Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"I flip the bacon and I put it on the plate, then I flip the pancake and I put those on a plate too…"

Mikey sang out every action he made as he prepared breakfast, a routine that amused Splinter and Sera and annoyed the crap out of Donnie and Raph.

"Then I make sure everyone has their share, then I bring 'em to the table-"

"Then I kick your ass," interrupted Raph with a cocky grin.

"Raphael." Splinter spoke his name with a stern tone. "Mind your language."

"Alrighty," said Mikey, distributing plates, "I've got one for me, one for Sensei, one for Raphie, one for Donnie, one for Sera, and…" His voice trailed off when he noticed the last seat was empty. He turned to the hallway and hollered for his missing brother. "Leo! Get your butt out of bed! Breakfast is ready!"

Splinter put a hand to his chin. "It's very rare that Leonardo is the last one out of bed. Donatello, would you mind checking on him to see if he is alright?"

"On it, Sensei." Donnie stood up from the table and strolled off to Leo's room. Leo was still in his bed, unmasked and sweaty. Donnie knocked on his shell. “Hey, Leo. Are you gonna come eat breakfast or what?”

Leo grunted, and pried an eye open. “Do you mind just putting it in the fridge or microwave or something, so I can eat later? My head hurts.”

Well, that explained his absence at the table. “Alright, sure. I’ll come get you later.” Donnie left the room and went back to the table. “He’s not very hungry right now, Sensei.”

“Odd.” Splinter folded his paws in front of his plate. “I will see him before our training session. In the meantime, eat, my children.”

Mikey quickly dug into his meal, while his sensei and elder siblings ate more slowly. Donnie in particular liked to savour each flavour that entered his mouth; he often wondered just how Mikey did it. How was he such a great cook when the others could hardly make toast without a fire?

Later in the morning, Raph, Donnie, Mikey, and Sera were holding seiza in the dojo, waiting for their training session to begin. Splinter had gone to check on Leo. When he entered his room, Leo had still not left his bed, and the scales on his face were less green than normal. Splinter put a paw on his eldest son’s forehead. “Leonardo?”

“Mm?” Realizing his sensei was in the room, Leo became much more alert and began to sit up. “Oh, Sensei. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize how late I’d slept in.”

“That’s quite alright.” Splinter moved his paw to Leo’s shoulder. “You shouldn’t exert your body when you are unwell.”

"Really, I'm fine," Leo insisted. 

"No, you're not." Splinter said, firmly but with sympathy. "It's best that you remain in bed for the time being."

“But what about the others?” Leo asked, concerned. 

“Your brothers and sister will be alright.” Splinter gave Leo a comforting smile. “They are all strong, wise turtles.”

When Leo cocked an eyebrow, Splinter continued. “Do not underestimate Michelangelo. Perhaps his mind is not wise, but his heart is, and that is just as important.”

Leo sighed, and laid his head back down. “I will send one of your brothers to see you later,” said Splinter, leaving to return to the dojo. When he made it there, he informed the remaining turtles of the situation. "Leonardo will not be joining us for training today. He is not well."

"But he was just fine when I saw him last night," said Sera, worried. She started to get up. "What happened to him?"

"I don't know, but I doubt it's anything some bed rest will not cure." He stood over Sera. "I commend your concern, Seraphine, but there is no cause for alarm." Sera, getting her sensei's point, lowered herself back down.

Now that he had the four's attention, he directed them into a new, impromptu lesson. "Now, Raphael," he said, "in front of you are Foot Soldiers about to attack." He gestured to four dummies on the other side of the room. "You must lead your brothers and sister to victory."

Raphael narrowed his eyes at the dummies, and with a fierce battle roar, he charged forward. Sera, Donnie, and Mikey followed suit. Each took on a different dummy and knocked them all over.

"So," asked Splinter when they stood back at attention, "how did your leadership result in victory?"

"I dunno," mused Raph, "I just kinda went for it, and they fell in line."

