Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A simple mission.

That was all this was supposed to be- a simple mission. 

They've faced Hypno so many times, so why wouldn’t it be a simple mission? 

"Hey! I'm right here!" An annoyed-sounding voice shouted, but Mikey didn't even bother to try and recognize it as he stared at his three brothers in shock.

His brothers- who had been turned into toddlers.

It started simple, really- a stake-out, Donnie breaking Leo's record of the number of pizza boxes he could stack on his head and walk, Raph scolding them both, and Mikey recording everything when the hypo had very rudely interrupted Leo attempting to choke his twin by throwing one of his rings at the boxes that had been set aside. Like seriously, did the man not have any siblings? They were having some nice family quality time! 

Set out a chase, their turtle tank left behind, awesome battle, beating Hypno's butt blah blah- 

And then his older three brothers had been caught by the rings. 

Mikey, being the fastest, had managed to dodge just in time- but the others hadn't been so lucky. Still, neither Raph nor Donnie had been too worried, even challenging the villain to do something while Leo had scolded them both. The rings were sharp, so sharp, and he didn't want to find out what they could do.

"Hey! Let them go! That's rude!" Mikey had called, making a sharp turn to run back- but had been distracted when something beneath his feet let out a yelp. Looking down, he shrieked. "Ew, gross!"

"Get off of me!"

"Now, now, do you seem to be in luck!" Hypno laughed, flipping pages through his book of magic and wondering- "What to do, what to do..."

Before he found an interesting-looking spell. And he grinned. "A special thanks to the one in orange! How about because you keep stepping on my partner- you learn what it's like to be his size!"

The three older ones had looked up in horror before Leo shrieked. "You want to turn us into worms?!"

Hypno blinked. "I- ahem. No-"

"When they say "would you love me as a worm" I don't think humans meant it literally," Donnie grumbled, looking at the side. 

"Hold on I'm not-"

"People say that?" Raph sounded confused, then turned to Warren, who was lying miserably on the ground. "Is that why you're a worm?"

"I'm Warren Stone!"

"I don't remember anyone asking-"

"I'm shrinking you, you idiots!" Hypno cut between all of them, rubbing his hand between his eyes to ease the headache that was building up. "Augh, seriously! A worm! You're already turtle freaks, why would I turn you into worms?! Even if I should for the horrendous color choices of your bandanas."

"I'll have you know, calling us freaks because we're turtles is offensive," Mikey told him, sounding offended. The answer he got was a ring to the head. 

"Enough!"

Purple mist and sparkles came to life around his hands as the villain bowed his head, casting a shadow over his eyes. The three turtles all yelped when the rings were brought closer, causing them to crash against each other. He muttered something under his breath, causing the mist to get brighter, brighter...

"Hey, hold on, Raph gets it, you have magic-"

"Shrinking us has absolutely no logical reason or end goal-"

"Who will get to see this beautiful face when it is tiny-?!"

"You know what they say!" The hippo finally looked up, grinning a wicked smile as he rubbed his hands together- everyone witnessing the purple mist spread, surround, and wrap itself around his three targets. "Nothing personal, gotta give my pal enemies his own size, lads! Abra-ca-pow!"

A poof of smoke.

Shrieks from all around- for apparently, Hypno hadn't expected to be blinded either.

Coughing because of the glittery dust.

And here we were. 

Dumb-founded, Mikey blinked. Staring at the three little turtle tots on the ground in front of him.

While their bodies had shrunk- yes. They had aged too... or rather, de-aged. Their plastrons have a simpler structure, and their shells are smaller... 

Younger.

Their clothing hadn't sized down. Which wasn't a problem, their bandanas, belts, and gloves laid around them while their shorts looked like oversized skirts... 

Donnie's battle shell hadn't either. It was shielding a now little soft shell, not crushing him but rather acting as some sort of roof. All three were unconscious.

"Did... did you want to do that?" Mikey heard Warren hesitantly ask, the worm rubbing his head. Before he grinned, seemingly excited. "Aha! Behold, my nemesis! For I shall finally seem to beat you once and for all, AND CRUSH YOU BENEATH MY-"

"NO!" Hypno picked him at once, ignoring the struggling of his companion as he stared at the turtles, looking a few shades paler. "I'm not fighting a bunch of ankle biters! That's just wrong, even for me!"

"Why did you even-" the youngest- oldest turtle finally snapped out of it, turning around to question him properly. "Why would you even turn them into tots?!"

"The spell was supposed to shrink them not de-age them!" Hypno yelled out in a panic, flipping through the pages of his magic book quickly. "I just wanted the lads to have a taste of it! Not this!"

"Well, undo whatever you just did!" Mikey yelled back, his Kusari-fundo starting to burn slightly in response. "Will they even remember what just happened? Will they remember anything at all?!"

"I don't know! It doesn't say anything about a counterspell!"

In their yelling, neither of the mutants noticed a now baby soft shell starting to twitch and groan. 

They didn't notice him waking up because of the noise, sleepily looking with confusion to see what was going on.

Neither noticed him trying to get up.

But being unable to do so because of the battle shell pinning him down.

Warren seemed to be the only one to notice, both close and small enough- and paled once he saw Donnie's face scrunch up. "Ahem... sunshine?"

"Why would you even use a spell you've never used before?!" Okay, Mikey was panicking now. Were there any side effects? Would the other three remain toddlers now? Would he be the oldest forever? Would he be the responsible one?! But he liked being reckless! He couldn't afford to get a Raph-chasm, he needed his baby face! It was part of his charm! 

As Mikey saw his life flash away in front of his eyes, the hypo mutant was cursing under his breath, grabbing his hat in shock. "What? No, no, I didn't want to- this is stupid! How am I supposed to crush you buffoons if you're children?!"

"...How old do you even think we are?"

"Oh I don't know, twenty-five?"

"TWENTY FIVE?!"

A wail cut them both off. 

