Chapter Text
You picked at the skin on your finger.
It was a nasty habit. You’d been told that countless times, not that it stopped you from doing it of course.
The skin on your fingers felt raw, nearly bleeding from the constant picking and prodding. They had a red tint to them, of course they would’ve looked red if the dirt and grime wasn’t covering it up.
You could feel the contents of your stomach rise upwards, threatening to burst out of your mouth. However, this was not the time. You hastily swallowed down your lunch again and shivered at the gross after taste it left in your mouth.
You were in the middle of a meeting, an important one. You could see your companion, your best friend, tap his thick fingers on that table in front of you, obviously annoyed that the final member of the meeting still had not turned up.
Leo’s eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. Well they would have if he had eyebrows anyway, the downward curve in his mask hinted at it. His gaze was directed at the table in front of you, though he was clearly focusing on something else. His mind was far from here.
You could see his three calloused digits tap repeatedly against the table, maybe, if he was like his younger self he would’ve made a beat out of it and start beatboxing to it. But the atmosphere was tense, and he was clearly not in the mood to do so.
Above his eyebrows a sizable chasm was forming. You had to restrain yourself from tearing up at the sight, Leo really had inherited the ‘Raph Chasm’.
You had noticed he had removed the robotic-arm he usually wore. A small stump now visible on his right arm. In normal circumstances he didn’t like to remove the arm, however he appeared to be comfortable with you seeing him like this.
Before anything else could happen the doors to the room flung open, hastily making both you and Leo stand. You felt a sense of relief when you saw who entered the room.
“Finally.” Leo’s voice was gruff, and a little more aggressive than it would’ve normally been. “We’ve been waiting forever, we thought something had happened to you Mikey…”
As the figure came into the light you could see the silhouette of the youngest Hamato. Mikey silently floated into the room, his feet crossed and his body hidden by his signature orange cloak. He appeared to ignore his brother as he floated past the both of you.
You stepped aside watching as he glided in the air, the hair on the side of his head gently waving. His face wasn’t covered by any mask, he had refused to put his on for months now. Instead you could see several orange patches that littered the top of his head, with them traveling down his body too.
You decided to speak up too.
“Mikey, what’s been going on? You said you needed to see us.” Your voice was stern but soft. You wanted to know what was going on.
It was true the youngest turtle had called you and Leo here, only stating that it was an emergency and he had some news to share with you both. Of course he had made you wait over an hour, making you and Leo both anxious, especially with the current situation going on outside.
Mikey halted in mid-air slowly turning around to you both and holding his hands in front of him.
“I had a vision.”
His voice was soft and had a slight hint of fear in it. The statement made you and the red slider mutant look at each other, our eyes widening and a look of worry laced on both of our faces.
“But the last time that happened…” Leo paused and gave me a look. It was one of pity. It was the one he gave me anytime something about him was mentioned. You avoided his gaze, and tried to focus on Mikey, ignoring the sudden overwhelming sense of sadness flooding over you as you fiddled with the ring on your left hand.
“What did you see?” He asked, moving the conversation along to spare me from any unnecessary feelings in the moment.
The box turtle did not speak, instead turning to face away from you and his brother. His cloak gracefully following the movement of his body behind him.
You and Leo exchanged another look. This time it was one of confusion. Leo was the one to step forward, placing his hand on his younger brother's shoulder.
“Mikey?...”
All of a sudden you heard the snap of Mikey’s fingers and the door he had floated through slamming shut, causing you to yelp and jump ever so slightly. The room was submerged into darkness before hundreds of candles littered around the room lit up. Causing a warm, orange aura to be given off in the room.
The box turtle slowly turned around, revealing his glowing eyes. The orange patches on his body also glowed. Your mouth parted a little, you didn’t always get to see Mikey use his mystic powers, you were more of a ranged fighter anyway.
He started to move his hands in what appeared to be a circular motion drawing smoke from the candles and forming it into something.
“I saw the end of the war…” He spoke gently, catching yours and Leo’s attention once more.
“What?!” Leo exclaimed. “Did we win?”
You watched and listened, waiting eagerly for Mikey's words. If Mikey had seen the end of the war, then it could mean one of two things. Either the resistance wins, defeating the Krangg and saving the world. That, or the other option, the resistance loses and all of humanity is wiped out…
“Not exactly…”
Your mouth parted once more as you spoke up, “What do you mean Mikey? Tell us what you saw…”
The youngest Hamato only nods. He backs away from you and Leo moving his hands and rearranging the smoke he had formed.