Splinter nodded, and turned to Donnie. "Donatello, what was your thought process?"

"We each picked the one closest to us," explained Donnie. "It minimized the risk of us knocking into each other."

"Good." Splinter looked at his two oldest sons (well, the oldest who were present at the moment). "Your ability to quickly fall into action at the drop of a hat is commendable. But only for such short fights as this. For larger-scale battles, it is best to have a proper plan."

"So what you're saying is we're both right," reasoned Raph.

"Precisely." Splinter turned. "Every fight has a different setup. You just need to do what is best in the moment." He stopped in front of Sera. "Now it is time for you to step up. I am going to stand in the middle of the room with my eyes closed. You must sneak yourself and your brothers up on me."

Once Splinter had taken his position, Sera corralled her brothers to follow her and crept behind her sensei. Alright, she thought, you just need the perfect chance to strike. But he's a ninja master, he's not going to be easily distracted. 

A sneeze then echoed from the hallway. Splinter, recognizing Leo's voice, opened his eyes and turned slightly. Seeking her golden opportunity, Sera charged forward and swept Splinter's legs out from under him. Splinter fumbled for a moment  but regained his balance and didn't fall over. "Very good, Seraphine. What was your strategy?"

"I just looked for the best opportunity to strike," said Sera. "Even the most masterful ninjas slip up sometimes."

"I see." Splinter stroked his beard. "You have done well, Seraphine. But you must remember, you won't always have time to wait for an opportunity. Sometimes, you may have to strike before you're ready."

Splinter then turned to Mikey. "Now, it is your turn, Michelangelo. I want you to walk around the dojo while making as little noise as possible."

"Without making any noise? Oh man, I don't know if I can do that." Mikey stepped back a bit. "Let me just do a test walk first."

Mikey stepped around the dojo, and surprisingly, he was able to make a full walk around with hardly a crack. Splinter, Raph, Sera, and Donnie were all wide-eyed when he made it back. "Impressive, Michelangelo. How did you do it?"

"Well, I knew there was a squeaky floorboard right there, so I avoided it." Mikey pointed to a board near the bonsai tree. "I stayed on the rug, cause it muffles my steps, and I didn't go by Raph, cause he flinches whenever I get near." Raph growled at that statement.

"Good, good." Splinter turned to face all his children. "You have shown me both your strengths, and where you can improve. But do you know why I gave you these exercises?"

"Cause you were getting bored of our usual stuff?" Mikey asked innocently.

"No," chuckled Splinter. "I wanted to give you each an opportunity to show your strength as a leader. There may be times where you must go on a mission without Leonardo. I want you to be prepared should that happen. You are dismissed."

As Splinter left, Raph turned to Mikey. "I do not flinch when you get near me, Crapelangelo."

Sera and Donnie snorted at the nickname choice. "Crapelangelo?"

"This is why I have nicknaming duties and not you." Mikey then made a mad dash before Raph could inflict any physical harm on him.

Chapter Text

"Leo, oh Leeeeeoooooo~"

Leo mumbled and opened his eyes, where he saw Mikey and Sera watching over him. "Master Splinter sent us to come check on you. What's up?"

"Can you get out of my face?" Mikey apologetically backed up, and Leo pushed himself upwards. "I'm fine, alright? Just out of it."

"Clearly so far out, you're still in bed at lunchtime," snarked Sera.

Leo shook his head. "I just need some time to chill and let my body rest. But seriously…" He put a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "I'm sorry I couldn't train with you today."

"It's fine, you needed this," said Sera, losing her sarcastic tone. "You actually saved my butt back there."

Mikey was eager to tell Leo what happened. "She tripped up Master Splinter!"

"What?!" Leo was incredulous. "How did you do that?"

Sera looked mighty proud of herself. "He got distracted when he heard you sneeze, and I took the opportunity to strike. Without you, I don't think I would ever have been able to pass his trial." She patted Leo's shell. "Thank you for that."