Their gazes immediately snapped down, witnessing the way Donnie slammed his tiny fists on the ground, crying because he was stuck and couldn't get out. His sobs caused the other two to wake up as well- Raph, in character, blinked, before trying to push away the machinery that pinned down his brother. Only to hiss and pull his hand back because he cut himself on one of the edges. The poor snapper teared up at the pain and sight of blood, then started crying himself. Leo, both not understanding what was going on but upset because the other two were upset, started crying along with them.

Mikey flinched from the loudness while both Hypno and Warren covered their ears, hissing. "Can't you use a spell to make them shut up?!"

"I can see but I can't concentrate-"

"No more magic!" Mikey huffed, stomping his foot down. Furious, he turned back to Hypno, gripping his weapon in an attempt to not lash out. "Fix them!"

"Baloney!" The villain was panicking just as much as Mikey was. "I don't know a thing about critters! You can't expect me to-"

"Their size."

A particularly painful-sounding sob made his heartache, and the box turtle turned around. His expression softened once he saw his brothers again. And he sighed.

"Come here, Dee." He murmured, walking over slowly and kneeling, then moving the battle shell away with ease. "See? All good now. Are you hurt?"

Donnie looked at him with confusion, little cheeks wet and eyes red. He hiccuped, scooting back, away from him.

So no memories. 

"Okay, I won't get near." He promised. His gentle smile fell when he heard Hypno shriek behind him again. "Are you going to fix this or not?"

"What do you want me to do!? I don't know anything about critters! Not to mention my magic is ruined!"

A Kusari-fundo hitting his snout was the only response he got.

It had taken less than two minutes to chase the two away.

With Hypno freaking out because his mustache was ruined and his hat was on fire, the other one thought he should get revenge, and attempted a fistfight. Expression dark and full of murder, Mikey had stepped on him. 

"And stay gone!" He yelled after the two, huffing and crossing his arms. Good riddance.

He had more important things to do.

After taking a deep breath in and out, Mikey turned around with a gentler expression than before. Donnie was still sniffling, but calmer now that he was free. Raph was hiccuping, cheeks wet and eyes bloodshot, staring at his hand while holding it away. Leo was curled up on the floor, whimpering softly. All three froze when he approached them.

"Hey," Mikey smiled, kneeling so he could seem less intimidating to the other three, holding his hands up. "Do you remember me?"

The twins hid behind Raph at once, holding onto each other. The snapper seemed afraid too, but tried to shield them anyway. 

"Hey, it's okay." Mikey backed away. He pointed at his bandana, then birthmarks. "Come on, surely you can tell?"

"...Mikey?" Raph's voice was so high, Mikey blinked in surprise.

Over the years, his brother's voices had deepened- he completely forgot just how pitchy they used to sound. Still, he grinned playfully and nodded. "Hey, big guy. Though you're not so big anymore are you?"

"...Nuh-uh." Leo sniffed, shook his head, and hid his face in Raph's shoulder. "Mikey's a baby."

"Yeah, I was... hm. Come on, Lee-Lee." He pulled his bandana away for a moment so the toddlers could take a look at the orange markings around his eyes. "Who else are you gonna watch Kirby with?" 

The slider blinked in surprise. Hesitantly, he and Donnie shared a look, then turned to Raph as if the child would have the answer. Shyly, the snapper hugged himself.

"Raphie." His hand was held out again. "I know it's probably weird seeing me so big, but it's me. You always carry me around on your shoulders 'cause I would never let you go, remember?"

Mikey allowed his ninpo to light up, his smile softening as he saw the toddlers respond to their family magic despite not knowing what it was. Hesitantly, Raph set a step forward- and chirped. Mikey churred in response.

"...Mikey?"

"Hey, little man." He smiled sweetly, even if the usage of that nickname felt weird on his tongue. Usually, Mikey was the one who was called that. "Can I look at your hand? I wanna see." 

Anxiously, the toddler stopped hugging himself, and slowly held out his hand for Mikey to take. He was still tense, the box turtle noted as he gently turned his hand so his palm was facing upwards. The cut was not too bad- it had already stopped bleeding. Still, Mikey didn't know how to disinfect it. How...

"...Okay." He reached behind the toddlers to get Leo's pouch. Out of it, he pulled a roll of bandages and some tape. He could ask Dad to disinfect it, once they got home. For now, just wrapping it would do. "Can you be brave and hold still? We can go home after this." 

"Papa?" Donnie spoke finally, sniffing and peaking from behind the eldest. His tail started wagging at the mention of their father. Leo's afraid expression relaxed, his grip on his twin's hands loosening.

"Daddy?"

Mikey couldn't help but smile. "Yeah. To Dad." 

Once realizing that the wrapping didn't hurt the snapper let his guard down, looking around in confusion. He chirped. "Home?"

Mikey chirped back in agreement. "Home."

Should he be concerned about the fact that all it took to convince them was mentioning Kirby and his birthmarks? No wonder Dad didn't trust them to go out on their own for so long. 

He looked up at his brothers. And snickered. Now that the panic had passed... god they looked so cute!!!

Hopefully, their cuteness would be enough to distract Draxum so he wouldn’t yell at them.

"Jupiter Jim?!" Leo cried out once he saw the Moon Buggy, a huge smile on his face and tail wagging. Mikey shook his head with a laugh.

"Yeah. Me and Dee earned it. He fixed it. It's ours."

"I did?" Donnie looked at the vehicle in awe, eyes sparkling as he let go of Mikey's leg to follow the slider. Raph was the only one still holding onto his hand, looking out for the other two.

So Raph had already started worrying about them at such a young age. Good to know. 

"So pretty!" Leo squealed, jumping up and down and waving his little hands around. He turned to the now older brother excitedly. "Can I drive?! Can I?! Please?!"

"Once you're a bit older, Lee." Mikey patted his head, managing to open the door, then dumped the now oversized gear and weapons on the floor. Raph finally let go to look around.

Leo ran inside, Donnie following closely. He was more quiet- but Mikey could hear the happy purrs, so he wasn't worried.

...What did concern him, however, was the way the soft shell was squinting his eyes and bumping into stuff if he wasn't holding onto someone. Odd... had the spell done more than just shrink them? He needed to ask Draxum.

That was a problem for later. 

First... how to drive.

Mikey had never driven on his own before. 

