before the group. “Mikester, you up to making a big lunch tomorrow?”

“A couple of days would be better, but I could manage to pull something good together by then if—”

“Great!” Leon interrupted his baby brother and glanced over his shoulder. “Hey, Don—how’s tomorrow sound?”

“What? Oh sounds fine, whatever you want, Leo—oh! This is a great one of me!” Don muttered to himself absentmindedly, waving off his immediate older brother.

“Ya sure ya don’t mind so soon, Little Man? Raph can help if ya need!”

“Pssh, I’ll be fine,” Mike smiled, patting his brother reassuringly. After the oldest smiled and turned to look at Chompy, he shot an angry glare at Leon and whispered in a low hiss, “You! Shopping trip tonight AND dish duty tomorrow!” Noticing the exchange between brothers, Mikey rested a hand on his counterpart’s shoulder.

“Don’t stress too much on the menu, bruh! We grew up eating worms and algae for 15 years, so we aren’t too picky when it comes to food,” he grinned. Before the shocked look settled on the other’s face, three other voices spoke up.

“Actually, I try to balance my diet to not be too meat-heavy,” Leo mentioned apologetically.
“Ignore him, I balance my diet to not eat rabbit food so I’ll eat his meat!” Raph crossed his arms and leaned towards his older brother with a smug look, who playfully covered his face to nudge it away.
“I just prefer things not too spicy, please and thank you,” Donnie added while holding up a finger meekly as if waiting his turn to be called on.
“Oh yeah… spicy food is a little rough on the guys considering how bland our diet was most of our lives,” Mikey nodded.

“What about you?” Mike asked curiously.

“Oddly enough, I can eat most anything and everything,” he shrugged as his three brothers nodded in agreement.

“And probably has,” Raphael muttered just as Leo elbowed him sharply and Donnie frowned.

“And… FOUND IT! The most perfect photo! Come, gentlemen—and Nardo—we must go posthaste to show Papa!” He stated as he started walking away, staring at his phone. “Donnie, I am emailing you a copy now with no compression or any compromise in quality so—” Glancing up from his phone, he looked at Leon with annoyance. “Um, hello? Nardo? Where’s my portal? I said, posthaste! That means ‘with great speed or immediacy’ of which you have failed to do!”

Seeing the genius stand with his fists on his hips, Leon just smiled at the others and shrugged before slipping out his Ōdachi. Hearing Don tap his foot impatiently he stopped, acting as if something suddenly occurred to him and paused thoughtfully. Waiting until he could tell his brother was about to say something, he then motioned his weapon to create the requested portal with a grin directed at his immediate younger brother who rolled his eyes and walked through first.

“Sorry, guys—Don sometimes forgets his manners when he’s super focused on something!” Mike waved as he began walking towards the portal as well. “Bye! See you all tomorrow!”

“Come on, Big Guy…” Leon encouraged softly.

With a sigh, Raph reluctantly scooped up Chompy from his shoulders. Rubbing the little alien turtle’s snout one last time with an emerald fingertip, he opened up his hands so the creature could walk from larger palms into the comfort of his familiar caretaker. He gave the others a small smile and waved slightly, trying to not let his shoulders slump but not being entirely successful. Wrapping his arm around the other’s shoulders as best as he was able to, Leon glanced back and waved.

“Hasta mañana!”

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

(1) The gentlemen joke was, in my opinion, a missed opportunity in Rise.
2003 Donatello jokes, “Gentlemen… and Mikey.”
2012 Donatello jokes, “Gentlemen… and Raph.”
It is only fitting that 2018 Donatello jokes, “Gentlemen… and Leo!”

(2) Translation:
Hasta mañana! means “See you tomorrow!”

(3) Sorry for the slower updates, aside from IRL stuff I’ve had some various fandom projects I’ve been involved with which I’m excited about!

I’m also still trying to work out some details with the Lair Games teased back in Chapter 27. Although the actual episode only highlighted some but not all, I’d like to fill in the gaps. I’m also debating about if the Aprils should be introduced prior as this seems like a family thing and the episode was a one-time project that she got to record for reporting practice. (Besides, they can always invite their friends next year!)

Chapter 39: “Kamiwa” or… The floor is made of lava.