"Mikey? Sera?" Donnie made his way into the room. "Raphael's preparing us for a surface run. You should probably come join us." He gave a quick wave to Leo, before herding his brother and sister to the living room.

"Alright; lady, gentleman, Mikey, here's the plan." Raph stood in front of his younger siblings with his game face on. "If we're gonna be without Leo for a bit, we need to clean the streets now. When we get up there, you keep your eyes open for Kraang, Foot Soldiers, Purple Dragons, anything, at all times. If you see any of them, even just one, we pound them. Got it?"

"Got it," the three repeated. 

"Good," said Raph. "We ride at dusk. Bring your weapons, your smoke bombs, and most importantly, bring your A-game."

That evening, after the sun had set, Mikey, Donnie, Raph, and Sera emerged from the sewers onto the streets. Everything seemed quiet, but they knew from experience that that didn't mean nothing sinister was going on. 

However, after checking every street and alleyway, it really did seem like it was a completely peaceful night. "This is weird," said Donnie. "You'd think we'd have found something by now."

"Maybe everyone knows Leo's sick and decided to leave us alone," suggested Mikey.

"Oh yeah, that's a great idea," said Raph sarcastically. "The turtles are at a disadvantage, let's do nothing!" He mocked his brother's ludicrous suggestion.

"Guys, shut up," Sera shout-whispered. "I hear something."

The four peered around the corner, and there they saw a scattered few Kraang bots stomping around. One of them held a canister of mutagen. 

Donnie looked up at the surrounding buildings, and noticed an open window with some pink curtains. "They're gonna break into that place and mutate someone!"

"Not if we stop them first," growled Raph. "Donnie, you take the mutagen. I'll take the one with the gun. Mikey, Sera, the rest are yours."

Everyone gave a nod of agreement, and rushed into battle! Raph pierced a sai through a bot's head, Mikey went wailing on a second, and Sera unleashed her fisticuffs on the third.

Donnie battled the Kraang for the mutagen, and was finding it tough; he simply wouldn't let go! He had to do something drastic, and quick! Almost without thinking, he unsheathed the blade on his bo staff and stabbed it through the bot, thus getting the mutagen without spilling a drop.

Sera brawled with a bot, and she only needed an arrow through the head at just the right time to take him out. She monitored his behaviour, but found it became weaker before she was ready to aim. 

But she remembered what Master Splinter had told her; there would be times where she had to strike before she was ready. So she instead took an arrow and rammed it through the Kraang's skull.

As Mikey fought his own bot, he felt very confident. He knew that if he hit the guts first, the brain thing would be weaker; that the head was the best place for the death hit; and that he had to be super speedy to win. Subconsciously remembering everything he'd learned from previous Kraang battles, the bot was on the ground in no time.

"Nice work, fellas," said Donnie when the fight was over. "High-three!" They all high-three'd.

"Now we just gotta get rid of the mutagen," said Raph. "Whoever lives here can't know about this."

Too late; they heard a little gasp, and turned to see a little girl looking down at them from the window's balcony. "I know."

"I'll handle this," said Sera. She hopped up onto the balcony. "Look, kid, we just took out some alien rob-" 

Then she got a good look at the kid, and recognized her blonde hair, her blue eyes, and the faint dusting of freckles on her nose.

"...Emerald?"

Emerald recognized Sera's voice. "Shelby?"

The other turtles climbed up to the balcony. "Hey, is this the kid sister you told us about before you got mutated?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah," said Sera, nearly breathless. 

"You turned into a turtle?" Emerald asked.

"Sort of," explained Sera. "I was hit with some magic gooey stuff, and it mutated me into a turtle."

"There were some jerk robots around who wanted to do the same to you," continued Raph.

"Oh." Emerald crinkled her nose. "But that wouldn't be too bad. I'd have built-in armour, I'd be stronger, and I'd have a long life."

