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Things finally started settling down a few weeks after the Kraang were defeated.
At first, there was nothing but chaos. The city had practically exploded with fear and paranoia in the aftermath, and even Casey and April had been forced to take cover during those first few weeks. Given that their visages were plastered all over the internet.
As it turns out, quite a few people had spotted the duo's attempts to fight back the Kraang while the turtles took control of the technodrome. And even if the responses to the videos were largely positive, as splinter used to say every time they went out as kids. "All attention is bad attention."
So, to the sewers, it was.
Luckily they still had some people to rely on, Cass and Sunita, for one. Who, once Cass had quickly made her way back home, had cemented themselves as the supply runners.
They'd needed lots of medical supplies that first day. What little they had was barely enough to stabilize Leo's various wounds. Let alone the rest of the team’s.
As for the wounds themselves, things had been touch and go at first. As much as Donnie loved to brag about his superior intellect, medicine had always been Leo's field and Leo’s field alone.
That’s when Casey stepped in, his innate knowledge of medicine cementing his status as Leo's apprentice.
Admittedly most of his knowledge had to do with field medics, quick ways to stabilize wounds on the battlefield that could be finished later in a safe location, but what little knowledge he had was leagues more than anything anyone else knew. So, Casey was quickly upgraded to defacto medic, at least until Leo was lucid enough to actually understand the labels on the medications he was reading.
Of course, Leo wasn't the only one injured. Mikey especially, though there wasn't much to be done other than to tightly wrap his intensely shaking arms.
At some point, they managed to get ahold of Draxum, who luckily had experience with mystical exhaustion. He'd instructed Mikey to rest and cooked up some sort of mystical ointment, the contents of which he refused to elaborate on. They all had a feeling it was something illegal, but no one had the energy to care.
Eventually, Leo, who'd passed out the minute he'd been taken from the prison dimension, finally woke up. He did so as dramatically as he possibly could, of course, nearly scaring Casey half to death.
"Careful with that…" he'd murmured quietly, though his voice echoed in the otherwise empty medbay.
Casey, who had been organizing some medical tools at the time, shrieked in surprise, nearly chucking the scalpel in his hands halfway across the room.
Leo had blinked then, still delirious, and turned over with another tired mumble. "Careful….jeez."
When he finally woke up properly, Leo nearly laughed himself hoarse at the story, clutching at his aching ribs as he giggled.
It had been a few weeks since then, and though no one was completely healed yet, they were on their way.
Leo had finally been moved back to his room, something he'd been complaining about for ages. Though he hadn’t been able to stop his family from constantly checking in, even with the addition of a door with a lock. (not that he ever used it. None of them did anymore)
Mikey was healing. It wasn’t perfect, and he’d had more than a few screaming sessions when his aching hands refused to cooperate with him, but progress was progress, no matter how small.
Donnie hadn’t touched anything squishy for weeks, and he audibly gagged at the sight of even the tastiest of pancake batters. But he and Leo had been talking. Quietly and deep into the night. No one knew what these conversations comprised of, but when Donnie managed to sit at the breakfast table long enough to actually eat one of the pancakes once they’d been cooked, they all shot Leo a grateful look.
Raph had been…ok. He hadn’t said much at first, choosing to focus on his little brothers instead. Eventually, though, Donnie and Leo had cornered him once they’d both significantly improved, and a thorough scan of Raph’s still cloudly iris revealed hints of permanent damage. He’d insisted that it wasn’t a big deal, just some vague blurriness, but regardless, he’d had a pair of specifically crafted contacts delivered to his door by the end of the day.
Splinter and April were doing well too, and though they were both deeply traumatized, they were still alive and relatively unharmed.
And then, of course, there was Casey.
Little Casey Jr. so far from home. He’d accomplished his mission, something he’d yelled proudly back on the day of victory, but that was the last most of the family had heard from him, aside from his medical work.
When Cass had initially returned, she’d regarded him suspiciously, something everyone could see hurt the young boy greatly.
He hadn’t faltered, though. He simply introduced himself and moved on, running quickly to the medbay with a hurried excuse about needing to change Leo’s bandages. It was a painfully obvious lie, but one that no one felt comfortable enough to call him out on.
It was strange, he’d only been with them a week, and he already felt like part of the family.
But at the same time, he felt glaringly like a stranger.
The only one who’d really spoken to him since was Leo, though their interactions were much more silent than one would expect from someone as loud and boisterous as Leonardo Hamato.
