Chapter Text
Casey Jones Junior was getting really good at leaving his family members speechless.
The first time had been when he described the day the krang invaded in his timeline. Another time he'd done so was when he’d told the turtles he’d never had pizza. There was the time when Casey admitted to not knowing what money was, or its purpose. And there was the time when he’d admitted to only reading two of Jupiter Jim’s comics.
And then there was the incident today. The words he’d said hung in the air as each of his family members stared at him in varying degrees of shock. Except for Donnie, who was typing away at his phone as if he didn't care.
“You've never been to the beach?!” April O'Neil was the first to break the silence,
“No.” Casey rubbed the back of his neck. “It was a large, open space with nowhere to hide from the kraang. It was one of, if not the most, unsafe spots on the surface.”
“We must correct this and educate you about the wonders of the beach!” Cassandra shrieked. “Little Jones, I'm taking you there on a mini-vacation.”
“Uh, that's okay, you really don’t have to-”
“Nonsense! Think nothing of it.” Cassandra cut him off.
“I, for one, don't care for the beach. Too much sand that gets stuck on every part of your body. Little grains that dig into your shell…” Donnie shuddered.
“We all know that you don't like the beach, Don Tron.” Leo rolled his eyes. “But the rest of us could still go.”
“No! It will be a Jones's bonding day. None of you are invited.” Cassandra crossed her arms and stared at the turtles. “Besides, you won't be fooling anyone at the beach. You're all green and have shells.”
Casey had been in this timeline now for a few months. He'd never told his mom that he was her son, but the moment she'd heard his last name she'd assumed he was a long lost cousin or family member of some kind. Casey hadn’t bothered to correct her. It was a pile of kraang goop that he didn't want to get stuck in.
“That's not fair.” Mikey complained, slouching in his chair.
“But I don’t want-”
“You will love it, I just know. There are no kraang to worry about here. And if there were, I’d kick their butts.” Cassandra interrupted Casey again. “Finish your breakfast and then we can leave.”
“Alright.” Casey mumbled, but he still wasn’t sure about this.
***
“Are you sure that this outfit is safe ?” Casey asked Cassandra for what had to be the hundredth time since he’d put it on. He plucked at the swim trunks they’d bought on their way here. He felt wholly unguarded with just these swim trunks and a t-shirt.
“Yes. Now, go find us a spot, little Jones.” She shooed him away towards the beach. Casey hesitantly took a few steps, glancing back longingly at the car. It seemed much safer than the open stretch of sand that lay out before him. Cassandra noticed him standing there and pointed towards the beach with a hand. Casey gave in, turning back around to make his way to the sand.
He only took a few steps onto the sand before stopping. How was he supposed to walk on ground this soft with his shoes on? If they could even be called shoes. He’d been handed them and told they were flip-flops, part of proper beach attire.
If he was being honest, Casey wasn’t sure why he was here at all.
The beach was full of people. People laying on towels in the sun. People swimming in the salty ocean water. People playing on the hot, yellow sand. People going to and from their cars.
There were people everywhere, and yet, Casey couldn’t shake the anxious feeling he had. How were these people supposed to protect themselves if they had no armor or weapons? No outcroppings to shelter them? Heck, how was Casey supposed to protect himself? He’d been forced to leave his armor home, against many protests. His hockey stick had not been something he was willing to part with, but even that had to stay in the car.
He could see now why Sensei had told him multiple times just how dangerous the beach was. It was a wide, open space, and it would take two seconds flat for a kraang hound to notice you. Casey took a deep breath, trying to remind himself that the kraang were not here. This was not his timeline.
“Why are you just standing here, little Jones?” Cassandra slapped his shoulder, making Casey jump. “You were supposed to find us a spot. Guess I’ll do that. Newbies never know any of the good spots, anyways.” She began making her way down the beach. “Oh, and take off your shoes. It’ll make walking easier.” Casey had no choice but to do what she said. He glanced longingly back at the car a final time, wishing she’d let him bring his hockey stick, before slipping off his shoes and following her along the shoreline.
