Actions

Work Header

Rating:
Archive Warning:
Fandoms:
Relationships:
Characters:
Additional Tags:
Language:
English
Stats:
Published:
2023-01-11
Updated:
2023-02-12
Words:
3,032
Chapters:
3/?
Comments:
51
Kudos:
259
Bookmarks:
59
Hits:
3,901

Rest Weary Soldier (the battle is not yet done)

Summary:

At that same moment Casey went through the portal one of the Kraang fired a beam of white hot energy at Leonardo, vaporizing him in less then a moment. But Leonardo did not feel it. All he knew was familiar golden flames as the red scorched earth dropped out from under his feet.

 

He blacks out before he hits the ground.

Notes:

So I came down with a major case of Future Leo brainrot and I made the "mistake" of bouncing a few ideas off the wonderful people in a Discord chat (you know who you are) and this is the result

This will also be my first attempt ever at writing any of the turtles so please be patient if anyone seems a bit out of character, but I wish you welcome to the first chapter of the Desaturated au

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: Prolouge

Chapter Text

Kick left, dodge right, duck and roll under the next swipe, breathe through the pain, don't let Casey see you go die.

 

Leonardo knew he wasn't going to survive this fight, not with the endless enemies and the stinging wound in his side slowly sapping his strength, but he wouldn't go down without a fight. Not until Casey made it through that portal, not until he was certain that his baby brothers sacrifice wouldn't go to waste. And he didn't want to give the Kraang the satisfaction of going down easy. Leonardo would keep fighting until his student made it through the burning gold portal his brother had given everything to create.

 

Slash forward, jump the swipe from the left, elbow smash the one coming from behind.

 

He could still feel Michelangelo's energy scattered around him as he threw a Kraang off his arm and charged to meet the rest, feel the campfire warmth of his little brother fall like ash against his scales. Leonardo sucked in another painful breath and pushed down the emotion and pressure welling in his eyes.

 

Leonardo would see his brothers again soon, he would give Casey a chance to live and fix his mistakes, he just had to keep going until-

 

~~~

 

At that same moment Casey went through the portal one of the Kraang fired a beam of white hot energy at Leonardo, vaporizing him in less then a moment. But Leonardo did not feel it. All he knew was familiar golden flames as the red scorched earth dropped out from under his feet.

 

He blacks out before he hits the ground.

 

~~~

 

"Hey Donnie, you getting any more pings on that thing?"

 

"No Raph, I haven't, just like the other 15 times you asked."

 

"Well then maybe you should look harder."

 

"That's not how this works Raph, we need to get close enough for the sensor to pick up on-"

 

"I didn't ask how it worked, wiseguy."

 

"Well maybe next time you should be clearer with your words."

 

"Okay that's it! C'mere you little-"

 

"Will both of you cut it out! We're out here looking for mutagen, not to start a fight."

 

"Donnie started it!"

 

"Oh, really now-"

 

"Donnie! Not helping!"

 

"Fine, just give me a few minutes to adjust the settings. I think there's something interfering with my sensor."

 

"Hold up a sec, where's Mikey?"

 

"He was right here a minute ago."

 

"Great, now we gotta look for him too. If he finds any mutagen before your sensor I'm gonna throw that thing off a-"

 

"HEY GUYS! YOU GOTTA SEE THIS!"

 

"..."

 

"Hey no wait- RAPH WE NEED THAT!"

 

Chapter 2: Time is not your friend

Summary:

"We need answers Raph," Leo explained with all the patience and exhaustion of a long-suffering elder sibling. "And it's not like we could just let him bleed out all over the alleyway."

"Yeah, actually, we could."

Notes:

Otherwise known as chapter 2: electric boogaloo

Raph and Leo are sus and Donnie is just concerned

More at six

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Donnie was concerned. When Mikey had started yelling they had been expecting to find their brother with some lost, sad, little animal he wanted to take back to the lair. They hadn't been ready for the sight of Mikey kneeling beside a giant mutant turtle sprawled out and bleeding all over the ground. 

 

There had been a short but intense argument going on between Raph and Leo about what to do with this new mutant while Donnie gently pushed a nervous Mikey away to get a good look at the wound in the mysterious turtle's side.

 

"We can't just take him back to the lair Leo, what if he's with Shedder or the Kraang?"

 

"Well we can't just leave him here to be discovered." 

 

"Not us, not our problem."

 

"Raph-"

 

"We won't be able to ask him anything if this wound doesn't get patched up soon."