Surely, it couldn't be so hard? Donnie did it all the time! 

"Okay!" He clapped his hands together, then turned back. "You three need to sit- and you don't have safety seats." He frowned. 

Right. They were small now.

...

Oh well. 

Mikey picked Donnie up, made sure to boop his nose, and placed him in the seat Mikey usually sat in, in the front. If anything, their little genius would be the best option to sit there. "There! Leo, Raph, sit!"

"We're not dogs..." Donnie huffed.

"Why does Donnie get to sit in the front? I wanna!" Leo whined, grabbing the end of a chair so he could hang his body backward. Raph just stood there, clearly conflicted. 

"Because Donnie doesn't randomly press buttons he's not supposed to."

"But they're shiny!"

"Uhm." He frowned, then got an idea. "If you sit I'll make you pancakes?" 

Raph's eyes sparkled, and he ran over to sit at once. Leo looked conflicted. "...With Nutella." He decided. Mikey snorted and agreed to the terms, causing the little slider to cheer and run over to the seat he had been assigned.

"There we go." The box turtle strapped them in, pulled part of the safety belts behind their back so it wouldn’t hit them in their face, and then went over to the driver's seat. And they said it was hard. Being the oldest was easy-peasy! He didn't know what Raph was talking about.

"Okay." He grinned and stretched his arms to make his back pop, ignoring the cringing sound Donnie made. "We are gonna go home. Get Dad. And Draxum. And then we'll fix you guys."

"Yay!" Leo cheered.

"We're broken?" Donnie asked. Mikey quickly shook his head.

"No, no, not at all Don-Don." He promised, pushing the key where it was supposed to go.

"Then why do we need to be fixed if we're not wrong?"

...Right. Donnie had always been into his logic. "There's something... different. We need to fix that!"

Any other question he wanted to ask got drowned out by the sound of the engine starting. Mikey smiled to himself at the excited noises the three made once the car engine started. Okay, this was just... way too cute. He wished he could record and drive at the same time. 

Now. The actual driving part. 

Mikey, apparently delusional, gripped the wheel with confident glee.

He already had this big brother thing in the belt... so surely driving couldn't be so bad?

The lair was quiet.

Which meant his sons were quiet.

Which meant something was wrong.

Those four were never quiet.

Splinter threw his head back with a groan, yet didn't move from his favorite couch. Did he have to check on them? They had Red. And he was tired. And so comfortable!

Distantly, Splinter noted he was acting like a child- but one day of peace, that was all he asked for. Was that too much? He didn't like seeing his kids beat up every day, thank you very much.

Though... Purple did mention breaking Blue's pizza stacking record earlier. So they hadn't been looking for trouble, at least.

Didn't mean it wouldn’t find them. 

He looked at his phone- and to his relief, the panic button hadn't been pressed yet. None of them knew the rat checked their situations often, and he intended to keep it that way. Though April had mentioned a location tracking app earlier... he should look into that. 

For now, however, they were alright, and that's what mattered.

...

It was exactly seven seconds later his phone rang.

His smile turned into a frown, especially once he saw it was his youngest calling him. He wouldn’t have called unless it was serious- the four had 'snuck out' earlier (seriously they thought they could sneak away from the ninja who raised them without him knowing?) 

What on earth could have happened now? The pig man? The bear? It better not be Draxum, he was not chasing that man around with Orange again. 

Seriously, he kept looking so weirdly at him. Splinter cringed, accepted the call, and put it on speaker. "I was wondering when you four would realize-"

"HOW DO YOU DRIVE A CAR WITH LASERS ATTACHED TO IT?!" The rat dropped the phone from the sudden boom of noise. He fell backward, hands behind him to steady his body.

"Orange-?"

There was a loud honk on the other side of the line, followed by a "Sorry, sorry! Go away go away!"

Was... Michelangelo the one driving? Purple let someone else actually touch it? Did Orange even know how to-

"Raph- no no SIT-DOWN!"

"Is that Dad?" Splinter froze at the young, familiar voice he hadn't heard in years, then slowly looked down at his phone. No. Surely he heard that wrong. Was he that old? Was his hearing messed up now-? "It is! Hi Pops!"

"Papa?" An even younger voice chirped, sounding suspiciously like his gentle genius. "Mikey says I made the Moonbuggy! Did I? Isn't it great!?"

"Daddy?!" there was an excited squeal in the background from what sounded like his son in blue before he heard footsteps running over. "Daddy, Daddy, I'm just like Jupiter Jim! I'm just like him!"

"LEO SIT YOUR A- BUTT DOWN YOU'RE GONNA-"

It sounded like the car turned again. 

He heard four different types of screams in response, along with many different things crashing or slamming against the other side of the Moonubuggy. The apparently now oldest one sounded terrified, while the other three were excited.

"HOOOOT SOUP!"

"NO NOT HOT SOUP PUT YOUR SEATBELTS ON!"

"..." Splinter took a breath in, then out, before, with a straight face, he added Draxum to the call.

One day of peace. That was all he asked.

Chapter Text

"OUT OF THE WAY!" Mikey screamed and blasted the horn of the Moon Buggy, making the car take a sharp turn left while trying not to hyperventilate. He couldn't afford to panic with three screaming toddlers behind him. 

Well... if that was the right word.

Leo was screaming with joy, having the time of his life apparently as he made action poses. Raph and Donnie were no better, each having taken one of Mikey's chucks and swinging them around. 

Mikey hadn't thought about the fact that he and his brothers loved to use the weapons Splinter had locked away, doing everything they could to be able to play with their 'toys'. And Mikey, like the bright guy he was, had dumped them on the floor.

In his defense... he hadn't thought Leo would know how to unbuckle his seatbelt. 

Much less had he expected the slider to grab his sword.

And manage to somehow spear it into the button thing in front of the car. 

"Hot soup!" Raph screamed again, charging towards Donnie. 

The car turned right.

Causing him to lose his balance- and fall on top of the soft shell instead.

Which caused the little genius to fall too.

On his back.

The icy cry that tore through the laughter made his blood turn cold, but Mikey couldn't risk taking his eyes off the road. Still, he yelled. "You three sit down this instant!"

