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Chapter Text

It had been 3 months after the Kraang attack.

The city was nearing the completion of its repairs. And after extensive checkups and enough bandages to wrap the Statue of Liberty, the entire Hamato clan was deemed fully recovered by Draxum, Splinter, Leo and Donnie, and the yokai medic that Draxum had hired.

A new room had been set up for Casey while their home was being reconstructed and the training room was expanded.

That's where the hodgepodge family was currently found, the training room's doors opened wide so that April had easy access to the kitchen as she watched the others.

Draxum and Mikey stood near the edge of the room with Donnie, the soft-shell's fingers flying across the screen on his forearm, taking notes, a video camera on a stand next to him. The yokai alchemist had his hand on Mikey's shoulder, purple energy swirling around his fingers as he explained something to his creation. Mikey's eyes were alight with interest and he glanced down at his own hands.

The center of the room was currently being used for a spar, Splinter acting as referee, despite his attention mostly being on the snack bowl that April had just brought in.

Red energy and blue portals sparked throughout the room as Raph, Leo, and Casey darted about, their weapons clashing, fists and knees slamming into each other.

Leo cackled as he tumbled into another portal, dodging the swing of Casey's hockey stick. Casey fell into the movement, firing off his grappling hook and launching himself towards Raph.

The snapping turtle's Hamato energy fired up as he caught the teeth of the hockey stick between his sais. With a shout, Raph threw Casey off and turned in time to block Leo's blade.

"Come on, big brother," Leo crowed, "Put your shell into it!"

"If you insist," Raph chuckled, red energy growing around his arms as his form doubled in size.

Leo's face fell slightly. "Oh boy."

Splinter shouted a laugh as Leo went flying, the slider wailing, "Casey! Catch me!"

Casey immediately switched the trajectory of his sprint to head toward his sensei.

"Hey, no fair! We said no teaming up!"

"Raph is correct," Donnie called from the other side of the room, looking up from the camera he was adjusting, "You all agreed to a 3-on-3 spar."

"Don't worry, Donnie," there was a glint in Casey's eyes as the wire of his grappling hook wrapped around Leo's torso, "I'm not helping him!"

With a grunt and a twist of his body, Casey used the momentum of Leo's flight to swing him around and fling him right back at Raph.

"Wait!"

"Case—"

"Look out!"

"OOF!" Both turtles shouted as they collided, tumbling head over heels.

With a yelp, Donnie dove out of the way of his somersaulting brothers, giving them a direct route to smack into Mikey, whose hands had just started to glow a warm orange.

"Boys!"

"Guys!"

"Michelangelo!"

"My camera!"

"Oh shoot," Casey hurried over with April and Splinter to the groaning pile of teenage mutants as their brother sank to his knees beside his fallen video camera.

"I am so sorry, guys," he said as April helped pull Leo up, "I didn't think that Leo would be that much lighter."

Mikey rubbed his head, "That much lighter than what?"

With a blush, Casey offered Raph his hand, "Then Master Leonardo. He would tell me to fling him to build up strength and to train with my grappling hook."

"Well, that training worked out!" April punched his arm, "You sent Leo flying!"

"Well, that's unexpected."

The laughter and joking that had started up, died quickly as everyone turned to what had captured Draxum's attention.

A flaming orange portal hung in the air, its edge crackling with red electricity and fire.

Slowly, Donnie lifted the video camera.

"Um, what is that?" Raph asked, carefully stepping in front of Mikey and April.

"I was training Michelangelo on his mystic powers," Draxum took a step closer to the portal, a hand reaching up to cradle his chin, "I wonder...Raphael, your powers were activated, correct?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Perhaps when you collided with him, your energies combined."

"That would explain the red in the portal," Mikey said as he peered around his eldest brother, "So, uh, where does it lead?"

Everyone turned to look at Mikey, then at Leo. The slider sputtered.

"Woah, why would I know?"

"You're the portal guy," Donnie stated.

"Not anymore!" Leo gestured wildly at Mikey, "Miguel made this one!"

Suddenly, the portal pulsed. And a shout echoed out from it.

Draxum stepped forward, magic glowing from his palms, and the rest of the clan took up defensive positions.

"Orange," Splinter laid a hand on his youngest's shoulder, "Are you able to close the portal?"

"Um, I can try?"

Stepping next to Draxum, Mikey raised his hands.

"Deep breaths," the yokai coached, "Feel the pulse of your mystic energy. Breath with-"

"-onnie!"

Everyone tensed at the cry from the portal, a slight frown crossing Donnie's face.

Leo glanced at his twin, "Sooo, did anyone else hear that? Woah!"

The portal pulsed again and a blast of warm air radiated out of it.

"Donnie, Mikey, MOVE!"

"Everyone, move!" Draxum bellowed as he swung an arm, vines exploding from the floor.

