Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The story starts much the same way as the one we know and love. Four turtles were saved from the yokai who wanted to create a world in his image. A once handsome action star now turned rat and new parent raising the four mutants in the sewer of the city. They learned to develop their love for pizza and use the phrase “cowabunga” unironically. Their childhood continues the same way too, with the brothers being raised under the care of the newly mutated rat. The big alligator snapping turtle takes the lead as his responsibility as the oldest, with the red ear slider and soft shell taking their role as the quirky middle children, their box turtle baby brother as happy and outgoing as ever before.

They hid under the city, away from the bustle of new york which was filled with both humans and yokai alike who would do unpredictable things if they found them. It was safe down there, and soon it became home. In the first few years, cold and hunger struck the mismatched family, but by the time the children were old enough to talk and walk, the older mutant managed to create a safe and loving home.

When they reached 15, 14, 13-

Rewind.

When they reached 14,13,12-

Rewind.

When they-

Rewind. Rewind. Rewind.

When they reached 11,10, and 9 was where we see the story diverge.

In one universe the four turtles grew up altogether, learning about their mystic talents and forming a team as the Mad Dogs. They would face the tribals and tribulations that teenagers would normally face while honing their ninja skills. They would learn to come together as a family and fight anything that came in there way. We’ve already seen that storyline, shall we explore something new dear readers?

What if the close nit brothers were separated? In this universe, maybe the yokai bent on his ideals and goals didn’t give up on looking for the four turtles that were stolen from him. They were his rightful property after all, why shouldn’t he take them back? Lou Jitsu dared to mess with his experiments, he should pay the repercussions.

Isn’t that how human law works after all? Right to property.

Those turtles were his.

After all, the mystic energy that surrounds this world was proof enough as it is. The strings that attach them are more literal than metaphorical. They were bound, in more ways than one. He didn’t waste time making the perfect obedient device for nothing.

Maybe the middle twins, the blue slider taking it as his duty to label them as the disaster twins, snuck out one night. They met April the last time they sneaked out as a group, it couldn’t be as bad as dad told them it could be. April was fun and exciting! She didn’t judge them or even threaten to get the police like dad said the humans would. So, obviously, their father was lying just like he did about Santa and the easter bunny! Just scary stories so the twins wouldn’t be able to have any fun. They couldn’t bring Mikey along, he would just whine about Raph not being there, and Raph couldn’t come caus’ they promised Splinter that they wouldn’t sneak out again (they were crossing their fingers when they said it, so it doesn’t count Raph).

Baron Draxum was already looking for his lost experiments, and wouldn’t you know?

Here they are.

So, dear readers, let's dive into this world not quite unlike the one we already have seen, shall we?
—

“Donnie, Don, ‘Tello-” the small turtle shook his twin brother, trying to awaken the sleeping softshell. They were in their shared bed, one of the two currently in the house. Splinter had taken the couch, saying he wanted to watch the broken-down T.V anyways while he slept. When they were younger, they shared one big bed but after Raph grew too big for that, Splinter managed to steal one more mattress from the surface. Mikey and Raph took one side of the room while Leo and Donnie took the other, a curtain separating the sections.

“Leo-” Donnie hissed, turning around to smack his brother in the face with his pillow, before curling up further underneath his blanket “quiet down, you’re going to wake up Raph and Mikey”

“Ow-” Leo whispered, rubbing his face but his discomfort quickly vanished as he pulled the blanket off of Donnie, throwing it onto the ground next to the pillow “c’mon, c’mon, you said today we can go up top. April even said she was willing to play basketball with us again if-”

“Shut up Nardo’” Donnie hissed, sitting up despite his body's protest and slamming his hand over Leo’s mouth.

They both stilled, sets of eyes turning to the curtain that separated the two sides of the room. After a moment they instantly relaxed when they heard the snoring of their older brother. Donnie made a face when Leo licked his hand, instantly moving it away to wipe it on the sheets.

Leo jumped off the bed and landed on the ground trying his best to be as quiet as a 10-year-old mutant turtle could reasonably be. He motioned for his twin to follow him as he turned around, making his way to the other curtain in the room that lead to where their father was currently sleeping, snores rivaling that of the alligator-snapping turtle. Leo looked back once more, gesturing for Donnie to hurry up. The cost was clear! Father always slept through the commercials anyways.

Donnie sighed, slowly getting out of bed and stretching out. He grabbed the purple sweatshirt that was left on the ground from the day before and fumbled around for his glasses, finding them buried undeath the pillow and blanket that was on the ground. He settled the frames onto his face, before quickly following the red slider.

The two gave each other a look before tiptoeing out of the room and passing their sleeping father on the couch. They stilled when they heard shuffling but began walking again when the snoring resumed, making their way to the outside of their lair.

They wouldn’t know it, but that would be the last time in a long time they would see or hear from the rest of their family.

Once they were far enough away, Leo started running to where they knew the ladder to the passageway to the surface would be. His brother quickly followed, calling after him to slow down.

“Leo, come on-” Donnie says, cutting himself off when he almost tripped before righting himself again to keep pace with Leo.

“Do ya’ think April will bring us Pizza again?” Leo questions, ignoring his twin's plight as he skidded to a halt next to the latter.

“As long as it isn’t that pineapple monstrosity you had us try last”

“Hey! I liked it for your information- you just have weird taste buds is all”

“Pineapple does not belong on pizza dumb dumb!”

“Don’t call me dumb, dummy-” Leo retorts back before going silent as he bonked his head on the sewer opening. He could hear his twin chocking on the laughter below him but chose to be the mature one and ignore it, instead slowly opening the sewer cover.

As expected, he was met with the dark alleyway with the only light coming from the cars and signs on the main roads. Leo peaked his head out of the hole and looked around to ensure the coast was clear. He saw the usual dumpster to the right and the scattered glass bottle and the normal trash, but besides that, he noticed no signs of life. He motioned Donnie to follow him as he climbed out, turning back to help pull his brother up.

“Where did April tell us to meet her?” Donnie asks, pulling the cover back over the hole. He had his hood over his head in a futile attempt to try and blend in, considering that his legs still plainly showed he was… Well, green.

“The rooftop with the basketball court we met at last time”

“What if I don’t want to play baskayball Leo” the young genius wined, starting up the staircase to lead to the building roof.

“Because it’s a fun game egg head”

“I am not an egg head”

“Yes you are”

“No, I’m not”

“Yes, you-”

Their bickering continued as they made their way up the stairs, unaware of the two black shadows following closely behind them.
—

Baron Draxum felt a tug.

The newly reconstructed lab was darkly lit, the main green light source reflecting off of the walls and equipment, shadowing Draxum’s face as he stood up from his seat. If one could see mystic energy one would see four different colored strings encircled around his fingers.

Red, Blue, Purple, and Orange.

The Blue and Purple were glowing ever so more than the rest.

“Huginn, Muninn!” Draxum yelled, the two gargoyles instantly appearing on his shoulders.

“Yes, sir?” One replied though Draxum could not be bothered to determine who was who.

“Ready at your service, sir!”

“My sensors have been tripped, a mutant has appeared on the surface,” Draxum says, and he doesn’t smile. If he did though, the gargoyles knew better not to mention it.

“Is it the turtles, sir?”

“Oh say it’s the turtles, sir!”

“My sensors do not alert of the species of a mutant, but considering that there are only five mutants out there that I’ve created it’s either the turtles or the rat, either way, you two need to go and bring it back to me. Alive”

“Aye aye, sir!”

“You got it, sir!”

He put up a finger as a signal to wait, going over to take out a chest that was hidden behind vines. The plants disappeared with the flick of his wrist, and he grabbed the small box. He opened it to reveal four different color bands, both shining the same color as the invisible magical strings on his fingers. He grabbed the two cool-tone colors, tossing them to the gargoyles who fumbled to catch the objects before securing them in their claws. The chest was put back in its place, the vines slowly climbing back up to incase around it.

“Attach the bands to their head, and they should be easy to bring back if you two don’t mess up,” Draxum says, before telling the gargoyles the location “now, go. Before they head back to where I cannot locate them again”

The two minions knew better not to protest, and the yokai watched them flee the lab. 

Well, he better prepare for his children to come home shouldn’t he? The old jail cell shall make due for a room. After they have proven themselves, they may get an upgrade.

Good soldiers required good rewards.
—

“April’s late” Leo wined, letting his feet dangle over the ledge of the building, turning to look back at Donnie who was fiddling with a wind-up toy they found left from a previous family the day before.

“Maybe we were late and she had to go home?”

“Awww, but-’

Leo was caught off and his eyes widened, causing Donnie to look up from where he was working on re-wiring the small mechanical toy soldier. Donnie tilted his head, pushing up his glasses.

“What? Do I have something on my face?” Donnie rubbed at his snout, trying to get rid of anything that could be on there. Mud?

Before Donnie could continue asking questions, his brother had already stood up way too fast near the ledge almost toppling over to the street below before catching himself, and sprinting over to push Donnie behind him.

“Wha- Leo?” Donnie says, catching himself from falling from the momentum before spinning around to yell “hey, what where-”

Just like Leo, Donnie's eye’s opened wide as he choked on his sentence. In front of Leo were two… Black flying cats? They both had a band clutched in their hands (claws?). Donnie felt himself shiver as the red eyes stared at both him and Leo. Donnie reached out to clutch at the back of Leo’s shirt, pulling him back away from the two… Mutants? Were they mutants too?

“Are you two mutants?” Donnie asks despite the fear, pushing up his glasses as he peaked over Leo’s shoulder “you two don’t look like my brothers or pops”

“Did you hear that Huginn?” one said.

“I think I did Muninn,” the other said.

Oh, this was confusing.

“You didn’t answer my question-”

“Yeah! Who are you two” Leo cuts Donnie off, crossing his arms “and why were you sneaking on Donnie, he’s a scardey cat you know you can’t just do that”

“Hey! I’m not-”

“We aren’t mutants,” one of them says, Donnie already got the two of them mixed up (Huginn?).

“Nope, but your father told us to come to get yeah!”

“Joke on you!” Leo puffs out his chest “pops told us to never trust anyone who says that cuas’ he would never send anyone after us”

“Wait? You aren’t mutants? Then what are you?” says Donnie at the same time as his twin, causing the two flying black animals to stare at each other in confusion.

“Gargoyles”

“Yokai”

Before the two 10-year-olds could respond the two gargoyles/yokai came rushing at them, causing Leo to push Donnie backward and Donnie pulled Leo with him, making them fall into a pile onto the concrete. Donnie’s shell hit the ground followed by a yell as Leo fell on top of him only adding to the weight. Donnie tried to move but was stuck under his brother. Leo himself tried to roll off of Donnie but was stuck on the back of his shell.

“Leo- Leo get off-”

Donnie felt something cold clasp around his head before a shearing pain came rushing through his skull, and the last thing he heard was Leo frantically calling out his name before his yells joined Donnie’s. The pain slowly built up until it felt like his head was caught on fire, and thankfully soon he fell unconscious.
—

Donnie felt the cold floor underneath him, the headache from earlier now a dull throbbing in the back of his skull. He slowly cracked open his eyes and instantly closed them when the green light that shone throughout the room only made his headache worse. Instead, he focused on listening to his surroundings, and finally, the ringing in his ears went to a halt as he focused on Leo yelling at someone. Never before did he think that hearing the annoying shrill of his brother's voice would make the anxiety in his chest fall silent but here he was. There was a first time for anything after all.

“Let us out you bastards! My brother is still asleep please-”

“Be quiet blue one”

“Yeah yeah be silent, Draxum needs to prepare for you two”

“Don’t make him mad on your first day here”

This time Donnie decided to open up his eyes slowly, and when he did he realized it was not that helpful considering the fact he obviously wasn’t wearing his fucking glasses (Raph was not around to scold him). He came face to face with a wall, so he slowly sat up and turned around to look for his brother. He made out the green turtle-ish shape of him a few feet away, yelling through the bars, but he couldn’t see anything past that. Judging by the voices however he could assume he was bickering with the two that put the metal thing on their head from earlier.

“Leo-” Donnie says, voice coming out scratchier than intended and instantly the yelling of his brother stopped as he spun around and ran to kneel next to him. He felt his glasses being pushed onto his face and instantly the clear relief of his brother's face came into view.

“Dee, you alright?” Leo asks without waiting for a response, already checking him over by lifting his arms and checking the back of his shell “M’ sorry about the glasses I didn’t want you to crush them-”

“It’s fine Leo,” Donnie says, reaching out to pat his brother reassuringly on the shoulder.

After he allowed his brother to look over his shell because of the harsh landing from earlier (Leo had been interested in medicine ever since Raph accidentally punctured Donnie’s shell when they were younger), they both stood up when Leo decide Donnie was uninjured. This was when Donnie noticed the crown on Leo’s head, and Donnie could only assume by the feeling of cold metal pressing against his temple that he also shared a crown. Donnie instantly didn’t like the feeling of something that wasn’t his usual mask pressing against his face and tried to rip it off. He heard Leo try to say something before the pain shot through Donnie’s head once again, causing the young turtle to fall onto his knees. The bang of the fall reverberated off of the metal walls, only increasing Donnie’s growing headache.

Donnie clutched at his head, bringing his head down to his stomach as he curled into himself, the pain slowly growing as he felt the feeling of hot tears slowly build up behind his eyes. The pain was worst than the time Raph had hurt his shell and oh god everything felt like it was on fire. He began to rock back and forth in a futile attempt at soothing the never-ending pain.

He felt Leo’s small hands bring him into a hug, and they stayed like that with Donnie pressed against Leo’s plastron until the pain slowly went away, and once again all that was left was the slight headache that persisted at the base of his skull. His eyes were itchy from the tears that had threatened to spill over and he wanted to scream with the way the cold still made his skin crawl.

“Donnie, Don please can you hear me” Leo finally says, pulling away so he can look at Donnie’s face when he gave a nod Leo continued “yeah, I should have warned you sooner. I tried the same thing when I first woke and… And, well-”

“Turtles, stand” came a deadpan voice, and both of the children's heads snapped toward the man. Was he a man? His height and horns would suggest otherwise. Donnie glanced at Leo before they both slowly stood up.

“Are you a… Yo-kai?” Donnie speaks first, testing out the word he learned from the two gargoyles earlier.

“Yes, do you know who we are?”

“...No” the genius turtle finally says, hating to admit he didn’t know something. He knew stuff that his father didn’t know! How couldn’t he know this? Did he miss it in his readings somewhere? He was going to complain to dad the moment they got back about the gap in his education, how dare he miss something so important.

“Disgusting, how dare that bastard not tell you-” the yokai growled before he cleared his throat, continuing “Nevermind that, I guess you too shall be caught up in your lack of knowledge in due time now that I have you back in my possession”

“What do you mean old man? Let us go we-” Leo was cut off with a painful yelp, clutching his head. Donnie instantly reached towards his brother, ignoring the moment of frustration of being told he was going to have to be taught something. Him, lacking knowledge? That idea seemed ridiculous. He was the one who taught the others how to read for crying out loud! A feat that he was still proud of, to say the least. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine it’s not- it’s not as bad as before,” Leo says, trying to wipe away the worried look on Donnie’s face by smiling at him.

“Ah, so I see what you’ve already experienced what will happen if you try taking off the crown, no?”

“Yes… Yes,” Donnie stutters out, trying to not get the other angry again.

“Good, the punishment I just provided to Two was just that, a punishment. You shall not speak out of line, understood?”

“Two? My name is-” Leo yelped again, rubbing at the base of the back of his head. They both went silent, before giving a small nod from both of them.

“Hmph, good. At least you can learn fast” the Yokai says, hands still clasped behind his back “My name is Baron Draxum but you may call me Master Draxum, I will be your superior. It seems like your previous owner has failed in your training Two and Three, and I will have to make sure I correct that. You two are my property and I shall expect you to act like it.”

“What- what about our family?” Donnie cuts in and immediately flinched at the slight pain in his head, but was relieved when he realized it wasn’t as bad as when he tries to take the crown off.

“Oh? They’re dead”
—

Draxum soon left after that, saying something about how they should go to bed and training will start promptly in the morning. The twins had stayed quiet, staring at the Yokai as he walked away. Donnie's mind started running a mile per minute as Leo paced in front of the cage, banging on the bars as if looking for a weak point.

Something wasn’t making sense. If he had gone through so much trouble of getting them back as he claimed he did, why would he kill off his other toys?

“They’re not dead” Donnie spoke up softly, causing Leo to stop in his tracks and spin towards his brother, who looked at him confused. Angry tears were already starting to fall down his face, and ugly snot was falling from his nostrils down his snout.

“But- But Donnie he said-” Leo was caught off with a sniffle, tears starting to fall faster off his face. Donnie just shook his head, staring at one of the four walls that surrounded them.

“They’re not dead, it wouldn’t make sense,” Donnie said again, voice monotone. He looked down and spotted the toy soldier he had been fiddling with on the roof earlier and picked it up, starting again to put it back together. Maybe Draxums minions had left it there as a gift?

“You aren’t making sense! Take this seriously-”

“I am, Leo” Donnie brought up the toy, showing it to him “he doesn’t seem like the type of guy who would break his toys on purpose”

Donnie looked back down, winding up the toy soldier, and placed it on the ground. After a second, this toy's legs began to move as it walked forward before crashing into the wall. Donnie went over and sat down, picked up the toy, and started working on it again. After a few seconds, he felt Leo sit down next to him leaning his head on his shoulder. Donnie didn’t move but he also didn’t push Leo away so they stayed like that, the only sound being the clicks of the pieces being moved around inside the toy.

“You’re right, Dee” Leo finally says, bringing up his head off of Donnie’s shoulder to wipe at his face “they’re alive, yeah?”

Donnie made no move to talk but the slight move of his head as a nod told Leo all he needed to know that his brother was listening, so he continued.

“He did kinda sound like dad when he lied about eating the last piece of Pizza” Leo spoke out loud, thinking his thoughts “By now I’m sure they already know we are missing! We just have to wait it out, okay?”

There was a silence before Donnie set down the toy, instead leaning into Leo’s side as he closed his eyes. He decided to ignore the pressing weight of the crown on his head and instead focus on the steady rise and fall of his brother's breath.

“...Yeah- yeah, we just have to make it-”

“For Tomorrow?”

“For Tomorrow”

Chapter Text

The first few years were most certainly a learning curve for the young turtles. Up until this point in life, they were used to the carefree if not a bit neglectful parenting of Splinter with very few rules and even fewer consequences. Back then, they still believed dad was going to come to rescue them at any point, clinging onto hope much longer than anyone would hope two children could of.

The first year in itself was a whole new change of pace for the twins. Being told what to do, when to do it, and how to do it was something they have rarely experienced for themselves. Donnie wasn’t used to being told what to fix, or what to build. Fixing things was his thing! He didn’t need someone to tell him how to do it. Then why can’t he fix this to make sure Leo stays safe? Leo on the other hand has always been the one to charge in, be the “face man” of the young brothers. He’s the one who talked dad out into giving them less harsh punishments. Then why can’t he talk Draxum into making sure Donnie stays safe?

Seeing the hope drain from each other eyes only hardened their resolve. They had to make it out, if not for themselves than for their brother.
—

It took them a week to realize training was a lot different than how dad taught them. Back home, Splinter had started training as a way to calm down his four sons' never-ending energy levels. It was more of a fun playtime activity than any real training. April had mentioned it sounded a lot like recess and the four boys agreed once they learned what it was (no, not the candy Mikey-). They learned the basic moves, but after that, they usually broke into play pretend with the weapons their father provided. Splinter would go and watch T.V while the four turtles raged war against one another.

The twins wished training was like that.

“Two, step forward”

Leo paused before moving up out of line next to Donnie’s side, still needing to push down the indignation of being called a number. He was not two, and only dad had permission to call him anything besides Leonardo and the variations. He’s learned by now though that maybe it was better until he was alone with Donnie to rant about his furry than to do it so in front of their kidnapper's face.

“Draw your weapon” Draxum deadpans and waits for the red slider to comply before continuing “practices moves 1 and 2”

Drawing the twin katana that was comically oversized for the small turtle, Leo began the methodical movements that they were taught the first full day they were here. One step, swing, duck. Back in starting position. Repeat and recycle until the yokai decided it was good enough for the next portion. This had been the routine since they’d gotten here and were given a rundown on everything. They were asked about their preferred weapons and then were presented with them the next day. When Donnie had asked why they had glowed, Draxum just said that was a later lesson. When Donnie persisted in the answers, Leo wound up holding his brother as he cried himself to sleep later that night.

Leo tried his best to ignore the constant criticism that came from their “master”, just focusing on swinging and ignoring the pain in his arms. If he would just shut up for five seconds then maybe Leo could focus on the slashing but until then-

“Two, your form is lacking-” Draxum began but was quickly cut off by the frustrated 10-year-old, who stopped his movements to stare directly at him.

“Well maybe if you bothered to show me then I would know what you wanted from me!” Leo yelled, throwing the swords on the ground “I’m done, use the what’s-it-thing on me, see if I care”

He instantly braced himself for what he was sure was going to be the wave of pain to burst behind his eyes, but relaxed when nothing came. The peace didn’t last for long however when the tension came back 10 fold after he heard the screams of his brother behind him. He instantly turned around, watching as Donnie clutched at his head and curled in on himself. He took a step towards Donnie before the clearing of someone’s throat stopped him, turning back around to face Draxum.

“I suggest you pick up your provided weapons Two”

Leo’s eyes twitched but slowly bent down to pick up the swords, not taking his eyes away from the yokai. Once they were back in his hands, he resumed the practice and when he no longer heard Donnie’s yell of pain he calmed down.

That was a lesson neither of them would ever forget.
—

“Remember when Raph got his head stuck in the tire and Splinter freaked out so much it made Mikey cry?” Leo laughs, leaning against Donnie’s shoulders as his twin fiddles with the toy soldier. Donnie recently found some metal scraps that he managed to grab and was using them to help chip away some of the dirt that had gotten into the motors of the leg.

“Raph cried until I suggested we just chainsawed him out, then he immediately figured out how to get free” Donnie smiles, as he put the toy soldier down and watched it walk a couple of steps before falling over.

“You scared him shitless!”

“If he heard you say that he would have forced dad to ground you for a week”

“Hey, well maybe that’s one good thing, I can swear all I fuck-ing want,” Leo says, the swear coming out of his mouth in the obvious way that kids do when they say something they know they shouldn’t.

Donnie snorted, shaking his head at Leo’s behavior, stretching out a bit with a yawn. A few days ago, Leo had brought up his worries about forgetting memories of their brothers and their dad so Donnie had suggested they share a story each night to not forget. He chose not to think about what would happen when they started running out of stories to tell.

They couldn’t possibly be here for that long, right? Leo’s worries were unfounded.
—

Data analyzing…

Data received.

Hypothesis: they might be stuck here for longer than expected, but their dad should still be able to find them.

Conclusion: They had to stay alive for the next day.
—

“You are weaker than Two, isn’t that correct Three?” Master Draxum says, standing in front of the young turtle. This was the first time in the 91 days (Donnie had made sure to keep track) that the twins have been separated. Leo is left in the cell, and he did his best not to wince at the memory of instantly being punished after Leo’s short-lived outburst.

Ever since Draxum learned how effective using the other to get the turtles to obey, Leo’s outburst and Donnie’s questioning had slowly slowed down. Older Donnie would later look back and curse at their young selves- how could they have been that stupid to let such a weakness be shown?

Older Donnie didn’t realize they were just kids. Older Donnie didn’t realize they were still just kids.

“No, sir- Master Draxum,” Donnie says, shifting a bit.

“No?”

“No, I am not weaker than Le- Two, Master”

“Would you not say your softshell provides you with a disadvantage, Three?” Draxum asks, looking down at Donnie making him shrink in on himself “I had wanted to test the mutations on different species, it was my oversight that I had mutated a… Species such as yourself”

“I- Well, I was actually working on a solution to that back home!” Donnie says, excitement making him forget to address his kidnapper properly “I was calling it a battle shell and it would-”

“Enough” and Draxum never raised his voice, but Donnie closed his mouth shut either way “so you were aware of your shortcomings, yes?”

“Yes, Master”

“I would have hoped so, with a mind like yours” and really, Donnie probably shouldn’t have stood up straighter at the slight praise that was given to him like that “even if you are weaker than Two, you can still be of help”

“I- I can?” Donnie says, ignoring the back of his mind that sounded an awful like like Ralph that was telling him to be careful.

“After my precious lab was destroyed, I lost everything I was working on- including the mutagen that made you who you are. While I could continue on my own, it will go much faster if I had another mind such as yourself helping me. If you help and your contributions lead to results progressing at a much faster rate I will provide you and Two with a room” Draxum paused for a second, and Donnie continued to hold his breath “after all, I would need more soldiers. Wouldn’t you like a new family?”

Donnie released the air in his lungs, and before he could respond Draxum continued.

“Do you remember the first round of written tests that I provided to you and Two your second week here?”

Donnie did remember. Day 9 and 10 were his favorites by far, while Leo had complained more than usual. On day 11 Leo had been told to just sit in the corner and practice his swings while Donnie continued to answer the questions that were provided with ease. They had reminded him of the same tests his dad made him take a few years back when he attempted homeschooling and once it was obvious that Donnie knew more than the rat, he had been left to his own devices while occasionally helping to teach the others in basic reading and mathematics.

“I had acquired those exams from the human world and the undercity, blacking out any information your knowledge would be lacking course- Humans created an IQ testing system, and while I find it quite useless and faulty your numbers scored quite beyond the average” Draxum continued taking Donnie’s silence as an answer, and once again the young genius resisted the urge to preen at the praise “210, to be exact- According to humans, impossible to achieve. If your help proves beneficial I will also provide you with your working station- and of course, answer your questions”

Donnie just nodded his response, vocal cords deciding to give up on him. Besides, it’s not like he could say no. Draxum never provided that option and even if he did, they needed to get out of that cell. Leo was starting to complain about back pains and Donnie’s shell being used as a pillow could only help for so long.

“Good, now Huginn escort Three back to Two, training will resume in the afternoon”

He followed after the Gargoyle, eyes staring at the key that he held. It was wishful thinking, as they had yet to even be able to see an opportunity to grab the key, never mind figure out how to take off the cursed crowns that were on top of their heads. He hadn't been able to test his theories, but one of his hypotheses was that they served as a traction device along with being a metaphorical shock collar. He didn’t particularly like the implications that they were being treated like animals but-

That was what they were, weren’t they?

Besides that, Donnie didn’t want to think about the consequences of what He will do if they were found after they escaped. Leo had talked about it often, but Donnie always reminded him that they needed to wait it out and prepare first. Once he could figure out how the crowns work then maybe- maybe they could think about escaping. As for now though, they needed to just keep themselves safe as much as possible. In the meanwhile, he will continue to figure out how to make his backup plan work without Leo finding out... 

Data processing.

Data inconclusive, need to gather more for further analysis.

Leo was sitting in the corner of the cell, having his legs drawn up close to his plastron, head buried between his knees. When he heard the door unlock, his head instantly shot up. When Donnie walked in he sprung up, running over to bring his twin close in for a hug. Donnie allowed it, patting Leo's shell a few times on the back reassuringly before he pulled away.

“First they use each other against us and then split us? I swear they want me to bring down the wrath of Leon” said Leo joking lightly, trying to bring the mood up as he bent down, grabbing the plate that was put on the floor earlier when they had been delivered for breakfast. Donnie had been taken away before he could eat it, so he took the plate and started munching on the flavorless food. He didn’t want to know what was in it…

“What did the asshat have to say anyways?” Lea asks as he watched his twin devour the food whole, the underline of the question obvious.

Did he hurt you?

“I- er, well… I- we are going to be getting more information-” Donnie spoke slowly, stacking the plate on top of Leo’s in front of the door.

“That’s good… Right?”

“Well… Yes, but we- Illbeforcedtohelphiminhiswork” Donnie rushed out and was told by Leo’s change of face he had understood.

“What… Work?”

“Creating more… Of us”

“Of us?”

“Of mutants, Nardo don’t make me spell it out for you!”

“Wow, don’t bite my head off” Leo puts up his hands, before letting out a long sigh “to create soldiers, am I right?”

Donnie nods, looking away from his brothers as he crossed his arm around himself.

“...Sorry”

“Sorry? Donnie, no-” Leo took the softshell by the shoulders, bonking their foreheads together “remind me what we are doing this for?”

“Our family-”

“Right, our family, and how are we going to make that?”

“Making it to tomorrow-”

“Making it to tomorrow!” Leo says, backing away “which means we have to do everything to remain as safe as possible- even if it means helping him, capiche?”

“...Capiche”
—

Leo swung his right sword out, cutting the head off the plant monster, using the other sword to push back another creature from attacking his other side. Donnie was shell to shell with him, spinning around his bo in defense to keep the vines from whipping at either of them. Donnie could tell his movement were slower than normal, still getting used to the weight of the prototype battle shell. He was breathing heavily, and behind him, he could tell his twin was also having his difficulties, albeit a lot less noticeable than Donnie’s own.

“Hey, Nardo’, any plans?” Donnie hissed out, wincing as one of the vines got through striking him right across his face. The softshell felt blood slowly trickle down his snout and he resisted the urge to wipe away the sticky substance off his face. He couldn’t afford to let up the defense as Leo took down the creatures.

They had already managed to thin the crowd down considerably at this point, but Donnie knew they couldn’t continue for much longer. He was worried about Leo’s fighting style not providing any decent defense for himself and Donnie knew he couldn’t continue playing shield for much longer.

Fact: They were surrounded.

Fact: Draxum would not let up until all the creatures were terminated.

Calculating solutions….

Hypothesis: They have to terminate the creatures before their stamina wore out, and switch to the offensive.

“I count 3, you can take the one that’s been targeting us from afar and I’ll take the two in front of us,” Leo says, apparently thinking the same way as his twin. Donnie nodded, using his bo to block a vine coming straight at him, using his other hand to grab at the plant as he pulled it forward.

Leo relaxed a bit when he felt Donnie shift further away from him, confident that his genius brother would keep the vines away from his shell. He drove forward, katana slicing at the creature closest to him, watching as the plant slowly wilted leaving the last one remaining. He took a punch straight to his plastron, making him double over as he staggered back a few steps. He quickly rightened himself as he brought ups his swords once again.

Donnie zigzagged forward, dodging vines that were coming at him while blocking the ones that were heading straight toward his brother. He clicked a button on his bo staff that he had recently modified (ignoring the illogical glow- mystic energy, he was told-), the top of his bo morphing into a spear as he plunged it straight through the chest of the monster.

Leo heaved a breath before nearly dodging the attack from the last creature standing. Before the creature could try again, he quickly cut his head off as the monster wilted away. He waited for a second before he noticed the silence behind him and concluded that Donnie had won. Leo looked back over his shoulder to learn that his theory was correct, smile disappearing when Donnie turned to look at him and he noticed the blood dripping down his brother's cheek.

“Ohmigosh- Donnie, are you okay?” Leo says, running up to him and grabbing at his brother's face despite the protests as he tilted his brother's head up to inspect the lashing.

“Well done Two and Three, training is over for the day. Please return to your room and await further instructions” Master Draxum says as he walks in, and Leo made no move to argue with him as he grabbed his brother's hand, dragging him out of the training room and down the hall to their new room they had been provided a few weeks ago.

The room was plain, with a bed and a desk next to it. There were no windows and the only light that was provided was artificial green lighting. Still, it was better than the cell- the bed was dare he says even comfier than the one they had back home.

Leo quickly pushed Donnie down onto the bed as he went to grab the med kit he had begged from Draxum (he had told him that his soldiers needed to be healthy, and the yokai agreed). He came back, beginning to wipe away the blood on Donnie’s face knowing that the sticky texture was probably driving him up the walls. He stuck out his tongue as he worked, being careful not to agitate the cut or Donnie’s face even more.