"Ow..." Donnie sniffed. Leo ran over, looking worried out of his tiny mind.

"Tello?"

Raph had tears streaming down his tiny cheeks, looking incredibly guilty and no longer in a mood to play. Finally, he did as Mikey asked, grabbing both their hands and dragging the twins to a single seat, strapping them in before he went to sit somewhere else, tripping over his feet. Neither turtle seemed to care- Donnie was still sniffling and clinging to the slider. Leo didn't seem to mind, patting his head and bouncing in place. 

Okay. Brothers strapped down. Now the car. 

Dad had yelled something about getting Draxum before hanging up, so Mikey could only hope. Sure enough, he saw a small figure moving in the shadows- while the sheep yokai, not as discreet as their father, burst from some random window, plants, and vines all around him and moving. Yeah. Okay. That worked. 

"Woah... Donnie, Donnie, look! It's like Lou Jitsu! In real life!"

Mikey cringed. If Splinter had heard Leo say Draxum looked like Lou Jitsu it... wouldn’t have ended well.

The magic seemed to distract the toddler enough to calm. With teary eyes, Donnie looked out the window. "...The lilacs are pretty." 

The oldest, sadly, had no time to admire the flowers, too busy trying not to crash against a grandma crossing the street. Whatever his Dads were doing, he hoped they did it quick! 

Because the road was a straight line.

The turtle couldn't go left or right without driving into one of the buildings. 

And the woman crossing didn't seem to realize he was there, taking her sweet time. 

"DAD!" Mikey screamed, hitting the brakes while honking the car loudly. Oh no, no no no, no way- 

Mystic vines erupted from the ground, successfully shattering the cement that had been originally coating it. 

Mikey barely had any time to react as the vines burst forward, wrapping themselves around the car, the wheels, anything and everything they could reach- forcing the Moon Buggy to come to a sudden halt. Mikey cried out, crashed face-first into the wheel when the car shook, then collapsed backward into his chair. He almost fell off of that too, but managed to hold onto the sides of his seat. He could hear three different types of cries behind him, no longer joyful. 

The car finally stopped shaking, coming to a forced halt, right in front of the old lady crossing the road- who didn't even seem to be aware of her almost-doom as she peacefully continued her walk. 

"Augh..." The box turtle groaned, extremely dizzy, and his head now hurting, but forced himself to get up. Through blurry vision, he saw his now-baby brothers still in their seats, the twins clutching onto each other and looking bewildered- but thankfully, injury-free. 

"...And this is why we wear seatbelts." Mikey decided. The three toddlers nodded quickly. 

Nailed it. 

The door of the car burst open, and the four quickly looked with panic- but Mikey smiled with relief when he saw their two Dads, the shorter one looking three seconds away from a panic attack while the taller one looked done with life.

"..." Draxum crossed his arms after staring at the three tots in silence, glaring at the now-oldest. Mikey cleared his throat and looked away. Thankfully, Splinter saved them the awkward silence. 

"My sons!" The rat cried out, pushing the sheep-yokai out of the way to get to his kids. The babies looked surprised at the rat... Leo being the first to recognize him, smiling super brightly and running over, arms spread open.

"Daddy!" He giggled, throwing himself on top of Splinter like he used to. Splinter wheezed, not able to catch him as great as he used to, but caught him anyway. "Daddy! Daddy! Did you see me?! I was like Lou Jitsu! Just like him!"

"..." Splinter blinked at the baby slider in his arms... before he smiled. A different smile. A very soft one, his shoulders sagging as the tension bled out of his body, suddenly hugging the baby tightly.

"Yes, I saw, Blue." He murmured, pressing a kiss on his head. Leo clearly didn't seem to notice how odd his dad was acting, instead happy to just have his attention, tail wagging. 

"They do not have their memories?" Draxum asked, stepping aside so he could stand closer to Mikey. Away from the children. The box turtle nodded. 

"Nope." 

"...And they did not realize you and your father look different?"

"They saw I was older- but they trusted me quickly!"

"..." Draxum groaned, slapping his forehead against thd palm of his hand. "Some ninjas." 

"They're kids!" Mikey huffed. The yokai looked unimpressed.

"Clearly, the mutation did not work as I intended." 

"Papa?" The rat turned towards his second youngest without letting go of little blue- poor Donnie was squinting his eyes, hands reaching for his face- but not finding what he was looking for. He had been doing that a lot... Mikey hadn't understood why. But Splinter clearly did. "You look different."

"Ah, of course... you're missing your glasses, are you not?" Splinter murmured, cupping his cheek- nothing that there were drying tear tracks. "Are you hurt, Purple?"

"Raphie pushed me against the floor..." Donnie sniffed, voice so quiet. "My shell hurt..."

"But he didn’t mean to!" Leo quickly butted in, looking worried and pushing himself forward. His twin nodded in agreement. 

"..." Only now realizing the snapper hadn't come out of the car, all heads turned to the one chair that was still occupied. Raph had curled up, head buried in his arms and knees, shaking just a bit- letting out such a heartbreaking sob Mikey felt the urge to sit and cry with him, too. How had he not noticed Raph had been crying?

Both the slider and the soft shell were put down, and the rat stepped inside the car. His expression was gentle as he walked towards his normally oldest, and patted his knee. "Hello, Red." 

At his touch, the child flinched. He held onto himself tighter and whimpered. "No touch me Daddy..."

"Oh? Why not?"

"I'm bad." Another sob, and then a hitch of his breath. "Mean..." 

"Why would you be?" His voice lowered considerably, expression sadening- but not surprised. Mikey almost didn't notice, trying not to get upset by how sad the snapper looked- but he did. He wasn't Doctor Feelings for nothing, after all. 

Splinter looked sad. But not surprised. 

"Hurt Don-Don." Raph's breath hitched, a fresh wave of hot tears dripping down his cheeks. He curled up further, hands digging into the spikes on his elbows- Splinter gently pried them away before he could accidentally scratch himself. Now that Mikey thought about it... "Too big. Bad. His shell..." 