Then, something rocketed out of the portal.

~~~

A hulking shape slammed into the ground, followed by soot and debris as Draxum's vines shoved everyone backward.

The ground shuddered, dust swirling around as heat fizzled throughout the room. With a creaking groan, the portal disappeared.

Leo sprang to his feet, unsheathing his swords, Raph immediately by his side as they stood.

"Everyone okay?"

Affirmatives rang out as the dust began to clear, his family gathering around him.

There was a cough from where the portal once was, and with a shifting of rubble, the intruder could finally be seen.

The figure was huge, rising to a good 7 feet as he stood, one hand pressed to his head.

Spikes covered his shoulders, arms, and chin, sharp ridges pointing up from the back of his shell. There was a jagged crack in the turtle's plastron, running down his left side. Over his shoulder, the glint of metal could be seen, connected to the edge of his shell.

Dirt and grime covered every inch of the mutant's skin, the only breaks in the dirt being small cuts that glistened with red and bruises that were a mottled blue.

A simple eyepatch covered his right eye, tied around the red bandana that he wore.

With a grunt, the mutant shook his head before quickly looking up. "Don—"

His remaining eye widened as his call faded.

Leo pressed his shoulder against Raph's, as his older brother met the gaze of what appeared to be his future self.

Older Raph's mouth fell open, the furrow between his eyes deepening as his gaze darted from Raph to Leo, to Donnie and Mikey, to April, and then to-

"...Pops?"

The turtle's deep voice cracked, his hand falling away from the sais on his belt when he saw Splinter. His plastron shuddered as he took a heaving breath.

Energy buzzed underneath Leo's skin, but he couldn't bring himself to move. His attention felt trapped by the scene in front of him, by the future version of his brother.

Then, Casey moved past him.

Instinct made Leo reach for Casey's arm, but the time traveler was too quick, bringing his hand out of reach as he pushed his way to the front and said,

"Dad?"

The electricity in Leo's body vanished as the air seemingly evaporated from the room.

Future Raph's head jerked around, his attention swinging from Splinter to Casey instantly. The grief and shock that overshadowed the older turtle's face were washed away by bewilderment, his eye narrowing, then widening.

Leo watched as Casey's shoulder shivered, his breath shallow and rapid. Future Raph shook his head slowly.

"Wha—CJ?"

Casey's hockey stick clattered to the floor as Casey darted forward.

He slammed into the older turtle, arms wrapping around his neck so that he could bury his face into the turtle's shoulder. Future Raph's arms immediately wrapped around Casey, lifting the sobbing teen up, one hand protective on his head, the other on his back.

"CJ? Casey? What, how? What's happening?"

"You're here, you're here, you're okay, you're alive, you're here," Casey rambled, his grip tightening, another sob shaking his form, "I missed you so much. You're alive."

Leo jerked his attention towards Raph, his Raph.

His older brother was slightly pale, mouth agape as he stared at the reunion taking place before him. Mikey was clinging to his arm, eyes darting from him to the future version and back.

Donnie's arms had fallen to his side and he was blinking rapidly. April had a grip on his shoulder that was steadily tightening. Splinter and Draxum's jaws were slack.

"Casey, wait. Slow down," Future Raph gently pried Casey off him, setting him down so he could look at him, "Where am I? How old are you? When—What do you mean 'alive'?"

One of his thumbs brushed over Casey's cheek and Casey pressed his face into the green palm.

"I—I'm 16. And, um, we're in the past."

"Yeah," Future Raph let out a hollow chuckle and his gaze darted up towards Leo and his family again, "I figured."

"Dad," Casey grabbed at Future Raph's hand, "You died."

(Leo felt his heartbeat stutter, like it had when Casey had first told him about the future fates of his family)

"You died when I was 5 and then Mom was gone, and Professor Donnie, and the Baron, and then it was just Master Michelangelo and Sensei Leonardo and me. And we tried," Casey sucked in a ragged breath, "We tried to stop the Kraang but we couldn't. So Master Michelangelo made a portal to send me back, but then he and Sensei were gone too, but I made it and we stopped them, we stopped them, Dad, but everyone I know is gone, but I'm still here, and you're here and—"

"Woah, okay come here, bud." And Future Raph dragged Casey back into his arms.

The snapper looked up, meeting Splinter's gaze again, panic and distress warping his expression.

"Pop—Splinter," he corrected himself, clearing his throat, "How, I mean, how am I here?"

The shattered look in his dad's eyes twisted something in Leo's gut. Slowly, the rat stepped forward.

Future Raph's grip around Casey tightened slightly as Splinter approached, his shoulders tensing instinctively. He had knelt in order to properly hold Casey, so when Splinter reached him, he was close enough to the ground that Splinter could reach up and press a hand against his arms.

The breath that caught in the snapper's chest sent a shudder through his body, shaking Casey enough that the teen turned a tear-stained face away from Raph's shoulder.

"Oh, Raphael," Splinter soothed, "My son."

The beginning of a sob burst out of Raphael's mouth before he strangled the sound, pulling away from Splinter's hand. He faced the ground, breathing deeply, steadying his panic. In front of him, gripping tight to his plastron, Casey turned his worried gaze from the snapper to Splinter, to the rest of the family.