When Cassandra finally found a spot she liked, she instructed Casey to help her open up the umbrella and set up the chairs. It only took thirty seconds for her to decide he had no idea what he was doing and she would be better off just showing him.
“You open the bag, like this,” she pulled on the drawstring, “then you slip the chair out. You pull the chair open, and then can slip the bag around the back of the chair like this. See? Not so hard.” Casey copied what she had done with his own chair and set it up. He sat down in it, leaving her to take care of the umbrella. It didn’t take long for her to get them a nice spot of shade set up. She came up to him and dropped something in his hand.
“What’s this?”
“Sunscreen. You’ll need to put it over every part of your skin to keep from being sunburned.” Cassandra explained. The sun could burn? Sensei had never told him that. Then again, it’s not like he’d ever seen the actual sun until he came to this timeline. He popped open the bottle and squeezed some on his hand, his face twisting in disgust as he realized how slimy it was.
“Why is it so slimy?” He practically gagged as he smeared it over his arm.
“Dunno. Just is.” Cassandra shrugged before rolling out a mat and laying in the sun.
“Why aren’t you putting on sunscreen?” Casey asked.
“Don’t need it. It takes me a long time to burn. But you, little Jones, you have baby soft skin. It’ll burn in five minutes.” Cassandra slipped some shades on her face, resting her head on her arms. “Make sure you cover all your exposed skin and rub it in real good.” Casey stuck his tongue out at her before continuing to smear the slick substance over himself. When he was finished, he sat there quietly for a few minutes before finally asking, “What do people normally do at the beach?” Cassandra pulled her glasses down so that he could see her horrified expression.
“What do people do at the beach?” she echoed in shock. “You play in the sand. Dig holes, build sand castles, walk along the beach, collect seashells, play in the water, sun tan…the opportunities are nearly limitless! Some people read books. All that really matters is that you forget your troubles and let yourself have fun.”
Casey blinked. Let himself have fun? He’d had fun before. In the quieter moments of the apocalypse, his uncles had shared stories or taught him fun things. Like skateboarding. But the doom of the apocalypse had always been at the back of his mind. He’d known that if they did not win, the end would come. And he’d learned to accept that, to live with it.
And now he was supposed to just forget about it?
How?
Sensei had quite literally thrown him back in time. A time where they’d stopped the kraang before they could get the technodrome all the way through. A time where Leo had sacrificed himself and nearly died. A time where the kraang weren’t here to destroy his life and the things he loved. So why was he still so scared, and why did he feel so guilty and unsure of himself?
Casey stood up. Maybe his mom was right. He needed to do something to occupy his mind and try forgetting his worries.
The first thing Casey tried was digging a hole in the sand. He had to agree with Donnie on the texture of sand being horrendous, but he discovered that it was actually great fun to dig in. The shovel easily tore through it and scooped it up. Casey hadn’t even noticed how deep he’d dug until he looked up and realized he was nearly chest deep in the sand. That was also when he realized his mom was watching him. Or, he thought she was. It was hard to tell with her sunglasses.
Casey climbed out of his hole and debated going out to the water. He started towards it when he heard Cassandra call after him.
“Wait.” She stood up and walked over to him. “I will go with you. A few things to know about the ocean. There are riptides, dangerous, strong currents that will pull you away from the shore and exhaust you to the point of drowning. If you notice any strange patterns or gaps interrupting the waves, water that’s a different color, or a line of seaweed that’s vertical to the shore, stay far away. And there shouldn’t be any sharks, but keep an eye out for them. Make sure to watch out for the occasional sting ray. Shuffle your feet like this-” she demonstrated what she was talking about “-as you walk in the water. It’ll disturb them and they’ll slip away without stinging you. The last thing you want is to be stung. Trust me, it hurts.”
The pair now stood at the edge of the lapping waves. Casey stared at the ocean with trepidation. It was so large. What if he got pulled out to sea by a riptide? Or what if he got lost? Everything looked the same here. He’d made up his mind to go back to their umbrella when Cassandra shoved him forwards. He stumbled as he tried to catch his footing.
“What was that for?” Casey grumbled.
