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The cold, smoggy air stung Casey’s eyes as he lay on the roof, looking up at the dark sky above. This world- New York City- never seemed to quiet down, even in the middle of the night. It was so different than where he grew up. Living underground, fighting for scraps, and constantly training for missions, Casey had a purpose- to survive. His entire being was dedicated to the concept of survival, even before he could walk. And now, saving this world from the hell that could’ve been, he has finally broken free from that devotion- he was finally safe. He had everything he could've ever wished for, but somehow, deep in his mind, it felt like it couldn't compensate for what he had lost.
The sky above him was a strange reminder that he was an outsider to this world. The sky was clear - not even a whisper of a cloud nearby - but Casey couldn't see a single star in the entire sky. Once or twice he thought he saw one, only it was blinking and moved too fast to be an actual star. The empty sky was offputting; It felt wrong to look at.
Growing up in the resistance, you begin to notice any glint of light around you - whether it's your friends, the possessions you carry with you, or even your family - searching for hope was almost like a pastime for those within the resistance. Casey had noticed the stars when he started going out on missions. They functioned like a compass and a calendar at the same time. Functional, and beautiful. The thing that Casey liked most about the stars, is that they always came back, night after night, consistently lighting up the night sky with a plethora of colors.
-
“Ya see that cloudy streak of stars over there? Where they're all huddled close together? That's the Milky Way Galaxy!”
Master Michealangelo gestured towards the stars as he sat on the roof of their current resistance safe-house. By his side was Casey Jones, who was only 6 at the time, hanging on to every word. The box turtle was serving as a lookout that night - waiting for the return of his brothers on their latest supply run nearby - and didn't mind the youngster's company.
“Whatsa galaxy?” Casey inquired, scooting closer to the orange-clad turtle. He paused for a beat and his gaze drifted upwards again.
“It's kinda like a big whole family of stars an’ planets,” He answered. “They are all spinning around each other, kinda like a swirly whirlpool of light”. This answer seemed to please Casey momentarily, before his face scrunched in on itself, struck with a thought.
“Thinking about something?” Mikey prompted the child, who nodded and took another moment to gather his thoughts.
“Why do they go away in the daytime?” The young human inquired, raising a hand to his chin in thought. The turtle held back a chuckle; He had probably picked up that habit from watching Leonardo in deep thought. It warmed Mikey's heart seeing how close his brother and the kid were.
“They don't go anywhere. Y’know the sun? It's super duper bright, and when we see it in the sky, its brightness outshines the other stars- but that's ok! Don't worry kid, the stars will be back every night. They're always there, even if you can't see them” Mikey ruffled Casey Jr’s hair as he looked back at him, eyes as bright as the stars in the sky.
“Mikey!”
A voice in the distance shook Mikey from his thoughts; Leo and Donnie had returned, bags full, and grins wide. He waved enthusiastically at the pair, while Casey hurriedly climbed down the ladder to greet both with a giant hug. The box turtle heard Leos's excitement at seeing the child, followed by Donnie’s ‘You-should-be-in-bed!’ reprimand. Using a hand to steady himself, Mikey slowly stood up and started making his way to greet his brothers.
-
Mikey nervously fidgeted in his place on the fire escape ladder. He had gone out to find Casey Jr, who hadn't been at the lair for hours, and according to Donnie, this was where his phone was. The only thing that stopped Mikey from launching himself onto the roof and scolding Casey for leaving without telling anyone was the sound of hitched breathing and muffled crying emanating from the rooftop.
Alright, Mikey took a deep breath and steadied himself as he lifted himself up the ladder. Dr. Feelings time.
Once his head was above the ladder, Mikey was able to take in the scene before him. Laying on the roof was Casey jr, using a gloved hand to quiet his sobs while his eyes were transfixed on the sky above them. The turtle slowly stepped onto the roof, loud enough to alert Casey that he was there without spooking him.