A hand tapped Leo's shoulder. He flinched, twisting to find Draxum looking down at him with...somewhat of a soft look on his face.

"Come, Leonardo, your brothers need you."

With a jolt, Leo realized that the rest of his family had retreated to the entrance of the room. Raph was seated on the floor, Mikey in his lap. The younger turtle was speaking in hushed tones, letting their older brother play with his hands. April was rubbing Raph's shoulder, glancing back at Donnie every few seconds. Leo's twin had his goggles over his eyes and was frantically swiping through his wrist screen, muttering under his breath.

"Ye—yeah," Leo breathed. Draxum began guiding him away.

Panic suddenly surged up in Leo's chest and he jerked to look over his shoulder. Future Raph was crying.

Casey was still in his arms and Dad was still in front of him.

Draxum sighed and awkwardly patted his shoulder, "Do not worry, Leonardo. Go be with your brothers. I will watch our visitor and the others. We will figure this out."

Chapter Text

Casey couldn't bring himself to let go of his father's arm.

There was a pressure on his chest, a strange mix of anxiety, relief, and overwhelming dread.

His dad was here, he was alive.

But how? Obviously, Mikey's portal had connected to his past, this world's future. But why? Out of all the people in the future, why his dad, who had died years before Casey himself was thrown back in time?

Something wet hit his forehead and he blinked, slowly coming out of the tear-stained haze that he had been spiraling in.

Above him, his father sobbed, his head bowed low as Splinter rubbed his arm, the rat's own eyes glistening with tears.

"...Dad?" Casey whispered.

Raphael looked up and Casey felt a surge of bittersweet joy as he was able to look at his father's face again.

"It's ok, Dad. We'll figure this out," he patted Raphael's arm, "Anatawa Hitorijanai, remember?"

His dad's face twisted and Casey yelped as he was dragged into another hug. Raphael's breath ruffled the edges of Casey's hair as the snapper pressed his face into Casey's shoulder.

"I'm so proud of you, Casey."

Something deep and buried in Casey's chest unfurled at those words and tears spilled down his cheeks again.

He couldn't really remember his dad.

He knew the facts. Raphael had stepped up to help Cassandra raise him. He had loved him as his own, and Cassandra had encouraged Casey calling him "dad". He had loved his family above anything. He and Leo had led their group of survivors for the years after the initial Kraang invasion, and while that responsibility was heavy on their shoulders, Raph always had time for Casey. He had taught Casey what Anatawa Hitorijanai meant, even though little Casey didn't know how to say the words.

And he had died, crushed under a Kraang mech's foot after pushing two of his brothers out of the way.

Donatello and Michelangelo had blamed themselves. Casey had known that since he was young.

He could tell, by the way that Donatello retreated from him, supplying him with a plethora of gadgets and inventions, but staying at a distance, their interactions short and stilted. He suspected that someone (probably Leo) had talked to him, because after his 8th birthday, Donatello began inviting Casey into his lab, teaching him about what he was creating and some of his inventions from the past.

Casey cherished those moments with "Professor Donatello" in his lab. Especially since he was killed, only 2 years later.

Master Michelangelo had used his guilt to ensure that Casey still had some sort of childhood, showering him with affection and attempting to shield him from the horrors of the apocalypse. While he couldn't do much about avoiding the apocalypse, Michelangelo had been the one to teach him flips and acrobatics. He and Casey's mom had banded together to find him a hockey stick to use as a weapon. He had entranced Casey with his mystic powers. And he had been the one to paint pictures of Casey's dad. And his mom. And Donatello and everyone else who they had lost.

Leonardo hadn't been on the mission that killed Raphael. There was a different sort of guilt in that.

Shoved into the role of the main leader, Leonardo still found time to train Casey. Casey loved him, he loved all of his uncles, but Leonardo had been his favorite. He had been the one to raise Casey after his mom was killed. He had been his sensei, his teacher. But only Sensei, not Dad. Leonardo had been sure to never let Casey forget Raphael.

"He would be proud of you."

Donatello and April would say, after Donnie created a tech replica of his brother, and they later found Casey curled up next to it after a long day of training.

"Raph would be so proud."

Leonardo and Michelangelo would tell him, as Casey got older and the world became more ruined, and it was required that Casey go on his own missions.

It is one thing to know something based on the word of others. It is another to know it for yourself.

Leo had told Casey that his future self would have been proud of him, and Casey knew that. The pride of his sensei was something that he always strove for. But he knew Master Leonardo. He knew that pride looked like a pat on the shoulder, a smirk, and a gleam in the slider's eyes that said "good job kid, love you".

His father's pride looked like pure, unfiltered awe. It was the creak of a shell as Raphael strained to pull Casey closer in his arms, and the rumble of his voice. It was hearing his father say, "I'm proud of you" and knowing that it meant, "I love you I love you I love you I love you"