Notes:

My apologies for only one update this month, t’was my birthday and I had a lot going on.

“Boys! You’re back!” Splinter greeted warmly.

“Yes, and we’re front too!” Leon joked, gesturing to his full body. Everyone ignored him in favor for crowding around their father with big smiles, none faster than Don who had already pulled up the image on his device taken only minutes ago.

“Ohh! Look at all of you together!” Their father’s face was bright with happiness, until momentary confusion flashed across his expression and he pointed a long claw towards Mikey. “What is that?”

“That,” Leon spoke up quickly, “Is totally cool!” The other turtles groaned as Mike shook his head.

“Dad, it’s a mutant cat made of ice cream! And guess what? I saw a statue just like it before here!”

“I’ve never seen such a weird looking statue and you boys have a lot of strange toys.”

“Action figures!” Leon and Raph protested simultaneously.

“No,” Mike shook his head. “Not here at home, I saw it once while out on a mission!”

“Ah, that is, how Blue said, very cool, indeed.” He then pointed towards Raph. “And what of this little creature? He doesn’t look like a mutant, but he doesn’t look like any turtle I’ve seen.”

“That,” Raph spoke up proudly, “is an alien turtle!”

“And it breathes fire!” Mike added.

“An alien, you say?” Splinter arched a furry eyebrow in alarm.

“Don’t worry, Pops—nothing evil. Just, you know,” Leon waved his hand dismissively. “Some space type Jupiter Jim adventure where they took in some alien baby turtle from some fire planet or whatever.”

“Hmm…” Splinter paused. “You boys are grounded from ever visiting any other planets, most especially ones made of fire!”

“Is that because the floor is made of lava?” Leon grinned.

“Or because sunscreen isn’t strong enough?” Mike asked, tilting his head.

“But what if there’s some little guy needing a mama?” Raph spoke with concern.

“It can’t be safe visiting other planets, just ask Purple. I’m sure he—Purple?” Splinter looked over, realizing that he hadn’t noticed his genius son step back as the other three crowded around to tell him about their visit. Not hearing his name until the second time it was spoken, they noticed Don’s demeanor had changed to become very sober.

“Hey, Donnie…” Leon reached for the device which Splinter handed to him with a nod. The blue-banded turtle walked over to hold the item out. “If this is about your—”

“No, Leo,” Don sighed, tightening his arms crossed over his chest. “I’m not worried about that. I wouldn’t have handed it to Papa if I was.”

“Donnie?” Mike walked over, placing a hand on the other’s arm. Raph watched the gesture, knowing how sensitive to touch the softshell was but also understanding that—for some reason—the youngest always seemed to know not only when the right moments were that it was okay but also, how much was acceptable at the time. He fidgeted his claws a moment before Leon laid a hand over his own reassuringly. Meanwhile, Splinter slid down from his recliner and walked over to his third son.

“Donatello, is there something you wish to speak about?” he asked softly. He had barely finished asking the question when the other suddenly knelt down and began hugging his father, who quickly reacted to rub his back comfortingly. “There, there, my son… Just tell us when you are ready.”

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Mike take a step back and bite his lip as he also crossed his arms across his chest.

“Michelangelo… Is there something that concerns you as well?” he asked, growing more concerned. The older two turtles looked at each other before Raph nodded and Leon sighed.

“Hey, guys… it’s okay to, you know…” Leon nervously tugged on the upper part of his right shoulder strap. “I mean, the others, they kinda…”

“What Leo is trying to say is,” Raph spoke up, placing a large hand on the red-eared slider’s left shoulder. “Sometimes his visits weren’t always, ya know, happy talks with little Leo. We just, kinda thought maybe ya knew considering what happened his first visit here.”

“Knowing something and experiencing it are two different things,” Don said, his voice mumbled by fur. With a long sigh, he sat back with his knees pulled up to his chest as he wrapped his arms around his legs and faced Splinter who sat down across from him. Mike sat down besides Don, laying his head on one shoulder and closing his eyes.

“What happened, my sons?”

“Look, guys…” Don looked up at his older brothers then back at his only younger brother. “I know I’ve done some… questionable things at times. Some actions you may perhaps even consider to be morally ambiguous…” Mike then opened his eyes, looking up at him with care. “Especially to Mikey with some experiments…” He trailed off, biting his bottom lip.

