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Chapter Text

Something was wrong.

Or very, very right.

Gaichū hissed and cringed back as some sight burned his eyes. He couldn’t even look at the strange, unknown anomaly.

What… what was that?

It hurt his eyes like a beating from Master.

But it flooded his body with warmth as the beams of gold hit him. He was in a war against pain and pleasure, reaching out towards the strange sight.

He didn’t know a word for it, but all he knew was that this thick, wispy circle of heavenly goodness was making it easier to see in his home. His desperate hand was bathed in a pretty golden hue and cast darkness behind where the contours of his palm and fingers blocked the beams.

It was glorious.

It was terrifying.

But it was altogether better than his angry master roaring behind him, wanting to give him the punishment of a lifetime for accidentally biting him. If Master caught him now then it would be hell, so he reached out towards the golden warmth with his arm stretched as far as it would go. He wanted it to save him. To take him away from Master. To take him away from this life.

Perhaps he was finally free.

Suddenly something large and blood-colored burst through the swirling vortex, sending little shimmers of gold twinkling into the darkness. Gaichū barely had time to process that it was an arm before it had locked onto his weak hand and began dragging him into the warmth.

Gaichū heard Master roar from behind him and turned to see him furiously trying to grab him with the razor-sharp claws of his mech suit. The slider braced for pain but abruptly some violet drill shot though and hit Master square in the forehead, grinding painfully for a few moments before the monster snatched it off. But by then Gaichū was already almost through, and for a heavenly second he felt a pleasurable tingling as his body dove past all the pretty little shimmers. He let out a small purr of enjoyment before it felt like some weight had been dropped across his entire body. He hissed as he crashed down onto some hard surface and the swirling golden vortex faded from view, cutting off Master from sight.

Gaichū could only lay on the ground in agony as he felt himself being pulled down by some force he couldn’t understand. His eyes darted over greedily to the spot where his little circle of heaven had vanished, brain immediately feeling possessive over that new and glorious sensation of tingly warmth.

Then his gaze ripped away from the painfully vacant space and to the creatures who had supposedly brought him out. They all stared at each other for a few moments, and Gaichū waited to see if they were friends or enemies.

”Leo…?” Asked the big spiky one in a scarlet bandana, and Gaichū’s eyes narrowed into slits.

That was not his name.

Danger.

With a snarl he scrambled up and blindly dove at the creature, who yelped in surprise at Gaichū’s snapping teeth. The slider’s gaze zeroed in on the neck and went for it with all his might, teeth bared. The snapper turtle easily snatched the fumbling slider out of the air, and Gaichū inwardly cursed himself for being unable to fight with this new weight on his entire being. He squirmed desperately, but the other turtles were trying to make soothing sounds.

”Easy Leo, it’s okay! It’s us!” Said the tiny one in orange, and Gaichū turned to snarl but then realized that the color was similar to the pretty vortex from earlier. Rage temporarily forgotten, he gazed in fascination at the beautiful hue. His eyes sharpened as he tried to scrabble out of the snapper’s grip and over to the orange one, desperate memories fondness filling his senses as the color calmed him.

It was a color of hope.

Of relief.

Of warmth.

He needed it for himself. He needed to be near that glorious taste of beauty that was so foreign to him.

Even the little turtle looked so precious—so caring, so innocent, so sweet. Gaichū felt a powerful urge to protect that little being who was clothed in the colors of treasure. To not let Master find him. To keep him safe. To never let anyone hurt him and to relish in his wonderful presence that he so desperately craved and to ensure his comfort and to—

Suddenly he felt a painful piercing in his neck and yowled, turning in indigence towards the soft shell in purple, who was staring at him in horror and devastation. But that was the last clear image he was able to see as his vision grew blurry and the world faded to black.

Chapter Text

”You’ve been portal-chopped!” Leo crowed at Prime, smirking in victory right before a large repercussion blast sent both of them flying. Leo crashed down onto one of the large rock formations, skipping over the rough stone like a pebble on a stream. Harsh material scraped against his skin as he flew past until he finally collided shell-first against a boulder, feeling the cracks Prime had created expand painfully. He shuddered and groaned as he went limp against the surface, unable to do anything but let Prime turn toward him menacingly.

”You…” Prime’s eyes were livid as he stepped closer. “You’ve ruined EVERYTHING!” But then his shouting dissolved into a manic chuckle as his voice went thick with a low, predatory tone. “And now, hehehe, my wrath will be reserved for you alone.” A bone crushing blow was delivered to the side of Leo’s face, causing his head to snap painfully to the side and blood to spew from his lips.

”You think you’ve won?” More punches rained down to punctuate Prime’s words, and the metal of his mech suit looked way-too-large against the small, inured slider. “You wretched. Little. PEST!”

The monster delivered another blow, even harder than all the rest as Leo cried out in pain. The slider trembled from his spot on the ground, barely summoning up enough strength to look at the photograph of his family that Casey had given him. He studied all their faces with a tender look, knowing that no matter what happened they would always be worth it.

He was doing this for them.

And they would be better off without him anyway.

He smiled at the thought of how his brothers would grow now that the invasion was over. Donnie would probably win a Nobel Prize. Shell, he’d probably win ten and decorate his lab with them. Mikey would no doubt go on to be a famous artist. That little ball of sunshine was already a walking, talking creative prodigy. He would be alright, and he wouldn’t have a sorry excuse of a big brother to badly influence him anymore. Raph would probably be disappointed in him, sure, but at least he’d take a little depth out of that chasm. One less brother to worry about, and a pitiful mistake off the table. Hopefully he’d be able to at least get a little of the relaxation he deserved.

Even April would finish her journalism degree and probably start her own news network somewhere. Casey would be able to experience the life he never got to have in the future, and Dad would be rid of his least favorite son.

The son who was now where he should’ve been a long time ago.

In purgatory.

”Wipe that grin off your face!” Roared Prime, and Leo barely had time to snap out of his reverie before those awful mech claws were slamming down onto his plastron, crumbling the rock underneath him to send his broken body flying through the abyss. Leo hugged the photo of his family close, feeling tears stream down his face as the weight of his failures hit him.

”I’m sorry…” He whispered as he felt the shadow of his final resting place looming over him. “I’m sorry I was never the son or brother you guys wanted me to be. I’m sorry I kept screwing up everything I touched. I’m sorry I disappointed all of you. I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry…”

And then he crashed against the rock formation and his head lit up with stars. A blurry visage of Kraang Prime stepping towards him with malice was the last thing he saw before his world went dark.

Leo groaned softly as consciousness slowly returned to him, shifting his weight as he stretched. Almost immediately he cringed back as he felt sharp pain flood his body, and he stifled a hiss. But then he froze and cautiously shifted his weight again.

What…

He was covered in something soft and warm, and could see how bright it was from behind his eyelids.

Oh blessed brightness.

But…

But then…

Then that meant…

”I still can’t believe you shot him with your tranq gun, Donnie.” Mikey’s voice finally broke through the haze that was Leo’s thoughts and the slider thought he might whoop for joy. He forced his eyes open to see his youngest brother arguing with his twin, who was doing some nerd stuff on a heart monitor.

Boooring.

”I was only trying to protect Raphala, Angelo!” Donnie hissed back, and Leo’s enthusiasm was stilled for a moment. Was that… worry in Donnie’s voice? “Nardo was going crazy and I panicked and…”

”He was probably just scared!” Mikey defended. “And hurt and… and I don’t know! Who knows what happened to him in there!”

”No kidding. I feel like I went through a cheese grater.” Leo spoke up with a yawn. Both Mikey and Donnie whipped around to stare at him like a ghost turned back to life, and Leo offered a lopsided grin. “Hey hermanos.”

”Leo!” Mikey exclaimed, diving for the gurney. Donnie used both hands to snatch him out of the air by his shell, and Mikey squirmed fruitlessly. “Let me go, Dee!”

”Hold it, Angelo!” Donnie firmly placed Mikey on the ground beside him before turning to Leo. “Nardo… are you… you? You okay? Gonna jump at us again?”

”What are you guys yapping about?” Leo chuckled. “Geez Dee, who knew your forehead could get any uglier with a Raph-chasm?”

Donnie rolled his eyes and let Mikey go. “Looks like he’s back to normal, Mike.”

Mikey wasted no time in hopping into the med cot next to Leo with a happy chirp, nuzzling his big brother’s side. Leo smiled fondly and pulled him close. “It’s good to see you, Mikester.”

”Don’t ever do that again.” Mikey grumbled from his spot curled up next to Leo’s plastron, and the slider barked out a laugh.

”What, pull a hero move? You know that had to happen, and besides it all turned out fine!” Leo ran a hand along Mikey’s shell. “Speaking of, how did you get me back? Must’ve been cool, right? Too bad I was as unconscious as a limp noodle.”

”Correction, you were conscious.” Donnie crossed his arms. “You attacked Raph and were trying to get Mikey next.”

”You were probably just scared.” Mikey shot Donnie a glare before nuzzling Leo again. “But you were totally freaking out.”

”Seriously?” Leo blinked at each of his brothers in turn but saw no form of jest. He chuckled nervously. “Well, this is gonna be super awkward but I don’t remember any of that. Maybe I was sleepwalking or something?”

”Donnie had to tranq you.”

Leo gave a dramatic gasp as a hand flew to his heart. “My own flesh and blood? To moi? That is completely unacceptable, DonTron! You’re lucky I was asleep.”

”You do not have a history of sleepwalking, Nardo.” Donnie pinched the space between his eyes. “There is no data to back up your claim. You probably flipped while high on adrenaline and are too stubborn to admit it.”

”I seriously can’t remember any of that.” Leo smirked. “But if that makes you feel better versus having tranqed an unconscious zombie then we can go with that.”

”How are you still this insufferable?” Donnie spluttered, and Leo chuckled.

”What can I say? It must be my unbreakable charm as the Face Man.” Leo framed his face with a flourish of his hand. “I always knew I was the prettiest one in the family.”

Donnie scowled, but there was a hint of relieved fondness in his tone. He quickly turned away, but not before Leo saw the couple tears shining in his eyes. He chuckled. “Awww, did you miss me, Twinnie?”

”Shut up.” Donnie muttered, taking a swipe at his eyes before shooting Leo a glare. “And never call me that again.”

”I think it suits you, Twinnie!” Leo teased before there was a knock at the door and Raph’s worried voice came through.

”Is Leo awake?” He fretted. “Can Raph come in now?”

”Yes, Raphala.” Donnie nodded. “Nardo’s fine and we’re done setting up the monitors.”

”Hey there Raphie…” Leo turned his head to look at Raph but the sight was like a punch to the gut. Without warning he doubled over on his cot and began to dry heave.

”Leo?!” All his brothers exclaimed in unison as they scrambled over each other to get to him.

”What’s happening?” Leo gasped as his lungs clenched painfully. His eyes went blank and his brothers questions grew far away. Leo felt like his mind was emptying, having a strange sense of watching everything through glass. Nothing felt real, and he felt almost like he wasn’t even laying on the cot. Everything was growing fuzzy and distant as alarm bells rung through his head. He could even feel his vision beginning to fade…

”Leo? Leo answer me! Please!” Mikey whimpered as he gently shook his brother, whose eyes looked almost glassy.

”Nardo? What’s happening?” Donnie flipped down his goggles and scanned his brother. “Vital signs spiked, but other than that he appears normal.”

”Did Raph do something wrong?” Raph whined nervously.

”I don’t understand.” Donnie huffed in frustration. “He just went haywire… oh good, he’s snapping out of it! Nardo? Nardo can you hear me? Nardo?”

Leo groaned, breathing heavily and blinking his eyes slowly as his brothers watched on worriedly. He then froze, and slowly lifted his gaze to meet theirs…

Donnie’s stomach dropped as Leo’s eyes sharpened and he emitted a low, animalistic growl.

Oh no…

Chapter Text

Gaichū leapt to his feet, crouching threateningly as he snarled at the frightened turtles around him. Where was he? How had he gotten here?

”N-Nardo?” Stammered the purple one, and Gaichu hissed at him. His wide eyes scanned the strange place he seemed to be in, pupils dilating with the burningly bright color. Everything was hurting his eyes and he felt his overwhelmed head start to spin.

”Leo, did Raph say something wrong?” came a worried voice, and Gaichū turned with a growl before yelping in alarm.

Blood.

The snapper’s head was covered in blood.

Blood meant pain. Blood meant things had been taken too far. Blood meant he was going to get weak until the wound closed up.

Blood meant that soon he would be too dizzy to run away from the beatings Master gave him.

With wild, terrified eyes he tried to scramble off the strange, rolling surface he was on but got tangled in the thick fabric draped over him. He hissed as his movements became more frantic to get off.

”Raph stop him!” The purple one barked. “He’s gonna rip out his IV!”

Danger danger danger…

”Leo, it’s okay! What are you scared of?” Came a soft voice, and Gaichū’s head whipped around to see the orange turtle approaching him cautiously. A low purr emitted from Gaichū’s chest as he gazed at that glorious color. His eyes calmed slightly and he stopped struggling, letting the little one approach.

”Careful, Mikey.” The soft shell warned. “He’s going crazy!”

”He looks scared.” The treasure-clothed one defended as he continued his slow walk forwards. “Leo? Can you hear me? It’s all okay…”

”Mikey careful!” The large snapper barked, and Gaichū let out a sound that was between a snarl and a shriek. He couldn’t let this monster take his treasure.

Gaichū leapt off the gurney and immediately felt a sharp pain from his wrist. He yelped and glanced down at the skin, which had a little bead of crimson beginning to grow there.

Blood.

Gaichū let out a distressed whine and scrambled back until his shell bumped into the rolling bed, hissing as the cracks Master gave him were jostled.

”Shell!” Snapped the purple one as he picked up a thin, shiny instrument off the ground. “We gotta get this back in him!”

Gaichū whipped back around and snarled at him, stalking forwards to put himself in between the box turtle and the soft shell. He hunched his shoulders and let spittle fly from his mouth, trying to send a clear message for that purple turtle to stay away from his treasure child.

He might have no idea what was going on, but this little box turtle was his now.

And he would protect him.

“What’s going on?” Mikey asked, eyes wide as Leo snarled at Donnie. The softshell raised his hands in worry and surrender.

”I don’t know!” Donnie stared in horror at his feral twin. “He’s just going berserk!”

”Easy Leo…” Mikey tried, placing a gentle hand on Leo’s shell. “It’s okay! It’s just us…”

Leo stole a glance back at Mikey, eyes softening slightly. He nuzzled Mikey’s hand with his face before turning back to Donnie and Raph with renewed vigor.

”Looks like he likes Mikey.” Raph observed, watching the interaction with baffled eyes.

Donnie felt a pang of irritation. “He should like all of us!” He snapped before turning back to Leo. “Nardo, snap out of it! You’re safe! You’re in the Med Bay!”

Leo growled, and Mikey glared at Donnie. “Donald! That is not how you handle someone having a panic attack!”

”You think he’s having a panic attack?” Donnie scoffed. “Panic attacks do not make you attack your brothers!”

”Well then maybe not a panic attack, but it’s clear he’s scared and in pain!” Mikey sniffed. “Hey… Leo… Leo it’s okay. You’re safe now…”

Strangely enough Leo didn’t give any reaction to his name, just glaring at Donnie and Raph with wary eyes. He let out another low snarl, and something clicked for Donnie.

”Wait… wait.” The soft shell’s eyes darted back and forth with the possibilities. “He… he could be in some sort of disassociated state. Perhaps when he was in the Prison Dimension for those few minutes his brain shut off rational functioning and reverted him to his animalistic DNA.” He frowned. “But theoretically he wouldn’t act this… feral. Hiding in his shell would be more expected. But we can figure out details later. Right now we need to convince him he’s safe.”

”He’s with his brothers!” Raph snapped. “How much safer can he get?”

”Sight is only one sense. He might receive better signals via touch…” Donnie looked doubtfully at his growling twin and shook his head. “Touch is out except from Mikey. But we still have taste, hearing and smell. I have no clue how we would get him to eat and he can already hear us, so maybe smell is our best bet. It reeks of antiseptic in here, which isn’t the most familiar or comforting scent. Raph, can you go get Nardo’s plush unicorn from off his bed? He loves that thing.”

”Sure.” Raph nodded and hurried off, and the moment he left the room Leo seemed to sag with relief, causing Donnie to narrow his eyes. That was another clue, and verified that Raph was the trigger. Donnie bit his lip in thought and raised his arms threateningly to appear bigger. Leo snarled, but it seemed like a warning, and not because of fear. Donnie’s hands dropped back down to his sides and he furrowed his brow. What was it then?

”Here’s the plushie!” Raph barreled back into the room, and Leo’s eyes widened with a loud hiss. His gaze was raised up to Raph’s face, so in theory it could be…

”Raph, take off your bandana.” Donnie barked, and gently took the plushie to set beside him.

”Why…”

”Just do it, Raphala! I need to test something.”

Raph nodded and quickly untied the scarlet fabric to hand to Donnie, who immediately turned to hold up in front of Leo. Leo snarled and gnashed his teeth with wide eyes, no longer worried about Raph himself as Donnie had predicted. He then moved the bandana behind his back to hide it from Leo’s view, and the slider immediately softened his stance. The bandana came up again and Leo let out a strangled roar, muscles clenching. Bandana down, relaxed. Bandana up, fearful. Bandana down, relaxed.

”He’s scared of Raph’s bandana?” Raph’s face scrunched in confusion. “But why…”

”Think, Raphala.” Donnie said, now permanently hiding the cloth away in his battle shell. “In his brief state of disassociation, what was the only red he could come into contact with?”

”Well besides Prime’s mech suit eyes…” Raph stilled, looking slightly nauseous as he realized the implications. “Oh. Blood.”

”Exactly. Now why he would have such a strong aversion to blood in three minutes is beyond me, but trauma works in different ways.” Donnie picked the plushie back up and tossed it to Mikey. “We’re lucky we got him back when we did. This level of disassociation can lead to serious disorders if left untreated, but I think it’s just a reflex kind of thing and nothing we can’t help him out of.”

Mikey took the unicorn and tentatively held it out towards Leo. “Here Leo… see this? It’s your favorite…”

Leo’s head whipped around to sniff the unicorn, staring at it for a second before letting out a low purr and nuzzling the toy with his face. He took the plushie gently in his mouth and laid down, placing the soft object on the ground to rest his head on. He gave a slight hum of contentment, and all three brothers sighed in relief.

”There you are, Leo. Nothing to fear here.” Mikey soothed, and Leo’s breathing gradually slowed and his face grew confused. He blinked around for a couple moments before looking back up at his brothers with blessed recognition in his eyes.

”Why am I on the floor?”

Chapter Text

”Leo!” Mikey chirped happily and flung his arms around his big brother’s neck as Leo blinked.

”Hey Mikester.” Leo looked around at each of his brothers in bewilderment. “Did… did something happen?”

”You’re telling me you literally don’t remember anything?” Donnie’s eyes narrowed as he scanned his twin’s face for any sign of deception. “Nothing? Not a feeling? An image? A… a scent perhaps?”

”I mean, I remember Raph coming in and then… then…” Leo frowned in thought. “Did I pass out or something? I guess your awesomeness was too great for me to behold, Big Guy. But by the way, where’s your mask?”

Raph’s lip trembled and immediately Leo’s face softened. “Woah, easy there Raphie! What happened? If your chasm gets any bigger it’s gonna split right down your face.”

”You went crazy again, Leo.” Mikey whined. “You just… snapped. It was… it was like you weren’t even you.”

”Wait, really?” Leo hugged Mikey back, mindful of his injuries. “It’s okay buddy. I’m not sure what happened but… am I bleeding?” Leo started to look down at his wrist when Donnie hissed and flew forwards, slapping a firm hand over the small injury. Leo yelped and looked up in surprise. “Woah there, DonTron! It’s sensitive!”

”Don’t. Look.” Donnie hissed as he lifted Leo’s arm to drape over his shoulders. He started to help him up, careful to keep the blood out of view. “For the love of Galileo, don’t look at any injuries.”

”Well that’s gonna be kinda hard.” Leo chuckled weakly, a bit lightheaded from standing up. “Right now I’m a canvas full of them.”

”Then don’t look down and look at me.” Donnie said impatiently. “We gathered that for some reason you’re triggered by the color red.”

”Red? Why?” Leo blinked. “Red’s a great color! For one thing it’s the color of the bananas on my handsome face, it’s Raph’s color, pepperoni, fruit, and flowers, pizza sauce…”

”None of which you had in the Prison Dimension.” Donnie pointed out, and Leo flinched slightly at memories associated with that name. Donnie sighed. “Look, my hypothesis is that in the brief time you were there you disassociated and reverted back to primal instincts. Now that your animal DNA has had the forefront your brain has accepted it as a thing that happens when you are triggered, kind of like how Raph goes savage when he’s left alone.”

”Oh right, Savage Raph.” Leo chuckled. “Good times, good times.”

”This isn’t a joke, Nardo!” Donnie growled. “Raph’s flip can be traced to the separation anxiety of his turtle species, the Alligator Snapping Turtle. You should not be acting ‘feral’ out of reversion to your DNA! You should be tucking into your shell or something for protection. Not actively attacking.”

”Looks like my DNA has a little pepper.” Leo teased. “But it’s nothing to worry about, right? I mean, so what if I don’t like the color red anymore? Raph can go full-on baldy for an bit and it’ll probably go away in time. I mean, fear of red is so stupid anyway…”

”Ereuthophobia.” Donnie corrected, and sighed when Leo gave him a look. “Ereuthophobia is the fear of the color red. Often combined with hemophobia, which is the intense fear of blood.”

”Okay first off, it’s completely weird that you just know that off the top of your head.” Leo let Donnie help him crawl back into his cot, the soft shell still keeping a firm hand over his wrist. “And second of all, fear of red is actually a thing? Geez, the world these days.”

”Well suck it up because now you are apart of said world’s phobias.” Donnie said irritatedly. “And it does make sense, given that red is often associated with danger, embarrassment, toxic animals and blood.”

”It was a joke, Einstein.” Leo grumbled. “But what happens when I look in a mirror?”

The room went deathly silent as his words sunk in. All brothers’ eyes flicked over Leo’s bright red eye crescents, realizing the weight of the situation. Mikey hesitatingly spoke up. “What if you wear your mask…?”

”The red still sticks out the top.” Donnie groaned. “Great Galileo I didn’t even think about that. Maybe… maybe we could try to slowly integrate it amongst comforting senses? For instance if we surround Nardo with a familiar atmosphere and put up a small mirror?”

”Do we really want to risk that?” Raph whimpered. “What if we can’t get him back again?”

”Well given our line of work he can’t stay scared of red forever.” Donnie said impatiently. “We fight crime on a weekly basis.”

”But Leo won’t be able to fight for a while.” Raph pointed out, much to Leo’s indignance. “Maybe we can give him a bit of time to, you know, adjust. Teach him he’s safe.”

”You mean you’re gonna hide my pretty face from me forever?” Leo whined. “Let’s just try it and see! I know Donnie would love a chance to tranq me again. He can have it ready.”

”No!” Came three unanimous exclamations, and Donnie sighed. “You’ve been unconscious enough Nardo. I’m not gonna tranq you.”

”So, what? Raph’s gonna have to go maskless every time he sees me? Every time my bandages are changed I gotta cover my eyes like we’re playing hide and seek? No pizza with tomato sauce?” Leo sighed dramatically. “Just send me back to the Prison Dimension now, gentlemen. Nothing can be worse than this fate.”

Silence. Leo looked around and nervously chuckled. “Um… too soon?”

”Way too soon.” Donnie growled. “What the shell, Nardo? How can you possibly think that’s funny?”

”Geez, easy Don!” Leo defended. “Fine, no Prison Dimension jokes. A fate worse than death?”

”No death jokes from you! None!” Donnie snapped. “Not now, not ever!”

”Leo this isn’t something to joke about.” Mikey whimpered, crawling into the cot to curl up next to his big brother. “You seriously could’ve died! Do you even know what that would do to us?”

”Yeah duh. Make you a better team with Raph back as the leader.” Leo joked. “Weak link gone. But you’d obviously lose your prettiest brother…” Donnie’s face flashed with rage.

”Nardo! I swear if you say ONE MORE self-deprecating joke I am going to… to…” Donnie growled and flung up his arms. “Exasperated scowl, I can’t even give you death threats at this point! Just shut up your dum-dum pizza-hole and understand that we care about you!”

Leo snapped his mouth shut, looking down at the quilt. Donnie was breathing heavily, face still furious. Mikey and Raph looked between them worriedly. Donnie sighed. “Apologies for shouting, Nardo. But you can’t just… joke about stuff like this!” Donnie looked away, fists clenched at his sides. “You… you just flung yourself into a suicide mission without consulting any of us. I… I heard through a freaking radio that my twin was about to die, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.”

”DonTron…” Leo started but Donnie wasn’t finished.

”Do you know what that felt like? Just hearing that you weren’t ever coming back? No more missions, pizza nights, shared birthdays, video games or turtle piles with you?” Donnie looked up. “So don’t you ever dare joke about this. Don’t you freaking dare. It’s not funny.”

”Sorry.” Leo said quietly, and Donnie turned away, clearly struggling to keep his emotions in check. Mikey went over to try to comfort him, and Donnie pulled him into a close hug without a word. Raph gave Leo a disappointed look before joining the little huddle while the slider swallowed hard, doubtful he could talk his way out of this one.

Leo hated this. Not only was be being pitied by all of his brothers but he was also hurting them left and right. Raph was the one that went savage! Not him. He was supposed to be cool as a cucumber. Not some ticking time bomb because of a stupid color. It was just dumb that he couldn’t see red or even look in a freaking mirror, right? He could handle it. He was Neon Leon.

And maybe it would prove to them all that he was truly fine.

”Well… looks like you’ve got it handled in here…” He said casually. “I’m gonna go give you guys some space. Gotta go to the bathroom anyway.”

No one answered, but Donnie thrust a finger in the direction of a crutch leaning against the medical cart and Leo was just grateful that he hadn’t been hooked back up to the IV yet. He had a bit before the medication and pain killers wore off, so he grabbed the crutch and began hobbling over to the bathroom. Raph called out a distracted reminder to be careful and Leo secretly rolled his eyes. He wasn’t a baby, and he was about to show them all just that. Feral? Yeah right.

Leo entered the restroom and shut the door behind him, taking a couple deep breaths to prepare himself. It would be fine. He would just take one look in the mirror while doing some breathing exercises and his rebelling brain would see there was nothing to worry about. After all, if it was just a briefly-learned trauma response then surely it could be undone quickly.

And Donnie could always tranq him if things went south.

Taking a deep breath, Leo finally raised his heterochromic eyes to meet those in the mirror. There was a pause as Leo felt his chest tighten but he grit his teeth and force his gaze to remain on his red crescents. He took a few calming breaths and smirked weakly. See? Absolutely nothing to worry about…

Suddenly Leo’s vision blurred and he felt himself swoon.

And Gaichū slammed a closed fist into the mirror, shattering the glass.

Chapter Text

Gaichū’s eyes were wild as he smashed the offending slider, trying to get that bloody-faced turtle away from him. He then yowled as the sharp shards sliced open his pale, tender flesh and his knuckles hit the wall behind whatever it was he had hit. Clearly not a slider like he had thought.

Those scarlet marks on his eyes. They were too familiar. They reminded him of the darkness.

They reminded him of master.

Glowing red eyes followed him through the darkness, evidence of Master’s metal body chasing after him. A sadistic amusement was in his eyes as he watched Gaichū whine, reaching out at a lightning speed to snatch the slider by his leg and spinning him like a sling in a wide circle. The slider barely had time to yelp in fear before he was slammed against the nearest boulder, hearing Master cackle with delight as he screamed in pain and crumbled to the ground like something dead.

Those scarlet eyes flashed with excitement as Master smashed a clawed hand down on his pet, fingers tightening around him once again. Gaichū barely had time to register what was happening before Master was laughing and flinging him in an arch over his head to hit him against the ground on his left side. Then he arched and smashed him on the stony surface on his right. Then left. Then right. Back and forth, arching the slider over his head and striking him against the ground over and over again until his head burned with dizziness and he couldn’t tell which way was up. Gaichū sobbed his throat raw as he squeezed his eyes shut, willing the agony to end.

Finally Master tired of him and slammed him against the ground one final time before kicking him away and squishing out of the stomach of his metal skin and slithering towards him. He ran his snake-like tongue over his jagged teeth and wrapped a tender tentacle around his little pet, drawing him close into his sticky flesh for a semblance of comfort. Gaichū whimpered but buried his face in the sagging skin, shutting out the world and letting Master run his slimy limbs over his cracked shell to soothe his stinging bruises and wounds.

There was no hope for anything better. No relief. Just torment.

And this was the closest thing to love he was ever going to get.

”That’s it, Gaichū. Just be my good little boy.” A purr rumbled from Master’s chest as a tentacle curled around to tickle the side of Gaichū’s neck, emitting a shiver from the slider. Master shushed him and continued to coddle him. “Good boy, that’s it. Such a good little boy, Gaichū. My good little pest.” Suddenly the tentacle slithered around his throat and gave a warning squeeze, not enough to be dangerous but enough to assert dominance. “You know who belong to, don’t you? You’re my good boy. And don’t you forget it.”