It was something Casey had longed to experience his entire life.

Casey sobbed and his father held him.

Chapter Text

Casey's sobs eventually petered out into soft, shuddering breaths, interrupted by small hiccups every few minutes.

Splinter watched the boy (his grandson) as the future version of his son carefully adjusted his arms so that Casey's head could rest on his shoulder (Raphael had a son, Splinter had a grandson).

Raphael's own tears had dried, and once Casey was resting comfortably, he turned back towards Splinter.

Splinter hated the emotions that flickered across his son's face each time he looked at him.

Grief, pain, joy, worry. And worst of all, an almost indescribable emotion that Splinter recognized as meaning "have I disappointed you?"

The former star knew what that emotion felt like. He used to feel it every time his grandfather tried to contact him and felt a shadow of it when he looked at his family's crest.

He hated seeing it on his son's face.

Now that Casey had been moved, Splinter could step closer and press his hand to Raphael's face, tilting his eldest's face up to fully meet his gaze.

"Oh, Red," he said, "my boy. You have done so well, I am so glad you're safe."

Raphael pressed into his palm, the edge of his eyepatch brushing against Splinter's thumb, "I missed you, Pops. I missed you so much."

"I am sorry that I left you and your brothers," Splinter whispered, choking on the lump that appeared in his throat, "I am so sorry that I left you to face this on your own."

The snapper nodded, at a loss for words.

He glanced past Splinter, towards the huddle that had formed near the room's entrance.

Draxum stood closest to them, his arms crossed and pointedly not looking at them. His attention was on his hand and the shifting magic that swirled between his fingers.

The rest of Splinter's family was not as distracted.

Mikey and April had calmed Raph down, and now that the adrenaline had faded Leo had lost the panicked look in his eyes. He was holding one of Raph's hands and was leaning against Donnie as Donnie studied his notes, eyebrows furrowed.

When Splinter and Raphael looked their way, all the teenagers averted their gazes.

Raphael chuckled.

"Gosh, they're so young." He looked down and brushed a finger over Casey's arm as his face fell, "And he's so grown up."

"How old is he?" Splinter asked.

"He just turned 5, about 2 months ago."

Splinter felt his heart drop.

Raphael noticed the change in his face and nodded. "You heard that? Apparently, I'm not supposed to last much longer," He sighed, resigned, "I'm glad to see him grown up. He looks like his mom."

"His mother, Cassandra. And his father?"

"He died, early on. I never got to meet him."

"I see. So why..."

"—Does CJ call me "Dad"?” Raph shrugged. “Casey was overwhelmed. She wasn't in our group initially. When the Kraang first invaded, we tried to find her, but it was chaos. We managed to communicate through codes and left messages, but we didn't meet up until a few months in. At that point, she was leading her own group of survivors and her Brownies, so we split up. It's dangerous to travel with too many people.

"We crossed paths, but she didn't join us until about 2 years in. She was pregnant and her group was gone," Raphael's eyes darkened, "She was distraught. Those girls were like her sisters, her kids. And the other survivors, CJ's dad, she loved them too.

"She was dealing with so much by the time CJ was born. Being pregnant is hard enough, forget about during the apocalypse. And you know Casey, can't stand still. She hated being bedridden, while the rest of us were out savaging and on missions. It was just hard for her, physically and emotionally. So I stepped in. Watched Junior when Case needed sleep. Took shifts. That kinda thing."

A misty look filled his eye, "When he started to talk, he called Casey "Mom" and me "Dad." I tried to get him to call me "Raph," but apparently Casey went behind my back and got the others to refer to me as Dad when in front of him. So, I just kinda, became his dad."

Raphael leaned down and pressed his forehead against Casey's.

”I’m grateful for it, everyday,” he smiled.

The teen shifted at his voice, blinking his red-rimmed eyes as he woke up.

"Mmm...'ad?"

"Hey, Junior. Wanna get up?"

"Hmm, no."

The snapper snorted and gently tilted Casey up into a sitting position, "Come on kiddo. You gotta introduce me to my past self."

That woke Casey up. His eyes flew open and he practically launched himself out of Raphael's arms. Splinter caught and helped steady him as cries rang out.

Leo was there instantly, grabbing Casey's free arm as his brothers and sister crowded around them.

"Casey!” Leo leaned close, “You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry. It's just…" Casey trailed off and faced his father, who was slowly standing back up. Raphael's easy-going grin turned into a grimace as he pressed a hand to his side.

Splinter moved to his side.

"Raphael, are you injured?"

"Not too bad, Pops," the snapper sucked in a shallow breath as he stood straight, "Probably busted some ribs, that's all."

"What were you fighting?" Mikey asked.

Splinter watched as Casey went pale and his future son clench his jaw as he turned his attention to Mikey.

"...Hey Mike."

Mikey waved, his smile wide, but eyes worried, "Hi, older Raph."

"Um, we were on a rescue mission and were ambushed by the Kraang hounds."

If possible, Casey turned paler. He reached out and grabbed Leo's arm.

"Dad," his voice was tight, "What was the rescue mission?"