“Leo I’m fine it’s just a shallow cut-” Donnie says, wincing as Leo started putting something over the wound “I’ll be fine”

“We have to make sure we stay healthy, remember? We’ve been here for-”

“Segue! We have been here for 147 days” Donnie says, pushing Leo away when he felt the bandages were safely on his face, eyes lighting up. Leo just stared blankly back “Sigh, 147 days… We were taken on April 2nd? I distinctly remember because the day before you had raged a prank war on all of us- of course, I won but-”

“Yeah, we’ve been here for a long time what’s your point-”

“147 days- Oh my god Leon it’s August 27th! Our birthday, we’re 11!” Donnie cuts in impatiently, grabbing Leo by the shoulders “oh my god, Mikey is 10…”

Donnie trailed off, shoulders falling as he saw Leo’s face. The slider was looking away from Donnie, eyes on the ground as he fiddled with the bandages in his hands. Donnie felt himself grow frustrated- he hadn’t meant to make Leo sad! It was supposed to have been a happy thing and…

Oh, of course, he said the wrong thing.

Donnie got up, pushing past Leo as he went into the corner and lifted a floorboard, ignoring Leo’s shocked gasp behind him. He took out a small bag, rummaging through it before he grabbed what he was looking for. The sound of small mechanical parts being shifted around hinted at other supplies being in there, but that was for something... Later. Much later. Hopefully, never. 

“M’ sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset,” he says, ignoring Leo’s protest as he spun back around with a forced smile “but- but I got you something! Look!”

In Donnie's hand was the toy soldier he had found on the rooftop all those months ago, newly shined and looking like it had just come out of the box. Donnie continued as Leo stared, assuming Leo was still upset with him.

“I know it isn’t anything that- that Dad or Raph or even Mikey would have gotten you but Draxum is always so vigilant when I work and he didn’t seem to mind me working on the toy- and oh no, you’re crying I’m sorry I’ll work on something better-” Donnie was cut off as Leo grabbed him into a tight hug, squishing their cheeks together. Donnie squeaked, almost dropping the toy he had worked on so long to fix but held on tightly, instantly hugging Leo back.

“Egghead, of course, I don’t hate I,” Leo says, hugging even tighter before slowly letting go but still holding Donnie’s shoulders “I’m just- I was upset, for a second, that we weren’t with Raph who always gave us coupons for free big brother massages or Mikey would attempt to make us breakfast in bed like last year or... Even dad, and I- Donnie I’m so glad you remember, thank you”

Leo still had tears streaming down his face, but Donnie was smiling back as he relaxed. Those were happy tears, and for a moment they were content and happy. Even without a cake they made do, sitting together on the bed as Leo started playing with the new toy.

Donnie wishes he was able to take a picture on that day of Leo’s smiling face, cause that would be the happiest either of them would have been in a long time.
—

After that day, something seemed to switch.

It seemed like their success in the mock battle was a sign to Draxum that he needed to start amping up their training. Donnie continued to work alongside Draxum as Leo was put through more and more combat. Every time Leo came back to the room with a new cut or bruise Donnie would say nothing as he just cleaned or iced the wounds as needed. Every time Donnie came back from the lab with a dead look in his eyes like he’s seen something he shouldn’t have Leo would talk about stories of when times were simpler. Those nights usually ended with Donnie holding back sobs into Leo’s shoulder as they curled up around each other on the bed.

Though most of the day consisted of regular training with the two brothers, Donnie had told Leo he theorized he did this because it was easier to control them when they were together. They were advancing rapidly throughout the teachings, and at one point, they were given a day “off” when they had gotten passed the pre-planned training for the year. The day off was used as a teaching day, where Draxum went over information the two turtles needed to know.

“I am a yokai and you are a mutant” Draxum had begun, and the two turtles standing in front of him were rigid. Whenever they slouched they would feel a small spark of pain behind their eyes and they would straighten up again.

“The “Hidden City” as it’s been nicknamed is where us yokai have been forced to hide” Draxum continued, and Donnie nodded along. Leo just listened, he had gotten a lot of information from his brother but sometimes Donnie was hard to understand. Sometimes his brother would go on and on and there’s only so much one turtle can take.

“That is why I created you two” Draxum continued, leaving out their brothers and father “Once you two are properly trained, and I have amassed my army of mutants you will lead them to war against the inferior creatures for taking what was ours”

Then he went on to explain the idea of mystic energy that Leo didn’t understand. It was magic, like in those cartoons they watched right? Donnie listened along, even though he had heard this spill before. He still grew frustrated at the idea of mystic energy but he let it go. Maybe in another timeline when his brothers relied on his tech then his frustration with mystic energy would have been more severe, but at his point, Donnie needed to learn as much as possible.

The more he knew, the better he could keep Leo safe.

Besides, after Donnie had gotten used to the idea of “magic” he had instantly thought of ideas to incorporate his tech with mystic energy. If only Draxum would tell him more, but every time he asked he would just be told that’s a later lesson. He’s learned by now not to continue asking- the last time he had to comfort Leo throughout the night.

Where are you, dad?
—

Fact: It is day 208

Fact: In a few months they would have been kidnapped for a year

Data: They have been here for 208 days, and there were 365 days in a year (discounting leap years). Raph would be 12 at this point. They had missed Mikey reaching double digits. Dad had gotten older and had probably already obtained more grey hairs.

Theory: They were not dead as Draxum had suggested. A creator like him would be unlikely to destroy his toys. He probably found them through mystic means. There was not enough data to theorize any further.

Outlier: What if they were dead?

Donnie stood behind Draxum, handing him the objects as he instructed. The green liquid that stood in front of him was not yet the mutagen that had created him, but he worried that with the speeding up process, the liquid would soon be ready. Then what? What if they were never rescued, and his hypothesis that their family was still alive was incorrect due to faulty data, what if they created a new army? What if they were forced to kill, what if-

“Three, please hand over the syringe, or else I will have to send you to the room for the night,” Draxum says, and Donnie shivered as he handed over the syringe. The room was a white room that was designed to separate the twins for the night if they did not follow instructions and if the pain from the crown did nothing.

So far, the room had not yet been used. Donnie feared the day it would be.

“I will be doing basic testing for the rest of the day, please go and join Two in physical training- you will be useless if you do not keep up with him”

Donnie gulped, before nodding as he headed away from the lab, walking the familiar route to the training room. His head pounded even without the use of the crown as he forced his face into neutrality.

He could not mention his worries to his brother, the hope of making it out of there to reunite with the rest of their family was one of the few things that kept his twin going. He was not about to ruin that like so many other things had been destroyed.

When Donnie entered the training room, he greeted Leo with a small smile as he picked up his bo, joining Leo in line to do the basic drills. After a while, they were sent back to their room and Donnie didn’t bother to eat dinner before he passed out on the bed while thinking about how to start making his backup plan. 

They missed Christmas, hadn’t they?
—

Leo's swords had been confiscated for the lesson as he swung at the dummy with a kick, landing a few punches to the back of the neck where he was told a human pressure point was located. The two gargoyles were in the corner of the room, supervising his training. They never really corrected him on anything, they were more there to make sure he didn’t slack off.

Hand-to-hand combat was not his personal favorite, but he could tell he was dealing with it better than Donnie. His brother had recently been able to work more in his lab and upgrade his bo along with his battle shell, and he could tell his brother liked relying on his technology in battle. While Draxum never told Donnie he couldn’t use his tech, it was obvious that some days Draxum made sure that training was reserved to practice without weapons and extension of Donnie’s tech.

Secretly, that was one thing Leo agreed on. He didn’t want his brother to be defenseless if he had his technology taken away- what if Leo wasn’t there? What if something happened to Donnie- to his shell?

Though, his brother wasn’t here at the moment. Lately, his twin had been forced to spend more time helping Draxum in the lab. While the majority of the days were still filled with the two of them training together, Leo loathed the days like these. He never knew what his brother was doing or what he saw and he wished he could just beg Draxum to let them go-

That was silly children thinking though, that would never happen.

(Wasn’t he still a child though?)

“Lessons up blue one,” one of the gargoyles says.

“Head back to your cozy room-”

Before the second one could finish his sentence Leo was already out, heading straight to the shared room with Donnie. He walked in and his shoulders relaxed when he saw his brother already there, eating his dinner at the desk.

“Hey Don”

“Hey Nardo”

Leo grabbed his plate from where it was placed on the ground and went over to sit on top of the desk, legs swinging over the edge of the table. Watching his legs almost touch the ground, he noticed how taller both of them had gotten and was proud of himself that he was the same height as Donnie now.

(He didn’t want to think how tall Raph and Mikey were. Had Splinter gotten shorter?)

The two sat there in comfortable silence, and let each other presence soothe them as they ate. Leo had learned a long time ago that the food they ate was what the humans had called turtle food and he had also learned to get over the idea that they were being treated as pets.

As long as they made it out safely, it will be alright. They just… They just need to be reunited with their families again. God, he misses his other brothers- Hell, what was April up to? Was middle school going okay? He remembers her complaining about it…

“Remember when Mikey tried cooking in the kitchen for the first time?”

“Yeah, he almost burned it down” Donnie snorted, looking up from his plate. His glasses had been recently taken out for contacts that he had figured out to make, and Leo was still getting used to his twin's face without them “though, he was getting better near the end there”

“Yeah, maybe when we get back we should force him to make us something”

Donnie’s face fell at that, and Leo also went silent. Bringing up their brother was a gamble, somedays it would make them both laugh and it would brighten up the day even by a little amount. On other days though, it would just bring down the mood.

Seems like today was the latter.

Leo sighed and settled down his plate next to Donnie’s before getting into bed. After a while, Donnie turned the lights off and followed his brother, their shells pressing against each other as they fell asleep that way.
—

“No, no please-” Donnie spluttered out, backing away from Draxum who had a syringe in his hand.

“Three, you are the best available test subject- you are a scientist, you know we need trials before we can conclude that this toxin can help mutation”

“Test it on mice first then! It’s too- it’s not safe enough yet, Master, it could-” And Donnie stopped as he felt the familiar pain in his skull but ten times worst than normal, falling to his knees as tears started to run down his face. He stayed like that, bowing his head even after the pain went away as he accepted his fate.

“Please, get onto the table”

Donnie slowly got up on shaky legs, and went over to the examination table (where he had only seen failed mutations take place-), sitting down. He allowed the straps to be tied around his wrists and then his ankles, silent tears falling.

“This will hurt”

He felt the needle go into the back of his neck, right above his soft shell. For a second everything felt fine but Donnie knew better. The next second, he released a blood-curdling scream that rang out through the lab and down to the halls.

Too bad the training room had been soundproofed.

Donnie's legs tried to kick out and his arms tried to move up to the clutch at the back of his neck but it was futile as the restraints held strong. The pain started at the base of his neck but traveled down until he could feel the burning hot sensation underneath his shell, and he felt his blood run cold. Donnie screamed again, hands balling into fists at his side, drawing blood as the red liquid traveled onto the table, dripping down onto the floor.

The pain never ebbed away, as each wave only increased the feeling behind his shell. It felt like the piece of nail has embedded itself underneath his skin and he couldn’t get it out. Oh please get it out-

Then everything went black.

The next thing he felt was hands shaking his shoulders, and he instantly flinched away from the touch as he curled up further into a ball. The hands retracted and for a second he thought he was alone. After a moment he felt a soft fabric be thrown on top of him and he instantly buried himself further underneath it.

“Huh- the books were right, you are like a pancake”

Donnie knew that voice from anywhere

The softshell reached out from underneath the blanket and dragged Leo underneath with him, arms around Leo’s middle as he pushed his face into Leo's shoulder. He felt arms reach around him and the murmurings of reassurance came soon after.

“It’s alright Dee, I got you- it’s… It’s okay now” Leo says, rubbing soft circles into the back of Donnie’s shell but instantly stilled when he passed over a hard bump. Leo felt anger slowly take over as he clutched onto his brother harder, continuing the soothing motion and ignoring the bumps that he passed over that weren’t there before.

“I- I take the...” Donnie stopped, clearing his throat “the experiment was a failure, huh”

“What experiment Dee?”

“The… Dra- He needed a test subject to test his enhancement and we haven’t been able to create a successful mutant yet so-” Donnie cut himself off, starting to cry like a child.

(That’s because they were children)

Leo just continued to hug his brother close, the anger slowly boiling into a rage.

That asshole was going to pay.
—

Systems overdrive.

Malfunctioning.

Reboot needed.

—

“What the fuck did you do to my brother?!” Leo yelled the next morning. Donnie had been left in the best to rest, and Leo had gone straight to training knowing that Draxum was going to be there.

“Language, Two”

“I don’t give a damn- what did you do to his shell? Why does- why does he have scabs all over it?” Leo says, ignoring the pain that instantly burst behind his eyes. The yokai thought he could scare him into submission with that old trick?

Ha, right.

“An experiment, and like everything in science-”

“He looked half dead when I walked into that room! I don’t want to hear your excuses, I thought you wanted to keep your soldiers healthy!”

“I do not have to explain myself to you Two, your brother has fallen behind in his training anyways-”

“Fucker! Don’t you dare-” Leo ran straight at Draxum fist drawn but was instantly brought to his knees by a vine whipping out, grabbing his ankles. Afterward, the pain resurfaced and it was even more painful than when he had tried to take it off so long ago.

“I do not have time for this- you two, take him to the room”
—

Donnie woke up and stared at the calendar on the wall, feeling the weight of despair fall over himself as he noticed the date.

Fact: They have been here for 365 days.

Chapter Text

Leo never spoke about what happened in the room.

Donnie would find out anyways.
—

The first three days after their first year there, Donnie didn’t know what happened to Leo and whenever he asked all he felt was pain. The softshell soon concluded that Leo had been sent to the room.

He refused to believe the other theory. Leo was not-

He was still alive, right?

But Donnie was never wrong (he refused to be wrong), and Leo returned to him on day 369, four days since he woke up with his brother missing from his side. Leo had been shoved into his room, the door slamming shut behind him. Donnie had jumped up from his bed, preparing to run over to examine Leo for any injuries but before he could take a step forward he felt the force of Leo tackling him in a hug, the two falling back onto the bed.

Donnie hid his wince as his shell fell on top of the mattress, arms wrapping around Leo out of instinct. He had been put on bed rest for a day but afterward had been trained strictly underneath Draxum’s watchful eye. The obvious lack of his brother by his side made Donnie's skin crawl as he was forced to spar against the plant creatures until he was sent back to his room. Rinse and repeat.

“Leo- you okay?” Donnie says, only feeling the arms around him grip him tighter, though he did notice Leo making it a point to be careful of his shell.

His shell was, well… He hadn’t been able to wear his battle shell for the past few days and he refused to look in a mirror to see. At least it didn’t hurt as bad anymore, besides- the only time he felt any pain was when any pressure was added.

“If you have any injuries I need to know Nardo-”

Leo just shook his head aggressively, and Donnie fell silent. He began running soothing circles on the back of Leo’s shell, staring up at the ceiling. There was a pause before he began humming a song he remembered Splinter used to sing to them when they were younger when none of the brothers could sleep. He didn’t remember the words all that well, though he thinks that might be because half of the song was in Japanese but he certainly remembered the melody with how many times Mikey would tap it out on a surface whenever he got too bored.

Donnie didn’t pause when he heard Leo’s breath hitch and didn’t move when he felt tears against his neck. He just continued to hold his brother despite the uncomfortableness. After a while, he could tell by Leo’s slow breathing that his brother had fallen asleep.

Systems rebooted.

Tasks: Keep Leo safe. Make it tomorrow.
—

“Hey, Leo?”

“Yeah?”

“Mikey’s 11”

Silence.
—

Leo sliced the dummy’s head off and for a second he felt a rush of adrenaline and satisfaction run through his veins before he shook his head, stepping back in line next to Donnie. He was just happy that the trial was over is all, not that he was happy that he killed someone-

He didn’t kill anyone. That was a mannequin. (The voice in his head that sounded like Donnie was laughing at how illogical he was being- he told it to shut up).

“Two and Three please face each other and on the count of three, attack,” Draxum says, and the two got into position a bit begrudgingly. A few months ago their kidnapper had introduced the idea of sparing against each other after the plant monsters had become “insufficient” (Draxum’s wording, not his). Maybe back when they were kids they would have found the idea of play fighting fun and exciting, but now they just found it anxiety-inducing.

Leo held up the twin sword, while Donnie spun his bo out in front of him. They waited for the countdown, and when the yokai reached three the mutants charged forward. Donnie swung his bo at Leo’s leg, who jumped over it easily, aiming for a strike with his right sword at Donnie’s left arm. Donnie jumped back just in time, bringing up the bo in a defensive position, and spinning it in front of his face. The two began circling each other, waiting for the other to make a misstep.

After a few seconds, Donnie made the first move, ducking underneath Leo’s swords and swinging the titanium metal against Leo’s right leg. When the strike hit, Leo yelped out in pain. Donnie faltered, pausing for a second too long as Leo instinctively swung out his sword toward the source of the hit. 

Donnie screamed, causing Leo to pause as he watched as if almost in third person his sword digging into the softshells shoulder. Donnie staggered back, instantly grabbing at the wound.

“Dee- I’m sorry, are you alright-?”

“Two, silence” Draxum says, cutting off Leo “Continue”

“But Don- Three’s hurt,” Leo says, tearing his eyes away from his brother to look at Draxum “it won’t- we can’t”

“I’m in operative conditions to continue” Donnie cut off, raising his bow as he glanced nervously at Draxum. Leo paused before gulping, as he turned back to face his brother, slowly getting back into position.

The fight continued on a bit one-sided due to the fact that Donnie’s shoulder slowly leaked with blood, and it was obvious now that the softshell has been forced into only using one hand. Leo himself was having trouble with his leg but-

They don’t want to find out what would happen if they didn’t fight to the best of their abilities. Draxum didn’t take kindly to slackers.

“Stop” Draxum ordered and the two brothers broke apart. Donnie was clutching at his shoulder while Leo was favoring his left leg “return to your room, training is over for the day”

The brothers bowed their heads before scurrying off, and once they got back Leo slammed the door shut behind him. He took a deep breath before going to get the first aid kit, taking out the necessary items to clean them up, and then bringing out the thread and needle to stitch Donnie’s shoulder.

“Is your femur okay Leo?”

“Yeah- probably just gonna bruise a bit,” he says, turning around to see Donnie already sitting on the bed “I’m sorry-”

“Oh, shut up, you know shit-head would have given out harsher consequences if he thought either of us was slacking off, I don’t want to hear it” Donnie rolled his eyes, moving his hand away from his shoulder “just do the necessary procedure so it doesn’t become infected, I don’t want to hear any more apologies out of your mouth dumb dumb”

“M’ not dumb” Leo mumbles but the smile on his face contradicts his indignation, moving Donnie’s hand away from the wound on his shoulder.

Leo hissed between his teeth, before getting to work cleaning away the blood. He had hoped the stitches would just be a precaution but as he put disinfectant over the gash Leo knew that it probably wouldn’t stop bleeding without it anytime soon.

“I’m sor- Ugh” Leo coughs before continuing “this is going to need stitches”

“Fun, I say without a hint of sarcasm” Donnie deadpans, making it a point to stare at the wall behind Leo and not at his shoulder “Well, make haste before I become comatose from the lack of blood, I do not need the side effect of syncope”

“Stop whining” Leo scoffs, rolling his eyes as he prepared the wound. The last thing they need was for Donnie to develop an infection from an uncleaned cut or needle.

“This is going to hurt”

Donnie seemed to stiffen at that and Leo paused, before shrugging it off as just being prepared for the pain. They didn’t have any numbing cream (he made a mental note to see if he can ask for Draxum to provide some though he’s unsure if that would happen), but it was better than the alternative.

Leo took a deep breath before pushing the needle through Donnie's skin, wincing in sympathy as his twin sucked in a pained breath. He continued threading the needle through the green surface, fingers stiff and uncoordinated. While Leo had read up on the procedures, he has never had to do anything on this level until they got here. Even now his movements were still uncoordinated with the lack of experience a child’s hands provide. After a handful of stitches were completed he cut off the thread, doing one last clean-up of the wound before backing away to examine Donnie’s face.

At this point Donnie has shoved his hand into his mouth to stop any screams from escaping, not wanting to alert Draxum of his pain. His face had gone a sickly green (quite literally-) and he was still staring at the wall. Leo waved his hand in front of his face, and Donnie blinked a few times before looking at him.

“All set, does the patient have any comments about the service that was provided?” Leo says, trying to force a joke in an attempt to make Donnie laugh. It didn’t work, but Donnie did provide a half smile so he’ll take the wins he can get.

“Doctor Leo could learn better bedside manners”

“Hey!”
—

New information has been uploaded.

Donnie is now 12.

He hadn’t gotten to make anything for Leo this time, Draxum never letting him work on anything that wasn’t for his battle gear or with the mutagen. The stuff he had managed to make they classified as "weapons". Which was true, just weapons that were designed as a last resort against Draxum. Their kidnapper didn't need to know that though. The toy soldier wasn't something he was able to make but... Leo was so happy last year, he should have been able to figure something out. Should have- he could still figure something out, right? It was midnight, he still had time before Leo woke up.

Anything to make Leo smile again without the fake pained undertones.

Donnie gently hopped out of bed, pausing to make sure Leo hadn’t woken up. He continued when he didn’t hear any movements from behind him as he silently walked to the door, sneaking out of the room. After a while, Draxum hadn’t required the door to stay locked at night, saying it was a privilege to now be able to use the bathroom when needed. If he was caught, he could just say he had to relieve himself.

Donnie quietly made his way through the hallways, steps light as he rounded the corner to the small workplace he had been provided after the first experiment that was done on him. Even before the training, he was the quietest of his brother. To be fair that wasn’t much of a competition. Ralph's size put him out of the competition, Mikey was too young to understand the concept of being silent, and Leo always lost patience whenever they played hide and seek.

He’s getting distracted.

Task: Make Leo a birthday gift.

What to make Leo anyways? The toy soldier was given as a last-second present to help cheer Leo up. Maybe a toy car? Leo liked collecting those when they were children. It wouldn’t be a collectible but… It was the thought that counts, right? That’s what dad said anyways when he tried to fix the toaster when he was five but ended up putting it on fire.

Donnie's resolve grew as he got to work, rummaging around to find some small scraps of metal he’s been putting to the side every time he’s finished one of his projects. The workplace was small but efficient, with a workbench and a tool set Draxum said he managed to snag from the upside.

Sometimes he wondered if he would ever get to see the surface again. He’s starting to forget what the sun felt like. Though it was rare they could ever be openly out during the day, there were still many places in the sewers where the sunbeams could shine through the gaps. He and his brothers always enjoyed sunbathing in those spots.

The light didn’t shine here.

Donnie continued to work, getting lost in the mechanical motions. The car wouldn’t be anything special but he could always add something later, right? Maybe when he upgraded the car he could upgrade the toy soldier too- oh! He could even make Mikey that headphone he wanted for his 10th birthday (Mikey was 11 now, would he still want them?) or Raph-

“Three, what are you doing?”

Fact: This was the worst birthday.
—

Leo had woken up alone.

He was alone.

It was their birthday and he couldn’t find Donnie- oh god where was he?
—

A week, and if Donnie was here he would say it’s been 7 days, 16 hours, and 32 minutes since Leo last saw him. But Donnie wasn’t here and that was the problem. They have never spent this long apart and never on their birthday or the week following it.

“Where’s- where is Three?” Leo had asked, trying to keep his temper in check after the last time.

“Being properly disciplined”

Leo had persisted further, and later that night after intense training he was still nursing his headache. Not that it mattered anyways, he couldn’t sleep that first night no matter how much he tossed and turned while clutching the toy soldier as if it was a teddy bear. Nor did he get much sleep the following nights after. He was alone, and the bed was cold no matter how many times he wrapped the blanket around him.

It reminded him of the room.

Did-

Was Donnie in the room?

On the seven day, Leo had forced the food down his throat and was laying down on the bed staring up at the ceiling blankly before he heard the door open. He shot upright, watching as his twin slowly walked into their room. His eyes stared blankly ahead, and only when the door slammed shut behind him did he look over at Leo. The latter was about to say something before the former fell to the ground openly sobbing.

And oh- it was the room.

Leo froze for a second, staring at his crying brother. It was- weird. Before they were captured Donnie was the crybaby of the family, so it shouldn’t be that unnatural. But now to think of it, even a few months leading up to the day of the capture, Donnie had stopped crying less and less. Had Donnie even cried since they got here this openly before?

This is your fault.

He shook his head, jumping off the bed to run over to Donnie as he gathered his brother in his arms, rocking them back in forth in the soothing motion he knew his brother liked.

Your fault, your fault, your fault-

Shut up.

“It’s okay Dee it’s okay, nothing- nothing that was said was true,” Leo says, resting his chin on top of Donnie’s head as his brother continued to sob “whatever they- whatever the voices said wasn’t true Donnie, it’s okay”

Leo continued to reassure his brother, Donnie continuing to sob into his chest. They sat on the cold hard floor until soon Donnie’s sobs subsided into soft sniffles and he felt two taps on the back of his neck, Donnie’s signal that he had enough touch for the time being. Leo reluctantly let go of him, scooting away far enough that he wasn’t in Donnie’s personal space but close enough that Donnie could move into Leo’s personal space if needed.

“I apologize-”

“I already said that whatever they said wasn’t true-”

“No, no not that- well, maybe like that? But no, I was- I snuck out that night… You've probably been noticing master- … Shit face had been locking the door at night afterward? I WANTED to make you something for our birthday and give you a boost of serotonin and dopamine. It was going to be those toy cars dad would give to you for you to collect. Of course, it wouldn’t have been one to one ratio and wouldn’t have been a collectible but! And I was almost done until he- until he found me and me-...He crushed the toy. I’m sorry I made you spend our birthday alone!” Donnie rambles on, his voice hitching once again before burying his face into his hand. Leo just stared blankly, frustration slowly clouding his vision.

“Why- why would you do that?” Leo says and despite his best efforts the frustration in his voice was plain to see.

“I know I know I’m idiotic and I can’t fix this but I just wanted you- I’m sorry I hurt you-”

“What? No!” Leo cuts out, yelling as his forehead wrinkles in anger “I’m not upset about that you idiot! You could have gotten seriously hurt- you did get hurt! What about us saying we had to keep safe for when our family gets to us!”

“Scoff, you’re one to talk!” Donnie yells back, his face lifting from his hands to stare at Leo “what about a few months ago, 157 days to be exact when you tried to punch him?! You could have been hurt too! You were! You- you hypocritical narcissist!”

“You were injured! I was angry, what if something happens to us before dad gets here-”

“What if dad is never getting here!” Donnie cuts him off, the room falling silent. The only thing that could be heard was Leo’s harsh breathing and Donnie's sniffles.

“What if- what if Draxum was right? What if dad and Mikey and Ralph and maybe even April are all dead? My data could have had an error of margin that I didn’t calculate, there are so many different outliers Leo” Donnie continues “Or- if they are alive why haven’t they come yet? Is dad happy he doesn’t have two mouths to feed anymore- did I talk too much and break one too many things? I know I shouldn’t have messed with the toaster I just wanted to help-”

“Dee, I say this in the most loving way possible, shut the fuck up” Leo cuts off Donnie’s spiral, resisting the urge to grab his brother by the shoulders “c’mon bro you’re the man with the facts, what are the data points that we have?”

“....” Donnie pauses, fake eyebrows furrowing together and Leo could see another spiral coming.

“I’ll start us off, fact: dad loves us”

“We can not know for certain-”

“Fact: dad loves us” Leo repeats firmly. He went silent, prompting Donnie to continue.

“... Fact: Mikey and Raph love us” Donnie eventually says, breaths evening out ever so slightly “Fact: April loves us. I love you. You love me. We are both physically safe at the current moment and have each other”

Leo nodded, forcing a smile onto his face as he extended his hand for Donnie to take, the latter hesitantly grabbing it. He squeezed his twin's hand before continuing.

“What’s the conclusion to the data Dee?”

“... Conclusion: We have to make it to tomorrow”
—

“Three, hand over the needle”

Fact: it was day 543.

Fact: Donnie was so… So tired.

The twelve-year-old nodded, passing over the affirmation tool. The human on the examination table squirmed and pulled harder at the straps, eyes widening as the yokai turned back to him.

Three knew the attempt was futile.

(His shell hurts)

“You- you freak!” the middle-aged man yells, spit dribbling into his beard “once I get my hands onto-”

“Three, gag the subject” Draxum cuts him off, and Donnie grabbed the cloth before tightening it securely around the man's mouth.

The softshell turtle moved mechanically, backing away from the examination table. He watched with dead eyes as Draxum prepared the needle, seeing what was about to happen like he was in the third person.

Draxum inserted the needle and like every other time, nothing happened for a few seconds. Then the man's eyes widened, veins bursting around his eyes and traveling down his face. His hands clenched into fists, bones breaking through the fingernail beds. The peach skin lost its color, for a split second becoming translucent where you can see the inside of his flesh, then becoming an ashy grey color. The middle-aged man's arms bulged and pulsed, large muscle mass forming where once the fat was. Blood began pouring from the man's ears, eyes, nose, and mouth, and after that Donnie found himself back in his body.

He quickly looked away, squeezing his eyes shut. With his sensations returning to him he could hear the inhuman screaming of the man. It felt like the noise went on for hours but it only went on for a few seconds when everything went silent.

Slowly peeling his eyes open he lifted his head back up to look at the man- if you could call it human anymore that is. Laying on the examination table was a bulky mass of muscle and bones. The crimson liquid coated the body, and Donnie could hear the dripping blood streaming onto the floor. He knew that they had inserted Rhinoceros DNA into this mutagen, but Three wondered if something… else was in it.

Donnie never believed in the devil but here the devil was.

He watched as Draxum stepped forward, the body twitching a few times before a breath was released. The yokai checked for a pulse before shaking his head.

“We are getting closer, but the mutagen is still highly unstable” Draxum mumbles to himself, turning to him “Three, clean up the failed experiment then go join Two in training”

The oxygen in the room felt like poison as Draxum left, leaving Donnie alone to clean up the mangled mess in front of him.

Maybe when Three was a kid last year he would have puked, but the 12-year-old just sighed as he started undoing the restraints, blood coating his three fingers as he did so.
—

Christmas once again passed without notice.
—

Leo gasped as the vine wrapped around his neck, lifting him into the air. His feet dangled as he clutched at the plant choking for oxygen. In an attempt to pry the vine off his neck, he dropped the twin swords, the metal clanging onto the ground, ringing off the walls.

“Task failed” Draxum deadpans from the corner of the room as the vines retracted around his neck making him crash back onto the ground, falling to his knees before catching himself on his hands so his face wouldn’t smash into the floor “Two will be left without nutrition for tonight because of failure to complete the trial”

Leo wasn’t paying attention to whatever the yokai was saying behind him as he gasped for air, coughing a few times. Spit dribbled out of his mouth as he hacked out his lungs, ignoring the pain in the back of his skull from the crown that had been provided as he failed to succeed in taking out the last monster.

Scrambling up onto his feet, he turned to face Draxum and waited for him to give the okay to leave. Draxum gave him a once-over, before pointing at the fallen swords.

“Training is not yet over for the day, pick up the swords and resume position”

That mother fucker-

When he waited a second too long he instantly felt the pain shoot through the back of his skull. He quickly moved to grab the sword, picking them up before getting into position.

He hated it here. He wanted to go home. He wanted to eat something other than the pellets they were provided and god does he miss pizza. Had Mikey finally gotten the hang of reading and if not who was there to read his comic books to him at night? Ralph's dyslexia made it hard for him to read out loud to the younger sibling and his dad always went to bed early.

He hated Draxum and his stupid little face. He hated the two gargoyles that constantly made snide comments at him. He hated the room where-

This is all your fault.

Shut up!

Leo yelled in frustration as he swung his sword, the last plant monster falling to the floor in front of him. He huffed a few times before spinning around to Draxum, dropping the swords to the ground.

“Master Draxum” Leo gritted out through his teeth, before forcing a smile onto his face “may I return to my room for the night?”

There was a slight pause and Leo was worried for a second.