You had noticed the turtle was a lot quieter than he used to be, although you had noticed over the years he had grown to be much more reserved than his younger self. Though you couldn’t lie to yourself, you’d also changed over the past 20 years since the Kraang first invaded.
The smoke circled around the three of you, you had the temptation to put your hand through it and feel the smoke but decided against it. It probably wasn’t the best idea to tamper with mystic magic.
“I saw flashes of our past, they played into our futures…” The turtle spoke softly, making the smoke form what appeared to be the three of us, but long before any invasion. You noticed there were no bags under your eyes, your hair looked different too, the reminder of your past self bringing up painful memories of someone else.
In the smoke you could see the two Hamato brothers that were beside you, they too looked different. Their forms were smaller, no scars were present and you could see Leo look at the form of his younger self, especially where his right arm used to be.
The smoke moved again, washing away our younger forms and you could hear Mikey speak again.
“I saw all of us… we all played a part.”
The smoke danced around your body before forming the image of your past selves again. But this time there were more people, people you had lost. Your eyes widened as you looked up to see your friends of the past.
The hazy forms of April, Cassandra and Splinter loomed down onto you and Leo. Though two images seemed to catch your eye, bringing up small tears while doing so. It was the form of all four Hamato brothers. You could see Leo focus on the larger form, Raph’s, you saw him clutch the stump of his right arm.
It brought your eyes to the hazy form of your once lover. You felt your lip tremble as you looked up to the smoke that formed him, Donatello. He looked the way he did when you had first met, he wasn’t as muscly, and he wasn’t as tall, but it was the same turtle you fell in love with. Even with the smoke forming a makeshift image of him you could still make out the eyebrows he loved to draw on his mask. The thought brought even more tears to well in your eyes.
Leo was the one to break the silence, strong enough to look away from the image of his family and friends.
“But how? They’re gone, how can they help us now?…” His voice faded away, and you could tell he too was getting choked up from the sight.
You watched the smoke as it moved to form something else, your sight never left the softshell, not even for a second. Once his form was gone completely you turned once again to face your brother in law, his gaze met yours and a soft look had replaced any of his hard features, making him look younger than he was.
“Maybe not the friends we once knew, however there are other options…” Mikey responded, his eyes still glowing.
“Other options?” You asked, wiping one stray tear that had fallen down your cheek. “What do you mean Mikey?”
A small sigh left Mikey’s lips as he continued, all the while forming another image in the smoke.
“I recently discovered my final mystic ability.”
The smoke swirled around the three of us, yet it didn’t form anything quite yet. You heard Leo pipe up next to you.
“What is it?” He asked curiously. He seemed pleased, however the expression on Mikey’s face didn’t seem all that positive.
The smoke finally formed an image. From what you could make out it looked like one of Leo’s portals, but it was different. It appeared to be more unstable, with cracks all around it and sparks coming from the edges.
“It’s an ability to make a time portal…”
You could feel your eyebrows raise and your eyes widen in disbelief. This was great! It could save the world! If someone went through and changed the past, maybe it would change the future. The person could go between times and save the world!
Though your excitement was soon halted when you saw the look upon Mikey’s face, you could sense that this ability might not be as good as you hoped.
“But…” You egged him to go on.
“The ability is far too strong, it would kill me in the process…”
Of course there was a downside, you should’ve expected it. There was no way you would sacrifice Mikey for one measly portal. You could see Leo’s face as he thought the same things as you.
“That wasn’t all though…” Mikey spoke once more, making both yours and Leo’s head snap up again.
“I saw a world in which we all got to go home, but it was not us…”
You cut in, “What do you-” Mikey cut you off.
“I saw the both of you, on the brink of death, drawing your last breath.” He pauses, taking a breath. “And I saw a man who gets to make it home alive, but it's no longer one of us…”
The smoke whirls past you, making you turn to look behind us as it forms someone new. You let out a gasp once you see who the image resembles, bringing a hand to your mouth. The still form of Casey stands before you all.
“Cassandra’s boy?” You ask hesitantly.