Raphael frowned. "Our scouts reported some groups of survivors that were hidden in a valley, that we know is in the path of an approaching Kraang vanguard. Both groups were fairly small, but far apart. Leo took April and Cassandra to one, and Donnie, Mikey, and I went to the other."

Leo hissed as Casey's grip tightened.

"Casey?" Raphael reached forward, nodding at Leo who was glancing between him and Casey with a worried look, "What's up?"

Raph helped his older self pry Casey's finger from Leo's arm. Casey immediately latched onto Raphael and gasped like he was coming up for air.

"We," he shook his head, dazed, "We heard you when the portal was here, after Mikey made it. You were yelling for Donnie and Mikey."

He squeezed his father's hand, "Were they in danger? Was there a Kraang mech?"

"What? Casey?"

"Dad, please."

Splinter could only shrug when Raphael looked at him. Raph's brow was furrowed and he was staring at Casey. Mikey and April were sharing glances as they clung to Donnie. Draxum's attention was locked on Casey. And Leo.

Leo was watching Casey. And when Splinter looked at him, he got to watch his son realize something.

Leo's markings stood out, bright against his skin as he paled.

"Yeah, there was a mech," Raphael said, "Donnie and Mikey were fighting some hounds, they were in the way."

Casey's legs gave out, and as his sons and April scrambled to help him, Splinter realized what he was going to say, a moment before he did.

"Dad. That mission, that battle. That's where you died."

Chapter Text

Raph wouldn't call the feeling unnerving. It was something deeper, larger. The kind of feeling that was reminiscent of the anxiety that filled him when he was alone. It felt like ice, traveling through his veins and making him shudder.

It was strange to hear about your future death.

Especially when your future self was in front of you.

Other Raphael blanched, his eye widening at Casey clutched to his hand.

"Oh."

Casey was shaking, shivering like he couldn't get warm. A frown quickly overtook the shocked look on Raphael's face.

Carefully, he took Casey by the shoulders and began to rub his arms, focused on his task. The friction seemed to startle Casey.

"Um, Dad?"

"Hm?"

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to calm you down."

"Calm me—Dad, I just told you that you die!"

"Yes, you did."

"Well, aren't you worried about that!?"

"Casey Jones, look at me."

Casey blinked, staring at Raphael's stoic face. He hadn't been scolded in what felt like years. (It might have been, he thought)

"You said that in your past, I die in a battle where I was with two of my brothers and we were on a rescue mission, correct?"

"Yeah, and—"

"How do I die?"

"..."
"CJ," Raphael softened, "Hey, this is the last question bud, I promise."

"You...you push Master Michelangelo and Professor Donatello out of the way. You get crushed by a Kraang mech."

A stifling silence followed Casey's statement. Raph shivered and immediately felt Mikey press against his arm.

"Hm, ok then."

Raphael looked thoughtful, rubbing his injured side slightly. He winced when he pressed too hard but then smiled. His smile grew, snaggle tooth glinting in the light as Raphael burst out laughing.

"Dad?" Casey looked to Leo, bewildered.

"Sor—pfft—sorry, sorry CJ. I'm not laughing at you," Raphael wiped his eye, "I didn't mean to laugh it's just—"

He sighed and took Casey's hand, "I'm relieved? Happy? Thankful? Lots of emotions today."

"Why are you relieved!?"

"Because, Casey, I had just pushed my brothers out of the way when I fell through that portal. I think,” an incredulous look crossed his face and he shook his head, “Casey, I think that portal saved my life.”

Casey gaped at him.

Raphael let out another shocked chuckle, "I probably need to get back. If my brothers and the others survive the battle without me in your time, then I'm hoping they'll be ok without me there. But," Raphael squeezed Casey's hand, "I don't want them grieving me longer than they have to."

Raph stared at his counterpart. Then, his family exploded with noise.

"Wha—wait. What?"

"Ohmigosh!"

"But the space-time continuum!"

"This is just like Jupiter Jim 42!"

"Woah, woah, woah, woah. Woah! Wait, what?" April sputtered, waving her arms, "Does this mean...if you go back, then baby Casey will have his dad? That's good, we like that. But, it's still the apocalypse. Right?"

"I don't know nearly as much as Donnie," Raphael admitted ("It's true, he does not. Ow!" Donnie hissed as Splinter smacked him with his tail)

"But when Mikey began strengthing his mystic ability after Pops, um, my dad, died, the idea of time traveling to stop the apocalypse came up." He shrugged, "It was ultimately deemed too dangerous for Mikey, but Donnie mentioned something about, um...bifolding? Bisected?"

"Bifurcated time branch? Oh, I love that Future Me is on the same wavelength as I am."

"Yeah, that thing. Don't quote me on the science, but since I traveled to this time, and didn't get smushed, then shouldn't I be able to travel back to my timeline and not mess up this world?"

"If the bifurcated timelines are parallel, then a few hours should have passed in your time. But the science is so hazy..." Donnie hesitated.

"Keep in mind," Draxum spoke, "portals are mystic. Since it was through mystic power that you came here, specifically your own family's ninpō, if you return by mystic powers, then some of the negative, scientific consequences may be negated."

"Sigh. While the wishy-washy science hurts my soul, I am more than willing to try this, if you are, Future Brother of mine," a manic glee overtook Donnie's face, "Shelldon, prepare the recording set up!"

