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Chapter Text

Raph emerged from his bedroom after nearly twelve hours of sleep. His left eye was a little itchy thanks to the medical patch over it, and his entire head felt naked and exposed without his mask on, but he already felt way better than when he and his family first arrived home. 

Above him, commotion of the humans rebuilding and healing from the invasion echoed through the abandoned subway tunnel; the sounds should have bothered him, but it was proof that they had won, that his family had beaten their greatest enemy, that Leo had done it.

Checking the time on his phone, Raph saw that it was almost nine o’clock at night. Maybe he should have a snack and go back to bed. But lights and noises from the kitchen told him Mikey was preparing a feast, so he smiled to himself, stretched his sore arms, and headed in that direction, noting the sleeping teenager is Splinter’s armchair.

Casey’s mask had fallen in his sleep, but all his other gear was still on his sleeping body. The boy raised in a nightmare slept curled in on himself, like a rabbit, with his arms wrapped around his knees and his face buried, his left side leaning against the back of the armchair, his right side exposed. That didn’t look like a comfortable sleeping position, guaranteeing a sore neck, and Raph noticed how skinny he was under his turn cloak and pads, and the scarred seventeen-year-old decided the time traveler needed a meal.

Raph put a gentle hand on Casey’s shoulder; he jumped awake, his face tense, but Casey quickly relaxed for a second, seeing he wasn’t getting woken up because his secret tunnel was being invaded, or because Master Leonardo needed him for a mission.

“Hey, sorry to wake you, buddy,” Raph apologized with a soft smile. “But Mikey’s cooking. Wanna try to eat something?”

Casey returned the smile, though his was more timid and nervous than Raph’s, and he said, “Uh, y-yeah. Thanks.”

Raph stood back to let him get up; he noticed how Casey checked his gloves and wraps, most likely a habit to make sure he was always ready for a fight. The snapping turtle hoped that would go away in time; he hated to see Casey so paranoid and on-guard.

After all, that was his job.

With no menacing turtles interrupting the ceremony, their masters were finally free to lay waste to this planet and enslave its people. Let the hippo and worm coward in the shadows. They were too small-minded to understand their greater purpose.

“We live to serve.” The Foot Clan leader said, bowing after the Kraang’s declaration to head for the tallest tower in New York City so they may open the Technodrome.

“You will serve me, whether you live or not.”

More mentally exhausted than physically from the failed mission, Raph fell shell-first on his bed and groaned, pushing his palms onto his face. Leo just didn’t get it. What was it gonna take for him to be serious?

He pulled out his phone and scrolled through, hoping to distract himself.

Suddenly, the entire lair was swallowed in flashing red light, and a loud siren echoed in the chambers. Raph jumped up and ran for Donnie’s lab, where he was typing away at the computer. “Donnie, what’s going on?”

As the other brothers joined, the scientist’s face dropped with horror. “Oh god…”

A dozen screens from cameras all throughout the city were on display, showing countless tentacles spreading and infecting buildings and people, mothers and fathers and children screaming in pain and horror as their bodies were misshapen and deformed.

Mikey gagged into his hand. April ran in from the lair, a bloody cut on her cheek, and yelled, “Guys! It’s…”

“We know.” Donnie hurried to April with a handkerchief and helped clean up her scratch.

“What do we do?!” Mikey screamed.

“It looks like they’re heading for Metro Tower.” Raph gathered from the dysfunctional footage. “If we get there first, we can stop them before they spread too far. We’ll need all hands on deck! Call everyone! April, Draxum, Big Mama, I don’t care! We need everyone working together!” Raph emphasized to his little brother, who rolled his eyes.

“Raph, relax…”

“Relax?! Do you not see…”

“Yeah, I’m not blind,” Leo reminded him annoyingly. “Look, we can handle this. We’ll take the Turtle Tank and travel by the subway tunnels to avoid all that gross stuff, sneaking in and getting them from behind.”

“No way, the tunnels are too risky! They don’t offer much of an escape if things go south, and what do we do if there’s a cave-in?”

“Things won’t go south, trust me.” Leo said, pulling out his swords and leading the way out of the lab. “Now c’mon, let’s ninja-in, ninja-out before things get worse.”

Raph groaned and held his head, his anxieties and worries bubbling to the surface, but he just had to hope he would be strong enough, fast enough, good enough to keep his family safe if and when things went wrong.

After all, that was his job.

Chapter Text

It took two weeks of healing, patience, and relaxation before everyone felt back to normal, at least normal enough to enjoy pizza again. By the time they were ready to reward Casey for saving the world by giving him a slice, New York had rebuilt itself and the humans were recovering better than expected. 

The day after Raph crossed the bridge with one-hundred-twenty-six boxes balanced on top of his head, Casey got to participate in his first sparring session with the turtles.

“Alright, Junior,” Raph razzed, pulling out his sais. “Show us what you got!”

Casey nodded with a smug smile, pulled down his mask, and readied his chainsaw-hockey-stick. One by one Mikey, Leo, Donnie, and Raph attacked Casey, who either blocked with his chainsaw, dodged by swinging on his grappling hook and swinging around to kick their shells, or used his hockey stick to make the opponent duck and then left-hooked them in the jaw.

“Nice job, Casey!” Leo complimented.

Casey grinned; it didn’t matter how many times his master reassured him, old or young, it never quite lost its effect on his confidence. “Thanks, Sensei!” 

“Sorry, guys, but I gotta borrow Casey,” A voice said from the entrance of the training hall, and April stood there.

“Uh,” Casey lowered his weapon. “Sure, Commander. What’s up?”

“I’m taking you out to get a new wardrobe!” April said excitedly. “We gotta get you something else to wear besides apocalypse-attire.”

“Uh, okay. Thanks!”

“Have fun!” Raph called after the two of them.

“Don’t talk to strangers!” Leo advised.

“Everyone is a stranger!” Mikey added.

“Make sure you go before you leave!” Donnie instructed. “The restrooms up there are filthy!”

Casey and April rolled their eyes, and went about their little adventure.

April took Casey to a second-hand store, where the time-traveler marveled at the rows and rows of clothes he could choose from. Coming from a world where clothes were scrapes and whatever you could make or find, this was almost overwhelming, which is why April didn’t take him to the mall or time Square. That and she was on a college student’s budget.

And so under the 80s music and behind the chipped door of a changing room, Casey tried on several outfits while April sat in an old moth-eaten chair. He tried on a red long-sleeve, an army-green sweater, a white t-shirt with a blue jean jacket, and also a torn black hoodie with no sleeves with a long-sleeve gray shirt, all the while trying on different blue jeans and black pants, and keeping his wraps and gloves on.

“Nice!” April complimented. “Wanna try something new?”

“Like what?” Casey asked, shrugging.

April grinned, and soon Casey modeled more extravagant styles, like a second-hand suit with a baby-blue tie, a red-leather jacket with a ridiculous amount of pockets, and even a yellow t-shirt with the number six on it, making April laugh, as no offense to Casey, but yellow was not his color.

“Alright, I think we got a good start for you.” April said in line, checking her phone, while Casey held the pile of clothes in his arms. “Black pants and blue jeans, some t-shirts, two different jackets… We’ll stop by the store for some shampoo and socks and other stuff.”

“Uh, thank you so much, Commander.” Casey behind the pile in his arms.

“No problem,” April said, pocketing her phone, and asked, “So, ‘Commander’, huh?”

“Oh yeah!” Casey’s black-beetle eyes shined with excitement. “You were our fearless leader! Under Master Leonardo’s guide, you lead us through dozens of successful raids!”

“Sweet!” April fist-pumped the air with a hiss of excitement. “Was I like your super cool aunt, cuz I’ve always wanted to be the aunt that gives candy and tells stories about their parents. Or was I a super badass type that you couldn’t talk to unless it started and ended with ‘sir’?”

Casey’s cheeks turned pink and he admitted with a smile, “Nah, you and I were cool. You and Mom were best friends, so we hung out a lot. I remember you letting me sit on your shoulders while you went over battle strategies, and Master Leonardo says you taught me my second swear word; Mom taught me my first.”

“Aw,“ The young journalist admired. “Well, I’m glad we were cool. So, if Cassandra’s your mom, who’s your dad?” 

Casey’s face dropped a brick.

April shook her head and waved her question away. “Sorry, that was stupid, don’t worry about it.” 

“No no, it’s okay… I just didn’t really know him.” Casey admitted. “He died when I was a year old.”