 

~~~

 

"How did you talk us into this again?" Raph said, grunting a bit as he shifted the arm of the strange mutant turtle into a better spot across his shoulders. Donnie was supporting the rest of the turtles weight on the other side by holding an arm across his plastron since there was only a short stub to sling across his shoulders. He was also on that side to keep an eye on the emergency dressing he had applied. Leo, who was walking in front of the group, sighed and turned his head slightly to look at the odd procession out of the corner of his eye. His gaze lingered on the old and fraying blue fabric tied around the large turtles face. On the red crescent markings running through his eyes, and the three yellow stripes that start at his bottom lip and run down his neck to disappear below his plastron.

 

"We need answers Raph," Leo explained with all the patience and exhaustion of a long-suffering elder sibling. "And it's not like we could just let him bleed out all over the alleyway."

 

"Yeah, actually, we could." The red masked turtle huffed back. Donnie glared at Raph through the unconscious turtles head while Mikey, who was bringing up the rear of the group, gasped in offense and darted around to start arguing with his brother.

 

"Dude! How could you say that!" Mikey snapped, angrily flailing his arms as if it would help his older brother understand his point of view in the matter.

 

"Quiet down guys, we're almost at the lair." Leo, sensing the building argument, cut in just as Raph opened his mouth to snap back at his younger brother.

 

There where a few moments of blessed silence as the group came upon the garage door and several awkward moments of shuffling around their unconscious and injured guest before they managed to get the large turtle onto the medbay table.

 

~~~

 

"Okay, I'm going to need everyone to get out so I can focus."

 

"Fineeee. Oh! I know! I'm gonna make him something to eat!"

 

"I don't think he will wake up soon enough for that Mikey."

 

"Never underestimate the power of food."

 

"That's great and all but please just get out so I can think clearly for once!"

 

~~~

 

Donnie was proud to say that his makeshift bandage had done its job well. And after he removes his patch job to stitch up the large turtles side and properly wraps the wound, Donnie finally has time to do a more thorough examination of their guest. 

 

He does not like what he finds.

 

~~~

 

When Donnie finally leaves his lab he is met with the sight of Leo pacing beside the tv while Raph reads a comic on the couch. He could hear the banging of pots and other kitchen utensils as well as Mikey's off-key singing in the background. Leo looks up to see his genius brother and greets him with a small smile, a slightly concerned glint in his ocean blue eyes as he takes in Donnie's worried expression.

 

"Hey Donnie, how'd it go?" Leo says, pausing his pacing as Raph looks up from his comic book. Donnie rubs at the junction of his shoulder for a second before answering.

 

"He's stable for now."

 

Raph huffs lightly and Leo sends him a warning glance before asking Donnie to continue. 

 

"So what can you tell us?"

 

Donnie seems to think over his words before he starts to report his findings.

 

"Well the cut in his side and the bruised ribs were the worst of it I think. The amputation of his right arm is thankfully old and can be left alone, everything else was mostly just minor bruises and scrapes." Donnie stops talking for a moment to glance back towards his lab, spotting dull lime green scales and fresh white bandages through the slightly open door. Raph raises a brow ridge at his purple banded brother's uncharacteristic hesitancy.

 

"I'm sensing a 'but' here." He remarks, setting his reading material off to the side and resting his chin on his hand as he watches his brother. Leo tilts his head to the side and peaks past Donnie to spot the turtle in medbay. Donnie continues to stare for a moment before he takes a deep breath and turns back to his brothers.

 

"He has a lot of battle oriented scars," Donnie starts, ticking things off on his fingers as he speaks, "His shell has been cracked and fractured so many times it's honestly impressive its still in one piece, it's also slightly malformed. And he should probably be a good few pounds heavier than he is."

 

"What does his weight have to do with anything?" Raph asked, standing up and moving towards his brothers. Donnie glances back at the turtle in the medbay.

 

"I don't have an accurate way to get his weight while he's unconscious but from what I can tell he's severely malnourished, and I mean 'hasn't seen a proper meal in years' type of malnutrition. It's also why his shell is a little malformed, soft and bumpy in certain spots. The guy's literally all skin and muscle."

 

"Okay," Raph said slowly, some of his wariness about the strange turtle falling away in light of his condition. "Big guy's been through a lot." 

 

Donnie scoffed. "That's a severe understatement. When he wakes up he's most likely going to need help."

 

"Alright," Leo started, "So how are we gonna tell Master Splinter about this?"

 

"Tell me what my sons?"