“Very well, you have not been improving today so maybe a… Reset will put your head back on”

He’s right you know, you won’t be of any use if you-

Shut the fuck up.

Leo gave a short bow before spinning around and heading out, hiding the frustrated tears away from his kidnappers\.

What if dad never came? He wasn’t lying to Donnie earlier, he did truly believe that their dad loved them but… There was always a possibility?

They had to start planning their escape.
—

Fact: They have been here for 712 days. In 18 days they would have been here for two years.

“Hey- remember…” Donnie paused, trying to come up with a story to tell for the night “Ah, remember when Raph got his head stuck in the tire-”

“Dee, I told that one last year” Leo wined, hanging upside down on the bed. Donnie paused, feeling his throat constrict.

“Then you tell the story for tonight! I’m tired anyways” Donnie huffed, crossing his arms as he fell back onto the bed. Leo sprung up out of bed in return, standing up before he dramatically started to speak.

“Once, not so long ago” Leo begins, a bright smile on his face (it was forced, Donnie’s brain supplied non to helpfully) “my dear twin brother decided to draw two lines above his eyes”

“Nardo, for the love of-”

“Apparently! They were supposed to be eyebrows” Leo continued anyways, snickering as Donnie grabbed the pillow and shoved it on top of his face “they looked like caterpillars- Raph shrieked when he thought there were creepy crawlies on your mask”

And Donnie remembered that day, of course. He also remembered why he attempted to draw on the eyebrows. After one too many comments of being told his expression were hard to read he thought that they would help the situation. Now, though, he continued to draw them on his mask out of pure spite to anger Draxum. The yokai never could find a reason for him not to add them- but he could tell Draxum also didn’t like them.

If there is one thing Three is, he is spiteful.

“Oh shut up Two, it was a better attempt than the time you tried putting on lipstick” Three laughed, pulling the pillow off of his face. His chuckles stopped though when he heard Leo’s laughter abruptly stop. He quickly sat up, turning to look at his twin.

“What? Did something happen? Are you okay-”

“What did you just say?”

“I was asking if you were okay?”

“No, before that”

“About your failed attempt at lipstick-”

“Donatello, what is my name?”

Three- Donatello paused, the lump in his throat growing bigger. What was wrong? Why was Two acting like this?

Two.

“I- Leo! I called you Leo, obviously, cause- Because that is your name dingus” Donnie shakingly says, backing up a bit when Leo came back over on top of the bed. He shoved his hands behind his back, ignoring how violently they were shaking.

“You called me Two-”

“No, I did not!” Donnie yelled, backing away against the wall “I think you are just hallucinating things after taking too many hits to the head, brain damage perhaps?”

“Dee…” Leo says softly and something inside Donnie broke as he tore his gaze away from Leo, eyes focusing on the blanket underneath them. It was a gray blanket and it reminded him of the man's skin after-

You are supposed to fix things, not make them worst Three.

… He knows.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” Donnie trailed off before pulling his knees closer to his chest, burying his head in between his legs.

“What is my name?”

“Leonardo, Leo, Nardo, the world's most annoying brother, and so on and so forth”

“And what’s your name?”

Silence.

“Bro, tell me your name”

“... Donatello, Dee, Donnie, Don, ‘Tello, world best brother”

“Good, don’t forget it, you are not a number Don”

Donnie just nodded, his head still buried. He felt Leo carefully tap his knee and when he made no move to push him away he was pulled into a side hug, Donnie lifted his head and instead buried it into Leo’s neck, squeezing his eyes shut.

The crown on top of his head was cold.
—

“730 days, two years Leo”

“...”

“We need to start planning our escape”

“I know”

“Remember the floorboard I showed you last year?”
—

Up until this point, the twins could say they have done everything in their power to say alive and stay safe. They had made very few mistakes, which considering they aren’t even teenagers yet was a miracle in itself.

They had received very little in terms of punishments that they couldn’t help, and have made sure to keep their heads down. They pleased Draxum enough to not kill the brothers outright but didn’t make themselves too useful. Donnie was working on a solution to getting the crowns off (and... Other things) and Leo was packing away materials for an escape.

They just had to figure out how mystic energy worked. Donnie was slowly growing frustrated at the elusive knowledge that Draxum refused to supply to the two turtles. So, the only solution was for Donnie to take things into his own hands.

Just like how he re-arranged the toaster when he was younger, he’ll simply have to do the same but with mystic energy. Sure, it might hurt him in the process but he’s pretty sure staying here any longer might damage his brain beyond repair (he was not a number).

Leo would continue to do his best in fighting, keeping Draxum’s watchful eyes on him to allow Donnie more time to work in his makeshift lab. He was going to keep them safe, and if that meant taking on more of the attention from their kidnapper then so be it.

Dad, Raph, Mikey, and even April- they were coming home. Until then, they had to survive until the next day. That’s all they had to do.

Don’t get in trouble.

As long as they stayed safe then there was always a chance they could be free once again. As long as they held on with a little bit of hope that one day they could see the rest of their family gain they will be fine.

Just one more day. One more hour. One more minute. One more second.

Maybe that’s why they would beat themselves over for their biggest mistake in the upcoming year.

Revealing their family ninpo.

Chapter Text

Hidden under a floorboard was a small sack of medical supplies and food.

Slowly, minor mechanical parts and tools were added.
—

There were too many of them.

The plant creatures kept coming, and their pre-teen bodies slowly gave out. No matter how long they’ve been here, how long they’ve trained, and the mutagen that runs through their veins there’s only so much two twelve-year-olds can take. They were being pushed to their limits today and neither of them could find the opportunity to turn the tides around.

The twins had managed to stay close together throughout most of the fight, shells pressed against each other as they covered each other blind spots. Donnie maintained defense while occasionally striking out when he saw the opening while Leo focused on the offense. Even though they were tired, the turtles kept at a steady rhythm, focusing on completing the task. So far, even with exhaustion, everything was going fine.

Until it wasn’t.

A purple vine whipped out, grabbing at Donnie’s ankle. The softshell cried out as his feet were pulled out from underneath him, falling hard on his battle shell as he was pulled away. This pained shout of his brother made Leo falter, causing the plant monster in front of him to get in a hit, bouncing off of his plastron. Leo winced slightly before quickly slicing off its head, kicking away another one as he turned his head to the side to find out where his brother went to.

Donnie had been dragged away and was now about 30 feet away from where he had previously been next to Leo. He was still on top of his shell as more and more purple vines started wrapping around his legs and arms. His bo had fallen from his grip due to his struggle, laying about a few inches out of his grasp. The red ear slider felt his blood run even colder than normal as a vine sharpened and plunged, heading straight for Donnie’s exposed neck.

“DONNIE!” Leo called out, spinning around in a split second, ignoring the vines that whipped against the back of his shell. He ran a few steps forwards, even if his brother was logically too far away for him to reach.

Without thought, Leo swung his sword out forward into the air, expecting nothing to happen. Instead, a bright blue light clouded his vision as he took another step forward. In an instant, he stood right in front of his brother. The sharp vine banged against his shell causing Leo to cry out, falling onto his hands and knee’s over Donnie as a shield. He squeezed his eyes shut as he waited for another blow.

“Enough” Draxum's booming voice rang throughout the training room walls, the plants wilting to ash. Leo slowly opened his eyes to be met with Donnie's frightened ones, knowing that his expression probably mirrored his brothers.

Something grabbed the top part of his shell, pulling him off of Donnie as he dangled in the air. He was spun around to look directly into his kidnapper's eyes, holding his breath.

“Excellent” Draxum says, and for the first time in two years, Leo watched as the Yokai smiled “I knew my choice to use that… Idiotic human's DNA was right”

Leo was then dropped unceremoniously to the ground, quickly catching himself with his hands to stop his face from going straight first into the concrete floor.

“I have gathered the data I need for today, please return to your room”

Leo felt Donnie grab his arm (when had he gotten up?), pulling him onto his feet. The two bowed their head, before quickly making their way out of the sparring room.

“What the fuck was that?” Donnie hissed as they made their way down the hallways, taking the familiar route.

“Magic, obviously”

“Wow, thank you for that astute observation sherlock holmes, how could you have possibly come to that conclusion?”

“You’re the one who asked!”

“Well, obviously it was mystic energy what else could it possibly be?!” Donnie whispered yelled, yanking their door open as he pushed Leo inside, shutting the door behind him “Let me rephrase so your feeble mind could comprehend my earlier statement- HOW the fuck did you do that?”

“How am I supposed to know?!” Leo whispered and yelled back, throwing up his arms “I just, slashed and swung, and then I was in front of you!”

“Never do an observational study Nardo, your description leaves something to behold” Donnie deadpans, quickly grabbing a piece of paper and pen off their desk.

The softshell jotted down something, before spinning around and stomping over to Leo, who let out an indignant yell as his head was pulled down to Donnie’s eye level (a recent growth spurt has made it so Leo stood a couple of inches taller than his twin). He felt Donnie’s claws slowly prob around Leo’s crown, being careful not to tug at it.

“They’re the same color?”

“Sorry to disappoint you Don but we aren’t identical twins, our shades of green are-”

“Not that you idiot” Donnie hissed, shoving Leo’s head away “the crown!”

“What about my-?”

“Your crown and the portal you created are the same color, the shade of blue, and everything,” Donnie says, his eyes showing the same glint that tells Leo that his brother was putting together a puzzle.

“Okay… And the means?”

Donnie just huffed, pulling out the desk chair as he plopped down, starting to write a bunch of gibberish on the piece of paper that Leo couldn’t understand.

The blue turtle sighed, sitting down on the bed. When his brother got like this he knew that he wouldn’t get an answer from him until he was certain of the conclusion. Instead, Leo just took out the toy soldier and started fiddling with it, flopping down onto the bed with a wince when his shell hit the mattress.

Damn it sure got a beating, didn’t it?

Not like it mattered or anything, if Donnie was figuring something out then he trusted his twin wholeheartedly.

Leo felt a real smile grow on his face.

Maybe soon their idea of tomorrow would be a reality.
—

“Hey Leo”

“Yeah?”

“We’re thirteen- a teenager”

Silence.

—

Donnie stood in front of the tank filled with water, filling the pit in his stomach grow.

Fact: His species was mainly aquatic.

“While the previous attempts at enhancing your shell have been… Lacking, at best- our last round of testing should have proven to be useful” Draxum explains, standing somewhere behind him “While the human DNA had messed with your aquatic abilities, you still had shown the ability to hold your breath for longer than the average human- isn’t that correct?”

“Yes, Master Draxum”

“This means that recently I have shifted attention away from something that was already a failure to something that showed promise, the last few rounds of testing were to improving your aquatic nature. I hope that I was able to restore your ability to breathe underwater”

Three gulped, touching his neck from where the last few needles had been inserted into.

“Now, Three, please get into the tank and see if you will be useful. Two has shown their ability to provide me knowledge into your bloodline mystic powers, show me what you can bring to the table”

Three resisted the urge to yell at Draxum that he had been proving himself- the mutagen was almost done thanks to him! But he ignored the defiant voice in the back of his head, climbing up the ladder to the top of the water tank. He estimated the depth to be about 10 feet, and the top lid provided the hypothesis that once he got in he would be trapped.

Donnie took one last gulp of oxygen that wouldn’t be tainted by excessive hydrogen, diving straight into the water. Just as predicted the lid closed behind him, and Donnie floated in the middle. The green light from outside reflected into the water, and he could make out the blob of Draxum.

Hypothesis: He might not survive this test.

The Yokai had been right about one thing at least, even before the experiments he had been able to hold his breath the longest out of his brothers. He had assumed the human DNA had hindered his ability to fully breathe underwater but wasn’t able to negate it fully. So he didn’t even try to breathe, just holding his breath instead of bringing the h20 into his lungs.

One minute went by. Then two, and so forth. After the ten-minute mark had passed Donnie started to feel his chest tighten a little bit but he knew he still had some time.

Fact: In the wild and unmutated, his species could last around seven months underwater, ten minutes even mutated was nothing.

After twenty minutes Donnie resisted the instinct to take in a breath.

After thirty minutes Donnie started to feel lightheaded.

Forty-five minutes and thirteen seconds passed before Donnie’s lung started to burn, and if it weren’t for the fact that he was already underwater he’s pretty sure his eyes would be filled with tears.

After an hour and three minutes, forty seconds passed Donnie knew he would pass out if he didn’t at least try to breathe. He squeezed his eyes shut in temptation, taking a breath through his nostrils.

He immediately resisted the urge to gag when the h20 was allowed in, instead slowly breathing out of his mouth to dispel the hydrogen. It was like breathing in smog, the oxygen making it so his body stopped feeling like it was weighed down by cotton.

Fact: Breathing in H20 was a lot like breathing in smoke.

This went on for a few more hours, as Donnie attempted to hold his breath for as long as possible until he was forced to take in the water, then repeat the cycle. Every “breath” he took felt like the air was polluted with smoke, and after the 10th breath, he didn’t know if the water would be enough.

Thankfully after ten hours, thirty-three minutes, and twelve seconds has passed he knew the lid was lifted by the feeling of light shining from on top of the tank. He quickly swam up, taking in large breaths of oxygen and coughing out the water that hadn’t been properly processed out of his lungs.

“Hmmm, while I hadn’t made it so you have the same capacity of un-mutated spiny softshells, it looks like I have managed to enhance your ability to stay underwater” he faintly heard Draxum say while he was leaning over the edge of the tank.

Once he regained his strength he climbed out of the tank, his legs wobbling as his feet touched the ground. It was like he was experiencing the upset that people feel when they get on a boat but ten times worse.

He was sent back to his room shortly after, still soaking wet. When Leo came in a few minutes afterward he instantly saw worry flash through his eyes and grabbed one of their shower towels from their desk drawer to wrap it around Donnie who hadn’t realized he was shaking until now.

Oh god, he’d gotten the bed wet, hadn’t he?

“I apologize-“

“Shut up”

“Okay”
—-

Donnie continued to scribble things down in the notebook, crossing things out before replacing them with something else. He was getting closer every day to figuring out how their mystic energy worked and maybe-

Maybe they could use it to get the crowns off?

Nonetheless, he continued to work on his side plan on the side. Every time he had the freedom to walk around the lavatory freely, he would place a small mechanical device in corners and crevices that wouldn't be noticeable to someone who wasn't looking. 
—-

“I need you to steal an item from the market in the hidden city”

Draxum’s words rang through the twins' minds as Leo stood behind Donnie on top of the roof of a building to keep a lookout while his twin studied the map they had been given. Leo relished in the air against his skin, bathing in the feeling of the slight freedom they had been given.

This was the first time they had been able to leave the boundaries of the lavatory, and while the hidden city had a different feel to it than the surface it was still better than nothing. After being trapped for-

How long had they even been here?

“Hey Don-Don, how long have we been here again?”

“On the rooftop? Aprogamintly 12 minutes and-“

“No, no- like… Here”

“Oh, uh…” There was a pause and a look of fear passed on Donnie's face before it relaxed when he answered “two years and 209 days in counting”

Donnie relaxed when he was able to calculate how long they'd been there. For a second, he thought that he-

Well, he didn’t forget, so it doesn’t matter.

Fact: They have been here for 2 years and 209 days.

He went back to the map in hand, before gesturing for Leo to look at it, using a pen to draw a circle around the building and drawing two dots to represent where they currently are.

“This is where the building is located- we need to get the crystal Master-… Fuck face requested. We are currently here, if we leave now we will still be under the cover of darkness and since the marketplace isn’t open yet there will be fewer people”

“Tell me why we don’t just escape now?”

“Cause, Leo, I haven’t… Sigh, I haven’t figured out how to get these crowns off yet” There was a pause “But I’m getting there, I promise… Just hold out a bit longer, yeah?”

“Yeah yeah, I trust you” Leo straightened up from where he had bent down to look at the map, unsheathing his swords “Let’s go- hey! Maybe I could use my portals to get there faster, eh?”

“One, you’re still too inconsistent with those Nardo” Donnie rolled his eyes as he straightened up, rolling up the map to put it away “and two, this is a stealth mission if you’ve forgotten- Draxum doesn’t want us to get spotted”

“Fineeee” Leo wines, pulling his cloak over his head. The mood instantly shifted and they both went silent as Leo hopped off to the next building, Donnie following shortly after.

It didn’t take them too long, only a few minutes. Once they got the hang of it, the city was a lot like New York, except for … You know, the yokai. People were still bustling about, but with the cover of the shadows and sticking to the rooftops they managed to get to their destination unspotted.

They landed silently on the rooftop of a small shop, as Leo gestured with his hand for Donnie to come over. Donnie walked over and knelt, taking out a laser he managed to build last year. He began cutting a circle just wide enough for them to jump through. With the help of Leo, they managed to pull the cement piece off and to the side so it wouldn’t make any noise from the fall. The blue turtle held up a finger to his brother, slowly lowering himself into the building. He dangled there for a few seconds before dropping a couple of feet and landed in a crouching position. When Donnie poked his head through, Leo motioned for him to follow down.

The building wasn’t big by any means, there were cases of different magical items that line the walls and at the back of the room was a service desk with a cash register. The only light that illuminated the building was the faint glow that came off of some of the items. Everything was kept in glass cases, some having their price labeled while others have been left priceless.

Donnie brought up his wristband, typing some code into it before a hologram of the crystal popped into view, lighting up his face. Leo examined the picture and nodded. The two separated to different sides of the small room.

The items consisted of a bunch of magical weapons, while a few rings and jewelry were located further near the back. It was almost human-like in design and Donnie began to wonder if the yokai took architectural inspiration from the humans. Or was it the other way around? 

Donnie found the crystal in a matter of seconds.

“Over here L” Donnie whispered, motioning for his brother to come over. The crystal had been kept in the back corner of the shop and was one of the items not listed with a price.

Leo was by his brother's side in seconds, and Donnie once again quickly types in some more code onto his wristband.

“Alam systems should be disabled-” Donnie says, but was cut off when a bright light was shone into their face.

“Halt! Who goes there!” a male voice came, and it took them a couple of blinks to get used to the bright light to be able to make out what appeared to be a beetle yokai who was standing in the back entrance with a flashlight in his hands.

Or… What was probably the closest thing that resembled a flashlight that the twins knew of. 

“Just some… Late-night customers?”

“Leo!”

“What? It’s my coping mechanism-”

“You know what? I’m going to call the authorities!” The beetle yokai yells, slowly backing away into the backroom. Leo and Donnie shared one look before Three smashed the case open, grabbing the crystal inside. Two ran forward towards the beetle yokai.

His Katana was out of its sheath in a second.

In another second, the head and body were separated.

The thirteen-year-old watched in detachment as the body fell to the ground, the head rolling off and underneath the counter. Leo just stared unblinkingly, body and mind going numb.

Draxum had threatened that nobody could stop them, after all.

“- Leo, we have to go” Donnie grabs onto his brother's arm and started pulling, making it a point not to look at the fallen body on the ground. Leo released a breath that he didn’t know he was holding as his emotions rushed back to him.

What has he done?

“Oh- Oh god, Donnie I didn’t mean-” Leo starts, voice trembling as he took a shaky step away from the pool of blood that was slowly starting to form.

“I know, I know Nardo- It’s fine, but we have to go,” Donnie says more urgently, pulling at Leo’s arm once again. Leo sucked in a deep breath before nodding, turning around to leave the way they came.

After that, there wasn’t much commotion as they made their way back to the Laboratory, where they found Draxum in his lab working. The two kneeled as the yokai turned to face the two turtles, folding his arms out in anticipation.

“Well, did you acquire the item?”

“Yes, master Draxum” Donnie spoke up, rummaging through his belt pocket before bringing out the slightly glowing crystal, he passed it on over to the yokai.

“And were you too spotted?”

“Yes, but Two was quick to take care of it” and really, only Leo could notice the slight tremble in his brother's voice as he spoke.

“Good, you may return to your room”

The two bowed their heads, before slowly standing up, and heading out.

The moment they got into their room Leo sat on their bed, staring blankly at the wall. Soon Donnie joined him, leaning his head on his shoulder.

What had he done?
—

In the end, Draxum realized that the crystal wouldn’t be all that helpful to him with the creation of the mutagen. So he had handed it over to Donnie for use, expecting the turtle to not be able to make anything of use with it.

Donnie made his first pair of goggles, and really, that was the start of Draxum’s downfall.
—

“Two, please create a portal from one end of the room to the other” Draxum calls out, as Donnie watched from the side with his newly made goggles on.

Leo swung his sword and Donnie watched as blue mystic energy that wasn’t noticeable by the human eye formed around Leo’s heart, and traveled through his nervous system, into his arms then hands. The energy transferred itself from his brother's fingertips and into the sword, but the connection was weak at best. Most of the energy got lost between the transfer and what little had made it to the sword was just enough to make one small portal. Another even smaller portal appeared a few feet away, not even close to the other side of the room like Draxum had requested.

While the twin swords were already infused with their mystic magic, Donnie wondered if that was the reason for the issue that Leo was struggling with. Were the two energies incompatible? Like two negative magnets. Maybe their energies were too similar that they were bouncing off-

“Disappointing Two, try again,” Draxum voice says, cutting Donnie out from his theorization on why the connection between Leo’s mystic energy and the sword was faulty.

He watched as his brother gritted his teeth, and the mystic energy around his heart swelled up even bigger. He also noticed that the blue string that connected the crown to Draxum’s hand was pulled, his brother gritting in pain in response.

Ah, so that’s how that part works. The strings also probably work as a tractor, considering that no matter how much further Leo walked away the string just expanded to meet the size distance. Maybe it was something akin to the speed of light?

Leo swung again but this time there was too much energy and a portal that was greater than the size of Leo himself appeared. There was no sign of another portal.

“Uh-” Leo says, sticking his head through the portal before pulling it out a second later “That… That leads to… Egypt? I think. Hey, Do- Three, come verify this for me-”

A long-suffering sigh cut Leo off, and Draxum put his face in his hand. For a second, Donnie almost felt bad for the guy.

Only for a second.

So maybe his theorization about magnets was incorrect, but maybe it’s-

“Two, go stand to the side, that’s enough for the day,” Draxum says, once again cutting off Donnie’s thought process “Three, please step forward”

Uh-oh.

Ever since Leo had awakened his mystic energy, Draxum had been using a lot of his time expanding on that. The longer it took for Donnie to show his Mystic talents, the more the yokai frustration grew.

Donnie hesitantly steps forward, Leo walking past him. His brother bumped his shoulder as they crossed paths in a way of reassurance, but Donnie only felt the pit in his stomach grow.

Something bad was going to happen.

“Three, let’s see if you can give me a happy surprise today, shall we?” Draxum says, motioning for Donnie to try… Literally, anything.

The soft shell turtle sighed, bringing up his bo staff. He saw with his goggles that his bo already had some mystic energy imbued into it from when they had first received them two years and 238 days ago. When he looked down at his body though there was no sign of mystic energy like Leo’s.

Sigh.

Donnie closed his eyes and swung. As expected, nothing happened. He twirled his bo, slammed it on the ground, balanced on top of it, and so on.

Nada.

“This is growing more frustrating by the second, Three”

You’re telling him?

“Sorry, Master”

There was a pause, and when Donnie opened his eyes to look at Draxum he felt his heart sink at the look on his face.

“Two mystic energy was unlocked when you were in trouble, so that means…” Donnie watched in horror as the string that was tied to Draxum fingers and Leo's crown was pulled tightly.

No.

“I suggest you do something, or your brother may have some issues falling asleep tonight” Draxum spoke calmly over the screaming cries of his brother.

Donnie instantly unfroze, once again trying to focus on something. Anything. Mystic energy didn’t make sense, maybe he just didn’t have it? Maybe Leo was just special? If he already had it he must have still felt something, right? Matter cannot be created nor destroyed, was that the same with mystic energy?

Leo's cries cut off for a second before returning tenfold.

“Please- Please, stop!” Donnie yelled, running forward to try and grab the hand that was pulling back on the string but he was simply grabbed by a vine “I can’t- there’s nothing there!”

“Then I guess your brother pays the price for your incompetence”

Something snapped.

Donnie felt energy run down from where his brain was located, to his spine, then through the nerves that connected his arm to his hand. He swung out his bow, where purple energy formed into the light refraction of a spear, cutting straight into the string that was causing his brother so much pain.

The damage didn’t last long, Donnie’s creation soon fizzled out of existence and the blue string slowly mended itself back together again.

But it was enough.

Leo slowly let go of his head, turning to look at his brother. Donnie was still suspended in midair by the vine wrapped around his waist, his arm and bo extended outwards.

“Finally, something… Interesting”

All Donnie felt was fear.
—

Donnie and Leo returned from their seventh mission.

After their first successful mission a few weeks back, their days slowly began to change. They are now sleeping in the mornings and early afternoons, late afternoons reserved for either training or experimentation. At night, they were either sent on a mission to retrieve something from the city. They had learned that the reason Draxum didn’t go was that he was banned. That, or they were given some sort of lecture on the history of Yokai’s or mystic energy.

They had recently handed over some sort of chemical compound that Leo hadn’t bothered to remember, having been sent to their room for rest. This mission was relatively easy, no one spotted them so that meant no one had to die.

On their third mission, Donnie was forced to kill someone.

Now they refused to keep track of their kill count.

“Raph’s going to disown us”

Silence.
—

“I got it!”

Leo jolted from his position on the bed, dropping the toy soldier onto the mattress as Donnie sprung up from the chair with his notebook in his hand. His purple brother came over and jumped onto the mattress next to Leo, the bed shaking slightly at the added weight.

“It may have taken two years and 301 days but I think I’m almost there to understand this mystic nonsense!” Donnie says, shoving the notebook into Leo’s face. Leo squinted at the pages, before sighing.

“You’re going to have to explain this in English Don”

Today was one of the rare days that the twins were told to rest in their rooms. Draxum looked frantic about something, but when the twins pressed they were just met with a headache so they didn’t push further.

“Scoff, I am speaking English”

“You know what I mean Donnie!”

The aforementioned turtle pouted, bringing the notebook back into his lap and away from Leo’s face.

“Mystic energy is not magic! Well, it kinda is but I think I can explain it in the scientific realm! Scientists have been studying it they just haven’t realized it yet. Of course I, the great Donatello-”

“Get to the point Donnie”

“You’re no fun- Sigh. Mystic energy is basically just dark matter! Or, what the humans thought was dark matter. While it’s not the full 85% of what scientists think dark matter consists of the known universe, it’s still a large chunk!”

“I love you buddy, but what in the absolute fuck does that mean?”

“Were you not listening to my lectures during class time with pops?”

“...”

“I should have known” Donnie sighed, long and painful before continuing “it’s basically the stuff that we can’t see because it’s clear like glass- mystic objects act as a conduit to make it… Well, not clear. Like the crown on our heads. Or in our case, our bodies are the conduit”

“Sooo… Like on and off switch?”

“In the simplest of terms, sure” Donnie shrugged, flipping through his notebook “our crowns are connected to Draxum through our mystic energy level signatures- kinda like how colors have the same frequency via their light reflection. Probably explains why we are color coded too, now that I think about it”

“Hey hey Donnie” Leo snapped his fingers in front of his brother's face “please, I would love to hear you ramble on about this for days but I think the audience would like to know how the fuck this is going to help us”

“You are a one-man audience, Leo, I think you can wait”

“Donnie…”

“Fine, fine! If we can somehow find a way to disrupt the signatures then we can cancel out the frequencies between the crown and Draxum for good! At the current moment, the crown is at the same frequency as our mystic energy, so if we cut the connection off we can cut the crown off by changing our frequencies! Like a different shade of color or like how your sword is disrupting the frequency of your portals”

“My sword is doing what now?” Leo blinks, staring at Donnie who ignored him and continued.

“No wonder why scientists have been stumped for so long on dark matter, they didn’t have anything like my crystal to make it tangible” Donnie continued to ramble, tunning out his brother as he continued to write stuff in his book “they also weren’t looking for anything like this! Why would they look for anything magical like…”

Leo tried to pay attention to his brother as he continue to ramble on but at some point, he just lost him. He let his brother talk though, knowing that sometimes he just needed to say his thoughts out loud so they would make sense even to his brain.

“So, what you are saying Hermano is that… We are one step closer to escaping- to making it to tomorrow?” Leo says when Donnie’s ramble slows down.

The soft-shell turtle's eyes light up.

That was an answer enough for Leo.
—

What Donnie failed to realize was that he was missing two very important variables.
—

It was a woman this time.

The girl was strapped to the chair, and Three hadn’t been around many humans in his life but he could only assume that she was maybe in her early 20s. She had already been gagged, but surprisingly there were no tears in her eyes like the previous ones. She was staring intently at them, almost as if she glared at the two long enough that they would release her.

If it weren’t for the situation, Donnie would love to hold a conversation with her.

Instead, Three passed over the needle to Draxum.

Three watched in detachment as the syringe was inserted into the back of her neck, absentmindedly reaching up to his own where needles have pierced his skin. Like previous times and from his own experience nothing happened for a few moments.

The instant the screaming started was when Donnie looked away, closing his eyes shut.

When the noise stopped, Three slowly turned back to what appeared to be a giant snake-like creature lying across the examination table, nubs poking out from the side of its purple scaly skin to hint that there were once legs and arms on this body. Though at this point, the creature looked more like a snake than a human.

Draxum moved upward, probing at the body before he stood upright.

“It’s breathing”

While Three was frozen still, Draxum continued to examine the snake's body, opening its eyes manually and pulling its mouth open to reveal long sharp fangs. Throughout all of this probing and poking, the creature didn’t even twitch.

“Sadly, it looked like the process destroyed its mind” Draxum pulls back, turning to Donnie “do some final examinations then euthanize it”

The yokai walked briskly, patting the softshell turtle on the shoulder as he walked past.

“We have almost completed the mutagen at a record pace” a pause “all thanks to you”

For once Donnie didn’t preen at the praise.
—

“We have to leave soon,” Donnie says to Leo later that night, rummaging through their backpack that they’ve been hiding underneath the floorboard “the mutagen is almost done- if we stay here any longer, Leo-”

Donnie was cut off by the familiar hand on his shoulder, and he felt his body lose the tension that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Leo pulled him away from the backpack, making him turn around to face his twin.

“We have to come up with a plan first Don-”

“You’re the one who’s always joking about leaving!” Donnie says, the tension back tenfold as he pushed Leo away “we can’t- the mutagen can’t be perfected, what if… What if someone like April gets hurt? All because of me!”

“Woah there bro, hold your horses,” Leo says, holding up his hands in a stopping gesture “I’ve thought we’ve been over this?”

“We did, over a year ago. He said I helped speed up the process Leo, if I-”

“My statement still holds” Leo once again stops Donnie in his rambling, grabbing his face “it isn’t your fault, got it? Just like how you had to convince me it we needed to kill to make it- we just need to survive. It isn’t your fault, Dee”

“... Still, it doesn’t matter if it’s my fault or not” Donnie brushes Leo's hands away, going to grab the notebook on the table “I am so close to figuring out this crown solution- we should test it, the next mission we are sent out. If we get the crowns off we run-”

“And we will if it works” Leo follows after his brother, resting a hand on his shoulder once again “I miss dad too”

“Not just dad- Mikey is almost a teenager Leo, we’ve been here for…” And Donnie paused, thinking before continuing “We’ve been here for 2 years and 319 days… Even if we do get back to them who’s to say they haven’t changed? We’ve changed…”

“Then we will adapt, just like we have for everything else, okay?”

“Right, right, like you said, for tomorrow yeah?” Donnie teasingly says, laughing as Leo groans.

“Give it a rest! I was 10, okay?”
—

Fact: They’ve been here for 2 years, and 321 days.

Fact: In a few more weeks they would have been here for 3 years.

Analyzing data…

Conclusion: They had to try and escape.
—

“You have the bag, Nardo?”