“Aw, Dee, it’s okay. What are lab assistants and best brothers for?”

“Um, not experimenting on?” Leon replied, one hand on his hip.

“Or being used as target practice for tranq darts,” Raph stated with a frown.

“My point is,” Don continued abruptly. “Despite my complaints to the contrary, you all really do let me shine in that you have fostered my curiosity and the majority of my endeavors. Even with some jests, I realize that my family has never made me feel that I was a terrible person or even guilted when I maybe-sometimes-once-in-a-while had erroneous judgement about the outcome of a particular ambition…”

“Like the gifts when you were trying to protect us from ourselves?” Mike asked.

“Or the time you wanted us to be as big brain as you?” Leo teased.

“Once all of ya ate poison pizza rolls, Raph just expects anything at this point.”

“Boys, stop interrupting and let your brother speak!”

“Thanks, Papa… Although they are right and after today, I realize just how much I’ve taken you all for granted in accepting my shortcomings as well as my successes.”

“Hey, hold on, Dee!” Mike snapped up and looked at Don intently. “We all do that for each other, even you with us!”

“Yeah, we all got our weird quirks and ticks. That’s just what being family is!” Raph stated.

“Exactly, all of you can’t be perfect like—okay, who am I kidding.” Leon sighed and sat down. Like Don, he pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. Raph then picked him up just a few inches to scoot him closer to the other three before also sitting down next to him, wrapping his arm around his immediate younger brother.

“It’s just… Donnie is a genius and yet being a handyman seems to have taken priority. Despite all that, he doesn’t even realize how unreasonable some of the expectations put upon him are!”

“Like what?” The purple-banded turtle waved a hand outward in frustration.

“Like… this Wizard Con reject of a fanboy started following them, putting himself in danger. Next thing he knows, he’s told this kid is his responsibility! So when the moron willingly mutates himself, he feels as if it’s his fault and not because this Timothy kid made bad choices or ran around with no adult supervision or even the fact that his own Sensei was completely useless!”

“What happened to Timothy after he was mutated?” Splinter inquired and Don rested his chin on his knees.

“Didn’t go well… and then it got worse, so he had to be cryogenically frozen. So the process of curing him has become even more complicated and it’s been a burden he’s shouldered alone for years.” Don spoke bitterly, his eyes angry with resentment.

“Who told this boy that the fate of that child was his fault?”

“His Splinter, I bet.” Mike spoke up and Don nodded. “Yeah… He definitely wasn’t as understanding as you, Dad. Apparently, he even hurt Leo for making a mistake,” he spat.

“Wait, what? I didn’t hear about this!” Leon looked up, alarmed.

“Yeah, he got mad at him about something and hurt his foot. Then it turned out, Leo had been right all along because he trusted his instinct!”

“Wait, is this about that Ka—Miwa person?”

“Yeah! Kamiwa. Weird name,” Mike replied. “Something about no one trusted her except Leo and then she turned out to be Splinter’s human daughter so they had to save her from Shredder.”

“Wait, wasn’t Miwa also Karai?” Raph asked Leon with confusion.

“Gram-Gram?” Don and Mike both asked simultaneously, their heads snapping up to look at Raph as Leon facepalmed.

“My counterpart had a daughter?” Splinter asked, an almost sad expression crossing his face.

“Okay, whoa! This conversation totally got derailed!”

“Did it though, Leo?”

“Yeah, it did!” Leon waved a hand around gesturing at the others. “Don and Mike were feeling down finding out about their counterpart’s version of Splinter only to find out about Karai bringing up all sorts of questions about how here she’s our Gram-Gram and the actual daughter of Shredder who stopped him from doing evil for generations whereas over there she was actually Hamato Yoshi’s daughter Miwa who was kidnapped by Shredder who renamed her Karai.” He paused to take a deep breath after furiously rushing through the explanation while holding both hands parallel to each other as he continued to gesture to emphasize his points while bouncing around from one detail to another. The room was quiet for about a minute when Don spoke up.

“So… Leo had a crush on a stepsister he didn’t know he had?”