Gaichū whined and clawed at his head, recoiling from the memory. He felt something sticky dribbling down the side of his head and froze, slowly withdrawing his hands to look at them.

His right hand was dripping with blood.

Then a terrified roar ripped from his throat.

A crash sounded from the bathroom followed by Leo’s scream and all the brothers’ heads snapped in that direction. Donnie could’ve kicked himself. “Oh shell the mirror! That dum-dum, reckless, stupid…”

”He’s feral again?” Mikey whined, looking over at the bathroom door. “After we just told him not to look at red?”

”He probably wanted to prove us wrong.” Raph growled, stepping in front to shield his brothers as there was banging on the door. “We look away for one second…”

Soon enough the door crashed open and out tumbled Leo, hissing from the pain of the splinters and having a fist completely covered with blood and quivering shards of glass. He snarled at them all then froze, eyes once again fixed on Mikey. His eyes narrowed into slits and he let out a low, possessive growl as his brothers realized their mistake.

”Um… Mikester?” Raph gulped. “I think he wants ya…”

Leo roared and dove forward, snapping at Raph with his teeth. The snapper yelped and hurried back, afraid to hurt his brother. Leo didn’t ease up, snarling and doing everything in his power to get Raph away from Mikey. Secretly Donnie was relieved that Raph was bigger and appeared to be more of a threat than himself as he scooted away from Mikey of his own accord.

”Raph doesn’t wanna fight you Leo!” Raph whimpered as he again strove to hold Leo back without hurting him. “You’re gonna get hurt!”

”Easy Leo…” Mikey cooed like last time, looking over to the plushie on the floor next to the cot. The box turtle started forwards to grab it but Leo whipped around to snarl at him, and Mikey froze with wide eyes. “Why is he snarling at me?”

”Maybe he wants you to stay put…” Donnie trailed off, eyes finally catching sight of something on Leo’s right shoulder as the slider turned towards Mikey.

A series of scars.

Deliberate scars.

Was that… Japanese?

With a rising sense of dread making him sick he pulled up his wrist tech and scanned the symbols.

‘害虫’

The Japanese symbols for ‘pest’.

In English letters: Gaichū.

Donnie felt sick. Was this right? But he had to try. Leo roared and lunged at Raph.

“Gaichū!” He screamed out desperately, and Leo immediately dropped to the ground in front of a worried Raph. The snapper looked over at Donnie in surprise, but Donnie already had emotions swelling in his chest as Leo turned to stare at him.

Oh Galileo…

That was his name.

“G-Gaichū, sit.” Donnie repeated in a choked voice, but when Leo began to growl at him he raised his voice to a loud shout. “SIT!”

Leo immediately sat, looking at Donnie with wide, frightened eyes. Mikey’s jaw dropped. “Donnie… what…?”

“Gaichū, come.” Donnie felt his heart breaking as he had to address his twin like a dog, but he had to protect Raph and Mikey. He kept his voice harsh and firm in the way he bet Leo was familiar with in the Prison Dimension, and sure enough Leo immediately came, lowering himself to the ground and rolling onto his shell to leave himself vulnerable. Then the slider waited with bated breath, closing his eyes to leave Donnie in complete control.

“Is he… submitting to you?” Raph whimpered, and Donnie nodded.

“Y-yeah, I think…” Donnie swallowed hard as Leo flinched and lowered his voice. “I think that was the name Kraang Prime gave him. And this is what he was taught to do when called.” Donnie felt bile rise in his throat. “And I don’t think Prime just stood there either.”

“That’s… that’s sick!” Mikey cried out. “He treated Leo like some dog?”

“Correction, I think he abused Leo like a dog.” Donnie couldn’t tear his eyes from his twin. “I have a hypothesis, but I need to try out a few more things first.”

Mikey’s eyes widened. “Donnie, you can’t be serious…”

”Gaichū, sit up.” Donnie commanded, and Leo immediately sat up, head bowed before Donnie. Donnie’s breath hitched. “Gaichū…”

“Donnie please…” Mikey sobbed as Raph looked on with wide, petrified eyes at the disturbing scene.

“We have to know!” Donnie bit his tongue and grit out the words. “Gaichū… I am going to punish you now.”

The reaction was immediate. Leo stared whimpering and crying and sulked down to the ground, flinching hard as if bracing for something. Mikey’s hands flew to his mouth in devastation, and Donnie felt hatred towards Prime burning in his chest.

Leo whined and crawled down towards Donnie’s feet, rolling over and nuzzling his legs as he whimpered pitifully. Donnie’s stomach flopped as he realized what his brother was doing.

He was begging for mercy.

From him.

“Gaichū get up.” Donnie choked out, voice breaking. He tried again. “You have been very good. You will not be punished.”

Leo let out another little whine of relief and sat up cautiously. Mikey glared at Donnie.

“Donnie how could you?” He shouted, tears streaming down his face. “He thought—“

“Dissociative Identity Disorder.” Donnie whispered.

“What?”

“Dissociative Identity Disorder.” Donnie repeated louder. “Also known as D.I.D.. I… I think Leo developed a split personality, which would explain why he still has a sane side of him, and then this… this flip where he turns into something feral.” Donnie kneeled to Leo’s level. “I think Gaichū was born from the Prison Dimension, which means that there’s probably more to the story than even Leo remembers.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying no one develops D.I.D. from three minutes, no matter how bad those three minutes are.” Donnie said slowly. “He was in there for longer. And based on these reactions and conditioning from Gaichū, I’m willing to bet a lot longer.”

“But… but…” Mikey whimpered, looking back at Leo. “How did you…”

“See this scar on his right shoulder?” Donnie reached up to run a gentle thumb over the scar, cringing as Leo flinched. “It’s Japanese. In English, it says ‘Gaichū’.”

“What does it…”

“It means ‘Pest’.”

Mikey froze, and Donnie saw a murderous fury building up in the youngest’s eyes. Raph spoke up next, voice a dark and dangerous growl. “So… so he branded our brother?”

Donnie nodded, chest tight. “And had him long enough to get him to disassociate and learn both commands and his name. Which is bad. Like on a level I can’t describe.”

”So… so Leo has two personalities now?” Raph whimpered. “Like… like two different turtles?”

”Exactly.” Donnie nodded. “Gaichū here has different memories, different habits, a different worldview and different trauma responses than Leo. And vice versa.”

”And Leo didn’t tell us?!”

”No, I think he was being genuine when he didn’t believe it. Why else would he go look in that dum-dum mirror?” Donnie kneeled down to Leo’s level, keeping his gaze fixed on Leo’s wary eyes. “I don’t think Leo even knows Gaichū exists, and same goes for Gaichū about Leo.”

”Well…” Raph struggled to comprehend this. “So how do we fix this?”

”There is no known cure for D.I.D..”

The room went dead silent as Donnie’s words sunk in. Mikey whined in worry and Raph’s chasm almost filled his entire forehead. “You’re telling Raph that Leo’s stuck like this? Forever?!”

”There… there are ways to cope…” Donnie offered, and Raph almost roared in fury.

”No, not cope!” Raph stomped right over to Donnie, Leo flinching away and slinking over behind the soft shell. “You gotta fix him, Donnie! How do we fix him?”

”I can’t ‘fix’ him, Raphala!” Donnie snapped back.

”Not good enough! Leo ain’t stayin’ like this forever!” Raph barked, and Donnie shrunk slightly even though he knew Raph was only as devastated as he was. The words still stung. “What do you need? Ingredients? Maybe a psychiatrist? Ninpo? Just let Raph know and he’ll get it!”

”It can’t be fixed!” Donnie shouted, stunning Raph into silence. Leo flinched and laid down at Donnie’s feet, causing the soft shell’s eyes to well up. He knelt down quickly and unthinkingly flung his arms around his twin, Leo complying by hugging him back and burying his face in the crook of Donnie’s neck. Donnie’s breath hitched and he gently ran a hand over Leo’s shell, trying to figure out how to comfort his twin. “It’s okay Leo… Gaichū. Good boy, you’ve been so good…” Leo let out a soft churr and Donnie’s chest clenched.

”Raph… Raph’s sorry, Donnie.” Raph rubbed the back of his neck, watching the twins with a guilty expression. “Raph knows you’re trying your best and… and he’s just upset at this whole situation.”

”I know.” Donnie murmured, hugging Leo just a bit tighter. “I know.”

Gaichū felt comforting hands on his shell and nuzzled into Alpha, relief flooding him at how his skin was smooth and not sticky. The soft shell had sounded so angry, leading Gaichū to obey without question. His hand was still throbbing and he doubted he would be able to withstand another beating, especially since technically it was three against one and all his opponents appeared to be in better health.

The large snapper seemed to be second in command to Alpha, raising his voice impressively but still backing down from a fight. So as long he stayed on Beta’s good side he should be safe from any beatings from the large turtle’s muscular build. Then of course was Omega, his treasure child who seemed to be the weakest of the trio. At lease he wasn’t a threat, and as someone higher in rank it was his duty to protect the young one.

He felt a certain peace at knowing he had a master again, and could only hope that this one would be kinder than the one with scarlet eyes.

Chapter Text

Leo groaned, smacking his lips and nuzzling into his soft unicorn plushie with his face. He inhaled the scent greedily, feeling the familiar comfort sweep over him and smiling as nostalgic memories of his family drifted through his consciousness. He rolled over and froze, a new scent hitting him.

Antiseptic.

What the…

Leo’s eyes flew open and he immediately hissed as the brightly-lit white color scheme of the Med Bay burned his eyes. He grumbled slightly, thinking how ridiculous it was that they had such a potential-concussion-triggering design for their only medical center. Why not low lights, maybe some JJ posters, a beanbag chair in the corner…

”Nardo?” Came a tentative voice from the doorway, and Leo turned to see Donnie standing there. “Is it you? Or… Gaichū? Good boy?”

Leo snorted. “Geez Dee! ‘Good boy’? Is that any way to talk to your favorite and definitely-older twinnie?”

Instead of being irked like he normally was Donnie almost sagged in relief. “Oh thank goodness. Glad to see you’re awake and… you.”

”Who else would I…” Leo froze as the memories of last night flooded him and he sunk down in his bed, pulling a thick weighted blanket he recognized from Donnie’s bed over his beak. “Eugh boy…”

Donnie’s eyes sharpened. “And it’s also good to see you remember certain things. Calming sigh, let’s start with the basics. WHAT THE SHELL WERE YOU THINKING?!” Donnie screeched, and Leo flinched at the sound.

”Careful there, DonTron.” Leo teased gently. “You’re gonna strip that soothing deadpan voice that I love to hear lecture me twenty-four seven. Do you know how less-fun it is to tease someone who can’t talk back?”

”This isn’t a freaking joke, Nardo!” Donnie scowled. “You intentionally triggered yourself after we specifically told you not to! We gave you basic, BASIC instructions to follow that for some dum-dum reason went right over your dum-dum head! All you had to do was not look in a mirror! DO YOU NOT SEE HOW SIMPLE THAT IS?”

”Oh come on, Dee. I know that you know that I know I have the prettiest face. I was just checking up to make sure I was still handsome after ah… that whole situation.” Leo framed his face and gave his spluttering twin puppy eyes. “I’m happy to inform you that I am, and the trophy still goes to moi.”

”Would you shut up for TWO SECONDS?!” Donnie snapped. “You don’t understand!”

”I mean, you said I went ‘feral’ or something, right?” Leo sighed, putting a dramatic hand to his heart. “I think that affects my pride more than your safety, Dee. I mean, if you haven’t noticed I don’t think I could fight very well right now.”

”Well feral you doesn’t understand the concept of an IV or that we’re his family!” Donnie turned away to take a few calming breaths. “You think we like seeing you like that? Why on earth would you not believe us? Not believe me…”

“It just didn’t make any sense!” Leo defended. “You said the same thing! I mean, why would I have some stupid savage reaction from three minutes…”

“It wasn’t three minutes!” Donnie whipped around to glare at his twin, who startled silent. Donnie swallowed back his emotions. “Nardo, that feral side of you? It has a name.”

Leo blinked a few times, trying to get that information to process in his brain. “A… a name? What is it?”

“Gaichū, but that’s not the point.” Donnie shook his head. “Nardo, there’s no way this other side of you could be trained to answer to a name in three minutes. Even in dogs studies show that in order for them to recognize their name it can take at minimum a few days.”

“So… in English…”

“I wasn’t—“ Donnie pinched the bridge of his snout. “Nardo, there must’ve been a time dilation!”

“I said English.”

“Ugh!” Donnie flung up his hands in exasperation. “How dumb can you get and still function? Work with me Nardo!”

“What’s goin’ on in here?” Raph burst in followed by Mikey. “Raph heard shouting.” Donnie only scowled and took a deep breath.

“Deep sigh, fine.” Donnie turned back to Leo. “Time moves faster in the Prison Dimension than on earth. For instance—and I’m not saying this is correct—, if we spend one hour here on earth, then in the Prison Dimension two hours could have passed. Ex equals two-ex, or two could be a higher integer. Capiche?”

”Soooooo…” Leo dragged out the ending vowel in thought. “This Gaichū…” He stilled, shuddering slightly as the name emitted a cold feeling from inside of his chest. He shook away the pins and needles in his head and focused back to his worried family. “This Gaichū is like… another side of me? Like another personality thingamabob?”

”In the dumbest possible form of language, yes.” Donnie pinched the bridge of his beak. “Look, we got Gaichū to sleep FINALLY and then gave you a bunch of familiar items to affect your waking process. Scent seems like the most effective sense to bring you back, while Gaichū seems to be more affected by sight. So you are not to go anywhere without something familiar to hold—except from Raph’s room, since basically everything is red except for his teddy bear.” Donnie tossed the plushie over to Leo, who caught it easily. “And you also are not to be left unattended, because clearly your dum-dum self can’t be trusted to make good decisions and still hasn’t learned to listen. Understood?”

”Hold up.” Leo’s face grew confused and he looked around, patting the bed as if searching for something.

Donnie’s face scrunched. “What are you looking for?”

”I’m looking for the part where I asked for your opinion.” Leo explained, and continued mock searching as Donnie’s face grew crimson. “Hm… strange. I can’t seem to find it…”

”Cut the crap, Nardo!” Donnie spluttered. “This isn’t me trying to win something over on you or boss you or anything like that. I’m worried about you and this seems like the best course of action. I just want you to be safe, and to think that maybe one day you’ll flip into Gaichū and we won’t be able to get you back…”

”Leo, you gotta understand.” Raph spoke up. “When you switched to Gaichū we figured out that you lasted longer than even you remember in the Prison Dimension. Do ya understand how awful that is? And how it feels to see you acting like a dog?”

”Wait what now?” Leo’s head snapped to his oldest brother. “A dog? Please tell me you mean, y’know, dawg and not… a dog.”

”No Leo, we mean a dog.” Mikey looked up with wounded eyes. “You answer to your name and everything. It’s awful.”

Leo’s expression froze on his face. “But… what… how…” He looked at each of his brothers in turn as the words processed. His face slowly grew uncharacteristically cloudy. “Why would you tell me that?! That’s a whole new level on the that-sucks scale!”

”It wasn’t fair to keep it a secret.” Mikey told him tentatively. “We’ve been trying to be honest with each other.”

Leo’s head was spinning with humiliation. He was acting like some freaking pet in front of his brothers?! Shell, next thing he would find out is that he’s potty-trained! Or maybe he’d get a treat for doing a little trick. His brothers must be getting a hoot out of this.

”Nardo…” Donnie started but Leo refused to look at him.

”Well at least it sounds like Gaichū listens better than I do.” He muttered resentfully, only half-joking. “I bet that’s a nice little change of scene. What a pair we make! The dog and the screw-up. Two peas in a pod. Or two sliders in a head.”

”No.” Donnie glared at him. “Don’t you dare talk about yourself like that. Either of you.”

”Yes, Sir.” Leo quipped, and Donnie’s face darkened with fury.

”What. The. Shell.” He said in a low voice. “Don’t ever call me that again. Ever.”

”Will I get a treat if I do?” Leo snipped back.

”Leo! Shut up!” Raph barked. “What’s wrong with ya? You’re just being a jerk. It’s not our fault that happened to ya!”

”Right, of course. I was just a bad dog who didn’t obey you. Well I hope you guys are happy I’m paying the price!” Leo chuckled humorlessly, voice sour. “Maybe Donnie can get that shock collar back out, wouldn’t that be swell? Sounds like I might need it.”

”Leo!” Mikey exclaimed. “Not cool!”

”Right. I forgot. Dogs aren’t supposed to bark.” Leo crossed his arms and looked away. He knew he was acting unfair but he couldn’t help it. He was supposed to die in that stupid dimension. He was supposed to finally stop messing up and being such a burden.

He wasn’t supposed to come back and become even more of a liability.

He wasn’t supposed to come back as some humiliating pet.

And he sure as shell wasn’t supposed to make Mikey cry like he was doing right now.

Chapter Text

Leo laid on his side, eyes closed and making sure his breathing was convincing that he was asleep. His unicorn plushie was snug against his chest as his thoughts ran in circles, guilt and resentment tumbling over each other in a downward spiral.

Every beat of his heart felt like agony, every breath a torment. It was proof that he was still alive. He had hoped that maybe in sacrificing himself he would have paid penance for all his mistakes and just maybe they would remember him for that and not his numerous failures. But instead he lived and was tearing his family apart all again.

And apparently he wasn’t the only one.

That stupid feral side of him was there now too. It was Gaichū, right? It made him feel so… so dirty to know that were was some dog that could be unleashed at any moment.

Tainted.

Ugly.

He was supposed to be the one under control! Not the stupid sensitive one who couldn’t even look at himself in a mirror.

His breath hitched and he glanced down at his open palm. Why couldn’t he see himself anymore? The fact that Gaichū even existed was proof that he broke.

And it was Kraang Prime who broke him.

Leo’s hand trembled as he took in a shaky breath, tying to figure out what to do. He felt like he was falling through a Prison Dimension and there was no one there to catch him.

His brothers may have saved him from Prime, but who was there to save him from himself?

Oh shell he was spiraling. He felt his breathing start to pick up and stubbornly held his breath to try to keep himself silent. The room was way too small and the weighted blanket from Donnie’s bed felt crushing all around him. He was paralyzed—every single limb in mutiny to his brain’s commands as he felt himself sinking deeper and deeper into a black hole of self-hatred.

I need to move. Why won’t my body freaking obey me? And then there’s that stupid little dog that needs to be coddled and could come out at any moment and maybe that’s what’s happening oh shell is Gaichū coming out and what if he hurts my brothers and what if they can’t get me back and would that really be a bad thing no shut up Leo your brothers love you but they could do without you no shut up you know it’s true but for some reason they want to keep you around and you hurt them all by dropping that stupid key and you should’ve died no shut up it’s a good thing I’m alive or maybe it’s not and maybe I should finish the job NO SHUT UP why can’t I get my stupid brain to shut up and behave but I can’t stop thinking well if I was dead I wouldn’t have to think NO don’t think about that Leo your brothers already went through so much and they would miss you and they love you but how can they love you if you don’t even love yourself no be kind to yourself right that’s what Mikey always says but I don’t deserve kindness I need to suffer I need to be better I need to get over myself and stop thinking and noshutupyouneedtothinkbecausethinkingmeansyou’realiveandthat’swhatyourbrothersneedyoutobeyouhavetobestrongforthemandwhycan’tmystupidbrainjustshutupandleavemealoneIwanttosleepI’msotiredwhycan’tIsleepordiebynowIdon’tcarewhichoneIjustwantmystupidbrainstoshutupandleavemealonewhywon’titleavemealonewhycan’tIshutupthisstupidbrain…

”Leo? Leo wake up…” He felt gentle shaking jostle him out of his thoughts and he tried to focus.

Nowyou’reworryingyourfamilyandyouhavetomoveandstopthinkingandfocuswhycan’tIfocusohshellMikeyissayingsomethingwhatishesayingnowlookwhatyou’redoingyoudumbungratefulwretchofabrother…

”Leo, you’re having a nightmare.” Mikey repeated, and at Leo’s lack of a response he sighed and slowly crawled into the cot with him. Leo felt his younger brother nuzzle into his side and he let out a slight whimper, greedily trying to get more of the comfort even if he couldn’t move. Oh bless Michelangelo, the slider thought as his little brother cuddled a bit closer and closed his eyes. It was at least something to focus on—something he could just accept. He tried to focus on the comforting warmth of his little brother’s body heat and not the raging tempest in his head.

”I’m sorry…” He mumbled, and felt Mikey perk up. “I’m sorry I…”

”It’s okay, Leo.” Mikey murmured. “You were hurting.”

Leo nodded, grateful Mikey understood his apology since he didn’t think he could get another word out if he tried. He took a deep breath, counting the seconds before letting it out slowly. He needed to ground himself. He could freak out later when he was alone, but right now he needed to make things up to his little brother.

And his other brothers too. Even if he was worried that if Donnie’s forehead got any more full of hot air it would pop. Maybe something subtle like…

”Could… could we have a turtle pile?” He said quietly. “I could lay on the end so my IV can still flow and…”

Mikey smiled at him and nodded. “I’ll go get the pillows and blankets! I’m sure the others will be happy.”

Geez, Mikey really was a little ray of sunshine wasn’t he? Leo would never know how the box turtle was able to forgive so quickly but was eternally grateful for it.

He needed a lot of forgiveness.

Deep breath in, deep breath out.

Especially for that.

Mikey gave him one more little nuzzle before climbing off the cot and hurrying out, leaving Leo alone with his thoughts.

Oh crap that was a bad idea.

No more grounding for his thoughts.

Can you believe you let your little brother get near a freaking dog? You let him next to Gaichū who could’ve flipped and hurt him at any second! Whispered the angry self-hatred. Wow, give this guy a medal for the Best Brother Awards.

Leo took a shuddering breath. Please shut up. Shut up, Leo. Your brothers love you and they know you would never hurt them.

You already hurt them. Way too many times by just being you. And now you have some savage alter ready to flip at any stupid freaking trigger!

Unless…

Leo sat straight up in bed, mind churning. If Gaichū was a dog then… then could he be trained? Or… punished?

There was a thought. Was there any way to get Gaichū to behave? Maybe he couldn’t fully stop him but maybe… maybe he could scare him into behaving…

Leo shook his head. No, that was stupid. He couldn’t possibly try that. Or could he?

He glanced over at the door. Mikey was still rounding up his brothers so he had time…

He hopped off the cot and limped over to his odachi leaning against the corner of the room where they had been hastily tossed and forgotten after Leo was attended to. He picked one up and hesitated. Where should he do it? Somewhere subtle…

He opened the palm of his hand and took a deep breath, slowly piercing the skin with his odachi. He sucked in a quick breath at the pain before taking a few breaths and relaxing. He braced himself and yanked the blade through his hand, closing his eyes tight so he wouldn’t see the blood and switch.

This was a little present for Gaichū to find next time he decided to try to take over his body.

Leo was in control.

And Gaichū was going to learn that.

Leo grit his teeth as he swiftly wiped off the smear of blood off on his black shorts and set the blade back in place, crawling into his cot once more. His palm was stinging but it was a good kind of sting. It was the kind of pain that he was able to tell to shut up, the kind of pain he was dictator over.

He had created this pain. The world thought it could pull a fast one over Neon Leon? Heh, think again because it couldn’t break something that was already broken. And Gaichū thought he was in control? Well that guy was going to get humbled real quick when he discovered unknown injuries and pain.

Maybe the little gremlin wouldn’t even show up, but if he did then Leo would be ready.

Chapter Text

Leo groaned, feeling his body begin to wake up and the stubborn refusal to accept that fact. He automatically turned to snuggle into Donnie’s warmth as his twin lay beside him alongside Raph, who was still asleep. Mikey was nowhere to be found but Donnie peeked an eye open to look at him at the contact. “Nardo? You awake…?”

”No.” Leo grumbled. “Five more minutes. Or an hour… yeah an hour sounds good…”

Donnie snorted. “Only if you insist. I’m not tired at all… he said convincingly…”

”I do insist. And what the patient wants the patient gets.” Leo nodded decisively and closed his eyes. “Nice and comfy…”

”Oh good, you’re awake!” Came Mikey’s chipper voice from the doorway. “Breakfast is ready, and I’ve got some plans for after.”

”Ugh… Mikester I’m still tired…” Leo lifted his head to look at his youngest brother and froze when he saw the box turtle clad in a brown turtleneck and large round glasses. “Oh no.”

”Dr. Feelings is in session!” Mikey smirked, hands professionally behind his back. “And he happens to be an excellent cook as well.”

”Hey… talking in the third person is Raph’s thing…” Raph blinked open his tired eyes. “Wait… we havin’ a Dr. Feeling’s session? Now? It’s so early little man… I mean big man…”

”The sky’s awake…” Leo mumbled, unable to resist. “So Mikey’s awake… and he wants to talk about emotions…”

”Shudder.” Donnie muttered, burying deeper under the covers. “All the mushy stuff that should not be used in conversation to increase efficiency.”

”Well, Donald,” Mikey’s smile went sickly sweet. “I think this session could benefit all of us. Especially Leo.”

Leo groaned. Of course this was about him and that stupid Gaichū wackadoo. He just couldn’t catch a break, could he? Over the pleasant fog of slumber he had almost forgotten about his little alter. He squeezed his hand into a fist, feeling the slight sting of his healing cut and relaxing slightly at the comforting pain. At least he was still in control and he would continue to punish Gaichū until the little gremlin was gone for good. “You… you sure this is necessary Mikester? I mean Doc?”

”One hundred percent.” Mikey nodded with a determined look in his eyes. “There are so many questions I have! And I think the first step is figuring out where your memories end and where Gaichū’s begin.”

”Defeated sigh, I have to agree with you, Angelo.” Donnie pushed himself into an upright position. “Despite this inhumane hour of the morning I think it would be good for research.”

”Thank you for your consideration, Dee.” Mikey smiled gratefully. “But don’t worry! I made breakfast for you guys so we can eat while we talk.”

Eventually all the turtles were up and stumbling towards the living room, Mikey skipping ahead and Raph carrying Leo after he whined for it. As they passed the kitchen, however, Leo noticed some broken dishes on the ground. The Med Bay was soundproof so of course he hadn’t heard anything, but he took a suspicious glance over at Mikey’s hands, which were indeed trembling. He recalled overhearing something regarding nerve damage from his little brother opening a portal to save him but to see the consequences of that first hand gave him a stab of guilt.

Don’t think about that right now, Leon. He advised himself. You can’t freak out now. You need to keep your wits about you until you can be alone and punish yourself. Not now.

Geez, the more he thought about it the more he realized just how many things he needed punishment for.

In a way he couldn’t really blame Kraang Prime…

NO SHUT UP!

”Please, make yourselves comfortable.” Mikey gestured to the couch cushions, and Donnie immediately plopped down in a recliner. Raph gently positioned Leo in a beanbag chair, making sure he was comfortable before sitting himself on the couch. Mikey stood in front of the three of them, smiling politely and watching them carefully. Leo knew this and so reclined on the beanbag chair, relaxing his shoulders and shifting his expression into a casual smirk. He was the Face Man, which meant that he was an expert at controlling other’s perception of him. They would never know anything about what he was thinking unless he wanted them to know. His emotions were his to manipulate.

Now that Gaichū was a factor it complicated things a bit…

”I made you blueberry pancakes, Lee.” Mikey gestured to the plates in front of them, and Leo brightened his eyes even though his stomach was clenching from anxiety.

”You spoil me, Angie.” He took an exaggerated sniff of the pancakes and pulled the warm plate into his lap. “But now you have King Leo’s attention. Carry on and tell me what’s up, Doc.”

The corners of Mikey’s lips twitched at the reference but he retained his composure as a professional. “You get patient privileges. Anyways I would like to start with some questions, if you don’t mind.”

Leo did, but he shrugged in an unbothered manner. “Sure. Fire away.”

”Excellent!” Mikey smiled at him. “And I’m sure Donnie will have some questions took so feel free to jump in, Dee. Or if you have any, Raph.”

”Many thanks.” Donnie drawled. “I will be taking full advantage of that permission.”

”Woah, is this a therapy session or an interrogation?” Leo joked, and Mikey gave him a look.

”We just want to understand so we can help you, Leo.” Mikey explained. “So first off I’d like to ask you how you feel.”

Leo snorted. “How I feel?”

”Exactly. About knowing you have… an alter, in professional terms.” Mikey’s voice was gentle. “How are you coping?”

Leo thought about the cut on his palm but shook the thought away. “Eh, you know me. Life’s just being a bit of a dingleberry, but I can handle anything it throws at me.”

A little vein in Mikey’s jaw throbbed. “I know you’re tough Lee, but how are you feeling? Do you want me to get the feelings chart for you or do you think you can manage?” Donnie snorted and Mikey shot him a glare. “No laughing, Donald. You’re probably the one who needs the chart the most. Sometimes we simply cannot grasp the correct word for our emotions.”

Leo flushed slightly but shook it off. “I can manage, Mike. Thanks.” He thought a moment. This was fine, he could figure out a way to weasel his way out of this one. What were they expecting him to feel? And what was the least possible honesty he could give for it to be believable? “I dunno. I guess I feel… kinda strange. But I’m already awesome so it was only natural fate would try to replicate me.” He smirked at his brother’s groans. Score.