“Yeah Donnie, you’ve asked that about ten times since we left, and each and every time you’ve asked I have said yes”

“I’m just checking, don’t bite my head off”

The two had been sent on another mission to retrieve another artifact that Draxum had required. The moment they left the building though they completely discarded the map, Donnie led the way by following a mystic trail with his goggles. They know of the existence of portals around the city that lead to the surface, they just have to figure out where one is. While Donnie focused on following one of the trails he managed to pick up, Leo continued to keep a lookout, his paranoia not letting him put down his guard for a second.

“Look, Donnie, are you sure this will-”

“Yes! I’m sure my theory on getting these stupid and idiotic crowns off will work. The moment I find this fucking portal to the surface, we just have to match our energy signatures to the crown and it should short-circuit it”

“You just said should”

“In science, you can never be 100 percent certain” was all Donnie said, which did not reassure Leo at all.

“How do we even match out… The vibe, or whatever you call it”

“Frequencies and…” A pause “Instinct?”

“... Instinct”

“...Shut up!” Donnie says, snapping his goggles on top of his forehead “instinct, you know! Like how you instinctively know how to create a portal”

“I’m not very good at those”

“I’ve told you it’s because of those stupid swords of yours,” Donnie says, gesturing to the twin blades that are currently on Leo’s back “They miss with your signature- like, a slightly different shade of blue or something”

“Okay, and if I can’t even make those stupid portals how am I supposed to-”

“You aren’t going to be using the swords!” Donnie says, obviously frustrated as he put his goggles back on and continued leading the way “you yourself are going to be the on and off switch, not the swords… So they won’t get in the way!”

“Okay, okay, calm down,” Leo says, making a hushing noise as he followed silently behind Donnie, dropping the argument.

Leo was still really unsure about this plan. Sure, he’s been the one who’s been pushing to escape but something felt off. He wasn’t sure Donnie had all the “facts” he liked to say he had, and weren’t scientists supposed to run experiments before they concluded? They’ve barely messed with their mystic energy at all since they unlocked it, this entire plan seems faulty at best. On the other hand, though, Leo knows that Donnie might break soon if they don’t make a run for it now. The mutagen pushed him over the edge.

To be fair, Leo didn’t know how much longer he could last either.

Their walk was silent as they kept to the shadows, speeding up their pace as time went on, worried that Draxum would notice that they hadn’t gone in the direction they were instructed to. The trail lead to a more abandoned part of the city, leading them into an empty alleyway that reminded them a lot of the ones in new york.

“Okay, this wall,” Donnie says, gesturing to the brick wall in front of them “is an entrance… Or exit? Anyways, this is what we’ll have to take”

Leo stood behind Donnie, staring at their escape route.

Now what?

“Okay, now we…” Donnie’s eyebrows furrowed, crossing his arms “concentrate- your mystic energy starts from your heart while mine originates from my brain so.. Focus on that body part?”

Leo had never heard Donnie this uncertain in his life.

That frightened him more than Draxum ever could.

Still, he did as instructed, closing his eyes and focusing on the spot in his chest that always felt like a jolt of electricity was shot there whenever he used one of his portals. Judging by the silence next to him, Donnie was also concentrating on his mystic energies.

There was a slight spark, and Leo grabbed it mentally, letting it grow bigger. He visualized it traveling from up through his chest, up his spine, and then into the back of the skull. What did Donnie say to do next? Instinct? And he says his descriptive skills are lacking.

Leo switched focus a bit, letting the magic energy rest on the base of his skull as he focused on the energy radiating from the crown on top of his head. Now that Donnie had pointed it out, the energy radiating on top of his head was a lot like the portals he used. If he could just connect the two, then maybe…?

God, why does this have to be so complicated? He did not have the attention span for this, thank you very much.

Taking a deep breath, he split his focus on both the crown and the energy swirling around the base of his skull. He pushed the blue energy outwards straight into the crown that was on top of his head, like how he would push his mystic energy into his swords.

Once the two frequencies connected, Leo screamed.
—

Donnie wasn’t having any luck with this.

Even after the first time, Donnie had used his “magical powers”, he still hadn’t been able to access it since. He could tell it was there, residing in the back of his brain. He didn’t even need his goggles for that one. Not like he could see it with his refusal to look in any mirrors but…

He’s getting off track.

Come on, he just needed to… Smash the two energy levels together, right? Then Leo and himself could escape and find dad and Raph and Mikey and April- wasn’t April entering high school now? Oh, he wished he could have gone to a real school.

Donnie shot his eyes open when he heard his brother scream, instantly closing his eyes when bright blinding light evaded his senses. The screaming continued though, forcing Donnie to slowly peel his eyes back open despite the discomfort it caused.

In front of him, his brother had hunched over himself, clutching at the crown on his head. His entire body was surrounded by his blue light, illuminating the once-dark alleyways they were in. Soon, the commotion would draw in other yokai if something didn’t change. A crowd being drawn could do them no good, he should have planned for this better.

How can he fix this?

Donnie moved from the spot he had been frozen, running up to grab Leo’s hand in his own. Suddenly his hand lit up in purple, joining in the blue light, and the alleyways started to look like the galaxies he used to love to study when he was younger. For a second Donnie was afraid he managed to make it worst before both the purple and blue light slowly started to fade until there were only a few sparks left over.

“Hey- Hey Leo, bro are you-?” Donnie asks but stops when all of his brothers' weight came crashing down on top of him. His knees almost buckled before he caught himself along with Leo, slowly lowering themselves to the ground.

“Leo, Leo please wake up,-” Donnie says frantically, shaking at Leo’s unconscious shoulders, his head just rolled to the side onto Donnie’s shoulders.

Donnie froze when he heard a voice behind him.

“Two and Three, it looks like you have gone outside your mission parameters”
—

The mutagen was finalized one week before their full third year.

Chapter Text

Draxum had figured out that it was Donnie’s plan.

So Leo took the brunt of the punishments.
—

In the end, the room was the most effective on Leo.

The aforementioned turtle was currently in the corner of the room, knees pulled up to his chest while his shell was pressed firmly against one of the white walls. The room was all the same shade of white, from the walls to the floors to the ceilings. The only thing that stood out was the bright light that shone from a ceiling window on top. Thus causing whoever was kept in the room to have a permanent squint on their face to negate the blinding glow.

It was easy to lose track of time, especially for Leo who always had time blindness ever since he could remember. However, he did know that things in this room always came in intervals.

Right now there was nothing.

The ever-encompassing silence made it so he was left with nothing but himself. The only noise that came was his breathing and the slight buzz of the light above him. Secretly Leo was happy that he was here instead of Donnie. If this was sensory hell for him, then he didn’t want to imagine what it was like for his brother. The only time he could escape from the deafening silence was the few times he managed to fall into a fitful sleep.

Sleep never lasted long, either because of his own body being out to get him or because of a new stage of this… Torture was initiated.

Leo didn’t know when he fell asleep, or how long, but he was awoken by the door on the opposite side of the room being open. Instinctively he pushed himself further against the wall, pulling his knees even further against his chest, resisting the urge to retract into his shell fully.

“Two” Draxum states, walking in before closing the door behind him, Leo bracing himself.

“Sir-” Leo starts before cutting himself off when he saw the toy soldier in Draxum’s hand.

His toy soldier.

The yokai gave the mutant a pointed look, lifting the hand with the toy in it. Leo watched in horror as if almost in slow motion the fist squeezed around it, the sound of plastic being crushed ringing throughout the room, the small mechanical parts clattering to the floor.

Without thinking Leo scrambled forward on his hands and knees, picking up the broken pieces into his hands and bringing them close to his chest.

Draxum let him.

Leo felt tears well up in his eyes as he stared at the broken parts of the toy, hearing rather than seeing Draxum making his leave as the door was slammed close behind him.

Two didn’t notice as the smog slowly flooded the room until he was coughing on the gas, and the voices slowly returned.

This is all your fault.
—

Three looked up from where he was scribbling equations in his notebook, trying to figure out where he went wrong. His backup plan seemed to be more of a solution every day, but the consequences of those actions isn't something he really wants to bear. He watched in detachment as the door slowly opened expecting to see the goat yokai. His expression immediately shifted when he saw Two walk in, the door slamming shut behind the other.

Three-

Donnie instantly pushed the papers away, jumping out of his seat and away from his desk. He didn’t make it far before Leo had him in a bear hug. Donnie allowed it without any complaint, absent mindlessly rubbing circles into the back of his twin shell, humming the nursery rhyme that he only partly remembered.

They stayed like that for a few seconds before Leo slowly pulled back, Donnie allowing him to let go as he held up his clenched fist, opening it to reveal the mangled remains of the toy soldier Donnie had fixed up.

So that’s why Draxum rummaged their room a month ago.

“Oh, Leo…” Donnie mumbles, reaching up to gently scoop the mangled remains of the toy into his hand, depositing it onto his desk “I’m sure- I can fix this, it’ll be fine I-”

“Dee”

Donnie cut himself off, looking away from the plastic pieces to the now worried look on his twin’s face.

“What happened to your shell?”

There was a pause as Donnie absentmindedly reached up to grab at his neck, his fingers brushing against the shallow gashes that were now ingrained into his shell. A matching accessory with the scabs that littered it in the failed attempt to harden his carapace.

“Just an error that occurred after my failed calculations,” Donnie says, brushing off Leo’s worries “I have taken the proper precautions to lower the chances of shell rot, I shall be fine”

“Donnie, that not-” Leo sighs, shaking his head “nevermind, I do not want to have this argument with you right now”

There was a tense silence between them after that, as Leo finally moved away from where he was standing in the middle of the room to their bed, flopping down onto it before curling up in a fetal position. Donnie just watched, still standing by his desk as he absent-mindlessly fiddled with one of the broken plastic pieces in his hand.

Donnie broke the silence first.

“I miscalculated” he began, putting the broken piece of the toy down “There were multiple margins of errors that I should have tested before we even thought of trying to escape- I… Sigh, I made a mistake and I should have done- Ugh! What I’m trying to say is, well, I’m fucking sorry that due to my complete incompetence I caused… There so many things I should have done differently, and I should of I just-...”

Leo stayed motionless for a few moments, shell still turning to face Donnie not allowing him to be able to read Leo’s face. So Donnie stood there, fiddling with his hands. He always thought he was good at keeping his anxiety in check but right now it felt like his heart was going to metaphorically leap out of his chest.

Well, he hope it was metaphorically at least.

Donnie was startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder, looking up from where he was picking at his fingernail to be met with Leo’s sympathetic face. How had he not noticed his twin getting up?

Three was so tired.

“It’s okay Dee, you’re fine… I just” pause “I’m just kinda… Done. With all of this. I want Raph to hug us and say we are going to be okay, I want to try Mikey’s food again. Hell, I want dad to read us those stupid bedtime stories as he used to before you started learning how to read and took over! I just wish…”

Leo didn’t need to finish the sentence, Donnie understood.

“We’ve been here for three years, two weeks, and five days,” Donnie says eventually, staring at the wall behind Leo “Maybe… Draxum could have been right, you know, they could be… They could all just be dead. We haven’t even heard anything of their existence and- Leo, I’m starting to forget what Mikey sounded like. He’s a teenager now”

Maybe his heart was going to literally jump out of his chest.

“Maybe your right,” Leo says, causing the knot in Donnie's throat to thicken “but- we can’t think like that. We can’t, Donnie. We have to believe there is going to be tomorrow when we will be reunited with our family. I can’t believe anything else because… I don’t know if I’ll survive, Don”

The softshell turtle allowed himself to be pulled into a hug, his shoulders relaxing as his forehead rested on Leo’s shoulder. He wanted to cry, but no tears came.

The toy soldier lay broken on the desk.
—

“The swords are the thing that is disrupting the connection between Two and his mystic energy” Donnie huffs, arms crossed from where he was standing next to Draxum as Leo attempted to make portal after portal “your weapon isn’t compatible with-”

“Two, shouldn’t you be practicing with your mystic powers?”

Donnie held back a scoff, storming away from the yokai to walk into the middle of the room. He stood there with the bo in his hand, pulling his goggles on as he turned to Leo.

Leo himself was growing more and more frustrated as he continued to swing his sword out, the portal growing increasingly smaller until there was only a faint sparkle of blue energy that didn’t create anything.

Really, Leo would be able to focus so much fucking better if Draxum would shut up in the background.

“Once I managed to combine the mutagen with the mosquitos, I will amass an army suitable to eliminate those inferior humans”

Why does he constantly have to be a villain monologuing?

Leo began to lazily swing his sword, putting in less effort now that Draxum was too busy rambling on about his great inventions and so what. He glance at his brother, who also seemed to have lessened in his training as he leaned on his bo, raising an eyebrow at Leo with a smirk on his face.

Donnie always found it amusing when the kidnapper went on his rants.

Ever since Leo had been released from the room, most of there privileges they had managed to earn over the past three years were taken away. Donnie could only work in his lab with direct supervision, they had to be escorted everywhere by one or two of the gargoyles, and their room was now locked at night. The only thing they have managed to maintain was their room and mattress. The floorboard was sealed and put back in place.

There was also the double edge sword of not having been sent out on any missions since their failed escape attempt. On one hand, both were ecstatic that they no longer were sent out on deadly missions that could cost them their life and oftentimes cost other people theirs. Sadly though, it meant a lot less freedom to think of escape plans, and routes were taken away from them.

Not like it matter all that much, Donnie had still yet to figure out what was wrong with his theory.

The twins were brought back to reality when the Baron suddenly went quiet.
—

Baron Draxum felt a tug on his fingers and he looked down, eyes freezing in shock. Those two were back in the hidden city again? He’d thought that last time was a fluke. This could be the opportunity he needed to get his other two creations back after they fell through his grasp last time-

Patience, he needed to wait. The snapper and box turtle is a lot older than the red-eared slider and softshell had been when he kidnapped them, and after the last time he tried to grab them the stupid rat was on guard.

The yokai looked up when he felt two pairs of eyes, the two turtles staring back at him.

Baron Draxum cleared his throat awkwardly, clasping his hand behind his back.

“Training is over for the day, return to your room”

The two hesitated but when he pulled at their strings they instantly complied, giving him a bow before scurrying off as his two minions followed after to make sure they wouldn’t try anything.

There was a moment as the alchemist stood still, before walking out of the training room himself.

Soon the set would be complete.
—

The next day at training Draxum was in such a bad mood that the twins both had growing migraines when they were sent back to their room late in the night.

They didn’t bother to wonder why the Baron was in such a bad mood, and they honestly didn’t care enough.
—

Donnie stared blankly at the piece of paper in front of him, ignoring the constant sound of Leo snoring. He finally gave up, shutting the notebook closed. He had lost so many of his notes after Draxum had gone through their stuff the day after their failed escape attempt, and it was frustrating. It’s not like he needed the notes, it was just… Nice. To have them around.

Instead, his eyes shifted away from the notebook to the small pile of plastic and mechanical parts that lay on the desk.

Donnie had an idea.

They were going to be 14 in a few weeks after all.
—
Leo watched as Donnie entered the room, dragging himself onto the bed. His battle shell was absent, and Leo felt boiling rage slowly cloud his mind as he stared at the new gashes that littered Donnie’s back.

“Donnie, what-”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Leo”

The room fell silent after that, and Leo did not attempt to ask any further questions. Inside his head though Leo made a vow that this year was going to be the year they escaped.

In the process, he will make sure Draxum’s head is separated from his body.
—

“Hey, Nardo?” Donnie says from his place at the desk, causing Leo to look up from where he was playing with the sheet on the bed.

“Yeah?”

“Close your eyes”

“You aren’t going to draw eyebrows on my face again, are you?”

“Scoff, I would never do something that childish, who do you think I am?”

“You literally did that last year, Donnie”

“Oh for the love of- just close your eyes!” Donnie says. Leo laughs, rolling his eyes as he complied and closed them.

There was some movement and after a few moments, he felt Donnie get on top of the bed with him, the mattress dipping underneath his twin's weight. He heard a bit more rustling and Donnie muttering something under his breath before his brother spoke again.

“Okay”

“Okay?”

“Okay open your eyes, don’t be draft”

Leo crackles again, before slowly opening his eyes where he was met with Donnie’s own. He stared at them before following his brother's line of sight, slowly looking down at Donnie’s outstretched hands.

There laid the toy soldier.

Or, what he thinks is the toy soldier. The plastic pieces were put together a bit crudely, and he could tell that most of them were glued together while big portions were taped together with duct tape, like the right leg. The paint job was chipped away in multiple places, being able to see the plastic underneath it.

“I won’t be able to properly fix it until Draxum gives me more free time or we make it to tomorrow but… It’s something?” Donnie trails off, before shrugging “I’m sorry, it isn’t anything special but uh… Happy birthday I guess”

Huh, they were 14, weren’t they? It’s easy to lose track of time, especially since last year they ignored their 13th birthday.

“Hey Nardo, you’ve gone silent, and if you don’t like it I will be absolutely crushed I cannot stress enough-”

Leo cuts Donnie rambling off, bringing him into a bone-crushing hug while continuing to clutch gently at the toy soldier with one hand. Donnie allowed the hug to get a few seconds before tapping twice on Leo’s shoulder, and he backed away from the hug easily as he looked down at the broken toy.

It was probably the best gift he’s ever received.

“Donnie?”

“...Yeah?”

“...Thanks”

“You're welcome, dumb dumb”
—

In the end, it was Leo who figured out what Donnie wasn’t calculating.

The two brothers were standing next to each other, Draxum currently lecturing them about their lack of improvement in their mystic powers. Leo had already droned out the conversation before the first sentence was finished. Donnie was fiddling with his hands so he could guess that he was also not the only one paying attention at this point.

“Not to cut you off” Leo spoke up, the pain in the back of his skull only serving as a dull reminder that Draxum didn’t like to be interrupted “but, you haven’t really helped with any of this- it has something to do with our DNA, sure, but besides that, we know nothing. Kinda seems like your problem, no?”

“I don’t think I asked for your opinion, Two”

“Sure, you haven’t but you can’t really blame us for not knowing something you won’t teach us”

The long-suffering sigh he earned was worth it despite the pain in his head. At this point, the crown was more of a shock collar than anything, and Leo took any chance he could to annoy their creator. He did feel a bit guilty when Donnie winced behind him also receiving the same punishment, but they had agreed long ago to not let that get in the way. 

Draxum went back on his rant while instructing Leo and Donnie to do 100 pushups. Leo dropped down to the ground to complete the exercise, getting lost in his thoughts.

What was Donnie missing anyways? Draxum was not telling them everything, or else maybe they would have learned to master their powers by this point. It had something to do with their DNA but-

Something clicked.

Leo felt like he was in a daze for the rest of the day as training went as normal. Donnie was taken away to help Draxum with something for a bit as Leo continued his methodical task of swinging his sword.

When the two reunited back in their room, Leo ignored the plate of food that was set aside on the desk. He ran up to his brother and grabbed his shoulders, Donnie looking confused back at his brother.

“What?”

“I’ve figured it out!”

“Figured out why your breath stinks so much? Because I swear to god if you don’t back up Leo-”

“Not that! The reason why you are wrong!”

“Ah, we’ve been kidnapped and the barbs continue…”

“Don’t be dramatic” Leo laughs, pulling away as he grabbed a piece of paper and pen on the desk. He stuck out his tongue as he scribbled something on the paper before holding it up, and shoving it into Donnie’s face.

Donnie took the paper, squinting at the doodles on it.

“Maybe you should let Micheal stick to the drawings”

On the paper were the crudely sketched faces of all his brothers, Donnie’s forehead being extremely exaggerated and Ralph and Mikey were just a square and circle.

…Did Leo give himself hair?

“And why do you have hair-” Donnie begins to question as the paper was ripped away from him by Leo.

“Not the point!” Leo huffs, crossing his arms “the point is they are the missing vari-ie-la you’ve been talking about!”

“Variable, Leo, variable. I know you know what that word means you are trying to get on my nerves on purpose I swear to pizza supreme in the sky I despise your guts” Donnie rants, crossing his arms, mimicking Leo.

Wait.

“Wait, how are our brothers the missing variable?”

“Glad you asked oh genius brother of mine” Leo dramatically says, drawing stuff onto the paper again, holding it up after a moment to show arrows pointing at each of them “Shit-face has said it himself, our powers or whatever you’ve been calling it with the dark-energy-matter thing stuff- whatever! It’s a family thing, so it’s probably connected to all of us!”

“That is- actually, that makes sense…” Donnie says, eyebrows furrowing as he took the paper from Leo “I did manage to stop… whatever side effect was happening when you tried to cut the connection between you in the crown when my mystic energy interfered”

Leo puffs out of his chest in pride, leaning against the desk with a smirk on his face.

“Not as detailed as I would like but…”

Leo rolled his eyes, the smirk falling from his face.

Donnie pushed away Leo to get to his desk, grabbing some of his notes as he flips through the pages.

“That just means that… We have to find the others to escape. We need them, Leo” there was a moment, before continuing.

“We need our brothers”
—

Fact: They’ve been here for three years, five months, and twelve days.

“Three”

Three didn’t bother to wait for the command, handing over the jar that contained the mutagen in it to Draxum. In front of them was a bunch of mosquitos in their container, the buzz from their frantic flying to try and escape rung through Three’s head.

Three at the moment related to the mosquitos.

“I have almost completed the process” Baron Draxum monologues “Once I’ve combined the mutagen with these lowly insects I will be able to easily amass an army of mutants-”

A cat (?) appeared on top of Baron Draxum's hands. A cat (dog?) disappeared from Baron Draxum’s hands, along with the jar.

Huh, that was probably the most interesting thing Donnie has seen in over a year.

Three stood frozen as Draxum stared blankly down at his hands.

A few moments went by until Draxum’s head snapped up, and the yokai started to frantically look around the room. Three continued to stand in place, staring at the spot where the cat yokai had been seconds before. What the fuck just happened?

“What are you doing just standing there?!” Draxum yelled, causing Three to jolt at the sudden noise “go and get Two and chase after it! If I find that the mutagen has been lost I will make it so your brother never sees daylight ever again, understood?”

Donnie gulped, staring at the yokai in shock before chasing after it, using the coms on his electronic wristband to summon Leo to him.

That was the first time he’s ever heard Baron Draxum yell.
—

The large alligator-snapping turtle stood in the shadows on the roof of the building, staring at the people below. The figure would be almost threatening if he wasn’t hopping from one foot to the other anxiously, scratching at the back of his head.

“Come on Mikey come on where are you?” the large mutant says, crouching down a bit as if he could get a better view of the city below and see where his brother was.

“Boo!”

The voice came from behind him as a smaller box turtle landed on top of Raph’s shell, dangling a bag in front of his face, and grabbing onto one of the spikes for balance. Mikey leaned half of his body over his brother's shoulder, smiling wide when he saw the nervous look on Raph’s face.

“Did I scare ya big bro?” Mikey says, laughing as Raph started sputtering out some excuses “I got the food supplies, pops told us to meet him back in the new meeting spot after I fetched ya”

Raph calmed down, nodding as he backed away from the ledge of the roof with Mikey on his shoulders, jumping across the small distance to the next roof to continue their trek back to their new “home”.

Ever since the incident four years ago they haven’t been able to stay in one place for very long, always having to find a new place underground whenever Splinter felt like they were close to being tracked down. Once they even tried staying in the hidden city but soon learned that would be impossible with how many sensors Baron Draxum had.

Learning about who that yokai was and even about the hidden city in general still gave Raph a headache to this day.

“We’re going to that abandon subway station, ya?” Raph calls from over his shoulder at Mikey, who gave him a thumbs up.

The trek across the rooftops was easy, both turtles knowing they could probably navigate the city with their eyes blindfolded if they have to. Ever since the twins were kidnapped Splinter had made sure to focus more attention on his parenting, which include an in-depth geography lesson in case the two ever got lost.

Raph stopped at the edge of a building, letting Mikey slide off of his back and onto the ground. They were about to head down to the latter to get to the manhole cover before he froze, catching something in the corner of his eye.

Was that a dog…? Carrying something in its mouth?

Mikey noticed his brother pause, following his eyes sight. Mikey looked away from the dog, trying to see what it was running away from.

A gasp from his brother made Raph look up causing his blood to freeze. He couldn’t even say anything before his brother was scrambling down the escape ladder, Raph remaining frozen in the spot. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. After all this time, after the many failed rescue attempts? Were those two-

A red-eared slider and a softshell.

Chapter Text

Now dear readers, we have come to an impasse. Brothers are about to be reunited, a family almost whole.

But we’ve only seen one side of the story, folks.

Leo and Donnie have been put on trial after trial, and the only thing that kept them afloat was their hope for the next day. For a tomorrow that may or may not occur. We’ve seen this story though, let’s take a step back and focus on the two that were left behind.

Raph and Mikey, the oldest and youngest. Let’s see how this story plays out, shall we?
—
Raph was clutching his youngest brother close to his side, a hand over Mikey’s mouth to muffle his brother's crying. When they had awoken and found the two middle children missing, they immediately ran to get their dad. Once Splinter had finally taken the circumstances seriously, he shoved the two remaining children into the living room closet, giving them clear instructions to stay silent and to not move from this spot until he got back. The oldest took the task seriously and if that meant shushing his youngest brother then so be it.

The closet was dark and cramped, multiple old toys and clothes that no longer fit any of them had been stored away in there. Raph tried his best to crouch down, rubbing circles into Mikey’s shell. He wished he could comfort his younger brother with words but even if he was allowed to make noises he doesn’t think his throat would allow words to form. He wasn’t showing it for the sake of his younger brother but he was petrified (he learned that word from Donnie the other day).

Raph stiffened when he heard a noise coming from outside the closet, Mikey let out a muffled gasp behind his hand before retracting fully into his shell. Raph caught him, bringing the box shell turtle close to his plastron. He turned his shell towards the closet door, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Boys?”

Raph re-opened his eyes again at the sound of the familiar voice, turning back around in time to see Splinter opening the closet door. Mikey popped out of his shell, scrambling out of Raph’s arms as he ran straight towards splinter.

“Daddy!” the nine-year-old yells out, arms stretched out for a hug as he tackled the rat mutant to the ground. Splinter let out a grunt as he fell backward but still brought his arms around his son.

“Hello there Orange” Splinter hums, slowly sitting up with Mikey in his lap “were you good for Red?”

“Hmm! I stayed quiet like you instructed pops!”

Raph rolled his eyes fondly, shaking his head in exasperation as he made his way out of the cramped closet. As quiet as a 9-year-old who was crying could be.

“Good, good” Splinter patted the top of Mikey’s head, lifting him off of his lap and setting him aside “can you do something for dad little one?”

Mikey nodded his head excitedly.

“Great, my son. How about you go to your room and start packing a little to-go bag, we are going to go on a bit of a vacation” Splinter said, and Raph immediately suspected something was wrong. Usually, when Pop brought back the rowdy twins he would ground them, not… Whatever this was.

Mikey didn’t seem to share his plight though as his eyes lit up at the sound of a vacation (he wasn’t entirely too sure if he knew what that word even mean since they’d never been on one), nodding his head quickly before scampering off to the there shared room. Raph watched him go before turning back to Splinter, his earlier suspicions seemingly being true at the sight of his father's face.

“Raphael”

Raph straightened up at the use of his full name, fiddling with his hands to get rid of the access energy.

“Yes, father?”

“There is much I have not told you” Splinter begins, letting out a long sight that made Raph’s heart clench in sympathy “We might not see Leonardo or Donatello for a long time. I need you to listen closely”

Raph nodded as seriously as an 11-year-old could.

And so, his life was changed forever.
—

Mikey didn’t remember much of what happened the first year after the twin's disappearance. At least that’s what he told his pops and older brother. They assumed he wasn’t aware of what was going on to the full extent until much later, and Mikey wanted to keep it that way.

He knew what his role in the mismatched family was. He overheard a conversation between the twins when they were much younger about how “sweet and innocent” he was. Mikey found it funny then, considering he was only one year younger than the middle children. He soon learned what that meant whenever tragedy struck the family. Whenever Splinter got too depressed to move from his chair for days, the brothers would all baby Mikey in ways he didn’t understand all that much. Whenever one of them got deadly sick, Mikey was always the first one they made sure wouldn’t catch the virus. Whenever…

Whenever anything bad happened, Mikey was to go to distraction. He was the youngest and the sweetest. The hope in the eyes of the other. He was still putting the pieces together at 9 years old, but he knew enough to not diverge from his role.

So when he noticed the worry in his dad's eyes and the obvious way that he sends him off to his room with an empty promise of a vacation, he knew he couldn’t show that he was aware that something was going on. So he nodded and put on his “baby” face, quickly running away to his room.

However, he stopped when he ran around the corner. He pressed himself up against the wall and listened to the conversation. He learned about Baron Draxum, about the yokai, about the hidden city, and… and…

He wanted Donnie to comfort him with facts and logic. He wanted Leo to joke about this, to tell him how this seems to all come out of a comic book. He wanted…

It doesn’t matter what he wanted.

He quickly made his way to his room when the conversation turned to Splinter comforting a crying Raph. He started packing as much as he could. They wouldn’t be able to stay in one spot now, is what Splinter had told Raph, so he could only pack the essentials (yes, the teddy bear was one of them).

When Raph came into the room and started packing his stuff, Mikey was once again wearing a big smile on his face.

That’s how the first year went. Mikey continued to act like he didn’t know what was going on, playing the constant moving like an adventure. The only constant was April, and even then they couldn’t see her as much as before. Their adopted older sister still attempted though, and Raph and Mikey never took that for granted.

Most of the homes were just different parts of the sewer. Sometimes they stayed in abandoned buildings, though Splinter tried hard to not resort to that. They still had to worry about humans spotting them, not just the Baron.

Throughout all of that, Mikey kept on a smile. When he started to notice how weary Splinter was from protecting the sons he still has and looking for the two sons that were missing Mikey would snuggle up into Splinter's lap. When Raph spent one too many all-nighters keeping lookout when Splinter was off searching for Donnie and Leo, he would beg Raph to read them a story until they would fall asleep together.

That was Mikey’s role, and he will be happy if he keeps what's left of his family happy.
—

“Dad”

“Not now, Red”

“Dad-”

“I said, not now-”

“Dad!”

Splitter sighed, turning away from where he was rummaging through the garbage to find something to eat. His oldest son was there, a determined look on his face.

“... What is it?”

“Teach us how to fight,” the newly turned 12-year-old says, standing up straighter when he immediately saw the no forming on his father's face “don’t say-"

“No”

“That’s what I told you not to say!”

“You’ve asked this before, and my answer still stays the same”

“That was before Leo and Donnie were kidnapped! Probably because they didn’t know how to defend themselves!” Raph huffs, crossing his arms “What if something came and attacked us- attacked Mikey! We wouldn’t be able to-”

“I won’t allow that to happen-”

“Just like you didn’t allow Leo and Donnie to get kidnapped?”

Deathly silence.

Even though the young snapping turtle felt guilt start to build up he shoved it down, gripping tight to his determination. Stubbornness runs in the family, and after learning that they actually shared DNA with Splinter it only increased.

Splinter stared at his oldest son, seeing his own stubbornness reflected back onto him as he began to fold.

“Fine, then training starts first this tomorrow morning”
—

The second year was when things started to become more structured.

Raph had enjoyed training the moment he started (and he would learn later how much different it was from how Leo and Donnie were taught). Splinter made it out more of a game and competition at the start, and he could tell that Mikey also enjoyed practicing with his nunchucks even if he would get distracted easily.

They also at this point had a complicated pattern of where they would hide, and all three of them had become good at being able to pack on what they needed. April had even offered to take some of the more valuable of their items and keep them for safekeeping, which they all greatly appreciated.

Splinter had started allowing the two brothers to go out more often and keep on a lookout for hints of where their brothers were. While they were both still young they had both matured rapidly due to the need of staying safe and finding their lost brothers.

Raph wished he could be more of use, but considering they were still banned from going to the hidden city there wasn’t much he could do besides look after Mikey. The little man (sorry, big man) still hadn’t lost his smile and Raph couldn’t help but laugh with him.