 

Notes:

Do not expect this to become a regular thing because life is fun and I've been working an 8 to 5 job. Also I have no idea why I have so much motivation to write this when the last fic I posted had a year long gap between updates

I'm so scared of losing my motivation for this it's not even funny-

Chapter 3: I loved you like the sun

Summary:

Leonardo stumbled back until his shell hit the wall, sliding down it before his legs collapsed and bringing his hand up to muffle any sounds he might make.

There wouldn't be any sobs.

He had learned how to cry silently after his father died.

Notes:

So this is extremely late but *jazz hands* tada~

I got the motivation to finish this when I saw my own name staring back at me in a Tumblr fic rec post and next thing I know this chapter had gone from 920 words to a little over 1500

I'm still reeling from the Tumblr thing tho cause HOW THE FU-

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It's… snowing. Why is it snowing? Its cold, when did it start? Where…..

 

Where is he again?

 

No, not important.

 

He doesn't know where he is. Maybe he never has. Maybe his whole life has been one big dream and he's finally waking up. Maybe…

 

Snow's picking up.

 

Is that blood? Who's-

 

You should have died with us.

 

There's no one there. Where did that voice come from?

 

You left us behind. Why did you leave?

 

Who did he leave? Why would he…

 

Snow's clearing up now.

 

What is that? A person? No, three people. Lying in the snow?

 

Why is the snow… red…..

 

This is all that's left of us now, all that remains of your legacy.

~~~

 

Leonardo jerked awake with a near silent gasp, trying to push himself up from where he was laying with an arm that was no longer there. It takes his head hitting the surface of his current resting place for Leonardo to realize that he's somehow lost his prosthetic and been moved somewhere he doesn't recognize. 

 

'What? Where is this? I thought I was, shouldn't I be dead?'

 

Something about that thought makes his breath stutter in his chest, so he resolutely shakes it away and takes stock of both himself and his surroundings to distract himself from…

 

'What was I dreaming about again? No, not important, assess first, think later.'

 

'I'm somewhere underground, a lab of some sort, maybe someone's base. Very old equipment. My injuries have been taken care of, so whoever found me are friendlies or just want me alive for something. No, I was fighting the Kraang, they don't take prisoners. Didn't I get blasted? How did I survive that?'

 

Leonardo finally notices the other person in the room, slumped over the desk of an ancient looking computer and whistle snoring softly in their sleep, Leonardo's breath hitches as he notices the unmistakable shape of a shell on the figure's back. But it's not a pattern or shape he recognizes.

 

He swings his legs off the table and attempts to stand, almost collapsing on the first step and only just barely managing to catch himself before he falls face first onto the floor. It takes a few moments for Leonardo to catch his breath before he can take another step without falling. He then cautiously rounds the desk to get a better look at the other turtle in the room.

 

His eyes skim over details and features, noting green scales and three-fingerd hands, lingering on the mask tails flipped over the smaller turtles head, the purple mask tails.

 

Purple… mask tails….

 

~~~

 

"Hey there DonTron, whatcha working on?"

 

"And why would you want to know my dearest twin? Are you slacking on your duties?"

 

"I'm playing hide-and-hunt with Casey, he won't think I'm crazy enough to hide in your lab. Probably."

 

"Fair. And you want to pass the time by hearing about my projects."

 

"Sure, why not?"

 

"Hmm…."

 

"What do you think of this?"

 

"It's a picture of some turtle yokai."

 

"No, Nardo, it's a picture of us."

 

"When was the last time you slept?"

 

"63 hours and counting, not important right now-"

 

"Donnie I swear to pizza supreme in the sky-"

 

"Hush you heathen! Now as I was saying this is a picture of us from an alternate dimension."

 

"How did you even-"

 

"I would tell you but you wouldn't understand. Now stop interrupting me and listen you piece of-"

 

~~~

 

No. It wasn't possible. Leonardo died, he felt it, the heat and the ground disappearing. Maybe this was some sort of hell, a punishment for his mistakes. Or–

 

The Kraang had mind reading abilities. This had to be a trick of some sort, maybe the Kraang had managed to keep him alive and this was some illusion to get him to spill everything on the resistance. Some–

 

A trick.

 

It had to be a trick.

 

He just wants to see his family again

 

Leonardo stumbled back until his shell hit the wall, sliding down it before his legs collapsed and bringing his hand up to muffle any sounds he might make.

 

There wouldn't be any sobs.

 

He had learned how to cry silently after his father died.

 

~~~

 

Things had been a bit tense last night. Master Splinter had scolded them all for bringing a stranger into the Lair. Their sensei had relented a little once they told him just how badly injured the strange turtle was, but told them to remain on their guard before he returned to the dojo to meditate.