“Mikey, what does any of it mean?” Leo asks, you can see he’s on edge from all of this, especially now Casey appears to be involved. You couldn’t blame him, the turtle had practically raised the boy since he was born.
“I’m still not too sure myself, but I have a feeling the resistance will find a way to defeat the Kraang. And it has something to do with that boy right there.” Mikey points to Casey’s smokey form.
“But what about us…”
Your soft tone cuts in causing the two turtles to look back at you, Mikey’s face grows somber once more. He glides over to you, his eyes finally returning to their normal state, he cups your face with both of his hands. The orange glow that surrounded them fading.
“We’ve spent our whole lives trying to save the world, our time is coming to an end, but in five days fate will decide whether it is us or Casey that saves us all.”
The smoke has all disappeared by now, Casey’s form no longer stands in front of you. Your eyes focus on Mikey’s, they look softly into yours, he was always good at comforting you. Even now with the news of your possible death the younger turtle is able to calm your nerves.
“What now?” You ask, still looking at the turtle you would call your younger brother.
“For now we rest, we plan for our final attack in five days.” Mikey’s tone becomes more serious, looking at Leo as if he will jot it down. “It’s all or nothing.”
The final attack? Was this really it? Over twenty years of fighting for it all to be decided from one vision? You hated the fact that you knew Mikey would be right. His visions were always correct, it had predicted the death of many… even ones you tried to prevent.
Leo’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts.
“I’ll tell my troops, we’ll need a solid plan.”
“Not today.” Mikey stopped his brother.
“W-why?”
“Because my vision said so.” The sudden sternness in Mikey’s voice obviously got through to Leo, promptly shutting him up and making him sigh in defeat. You knew better than anyone that he didn’t like to argue with people. The last time he had done so was right before Raph…
You cut your own thoughts off, not wanting to remind yourself of the pain from losing the others. It was still too much for you, even after all these years…
“Please rest.” The box turtle spoke softly, you had a feeling he directed his words to the both of you. “You’ll need your energy for the coming days…”
Before letting you go completely Mikey pulled you in for a final hug. You graciously accepted it, hugging him back tenfold, trying to calm your nerves. Your head rested on his plastron while he comfortingly stroked your hair.
He was always the best at comforting you. He has been since Donnie passed anyway. Good old ‘Dr Delicate Touch’, but this time he really was.
You pulled away from him when it was clear that he wouldn’t be the first to let go. You took one final deep breath before flashing him a weak smile and turning to leave the room with Leo. You felt the comforting touch of Leo’s three fingered hand rest on your back, guiding you out of the room.
As the doors closed behind you, separating you from the mystic turtle you felt the urge to cry. Feeling all sorts of emotions and not having the time or ability to regulate them, it frustrated you. The sharp pain from your fingers hinted that you had been picking them without knowing again, that really was a nasty habit. You attempted to direct your fingers away from your already raw skin and to your ring instead, hoping fiddling with that may bring more ease.
It didn’t.
Leo must have noticed your state as he spoke up gently, tapping you on your back to get your attention.
“Are you doing alright?”
You could only let out a sigh in response and shake your head.
“Well it’s pretty late, and Mikey said we should get some rest, wanna hang out in my room before we do so?”
You smiled. Leo had no bad intentions of course, he was practically your brother. You could tell it was all in the sense to calm your nerves. He didn’t always show comfort physically, like Mikey did with hugs. But he was pretty good at lifting your mood.
“Sure.” You replied, starting to walk in the direction of his room. “It’d be just like old times…”
He chuckled a little and gently pushed you.
“Just like old times.” He repeated your words to you and walked alongside you to his room, keeping quiet the rest of the way there.
You eventually reached Leo’s room, not that it was really a room per say. The resistance wasn’t that luxurious. It was only big enough for one bed and some drawers, but it was enough. The ‘room’ was covered by a curtain, Leo wasn’t keen on doors, he never had been.
Brushing aside the curtain revealed the room, and though it was a tiny living space the walls had been covered from top to bottom with posters. Making the room overall look very crowded. You knew some of the posters, with them being movie posters of Jupiter Jim or Lou Jitsu. They were pretty old by now, with some of them coming from Leo’s previous room before the Kraang had invaded.
You sat on the bed and rested your head against the wall. You had to admit, the whole situation with Mikey had tired you out. Mostly emotionally if you had to be honest, with some painful memories having to be brought up. Normally you would try to ignore thoughts like those, but it was pretty impossible when they were being projected right in front of you.
