Chapter Text
Every morning since last month, Leo had a habit of waking up and breathing a sigh of relief. This morning was no different. He blinked blearily, eyes adjusting to his surroundings, yawned and stretched, and swung his legs over his bed--- ignoring the involuntary muscle spasm and took a deep breath. Even though he was living in the dark sewers, he had a feeling it was sunny outside.
It was another new, perfectly normal day. No cruise ships, no kidnappings, no alien invasions, no double mutations that involved turning into horrific sea serpent and tortured by one mad scientist.
He shivered at that last one. Even though he had little to no memories of mutating for the second time, he still sometimes dreamt of the horrible pain that was inflicted upon him. It was not very pleasant. He had a lot of recovering to do. Not just physically, but mentally.
It was supposed to be a wonderful vacation. Spending time with his family and relaxing for once. Raph had received five tickets for a supposedly amazing cruise ship vacation. But no, fate simply did not want Hamato Leonardo to relax at all. Instead it was filled with arguments, being captured not once, but twice and risking his life for Donnie. He didn't remember that part very much. Just that he couldn't imagine leaving his sibling at the mercy of some mad scientist. Sure Leo was a jerk, and Donnie was perfectly capable but he couldn't help it. What kind of leader would he have been if he hadn't? Better yet, what sort of brother would he be? He didn't regret it one bit, even if Donnie was being a jerk too.
He didn't remember most of the aftermath, only bits and pieces from what his family told him. He mutated again, turning into a hideous sea serpent thing with no logical mind or free will. His siblings and the strange Mona Lisa had escaped, shipwrecked on some island, while Leo was left alone in his new mutated body. He was eventually caught by the scientist and tortured to become a complete mindless monster to do whatever Filch wanted.
Somehow he was turned back, thanks to Mona Lisa having retromutagen, and his family using the remarkable ninpo to calm his horrifying state.
He was back. Sort of.
Leo finally decided to climb out of bed and push past the navy blue curtains in front of his room to officially start the day. At the bathroom sink while brushing his teeth, he spent a longer time staring at his reflection. Staring at his permanent glassy eyes. Counting each individual scar and gill scattering his skin. It seemed like there was a new one every time he checked. The scars were fine but the gills...they were scaley creepy, itchy things scattering his skin.
He looked like a freak.
Which was saying a lot, considering he was already a teenage mutant ninja turtle. There weren't many benefits to having gills, besides holding his breath underwater longer and being able to swim twice as fast as before he gained them. He didn't fit in with his siblings anymore. Although he was still the same old Leo they knew, he also had some strange fish DNA inside that even Donnie couldn't quite grasp yet. Not that they weren't trying, obviously.
Leo finished brushing his teeth, then splashed some water in his face to fully wake up. Just outside the door, he could hear Mikey's energetic voice practically singing at him.
"Hey big bro! I made breakfast especially for you!"
He snorted, opening the door and leaning nonchalantly against the wall. "Oh yeah?"
"Yup!" Mikey nodded vigorously. "I made it with love and pancake batter mix!"
"Don't you always say that when you make us food? ``The love for your family' or something like that?"
"And it's always true!" He huffed in mock offense. "Even when I'm making toast."
He led the way to the kitchen, practically bouncing the entire trip. Leo switched the kettle on and searched for the tea bags. He was feeling in the mood for something soothing and sweet. Lavender, with just a little bit of honey. He let the tea bag sit.
"Here you go!" Mikey beamed, presenting his breakfast at the table. A stack of blueberry pancakes with whipped cream, two eggs to use as eyes and a bacon strip making a goofy grin. He was about to sit across from Leo, when the kettle started to whistle. "I'll get it for you!"
"Hey, thanks buddy." Despite feeling in a weird mood, he would never reject Mikey's cooking. He immediately started digging in. This seemed with more love than usual. "Did you make something for the others too? This seems elaborate, even with you."