 

Leo had followed Master Splinter into the dojo and Raph had slunk off to his room while Donnie returned to his lab to watch over their guest. And Mikey? There was too much energy bouncing around his skull, so he tossed and turned in his bed for a few hours before giving up and scouring the kitchen for ingredients to make the best 'welcome to the lair' meal he could.

 

Mikey knew that their guest probably wouldn't wake up soon, but he could just save the food for later when he did. Unfortunately, they were running a bit low on food, the only meal-worthy thing they had was some plain chicken ramen packets. But! They also had plenty of spices and other snacks on hand.

 

Mikey rubbed his hands together in glee, humming to himself as he waited for the water to boil, this was gonna be the tastiest chili-sugar-gummy worm noodle soup ever!

 

"Whatcha doin kid?" Came a sudden voice from the doorway.

 

"HOLY-" Mikey spun around, nunchuck raised and ready to strike, only to freeze at the sight of the mysterious turtle at the kitchen entrance. He was leaning against the doorway, watching Mikey with half-lidded tired eyes. The orange banded turtle absently noted that the stranger was almost taller than Master Splinter as he took in the fact the worn blue mask and scarf were absent. The larger turtle smirked slightly, raising his hand in the universal sign for 'I come in peace'.

 

"Woah, easy there. I don't really want a fight right now." He said, chuckling a little at Mikey's wide eyed expression. The smaller turtle splattered in response.

 

"W-well then maybe don't sneak up on a ninja, man!" Mikey bit out, pointing an accusing finger at the big turtle. He laughed lightly at Mikeys tone, something fond and maybe a little sad glinting in his hazel eyes.

 

"Yeah, that was probably a bad idea." He remarked, leaning a little more into the doorway as his eyes shifted to the stove. "I think your pot is boiling over."

 

Mikey immediately forgets any reason to be wary of the bigger turtle as he whips back toward his pot of water to see that yes, the water is indeed boiling over. He curses and turns down the heat before moving the pot to a different burner. Mikey let's the water settle for a bit before tearing open the packet of ramen and dumping the noodles into the water. As he works he can hear the strange turtle move towards him, a very deliberate sound to his steps as he comes to lean on the counter beside the orange banded turtle. 

 

The larger turtle eyes the ingredients lined up on the kitchen counter with a dubious expression and Mikey takes the opportunity to study his face more closely without the mask in the way. He skims over the red crescent marks going through his eyes and the yellow stripes on his chin, lingering on the scaring he can see near the crest of his skull and the starburst patten of paler skin over his left eyelid. Mikey hadn't noticed at first but the other turtles left eye seemed a little cloudy and unfocused, and…

 

He looked so exhausted, bags under his eyes and the creases in his brow making him look perpetually worried. Or maybe that was just him looking at Mikey's ingredients with concern.

 

"What are you cooking anyway?" The big turtle asks, frown turning into a tiny smile when Mikey lights up like a miniature sun.

 

"Chilli sugar gummy worm ramen." Mikey chirps. The little bitty smile on the strangers face instantly falls into a slightly wide eyed expression of horrified confusion.

 

"Kid. No. That's- no, that is not okay for anyone to eat." He says, and Mikey deflates a little.

 

"I was gonna make it for you. When you woke up." Mikey says rubbing at his arm as he watches the noodles cook. He stops, turning to look at the stranger with suspension. "Should you even be up right now?" He asks, eyeing how heavily the big guy is leaning against the counter. The big turtle shrugs, glancing to where Mikey knows the lab is.

 

"Probably not," he says, before turning to look at Mikey with a little grin tugging at the corners of his beak, "But here, show me what you've got around here and maybe we can still salvage something with those noodles of yours."

 

Mikey blinks at him for a second, someone actually wants to cook with him? He lights up again, brighter than before and with stars in his baby blue eyes as he bounces in place with excitement.

 

"Awsome!"

 

Notes:

Don't expect an update for a while but little bitty sneak peek at chapter 4

"Oh! I almost forgot to ask! What's your name?" Young and energetic and so very painfully young.

Leonardo freezes, heart lodging in his throat because he knows that there's another turtle with a blue mask named Leo somewhere in this lair and what would Mikey think if he took his brothers name-

Well, technically Leonardo has had it longer so it would be the other Leo that's stealing it but-

"Blue," is what he settles on, it hurts somewhere deep in his chest to say that nickname after going so long without it, but it feels less like some sort of betrayal and besides-

He's not sure he deserves that name anymore

"You can call me Blue."

Notes:

If you have any questions come scream at me on Tumblr

https://at.tumblr.com/blamethedarkelves/gxi0bqj1asd7