“To get you moving.” Cassandra flashed him a grin as she plowed into the ocean. Casey watched her for a moment before shrugging and following her in. He got about waist deep, a wave starting and tugging on his legs. As it began to rise, he felt panic build inside and turned, running as fast as he could towards shore. When he got there, he doubled over, hands on his knees as he caught his breath.
“You okay, little Jones?” His mom joined him, looking concerned.
“I don’t know how to swim.” Casey stood, glancing back at the water. It had been so hard to get out of, greatly impeding his movements.
“You don’t know how to swim?! You should have told me that! You could have been…” Cassandra flew into a worried tirade, but Casey was no longer listening. Another wave had come, this one going farther up the shore and pooling at his feet. As Casey stared at it, it triggered a memory he had tried hard to forget.
Blood, pooling at his feet. A limp body. Casey screaming in rage as he charged the kraang who dared to hurt master Leonardo. Casey, wrapping Sensei’s cloak around his abdomen. Casey dragging Leonardo along the ground, crying for help. Donatello and Michelangelo rushing to meet him, taking Leonardo from him. Hours spent waiting agonizingly while Donatello was shut in the med bay with Sensei. Doors finally opening to reveal a groggy Leonardo, bandages wrapped around the end of his arm.
Casey didn’t realize he’d spaced out until someone touched his shoulder.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Casey jumped, spotting his mom looking at him worriedly.
“I…” He tried to speak, but he couldn’t get the words out. He had to get away from here. From the water. From the open space. Pulling in air to breathe had suddenly become difficult. Spots filled his vision and he bent over, trying to keep from passing out.
What was wrong with him?
He heard voices, talking, but he couldn’t make them out. A familiar edge of blue filled his vision and he was falling, falling, falling…
Green hands reached out to grab his shoulders, steadying him. They guided him to a sit, leaning him against the wall. Leo’s face swam into his vision. He was saying something, but Casey couldn’t make the words out. He could only stare at the slider. Leo left but was replaced by Cassandra. She was kneeling in front of him, saying something that he couldn’t understand. Leo returned, wrapping something around him. The faint smell of sweat and dirt reached his nostrils and he realized it was his cloak. He lifted it to his nose, his arms heavy as lead. He took a moment to just breathe in the familiar scent.
“...hitori ja nai. Anata wa hitori ja nai.” Sounds became clearer and Casey realized his mom was chanting a familiar phrase. One he’d heard numerous times throughout his life. His breathing began to slow.
“Anata wa hitori ja nai.” His voice was hoarse, but he was able to speak.
“Casey Junior! Thank pizza supreme.” Cassandra looked relieved. “What happened back there? Wait, actually, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“I was reminded of an unpleasant memory.” Casey didn’t say anything further. He didn’t want to go into the nitty gritty details right now.
“I’m sorry.” Cassandra looked guilty. “I was only trying to…I just wanted to spend some time with my son.”
“Wait.” Casey coughed, eyes widening. “How long have you known?” Cassandra smiled and slugged him in the shoulder.
“For a long while. Leo told me. I was hoping you would tell me on your own time, but you were taking too long.”
“I…didn’t want to burden you. We’re nearly the same age in this timeline.” Casey rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
“Nonsense.” Cassandra almost looked offended. “I must have done something right if I raised such a good kid.”
“Yeah, you were a great mom.” Casey felt a lump form in his throat. He looked around, finally realizing they were in the sewers. He noticed Leo wasn’t there. Had he only imagined seeing the turtle? “Where’s Leo?”
“He left to give us space and to get our stuff. Donnie went with him, saying something about Leo being a horrible driver and was insistent that he drive instead.” Cassandra laughed. “Leo said that when they get back, they are going to go tubing. Want to join? We can even teach you how to swim. And we’ll still be in the sewers.”
“Sure.” Casey nodded. His mom stood and offered a hand.
“Let's go find some tubes then.”
Casey took her hand, allowing her to pull him to a stand. As they walked to the lair, he couldn’t help but feel lucky to be here. He looked forward to learning how to go on vacation, even if it meant tubing in the sewers.