April looked mournfully at her friend. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Casey mumbled. “Just add it to the list of people I lost to the Kraang,” But he then smiled weakly and added, “But thanks to Master Michaelangelo, I have another chance.”

April smiled and gently corrected, “Thanks to you, we have another chance.” And she turned to the cashier, now next in line, and started to unload Casey’s load.

Casey appreciated April’s comment, but he couldn't help but dwell on his past as he held his wrist and looked at his gloved hand and wrapped lower arm.

Why was it so hard to accept he had everything he ever wanted right in front of him? Besides, the timeline had been changed. It never happened.

But it did. To him.

From a distance, one would think a giant boulder was sitting at the edge of the dug-out tunnel, but in actuality it was a big snapping turtle mutant, holding his knees, head buried in his arms, completely shielding himself from the cruel world.

Cassandra walked down the tunnel, a pack on her shoulder, and waited until she was a few feet away before pulling out sealed beef jerky. “Here, you’ll need your strength.”

Without looking up, Raph accepted the snack, but resumed his original position, not in the mood to eat, despite his empty stomach.

Cass sat next to him and pulled out some jerky for herself and began to eat, tweaking off the plastic with her teeth, hoping leading by example would help him gain some appetite, but also wanting to be by his side and be of some aid in his darkest hour.

“I’m so sorry, Raphael.”

Raph sighed, tired and defeated.

“He was the first person to ever truly believe in me.” Cass recalled gloomily. “The only one who saw me more than a recruit for nothing less than a violent, sneaky cult.”

Raph snorted. “That’s one way to describe the Foot Faces.” He muttered, lifting his head ever so slightly to look at Cass. His eyes were bloodshot red, matching his torn mask.

Cass chuckled, remembering something, and said, “Did you know you weren’t even allowed to have a name? They didn’t want you to stand out in any way. Your identity was with the clan and the clan only.”

“Really?” Raph clarified, lifting an eyebrow. “That’s stupid. Cassandra’s too good of a name not to use.”

Cass looked away and breathed, “Thanks.”

Raph looked down at the beef jerky in his hand, telling himself he needed to eat - he would be no use to his family if he starved - but the image of holding his father’s limp hand haunted him, and the idea of eating anything made him want to throw up, his throat tightening and his stomach twisting with emotions, his eyes stinging with unfallen tears.

The snapping turtle buried his face in his arms again, breathing hard to try to feel better. He thought he had already cried all his tears, but apparently not. Cassandra watched him, feeling sorry for him, and with no other idea of what to do, and desperate to help someone she really cared about, she used her free arm to hold Raph’s bicep and rub his tight, sore muscles.

It wasn’t much, but Raph was beyond grateful that she was there.

Casey, dressed in blue jeans, black sneakers, gray t-shirt, black hoodie with no sleeves, and wraps and gloves, raised a fist to knock on the door, but he froze, knuckles trembling, and lowered his hand and turned away, holding the sides of his face. “I-I-I can’t! I’m not ready!”

Raph walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay. She’ll be cool about this.”

“But I’m not cool about this,” Casey tried to explain, his eyes pricking with tears. “The last time I saw my mom, Professor Donatello was pumping blood into her and Master Michaelangelo was holding me back from… f-forget it!” Casey stopped himself, seeing the look of horror on Raph’s face.

“Hey hey, look at me, Jones. Look at me.” Raph blended his knees a little to meet the human’s eyes, holding him by the arms gently, then said, “I know you lost a lot in the past, and I’m sorry, but you’ve got a family that’s here for you. Yes, it looks a little different, and yes, we’re different from the people you remember and loved, but I promise you, that whenever you’re ready, whatever you decide to do, we’ll be here for you.”

Casey shut his wet eyes, smiled and nodded, and he and Raph started walking down the hall of the apartment building, where April, Splinter, and the other turtles were waiting. But as courage built and Casey braced himself, he ducked under Raph’s arm, ran towards the door, and rang the doorbell, standing dumbfounded at his own actions.

Cassandra opened the door in her gray sweatpants and hockey t-shirt. She raised an eyebrow at the teenager at her door and said, “Sorry, but I have a vacuum cleaner that works, and I’m too broke for charities or fundraisers.”

Casey’s face turned red and he pulled on the collar of his t-shirt. “Uh, n-no. I… uh, I’m… Um, wh-what I mean to say is… um…”

April hurried to Casey’s side and greeted with a loud, “Cassandra! CJ! My main queen! What’s shakin’, bacon?!”

“This should be fun.” Cass said, leaning against the doorway with an amused smile. Say what you want about April O'Neil, but a day with her was never boring.

April chuckled nervously, then put a hand on Casey’s trembling back, and said, “Cassandra Jones, I’d like you to meet Casey Jones.”

Casey wasn’t exactly sure how to start delivering the news, but she was a journalism major in college, and that was way better than anything Casey could come up with. 

The last three weeks Casey had tried to imagine what his mom might do when she met him. Be confused? Be excited she’s a mom? Be bummed she’s a mom at eighteen? Laugh it off? Dismiss him? Accept him?

What he didn’t expect (but probably should have expected), was for once she learned someone else had her name, she pulled out her hockey stick, raised it for an attack, and screamed, “THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!”

“CASS, NO!”

Chapter Text

After pinning Cass to the hall, Raph picking Casey up and holding him over his head, Mikey sneaking inside Cass’s apartment to make hot chocolate, and everyone calming down and sitting around the living room, thrilling storytelling began. Cassandra was thrown into a tale of a boy being sent back in time to try to stop the Kraang invasion, being too late, but making enough of a difference so the four turtles could banish the alien back into the prison dimension. Oh, and that boy was her son.

Cassandra, sitting on her couch with her knees by her chest, holding a steaming mug, was a little stunned for a moment, then gave it some thought. “Huh. I thought those freaks were experimental gum gone wrong.”

“So,” Casey said slowly, sitting beside Cass on the couch, but giving her a few inches of space. “You’re cool with this? With… me?”

Cass smiled, seeing the striking resemblance between herself and the time traveler. The eyes, the hair, the skin, that was all her. But where on Earth did he get that pointy chin? She shrugged and said, “I have always wanted a family. It’s nice to know I did something worthwhile with my life.”

Casey smiled, her young mother sounding exactly how he remembered her.

Mikey came up from behind Cass and hugged her. “What are you talking about, CJ?! Of course you’ve got a family!”

“Yeah, we’ve got your back.” Raph said, sitting on the floor by Cass. “Apocalypse or no apocalypse.”

“I do have one question for my son,” Cassandra said seriously.

Casey swallowed nervously; there were hundreds of questions she could ask, all of which were less than comfortable to answer.

“How many swears do you know and how many do I need to teach you?”

“Cassandra, no.” Raph said.

“Cassandra, YES!”

Donnie was so focused, so caught up in his work, so head-strong, that he was oblivious to everything around him that didn’t involve his project. His aching shell, his sore hands, his stiff eyes, his numbing legs. Even the toddler waddling into his lab.

All Donnie’s mind knew was the goal ahead of him, and that inner voice repeating, “I can fix this. I can fix this. I can fix this.”

Casey wobbled back and forth on his feet, his hands on the dirt walls to keep balance, and smiled as he watched colorful sparks fly and the shadows dance around the cave. He wanted Donnie, wanted to play a game with him, and so he journeyed to the table where the scientist stood. 

Halfway to his destination, Donnie held up a piece of what he was working on to get a better look at it, bring it into Casey’s view, but what the two-year-old saw made his eyes widened with terror. His bottom lip trembling, he started to whimper, and just when Donnie was aware of his presence, the toddler let out a loud, pitiful, sad cry.

“Casey, what are you doing here?!” Donnie scolded, setting the head of his most important project down so he could scoop up the wailing boy. “Where is your mother?! I’ve told everyone countless…”

Cassandra threw the curtain back, rushing after her baby with enough adrenaline to kill a Kraang, and yelled, “What happened?! What did you do to him?!”

“Nothing!” Donnie shouted back, handing the boy his mother, who held him by the shoulder and rubbed his back as Leo and Mikey entered the lab. “You should keep a better eye on your kid!”

“Whoa, hey!” Mikey scolded. “Back off, D. You know how kids are, you look away for one second… Besides, he probably just wanted to see you.”

Donnie groaned and waved them away. “I don’t have time for this. Just stay out of my way so I can work!”

Cassandra turned her back and cooed to her son, “C’mon, my brave warrior, Professor Donnie’s too good for us,” as they left.

Mikey sighed and followed the Joneses out, hoping to help cheer his little guy up, but Leo stayed behind and watched as Donnie resumed his work, sparks flying and shadows dancing once again.