Leo entered after you and sat down on the bed taking off his blue mask and laying it down beside his bed. He clearly wanted to initiate some sort of conversation but struggled to do so. It wasn’t his fault though. You knew you had become quite an awkward person to talk to after his death.
After staying quiet for some time he moved over to his drawers. You watched curiously as he moved aside various items of clothing and picked up two comic books. You could feel your mouth open in shock once seeing them, you couldn’t believe he still had them.
“Are those the genuine, limited edition copies of Jupiter Jim!” You nearly shouted at him, your excitement accidentally overtaking you.
He handed one of them over to you, it was the one labelled the ‘1000th limited edition’.
“Yeah,” He chuckled while flipping open the other he held. “I’ve kept them safe for a while, I re-read them every once in a while.”
You had thought something that would’ve been lost forever, or destroyed from the ruthless war outside. But it felt nice to hold something so dear to you from the past in your hands. Your thumb gently brushed over the corner of the comic, a habit you picked up from someone else many years ago.
You were more than happy to spend the next hour reading the comic, even going over the same part several times, emerging yourself in the story. There was a comfortable silence between you and Leo, the both of you pleasantly reading your comics. Once you were both done with the first you swapped, moving onto the other and relishing in the printed ink on the paper.
“Hey [y/n],” The use of your name brought your attention away from the comic you had indulged yourself in, bringing your eyes up to Leo. His eyes still laid on the comic you had previously read. “If we really do only have five days left, is there anything you’d like to get off your chest? Any feelings, or regrets?”
You could understand why Leo was doing this, he was trying to help you. Trying to get you to speak about how you felt. He’d been trying for around two years now. The sudden change in atmosphere made you play with your ring again, twisting it on your finger and rubbing it as if it would bring some sort of comfort.
“No, I’m ok.”
It was the same reply as always. You replied in the same monotone voice as you normally did.
Leo could clearly see the thoughts of his tech savvy brother still haunting you, it was evident from the way you had teared up when seeing his form from the smoke. Yet you refused to talk about him. It tore up the turtle to see his closest friend tearing themselves apart from the inside. And the fact that you’d done it since the day he passed too. It was heartbreaking.
He never pushed you though, knowing that everyone was fragile enough from the war. A push too far and you could break. He didn’t want that for anyone, especially the woman he called his sister.
But now that a timer had been set for the end Leo wanted to try. He wanted to get you to open up to him, if not he would die knowing that he didn’t do all that he could for his loved ones.
“Are you sure?”
The pressing of the question brought your head up from your comic once more, now gazing into the eyes of the red slider, you analysed the way he looked at you. Seeing how his expression was calm but his eyes were full of curiosity and worry. Without his mask on it was easier to see his eyes and the red markings above and below them.
“Like I said, I’m ok.”
“But you’ve been saying that for nearly two years now [y/n]. Don’t you want to talk about it?”
You turned away from him ever so slightly.
“What’s there to talk about?”
Your reply was cold. You felt bad acting like this to Leo. He had done nothing wrong, it was just your pride getting in the way. Your fiddling increased, your fingers becoming sore from the constant rubbing of your ring.
A sigh left the red slider's lips and you felt his soft touch on your shoulder causing you to look back at him. His three fingered hand rested atop your shoulder, it was much larger than your hand and so it covered most of your shoulder. It did not feel heavy though.
“You know exactly what we need to talk about.” You kept quiet at his words as he continued. “I’ll find a way…”
“Hmm?” You hummed, confused at his response.
“Mikey said we have five days left until the end right? I’ll get you to open up in those five days.”
You chuckled, turning to face him fully while placing the comic down.
“Is that a fact?”
“It’s a promise, a promise for him .”
The realisation of who he’s talking about shuts you up, making your face go momentarily blank. In the end you chuckle, accepting his challenge while trying to brush it off like it was nothing.
“Whatever.”
You yawn, and feel yourself becoming drowsier by the second. Leo, seeing your tired state, puts down his own comic and opens his arms, welcoming you to use him as a pillow. You graciously accept and scoot yourself over to him, curling up into a ball while he hugs you. His warm, brotherly embrace makes you drift off even more, muttering and repeating the last words you said to him as you drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
“Whatever~”