Chapter Text
Leo was dead. Mikey knew that as a fact . His older brother had been dead for years. They had heard him getting beaten to death by the Krang over the comms. Every one of his screams of agony. Every devastating blow. How it had gone quiet. They couldn’t even retrieve his body from the Prison Dimension.
That was one of the worst parts.
Coming home empty handed.
Every sound that left the comms that night... Mikey's mind haunted him with what could have happened to Leo. Nightmares that left Mikey in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. Impossible images of what could remain of Leo's mangled corpse.
Yet, all of those manifestations seemed to vanish in seconds.
Because Leo stood right in front of him. Leo stood in front of Mikey as if a day had never passed. Crimson blood dripped from deep cracks on Leo's shell and the side of Leo's head was an unnatural mix of dark purple bruises against green skin. But he was alive. Everything Mikey thought he knew was crashing down around him. Like a tower of paint was knocked over and was slowly drowning Mikey
Leo was supposed to be gone. Dead. A ghost that would never leave Mikey's memories.
Yet, despite it ALL.
Leo was back.
***
Five Years Earlier
Mikey covered his mouth, listening to the shattering of bone over the comms. Leo's screams of pure agony.
Leo's shell cracking like an egg.
Bile grew in his throat. The edges of his eyes burned.
The screams came to an uncomfortable halt.
The flat, wet crunch of metal beating in bone and flesh didn’t .
Why did it keep going—? How– There wasn’t anything left of his brother to hurt anymore. There wasn’t – he was gone- Leo couldn’t be alive– not after that- He couldn’t be gone-
That wasn’t true.
It couldn’t be true.
They could save him for sure– Mikey just— he just had to– he could open a portal-
There had to be some way to make things better right–? They could totally make this better– Everything was going to be fine– And Raph and Donnie could definitely fix everything once they got Leo back–
He glanced over at his elder brothers. Donnie was crying– Donnie was pouring his eyes out— No no no- That couldn’t be right— That–
And Raph. Raph was still as stone, just staring up in the sky where the portal to the Prison Dimension had closed.
His bottom lip trembled. There had to be something right?! He could do something– This could be made right! All four of them would go home– Hang out with April, eat some pizza— Have grease stick to their fingers– Laugh like- like nothing happened—
Static fizzled and cracked from the comms. The sound rang in Mikey’s tympanum along with the sickening sound of breaking bones, craved violently into his mind.
They couldn’t lose Leo too— Please . Mikey pleaded. Please. He just needed something— Leo’s voice would pop up on the comms. It had too– He could- he could open a portal for sure— He just— needed Leo to just speak—
Yet all there was silence. Just the sounds of Donnie’s choked sobs and broken static.
***
Everything in Leo’s body decided it would be an excellent idea to start hurting. He was pretty sure that death was not supposed to be this painful after you had died.
Wasn’t it supposed to be peaceful? A relief from the pain he’d suffered from? Or wasn’t he supposed to join his ancestors or some crap? Leo knew that was what happened to Gram-Gram, so why not himself??
What the hell was the afterlife like? He had no fucking idea because apparently he wasn't there!
Then, Leo opened his eyes. Confusion began to worm its way into his mind. Everything was too bright all at once. The fluorescent lights overhead let out an uncomfortable hum-buzz that echoed in Leo's head.
The sharp prickling smell of a too sterile room clashed with the soft smell of dusty charcoal he last remembered.
Honestly? It was a sensory nightmare . Donnie would have probably hated every second of what Leo was experiencing. (... He wasn't any better- Geez this feeling was awful.)
If this was the afterlife, he was definitely speaking to management and asking for a refund.
He attempted to push himself up with a groan. But a sudden sharp sensation raced through Leo's arms and sent him flopping down onto a- Pillow? A pathetic excuse of a pillow. (Nothing like the ones that flooded Raph's bed).
This was not the lair. Definitely even not their med bay.
“Leo?” He heard a voice that was similar to Raph’s. But not quite. It was off. Leo couldn't put a finger on it, but something was off . Like someone had taken a fuzzy memory of his brother’s voice and tried replicating it. (Failing MISERABLY while doing so.)
He shifted his gaze to his right. His brother looked... Different. Maybe that was because Leo sucked at seeing things at the moment, but his elder brother seemed…. Taller. Older. Matured. Worry lines plagued Raph's forehead constantly. He even had some spikes growing on his chin- Almost like a beard! Or- As much of a beard that a turtle could even have. It was so….. Wrong. Weird. Out of place! Uncanny, even! Nothing like...
This... Illusion? Trick of the mind? Nightmare?? Whatever it was- It was nothing like the brother Leo knew
“Who–” Leo started. This had to be some fucked up dream he was having before he joined Gram-Gram and his ancestors, right? Or some Krang induced nightmare— That couldn’t be Raph.
Leo chose to settle for a fucked up nightmare. Krang Prime prolonging his life and tormenting him with this twisted version of his brother seemed... VERY in character for the alien.
Leo;s thoughts halted as he caught sight of this imposter's arm. That…..
It shouldn’t—
It COULDN'T-
Leo could still feel the spatters of blood on his face from when the Krang’s tentacle—
Raph couldn’t have his arm still, right–?
It went straight through his elder brother’s shoulder blade— He had caused his brother to get extremely injured–
Leo was a shitty brother. He made a stupid mistake and it had gotten Raph hurt— Raph shouldn’t have saved him there— It should have gone straight through Leo’s own head—
But Raph did have his arm.
Maybe Leo was wrong. He was no medic... That role belonged to Leo's favorite orange-wearing brother.
He so desperately needed to be back home. He didn’t care he was still stuck in the Prison Dimension if it meant he was seeing one of his brothers.
“Hey. It’s just Raph.” His elder brother said to him, a weary smile plastered on his face.
Leo blinked at his brother for a moment. “Right.” He laughed at his own stupidity. Of course. It was just Raph.
He needed it to be his brother. He had no clue what he would do if he woke up from this nightmare back inside the prison dimension.
“You look like an old man.” Leo shot a smile towards the Krang illusion his brother.
That didn’t earn him a laugh from Raph, just a deep grimace and a sharp inhale. “‘Bout that….” Raph started.
“Are you going to tell me that I aged you three decades by stepping off into the Prison Dimension?” Leo chuckled.
Raph completely froze at that. “Don’t joke ‘bout that, Leo.” He gruffed.
Silence grew between them for a few seconds. “We….. We thought you were dead–”
“Me? Dead? HA! As if! The amazing Neon Leon die ? That’s a good joke, Raph.” A sharp pain shot up in his chest as he laughed.
“ Leo .” His brother warned him.
He blinked at his brother. “What?”
“Do not joke about anything K– Krang related.” Raph scowled. “We thought you were dead for– You were gone for five years!”
The rest of Raph's rant fell onto deaf ears.
Leo could barely think.
Five years?
There was no way that Leo had been gone for five years. This was all just a trick from Krang Prime to torment him— Five years hadn’t passed. It was a lie – an illusion –
“What.” Leo’s voice was barely a whisper.
It had been a few minutes at most– Not—
This definitely had to be a dream that Krang Prime was fabricating. Designed to psychologically torture him.
It’s what he would probably do if he were Prime—
Heh.
This one hundred percent was a nightmare.
This wasn’t real—
It couldn’t be.
But it was better than knowing that he was still in the Prison Dimension…. Right–? He could believe in this false world…. It would only be a matter of time before Krang Prime got bored and actually killed him…. He could wait this out…. It was just a tiny white lie….