The leader of the broken team stepped closer to his twin and sighed tiredly when he got a glimpse of what Donnie had been working on. “Donnie, what are you doing?”

“I’m working, Leo.” Donnie said coldly.

“No, what are you doing?” Leo repeated. “I love you, but you gotta stop this…”

“Just trust me, I can fix this,” Donnie growled. “I can fix this, I can fix this…”

“What makes you think he’d wanna be fixed, D?”

Donnie cracked his neck, turning to look at his brother so quickly. Leo thought he was startled before, but when Donnie lifted his goggles to his forehead and the red eared slider saw the fury and grief in his brother’s eyes, he would much rather face a hundred Kraang than have to see that face again.

“Look me in the eye and tell me he wouldn’t want to be here with his family.” Donnie’s voice was low and quiet, yet his words ringed in Leo’s head. “That he wouldn’t want to be here for Casey.”

Leo let a defeated sigh leave his lungs and he turned, but as he left, he gave one final, soft warning. “Just don’t lose your family trying to bring him back.” And Donnie was alone.

He tried to resume his work, but dammit his hands were shaking now. He threw his blowtorch on the table with a clatter, turned his shell on his work, and sat on the dirt floor, holding his head and muttering, “I can fix this, I can fix this, I have to fix this, please.”

“Alright, Jones,” Raph said in a very serious tone. “This is one of the most important decisions you'll ever make in your entire life. It’s time… to choose your wheels!”

Raph, covered in his gray sweats and hoodie with ripped sleeves, led the way into the sports store, with Casey behind him and Donnie, Mikey, and Leo right by his side, all mutants fully covered and in disguise.

Casey observed curiously as kids played with balls by the door, some college girls were shopping for bikes, comparing sizes and prices, an old man looked at the knee and elbow pads, and a store keeper was restocking the small section of spray paint.

“We all love our skateboards,” Leo explained. “But you might like something different! And there’s different types of boards, so you gotta pick some wheels that you like so we can go to the park!”

“Hai sensei!” Casey answered robotically with a salute. “I will not leave this store until I have found my wheels!” And he ran off to complete his mission.

Leo groaned and shook his head with a smile. “He’s too much like his mom sometimes.” And he looked at the basketballs and began dribbling with some kids.

Mikey went over to the newly-stocked spray paints and grinned, Donnie browsed the spare parts section, and Raph went looking for Casey. He didn’t find him by the skateboards or bikes, but he was by the shelves of roller skates and inspecting a shoe with suspicious eyes.

“They make shoes with wheels in the past?”

“Oh yeah!” Raph said, startling Casey for a second, but he quickly recovered. “Roller skates are cool. Give it a try.”

Casey held his chin, found a pair his size, then sat on the bench to try them on, Raph standing with his arms crossed over his chest and smiling.

Casey tried to stand, but had no idea it would be so slippery once on his feet and nearly fell, but Raph caught him and held his gloved hands. “Whoa! Easy there, Junior.” He chuckled.

“This feels really weird.” Casey laughed nervously.

“That’s okay, just give it a minute, take it slow.” Raph coached. “Keep your chin up, shoulders straight, drop your hips, make a V with your feet… there we go! Now it’s not about moving your feet, you’re not walking, you’re shifting your weight.”

“Okay,” Casey breathed, still holding Raph’s hands, and they moved down the aisle, Raph walking backwards and Casey moving forward.

“Now… wow.” Raph was prepared to give more instruction, but Casey was picking up on it pretty fast. Raph slowly let go of his hands, still walking backwards, and Casey was skating. “Wow! Look at you!”

They came to the corner, and Raph worried about stopping, ready to catch Casey, but he flinched and turned his ankle correctly, coming to a stop. He grinned and said, “I think I got it!” And he went down the other aisle with Raph standing at the corner, watching with a huge smile.

“Wow, I’m so proud of you!” Raph called. “You’re doing amazing! Amazing! Guys! Check it out!”

“Whoa, nice job, Case!” Leo called, passing the ball to a little kid and waving at his future-self’s student. “Looks like you found your wheels!”

“Aw, baby’s first wheels!” Mikey cheered, taking out his phone and snapping a picture.

“I’m seventeen!” Casey called back, a little annoyed over Mikey’s comment.

“You’re not even born yet, don’t talk to your elders like that.” Mikey joked, making Casey smile and the other turtles in disguise laugh.

“Le’go, boys!” Leo said, catching Casey by the hand and Raph giving him his sneakers back. “Donnie, download that Roller Disco playlist!”

“I will never ever play that from my speakers.” Donnie said dead panned, carrying spare wheels and various parts to the cashier.

“C’mon, Donald, give me a hand here!”

“No!”

Casey smiled, enjoying the blissful moment as they all walked from the sports store to the skate park, the twins razzing and teasing each other the whole way there.

“DONNIE! DONNIE, IT’S LEO!”

Donnie shut his eyes and waved a hand, his back to the entrance of his cave of a lab. He had really tried the last few weeks to be more patient with his family, but after his failure a few seconds later, he really wasn’t in the mood for company right now. 

“Listen, guys. We’ve been over this.” He reminded his brothers calmly. “If it’s a concussion, break, or a superficial laceration, you go to the Med Bay, like everyone else.” 

“No!” Mikey yelled. “It’s Leo!” He repeated, his aging voice strained and panicked. “He’s hurt real bad!”

Donnie sighed into his rag as he wiped some grease off his skin. The panic in his little brother’s voice brought him back to simpler times, when Mikey’s greatest pain was a skinned knee after falling off a skateboard. Besides, maybe stepping away from his project would clear his mind, help him find the problem. “Alright, alright, Michael. I’ll take a look at our fearless leader.”

“Heh, thanks, Mr. Science.” Leo coughed.

“Yeah, yeah.” Donnie quipped and turned to face the new problem. “You two would be lost without me…“

It wasn't just a broken bone, or a concussion. Not even a mutation or an infection.

So much blood drenched Leo’s right side as he leaned on Mikey fully, his eyes shut.

His right arm was missing.

“… shit.”

“He passed out!”

“Nardo?! Damnit. Not good! Michael, bring him here!” Donnie commanded as Mikey gathered his strength and carried his brother to the table. “Sheldon! F-Fuck! What happened?!”

“We were ambushed.” Mikey explained shakingly. “There was a bomb…”

“Oh god…” Donnie scrambled, his flying robot whizzing around, handing him tools and medical equipment. “Hang in there, Nardo. I’ll fix you up. I can fix this.”

If he hadn’t been such a jerk, if he had paid more attention, maybe he would have had more time. Maybe Leo wouldn’t have lost so much blood. Maybe it would have been a little less painful.

Donnie was so caught up on bringing someone back, that he almost lost someone else.

Looking down at the pieces he had been slaving away for months, the skeleton of what could have been his big brother, Donnie squeezed his wet eyes shut, growled in his throat, and grabbed the right arm.

Chapter Text

Cassandra patted the dozing toddler’s back, but Casey was stubborn and almost three, so he had no problem telling his mother, “M’not sleepy.”

“Yes you are.”

“No m’not.”

“Yes you are.”

“No m’not.”

Cassandra could play this game all night, until Casey fell asleep, which they sometimes did, but she heard footsteps and saw Mikey coming. “Hey, I heard about the ambush yesterday. Is everyone okay?”

Mikey nodded. “Yeah, we’re okay. Leo’s… a little bent outta shape, but nothing D couldn’t fix.”

Cass was still pretty sore at Donnie, their friendship not quite the same ever since Raph died, but she nodded. If he really tore himself away from that stupid project long enough to help his brother, maybe it was a sign he was getting his head out of the clouds.

“Mikey,” Casey cooed, rubbing an eye and yawning. “Want Weewo.”

Mikey smiled and cupped the toddler’s cheek. “Sorry, champ, but he’s resting right now…”

“Hamato Michaelangelo, you keep that kid away from me, and I will feed you to the hounds.” A voice called calmly, but with a certain old man stern Mikey thought Leo was too young to have.

The mystic warrior rolled his eyes. “Damned echoing caves. Okay, CJJ, let’s go see Weewo.” And he scooped up the toddler and led the way to Leo’s chambers.

Donnie couldn’t believe he and Mikey managed to move their brother safely to his chambers, a slightly more comfortable place to rest than the table in the lab, but he also couldn’t believe his brother was still alive after all that blood loss, awake and talking twenty-four hours later. But he could definitely believe the first thing on Leo’s mind was giving Casey the attention the child deserved.