"That is not true, Raphael." Oh. Full names. He was serious. "Just look up. Your brother is alright." 

When the snapper refused, however, his expression fell even further. "Red..." 

"You didn't hurt him, Raphie!" Leo chirped, leaning over the chair using his arms, his feet no longer touching the ground. He didn't last long, and fell on his tail. He huffed. "Donnie is fine!"

"..." Hesitantly, Donnie looked up at Mikey. The box turtle was confused, for a moment, until remembering- Donnie struggled way more with emotional moments as a child. Always insecure and overthinking when the right moment was to get involved. Mikey, however, had always been mostly acurate. Knowing when to give hugs, when to chirp, when to try and play. 

Well. When he gained more awareness. 

He smiled weakly, and nodded. Donnie took the cue, walking over to where Raph was, and awkwardly patting his feet. "I'm not hurt, Raphie. Promise."

"..." With teary eyes, the one usually in red looked up. He looked the younger over in silence, before asking. "Really?"

"Really really." Promised the other one, looking down. 

"That's two really's!" Leo helpfully said. Raph tearfully smiled at that, pulling his head up just a bit. He didn't protest when Splinter cupped his cheek this time... but then frowned.

"Dad?"

"Yes, Red?"

"Why are you old?"

Mikey snorted, covering his mouth to quiet his laugh. Draxum cleared his throat and looked away, trying to keep his composure. Splinter looked outright offended.

"I am not old!" He squacked- earning giggles from both his sons in red and blue. "I am still young and lively as ever! Pumping and yoloing!"

"Yoloing." Draxum repeated, shaking his head.

"But you have grey hairs." Donnie sounded confused, grabbing a fistful off fur. Splinter yelped. 

"Purple-!"

"Lots of it." 

"Daddy's a raincloud!" Leo declared with glee, earning an annoyed glare from his twin.

"He isn't, Leo. He's a rat." 

"But he's grey! Like a raincloud!"

"Mikey's also big..." The snapper murmured, hesitantly looking at the oldest while sniffling and wiping at his eyes. Mikey waved, a bit hesitant to do anything now- something the sheep yokai noticed quickly. He nudged his arm- which Mikey quickly pushed away. 

"As happy as I am to see my boys this carefree again..." Raph was picked up and held in Splinter's arms- the rat grunted at the weight. His son was heavier then he looked- but still, he managed to pick him up. "Can you reverse it?" 

"Hm..." Draxum knelt down, one hand on his chin- a bit annoyed when Leo immediately ran over to him, curious. "Seriously?" 

"Sheep!" The child giggled, pointing at him. Splinter nodded. 

"Very good, Blue."

"Did you seriously not teach them about 'Stranger Danger'?"

"Not my fault they do not listen!" He sat Raph down, then stretched his back, causing it to crack. "Maybe I am getting old..." 

Draxum just shook his head, than looked over Leo. Without a word, he grabbed the slider's hands and raised them. Leo didn't seem to mind, giggled, and did a spin. Draxum's expression became... odd. "I'll need to figure out what kind of spell they were hit with... the hypo did this?"

"Uhm-" Mikey snapped out of it, blinking rapidly. "Yeah. He didn't mean to. He wanted to shrink them?"

"...That certainly narrows down which spells he could have-"

"There was worm." Donnie shuddered. "Slimy and gross." 

"Magic!" The slider cheered, having lost interest in Draxum and running over to pester Splinter again, pulling his arm. "Daddy, daddy, the big man used magic!" 

"I can see that, Blue." 

"I want magic!" He looked around- eyes falling on his swords. He 'ooed' and reached out- gently stopped by his Dad. Who then gave Draxum a look. 

"See what I had to deal with?" He dramatically asked, pointing around at the wrecked car. Draxum looked unimpressed. "You met them when they were angels! I had to raise them when they were like this!"

"Aw, come on- we weren't that bad." Mikey tried. Splinter sniffed. 

"You weren't." He said, head down. "You were an angel. Until you started walking. Then you became just as bad as the other three." 

Leo quieted down. He looked at Splinter in surprise... before he teared up. "You don't love us, Daddy?"

"No-"

Draxum shook his head with disappointment when the tiny slider started crying, the rat immediately panicking and trying to comfort him- having forgotten that the tots didn't get his sarcasm. Because Leo started crying, Donnie teared up too- something he always used to do when little. Raph just looked confused, quietly stepping away. Waddling towards Mikey, and hugging his leg, tail curling around his ankles. Stunned, all Mikey did was pat his head. Before he snickered. And quietly grabbed his phone to take a picture of the chaos.

Both big and small, Raph always loved strawberries. They were his favorite fruit, his favorite snack, and his brothers always joked that he looked like one. 

Leo's favorite fruit was apples. He liked all fruits, but apples were an all-time favorite. He liked fruits even better if they were cut into shapes- hearts, bunny ears, stars, you name it. According to the slider, they tasted better that way. 

Donnie was picky about what fruits he liked. Little Donnie was too afraid of eating oranges or tangerines after having read a story of someone swallowing the seeds, he didn't like bananas, apples he only tolerated- but he did like grapes. Mikey suspected the only reason he liked said fruit was because some were purple. 

With this knowledge in mind, the box turtle was currently preparing a fruit platter while Draxum was checking his now little brothers in Donnie's lab. After having calmed down Leo had complained about being hungry, Donnie had agreed, and although Raph had remained quiet, the snapper most likely was too. So for each of them, Mikey was making plates. 

A slice of toast for all off them. Raph's with cheese and chicken, Leo's with chocolate, and Donnie's with butter. Their favorite fruits on each of their plates- strawberries, grapes, and apples. Now he just had to figure out their drinks. Apple juice? Lemonade? Or was that too sugary... milk? 

...

Wasn't he supposed to use plastic cups and plates instead of the usual plates?

Mikey blinked. Stared at the trays he had already prepared then grumbled, and threw his head back. Seriously? 

"I know, I know." He heard behind him- causing his frown to turn into a smile and his annoyance to fade away. "Being the oldest is hard, terrible, and dealing with three little maniacs is unbelievable!" 