”Feeling strange is completely understandable, Leo. I mean, I can’t imagine what it’s like to know there’s almost another consciousness inside of you with different memories and a different personality. It must be tough.” Mikey hesitated. “Do… do you remember when you stopped remembering? Or like… what’s the last thing you recall in the Prison Dimension?”

Leo felt a sudden shiver as his brain automatically tried to think of an answer, the temperature in the room feeling like it dropped a couple degrees.

”Nardo?” Donnie spoke up. “That’s actually a good question. We’ve judged that you don’t recall anything from when you switch to Gaichū, so it would be useful to pinpoint exactly when he was born.”

He. Not you. Because he is talking about a separate consciousness who isn’t you and who you can’t control. Leo mused with a peculiar sense that made his skin crawl. He shook it off and tried to focus. “Well… I don’t know. I guess… I remember going in and… and did a pretty darn good impression of a rag doll if I do say so myself…”

”Nardo, if you make one more joke about this situation I swear I’m gonna flip.” Donnie grit out. “Just answer the darn question.”

”Heh, you know I can’t stop Dee.” Leo smirked.

”Well tone it down for the love of Galileo.” Donnie huffed.

”Ack! The Creativity Cops! Well officer I’m guilty as charged.” Leo chortled. “But fine. Prime was in a bit of a hissy fit and then…”

Leo trailed off, feeling suddenly very disoriented and disturbed. He looked around the room with spaced-out eyes as he tried to concentrate. He heard his brother’s voices glitching in and out and asking him if he was okay, but between the glimpses of reality were horrific flashbacks.

”You wretched. Little. PEST!”

Slam.

Crunch.

”Nardo?”

”Welcome back, my little pet. Ready for some more fun?”

Pain.

Fear.

”Leo what’s going on?”

I’ll be stuck here forever.

It’s hopeless.

There’s so much blood. How am I not dead?

”I think he’s having a panic attack!”

I want to die. Why can’t I die?

I wish I would die.

”Nardo, deep breaths.”

I can’t take it anymore.

It’s too much.

There’s no help here. No hope.

Just pain.

”Come on, Leo! You can do it! Just copy my breathing…”

”It’s time for your punishment, pest!”

How is this possible? This torment… I can’t take it.

I can’t live like this.

But I can’t die.

”It’s not working, Dee!”

How can these beatings hurt just as bad as usual but I can’t feel them the same?

Why isn’t there any fear?

Any hatred?

Why isn’t there anything left?

”Why is he jerking around?”

There’s nothing left for him to beat.

Nothing left in me.

I feel so… numb.

”Come on Leo, snap out of it!”

Like nothing matters.

Like I’m not myself.

Like I’m not real.

Am I real?

”Please Leo, you’re scaring us.”

Maybe nothing’s real. Maybe nothing matters anymore. I can’t feel anything… like I’m drowning through an abyss…

”Leo?”

…But I’ve forgotten how to care.

”Nardo, wake up!”

Nardo? Was that my name? I can’t even remember anymore. It’s not like it matters.

”Wake up, my little pest.”

Go away.

Leave me alone.

Let me die.

”Something’s changed in you, little pest.”

How can something change if I never was anything to begin with.

Nothing’s left.

Or was there anything there to begin with?

Was this monster always there just lurking and watching over me?

”You can’t hide from me.”

Why would I hide? There’s no point. This monster will still find me and do what he likes to me like I’m his good little pet and he’s my master.

How can this be bad if it can’t be avoided? If this is all I’ve ever known?

This is existence.

Obedience to Master means that I am safe.

Disobedience means I will be punished.

”I like this side of you. More submissive. More fun to play with.”

Please don’t hurt me Master.

I’ll be good. Just please don’t hurt me again.

”Oh, such a good little boy! I love it when you roll onto your shell for me like a good pet.”

Master loves me! Maybe I won’t be punished today. I’m a good boy. I’m his good little boy.

Good little…

”Leo? Leo talk to us!” Omega pleaded, and Gaichū glanced over at him. Where…

Where was he?

Chapter Text

Gaichū breathed heavily as he whirled around to look at each of his horrified pack members in turn, fear churning in his stomach. What had happened? Was he in trouble? What had he missed? Why was he in foreign territory?

”L-Leo?” Whimpered Omega. “Or… or are you…?”

”Shell!” Alpha hissed. “He’s not Leo anymore! Shell shell shell…”

”Donnie!” Barked Beta, and Gaichū flinched away at the booming voice. “Language!”

”Give me a break, Raphala!” Alpha snapped back. “I wasn’t saying anything and don’t give a crap at the moment! You wanna hear real language? Because I’d be more than happy to—“

”Gaichū?” Cooed Omega, stepping closer. “Hey boy, it’s okay.”

Gaichū looked up at the young turtle, eyes softening at the calming color of his mask and slightly confused at the strange new clothes he was wearing. He let out a slight purr and scampered over to him. The other turtles glanced over, argument forgotten. At their gaze Gaichū realized his mistake and immediately faced Alpha, head bowed. Alpha spluttered.

”What… what’s he doing now?” Alpha stared intently at the slider, who flinched under his gaze.

”Is he bowin’ to Dee?” Beta seemed to be at a loss for words. “Why? Um… Gaichū, good boy, buddy. Come to Raph.”

Gaichū refused to move. He knew the hierarchy and was in no condition to try to rise in rank. He remained perfectly still, head lowered before his alpha.

”He… he did submit to Donnie earlier…” Omega mused, stepping closer cautiously. “Gaichū, come.” When Gaichū didn’t move Omega glanced up at Alpha. “Dee, I think he thinks you’re his owner. Or boss? Or maybe alpha if he has an animal mindset.”

”Me?” Alpha sputtered. “Why me? I’m not going to order around my own freaking twin!”

”You were the one who figured out his name, Don.” Beta spoke up. “So maybe he figured you’re the one calling the shots or something.”

”Not happening.” Alpha snipped. “I’m not going to be his ‘alpha’ or whatever. We’re just going to get his unicorn plushie then it’ll all be good…”

Gaichū let out a slight whine in the delay for orders. He lowered his body to the ground and slowly scooted over to his alpha, rolling over onto his shell and closing his eyes. He heard Alpha suck in a sharp breath before clearing his throat.

”Worried cough… erm… Gaichū, sit up.” He grit out, and Gaichū immediately scrambled upright to sit back on his haunches. He cocked his head, tail wagging in nervous energy. He watched Alpha’s face closely for any change of emotion, but to his great relief his new master didn’t seem angry. “Um… good boy. Now… um… what do I say?”

”I don’t know!” Omega hesitated. “I… I can go grab his stuffed animal. Give me a sec.” He began to sidle towards the door when Gaichū suddenly whipped his head around to let out a low warning growl. Omega immediately froze. “Um… it’s okay, buddy. Just going to get your toy. Do you want your toy?”

Gaichū let out another growl, eyes narrowing into slits. Omega was the only one under him in rank, and he wasn’t going to let someone so vulnerable wander off into an unfamiliar place. What if there were dangers? Gaichū needed to be there to protect him. Omega raised his hands in surrender.

”Alright… um… Donnie? I don’t think he wants me to leave.” Omega informed Alpha, and Alpha sighed.

”Oh now he decides for himself.” Alpha grumbled before freezing. He gave Gaichū a peculiar look. “I wonder why he’s okay ordering Miguel around but not me. Raph, you go try for the door.”

Beta nodded and slowly began to make his way towards the door. Gaichū let him go, watching with wary eyes. If they were going exploring then why weren’t they going in a group? But Beta knew better and as long as Alpha didn’t stop him then it was fine. Unless they were playing hide-and-seek? Gaichū shuddered at the memory of Master tearing away the stones of his hiding spot and grabbing his neck to fling him across the abyss. Alpha didn’t seem big enough to throw Beta though…

”Fascinating. It appears that he’ll let you do what you want as well, Raphala.” Alpha leaned closer. “You mentioned something about me being his alpha, Angelo?”

”Yeah… wait do you think he thinks we’re in a pack or something?” Omega crossed his arms. “Why am I at the bottom of the barrel then? Does he think I’m the runt or something? Or the omega?”

”Perhaps. But then he always seemed protective of you.” Alpha cleared his throat. “Gaichū…”

”Wait, whatcha doin’, Dee?” Beta yelped. “I thought you said you weren’t going to order him around!”

Alpha hesitated. “This isn’t ordering him around. This is trying to understand my dum-dum twin’s alter so that we can try to help him. Gaichū, go to Mikey.”

Gaichū blinked. Mikey? Alpha had gestured to Omega when speaking, so the slider stood and cautiously made his way over to his treasure child. He looked back over at Alpha for approval and gave a little tail wag when it appeared that he was correct.

”Good boy, Gaichū.” Alpha praised. “Raph, go get his unicorn. Gaichū, go with Raph.”

Beta nodded and moved towards the doorway so Gaichū immediately scampered after him, trotting beside his beta. Beta’s eyes softened and he gave Gaichū a tender pet on the head.

”Good boy, buddy.” He said in a soothing voice. “Dontcha worry, Raph’s gonna get you back to normal soon.”

Gaichū let out a little chirp of acknowledgement at the giddy observation that Beta wasn’t mad at him. He hadn’t been punished yet since being with these new masters… perhaps they were more gracious than his previous one. Maybe if he kept being good then he would be safe.

Beta led him through a couple hallways and Gaichū kept his wary eyes open to watch for any potential dangers. Beta was clearly sent on a mission, which meant that Gaichū had to have been sent with him as a sort of guard.

The two of them began to approach a room that Gaichū recognized as his previous den, and his tail wagged at the familiarity. But then an unfamiliar scent hit his nostrils and he froze, trying to discern what it was. Beta noticed his tension and stopped as well, turning around with a confused look. “Oh, hey Pops. Hey CJ.”

Gaichū turned around with his eyes narrowed, spying two new figures standing behind them. It was an ambush! He bared his teeth and let out a low warning growl for the strangers to stay back. They both froze, watching him with bafflement.

”Um… Red? What is the matter with Blue?” Asked the rat, and Gaichū let out another snarl.

”Is… is this a switch?” The human asked cautiously. “Donnie mentioned something about D.I.D. when I spoke with him yesterday.”

”D… I… D… did? What is did?” Asked the rat, and the human sighed.

”It’s an acronym. Dissociative Identity Disorder.” The human explained. “I didn’t hear much but Master Dona… Donnie told me that he had some suspicions.”

”Yeah, um… yeah this is.. um… meet Gaichū.” Beta said awkwardly, but to Gaichū’s confusion he didn’t seem to be scared of the newcomers. Were they friends then? Gaichū waited tensely for a command to attack or stand down.

”Hey there, Gaichū.” Cooed the human gently, kneeling down to Gaichū’s eye level. “We didn’t mean to scare you back there.”

”Gaichū? Sounds like a sneeze. And there is absolutely no way that I am going to be calling my own son a pest.” The rat huffed, but Gaichū could sense pain in his words. Was he upset with him? “And why is he crawling on the floor like that?”

”Splinter, Donnie said that Gaichū was trained like a dog. Remember? That’s why Leo was upset.” The human explained again, and Gaichū felt his guard slip at this stranger’s calming nature. He seemed kind, gentle and at peace. Not like a threat. Cautiously Gaichū took a few tentative steps forward to take in more of his scent. He didn’t smell like blood either, so perhaps he wasn’t an enemy. The human’s face softened. “Good boy, buddy. It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” Gaichū finally reached the human and the black-haired boy stretched out a gentle hand to pet Gaichū’s head. The slider let out a little rumble of pleasure and nuzzled his hand. This and the fact that Beta wasn’t attacking proved that these were friends. This human seemed to respect Beta, so perhaps he and Gaichū were in the same rank. Almost like he was a brother.

Beta sighed. “Yeah, Casey’s right. Gaichū is… trained by Prime. But Raph’s gonna grab his unicorn plushie now to try to get him a familiar scent, or something like that. Donnie knows.”

”That’s a good idea.” Brother nodded and let Gaichū follow Beta into the old den, the snapper turtle gently taking the plushie off the bed and offering it to Gaichū.

”Here buddy, remember your toy? Do you want it?” Beta cooed, and Gaichū let out a little rumble of contentment before taking the plushie in his beak. Immediately warmth began to flood his senses at the comforting scent, but there was something else. A drowsiness. And last time he had fallen asleep…

Gaichū spat the toy out of his mouth, backing away from it with a growl. Beta’s brow furrowed. “What’s wrong buddy? It’s just your toy.”

Gaichū whined and backed up, shaking his head vehemently. Was this a type of punishment? Did they want him unconscious for something? Beta picked up the unicorn with a concerned expression. “Come on Leo… sorry, Gaichū. It’s just your toy! You love this toy, don’t you?”

Gaichū let out another growl and Beta sighed, holding the plushie tightly and leading Gaichū out the door and back to the open clearing where Alpha and Omega were waiting.

”Well?” Alpha asked, almost impatiently. “Did you give it to him?”

”He’s not taking it.” Beta frowned. “He spat it out.”

”But Leo loves that unicorn!” Omega whimpered. “And I thought Gaichū liked it too.”

”Interesting…” Alpha frowned and took the toy from Beta. He held it out to Gaichū. “Here Gaichū, it’s for you.”

Gaichū let out a distressed chirp and backed up nervously, causing Alpha to sigh in disappointment. “Come on, Nardo! Don’t make me do this!”

The slider continued to resist, and Alpha groaned. “Fine. Gaichū, take this toy. Now.”

It was a direct order. Gaichū hesitated slightly but took the soft plushie in his mouth without resistance. Beta sighed. “Raph hates it when you order him around like that.”

”Well he needs to switch! I’m done with a dog-twin.” Alpha snipped back, and as expected Gaichū felt his mind growing foggy. He blinked slowly in disorientation before the world slowly went dark.

Chapter Text

Donnie let out a sigh of relief as Leo slowly came to again, glancing around at his brothers with confusion and not wariness. The slider blinked a couple times before speaking up. “Um… hey maybe I had too-little caffeine or something but I…”

”Leo!” Mikey flung himself at his older brother, not caring how his Dr. Feelings glasses clattered to the ground. “I’m so sorry Leo… I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to…”

”Woah woah woah, slow down, Mikester!” Leo hugged Mikey back in disorientation. “What are you… oh. Oh did it… did I…”

”I thought talking about it would help.” Mikey whined, and Leo’s face grew steadily more ashen although he struggled to maintain his composure.

”Hey, don’t sweat it, Mike!” He chuckled nervously, but everyone noticed the hitch in his breathing as he looked around the room. His hands clenched into fists. “Did I… I didn’t hurt anyone… right? Or… or do anything else…”

”Lee, don’t worry about it. It wasn’t your fault.” Raph cooed. “And ya didn’t hurt anyone. Gaichū was really calm this time around.”

”He was, was he?” Leo nodded tightly, but Donnie frowned as he snuck a glance at his hand. Something wasn’t right. He could see the disorientation in his twin’s eyes, the way his pupils darted around in panic.

”Nardo?” Donnie stepped forward with concern. “Are you okay? Just try to calm down a bit.”

Leo chuckled weakly. “You kidding me, Dee? I’m chill as Chili’s. Or a happy little snowflake. Too bad my brain has too much awesomesauce for only one metaphor hehe…”

”Not now, Nardo.” Donnie snipped before taking a deep breath. He held up a finger and moved it across Leo’s face. “Can you follow my finger?”

Leo stared at him blankly for a couple seconds before giggling slightly. “Sorry, did you say something or are you just gonna waggle your finger like some crazy Karen at the supermarket?”

Donnie grit his teeth. “Follow. My. Finger.”

”Where to? You wanting to give your little green digits a vacation to Tahiti?”

”Nardo I’m serious!” Donnie snapped, and Raph stepped forward with concern.

”What’s goin’ on, Dee?” The snapper fretted, and Donnie huffed.

”I just want to make sure he’s actually back!” Donnie stared intently at his twin. “He’s not looking too good.”

”You wound me, brother. Insulting my dashingly good looks now? That’s low, even for you.” Leo snorted, blinking growing slower and slower as it seemed his eyelids were getting heavy. “And here I thought you knew you were beat on the Best-Looks Train…”

”Leo, your voice is slurring.” Mikey pointed out worriedly, and Leo waved a weak hand at him.

”Nah bro, I’m fine.” Leo glanced around in confusion. “But seriously it’s sweltering in here. Mind turning down the old thermostat, Donnie Boy?”

”Okay, first off never call me that again. Secondly, it’s the same temperature as it was when you complained that it was chilly in here earlier!” Donnie narrowed his eyes. “What’s going on with you?”

”It’s just way too hot in here… or maybe it’s just me, heh.” Leo pulled away from Mikey slightly to try to fan himself. “Geez my face is melting… it’s almost too hot to breathe…”

Donnie’s eyes immediately widened in alarm. “You can’t breathe?!”

Leo didn’t seem to hear him, taking a couple gasps in an attempt to fill his lungs. “Shoot… shoot what’s going on? Don what’s got you worried like that? Is… is something happening right now?” Leo glanced around in a panic. “What… what’s going on?”

”Leo calm down!” Raph pleaded, but Leo only struggled to scramble to his feet.

”Geez… what…”. The slider began to fully hyperventilate, but when Donnie grabbed his arm to stabilize him Leo released a low growl. Donnie didn’t even have time to process what was happening before Gaichū was bolting away from him and leaping onto the couch. Mikey yelped and dove out of the way as Gaichū ran around the room in circles, whining and chirping in distress.

”What just happened?!” Raph barked, and Donnie didn’t even have an answer for him as he watched his feral twin knock over a side table and send the magazines and remote stacked on top flying. “Is he Gaichū again?”

”Leo, it’s okay! It’s us!” Mikey pleaded, and managed to fling his arms around the frightened slider, Gaichū yelped in alarm before freezing, looking at Mikey with fearful eyes.

”Mikey?” Gaichū Leo asked in an uncharacteristically raspy tone. “Mikey what’s going on?”

”Wait, Leo?” Mikey stared at his older brother before offering a strained smile. “Nothing’s happening. It’s okay. Just take some deep breaths to calm down…”

”No, how did I get over here?!” Leo looked around the room in a panic at the messy sight. “Did I do that? Or he… or what’s going on? Were we attacked?”

”Nardo you just… I don’t even freaking know! Just try to breathe…” Donnie tried, but Leo suddenly shook his head and let out a snarl, leaping out of Mikey’s arms and attempting to dive under the couch. The gap was too small, however, and Gaichū only succeeded in flipping the furniture over and startling at the sound. He let out a hiss and and began to run until he encountered the unicorn plushie on the ground. He let out a frightened yowl and leapt away from it.

”What’s goin’ on with him, Don?” Raph barked. “He’s goin’ crazy!”

”I can fix this I can fix this I can totally fix this…” Donnie mumbled, typing on his wrist tech and searching for anything related to D.I.D.. “Just give me a second…”

”Look out!” Mikey shouted, and Donnie barely had time to look up before Gaichū barreled into him, knocking them both to the floor.

”What the shell, Nardo?!” Donnie snapped automatically, but then regretted his words as Gaichū’s eyes widened in fear and he scrambled to get off with a whine. “No, shell, sorry Gaichū…”

Gaichū popped into his shell in a panic, but then just as quickly Leo reemerged looking like he’d seen a ghost. “Donnie what’s going on? I can’t stop it… I can’t stop this… help me Dee…”

”Hold on, Nardo!” Donnie’s chest clenched as he sat up and got back to his research. “There’s got to be a reasonable explanation for this…”

“Make it stop!” Leo rasped, eyes wide. “Please make it stop I hate this stupid…”

“Leo you need to calm down!” Mikey pleaded. “Your stress is making it worse.”

“SHELL IT’S GONNA HAPPEN AGAIN!” Leo looked around with disorientation and panic. “It’s not real… why is nothing real! Why aren’t you guys real?! Help me! Please help me it’s hopeless!”

“It’s not hopeless Leo!” Donnie barked. “Take deep breaths! DEEP BREATHS he said with a perfectly calm voice with zero panic or stress tainting his vocal chords! I SAID BREATHE!”

“I can’t!” Leo gasped. “I can’t… I can’t… hsssssssss!” Gaichū scrabbled across the floor to leap over the fallen couch in a frenzy, whining and hissing with panic.

“He’s outta control!” Raph shouted. “We gotta stop him!”

“I don’t know how!” Donnie barked. “He’s cycling!”

”Cycling? What’s that mean?!” Mikey yelped and ducked as Gaichū leapt a little too close to him for comfort.

”It says here that D.I.D. victims can go through rapid cycling of alters in moments of panic!” Donnie explained urgently. “We just need to calm him down!”

”Any bright ideas on how?” Raph snarked as he snatched Gaichū out of the air and held the struggling slider tightly.

”Not like that!” Donnie scowled. “How is restraining him going to help?”

”Raph doesn’t know!” Raph snapped. “Why did Leo freak out in the first place?”

”Unclear.” Donnie pinched the bridge of his beak. “It could have something to do with the fact that my dum-dum twin was reliving the most traumatic experiences of his lifetime right before from his view he fell unconscious. Or something else since we all know that Nardo hates Gaichū.”

Gaichū hissed and squirmed in Raph’s grip. Mikey hurried over and cupped the slider’s face in his hands.

”Hey Gaichū, it’s okay buddy. Just look at me. Good boy! You’re such a good boy.” The box turtle cooed, and Gaichū whined slightly but his eyes softened as he gazed at Mikey. He trembled slightly and nuzzled into Mikey’s hands.

”What do we have here…” Donnie clicked on another article on his wrist tech. “It says here that younger alters can occasionally resist switching. Perhaps Gaichū panicked when he was losing consciousness and… and GASP that has to be why he was resisting the stuffed animal! The only times he’s been in contact with it is when we’ve been trying to get Nardo back!”

”That… that’s true!” Mikey bit his bottom lip in concern. “So… so what are we supposed to do? Just let him switch back on his own after he falls asleep naturally?”

”I hate to say it, but that might be our best route.” Donnie sighed sharply. “If we keep forcing Gaichū to switch back then that would disorient him further.”

Mikey pressed his forehead against Gaichū’s in a soothing manner. “Don’t worry buddy, you’re safe now. You’re such a good boy. Who’s a good boy? You are, you good boy!”

Gaichū’s tail wagged slightly at the praise, and Raph’s face softened as he held the slider. “So… we just have to wait this out Don?”

”It appears so.” Donnie frowned. “I wish Nardo could be calmed down as easily, but he’s got a more mature and cluttered brain than Gaichū. Besides, this alter was trained with a very simple mindset: be good and you’ll get praise, be bad and you’ll be punished. And obey the alpha at all costs, which in the Prison Dimension was Prime.”

”He’s just a sweetheart.” Mikey nuzzled Gaichū’s face affectionately. “You’re such a good boy, buddy!”

”How in the world are you so calm about this, Michael?” Donnie watched his little brother in bewilderment. “That’s our brother you’re petting like that!”

”Gaichū just needs some love.” Mikey shot Donnie a slight glare. “He deserves to be treated in a way that he is comfortable with. Not Leo.”

”Raph’s with Mikester.” Raph spoke up. “We gotta show Gaichū that he’s safe and he’s not gonna get punished. Then he’ll get calm again and fall asleep and we can give him some other familiar objects and Leo will wake up. Easy.”

”So everyone’s just okay treating Nardo like some abused dog we adopted from the shelter? Everyone?” Donnie grumbled.

”Well, he kinda is.” Mikey intoned. “But this isn’t Leo right now. It’s Gaichū.”

Donnie sighed. “But it… it’s still my twin…”

Raph’s face softened. “We know you’re hurtin’, Dee. But we have to think about what’s best for Leo and Gaichū right now. And if that means treating him like the best pet in the world that we love and would never punish in a million years then that’s what we’re gonna do. And in the meantime you can do more research on that D.I.D. and try to figure out how to help him. Sound like a plan, Mad Dogs?”

”Don’t use that team name right now.” Donnie muttered, looking at Gaichū with a strained expression. Raph winced.

”Right, sorry Dee.” The snapper leaned his head down to nuzzle Gaichū’s shell. “But dontcha worry. Leo’s gonna be back soon, and it’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna get through this like we always do. Together.”

”I agree with that plan all except for one thing.” Donnie held up a finger. “Gaichū is not a dog or a pet or whatever. He is a mutant turtle with human blood and capabilities running in his DNA. The was he’s acting right now is a product of how he was treated all his life and not a reveal of who he is. We just need to undo his conditioning.”

”Soooo… how old is he?” Mikey questioned. “Is he like a Leo toddler? Or older?”

”I do not know, Miguel, but we’re going to find out soon enough.” Donnie looked doubtfully at his feral twin. “Or at least I hope so.”

Chapter Text

Donnie watched Gaichū and Mikey with a critical eye as the box turtle let Gaichū curl up in his lap and had a sketchbook resting gently on the top of the slider’s shell. He was almost envious of how easily Mikey and Gaichū got along but at the same time he was glad the roles weren’t switched and Mikey was the alpha (shudder).

Mikey tapped his pencil against his chin and Gaichū lifted his head to look at him. The box turtle smiled brightly and patted the slider on the head to let him know all was well and Gaichū hummed and laid back down. Donnie grit his teeth as Raph sidled over.

”You doin’ okay Dee?” The snapper murmured, and Donnie sighed.

”Deep sigh, you think I’m doing okay? Look at Angelo.” The soft shell gestured to the turtles on the other side of the room. “Gaichū’s so… calm. Almost as if he enjoys Miguel’s company.”

”Isn’t that good?” Raph’s chasm furrowed a bit deeper.

Donnie huffed slightly. “Gaichū should be that comfortable with all of us.”

Raph’s face softened. “Oh, Raph gets it. You’re jealous.”

”Scoff. I’m not jealous.” Donnie grumbled, but then he hesitated. “But on that topic I think Gaichū should be most comfortable with me since I’m Nardo’s twin. Like shouldn’t that familiarity cross over?”

”You said it yourself Dee. Gaichū has a completely different set of memories and emotional triggers than Leo.” Raph soothed, and Donnie scowled.

”I know that Raphala. But it doesn’t mean I like it or that it’s the way things should be he said very convincingly without a hint of jealousy or vexation.” Donnie bit back as he slouched down in his chair to stew.

Raph hesitated. “You know, Raph thinks that maybe that’s not a bad thought.”

”What are you talking about?” Donnie glared up at his big brother.

”Well we should try to bond with Gaichū.” Raph suggested. “I don’t know, maybe find some new things he likes?”

”Maybe.” Donnie frowned. “But do you want to know another thing that’s bothering me?”

Raph chuckled. “I have a feeling you’re about to tell me.”

”Why hasn’t Gaichū talked?!” Donnie snapped, but he lowered his voice as a flinch from Gaichū and glare from Mikey. He lowered his voice and hissed, “Gaichū still has the same vocal capabilities as Leo. We know for a fact that Kraang Prime talked. So why is he growling and hissing and stuff and not talking? It is common for young ones—such as Gaichū was or still is—to mimic the sounds of those around him. So why isn’t he at least attempting to speak like Prime?”

Raph hesitated. “Raph doesn’t know. But is it really that important?”

Donnie sighed. “Think Raphala: wouldn’t it be helpful for Gaichū to tell us if he was in pain? Or hungry? Or thirsty? Or lightheaded? Or literally anything else other than freaking out?”

”Raph sees your point.” Raph glanced over at Mikey and Gaichū with fond eyes. “But for now shouldn’t we just try to keep him comfortable? He seems to be really relaxed with Mikester.”

”I feel like we’re wasting time.” Donnie huffed. “For another thing, there was no food in the Prison Dimension. How will we know he’s hungry? He won’t even know he’s hungry! Just a foreign pang in his stomach.”

”Well Leo ate this morning, so I guess we should feed him again at noon? Right?” Raph frowned slightly as he considered this new piece of information. “Unless Gaichū goes back to sleep.”

”Aw hey buddy what happened?” Mikey cooed, and both Raph and Donnie snapped their heads over to see Mikey looking over Gaichū’s palm. The box turtle looked up. “I think he cut his palm when he was going crazy.”

”What? Let me see.” Donnie stood up but froze as Gaichū snapped his head over to look at him. Donnie gritted his teeth, considering his next move.

”Calmly, Donald.” Mikey encouraged before frowning at Donnie’s expression. “Um… maybe try not to look so serious?”

”What are you talking about?” Donnie’s face scrunched. “This is just my neutral expression.”

Raph hid a snort and Mikey hesitated. “Um… maybe try a smile?”

”What’s wrong with my face?” Donnie glared at Raph. “Why are you laughing?”

”Nothing, nothing.” Raph chortled. “Raph just… Raph’s used to your little case of R.B.F. and forgot that Gaichū isn’t.”

Donnie groaned. “Irritated huff, is my normal face really that threatening?”

Mikey bit his lip. “Well… you definitely look like someone just destroyed your lab… or like you’re a member of the mafia…”

”Or in like a really intense staring contest.” Raph chuckled. “Or like you’re playin’ poker… or about to murder somebody…”

”Okay I get it!” Donnie growled. “Funny thing is Nardo never seemed to mind.”

”Well Leo knew you.” Mikey pointed out. “Gaichū doesn’t. Time to work those social muscles Dee!”

Donnie let out a huff. “Fine. Even to the damage to my emotionally unavailable bad boy image, I will try.” The soft shell slowly tried to smile, face burning.

