Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

(WARNING! THIS WORK IS A PART OF A SERIES, AS WOULD A SERIES OF NOVEL BOOKS! Please head up to the series and click part 1 to get started. This story is a mystery genre, reading out of order will spoil the mystery for you.)

“LEO!”, Donnie squealed as he woke up in a cold sweat.

The eight-year-old had tears streaming down his face. He was shaking terribly after being woken up from a terrifying nightmare. In his dream, he saw his figurative twin, Leo, run off somewhere in the forest, surrounded in thick fog. Donnie tried to find him and chase after him. But it was no use, Donnie was lost.

Donnie didn’t waste any time. He swung himself off the bed and began running across the lair to Leo’s room. Leo was already wide awake, buried in stacks of Jupiter Jim comic books. He looked up at his brother who was still crying profusely.

“Dee?”, the red-eared slider asked, tilting his head.

“Lee!”, the softshell replied, running over to his twin.

Donnie shoved the comic books out of his way, not caring as they swept across the floor. He clung onto Leo’s “Rad” blue shirt. The little turtle continued to tremble.

“Hey! You wrinkled my comics!”, Leo whined.

“I thought I lost you!!”, Donnie cried. “Y-you were gone and I couldn’t find you ANYWHERE! I—” Donnie then heaved, unable to find the words anymore. His mind began to lock up as he buried his face into Leo’s shirt.

“Hey, hey, hush-shushhhh…I’m right here, Dee! It was just a dream.”, Leo soothed, petting his brother’s head. “Want me to sing you my song?”

Donnie nodded.

Leo sang, “No tengas miedo. Yo estoy aquí. Cierra los ojos y centrase en mí. Cuando está oscuro, yo estoy aquí. Cuando es malo, yo estoy aquí. Cierra los ojos y centrase en mí.”

After listening to Leo’s lullaby, Donnie started to calm down. He shifted, curling up in his brother’s lap as he wiped his tears. Leo pulled him in close. Donnie tried to convince himself that it was just a silly dream but he still couldn’t feel at ease.

“Nardo? Can you do me a favor?”, Donnie muttered quietly.

“What is it?”, Leo asked.

“Can you make me a promise? Promise me that you’ll never disappear.”

“Donnie…”

“Promise me!”, Donnie shouted.

Leo paused, startled by Donnie’s scream. He thought for a moment, then the turtle tot nodded with a determined grin.

“I promise. I promise that I’ll never leave you. No matter what obstacle we face, I’ll always be there by your side.”, Leo stated. He held Donnie’s hand firmly. “Partners in crime. Hand in hand…

“Sun and Moon.”

The day was August 5th. Donnie looked up at the sky as the portal closed in on the Technodrome, watching the ship explode in a bright shining light. Leo was gone.

He broke his promise. Donnie froze, his mind shutting down.

Raph collapsed to the ground, catching himself on his knees. Donnie turned to face him. To do… something ? But Donnie couldn’t think of anything. He couldn’t think at all. So he just stood there, staring at the rubble in that parking lot on Staten Island. A tear rolled down his face. Why was he crying? Donnie couldn’t understand anything. Anymore.

He heard Mikey off to the side, heaving out sobs. Donnie remained still, staring down at his tear stained hand. Then Raph looked up at the youngest.

“Mikey. It’s over.”, Raph stated sternly.

“Leo never gave up on us.”, Mikey started, tears streaming with a determined grit. “I’m not giving up on him!”

Donnie slowly turned to face his little brother, now seeing orange mystic sparks flicker for a moment. Then Mikey’s mystic powers let out a burst of light in his eyes and arms. In front of him, a crack tore through the very fabrics of their dimension. Donnie let out a soft, almost inaudible, awe at the portal starting to form.

“Mikey! Whatever you’re doing… don’t stop !”, Raph shouted as he and Donnie rushed over to the mystic warrior.

The portal stretched out, wider and wider. The mystic energy fractured around Mikey’s arms, threatening to shatter them into dust. Raph firmly placed a hand on Mikey’s shoulder, Donnie followed.

“We’re here, Mikey! Together!”, Raph yelled.

Donnie braced an arm against the blinding light as the mystic energy spread to the older brothers. It burned like hellfire. Raph lent his strength through his mystic powers. Donnie did the same. Together, all three of them brought the portal into existence.

The light faded, peering into the prison dimension like a window. And there he was. Leo was weakly reaching out a tired hand.

Leo winced, putting on a welcoming smile. “Took you guys long enough.”

Raph didn’t miss a beat. He threw a mystic arm through the portal, grabbing hold of Leo’s hand and began to fish him out of that nightmare realm. But then Kraang Prime emerged from behind, slowly reaching to snatch Leo away again.

“Leo!”, Raph shouted in distress.

Donnie jumped in, wielding his mystic bo staff. He used his powers to launch a huge powerful drill right at the Kraang’s head. With the Kraang held back, Donnie shifted to Raph’s other side as he got ready to pull Leo out. With a large tug, the older brothers stumbled back onto their shells as Leo had finally returned home. Mikey let out a devious chuckle, closing the portal on the Kraang.

But Donnie paid no attention. He was on his knees, examining his brother. Leo laid there for a moment. Donnie kept watching, anticipating. Something. Anything . Then Leo groaned in pain.

“Leo?”, Raph muttered.

“Hey.”, Leo replied with a forced smile. He looked around him for a moment. “Eww! Are we in Staten Island?”, Leo whined as he swung up his arms in front of him.

“Come here!”, Raph smiled as he opened his arms wide, tears watering in his eyes.

Everyone squeezed in for a hug, smiling and relieved. They all stared at the sunrise marking the start of a new day. A new future where the world was safe from the wrath of the Kraang.

Donnie resisted the urge to let out a shaky breath. Everything is fine now! It’s okay! Everything is going to be just fine. Donnie desperately tried to reassure himself. It’s fine! Just breathe, don’t freak out. Keep it together, Donatello. Keep. It. Together —

Cough. Hack.

Everything was not fine.

“Leo! Are you okay?!”, Raph shouted as he immediately loosened his embrace. Mikey and Donnie quickly followed and pushed away.

Leo was struggling to breathe and began coughing up blood. Donnie tried to speak up but…his voice was locked away with sheer panic and fear. He whimpered, knowing what was happening to him. You’ve been down this road before, Othello. Just take a deep breath and use your hands. Donnie fluttered a hand in front of his brothers to draw their attention.

“Lay him down. Hold his head still.”, Donnie signed.

Raph and Mikey nodded. Raph scooted back and slowly lowered Leo’s head onto his brother’s lap. Leo’s eyes drifted over at Donnie. The softshell suppressed an unnerving shiver. Everyone was staring at him and it was uncomfortable. He collected himself. Keep it together. You cannot cave in just yet. Leo needs you. It’s not safe yet.

Donnie faced towards Leo, locking eye contact. “You need to stay awake. If you pass out…” Donnie shivered. If Leo passes out, he might never wake up again. I don’t know the full extent of his injuries just yet. He looked back at his brothers. “I’m going to call Papa.”

He got up and backed away from the group. Without the ability to talk, Donnie tapped into his wrist tech, sending a text message through the communication device. Mikey shouted something and it made Donnie flinch. Everything was getting too loud. The ocean, the wind, his brothers, the city crying out in agony as sirens were wailing. It’s too much. It’s too much. A piercing sharp ping came from his wrist tech, signaling that Splinter had replied, stating that he, April, and Casey were on their way. Keep it together. You gotta hurry. Donnie hurried back to the group.

“On their way.”, Donnie signed as he knelt down in front of everyone.

Mikey’s voice chirped as he held Leo’s hand tighter. Tears were streaming down his face. Leo slowly turned his head at the ornate box turtle.

“Hey…little bro…”, Leo rasped.

“What? What is it, Leo?”, Mikey said hastily as he gave his attention to his immediate older brother.

“...Knock knock.”

You gotta be fucking kidding me —

“...Leo…”

“Knock…knock…”

“...okay…who’s there?”

“...s…snow…”

“Snow who?”, Mikey let out a light chuckle through his tears. Then Leo’s eyes began to droop.

“...snow use…the joke……is………………over…”

“...Leo?”, Mikey mumbled.

“Leo!”, he shouted.

“LEONARDO WAKE UP!”, Raph screeched.

A blaring car horn rang out in the distance. Donnie heaved, letting out a quiet whimper as he repeatedly smacked his temples with the heel of his palms. Don’t break apart just yet, Donnie D. You gotta stay focused. Donnie looked out across the bay to see the turtle tank sailing towards them in amphibious mode. Oh thank Galileo! The tank soon parked at the docks. April, Splinter, and Casey all rushed over to them.

“Leo!”, April shouted as she dropped to her knees in front of her little brother. “Is…Is he—”

“We gotta go now!”, Splinter demanded from behind with a fierce voice. “Get him inside. Hurry!”

Raph carefully scooped Leo up as everyone ran inside.

“The roads are blocked! How are we gonna get through?!”, April exclaimed as she drove the tank back to New York.

“Take the subway tunnels. There shouldn’t be anymore Kraang down there to get in our way.”, Casey answered, hovering over her shoulder.

Leo was lying in Raph’s lap. The oldest held on to the hero tightly as the team navigated through the bumpy terrain. After another hiccup, running over a Kraang vine, everyone hit the deck to brace themselves. The rutted motion of the tank made Donnie feel uneasy. It was dizzying, it was nauseating. It was too much. Then he heard Leo coughing as he woke up.