April booped his nose, and stepped in front of him. "Luckily, I have some survival tips if you don't want grey hairs." 

"You're the best, April!" Mikey hugged her tight, earning a laugh and a pat on his shell. After the chaos had died down, the box turtle decided it was time to contact a responsible adult- and luckily, his big sister had been more than ecstatic when she saw the baby pictures. 

"I know." She held up her hand and posed before pulling away, and checking out what he had prepared. "What are these for?"

"They were hungry." Mikey knelt down to dig around the cabinets, trying to find the plastic plates. "But I forgot I need to Leo-proof them." 

The human shuddered, stealing a strawberry from the biggest plate and popping it in her mouth. "How did he even manage to lift his sword- and throw it?"

"You don't wanna know." Mikey's face lit up when he found the plastic plates and cups, and pulled them out. Four of each, each in their signature color. They were certainly old, with cracks and the colors having dulled down- but certainly well-used. Mikey smiled, put the orange set aside, before moving all the snacks onto the newly-found plates. April smiled, and patted his head.

"You got this big brother thing in the bag!"

"I learned from the best." He nuzzled his head against April's. Once all plates were ready again, he looked at the cups again. "...uhm." 

"Milk." April helpfully said. The younger thanked her, and grabbed the drink out of the fridge. "I remember Donnie would only drink it because I told him it would make him tall." 

Instead of pouring the drink in, Mikey stacked the cups, grabbed them, and held the milk carton under his arm. Then, he grabbed the red plate. April, trying to he helpful, grabbed the blue and purple ones. Together, they made their way to the lab.

Hopefully, this part would go smoother than their car ride...

Chapter Text

"What do you mean you can't change them back?!"

Draxum didn't pay any attention to the screech from the youngest behind him, instead choosing to focus on the slider he was currently examining. He seemed to be around four... healthy. Other than the fact he wasn't supposed to be this small... he was normal.

For a bunch of toddlers who were in a new place, with new people, without their father... the three were behaving surprisingly well.

Leo sat on the table and rocked his legs, while Donnie looked around in awe. So much purple! It was great. Whoever this 'lab' belonged to must be amazing. The softshell hoped he would get to meet them. He wanted this much purple in his room!

The slider giggled when the sheep lifted both his arms and looked at his stripes. They were pretty. Daddy always called them his special stripes. "They're mine."

"Your arm?" The sheep-man just sounded confused, which caused the slider to giggle again. He was silly. Not near as smart as Donnie, but still cool.

"Nuh-uh, my stripes! They're mine."

"...Ah."

"Only I have stripes." The toddler proudly continued, trying to see what Draxum was writing down when he turned around. He squinted his eyes and huffed. Ugh. Stupid handwriting. "But Dee gets his block-thingies. And Mikey his spots. And Raphie his spikes!"

"Mine are also stripes, Nardo."

"No! They're blocks!"

Raph was the only one who kept quiet. From his place on the table, he kept watch. Dad had left to get them their clothes, which they didn't have on right now, for some reason. That was weird. Dad must have forgotten to put them on- but why couldn't Raph remember that? All his memories were fuzzy... it was scary. And where was Mikey? He knew the big turtle from earlier was supposed to be Mikey, but... why? When did he grow? Do turtles grow that fast? He didn't understand. It hurt his head. 

"Alright." The weird sheep-man nodded, for some reason, and moved to pick Leo up. The slider held out his hands as the yokai grabbed him from under his armpits, and set him down on the floor. "Red one." He said, motioning with his head. "Your turn."

Baby Raph didn't seem too happy about that, getting of the table to hide behind Mikey's leg. 

"Don't ignore me!" Mikey huffed, hands on his hips and this close to trying Doctor Delicate Touch on the yokai for the first time. "Why can't you? Are they stuck like this fore- Draxum!" he called, offended when Draxum turned his back to him. Seriously? Couldn't this man do two things at once? He needed answers!

...Okay, Mikey couldn't do that either, but he didn't count. "Barry!"

"What is going on with this yelling- you are hurting my ears," Splinter complained, walking inside backwards- dragging a big box with all of their little stuff with him. As soon as he appeared, the three toddlers and ran towards him.

"Daddy!" Leo pouted, pulling the rat's arm and pointing at his twin. "Donnie said my stripes look like bananas!"

"Because you said mine look like Lego blocks!" Donnie yelled back, just as upset as the slider. Splinter sighed and shook his head, muttering something under his breath.

"Dad...." Raph sniffed, hiding his face in his father's robe. "The sheep wants to get me."

"Lego's are fun, you- you- not-fun person!" That... was a nickname. Yet the toddler softshell gasped as if Leo had just insulted his entire bloodline.

"I am fun!"

"We can't even see when you have fun, you don't laugh!"

-Okay, yeah, no, too far- Leo had no way of knowing this, of course, but the oldest turtle knew Donnie struggled with that. "That's not nice, Leo." Mikey said, pulling him away- missing how silent the two got as soon as he had Leo in his arms.

Confused when both twins panicked as soon as he did, and immediately tried to reach each other again. He didn't let Leo go back though, as the poor one in purple looked two seconds away from crying. Ah, shell... Leo's words must have affected him worse than he thought. "Leo, no, you can't say such things to-"

"Dee." The slider called- to Mikey's shock, he had tears in his eyes. What-? Did Leo feel guilty-? 

The series of chirps he let out right after didn't sound guilty, though- just sad and panicked. His twin had started crying, quietly reaching up- letting the single, most heart-breaking chirp Mikey had ever heard. But- what- why-? What changed in the two seconds he grabbed Leo-? Panicked, he turned to the two adults in the room, silently pleading for help.

Draxum did not seem to care. At all. Reading something in that book of his. Ah. Right. He wouldn't answer Mikey. The jerk.

Splinter seemed to have lost his awareness, too focused on Raph.

"-there we go." Splinter, unaware of the chaos behind him, finished dressing up his usual-oldest by tying the bandana he always wore into a bow. Although his beautiful Red had outgrown this, sadly, he fondly remembered when the snapper had always made him tie his mask-tails into bows. As he predicted, Raph giggled with delight. 