Mikey blinked, passing the warm mug to Leo casually. "The others? Ohhhh yeah the others! Well Donnie's still asleep, Dad chose to have really bland oatmeal and..."
"And Raph?"
"Raph was in a hurry to train with Frankenfoot. I didn't get a chance to even say good morning."
"Huh. Well, that's not a bad idea. Maybe I'll join him when I'm done eating."
There was a loud clatter of dropped silverware.
"Nonononono!" Mikey shrieked, fumbling to pick up the forks and spoons now scattering the floor."Just focus on eating. And relaxing! Lots of rest and relaxation!"
"Ah, come on. I've pretty much recovered since I was mutated."
Mikey winced.
"You can talk about what happened. I won't freak out."
"Well, yes but it's sensitive." He folded his hands together sheepishly. "It was a lot, what happened on the cruise. Pushing yourself to train and patrol can't be good for you! So please please please relax!" That last word came out sharp, and he nearly dropped the mug of tea.
Leo stopped eating. "What is up with you?"
"What's up with me?" He squeaked back, in complete denial that something was wrong. "Um. Uno reverse card."
"Uno reverse times two. First with the fancy schmancy breakfast exclusively for me, and now you don't want me to train? I agreed to stop patrolling for now but this? It's just Frankenfoot, it's not like I'm taking down the Foot Clan."
"It's not that, Leo," Mikey fiddled with a spare napkin as he tried to find the best words to say. "It's only been a month. You're still healing. Donnie said something about how mutating, and then demutating completely changed your bone structure. Or something science-y along those lines."
Leo scoffed.
"We know you're capable of training, but it's not good for you to push yourself until you've fully recovered."
"I'm the leader now, of course I need to train! I can't be slacking off, not when there's potential bad guys causing drama. I appreciate the concern-" He started licking the syrup and the dollop of whipped cream off his plate until it was perfectly clean and polished to his standards. "but I'm fine. More than fine, my ever so dear hermano who I care for very much for providing me with this delicious breakfast and genuinely being a great guy."
"Why thank you for the compliments. You're still not training though," Mikey stuck his tongue out playfully, pleased that he was in charge of the situation despite being the youngest. "And no patrols either. Because we've got plans! And this time, you're coming with us."
"Really?" For the last month, Leo had been suffering from cabin fever after being cooped up in the lair. Curse his overprotective family. "Right, so where are we going?"
"Funzo's Carnival is making its way to Central Park and it's being set up tonight!" Mikey pulled out his phone and shoved it in the slider's face. Pictured was an article about the aforementioned carnival with a bunch of over exaggerated grinning human kids. "Games, funnel cake, rides, funnel cake, cotton candy, prizes and funnel cake! Did I mention funnel cake?" He hugged his phone tightly. "Plus cute animatronic animals dancing! What could be better?"
Leo cringed slightly. "After all the Albearto encounters, I'm not sure that last part sounds appealing. But I'm down."
"I've carefully crafted a schedule so that we can have the ultimate carnival experience," Donnie waltzed in the kitchen, having been eavesdropping the conversation and making a beeline for the coffee maker.
"Who else is coming?" Leo asked, glancing at Mikey- who seemed to be daydreaming about funnel cake.
"April, Sunita, Mona Lisa," Donnie ignored Leo's audible groan. "Don't be immature, we like Mona."
Leo made a face. "You guys may have had an epic adventure to bond with her, but I sure didn't! I barely remember it. And quite frankly, I have a bad feeling those two will be disgustingly romantic the entire night." Those two being Raph and Mona. "I'm not mentally prepared for that."
"Casey also texted me saying she'll meet us there," Mikey piped up.
"Great," Donnie grabbed their mug and sat on the breakfast bar.
"You know what Raph would say right about now?" Mikey snickered, but there was a fondness in his voice.
"You know we have chairs, right?" Leo and Donnie chorused together, doing their best Raphael impression. It was surprisingly accurate.
Donnie shrugged. "I didn't feel like pulling up a chair or a stool."