All in all, the second year was almost like the calm before the storm.
—

“Dad, come on we need to go and try and-”

“No, you two are not ready”

“We are!” Mikey wines from where he was kneeling in front of their sensei “c’mon! We’ve improved our training! We can get Donnie and Leo back-”

“I said you are not read, that is my final statement”

“Pops- I mean, Master Splinter. Please” Raph begs next to Mikey “we don’t know what that madman is doing to my younger brothers, I need to-”

“Silence”

The two went still, bowing their heads. They flinched back when their mask was ripped off of their face and looked up confused when Splinter stood in the middle of the training room.

“If you two can get back both of your bandanas then I will allow you to start looking on your own for your missing brothers”

They stiffened.

“Start”

Raph instantly charged forward and with a click of his tongue in disapproval Splinter was easily able to knock the big guy off balance. Mikey came a few moments later and sprung at Splinter. The rat dodged easily, his tail lashing out to trip the box turtle.

Raph sprung up from where he was thrown to the side, once again charging. Mikey scramble up and jumped forward to try and grab at the bandana. Right as both three-finger hands reached out to grab their respective color cloth, Splinter leaped up in the air and flipped backward.

There was a loud crash as the two collided with each other.

Raph was the first to recover, slowly sitting up to rub at his sore head. He began freaking out that he might of hurt his little brother before Mikey sprung up into a sitting position, looking uninjured.

Before he could even let out a sigh of relief, Splinter threw the bandanas at the two.

“Training will continue as normal”

The brothers didn’t bother to protest after that.
—

“Raph!” Mikey whisper-yells, shaking his big brother awake. The aforementioned turtle awoke with a snort, sitting straight up in bed with wide eyes.

“Wh- what? Is something wrong, where’s pops-”

“Woah, Woah! Nothings wrong!” Mikey says, hopping back on top of the makeshift bed (it was a few blankets and pillows) after he was accidentally pushed off “I just… Well, dad is still out and I was hoping… I mean, do you know what day it is today?”

“Uuuuh” Raph begins, before shrugging “no?”

“It’s Donnie and Leo’s birthday. Didya know they’re 13 now?”

Mikey was hoping for a positive reaction, instead, Raph’s face became even more tired if that was possible.

“Huh, I guess you’re correct boss man,” Raph says, and Mikey could easily tell that the smile was forced.

The sewer tunnel they were currently staying in for the night was silent besides the dripping of water and the occasional sound of a car being driven overhead. It was dark, the only real light source coming from the eclectic lantern in the middle. Splinter had left a few hours ago to find and gather supplies (while hopefully looking for ways to get the twins back).

“I think… I think we should do something about it”

“Like what? They aren’t exactly here Mikey, I miss them too but…”

“It’s just, for the past few years we’ve kind of been ignoring them? Like we still talk about them and stuff but it’s like we are talking about the dead. They aren’t! And... And if we celebrate their birthday then it proves that they are alive cause they’re aging like we are… And…”

Mikey was cut off from his ramblings by a strong hand on his shoulder, looking up to see Raph’s signature soft smile.

“Okay buddy- How about we sing happy birthday and tomorrow when the suns out I’ll see if I can snag us a cupcake for something, ya’”

“Yeah!”

While the twins ignored their birthday, their other half made up for it.
—

This was the first time they had managed to enter the hidden city. Splinter had recently found some news about where Draxum was located. His remaining son's training was going well and his missing sons needed to come back home. He was going to get them back at all costs.

Or well, that was his hope.

He was leading his sons through the busy streets of the center of the hidden city when he suddenly saw it.

Two strings, red and orange.

Without giving Red and Orange an explanation, he told them they are going home.

“But dad, you said-” Mikey was protesting as Splinter herded the two turtles into an alleyway.

“Do not question me right now Orange, I’ll explain later”

“Is that a promise?” Raph says, worry spreading across his face.

Splinter nods, and that will have to be enough for now.
—

That was the day they learned about their family ninpo.

And, consequently, how dangerous it can be.
—

“Hey April”

Mikey hops up onto the roof, his brother following shortly after him. April was there waiting for them, feet dangling off the edge from where she sat. She looked up from where she was watching the busy street down below, waving at the two turtles as they came to sit down on opposite sides of her.

“Considering that I got no news from you guys, the trip was a bust?”

The down trodded faces of her adopted younger brothers confirmed her suspicion. She brought both of them into a side hug (even if it was a bit awkward considering the height difference between her and Raph). She felt both lean into her side and she let them, returning her gaze to the people below.

She had long ago forgone her guilt after the loss of the twins. When Splinter had climbed through her window that early morning (thank god her parents were heavy sleepers), asking her frantically where his middle sons were she instantly felt her stomach drop. April instantly explained that she was originally meant to meet up with the twins but her parents had caught her sneaking out and well…

That was the end of the story.

Splinter had left after that in a rush, and she hadn’t heard from the turtles or the rat until a few months later when Raph and Mikey came knocking at her door. That night consisted of many stories from both sides, guilt from April for not being with her younger brothers when they were kidnapped and guilt from the snapper and box turtle for not talking to their older sister for months.

April shook herself out of her thoughts, bringing herself back to the present. So, yes, while she had long gotten over her guilt logically sometimes she still felt the heaviness in her chest.

“Yeah,” Raph says, breaking the silence “Dad noticed… Well, apparently Draxum has a way to track us and it has something to do with this stuff called “ninpo” and-”

“It’s like magic!” Mikey piped in from April's other side, leaning into her eyesight “like… Pow pow type of magic!”

“That” Raph confirms “and it’s like… dangerous, or something, if someone interferes with it… I didn’t really understand it all that much to be fair. Splints said we can’t know more until we pass his test, or whatever”

“So you two are like… Superheroes?”

Raph and Mikey looked at each other before looking back at her, big smiles on both of their faces.

“We are!”
—

“Red and Orange, today is going to be a test”

The two remaining sons knelled in front of their father, head bowed as they listened when Splinter went on to explain. They barely moved then they felt their masks being ripped off.

“If you can retrieve both of your masks back from me, we will once again attempt to retrieve Leonardo and Donatello”

Raph and Mikey stiffened, waiting for the signal for them to move…

“...Start”

Raph sprung up first, charging straight at Splinter. The rat almost sighed at the predictability, easily ducking underneath a punch aiming straight for his head. However, his eyes widen in shock for a split second when Mikey leaped frog from over Raph's shell. The box turtle retracted into his own sell, landing straight on Splinter's back.

The old mutant let out a grunt before using his tail to whip Mikey away. When he was distracted from the impact, his oldest son made a move once again to grab at the bandana. Splinter barely managed to doge, before grabbing at Raph’s arm and flipping him over his shoulder.

“Good jobs sons, but-”

Splinter was cut off from his gloating as Mikey sprung on top of the short rat man's shoulders, covering his eyes with his hands.

“Now Raph!”

While Splinter was busy trying to get his youngest son off of him (and from crushing him) so he could see again, Raph got up and tackled the pair on the ground.

Splinter was able to wiggle out of the pile, doing a couple of flips back to get away from the turtles.

“Like I was saying, nice try-” Splinter begins, as he held up an empty hand.

What?

Splinter's confusion was gone the moment he glanced at the laughing turtle pile on the ground, a red bandana clasped in Orange's hand and an orange bandana gripped in Red’s hand.

His confusion was quickly replaced with a feeling of pride.
—

After four years, Mikey and Raph got the closest to reaching their lost family.

“Are you sure this is where dad told us to be?” Mikey whispered, ducking into an alleyway.

“Ya, pops said this portal will bring us the closets to Baron Draxum’s laboratory apparently….” Raph says, trailing off before shrugging. Mikey stepped forward, using the key Splinter had taught them to open up the gateway.

When the alleyway glowed with light as the portal opened, the two brothers wasted no time jumping through. They managed to land on their feet when they got to the other side, Raph catching Mikey a bit when he almost stumbled forward.

The view was beautiful but one they’d seen multiple times before (the first time being when they tried to hide out here for a few days in the first year after the twins went missing), so they immediately began the trick down the hill.

“Pops says it should be-” Raph begins but was cut off when a portal appeared right in front of them, a vine whipping out towards them.

Mikey and Raph instantly jumped backward out from the plant's reach, watching as a tall yokai emerged from the portal.

“Is that…?” Mikey starts to whisper but didn’t finish when Raph shushed him. The yokai stared at them, the mask clouding any facial expressions Mikey could discern.

“Turtles” was simply what the yokai says before vines came rushing out from behind him, heading straight towards the aforementioned turtles.

Raph picked up Mikey by his shell, jumping backward away from the vines. He was about to charge forward before his eyes widened when he saw something metal in the yokai’s hands (who they can probably confirm is Bardon Draxum by now).

Abort mission.

“Mikey we have to leave-”

“But-”

“Not now”

With that, they made their escape.

(Baron Draxum was left behind, two metal bands clasped in his hand. Orange and red)
—

“I’m sorry pops I-”

“No, you made the right decision Red”
—-

And now, lovely readers, we find ourselves back in the present day. Let’s rewind forward a bit, shall we?

Mikey and Raph were currently making their way back to Splinter from a supply run, only to see two familiar faces. Let’s see how the future plays out.
—

Raph was stuck frozen at the fire escape for only a few short moments before quickly following Mikey, jumping down. The dog that was running away skidded to a halt, landing on its butt. The two turtles that were running after it also stopped in their mad dash, eyes still focused on the yokai.

Raph for a split second was worried these two weren’t them, but when the turtles looked up he instantly knew it was them. His brothers.

They both sported haunted eyes, scars littering their face. Raph would take any bet and say that the rest of their body was also covered in injuries if he could see it threw the cloaks both were wearing. Their once vibrant green was dull, and any hint of youth was long gone from their features.

The red-eared slide- Leo, eyes were dull, where they once held so much mischief and charm. He now stood a few inches taller next to his brother, standing up straight and tall. Two twin swords were strapped to his shell, and as he continued to stare his haunted eyes slowly widened when he seemed to take in the two as realization struct.

Donnie's eyes were crazed, one twitching every few moments. His once vibrant green skin was now a muddy swamp color, and unlike his twin, he was hunched over. His eyes were already wide with realization, understanding what was going on the moment he spotted their long-lost family.

“DONNIE! LEO!” Mikey screams, running forward, completely ignoring the yokai that was currently sandwiched in between the family reunion.

Raph watched in almost despair as the pair flinched back at the rush. Leo is the one to take the initiative, taking a couple of steps forward as he caught Mikey in the air after he lept at them. He brought the orange turtle close to him, squeezing him into a bone-crushing hug. The snapping turtle didn’t bother to wait another moment as he sprung forward, bringing his two brothers into a bone-crushing hug.

Donnie stood back for a second, before joining the hug ever so cautiously. He didn’t stay long though before drawing away, typing into something that appeared to be a wristband on his arm.

“Leo-”

“I know, I know. You deal with the dog while I explain to them, okay?”

Donnie nodded, disappearing from Raph’s line of sight. Leo backed away, face downtrodden. Wait, why? Shouldn’t he be-

“I know what you’re thinking, but we can’t come back. Not yet” Leo says, voice cracking before he cleared his throat, voice turning strong “here take this”

Leo places a small device that looked to be a very primitive communication thing, too shocked to speak. Mikey appeared to be in the same state, glance shifting between his two oldest brothers.

“Wait- wait, what do you mean you can’t-” Raph's shock quickly wears off when the device was given to him but was cut off when Leo raised a hand, a pleading look on his face.

“It’s too dangerous, Draxum will notice if we are gone too long. We need a plan and I can’t explain too much right now, Raphie”

And, oh, how Raphael's heart clenched at the childhood nickname.

“But…” Mikey trailed off, voice wobbling. Leo smiled, small and hurt, reaching out as he patted Mikey’s head.

“Huh, you have grown…”

Leo’s contemplation was cut off as Donnie returned back to his side, the dog nowhere to be seen.

“I have it,” Donnie says to Leo, before turning to the other two brothers “the device he gave you will allow me to contact you the moment I am able to. Please, be patient-”

Donnie's instructions were cut short as he let out a yelp of pain, clutching at his head.

“We have to go, Two”

Two?

“It’s Leo, Dee”

“Yeah- yeah I know that”

Before Raph or Mikey could protest there was smoke in his eyes and by the time he cleared it away, the twins were gone.

The two remaining brothers stood there in defeat, unaware of the trackers Donnie had placed on them.

Chapter Text

Three felt the pull of the crown and knew they had to go. Now.

If Draxum decides they were taking too long he will come here to get them. Personally. That can’t happen, because Mikey and Raph are standing right there before him. Oh god, they were standing. Right. There. In. Front. Of. Him.

“We have to go, Two”

“It’s Leo, Dee”

“Yeah- yeah I know that”

When the other two were distracted (the other two- why did they have to leave them?), Donnie fumbled for his belt, pulling out the smoke bomb. He dropped it, not making eye contact as the faces of the other two brothers disappeared in the cloud of smoke. His arm was grabbed as Leo dragged them away. His free hand clutched at the satchel around his waist, making sure the prison contraption that held the yokai didn’t fall out.

Donnie’s mind was running mild per minute as he moved away from his two newly re-found brothers and oh-

They were alive.
—

“You two took long enough”

The twins were kneeling in front of Draxum, their heads bowed as they stared at the floor. They had handed over the spherical ball that contained the small Yokai, which was now in the clutches of Draxum’s hands.

“Sorry Master, we had to venture into the human world and… We aren’t very adverse in that City’s terrain” Leo finally says, lifting his head to address their kidnapper.

Baron Draxum stared for a few minutes into Leo’s eyes, and the blue turtle tried his hardest to keep his face neutral. Only Donnie could notice the small shake in Leo's hands and the way he was frowning ever so slightly. Donnie himself was barely paying attention, running through multiple scenarios in his head. He didn’t notice the way Draxum would occasionally turn his stare onto him, to lost in his head.

“Good, and of course if you ran into anyone else you would have informed me Two” Draxum says, his voice bored as he turned around to walk away “You may go, I have the mutagen now”

Leo gulped, staring at the back of Draxum as he walked away. He stood up, pulling his brother up by his arm, dragging them away and off to their room. Each step he took felt like nails were being jammed into his feet with the anxiety racing through his body.

He knows.

Leo pushed the door open, shoving Donnie into the room and closing the door after. He watched as his twin quickly walked over to their bed, pushing it to the side of their new hiding space after their last one was found.

“We need to figure out a plan,” Donnie says, falling to his knees as he moved a floorboard away “We have to take it slow, we can’t risk Raph and-”

“We can’t take it slow, we have to do it now” Leo interrupts Donnie as he came over to kneel next to him. Donnie looked up from where he was rummaging through a bag, shock and anger displayed freely on his face.

“What? Nardo, if we rush we can risk-”

“He knows”

Silence.

They both sat there still on the ground, the tension in the room thickening the air they were breathing. The walls of their cage seemed to mock them, somehow seeming even smaller than before. The only thing that could be heard was their ragged breathing.

“He knows?” Donnie finally breaks the silence, looking up and over at his twin.

“Yes- It was in the way he walked. He was too confident about something”

“...Okay”

The two lapsed into silence again, seconds ticking by before they both seem to come to the same conclusion at the same time. They restarted their search through their hidden supplies, working in perfect unison.
—

Did the turtles think he was an idiot?

The Baron felt a wide grin growing on his face, staring at the orange and red mystic string on his hand that a few moments ago had been intertwined with the purple and blue.

“At last” Draxum spoke out loud, setting the mutagen on the table “the turtles will be in my grasp, that stupid rat will be dead, and the humans will slowly fall after”

“Boss, are you talking to yourself again?”

Draxum sighed, turning around slowly to face his two minions. His glare was enough for the two to get the hint, scurrying out of the room and out of sight. He watched them flee, glee slowly returning.

The humans will pay for trapping him and his fellow Yokai away. The turtles will understand soon, and all the mutants that follow them. Yes, maybe he was a bit harsh in his training but the ends justify the means. When the humans are gone, they will all be able to live freely. Who cares if he is seen as the villain in the story? He’s doing it for them, for his creations, and for his siblings. For the yokai kids who have to grow up in fear of being caught by those prejudiced humans, and the yokai elders who remember the time they didn’t need to hide away. So yes, maybe he was cruel.

So be it.

Two and Three will eventually see his ways, and soon One and Four will join them. Once everything is settled, then maybe he can try to be more… Kind. They would be able to live freely on the surface after all, not having to hide in the sewers. Really, he wasn’t that bad after all. He was just protecting his creations, his pets, so they can have the best chance of success.

He went over to the mutagen. Work needed to be done, after all.
—

Raph and Mikey stood from where they were left in the alleyway, the smoke had long cleared but they still felt trapped in place. Raph glanced down at their hand, staring at the small little device Leo had given them.

“We have to go after them!” Mikey interrupts their silence, a look of determination on his face as he takes a few steps forward “We just had them, we can’t-”

“No, not yet,” Raph says, grabbing his youngest brother by the shell and pulling him back “We need- a plan?”

“A plan? Raph, we finally saw Donnie and Leo after four years we need to save them!”

“We will- Just, contact April”

“What? Why?”

“April can scout the entrances to the undercity” Raph simply explained, pocketing the device the twins had given him “while we go and find Splinter”

Mikey stared into his eyes for only a few moments, before slowly nodding as he took out his phone. He clicked on April’s contact info, and the phone only rang a few times before it was answered.

“Hey Mikes, what’s up? It’s a bit late at night-” April's cracky voice came over the phone, a yawn cutting off her mid-sentence “I have school in the morning, so I hope something is on fire”

“April! We found Donnie and Leo- Well, more like we collided with one another. They looked so… Old, older than they should be. And and they looked so tired and they had so so many scars on them Apes. Donnie called Leo Two ee and-” Mikey started rambling, words going a mile a minute before April cut him off.

“Woah, calm down big man,” April says, shuffling could be heard over the phone as she sat up “Where are Don and Leo now?”

“They said they had to leave,” Raph says, taking over as he leaned over Mikey to speak into his phone “They gave us a way to communicate with them- Look, we need you to scout out the entrances to the undercity while we go and look for pops. Our brothers were chasing after… Something from there and this could go south really fast”

“Yes sir, you can count on me, do you want me to go and sneak into the undercity? I’ve been there a few times in disguise” There was movement as April got up, putting on shoes “I can see if I can find any clues?”

“Hmmm… Better not. Wait until we get there. Just watch the entrances for us, kay?” Raph says, starting to back away from the phone “Love ya Apes”

“Love you too April! Stay safe and we’ll find you as soon as we can get pops to us- Yeah yeah Raph I’m coming” Mikey says, hanging up without waiting for a response as he skipped after his oldest brother, the biggest smile on his face.

For the first time in a long time, Mikey smiled not just for his family, but for himself.
—

April stared down at her phone, which had long since gone black. She had one shoe halfway on, sitting on the edge of her bed as she tried to get her thoughts together. She felt like she deserved it, after all, she did just learn that her brothers whom she barely had the chance to know had returned.

The brothers that she still blames herself for them going missing. No matter how many times Splints and the others reassured her it wasn’t her fault, she still couldn’t shake the guilt of what would have happened if she was able to sneak out that night. She should have been there to protect her little brothers, it was her responsibility to keep them safe.

(Never mind the fact she was only just 12 years old)

She managed to snap herself out of her thoughts, quickly getting the rest of her shoes on. She headed out, grabbing her green jacket at the end of her bed, not bothering to change out of her pajamas. She didn’t have to worry about being silent, her parents were away for the week on a business trip so she was easily able to leave out the front door, making sure to lock the apartment door behind her.

She took the stairs two steps at a time, not wanting to waste any more time waiting for the elevator. It was late at night, her phone telling her it was 3 AM, so she didn’t pass anyone else. She exited the building, glad she was only on the second floor.

She stood outside on the sidewalk, watching as her cold breath left her. She mentally scanned the entrance places she knew of that Splinter had told them about a few years ago for safety reasons. She contemplated her choices for a moment, before deciding to get to Senior Hueso’s place. While it may not be the most likely of places the twins could have gone to, Hueso had ears and eyes all around the undercity. It was how Splints was able to find out where Draxum had been hiding his sons the first time around.

“Hola Seniorita, what can I do for you today? I don’t see the turtles here with you” the skeleton greeted as April walked in, the Yokai there staring at her before they went back to their food. April was used to it, seeing a human in the undercity was like seeing a unicorn in New York City.

“Hey Hueso, do you think we can talk in the back?” April says, fidgeting from one foot to the other. The skeleton yokai stared at her for a moment before nodding seriously. He motioned her to follow him, handing off his food plate to one of his workers.

April followed behind him, making sure to keep her eyes on the back of his skull to not draw too much attention from the other Yokai. They passed the kitchen, pushing past a door that lead to the staff room in the back that was currently empty.

“You have a serious expression on your face senorita, is it about the turtles?” Hueso says, taking a sit down.

“Yes, is it that obvious?” April responds, staying standing as she didn’t think her anxiety would let her sit for long.

“Well si, but also because I got some intel a few hours ago that two turtles in purple and blue were spotted in Downtown New York,” Hueso said, quickly continuing before he could be cut off by the human girl's excitement “yes, I did see where they entered and exited”

April bounced on the top of her tiptoes as she watched the skeleton write something down on a piece of paper, handing it to her. She looked down, noticing it was directions somewhere to a construction site.

“Tell that rat that he owes me another round of fighting classes and to pay off his damn tab already” The skeleton grumbled, shooing April away “Be cautious”

“Thank you Senior Hueso! And I’ll pass the message along” April says, already halfway out the door.

She took a pic of the directions, sending it in the group chat with her mutant family, before pocketing her phone. She started heading down the sidewalk, having already memorized the directions in her excitement.

During the walk, she tried to get her heartbeat steady, using a few breathing exercises she taught Raph a few months after the twin's disappearance. Her focus had to be kept on the mission that she was given, and her anxiety would only distract her from the end goal.

Not long after she found herself staring at a brick wall, the construction site behind her abandoned for the night. She bit her lip, staring at the entrance before taking out her phone and looking down. She saw a thumbs-up from Mikey, so she assumed that they were still talking to Splinter. She glanced back up at the entrance, before looking behind her.

Taking a quick peak inside couldn’t hurt.

She swallowed, before taking out the portal key Splinter had gotten her. She closed her eyes, breathing, before moving her arm in the movements she was taught to only use in an emergency. When she opened her eyes, a bright blue portal stared back at her. Taking a moment to collect herself, April took one last look from behind her.

She took a step in, feeling a portal close behind her.

She looked around, taking in the sight before her. She instantly spotted what looked like a laboratory, but before she could take another step forward she felt something wrap around her neck, choking her.

“Well, isn’t this useful” was the last thing she heard before the world went black.
—

Splinter listened along closely as his sons took turns explaining what happened, taking time to make sure to ask clarifying questions. When it seemed like everything had been said, Splinter cleared his throat and spoke.

“You know how I told you about our family ninpo, yes?” he asked, continuing when his sons gave him a nod “That ninpo is a weapon that ties us together, but it can also be used against us”

“What do you mean by that Dad?” Mikey asked, who looked so small next to his oldest brother Splinter had to push down the parental extinct to not tell him.

Splinter sighed, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulder as he sat down, gesturing for his sons to follow his lead. They both did as told, falling onto the ground with a loud thump. Splinter closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his thoughts before he spoke.

“When I was kidnapped, Draxum used my DNA to create all of you, which you know by now. He also used some of his DNA in the creation” Splinter paused, letting that information sink in before he continued “Which means you four are not only connected to me but to him too”

“But what does that have to do with our ninpo pops?” Raph asked this time, leaning forward like there was going to be a test on this information.

“I’m no scientist, so I don’t know the full detail of it… Just that mystic energy is tied with our blood, and well- that means Draxum is tied to you four through mystical means” Splinter spoke, realization slowly drawing on Orange and Red faces.

“Was that why Lee and Dee couldn’t come with us?” Mikey asks, “And why he can track us down so easily?”

“Yes Orange, precisely” Splinter answered, before letting the room go silent. The brothers sat on the floor in contemplation, before determination grew on their faces.

Ah, yes, there was his stubbornness staring back at him.

“Do we need to like… Split the connection? Or something?” Mikey asked, always getting the hang of mystic energy the fastest. Splinted nodded, before sighing.

“Yes… However, I don’t know how to do that”

His son's face went downtrodden, the room lapsing back into silence. The only thing that could be heard was water dripping somewhere from the water pipes and the occasional sound of a truck driving over the huddled family. The gloom was broken after a few moments by Raph, who stood up and puffed out his chest.

“Well, that just means we have to figure it out!” Raph says, pulling Mikey to his feet next to him, then extending his much larger hand out to his father “As a family… and I’m sure Don has probably cooked something up in that large brain of his”

Their father looked up at his son with shocked eyes, before a small smile formed on the rat's face as he reached out, taking the offered hand that was offered to him. When he was pulled up to his feet, the three family members joined into a big group hug that was only broken apart when a loud beeping noise came from Raph.

“Shit!” Raph yells, backing away from the group as he fumbled for something, bringing out a small device.

“Language,” Splinter said on instinct. He watched as his son inspected the device, before seeming to find something and pressing on it. A few seconds went by until the thing burst with light, a hologram hovering over the device.

Splinter stared at the image of the turtle, whose mask was ripped with a long scar going across his snout, purple cloak covering a lot of his features. His eyes were wide, almost glazed over. He was looking back and forth in his surrounding area before he turned to them, relief flooding his face.

“...Purple-?”

“Not now Dad” Donnie cuts in, a voice deeper than he remembered. Despite his rush Splinter noticed the crack in his son's voice, making his heart squeeze even tighter “he- has April. Two… Leo, Leonardo is distracting him for as long as possible. You need to listen to me closely so I can tell you what needs to happen, please I can’t have April mutated it’s-”

“Okay, Dee, we will. Take some deep breaths first and tell us” Mikey cuts in, climbing on top of his older brother to get a better look at the hologram “It’s going to be okay bro, deep breaths”

There was a pause before Donnie followed the instructions. The soft-shell turtles' breathing was still ragged but a lot more controlled than before.

“The bands on our heads are what keeps us in his control, it’s connected by mystic energy. Which is also connected to you two” Donnie says, taking a pause to look at his brothers “but it seems like he needs the band to use the mystic energy as a conduit… Leo and I tried to escape a while back by disrupting the energy but it didn’t work. I didn’t understand why until we realized… We need all four of us with Draxum present to cut the mystic strings- heh, strings of faith”

“Okay Dee,” Mikey says, a soft smile on his face “we’ll head out soon… Keep safe, please”

There was a pause, like Donnie was about to say something different before a demanding voice could be heard in the background. Donnie gulped, turning to look at his brothers one last time before the hologram disappeared.
—

Good thing Donnie didn’t have a chance to respond, he doesn’t know how well he would have been able to keep that promise. He looked down at the remote in front of him, hiding it on a pouch as he stood up to respond to Draxum’s order.

Chapter Text

The goat yokai ignored the human girl's irritatingly high-pitched voice that was making useless demands, absentmindedly flicking his wrist as a vine quickly wrapped around the girl's mouth, effectively shutting her up for now. He grabbed the mutagen left on the desk earlier and got to work.

“You know,” Draxum thinks out loud, whether to himself or the human girl who knows “I’m not the bad guy”

There was a moment of silence as if the Baron was waiting for a response as he slowly placed the mutagen in the container with the mosquitos, making sure none spilled before continuing.

“I know that Two and Three see me as the villain, along with everyone else,” he placed the now empty jar down, back still turned to the frightened human girl “and while I have accepted that fact, I hope that once my plan succeeds then people will see me differently”

There was some muttered screaming by the gagged girl that Draxum ignored. He finally turned around, hands clasped behind his back to look at the child as he continued.

“It was you people who forced my kind to live in hiding- Ah, but what’s that human saying again? History is written by the victor?” the alchemist adds as if this was a simple conversation during a tea party. The child- April, he thought her name was, struggled against the restraints once again. Draxum took pity on the girl, letting the vines fall from her mouth.

“What- What do you even mean?! I-” April spluttered, a fit of coughing interrupted her insistent line of questioning.

“That’s not a very precise question, child,” Draxum says, and April watches as her kidnapper calmly starts cleaning up the lab.

“You- what? I didn't even know you existed until a couple of years ago!” April sputtered, taking a deep breath to calm down “I- It wasn’t me who put Yokai in hiding”

There was silence as he continued cleaning, which April took as a cue to continue talking. If anything, this might help stall him.

Okay, maybe going on ahead of her brothers was a bad idea…

“And, uh, I haven’t heard much about what happened with Donnie and Leo but- I mean” April paused, taking a deep breath to steal her nerves “If you don’t want to be seen as the villain, why do you act like one?”

“There’s a more specific question,” Draxum says, picking up a cup on the table and emptying it “Tell me, human girl, why do I seem like a villain to you?”

“Well- I mean, from what I heard from Splints, you kinda want to kill all of humanity and the likes… And you kidnapped two of my baby bro so like even if you weren’t trying to kill me no one messes with my baby brothers”

“I wouldn’t call it kidnapping. I did create them after all, wouldn’t your human law say that means they belong to me?”

“Our human law also takes children away from homes if their parents aren’t… Fit to parent. And, like, you want to turn your children into child soldiers so… I think that might just do it”

“Oh? So you see these turtles as living beings?”

“Wha- I, yes! Of course, I do?”

“Even though they were created with the express purpose of being weapons?”

“Of course! I mean, Mikey gets so excited when he figures out a new recipe to cook and you should see Raph when he gets hyped up about wrestling. And don’t even get me started on the twins”

“Hmm, interesting”

“...Does that mean you don’t see them as living beings?”

April was surprised when that seemed to get a reaction out of the goat man, as he paused for a few moments before resuming his task.

“At the current moment, I cannot allow myself to, so no”

“What does that mean?” April tilted her head in curiosity despite herself. Sure, she was currently restrained and kidnapped by an evil mad scientist who was probably going to kill her but she was a journalist at heart, she couldn’t help but ask questions. To know more.

“Like I said earlier, I know I’m seen as the villain,” Draxum explains calmly, stopping his tasks so he could walk up to April, staring her straight in the eye “I know this because I do… Well, I have a philosophy that I think you humans are familiar with. ‘The end justifies the means’. I don’t have the luxury to coddle Two and Three. They are simply a sacrifice for the greater good… Maybe, after this is all over, I can focus on more… “Kind” aspects of raising one's creations”

April was about to respond, to continue stalling, but before she could a familiar turtle walked into the room. She recognized instantly that it was Leonardo, even after all these years. He was a lot older and taller. In some areas, there was more scar tissue than skin and his eyes were duller than April had ever seen them before but… The bright red markings and the knowing smile on the turtle’s face were a dead giveaway.

“Leo! I-” April yells, forgetting for a second about the vines that kept her bound as she tried to tug at them to no avail.

Leo only faltered for a moment, stopping in his tracks before continuing his pathway to Draxum.

“Master, I have something important to tell you,” Leo says, not risking even a glance at April “Three-”

“Silence”

April couldn’t help but notice the way Leo slightly flinched.

“You know this human Two, correct?’ Draxum says, moving his attention away from April to Leo.

“Uh, yes? I think. Y’know, there are so many humans out there, it’s hard to… Keep track of them all” Leo stumbles out, eyes flicking between the two “Not that it really matters, Three was-”

“Well, considering she called you her brothers… Despite how that is not physically possible, I would say you two have met before”

“Uhhhh-” Leo stalls, giving April a glare as she mouthed oops back at him “Now that you mention it, she does look familiar”

“Well, I guess it will be fitting that she will be the first to join you four” Draxum says calmly, not noticing the way Leo's eyes widened ever so slightly for a split second “Now, what about Three?”

“Three- Oh, uh… Right” Leo stumbles, coughing into his hand to cover up the slight stutter “He said that he found something wrong with the mutagen, sir”

The room went still.

Leo shifted from one foot to the other, glad that the yokai’s back was turned to him as he glanced at April's terrified face. He wondered if his expression matched hers. His gaze was torn away from his sister as Draxym spun around, glaring daggers at the Slider.

“What did you say?”