“Bud? You alright?” Mikey knew it was a redundant question, but that didn't stop him. Casey quickly sat up, glazing at Mikey behind him, before attempting to wipe away his tears with his sleeves. It didn't work well - tears were still welling up in his eyes and his breathing was still erratic.
“I'm here for ya, it's gonna be ok,” He slowly sat beside Casey, with enough distance to not crowd him. He needs someone here, but he also needs his space , Mikey thought sagely. He avoided eye contact for now - this wasn't an interrogation! Casey remained quiet save for his slowing, shaky breaths. The human was hugging his knees, and his face was contorted in an emotion Mikey couldn't quite pin down.
The silence wasn't uncomfortable by any means, it was the type of silence that felt like a weighted blanket: safe, but heavy. It would be cruel to disrupt such a sanctuary of silence, no matter how suffocating it sometimes felt, so Mikey left his words to drift in the air until Casey decided he wanted to give them company.
“The sky is empty,” Casey finally spoke, his voice hoarse from crying. “I know it's stupid- really really stupid, but they're all gone. It's just another reminder I'm in a world I don't belong..” He trailed off, turning his face away from Mikey, ashamed. Recognition stirred within Mikey, as he came to a sobering realization.
The poor kid was homesick . He missed home. Even though the turtles had tried everything they could to make him feel welcome within the lair, of course he would miss where he is from- even though not all the memories of his time were pleasant, they were still his .
“I don't think it's stupid” Mikey replied, placing a hand nearer to Casey, still respecting his space.
“It is though!” Casey contested, anger rising within his shattered voice. “It's stupid because that was the bad future, it was bad and people got hurt, and - “ He sunk further into his posture “ and I'm the only one left! I'm the only one left and I freaking hate it!”
Fresh tears were streaming down the kid's trembling face. Actually- his entire body was shaking, muscles tight, almost like if he relaxed he would be swept away by the breeze.
“It's ironic that surrounded by more people than I've ever seen before in my entire life I feel so alone”
Dr feelings had his work cut out for him on this one .
The box turtle closed the distance between the two, embracing Casey in a sudden hug. The kid was frozen for a beat, his mind processing what happened, before reciprocating, and gently crying into Mikey's shoulder.
“I meant it Casey- It's not stupid. Your timeline was hell, nobody denies that. But it was still your home- all of your memories, bad and good stem from that place.” Mikey stated softly, rubbing a hand on Casey's back as he continued to cry.
“Y’know, it's kinda funny- not like you crying or anything, that's a very serious Dr. Feelings situation” Mikey quickly corrected. “But I used to come to this part of town when I was a kid to stargaze. Don't tell Raph-” He chuckled to himself while Casey slowly pulled away, a faint smile on his face as he once again wiped his tears with his already wet sleeve. “I wasn't allowed to come up to the surface alone for ageeesss - so I sometimes snuck out when everyone else was asleep” He put a finger to his mouth silently saying ‘shhh’ and gave Casey a bright wink.
“You taught me the constellations,” Casey said quietly. “Well, not you, but future you-” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and averted his gaze from Mikey. “Not your future anymore, I guess”
“That makes sense” The orange-clad turtle nodded. “You’re probably used to more stars than this - New York probably isn't the best place due to the … what-did-Donnie-call-it-again… light pollution!” He pointed up, squinting at three pinpricks of light, just barely visible in the night sky. “I can only barely see Orion's belt tonight!”
Casey jerked his head up at that and quickly followed Mikey's gaze, a stunned silence overtook him. He gasped quietly at the small constellation in the sky, and for the first time since Mikey had seen him that night, Casey seemed at peace. His trembling subsided as he stared at the three stars barely breaking through the darkness above. Mikey laid a tentative hand on his friend's shoulder.
It was gonna be ok.
-
“C’mon Case! We are almost there!”
“I don't even know where ‘ there’ is! ” Casey handqouted with one hand while Mikey had a grip on the other, leading him. He sighed, It had been a week since Mikey found him crying on the roof, and since that night he kept on saying he had a surprise for him. He had stuffed everyone - the turtles and Master Splinter - into the turtle tank and blindfolded Casey to not ‘ruin the surprise’. When they finally left the tank, Casey noted how the ground was soft, but firm in a way that Casey couldn't quite describe. The walk hadn't been rough, though Mikey kept suddenly yanking him in one direction or the other, to avoid potential tripping hazards.