“Leo! Oh thank pizza supreme, there you are!”, Raph exclaimed in pure relief.

“...where…”, Leo mumbled in a raspy voice.

“We’re in the turtle tank. We’re bringing you home.”, Mikey soothed.

Donnie brushed off the overstimulated feeling of the vehicle and got up, rushing over to his twin. He leaned forward, tilting a tympana over Leo’s beak. Shallow breathing…but breathing nonetheless. Then he pressed a finger against Leo’s neck. Fast. Probably due to the bleeding. Donnie took a moment to examine Leo. Cuts…concussion for sure…shell and plastron are cracked…what’s causing him to cough up blood? He was strangled and crushed for sure. Is it the lungs? Throat? Both?? Donnie shut his eyes, wincing. He tried his best to control himself. Control something at all through this chaos. Donnie knew. He knew that he wasn’t a medic like Leo but he was a close second so it was all up to him now. Everyone was depending on him. Donnie needed to save Leo. Donnie. And only Donnie—

“LEO!!”, Raph shouted.

The voice rang in Donnie’s head, threatening to burst his tympanas. Donnie clutched the goggles around his tympanas and pressed them in tightly. He peeked out an eye to see Leo’s body was twitching with sporadic movements. What the… His eyes were blinking repeatedly as Leo’s neck and face started to look strained. Donnie gingerly placed his hands on Leo’s shoulders, noticing that he wasn’t breathing. A seizure… , Donnie thought.

“S-E-I-Z-U-R-E.”, Donnie fingerspelled for he didn’t know the specific sign. He didn’t bother since this was something entirely new. No one Donnie knew had ever had a seizure before.

“Wait WHAT??”, Mikey squealed in a panic.

“What’s going on back there?”, April called over her shoulder, keeping her eyes on the subway tunnels.

“Leo’s having a seizure! I-I don’t…I don’t think he’s breathing!”, Raph shouted back.

Would everyone PLEASE stop screaming —

“What?!? Hold on! Splints, take the wheel!”, April exclaimed as she got up and ran over to them. “Lay him down.”

As soon as Raph carefully placed Leo on the ground, April grabbed Leo’s hand and pressed it against his cheek. Then she pulled his knee over, rolling Leo onto his side. Donnie didn’t understand what she was doing but then Donnie remembered that one of April’s many jobs that she had was being a lifeguard at one point. She went in over the top and had done extensive first aid and rescue training. April had always been an overachiever like that and her skills had proven to be useful time and time again. After an excruciatingly long minute, Leo gasped for air.

“He’s back!”, April spoke up. “Don’t let him move too much.”

“We’re almost there!”, Splinter alerted from the driver’s seat.

Leo raised a shaky and tired hand. “Hurt.”, he half-signed with one hand.

“I know, buddy. You’ll be okay, alright? Just stay with us.”, Raph explained, pressing a hand on Leo’s side to brace him against the rough road.

Donnie stretched his shoulders down like he was attempting to push back all the stress from rising and causing Donnie to lose control. Keep it together. You’re not in the clear yet. Now is not the time. Casey walked over and knelt down beside them.

“If he had a seizure then he must’ve suffered a very severe head injury.”, Casey explained. “Definitely a concussion but it could be worse. We’ll have to get him some medication for it at some point but right now we gotta—” Casey paused as everyone stared at him. He chuckled nervously. “Sorry. Master Leonardo taught me a few things about trauma care. I-I can help!”

“We’ll all help.”, April enunciated.

“Yeah! We’ll all work together to save Leo.”, Mikey cheered. Then he turned to Donnie. “You’re not alone.”

Donnie felt the slightest bit of relief, resisting the urge to cry. You’re not alone. You got this , Donnie reassured himself. The turtle tank slowly came to a stop as they finally reached the garage of the lair. Raph cautiously picked Leo back up as Leo winced out a cry in protest.

“Hang on, Leo. We’re almost there.”, Raph hushed.

Everyone rushed over to the med-bay with haste. Raph set Leo down on the gurney as Donnie hurried over to the scanner and wheeled it back to the bed. Donnie tried to keep his hands from trembling as he turned on the machine and began to scan for Leo’s injuries. Within a few seconds, the scanner hovered up and down Leo’s body before it gave an electronic chirp. Everyone, beside Raph and Leo, all huddled around the monitor.

The monitor read, Fractured skull. Stage 2 concussion. Jaw subluxation. Several hairline fractures found. Broken rib. Punctured lung. Internal bleeding. Several open cuts found. External bleeding. Several shell cracks found. Broken tibia… And so on.

Donnie tried to take in the information one at a time but it all rushed into his mind too fast, scattering about in his thoughts. What was more severe? What needed to be done first? What was Donnie supposed to do??? It was too much. Everything was too much.

“Omigosh! Oh Leo! What do we do?!”, Mikey cried.

Donnie brought his shaky hands up but then Casey cut him off.

“We gotta stabilize him first.”, Casey stated sternly. “Stop the bleeding, keep him breathing.”

It was like Casey read Donnie’s mind. He really does know his stuff. Donnie started to trust this stranger from the future. Donnie nodded and ran over to the mechanical ventilator on the other side of the med-bay. Thank goodness it was one of the few medical equipment they’ve salvaged after the Shredder destroyed their old home. Donnie wheeled the machine over to Leo and got to work on setting up the machine, overhearing the conversation.

“...what’s happening…?”, Leo rasped.

“Don’t worry, Leo. We got you. Raph’s got you.”, Raph reassured. “Try not to talk. Just focus on breathing, okay?”

“...i…i-i’m scared…”

Raph paused for a long moment. “............I know………It’s okay………You’ll be okay now.”

Donnie ran across the room to grab an extended cable, plugging it in an outlet before bringing the other end over to plug in the ventilator. Then he turned the machine on right away, letting the air hiss before he could even put the mask on Leo. Everything’s okay. Keep it together. We can’t stop yet. We have to —

“ LEO!!! LEO WAKE UP!!! ”, Raph screamed.

Donnie turned around to see that Leo’s eyes were…half-opened? Relaxed but not fully closed. His chest was not moving. Leo was not moving. He was still. No…no no no no no no no no no no no! Donnie dropped the mask and rushed over. He leaned forward, tilting a tympana over Leo’s beak. Nothing. Then he pressed a finger against Leo’s neck. Nothing.

Leo was dead.

Everyone rushed over beside the gurney. Screaming. Wailing. Through their cries were inaudible pleads. The voices. The noise. It was too much. Donnie was ready to join them in their cry. Not yet , a thought stated. There’s still a chance to save him. Donnie took it all in, examining the situation. We got six minutes until the brain dies. Four minutes until brain damage will occur. Two minutes to start resuscitation. At the latest . Donnie knew what he had to do. He didn’t have time to think how CPR was going to work with Leo’s plastron in the way. He just had to do it. Death doesn’t hesitate, so I shouldn’t either.

Donnie linked the heels of his hands together, one on top of the other, and pushed all of his weight into the center of Leo’s chest. It wasn’t working. But then Raph joined in, pressing his hands down too. Together, the older brothers were finally getting through the shell. Donnie counted, keeping a steady pace.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine.

Ten.

Eleven.

Twelve.

Thirteen.

Fourteen.

Fifteen.

Sixteen.

Seventeen.

Eightteen.

Nineteen.

Twenty.

Twenty one.

Twenty two.

Twenty three.

Twenty four.

Twenty five.

Twenty six.

Twenty seven.

Twenty eight.

Twenty nine.

Thirty.

Stop. Donnie pushed Raph’s hands off then leaned his tympana over Leo’s beak again. Nothing. Come on, Leo! You promised me! Please don’t do this to me! Repeat.

One.

Two.

Three…

Raph caved in. He stumbled back and began sobbing uncontrollably. Casey didn’t miss a beat and joined Donnie.

…Twenty nine.

Thirty.

Stop. Check. Nothing. DON’T GIVE UP ON ME YET, NARDO. PLEASE. Repeat.

One.

Two.

Three —

“CLEAR!”, Mikey pushed Donnie out of the way, orange mystic sparks surging around his arms. What the hell is he doing?!

Mikey smacked his hands on Leo’s plastron, spreading his mystic energy around his brother. Leo’s markings began to glow. Donnie firmly placed a hand on Mikey’s shoulder, ready to lend his power again if Mikey needed it. Everyone waited with bated breath. Watching. You are my other half. Please don’t leave me behind. I can’t do this without you. You are my twin , remember?? Partners in crime. Hand in hand. Sun and Moon . Then suddenly…

Leo jolted awake and had a huge coughing fit. Donnie collapsed to the ground on his knees, still clinging onto Mikey’s shoulder. Leo’s panicked breathing was accompanied by the sounds of multiple voices gasping and screaming different things all at once.

“OMIGOSH! LEO! HE’S AWAKE!!!”, Mikey screamed.

“HOLY SHIT. HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!!!”, Casey shouted.

“LEO! JUST BREATHE, OKAY? JUST KEEP BREATHING.”, Raph yelled.

Leo was alive.

Donnie wiped away the tears that were still streaming out his eyes. Not over yet. Donnie quickly sprang up with a determined look, tears waterfalling. He immediately reached for the breathing mask and then connected it to Leo’s face.

Clear the airway… Donnie reached over the bed for Raph’s hands. He guided the hands onto Leo’s face, one hand on his chin and one on his forehead. The motion pushed Leo down onto the pillow as the hands helped keep his head tilted back. Donnie fluttered a hand in front of Raph.