”Now you look like you’re in a sandstorm.” Mikey pointed out, and Donnie scowled. “Just pretend like you got new tech or something?”

”Yeah duh it’s not genuine!” Donnie snapped before sighing and looking straight at Gaichū. His eyes softened slightly at seeing his twin so scared and he took a deep breath before offering a more tender smile. Both Raph and Mikey cooed at him teasingly and he shot them a glare. “Don’t ruin the moment.”

”You should smile more often.” Mikey smirked. “You’re absolutely adorable.”

”Raph thinks the Big Man is right.” Raph teased, and Donnie swallowed down his pride and looked back at Leo, keeping a caring smile on his face as he ignored his other brothers. He slowly stepped forward with his hands out and palms facing forward in a calming gesture.

”It’s okay Gaichū.” He said, keeping his voice carefully soothing. “I just want to check your hand.”

Gaichū watched his every move with curious eyes but didn’t run away or submit so Donnie counted it as a win. Keeping his face compassionate and voice calm he told his brothers, “Watch the master, peasants. Nothing can beat twin bonding.”

Raph rolled his eyes. “Go ahead and brag Dee. We’re the ones who coached your expression, Raph will remind you.”

”I remember no such coaching.” Donnie murmured, finally settling down next to Mikey and Gaichū. Very slowly he reached out and gently took Gaichū’s hand to glance over the scabbed-over cut. He frowned slightly in thought but then smiled again as Gaichū stiffened. “If this was from his freak-out then how is the blood already clotting?”

”Well where else would it be from?” Mikey asked, and Donnie shrugged.

”I’m not sure. Bemused hum, I wonder about the placement. It’s pretty deep yet thin and clean.” Donnie’s heterochromic eyes flicked over the wound. “But perhaps we just didn’t catch it and my dum-dum twin didn’t think it worth mentioning.”

”Yeah, maybe.” Mikey agreed, setting his sketchbook back on Gaichū’s shell. “But it looks clean so I guess it’s fine?”

Donnie tried his best not to shift into his thinking face. “But if it happened while Nardo was Nardo then why didn’t it trigger Gaichū?”

”Maybe he didn’t see it?” Raph offered. “And it was already scabbed when Gaichū woke up?”

”That’s a thought.” Donnie sighed. “Good thing it wasn’t bigger. The minuscule size makes me think that Gaichū didn’t notice it because in the… the Prison Dimension he was used to discomfort. So as long as he didn’t see any blood it wasn’t a big issue for him.”

”That makes sense.” Mikey commented. “I was just curious about it, but if it’s not a big deal then we should just keep Gaichū comfy.”

”Right.” Donnie hesitate before gently reaching out and placing a comforting hand on Gaichū’s shell. “And we should try to teach him to speak as well.”

”Sounds like a job for pops.” Raph pointed out. “He taught all of us.”

”Yeah but we’re his brothers and I want him to imprint on us.” Donnie snapped quickly, and Raph raised his hands in surrender.

”Yeah yeah we can help.” Raph said. “But it’s strange how we don’t know Gaichū’s age, so do we treat him like a toddler? Like Leo’s age?”

”And Leo can’t remember enough to tell us.” Donnie sighed. “If he’s younger then typically the adult would hold up objects to name, but an older being—when trying to learn a second language—would usually try to learn proper grammar as well.”

Raph kneeled down to Gaichū’s level, a pleasant smile on his face. When Gaichū glanced up at him he pointed to himself. “Raph. Me Raph.”

Mikey giggled slightly but Gaichū tilted his head. Raph brightened. “Raph. Me Raph. Can you say Raph, buddy?”

Gaichū just looked at him and Donnie rolled his eyes. “It’s not just that simple. He needs to hear it multiple times and over a period of instances.”

”I’m Mikey.” Mikey chirped, gently petting Gaichū’s shell. “Mikey. Mikey.”

Donnie clenched his jaw so Raph gestured to him. “Donnie. That’s Donnie.”

Donnie sighed. “Let’s just save the training for another time. I don’t want to get him worked up again so he can’t go to sleep.”

”Good idea.” Mikey nodded, but hugged Gaichū and smirked at his brothers. “But I bet he’ll say my name first.”

Gaichū hummed to himself as the familiar words were repeated to him. Raph, Mikey and Donnie. He could remember that. Raph was Beta, Mikey was Omega and Donnie was Alpha. Perhaps they wanted him to be more efficient in his response to their names.

But of course he would never actually speak them. He knew better than that.

Gaichū tilted his head. “P-p-pest?”

Master whipped around to glare at him. “What did you just call me?!”

”Pest.” Gaichū said more confidently, tail wagging as he pretended to be Master and hoping his superior would be proud of him for it. “Bad pest. Pest bad. Pest.”

Master watched him for a second, eyes filling with anger as Gaichū tried sounding out the word more, mimicking an angry face. “Pest. Bad pest. Bad, bad pest.”

”No!” Prime loomed over the turtle, who quickly began to realize that he had made a mistake. Gaichū ducked his head with a whimper as Master gestured to himself. “Master.”

Gaichū whined slightly, unsure if he was allowed to speak up. “P-pest?”

”No!” A sticky tentacle crashed down on the side of Gaichū’s face and he yelped. “Bad! You stupid, useless little wretch.”

”Bad?” Gaichū tried, but Master slapped him again.

”No! No speak!” Master snarled. “You have not earned that right, pest.”

”Pest!” Gaichū brightened at the familiar word, but Master suddenly wrapped a tentacle around his throat to cut off the ability to make any sound.

”You will not speak! You are nothing, you hear me? NOTHING!” Master sighed at Gaichū’s terrified look and loosened his hold to glare at his victim. “See? Bad.” He choked the slider again and relaxed his face. “Good.” He released his grip again and growled. “Bad. You see? This is bad.” His tentacle tightened again and he tried out a grimacing smile. “This is good. Now speak. Pest.”

Gaichū shook his head vehemently, unsure of what he did wrong but terrified to repeat that mistake. Master nodded in approval. “Good boy, little pest. Good. Do not ever speak again.”

Gaichū let out a slight whine of relief, flinching as Master moved away from him.

Perhaps he was just not worthy to be like Master.

Chapter Text

Leo yawned sleepily, rolling over and snuggling deeper into the stuffed animal he was cradling. He froze. The scent was comforting but something was off…

The slider glanced down in surprise to see that he was cuddling Raph’s teddy bear. He frowned and felt around the cot for his unicorn.

”You’re awake.” Came Donnie’s almost forced-casual voice, and Leo glanced up with suspicion. Donnie was watching him carefully, and the fact that he didn’t use a name made Leo realize that his own twin wasn’t sure which alter had woken up. Leo huffed slightly in annoyance and flopped back down.

He heard Donnie hesitate before the soft shell spoke again. “Um… awkward chuckle…”

”It’s me Don.” Leo muttered, and Donnie sighed in relief.

”Oh great Galileo it worked.” Donnie hesitated at Leo’s glare. “Um… bad night of sleep?”

”I switched again didn’t I?”

Donnie frowned, foot tapping nervously. “Well… yes…”

”Well I hope he was a good little boy for you.” Leo rolled back over.

Donnie scowled. “Come on Nardo! Don’t be like that! You just woke up and you can’t even control it.”

”Yep. Can’t control it.” Leo grumbled, and Donnie sighed. He heard his twin’s footsteps growing closer but refused to look over until he felt something cold mist onto his skin.

Leo hissed and sat bolt upright, glowering at the squirt bottle Donnie was holding. “Wow. Really mature Don.”

”Well you’re acting like a tot so I had to resort to such methods.” Donnie squirted the water into the air a couple of times. “Squirting you always did get you up. Now stop being a baby.”

”It’s cold!” Leo growled and flinched away as he was squirted in the face. “Why do you even have a squirt bottle in here?!”

Donnie rolled his eyes. “Water doesn’t expire, dum-dum. After it became a habit for you to attempt to prank me with squirt bottles I hid many around the lair for just-in-case scenarios. It turned out quite useful and I just never took them away after you stopped.”

”So that’s how you always seemed to manifest retaliation. But I’m seriously not in the mood Dee.” Leo snipped and used his sheet as a shield as Donnie tried to squirt him again. “I’m tired.”

”Well perfect. This will wake you up.” Donnie yanked down the sheet and sprayed Leo a couple more times. Leo hissed and tried to swat the water away as Donnie chuckled. “I am still the water master. You can’t escape the great—“

Leo snatched the bottle from Donnie’s gloating and turned it around to spray his twin. Donnie nearly leapt a foot into the air and dove away. “Nardo! There’s expensive tech in here!”

”Then hold still!” Leo smirked and continued aiming the water toward his twin. “Careful Donnie! There’s expensive tech in here! Sacrifice yourself!”

”How dare you make me choose!” Donnie snarled, snatching a medical tray off the counter and using it as a shield. “This was supposed to wake you up! Not turn into a war!”

”Well I’m awake now and thoroughly enjoying it.” Leo snickered, squirting everywhere except where Donnie tried to shield with the tiny tray. “Happy now? End my pity party and thought you could get away with it?”

”We’re not children Nardo!” Donnie hissed. “No need to be petty!”

”Nope! Hard feelings are activated.” Leo continued his water assault. “Why’d you want me up anyways?”

”We wanted… hssssss!… to ask you some stuff!” Donnie finally took the brave risk to dive for the squirt bottle, but Leo snorted and began spraying his face repeatedly. Donnie struggled to block the spray and blindly find the squirt bottle at the same time as Leo rolled his eyes.

”You brought this upon yourself Don.” Leo smirked. “Go on. Ask your questions. I’m listening.”

”Nardo… stop!” Donnie growled. “I surrender! Just put down your weapon!”

”What was that Don? I’m the best brother and funnier than you? You’ll have to speak up.” Leo teased.

”What’s going on in here?” Mikey poked his head in the door and froze, trying to process the scene before him. “What am I seeing right now?”

”You’re seeing an utter atrocity, Miguel!” Donnie hissed. “Stop this crime immediately!”

”I see Leo’s back.” A slow grin spread over Mikey’s face and Leo waved.

”Hey Mikester! What’s new?” Leo asked casually as he continued squirting Donnie in the face yet holding the bottle out of reach. He shifted his grip slightly and felt the bottle dig into the cut on his palm at just the wrong angle. Leo yelped and dropped the squirt bottle as well as his hold on Donnie’s plastron, causing the soft shell to fall onto his lap with a grunt. Leo cried out again at the weight on his injuries and Mikey ran over to the groaning pile of twins.

”Geez Lee! You okay?” Mikey fretted.

”Yes Michael I’m fine, thanks for asking.” Donnie muttered.

”Yeah, no problem Mike. Just got a giant fiend of a brother and a metal shell dropped on me.” Leo glared at Donnie. “I blame you for this, you squirt-bottle-squire.”

Mikey hesitated. “Did you hurt you hand?”

Leo’s head snapped up. “What? Why would I have hurt my hand? My hand’s totally fine. It’s a very handy hand.”

Mikey frowned. “Did… you not want us to know?”

”I knew it!” Donnie pointed an accusing finger up at Leo. “You’re hiding injuries! I don’t care if you scraped your dum-dum hand Nardo! I just want to be aware of it.”

Leo blinked. Was this real? Was he really getting off this easily? Not only did this open up a whole new world of opportunity, but he also had the advantage that his family didn’t expect this. “I… scraped my hand?”

”Don, maybe he didn’t know.” Mikey gently grabbed Leo’s wrist and gestured to his palm. “When you were Gaichū we saw this… when did you cut it?”

Leo watched his little brother carefully. There was no way they could piece it together… right? “Well… I dunno. I think it started hurting when I was switching between Gaichū and myself really fast. Maybe I accidentally cut it then?”

”You telling the truth Nardo?” Donnie narrowed his eyes, looking up at his twin. Leo chuckled and nodded.

”Don, it’s a tiny cut on my hand. Why would I try to hide a scrape from you?” Leo struggled to hide the relief in his tone as he glanced down at the little cut. “Doesn’t look infected, so that’s good.”

”We were just curious.” Mikey piped up with a smile. “Glad you weren’t hiding anything.”

”Which we are ninety percent sure about.” Donnie grumbled, still slightly suspicious.

”Yeah yeah, worrywart. But anyways Mike was Gaichū a good boy? I mean, hehe, did he behave?” Leo corrected with a cough when Mikey glared at him, and the box turtle nodded.

”Yeah. We’re… um… we’re hoping to teach him how to speak.” Mikey said slowly, gauging Leo’s reaction. Leo refused to let himself cringe or let any other negative emotion show, instead nodding approvingly.

”That’s a good idea. Get him nice and comfortable with you guys.” Leo tilted his head in thought. “Come to think of it though it is weird he doesn’t talk, since I do.”

”A little too much, if you ask me.” Donnie quipped.

”Don’t make me squirt you again!” Leo snipped before looking back up at Mikey. “So what’s the game plan here?”

Mikey frowned. “Game plan?”

”Well, yeah.” Leo titled his head. “Like how do we get rid of him?”

Donnie and Mikey both stiffened as Mikey spoke up slowly. “What do you mean ‘get rid of him’? You can’t just… erase all those memories Lee.”

”Nardo, with all your medical knowledge do you not know about D.I.D.?” Donnie rolled over, brow furrowed and looking up at his twin with slight unease. “There… there’s no known cure.”

”Well I know that.” Leo rolled his eyes. “But like there’s gotta be a way to like… get rid of him somehow. Or suppress him for good?”

Donnie’s expression went dark. “Nardo… please tell me that you aren’t suggesting what I think you’re suggesting.”

Mikey frowned. “Leo… you can’t just… suppress Gaichū like a cringy memory from childhood. He’s an actual turtle with actual feelings.”

”But… but he’s me.” Leo’s eyes darted from brother to brother. “That… that dog thingy is me. Me. And I want him gone. No… I want that part of me gone. I can do that, right? Like… somehow? Maybe?”

”Nardo…” Donnie hesitated, and Leo’s expression went stormy when he saw the slight fear in Donnie’s eyes.

”Oh this is rich. You actually like that little gremlin.” Leo groaned.

”Leo, Gaichū is you. Of course we like him! He’s our brother!” Mikey protested.

”I’m your brother. He’s some… some…” Leo came up short, trying to come up with the proper analogy. If his brothers enjoyed his alter then… then that meant they wouldn’t help him destroy him. How could he inform these sentimental brothers of his that he viewed Gaichū as an enemy? “He’s not me. And I don’t like him. And since I can’t remember his memories anyway then it won’t affect me if he’s gone.”

”Nardo, as your twin you know that I would never let anyone hurt you.” Donnie said, voice low. “And that includes all of you. Including Gaichū.”

”Great. I knew it.” Leo grumbled slightly and flopped back on his cot.

”Knew what?” Mikey spoke up slowly.

”Nothing.” Leo muttered. Knew that I was replaceable. Even a dog is preferable. I’ll bet he obeys better too. Just bring in another brother why dontcha?

”Nope. Nardo you do not get to shut down right now.” Donnie growled, scrambling up to sit on the edge of Leo’s cot. “Talk. Now.”

”No. Leave me alone.”

”I’ll squirt you again.”

”I’ll switch if you do.”

Donnie stiffened. “What?”

Leo didn’t answer, huffing slightly. Donnie scowled. “I swear you’re like a big baby sometimes Nardo! Open that dum-dum mouth of yours and explain!”

”I’m done talking about this, okay? I just want to forget about it.” Leo growled.

Mikey hesitated at the slider’s tone. “Leo… look I know it’s hard but you gotta accept it. Co-inhabit. Learn how to live with this.” Mikey’s voice dropped to an almost pleading tone. “I know you hate Gaichū, but if you hurt him then you hurt yourself. Like it or not you’re both here now.”

”Mikey, please. Donnie too. Just… just leave me alone until I can figure this out.” Leo squeezed his eyes shut.

”Figure what out, Nardo? What’s there to figure out?” Donnie snapped. “There’s you and there’s Gaichū and you’re both our brother so deal with it!”

”Donald!” Mikey scolded. “This is a hard moment for Leo! Show some empathy!”

Leo sighed. He hated this. He hated knowing there was some parasite lurking in his head, ready to strike and seize control at any moment. He hated knowing it was there, and yet…

And yet when he was Gaichū he didn’t have to face this mess he had become.

It was the same as sleep, just much easier to trigger. But Gaichū could hurt his brothers… so he had to fix that. But if this alter could even serve some sort of purpose that Leo himself could somewhat control then it was worth a shot, and the slider considered it a win.

Without a word Leo suddenly sat up and began to bunch up his sheet. Donnie and Mikey cut off their argument to look at him with confusion. Donnie’s brow furrowed. “Oh geez Nardo what now?”

Leo didn’t answer. He was busy tying his wrist to the cot frame as tightly as he could. He quadrupled each knot with the fabric, yanking on it a couple of times experimentally. Mikey was absolutely baffled. “Leo? What are you…”

”Look, I want to be alone. Please get out. Now.” Leo said calmly.

”For the last time Nardo, you can’t escape this conversation!” Donnie growled, and Leo’s eyes flashed dangerously.

”Wanna bet?” Leo asked cooly as he grabbed a spare needle off the medical tray by his side. Donnie’s eyes widened.

”Hamato Leonardo don’t you dare—“ Donnie shouted, but in a swift movement Leo summoned his ninpo, feeling it flow down his arm and extend the needle into an odachi. with a flick of his wrist he sent Donnie in a portal to teleport him out of the room. Mikey looked at him with wide eyes.

”Leo…” The box turtle started but Leo gave him an apologetic look and teleported him out as well. A tinier portal allowed him to stick his hand through and lock the doors via the computer on the counter. He could hear banging and Donnie’s voice shouting for Raph but took a deep breath. He needed to think. Or rather, not think. He needed to escape.

With that he bit his tongue and used the shiny odachi to reveal his reflection.

Chapter Text

Gaichū let out a screech and dropped the the shiny stick with a clatter, trying to leap away but finding himself yanked back by his arm. Panic took over his brain as he registered that he was tethered to his bed and there was a loud banging sound coming from the doors. Gaichū’s stomach dropped when he recognized that it was Alpha who was yelling.

”Pest! Don’t run away from me when I call you!” Master roared as the slider sprinted away from his painful metal skin. He ducked behind a rock and hid there shivering, hearing Master continue to shout and yell.

”You little wretch when I find you…” Master growled and the little turtle heard the sounds of rocks being torn away, getting closer and closer to where he was crouched. He whimpered and decided to make a run for it.

”Hey! Freak get back here!” Master’s stomping came closer as the slider leapt from stone surface from stone surface, trying to get away from a certain beating. Soon a cold, clawed hand wrapped around him so hard that the slider squeaked, wrenching him around to face his master’s livid gaze.

”I told you to come, you pest! You wretched, useless…” Master froze, a peculiar look over his face as the slider trembled. He slowly spoke up. “You haven’t been responding well recently, pest. Rock. Kraang. Wretch. Turtle. Earth. Dimension. Leonardo. Brother.”

When the turtle didn’t react to any particular phrase Master sighed. “Stupid wretch can’t even remember your own name. Which I suppose is preferable.” The monster stiffened and gestured to himself. “Zhǔrén.” He then poked his pet with a claw. “Gaichū. Zhǔrén. Gaichū. Do you understand?”

The slider tilted his head. Zhǔrén? Gaichū? Master huffed slightly and tossed him a couple feet away. The turtle scrambled back to his feet as Master suddenly pointed at the ground by his feet. “Gaichū, come.” When the slider did nothing Master growled with impatience. He stomped over and promptly picked up his pet, setting the turtle at his feet roughly. “Good boy, little pest. Good boy, Gaichū. Come. Gaichū. Come.” He then tossed the slider away from him again and pointed to his feet. “Gaichū, come.”

The slider whined slightly in confusion. Was Master trying to tell him something? What was he supposed to do in order to not get beaten again? Master groaned and reached out to drag his pet to his feet once more. “Come. Good boy, Gaichū. Come.” After the third time of being tossed away Gaichū began to get a picture forming in his head. “Gaichū, come.”

The slider hesitated briefly before slowly crawling toward his Master’s pointed finger. Master’s eyes positively lit up with delight and he pet the turtle’s head with a squishy tentacle. “Good boy! Good boy! Come! Gaichū!”

Master then pointed away from him. “Gaichū, go.”

The turtle tilted his head. Was Gaichū the command then? But he was already at his master’s feet. He flinched at Master’s glare and decided to follow the monster’s metal finger over to a different rock. Perhaps Gaichū meant to go where he was pointed.

”Good boy! Go.” Master praised, and Gaichū’s brain began to churn. So… ‘go’ was the command? But why…

Ohhh, Gaichū must be a way to address the slider. Maybe? Perhaps after a few times he would know for certain.

Before he knew it that unfamiliar word was being given to him constantly, and if it was neutral then it meant that Master just wanted to see him and perhaps play a game of hide-and-seek.

But if it was ever shouted…

Gaichū whined and yanked desperately at his bonds. Alpha was clearly angry and trying to get to him, which mean that he was going to be beaten until the soft shell had his fill. But now there was also Beta, and if the two teamed up then Gaichū was surely in for double the pain. What had he even done? He had slipped into unconsciousness and was now tied to his own bed. Perhaps Alpha had done that to make sure Gaichū wouldn’t run.

Gaichū yowled as Master wedged his hand tightly between two rocks, the slider unable to break free even when he tried to get his hand out. “Wait here Gaichū. You’d better not try running from me again.” The monster told him as Gaichū could do nothing except wait in agony as Master made his way out of sight.

This certainly hurt less than the rocks, but he had been trying so hard to be good for his new owner! He had been doing everything right! Why was he in trouble?

”Nardo! We are not done with this conversation!” Alpha was shouting angrily. “You can’t just lock us out!”

Gaichū let out a loud whine and Alpha went silent. “You didn’t. Your stupid dum-dum self did not do what I think you did.”

”Raph get over here!” Omega’s voice called. “We need to get the Med Bay open now!”

Raph. Beta. Gaichū tried to gnaw at the sheet tying him to the cot desperately as heavy footsteps approached, sounding way too much like Prime’s metal skin. “What did ya say? What’s wrong with the Med Bay? Is Lee okay?”

”Groan, I think he switched himself!” Alpha hissed. “But even if he didn’t he locked us out and won’t respond!”

”What?” Beta shouted, and Gaichū whimpered. “Whatcha mean? When did this happen?”

”Scoff, just now obviously! Just get the door open!” Alpha commanded, and suddenly there was a large crash and the doors were on the floor, revealing his three pack members. Gaichū frantically yanked at his bonds as Alpha wasted no time in striding forward. “Nardo? Gaichū?”

Gaichū perked up slightly at his name and Alpha sighed. “Of course it is. I mean, ahem, good boy. It’s okay.”

”Oh you poor thing!” Omega hurried forward and Gaichū flinched away slightly. Omega stilled, face contorted with compassion. “Oh sweetie… we’re not going to hurt you I promise! It’s okay buddy, just let me help you.”

Gaichū’s eyes flicked over to Alpha, who appeared to be struggling to change his angry expression into something more neutral. Beta was staring at him with a peculiar expression and eyeing the sheet with disappointment, taking deep breaths. The slider whined again and flinched away from his two superiors, lowering himself onto the cot slowly as a sign of careful submission. Omega took the opportunity to gently start working at the knot.

”Oh geez Leo, why’d you have to make this so tight?” Omega’s tongue stuck out the side of his mouth as he yanked on the sheet. “He even did multiple knots of course he did. Why’d he even tie himself up in the first place?”

”My guess is to restrain Gaichū, Michael.” Alpha grit out. “But no matter what the shell is going on in his dum-dum head right now I will not have my twin tied up like that. You good with the knots?”

”Yeah. These are tricky but I’m almost through.” Omega responded, pausing to give Gaichū a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Gaichū. You’re almost free.”

Gaichū didn’t respond, still watching his alpha and beta carefully. They weren’t making any advances and he could feel the sheet loosening due to Omega’s efforts. Perhaps… they weren’t angry? Or wanted to give him a head start first? Master always did enjoy a good chase.

”There you go buddy!” Finally Omega dropped these sheet off Gaichū’s wrist, the slider waiting for commands from Alpha. The soft shell stared at him with slight bewilderment, seemingly at a loss for words. Omega gave Gaichū a comforting hug. “I bet that was uncomfortable, huh? I’m glad that stupid sheet is off.” The box turtle hesitated before lifting up the thin white fabric. “Sheet. This is a sheet. Sheet.”

”We just got Nardo back. Now we have to wait for Gaichū to sleep all over again?” Alpha finally huffed, and Omega sighed.

”Remember Donnie: happy face, happy tone.” The box turtle chirped.

”Deep sigh, Michael my ‘happy face, happy tone’ tank is drained. Right now all I feel is irritated at my dum-dum twin for making a dum-dum decision and tying his dum-dum alter to a dum-dum cot!” Alpha cut himself off at Gaichū’s flinch and sighed. “But I suppose I don’t have a choice. It’s okay Gaichū, you’re a good boy. It’s okay.”

”…So why did Leo switch himself?” Beta asked slowly, and Alpha sighed.

”He didn’t like how we didn’t want to just… get rid of Gaichū and didn’t want to talk to us anymore.” Omega piped up as Alpha let out some angry clicks.

”Which is not at all what a healthy co-habitation looks like, he commented very calmly and didn’t scare his twin’s alter in the least.” Alpha said, visibly struggling to keep his emotions reined in. Gaichū tilted his head slightly and hesitantly crawled toward his alpha, who was standing next to Gaichū’s bed. The slider gently nudged Alpha’s arm with his head and laid down on the edge of the cot as the soft shell glanced at him in surprise.

”Um… what’s he doing now?” Alpha blinked, and Gaichū head-bumped his arm again.

”Is… Dee I think he’s trying to comfort you.” Omega’s voice nearly melted as Alpha stiffened. The soft shell hesitantly placed a hand on Gaichū’s shell and the slider let out a churr of acknowledgement.

”Does this mean he ever tried to… gag… comfort Prime?” Alpha murmured, running his hand over the pattern of Gaichū’s shell.

”Who knows how long they were in there? Or what happened.” Omega offered, tone a bit saddened. “Maybe Prime wasn’t all bad to him?”

”Somehow I doubt it.” Donnie sighed. “But if all he knew was torture then even the smallest relief could be perceived as kindness. We also know that Gaichū knows how to grovel for mercy, so maybe acting submissive like this got him… less hurt.”

”Raph hates that.” Beta growled before quickly fixing his tone. “Leo should never have had to go through that. Ever. He didn’t deserve any of it, and then to know that he was in there for even longer than a few minutes…”

”I completely agree with you. He shouldn’t have just… sacrificed himself like that.” Alpha’s voice soured and Gaichū nuzzled his arm. Alpha’s expression softened slightly. “But… in a way…”

”What?” Omega asked when Alpha hesitated, and the soft shell sighed.

”I don’t know how to put this, but if Gaichū didn’t exist then Nardo wouldn’t be Nardo anymore.” Alpha spoke up slowly. “Gaichū took all the trauma, so although my twin now has D.I.D. at least we have both of them, and Nardo is still alive. I almost owe it to Gaichū for saving my dum-dum twin.”

”But Gaichū is Leo, Don.” Beta frowned.

”Yes, but put it this way: we now have traumatized Leo and feral Leo, not just broken Leo.” Alpha tried to explain. “And we can help Gaichū to heal. If Nardo would soften his pride then he could probably help us, irritated grumble.”

”He’s just struggling with everything right now Dee.” Omega said softly. “I’m sure he’ll come around soon.”

Chapter Text

Hueso cursed under his breath in worried Spanish as he strode through the Hidden City, searching for a portal that would lead him to the surface. Pepino had missed his shift a few days ago, which wasn’t too worrying. Sometimes the slider went on missions with his brothers, but still it was unusual for him not even to call. After his sobrino had missed his second shift today Hueso had begun to get worried and asked around for any news about him but apparently no one in the restaurant had even seen him in the Hidden City. Combine that with forty-three missed calls and Hueso was a skeleton on a mission.

”¿Por qué ese pepino no responde a mis llamadas?” Hueso muttered in irritated Spanish. “Si se atreviera a hacerse daño de nuevo por su propia imprudencia y me preocupara así...”

The skeleton finally found an alley wall and took out his token. He drew the ‘M’-esque symbol and stepped through the portal, immediately ducking behind a dumpster in fear of the humans seeing him. Never had he felt so exposed like this, and for this reason he never had ventured to the surface before.

Leonardo had better not have died on him.

Hueso peeked around the dumpster to glance out at the city, taking a sharp breath in at all the destruction. Was the surface always like this? Overturned cars littered the street, some still blaring with alarms. Strange pink goo covered almost everything, both sticking like web and weaving through buildings like tentacles. Humans in bulky yellow gear hauled a hose around as they glanced in cars and barked orders to each other, using the water to spray lingering flames in a smoldering building. Even the air smelled of smoke and a metallic scent akin to blood. Hueso’s eyes narrowed in concern as he took in the sight of flickering street lamps and angry red flames stark against the night sky. Was this normal or had something happened? As much as he hated to admit it, this could very well be the reason his Pepino was missing.