"Thank you!" He started- but stopped when he saw both twins crying and reaching for each other, Mikey trying (and failing) to at least calm Leo down by bouncing him in his lap. Oh. "...Dad."

"Hm-? What- Orange!" finally aware of the meltdowns, Splinter's eyes went comically wide, before he sprinted over to try and make his youngest let go. "Oh, no, let him go."

"But- they were fighting-?" He and Leo always got separated to cool down when they fought, so why-

"Orange." the rat sighed, shook his head, and pulled. "Let him go."

A bit confused, Mikey did as asked. Shocked when the ones in purple and blue immediately ran and hugged each other. Calming down as soon as they were touching. 

"..." Lost, he looked at his Dad, who sighed. "I forgot they used to do that..."

"Dad?"

"Blue and Purple could not stand being separated..." he reached into the box, managing to pull out the clothes that belonged to Donnie- a large purple hoodie, purple bandana and-

His glasses.

...Of course. Donnie wore glasses. That must be why he couldn't see anything in the tank. How could he forget?

Mikey did not remember the twins being this clingy though. When asked about it, Splinter shrugged.

"They had outgrown it by the time you grew self-aware." He explained, at the same time gently tapping Donnie's shell. "Purple, would you like your clothes back?"

"..." the softshell twisted his head so his cheek was squishing against the slider's, and nodded. Unwillingly, he pulled away so the hoodie could be pulled over his head.

"..." Mikey hugged himself. Some great big brother he was.

April, who had been quietly watching this entire time, squeezed his shoulders, starting to question Draxum for him. "You said you can't change them back."

"Most likely not, no." Draxum did not seem to care. 

"So I'm stuck being the oldest-?"

"Not what I said." The yokai cleared his throat, turning a page in his book at the same time. "I can not reverse it, no."

"Isn't there some sort of 'reverse anything' spell in that fairytale book of yours?" Splinter asked without looking at him, just having moved onto Leo now. He missed the look Draxum gave him. "I've seen you use such spells countless times."

"Reverse everything?"

"So that my boys can be themselves again. Normal, older, reckless-"

"If I were to try to reverse everything-" He cut off, sounding very annoyed and finally gaining their attention. "-everything, Lou. Turn them back to their original selves. May I remind you- their 'original selves' were not mutated?"

It took a minute to land. But once it did, April covered her mouth, Mikey's eyes went wide with horror and Splinter froze. Seeing he got his point across, Draxum's shoulders sagged. "I can very well try to reverse the current spell. But the problem is, mystic magic can see their mutation as part of the anomaly, try to fix it- Do you see the problem?"

"..." The rat brought the twins in for a hug. Both 'oofed!', unsure of what was happening. 

"So you're saying..." Mikey started, eyes falling on all three of his brothers- his younger brothers. His little brothers that looked up to him with so much confusion, child minds not understanding why the mood in the room had changed. Would... would Mikey not have his big brothers back? "...We leave them little... or we risk de-mutating them?"

"But-" April looked troubled, sitting down on Donnie's table and adjusting her glasses. "Can't- can't the spell wear off on it's own?"

The sheep clearly didn't believe it could, judging from his expression, and sighed. "...the chance is small. I've narrowed down to a couple spells whichever one the hypo could have used- most require the caster to either take the spell down, or someone else needs to reverse it."

"So we force Hypno to take the spell down!" April raised her voice- she was trying. Mikey just looked so upset, her heart couldn't take it. She grabbed her bat. "Let's go!"

"He probably can't. Michelangelo said he wasn't even aware of what he did. You can't take down a spell if you do not know which one you used in the first place, O'Neil."

"..." defeated, April lowered her arms.

So. That's it? Mikey lost big brothers? Forever? Just like that? He was the oldest now? But he was terrible at it! He didn't want to be the oldest, he wanted to keep his baby brother privileges! Okay, sure, he always complained about being babied but he- just. He couldn't be the oldest!-

"-so we'll need to create the cure to reverse this... the old-fashioned way."

"..." All three looked at Draxum with disbelief, the yokai seemingly not caring about what he just said, reading something in his book.

"...What."

"Magic can not fix it. But potions might." Draxum made a face, clearly displeased about the idea of it. "...I'm positive Lena would know where to get what I need."

"...And you couldn't start with that?!" Mikey hysterically asked- because seriously? He had been three seconds away from a meltdown. He seriously needed to teach Barry how to speak.

Splinter's eyes twitched, and he let go of the twins. Both giggled at the face he was making. "Daddy looks silly." One whispered to the other, who agreed.

"Draxum."

"What?"

April shook her head, feeling the tension melt away. "...Who even is this Lena?" She asked through gritted teeth- because surely it couldn't be that bad?

Wrong, apparently. Splinter turned a shade paler as soon as he heard the name, before grumbling under his breath. "Seriously, Baron? You can't find this stupid cure anywhere else?"

"It is a highly sought-out and powerful potion, Yoshi, not something you can just get at the market. She's our best bet."

"Don't ignore us!" The youngest pouted, stepping in between them with crossed arms. "Who is Lena?"

"..." Splinter looked away, and cleared his throat. Draxum sighed dramatically.

"I suppose she's much better known with her nickname... Big Mama."

"...WHAT?!"

"She has a name?" April asked, adjusting her glasses again. Mikey blinked, stunned, before he decided.

Of course it was her. When wouldn't it be her? He grumbled, slouching over, before standing straight again. "Okay. So I just go over to her hotel and-"

"No." 

"...What do you mean no?"

"That woman is an untrustworthy witch." He closed his book, and finally got up, his expression stern. "Me and Lou will retrieve the potion. You stay here with your brothers."

"What?!"

"You're leaving?" Leo asked innocently, looking up at his Dad. Splinter lovingly cupped his cheeks.

"Only for a little while, Blue. You'll get to play with Orange all day."

"Hold on!" Mikey sounded panicked- because he was. He absolutely was. Because seriously? He already made all three of them cry, he couldn't be trusted to be left alone with such tiny delicate creatures! "I'm not- I can't take care of them! I'm not good at it!"