“Keep him awake. Ask questions.”, Donnie signed before walking back over to the scanner.

Everyone else joined, planning their next move. We gotta stop the bleeding next. Patch up the cuts and stitch the deeper ones. Donnie turned to sign to the group but then paused and stared at Mikey.

“Oh jeez, Mike. Your arms! They look worse than before.”, April exclaimed with worry.

Mikey’s arms were trembling and the nerves glowed brightly. “I-it’s not that bad! We gotta focus on Leo right now.”, Mikey smiled, brows upturned.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah! Y-yeah…”

Donnie continued to stare at Mikey’s arms for a moment before he shook it off. “Stop the bleeding. Clean. Stitches. Bandages.”, Donnie signed. Everyone nodded as Casey opened up the med-kit for everyone. The group grabbed their supplies and then hurried back over to surround Leo.

“Hang tight, Leo. This is going to sting really bad.”, April stated sternly.

Everyone spread out and started to clean the wounds and stitch them up. Leo let out a high-pitched whine which pierced Donnie’s tympanas as he shuddered at the noise, trying to concentrate on not fucking up the stitches with his shaky hands. Leo flinched and tried to squirm his arm away but April and Mikey were holding it down.

“Leo! Try not to move! You’ll mess up the stitches!”, April exclaimed.

Leo let out a whimper again as he tried to look at what was going on. Donnie noticed that Mikey felt pretty useless to help as he brought over patterned band-aids and placed them on Leo’s smaller cuts with his glowing arms still trembling. Donnie grimaced at the wound on Leo’s thigh he was working on, his stitching looked like shit. Gross. He wrapped the thigh in bandages, knowing that only the easy part was over.

“Shh…you’re okay, Leo. You’re okay.”, Raph soothed as he rubbed his thumb on Leo’s forehead.

“Alright, that should help with the bleeding.”, Casey’s voice cut through the silent cries. With Casey standing next to Donnie, his calm voice seemed almost too loud. Casey took a breath. “...Hold him down. We need to set his leg.” Oh fuck me…

Donnie braced himself for the inevitable scream that Leo was about to give. Everyone shuffled around Leo, pushing their hands down on his arms and legs. Donnie couldn't bring himself to look at his immediate little brother. Here goes nothing… At the last second, Donnie tapped the side of his goggles as he increased the noise reduction barrier in his tech, hoping it was enough.

“On three.”, Casey called out. The voice was muffled like it was underwater. It should be enough. But still…get ready.

“One…two…three.”

Snap.

Leo gasped sharply before letting out a piercing scream. The noise canceling only helped by a little against the siren voice of agony. Donnie pressed all of his weight onto Leo’s broken leg that he was profusely trying to hold down as he watched Casey from his peripheral setting the plaster for the cast in. Donnie could barely see the framed vision of everyone trying their hardest to stop Leo from breaking free as he continued to wail.

“LET—LET ME GO! L-LET ME GO!!!!!! PLE—ASE!!!”, Leo screamed, his voice raspy and strained as he stuttered in distress.

Donnie’s mind began to drift away from the commotion but it had nowhere to go. Just…further away from all of this. Hoping that it would help drown out the voices even more. It was almost barely inaudible now, though Donnie still faintly took note of who was talking. Just some sort of information, some data collection. It helped clear his head a bit. Through the fogged out silence, Donnie observed. Like a scientist did.

“PLEASE! YOU HAVE TO—HAVE TO LET ME GO!!! I—I NEED TO SIT UP!!!”, Leo screamed.

“Leonardo, relax! You’re okay!”, Splinter reassured.

“YOU DON’T UN—UNDERSTAND!!!! IT—IT HURTS—IT HURTS!!! I NEED TO GET UP!!!”

“What hurts, Leo?!”, April asked.

“ E—EVERYTHING!!! ”

“I-I got it set now! Hang on, Sensei! I’ll get you some pain killers!”, Casey called out.

“ PLEASE STOP!!! MAKE IT S-STOP!!! I CAN’T TAKE—I CAN’T TAKE IT!”

“You’re almost done, little brother! Hang in there!”, Raph soothed.

“LET ME GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! LET ME GO LET ME GO LET ME GO LET ME GO LET ME GO—”

Finally, the screaming stopped. Donnie heard a muffled tune. Leo’s lullaby. Then he heard Leo whimper something under his breath that Donnie couldn’t quite pick up. Then at last there was quiet. The coast is clear now. Donnie tapped his goggles again, setting the noise canceling level back to default. Everyone collectively shared a sigh of relief. Casey was quick to break the silence.

“He’s still not stabilized just yet. Don, think you could help me out for a bit?”, Casey asked in a clear directive voice.

Donnie immediately nodded. I can handle it. Just a bit longer. Casey nodded back and faced towards everyone else.

“You guys should step out for a minute. Take care of Raph and Mikey.”, the teen suggested.

“A-are you sure you don’t want us to stay here?”, April questioned with concern.

Casey looked back at Donnie for a minute. Donnie could tell that he was reading something. Then Casey nodded.

“I’m sure.”

And with that, everyone silently left the room except for Casey and Donnie. Once everyone was gone, Casey walked over to the softshell. Donnie felt his shoulders tense, not wanting anyone to get too close to him right now.

“You doing okay, Donatello? I-I could really use your help but if you need a minute—”, Casey asked softly before Donnie held up a hand and cut him off.

“I’m fine.”, Donnie signed. “What do we need to do?”

“Well…”, Casey winced as he walked over to the scanner and looked at the screen. “There’s a broken rib stuck in his lung. We need to get in there and fix that.” Then he paused and looked at Donnie with a grave and serious expression. “I’m talking about emergency surgery, Donnie. Have you ever done it before?”

Donnie blinked in surprise, trying to keep his breathing even. Surgery?!? It sounded gruesome and horrendous. And just outright terrifying . Donnie slowly shook his head in answer. Casey pursed his lips as his brows furrowed, staring at Leo.

“...Well I have.”, Casey muttered. “It ain’t pretty. Just…follow my lead.”

Donnie can’t remember much of what happened. His mind went somewhere else. An escape into static. All he remembered were bits and pieces as Casey took charge. From removing Leo’s mask and other accessories. To Casey giving Leo general anesthesia before making the initial incision through Leo’s plastron with a surgical oscillating cast saw. To Donnie using surgical retractors to hold the plastron open while Casey removed the chipped off rib from Leo’s lung. To Casey cauterizing the wound in Leo’s lung before stapling the rib back together. To removing the retractors and patching up and stapling the plastron before wrapping gauze and bandages all around Leo’s chest to hold everything in place. Donnie was surprised that Casey knew so much, shuddering at the thought of what went down in the future. Everyone else filed back into the room a few minutes afterwards, Raph and Mikey were all bandaged up now.

But Donnie just stood there, staring down at the wound in Leo’s chest. The muffled voices of his family were mumbling about setting up an IV and blood transfusion. Donnie took note of Raph immediately volunteering to donate his blood. Mikey carefully placed Malcolm in Leo’s arms. Then suddenly, a cool hand gently rested on Donnie’s shoulder.

“Don? You okay? You don’t look too hot.”, Casey whispered. “Leo is stabilized now. So I think you should relax. Come on, let’s take a break.”

Donnie didn’t react. He let himself be walked out of the med-bay by Casey. The others let them be, knowing how crowding Donnie could make him more overwhelmed. The second he stepped foot out the doors, Donnie collapsed to his knees as a huge wave of fear yet relief washed over him. Finally, everything began to add up. The Kraang, getting ripped from the Kraang ship, saving Leo, the annoying bumpy car ride, the screaming, saving Leo again , gross stitches, more screaming, surgery, then—

“Donnie.”, Casey hushed as he crouched down next to the softshell. “Just breathe, okay? You did a great job helping Leo. Let me help you now, alright?”

Donnie took a few deep breaths as he sat on the floor, fidgeting with his hands. He clenched and rubbed his fingers together before he shifted and started shaking his hands out as if he just hit a good punch. It felt nice to finally feel safe enough to unwind but all of the stress started flooding in too quickly. Stimming just wasn’t enough.

“Do you need anything? Some water? A snack? Weighted blanket?”, Casey suggested with a patient smile.

What do I need? Donnie thought to himself. But every suggestion was swirling around him. Making a simple choice was becoming too much right now. I need space. I need quiet. I need help. I need to calm down. I need…

“Is asking too much? That’s okay, we’ll take this one step at a time, just give me a minute to think.”, Casey whispered slowly as he sat there in thought.

I need Shelldon.

Shelldon. His companion. His friend. His son. Shelldon was always there to help Donnie with anything. That’s what he was programmed to do. Though Donnie didn’t expect him to gain sentience, Donnie still loved the robot all the same and maybe even more. He remembered that fateful day when the Shredder killed Shelldon. Donnie was so devastated back then. But when he managed to find a few bits and pieces of his son’s remains, Donnie worked tirelessly for the past two years to bring him back. Even now, only Shelldon’s head was fully repaired, able to see, hear, and talk. But it was still his Shelldon. Shelldon would know what to do here.

Donnie sprang up and began running away from Casey.

“Hey, wait! Donnie, don’t run off! It’s not safe!”, Casey called out, hesitant to raise his voice at the softshell any louder than talking volume.