~~~

Draxum took Mikey to the side, offering careful instructions as the rest of the family got ready.

Leo and Splinter gently bandaged all of Raphael's injuries, while Casey leaned against him. Raph and April hurried around the lair, gathering supplies that might be needed in an apocalyptic future, and shoving them all into a sturdy backpack that had been laying around.

"Here ya go!" Raph cheered, presenting the pack to Raphael as Leo tied off the last bandage, "We got bandages and medicine, and snacks and some water bottles, and some random metal and wires for Future Donnie, and some comics, and—"

"—And this!" April brandished three glowing test tubes in Raphael's face. He went cross-eyed trying to look at them.

"Um, what is it?"

"We don't know," excited, April began wrapping the vials in several scarves, "But we used them to defeat the Kraang in our time! It's really effective against them, burns their skin so it can't regenerate. Donnie used some leftovers and reverse-engineered some more once the invasion was over, just in case. The recipe is taped on the vials."

She handed the wrapped vials to Raphael, who took them in awe.

"And a handful of the ingredients are packed in an old soup can, at the bottom of the bag," Raph patted it, "So your Donnie can have a head start."

Tears welled up in Raphael's eye and he quickly wiped them away.

"Thank you," he croaked, "thank you so much."

April and Raph beamed.

"Ok, party turtles! And rat, humans, and yokai," Mikey cheered, cartwheeling into the center of the room, "Let's get our big big brother home!”

The family gathered back at the center of the room while Raphael stood, carefully slinging the pack over his shoulder and tucking the vials into a pouch on his belt.

He faced his family.

"Thank you, for everything." He lowered himself into a deep bow, "For keeping yourselves safe, for keeping the world safe," he stood straight and smiled, misty-eyed, at Casey, "And for taking care of my son, when I couldn't."

Casey stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Raphael's stomach, and Raphael buried his face in his son's hair.

"I know you have to go," Casey gasped, "But I missed you so much."

"I'm sorry, CJ. I wish you didn't have to go through all of this. This wasn't how it was meant to be."

He knelt, holding one of Casey's shoulders, "But you are more than the war you inherited.”

He gave him a little shake, “You did it, Casey. You did what we couldn't do. You saved the world, you won. And now," a tear rolled down his cheek, "Now, you get to become something better than what your mom, uncles, aunt, grandfather, and I could ever imagine. You get to discover who you, Casey Jones, my son, are.

"And I am so, so proud of you."

Father and son clung to each other, Raphael pressing kisses against Casey's head.

"I love you, CJ. No matter where you are, what age, what timeline, even what universe, I love you."

Raphael stood after wiping some of Casey's tears away.

"Dad, Barry," he smirked, "Mad Dogz."

That was all the warning they got before Mikey, Donnie, Leo, Raph, Splinter, April, and Draxum were surrounded by strong, scarred arms.

The hug was brief, and Raphael quickly stepped away, squeezing Splinter's hand one last time.

"Take care of each other, y'all are doing good. I love you guys."

At his nod, Draxum stepped forward, his hand on Mikey's shoulder.

"Together, turtles," he commanded.

Leo took Mikey's other side, Donnie and Raph behind him. April stood at his back, between Draxum and the other boys.

Splinter, after pressing something into Raphael's hand, stood at his youngest's side.

Mikey shook his hands out, stretched them out, and breathed.

A pulse ran through them, warm and alive.

Draxum sent a surge of power through Mikey's arm, as the rest of the family reached down into their souls, activating their ninpō.

Violet energy mixed with orange and blue, then purple, red, white, green, gold, and Mikey yelled, wrenching his hands apart. The Hamato seal on all of their clothing exploded with light.

The air cracked, then tore in front of them. A portal opened, revealing an empty valley, tinged with a reddish light, framed by a colorful ring of fire. A hot wind blew out from the portal, stinging their noses with the smell of ash.

Raphael readjusted his pack and grinned a grim smile, "Home, sweet home."

"Dad," Casey caught his hand and Raphael looked at him.

"Um, tell Mom I love her. Tell them all that."

"I will."

"I'll miss you, Dad."

Raphael pressed his forehead against his son's.

"I'll miss you too, CJ. Remember, anatawa hitorijanai. I love you."

"I love you too."

Casey let his father's hand go.

And Raphael, taking a deep breath, stepped through the portal.

There was a pause, Mikey straining to keep the portal open, just in case.

Then, after looking around, Raphael powered up his ninpō, a familiar glowing gauntlet forming around his arm. He lifted it, its energy crackling in the dusty air.

"...Raph?" A distant voice called.

Raphael turned, looking at something they couldn't see. He grinned.

And the portal closed.

The Hamatos collapsed, Mikey falling against Draxum as the yokai turned to run his hands over the turtle's arms.

Casey stared at the place where his father had left.

He was happy, so happy that in the universe, in some timeline, his father was alive and may have been given a fighting chance.

It didn't mean he couldn't wish his family was here with him.

A hand landed on his shoulder.

He turned to face Raph, who was looking at him with a soft smile on his face.

"I, well, I know I'm not your dad, and I know we can’t replace your family, but—oof!" He fell back as Casey tackled him.

The teen’s skinny arms wrapped tight around Raph’s neck as Raph brought his hands up to press against Casey’s back.

”You don’t have to replace them,” Casey muttered, “You’re my family too.”

Tears blurred the edges of Raph’s vision.

As the rest of their family joined the hug, Raph leaned his head against Casey's head.

"We’re here, Casey Jones. We've got you."