“Look, he had a bad night and obviously things were more complicated than anyone realized…”

“Right! Little Leo’s instincts said she was okay and it turns out, she was. He just didn’t know why yet.”

“I mean, technically they weren’t related.” He shrugged with indifference as Splinter arched an eyebrow. “What? They weren’t. There’s still the whole, human being and mutant turtle thing though.”

“Dee’s right,” Mike nodded. “But wow, what’s the irony of that happening?”

“I mean, statistically speaking…” Don mused, wrapping his fingers around his chin in thought. “If you factor in that both of their versions of Splinter and Shredder were humans who became disenchanted with one another to the point of doing the whole, friends to enemies situation—kidnapping a child being an entirely extreme and evil act regardless—it only seems inevitable that one would seek the other out for a final confrontation. Either Splinter would search for his daughter or Shredder would want to gloat about raising her. The real question might be a matter of why it didn’t happen sooner than later or why Leo and his brothers weren’t even aware of who she was.”

“Oh, that I know the answer to that!” Mike replied. “Apparently Shredder thought Splinter was dead and Splinter thought Kamiwa was dead.”

“Karai or Miwa! Not Kamiwa!” Leon corrected.

“But you said—”

“Leo was starting to say Karai when he meant to say Miwa,” Raph explained.

“What’s the difference?”

“Her fake evil name versus her real good name!”

“Oh… that does make sense,” the youngest nodded.

“I know more about this than any of you and I still don’t think it makes sense!” Leon exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

“Then make it make sense,” Don stated plainly.

“Not sure that’s possible, apparently there’s this whole situation with time travel…” Mikey mentioned.

“Time travel? Like—”

“Okay, boys, this will be quite enough for now.” Splinter stood up and reached a hand out to Mike who accepted the encouragement and did as his father, then turned to do the same for Don while the older two also stood. Each stretched a little as he continued. “It sounds like what we all need is a good movie night complete with cake and milk!” The turtles’ eyes lit up at the suggestion.

“Ooh! Lou Jitsu marathon, Pops?” Raph asked excitedly.

“Only if that’s what you boys want,” Splinter replied proudly.

“Do we! All this talk about time and space, we need some good old fashion ninja hero action!” Leon replied, doing a mock karate chop against Raph’s arm.

“Are you calling me old?” the rat squinted suspiciously.

“Ignore Nardo, Papa!” Don smiled, throwing an arm across the other’s shoulders. “What he means to say is there’s nothing better than the classics of watching our favorite real-life superhero!” Seeing his father beam, Mike nodded as he bounced up and down in place before throwing a fist pump in the air.

“HOT SOUP!” the youngest shouted.

“HOT SOUP!” the other three joined in, giving each other a group high-three before running off to the living room and setting up for family movie night…

~*~*~*~*~

“Hey, Leo…” Raph whispered as he stirred, realizing Leon was awake. “Can’t sleep?”

“I was. Just randomly woke up for a few minutes…”

“Ya thinking about earlier?”

“How can I not?” he shrugged. “Did you see how Splinter looked when he found out the other him had a daughter?”

“Yeah, but… Ya know, April’s kinda like our sister and all.”

“I know but she has her own home, she doesn’t live with us no matter how long we’ve known her. I mean,” he scoffed slightly. “Their April actually lived with them for a while, but she still has her own life no matter how much she was like family. You know what I mean?”

“Yeah, Raph gets it. Like, extended family and all.”

“Exactly,” he nodded. “She’s not a turtle or even a mutant like any of us. Apparently the other April is a mutant, but just looks like a regular human.”

“So what ya getting at?”

“Nothing really…” he sighed. “Guess I was just thinking about how Dad got his heart broken by Big Mama and never had a human family before he had us, then he has to listen about how another version of him had a wife and a daughter before this whole situation.”

“Hey, this whole situation ain’t bad.”

“I know but… Lou Jitsu had fame and fortune then thought he was going to have a wife and maybe kids before he lost everything. Hamato Yoshi had a wife and kid and lost them when his clan was dying.”

“The same clan Pops chose to walk away from so he could live his own life.”