But Donnie didn’t listen. He needed to find Shelldon. Donnie began to let out a small cry in distress as he ran across the lair in the direction of a subway car that was down a long flight of stairs. The turtles have been using this car as a sort of storage area as the subway car itself was broken beyond repair and filled with a bunch of unopened moving boxes. Donnie knew where he last put Shelldon. On top of a box that was right in front of the subway car doors.

Donnie was turning the corner now, distantly noticing the bits of Kraang slime tracks nearby and tire tracks from one of the shell hogs that trailed down the stairs. That’s right, April and Papa said that the Kraang found our home last night. But Donnie disregarded it. The only thing that mattered to him right now was Shelldon. Donnie sprinted down the steps, following the slime and tire tracks, as he finally reached the subway car and—

The box where Shelldon sat was crushed against the wall. In the middle of the car, right in front of Donnie’s feet, were disheveled pieces of metal. Practically unrecognizable.

His Shelldon was destroyed once again.

Donnie fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around him tightly as he let out a piercing cry. His fingers dug into his arms, clawing at his scaly skin. He couldn’t stop screaming. Donnie couldn’t control himself anymore. He didn’t know what else to do but scream. Scream until the pain stopped. But it was only making things worse. His own scream was overwhelming as it burst his tympanas, the distress only causing Donnie to scream even more and send him into a spiral of chaos. The softshell could only just barely register the sounds of others rushing over towards him, but their pleading voices were drowned out by Donnie’s squealing and screeching.

Donnie lurched forwards, pressing his head against the harsh cold floor and continued to shriek in a shrill voice that was now burning with soreness. Everyone was talking all at once, panicking. Hands gingerly reached out to him before Donnie swatted them away, resisting the urge to throw punches. Then Donnie returned to clawing away at his arms, his gloves were becoming undone. He just wanted to be left alone. Everything was too much.

Raph grabbed Donnie’s wrists firmly as he sat cross-legged in front of the softshell. Donnie flinched as he tried to desperately yank his arms away, squealing in discomfort. He wanted to shout at Raph to get away but Donnie was struggling to form words. He shifted his position, throwing his legs out in front of him as he tried to aimlessly kick Raph away. But Raph didn’t budge, sitting still like a boulder.

“Hit me all you want. I’m not gonna let go.”, Raph stated calmly in a quiet and low voice. “You’re hurt really bad, Dee. We gotta help you and get you to the med-bay.”

Donnie stopped his crying for a moment as he slowly started to register what was happening around him. He instinctively kept flinching, trying to pull out of Raph’s firm grip. Without much more stimuli, all Donnie could do was whimper and whine softly. His voice was too tired to do anything else.

“Take a deep breath, Donnie. I’m going to take off your battle shell.”, April whispered from behind. Now what was April talking about?

Donnie looked over his shoulder to see blood seeping through the battle shell before April clicked a button at his shoulders and carefully pried the battle shell off of him. With his softshell now exposed to the cold air, Donnie could feel it. His entire shell stung like it did when the Kraang ripped him out of the ship. An unnerving tingle followed through his spine as well. Donnie squealed in agony as he shivered and ducked his head down.

“Ho...ly…shit, Donnie.”, April enunciated under her breath. “Your entire shell is just…covered in blood.”

“The Kraang ship.”, Mikey muttered. “You got hurt from the Kraang ship and didn’t tell anyone, did you? Donnie, you should’ve said something!”

I…I didn’t know it was that bad. Donnie remembered how his shell hurt really bad as he ignored it and focused on the fight at hand. It wasn’t until now as things had settled down a bit that Donnie even noticed there was blood.

“Quickly, we must get him to the med-bay.”, Splinter stated. “Raphael and Michelangelo, carry your brother over there. April, go get a bucket and fill it with soap and water so we can clean his shell. And Casey, come with me.”

Everyone nodded as Raph leaned in closer to Donnie. “Hang tight, Don. Try not to scratch yourself.”, Raph whispered.

Raph ever so carefully scooped up Donnie in his arms. Donnie tucked his arms over himself as he itched at his scars, trying his best to not dig his nails in even further. Everything hurt and Donnie felt so uncomfortable. He continued to let out a strained whine in distress as his brothers carried him over to the med-bay, leaving Shelldon behind.

Donnie didn’t even bother to look at Leo, or anyone for that matter, as he was brought inside the med-bay subway car. He tried to focus on the quiet humming from the lights in the room.

“Donnie…?”, Leo weakly called out.

“Leo! You’re awake!”, Mikey shouted with excitement as he quickly ran over to the red eared slider’s side. The shrill in his voice made Donnie flinch yet again.

“Shh…keep your voice down, guys.”, Raph hushed as he sat Donnie down in another gurney parallel to Leo’s left.

Donnie slowly crawled onto his stomach, softshell facing upwards. He flopped down, resting his head on the pillow as he turned slightly towards his disaster twin. He felt absolutely drained as fatigue from the whole Kraang invasion had finally caught up to him.

“Jelly toast.”, Leo giggled. What…the…fuck.

Donnie knew that Leo was just high on painkillers but that didn’t stop him from flipping off the slider with a tired arm. April came rushing in the room, water bucket in tow.

“Alright, Don. Let’s get you cleaned up.”, April spoke softly as she set down the bucket and partially blocked Donnie’s view of his brother. She reached into the bucket, wringing a wet hand towel before handing it to Raph and reaching back for another towel.

Donnie sighed and closed his eyes as the cool water was scrubbed across his sore softshell. Though it still stung, it felt ever so slightly better than before. Donnie contemplated the whole ordeal of last night as his older sister and older brother helped clean up his scars. Then they helped take off Donnie’s mask and other accessories before wrapping him up in bandages.

“What happened to your arms?!”, Leo shouted. The voice startled Donnie a bit, causing his eyes to flicker open for a moment to see Leo stare at Mikey with worry. Oh…right…

“Shh, not so loud! Donnie needs quiet.”, Mikey hissed. “D-don’t worry about my arms. They’re fine.”

Donnie grouched at the obvious lie as he closed his eyes again, focusing on the lights humming as he heard Leo softly cry as Mikey soothed him. After April gave Donnie some painkillers, the softshell began to doze off. See? Everything's okay now. You’re okay , a thought reassured Donnie. Suddenly, Donnie woke up to a commotion before he could fully fall asleep.

“Leo? Leo?!”, Mikey called out.

“What’s going on, Mikey?”, April turned around, facing towards the youngest.

“I-I think Leo’s having another seizure!”, Mikey cried. “He’s not breathing and I—”

“Hang on! Let me help!”, April interrupted as she hurried over to Leo’s side.

Donnie watched as April turned Leo onto his side again and held his hand, just like she did earlier in the turtle tank. Donnie whimpered, reaching out a now bandaged arm to Leo. Raph carefully stroked Donnie’s wrapped softshell in reassurance. Donnie kept watching, waiting for Leo to come back as he writhed in pain. Then suddenly, Leo immediately gasped for air. Panting heavily as the suffocation came to an end. Donnie sighed in relief as well.

“He’s coming back! It’s okay!”, April alerted. She patted Leo’s hand before gently setting it down. “I’ll be right back!”, his sister called out before hurrying out of the med-bay.

Raph walked over to Leo’s side as Donnie watched Leo cover his face from the light. Donnie noted the brightness of the room. It was getting to him too. His other brothers noticed Leo’s discomfort.

“Can we turn off the lights?”, Mikey asked.

“Of course.”, Raph answered affirmingly. Raph walked over to the light switch and within a few moments, there was a click and the lights were off. “Is that better, Leo?”

Donnie watched as Leo peered out again and nodded, staring distantly into the dark. “What…what happened…?”, Leo muttered.

“You had a seizure, that’s what.”, April replied as she waltzed back in the room.

April walked over to Leo’s side. A bottle rattled into her palm. She set the bottle down on a table next to her and grabbed Leo’s shoulders, gently shifting him back onto his shell. Donnie could see Leo’s nauseated expression.

“Here, buddy. Take this. It ain’t much but it’ll help.”, April handed him a pill and a cup of water.

Leo took the pill with the water without any more question. He looked so tired. And while Donnie knew he wasn’t the best at reading expressions, the look of regret and shame was crystal clear on his brother’s face. Leo sighed and leaned his head back into the pillow, closing his eyes. Donnie let out a small whimper, reaching his arm out again. He didn’t know if Leo heard him as the slider didn’t bother to look over at him. Raph turned towards Donnie and gave a faint smile. He walked over and slowly pushed Donnie’s gurney next to Leo’s, enough for Donnie to reach his disaster twin.

Tap. Tap.

Leo winced and blinked open one eye blearily and looked directly down at Donnie’s hand. Leo slightly rolled over and slid his hand underneath the other and held it as tightly as his weakened body allowed. His eyes slowly drifted up to Donnie’s plastron with exhaustion. Donnie’s brows furrowed as he began to tear up again and cry.

“You ok?”, Donnie signed with his free hand.

“ Ha …Not quite. But we’re getting there.”, Leo smiled.

Soon, Leo met Donnie’s gaze. Realization lit up across the slider’s face as he examined Donnie’s injuries. Leo shuddered at the sight of the bloodied bandages. Donnie curled his fingers around Leo’s hand tighter and softly smiled. It’s okay, Leo. We’re okay now.

“I think it’s time we all get some shut eye. It had been a long night for everyone.”, April chimed in calmly.