"So you will learn." Letting go of Leo, Splinter hugged Donnie next, pressing his snout on top of the toddler's head. Although Donnie didn't actually show it, he was definitely enjoying the attention, and let out a quiet churr that made his father smile. 

Mikey wasn't smiling. Nuh-uh. "But- but what if I hurt them? Or upset them? They're so small! And- Donnie can't even wear his battle shell like this!"

Oh God the dojo. Mikey would need to lock that room up. And Leo used to climb everywhere to get what he wanted, so should he get rid of all the chairs? But how would he both take care of them as well as feed them, didn't kids get hungry all the time? How do kids work?!

His father did not seem to care that the poor turtle was currently having a crisis, instead hugged Raph, who had been quietly standing next him this whole time, and pressed a kiss on top of his head too. The snapper's tail was wagging softly- had Raph always been this quiet? Mikey remembered him being loud. Maybe it was just because of all the new people. Yeah. "You be good, alright Red?"

April seemed to have noticed his panic, though. She threw her arm around his shoulders to hopefully snap him out of his thoughts. "I'll help you, Mikey. There's no way I'm missing this out!"

"..." Both twins hid behind their father. Raph growled at her, making her take a step back. Stunned, April blinked.

"No, boys- she's a nice human." Splinter quickly told them. Leo squinted at her, suspicious.

"That's what they all say."

"...I have chocolate with me?"

"..." He looked her up and down for a moment longer before he nodded. "I'll need proof."

"Oh for god's sake-" Draxum walked away while shaking his head, very disappointed with their survival skills. 

"They're kids, Baron!" Splinter barked over his shoulder, now very annoyed too. Hey, he did his best with his sons, leave him alone. 

"She might as well have been waiting with a van and ask them to see the puppy she has inside!"

"PUPPY?!" 

"No." Donnie frowned. "Vans are very bad." 

"Only white ones." Raph added, and smiled. Proud to have remembered something. "Dad always says white vans are bad. Maybe this one is red?"

"Why does the color matter?" Now Donnie looked confused.

"I wanna see the puppy!" Leo shrieked, pulling Splinter's arm again- eugh boy. Leo was clingy to their father too? But Splinter needed to go- the rat gently tried prying his son off of him. Should Mikey help? But what if he made it worse?

When the human nudged him, however, he took it as his cue, and knelt down. "Leo." he said, sounding unsure but trying to smile. What do kids like? He remembered Lou Jitsu movies, play-fighting, ninja tag- uhm... "...Do you wanna draw with me?"

That seemed to gain his attention, finally. Leo hesitantly looked between his father and now-older brother. He grew quiet, and hugged Splinter's arm. "...You're leaving?"

"I'll come back very soon." Splinter promised, cupping his head and leaving a quick scratch on his shell. "Daddy needs to go get something very important."

"And then you'll be back?"

"And then I'll be back."

"..." Slowly, the slider let go, then walked over to where Mikey was. And hugged his arm instead. Because Leo left, Donnie did too- aw. He suspiciously looked at April, but seemed to notice something. "...You wear glasses. Like me."

"That I do, little dude." April winked. The genius seemed confused about the idea of having something in common with a human, probably now thinking about it. Before he dared to ask. 

"Do all humans wear glasses?"

She shook her head. "Some do. Not all."

"Why not?"

"Not all humans are born with bad eyesight. Though with a lot of them it starts going bad once they get older!"

"Why?" His voice had become softer.

April grinned. Of course the way to get Donnie to warm up was with information.

That only left Raph.

Splinter patted his shell, trying to get the little snapper to go towards Mikey- but the one in red looked unsure. "...What if bad humans come down here?" He softly asked- ah. So Raph started looking out for them a lot earlier than Mikey had thought. Good to know.

"Then your brother and April will protect you." A final kiss was pressed on his cheek, before the rat tried to gently nudge him towards the box turtle. "You are safe here, Red."

Well. If Dad said it, it must be true, right?

The final turtle, finally convinced, stepped away, allowing the rat to take a step back. He looked all of them over, ending with Mikey and April. "If anything happens at all-"

"We'll call." they both said at the same time, before April added. "We got this!"

No we don't.

"Go."

"...Before Barry decides to try and replace us?" Okay, not his best joke, but Leo was the joke guy leave him alone.

To at least seem like he knew what he was doing, Mikey smiled, and waved- an action that was quickly copied by his toddler brothers.

"Bye daddy!!" Leo smiled brightly. Donnie seemed to have lost interest, and wandered off. Raph hugged his tail. All watching as finally, their father walked away.

"...Okay." Mikey breathed in, then out. April squeezed his shoulder again. Okay. Okay. Sure, he'd had a bad start at this big-brother thing, but surely in the safety of their lair-

The big computer behind him turned on. All yelped at the sudden brightness. What the-?

"Woaaaah!" Leo looked at the lights in awe. 

"Is this mine?" Donnie, who had plopped himself behind a smaller laptop, looked at his own tech with starry eyes, and leaned closer to the screen. So many options! He wondered what they would do. "Ohhh.... lockdown protocol-? Project S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N, fight mode-"

"NO!" Mikey leapt over, snatching the laptop from the floor. Donnie pouted.

"Look what I found!" Leo cheered, having managed to climb into the box Sprinter had dragged down in the two seconds Mikey hadn't been looking. Raph was looking over the edge, reaching down to try and grab a cloth that had caught his eye. Well. That was fine. All there should be there were their old toys. "Dee! Your stick-thing!" he happily called, waving it around.

Hitting Raph on the head.

Causing the snapper to yelp, lose his balance, and fall.

Making the box fall with him, it's contents scattering all over the floor.

Leo included.

The two eldest froze, holding their breath. Letting out a sigh of relief when both of them cheered.

"Again! Again!"

"I wanna slide too!" Donnie whined, forgetting his laptop in favor of playing with his brothers. Clumsily, Raph rubbed the top of his head, then pushed the box back up, while Leo threw everything back inside. 

...

"So." April cleared her throat, looked away, then shook her head. "We got this?"

She didn't really sound like she believed it. To be fair, Mikey didn't either.