“The same clan the other guy seemed to prioritize over his family. Dad never did that to us! He was ready to sacrifice the world instead of giving us up because he taught us hope is our greatest weapon, but they got told their greatest weapon was deception. What kind of life is that to live always expecting to be double-crossed?”

“Or a triple-betrayal?” Raph gave a small smirk to lighten the mood.

“Quadruple even! Everyone was on fire that night!” he chuckled, resting his head on his big brother. “So… Do you still think I did okay? I’m not ruining everyone’s lives by interfering with the other dimension?”

“Better than okay, Raph thinks ya did a good thing and stuff is gonna get better. Now…” The snapping turtle playfully poked at the top of Leon’s head. “Ya got that brain calmed down enough to go back to sleep?”

“Suppose so… just keep wondering if Dad wants to meet the other Karai or how that would even affect our brothers.”

“Well, the only one who can answer that question is Pops. Maybe right now the answer is, not yet but later yeah? But Raph thinks before that, we gotta focus on the other humans. The Caseys and April of course.” Leon closed his eyes and yawned.

“Do you think it would matter much to them? I mean, other than just mild curiosity? They’re humans, they get to go out and see others like them all the time. We don’t get that, so this is a really big deal for us, you know?”

“Well, yeah… But just because it means more to us doesn’t mean it won’t be important to them. Besides, not like we can keep this secret forever. And Junior, he don’t quite get out as much since he’s still getting used to things being so different from how he grew up.” He stopped as the other yawned again.

“True…” Licking his lips and nuzzling closer, Leon’s voice was a little quieter and a bit slower. “If you were stuck only eating one thing for years, would it be leaves and rats or algae and worms?”

“Go to sleep, Leo,” Raph chuckled quietly as he shut his eyes and nodded off contentedly.

~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 40: “1.3 blocks and 7 meters away” or… An impulsive, loudmouthed, super-violent hothead.

Notes:

The distance quote is a reference to 2012 episode, S2 E01 Mutation Situation.
The brothers quote is a reference to 2012 episode, S3 E01 Within the Woods.
The hothead quote is a reference to 2012 episode, S3 E16 Clash of the Mutanimals.

“It wasn’t your fault, Leo.”

“Huh?” Raphael raised an eye ridge and looked between the youngest and the oldest who sat across from each other at the kitchen table. Donnie only looked at Mikey questioningly.

“What wasn’t my fault, Mikey?”

“You have to know it wasn’t your fault! You can’t keep blaming yourself for everything, you HAVE to accept you always do your best to make good decisions! So even if you do realize later on, yeah maybe something could have been better—you’re only working with what you know at that moment.”

“Mikey, I don’t understand. What are you talking about—”

“Any time! All the time! But also…” he glanced at his plate and stared at his fork, steeling his courage. “When we went back in time and you saw that Shen hid Miwa under the bench. You couldn’t rescue her, Leo—we weren’t even born yet, so it’s not like we could take her with us. WE had to leave her there for Shredder to find, she had to be raised by him no matter how messed up it was.”

“Mikey’s right,” Donnie spoke up. “If we had changed things so that Yoshi realized she survived, he might not have moved from Japan to New York. Maybe he would try to rebuild the Hamato clan with his only heir, or maybe he would have moved back to be closer to Shen’s family so he would have a support system to help raise her since he lost the only family he had. Even if he still went to New York as she wanted, he would have had his hands full raising Miwa and wouldn’t have been lonely enough to buy four random baby pet shop turtles.” Raphael frowned.

“They’re right, Leo! If Karai hadn’t been raised by Shredder, Splinter wouldn’t have gotten mutated—which means we wouldn’t have gotten mutated. The world would have ended without us to save it! We’ve already been through this back when were in the past!” His expression then changed as he saw the shadow of a doubt cross his oldest brother’s face. “Wait… have ya been beating yourself up all this time about if ya made the right decision about leaving her there to be taken?”

Leo didn’t answer, only sat there with his jaw set firm.

“Leo… You know we’re right, bro.”

“Leo, I can help you map out many of the various possibilities so you can prove to yourself how that was absolutely the best choice! You know more than anyone that doing the right thing is rarely the easy way.”

“Leo, why? Why can’t ya just let stuff like this go?”