“But…I don’t wanna leave them like this!”, Mikey whined. Without his goggles on now, Donnie tried his best not to wince at the voice.

“We can’t fit everyone in here, king. But it’s okay. Leo and Donnie got each other’s shells.”, Raph patted Mikey on the head and smiled, looking between the purple and blue turtles.

“Yeah! We’ll check up on them in a few hours, just to be safe. Sound good?”, April spoke kindly as she placed a hand on Mikey’s shoulder.

Leo and Donnie looked at the three standing at the foot of the beds. Donnie felt himself relax as he gave a genuine reassuring smile. He could sense Leo smiling at him too. Donnie leaned back in his bed, settling into sleep.

“We’ll be okay, Miguel. Don’t worry.”, Leo nodded, determined. Mikey gave a sympathetic smile.

“Promise me you’ll shout if you need anything!”, Mikey stated.

Donnie heard the room go quiet as he fell asleep. It’s over. Finally it’s over. But Donnie would soon learn that it wasn’t over for a long time.

Donnie was gently shaken awake by Raph. As Donnie opened his eyes, Mikey dimmed the room lights before walking out of the room. Donnie yawned before he looked up at Raph. The oldest smiled.

“Hey Don. How are you feeling?”, Raph asked. Donnie gave a thumbs up. Still shitty but better.

Casey and April walked in the room. Casey hesitated at the doorway for a moment before slowly walking over to Leo. Donnie watched as Casey scanned Leo with the scanner machine and then faintly smiled.

“So, good news. His lungs seem to be doing just fine now.”, Casey explained as he walked over to the ventilator. “I’ll just take this off as well as the blood transfusion. But let me know if he starts having shortness of breath or lightheadedness.” Casey continued to do what he explained.

April nodded and smiled. “Thanks, Case.” She turned to Donnie. “You feeling better, Donnie?”

Again, Donnie nodded. But continued to watch Casey work on Leo closely. The teen seemed to look…uneasy. As soon as he was done, he looked at everyone else and gave an awkward nod before beelining out of the room. April sighed softly and went after him. Soon, Mikey peeked his head through the subway car doors.

“Hey Raph? …Mind giving me a hand?”, Mikey muttered shyly.

“Of course.”, Raph chimed as he followed Mikey out of the med-bay.

Donnie looked over at Leo who was still sleeping peacefully. Without his phone, Donnie began to wonder how much time had passed. Last night felt like an eternity. So much happened within just a few hours. Donnie was slightly surprised yet pleased with himself for not having his so-called “aftermath jitters” kick in sooner in the night. Though, suppressing the inevitable of course only made it worse.

A few minutes later, Raph walked in carrying three bowls while Mikey only carried one. Mikey quickly set his bowl down on a counter beside the door as Raph set one bowl down on another counter beside Donnie’s gurney. It was then that Donnie noticed that Mikey was now wearing heart patterned arm-warmers that covered the glow-crackling bandages and a pair of old oversized artist pants that were now forever stained with paint. Mikey smiled as he carefully sat on the edge of Leo’s bed and leaned in.

“Wakey wakey, sleepyhead!”, the young bright voice chimed. Leo blearily opened his eyes.

“I’m up, I’m up.”, Leo yawned and stretched his arms. Donnie noticed the dizzied, spaced out look in Leo’s eyes. That concussion he got probably isn’t helping the side effects of the painkillers , Donnie thought.

Donnie yawned as well, carefully sitting up and crossed his legs. Leaning a bit forward so as to not disturb his injured softshell. Raph was still holding two bowls in his hands. He handed one of the bowls to Donnie and walked over to Leo’s side and reached over to give him the other bowl. Donnie took a look inside, it was steaming hot macaroni and cheese. One of Donnie’s favorites.

Donnie didn’t pay attention to the others talking as he stared at the bowl. Donnie would often boast about his “refined palette” while Leo specified that it was called safe foods. When it came to Donnie’s safe foods, he focused more on taste rather than texture. He liked bland foods that didn’t have too much flavor in them. Stuff like mac n cheese, flavorless juice (which was really just watered down apple juice), bananas, etc. If the taste was off, the meal was ruined. But this time, Donnie wasn’t focused on the taste. He glared at the bowl with uneased nausea. All it needed was pink food dye and it would be a perfect resemblance of—

“What’s wrong, Don? Isn’t this like one of your favorites?”, Leo asked.

Donnie nodded but still looked at the bowl with disgust. His fingers clenched around the bowl for a long moment.

The moment Donnie shoved his hands into the Kraang control panel, there was an icky squelch as saliva-like fluid splashed on his arms and face. This is worse than washing dirty dishes , Donnie grimaced as the vines slowly crawled up his arms.

He then immediately shuddered and pushed the bowl off his lap, setting it down in front of him.

“Slimy.”, Donnie signed. He felt the eyes of everyone else reading the room.

“I’m so sorry, Donnie! I can go get you something else!”, Mikey exclaimed sympathetically. He added, pondering, “Hmm, okay, let’s see…what’s a food Donnie likes that isn’t slimy…?”

“What about…uh…toast?”, Raph joined in.

“Can’t go wrong with toast! Unless you’re a fucking millennial and put avocado on it…”, Leo joked with his signature confident smile.

Mikey laughed. “Howzaboutit, Donald?

Donnie paused for a moment, brows furrowing. It wasn’t the first time his diet was flipped upside down due to an unpleasant experience. The softshell even recalled the time when Albearto’s animatronics came to life and how after fighting Cheery Tomato, Donnie declared he would never eat ketchup again. He sighed and looked at his bowl.

“Yes.”, Donnie signed as he nodded.

“Okay! You just want butter on it or…?”, Mikey asked.

A hideous thought dawned upon the purple turtle. Donnie turned to look at Leo whose smile widened as he slowly looked over at his disaster twin. Don’t you dare, you stupid asshole… Donnie glared back with a scowl.

“ No jelly. ”, Donnie signed deliberately. He gazed back at Mikey, “Butter is fine.”

“...okay.”, Mikey muttered as he flashed a quick cringed look at Leo.

He started towards the entrance of the subway car before he stopped. Donnie could see Mikey’s head looking down at his arms. Mikey spun around and smiled wide, eyes squinting up. “Come on, Raph!”

Raph and Mikey left the room, leaving the disaster twins alone for a moment. Donnie thought to himself about the events that took place earlier. With the whole…resuscitation… Does Leo even remember? I mean, his memory could be funky. Curious for an answer, Donnie fluttered a hand at Leo.

“Do you…remember anything? From earlier?”, Donnie signed hesitantly.

“Like…from the Kraang?”, Leo asked slowly in confusion. Donnie nodded. Leo rubbed his forehead. “Well…I remember…uhh…Staten Island. Then I think I blacked out. Raph said we went home in the turtle tank but I don’t remember that part. Next thing I knew, everyone was shouting at me and you put that breathing mask on me.”

Donnie let out a shaky breath in shock as he pieced it together. He actually doesn’t remember. Shit…Would it be better if he never finds out?! Leo took notice at Donnie’s expression.

“...Was there something I’m supposed to remember?”, Leo asked.

Donnie stared at him for a long moment. Then he gingerly scrunched his face as the softshell slowly shook his head.

This was the first secret of many.

Splinter sat in his chair in the TV room, watching his favorite Japanese commercials. It always helped him calm down. Though many times, Splinter would isolate himself in them. With every fight Splinter encounters, he felt himself drifting further away from his loved ones. He just wanted to escape from it all. All the troubles he had been through and the pain he had caused. On one hand, it was nice to note how independent his sons had become. On the other, it was disappointing as to how and why they grew up so quickly. All thanks to their negligent father.

Splinter sighed, fumbling with his robe. Each day, I tell myself that I’ll be better. That I’ll make things right. But each day, I’m faced with a new challenge that makes me want to give up. But…my sons need me now more than ever. After all, they’re still just kids. A bunch of children. They should’ve never had gone through that trauma. I need to be their dad.

Soon Splinter’s train of thought was caught off guard by his favorite scorpion treadmill commercial. Splinter laughed absent-mindedly.

…Starting tomorrow.

Donnie looked up as Mikey and Raph walked back to the med-bay subway car.

“Mikey, be careful with that!”, Raph hissed from outside the med-bay.

Mikey walked in first, trying his best to levitate a plate with a single piece of buttered toast on it. It bounced and wobbled in the air as Mikey’s hands hovered below the plate to catch it if he needed to, sticking his tongue out the corner of his beak in concentration. Raph followed close behind, hands hovering over Mikey to do… something? ...in case Mikey dropped the plate.

“One piece of toast coming right up, Donnie!”, Mikey exclaimed zealously.

He wedged himself through the narrow gap between Leo and Donnie’s gurneys. As he turned towards Donnie, the plate began to tremble and Mikey quickly snagged it before it fell. He handed the plate to Donnie with a victorious smile. The corner of Donnie’s beak slightly curved up in a smile.

“Thanks.”, Donnie signed as he took the plate.

“Of course! You’re in luck too, that was the last slice of bread.”, Mikey stated.

Donnie’s expression softened, he stared off to the side, holding up a hand. “Sorry.” Donnie had always hated having to ask his brothers for help with anything. It was what forced Donnie to strive for independency. Donnie wanted to do things his way without getting in the way of others. He didn’t want to be a burden to anyone even if Donnie knew that his accommodations didn’t make him any less worthy than his brothers.

“Wha—No no no! Don’t be! It’s okay!”, Mikey stammered, seeming afraid that he had accidentally upset his older brother.