There was no anger in his voice, which Leo found scarier than anything else.

“That- um, Three found something… Wrong? With the mutagen? He explained it to me but… Y’know, science stuff really isn’t my thing… Can’t believe me and him are related, actually-” Leo began rambling, doing his best to stall as long as possible though he was quickly cut off by a sharp pain in his head. His mouth snapped shut as Draxum stormed over to him, causing Leo to take a few steps back.

“Go and get him”

“Sir-”

“Now!”

Leo nodded, taking one last look at April before exiting the room. Hopefully, Donnie had managed to contact their family by now…
—

Splinter watched as his oldest and youngest sons walked ahead of him, trying his best to shove the dread that was slowly growing in the pit of his stomach. It’s been years since he last fought, and the last time he saw Baron Draxum-

Well, let’s just say he knew firsthand how unpleasant Draxum is as a host.

“Pops?” Splinter was snapped out of his musings, looking up from the ground to notice they had stopped in a dark alleyway, Red and Orange looking at him with a mix of concern and curiosity.

“Ah… Hmph, right” Splinter says, taking a moment to gather himself back together “Okay, who here remembers the plan?”

“Mike’s and I focus on getting Don and Leo-”

“And you focus on April!” Mikey says, finishing his older brother's sentence.

“Very good my sons. If they are in the same place it would be easier but…” Splinter trailed off, waiting for one of them to answer the unasked question.

“We find the twins, get the crowns off, and get out of there,” Raph says, and Splinter misses the knowing look the brothers gave each other.

“Correct, April and I will follow you shortly afterward” Splinter nods, taking a few steps forward.

“Dad?”

Splinter looks back, looking at Mikey curiously.

“Are you-... Well, are you doing okay?”

“Yes, Orange. I am perfectly fine”

“Oh okay, because what you’ve told us about your time with Draxum…” Mikey trailed off, rubbing his arms in a self-soothing motion.

Splinter looked at his sons with a fond look on his face, and he couldn’t help the soft smile he gave them. The mutated rat took a few strides forward, reaching up to cup his youngest face with his hands. Mikey smiled, leaning into the touch. Raph joined behind him, using his long arms to encircle the remaining family in a hug.

“My sons, I will be all right when I have my family back together once again”
—

Three had hung up the call, had gotten the thing that Draxum had ordered him to grab, and was now back in his makeshift lab pacing back and forth. He was muttering the number of pie under his breath as he waited for Two to return with information on how the lie he told him to tell went.

He stopped his pacing for a moment, staring blankly at the wall in front of him before resuming the anxious stim, switching to count back from 1,000.

Analyzing data…

Hypothesis: If they stall long enough, their brothers and dad can get here fast enough.

Conclusion: They had to stall for time.

Outlier: What if-

Three shook his head as if he could physically shove those thoughts out of his head. Normally, he was a scientist first and a turtles second. However, he couldn’t afford to second-guess himself now- not when they were so close.

“Donnie”

Three- Donatello's head snapped up to to doorway to see Leo leaning against the entrance, a mix of emotions on his face that Donnie couldn’t decipher right now. Donnie stopped his pacing for the last time, turning to fully face his twin.

“What did he say?”

“He wants to see you”

“Shit- Okay,” Donnie says, dragging a hand down his face with a sigh “I… Fuck, I was hoping he would look into it himself in a blind rage. Okay, we need to continue stalling, Leo-”

“Continue to be a nuisance for him? Got it” Leo mock salutes, a painfully obvious fake smile plastered on his face “How long ago did you contact Pops?”

“13 minutes ago, give or take a few seconds. If they are rushing, which I assume they are, they can get here about any minute” Donnie says, absentmindedly fiddling with the stuff in his pouch “Is April-?”

“Still human? Yeah, though… Not for long” Leo says, and Donnie doesn’t miss the way his twin falters mid-sentence but he chooses not to comment on it, just giving a nod in understanding.

“Okay okay,” Donnie repeats, shaking out his hands in an attempt to get rid of his nervous energy “Ready?”

“No, but let’s go”
—

April watched as Leo left, and she was half expecting Draxum to pick up his ramblings but was surprised when he stayed silent, working on something across the room.

“Uh- so… The weather, am I right?”

“Silence human”

Okay, understood. Shutting up.

She took the time to look around at her surroundings, trying half-heartedly to break out of the vines. She spotted another cage a few feet ahead of her, noticing what looked like a… Dog? Since when did dogs have blue markings?

(Your brothers are turtles April, she reminded herself, not important)

The dog seemed to notice the staring as it turned its head to look at her. April continued to stare back before the dog gave a slow nod.

And, okay, what the fuck.

“You spoke to a talking skeleton earlier O’Neil, get yourself together” April whispered. She shakes her head. Now was not the time to form a weird coping mechanism brain. You’ve seen weirder stuff before.

“Did you hear about the airplane food?” April spoke up, deciding to go back to distracting her kidnapper.

That seemed to get a reaction, Draxum pausing before turning to face April with a confused expression.

“...What?”

“Airplane food, y’know, those things that-”

“I know what an airplane is! Why are you talking about the food?!”

“It’s… Uh-” and April thanked whatever gods there was that she was saved from coming up with an explanation when the twins walked in… And god, if she thought Leo looked bad.

She retracts her previous statement, because if god does exist then how could he do that to her little brothers?

“Master, you wish to speak to me about the issue I found with the mutagen?” Donnie speaks up, and April notices the way Leo subtly steps in front of his twin as if he were providing protection.

“Yes, what do I hear about there being a problem with my mutagen?” Draxum answers, turning away from April, previous confusion about the airplane food now gone.

“Well, I was studying it in my lab, to make sure that it was properly functioning. Doing some trials, to make sure we didn’t miss something. I was looking through my microscope-”

“What’s a microscope?” Leo asks, cutting his twin off who took the invitation to continue stalling.

“I’ve told you before Two, you never listened to my teachings did you?”

“Eh, after I learned how to read and do basic counting I kind of tuned you out”

“This is why you have the IQ of a one-cell organism”

“It’s funny you think I know what that is!”

“You’re the medic Leo, how do you not-” The twins' bickering was cut off when they both flinched, turning to face Draxum who seemed to have been able to snap out of his confusion at the argument.

“Enough! Two, you be quiet” Draxum says, and Leo mimicked the motion of zipping his mouth shut which earned him a glare from the yokai “Three, continue. No more tangents”

April watched on, hiding her laugh when the twins started pulling the same move she saw them use on Splinter when they were stalling for time.

Speaking of Splinter…

April looked up and noticed the former-mentioned rat standing on the balcony across the room. He noticed she saw him and he put his finger to his lips. April looked away to not draw attention, just in time to see that Leo had also looked over in the same direction as Donnie rambled on which sounded oddly like when she wrote a science paper. A jumble of words to meet the page limit.
—

Leo elbowed Donnie in his side, seeing as Donnie mid-ramble glanced in the direction Leo was looking at before quickly resuming his speech. Satisfied, the Slider also turned his gaze away from his dad despite the childish urge to cry for help.

They had to be smart about this.

“Actually” Donnie spoke next to him, fumbling around in his pouches tied around his waist “I can show you”

Draxum looked to be at the end of his rope but gave a long sigh as he walked towards the softshell.

Three things happened at once.

One:

The moment Draxum got close enough, in a blink of an eye Donnie’s hands quickly left his pouch and in another blink, smoke was flooding around Draxum’s face, a sputtering of coughing and gagging could be heard in the smoke.

Two:

The moment Donnie pushed the smoke bomb in the Yokai's face, there was a loud bang before the lights turned off, plunging everyone in the room into darkness.

Three:

In the chaos, Leo began reaching for the back of Donnie’s artificial shell but soon felt a large pair of hands grab the back of his shell and before he knew it he was being dragged backward into the chest of a large figure.

“Don- mfph!” Leo begins but is cut off when a large hand covers his mouth.

“Shh, Leo, it’s just me” the familiar voice of Raph whispers and Leo instantly relaxes in the arms of his big brother “Mikey’s getting Don”

“Right here!” Mikey whispered yelled, and as Leo’s eyesight slowly began adjusting to the dark he could make out the silhouette of Mikey dragging along his twin.

“Please say ya two have any plans on getting outta here- Pops just said sum’ about combining our Mystics” Raph spoke, continuing to drag Leo across the room.

“Dad is currently dealing with Draxum but we gotta hurry,” Mikey says right next to Leo.

He was not freaking out. If anyone asked him, he was not freaking out. Everything is totally normal, just need to take a few breaths…

“Yes, we do” thankfully Donnie responded for the both of them and now since they were so close together and his eyes had fully adjusted to the dark he could see Donnie standing right next to him, arm being held in a death grip by Mikey.

“Good, we need to-” Raph began but was cut off by voices across the room.

“You stupid rat!”

“...Hurry”

“Okay, uh- Have you guys used your mystics?” Donnie began as the four brothers formed a circle so they could all look at each other. Donnie continued when he received two nods “Okay, good. Have you guys felt where your mystic originates from?”

“Oh! Yes” Mikey chimed in first, leaning into the group huddle “Mine kinda comes from my hands, like the beginning of a spark”

“Oh, Raph see’s what ya mean now… Uh, it kinda feels… Like it comes from my shell?”

And oh, how Leo had missed hearing his two brothers' voices.

“Okay good, now-” Donnie stopped when he heard a loud bang, glancing over to the fight before he continued “focus on the mystic and…Uh”

“We are going to friendship is magic our what out of this shit” Leo finishes for Donnie “Let’s all hold hands in a circle and love each other… A lot. Like, love me more than you’ve ever loved me before. Which shouldn’t be hard-”

“Though Leo said it in a much simpler way, basically… Yeah, that. We need to, sigh, channel our love for each other” Donnie says, cringing a bit.

“Oooh like my little pony!” Mikey says, taking the hand of Donnie and Raph who were the closest to him. Leo took Donnie’s and Raph's hands, nodding.

“Yup! Fuck you plot!” Leo says, ignoring Donnie’s mutterings next to him.

“Okay, just… Focus” Donnie hissed, who already had his eyes closed.
—

Raph copied Donnie, closing his eyes as he focused on his back. He wasn’t the best at mystics and using their ninpo, Mikey took that spot. But, he wasn’t a slacker either. He felt the familiar warmth in his shell as he focused a bit longer.

Memories began flashing in his head.

One scene depicted Raph watching the first time Mikey took his first steps, the eldest brother clapping along in encouragement.

In the next scene, a five-year-old Donnie gifts Raph one of the first little gadgets he made. His six-year-old self lit up with glee when he pressed the button, light shining out in all of their signature colors.

Then a scene where Leo and Raph were playing wrestling, the older of the two giving in for the younger as he fell back dramatically, laughter exploding when the Slider jumped on top of his plastron.

Then the memories began flashing altogether. Mikey’s first drawing was hung up proudly on the refrigerator, Raph chasing after the twins as they ran away screaming and laughing while covered in mud, a turtle pile with each other underneath Dad’s chair in the living room, and so forth.

Warmth began to flow through his body, and he mentally sent it out. At the same moment, he felt new energy flood into him. Mikey’s spark, Leo’s go-with-the-flow, and Donnie’s ever-so-present calculations.

Raph smiled.
—

Leo copied the same thing he did a year ago, squeezing the hands he was holding. A sequence of memories began to play, almost as if he was watching a movie.

Leo and Mikey trying to make breakfast for Dad, their faces and hands covered in various assortments of food casualties. Leo in the present day smiled, feeling burning behind his eyes.

Oh, he had worried he’d forgotten about these moments.

The scene flashed, and Raph and Leo were sitting on the living room floor intensely watching the Jupiter Jim movie that was on the old and busted T.V. Leo stood, mimicking one of the scenes as Raph laughed, clapping from his position on the floor.

Leo then watched as the scene morphed into Donnie and Leo huddled with each other on their old mattress, whispering together. Leo had long forgotten what exactly their child self was talking about, but he did remember how Donnie had made him laugh so hard he woke up Raph and Mikey on the other side of the curtain.

The scene morphed to a now turtle pile on the way too small of a mattress that the twins shared, as more and more memories flooded his mind he began sending out his love to all of his brothers, feeling a tear fall down his cheek when he received there’s.

He heard a crack on top of his head.
—

Donnie was worried.

He was wrong about this before. Hell, he hadn’t even been able to do it properly before- Leo did it and was the one who got hurt! What if they were wrong again, what if…

Donnie was dragged back to the current station when he felt Leo squeeze his hand. He squeezed back, as he focused on the feeling in his head.

He saw himself with Mikey, reading a bedtime story to him and the orange turtle tried and follow along. They stopped at some points, Donnie helping the young turtle pronounce words he didn’t recognize.

He watched Raph and him sit together in silence solving a puzzle together, Donnie giving hints to Raph when he got stuck on some difficult pieces. When the puzzle was finally solved the two had hugged each other so tightly that he was afraid his shell was going to rip open.

Leo and he ran through the sewer tunnels, laughing as they chased each other in a made-up game that only the two of them knew. Donnie’s childish laughter rang through the tunnels, accompanied by Leo’s shriek of joy.

He saw as he sat his three brothers down, teaching them how to properly read and count. Teaching them sign language, and as they played various games together in their little home.

He felt so much love for his brothers and he had never been good at dealing with his own emotions. So he pushed his love outwards and felt himself relax when the feeling was returned.

He barely noticed the cold metal cracking and falling onto the floor with a loud thud.
—

Mikey was barely able to stay still, focusing on the sizzle and crack coming from his hands as he squeezed tightly to the ones he was holding. It came oh so easy for Mikey to focus on the love he had for his brothers, the feeling being as strong as ever.

Raph, as he supervised Mikey first time using the stove after the twins' disappearance. When the young turtle had burned his finger, Raph swooped up the box turtle and took care of the wound. Running the finger under cold water, and kissing it to make the booboo better.

Leo sat as still as he could as Mikey tried to paint him. The young turtle's tongue was stuck out in concentration as he focused, paint somehow getting on both him and Leo. It was worth it in the end however when Mikey presented the drawing, Leo’s face lit up in joy as he showed the painting off to anyone who would look for days.

Donnie sat patiently at the kitchen table, going over the multiplication tables again for Mikey, never raising his voice even after he had to explain the table of the seven again for the fifth time. He smiled every time he received a pat on the head when he got a problem correct, legs swinging underneath the table in joy.

More and more memories came and went. Of times when the twins were still around and of times when Raph made it up for the both of them. Mikey let that love leave his hands, wanting his brothers to know how much he cared for them.

He received the same message in return.
—

“You know,” Splinter says, ducking under another vine attack that came his way “you’ve gotten rusty”

“And you” Draxum seethes, sending out another wave of attacks “have grown weak in your old age”

“And I really want to go home!” April butted in, sighing when the two ignored her and continued the fight. She glanced down at the vines, noticing the lack of grip they had before. Now if only…

Oh, that’s it.

April relaxed her body fully, feeling the restraints relax along with her. She slowly lifted one hand out of the makeshift cuff and then the other. Making sure Draxum was still distracted, she bent down and freed her feet.

“Fucking… Finally” April whispered, now safely on the ground as she looked around. She was about to run off and join her brothers but stopped when she noticed the dog thing from earlier staring at her.

“Oh… All right”
—

The twins fell to their knees in unison, bringing down their other brothers with them. Their vision went black for a split second, and when it finally cleared they were met with the worried face of Raph who had a hand on their shoulders, keeping the two upright.

“You guys all right?” Raph asked, bringing them close as he anxiously looked over the two, full mother hen mode activated.

“Did somebody get the license plate of the truck that hit us?” Leo responded with a groan, reaching up to rub his forehead.

Wait.

“It’s… Gone?” Donnie says at the same time Leo realizes, copying his movements and patting around his temple frantically.

“Fuck yes!” Leo responded in return, jumping up to his feet but immediately regretted it when his vision swarmed. Thankfully he regained his balance. Swinging his arms around widely before straightening back up “I’m good!”

“Excited laugh! We did it” Donnie gets up at a much slower pace than his brother did, Raph and Mikey following him up.

Nobody could tell who got there first, but soon they were a pile of limbs and shells all grabbing at each other for dear life. Mikey was sobbing openly, while Raph's grip on the group grew tighter by the second. Leo and Donnie just let themselves be held, leaning against their brothers for support.

“Uh, guys? Can I join?”

Four heads shot up in unison, staring at a disgruntled April who had in her arms the dog that the twins were chasing earlier. Four sets of arms reached out to grab her, ignoring her yelp as she was dragged (along with the dog) into the middle of the hug. The siblings stood like that which felt like forever, multiple I miss you and thank you could be heard from the group. They would have stayed like that for longer, however, they were interrupted by a voice from behind.

“Turtles”

Raph instinctively shoved everyone behind him, as they all turned to face Draxum. Fear fell over the group of teenagers when they saw Splinter held by his throat, Draxum slowly squeezing tighter and tighter.

“Impressive, I must say,” Draxum says, voice low “being able to get the crowns off- However, it seems like I have the upper hand”

“Children, run-” Splinter began but was cut off with a wheeze as Draxum gripped the rat's throat tighter. His feet dangled uselessly as they scratched frantically at the armored hand.

“Dad!” Mikey yelled, trying to run past Raph to get to their father but was held back by the snapper. Mikey struggled uselessly, screaming out for their father as he was held back.

“Seems like the oldest has the most common sense” Draxum breathes, out of breath “Now, how about we-”

“Wha-?” April gasps looking down at her now empty arms. The group looked towards April before quickly looking back at their dad. The small animal yokai sat perched on top of Splinter's head for a split second and in a blink, both the dog and rat were gone.

A gasp of breath caused the group to spin around once again, being greeted by Splinter on his knee coughing and gasping for air. The dog was back safely in April’s arms.

“You insolent brats!” Draxum yells, vines springing forth heading directly toward them.

Raph quickly scooped up his dad, jumping out of the way. Donnie grabbed April by the back of her shirt, pulling her out of the line of fire. Mikey quickly followed behind, while Leo stood his ground, cutting away at the vines that continued coming at the group.

“Leo!” Donnie called out, spinning around so his artificial shell protected the both of them.

“I’m fine!” Leo responded, cutting at another vine and then barely missing a punch that came from Draxum “Ask that dog if they can teleport us out of here!”

Donnie looked down but quickly felt the normal nausea he did every time he went through one of Leo’s portals, and in an instant, he was standing with the other three members of his family.

“I’m going to call you Mayham” April declared, lifting the dog Mayham, in her arms. She paused when she noticed everyone staring at her, putting a hand on her hip “What? We can’t keep calling him ‘the dog’! It’s rude”
—

Leo gasped as a vine barely missed his throat, instead only nicking the edge a bit as Leo ducked. He kicked out a leg, forcing Draxum to jump backward. Leo took that opportunity to charge and switch to the offensive.

Leo took a swing, aiming straight for Draxum’s head. The yokai was fast enough and quickly ducked, but wasn’t fast enough to dodge the second sword coming straight for his arm.

“Brat!” Draxum growled, ignoring the blood seeping from his arm as he sent another wave of sharp vines straight toward Leo.

Leo jumped back, creating a portal underneath his feet that he easily fell through, reappearing behind Draxum as he took another swing but was blocked by a shield of vines. Leo landed on the ground in a swift motion, creating a portal to his right, letting the momentum he had gained push him into the blue vortex.

The second portal opened straight above his head, and the Slider fell from the air and landed on top of the yokai’s shoulders, twisting him around and causing Draxum to lose his balance. Leo quickly jumped off his perch when it started falling over.

“You know,” Leo says, putting one foot on top of the Baron's chest with a sword pointed straight at his throat “when you create super soldiers, you’d think you would remember how strong you made us”
—

“Okay… Mayhem” Donnie began, “can you please take April and pops out of here?”

“What?!” April says, spinning towards the softshell “What about you guys?”

“Ya’... Raph doesn’t like the idea of splitting up..”

“Two-... Leo, Leo can create portals” Donnie explained, stumbling over his words in a rush as a mechanical arm came out of his battle shell, grabbing his now unconscious father and transporting him into April’s arms ignoring her grunt “Raph, Mikey, I need your help to get Leo- and Splinter needs medical attention”

“But-” April began, but Mayhem gave Donnie a wink, and in a second the trio disappeared.

Donnie let out a sigh, rubbing at his eyes as he ignored the migraine slowly building.

“Dee… Are you-” Mikey began but stopped when Donnie put up a hand, facing his two brothers.

“Okay, here’s the game plan”
—

“You had so much potential” Draxum sighs, and Leo’s eyes widen when he realizes he noticed too late that something was wrapping around his ankle.

He let out a scream as he was thrown off the Yokai, landing with a loud bang on his shell. He gritted his teeth, trying to hide the yell of pain that almost escaped him. He felt a weight on his plastron and when he managed to crack open an eye he saw that their positions had been switched.

Great.

“If only you had listened to me-” Draxum began but was quickly cut off when a large figure came crashing into him, quickly followed behind by an orange blur. Leo had to blink a few times out of confusion, being startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Come on, get up,” Donnie’s voice said, grabbing onto Leo’s upper arm and dragging him up. Leo got to his feet a bit unsteady but after a few moments was able to stand on his own.

“What…?”

“April and Dad are out, we stayed behind to grab you” Donnie explained, and before Leo could protest he continued “Gave Mike and Raph those weapons Draxum had on a shelf that I nabbed earlier… They seem to be having fun with it”

It was… Well, it was a mess. A successful mess, but a mess nonetheless. Half of the time Mikey chain dragged him off in completely different directions, while Raph kept going to hit Draxum but kept misjudging his strength and crashing into walls.

“Well… Uh, it’s… Working?”

“Laughter, yeah. Can you teleport them back here, we need to leave” Donnie says. Leo studied his twin's face for a second, noticing that something was… Off but decided he’ll have to question that later. Leo flicked his wrist, and in a few seconds Raph landed on his ass next to them, and in the next moment Mikey came crashing into Donnie.

“Oops, sorry-”

“Not now! Leo!” Donnie says, staring as Draxum makes his way towards them.

“On it!”

Leo tried to remember what their old liar was like, trying his best to picture it in his head. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. He then took a swing, and a giant blue portal appeared in front of them.

“Cowabunga!” Mikey yelled, not waiting as he leaped into the portal. Raph gave a glance behind him at the twins as he called after Mikey, following the youngest soon after.

Leo was about to take a step forward but paused when he noticed Donnie wasn’t following him.

“...Donnie?” Leo says, turning around to notice that Donnie had something grasped in his hands that he was staring at. Donnie looked up, and Leo couldn’t help but notice Draxum quickly approaching from behind him.

“If… If he doesn’t die, we’ll never be free” Donnie said with a sad smile, and Leo didn’t like the way his eyes looked like he was already dead.

“Don, what-” Leo began, but stopped when he watched Donnie hold up the thing in his hand which looked like a small remote. He pressed the button, and not long after the building began to rumble and small explosions could be heard. A piece of ceiling wall fell behind Donnie, cutting off Draxum’s path for the moment.

“Tell the other I love them- Keep going Leo, I hope tomorrow is good for you,” Donnie says, and before Leo could respond a purple forcefield pushed him back into the portal.
—

Donnie watched as the forcefield he created pushed Leo back, ignoring the pain in his heart as he saw the fear in his twin's face. Donnie was about to turn around when he felt a spiking pain shoot up from his leg, causing him to fall onto his knees. Looking down, he noticed a vine cutting straight through his leg. A glance behind him showed Donnie Draxum pinned underneath some rubble with a hand outstretched toward him.

Donnie squeezed his eyes shut, ready for the pain to end when he heard Leo’s cries. His eyes immediately snapped open as he saw Leo's head and arm reaching out of the portal, sword pointed towards him.

“You bastard!” Leo screamed, eyes wide and crazy “We’re seeing tomorrow together!”

A third portal appeared.

Donnie felt the sensation of failing before water started filling his lungs.

Chapter Text

Water started to flood his lungs, his nictitating membrane slipping over his eyes when the murky water flooded his vision. For a second, Donnie felt himself panic as the h20 filled his lungs, beginning to lose consciousness before instincts took over.

Donatello exhaled out the excessive hydrogen, resisting the urge to cough as his body tried to process the dirty water. He began moving without a thought, swimming up to the surface where he saw bits of light shining through.

His beak broke through the surface first and he hungrily breathed in the untainted oxygen, head breaking through the water with a large gasp. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thanked his previous self for making his technology waterproof as he pushed his goggles back up onto his head from where it had fallen around his neck.

The relief was short live however as he soon noticed that his legs were growing weak and he began being tugged down into the water thanks to the heavy metal that was latched onto his back.

“Fuck” Donnie growled as he reached around with one hand to press the release button, feeling the clasp release from his shoulders as his body relaxed in relief. In comparison, his mind screamed in agony as he watched the purple blob slowly sink further into the lake until he couldn’t see it anymore.

He internally groaned, how was he supposed to explain to Draxum that-

Wait.

The past days' events rushed through the purple turtle as he spun around in the water, trying to figure out where he had been teleported to. The sky was still dark, little bits of sunlight rising from the horizon indicating that it was almost early morning. He could make out both shorelines, the outline of New York City buildings illuminated by the city’s lights.

Checking the area to be on the lookout for boats, he brought up his wristband as his legs worked to keep him afloat.

The screen lit up, providing a small source of light. Donnie noted that the water was still muddy and murky even with the blue light, ew, as he quickly began typing the code to figure out his location.

Irritation clouded his vision as droplets of water constantly made it sp the touch screen was having trouble recognizing his fingers. He almost smashed his fist through the screen before sighing in relief as his location popped up.

What.

“Am I in the fucking Hudson?!”

—
Leo fell back, the blue portal snapping shut after him. The slider landed on his shell with a loud thud, the breath escaping his lunges for a few moments as he lay motionless on the ground struggling to take a breath.

“Leo!”

….Mikey.

Leo sat up with a gasp, hand over his heart as he took big gulps of air. He felt a hand on his shoulder, flinching as the hand quickly retracted. He took in a few more gulps of air as he ran through everything in his head, attempting to calm down his racing heart.

“Leo where is Donnie?” a voice spoke as his vision fully cleared, seeing his brother kneeling in front of him, his younger brother standing a few steps back to give the two some space.

“Raph I- he tried to stay behind, Raphie. He almost left me-” Leo gasped between breaths, panic still running through his head. This time when he felt the familiar weight of his big brother's hands on his shoulder he didn’t lean away, instead slumping forward so he was leaning all his weight onto Raph.

“Deep breaths bud” Raphs deep voice rumbled, other hand going up to rub soothing circles into the back of the Slider shell “C’mon Leo, breath with me”

Leo followed his big brother's breaths, closing his eyes as he focused on the warmth around him. After a few moments, he collected himself, opening his eyes to stare at Raph’s worried face.

“Uh- Donnie blew the place up? Somehow?” Leo says, feeling just as confused as his brothers looked.

“Like… Ka-pow boom” Mikey says, mimicking an explosion with his hands.

“Yeah that” Leo snorted, shifting to slowly stand up “He- uh, tried staying behind? To make sure Draxum was dead?”

“He what?”

“Yeah. yeah, we’ll talk about the ethics of murder later Raph” Leo says as he turns around, taking in the long abandoned lair. He didn’t have time to dwell on it, shaking his head as he turned back to his brothers.

“But I teleported him out before he could be a stupid self-sacrificial idiot”

“That’s great!” Mikey cheers, jumping onto the back of Raphs shell “Let’s go get him!”

“Uh… Yeah about that” Leo says, rubbing the back of his neck as both pairs of eyes stare back at him “I… Don’t know where I teleported him?”

“...How do you not know where you teleported him, Leo?”

“Don’t take that tone with me, big bro, I’m shocked these swords were working so well during the fight nonetheless getting us out” Leo threw up his hands, his nerves displayed on his face. Raph went to reassure him but was interrupted by the orange turtle, causing the pair to jump in shock before turning to face Mikey.

“Uuuh guys where’s Pops and April?”

—
Splinter was awoken by a bucket of cold water thrown onto his face.

“Hot soup!” He yelled as he quickly sat up, before falling straight back down as his head crashed into someone else’s.

“Oww!” a girl's voice said next to him, turning his head to the side to see April sitting next to him rubbing her forehead with a pained expression. In her lap sat the dog that got them out of there, and next to her lay a now empty bucket.

“Well… That’s what you get” Splinter grumbles as he goes to sit up once again, nursing his forming headache and rubbing the water out of his eyes.

“How was I supposed to know that was going to happen?!”

“Well maybe you should not have thrown COLD WATER on an old man such as myself, does no one respect their elders anymore?”

“Well, you weren’t waking up”

“Well, excuse me, next time I won't almost get chocked to death”

“Yeah, maybe you should”

Silience.

“Where are my sons?” Splinter said as he looked around what appeared to be a construction site, whiskers twitching as he smelled the air not picking up any of their scents.

“Uhhhh” April looks nervous as she slowly stands up, Mayhem in her arms “Back at the… Uh, lavatory?”

“...Fuck”

“Laungage dad!”

Splinter felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise as he spun around in shock to see three out of four of his sons making their way over to them.

–
“- and now we don’t know where I teleported him,” Leo says in exasperation when he finishes summarizing to April and his dad the events that had occurred “I was thinking of a wide space with no humans but that doesn’t narrow it down! Oh god what if I sent him to Antarctica-”

“Deep breathes Leonardo,” Leo blinked and stopped his mini spiral when his father came over to put a reassuring hand on his arm “It’s going to be okay my son, I think I know how to find our missing Donatello”

“You do?” All four of his children responded at once.

—
Three had begun his long swim back to the shoreline, keeping his head above water to avoid breathing any more of the dirty water than he already did. He had used his face mask to wrap around the wound on his leg in an attempt to stop the blood from pouring out. He started worrying about infection but quickly pushed that thought to the side. He can only do something about that once he reaches the shore.

The pain in his leg began to become numb and Three didn’t know if that was due to shock or something else. His thoughts interrupted him as his wristband beeped, floundering in the water for a second and accidentally breathing in even more of the disgusting water.

“Ack” Three spat out the water, gagging at the taste before looking at his wristband as he started treading water again.

Leo: where r u?
Leo: this is dad btw
Leo: impressive communication devi-
Leo: DONATELLO WHEN I SEE YOU AGAIN IM GOInG TO KICK YOUR ASS INTO NEXT TUESDFAY DO YOR HERE ME?? B

Donatello stared at the message, blinking a few times. Oh great, Tw- Leo is never going to let him live this down. To be fair to him, he thought he was gonna be dead and not have to deal with the action of his consequences so…

Snapping out of his thoughts, he quickly activated text-to-speech as he began swimming again.

“I think we are even, considering you dropped me in the middle of the fucking Hudson. Sending coordinates when I get to shore”

—
“I cannot believe I didn’t think to just message him” Leo groaned as he walked beside his family to the coordinates Donnie had sent them.

“How didya’ know they they had communication thingys, pops?”

“It’s Purple”

Yeah, that makes sense.

—
Donnie pulled himself out of the water onto the doc, wincing when his injured leg dragged against the wood. Dragging himself a few inches away from the edge he let his body collapse, his breathing heavy as he tried to suck in more air.

After a moment or two, he pushed himself up with his shaking arms into a sitting position, feeling the water drip off of him, soaking the wood beneath.

“Shit” Donnie breathed, looking down at the now bloody bandana. He grits his teeth as he slowly pulls the cloth away from the wound, A low growl comes from him as the fabric pulls at his wound, ripping it off quickly and throwing it to the side as he looks closer at the hole.

The vine had gone straight through his right thigh, creating a hole the size of a tennis ball. There was too much blood and mud to tell if it had damaged anything important. His vision blurred as he tried to get a closer inspection, head feeling light thanks to the blood loss.

“Donatello Hamato”

Sigh.

“Leonardo Hamat- oof” Donnie began, turning around only to be greeted with a small orange ball throwing himself at him, arms wrapping around him in a tight hug.