Hueso muttered to himself in worry and struggled to remember his sobrino’s instructions from all the times the slider had invited him to the surface. Leonardo had pestered him to have dinner with the family or to at least see the sights of New York (Hueso suspected that the turtle knew he would refuse and so enjoyed getting under his non-existent skin) and had mentioned that all he and his family lived in the sewers. Hueso grumbled slightly at the location but still scoured around for a manhole cover.

Upon spying one he immediately went over to it and yanked it up and over, slipping down the ladder and pulling the cover back over him. How big was New York City? Surely the lair wouldn’t be too hard to find.

He was wrong.

The skeleton scowled as he rounded another nasty corner to see yet more empty tunnels, beginning to wonder if Leonardo had been messing with the neat and proper skeleton. It definitely wouldn’t be the first time the slider had tried to wind him up for entertainment, but he had no reason to lie if he suspected that Hueso would never come. So where in the world did his Pepino live?

He sighed and pulled out his flip-phone, bony fingers punching out Pepino’s number on the buttons angrily. Perhaps the slider would finally answer.

Before he could even finish the dial his phone began buzzing with an incoming call from his sobrino. Hueso wasted no time in answering the call and talking into the phone hopefully. “Pepino? Is that you?”

”Um, hey Hueso! It’s Mikey.” Came the youthful voice on the other end, and Hueso’s chest squeezed.

”Hello, Michelangelo. Why do you have your brother’s phone? Is he alright? May I speak with him?” Hueso rapid-fired, and he heard Mikey hesitate.

”Right, Leo missed his shift. Shifts? How long has it been?” The box turtle hummed in thought. “But um… sorry Hueso. Leo’s not available right now. I just saw all your missed calls and um… I don’t know. I know you’re close with Lee and didn’t want you to worry.”

”At least that makes one of you.” Hueso grumbled. “Why has Pepino not answered my calls? Is he okay? And for the love of everything where do you live in these forsaken sewers? I’ve been wandering for far too long.”

”Wait you’re here?” Mikey’s voice jumped an octave. “How… why… you could be seen!”

”Do not be ridiculous, Michelangelo.” Hueso struggled to keep the irritation out of his tone. “If you four can handle it then so can I. Besides I am here to see your brother, so could you kindly put him on the phone?”

”Um…” Mikey’s voice trailed off. Hueso heard faint growling and chirping in the background and nearly reached his wit’s end. What was going on with them?

”Well I am already here, so could you please at least direct me to your home?” Hueso asked, voice carefully calm.

”Sorry Señor, this might not be the best time.” Mikey sighed. “Look, Leo is… sick.”

”Sick? Guisante, if my sobrino is ill then I would be more than willing to help out.” Hueso told him, voice bordering on desperation. “Please, I need to see him to ensure that he is alright.”

”Señor, this isn’t like a normal cold or something. He’s um… not himself right now.” Mikey was clearly choosing his words carefully. “I don’t think he’ll be able to go back to work any time soon.”

”Do you think I only care about your brother for his services as my employee? True he is one of my finest, but I care about his safety. As I care for the rest of you as well.” Hueso added. “Please just… let me come over. I could assist in any way you need. And what do you mean that Pepino is not himself? Is he delirious or something?”

”Is that Hueso?” Came Raph’s voice, and Hueso didn’t miss the strain in the snapper’s voice.

”Yes Pitahaya, I was only coming to visit and make sure you four were okay.” Hueso’s foot began to tap with impatience. “But I am lost in your sewers.”

”Hueso’s on the surface?” Donnie’s voice called, and a growl came through the phone. Donnie’s voice softened. “Shh, it’s okay Gaichū. Don’t worry.”

”Who is Gaichū? Will none of you give me a straight answer?” Hueso huffed slightly.

”Mike, it might be good for Lee to see Hueso.” Raph murmured.

”But how will Gaichū react to seeing another unfamiliar face?” Mikey fretted.

”Well, when Leo wakes up then.” Raph persisted, and Mikey sighed.

”Yeah um, where are you right now, Señor?” The box turtle asked, and Hueso held back a scowl.

”I am a dark, slimy tunnel with discolored liquid—which I highly doubt is water—running through the middle.” Hueso shuddered. “And it looks exactly like the other tunnels.”

”Are there any stickers or drawings or anything?”

Hueso glanced around, about to reply in the negative before a couple faded and peeling stickers caught his eye. “Yes, there appear to be some star stickers and a moon.”

”Perfect! We tried to add some markers to the tunnels for when we would get lost as tots.” Mikey explained. “Just go to the tunnel on the right of the stars, walk until you see an old drawing of a cat, make a left and you should see some light. It should take you to the back entrance.”

Hueso paused, a peculiar feeling arising in him at the thought of Leonardo’s life outside of the Hidden City, forced to hide in these dank tunnels in fear of what the humans would do if they saw him. He grew up isolated instead of in the Hidden City where he could be free. Hueso also recalled the fact that his Pepino was a mutant and not a yokai, which was only another factor in the mystery surrounding what Leonardo didn’t like to talk about.

Something about that yokai who created him throwing him off a roof.

Hueso shook himself and followed Mikey’s directions, looking around him with a newfound sense of sympathy for his sobrino. Eventually a warm light caught his eye and he hurried toward it with great relief. He stopped in front of the tunnel, looking with surprise into a cozy living space with beanbag chairs, worn rugs and skateboards leaning against the wall. Hueso’s face softened with fondness as he could picture the memories that must dwell in this very room, and that despite the location at least Leonardo had his brothers with him.

The skeleton stepped inside, feeling almost like an intruder to the unfamiliar yet warm scene before him. He slowly walked to the opposite tunnel. “Pepino? Michelangelo? Hello?”

He could hear a faint rustling before someone shouted: “Gaichū no!”

A snarl echoed through the lair along with the frantic back-and-forth of the turtles (minus the familiar voice of his sobrino). Footsteps rebounded off the walls and grew louder as something approached quickly, Hueso confused at the welcome and more than a little wary. Soon, flying out of the tunnel with a growl, Leonardo himself emerged on all fours, eyes narrowed into slits as he looked at Hueso. The skeleton’s breath hitched as he and his sobrino stared at each other, the latter with seemingly no recognition in his eyes. Next came the other three, freezing as they saw the stare down.

”Um… don’t move.” Donnie slowly stepped forward. “Gaichū, come.”

Leo flinched slightly and backed up towards his brother, eyes never leaving Hueso’s. The skeleton felt his chest squeeze as his eyes glanced over his sobrino. His shell was covered in stitches, with cracks adorning it like overlapping spider webs. There were a few gouges in his plastron and even his skin was littered with scars, though none of the wounds seemed very fresh. Hueso sucked in a sharp breath. What had happened to him? Come to think of it, all of the brothers looked rough; Mikey’s arms were bandaged up to his shoulders with scars poking out the top. Raph’s mask was nowhere to be seen which put his mangled eye on full display, and Hueso didn’t miss the milky film that covered his pupil and indicated partial-blindness. The snapper also had a jagged hole in the top rim of his carapace and a sleeve bandage akin to Mikey’s on his left arm. Donatello’s usual battle shell was off and he had straps along his plastron to hold on a large medical covering on his soft shell. Then of course there was that arm-length bandage on his right arm. But all their wounds seemed recent and healing while Leo’s appeared to be mostly healed over—albeit in the wrong way as if he had had no proper medical care at the time of his injuries.

Hueso’s heart clenched. These were but children. Teenagers who had enough injuries to be mistaken for war veterans, and the thought of what they possibly could have gone through in so little time made Hueso nauseous.

”Donatello, what is wrong with him?” Hueso breathed. “And why did you call him Gaichū.”

”Long story, but basically um… Leo has two personalities now!” Mikey chirped with false cheerfulness. “Hueso, meet Gaichū. Gaichū, buddy, it’s okay. This is a friend.”

Hueso blinked, his brain shot-circuiting. “Two personalities…” The skeleton broke eye contact briefly to look at each of the brothers. “What happened to him? What happened to all of you? And what happened to the city?”

”Okay that’s an even longer story.” Mikey hesitated. “Um… sorry Gaichū doesn’t recognize you right now, so be careful.”

”And he has a history of intense trauma and abuse, so don’t move too fast.” Donnie spoke up bluntly, and Hueso’s stomach rolled.

”Well I have time to hear it all.” Hueso pointed out in determination. He then turned his gaze back to Leo Gaichū. “You three have a lot of explaining to do.”

The skeleton slowly lowered himself down to appear less threatening as he approached, noting the brother’s treatment of Gaichū as a sort of fearful animal. Once he got close enough Gaichū stepped forward to sniff him experimentally.

Gaichū hesitated, letting out an involuntary churr right before he all but leapt onto Hueso. Both skeleton and slider went sprawling as the brothers gasped and hurried forward to prevent the attack. But they froze at the sight of Gaichū purring and nuzzling into Hueso’s arms.

”What… what? WHAT?!” Donnie spluttered, gesturing to them frantically. “What the shell is this? When he first saw us he went crazy!”

Gaichū chirped slightly, pulling away briefly with a confused look before cuddling into Hueso’s arms once more. The skeleton gently ran a comforting hand over the slider’s shell as Mikey approached curiously.

”Um… Leo?” The box turtle hesitantly asked, and Gaichū perked up, glancing over at the youngest. A hint of recognition flared before he hissed and shook his head, whining in confusion.

”What is going on?” Hueso asked nervously as Gaichū curled up in a ball and covered his head. He approached cautiously and to everyone’s surprise the slider let him.

”I guess he likes Hueso.” Raph shrugged. “Maybe a comforting scent? Like our blankets and stuffed animals?”

”But he responded to Leo’s name for a second there…” Mikey pointed out. “I… I think we found another trigger. And Leo doesn’t want to switch.”

The second he inhaled the scent of the skeleton man Gaichū felt a sense of warmth flood him and a desire for that comfort. Exhaustion swept over him as he nuzzled into Friend’s arms, churring with content. But then something happened.

As he began to drift off to sleep he felt a sudden sense of panic and stubbornness seize him and he jolted awake again. No no no no no no… he heard an unfamiliar voice mumbling in his head as his vision blurred.

”Leo?” Omega asked, and for some reason a force that Gaichū couldn’t explain compelled him to respond to the name command. He stared at his brother for a couple moments before shaking his head. What? No. Omega wasn’t his brother. He was merely a pack member who Gaichū needed to protect.

Shut up you stupid head shut up. Came the voice again, and Gaichū whined with confusion. What was going on?

Well, with frantic thoughts like this there was no way he would be able to sleep anyway.

Chapter Text

Gaichū churred contentedly and nuzzled a bit further into Friend’s lap. Alpha sat in a chair across from them, eyes narrowed in displeasure. Gaichū was watching him carefully, unsure if he was doing something wrong or if his leader was suspicious of Friend. The skeleton man ran a gentle hand over his carapace and Gaichū’s worries melted once more.

At least that strange voice had quieted down.

After meeting Friend exhaustion had swept over Gaichū in repeated waves, but every time he was about to drift off that voice blared through his mind and woke him back up. Now that Gaichū had stopped trying to fall asleep the voice had ceased, but still it was unnerving.

”You said that you are trying to teach him to speak, correct?” Friend spoke up. “That is a very good start.”

”Of course it is.” Alpha said, voice deadpan. “It was my idea. I believe with D.I.D. it doesn’t ever ‘go away’, per say, because it is an intense form of disassociation. But with practice and time the alters can merge somewhat to make it more manageable.”

”More efficient co-habitation and not as jarring switches. It makes sense.” Friend nodded, and Alpha sighed.

”However what doesn’t make sense is how Gaichū hasn’t spoken, and without speaking then he can’t communicate why he won’t speak.” Alpha frowned, then quickly fixed his face when Gaichū raised his head.

”And you mentioned something about Pepino switching back to normal after he falls asleep.” Friend mused.

”Yep!” Omega chirped. “At least that’s what normally happens. After we call asleep we surround him with stuff that smells like us so that… his subconscious thinks… he’s safe… or something like that. Dee can explain it better.”

”That I can, Angelo, that I can.” Alpha said cooly. “Basically Nardo feels safe with us, so if he is surrounded by our scent then it signals to his brain that he is not in danger and to wake up the alter associated with comfort, also known as our brother. If he feels threatened in any way as he wakes up then Gaichū will front as a defense mechanism.” Gaichū’s head snapped up once more at his name and Alpha sighed. “Sorry Gaichū, it’s okay. Good boy.”

”It makes sense.” Friend nodded as Gaichū rested his head once again. “But what happens if Leonardo doesn’t wish to switch?”

”Well I don’t think he can actively resist if he’s asleep.” Omega suggested. “At least I hope so.”

”Hey! Are y’all down here or do I gotta call a rescue team?” Came an unfamiliar voice, and Omega brightened.

”April’s here!” The box turtle chirped, but Gaichū let out a low growl and he froze. The slider hopped off Friend’s lap to get into a defensive crouch, eyes roving the room. “Um…”

Alpha hurriedly pressed a button on his shiny silver wrist and spoke into it. “Sigh, greetings fair April. But don’t shout like that right now.”

”YOU ANSWER ZERO OF MY CALLS AND EXPECT ME NOT TO BE TICKED OFF?!” The new feminine voice came screeching over the comm and everyone winced. “Y’all barely survived a freaking apocalypse and Leo had been tranqed by Dee last I heard! What could possibly be going on with you guys that none of you have the decency to call back—“

”We’re kinda busy right now Apes!” Beta hurriedly told her through his own comm, eyeing a suspicious Gaichū worriedly and using a sweet-talking voice. “Don’t freak out, alright?”

”Raph, when you use that tone it’s usually because there’s something to freak out over.” The stranger huffed. “I’m almost there anyway.”

”Halt!” Alpha barked back. “Do not come in until we figure out a good way to introduce you! I repeat, do not come in—“

”Introduce me to who?” Stranger snapped. “You don’t think I can handle meetin’ a new person? I wasn’t homeschooled ya know!”

”Just listen to me for once!” Alpha huffed. “I’m not kidding here!”

”Yeah, last time you told me not to come in you were about to try out a new rocket in your lab.” Stranger reminded. “You’re lucky I came in anyways and pulled you out before it hit ya in the face!”

”Donnie’s right April, you can come in in a minute but not right now!” Omega pleaded before frowning at Gaichū.

”Why? Are ya hurt or something?” Worry creeped into Stranger’s voice. “I’m coming in.”

”NO!” Came three exasperated voices into the comm at once. Omega spoke up. “Gaichū didn’t like when I tried to leave last time, so one of you two could maybe go and walk in with her so he know’s she’s not a threat.”

”Good thinking, Angelo.” Alpha nodded. “Raph, you go get April.”

Beta nodded and hurried off. The group heard a bit of murmuring before Beta walked in with a hand on a stranger’s shoulder. Her intense, darkly-colored eyes swept around the room before landing on Gaichū and Friend. She tilted her head in confusion and swept her fluffy bangs from her face in an unsettled manner. “Um… what’s up with Lee?”

Gaichū let out a warning growl and hopped off the couch to get in front of Friend protectively. Beta chuckled nervously. “Right! So a lot happened while you went to look for your parents…”

”Geez Leo!” Stranger whistled in sympathy as she looked over the slider’s cracked shell and marred skin. She took a step closer. “Sweetie what happened to you—“

Gaichū lunged forward with a hiss. Before any of the brothers could react Stranger had leaned back and her foot connected with Gaichū’s side, sending him sprawling. Gaichū growled but Stranger shot him a glare. “Nope. Heck no. You know you don’t get to treat me like that! Besides, I’m not gonna spar or anything when you look like you should be on bed rest. What’s the matter with you?”

The turtles gaped as Gaichū snarled at Stranger, who was staring back with a challenging look. “You on pain meds or something? You better apologize for that! I might feel bad for ya but not that bad.”

”Um… April?” Omega gulped as he watched Gaichū creep forward with an experimental sniff. “That’s not Leo.”

”Duh it is! Who else would it be?” Stranger wrinkled her nose. “Get off the floor and face me like a man, you dork! You’ve got ten seconds to apologize. Ten…”

”April stop!” Alpha huffed. “Look, Nardo doesn’t recognize you right now. Even though for some dum-dum reason he decided to go ahead and recognize Señor Hueso…”

”Explain. Now.” Stranger held Gaichū’s gaze defiantly as the slider challenged her, the two getting absorbed in a staring match.

”Nardo has Dissociative Identity Disorder now.” Alpha said slowly, watching the challenge unfold in front of his eyes. “This is his alter, Gaichū.”

”A disorder?” Stranger questioned without breaking eye contact. Gaichū narrowed his eyes. This Stranger was clearly an ally of his pack, but did she really think she could take his rank? Clearly she was under Beta—since he led her in—but above Omega since the box turtle would never dare to challenge him like this. Perhaps she was in the middle, like him and Brother? Only one way to find out. “And care to explain why he decided to lunge at me?”

”He sees you as a threat.” Alpha raised a sharpie eyebrow. “And you’re really helping your case by staring him down, he said very sarcastically.”

”I don’t care. None of my brothers get to treat me like anything other than their sister and this new Leo’s gotta learn that too. He has no need to be scared of me.” Stranger told him simply, still maintaining unblinking eye contact despite the way her eyes started shining with moisture. Gaichū didn’t move either, the silence heavy upon the whole room.

Gaichū then slowly came to terms with the fact that this stranger wasn’t going to look away. Alpha wasn’t condemning her so perhaps she was an equal with Gaichū like Brother was. He gave an acknowledging hum and sat back, giving his newly-recognized Sister an accepting nod. Sister smirked. “That’s right, New Leo. You can relax. You’re safe with me.”

Alpha’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “Scowl, now April gets to just be a neutral too?! Why can’t Nardo see me like that?”

”I’m just glad it was a one-time thing and he’s not gonna try to fight me again.” Sister slowly strode forward, face friendly and kind. “Hey there, buddy! You good with me now?”

Gaichū churred, and Sister closed the distance between them. She cautiously wrapped him in a hug, ready to let go if he struggled. When he didn’t she gave him a tight squeeze, burying her face in his shoulder. “There ya go, sweetie. It’s gonna be okay. How’d he even get this beat up in the first place? Did you guys figure it out yet?”

The other turtles glanced at each other, none of them wanting to speak up. Sister pulled away briefly to look at each of them in turn. “I assume that’s a yes? How’d he get so clobbered in three minutes?”

”Well the short answer is that it wasn’t three minutes…” Alpha started.

”What?” Sister yelped, staring at him like he’d grown a second head. “What are you talking about?”

”Donnie!” Omega shot his Alpha a look. “You could’ve been a bit more sensitive with this topic! You see April, there was an… um…”

”Scoff. Looks like Dr. Feelings doesn’t have the correct genius terminology to describe said topic.” Alpha smirked, and Gaichū gave a huff of relief. At least the leader wasn’t upset at Omega’s challenge since Gaichū didn’t want to see him punished.

”Just explain. Please.” Sister patted Gaichū on the head.

”There was a time dilation, theoretically.” Alpha explained. “Because not only does Nardo has a lot of new-to-us wounds that are scarred over but also has this curious dissociative disorder. Things like that don’t happen in three minutes.”

”So Leo was in there for even longer?” Sister’s eyes went round with sympathy.

”That’s what I just said.” Alpha sighed. “Or rather, Leo was probably in there for a little longer. Gaichū was likely fronting for the bulk of it.”

”Poor baby.” Sister cooed, running a tender hand along Gaichū’s shell. “Well you’re safe now, Gaichū. We’re your family.”

”Hopefully he’ll learn that soon.” Alpha sighed. “Because if he doesn’t then we’re all stuck being dum-dum pack members to him half the time and have Nardo trying to switch the other half of the time.”

”Woah woah woah, what?” Sister’s head snapped up as Friend’s did. “What do you mean? Leo wants Gaichū to come out?”

”Yeah.” Alpha huffed slightly. “My dum-dum twin seems to think that it was a good idea to trigger himself when he didn’t want to engage in a conversation.”

”He tied himself to a bed and then switched to Gaichū.” Omega whimpered. “I think maybe he was trying to protect us.”

Sister winced. “Yikes, poor Leo. Thinking he needs to protect y’all from himself. That’s gotta be hard. Like having a monster inside him and he’s scared he’ll hurt you guys without even meaning to or realizing he’s doing it. Poor sweetie...”

Beta suddenly stood up, making a wounded sound in the back of his throat. “Sorry Apes… um… Raph’s glad to see ya but he needs to… um… go somewhere to do something.”

”Are you alright, Pitahaya?” Friend asked, concern thick in his voice.

Beta was already hurrying out. “Yep! Just need a bit of time to myself, heh. Raph’ll be back soon. Call if ya need me.”

Sister frowned as Beta left the room. “What’s up with him?”

”This situation’s been hard on all of us.” Omega glanced after the snapper. “Maybe he just finally cracked and needs to recharge. We can go check on him in a bit if he doesn’t come back soon.”

Chapter Text

Raph sniffled slightly as he clutched his own tail like a lifeline, trying to control his breathing. He could hear Gaichū chirping and churring from the other room and it only made his big brother heart ache further at the thought of what his baby brother was going through and how he was powerless to do anything but sit in the corner of his room and cry like a child.

The Kraang infection inside of Raph let out a furious roar as he stared down his little brother the treacherous little pest that had dared to attack his master. Leo’s eyes were filled with determination, but there was another emotion that Raph was shrinking away from and trying not to think about.

Fear.

Leo was scared of Raph in this form.

But for some foolish reason the stubborn slider wasn’t running away.

The fight that ensued went by in a blur as Raph tried to disassociate from his rebellious body, tried not to see the way his disgusting limbs lashed out to not only attack, but kill his little brother. The Kraang infection was livid at this point, and Leo was alternating rapidly between friend and foe in Raph’s plagued brain. His long tentacle suddenly wrapped around Leo’s neck and squeezed, lifting him up high above the ground. Leo’s hands desperately latched onto the squishy limb as he gasped for air and tried to give his neck some support against the strangulation.

And then the little idiot started to speak.

Leo’s words cut straight to Raph’s heart, but then Leo did the unthinkable and let go of Raph’s tentacle. What was he doing? Raph was going to kill him, couldn’t he see that? Leo’s air supply was fully cut off then, but the slider refused to fight anymore and his final words were so different from the last time Raph had almost killed him.

’Give Draxum the bugs’, Leo had begged that day when Baron Draxum dangled him over the edge of the roof, all the while trying to get Raph to choose between Leo and the bugs. But Raph’s idea of villains came from action movies and his ignorance caused Draxum to drop Leo off the roof. Then through Raph’s panicked brain came Leo’s would-be final shout: “I TOLD YOU SO!”

Now Leo was saying that he was sorry, and that he finally understood Raph. Who was this slider and what had he done with the immature brother that Raph loved to death? Leo was seventeen and the world was ending. So despite his age he was growing up. The realization that Leo was actually being vulnerable and had understood more than he had let on hit Raph like a slap in the face.

Raph had yelled when he was scared. Leo joked.

One fear. Two coping mechanisms.

Maybe they weren’t so different after all.

And Raph wasn’t about to give up on his little brother.

Now Raph took a shaky breath. He had been able to fight the Kraang infection. He had activated his ninpo with his brothers and had gotten that slimy monster out of his mind.

And unlike Leo and Gaichū, Raph had been able to see exactly what the Kraang was making him do.

Honestly he couldn’t tell which was worse.

”Pitahaya?” Came a deep yet hesitant voice from the doorway, and Raph glanced up to see Señor Hueso standing there with concern. “Pepino wouldn’t let your brothers leave, but they are worrying about you. ¿Estás bien?”

Raph took a swipe at his eyes. “Sorry, Señor. Raph just… just needs some time to himself right now.”

Hueso clucked his tongue. “A mí no me parece así.”

Raph sniffed. “Sorry, I don’t know what you said. Leo tried to teach Raph a few phrases but…”

”Of course. My mistake.” Hueso quickly corrected. “I was only saying that I don’t think it is wise to be alone when emotional like this. Pepino would do the same thing, but although it may feel more safe to be alone while you cry, it will only break you slowly.”

”What about Leo?” Raph’s head snapped up. “How do you know that?”

Hueso hesitated. “I must protect his privacy, Pitahaya. All I will say is that I have found him a few times in the Hidden City.” Hueso took a tentative step closer. “May I come in, young one?”

Raph blinked. He wasn’t used to being called ‘young’ since he was always known as the oldest of the family, but in all honesty the change came as a welcome one. He nodded tightly. “Yeah um… sure. Come on in.”

Hueso nodded and shut the door respectfully behind him. He then sat on the floor across from Raph and gave the snapper a sympathetic look. “I understand that you are hurting, Raphael. And I know I might be closest with your brother, but please know that I hold your entire family in high regard. You are all far too young to have endured what you endured, and I understand that the responsibility largely falls on you as the oldest. Pepino has told me about how you used to be the leader until recently, ¿si?”

Once again, Raph offered a nod. “Y-yeah. But pops made Leo the leader after um… the final fight with Shredder.”

”I see.” Said the skeleton. “That must’ve been quite the big change. But in your eyes I do not see any inclination towards pride… so perhaps the difficulty dwelled in another factor?”

”Raph can see why Lee likes talkin’ to ya.” Raph chuckled wetly. “Raph feels like ya already has an idea about it.”

Hueso shrugged. “I might have an inkling, but I’d like to hear what you have to say about it.”

Raph glanced down at his hands. “I just… Raph couldn’t protect Lee like he used to. Leo was making all the decisions, and in order for the team to succeed then Raph had to obey him even if he tried to sacrifice himself or put his safety in danger. But… but Raph couldn’t always just stand to the side.” Raph subconsciously reached up to feel the jagged hole in his carapace. Hueso’s eyes tracked his movements.

”I can understand that, Pitahaya. That pepino isn’t too keen on self-preservation. The amount of times he’s slept in my office after nearly collapsing during a shift speaks for itself.” Hueso sighed sharply, and Raph let out a weak snort of amusement. “Have you talked to your brothers about this?”

”Well, they know. But after the Invasion… Leo isn’t trying to heal. He’s hurting, Raph knows, but still…” Raph hesitated.

”You feel responsible for Gaichū, do you not? Like another younger brother.” Hueso finished, reaching out to place a gentle hand on Raph’s arm. Raph glanced up in surprise, and Hueso chuckled. “I have a complicated relationship with my own brother. He fell into a life of crime, but I was powerless to stop him. The strength lies in learning that you cannot change them and are not responsible for their actions, but simultaneously being ready to take their hand the second they reach out for help.”

”Heh, easier said than done.” Raph glanced down.

”You know, it was your own brother who helped me realize that.” Hueso added gently, and Raph’s head snapped up once again.

”Leo? But how…?” Raph began, and Hueso smiled gently.

”I believe he was in an argument with Donatello. Of course his reasons were different, but in my circumstance his resilience and determination to never give up on your brother made me realize how strong that kind of loyalty is. So even though his situation was a ‘spat’ as he put it while mine was a years-long cycle of torment, his point still stood. He’s a special turtle.” Hueso said fondly.

”Y-yeah. He really is.” Raph fiddled with the tip of his tail. “And it’s Raph’s job to protect him.”

”Ah, that is true to an extent. Yes, you should protect your brothers. But are you responsible for their actions? No.” Hueso’s eyes grew intense. “Pepino is scared and hurting right now. He might be pushing everyone away out of his own insecurities and shame, but that doesn’t mean it is sustainable. He will break eventually if he goes down this path, and who do you think he will call when he does?” Hueso paused briefly. “The answer is that he will call on the person who never gave up on him. No matter how hurt or no matter how many times you are pushed away, know that Leonardo is watching and will remember. Do not take responsibility for his actions, but be ready to step in and help him the second he is ready to reach out. Does that make sense?”

Raph hesitated. “But… but Raph loves him and Gaichū so much and doesn’t want to choose between them…”

”You do not have to, Pitahaya. Even though it hurts, what Pepino needs to see right now is that love is unconditional. That no matter how many times he falls, you will always be there to pick him up because that is what brothers do.” Hueso smiled gently. “And don’t forget that as much as you love your brothers, they love you the same. Donatello and Michelangelo… even the fiery Señorita O’Neil. They all love and care about you. Lean on them.”

The skeleton opened his arms and Raph all but flung himself into them, taking comfort in a caring adult who took the parental burden away from himself. He couldn’t remember the last time he was able to just be held like this. Splinter probably would now, but at this point Raph was used to being the mature one and didn’t ask for hugs like this. But there was something about someone hugging you as a protector and not the one you were protecting that was different than most of the embraces Raph engaged in with his brothers.

He had forgotten how wonderful it felt.

”Th-thank you, Señor.” Raph sniffled. “Thank you…”

”Of course, Pitahaya. You’ve been so, so strong.” Hueso murmured. “Let me help you and your family now. And please, call me Tio.”

Donnie’s fingers angrily tapped against his keyboard as Mikey and Gaichū messed around with Mikey’s art supplies in the corner. April was sitting next to him worriedly as his face grew stormier and stormier.

”You good, Dee? You’re gonna break a finger if you keep typing like that.” She tried, taking a gentle shot at humor. Donnie huffed slightly.

”On the contrary, April, our mutant bodies can withstand a lot more than a little typing.” The soft shell snipped, and April sighed.