"No, no, you don't understand, sweetie." Donnie knelt down to explain. "Your sister is lucky she turned out as well as she did. This mutagen is very unpredictable. It could have easily turned you into a giant, raging monster, or worse."

Fearful, Emerald shrunk back a bit. "How much worse?"

Before Donnie could answer, Raph smacked him upside the head. "Don't tell her that, she won't sleep all night."

"Look, the important thing is that you're safe, okay?" Sera hugged her little sister. "That's what matters most."

Emerald calmed down and smiled. "I love you, Shelby."

"Actually, I'm called Sera now." Sera straightened her back. "Short for Seraphine." She turned. "These are my new brothers, Donnie, Raph, and Mikey."

"Short for Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo," added Donnie.

"Wow," cooed Emerald. "Do you guys go on adventures together?"

"Yeah, we patrol the streets at night, when little girls are asleep." Sera brought her sister back to her wooden bed with teal bedsheets. 

"Will you come back and visit again?" Emerald asked quietly.

"I'll try," said Sera. "Now good night." Once she was sure that Emerald was asleep, she hopped out the window, and she and her brothers disappeared into the night. 

When the turtles got back to the lair, they could hear a phlegmy cough echoing from the halls. Recognizing Leo's voice, they all rushed to his room, where they found Splinter kneeling by Leo's side as the young turtle hacked and wheezed.

Raph dropped down by Leo's side and put a hand over his back, trying to ease his discomfort. Eventually, Leo stopped coughing, and took a deep breath. "There you are, my son," said Splinter in a soft voice.

Leo looked at him, then at Raph, then up to his three younger siblings; Donnie had put a protective arm around Mikey and Sera, who looked anxious. He sighed. "I'm sorry, guys."

"It's fine," said Donnie, calming down. "It's not your fault." 

Raph rubbed Leo's back. "You had me worried there for a minute."

Splinter stood. "It's best that you get some sleep, Leonardo. It's the fastest way for your body to recuperate."

Leo nodded, and laid back down. His family stayed by his side until he was fast asleep, and then exited to give him some peace, while the remaining four told Splinter about their surface run.

Chapter Text

"Leo? Are you awake?"

Leo mumbled and pried his eyes open when he heard that soft, hushed voice whispering to him. He could just barely make out Donatello's silhouette in the doorframe. "Mm?"

"I know it's late, but I was dreaming, and you...weren't doing the greatest." Donnie clearly didn't want to elaborate.

"Don, I'll be fine," mumbled Leo, as he glanced at the electric alarm clock sitting atop the bedside table, which said in green digital letters that it was 3:19 in the morning. "It's just a cold."

"I-I know that..." Donnie looked away, looking a little ashamed. He stepped into the room and sat at the foot of Leo's bed. "I just wanted to know if you were okay."

Leo sighed. "Yeah, I get that." As if he didn't feel like that every night; being the oldest of five, he was always fretting over whether or not his siblings were okay. Like, truly okay; getting cut or bruised during battle was plain to see, but Leo wasn't a mind reader; he had no idea what was going on inside their heads.

Or if he was pushing them too hard.

"Why are you guys still up? It's like 3 am." Raph was now standing in the doorway.

"S-sorry," Donnie stuttered. "We were just talking."

"I can hear that," grumbled Raph. "Keep it down." He turned around to go back to bed, but nearly ran into Sera on the way back. "Wha- you too?"

"Yeah?" Sera asked, still a little blurry in the brain.

"Oh, yeah, of course you're up too. Wake up the whole sewer, why don'tcha." Raph stalked back to his room.

Donnie stood up to leave as well. "You're good, right? I can go?"

"Yeah, man, just go." Leo laid his head down to go back to sleep.

"Okay, good night," said Donnie, leaving Leo in peace and going back to his own room, alongside his big sister.

"I'm just glad he'll be getting better soon," said Sera softly.

"So am I," agreed Donnie.