Chapter Text

The harsh, dry air of the apocalypse stung Raphael’s eye and nose as he stepped through the portal, back into his timeline.

The valley where he last saw his brothers was currently empty, except for a fallen Kraang mech that marred the landscape. The broken mech was destroyed, burnt across its legs, its torso completely shredded.

He appreciated younger Mikey holding the portal open behind him; it offered him a slight comfort as he scanned the empty battlefield, his heartbeat thudding in his ears. He couldn’t see any signs of survivors, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.

Reaching down into his soul, to his connection with his family.

He wasn’t as talented with detecting souls as Mikey or Leo, but he could use his powers to locate if his family was nearby.

And…there. In the distance, the cool glow of Donnie and the bright flare of Mikey. After a deep breath, his ninpō burst with a flash of light around his arm and he lifted it into the air for his brothers to see.

There was the soft whirr of propellers from his left. Raph felt his shoulders relax. If Donnie was using his flight shell, that meant that there weren’t any Kraang anywhere near here.

“…Raph?” Disbelief made Donnie’s voice quiet, a whisper, almost lost in the winds of the apocalypse.

But Raph heard it and turned towards his younger brother, smiling. He stepped towards Donnie, the portal closing behind him.

“Hey, D.“

Donnie stared at him as he landed, the propellers retracting into his battle shell and his mouth agape. There was a pause, as Raph let his mystic gauntlets fade away. Then Donnie threw himself at Raph, wrapping his arms around his neck.

“Woah! Donnie, Dee, it’s ok—ow!”

Raph rubbed the back of his shoulder as Donnie jerked away, the needle he had just used to prick Raph being scanned by his gauntlet. Raph was about to question him but stopped. Underneath his holographic visor, his brother’s eyes were wet. After a moment, Donnie’s gauntlet beeped cheerfully and Donnie looked up at Raph.

“It’s really you,” he breathed.

This time, the hug was actually a hug.

Donnie shook in Raph’s arms, pressing against him like he was afraid Raph was going to fade into dust.

“You dum-dum, never do that again.”

Raph chuckled wetly, “You’re my little brother, Don. I’ll try not to, but you know I can’t promise that.”

“I know,” Raph’s heart broke at how miserable Donnie’s reply sounded, “but, please please, Raph. I can’t lose you.”

“I’ll try, Donnie. I’ll always try to make it back to you.”

Donnie stepped away, his visor disappearing so he could quickly wipe his eyes. Then his eyebrows narrowed, “So, where in Galileo’s name were yo—“

“RAPH???”

The two turtles turned, just in time for Mikey to collide with Raph, throwing him to the ground. Mikey was a mess, sobbing against Raph’s plastron, tears streaking down his face, leaving marks in the dust that covered it. Raph frowned as he looked at his baby brother and then at Donnie. He now noticed the dark shadows under Donnie’s eyes.

“Donnie, how long was I gone?”

Mikey hiccuped and Donnie cleared his throat, a slightly haunted look on his face.