“We just gotta go get some more!”, Raph smiled as he sat down in a metal stool on the other side of Donnie’s bed.

“How? The whole city is closed down.”, Donnie signed.

There was a pause for a moment. Donnie’s brows furrowed up with worry. He felt like an inconvenience, holding everyone behind. They shouldn’t have to fuss over me. Why can’t I be normal like them? Donnie brushed the thought out of his mind. It was a ridiculous thought. Donnie was smarter than that.

Tap. Tap.

Donnie turned to look at Leo. Leo put on his signature reassuring smile.

“We’ll figure something out, Don. Don’t you worry.”, Leo soothed. Donnie nodded but didn’t smile. “For now, let’s eat!”, Leo exclaimed cheerfully in an attempt to change the mood.

Everyone began to eat. It seemed Mikey’s arms were giving him some trouble so Leo helped feed him. It was endearing until Donnie noticed the untouched bowl at Leo’s bedside. Donnie didn’t worry too much about it though, noting that Leo’s concussion was probably the cause of his loss of appetite.

It was going to be okay.

After they ate, April stopped by to give Leo and Donnie their phones back. Apparently the batteries died earlier. Donnie took this opportunity to text everyone about the secret of Leo not knowing what happened.

Bootyyyshaker9000: Hey guys there’s something important I need to talk to you about. /srs

FlavorTown: what’s wrong donald? /gen

Bootyyyshaker9000: Leo doesn’t know that his heart stopped. /srs

TeddyKing: Oh no!😟😥

ELUDailyNews: That doesn’t sound good.

Casey Jones: we shud tell him right .?

Casey Jones: should

Bootyyyshaker9000: How though? I’m not good with emotion stuff. /nm

TeddyKing: We can all tell him together.😁We just need to find the right time.🤔

Donnie’s conversation was quickly interrupted by the sound of Hispanic rage that he couldn’t quite understand coming from Leo’s phone. Donnie looked over at Leo with concern, only greeted by a nervous smile from the slider, before he turned back to his phone. That was when Donnie noticed he had a few notifications from his so-shell channel “Cat Versus”. Usually, Donnie was always curious to see what others thought of his content. But lately, for the past few months… Donnie sighed and checked the comments.

Yep, same old shit… , Donnie grimaced. Out of the blue, people have been tackling Donnie with some crude commentary. It wasn’t the first time either. They made fun of his voice, the way he talks, his science rants, and so on. Calling his behavior weird or abnormal. It started many years ago too.

That was how Donnie quickly began to realize that he wasn’t “normal”. Well, Donnie knew he wasn’t a normal human being in the first place. But he still wasn’t like his brothers. He stood out like a sore thumb.

Out of the corner of Donnie’s peripheral, he saw Leo turn towards him with a confused look. The slider asked, “Hey Don, how did you guys get me out of the prison dimension?”

“You don’t remember that?”, Donnie signed, puzzled. “Mikey made a portal. Raph and I helped. You saw Mikey’s arms. How did you forget?”

“Oh! Right…”, Leo said, seeming unsure. He turned back to his phone, “The guys opened a…portal? Yeah, that’s all I got.”

Donnie stopped listening to Leo’s conversation and turned back to his phone. He scowled as he quickly deleted the notifications and moved on to playing PVZ on his phone. His so-shell feed was meant to be an escape. But nowadays, it was like he was falling into another trap. No escape from the real world or online. Donnie understood how alone he truly was, feeling like society was always against him.

It was just him versus the world.

Hueso stopped by a couple hours later. He was carrying many bags with him as the skeleton yokai entered the med-bay with Raph and Mikey as well. Leo’s face seemed to brighten up upon seeing him.

“Señor Hueso! It’s so good to see you!”, Leo beamed. “I’d give you a hug but…I can’t even feel my face right now, ha…”

Hueso laughed. “It’s a relief to hear that you’re alright. Well, more or less.” Hueso carefully placed the bags down, reaching into one of them, holding something wrapped in cheesecloth. “Here, I brought you some food at Leo’s request. I also got you all something special.”

Donnie leaned forward as Hueso unveiled the cloth for everyone to see. It was a handful of large crystalized golden leaves. Probably some mystic stuff.

“It’s called the Patecatl plant. Each leaf you see here can speed up the healing process by four months, well depending on which injuries you’ve sustained.”, Hueso explained as everyone looked at the magical herb in awe. “It’s super rare and incredibly expensive. I stole this during my pirate days. I’ve been saving this for emergencies, and I think now definitely counts as one.”

“Wooooow!”, Mikey droned with stars in his eyes. “Man, yokais got everything!”

“There’s just enough pieces for the four of you. Though, I have to warn you…the taste isn’t very pleasant.”, Hueso cautioned with a chuckle.

Hueso handed each of the brothers a piece of the strange plant. Everyone was hesitant for a moment before Mikey eagerly chomped down on his leaf first. The group watched as Mikey munched on the medicine before immediately scrunching up his face. He shivered but soon swallowed the herb and gagged, sticking out his tongue.

“Bleh, it tastes like biting into a raw lemon. It’s sour, but honestly, not too bad.”, Mikey explained.

Then suddenly, Mikey’s nerves glistened through the bandages. After a few seconds, the glowing stopped. Mikey glanced around at everyone’s anticipated eyes before he took off his arm warmers and began to unveil the bandages. With each unwrap, Mikey’s smile began to widen until he reached just above his elbows and saw that some of the scars were still there. It seemed like the yokai medicine only shrunk the mystic nerves down. Donnie saw Mikey frown for a moment before quickly flashing a bright smile at Hueso.

“Thanks, señor! That really helped a lot.”, Mikey beamed.

“De nada, pepinillo. Anything for my favorite customers.”, Hueso nodded in thanks.

Raph ate his piece shortly after and soon, his scars seemed to have healed. The cracks in his shell and plastron were permanent but the edges seemed to have smoothed over. He took off the bandages around his eye to reveal permanent scars across it. Raph smiled sadly but thanked the skeleton yokai gratefully. Raph helped Leo eat his sharing as Donnie grabbed the scanner to scan him over. It took Leo a while to hold the medicine down without him gagging. Everyone huddled around the scanner to see that Leo wasn’t fully healed. But…it was progress. Donnie faintly smiled in reassurance but couldn’t help but frown solemnly.

“Don’t fret too much on it, Donnie.”, Raph smiled. “At least Leo won’t be stuck in here for a year, just a few months.”

Donnie nodded in acknowledgement as he watched Leo’s spaced out look slowly droop into sleep. Leo looked so tired and groggy from the painkillers he was on. Donnie wanted to get him out of here. He needed to get Leo out of here.

“Go on, Dee! Time for you to take your piece.”, Mikey cheered.

Donnie looked down at the piece in his hand. I wonder if there is a way… Donnie looked up at his brothers and fluttered a hand.

“I’m on it. Why don’t you guys take Hueso to the TV room to eat? I’ll be right there.”, Donnie signed with a relaxed smile.

“Oh, what a wonderful idea!”, Hueso chimed as he clapped his boney hands. “You all really must try some of these recipes. Freshly baked just this morning.”

Hueso scooped up his bags as he excitedly ushered Raph and Mikey out of the med-bay. Raph looked over his shoulder at Donnie with concern but Donnie just waved with a smile. As soon as they left, Donnie’s smile dropped as he looked at the mystic herb in his hand. It looked flaky and easy to break. Donnie glanced at his disaster twin. This has to work.

Donnie snapped the piece in half, chomping down on one half. It was so sour . Even more sour than what Mikey described. Then Donnie remembered that Mikey liked sour sweets and had probably built a tolerance to the taste. Donnie shuddered and gagged until the medicine went down. Suddenly, Donnie felt a strong tingling sensation go down his softshell. Donnie flinched at it, flapping his hands in discomfort. 

He scanned himself over with the scanner to see that taking half of the medicine only half-healed Donnie. Makes sense , Donnie shrugged. A strange tingling sensation stayed with Donnie however. Then all of a sudden, it felt familiar. It was the same sensation he felt when the Kraang vines seeped into his shell. Donnie always felt uneasy with having his softshell exposed but he couldn’t put on his battle shell right now while he’s still injured.

Donnie hurried out of the med-bay and to his room where he quickly threw on his purple hoodie to cover his softshell. He tugged at the fabric, finally feeling secure and safe. It wasn’t enough as his battle shell, but it’ll have to do. On his desk, Donnie saw that April had laid out his accessories, mask, and goggles, all cleaned up. Donnie put them on, his socks and gloves, then mask and goggles before tucking his hood over his head. Feeling content and comfortable with his look, Donnie quickly made his way back to the med-bay.

As he walked back in the subway car, Donnie stared at the half piece in his hand. Please let this be enough. Though Donnie wondered what excuse he was going to have to give to convince Leo to take Donnie’s piece. Donnie walked over to Leo, shaking him awake. Leo slowly blinked his eyes open before they gradually registered on Donnie.

“Eat this.”, Donnie signed, pointing at the medicine.

“What is that?”, Leo asked as he rubbed his eyes, sitting up. 

“The Patecatl yokai medicine? From Hueso? We all got some.”, Donnie’s marker brows furrowed in question. Looks like Donnie didn’t need to come up with an excuse, Leo’s concussion made one up for him.

“Hueso’s here?”

Donnie paused. “...you don’t remember again? You talked to him earlier.”