Cass’s jaw dropped silently when she saw the slightly too large robotic arm attached to Leo’s body, but she closed her eyes and regained her composure, glad to see her old friend alive.

“Weewo!”

“Hey there, buddy.” Leo said tiredly, reaching his organic arm for the boy and holding him, letting him rest against his chest and on his lap. “There’s my little soldier. What’re you doing up? Torturing your mom for me?”

“M’not tired.”

“Ah, gotcha. But brave warriors like you need lots of sleep so they can grow up big and strong, and all that jazz.”

“Wanna stay wif you.” Casey mumbled, holding Leo’s arm and using it like a blanket.

Leo smiled and looked over at his twin, who was standing stiff. “Don’t worry. I don’t want you to go anywhere.”

Donnie grimaced at how little he had been with his family, how precious time is, and how he almost lost so much of it, all because he missed one person so damn much. But he knew he wasn’t ready to miss more people. He would never be ready for that.

The scientist opened his eyes and managed to form a tired smile. He sat in the spare chair, right by Leo’s left side, and said, “I’m not going anywhere.” And he folded his arms and rested them on the edge of the bed, showing that he had no plans of moving anywhere for a long time.

“Hold still, Casey! Let Dr. Delicate Touch take a look.”

“Dr. Delicate Touch threw a building at the Kraang!”

Mikey laughed and said, “Well as long as your not an alien trying to destroy the world, I think you’ll be okay.”

“Dang it, Casey, just let Mikey look at your wrist.” Leo said, rolling his eyes with his skateboard across his shoulders.

Casey had been doing very well on his roller skates, maybe a little too well; he got slightly over-confident and tried to do some flips, which he nearly got right, but he didn’t quite stick the landing and he put all his weight on his left wrist.

“Guys, I’m fine, I swear.” Casey said, standing up and cradling his arm by his chest. “I’ll fix it up at the lair.”

“Casey Jones, just let Mikey or Donnie look at it.” Raph instructed. “We just need to know if it’s broken or not, that’s all.”

Casey still looked very uncomfortable with the situation. Raph wondered how he was treated for injuries during an apocalypse and why he would be so against help now. Just add it to the lists of survival habits the snapping turtle hoped would go away with time. But the teenager winced, shut his eyes, and held out his arm to Donnie and Mikey.

Mikey held his arm very tenderly and gently felt for swelling beneath his wraps, just where his glove ended. “Oh boy, already swelling.”

Donnie lowered his goggles, which made Casey swallow, and the scientist said, “Well, you definitely sprained it. The ligaments are stretched, but not torn, so you’ve only got a mild sprain.”

“Let’s put some ice on that and get you one of those cool sprains for your hand!” Mikey said as he let Casey’s arm go and he held it by his chest. “And we’ll get some stickers so you can decorate it!”

“Thanks.” Casey said, giving a timid smile.

“Aw, I remember our first sprains and broken bones.” Raph reminisced as they walked to the convenient store. “It took all of us and Splinter to hold Leo down so Donnie could pop his arm back in place.”

“Or remember how big Donnie’s ankle was when Leo f- accidentally fell on him?” Mikey asked, eyeing the leader in blue.

Leo narrowed his eyes. “Or when Mikey’s bone was sticking out of his elbow…”

“Ew, gross!” Donnie groaned. “That was not fun!”

“You weren’t the one with the broken arm!” Mikey reminded him fiercely. “It took me a year to get on my board again!”

“And now look at you!” Raph said, rubbing the top of his head. “Best skateboarder in the world!”

“Better than Sydney?” Mikey pushed, knowing fully well he wasn’t better than the coolest pro-skater in the world.

“Okay, now that’s pushing it.”

“Where are you? C’mon out, wittle warrior.” Mikey cooed as he creeped around the cave.

Casey covered his giggling mouth, hiding behind some boxes and sensing that the mystic master was nearby.

Mikey smiled, put a hand on the crates, and quickly bent down. “I’m gonna getcha! Huh,” The hiding spot was abandoned, and Mikey was impressed by the six-year-old's speed and sneaking abilities. 

“Where is that wittle guy, hm?” He called out to the cave. “I’m gonna gobble him up when I find him!” Mikey growled playfully, but then was pounced on by a playful child, who landed on his shoulders as he giggled, but Mikey laughed, scooped him up and began tickling him and “eating” him. “Om nom nom! I’m gonna eat you! Om nom nom!”

Casey’s laughter echoed in the caves blissfully, drowning out the sounds of distress a few tunnels away, but as Mikey stopped and let Casey catch his breath, it became clear that something was wrong.

Mikey put the child down and walked on, Casey closely behind him, hoping to play some more soon.

They went into a large cave, the largest hole in the ground and the most important, the Med Bay. A majority of the beds were empty, some holding warriors with broken bones or bad flesh wounds, but far from death. A lot of commotion came from one bed. Donnie was hard at work, Sheldon flying around, Leo holding someone’s hand, Baron Draxum standing with his arms crossed over his chest. When the brave sheep stepped aside to talk to Leo, Casey and Mikey got a clear view of who was lying on the bed.

It was Cassandra. She was pale and painted in scarlet. Casey had seen blood before, it didn’t really scare the child, but that was a lot. Donnie hooked up a small monitor to her, and Casey knew what that meant. Those tools were only used for when someone was dying.

“NO!”

Mikey had completely forgotten that Casey had followed him. He caught him just as the boy ran past him and held him close, but the child kicked and screamed and wiggled in his master’s arms.

“NO! NO! MOMMY! LEMME GO! MOMMY!”

Cassandra tried to open her eyes and move her free hand upward, but her strength was leaving her too quickly. Donnie quickly started closing her wound while Sheldon gave her more blood.

Draxum approached the turtle and human and said, “Easy, child, calm down. You won’t help your mother screaming like that.”

“LEMME GO! I WANT MY MOMMY!”

“I know, son, I know.” Draxum cooed, scooping up the child and resting him against his chest as he and Mikey left the Med Bay. “But I’ve known your mother for years, since she was nothing more but a look-out for look-outs. She will be fine.”

Casey’s screams turned into sobs, and he clung onto Draxum’s white vest, tears falling on the sheep’s bare chest. “M’scared, Baba.”

“I know,” The alchemist replied, and added as he gave Mikey a grave look, “I’m scared, too.”

Mikey’s face dropped; he knew right then and there to prepare for the worst.

“Donnie, where’s my mom?”

The scientist stayed silent, wiping his scarlet hands clean with the rag.

“Donnie! Where is my mom?!” Casey demanded.

He couldn’t say it. He didn’t need to. His eyes said it for him.

The child fell to the dirt floor and held himself, sobbing his heart out. Mikey covered his eyes with his hand, his heart broken after losing a friend, and seeing his nephew so broken and sad, at such a young age. Draxum held his arms so tightly his nails nearly dug into his maroon skin.

Leo stepped forward and got on his knees. He used his non-robotic arm to tuck some black hair behind Casey’s ear, and start rubbing his back. Casey looked up at his sensei, tears streaming down his face, and the leader said,

“Anatawa Hitorijanai.”

The six-year-old launched himself into Leo’s arms and sobbed, both arms - robotic and organic - embraced him, as the family mourned the loss of a beloved family member.

Casey opened his eyes and felt something wet on his face. He tried to wipe his skin dry, but his arm ached and felt heavy. Right, sprain. He sat up and used his other hand to wipe his face with his blanket, sighing tiredly.

The room Donnie had built from him was nice, but only half finished. Cass had given him some old posters to hang in his room, he had a nice bed with more pillows and blankets than he’s ever had in his life, and he had a bookshelf that he was free to fill with his favorite things, he just needed to gain some favorite things first. His gear, mask, and gloves sat on a small table on the right corner of his room, next to his bed.

Casey’s arm ached and he had a headache. Painkillers, maybe some ice on his arm, and a snack? Yeah, that sounded like a good plan.

In his maroon-plaid pajama pants and black t-shirt with a skull on it, socks, and wraps and brace, he left his bedroom and headed to the kitchen, where he swore some medicine was kept. He was grateful to find the lair silent and dark, meaning no one else was awake. 

In the dimly lit kitchen, Casey made himself a glass of water, pulled out a bag of chips, and set them on the counter while he looked for the painkillers. It seemed like every cabinete held something other than medicine; food, cups and plates, spices, but the medicine was nowhere to be found. Casey was starting to get a little annoyed, his headache getting worse, so he decided some food might help him think.