“Donnie you’re here, you’re here, you’re real” Mikey sobbed, pressing his cheek against his “Im never ever ever letting you leave my sight again”

Donnie lifted one arm to pat Mikey's shell, looking behind him to see the rest of his family.

Leo looked pissed.

“...Sorry?” he tried.

Leo tried to keep his face in a scowl but it quickly faded away to join the group hug.

“We are talking about this later” Leo whispered to him as he kneeled, and Donnie had never felt true terror like that before.

Raph soon joined them, followed by April, and lastly, Splinter who cupped Donnie’s cheek in his hand, kissing him softly on the forehead. His body began to relax, as his eyelids grew heavier and his head lighter.

“...Leg” Donnie muttered, feeling himself fall back into Raph’s plastron, the adrenaline quickly leaving his body. His head lulled to the side, struggling to keep his eyes open.

“Wow, Don, wha-”

“Shit” Leo cursed, being the first to notice the blood soaking the wood around Donnie’s leg, a second later noticing the hole in his upper thigh as he quickly brought out his med kit and began working.

“...In’ection… Clean’... Dirt wa’er” Donnie slurred, blinking his eyes a few times as his family began to blur, his ears beginning to ring “mmm, blood losh.l.. Heavy”

He felt Raph begin to shift behind him, splinter continuing to slowly rub his hand against his cheek that wasn’t being smothered by Mikey. He blinked and April was suddenly next to Leo, whispering something to him. Another blink and Leo was suddenly in his face, soft expression as he put his hand on his brother's head.

“It’s okay Dee, you can rest. We’re safe, I got you”

If Lee said it was safe then it must be true.. Donnie felt his eyes slipped shut, the world fading to black.

—
Leo watched as his twins' eyes fluttered close, breathing a sigh of relief as he went back to April's side who was currently pouring a bottle of disinfectant over the wound after Leo had poured a bottle of water on it to clean out the dirt and mud first. He felt around the wound, hissing under his breath when he felt how warm it was.

“We can take him back to my place,” April said, using the last of the disinfectant as Leo replaced her, starting to wrap the wound to stop some of the bleeding before he lost more blood “My parents are out of town… And it’ll probably be cleaner than the sewers”

Leo nodded, wrapping around the wound one more time before tying the wrappings. He winced as blood already began to seep through, turning to look at the rest of his family. Raph was holding Donnie against his chest and Splinter was calming down a nervous Mikey.

“We’re heading to April's place,” Leo says, slowly standing back up “Raph, can you carry him?”

Raph nodded, slowly scooping up the softshell in his arms carefully, trying not to jostle his leg. He slowly stood up, tucking his brother close to his chest in a bridal carry.

The walk back to April's place was thankfully short, they reached the building right before the sun started to rise. April had rushed in first, carrying a bunch of clean sheets over to the couch and laying it on the cushions for a cleaner environment (and to not be questioned by her parents as to why there was a puddle of blood on the couch). Once she was finished Raph came over and gently laid Donnie onto the couch, quickly backing away to make room for Leo as he took his spot.

Leo grabbed a scrap of paper, and when asked April brought him over a pen. He quickly began writing a bunch of medical supplies and meds, turning it around and shoving it into Splinter's hand.

“Those are supplies we need, and I don’t think Donnie can make it until then without the supplies we need if we wait until night” Leo explained, turning back around, beginning to replace the bandages with some gauze “Splinter, can you take Raph and Mikiey with you to get the supplies? You’re going to need multiple hands. April will stay behind to be my assistant”

Leo winced at how cold his voice sounded, hearing some sort of confirmation from Splinter as they headed out of the apartment through the window. April kneeled next to him, gathering up the old bandages.

“They didn’t all have to go, right?” April spoke calmly, standing back up to walk to the trash can to dispose of the bloody bandages. Leo was silent for a moment before he responded after finishing the new wrappings.

“No, but.. I’m not used to having an audience. Besides they needed something to do” Leo says, standing up relieved that the vine hadn’t hit anything important. He bent down slightly to feel Donnie's forehead with the back of his hand, concern flooding back when he felt how hot he was. Way too hot for a reptile.

He told April to grab an ice pack and a towel, and when she came back he wrapped up the cold pack in the towel before laying it across Donnie’s forehead. His twin's face was relaxed, the most Leo had seen in years. He bent down, kissing his brother right between the eyes before standing back up.

The remaining two sat down on the living room table, knowing they couldn’t do anything more until the others came back with the needed supplies. Leo’s leg began to bounce as he bit his thumb. He stared at Donnie, not taking his eyes off of him as if he looked away he would disappear.

“You two are taller than me now” April breaks the silence. Causing Leo to snap out of his trance. He felt a surprised laugh escape him, feeling some of the adrenaline leave his body as he leaned against April's side for support.

“Yeah, Don-Tron said that we would be, he always joked about how he was gonna rub it into your face,” Leo says as he rests his head on April's shoulder not taking his eyes off of his twin. April's arm came up to wrap around him. Leo melted into the touch, feeling his muscles begin to relax.

“Hah! Well when he wakes up, I’ll be sure to tease him about those stupid eyebrows he still has” April says as she lays her head on top of Leo, slowly rubbing soothing circles in his shoulder. Leo's brow bone furrowed, a small frown appearing on his face.

“What if-... What if he doesn’t wake up? What if he dies before he even gets to experience freedom? What- What if… If he dies from the infection because I fucking dropped him in the stupid Hudson of all places… It would be all my-”

“If you say “my fault” I’m gonna slap you”

Leo's beak snapped shut as April continued.

“Donnie isn’t going to die”

“But-”

“Nope, no buts. If I know anything about that kid is that he won’t let god himself kill him until he’s earned it” April says, reaching over to wipe the tears that Leo hadn’t realized were falling down his cheek. He finally looked away from Donnie, burying his head into April's shoulder as sobs racked his body.

He couldn’t remember the last time he cried this freely without worry of being heard.

“I can’t… Can’t lose him Apes, not-not now, not when we’ve finally made it out” Leo managed out between sobs. April shifted so she was fully hugging her baby brother. He was practically in her lap, arms around her middle with his face still buried in the crook of her neck.

—
When Leo had finally run out of tears, April tried to start some small talk to keep the slider's mind distracted. However, when Leo had let it slip that he hadn’t had anything to eat besides turtle pellets for the last four years she had quickly abandoned all small talk and was currently standing in the kitchen ordering pizza.

Leo had stayed in the living room, keeping vigilance over Donnie. It looked like Donnie was going to be sleeping for the day until his face started to contort into a pained expression. Leo quickly jumped to his feet about to go and check on him.

Before Leo could make it over, Donnie's eyes snapped open. His breathing sped up as he snapped up into a sitting position. His movements were erratic as he tried to stand up.

Leo was by his side in a second, just in time to catch Donnie as he fell off the couch, gently placing him back down into a lying position.

“Let- let go of me! I need… Where- LEO?!” Donnie yells, hissing feebly as he tries to swipe with his claws weakly at Leo’s face. His hand bounced off Leo’s cheek, falling back down to his side as Donnie continued to thrash around. His eyes were wide and glossy, pupils unfocused.

“Shh, it’s okay Dee, I’m here” Leo gently says, leaving a soft but firm group on Donnie as he slowly kneels, not wanting his twin to aggravate his injuries even further “Leo’s here, Donnie, I’m here. It’s okay, we’re okay”

“Le- Leo?” Donnie questioned, eyes focusing for a second on his twin.

“Yeah it’s me dee, I’ve got you, go back to resting,” Leo says, running his hand up and down Donnie’s head.

All fight seemed to leave his body as his eyes slipped shut once again, limbs going limp. Leo bent down grabbing the ice pack that had fallen in the struggle, putting it back on Donnie’s head. April peered her head into the living room still on her phone with a worried expression. She relaxed when Leo gave her a thumbs up, going back to the large order.

—
A short time later, Splinter and his sons arrived back with the medical supplies. Leo didn’t question where they got most of it (probably stole from a hospital) and started setting up the IV. He was glad that Draxum had allowed him to study medicine as if that was any consolation.

Right as Leo was done with setting up the medical equipment and giving Donnie some medicine to help with the infection and fever, the pizza arrived.

“Yes, pizza baby!” Mikey whooped, hopping off of Raph's shoulders to grab some of the boxes that April was carrying in.

The family decided to set up their dinner (or… Breakfast, technically) in the living room to be near Donnie. Raph had moved the table to the side as Mikey grabbed all the pillows and blankets to make a nest in the center of the living room. April and Splinter went to the kitchen to grab some cups and plates. Leo stayed beside Donnie, gently stroking the top of his head in a calm motion.

When the nest was made to Mikey's satisfaction, the family gathered together and sat down. April passed around the plates, Splinter handing out the cups of soda.

Leo was last and he took his place carefully, staring down at the plain cheese pizza (April had decided the twins would probably want something plain, considering they hadn’t tasted anything in years). Leo looked up, startled to see his family all staring at him.

“What? Do I have something on my face?”

“We wanna see you’re reaction dude! C’mon, take a bite!” Mikey says from where he was cuddled between Leo and Raph, The others nod along, equally excited as the orange turtle.

Leo looked back down at the plate, carefully grabbing one of the pizzas and taking a small nibble. His face lifted as he let out a happy chirp that none of them had heard since he was a tot. His eyes were wide as he took another bite, the hand that wasn’t holding the pizza flapping up and down in excitement.

Leo was so focused on the pizza that he didn’t even notice all of the adoring looks he received from the rest of his family.

—
The next day, Donnie’s fever broke.

Chapter Text

Donnie didn’t really remember the weeks following their rescue, his memories clouded. He was put mainly on bed (couch) rest while his family came and went. He picked up some mumbling talk about needing to find a permanent place to stay, something about April's parents coming back in a few days. Leo rarely left his sight, only leaving the living room when he had to use the restroom.

He remembered vaguely of the first turtle pile that they had when Donnie had awoken the day following their rescue, Mikey curled around the twins as the three youngest had laid on top of the oldest. Donnie thinks some words were exchanged, but it felt like his mind detached from his body. He doesn’t think he spoke a single word but his family didn’t seem to mind. Or, well, he hoped they didn’t. 

Dissociation, his mind not so helpfully supplied. Just like when he watched- 

No, not thinking about that. 

A bowl of chicken noodle soup sat in his lap in one of his few moments of clarity he was propped up with some pillows. They had learned the hard way with Leo after he puked everything in his stomach up when he ate pizza that the twins couldn’t stomach anything heavily processed. Leo was sitting next to him cross-legged watching some sort of cooking show that Mikey had put on for them before he had headed out with the others. Well, watching wasn’t really the correct word. Whenever Leo thought Donnie wasn’t looking his twin would stare at him. After the 10th time Donnie caught him he dropped his spoon, whipping his head around to glare at a very shocked Leo. 

“What?” Donnie growled, shoving his bowl onto the table in front of them and turning to the best of his abilities to face the other. He hoped Leo didn’t notice his wince when he jostled his still-healing leg a bit too hard. 

“What what?” Leo responds automatically, head whipping back around to stare at the TV “Wow that guy is an asshole-” 

“Seriously?” Donnie deadpans, and if he had his mask on one of his eyebrows would be raised. 

“...” 

“Are you going to tell me why you keep staring at me or am I going to-” 

“You were going to leave me” 

Silence. 

“Leo, I-” 

“You were going to leave me alone, Donnie” the slider cut off, now glaring daggers at Donnie. 

“I-...” Donnie tries to respond, the words getting caught in his throat, Leo taking the opportunity to continue. 

“What happened about seeing tomorrow together, huh? Did you even stop to think about how you- you dying would affect me?!” Leo's voice slowly raised in volume, and Donnie had the fleeting thought to be worried if the neighbors heard him “No, no you had to go off- and, what? Self-sacrifice yourself that wasn’t even fucking needed?!” 

“I wanted you safe!” Donnie responds, voice coming out louder than he meant it to be. 

The room went quiet, the tension so thick Donnie thought he was going to choke on it. The softshell broke eye contact first, eyes darting down to stare at his hands clenched in his lap. The TV cut to a commercial break when he finally broke the silence, voice deathly silent. 

“I just… want you safe. If- If he stayed alive, he could come back and… And I had to make sure he died, that the rubble crushed him and he didn’t escape” Donnie forces the words out, not daring to look up at the other “You… You would get over it eventually. It- you would be safe and... And able to heal with our brothers and Papa…” 

“I would have died without you” the grave voice of his twin finally spoke, causing Donnie to startle and look back up to face his twin. 

“Dee, I would have not “gotten over it” or whatever you managed to convince yourself in your stupid too big of a brain of yours-” Leo says, voice breaking at the last word as a sob broke through his throat. 

Donnie watched in detached horror as his twin started breaking down in front of him. Tears sprouted at the corners of the slider's eyes, and he wondered mindlessly when the last time Leo cried without muffling his sobs. He watched as his body moved without his command as he grabbed his brother, pulling him closer into a hug. Leo instantly returned it, arms coming around him, clutching so hard as if he would disappear if he let go. Leo buried his head into Donnie’s shoulder, sobs turning to full-blown wailing as his tears soaked his shoulder. 

“You can’t-... Don’t leave me, p-please don’t I- I- don’t want to be alone, pl-ease” Leo spoke through sobs, grip tightening somehow. 

“Okay,” Donnie heard his voice say, almost wincing at how monotone it sounded. 

The world became a blur again after that. He remembered Leo pulling away after a while, giving him a look that he couldn’t decipher before shoving the bowl of food back into his hands. 

The day continued, or was it days…? For once, Donnie's sense of time was failing him. The rest of his family came and went, and he thinks Leo talked to them about something involving a… Abandoned subway? Or something like that. 

“My parents' business trip was delayed, so thankfully we got until the end of the week to get you guys settled in somewhat” April was speaking to Splinter. Raph and Mikey are currently out of supply hunting. Splinter had ordered Leo to step outside for a few minutes for some fresh air. 

Donnie tried to focus on the conversation, but reality seemed to slip from his grasp. Leo soon came back, April having to leave for school. Splinter had pressed a kiss to the twin's foreheads before leaving once again. 

He had long since laid down and his eyes started feeling heavy. Leo was sitting in front of him on the floor, holding one of his hands and absentmindedly rubbing soothing circles. Donnie struggled to keep his eyes open. 

“It’s okay Dee” Leo’s soft voice spoke from somewhere as his eyes finally slipped shut “We’re safe, you can sleep” 

—

Leo was watching some reruns of Jupiter Jim that was playing on the TV, though he wasn’t really paying attention as his mind wondered. 

The rest of the family was worried about the lack of awareness his twin had shown the past few days. Leo had struggled through an explanation, and Mikey had thankfully caught on fast. 

“Oh, dissociation?” Mikey had cut in through Leo’s rambling, explaining to the rest of the family. The worry didn’t go away, but at least they were no longer frightened. 

He was snapped out of his thoughts as he felt Donnie’s hand in his go slack, tilting his head back to notice his brother's breathing had finally evened out and the tension in his body relaxed. He carefully detached his hand from the other, standing up quietly with a stretch. Mikey and Raph should be back in 5…4…3…2…1- 

“Hi, Leo!” Mikey yelled, jumping through the window that had been left open near the fire escape in the living room. He was instantly silenced by Leo, gesturing to the now sleeping softshell. 

“Hi Leo,” Mikey said again, whispering. Raph had climbed in from behind him trying his best not to scrap the windowsill with his spikes. 

“Hey’ Leo, Don’s sleep’in?” Raph says at a much quieter volume than Mikey, setting down the pizza box he was carrying on the table “Brought some cheese pizza, you prob’ can’t eat much but it’s a start” 

“Yeah, and thanks,” Leo responds, catching Mikey in a hug when the orange turtle jumps on him, nuzzling his cheek “How is the moving going?” 

“Good, we should be able to move you guys tonight… It’s very bare bones but I’m sure Donnie will be able to spice things up when he’s healed up” Mikey says, voice strained in barely contained excitement to not yell and wake up the sleeping turtle. 

Leo smiled, patting his younger brother on his head. The three brothers set up a nest on the living room floor, curled up together as he nibbled on a small slice of Pizza. He only made it halfway through before he had to listen to his stomach. 

Donnie woke up a little bit later and climbed into the turtle pile. He still had the far-away look on his face, but he was adding a little bit to the conversation which was a much better improvement. 

Leo himself was finding himself lost in thought, replaying the last conversation he had with his twin. On one hand, a part of him felt a warmth in his chest knowing Donnie cared about him so much. On the other one, he was pissed that he was going to sacrifice himself. It was just… So stupid! So fucking stupid that Leo was starting to think that Donnie must have been hit in the head. Lost some brain cells. 

“-and then Raph went face first into the sewer water” Mikey concludes the story he was telling as Leo tuned back into the conversation. Raph and Mikey had been telling the twins stuff that happened during… Well, the stories were great. 

Leo and Donnie hadn’t shared any of theirs. The others didn’t ask.

“Mikey!” Raph says, embarrassment written all over his face. Next to him, Donnie let out a small laugh. It was more like a breath of air but it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. 

“Gross” Donnie mutters “... Dramatic shutter” 

The conversation slowly died out, a comfortable silence taking over the room. Mikey got up at one point, coming back to shove a glass of water in each of their hands. Then they all settled down, watching the Jupiter Jim re-runs together as they waited for their dad and sister to return. April sadly had some sort of after-school commitment and wouldn’t be home until 6ish, so it wasn’t any shock when Splinter arrived back first. 

“Hello, my sons,” Splinter says as he comes through the window that Raph and Mikey went through before. There was a chorus of greetings as Raph reached over to grab the remote, muting the TV. The group of turtles' heads turned to look at their dad, seeing if he brought back any news “Yes, yes, give your old man a moment to settle in” 

“Boo!” Mikey dramatically says, earning a gentle smack in the back of his head by Raphael. Mikey turned his head around to stick his tongue out at the snapper, giggling when he was shoved over a second later. 

Leo watched his siblings banter, pushing the voice in the back of his head wondering if he would ever… Well, that wasn’t important. His gaze flicked away from his brothers, watching as Splinter came over and collapsed onto an armchair. Donnie shifted to head-butt their father's side as a greeting while Leo waved.  

That earned the twins both head pats. Mikey noticed and instantly tried to detangle himself from where he was currently being pinned down by one hand with Raph. The latter rolled his eyes fondly, releasing his hold on the box turtle, watching in amusement as Mikey scrambled over and climbed into their father's chair. 

“Greetings to you too Orange” Splinter laughed as Mikey plopped himself in the middle of Splinter's lap, giving Mikey a pat on the head. He reached over when Raph came to sit in the front of the chair, patting his biggest son as well “And you too Red” 

“Heya pops, any news?” Raph settled in his new spot, the twins joining him. 

“Yes, our new home should be ready for us to move into the night after Apri gets back,” Splinter says, and he felt Donnie tense for a second beside him. He reached out to grab for his twin's hand, squeezing gently in reassurance “Let’s all rest for the next few hours as we wait for the sun to set, hmm?” 

“Okay, dad!” Mikey hopped up, ignoring his father's exaggerated ‘oof’ noise, disappearing somewhere into the kitchen. 

“Purple?” 

Donnie tore his gaze away from where he watched Mikey disappear, Leo felt the sentiment. Leo hadn’t liked it when his brothers left his sight too.   

“Yes, ma-” Donnie says, words catching in his throat, if the other noticed it they didn’t say anything “Yes Dad?” 

“Are you okay with Red carrying you? Your leg, despite healing fast, is still damaged and should not be walked on” 

Donnie paused for a second and Leo was about to offer to give his twin a piggyback ride before the softshell responded. 

“Yes, that should be okay” 

Splinter gave a small smile, attention returning to Mikey when he came back in with a plate of cheese pizza and a cup of water, setting it down onto his dad's lap. The orange turtle was given a forehead kiss as a thanks, which in turn earned a happy squeal. 

After Splinter told the news, the former settling in on his armchair, the family settled down again. He now had control of the TV after Raph had passed him the remote. Leo was lying with his brothers right in front of their dad, using Raphs arm as a pillow. Donnie was lying next to him while Mikey was sprawled out on all three turtles. 

Leo was the last one awake and he finally felt himself relax. A soft smile appeared on his face as his eyes slipped shut. 

His family was here. Together. 

—

Raph couldn’t tell if Donnie was light or if it was just because of the lack of a hard shell. In either case, he was frightened carrying his purple brother to their new home. He had already been there a few times, having gone with his other siblings and pops while the twins rested at April’s. So he wasn’t worried about the trip, just… Big brother stuff he guesses. 

April had apparently gotten back when the group of brothers were asleep on the floor. He hadn’t woken up until he heard some hush whispering. He didn’t wanna listen! Really! But he didn’t really wanna wake up either, so he kept his eyes closed as he pretended to be asleep.  

“...and the twins?” Raph was able to catch the tail end of a sentence, April's voice coming somewhere from behind him. 

“Hmm… Better, they seem to be… Well not physically fine, but nothing to worry about long term” Splinter’s voice answered, pausing for a moment before continuing “I’m more worried about their mental health. I would love to get them, all of my boys, some professional help that I was never given as a kid, but… Well, with this whole situation…” 

Raph almost snorted, shifting a bit to cover up the noise. Yeah, their whole situation. Even if they were human, how were they supposed to talk to anyone about their life without getting whatever child protection services they are involved in? 

Hey Mr. Therapist, two of my brothers were kidnapped a few years ago while me and my only remaining brother had to stay on the run from the bad guy who took them. 

He doesn’t think that would go well. 

Sleep finally took over him again until he was awoken again by Splinter ushering all his sons to get up. There was some awkward shuffling as Raph and Donnie had a staring contest before the younger turtle gave a faint nod. 

He was so light. 

He was so concerned about keeping his brother safe in his arms that he didn’t really remember the trip that well. Mikey had returned to sleep and was currently riding on Raph’s shell. Pops had led the way as Leo and April lagged behind a bit. He could pick up bits and pieces of conversation, which seemed to be mostly April catching Leo up on how school was going and how high school sucks. Donnie’s faraway look had returned, so besides the slight murmurings from his brother and sister, it was an uneventful and quiet trip. Though his own nerves were still on the rise, so he started rambling to his purple brother. 

“Sadly we lost Mr. Snuggles on our third or fourth move, but then Mikey and Dad got me a new one so I named him Dr. Snuggles,” Raph says, even if he wasn’t entirely sure if his brother was listening “Maybe I could uh… Would you like to snuggle with him tonight? He kinda smells like me and Mike so…” 

When Raph didn’t get a response right away he assumed his brother wasn’t present at the moment. However, just as he was about to start rambling again there was a quiet response. 

“...Yes please Raphie” 

The voice was faint and Donnie’s attention quickly drifted away again but that didn’t matter to Raph. He smiled a bit bigger, standing straighter as they continued their trip. 

When they got to their new home, Raph had set down Donnie on a large mattress that was currently being kept in what would later be a living room. Mikey had awoken once again and had sprinted out of the room, before coming back carrying a bunch of blankets and pillows that were almost as tall as him. A bunch of stuffies were balanced on top of the sack, some falling onto the floor as Mikey walked toward the others. 

“Woah Mike, let me help ya little bro,” Raph said, quickly backtracking when the so-called ‘little bro’ glared at him “... Big bro?” 

When he didn’t get yelled at he assumed he had managed to calm down the youngest, bending down to grab the stuff that had fallen on the ground and then the stuff in Mikey’s hands. He stopped and stared at one of the stuffed animals, a white bear that looked like it had seen better days. One of his eyes was missing, and multiple patchy stitches were obviously done by a shaky inexperienced hand. 

Raph shifted the pile into one hand, holding the bear in the other as he made it over to the bed. When Leo and Mikey began setting up their bed, Raph plopped the bear into Donnie’s lap. The soft shell startled for a second before looking up at him. Donnie’s face was blank, but he reached out his arms in the universal gesture for a hug. Who was Raph to say no to that? Soon the others had joined in, the siblings piling up on top of each other. 

They had all passed out soon after in a pile of limbs, even April had fallen flat onto her back on top of Raph’s plastron, saying something about how she didn’t want to head back alone or something. The twins were on either side of her and had their hands clasped together, cocooning their sister. Mikey curled up around them, and Splinter was curled up behind Raph’s head. 

Raph felt his whole body relax, falling asleep without any issues for the first time in years. 

The next few days consisted mostly of making the place more livable. Mikey had gone out with April at one point and came back with a pair of crutches. 

“Here Dee!” Mikey says, bouncing over to the, what has now been named for the time being, living room mattress couch where Donnie was typing away at an old laptop they had scavenged from a dumpster. April sadly couldn’t come back with him, something about a stupid research project. Raph looked over from where he was carrying a large table into the room that had been labeled as the future kitchen, smiling wide when he saw what Mikey was holding.  

Donnie looked up when he heard his name, putting the laptop aside, and giving his full attention to Mikey with a soft smile. Ever since Donnie was given a task to work on he had been a lot more… Present, in reality. 

“Yes, Micheal?” Donnie says, eyes darting to the cane not so subtly hidden behind the turtle's back. 

Leo, who had been scrolling aimlessly on a phone that Donnie had managed to put together glanced over at the two. When he spotted the cane a big smile appeared on his face as he sat up, motioning for Raph to come over. Raph shrugged, setting the table down carefully and going over the mattress (he’ll deal with that later). 

“- so now you can do all that fancy wiring around the lair you’ve been mumbling about!” Mikey had finished up his long speech by the time Raph made it over, plopping the cane in front of Donnie “I can even paint it purple for you if you want…” 

“Oooh, can we sign it Donnie?” Leo says, leaning over his twin's shoulder to get a better look. 

“...Isn’t that for casts?” 

“Why can’t it be for both?” 

“Huh… Raph never thought of that” 

“Donnie?” Mikey's voice broke the conversation, the two turning to look at the mentioned turtle. 

Donnie had pulled the cane into his lap, his head bent low which made it impossible for Raph to read his facial expressions. 

“Don? You okay bud?” Raph asks, moving around to crouch in front of Donnie. 

“Yeah, you don’t have to use it, obviously… I just thought, well-”

“I love it” 

Donnie cut in, looking up from where he was staring at the stick in his lap. His voice came out shaky and at first, Raph was about to freak out when he noticed tears starting to form in the corners of the softshell eyes. The wide, wobbly smile however instantly relaxed him, returning the smile. 

“Th-Thank you,” Donnie says, Leo leaning against him and burying his face into his twins' hoodie, wrapping his arms around Donnie in a hug (one of Raph’s old ones) “I can’t… I don’t know… Sigh, thank you Mikey for- for giving me my first gift in… Uh, thank you Mikey”   

The cane was shoved off of Donnie’s lap, though Raph didn’t know who had done it. All he was focusing on was scooping all of his brothers up and into a hug, falling back onto the mattress. Donnie was squeezed in between Mikey and Leo, and even if he was asked to be released a few minutes later, the smile never left. 

Yeah, maybe their little family is going to be alright.  

—

Mikey was lying on his stomach in his currently empty room. There was a recently hung hammock and an old bean bag that April gave them. He was in the middle of the room, a cane laid out in front of him with some paints and brushes. He was humming a melody under his breath, his legs kicking behind him as he stared intensely at the work in front of him, tongue sticking out. 

Donnie was working on some coding and had permitted him to take the walking stick and decorate it. It was going to be perfect! Mikey will show the sticker collection to Donnie when he is done so he can choose the final touches.  

It had been a little over two weeks since his missing brothers were returned to him, and he was excited! He was so so glad they were back in his life. But he was also worried. They were doing… Okay at the moment, but would that continue when the adrenaline finally wears down? When they didn’t have anything to do? 

… What will Donnie and Leo do when they don’t have to just survive, but also live? 

Mikey’s musing was cut short when he heard a knock come from his subway door.  

“Come in!” Mikey called out, not looking up from his work. 

There was a pause for a moment before the door opened slightly, Leo slipping in through the small crack, shutting the door behind him. Mikey glanced up, noting the look of confusion on the slider's face (and bigger eye bags, but that was a conversation for later) before returning to his project. 

“Hey Leo, what's up?” Mikey pats next to him where the beanbag is. His brother took the offer, coming over and collapsing onto the beanbag. 

“Hi Mike, I’m just… Uh, bored?” Leo says, more of a question than a statement. 

“You’re bored…” Mikey trails off, trying to get more information out of the other. 

“I think?” 

Mikey sighed, setting the paints down and sitting up so his body was fully facing Leo. With closer observation, Mikey noted the other constant fidgeting, leg bouncing up and down while his hands were tapping on his thighs. His eyes were darting around the room, his expression blank. 

“Okay, tell me what's wrong then,” Mikey says, cross-legged. 

“I’m bored?” 

“See, you keep saying that, but it keeps coming out as a question” 

Leo shifted a bit, eyebrow ridge furrowing as he tried to collect his thoughts together. Mikey didn’t mind, swaying back and forth as he waited for the other to respond. 

“I think I’m bored, I just… I don’t know? Haven’t really felt like there wasn’t anything to do in a… Long while? There was always something that needed to be done or was going on with-” Leo cut himself off, clearing his throat as he continued “and Donnie is currently doing stuff with all his tech. Everyone else has been helping or doing something. I’ve been just sitting on my ass…” 

Mikey listened, nodding along as Leo spoke. When the other trailed off he waited a few moments to make sure Leo didn’t have anything else to say before responding. 

“Well that’s understandable Leo, it’s okay to just… Do nothing, take a breather” 

“But I want to do something” Leo pushed off the beanbag and slid to the floor in front of the orange turtle “I’m tired of waiting” 

Mikey considered that for a moment. It made sense, with what little he’d glimpsed of the twins' years of absence, he knew that they were mainly waiting. For a rescue, for them to escape, anything really. 

“So what do you wanna do?” Mikey changed directions. 

“I don’t know, that’s the issue!” Leo groans in frustration, throwing his arms up in the air. 

“Okay, what do you like to do?” 

A pause, Leo's eyes growing distant for a few moments before refocusing back on Mikey. 

“I don’t know,” Leo says quietly, gaze dropping to his hands. 

Mikey felt a pain of sympathy, reaching out to grab his hands, which caused Leo to look back up to see the soft expression on the box turtle's face.  

“That’s fine, it just means we get the opportunity to find things that you do like!” Mikey says, eyes growing in excitement as he leans closer to their brother's face, snouts almost touching “Ohmigosh! How about you draw with me!” 

Mikey didn’t wait for an answer, hoping up to grab his sketchbook and pencils that were lying in his hammock. The cane needed to dry anyway before Mikey could do anything else, so this will be a fun pastime. 

That’s how the pair spent their time together for the following weeks. Mikey would show Leo things he liked to do, and when those ran out the two had started scouring the internet for ideas (Donnie had gotten that set up by the second week). Leo had taken up a liking to music, while both of the boys enjoyed racing each other on skateboards in the underground tunnels.  

Leo had even started helping with the finishing touches on the cane, mostly giving Mikey some ideas that Leo knew his twin would like. By the end of the second week, the crutches were finally done! It took longer than expected, and okay maybe Mikey was a perfectionist. But it wasn’t his fault! Leo had so many good ideas, that he had to incorporate all of them! Raph, April, and Splinter would also come and check on the progress, giving their own suggestions that Mikey must also include. 

Donnie was given a simple pair of crutches in the meantime that was slightly lower quality, Mikey decided to ban the purple turtle from seeing them until they were finished. It did the job of allowing Donnie mobility, allowing him to do work around the layer. While at first the wound itself had healed shockingly fast, it had slowed down significantly in the past week. Mikey didn’t know a lot, but he heard Leo muttering about some long-term nerve damage. Whatever that means. 

Leo and Raph were currently out getting pizza for dinner tonight, the former seeming somewhat interested in learning more about the Yokai pizza place. Mikey thinks he heard Splinter's loud snoring coming from his room, so he takes the opportunity to approach his purple brother alone while the genius is working on… Something on the laptop.   

Mikey made sure his steps could be heard as he approached Donnie, who was currently curled up with the said laptop on the armchair Raph had recently managed to dumpster dive for the other day. A big quilt that they had gotten from April was over his shoulder, a now empty mug sat at his feet. Despite his concentration, he looked up the moment he heard his little brothers' footsteps, returning Mikey's giant smile with a small one of his own. 