“Maybe because some of us were left alone with a lot of time to think for six months about how to save the world YET AGAIN while others were too preoccupied!” he snapped. Before Raphael could respond, Mikey spoke up.

“Oh yeah, great time had by all! Like how you all treated me like I was completely useless and the only person who actually gave me the time of day was Casey!”

“Excuse me for helping Professor Honeycutt with an entire spaceship and taking advantage of what little time we had with someone who could actually mentor me on an intellectual level!” Donnie spat.

“I wasn’t even talking about you! But if you really want to go there, then what’s your excuse about all the time you spent with Casey at the farmhouse?” Mikey retorted.

“The farmhouse?” Donnie exclaimed. “I was taking care of Leo! You know, the guy who spent three months in a coma?” he replied sarcastically.

“Yeah,” Raphael scoffed. “I wouldn’t know anything about Leo being in a coma every day for three months straight!”

“Maybe if you did, Casey would have hung out with you more out there!”

“Really, Donnie?” Leo eyed his tallest brother. “You were more worried about Casey being paired off with April when we divided into search parties than the fact Raph was missing!”

“Seriously! What was up with that?” Raphael crossed his arms. “And don’t act like I wasn’t the one keeping an eye on things when Leo was out of commission!”

“You’re welcome and all, how’s it feel not being a plant?” Donnie stood, pushing his chair back. “Want to know what else is 1.3 blocks and 7 meters away? Me walking away from this conversation! Or is that still too weird for you, Raph? Like I don’t know how to calculate distance from where we are to anywhere else in the city!” He pointed to his head. “There’s a literal map in my brain that I can estimate between two points with reasonable accuracy, why do you think I was the one who figured out all the shortcuts when we first went topside?”

“Sorry! It’s just… ya hadn’t done that before and it came off as being a bit obsessed with April when ya mentioned how far away her apartment was. I get it, I’ve seen ya do it a lot of times since then!”

“D, don’t leave!” Mikey reached out and grabbed his brother’s arm. “I’m sorry, Casey’s all of our friend and there’s no reason to be jealous.”

“Especially from the one who has the most friends,” Donnie sighed, sitting back down.

“Maybe, but none of my friends are as important as you guys!”

“Finally, something we can all agree on.” Leo’s statement hung in the air as he stared while stabbing at his food with his fork. As he started to lift it to his mouth, he looked up to see all three brothers looking at him. “What? I’ve never put anyone before you guys! Even when I didn’t tell you about Karai, the moment she betrayed us at the lab with Justin, I told her it was over.”

“Not even talking about that,” Raphael replied. “How come ya the only one who doesn’t get along with Casey?”

“I get along with Jones just fine,” Leo answered, shoving the forkful of food in his mouth and began chewing.

“No, he’s got a point, Leo… Mikey hung out with him a lot up in space, we worked through most of our differences out on the farm, and he spends the most time with Raph here at home—but you and him never really connected.”

“Yeah, bro—even Karai kissed him!” Hearing Leo start to choke, Raphael pounded the back of his shell firmly a couple of times.

“Mikey, I am not kissing anyone—least of all Casey,” Leo sighed with exasperation.

“Point is, Leo… even friends of the family you stay kind of distant.”

“Right, even D gets into some brainy debates with Rockwell. But when we go to the Mutanimals you just… kinda hang back.”

“I socialize.”

“Not much,” Raphael replied. “Ya were way more engaged at the tea party with the little girl the night Spike first got mutated than having an actual conversation with Slash!”

“I was trying to save her life! She was about to drink mutagen, remember?”

“Let’s not forget how you barely put Mikey down while we had to find his inner self when he was attacked by the Neutrinos…” Donnie added.

“I think we’ve well established I’m very protective over you guys, including my baby brother.” Leo refrained from rolling his eyes as he took a drink of water from his glass.

“Then what about that obnoxious prince pup, bro?”

“Again… protecting a defenseless kid, let alone someone who was literally destined to save the lives of others. What is the point of this conversation?”

“It’s just… Leon seems to the closest thing you’ve come to having a friend on your own outside us,” Donnie explained cautiously.

“Right and, does it really count if it’s with yourself? Ouch!” Mikey moaned as Raphael kicked him from under the table.