It had started when Leo finally got moved back to his room. He’d settled down for the night, comfortable and alone for the first time in what felt like forever. When suddenly, there’d been a hesitant knock at his bedroom door.
He sighed, figuring it was yet another family member with yet another excuse to check in on him, sitting up to call out wearily.
“Come in.”
Surprisingly, when the door slowly opened, he hadn’t been greeted by one of his brothers as he’d expected, or even April, who’d been staying over the past few weeks.
“Casey?” he asked, pushing himself up.
Casey shuffled into the room quietly, his long hair pulled up into a haphazard bun and his usual outfit nowhere to be found. Replaced instead with an old pajama shirt of Leo’s and one of Mikey’s spare bottoms.
Casey hadn’t said anything at first, shuffling in place near the door, an old blanket clutched in his hands.
“Hey…” Leo said hesitantly, noting the younger boy’s red-rimmed eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Um…” Casey began, his tone unusually soft. “Can I…can I stay in here tonight?”
Leo then raised an eyebrow, glancing curiously out the door towards the living room Casey had been sleeping in. He looked at the boy again, noting the way his hands twisted nervously.
“Sure.” Leo shrugged, scooching over in his bed and patting the empty space invitingly as he’d usually do if it were Mikey asking to stay with him.
Casey’s face brightened, the happiest he’d looked since they’d defeated the Kraang, and he practically jumped into the bed.
They shuffled around for a few seconds, each of them situating themselves on their side of the bed.
“Thanks,” Casey whispered once they’d settled, his face settling into a calm expression.
Leo stared for a moment, suddenly thrown by how young the other boy looked.
“Yeah,” he said eventually, swallowing thickly. “Anytime.”
Casey smiled again, brighter than ever, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Leo stayed awake a few hours more, unable to tear his eyes away from the peaceful expression that had settled onto the face of the boy who called him sensei before eventually drifting off himself.
The next morning, Leo woke to his arms wrapped protectively around the other boy, and though he’d shifted away after a few minutes, he couldn’t deny the contentment that had rumbled in his chest when the younger boy had been under his protection.
Something whispered then, tingling at the edges of his mind.
“Please…” a voice said, so faint it was barely even a sound.
“Please…protect him for me.”
And though the voice was unfamiliar, Leo could tell exactly who was speaking to him.
“Ok, Leo.” he thought back, his markings beginning to glow slightly. “I will don’t worry.”
Still deep in the throws of sleep, Casey smiled to himself as the comforting feeling of his Master’s love encompassed him for the final time before fading away with a ghostly sigh.
_____________________________________________________________________
When Casey woke up, Master Leonardo was gone.
Not Leo, not sensei. He was still here. He was sitting at the desk next to the bed, and he seemed to be writing something down.
But Master Leonardo was dead.
This was something Casey had known for quite a long time. He’d known it from the second he’d been thrown through that portal. He’d known it from the second the timeline changed for good.
He’d known Master Leonardo was dead. But for some reason, this particular day, at this particular moment, was the first time he’d actually realized what that meant.
Master Leonardo, the turtle who’d raised him, protected him and taught him everything he knew was dead.
His father was dead.
Without being entirely conscious of his actions, Casey felt more than heard the sharp gasp that left his lips.
Leo looked up sharply, his eyes locking onto Casey’s panicked ones.
This proved to be the breaking point.
Casey gasped again, loud and desperate, before dissolving into harsh sobs. Leo stood up in alarm, running back over to the bed and pulling Casey into his arms.
Casey kept sobbing, unable to stop. His hands clawed weakly at Leo’s back as he desperately searched for something to ground himself.
“Woah woah, shhh,” Leo said hesitantly, bringing up a three-fingered hand to run through Casey’s tangled hair. “Hey woah, what happened, Case?”
His tone was bewildered, unaware of what could have set Casey off like this.
Casey said nothing, only sobbing harder. His breaths were coming out in great big gasps now, and he reached out to grip Leo harder, panic beginning to claw at his chest as breathing became more and more difficult.
“Casey,” Leo said gently but firmly, rubbing a hand over the other boy’s back. “You need to breathe, buddy. You’re gonna pass out at this rate.”
Casey shook his head desperately against Leo’s chest. “No…” he managed to gasp out, followed by a desperate wheeze. “Can’t-!”