Raph entered the kitchen from the opposite side, looking drained from his training. "Yo, someone get the waffle maker out, I'm starving," He noticed Donnie's seated position and shook his head in disappointment. "You know we have chairs, right?"
All three of his younger siblings doubled over into laughter, much to his confusion.
"Perfectly on cue!" Leo praised with a smirk. "You get a gold star."
Raph rolled his eyes and got the waffle batter out. As he was preparing his own breakfast, he pointed out: "Don't forget to wash the dishes, Leo. Licking the plate does not count as cleaning."
"Yeah, yeah, of course mom," he teased, wishing that joke didn't hit too close to home when Raph winced. Instead of acknowledging the subtle gesture, he picked up his plate and turned on the tap, humming to some random tune when he twisted the knob. But instead of splashing the plate, the pipe started to make a strange, somewhat aggressive growling noise.
Frowning, Leo lightly pounded on it with his fist- only for water to spout directly into his face. He coughed and sputtered as water continued to spray him.
Mikey, of course, found this extremely hilarious. He nearly fell backwards on his chair from the giggles.
“Try turning it off,” Donnie teased unhelpfully, making Raph and Mikey laugh even harder.
"Stop, stop, aargh- STOP!" Leo shouted at the tap, and at last, the water stopped spraying him, though the damage was done. He was completely soaked. "Ugh, seriously? Donnie! I thought you said you fixed these stupid pipes."
"I did, last week," They replied, lip twitching in amusement. "Maybe the water pressure just doesn't like you."
"Shut up, that's not even funny."
"Are you okay?" asked Raph, tossing the paper towels to him- which he managed to catch with one hand.
"Yeah, it's just water. Freezing water, but still water," He shivered, practically bundling himself in towels before sitting back down. "I'll survive. Barely. Probably."
"Drama queen..." Mikey nudged him.
"Oh shush, the water really was cold," Leo mumbled. "Dunno how that even happened. It just exploded!"
"I'll take a look at it,” Donnie placed their phone down and opened the doors underneath the sink with their toolbox.
"Sooo...before I walked in- what were y'all talking about anyway?" Raph served his plate of waffles.
"The Funzo's Carnival!"
The snapper stiffened, wrinkling his nose and taking a big bite of waffle. "I can't with carnivals. Not after Albearto."
"Told you!" Leo shot Mikey a glare. "That bear is a menace."
"But despite that, you're obviously gonna join us tonight because it'll be a good bonding experience."
"Tonight? As in tonight tonight?"
"Yup yup yup!"
"We were planning to leave around 3," Donnie corrected, wriggling from underneath the sink. "So that we can get there early." They looked at Leo. “By the way, nothing is wrong with the sink or the pipes, so it must have been something you did, as usual. Mayhaps you pulled too tight on the taps and messed it up.”
Leo scrunched his beak in annoyance. “I didn’t do anything!” To Raph he said: “So you can’t come to Funzo’s?”
Raph swallowed, reluctant to disappoint his younger siblings. "Look guys, it's not that I don't want to go..."
"But let me guess, you have plans."
"Actually yes," He folded his arms, cracking his joints when he moved. "Mona and I were going to spend some quality time together. The whole day." he added for emphasis.
"Quality time with Mona Lisa?" Mikey let out a squeal. "You mean like a date?"
"I suppose from a technical standpoint it would be called a date?" Raph's voice cracked, blushing profusely. "We're just going to Teddy Bear Town and watching a movie after. You know how it is." He tried to sound nonchalant, but it was made clear he was pleased with the situation.
"Omigosh, that's so so so cute!" Mikey stood up on his chair. "You know what they say! Raph and Mona sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a-"
"I'm stopping you right there."
"And this is the part of the conversation where I take my non-dramatic exit," Donnie said dryly as they not so subtly slipped away, most likely to retreat to their lab.
"Still it's a shame you guys can't make it," Mikey said. "On the plus side, six people is still a party!"