“We’re coming up on 70 hours. Almost 3 days.”

~~~

Ok so, the portal back wasn’t as spot on as Raph had hoped, but he couldn’t blame younger Mikey. From what past Leo and Splinter had told him, little Mikey has only made a functioning portal once before and then a few smaller, unusable ones in his training with Draxum. Just the fact that he had managed to open a portal once that saved Raph from his death and a second time so Raph could go home was impressive beyond belief.

Still, it sucked that Raph’s family had apparently thought he was dead and had been searching for his body for the past 3 days.

Raph shifted, readjusting Mikey who was currently sprawled across his shell, fast asleep. Donnie cast him a look from where he walked at his side.

“So, let me get this straight. You fell through a portal when you should have been crushed by the Kraang mech, which was accidentally opened by a past version of Michelangelo.”

“Yup.”

“And that portal brought you to the past, 2022, in a timeline where the Kraang were defeated by our younger selves and a version of your son.“

“Yup again.”

“And that version of your son came from a different future where all of us died and the Kraang won, but he was set back in order to stop them.”

“Correct.”

“…huh. I need to scan you.”

“What you need,” Raph fixed his brother with a hard glare, “is to sleep.”

Donnie pointed deliberately at the vial that Raph had given him that apparently contained something that could defeat the Kraang, “Scoff. No no, dear brother, I need to scan you, then scan this, then make…something, I don’t know! Something to stop the Kraang!”

“Donnie,” grabbing his brother by the shoulder, Raph brought them to a stop.

“You need to rest. Please.”

When they were younger, Donnie would’ve argued. But Raph could see age, stress, and the exhaustion from the past few days working against him. Donnie’s shoulders sank.

“Fine. I’ll rest for a few hours when we get to base. But only a few,” he abruptly started walking again, “we still are planning on relocating the base.”

Raph nodded and followed his brother over the top of a hill.

And there, just visible under an overhang of rock was a crack in the earth that Raph knew led down to their group’s base.

Raph took a deep breath, something stirring in his chest. He was almost home.

Donnie led the way, carefully creeping across the terrain until he reached a designated spot. Then, he raised pulled a dirty green cloth from his belt, and waved it in the air.

There was a pause. Then, from the cave’s entrance, another green cloth was waved.

“Come on, Mike,” Raph gently shook Mikey awake.

A jaw-cracking yawn split his brother’s face and he rubbed his eyes as he stepped off of Raph’s shell.

“We home?” Mikey asked blearily.

Raph placed a hand on Mikey’s head, “Almost, little man.”

Together, the brothers made their way down. The dim lighting of the cave’s entrance revealed a carefully fortified scout area, with a few binoculars lying around and a variety of different fabrics that meant different things. The only person in it was April, who was twisting the green cloth between her hands.

“Donnie,” she stepped forward as Donnie made his way in, grabbing his arm, her knuckles whitening, “did you find him…”

Her voice died as Raph entered.

She stared at him, her intelligent, weary eyes darting across his face.

“Hi April,” Raph greeted.

“Raph,” she breathed, before flying into his arms.

“You’re alive! Oh my gosh, you’re alive!” April pulled away, grabbing his face and dragging him down to press a kiss firm against his forehead.

Then she punched his shoulder.

“Ow, what!?”

“Never scare us like that again, you jerk!” She swatted him again.

“Ok, ok, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

April softened, pulling him into another hug.

“You big dummy. I missed you, you lug.”

“Missed you too, Apes. Where’s Leo? And Casey and CJ?”

“They’re in the infirmary. Leo got hurt on his mission,” Mikey mentioned softly, patting Raph’s arm.

“We’ve been taking turns watching him. He kept trying to sneak out to go find you.”

Raph’s heart sank.

“Well, let’s go see them.”

Mikey led the way this time, April and Donnie flanking Raph after April grabbed someone else to watch the front.

As they passed through the base, survivors, yokai, humans, and mutants alike all stared at Raph. April would stop occasionally, gently stopping people to talk to them quietly. More often than not, the people she talked to would dart away, most likely passing on her message.

Soon, they approached the entrance to the infirmary. Mikey stepped aside to let Raph pass. Raph shook out his hands and rolled his shoulders. He handed Donnie his backpack, took a deep breath, and pushed open the black tarp that acted like a door.

The first thing he saw was Leo, sitting on a cot, his leg wrapped in bandages. Cassandra was at his side, her face drawn and pale. She was talking to him quietly.

And in her lap, fiddling with a dirty, scratched Jupiter Jim toy was—

“Daddy?”

Casey Jones Jr. said as he looked up from his toy, his eyes widening. At his call, Cassandra and Leo whipped around to stare at Raph.

“Daddy!” CJ wriggled free of his mother’s arms and dropped off her lap, scrambling to get his footing and immediately sprinting towards Raph, his arms outstretched.

Raph fell to his knees and caught his son, just as he barreled into him.

“Daddy!” CJ shouted into his ear as he buried his face against Raph’s throat, “You’re home!”

“Yeah, Case,” CJ giggled at the rumble of Raph’s voice as Raph looked up at his brother and best friend, who were staring at him, tears starting to pour down their faces, “I’m home.”

Cassandra stumbled over to them, falling to her knees, Raph quickly catching her as she reached for him. Her hands cradled his face in disbelief, her eyes scanning him, taking him in.

Then her gaze darkened and her hands pressed against his cheeks, squishing them.

“Raphael,” she hissed, sniffling loudly.

“Um, yeah, Cass?”

“If you ever leave me again, I will hunt you down and lock you in an IMPENETRABLE VAULT. DO YOU HEAR ME!?”

In Raph’s lap, CJ cackled widely at his mother’s antics, his laughter growing louder after Raph nodded to Cassandra and she wrapped him and CJ into a hug. As he clung to Cass, over her shoulder Raph saw Donnie and Mikey help Leo stand and start to hobble over. His younger brother’s face was pale, jaw tight. Cass stepped back, letting Raph stand with CJ on his hip.

He met his brothers halfway.

“Hey there, Boss Man,” Leo greeted, his tone light, despite the tears staining his face, “Where you been?”

Raph stared at his brothers, his little brothers. At their weary faces, scars, burns, and bruises. The shadow of the end of the world hung from them like spider webs, threatening to trap them.

But he also saw their strength. The determined fire that glittered in their eyes and kept the webs at bay. The pulse of energy that Raph could feel in his soul, connected them to their ancestors and to each other.

He thought of his younger self and his other, younger brothers. He thought of April, Draxum, and Splinter. His heart clenched at the memory of his dad and how much of a gift it had been to hug him again.

(Splinter’s parting gift, a small scroll, was tucked safely in his backpack)

He thought of Casey, grown up, looking so much like his mother, too old to be his son, but too young to be anything but his. A young man who faced a future that hadn’t happened.

That would never happen.

He was so proud of his family.

Wordlessly, Raph dragged his brothers into his arms.

Leo immediately collapsed against his plastron, clutching at his shell like a drowning man coming up for air. Donnie and Mikey folded themselves around him, pressing hard against Raph. Mikey was careful to wrap an arm around CJ, including him in the hug.

Despite the force pressing against him, Raph didn’t let himself be moved.

He would not leave them again.

“I’m here guys. I’m home.”