”Look Don, I know you’re a bit… um…” April hesitated, eyeing Donnie’s high-strung posture. “Jealous of Mike…”

”Oh ho ho ho, you think I’m jealous of my own brother with my own twin? Never.” Donnie chuckled darkly, keeping his voice low enough so as not to let Mikey hear. He glanced over subtly as a burst of laughter came from his youngest brother, seeing Gaichū trying to get some blue paint off his face. He sighed. “Nardo seems to be comfortable with everyone but me. First Mikey and Raph, then his boss for crying out loud, then you? I don’t get it!”

”Oh Dee, don’t worry. He’ll come around.” April soothed. “Who knows what happened in the Prison Dimension? He’s probably just scared.”

Donnie let out a few turtle curses under his breath. “Ah yes, how could I forget that the only one who could’ve trained my twin to act like a dog is the ugly monster who nearly killed us all? The fact that Nardo was alone with him for so long just…” Donnie scowled and slammed his hands on the table, wincing as he heard Gaichū whine. He turned around with a fake smile plastered on his face and ignored Mikey’s disapproving yet worried look. “Nervous chuckle, don’t worry Gaichū! Good boy, it’s okay!”

”You gotta be careful, Donnie!” April hissed softly as Gaichū went back to nosing through Mikey’s art supplies as the box turtle hummed and tried to complete a painting. Donnie bristled.

”Oh, so now you can boss be around too?” He quipped angrily under his breath. “You think you can just barge in here late to the party and get to be Nardo’s best friend since you didn’t have to be the bad guy early on to protect your other brother and didn’t have to be the smart one who happened to figure it all out first and now it branded as some sort of dictator in his twin’s dum-dum brain and then tell me I’m overreacting? Because I am most certainly not overreacting and overreacting is something that I am not doing!”

”Don, that’s not fair.” April murmured, face softening ever so slightly.

Donnie sighed. “Yeah, it’s not.” He turned back to his computer, muttering the digits of pi under his breath to calm down. April fell silent for a moment, listening to Mikey yap playfully to Gaichū about his different brushes and colors (conveniently having left the red pain in his art cabinet).

”Do you like that one, Gaichū?” Mikey chirped, holding out a flat brush. Gaichū churred and nuzzled the soft bristles curiously, and Mikey giggled. The box turtle dabbed the brush into the blue paint while his brother watched intently. “This one is nice for making the sky. It’s a quick background and it looks like you enjoy that blue color. You always did like blue. Can you hold the brush, buddy? Just use your fingers and wrap your thumb like that…”

A faint smile tugged at April’s lips. “Mikey’s good in situations like this. I can see why Gaichū likes him.”

Donnie glanced down at his keyboard. “Yeah, yeah he is. Sigh, Angelo’s always been good with emotions and playfulness and stuff like that. It’s just… just times like this when I wish that I was too.”

”Oh Donnie, you’ve got other strengths.” April set a grounding hand on Donnie’s shoulder. “I know that Mikey might be getting along a bit better with Gaichū right now, but he’ll come around soon. Just you wait. And although Mike might be better with emotions, you know that you’re needed just as much. Just in other ways.”

”But do you know what bothers me the most about all this?” Donnie stiffened. “It’s the fact that the reason he probably has this mindset is because of Prime. He needs an alpha because he needs to be under someone. That’s been Gaichū’s whole existence. And I hate to imagine what Prime did to break Nardo’s dignity and turn him into… this.” Donnie glanced over at his twin. “This isn’t my dum-dum brother. Nardo would never cower at me or refuse to talk or act like some animal.”

”Leo’s still in there.” April smiled. “Once Gaichū falls asleep we can get Leo to switch back and everything will be fine. Just… just let’s not rush Lee, okay? I know you want answers and want to fix it, but he probably switched himself because he felt overwhelmed. Kay?”

Donnie sighed and turned back to his screen. “Fine. I will try to be a bit… gentler, he said with a shudder.”

April rolled her eyes fondly. “You have a way of boosting my confidence in you, don’t you Dee?”

A happy chirp from Mikey made them turn around, and they saw that the box turtle was watching Gaichū with excited eyes. He let out another high-pitched chirp and Gaichū mimicked the sound. Mikey turned to them with starry eyes. “Look, he’s copying me!”

”That’s too adorable!” April couldn’t help but grin as she watched Mikey try out a couple more turtle sounds and Gaichū copying him. The box turtle let out a pattern of churrs, chirps and clicks and Gaichū repeated the sounds with a wagging tail.

Mikey nearly squealed and gave Gaichū a hug as Donnie turned back to his screen. “See? He’s actually copying me, Donnie!”

”Good for you, Angelo. That’s progress.” Donnie praised as he went back to typing. But then…

”Donnie!” The slider chirped absentmindedly, and Donnie went stiff in his seat. He slowly turned around, eyes intense as he looked at a slack-jawed Mikey.

”Angelo,” Donnie said carefully. “Please tell me that you heard him say that too.”

”Ohmigosh!” Mikey excitedly turned to Gaichū. “Donnie! Good boy, Donnie! That’s Donnie!”

”Donnie?” Came Gaichū’s voice again, but this time it was more hesitant as he noticed the soft shell staring at him. Donnie stood abruptly, almost causing his chair to fall over as he made it over to the slider in three quick strides and kneeled down, eyes searching Gaichū’s fearful ones.

”Donnie?” The soft shell said slowly. “Donnie? Can you say it again?”

Gaichū whimpered and shrunk back, averting his eyes and starting to roll onto his shell when Donnie suddenly wrapped him up in a tight hug.

”Good boy, Gaichū.” The soft shell said, voice raw. “Good, good boy. Donnie. Good boy.”

”Donnie?” Came Gaichū’s hesitant reply, and Donnie felt tears prick his eyes.

”Yes, good boy, Gaichū.” Donnie murmured. “Speak. Good boy.”

Gaichū churred and nuzzled into Alpha, who for some reason seemed pleased that he had spoken. He hadn’t even meant to—it had just slipped out when he and Omega were playing. But it was soon abundantly clear that this slip-up wasn’t going to get him beaten, and so Gaichū let out a little chirp of relief and felt himself relax.

Although he knew he had stepped direly out of line, at least this master was gracious enough to grant him mercy.

At least this once.

Chapter Text

Leo yawned as he slowly came awake, nuzzling into the warmth of Raph’s plastron. Mikey was latched onto his other side, but when Leo sleepily reached around to find Donnie he noticed his twin absent from the turtle pile. What on earth? And why was he even in a turtle pile?

Leo’s eyes snapped open and he glanced around, finding Donnie snoring on a couch nearby. The slider frowned, trying to recall the previous night.

Ohhhh, right. He had switched. But he had switched in the morning, so that meant…

He had gone the entire day and night as Gaichū.

”Eugh boy…” He muttered softly, trying to untangle himself from his brothers. Raph sleepily tightened his grip on both him and his youngest brother and Leo groaned quietly. This was going to be seriously awkward once his brothers woke up, but now that he had gotten a good night’s rest his head was a bit clearer and he could see how stupid it was to switch. He was trying to get rid of Gaichū, not give him more fronting time! It did give him an excellent exit plan if he ever did want to escape something or someone, but still the little pest could’ve hurt his family so he’d have to be careful.

At least for once he was the only one awake. The slider took a deep, grounding breath, trying to think over what he needed to do. There was some traumatized, feral wreck in his head, that was for sure. But that feral wreck was him. There had to be a way to unlock those memories somehow and merge the two of them. Maybe it was that simple.

Don’t be an idiot. He chided himself. You think that if your mind could handle Gaichū’s memories you’d be in this situation in the first place?

Leo huffed slightly, knowing that whatever had caused his mind to shut down long enough for him to develop a whole new personality wouldn’t be easy to see. But surely he could cope through it, right? It’s not like Gaichū was stronger than him or anything. No way. So there had to be a way to access his little alter, maybe through meditation? It was worth a shot. Mikey would say to go gently, but the box turtle would also say that Gaichū needed to be treated with love and compassion. After all, he was a part of Leo and Leo needed to love himself.

Too bad Mikey didn’t realize that Leo never was to fond of himself to start with. And Gaichū was going to be treated the same way.

Leo took a deep breath. He had been going easy on himself. The invasion was his fault since he tried to make some stupid cool catch. It was time to lock in and change, become the leader Raph was always telling him to be.

After all, this wasn’t about him.

It was about the fact that if he didn’t get himself together then he might hurt one of his brothers without realizing it, and he knew he could never live with that fact. So he needed to gain access to Gaichū.

Somehow.

”Sensei?” Came a soft voice, and Leo turned his head to see Casey poking his head in the doorway. He smirked and wriggled his arm free to offer a little wave.

”Heya Case! What’s new?” He called softly, and Casey chuckled.

”Heh, glad it’s you.” The future boy glanced over Raph and Mikey in amusement. “Looks like you’re gonna be stuck there for a bit.”

”Yeah. These two can be clingy as anything.” Leo rolled his eyes. “DonTron is usually the worst though… what’s he doing over on the couch?”

Casey hesitated. “Um… well Gaichū doesn’t really like him as much. Or he does like him but is kinda uncomfortable. Also April and Hueso wanted me to tell you hi and that they’d come by again soon.”

Leo winced. Poor Donnie… why on earth was Gaichū being such a joy kill? But Casey’s second set of information made him perk up. “Wait… Apes and Tio were here? When?”

”They visited while Gaichū was fronting.” Casey explained softly, then hesitated as Leo frowned. “Don’t worry, they weren’t upset or disgusted or anything. They understand everything and want to help.”

”Oh. Great.” Leo forced a smile. “Thanks for letting me know, CJ. Now all I gotta do is wait for these dorks to get up. I’m actually surprised Dee let me sleep outside of the Med Bay and without an IV.”

”Well, most of your wounds are actually scarred over. Just might need some readjustments or physical therapy. Also Gaichū didn’t seem to be having any health problems without the IV so Don said he could go without it.” Casey explained. “Most of you is already healed, heh.”

”Right, of course. How could I forget?” Leo shrugged. “Well, all the better for me then, huh? Don’t have to be stuck in that stuffy Med Bay for longer than necessary.”

”Yeah. You still need to be checked over, but you’re good for the most part.” Casey agreed when Donnie finally began to stir.

Leo smirked as the soft shell sat up and blinked blearily at him. “‘Morning, Sleeping Beauty. Did you sleep good?” Donnie grumbled slightly and rolled over. Leo snickered. “Good to see you too, Don.”

Leo kept on his smile but watched Donnie carefully as the soft shell suddenly turned back to him, having remembered that it was Leo who was awake. But instead of jumping into questions like the last couple of times, Donnie only nodded in greeting. “Um… nice to have you back Nardo.”

Looks like someone got a talking to from Dr. Feelings, Leo thought as Donnie pulled out his phone. He smirked. “Y’know it’s not good for you to get on your phone when you wake up, Tello. As the local medic I demand you at least drink a glass of water and let your eyes wake up before you get on your devices.”

Donnie stubbornly ignored him, and Leo sighed. “Wow. Really mature, Dee. But anywhizzle where’s my phone?”

”Water first, medic.” Donnie quipped, lips tugging up in a smug smirk. Leo huffed in irritation and the soft shell sighed. “Besides you are on a phone ban until I can figure out how to make your entire system work in black and white. Can’t risk you seeing red or anything.”

Leo blew a raspberry and flopped back down as Mikey hugged him tighter. “Right. Looks like I’m going to have to use some sort of sub-par pizza sauce, like Alfredo or something.”

”Mmph… Alfredo’s delicious.” Mikey mumbled, still half-asleep. Leo sighed in mock exasperation and nudged him.

”Betrayed by my own brother, I can’t believe it.” The slider glanced over at Donnie. “But seriously what am I supposed to do? Red is like, most of my favorite foods, a bold comic color, a common color of movies…”

”Looks like you’ll have to resort to those old film noirs or classic, black-and-white musicals. No more Lou Jitsu or JJ until we can figure this out.” Donnie drawled. “What, don’t want to put on some ‘The Little Princess’ or ‘Heidi’?”

Leo groaned. “I need my comic heroes, Dee! And if you’re going to suggest musicals then at least pull up some Hamilton or Legally Blonde bootleg or something to play. But noooo I need to see King George’s costume or that iconic hot pink outfit…”

”We must all make sacrifices, Nardo.” Donnie rolled his eyes. “But anyways I’m sure you must be hungry because it’s been approximately…” He squinted at his wrist tech and frowned. “Um… too long since you’ve eaten. Apparently Gaichū doesn’t get the concept of food and you didn’t eat before you switched.”

”But… right, he didn’t ever need to eat. Heh, can’t die in the ol’ PD and there’s no food. All those funny little details.” Leo chuckled, and Donnie’s head snapped to him, eyes narrowing.

”Right. And I will not pry on how you personally figured out you can’t die in that… that place because I listened to Angelo and know you need to go at your own pace, he said very calmly and nailed it.” The soft shell sighed and stood up. “But seriously, what do you want to eat Nardo?”

”I could go for some—“ Leo started, but Casey cut him off in a hurry.

”Soup. Water. Electrolyte drinks. Nutrients-rich foods. Things that are soft on the digestive system.” The future boy explained. “If he hasn’t eaten in who-knows-how-long then his stomach will likely reject normal nutrition. So no pizza.” He added when Leo opened his mouth to speak.

”Ughhhh when will the torture end?” The slider groaned. “I’m hungry! And Mikey already fed me pancakes!”

”He what?” Casey blinked. “Well… maybe the Prison Dimension paused even your hunger.”

”Of course it did! Even if I was in there for longer I’m still young and spry and more handsome than Donnie!” Leo teased.

”Of course you are. But I do have a question.” Donnie leaned forward. “Have… have you been hungry since our Dr. Feelings session and said nothing? Or were not hungry because you were Gaichū for a lot of it?” Leo gave his most award-winning smile and Donnie huffed. “Of course it was the first option. Well Nardo, it would make me very very—that’s two very’s—relieved if I knew that you were informing us of your basic needs. Know that I will not hesitate to put you on a feeding schedule, is that clear?”

Leo rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah, fine. I was just a bit caught up in um… this whole situation.”

”Leo’s hungry?” Mikey finally blinked his eyes open, the chef awakening in him. Leo patted his head.

”Thanks bud, but you can rest a bit longer. Just let me get up and I can make some cereal… I mean, a soup…” Leo quickly corrected at Casey’s expression, but Mikey shook his head.

”Ugh, I’m not going to let you into the kitchen after the toaster incident.” Mikey grumbled, frowning at Raph’s arm around him. “Um…”

”Welcome to my world of while you were asleep, buddy. You know how hard it can be to wake him.” Leo snorted. “Maybe we should stage a death or something. That’ll get him awake.”

”Too soon, Nardo.” Donnie dragged a hand down his face.

”I can help get you free, Mikey.” Casey offered. “Just gotta be careful and replace yourself with a stuffed animal. Then we can start on some soup and Señor Hueso said he’d bring over some other healthy, easy-on-the-stomach options.”

”Great!” Leo chirped. “And in the meantime I think I’m going to go meditate for a bit.”

Everyone froze, then slowly turned to stare at him. Leo frowned. “What?”

”You? Meditating?” Mikey blinked.

”Nardo, what are you planning?” Donnie asked suspiciously. “We all know that you hate sitting still more than five seconds.”

”I’m just going to go meditating! What’s so wrong with that? Clear my head a bit, y’know?” Leo tried casually, but Donnie narrowed his eyes.

”Clear your head of some thoughts?” The soft shell leaned forward. “Or of someone?”

Leo sighed. “Look Dee, I’m not going to try anything stupid.”

”I know that’s not true from experience. You’re always doing something stupid, and if you’re not then I pinch myself. Try again.” Donnie said cooly, and Leo huffed.

”I’ll be fine! I’m not going to hurt Gaichū or anything. I just want to see if I can maybe figure this out a bit. Isn’t that healthy with D.I.D.?” Leo protested.

”You should really go slow Lee. Gaichū’s still kinda confused and scared…” Mikey intoned, but Leo flashed him a smile.

”Oh, you know me, Michael. I’m the Face Man! People love me!” Except myself, Leo thought, but he shook it off and winked. “I’ll just see if I can get ahold of this little guy somehow and have a little meet-and-greet. That can’t hurt, can it?”

Mikey was clearly still struggling, abut Leo gave him a reassuring nudge. “It’ll be fine. If anything goes wrong then all you guys will be just a room away.”

”No. Locking. The door.” Donnie said firmly, eyes intense but knowing he likely shouldn’t stop his twin. “And no scaring Gaichū off. We’re lucky that he’s starting to see us as a pack or family or whatever. He would’ve torn April to shreds if he didn’t see us as pack members, and April as a friend of ours.”

Something akin to fear shot through Leo’s stomach but he refused to let it show, instead shrugging. “Yeah yeah, I know. And I’m going to choose not to ask about whatever pack thingy you’re referring to. But don’t worry about me! I’ll be fine!”

”You’d better be.” Donnie’s eyes were sharp. “I repeat: no locking doors. Shout or use mind meld if you need help. Be calm and kind towards Gaichū. Do not try to fight him. Clear?”

”Crystal, DonTron!” Leo gave a salute. “Consider me the perfect diplomat.”

Chapter Text

Leo huffed slightly and adjusted his crisscrossed position on the mat, taking a deep breath and trying to clear his mind. Even in the dojo he could hear the faint sounds of life elsewhere in the lair and for some reason everything was suddenly interesting to him.

He peeked an eye open and glanced up at a tiny chip in the concrete ceiling. Such an interesting blemish that he had overlooked before. It kinda looked like an elephant head if you tilted your head just right, and for some reason Leo found himself taking the time to do just that. Such a lovely little chip in the concrete. And this mat too—it was so much more comfy than he had remembered! Why not poke the thin foam and watch the indentations morph and fade? And the curtain to cover the entrance…

Focus, Leo! The slider chided himself, closing his eyes again with a sigh. Why did meditation have to be so… boring? Every time he tried to nail down and think it seemed that a new thought or rabbit trail danced across his mind to distract him.

And Raph wondered why he hated mediation.

Leo grit his teeth and once again settled comfortably on the mat, trying to wrangle all his mind’s chaos and shove it into a box in some hidden corner. He could do this. He had to do this.

He wasn’t a child that would get distracted by the pretty dust drifting in the air and catching the light. He was a trained ninja warrior, and thanks to him his family almost died. He seriously needed to grow up.

Which meant he had to focus. Take a dive into Lake Him and find that stupid monster lurking just underneath the surface of the murky water.

Funny thing, water. Especially rivers. Interesting how they just never stopped flowing, going from the ocean to the earth to a spring and back again. Or into the rain clouds. How was it that water didn’t float, and yet giant clouds could be carried by the wind to a new location while filled with heavy liquid that would soon fall as rain to the earth? And Donnie had said something about humans being a large percentage of water… did that relate to mutants? And also…

Leo growled as he realized that he was getting distracted again. This was absolutely pathetic. Who cared about the stupid river when his family’s safety was at risk?

Donnie had said Gaichū would’ve torn April to shreds had the little gremlin not observed that she was a friend of his ‘pack’. Perhaps he was exaggerating, but due to Donnie’s nature Leo highly doubted it. The only way that the soft shell would know that would be if Gaichū had attacked them before. Donnie had used his tranquilizer gun on Gaichū when they first met, for crying out loud! What if Leo accidentally hurt those he loved the most without even meaning to?

Or, maybe worse, not even knowing it?

Leo let out an angry click and clenched his jaw, trying once again to clear his mind. But what did that even mean? What would he find?

And did he even want to find it?

Gradually Leo’s face relaxed as he pushed aside his thoughts, leaving him alone in that black abyss of his mind. The scent of the candles wafted up and lulled him into a comfortable state as he fell deeper and deeper into his meditation.

Leo blinked open his eyes, glancing around in bewilderment. Where… wait, he recognized this place. He recognized the back of this chair, the spot where the two walls met into a perfect corner to curl up next to, and the scuffed floor that was cleaned over with polish. He slowly peeked his head over the top to see Hueso’s desk sitting there emptily, but it did confirm what he had thought: he was in his Tio’s office.

Why here? He was supposed to be looking for Gaichū, not curled up in a corner like he was having a panic attack or something! With a slight huff of annoyance he hopped over the back of the cushioned reading chair, nearly jumping out of his skin when he saw something dark gray and cylindrical on the seat.

The slider yelped and missed his landing, tumbling onto the floor with his bad leg smarting in just the right way to make him cry out. With a groan he opened his eyes again, but when this new glance proved that the object wasn’t a trick of the light his breath caught in his throat.

The key to the Prison Dimension.

What in the world was that doing in Hueso’s office? No, not Hueso’s office. Just a strange manifestation of his meditating that happened to look like this place. But the key? In his own mind? He was trying to forget about that stupid thing! It was such an anomaly that Leo couldn’t do anything but stare for a few moments.

Think, Leo! He told himself, trying to break out of his shock. Why would the key to the Prison Dimension be in your mediation, and why did you appear in Hueso’s office when trying to find Gaichū?

Slowly the slider stood, limping to the chair and reaching out for the gray object. The strange markings in the stone glared at him tauntingly as Leo’s arm began to shake uncontrollably. It was just a key, and this was just a meditative state. He could snap out of it whenever he wanted to. Right?

Right?

Leo’s breath caught in his throat and withdrew his hand, glancing around warily. Surely he could just leave. It was his own mediation that brought him here! Sure he hadn’t been able to snap our of disassociating long enough for Gaichū to develop, but this was different. He was safe.

It was just meditation.

Leo glanced back at the key, trying to figure out what his next move was. He could smell the alluring scent of pizza trying to lure him into the restaurant, but he knew he was on a mission. But Gaichū had never been to Hueso’s, so where was he?

This was his own mind. He was trying to find Gaichū, so why the shell did he get dumped out here?

Unless… unless this wasn’t normal mediation. After all, didn’t Gaichū have basically a separate consciousness? Which meant they were sharing a brain, so this wasn’t just his own inner world…

No sooner had the thought formed in Leo’s brain than the slider groaned, realizing what was happening. This was the place he would always go to for comfort. It was his safe haven. Which meant that if this was his inner world that Gaichū was in his probably in his own sanctuary, which was likely to be…

”Ugh, why there?” Leo glared at the key on the chair, trying to drown out his sudden panic with anger. “Why not the lair or something? Why does it have to be… ugh!”

The slider stormed back over to the key, ignoring the flare in his back leg and leaning over the stone object to stare at it judgmentally. Now how was he supposed to activate it? He needed a certain, ceremonial spot for it to work.

Leo scowled. How dumb was it that the only way to access his alter was to re-open a deadly and impossible portal? Unless the laws worked differently here. He huffed slightly and snatched up the key, immediately yelping and dropping it when it heated up with a tingly sensation. It fell back onto the cushion, bouncing slightly as if an innocent relic rather than a world-ending key. Leo stared hard at it, starting to rethink his plan. Did he even want to see Gaichū?

Leo hissed. He had to get it together. He needed to see this little gremlin, and it made sense that he would be in the Prison Dimension. After all, that’s where he had spent all of his life. But maybe Leo could coax him into Hueso’s office and not vice versa. Perhaps it was foolish, since he didn’t quite know how reaching his alter in such a deep, inner place like this would go but he was done being in the dark. Hamato Leonardo wasn’t someone to just accept this as his fate, no sir. He was going to figure this out even if he had to wrangle information from his alter himself. Taking a deep breath, Leo took up the key again and held it in front of him as it began to grow from warm to blisteringly hot in his hand.

The slider gasped and dropped the key as it began to spark with light, instinctively cowering from the swirling golden vortex that was forming before him. Every single nerve on his body was screaming at him to run as memories of the Prison Dimension flooded his memory but his limbs were trembling too much for him to even move away.

Pathetic.

The word came to his mind without even thinking, but the scary part was that he couldn’t tell if it was a memory of Prime or himself speaking. But we aren’t at all alike! For one thing, you… you’re much better looking than that ugly gum-wad. So pull yourself together, Leo! The slider berated himself before taking a deep breath and blinking his eyes open. Darkness met his vision, and after a brief moment of confusion Leo realized that he must’ve popped into his shell. But there was another sense… one that was strange and foreign to him. He felt kind of… hyper aware? Almost as if he was experiencing his thoughts through the third person and there was some invisible barrier put up between himself and the world.

Cautiously he slid his limbs and head back out, seeing a large sparkling portal made of a pretty orange-gold color. Whose portal was this? It wasn’t the one the Kraang opened… this must be Mikey’s portal that his brothers had mentioned him opening. He slowly crept to the edge of the vortex and peered through, breath hitching at the sight of the Prison Dimension.

What should he do now? Should he… call for Gaichū? But what if Prime answered instead? He wasn’t ready for that. So… go in? Nope, no way. He couldn’t do that either. While he was still struggling to decide, a bit of movement from within the portal caught his eye. Leo’s head snapped up to see a figure shrouded in shadow experimentally sniffing the bright circle of gold, and soon a churr of pleasure resounded as the mystery creature began to roll around in the tendrils of light. Leo sucked in a sharp breath as a golden beam brightened the familiar form of the stranger. It was himself.

Gaichū.

Leo hesitated briefly before letting out a click to get the other slider’s attention. Gaichū leapt up with a hiss and hid partially behind the portal, squinting through at Leo. His eyes widened briefly before growling harder, and Leo winced. Shoot, of course Gaichū didn’t like his eye bananas.

Grimacing, Leo reached up to cover his eyes with his hands, peeking through his fingers at his alter. Gaichū relaxed slightly but still let out a few warning clicks. Leo forced his best Face Man smile and took a step forward, using his most cheerful voice. “Heya buddy, just wanted to—“

With a hiss Gaichū suddenly turned and bolted back into the Prison Dimension. Leo called after him and hurried forward but stopped just shy of the portal. Should he follow? But he really, really didn’t want to go back into the Prison Dimension. Besides, what would he say? He was honestly starting to see how hard Gaichū’s nonverbal tendencies were to navigate.

”Crap.” The slider huffed. “How does anyone get close to that little scaredy-cat?”

He lingered outside the portal for a couple moments longer before sighing and turning away. At least he knew were Gaichū was but he still needed a game plan. Maybe next time he visited he could try bringing a weapon into the Prison Dimension to protect himself from Prime.

And also maybe show Gaichū who was boss while he was at it.

But as he stalked back over to the reading chair to mediate out of this strange inner-world, he didn’t notice a curious Gaichū carefully crossing the portal barrier and into the office.

Chapter Text

The second Leo’s vision focused back onto the present lair he knew something was wrong. He could see he was in the dojo but for some reason he almost felt… floaty. Disconnected. Like it wasn’t real.

Was it real?

Hesitating briefly, Leo reached out to feel the mat under him. It certainly felt real, but maybe it was all a dream. Yeah, maybe that was it. Maybe he hadn’t quite come out of his inner world yet.

Or maybe that was real and this was the dream…

He should get up. Go see what his brothers were up to and maybe examine them. They’d been watching over him for so long, but he was supposed to be the medic of the group. The slider hadn’t missed the way Mikey’s hands trembled, or the way Raph’s eye was covered with a bandage, or the way Donnie’s shell was patched up, or the way everyone but him wore wraps that Leo had stored in the Med Bay for nerve damage. He seriously needed to get his act together and put Gaichū behind him. He should get up.

Leo frowned at his unmoving legs. Shell, he felt even disconnected from his body. His brain was commanding his limbs to move, but in his current state he was also wondering if it mattered. Why move if this was a dream? If nothing was real and nothing mattered anyway, did it even make a difference what he did? Perhaps all of reality was only relative.

Or… maybe he wasn’t actually here. Maybe he never was. What if he just went to sleep? Would anything change? Would the world around him be altered by his decisions or would he just float around like a ghost?

”Leo? You’ve been in there for a while…” Mikey said carefully as he poked his head in the dojo. Leo glanced up at him with unfocused eyes as he struggled to regain his composure. But then he felt a sudden urge of an almost animalistic protectiveness to his little brother, staggering over to his little brother on all fours. He let out a churr of fondness and nuzzled Omega’s leg, happy to see a familiar face and wondering where he even was…

”Um… Leo…” Omega said worriedly. “Are you… you? Or um…”

Leo jolted back, staring up at Mikey—his younger brother, not some weak pack member—in surprise. Where had that come from? Face heating up, Leo let out a brief chuckle. “Hehe, yeah it’s me bud. Just happy to see you.”

Mikey let out a sigh of relief, then hesitated. “But um… why are you on the floor Lee?”

Shoot. Leo’s dizzy brain groped for an answer as he stuttered. “Um… um I… uh… yeah. I like the floor. It’s a cool floor.”

Mikey’s face scrunched up in confusion and Leo could’ve kicked himself. Cool floor? Seriously? Pull yourself together, Face Man! “Just tired, hehe, sorry Mike. Meditation didn’t help at all, but whatever. Maybe I’ll actually get to bed at a decent time, yeah? You’d like that?”

”Well, yeah. You should be getting good rest.” Mikey intoned. “But um… are you sure you’re okay, Leo? You look kinda out of it.”

”Oh pshaw, I’m fine.” Leo offered a little wink before starting to get up. The second he tried to balance, however, his mind screamed at him that neither him nor the ground was real so that this was impossible. He fell back down with a grunt, and Mikey kneeled next to him worriedly.

”Ohmigosh Leo!” The box turtle gently offered his hand for Leo to take, but when the slider only stared at it with a confused expression he quickly withdrew it. “Are you okay? Anything hurt?”