“Greetings Angelo” 

“Heya Dee!” Mikey says, skipping over, and sitting on the edge of one of the arms of the chair. Before Donnie could respond, his laptop was snatched out of his lap, being replaced with something bright purple. 

Donnie looked like he was about to sputter out some sort of indignation, the words dying on his tongue when he glanced down at his lap. The cane had a new nice shiny sheen of the same purple color as his mask, and little designs that looked like circuits and wiring decorated the stick. What stuck out was the large signatures across the stick, blotches of their signature colors decorating the mobility device. 

Mikey watched as his immediate older brother went quiet, face going blank when he glanced down to his lap. Mikey chewed his lip nervously, fidgeting from one foot to the other as he waited for Donnie to say something. After a few moments, Mikey was about to say something before the soft shell finally shifted, grabbing the cane and standing up in one swift movement. There was a slight wince of pain as he adjusted to the change but before the orange turtle could say anything he was pulled into a tight hug, one arm around his shell and the other wrapping around the back of his head holding him tightly against the other's chest. 

“Thank you, Michelangelo” 

Mikey allowed his worries to fade for a moment as he returned the hug just as fiercely. If the others returned to the two curled up on the chair with a blanket slung over the both of them, then that was for them to know (and for Donnie to later find out when he finds the pictures his family had taken of them on their phones). 

—

Click click click. 

April internally groaned as she leaned more of her weight onto where she was resting her head on her hand, the other one clicking away mindlessly at the Chromebook sitting in front of her as her teacher droned on about some sort of book they were supposed to have finished the other day. Sparknotes were open in front of her as she attempted to at least skim them in case she was called on by the devil (teacher), but kept letting her mind drift away to her brothers.

It had been a little over a month since the twins were returned to them and things were going… Okay? The lair was starting to actually look like a home with all the upgrades Donnie had been giving it, and her adopted family was finally starting to settle into a new routine. April however couldn’t help to think about the next steps. Her brothers haven't known… Hell, even just basic safety in years. There was bound to be some adjusting, and while the whole family loved each other deeply… Well, none of them were qualified to provide therapy despite Mikey's many personas saying otherwise. 

“April?” 

The mentioned girl's head shot up from where she was looking at her keyboard, staring wide-eyed at her teacher who was standing in the front of the classroom with a pointed look directed at her. April felt a nervous smile fall upon her face as her eyes darted around the room, trying to see if she could see any hints of what the question could have been. 

“Uh-” April begins, thanking whatever god is out there when she was cut off by the bell. 

The teacher was trying to keep control of the class in vain as everyone quickly packed up, escaping from the classroom in a crowd, one that April easily slept into to escape out into the hall, grateful that the school day was finally over. Her mind wandered back to her previous thought process while she navigated the crowded hallway, making up her mind when she finally escaped the school. Pulling out her phone, she began texting as she headed in the direction of the nearest manhole cover.  

After a quick journey over, she found herself standing nervously outside Splinter's door. She had texted the action star that she needed to talk to him, and while he had said to meet him at his room she still felt like she would be interrupting something if she knocked. 

Before April could work up the courage to knock the door swung open, causing her to startle slightly and jump away from the door, looking down to see a very disgruntled-looking Splints. It took another moment for April to note the nightgown that he was wearing. 

“...It’s 3 in the afternoon” 

“I don’t judge your extracurricular activities”  

“Point taken” 

Splinter huffed, walking past her, motioning with his tail for her to follow him. April did so without hesitation, following the older into the newly renovated kitchen. It was still bare bones, but it did the job of making tea, which was what Splinter went to straight away as April took a seat at the kitchen table. 

“Where are the boys?” 

“Sent them to explore the surrounding area, if they stayed in here cooped up for another day I’m pretty sure I would turn all white,” Splinter says as he puts the now full teapot onto the stove to heat up “It’s a day where Purple doesn’t need to use his cane to get around so I took the opportunity when I saw it”  

“That’s good, I’ve been wanting to show Don some new textbooks I found at school,” April says, getting comfortable in her seat. She liked small talks with Splinter and enjoyed the calmness that came with it. 

“Another coding one?” 

“This one about software, actually” 

“What’s the difference?” 

“No clue Splints, no clue” 

They continued their mundane talk as Splinter finished making the tea, placed her cup in front of her, and made exactly how she liked it. During the past years April had found herself spending a lot of time with her extended family, and Splinter almost became like a second parent to her. Or maybe more like the uncle who isn’t allowed at family gatherings anymore but all the kids like him… 

Or something. 

“So, you had something you wanted to talk about April?” Splinter says, sitting down across from her with his own mug. It read ‘#1 Best Mom” where the mom was crossed out with some sort of marker and replaced in messy childish hands as dad. Spelled ded. Mikey’s gift, then. 

“Yeah I’ve been thinking, about what you said about the boy's mental health” and yours, April left out, not ready to open that can of worms just yet.

“Ah, yes, I’ve been looking into options and… what little contact I have with the Yokai but… Well, even if I knew someone, I don’t know if I trust anyone who I don’t know with my sons…” Splinter trailed off, taking a sip out of his mug, and gesturing for April to continue.  

“Yeah, I thought we might run into some trouble, so… Uh, y’know my parents?”
 

“I know you seemingly have these parents, if you had just spawned into this word I would be highly concerned” 

“... I’m disowning you” 

“We aren’t even legally related” 

“You aren’t legal” 

“... Well I’m legally dead” 

“Ugh! Not the point” April groaned with fake irritation, pressing the conversation on “My parents, yes?” 

“Yes, we’ve established this” 

“Well, they are both in the medical field, and my mom happens to… Y’know, specialize in the psych field? It’s why they are only on business trips, they are usually giving lectures somewhere” 

“And how do you think your parents would react to this whole situation?” 

“That’s why I wanted to talk with you, because y’know you're an adult. I think my parents can take the news, but it’s still a risk... And pretty sure we would be breaking so many ethics codes. But then again I think you guys are a broken ethics code so” 

“Hmm” Splinter hummed, claws clapping on the mug he was holding as he contemplated his options “I’m open up to the idea, tell me more”

April grinned wide, leaning forward excitedly. 

—

Splinter had gone to the wreckage site, in hopes of finding a body. 

If he didn’t find one, then… Well, he’ll handle this burden. 

His sons have been through enough. 

— 

3 months and 14 days. 

That’s how long they had been home for. 

That was also how long it took for things that Donatello had to do to die down. He would say “finally” but he wished it never stopped. The new lair was fully set up with electricity, plumbing installed, kitchen set up, and he’d even finished all the extras like giving each of his sibling's phones and computers. His lab was now set up, one of the first things he did after installing the basics so he could have a space to work. 

There was no more work to do. 

Donatello grabbed the cane from next to his desk as he stood up, cursing at the cold weather for making it act up. The wound had finally closed, though a large scar adorned the area where the vine had stabbed through. Most days he could get around mostly on his own, and he was thankful that he wasn’t completely bed-bound. 

Sighing as he looked around the lab, his frown grew bigger when nothing struck him. Leo was currently snoring away on a cot Donnie had put in the corner when they both realized one couldn’t sleep without the other, and Leo survived mostly on naps and spite. 

Glancing back at his computer that he’d been staring at for the last few hours, he made up his mind as he reached over the desk chair to power off the device. The room was cast in a soothing purple from the remaining lights when the screen shut down. Donnie then moved over to the wall that hung up most of his battle gear, unclasping the newly built battle shell and settling it on its spot on the wall. He detangled himself from the rest of his tech, grabbing his purple sweater on his way over to where his twin was currently sleeping, and unceremoniously falling on top of the bed, half on the cot and half on Leo’s plastron.

“Oof” Leo groaned out at the impact, squeaking in indignation when a pillow was thrown on top of his face, smothering him. 

“Shut up, we are napping” Donnie mutters, burrowing himself underneath the blankets. 

“Wha… And you couldn’t have been gentler?!” Leo says, even as he shifts over to make more room for the other. 

“No” 

“I hate you” 

“I strive to be despised” 

Leo snorted, arms wrapping around his twin in a tight embrace as he settled back into the mattress, resting his head on top of Donnie’s shell. 

“Love you too Dee, night” 

“Night… Love you as well, I suppose” 

—

Leo dragged his twin behind him into the kitchen, the sleep-deprived softshell stumbling after him without putting up any resistance. Leo smiled and waved to Mikey when he looked up from what he was cooking on the stove, the orange turtle returned the enthusiasm with a happy chirp. 

“Morning Leo! Donnie… Morning? Night? What time zone are you in right now buddy?” Mikey says teasingly, grabbing two plates that were already prepared and plopping them in front of the twins. At the same time, Raph trudged in, sweat dripping off him in buckets with a large towel thrown over his shoulder. 

“Morning Mikes! Raph-a-doodle, how do you work out in the mornings, I think we need to give you an intervention” Leo snickers as Raph smacks him lightly on the back of his head when the large snapper walks behind him to take his plate from Mikey and settles into his own chair. 

In lieu of a response to the orange turtle Donnie just threw up a middle finger as he groaned and face-planted into the table, Leo quickly pushing the plate further away before he could face plant into his scrambled eggs. 

“Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed” Raph commented, beginning to scarf down his breakfast as Mikey came over to join them. At some point Splinter wandered into the kitchen, ignoring his sons as he went straight to the now free stove to start making his tea. 

“He has solo therapy today” Leo stage whispers as he rubs circles into the back of Donnie’s shell, who makes a disgruntled noise in response. 

Leo thinks they’ve been home for over four months now but he isn’t entirely sure. He kinda stops keeping track of dates a long time ago, learning to rely on Donnie for his unusual sense of time. He does know that the whole family had started group and individual therapy last month after an awkward first meeting with April’s parents… But that was a long story for another day. 

Even Splinter had gone to a few sessions! Though he had to be convinced more times than not, Leo was still proud of his father for at least taking the step. In comparison, Mikey and Raph took the change in stride, and Leo couldn’t help to notice Mikey's smiles were looking a little bit more real and Raph’s anxiety wasn’t as debilitating as it was before. 

Leo and Donnie however… Well, let’s say they were against the idea. Leo shook away the memory of when the idea was first brought up by their dad, choosing to focus on the present. They had reluctantly agreed to at least try it when they saw how concerned their family was and had eventually admitted to this being necessary. 

That doesn’t mean they always liked it though.   

“Poor guy” Mikey stage whispered back, causing Leo to snicker before letting out a yelp when Donnie pinched him on the side. 

“Ouch!” Leo jumps in his seat, shoving Donnie away from him as the softshell fell bonelessly from the chair “Dramatic ass” 

“That’s fucking rich coming from you,” Donnie says from his position on the floor, both twins ignoring Raph and Splinters ‘language’. 

“Hey! I went to my session without any complaints!” 

“I had to literally drag you there by your mask tails” 

“I thought that was gonna be a secret! I’ve been betrayed! By my brother! My twin! My other half!” 

“You’re proving my point here” 

As the twins devolved into bickering, Splinter came over to sit on his spot at the head of the table, giving his two other sons tired looks which only caused them to burst out into laughter. 

“No sympathy for the elderly anymore” Splinter huffed, taking a sip of his tea as he allowed the noise to comfort his old bones, watching all his sons enjoying breakfast together. 

—

Donnie and Leo were lounging together on the bed in Leo’s room, Leo flipping through his comic while Donnie aimlessly scrolled through his phone. Neither of them were really paying attention to what they were looking at though and eventually Donnie broke the silence. 

“Leo?” 

“Hmm?” 

“What do we do after we’ve made it to tomorrow?” 

Leo didn’t have an answer. 

—

Leo was standing outside Raph’s door, fighting with himself to just knock already. Raph had said that if the slider ever needed him just come and look for him. He knew logically that it would be fine but… 

But it was the middle of the night, and he could hear Raph snoring from outside the subway cart. He could probably go back to bed and just wait for Donnie to come home. His twin was currently staying the night at April's, and it was fine. Really really fine. Superfine in fact, because they’ve been working on this! Their separation anxiety from each other was worse than their oldest brothers, so they’ve been learning how to live without each other. So it was fine! Yup, he’ll just go back to bed and ignore the nightmares- 

‘Leo?” 

The aforementioned turtle snapped out of his thoughts, looking back up from where he was staring at his feet to see the hulking mass of his brother standing in the now-open doorway. He blinked a few times, wondering how he had missed both the big metal door opening and his brother's large steps, but didn’t have time to dwell on it when Raph spoke up again. 

“Leo? Ya ok, bud?” Raph asks, who had now moved to crouch down to look directly at his face, waving a hand in front of it to get the other's attention. Leo shook his head to clear his head, gather his thoughts, and speak before he could second guess himself. 

“Can I sleep with you tonight?” Leo blurted out. 

There were a few moments of silence and for a second Leo was about to retract his statement and dart back off to his room to pretend this conversation never happened. Before he could flee though he was being lifted off the ground by two big hands and in the next second he was being flung onto the big mattress of his big brother, landing with a bounce. 

“Raph!” Leo screeched, falling back on top of his shell. Before he could righten himself Raph was soon flopping onto the bed with him, gathering his younger brother in his arms like a teddy bear. 

“Raph! Raphie, Raaaaaph-” Leo whines, though the way he snuggled into the hug didn’t really back up his complaints. 

“Sush, teddy bears aren’t supposed to talk” 

Leo grumbled but clicked his beak shut, pushing his head into his brother's broad chest and closing his eyes. 

He didn’t have any more dreams that night. 

— 

“April?” 

“Yes”

“April?” 

“Yes, Donnie?” 

“Apriiiiil?” 

“Yes Donatello Hamato?” April says, not looking up from her homework from where she was working at her desk. Donnie made a disgruntled noise from where he was lying sprawled on top of her bed, head hanging upside down on the edge as he stared at her. 

“April April April?” 

“Yes Dee, what can I do for you on this fine evening?” 

“I’m boreeeeed” 

“I’m sorry to hear about that” 

“Apriiiiiiiiil” 

“Yes?” 

“April do something with meeeeee” Donnie uses all his little sibling energy into that last statement, sliding more off the bed the longer his sister ignored him “April, pleaseeeeeee please please ple-” 

“Okay, okay!” April groans in fond frustration, laughing as she finally sets her pencil down and turns away from her algebra homework to her annoying little brother “Okay Dee, shut up, what do you wanna do?” 

Donnie’s beak snapped shut, looking like that question threw him off as he stared blankly at April from where he was still lying upside down half off her bed. 

“...Huh” 

“Huh, what Don?” 

“I’m assuming you don’t want to work on the upgrades I’m making to the lair?” 

“Not particularly Tello” 

“Oh” 

Silence. 

“Donnie?” 

“I uh… Don’t really know what to do” A pause as Donnie shifted to sit up, his back now turned to April as he stared out the window “Uh, never mind, sorry about that… You can go back to your homework” 

April stared at the back of her brother's head for a few moments, before standing up and marching over to the bed, homework long forgotten, as she plopped down in front of him, making the bed shake a bit at the extra weight. 

“Okay? That’s fine? We can just figure something out together” 

“No, it’s, no- I, uh, don’t know what I want to do” 

“Yeah, that’s fine Dee, we can brainstorm-” 

“No” Donnie cuts April off, instantly backtracking when he realizes “Sorry, I mean, I don’t know what I want to do. Ever. I don’t know what I would even… Like? To do? Besides doing the upgrades? Or talking with you guys?” 

April stared at Donnie for a moment, observing him. He wasn’t looking at her, which wasn’t really unusual. What was unusual was the way he was staring despondently down at his hands, as he stayed unnaturally still in one position. 

“Okaaaay” April finally says, stretching out the word as she leans off her bed to grab a remote controller that was sitting on the nightstand, before throwing it over to the other “Catch!” 

Donnie yelped, barely managing to catch the object before it smacked him in the face. April ignored the angry sputtering from behind her as she grabbed her own controller, turning to the purple turtle with a wide grin. 

“That’s fine, that just means I get to school you in Mario Kart” 

“Wha- hey! No way you’re going to beat me!” Donnie yells, previous emotions now overcome with competition with April's challenge. 

April did beat him. Multiple times in fact. But by the end of the night, Donnie was starting to get the hang of the game, cracking as April screamed as a blue shell hit her right before the finish line, zooming by her and barely dodging an irl smack from her. 

—

“Our birthday?” The twins said in unison at dinner, staring at the rest of their family in confusion. 

“Isn’t that until the other half of the year?” Donnie adds on, taking a drink of his flavorless juice. It had only been a little over 6 months since they returned home, and things had started to settle into a somewhat normal routine. April was currently over for dinner since it was a Friday night, and her parents had sent her with some dessert. They said they were sorry they couldn’t make it because of work but wished them a good dinner. 

“Yeah, but we haven’t really been able to celebrate your last few birthdays so we thought, hey! Why don’t we just do that now before your next one!” Mikey says excitedly, saying a small thank you as Raph grabs his dish to bring to the sink along with the others. 

“Yeah, it could also double as just a y’know, celebration for you guys just being here,” Raph says as he grabs the twin's plate, turning away from the table to start the dishes. 

“I won’t say no to having all of the attention on me” Leo smirks, flipping his mask tails over his head, ignoring Donnie rolling his eyes next to him. 

“That’s great” April piped up from where she was trying to steal some dessert off of Splinter's plate, who was beating her away with his fork whenever she got too close “We were thinking of having it at the end of the month, we just wanted to make sure you were okay with it” 

“Sure” Donnie shrugged, trying and failing to hide his excitement. 

“April!” Splinter shouted as the teenage girl finally managed to grab a bit of icing, ignoring the furious rat as she licked off the icing on her finger with a smile. 

—

The twins were sitting in front of Mrs. O’Neil, both looking extremely bothered as they tried to explain their current situation to their therapist. It was one of the group sessions with just the twins, something that they had found beneficial as it helped relax the twins, allowing them to open up a bit more. 

“We don’t know what to do,” Leo says, gesturing to himself and Donnie “We’ve finished all the stuff we need to get done” 

“I’ve even finished all the upgrades I’ve wanted to do! I can’t do anything else now unless if I steal from the government… EPF has-” 

“Well, first of all, do you remember the rule we set Donatello?” Mrs. O’Neil cuts in with a raised eyebrow, staring pointedly at the purple turtle. 

“... No stealing from evil government organizations until I am at least 18” Donnie grumbles, crossing his arms as he leans back into his chair “Yes, yes I get it fine but that still doesn’t solve our issue” 

“Like what are we supposed to do? I’ve got my room all nice, I’ve even collected most of the unlimited Jupiter Jim comics!” Leo says in agreement, frustration matching his twins. 

“That does seem like a predicament” Mrs. O’Neil agrees, looking thoughtful as she leans a bit forward in her chair “do you have any theories about why this may be?” 

“No,” both said in unison, looking defeated. 

“Hmm, that’s okay, let’s brainstorm together,” the therapist says, a soft smile on her face as she pushes up the glasses on her face that looked almost identical to her daughters “One of the things you guys mentioned that helped you survive the past few years was waiting for tomorrow, waiting until the next day, right?” 

“Yeah,” Leo responds for the both of them, leaning his head on his hand “waiting for when we would escape and be back with our family, all that fun stuff, best 10-year-old me could think of” 

“I think it was nice” Donnie mutters a bit, looking away from Leo when his twin gives him a huge smile at the compliment “Don’t let your head get too big” 

“Awww, you loveeeee meeeeee,” Leo says, leaning over both his chair and Donnies to dramatically lay himself out on top of his twin “You really love meeeeee” 

“Ew, gross” Donnie deadpans, gently pushing Leo, who took the opportunity to dramatically roll off the chair and fall to the floor with a loud thud. 

“Ow! Betrayal!” 

“I barely pushed you dum dum” Donnie says, staring at Leo with a blank expression before bursting out cracking when his brother just responded with a pout. 

“Do you think maybe you guys could try to live for this instead now?” Mrs. O’Neil finally says, a fond smile on her face as she watches the banter between the brothers. Both brothers went still, turning to face her with confused expressions on their faces. Leo slowly sat up and remained on the floor, leaning against one of Donnie’s legs. 

“For what?” He says, reaching up to grab Donnie’s hand to play with his fingers. 

“To bully Leo?” Donnie jokes, earning him a glare from the aforementioned brother. 

“No, not that” O’Neil laughs, shaking her head as she leans back in her chair again “For moments like these, in the present, that you have with your brothers, your family, for-” 

“For today?” the twins said in unison, looking at each other before smiling. 

—

Donnie walked into Mikey’s room with a box in hand after knocking and being allowed in. He saw his brother working at his desk, drawing what looked like some practice sketches. 

“Hey Angelo,” Donnie says as he enters, smiling as his brother looks up to wave at him. 

“Heya Dee!” Mikey says, putting down the pencil and hopping up, skipping over to the other “Whatcha got there?” 

“Oh…Uh,” Donnie looked down at the box in his hand, before lifting it to present it to Mikey “I got a puzzle that I was wondering if you wanted to… Uh, work on it with me?” 

“Omigosh! Obviously yes!” Mikey says, grabbing Donnie’s free hand and dragging his brother into his room, Donnie smiling after him. 

—

“...So what are you watching dad?” Leo says as he walks into the living room, sitting down on a blue bean bag. 

“An 80’s romcom” 

“Ah” 

Leo settled in as the two continued to watch the T.V show for the next few hours, Leo occasionally asking some random questions to his dad. 

“So she cheated on him with his brother?” 

“No no no, she cheated on him with his father” 

“Woooow, that’s some daddy issues right there” 

Splinter snorted, turning back to the T.V. 

“He’s a bitch” 

“That he is, don’t worry, he gets karma” 

“Good” 

At some point someone peaked there head in the room but neither son nor father paid any attention. 

“You know, I worked with this actor in Lou Jitsu 3” 

“Oh! That’s where I recognize him from” 

There was some commotion in the kitchen. 

“He’s so so gay, the closet is glass” 

“It was the 80’s, the closet was built in for everyone” 

“Even for you?” 

“Be careful, I will kick you out of here” 

Leo snickered. 

“Didn’t know you like this stuff” 

Leo jumped from his beanbag, turning around to notice all three of his brothers staring at the two of them in the doorway. Before he could say anything though a sandal went flying by his head, almost hitting there brothers before they ducked out of the doorway, running away with laughter. 

“Kids these days” 

Leo cackled. 

—

Turtle Fam

TheCoolerTwin: Hey who took my first edition Jupiter Jim Comic? ???? I will find u

TheSmarterTwin: Sure u didn’t lose it up your ass? 

TheCoolerTwin: dskfjdskfnmds harsh 

Green: not me, Mike’s? 

Dr.DelicateTouch: not meeeee, i already have that, skill issue. L bozo, ratio 

TheCoolerTwin: …April 

O’NEEEEEEIL: Tee hee

TheCoolerTwin: run 

O’NEEEEEEIL: Oh no

TheSmarterTwin: u dug ur own grave Apes, godspeed soldier

Green: godspeed 

Dr.DelicateTouch: godspeed 

RatNinja: why did I just see April run out of the lair with blue chasing after her with a kitchen knife? 

—

Turtle Fam

TheSmarterTwin: wru guysf 

TheCoolerTwin: Apes, u were sleepin, did ya see our note? 

TheSmarterTwin: No. Sry. Come back p[;flease? 

TheCoolerTwin: omw 

TheCoolerTwin: u ok?

TheSmarterTwin: will be

— 

Turtle Fam

Green: ok

Green: family meeting 2nite 

O’NEEEEEEIL: oh u guys in troubleeeeeeeeeee 

Green: u 2 April 

O’NEEEEEEIL: shit 

TheCoolerTwin: L

TheSmarterTwin: L

Dr.DelicateTouch: L 

O’NEEEEEEIL: :( 

RatNinja: L

O'NEEEEEEIL: WOW

—

Turtle Fam

RatNinja: were the fuck is remote

TheSmarterTwin: u can have it back when you wash ur robe 

RatNinja: sers purple??? 

TheCoolerTwin: hahahahaha 

Green: sry pa this one on u 

O’NEEEEEEIL: Oh thank god thank u Donnie 

TheSmarterTwin: ur welc 

Dr.DelicateTouch: can u get him to wash his sheets next????? 

RatNinja: im disowning all of you

—

Turtle Fam

O’NEEEEEEIL: don, wru 

TheSmarterTwin: therapy 

O’NEEEEEEIL: oh really 

O’NEEEEEEIL: then why did I just got a text from my mom wonder wyr? 

TheSmarterTwin:... 

TheSmarterTwin: this gotta be a hippa violation 

TheCoolerTwin: ill get him apes 

O’NEEEEEEIL: thank 

TheSmarterTwin: betrayal 

—

Turtle Fam

Dr.DelicateTouch: why 

Dr.DelicateTouch: do

Dr.DelicateTouch: i 

Dr.DelicateTouch: smell 

TheCoolerTwin: oh no 

Dr.DelicateTouch: BURNING IN MY KITCHEN 

TheSmarterTwin: leo touched the toaster agai 

TheCoolerTwin: DONNIE 

TheSmarterTwin: This is what you get for the other day. YOU RATTED ME OUT TO MY THERAPIST 

RatNinja: hey language 

TheSmarterTwin: sorry dad 

TheCoolerTwin: OKAY BUT DR.DELICATETOUCH IS SO MUCH WORSE 

TheSmarterTwin: suffer 

Green: gyus 

Green: guys 

Green: g u y s why is Leo screaming bloody murder 

TheCoolerTwin: Leo is no longer with us, only Mikey is here now :) 

TheSmarterTwin: rip 

Green: rip 

O’NEEEEEEIL: rip 

RatNinja: rip

—

Turtle Fam

RatNinja: remember pary this weekend 

TheSmarterTwin: r u guys gonna tell us anything 

Dr.DelicateTouch: no 

Green: no

O’NEEEEEEIL: no 

RatNinja: no 

TheCoolerTwin: wow guys 

TheCoolerTwin: can’t believe we are being iced out of our own family 

TheCoolerTwin: After being kidnapped for so long, sniffle 

Green: putting u on dishes tonight 

TheCoolerTwin: OH FCK YOU 

TheSmarterTwin: HA! 

Green: Don ur on dishes with him 

TheCoolerTwin: HAHAHAHAHA 

TheSmarterTwin: damnit 

RatNinja: language u 2

Green: ^ 

TheCoolerTwin: fuck ass shit bitch 

TheCoolerTwin: fucker bitch bitch 

TheCoolerTwin has been muted for five minutes 

TheSmarterTwin:...

Green: Donnie… 

TheSmarterTwin:..... 

TheSmarterTwin:.....fuck 

TheSmarterTwin was muted for five minutes 

Dr.DelicateTouch: We lost another soldier rip 

O’NEEEEEEIL: rip soldier 

Green: srs guys 

RatNinja: i should of never had kids 

—-

The whole family, including April's parents, were all sitting at the kitchen table, the “birthday” boys having squeezed into the same chair at the head of the table, Mikey was sitting on Donnie’s right while Raph was sitting on Leo’s left. April had complained about not being next to the birthday boys so was now sprawled across both of the twins laps as presents were settled on the table by the grownups. 

They had dinner earlier, Mikey having made both the twins favorites while Raph had distracted them throughout the day. The cake was even better, everyone complimenting the youngest on his amazing cooking and baking skills. Mikey had perked up in pride, chirping with happiness when he received the praise. 

“I WANNA GO FIRST” Mikey says, making grabby hands at Splinter. He rolled his eyes but nonetheless left the room, coming back with two color coordinated presents, putting them in front of the respected matching turtle.  

Donnie pushed one of April's puffs out of his face, reaching over to grab the paper and ripping it open before Leo could have a chance to open his, ignoring the indignant squawk that came from his twin. In Front of him was a very well drawn portrait of there whole family, and glancing over Donnie saw that Leo got something similar though it was when they were all kids while Donnie’s was them all in the present. 

“I thought we could hang them in your guys room together! And I plan on making one each year, so we can never lose memories of us together”  Mikey explained, leaning over Donnie’s arm as he watch the twins open up his gifts. 

“I love it Mikes! Look how cute I was” Leo cooed, showing off the drawing to the rest of the family. 

“A lot better than that one time you tried to draw them” Donnie snickered in agreement, dodging a punch that came his way a moment later, turning down to smile at Mikey “I love it so much Angelo, you really captured all of us” 

Raph had wanted to go next, and this time April's parents left the room to grab the presents. Coming back in they were carrying two big purple and blue boxes, settling them on the table. This time Leo managed to get the present open first, gasping in excitement when he saw the blue knitted blanket. He lunged into the box, pulling the quilt out and growing more excited when he noticed the purple, red and orange threads knitted throughout the blue, Glancing to his side he saw that Donnie got the same thing, but instead of the base color being blue it was purple. 

“Yeeeees! I’ve been wanting you to knit me something!” Leo whooped, slinging his arm around his brother, pulling him into a side hug as Donnie said his own appreciation to the now flustered snapping turtle. 

“Me next” April waves from the twins laps, and her mom laughed as she went and got the little envelopes, giving them to the twins. Inside where two 100 dollar visa gift cards “I didn’t really know what to get you guys but then I realized your family was probably gonna be sappy and give you a bunch of hand made shit, so I thought I’d be the favorite and throw money at you two” 

The caused the room to explode in laughter, the twins squeezing April in between them in a tight hug in gratitude. Money? For them? Favorite gift, sorry Mikey and Raph. 

April’s parents then gifted them a bag filled with matching sets of a bunch of clothes, one in blue and one in purple as usual. Donnie had instantly thrown the satin purple sweatshirt on the moment he saw it, and Leo followed with his own blue one so he could match his twin. 

“What do you say?” Splinter says with a raised eyebrow at the twins. 

“Thank youuuu '' The twins said in unison, before both pairs of eyes landed on there father. Splinter grunts, but heads to grab his own presents, coming over to drop a single piece of paper in front of them. 

The twins were confused at first, but there faces went soft when they looked down and saw a picture of all the brothers as baby, a newly mutated Splinter holding them all in his arms with a tired but big smile on his face. 

“Awww, dad” Leo says softly, looking up. 

“It was the only photo I was able to get at the time, and so I thought I’d give it to you two… So you’re never away from us again” 

“...Thank you dad” Donnie says, the twins jumping there father at the same time to squish him into a hug. 

As it always does, the family found themselves all piled up in the living room soon after the gifts were given, even April’s parents were sleeping on the couch. Everyone had quickly fallen asleep due to the long day of events, the only two remaining awake were Leo and Donnie. 

The twins were sitting together in a large armchair, Donnie scrolling on his phone as Leo looked over his shoulder to watch. When it hit midnight, Donie glanced up from his phone to notice everyone was finally asleep. He clicked the phone off and before Leo could ask a question, he stood up and gestured for the slider to follow him. 

Leo tilted his head but followed without question and Donnie led him to his lab, closing the door behind him so they wouldn’t worry about waking the rest of there family up. He ignored Leo’s questions as he went over to his desk, bending down to open the bottom draw to grab something out of it. 

“Happy… Uh, somewhat not a birthday?” Donnie says as he stands up, shrugging, before turning around and placing the object in Leo’s hand. 

It was the toy soldier. It was fixed up to the best of its abilities, and if you squinted you might even be able to think it’s brand new. There were still scratches in the paint, and one of the eyes was missing, but when Leo bent down to wind it up it walked all the way across the room. 

“It was on me when we left, but… Due to the nature of the escape if was… Even more fucked up then before” Donnie says simply, before shrugging “I know I can probably get you something better now but… I thought, sentimentality-” 

“I love it, Donnie,” Leo says, standing up to pull his twin into a tight hug. 

Donnie returned the hug just as fiercely, closing his eyes as he buried his head into Leo soldier. He ignored the tears welling up in his eyes, just the same way he ignored the wet spot on his own soldier. 

“I am so fucking ready” Leo says with a watery laugh, not pulling away. 

“Ready for what?” 

“To live for today” 

“...Yeah, me too”