“Careful, Miguel” Leo called out teasingly from behind and to the right of Casey. "You don't want to trip him before we get to the surprise!". Casey could practically hear the grin plastered on Leonardo's face. It was infectious; Casey laughed, light trying to seep in from underneath the blindfold. Donnie's calculated stride closed in on the left of Casey, and a mechanical hand pinned down the blindfold.
"Who tied these knots? And Future boy - no peeking," Donnie called, and although his voice seemed flat, Casey could tell he was having a good time. It felt so nice to see- or hear in this scenario- everyone getting along, and just… being. A smile crept back onto his face; Casey could get used to this.
“We’re here!” Raph, who was leading the group announced as his heavy footsteps came to a standstill. The three-fingered grasp suddenly released as Mikey circled around behind Casey. His hands hovered near the back of his blindfold.
“You ready?"
"Hopefully.”
The blindfold fell, and Casey staggered backward at the sheer sight of everything around him. His vision blurred at the prospect, and Casey allowed himself a moment to adjust. He was in a forest - a large one at that. Trees surrounded him, taller than any that Casey had ever seen before. The trees beckoned his eyes upwards, and Casey nearly fell over.
Stars.
Hundreds of stars, illuminating the sky above the clearing. Casey could see the constellations - There was the entirety of Orion- not just his belt- and there was Gemini! While there weren't as many as he had grown up with, it was enough to make Casey feel right at home.
"I was thinking about what you said about the sky," Mikey started, placing a soft hand on Casey's trembling shoulder. "I know it's not the same, but I figured it would be close!"
"We just want you to know that whatever happened in your timeline may be gone, but the connections, the experiences- your memories, they're all real. You're living proof of that!"
Casey turned around and swallowed Mikey in a large hug, tears still streaming down his face. Mikey paused, before returning the favor, and motioning to his father and his brothers to join the hug. The teen could hear muffled crying- probably Raph’s - and let himself feel the warmth of his family.
Yeah. Its gonna be ok.
-
Leo and Donnie were setting up the only tent big enough to fit them all, their mock argument filling up the empty air.
“These thingies go here! They’re tent shaped!”
“They most certainly do not! They’re the structure for the roof”
“Since when do tents have roofs, DonTron?”
Casey chuckled at their bickering and wandered over to where Raph was setting up the fire for the night. He watched as the snapping turtle slowly lit the kindling, and stared at the wood as it caught flame. He gave himself a fist pump and Mikey drew close, a bag of chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers in his hands. His grin was as wide as it ever as he sat in a camping chair, and allowed Raph to start assembling marshmallows on sticks.
The night went on peacefully as you'd expect for the Hamato family camping. The twins finally emerged from the finished tent, which was larger than Casey expected it to be, and sat around the fire, swapping stories around. Once Mikey had enough of Leos's spooky stories, he started teaching Casey his favorite camping songs. He had already known most of the ones he shared, so he simply pretended to be learning them for the first time. Raph had eaten the majority of the marshmallows absentmindedly, which he apologized profusely for, but Casey was able to snag a s’more before they were all gone and he was so glad he did so. It seemed like every food Casey tried was more delicious than the last. It's not hard to beat canned rations from an old basement.
When it was time to tuck in for the night, Everyone gathered in the large tent, which was filled with pillows and blankets. Raph plopped down first, and eventually, his siblings all jumped into the pile of pillows and dozed off. Casey was probably the last one to fall asleep, staring at the ceiling of the tent for a while, Splinters snores bouncing off the walls of the tent.
He couldn't see the stars from where he was in the tent, there was no sky or window access, but somehow, he could still feel their presence, inside the tent. It didn't matter if he saw them or not - He knew they were there, and that they weren't gonna go away any time soon.