”Just a little case of Classic Clumsy Leon. Nothing to worry about.” Leo grinned, but it didn’t quite meet his eyes. He blinked up at Mikey until a sudden anger filled him. Why was Mikey interrogating him like this? That wasn’t his place at all! He needed to just take his word for it and move on. Who was this young box turtle to defy him?

Mikey scrambled back as Leo involuntarily let out a warning growl, a flash of fear covering his face. Guilt immediately flooded Leo’s senses as he scrambled forward. “Oh Mikey… I’m sorry I just… sorry I don’t know what that was… sorry…”

Mikey stared at him for a second. “Are… are you cycling again or something? Should I get the others or…?”

”No no no please don’t bother Donnie he’ll be so mad at me for being weak I’m sorry just please don’t tell him he’ll bring pain…” Leo rambled, a sudden flash of fear of his twin surging to the front. His words slowly trailed into pleading chirps as he crawled forward and rolled over by Mikey’s feet, mewling pitifully. Mikey’s face was branded with pasty white shock. Leo saw this look and let out a churr, hoping that Mikey would get the message. As the leader of the group Donnie would be so mad at him for scaring Mikey! Who knew what the soft shell would do? Fear was numbing out every emotion as Leo continued to grovel at Mikey’s feet.

Mikey’s lip began to tremble. “L-Leo? What’s going on? Or… or Gaichū?”

”What?” Leo rolled back over, face burning with shame. “Don’t worry Mikester, it’s just me. Sorry I… I don’t know. Just tired. Maybe I’ll go back to the Med Bay to take a nap or something.”

Mikey didn’t respond, instead he kneeled down slowly so he could look into Leo’s heterchromic eyes. Try as he might, Leo couldn’t seem to keep his gaze focused on Mikey’s face. He kept zoning out and back in again, feeling a strange sense of panic tickling the back of his mind at the fact that he couldn’t figure out what was going on. It was like he was watching his little brother through glass, or like he wasn’t quite present but an outside observer in his own life. Mikey frowned worriedly. “Leo, something’s wrong with you.”

Leo heard his little brother’s words but couldn’t seem to fully comprehend them. What if he just… didn’t answer? Would Mikey disappear and prove himself to be a figure of Leo’s imagination? Or would he himself fade away into blissful nothingness? Shoot, Mikey was still waiting for a response. He opened his mouth to speak before yelping as a headache crashed into him at full force, shrouding his thoughts in agony as fear screamed at him not to speak. No second chances—Mikey would tell Donnie and then Donnie or Raph would beat him for even daring to make the same mistake again. Didn’t Donnie make him a shock collar to shut up? Didn’t Prime choke the breath support from his voice?

Prime did what?

”Leo? Leo talk to me! Please! You’re scaring me! I… I won’t get Donnie if you don’t want me to, okay? Just please say something?” Mikey whimpered pleadingly, and Leo stared at the box shell. He was worrying his brother like some mute idiot instead of talking like a normal turtle! Why the shell would he be scared to speak? He loved hearing his own voice! It was how he calmed down all those difficult situations with a one-liner!

Leo chuckled slightly. “Hehe, sorry Mikey. I think I’m gonna head to the Med Bay for a bit. Not feeling too swell. But seriously, don’t bother the others. I’m just tired. Tomorrow I’d like to take a look at those hands of yours though, okay buddy?”

Mikey glanced down at his arm wraps in surprise as if he had forgotten he had them on. “What… Leo, I’m fine. Casey’s been helping out with them, and he said that future you trained him so he’s gotta be good.”

”Yeah, not good enough. Future me was in the middle of an apocalypse and probably some dork anyway. I wouldn’t trust myself with training Casey anyway, haha.” Leo joked, but it turned into an awkward cough as Mikey’s face darkened. “Um… just let me check on you guys tomorrow, okay? For peace of mind?”

”Well, sure I guess. If you really want to.” Mikey’s eyes were searching, and Leo’s stomach clenched. Why was he looking at him like that? Was he looking for the weakest spot to attack?

Leo cut off his thoughts, gritting his teeth angrily. What the shell—NO! Mikey would never attack him! He seriously needed to get a grip.

”Whelp, I’d best be off then! If you need me I’ll be busy sawing logs and catching ‘Z’s in some comfy meadow of blissful ignorance.” Leo joked, clenching his jaw in concentration as he finally managed to get upright. He sidled past his youngest brother despite Mikey’s concerned look and out into the lair, trying to make his way to the Med Bay.

”Ah, greetings Nardo.” Came the voice of his alpha far too closely for comfort, and Leo nearly jumped out of his skin with a yelp. His terrified eyes met those of his twin just in time to see a flash of hurt cover his face. “Um… awkward chuckle… I was just coming to check up on you and Mikey. Did I… scare you?”

”Pfft, you’re talking to the chillest ice cube in the freezer!” Leo smirked, ignoring his pounding heart. “Me? Scared? I’ve never heard of the word!”

”Sure you weren’t, he said without a hint of sarcasm.” Donnie drawled, but Leo was relieved to see that he had taken the edge off of the situation. “How did the meditation go? Did you contact Gaichū?”

Something in Leo perked up at the name, but then he inwardly cringed as Donnie’s eyes narrowed. “Um… kinda? Not successfully, anyway. But I’ll get there eventually.” Leo tried to limp around his twin but Donnie cut him off.

”Not so fast, Nardo.” Donnie sighed. “First off, don’t walk without your crutch. Second of all, what do you mean by ‘kinda’, which is not only an abomination to proper grammar but is also too vague to be a satisfactory answer?”

”Geez DonTron, I’m tired! It’s too late for you to be the grammar police!” Leo groaned.

”It’s barely noon.” The soft shell said without blinking, and Leo gulped.

”Well, then I’m going to take a nap.” He tried, but Donnie pinched the bridge of his snout.

”Nardo, you still haven’t answered my second question.” The soft shell’s gaze was intense. “Which I believe that you know, and the fact that you are makes me think that there’s more to the story. Did you encounter Gaichū or not?”

Leo’s headache flared again and he felt a flash of annoyance at Donnie’s interrogation. “Yes I met him and no I did not speak to him and yes I’m tired and would like this conversation to end. Can’t a guy go nap in peace?”

”Well, look who it is! Hey there, Donald!” Mikey came up behind Leo with a sickly sweet smile, and Donnie grimaced. “I couldn’t help but hear you two talking, and correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t forcing Leo to talk about something he isn’t ready for the exact thing we discussed not doing?”

”Scowl, Miguel this is important!” Donnie pleaded, and Leo glanced down at Mikey in surprise.

”Donnie, do not make me pull out Dr. Feelings on you.” Mikey gently hooked his arm around Leo’s and began to lead him around an indignant Donnie. “These things take time and I’m not going to let you push for answers right now. If Leo’s tired, let him sleep.”

”Deep sigh, fine. But seriously if something important happened, let me know A.S.A.P..” Donnie called after them, and Leo threw a thumbs-up over his shoulder before leaning down.

”Thanks, Mike.” He murmured softly, and Mikey smiled.

”I’m still worried about you, you know.” He replied. “But if you’re really that disoriented then a nap should help a bit.”

”Yeah, that’s it.” Leo nodded, mind still whirling. “Just need a little rest. I don’t know what got into me.”

Chapter Text

”You comfy, Leo?” Mikey asked gently, pulling Donnie’s weighted blanked over the shivering slider. Leo offered a sheepish grin.

”Yeah, thanks Mike. I appreciate it.” Why am I being covered in this dark thingy it’s so heavy! I hate this I hate this I hate this why is Omega trying to restrain me? Came Leo’s intrusive thoughts, and he started to growl and throw the blanket off but caught himself just at the right second. “I’ll call you if I need anything.”

”I’ll hold you to that.” Mikey teased with a smile. “Look… I don’t know what happened in your mediation but know that I’m here if you want to talk, ‘kay bro?”

”Got it, Big Man!” Leo nodded and flushed when it was accompanied by a churr. Mikey’s eyes dimmed briefly with worry but he nodded and walked quietly out. The second he wasn’t under observation Leo let out a low groan, squeezing his eyes shut against the pounding headache in his brain. What the shell had happened to him? He thought he was just doing some inner-research or something, just trying to figure out if he could speak to Gaichū.

He didn’t realize that opening that stupid portal would break down the mental barrier between them.

Leo squeezed his eyes shut, trying to scrounge his rebelling mind for his research on D.I.D.. He had never paid too much attention to the disorder since it was so rare, but now he was trying to conjure up every little detail. Obviously there were the multiple personalities, referred to as ‘alters’, and it was caused by the brain shutting itself off to protect itself. Even though the brain was in such a severe state of disassociation that your current self was cut off from the world around you, your body was still present. Life still moved on, and your brain had to survive, so another personality was born out of default. The you that was still unfortunately present in the face of trauma while the previous you was being protected in your mind’s deepest vault. But beyond that…

Nothing.

He had heard of various severities and multiple voices in one’s head, but he couldn’t recall much about specifically how the alters might interact. But all of a sudden he lost interest. It was all just boring nerd stuff that he barely understood anyway. Just a bunch of words on a page and maybe he should go find Omega and make sure that Alpha wasn’t mad…

Leo hissed. Shell, that was Gaichū! Not him! Shut up, you little jerk. Let me think. He thought, and when he heard a growl in response he froze. He mentally sent out an inquiring chirp, and he heard another click in reply. What the…

Leo frowned in concentration and surged towards the voice in his head, churring in a non-aggressive way. Gaichū paused briefly before growling back. As a turtle Leo recognized the sound as a warning to stay back, but as a brother he chose to ignore it. What if Gaichū got too strong? He needed to stay in control.

He couldn’t let this monster win.

Gaichū whined as he tried to make himself get up but some invisible force held him down. He could hear some enemy communicating him but was unable to turn his head to see where he was and it was causing panic to swell up in his chest.

Gaichū dove into the cave, scrambling deeper and deeper into the darkness as Master chased him angrily. He needed to get away before he got beaten again. Obviously he couldn’t avoid it forever, but some stubborn and primal shred of desperation urged him to run away.

But it was a mistake.

”PEST!” Shouted his angry master, but for some reason his voice rebounded off the walls and surrounded the terrified slider. “PEST-EST-Est-est…”

He couldn’t see in this dark cave, yet Master’s voice seemed to be all around him simultaneously. How could he run if he didn’t know where to run to? In this inky blackness Gaichū didn’t know if he was running to or from his master anymore. Everything was disorienting and terrifying, the booming voice too loud and overwhelming. The slider whimpered pitifully and pulled his limbs into his shell, remaining silent in hopes that the monster would go away.

But he didn’t.

Master found him like he always did, and all Gaichū could recall before the attack was that voice seemingly everywhere all at once taunting him before the pain began.

Somehow this situation was worse because the slider couldn’t even move for too long. It was like he was being held by some invisible force that was maneuvering him to do it’s bidding without his consent, and who knew when that strange voice in his head would catch up to him and hurt him? He recognized it as the voice of that turtle with bloody eyes but was unable to see where he was sneaking up from.

When the voice persisted and grew louder Gaichū nearly screeched in apprehension, trying his best to get away from the sound.

But in doing so he had the strangest sensation that he was falling, and for the first time since his old home with Master he felt weightless.

Leo yelped as he felt himself being yanked backwards, strangely not literally but as if down through a tunnel. He could see his sight of the Med Bay grow dim and faint as he was pulled away from reality and into his own mind, desperately scrabbling for any hold but unable to resist the growing darkness that covered his vision. He landed with a grunt onto the floor of Hueso’s office, immediately jumping up and scrambling backwards as he tried to control his breathing. What had just happened? He had been trying to get to Gaichū, but then for some reason he couldn’t describe the mental chase led him back here. It was almost as if he had been reaching for his alter from the edge of a precipice, but leaned to far and fell down into the cavern beneath.

His wide, heterochromic eyes scanned his surroundings until they landed on an equally-disoriented Gaichū, who glared back at him and jumped up with a hiss. Leo fumbled his way to a crouch, senses on high alert at seeing that Gaichū was actually in his Tio’s office. This was good, right? Or bad, because it confirmed his suspicions that this little gremlin was able to co-front thanks to his own stupidity of opening the portal.

However it was better than going unconscious every time he was triggered. He just needed to assert dominance and keep his alter in here somehow.

”H-hey buddy…” He cooed, taking a tentative step forward. Gaichū snarled at him, eyes narrowing in rage. Okay… so the hatred was mutual. Leo could work with that. “Look, um… I won’t hurt you if you’re good. That’s what you like to hear, right? Good boy? Good boy, Gaichū. Just calm down.”

Gaichū perked up slightly at Leo’s words, but his blank expression made Leo remember that he couldn’t just reason with someone who didn’t know how to speak or understand medical terms. But if he used turtle sounds then it would probably be perceived as a challenge if Leo wanted Gaichū to stay here. So what was he supposed to do?

He let out a soothing churr, pointing towards the open portal with a couple encouraging clicks. Gaichū growled and took a step forward in warning. Leo frowned and let out a few more clicks, but the other slider only hissed and got into a threatening crouch. Leo hesitated as he saw the position, clearly poised to strike.

This wasn’t working. Gaichū clearly saw him as some sort of threat, and without his brothers here the slider was completely riding solo. Gaichū had no one to hold him accountable and Leo had no one to vouch for him. Time for Plan B.

”BAD, Gaichū!” He snapped, lowing his voice and standing up to make himself look taller. “Bad boy! Get out! Out!”

Gaichū’s eyes widened and Leo inwardly cheered. Much better. “Yeah, that’s right you little pest! Get out of my sight! Go! Bad boy! Go!”

Gaichū’s eyes narrowed at the shouting enemy. This slider was not his alpha, nor was he Master. He was some threat that was keeping him from his real pack—trying to prevent him from returning to his treasure child and send him back to Master to get beaten.

Going back to Master wouldn’t be a bad thing, but there was no way that Gaichū was going to let this turtle attack his pack while he was away. Master could take care of himself, but Gaichū was certain Omega couldn’t.

He might not know where he was, but he knew that this place smelled like Friend. His pack was waiting for him and this slider was in his way.

So with a snarl, he attacked.

Donnie grumbled to himself as he stomped through the lair towards his lab, letting out little angry clicks under his breath. Clearly there was something that Leo wasn’t telling him about Gaichū and the soft shell was on edge. What was he hiding? How did meeting your alters work? He would do some research and see if he could figure it out himself if his dum-dum twin wouldn’t elaborate.

He rounded a corner and nearly crashed into Mikey, who was lingering around the Med Bay entrance. The soft shell yelped and was about to scold him when Mikey put a quick finger to his lips, pointing through the green-tinted doors at Leo laying on his side on the cot. Donnie frowned. “Um… Angelo what am I looking at? Are you trying to prove he was tired or something? Because all hail the wise Michelangelo if so and mazel, I say as I make my exit toward my lab…”

”Shhh, no it’s not about that or whatever!” Mikey worried. “It’s about Leo.”

”Oh correct me if I’m wrong, dear Angelo, but isn’t forcing Nardo to talk about something he isn’t ready for the exact thing we discussed not doing?” Donnie mocked, still sour about being told off by his younger brother, and Mikey shot him a glare.

”Cut it out, Donnie!” The box turtle glanced back in the Med Bay. “He’s too still. I don’t think he’s asleep.”

”Okay, point taken. Unless he’s latched onto a stuffed animal or one of us then the sheets will be on the ground by morning or he’ll ‘accidentally’ kick us off the bed, as he claims. The jury is still out.” Donnie drawled. “But so what if he isn’t sleeping?”

”He seemed so out of it, and he’s so still.” Mikey’s foot began tapping, and Donnie’s eyes darted down to it in concern. “Leo hates sitting still. He should be rolling over or something, not just laying there.”

”And you call me the paranoid one.” Donnie huffed, but Mikey’s words did strike a chord within him and he glanced into the medical center as well. “So why don’t you go in?”

”Just in case he is actually asleep and I’m making it up.” Mikey admitted, and Donnie snorted.

”Scoff! Angelo you’re too indecisive.” The soft shell straightened. “I’m going in.”

”No!” Mikey jumped up and latched himself to Donnie’s battle shell, causing the soft shell to stagger slightly from the sudden weight. “Don’t go in! He’s tired!”

”But he’s not sleeping!” Donnie protested, and Mikey shook his head vehemently.

”But he might be!” The box turtle defended. “I don’t want to interrupt him if he’s trying to either.”

”You were the one who brought this to my attention in the first place, Miguel!” Donnie pinched the bridge of his snout. “Now you’ve got me curious so I’m going in.”

”Just be quiet.” Mikey conceded, and continued to ride piggyback as Donnie entered the Med Bay stealthily. He slowly crept around to see if Leo’s eyes were closed, but upon seeing them wide open both turtles yelped in surprise and Donnie jumped back, heart thumping.

”Geez Nardo! Do you know how creepy that is?” He hissed, but Leo didn’t respond. The slider’s eyes remained unfocused and blank, staring at nothing as concern seized Donnie’s chest.

”Leo?” Mikey whimpered, hopping off Donnie’s back worriedly. “Hello? You okay?”

Leo didn’t respond, and Donnie started to panic. He stormed right up to his twin and shook him. “Nardo! Snap out of it!”

”Can you hear us?” Mikey worried, peering into Leo’s unseeing eyes. “Ohmigosh Dee, what’s wrong with him?”

”I… scowl, I don’t know! Go get Raph and Casey!” Donnie ordered, and Mikey nodded and scurried off, almost tripping over his own feet in his haste. Donnie kneeled next to his twin, staring at his blank eyes with a sinking feeling in his stomach. “What’s going on with you?”

Chapter Text

Leo gasped and tried to dodge as Gaichū attacked him, falling onto his shell and holding the other slider back as he snapped his teeth threateningly. An almost feral desperation seemed to be prompting his alter to fight at full strength, making no bones about hurting him. Leo’s chest squeezed and he rolled over suddenly, using all his limbs to vault Gaichū across the room. He hurriedly got into a crouch and narrowed his eyes, glancing around for anything he could use as a weapon. “Geez, dude! You don’t mess around!”

Gaichū let out a snarl in response and dove at Leo again, the slider in blue ducking away but feeling his bad leg buckle. He cried out as he hit the ground, using his good leg to kick Gaichū back. The feral slider rebounded and hissed angrily, eyes turning to slits. Leo glared back, comforting hands coddling his hurt leg. “You listen here, you little dork. I’m in charge here. You hear me? Bad dog! Bad pest!”

Leo rolled out of the way as Gaichū leapt at him, scrambling painfully to his Tio’s desk where he scrounged around for something sharp. His hand quickly found a letter opener, and he let out a whoop of joy before extending it into a sword with his ninpo. A swift portal sent a charging Gaichū flying towards the opposite side of the room as Leo smirked, knowing full well that he could’ve been gentler but at this point not even caring. His other hand gripped a pair of scissors and he let out a sigh of relief as his mystic power completed his odachi pair. He flung his sword to the side and felt himself zap away from Gaichū’s snapping teeth with a sense of smugness, relishing in the shocked look on his alter’s face. To be honest he was just as surprised that he could use his ninpo in this strange place, but it was already being used to his advantage and opened up a plethora of new opportunities.

”That’s right!” He crowed, a glowing feeling of superiority warming his chest. “I can portal you little—“

Gaichū growled and dove at him again, Leo this time miming a yawn before he sent himself falling through a portal and out of harm’s way. The feral slider let out a hiss of disorientation before attacking Leo again, the blue ninja deftly zapping himself away. They chased each other in that manner for a good five minutes before Leo’s cockiness began to fade and annoyance replaced it. “Give it up already!” He huffed. “Geez, when are you going to get the hint?”

Of course Gaichū didn’t verbally respond to his question, and as Leo portalled himself away again he tried to rethink his strategy. Clearly this little pest wasn’t going to give up any time soon, and who knew if his ninpo would drain even in this pseudo world? It was just like with the invasion: he needed to close the portal to stop this little vermin from infecting his mind for good and hurting his brothers. But how? The portal was the key now! How did he close it?

Leo grimaced. Of course it wouldn’t be as easy to close the connection as it was to open it. Who let the dogs out? Well make it singular, and big surprise that it was me who messed up. Again. Leo thought grimly. Right now this little freak of nature—or freak of the Prison Dimension—was after his throat and Leo was getting tired of fighting him. Gaichū was fighting dirty… should Leo fight the same way? Let the true champion have the body? Blissfully Ignorant Leo would’ve said yes in an instant, but after seeing how close Gaichū was getting and how he was reacting quicker and quicker to his portal Present Leo wasn’t too sure he wanted to risk the little gremlin winning. He was on the defense at the moment, and Gaichū the offense. He never did like that dynamic, but here he was dodging and portalling around a tiny little office to avoid the Prison Dimension…

Leo glanced over, an idea striking him. What if he went into the Prison Dimension? Maybe that was the trick since that way he could lure Gaichū in and form a portal loop to keep him back. A rush of relief flooded over his anxiety, smirking now that the great planner Neon Leon was back. It was so simple! Nothing at all to worry about now—it was checkmate for his alter. But just as he was about to bolt…

”Leo? Leo can you hear us?” Came Mikey’s worried voice, muffled as if coming through the office door. Both Leo and Gaichū paused and stared at the shut exit of the office, a protective look flaring in Gaichū’s eyes. “Leo? See Raph? He’s just completely out of it!”

”Stay back, Mike!” Raph’s response came next, the anxious volume causing the door to tremble on it’s hinges. “Casey, Don, fix him!”

”I don’t know how, Raphala!” Donnie snapped. “This seems to be some intense form of disassociation, but it’s strange that neither Nardo or Gaichū are responding. Almost as if they’re in a sort of deadlock or just… gone somewhere.”

Gaichū whined at the sound of his name, bounding over to the door and using a hand to gently prod against it. They heard Mikey gasp. “There! He blinked! That’s good, right? A good thing? Leo? Gaichū? Can you hear us?”

Gaichū let out a chirp, tail wagging. When the door didn’t open he growled instead and backed up to throw himself against the wood. Leo yelped and crashed into him before he could charge again, struggling to pin him down. “Oh no you don’t! There’s no way I’m letting you out like this. For crying out loud, you’re a turtle and not a battering ram, hehe…”

Gaichū snarled and squirmed underneath Leo’s weight, finally managing to sink his teeth into the slider’s wrist. Leo yowled and yanked back, allowing Gaichū to throw him off and smash into the door once more.

”Ouch, hey stop that!” Leo snapped as he scrambled up and moved in between Gaichū and the door. “No! Bad Gaichū! No door! Door stays shut! Bad!”

Gaichū gnashed his teeth and dropped into a crouch, eyes narrowing into slits. Leo held his gaze defiantly. “Oh you wanna go? Come on then! Give me your best shot—“

Gaichū pounced, crashing Leo shell-first into the door and finally breaking it down as they both tumbled through.

Leo jolted awake and nearly crashed head-first into Donnie as he sat up abruptly, the soft shell who had been leaning over him jerking back in the nick of time. “Nardo! What the shell?”

”I’m sorry Dee don’t be mad at me please…” Leo babbled, then growled and grabbed his head. “SHUT UP YOU LITTLE WRETCH!”

”Leo, what’s going on?” Mikey whimpered, but Leo was barely listening. Gaichū surged to the front, trying to take a protective dive at Mikey but Leo jerked his own body back and only succeeded in falling off the cot with a grunt, groaning as the cracks in his shell shivered. Gaichū whined at the pain and tried to leap up but Leo popped all his limbs into his shell stubbornly, hearing his brother’s exclamations of surprise and worry.

”Leo? Leo whatcha doin’? Are ya okay?” Raph’s worry stink reached Leo’s nostrils even in his shell and the slider wrinkled his beak. Gaichū let out a whine through Leo’s lips and the slider growled back at him to stay silent. “Lee, can ya hear Raph?”

”Nardo, get out of your shell and tell us what’s going on!” Donnie snapped, but Leo could head the concern in his twin’s voice. “Are you hurt? Or… or Gaichū?”

Gaichū wrestled his way out of his shell at the sound of his name, chirping worriedly and trying to crawl over to Donnie. Leo let out a couple of angry clicks as he snatched his own hand away from his twin, panic and fury warring in him. “Stop that! Bad Gaichū! Bad! Stay away from my twin!”

”Wait, what?” Mikey’s eyes widened. “Gaichū? You’re talking to him, Leo? How…”

”Stay back!” Leo barked, and when a flash of hurt covered Mikey’s face Gaichū turned livid. Leo lost control as his body suddenly convulsed, scrambling up and bolting from the room. Leo winced at the loud yowling Gaichū was doing in his mind and shouted back from him to shut up. Gaichū, unsure of where Leo was, immediately whirled around and shook his head, snarling in confusion. Leo wrenched the little gremlin down and forced himself back to the front, panting heavily and trembling as he tried to keep himself still. His family poured out of the Med Bay after him, but Leo staggered away. “I said stay back! I’m serious! Go away!”

”Nardo, we’re not leaving you like this!” Donnie pleaded. “When did you start fronting at the same time? Is that what happened during meditation?”

”That’s why you were acting so weird!” Realization dawned on Mikey’s face.

”Sensei… sorry, Leo you have to calm down and let us help you!” Casey begged. “You’re only making it worse by fighting each other, and he doesn’t realize what’s going on like you do!”

”I’m not going to just let him take control of my own body!” Leo snapped back, and Raph spoke up.

”Look Lee, Raph understands. He really does.” Pained eyes met feral ones and the snapper sighed. “But you’re gonna hurt yourself if you try to fight like this. He’s you and you’re him. Please just try to listen for once…”

”Right! Raph, you’re a genius!” Leo suddenly shouted triumphantly, and his family went silent. Leo waved off their concern and grit his teeth as it felt like his own skeleton was trying to break free from his skin. He struggled to crawl towards the dojo. “Just let… hsssssss… let ol’ Leo handle this and I’ll be all good.”

”Nope, not happening!” Donnie started forward anxiously. “Like shell are we going to leave you alone like this…”

”What is going on? I heard shouting… Blue what’s going on?” Came a voice from right behind him, and although Leo immediately recognized that it was Splinter apparently Gaichū didn’t. In a panicked frenzy that made Leo’s vision blur Gaichū whipped around and pounced, sinking his teeth deep into Splinter’s shoulder.

Splinter let out a howl of pain as Leo’s brothers and Casey exploded with surprise, Leo struggling to regain control as nausea swept over him like a gnarly wave. The metallic taste of his father’s blood was sickening, but Gaichū could sense Leo’s discomfort more than the recognition of Splinter and so bit down harder. Leo finally managed to release his jaw and staggered backwards, staring in horror at the fear in Splinter’s eyes. That awful taste was fresh on his tongue and nearly made him gag, and Gaichū finally seemed to catch onto the scent of Splinter. The feral slider began whining in worry at having hurt a friend of his Alpha’s, trembling all over.

Leo just bitten his own father.

What kind of monster did that?

What kind of monster was Gaichū?

And if Gaichū was Leo…

Splinter saw the look of horror in Leo’s eyes and took a tentative step forward, hands out in a calming gesture despite his wince and the crimson trickling from his shoulder. “My son… I do not know what is going on…”

”Ohmigosh, he bit Splinter!” Mikey yelped, and hurried forward despite Donnie taking a snatch for him. “Gaichū, don’t hurt dad! It’s okay!”

”STAY THE FREAKING SHELL AWAY FROM ME, MIKEY!” Leo roared, vision going in and out of focus as he struggled to keep Gaichū back. “I’m not going to let him hurt you too!”

”He’s just scared, Leo!” Mikey pleaded, but paused at the volume in his voice and the look in his eyes. “Leo…”

”Mikey, stay back!” Donnie demanded, and although Leo was grateful he had to admit that Donnie’s words hurt him more than Prime ever could.

His family was scared of him.

And he couldn’t even blame them.

Couldn’t blame Prime.

Because maybe that living gum-wad was right at least about this one thing.

Gaichū needed to be punished.

”We can’t just stay away from him, Don!” Raph protested, and Mikey squirmed in agreement. “He needs us right now! Both of them!”

”I agree Raphala, but it would be a new level of stupid to approach someone who might hurt you!” Donnie snapped back, and Leo began to subtly force himself to scoot backwards.

”Leo didn’t leave Raph when he was kraangified!” Raph nearly roared, and Gaichū let out a fearful whine as Leo shushed him. “Raph’s not leavin’ him either!”

”Blue, where are you going?” Splinter called as Leo managed a burst of movement towards the dojo where his odachi remained before Gaichū stopped him and caused them both to collapse.

”Nardo, stay put! I can figure out some sort of sedative…” Donnie began fumbling with his wrist tech, arm still around a wriggling Mikey. Raph whipped around to glare at him.

”No! No sedatives!” The snapper barked, and Casey pointed over towards a retreating Leo.

”Leo, stop!” The future boy pleaded. “We can figure this out! Stop fighting him and let yourselves calm down!”

”No! He… he’s gonna hurt you guys!” Leo shouted back as he reached the curtain.

”The Big Man’s right! He’s just scared!” Raph tried, hesitatingly following the slider from a distance as he disappeared into the dojo. “Leo! Don’t walk away from this! We’re worried about ya!”

”Just stay out!” Leo called back, a dark rage at Gaichū numbing out every single thought other than revenge. No one hurt his family and got away with it.