"Don't worry bud, you'll have plenty of fun," To Leo he said with complete seriousness: "If you guys see an animatronic bear: Run and don't look back."
"I think we would call you before making that tactful retreat," Leo took Raph's plate and slid it into the sink, afraid to turn it on and make the same mistake."
Raph chuckled lightly. "Have fun guys."
Leo decided until it was time to leave, he would stay in his room, snug in bed and catch up on some Jupiter Jim comics. He had read them all, so it was more of an extensive reread- but those were mere semantics. He started to flip through them idly, and was about to get to the part where Jim was warding off a series of slime beasts, when he heard Splinter's tail brush against his curtain and make a firm tapping noise. Ever the typical teenager, he rolled his eyes to the ceiling and groaned when his dad entered.
"Dad..."
"Blue," Splinter greeted. When the only response he received was a grunt, he changed his tone. "Leonardo, can you look at me?"
He obliged, setting the comic down. "What's up, padre?"
Splinter's smile softened as he naturally switched to Japanese. "How are you feeling?"
Leo gave a half shrug, replying in English. "Fine, I guess."
"No more soreness?"
"Not since Don made me do those bi-weekly checkups and Raph helping me with physical therapy," He paused. "They've all been helpful, actually. Mike's Doctor Delicate Touch schtick helps calm me down when I get nightmares. Plus April is awesome at breathing techniques when I get all panicky."
"Panicky?" He echoed.
"Oh, panic attacks and stuff. You know."
"No...no I didn't know," Splinter looked at him sadly. "You never told me. I assumed you were going through a lot because of the events but-"
"It's fine!" He lied, keeping his composure neutral. "It was no biggie, which is why I didn't bring it up."
There was a pregnant pause. Splinter was deep in thought.
"I'm sorry, my son. I should have known...I should have paid more attention."
Leo's eyes flicked downwards.
"I also seem to remember you having frequent night terrors when you were small as well," Splinter's expression turned to that of amusement.
"Pffft, me? Nooooo that must have been Donnie," Leo insisted, even though that was a blatant fib. "Or Mikey. Definitely Mikey."
Splinter continued. "You would crawl next to me, and beg me for a quick cuddle. You wouldn't stop bugging me until I sang you an old lullaby my mother used to sing," Splinter shook his head fondly. "I'd do that, and rub the back of your shell," He carefully drew circles around Leonardo's carapace. "Like this."
The feeling was so comforting that Leo almost felt at ease. Weird that such a simple gesture could relax him, and remind him of a time so long ago. When he was small enough to be held in his father's arms. Then he frowned.
"That must have been a long time ago."
Splinter's smile faded. "It was. I suppose you wouldn't remember that."
It was a painful reminder that at some point, the turtles had stopped relying on their dad for anything involving parenting. Raph was the one who truly raised them. Splinter tried his best, and by his best, none at all, but the lasting effects were permanent.
Splinter changed the subject abruptly. "Aside from all that, how are the gills? Are you getting used to them?"
"They're...whatever I guess."
"I can imagine. Everything else is alright though?"
He hesitated. Did he really want to share the sink incident? Clearly that was a Donnie error, not him, but he couldn't help but feel weird about the whole thing. Something wasn't right. He didn't want to look strange in front of Splinter though, so he smiled and said, "Nah. Thanks Dad."
"Don't push yourself too hard."
"Will do."
The day seemed to drag on, and by the time three rolled around, Leo had finished all of his comics. He stepped out for a snack when he was suddenly ambushed by Donnie, April, Mikey and Sunita- who was in her disguised form.
"Aloha!" Sunita grinned. "You coming?"
Leo smirked. "Yeah, give me a second-" He paused, noting everyone had some makeup on, except for him. "Hang on a sec." He closed the tarp quickly. "Just gotta do my eyes."
"Don't take forever in there," Donnie insisted. "We'll be waiting by the front and if you're not done in five, we're leaving."