Sitting at a stool and eating his snack, his wrist was really starting to hurt. Not bad bad, he knew there was worse pain to be felt, but it still hurt. Ice, right. Casey stood back up, opened the freezer, and luckily found a bag of ice waiting for him.

He sat back down, rested his arm on the table, and placed the ice over the swollen area. It felt nice, but he frowned. He really should take off his wraps, wash his arm, and put fresh gauze on. Casey looked up at the door of the kitchen to double check he was alone, sighed, and carefully lifted his arm and started to unwrap his oddly-colored limb.

Meanwhile, Mikey left the bathroom, yawning into his clean hand and ready to go back to bed, but he saw that the kitchen light was on and heard some motion. Thinking someone needed a snack, and deciding he could go for a bite himself, Mikey decided to give them some company. 

He smiled when he saw Casey at the counter. “Hey, Case-…” He stopped, deadpanned at the sight.

Casey was rigid. His whole left hand and arm had been unwrapped, showing its true colors. Mikey was at first freaked out, thinking the teenager had an infection, but a longer look told Mikey that Casey’s green skin wasn’t due to an injury.

Casey’s entire hand was green. It continued past his wrist (which was bruised and swollen at the moment), and freckled into average human skin, like Cassandra’s, a little before his elbow.

“Mikey!”

“Ohmigosh!” Mikey gasped. “YOU’RE A MUTANT?!”

“Dude!” Casey hissed, shushing him, and put his arms behind his back, leaving the ice pack on the table. “Rude!”

“Lemme see…”

“Get off of me!”

“Casey Jones, you let me see…”

“No!”

The whispering fight continued for only another second, the sprained wrist powerless against the two healthy arms, as Mikey took his arm and carefully held it, examining his skin, which now that the turtle looked closer, Casey’s skin wasn’t just green, but also scaled. Like his. Like his brothers’.

“Casey,” Mikey awed under his breath, then looked up at the hybrid before him. Casey looked away, angry and embarrassed, and Mikey asked, “You’re… Are we… Um… A-Are you a Hamato?”

Casey sighed and held his head by his eyebrows with his free hand, elbow on the counter. Mikey grabbed the ice pack and placed it on the swollen part of his wrist. “Yes. Yes, I am.”

“But…” Mikey was starting to put some pieces together, and he wanted to be happy about this discovery, but Casey’s reaction depressed him. “H-How?”

Casey refused to answer. He covered his mouth, not looking at Mikey, his eyes heavy with secrets and emotions.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Mikey asked. “Are you… ashamed of us? I get it that it’s not easy being a fr-…”

“No!” Casey interrupted, finally looking at Mikey, and going from angry to apologetic in a flash. “No, I’m not ashamed! I’m very proud…”

“Well you sure got a funny way of showing it.” Mikey let slip darkly.

“I don’t care about being a mutant.” Casey said firmly. “I’m proud of my family! I just… I wasn’t ready to tell you guys.”

“You told us who your mom was.”

“That was an accident! And plus, c’mon! We have the same name! It wasn’t gonna take long for you guys to figure that out.”

Mikey sighed, trying to be patient, trying to be understanding.

“Look, Master… I mean, Mikey,” Casey said. “I’m sorry, I just… I’m just not ready for him to know. I didn’t really know him. It’s a little different with Mom. I knew her until I was six. I just got her back! I wanted to enjoy that for a bit before trying to… trying to get to know him in that way. Plus, I didn’t want it to affect my parents’ relationship too much, y’know? I mean, clearly they hasn’t even started dating yet.”

Mikey’s face relaxed, feeling sorry for his friend, reminded of how much he lost at such a young age. He nodded, feeling like he was finally understanding, but he just couldn’t help but ask. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry, I… I think I get it. But…” Mikey bit his lip, hesitant, but decided to ask anyway. “But who’s your dad?”

Casey looked down at his green skin. “I’m not ready to say it.”

“And that’s okay.” Mikey quickly said. “I’m sorry. You… You take as much time as you need. I’m just…” The box turtle smiled and added with tears in his eyes, “I’m just so happy you’re family.”

Casey smiled back, and allowed Mikey to hug him, Casey resting his left arm, but he hugged Mikey back with his right arm.

When they separated and Mikey stole a chip, he asked jokingly, “Is it Donnie? Is it me? Raph? Ohmigosh, it’s Leo!”

“Shaddup.” Casey laughed, shoving Mikey by the shoulder, and eating a chip.

“So,” Mikey popped another chip in his mouth and asked, “Do you have a shell, too, or…?”

“Eh, kinda,” Casey said, rocking his hand back and forth. It was certainly much easier to talk about himself than his parents. “It’s kinda half formed under my skin. Here,” Casey barely lifted his t-shirt and showed Mikey his lower back.

It was certainly very interesting to say the least. His back looked like a paler green than his arm, with bumps and scales scattered throughout, and when Mikey gently touched it, it felt rough, but still very flesh and not very protective. “It kinda reminds me of Donnie’s shell.” He said, leaving the comment hanging.

“Yeah, not very good against attacks,” Casey explained, pulling his shirt down and turning back around. “But it’s still cool.”

“Are both your arms green?”

“Yup. And my legs, just below my knee.” And he pulled up a pants leg to show Mikey exactly that. Green skin that freckled into peach skin before the knee. “Other than that, I’m all human.”

“Cool!” Mikey exclaimed. “Well, I know for a fact that your parents were proud of you, no matter who they were.”

Casey chuckled and brought his cup of water to his lips. “Heh. Thanks. Can I have some painkillers now?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, sorry!”

“You’re doing great, babe! You’re almost there!”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

“Ow ow ow, okay, broken thumb, but that’s okay! You break all the bones you want!” The father said sincerely with a faithful smile.

“Oh, wow, that looks pain-…”

“Leo, get your fainting brother out of here!”

“UUUUUUUUUGH, I WANNA FUCKING DIE!”

“Okay okay, there’s too many people in here, and there’s about to be one more, so everyone but Mom and Dad and flying AIs, OUT!” April commanded, sitting on a stool and slipping on gloves.

Donnie leaned on Leo, gagging and nearly ready to throw up. Mikey followed them, giving his brother a good luck thumb-up, leaving Raph by Cassandra’s side as she moaned and screamed.

April ducked between her legs. “Alright, Cass, they’re crowing. It’s time to start pushing. Sheldon…”

Cassandra’s screams could be heard all throughout the tunnels.

Donnie threw up into a bucket while Leo rubbed his shell and rolled his eyes. Mikey paced excitedly, twiddling his thumbs and beyond excited to be an uncle. Draxum sat in an old armchair, kicking a hoof unknowingly as he sharpened a spear, his ears on high alert.

The screams eventually faded away to grunt and panting, and there was silence. The men were frozen, fearing the worst. They had tried so hard to help Cass, but there was no way to give her the rest and food she would have gotten in a non-apocalyptic world.

Then there was crying, and the three turtles dropped like puppets cut from their strings, and sighed with relief. Draxum smiled and resumed his sharpening.

An hour later, April came into their cave, clean and grinning. The men waited, and she only had them in suspense for another minute.

“It’s a boy! A very healthy baby boy!”

The caves erupted with cheers and cries of joy. Mikey even used his mystic powers to make tiny fireworks explode in the cave, Leo and Donnie did some sort of weird jig, and Draxum punched the air and jumped up from his chair.

“Okay okay,” April laughed. “Everyone shaddup so you can go meet him. Anyone who wakes a sleeping baby is getting sent to a labor camp.”

The shushing family carefully walked to the room, everyone taking in a unison breath at the sight of the teeny tiny bundle in Raphael’s strong arms, Cassandra leaning against him, beyond tired with huge bags under her eyes, but her smile was radiant. 

Raph looked up at his family, his eyes wet and his bottom lip quivering, his smile just as joyful as his partner’s. “Hey guys,” He croaked.

“Awwww!” Mikey cooed and rested his hands on his knees, looking at the tiny face surrounded by the warm blanket. “He’s beautiful, you guys!”

“What are you naming the bundle of chaos?” Leo asked.

“We’re naming him after the most amazing warrior of all time…”

“Aw, Lou Jitsu!”

“Einstein?”

“Leonardo Jr. it is then!”

“Better not be Shredder.”

“No!” Raph corrected. “We’re naming him Casey Jones! After pushing an entire person outta her body…”

The room clashed with agreement and also a plea to drop the subject.

Raph chuckled and smiled at Leo. “You wanna hold your nephew, fearless leader?”