“Yes, you can,” Leo said, pushing Casey away so he could get a better look. “Look at me, Casey. Look into my eyes.”
Casey obeyed, looking his sensei in the eyes, but flinched away when he saw the familiar blue.
Leo frowned but shook it off quickly, “Ok, that’s alright, no eye contact. How about this then.” he took one of Casey’s hands in his own and placed it against his plastron. “Look, see? Can you feel that?” he breathed then, loud and purposefully exaggerated.
Casey’s breathing stuttered, but he nodded in response to Leo’s question.
“Good,” Leo smiled, “now, it’s not going to be perfect right away, but try to match your breathing to mine,” he instructed, breathing again and feeling as Casey’s hand rose and fell along with his chest.
Pausing for a moment, Casey sucked in a large and desperate breath a few moments after Leo did. He exhaled all the air almost immediately, and tears were still freely flowing down his cheeks, but it was a start.
They kept this up for a good ten minutes. Sometimes Casey would mess up, something he always panicked about, but Leo was there to reassure him that everything was ok. That he could just try again. And slowly but surely, Casey’s breathing returned to a normal pace.
“There we go.” Leo said reassuringly, taking Casey’s hand off his chest and holding it tightly, “You did it! Good job Casey.”
Casey sniffed at that, reaching up with his free hand to wipe at the still steadily streaming tears that covered his cheeks.
Leo waited a bit more before quietly broaching the topic.
“So…” he began hesitantly, peering curiously at Casey’s face, “you wanna tell me what that was all about?”
Casey’s breath hitched, and his face crumpled slightly, but Leo was quick to put the other boy’s hand back on his chest, and Casey managed to calm back down in a matter of seconds.
“I…” Casey began, his voice at a dull whisper. “I just realized something, that’s all.”
“Realized what?” Leo asked, his tone equally subdued.
Casey opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Only a choked-sounding noise that sounded suspiciously like a whine. He looked at Leo then, meeting the turtle’s eyes for the first time since his panic attack had started.
“Master Leonardo is dead,” he whispered then, as if afraid to say the words any louder lest they cement themselves into the universe.
Leo’s face shone with confusion for a few moments before comprehension shone through. “Oh, Casey…”
Casey spoke again, words spilling out of his mouth.
“And I don’t know why- but I- I guess I’d never thought of that before? I knew he was dead. I saw it! I’d have to be an idiot not to know that, but…” his voice trailed off, and he sniffled again.
“I just…” his broken voice trailed off right as Leo pulled him into a fierce hug.
“Oh, Casey…” Leo said, repeating his words from earlier. “I’m so sorry.”
The younger boy’s breath hitched again, and his tears renewed vigor. Thankfully, he wasn’t gasping this time, only crying endlessly into his sensei’s chest.
Leo shifted their positions, making it so that Casey was more cradled in his arms than before when they’d been essentially kneeling next to each other on the bed.
There was a knock on the door then, and Raph carefully poked his head through.
“Hey Leo, you awake yet? Mikey made panca-” the oldest brother’s words cut off sharply as he finally noticed what was going on in the room.
Casey didn’t say anything, unable to compose himself. Over the other boy’s head, Leo waved wearily.
“Morning Raph.”
Raph’s brow furrowed, and he stepped further into the room. “Hey…” he said cautiously, gazing at Casey’s trembling form, still encased in Leo’s arms. “Everything alright in here?”
Leo shrugged, running a hand over Casey’s head. “Not really, but hey, we’re all pretty traumatized at this point.”
Raph grimaced in response, knowing just how true that statement was. “Yeah, that’s fair.” he jutted a thumb over his shoulder. “You want me to-?”
Leo looked at Raph for a moment before carefully jostling the boy in his arms to get his attention.
“Hey,” he said gently, “you want Raph to leave?”
Casey paused, his tears slowing down slightly, before shaking his head resolutely and burying it back into Leo’s chest.
Leo grinned up at Raph, though it was somewhat forced, and patted an empty spot on the bed. “Well, you heard the man. Get on over here!”
Raph smiled back warily, walking over and carefully lowering his large form. Donnie had made sure that all of their beds could accommodate Raph years ago, but you could never be too careful.
Once he’d settled down, he looked curiously at Casey, who was peering up at the larger turtle from a gap in Leo’s arms.
“Hey there, buddy,” he said warmly, his snaggletooth poking out over his lip as he smiled. “How you feeling?”
Casey shrugged, still not saying anything.