Leo stuck his tongue out at them. "Aw come on, I don't take that long. Do I?"
April snickered. "Do you really want us to answer that?"
"Ugh, you guys suck," He joked, heading to his room.
Makeup was one of those hobbies he never would have ever considered doing. Not that he didn't appreciate the art behind it, quite the opposite. But ever since he decided to go along with Donnie's grandma cosplay shenanigans, he ended up doing his own makeup to help with the disguise. At first it was a mess, but April kindly offered to help and well, he never stopped.
He reached for the mascara, trying his best to be quick while still making it look good- all without a mirror to aid him. Which was trickier than it sounded. He finished the first eye perfectly, but when he got to the second one, stroking the edges of his faux eyelashes carefully, the worst happened. He poked himself in the eye.
"Ow!" He cried out, followed by a string of colorful curses under his breath. "Ow ow ow owwww!! Stupid, stupid brush!" He whined, shoving the brush away roughly. Angrily he tossed the rest of his brushes away, and that was when something remarkable happened.
With one quick flick of his wrist, some water splashed out from his hand. At first, he thought he imagined it. He hadn’t slept in days, it was a reasonable assumption. Then he tried again.
Just as he made the second sudden movement, more gushes of water splashed from his hand. Despite the obvious fact that he was nowhere near water. It was crystal clear and sparkling right in front of him, but he didn't want to believe what he was seeing. It reached his hand out to touch it, and was shocked when he discovered how real it felt.
"What the what?" He tried to splash the water away.“Did my mascara do this? Or did Donnie mess up the pipes again?” He said it partially as a joke, not wanting to believe that he did it.
That wasn't even the strangest part. The water did not even splash to the ground like it was supposed to. Leo may not be an expert on physics, but he knew what comes up, must come down. That was basic gravity. This water was simply floating in mid air. Swirling, cascading around him. And more water was coming. "No way..." He uttered, hoping he wasn't losing his mind, again. To make matters worse, the water now decided to rise- turning his room into a mini flood. Bubbles were floating from his hands when he tried to push it away. "No, no, no! Stop it!" He let out a very loud shriek as he was drenched and soaked, trying to now swim against it since it was way past his knees. Sure being a turtle made it easier, plus with the added gills, but the water was now rising into a fierce current. He gasped, swimming underwater as best as he could even with the freezing water whipping at his arms like sharp daggers piercing his skin.
Finally he reached the surface, choking and gagging. "Stop!" He sputtered. “You’re messing up my room, random water coming from nowhere!”
"Leo?" He heard April call for him from outside. "Everything okay? I heard screaming."
Ah, shoot. His door was locked, and how was he even going to explain that his room was currently flooding and he was barely able to keep himself afloat? Heck, his own bed was floating, and he was treading water at this point. Not to mention the water above his head defying gravity.
Something was seriously wrong. But he couldn't tell them that.
"Um, nope! No everything is fine," Leo silently pleaded for the water to stop. He screamed a little quieter when a wave hit his body and threw him roughly on his floating bed, acting as a makeshift boat. "Uh, um-" He held on for dear life squeezing his eyes tight.
"Are you ready to go then? Mikey's getting a bit antsy waiting."
Stop. Stop. Stop! What is going on?
The water was slowly disappearing, fading, becoming shallow now. It was not completely gone, but it was at least calming down. He hesitantly dipped his toes into the water, hissing at the cold.
Did I...make this?
His bed drifted off, still soaked. He exhaled in relief. "I ...actually don't feel too well. I think I'm gonna stay back." The water was almost gone.
There was a pause. "Wait really? Are you sure?"
"Yes! Go ahead!" He didn't hear footsteps so he urged louder. "Bye!"
"Alright. Bye."
Leo rolled over on his plastron, wondering if he had imagined all the water. It was like the ocean was in his room. But that was impossible. Could it have been real?
Hugging his knees, Leo stared in shock at the mess the water...no he had created.
He was in deep trouble.