Leo was a little surprised by the honor of being the first outside the parents to hold the baby, but smiled and nodded. He stepped forward and Raph carefully handed his son to his little brother, showing him what to do, and beyond happy to see Leo holding little Casey, eyes shining at the sleeping newborn.

“Aw, hey there, buddy.” Leo cooed. “I’m your Uncle Leo. Yeah, hi. Welcome to the family.”

Chapter Text

“You have to swear not to tell anyone, Mikey!”

“No! No no no, no more secrets! I don’t do well with secrets!”

“Michaelangelo, please! I’m not ready! Don’t tell anyone please!”

“Ack! O… Okay.”

“Swear it!”

“Ugh, fine! I promise! But you should tell them.”

Now Mikey really regretted making that promise.

It was no secret that Mikey was bad at keeping secrets. Non-important ones, maybe, but being responsible for a pet’s disappearance or knowing someone is secretly biologically related to you were really very important.

But knowing only half of the secret did help a little; trying to figure out who Casey's father was distracted Mikey from the fact that he knew a secret and had to tell somebody.

No offense to Cassandra, but it was hard to imagine any of the turtles dating her, let alone having a kid with her. Then again, an apocalypse can change a lot about a person, and if Mikey’s math was right, Casey was born seven years into the apocalypse, so maybe after getting to know her a few more years…

Mikey winced. He was pretty confident he wasn’t Casey’s dad.

Leo? That would explain why Casey called him “sensei” and looked up to him. But Casey claimed he hardly knew his dad. Maybe he was lying. Maybe that’s just how he felt after seeing how different Leo is as a teenager than a war-beaten forty-year-old.

Donnie? That would explain why Casey inherited a lot of tech, and why Casey’s old cape bore his insignia. And Casey never out-right said it, but a comment here and there has led Mikey to believe that Donnie died when Casey was very young.

What about Raph? Casey hasn’t said a single word about Raph. It could be because Raph was the first to die. Maybe the Kraang didn’t miss when he protected Leo. But Casey said that didn’t happen in his time. But maybe he was referring to getting the key back.

Mikey was stuck. Until he learned a little more… But he had to tell someone!

“BARRY!” Mikey yelled, bursting into the cafeteria the next morning while Baron prepped the lunch for the day. “BARRY BARRY BARRY BARRY! I GOTTA TELL YOU SOMETHING!”

“Michelangelo!” Draxum stood up straight and wiped his sweaty forehead; he really needed to invest in a new can opener, because his old one sucked. “What is it?! Another invasion?!”

“No! Even better!” Mikey grabbed his father by the neck of his uniform and yelled, nose to nose, “CASEY’S A HAMATO!”

Draxum blinked at the turtle’s enthusiasm. Once the sentence sinked in (and the ringing in his ears settled down), he put a hand on his wrist and asked calmly, “How about you elaborate on that while we prepare the midday meal?”

Mikey smiled and nodded, excited to do an activity with one of his dads, and so he, Sloppy Joseph, and Draxum prepped the lunch meat and sides for the high school, all the while Mikey filling the sheep in on what he knew. Draxum had already met the time-traveler and knew he was Cassandra’s son, so a major clue as to who his father was and what that means was intriguing to the retired alchemist.

“And he refuses to tell you who his father is?” He clarified.

“Yes!” Mikey exclaimed. “He says he’s not ready, but it’s not that big of a deal! Well, it is a big deal, but in a good way!”

“It does seem foolish to keep such an important fact hidden.” Draxum agreed.

Mikey sighed and thought about it. “Yeah, but… if he’s worried about what his dad will think, if he’s worried how it’ll affect his parents’ relationship, then… maybe we should respect that.” He concluded, giving Draxum a side glance. Honestly, just talking about it made Mikey feel so much better, and the issue didn’t seem as big anymore.

Draxun smiled and said with a shrug, “I think Dr. Positive is right.” He clapped his hands together and said, “Now! Let us fill the mouth-holes of these humans trapped in their educational prison!”

Mikey grinned, put on a hair wig, face mask, gloves, and apron, and held a ladle heroically. “Let’s feed some teenagers, baby!”

Casey was really nervous that Mikey was going to blow the whistle any day now. Every time they hung out as a group, he couldn’t help but keep an eye on the turtle, but as the days turned into weeks, his fear deteriorated. Soon it had been a full month since Mikey found out, and Casey’s sprained wrist was fully healed.

One night they sat around the main room, sitting on beanbags and pillows, eating snacks and having a racing video game tournament. While Leo and April had their turn, Cassandra came back with a big bowl of popcorn. Raph noticed and patted the seat next to him politely; she smiled and sat, offering some food as thanks for her seat, and Raph took a handful and shoved it in his mouth, impressing Cass.

“Y’know I can fit a whole fist in my mouth!” Raph shared when he swallowed his snack. “Wanna see?”

“No!” The room said in unison, except for Cass and Casey.

“YES!” Cassandra cheered, eyes sparkling, and she pumped her fists as she chanted, “Raph! Raph! Raph!”

As Raph shoved his fist in his mouth, Mikey winced as he laughed and looked away, putting a hand up between his face and his brother, meaning his line of vision now fell on Casey.

He watched Cass and Raph with an odd look on his face. He was smiling peacefully. Perfectly content and beyond happy. Dr. Feelings did some deep thinking, and he suddenly got an idea that the longer he thought on it, the more it made sense and the more things clicked.

Mikey’s jaw dropped, he pointed a finger, and yelled, “OH!”

Raph paused his party trick, his knuckles in his mouth, and everyone stared at the youngest turtle. Casey began to panic; he stood up, grabbed him by the arm, and asked over the loud, repetitive ohs, “Mikey, can I talk to you for a sec?!”

“OH! OO! OOOOOOH!”

“MIKEY I REALLY NEED TO TALK TO YOU!”

“OH OH OH!”

And Casey pulled Mikey into his bedroom. 

The rest of the teenagers were confused (and completely oblivious of Leo taking advantage of the chaos and unplugging April’s controller so he would win), but shrugged and decided that if it was important they would find out later.

Casey tackled the yelling turtle onto his bed and covered his mouth, Mikey still screaming about his discovery. “Mikey! Calm down!”

He yelled behind Casey’s gloved hand for another minute, but he slowly quieted down, until Casey felt like it was safe to free his mouth. “Yes. Yes, okay? Yes.”

“Cassandra?!” Mikey hissed, sitting on his knees on Casey’s bed. “And Raph?!”

“Yes!” Casey shushed. “Okay, yes!”

“This… This is unbelievable!” Mikey whispered. “I mean, it’s great! But it’s unbelievable!”

“Which is why I didn’t want anyone to know!” Casey explained quietly, sitting on his knees opposite Mikey. “Listen, this timeline is already very different from mine. An apocalypse can change a lot of things, including if two people will end up together or not.”

Mikey felt like he was finally on the same page as Casey. “So you think they might not end up together because there isn’t an apocalypse?”

Casey sighed. “I don’t know. Mom… No one really liked talking about him. It hurt too much. But Master Leonardo told me that he knew his brother loved a lot of people, but no one quite the same way he loved my mom. And Mom…” The hybrid paused, old memories coming back, which made him smile and mutter, “I know she loved him. I know it.”

But he looked back at Mikey and added, “But a lot can change in a person. Time changes people. Circumstances change people. I’m not supposed to be born for a few more years, so maybe they’ll still end up together, maybe they won’t. Maybe they’ll only be really close friends. I can live with any of that.” Casey’s face hardened a little, and he concluded with, “But they’re my parents, and I’ll tell them when I’m ready. Okay?”

MikeY smiled, understanding, and said, “Okay.”

Casey patted his shoulder in thanks, smiling.

“Wow… I’m your uncle!” Mikey cheered, ignoring Casey’s shushing, though his smile stayed. “I have a nephew! This is amazing! I’m gonna take you for rides on our motorcycle and give you tips on how to ask someone out!”

“I think I’m good on dating tips.” Casey chuckled, getting off his bed so he could rejoin the video game competition. “I will take that motorbike ride.”

“You got it, CJJ!” Mikey cheered, putting an arm around his shoulders, and exiting the bedroom together.

The weather was too nice to patrol in the stuffy Turtle Tank, so they leaped from building to building that evening, keeping an eye out for crime. In his cleaned-up apocalypse gear, Casey peered over a building with his mask on, his eyes able to see and read so much.

“Everything looks good so far, Sensei.” Casey informed, then winced. “S-Sorry, Leo.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it, bud.” Leo said, resting an arm across his shoulders. “You call me whatever you want. As long as it’s PG.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Raph said, stepping forward. “I know he was, like, the greatest ninja in your time, but why do you call him ‘sensei’?”