“Ah…sorry. My head’s still all sorts of messed up, ya know?”, Leo let out a nervous chuckle.

Donnie rolled his eyes and held the leaf closer to Leo’s face. Leo took the leaf and inspected it closely. He popped the strange candy in his mouth and crunched. Suddenly, Donnie saw Leo’s face scrunch with disgust. Leo gagged before Donnie held up a hand.

“Eat.”, Donnie signed, pressing on.

Leo’s eyes watered. But Leo reluctantly followed Donnie’s orders. Donnie watched expectantly as Leo finished the piece, shuddering. And within a few moments, Donnie saw Leo’s scars magically begin to heal ever more.

Donnie smiled. He hurried over to the scanner and wheeled the machine over. The scanner hovered up and down Leo’s body before it gave an electronic chirp. Donnie glossed over the screen…and then frowned. Everything had healed except for his leg which was still broken. Just barely there to recovery. So close, but yet… It’s fine. It’s enough , Donnie reassured himself.

“What’s wrong, Dee?”, Leo asked concerningly.

Donnie sighed and stared at the screen for a moment. “Everything is fine except for your leg. It’s still broken—”

“Wait hold on…”, Leo held up his hand. “What did that weird medicine do to me?”

“It’s mystic. It speeds up the healing process by a couple months.” Donnie was not going to explain that he just gave Leo a smaller portion of the medicine.

“So…Hueso conveniently had his phalanges on magic drugs??”

“He stole it.”

Leo seemed to be suddenly taken aback. But Donnie quickly dismissed it. We shouldn’t keep the others waiting. This was the right choice. Everyone will be happy to see Leo back on his feet. More or less.

“You should be fully recovered in a week though.”, Donnie signed before walking over to the corner of the room and grabbing a pair of surgical scissors and pliers. “Let’s cut those stitches.”

Using a pair of underarm crutches, Leo hobbled beside Donnie as they made their way to the subway lair’s TV room. Donnie kept a close eye on Leo, seeing something…tired in his expression. It’s probably just the painkillers he’s on right now , Donnie thought. But some strange sense inside him told the softshell that there was more to it than that. Or perhaps Donnie was just paranoid. Everyone was most definitely on edge right now. As they reached the TV room, Donnie looked over the small crowd of people. Raph, Mikey, Splinter, April, Casey, and Hueso were all chatting amongst themselves.

As the group was chatting, Hueso was handing out some delicious fresh baked goods, Donnie could smell the aroma from afar. Donnie loved the smell of bakery food. It had been awhile since he last baked, an activity that Donnie enjoyed every now and then. Raph looked up and spotted the disaster twins on top of the stairs. He jumped to his feet with a smile.

“Leo!”, Raph shouted as he hurried up the flight of stairs. The noise didn’t bother Donnie this time. Thank Curie, it’s good to have my goggles back.

“Hey Ael! You’re looking better.”, Leo grinned.

“How are you…up and about like that?”

“Oh, Donnie gave me some mystic yokai medicine.”

“What? But you already…”, Raph looked over at Donnie as Donnie looked away. There was no point in lying to Raph. The softshell knew that the oldest would have a stern lecture with him later. Raph chewed his lip and then sighed. He turned back to Leo and smiled, “Well—Here, let’s get you down to everyone else.”

Before Leo could say anything, Raph scooped him up as Donnie carried his crutches. The three of them started to make their way down the stairs when Donnie noticed that Leo looked…panicked. Leo gripped onto Raph’s arms, as if he wanted to push himself off.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to drop you.”, Raph chuckled.

“Uh…y-yeah. I…I know th-that.”, Leo stuttered with a weak smile.

They reached the bottom, Raph carefully setting Leo down on his blue bean bag chair. Donnie propped the crutches against Leo’s side.

“Thanks.”, Leo mumbled.

Donnie still looked closely at Leo’s expression. He seemed to be scared but…for what reason? Donnie was getting frustrated that he couldn’t understand emotions. It made him feel stupid.

“Leo! I’m so glad you’re doing better!”, Mikey squealed as he ran over, arms out wide.

As Mikey jumped for a hug, Leo immediately blocked it with his arm, elbowing his younger brother in the plastron. That’s not Leo… , Donnie thought. Leo loves Mikey’s hugs. What’s gotten into him?

“Leo? Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”, Mikey asked frantically.

“H-h-huh? Oh…n-no. You’re fine. You’re—It’s fine.”, Leo quivered. He took a breath, his expression relaxing, before showing a reassuring smile. “Y-you just…startled me. Haha…” Leo started tapping his hand against his chest anxiously.

That was when it clicked for Donnie. Leo only tapped a hand against his plastron when he was anxious. The purple turtle glanced over at his orange brother, seeing that Mikey knew it too. Mikey examined Leo for a long moment. It wasn’t hard to tell what Mikey was thinking. Suddenly, his face lit up as an idea came to him. Mikey turned, sprinting out of the TV room.

“Be right back!”, he shouted.

After Mikey left, Hueso walked over to Leo holding out a plate of baked goods. Looks like we aren’t out of bread anymore , Donnie thought before he realized… hold on a second…

“Pepino! Glad to see you back on your feet…more or less. Here, I made those things you’ve asked for.”, Hueso held the plate closer. “To be honest, the request was a little odd. ‘Anything that’s not slimy’. Immediately I thought about pan dulce. It’s my mamá’s special recipe.”

Donnie’s eyes widened. That’s right , Leo was calling Hueso earlier. Did he ask Hueso to help feed Donnie? The softshell felt thankful for his disaster twin but he felt shame for being an inconvenience in the first place. Still, Donnie smiled faintly in thanks though Leo wasn’t looking at him. Instead, Leo looked at his phone.

“Would you like something to eat? A concha, perhaps? I know those ones are your favorite.”, Hueso chuckled.

Leo didn’t respond, still staring at his phone. His eyes looked dazed, brows furrowed. Donnie was slightly caught off-guard by that look. Leo would never let himself unmask like that, dropping his pathetic smiling facade. Donnie just couldn’t understand how Leo even found the energy to keep it up. Masking was exhausting for Donnie, even if he wasn’t aware of it.

Hueso snapped his boney fingers in front of Leo’s eyes. “Oye! You didn’t answer my question, Pepino. I asked if you wanted a concha.”

Leo blinked back to reality, looking up at Hueso. He stared at the skeleton for a moment. “Oh, sorry. Sure, I’ll have one.”, Leo answered. Hueso smiled and handed a concha to Leo.

“Thanks, tío.”, Leo smiled.

Soon after, Donnie noticed Mikey walking down the stairs behind everyone. Wait…that outfit…

“Lady April and gentlemen…”, Mikey announced as he waltzed back in the room. He was wearing a burnt orange sweater, tucked into a pair of jeans, and round circle glasses. Oh dear Einstein no —

Dr. Feelings had clocked in. Why…

He was holding the mushroom plush that Leo had by his bedside earlier. Mikey walked over in front of the project screen and sat down on the floor next to Leo.

“I think it’s time we all talk about our feelings as we process the crazy adventure we had last night.”, Mikey spoke in a condescending tone. “Please have a seat.”

Everyone sat down in a circle, except for Hueso who stood back to watch whatever this was. Casey, Raph, and Donnie sat on the floor, while Splinter sat in his chair and April on the arm rest. Leo stayed where he was on his beanbag. Donnie tried his best to not grimace in front of everyone. I’ve had enough feelings for the next…several years. He did not want to be there.

“Let’s start off with something simple.”, Mikey gestured toward the mushroom plush. “Whoever is holding Malcolm will get to speak and we’ll all go around sharing how we’re feeling right now at this moment.” End my suffering.

Mikey paused and looked around at everyone who all just sort of nodded at each other. It’d been a long while since Mikey had done this. Despite not wanting to be a part of this, Donnie was kind of glad that it was back. It felt nostalgic to have one thing about Mikey refusing to change despite the chaos he’d been through.

“I’ll start!”, Mikey chimed. “ Ahem …I’m feeling…really happy right now because we’re all feeling better thanks to the medicine Hueso gave us.”, Mikey smiled as he glanced over at Hueso. Hueso gave a soft smile.

“It was no problem, Pepinillo—”

“Excuse me, but I’m holding Malcolm right now.”, Mikey interrupted. He then handed the plush to Casey who was next to him. “Your turn!”

Casey paused for a moment and stared at the plush in his hands. “...What is this thing…?”

“...The…plush??”, Mikey asked, puzzled.

“I’ve…never seen anything like it in my timeline.”

The room went quiet for a moment. The presence of what Casey’s apocalyptic future held was unsettling. Donnie then remembered that when asking about his future self, Casey used past tense. A dark curiosity doomed over Donnie before he quickly brushed it off. That’s not…that’s not going to happen.

“Give it a hug.”, Mikey whispered as he leaned in close to Casey.

Casey raised an eyebrow at him before slowly wrapping his arms around the mushroom. His expression relaxed, carefully sinking his chin on top of the plush. Then he smiled…seeming relieved.

“Huh…this is…kinda nice…”, Casey mumbled.

Mikey’s smile widened. “You can keep him after we’re done, if you want.”

“...Right. Okay.”, Casey nodded as he hesitantly let go of the plush and handed it to Raph next.