Raph nodded, more than used to this kind of behavior. “Fair enough. We all have bad days now and then.”
To both his and Leo’s alarm, his words caused yet another onset of tears, something it seemed Casey couldn’t control.
“Oh shoot,” Raph said, reaching out a hesitant hand that hovered over Casey’s back, uncertain. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say something that’d freak you out.”
Casey shook his head then, speaking for the first time in quite a few minutes. “No…you didn’t say anything.”
Raph and Leo shared confused looks over Casey’s head.
“It’s just….” Casey’s voice was dull and extremely scratchy. “You’re just really nice, is all.”
Leo laughed then to ease the tension, a bit too loudly if Casey’s flinch was anything to go by. The slider winced and ran a reassuring hand down Casey’s back before continuing with a light chuckle.
“Well, of course, he’s nice. He’s Raph! Arguably the biggest teddy bear I know.” Leo said jovially.
“Awww, no,” Raph said, waving a hand at Leo’s kind words and turning his face to hide a blush.
“What? It’s true! You’re the sweetest turtle in the turtle squad, bro.” Leo said brightly, shifting slightly to sit up straighter.
Casey giggled then, a small and slightly broken sound, but still a welcome one. Both the brothers paused at that, their expressions similarly softening.
Casey pushed himself up slightly, now more leaning on Leo than sequestering himself in the other teenager's arms.
“You’re way better than I thought you’d be,” he said then, gazing happily at Raph.
Raph and Leo’s expressions both twisted with confusion.
“Than you thought he’d be?” Leo asked, his tone edging on panicked.
Casey looked down, the small smile he’d managed to achieve fading back into melancholy. “Oh, uh, yeah…I never actually really…met, Master Raphael,” he said finally, his words halting.
“Ah,” Raph said then, his expression similarly falling.
Behind Casey, Leo stiffened, and almost involuntarily, he asked his next question. “What happened?”
Casey straightened in surprise, turning to look at Leo with wide eyes. Whatever he ended up seeing, whether it was the conviction or the panic that had taken over the turtle’s expression, caused him to start speaking with a hesitant sigh.
“Um, no one ever really talked about it around me. I would’ve been around four at the time, but from what I gathered, it had something to do with him trying to save as many people as possible.”
There was silence for a moment as Leo and Raph processed that information before Leo broke it with a weary chuckle.
“God…of course it did. That sounds just like you, Raphie.” he leveled a tired smile his brother’s way, which Raph returned.
“I guess it does, huh….” Raph said softly, looking down at his lap in a moment of self-reflection.
“Though you know,” he said suddenly, catching Leo’s eye, “self-sacrifice is really more of a you thing.” his lips tilted up slightly, and there was a mischievous gleam in his eye.
Leo blinked, taken off guard, before barking out a startled laugh. “Wait, wait, wait, did you just make a joke? About my sacrificial tendencies?? You jerk! I’ve been doing that for weeks, and everyone keeps telling me off!”
Raph grinned, the sound of his brother’s laughter invigorating him slightly. “What can I say? Older brother privileges.”
“What!” Leo protested though he was still grinning brightly, “That’s not fair!”
Raph shrugged, “I don’t know what to tell you, little bro. That’s just the way the world is.”
Leo lunged forward to swat Raph on the arm, laughing all the while. “No, it’s not !”
Trapped in between the two bickering brothers, Casey felt his mouth curl into an unfamiliar grin. There was a feeling in his chest that hadn’t been there before, a curling warmth that wrapped around his heart and settled in the bottom of his stomach. He wanted to curl up in that feeling and never leave. He wanted to stay in this moment forever.
Over his head, Raph pushed Leo back, causing Casey to almost tip off the bed. Instinctively, the two brothers reached out and grabbed Casey’s arms, settling him back into place in front of Leo’s chest before returning to their play fighting without even a hitch of breath.
Casey sat, still wrapped in that warm feeling from before, but it was stronger now, more concrete.
He smiled once, sad and slightly broken, and thought about those who had raised him. Master Leonardo, Master Donatello, Master Michaelangelo, Mom…
They were all gone now, but Casey wasn’t, and in going to the past, he’d saved the entire world.
He liked to think they’d be proud of him for that.
Almost in response to that last thought, Leo’s hand suddenly settled on top of his head, rubbing reassuringly.
Casey smiled, stronger this time. Not perfect, but getting there.
He had all the time in the world, after all.