“He was my teacher. My master.” Casey explained, sitting on the edge so his legs dangled over the building. “After Mom died, he took me in and started training me. Master Leonardo taught me so much and let me go on so many missions with him!”

“Aw! You gave Splinter a grandkid!” Raph teased, rubbing the top of Leo’s head.

Mikey bit his lip. Casey gave Mikey a hard, pleading look, but Mikey smiled reassuringly and relaxed.

“Casey said I was the most powerful mystic warrior in the future!” Mikey told Raph proudly, remembering that he wasn’t in the tank for that fun conversation.

“He did?” He asked, then turned to Casey and asked, “He was?”

“He was!” Casey confirmed. “You saw how, with your help, he opened a portal through space! Well, twenty-four years into the future, he’s able to tear a hole in time!” He winced, and added as he rubbed his neck. “I mean, it kinda, sorta, might’ve torn him apart. Literally…”

“So no more time travel, got it.” Mikey promised with a wink.

Casey grinned and punched him in the elbow. “It’s all thanks to Master Michaelangelo that we got this second chance, that I’m here at all!”

“I’m so proud of you, little brother!” Raph said, throwing Mikey up in the air and letting him land on his shoulders.

“And Donnie,” Casey went on, enjoying the storytelling, enjoying reminiscing on the warriors his family grows up to be, the figures he looked up to as a child and strived to be more like. “You actually built my weapons just for me and taught me how to use them!”

He shot his grappling hook at a nearby, taller skyscraper, and swung from building to building like an acrobat. After a flip or two, he hung upside down in front of the turtles like a spider-themed superhero.

“A grappling hook and chainsaw-hockey-stick is impressive,” Donnie admitted, then pulled out a notepad and pen. “But what else do I invent? I need some new ideas!”

“Well,” Casey flipped back upright and landed on his feet, standing next to Leo as his grappling hook retracted. “You mostly focused on weapons for mystic-less soldiers and scouts to use. What made you so amazing was your ability to turn scraps of metal into inventions! You once turned a paperclip into a bazooka that Commander O’Niel used to wipe out an entire base!”

“Oh! A bazooka! Not bad, not bad…”

“Donnie, no bazookas!”

“You’re no fun.” Donnie pouted, arms crossed over his chest.

“So what about me?” Raph asked, smiling hopefully at Casey. “What do I do in the future?”

Casey paused, rubbed the back of his neck, and muttered, “Uh, well… I w-…”

Donnie groaned as his wristband started buzzing. “I’ve got to change that to something less obnoxious.” He muttered as he tapped away. “A 317-40.5 is occurring…”

“That’s bad guy code for a robbery at a local bank!” Said Casey.

The turtles stared dumbfounded at the time traveler, and Donnie muttered, “That’s… correct. How… How did you know that?”

“I grew up learning your codes.” Casey explained, then chuckled and added, “You used to read me your book instead of Grandpa Splinter’s scrolls. It drove Sensei nuts. Let’s go!” And he started swinging away.

“Hey, wait up!” Leo called, portaling himself, and Donnie, Mikey, and Raph followed.

Humans screamed and ran for cover, really hoping this wasn’t another mysterious force that was going to start transforming people and objects into monsters; if money was the only thing they wanted, they could have it.

Two mutant crab acrobats emerged from the building, claws full of bags of money, snickering and disappearing into the shadows of the alley and resting on the roof.

“Yes! We got the money!” Ben cheered as he took a peek at his loot. “Now what do we do?!”

“Honestly… I haven’t thought that far ahead.” Carl admitted.

“How about you take a short vacation to Painville!”

“Really?!” Leo laughed as the crabs turned and saw four turtles and a human standing on a taller building. “That was the best you could come up with?”

“Master Leonardo always beat me to the punchline.” Casey muttered as he smiled and rubbed his neck.

“How about you focus on the punch, and I’ll do the line.”

“Let’s move, Mad Dogs!” Raph declared, and they all leaped out of the way of shooting claws, ready for a fight.

Chapter Text

After a very successful mission, the bow on the package being that Casey ended the fight by entangling the acrobats in laundry wires, the turtles treated Casey to some pizza before heading home.

The time traveler was please with his first normal-ish mission, but he had been thinking about when and how he should let his secret out, knowing it would only be harder for him the longer he waited; the last thing he wanted was to make his family mad, or an uglier version of Mikey’s initial thought, when he believed Casey was ashamed.

He was not ashamed. He was beyond proud of who his family was, to be a Hamato; he had even hoped Master Leonardo would teach him Hamato Nimpo someday, but now he has so many people who can teach him.

Casey thought, maybe, after all these years, he was ready to have a conversation with his father.

Once back at the lair, Casey now straddling behind the group, he held his arm nervously and called timidly, “Mikey?”

He turned, and Casey asked, “H-How will I know when I’m ready to tell him?”

Mikey smiled, stepped closer, and said quietly, “You’ll just… know.”

“I’ve never known if I was ready.” Casey muttered bitterly. “Master Leonardo, Professor Donatello, you, or Mom always knew when I was ready for more advanced training, a new weapon, a harder task. I’m useless without someone to tell me what to do! I wouldn't have even known what to do if my master hadn’t given me the clearest and most straightforward mission possible. ‘Find the key, stop the Kraang.’ I did that! Now what?! What am I supposed to do?!”

Mikey put a hand on his shoulder and whispered, “Casey Jones, whether it’s in your name or not - heck, whether it’s in your blood or not - you are a Hamato. Which means you’ll always know what to do, that you’ll always rise to the challenge. It doesn’t matter what I think, or your masters, or what anyone else thinks. When you’re ready, you’ll know it in your heart,” Mikey gently pressed his hand against Casey’s chest, and added, “And your family will always be here for you.”

Casey blinked, his eyes wet. He smiled, squeezed Mikey’s hand, and croaked, “Thanks, Dr. Feelings.”

“That’s Uncle Feelings to you, young man.” Mikey joked, making Casey snicker, and he patted his shoulder before heading to bed.

Casey decided as he changed into his pajamas that he was ready, but he just needed a good moment. He thought about waiting a few days, weeks, months, but that didn’t sit right. He thought about waiting until he was alone, or even until training the next morning. That was a good plan! Challenge him to a sparring session in the morning, and tell him then!

But as Casey laid on his back, dreading the moment, counting down the minutes until morning, his stomach ached, bags formed under his eyes, and he knew sleep would never come. He groaned and pushed his wrapped hands against his face. In the darkness, he held up his right arm and pushed up some of his wrappings, giving a peek at his green skin. Casey stared at it for a few minutes, then braced himself and got up from bed.

The lair was quiet as everyone was settling down for the night, but probably a good hour or so from sleep. Changing lights and a hissing noise told Casey that Donnie was working in the lab before bed, and when he approached Raph’s room (a short abandoned tunnel under the stairs, most likely an old storage room in its hay day), a dim light shined from under the door.

Casey approached, took in a deep breath, bit his lip, and knocked on the door, immediately regretting his actions and wishing he was in his bedroom, but he was too stunned to move.

Raph opened the door, not even in his pajamas yet, and smiled. “Oh, hey Casey! What’s up?”

He smiled, trembling where he stood, and said, “H-H-Hey, Raph. Is it cool if I t- h-hang out with you for a bit? I kinda wanted to talk, but y’know what, it’s late, I shouldn't be bothering you…”

“No, you’re not bothering me.” Raph stepped aside and gestured inside. “C’mon in, I was gonna stay up re-reading a comic, but I can do that anytime.”

Casey smiled and entered Raph’s bedroom. The room was paved in a calm, red light for easy sleep. In the back-left corner was a large king sized bed with a large, cozy quilt, and about a dozen different pillows on it. Draped across the back-right corner was a hammock filled to the brim with stuffed animals and teddy bears of every size, shape, and color. A bookcase full of comics and action figures stood at the other right corner, and between the hammock and bookcase sat a very large black beanbag, which Casey recognized had been dragged out for the video game tournament a few weeks ago.

The walls were coated in posters of movies and TV shows and music groups Raph liked, but between the bed and hammock at the back wall, opposite of the door, hung a single bookshelf that held family photos, one being of the turtles as tots, some selfies from throughout the years, and the photo they snapped when Casey had his first slice of pizza stood in a brand new frame.

Casey smiled at the large hammock and said, “Wow, cool stuffed animals.”

“Thanks! Got a favorite?”

The secret hybrid held his chin, studying all the different stuffed animals, and he smiled and pointed at a round, plump penguin. “I like that one.”