Donnie stopped listening as he felt his phone buzz in the pocket of his hoodie. He checked his phone to see yet another flow of comments harassing Donnie. The softshell grimaced as he looked over them. “Your voice sounds weird.” “Why do you act so dramatic?” “Stop faking it, that’s not how autism works.” Donnie quickly deleted the comments before reading anymore. You’d think that after saving the world, they’d show me a little more respect. Donnie put his phone away before anyone seemed to notice as Splinter was handed the mushroom plush next.

“I’m feeling…hungry! For more of those delicious pan dulce.”, Splinter stated as he picked up a puerquito bread and stuffed it in his face. He chuckled as he handed the plush to Donnie.

“I feel…”, Donnie signed. He stared at the plush for a long moment. The hate comments started to flow back into his head. I feel stupid… “...Tired.”, he signed with a shrug as he looked up at everyone. It wasn’t a total lie.

“How do you feel emotionally , Don?”, Mikey insisted.

Donnie glared at him for another long moment. Stupid… “...Tired.”, he signed again and immediately passed the mushroom to Leo before Mikey could press further.

Leo took the mushroom plush with the hand that wasn’t holding the concha and pondered into its embroidered eyes. “I feel…” Leo paused for a moment. “...I f-feel…”

Donnie watched as Leo seemed to space out, his expression scrunching up along with his hands. His grip continued to tighten. Donnie glanced around at everyone else as they gradually picked up on Leo’s strange behavior.

“Uhh, Leo? You okay there?”, April asked. Leo didn’t respond.

Donnie fluttered a hand at his twin. Leo didn’t respond, his grip tightening even more.

“Leo, don’t hurt Malcolm!”, Mikey shouted as he reached out a hand.

Leo jolted back, his eyes glancing around in front of him. He quickly relaxed his hands and cleared his throat.

“S-sorry…um…I feel…”, Leo’s eyes darted around the floor in front of him. “...fine.” Fine?? Donnie didn’t believe it.

Mikey sighed. “Dr. Feelings thinks that you’re not being honest—”, he started.

“I’m fine.”, Leo lightly tossed the plush back to Mikey. “ Honest .”

Mikey quickly caught the mushroom before it could tumble to the floor. “Well…okay!”, Mikey forced another smile. “Anyways, now that we’ve all gotten comfortable with sharing, the floor is open! What are our thoughts?”, Mikey asked as he handed the mushroom plush to Casey who hugged the plush tightly in his arms again.

Donnie immediately clasped his hands and took a sharp inhale, his expression stern. “ ...Teeth. Door. ”, he signed deliberately.

April shuddered. “Oh I know what you’re talking about! Those teeth doors were all sorts of nasty!”

“I’ll tell you what’s nasty! The eyes all over the place that just kept staring at you!”, Splinter joined in.

“And the sounds the Kraang dogs make! It makes my skin crawl all the time.”, Casey pointed out.

“Wait, they’re called Kraang dogs?”, Raph asked.

“Yeah, there’s different types. The Kraang dogs are the fully alienized ones. Kraang zombies are the ones who were partially taken over. And then there’s the Kraang droids that are these giant robot suits the Kraang controlled.”

“Ay dios mío!”, Hueso exclaimed. “I’m glad that I was hiding in the Hidden City during the invasion.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right!”, Mikey chimed in. “What happened to the Hidden City?”

“The city council took everyone further down into bunker shelters. Many army forces were running about and trying to close off all the gateway portals so the Kraang couldn’t get in. Heck, the place is still on lockdown. I was only able to weasel my way out with the help of some friends.”, Hueso explained in an uptight manner.

Donnie fluttered a hand. “That’s crazy!”, he signed. “And to think of all the citizens out in NYC. There were so many casualties!”

“I’ve seen it. On the way over to…Staten Island.”, April said solemnly. “I just couldn’t stop thinking about all the people standing alone, looking for their loved ones.”

“That’s terrible!”, Mikey cried.

Everyone nodded as they glanced around each other. Donnie looked off to his side at Leo. His eyes were wide open, staring at the floor. His breathing was…quick. Raspy. Oh no… Did they say something to upset him? Donnie waved a hand in front of Leo. There was no response. Mikey was the first to catch on.

“Leo? Are you alright?”, Mikey asked. Everyone else started to look at Leo and notice what was going on.

Leo lurched forward, holding his head in his hands and dropping the concha. Donnie waved his hand again before deciding to snap his fingers. Usually, when it came to signing, snapping or clapping was a rude/inefficient way to draw attention. But Donnie didn’t care right now. Leo began tapping his hand against his chest again before it started to ball up into a fist. Raph immediately got up, walking over to Leo.

“Mikey, go get him an ice cube!”, Raph called out in a hushed voice. Mikey nodded and ran out of the room. The snapper knelt down in front of the slider. “Hey, Leo? Come back to us, bud—”, Raph reached out a hand on Leo’s head.

“ G-GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME! ”, Leo screamed as he threw himself back into the beanbag, holding his arm up to shield him.

“Leo, you’re okay! No one’s gonna hurt you. Promise.”, April soothed as she got off the TV chair’s armrest and knelt down beside him.

Leo began heaving, not looking like he was getting any breaths in. Everyone just watched, wanting to step forward and comfort him but Leo seemed to not want anyone to get too close to him right now. Donnie looked over to see Hueso standing there with a vivid expression of concern and fear. Sure, Hueso may have known the turtles by now. But he never saw them at their absolute lowest. Donnie felt a bit of pity for the skeleton. Soon, Mikey ran down the stairs.

“Leo, here.”, Mikey hurried over and dropped to his knees, holding an ice cube. “Give me your hand.”

Leo stared at the ice cube for a moment, not moving. Eventually, he lowered an arm shaking uncontrollably. Mikey dropped the ice cube into his palm, the cube jittered with the frantic hand movement. He clenched the cube tightly. Wouldn’t that sheer cold burn his hand?

It took a long minute for Leo to calm down enough, until the ice cube melted in his clenched hand. Everyone watched. Donnie understood that Leo must be uncomfortable with everyone’s eyes on him. Donnie knew that he would be himself.

“Sensei?”, Casey slowly stepped forward. He lowered the mushroom plush in front of Leo’s face. “Here. You need him more than I do right now.”

Leo didn’t say anything. He took the plush and immediately hugged it tight. He squeezed his arms around it, ducking his face on top. Leo began to burst out painful-sounding sobs. His screams muffled through the mushroom, getting it all covered in ugly tears and snot. After a few moments, Leo took a deep yet wavering breath. He pulled his head out of the plush and exchanged glances with everyone.

“...I’m going to bed.”, his voice was hoarse, setting Malcolm down in the beanbag.

“Uh, Leo—”, Raph started as Leo grabbed his crutches and got up.

“I’m fine.”, Leo spoke sharply.

“—Okay…but…”

Leo made his way over to the stairs. Donnie didn’t even have to see his expression to understand him. He drooped and slumped his head, Raph carefully approached him.

“I understand that you’re uncomfortable right now but if you wanna leave—”, Raph soothed calmly.

“Just—...just get it over with.”, Leo mumbled.

Raph nodded and carefully scooped Leo up who held tight to his crutches. As they left the room, everyone else looked at each other. All exchanging unsure and upset glances. It took Donnie a moment to read the room. Hueso balled a fist to his lips, clearing his throat.

“Well…even though things seem to be a bit dicey…I’m sure it’ll all work out. I know Pepino isn’t the only one upset right now, right?”, Hueso explained slowly through a faint smile.

“Yeah, all of us are on edge. It’s been a long day for everyone.”, April said calmly. “I mean, way back when Draxum turned into the Shredder before we managed to capture it with Big Mama’s doohickey, we were fighting for three days non-stop.”

Mikey softly chuckled. “That’s right. The moment Big Mama took the Shredder away, we all collapsed right then and there in that alleyway.”

Everyone shared a quiet laugh through silent sniffles and small pearls of tears. It had been quite a day and last night was just…too much. Donnie was ready to just put everything behind. Raph soon returned and the family quietly chatted for a little bit more before deciding that it was getting late and it was time for some well-deserved rest. Splinter walked Hueso out, thanking the skeleton profusely for helping them. April took Casey over to her apartment.

Donnie walked over to his subway car, ready to just fall into an endless sleep, before he stopped and looked over at Leo’s room down the steps. Donnie sighed softly as he carefully made his way down and then peered in through the subway car windows at his twin. Leo was curled up in a ball, facing towards the window. Wrapped tightly in his blanket, his brows furrowing in his sleep. Donnie heard a few footsteps approaching. Raph and Mikey were making their way down the stairs, holding a bunch of blankets and pillows. Mikey rushed over, getting on his toes to peer through the window. Raph smiled.

“I don’t think any of us want to sleep alone tonight.”, Raph whispered.

Donnie smiled warmly. He slowly and carefully opened Leo’s door, the three of them sneaking into the room. Raph and Mikey plopped the pile of blankets and pillows on the floor, turning it into a makeshift nest in front of Leo’s bed. Donnie turned to Leo, watching him sleep. As if aware of their presence, Leo shifted, loosening his muscles and relaxing his face.

Raph wrapped a blanket around himself and then laid down on his plastron against Leo’s bed. Mikey scooted close to the oldest, tucking into his shell as Raph held him snuggly like a teddy bear. Donnie tugged at the hood of his hoodie, resting his softshell against Raph as his head naturally leaned back. He draped a blanket over himself and took off his goggles, placing them in his pocket, before crossing his arms. Donnie closed his eyes, feeling his body go up and down with Raph’s heavy snoring.

Soon, the turtle pile settled into sleep.