“I think we’ve established that Leon and I have our differences enough that we aren’t as similar as we could be.” He glanced over at the brother sitting next to him. “Surely at least Raph can attest to that.”

“He’s much more annoying, but ya got a few things in common that are too close for comfort.”

“Again, I ask: what is the point of this conversation?” The three younger turtles glanced at each other before Donnie sighed.

“I suppose in a roundabout way this is us trying to figure out if we’re even ready to tell April and Casey let alone Ka—Miwa and Shini.”

“No Shinigami,” Leo shook his head. “They don’t have a counterpart of her that we know of yet.”

“Is that really the only reason?” Raphael asked, raising an eye ridge suspiciously.

“Yes, Raphael. If I learn that, in fact, they do then it only makes sense to include her as well.”

“If ya say so.”

“I do say so.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

“Please don’t argue guys,” Mikey pleaded.

“Don’t blame us, ya started this whole conversation!”

“Well I’m finishing it,” Donnie stated assertively to everyone’s surprise. “Leo, why don’t you and Raph review the lists of everyone we know with Leon and his Raph tomorrow?”

“How’d ya know we just finished that?”

“I didn’t, but I can’t imagine Leo hasn’t reviewed it multiple times already in the event it came up in conversation today.” The eldest blushed slightly and nodded.

“It wouldn’t hurt to look over one more time tonight…” he said to Raphael who nodded. Turning to the younger two, he added, “I’ll give you both a copy to see if there’s anyone you remember that I may have missed.”

“Bruh, do we have to include all of the mutant frogs? I don’t know if I remember all of their names…”

“What? Ya threated to go live with them!”

“Psshh! You know I didn’t mean that! Besides, after a while I just started pointing and calling them ‘hey you’ and ‘you the frog’ and, of course, ‘fellow green dude’ when I was there.” Feeling an olive-green hand pat his head affectionately, he looked up to see Donnie chuckling.

“I think just knowing some of their names will suffice, especially Napoleon.”

“Oh good because I remember, like, maybe three others,” he replied, starting to count on his fingers. “Attila… Genghis… Rasputin…” He paused before shaking his head. “Yup, that’s it. I can count the others on one hand,” he stated as he held up his hand for emphasis.

“Lucky for ya, he can probably say the same and is glad ya only got three brothers to remember.” Raphael’s smirk was teasing, causing Leo to playfully elbow him in mock chastisement.

“How about you two clean the table and do the dishes while I get Donnie a copy of the lists?” They warm-color turtles nodded and watched as their cool-color brothers left. Then Mikey turned to Raphael.

“Hey… do you think Attila, Genghis, and Rasputin are Napoleon’s brothers and he forgot to tell me?”

“Who knows,” he shook his head, humoring his baby brother. “Either way, we’re definitely the better-looking set of four!”

“You think so?”

“I know so… I recognize an ugly amphibian when I see one and reptiles are way better!”

“I mean, the shells are a totally cool bonus. Like a turtle do, yo!”

“Like a turtle do, bro,” Raphael smiled, giving Mikey a fist-bump.

~*~*~*~*~

As the two older turtles reviewed the lists for a final time, Raphael looked up and stared at Leo.

“Ya still wondering ‘what if’ ain’t ya?”

“I’m trying not to…”

“Look, Leo,” he sighed. “Even if ya figure out some magical solution, we can’t change what happened. It’s already in the past.”

“We could probably contact Renet…”

“As if we’d trust her with anything, let alone something so important!” the brawler scoffed. Before the leader could reply, he continued. “Besides, what if by changing something then it messes up ya meeting the other guy?” Noting the brief confusion, he explained. “Our counterparts. What if something about the way things happened somehow caused him to find ya, but doing things a different way then it would have never happened.”

“I… hadn’t considered that.” Leo paused thoughtfully, fidgeting with the pen in his hand before a sad sigh escaped him. “I suppose that might be counterintuitive to the alternate.”

“What? I don’t understand what ya mean.”

“I…” he looked up, his sapphire eyes boring into the emerald ones staring back at him. “I have a secret, one that’s been eating at me inside most of our lives.”

“Ya tell me and I’ll take it to my grave. Unless, ya know, it’s gonna hurt ya or something.”