Raph smiled as he sat in his beanbag, reached a hand for it, and tossed it to Casey, who caught it. It was pleasantly soft, and he couldn’t help but give the penguin a big squeeze and nuzzle his cheek against it.

“So what’s up?” Raph asked casually. “Couldn’t sleep?”

Casey remembered his mission, and he sat on the large bed cross-legged, hugging the round penguin. “I… I felt like I owed you an answer.” Raph raised a brow, confused, but Casey wasn’t done. “You asked me earlier what you did in the future, and I never answered you.”

“Oh,” Raph waved his old question away. “Don’t worry about it. You don’t have to t-…”

“But I want to.” Casey said, maybe a little too harsh, so he swallowed and reasoned, “Everyone else got to hear how amazing they were in my future. It’s only fair you get the same.”

The snapping turtle smiled and gave a nod, leaving the floor open for Casey to speak.

He tightened his grip on the lended stuffed animal, then said, looking Raph right in the eye, “Raphael, you were the bravest person anyone had ever met.”

Raph was a little stunned by the devotion of the sentence, but blushed. “Aw, shucks…”

“You did so much for your people, for your family. Countless stealth-mission to gather food, to get supplies for shelter and Donnie’s inventions. You saved so many terrified humans from being mutated. You personally introduced yourself to every terrified person - human or yoki - into our caves, and made sure they were safe and cared for. You helped so many people. You gave us a ninja’s greatest weapon: hope.”

“Wow,” Raph breathed, smiling. “I’m… glad. I’ll be honest with you, I kinda assumed you didn’t talk about me cuz I died or something.” And he gave a short glance to his scarred shoulder.

Casey also looked at the hole in his shell and the crack on his plastron, winced, and said, “No, you survived for a few years, but… you died when I was a year old, so…”

“Oh, gotcha.” Raph said casually, thinking he was understanding why the topic was a bit weird for him. “Guess you don’t remember me, huh?”

Casey smiled apologetically. “No, but Mom and Master Leonardo talked about you sometimes and would tell me stories.”

“Oh, that’s good, I guess.” Raph said with a shrug. “So, is Raph everything you’d thought he’d be?” He asked jokingly, chuckling and making it clear he didn’t have to answer.

But Casey wanted to. He swallowed, and croaked through his emotion, “You’re everything I’d hoped for, and more.”

Raph’s whole face turned red, as red as his bandana.

“I… I’ve wanted to meet you my whole life.” Casey admitted, his head low as he hugged the stuffed penguin even tighter.

Raph gave a kind smile, seeing how nervous the teenager was, and said softly, “C’mon, Junior, I can’t be that exciting of a guy to meet.”

Casey braced himself, looked up, and said, “Anyone would want to meet their dad.”

The snapping turtle’s face was frozen; it was a good thing he was sitting down, or he would have fallen to his knees. His mouth was slightly ajar, his eyes wide as he digested what he had been told, but Casey wasn’t done. 

He started at the base of his wrapping, an inch below his elbow, and unwrapped his arm, revealing his green skin, the skin he clearly inherited from Raph. He had human hands, but his fingers and hands were green, and he had Raph’s strong knuckles. Showing that both arms were the same, Casey placed the wrapping next to him and hugged the penguin, looking away and giving Raph time to respond, his arms on full display for his father.

Raph bit his lip, repeating what he had been told over and over again in his head. “I’m…” He swallowed the knot in his throat so he could talk. “I’m your dad?”

Without looking at him, Casey nodded. 

Out of the corner of his eye, the hybrid could see the turtle standing, a dark shadow hiding his eyes. He stepped towards the bed, and Casey braced himself for whatever Raph was going to say and do.

The wind was knocked out of him and his skeleton was rattled, when he was brought into a sudden, very loving embrace. Raph’s strong arms held him close and his whole body trembled with emotion. Casey’s wide eyes filled with tears, and he wiggled his arms free, only so he could hug his dad around the neck, rather than the penguin in his lap.

“Ohmigosh,” Raph croaked, grinning with his teary eyes squeezed shut. “I’m a dad! I have a kid! I’ve always wanted kids, but… Jumping Jack Flash, I have a son!”

Casey chuckled wetly against his dad’s shoulder, his face nuzzling right where his scar was, but he was too happy to let a bad memory tarnish this moment.

“I’m so proud of you, Casey.” Raph said, releasing him so he could look at him, and his grin - if it was even possible - grew. “Wow, you even have Lou Jitsu’s chin!”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I…”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Raph interrupted gently. “I don’t care, I’m just glad I know now. Just… wow! Wait,” The turtle’s face dropped, something slightly more bewildering coming to his mind than discovering he had a son. “Me and Cass?! Seriously?!”

Casey shrugged with a nervous smile and pink cheeks. “Yeah, watching the world end does crazy things to people.”

Raph copied his shrug and said slowly, “I dunno, your mom’s cool, a great fighter, kinda pretty…”

“Okay okay I don’t need to hear that!” Casey shoved him playfully, making Raph laugh.

“Man, you’re just like… WAIT! That means Leo’s your uncle! Ohmigosh, that means Mikey and Donnie are your uncles! And Splinter’s a grandpa!”

Casey barely got a sound past his lips before Raph grabbed him, carried him out of his room, held him up over his head, and shouted to the whole lair, “GUYS! GUYS! I HAVE A SON! CASEY’S MY SON!”

“Wait WHAT?!” Three voices yelled as four heads poked out of their designated rooms.

“Aw, you finally told him!” Mikey admired, holding his hands by his cheek.

“You KNEW?!”

“Your kid made me swear not to tell anyone!”

“I’M A POP-POP!” Splinter sobbed, holding a tissue by his whiskers.

“Holy truffle mac-n’-cheese…”

“YES, I’m an uncle!” Leo cheered, punching the air.

“Can you please put me down now?”

“Oh yeah, sorry Casey, I’m not used to holding sons. Cuz I didn’t know I had one.” Raph snarled, eyeing Mikey, who sweated a little where he stood.

“I can’t believe it!” Donnie explained, looking at Casey’s arm through his goggles. “Our connection to you isn’t just emotional, it’s biological!”

“This calls for a celebration!” Leo declared.

“I already ordered pizza!” Mikey shared, showing his phone’s screen as evidence.

As Casey was bombarded with a million questions and comments, he found it not at all overwhelming or anxiety-causing or too much. Not when all he had to do was look at Raph and see him smile, see that everything was okay, see that after all these years, he finally had his father back.

Raph smiled as his ten-month-old cooed and played with the blocks he had carved out of old wood and rocks. Casey enjoyed stacking them, and laughed whenever they fell and clattered against the dirt floor. The scarred turtle looked around the cave he and his family called home, and he desperately wished his son could grow up in a better world than this. 

If only he had stopped the Kraang before they came… Casey could live above the ground, on the surface. He could eat real food. He could go to school, make friends, run and play, do all the things Raph was deprived of as a child. Casey may be a hybrid, but he passed for a human easily with his back and lower limbs covered; he could have had a normal life.

Raph sighed and pinched his chasm. Nothing he could do about that now, but live to fight another day. Maybe Casey could still have that life, if they ever defeat the Kraang.

The father slowly stood and decided it was time Casey had some dinner. Cassandra’s mission was going to take all night, but luckily there were some spare bottles in the run-down fridge. In the half-built, makeshift kitchen they had to work with, Raph got to work heating up his son’s dinner, ignoring the growling in his gut.

The baby looked at the tall figure before him and smiled, leaning against the dirt wall so he could stand, a skill he had gained two weeks ago, but hadn’t quite figured out walking yet. With a clear mission ahead of him, the baby slowly took a step forward, his hand too far away to reach the cave’s wall, and he giggled as he took another step, his arms above his head and outstretched for his dad.

Raph heard his son giggle and turned, predicting he would see him play, but he was astounded to see his little warrior walking towards him. “Casey!” He gasped and got on one knee, holding out his hands. “C’mere! Come to Dada! Goochi goochi goo!” He cooed, lips puckered and wet eyes shining like stars.

Casey was so close, his giggling music to Raph’s ears. He tripped on the last step, but Raph caught him and hugged him tightly, ignoring the tears falling down his face as Casey hugged him back and laughed, delighted to be in his father’s arms.

“That’s my boy!” Raph smiled, at peace and content, as he rubbed the top of the baby’s head, his cooing and laughter a message to the tunnels, to the world, that they had a ninja’s greatest weapon: hope.

“I’m so proud of you, son.”

THE END