“No, nothing like that.” A slight smirk graced his lips. “This one can’t throw a knife at my head.”

“Ah, well,” Raphael smiled, trying to lighten the mood. “Already an improvement from ya keeping secrets that could kill ya.” Hearing the other exhale and sensing the heavy burden that weighed between them, he laid a hand on the arm next to him and waited.

“I’ve always wondered… What if Tang Shen raised us instead of Master Splinter? How different would things be? How different would we be? Is there a version of me at some point that lets the intrusive thought win and, when we get sent back to the past, is bold enough to order us to save her instead of him? That we save her and she rescues Miwa. But then what? There are so many possibilities and even with so much time since then, I just can’t figure it out.”

Raphael sat there in stunned silence staring at his only older brother. When the blue eyes braved to look at him directly, he could only nod.

“Thought crossed my mind too,” he admitted.

“Really?” Leo exclaimed.

“Yeah… More than once. A lot actually,” he shrugged. “But she seemed torn on settling for either Yoshi or Saki, so with one out of the way her choice was obvious.”

“Or maybe after a near-death experience she decides to go at it alone. She was strong, Raph… Just the fact she considered taking Yoshi’s child to be raised by Saki and that she wanted to leave traditional Japan behind to move to the USA was bold given her circumstances.”

“But who’s to say a single mom is gonna get her kid four random pet shop turtles?”

“I know… Miwa said growing up she had always wanted a pet, but I never thought to ask what kind. Who’s to say she just wouldn’t get a cat like a normal little girl?”

“Or worse… frogs that she teaches kung-fu to!”

Leo froze for a moment, his jaw dropping at Raphael’s inane comment. A moment passed before the other’s expression broke into a joking smile, which led the two to dissolve into giggles.

“Seriously, Raph?” the oldest chuckled. “That sounds like something Mikey would have said!”

“He basically did! I was thinking about his goofy question about Napolean and the other frogs, then it suddenly reminded me of stupid Spider-Bytz calling us that.”

“Ugh, that night was so stressful!”

“Right? Between his attitude and me getting lectured, that was not helping my turtle temper!”

“I mean you almost getting hit by a van! Twice! Then kidnapped!”

“Oh yeah, guess that all did happen too,” he paused, tilting his head.

“Seriously? You forgot almost getting run over?” the leader asked incredulously as the brawler shrugged.

“But did I die? No. Because you always look out for me. No matter what I’ve got going on, the one thing I can count on is ya got my back.”

“We all do. That's what brothers are for.”

“Yeah, but ya do a little bit extra for all of us. Actually, a lot of bit.”

“Don’t say it, please…” he cringed.

“What?” he grinned. “You’re a very vigilant oldest brother with a lot of experience!”

“Well,” he replied with relief. “You three do keep me on my toes.”

“With Mikey’s overactive imagination and energy plus Donnie’s hyperdrive database of a brain, we got our hands full.” Their smiles were infectious as they spoke about their younger brothers.

“Well, what would we do without you? Every team needs an impulsive, loudmouthed, super-violent hothead, right?” he smiled affectionately.

“You’re the best bro.” Raphael stated as he reached over and hugged Leo.

~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

(1) This is it y’all—I’ve finally written a fanfic that reached 100k words! (My longest until now has been 71k and that was only 20 chapters, but this one is very dialogue heavy so it’s over 250 pages.)

Thanks to everyone who’s been reading, bookmarked, subscribed, left kudos, and especially comments that are absolutely encouraging to keep going! Unfortunately, I have no more chapters written at this point, but I do have a LOT of notes (and some various random scenes) as there is still so much more story to tell. I hope to be able to find the inspiration to redirect my focus on this project sooner than later. 💙

(2) If you enjoyed the part of the conversation when the 2012 turtles pondered about the possibilities of being raised by Tang Shen instead of Hamato Yoshi, you may enjoy one of the fanfics from a project I’ve been working on since February 2025. Due to a lot of changes, I stepped up to manage a BANG and my story focuses on Leonardo pondering over all—and the lack of—feminine influence in his life which highlights every girl and woman from the series he met, no matter how brief.

You can find the fanfic here: “Change is the Only Constant”