No one.

“Prime was right about you, you little wretch.” The slider snarled, snatching up his odachi with great difficulty as Gaichū tried to get away from the sharp object. “You’re nothing but a stupid pest to be tamed. I would’ve beat you too!”

With a shout of rage Leo drove the tip of his sword into his leg, angrily biting his tongue against the pain and feeling a rush of giddy euphoria overwhelm his senses. The thrill of vengeance shot adrenaline through his veins as he continued to stab his leg, red edging his vision. “Take that! And that! You stupid, useless little pest!”

He couldn’t even really tell if it was sadistic or masochistic at this point, but all he knew was that Gaichū was going to pay for what he did. He didn’t care if he got hurt in the process as long as Gaichū was as well. He could hear a terrified whining fill his head and began to grow dizzy as Gaichū attempted to front, but with a malicious glee he shoved the little gremlin back and stabbed his sword deeper and deeper.

“LEO!” Came Raph’s terrified roar, and Leo barely had time to look up before the snapper had barreled into him and was pinning him to the ground, the sword clanging against the floor away from Leo’s rueful eyes. The slider squirmed hard, rage still numbing his mind against the throbbing pain as he tried to break free with a strength Raph had never seen Leo use against him before. “WHAT THE SHELL ARE YA DOING?! ARE YA CRAZY?”

“Let me go Raph!” Leo snarled and squirmed, rage still numbing his mind against the throbbing pain as he tried to break free. “Get off me! Go away!”

“Raph can’t!” Raph squeezed his eyes shut and held onto Leo tighter. “Stop fighting me!”

“Let go! No one gets away with something like that! I’m not going to let him hurt you again!” Leo growled, bucking and wriggling as hard as he could against Raph’s strong frame.

“DONNIE! MIKEY! SOMEBODY! HELP! GET IN HERE!” Raph shouted, voice cracking as he struggled to hold Leo down. The large snapper was trembling all over by the time his brothers along with Splinter and Casey burst through the dojo door. Leo only struggled harder as surprised exclamations rang out around him, needing to feel that delicious burn that would bring him gratification and relief.

”Oh my banana pancakes—Nardo what are you doing?!” Donnie’s eyes scanned over the blood gushing from his leg and the bloody odachi a couple feet away. “Oh… NARDO I SWEAR YOU BETTER NOT’VE BEEN DOING WHAT I THINK YOU WERE DOING! Augh why do I always have to be right?” The soft shell scowled and snatched up Leo’s odachi with his battle shell arm, flinging it away.

“Ohmigosh Lee!” Mikey hurried over to stand by Raph and Leo, hesitating and not wanting to restrain him. “Leo stop!”

“Let me go!” Leo snarled, not quite hearing anyone over the cacophony of growls and whines in his head. Why was that little brat making such a racket? Why couldn’t he just learn to shut up? Gaichū surged to the front to fearfully snap at Raph but Leo cut himself off with a whine.

”Calm down!” Casey begged, trying to keep his voice steady but failing. “We’re not mad! You won’t hurt us! It’s okay!”

”Blue! Stop fighting Red!” Splinter tried, but Leo wouldn’t listen. He could feel the euphoria dissolving into pain and a desperation to remain on that high prompted him to struggle harder. With his own consciousness weakening with shame and pain Gaichū took that moment to strike again, biting Leo’s arm that had held the sword that attacked him with a growl. Mikey let out a scream as Casey dove forward to try and pry open Leo’s beak.

”Leo! No!”The future boy strained with all his might against Gaichū’s stubborn lockjaw. “Or Gaichū! Drop it! Now! Bad!”

“It’s Gaichū! I can’t… I can’t stop him…” Leo grit out, head exploding with pain as he fought against his savage alter, but then a booming voice echoed through the room.

”GAICHŪ!” Thundered Donnie’s voice, and Leo could feel Gaichū go still and intense, a sudden fear stiffening his body. His eyes turned to those of his twin, who was staring at Leo with something akin to horror. The soft shell winced as he saw the look on Leo’s face but didn’t stop. “BAD Gaichū! Bad! Drop my twin right now!”

A terrified whine wavered from Leo’s lips, but the slider knew that it wasn’t his. Donnie’s expression faltered at the sound but he kept his face angry and firm. “Gaichū! I will punish you if you do not let go now! Bad pest!”

Gaichū whimpered and released Leo’s arm, and Leo himself didn’t have the energy to fight back. Donnie… why was Gaichū responding like this to Donnie? It correlated with his alter’s reactions, but seeing it firsthand made an uneasy feeling crawl all over Leo’s body. Donnie took a threatening step forward. “No bite! Do you hear me right now? Bad pest! No bite?”

While Leo was stunned silent Gaichū took that opportunity to front, shrinking mostly into his shell with only wide eyes peeking out. As for Leo, the slider felt sick. He was staring at his twin, but conflicting emotions were making his head spin.

Fear.

Betrayal.

Anger.

Guilt.

Shame.

Gaichū didn’t even have the heart to beg for mercy now that he was pinned down by Raph and surrounded five to one. Leo could feel his alter’s fear also directed towards himself, and for some reason the image of an echoey sewer tunnel kept coming to mind when Gaichū’s thoughts ran to the front. But then, to Leo’s horror, he felt Gaichū begin to run away, dragging himself with him. But not physically, Gaichū was trying to disassociate again.

Leo squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the awful feeling. It was a sensation akin to having fallen off a precipice in your dream, but Leo wasn’t waking up in his bed. His head was screaming at him to let go, but the stubborn slider couldn’t. He needed to… to…

To what? Confront his family? Front alone until the next inevitable co-inhabitation? Admit to his family that it wasn’t only Gaichū fighting, but himself? That would tear them apart.

He needed to finish what he had started.

So with one last glance at his family, Leo allowed himself to let go.

Chapter Text

Donnie breathed heavily, fear and nausea overwhelming him as he watched his twin’s face change from angry to fearful, and then to that same dreaded nothingness. Mikey slowly turned toward him, face stormy.

”Donnie? What did you do?” The youngest asked, voice both dark and wavering at the same time as if he were mere seconds away from screaming or bursting into tears. “You did not just yell at Gaichū like that. Tell me that I’m making it up.”

Donnie winced, breathing more shallow. Mikey looked like he was staring at some monster, and really Donnie couldn’t blame him. But those words as he saw Leo bite into his own flesh—“It’s Gaichū”—had lit a fire inside his mind. His twin was hurting. Stabbed by his own odachi and bitten by his own teeth.

And to hear Leo say that Gaichū was to blame?

They had been fighting each other, but it was Hamato Leonardo’s body that was taking the brunt of the damage.

And Donnie didn’t know what to do. How could he stop Gaichū or Leo if their enemy was each other? That in itself was terrifying. This situation had gone from bad to desperate, and the so-called brainiac of the group was clueless.

”He… he’s not movin’ Don!” Raph whimpered. “He’s not respondin’ either!”

”Blue? Blue, try to move.” Splinter kneeled down by his son worriedly.

Donnie swallowed hard, staring at the hollow shell that was supposed to be his vibrant twin brother. “I didn’t… I had to… he was hurting Nardo…”

”GAICHŪ IS LEO, DONNIE!” Mikey screeched, tears streaming down his cheeks. “He’s scared! He’s hurting! HE WAS FREAKING ABUSED AND WE WERE FINALLY MAKING PROGRESS! ‘I will punish you’, seriously?!”

Guilt morphed into anger as Mikey yelled, defensiveness making the soft shell snap. “Oh, so what is Nardo right? You’d rather treat Gaichū like a soft little dandelion while our brother is attacking himself?! Huh? Is that it? Do you or do you not love Gaichū more than Nardo?!”

”Don!” Raph barked. “Stop it! You too, Mikey! Leo needs help!”

”Carry him to the Med Bay.” Casey rambled as Raph hurried to do his bidding. “I’ll try to stop the bleeding and get out some restraining straps.”

”NO!” Mikey’s eyes went rabid as he turned on Casey. “You can’t restrain Gaichū! You’ll scare him! He’ll freak out again!”

”Again with Gaichū!” Donnie huffed. “Look, when it was one and the other I could understand. But now it’s one or the other, Miguel! They almost killed Nardo! Both of them!”

”It’s not one or the other, Dee! It’s Leo! All of Leo!” Mikey snarled. “We can’t take sides right now! They both are still in Leo’s mind, and if we trigger one then it could start another fight! We need to…”

”We need to make sure Nardo doesn’t stab or bite himself again!” Donnie nearly shouted. “WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT NARDO DOESN’T KILL HIMSELF!”

Mikey flinched back, face turning pasty white. He glared at Donnie, rivers flowing down his cheeks. “Don’t. You ever. Suggest that again. Do you hear me right now? Don’t even talk about that!”

”Look at the facts!” Donnie gestured to the murder-mystery-esque scene before them. “He almost did!”

”But he didn’t!” Mikey retorted, but his voice was wavering as reality hit. The box turtle’s breathing went shallow as he stared at the blood. “Oh shell he almost killed himself…”

”Woah woah woah!” Donnie’s anger gave way to panic as Mikey started to hyperventilate. The others had all gone out to care for Leo, and Mikey was normally the one helping him, not the other way around. He grimaced as he stepped over the blood and over to his brother. “Worried sigh, I… I apologize for yelling. Just um… breathe. You know, the average person needs about one hundred milliliters per breath, and if you over-oxygenate your lungs then that will decrease the amount of carbon dioxide in your bloodstream and…”

”Leo almost died!” Mikey wailed, and Donnie inwardly kicked himself. Right, not helping Donnie. Shell, why did it have to be emotions?

”Um… maybe it wasn’t as serious as I was definitely not shouting about?” Donnie said hopefully as he lied through his teeth, but he knew that it was indeed as concerning as he had been trying to get Mikey to understand. Why was it that now Mikey was starting to see the situation for what it was that Donnie had to regret it? The soft shell awkwardly brought Mikey in for a hug, stiffness melting at the feeling of his trembling and sobbing brother. “Hey, shhh, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay, Mikey. We’re here for him now and… and you were correct that we stopped him. At least now we know what he’s struggling with, right? Now we can help him out.”

”But… but I don’t want to have to choose.” Mikey almost whispered. “Why can’t they just get along? Why would they… why would they try to hurt themselves?”

”Oh…” Donnie clenched his jaw as realization struck him. Gaichū had no way of realizing that Leo was inside of him, so why bite his own arm?

It was like a dog chasing it’s tail. Gaichū saw that same arm stabbing himself and causing pain, so he acted on instinct that this arm was an enemy, not even caring that it was his own.

Which also meant that Gaichū hadn’t started the actual fight, but Leo had.

But only after Gaichū bit Splinter…

”It’s complicated, Mikey.” The soft shell finally settled on saying. “But we’ll help that dum-dum through this because he’s not alone. Not only does he have a protective older brother and a twin genius but he also has you: the best little brother he could ask for.”

”You… you mean it Don?” Mikey sniffled.

”Well obviously someone who eats peanut butter with his fingers is highly lacking in brain cells akin to my brilliant mind,” Donnie began with a smirk. “But we both know this family would be lost without your positivity, energy and empathy. E.Q. qualities that some of us might lack ever so slightly, he said without pointing fingers and definitely not at himself that’s for sure.”

Mikey let out a wet chuckle. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, Donnie.”

”Ah, there he is.” Donnie teased. “I’ll admit that I was getting kind of depressed with mopey Mikey.”

”Well Dr. Positive is back.” Mikey smiled gently as he nuzzled into Donnie’s plastron. “Thanks, Dee.”

”Of course, brother.” Donnie hugged the little box turtle back, protective affection weighing out his usual aversion to touch. “I’ll always be here.”

Leo glared heavily at Gaichū, who was cowering in a corner with a distant look in his eyes. If it were anyone else other than his alter, the slider would probably have compassion on that haunted expression.

But it wasn’t anyone else.

It was the one who had hurt his father.

”You.” Leo growled, stepping forward. “You have been very bad. Not so fun to be yelled at by your owner, is it? Not the little favorite anymore, are you?” He swung his sword down to his side, feeling emotionally-charged ninpo flowing down his arm.

Gaichū glanced up at him with blank eyes, the look of a wounded animal in a trap knowing that the hunter had arrived. There was a certain defeat in his alter’s gaze that made Leo pause, slightly surprised at just how much of an effect Donnie’s yelling had on Gaichū. “What’s wrong with you? I mean… that’s right! Stay down! You only make things worse, and it’s time you realized your position here.”

Gaichū didn’t respond, only laid down and watched Leo with rueful eyes. It was almost worse, because that look began to stir a hint of compassion in Leo’s chest that wasn’t there when Gaichū was all feral and purely an enemy.

Because Leo could see himself in those eyes.

That was the same way he felt when he had given himself up to Prime. When he had finally accepted that they would be better off without him and that this was his way to finally repay all the wrongs he had done to his family.

All the wrongs he had done by simply existing.

They could argue all they wanted that people make mistakes and that he was immature, but the reality was that every single ‘accident’ he had created could’ve been avoided had he never existed in the first place.

Now all the fire was drained from Gaichū’s eyes, and Leo would bet everything he had that his alter believed himself to be a disappointment to Prime as well. He had an opportunity for somewhere better but had blown that too.

”Heh, you’re not much different than me, are you?” Leo chuckled darkly, sitting back in a crouch as he watched Gaichū. “Looks like we both can’t do anything right, can we?”

Gaichū let out a little whimper, not even taking the effort to move. Leo sighed.

”Look, maybe I overreacted a bit, but you weren’t making it very easy for me.” Leo averted his eyes. “I can’t risk you hurting my family. They… they’re everything to me. I’m nothing without them. If you hurt them—I hurt them—and know I could’ve done something to prevent it but didn’t then I’d—“ Leo snorted weakly. “Who am I kidding? You can’t understand me.”

Gaichū tilted his head slightly, and Leo groaned. “Geez, why is this so hard? If they would’ve just left me in that stupid Prison Dimension then all of this could’ve been avoided! Well, for me I guess. Not you.” Leo’s heterochromic eyes swept over his alter. “We got pretty banged up in there, didn’t we? Thanks for having my shell, I guess.”

Leo sighed and stood, pointing with his odachi at the open portal. “But I meant it when I said I can’t just let you go around messing up my family. At least Prime won’t be in there with you, so that’s something I guess. Gaichū, go. Go.”

Gaichū watched him for a second, and when Leo reiterated the command he slowly stood and trudged towards the portal. Leo sighed in relief and a bit of sadness. “You know, you’re kinda lucky you don’t have to be the one to front. I won’t let you hurt them, but it’s not easy to face them either. Good boy. Go. And… and I’m sorry.”

Gaichū let out a slight whine as he stepped out of Friend’s warm den and back into the cold of his old home, hearing that other slider command him out. Where else was he supposed to go? He had upset Alpha, and the only reason was because he had tried to protect his pack from an enemy. Alpha had said that he was going to punish him, and with those odds Gaichū decided that perhaps Master would be kinder.

Sure, Master would be upset with him for running away. But that was only because Master loved him and missed him! Perhaps if he could find his previous owner before grief turned into rage then his consequences wouldn’t hurt too bad.

Leo frowned as Gaichū left Hueso’s office, taking a deep breath. He needed to make sure that his alter wouldn’t return while he was fronting, so it was a good thing his ninpo worked in here. Slashing his sword in a downward motion, Leo opened up a portal loop facing the Prison Dimension. If Gaichū went through it in attempts to get in then he would be shot back out into his old home.

Problem solved.

Now he could only hope that his family wasn’t too mad.

Chapter Text

Donnie clenched his beak tightly as he watched Casey finish the straps over a disassociated Leo, the slider’s leg and arm now wrapped tightly in clean bandages. “Make sure those are double-layered, CJ. We can’t have any blood seeping through in case Gaichū gets upset.”

Casey nodded. “Already done.”

”But he’ll already be upset at the straps.” Mikey frowned, the youngest’s eyes sadly watching the restraints.

”We’ll be here when he wakes up, Big Man.” Raph encouraged. “Don’t you worry. You can calm him down like you always do and—“

”OH MY BANANA PANCAKES Nardo’s marks are glowing!” Donnie suddenly yelped, and everyone turned towards Leo to see that he was—in fact—brightly lit up with the telltale signs of ninpo. Donnie had his goggles down in an instant and frowned. “What the shell is going on in that dum-dum’s head?”

”So Leo’s really using his ninpo?” Mikey hurried forward to place a gentle hand on Leo’s arm. “How? And um… why?”

”Sigh, Angelo you have asked me two questions which can only be answered in that order, and only once Nardo wakes up.” Donnie pinched the bridge of his beak. “We need to ask Nardo about what happens when he disassociates like this—the how—, and then we can ask him why he would want to.”

”Well um…” Raph hesitated. “His ninpo is used to make his swords, right?”

Everyone fell silent. Then Donnie stormed over to place both hands on Leo’s shoulders. “NARDO IF YOU CAN HEAR ME THEN DO NOT—I REPEAT DO NOT—USE YOUR SWORDS TO FIGHT GAICHŪ! DO YOU HEAR ME? NINPO IS UNSTABLE!”

”I don’t know if he can hear us or not!” Mikey whimpered. “But… but at least injuries won’t transfer over into real life… right?”

”Somehow I believe so since my dum-dum twin came out unscathed last time.” Donnie grumbled. “But I don’t know how time is in there or how long Nardo’s planning on activating his ninpo. It could drain faster or have some other unpleasant side affect associated with engaging some unstudied mystic power while in such a severe state.”

”Don, he’s wakin’ up.” Raph nudged his younger brother as everyone directed their attention towards Leo, who was finally starting to blink and change his breathing pattern. The slider’s eyes focused and he glanced blearily around at his family.

”Um… h-h-hey guys!” Leo chuckled nervously, wriggling slightly under his straps. “Ooh, good idea with these things. But don’t worry, I think we’re good now.”

”What do you mean ‘we’re good now’, Nardo?” Donnie’s eyes narrowed, but Mikey hopped up onto the cot and nuzzled into Leo’s side.

”We’re just glad you’re okay, Leo.” The youngest chirped. “And good boy, Gaichū. We’re not mad at you.”

Leo smiled affectionately, but there was clearly exhaustion in his eyes. “Hehe, yeah sorry about earlier, Big Man. But it’s okay, Gaichū isn’t here right now. It’s just me.”

Mikey’s head snapped up. “What? How did you change it back?”

”Are you telling the truth that you’re back to switching completely? No more co-fronting?” Donnie tapped a finger to his chin. “Nardo, be honest with us. If Gaichū is still there then we can handle it.”

”He means we don’t hate Gaichū for what he did and hope that you can forgive him too.” Mikey corrected. “‘Handling him’ sounds kinda bad, Dee.”

”Point is that we’re here for ya, Leo.” Raph added. “Whatever ya need.”

Leo winced slightly when he looked at his big brother. “Oh um… hey Raph. Sorry for um… fighting you. But it’s all okay now. I’m serious that Gaichū is gone.”

”Raph knows that you were just freaking out. He’s not mad.” Raph forced a smile. “But care to elaborate what you mean by Gaichū being ‘gone’?”

”And why your marks are still glowing although it is clear that you aren’t using your ninpo at the moment?” Donnie crossed his arms, but Leo shook his head.

”Eh, don’t worry about it. But say, how’s dad holdin’ up?” Leo’s eyes scanned the room, but upon only finding Casey he gave a nod of greeting. “Heya Case. Where’s dad?”

Casey came forward. “Good to see you calmed down, Leo. Master Splinter is resting right now, but don’t worry!” He added when Leo stiffened. “There’s no serious damage. Just needed to be patched up a bit but he’s completely fine.”

”Oh, good.” Leo shivered. “It um… it seemed like he bit down pretty hard.”

”Hey, hey buddy it’s okay.” Raph hurriedly placed a comforting hand on Leo’s shoulder. “Look, we know you couldn’t stop him. Whatever he did isn’t your fault, even if it’s your body. Don’t you forget that, Lee.”

”Thanks Raph.” Leo said tensely, but everyone could tell that he wasn’t convinced. Raph’s chasm deepened with compassion and he offered a subtle churr to soothe Leo with the deep vibrations like he would do when they were tots.

”Ahem, but segue…” Donnie began, but Mikey cut him off.

”Not now, Donnie.” He insisted, and Donnie scowled.

”Scoff, I haven’t said anything yet!” The soft shell flung out his arms in exasperation.

”Whenever you use the word ‘segue’, the chances are that you’re about to say something insensitive that’s tough to bring up.” Mikey pointed out, Dr. Feelings poking through for a moment. “And now is not the time for that.”

Donnie clenched his jaw. How could his brothers just act like this could wait? He needed to know what part of the whole situation was Gaichū, and what was Leo. Because obviously (at least to him) it was Leo who stabbed himself with his odachi, which was concerning. Gaichū hadn’t quite comprehended that he was hurting himself, but Leo knew it as clear as day.

In other words, Leo knowingly drove a blade into his own flesh.

And that was terrifying.

But Mikey’s smile was far too sickly sweet and Donnie gulped. “Sigh, fine. It can wait while we just ignore all of the obvious and pressing questions. But can you at least explain to me, Nardo, why your marks are glowing?”

Leo hesitated. “Just a little something going on in the ol’ green noggin. Nothing to worry about, DonTron.”

”Correction, something to very much worry about.” Donnie’s sharpie eyebrows furrowed together. “You know that I know that you know that you can’t use your ninpo endlessly. So I’m calling Draxum over from his lab repair endeavors if you don’t explain.”

”Woah, low blow!” Leo groaned. “Do you want me to get thrown off a roof? Again?”

”Leo, Donnie’s right.” Casey piped up. “You can’t just keep your ninpo up. Master Donatello tried to create a base that way and went about his duties, but sure enough it didn’t last long.”

”You’re like a walking fortune cookie, you know that Casey?” Leo rolled his eyes. “I’ll be fine! It’s just an itty-bitty portalloopinmyinnerworldtokeepGaichūout BUT IT’S TOTALLY FINE!”

”WHAT?” Donnie yelped. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

”So you are using your portals!” Mikey exclaimed. “Lee, you can’t just use your ninpo like that?”

”But I can and I am.” Leo smirked. “You know Leon Neon can do anything he puts his mind to!”

”You’re not invincible, Leo!” Donnie snapped. “Or else Gaichū wouldn’t exist!”

Leo shut his mouth like a trap, a flash of hurt covering his face. Raph shot Donnie a glare. “Not cool. You’d better apologize for that right now, Hamato Donatello. Raph’s not jokin’ here.”

”Dee! That’s mean!” Mikey accused, clinging to Leo a bit tighter.

”No, it’s okay Mike. I mean, Don’s big forehead is kinda right for once, heh.” Leo chuckled, but Donnie could hear the tension in his throat as the soft shell kicked himself mentally over and over again. “Guess I wasn’t stronger than Pr… then some jerks, huh? But you know me, Tello. I don’t always mean what I say, but you’ve gotta admit that my silky smooth voice makes it worth it.”

”Nardo, it’s… sigh, it’s not okay. I didn’t mean that.” Donnie tried, but Leo rolled his eyes.

”Nah, you meant what you said and you said what you meant. A Donnie is truthful one-hundred percent.” Leo offered a lopsided grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Besides, you weren’t wrong. But anyways I can’t even remember what we were talking about so why not call it a night? A day? What time is it?”

”It’s ten thirty-seven p.m., Nardo.” Donnie glanced down. “I… I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to adjourn. But we have to talk about this at some point.”

”Ten already? Wow, talk about time flying, huh?” Leo glanced down at his straps, ignoring the second half of Donnie’s information. “But say, am I gonna have to sleep in these scratchy straps or can I go? I mean, Gaichū’s stuck in the Prison Dimension.”

”The what now?” Mikey’s head popped up, and Leo cringed. “What do you mean he’s in the Prison Dimension.”

”Oh um… sorry buddy. Figure of speech.” Leo looked pointedly at Donnie. “But say, what about the straps?”

Donnie stiffened, not quite liking how Leo was giving him the final say as if he were in charge. It was too eerily similar to being Gaichū’s alpha, so Donnie swallowed hard and turned to Casey. “I mean, awkward cough, it depends on how we all feel about it. CJ? Any verdict?”

”I think he should be good to go.” Casey said after a moment. “We’ll know once Gaichū is back because his marks will stop glowing, and until then there’s no way he’ll attack us.”

“Exactly!” Leo agreed. “Thanks for the support, Case.”

Donnie hesitated, eyeing his twin. What he so desperately wanted to interject and say was that he wasn’t scared of Nardo hurting them.

He was scared of Leo hurting himself.

He knew though that if he brought it up that Leo would defend that technically he was trying to get back at Gaichū as best he could, but Donnie wasn’t convinced. Leo had always been reckless and self-destructive, whether it be for attention, honor or some twisted notion of protectiveness for his family. Hamato Leonardo made no bones about getting hurt—he’d just laugh it off and pretend he was fine while he made secret trips to the Med Bay because just their luck that the family medic was also the family daredevil. Really the only time Leo would admit to being sick or hurt would be if it was a minor inconvenience he could whine some affection out of, but he never brought it up if it mattered.

So now that Donnie had seen first-hand the lengths Leo was willing to go to if he thought it was for the best? It made him terrified.

It wasn’t even just hurting himself that had crossed a line. It was the whole sending himself into a suicide mission against the Kraang without giving any of them a chance to say no.

Or even a chance to just say goodbye.

”What’s with the long face, DonTron?” Leo teased, sitting up now that Mikey and Raph had undone the straps. “I’m serious! Just trust me. I’ve got this all handled.”

”Yeah.” Donnie eyed Leo’s flickering marks skeptically. “Sure you do.”

Chapter Text

Gaichū whined as he rounded another boulder and found the space empty. He sent out an inquiring chirp into the darkness but was only met with mocking repeats of his own call. Where was Master? The monster never seemed to have a problem finding him before, so why now did he seem to have disappeared?

What if he was hurt? Gaichū couldn’t even begin to imagine someone as powerful as Master being hurt, but he knew that unlike in Alpha’s pack he couldn’t slip away into that strange state of nothingness. Until that strange slider had appeared on the other side of Omega’s pretty ring of light, that was. In the brief time since that encounter, whenever Gaichū wasn’t with his pack he was in Friend’s den.

Or his old home.

Gaichū whimpered, feeling the chill of the still air in stark contrast to the warmth of his new den.

Too bad he had let them down.

He could still feel the panic in his chest as the much-larger Beta held him down tightly, not quite hurting but Gaichū knew that the snapper turtle was likely toying with him. Making him feel his inferiority in anticipating dread until fully delivering his wrath. Then there was the mystery of how that slider had turned invisible while still being heard, as if Gaichū was in that cave again with Master and trying to see despite the inky veil draped over him. All he had been doing was try to find the intruder and stop him from hurting his new pack like he thought he was supposed to do, but then Alpha had yelled at him.

Gaichū would know that shouting anywhere. It was the kind of volume that always—always—preceded pain. Alpha was furious at him, and Gaichū didn’t feel like sticking around to find out the exact reason why. At least he had Master, who might be mad for a bit but then would coddle him and make him feel that everything was okay. Sure, that feeling never lasted and another punishment always came, but Gaichū lived for those brief times of peace that kept him going in hopes that his Master would be gracious enough to keep the peace for a longer period than the last.

But Master was nowhere to be found, and Gaichū was starting to worry. What was he supposed to do without Master or Alpha to guide him? Just wander around aimlessly? He could try to sleep or rest, but when he laid down he found that he was unable to relax. Silence and solitude like this meant that something bad was surely coming, and not knowing when it would strike was worse than seeing an angry Master right in front of him.

He wanted to know what to expect and discern where his enemies were at all times. Even when he was being chased he could hear the telltale stomps and roaring that informed him of Master’s whereabouts, and when he was hiding he could hear the monster’s taunts. But this… this was something different entirely.

He had never been left alone this long, and he hated it.

He got up abruptly with a distressed growl and glanced around. He could feel the familiar weightless sensation of this place but for some reason it was making the loneliness even more prominent. There was no one petting him or pinning him or beating him or anything. It was just… empty.

Devoid of all life.

Like maybe he was the only one left.

Gaichū whined at the notion. That couldn’t be, right? Yet here he was floating in dead silence, seeing nothing but empty darkness everywhere he looked and shivering from the cold. He didn’t want to imagine an existence like this—living yet feeling like he wasn’t quite alive at the same time. It was like he was teetering on the brink of unconsciousness but fate refused to give him the relief of sleep or energy.

So he began to run. He didn’t quite know where to—this place seemed to have no beginning or end. But feeling the slow burn in his muscles as he leapt from boulder to boulder gave him some semblance of grounding so he pushed onward, hoping to find his true Master.

Leo forced a smile and kept his eyes bright as he sat at the breakfast table, trying to hide the fact that he hadn’t slept a wink last night. How could he when he knew that Gaichū might break free at any moment? But had replied with the affirmative when asked if he had slept well, so he couldn’t let that lie break free just yet.

However he was still cosplaying a glow stick, so it wasn’t too easy to convince everyone that he was fine.

The slider glanced over at Splinter, who was sitting across from him. His lungs squeezed at the memory of biting his father, unable to get over the revolting taste and terrifying realization of what he had done. The rat had a large bandage over his shoulder that was as tauntingly obvious to Leo as if it was lit up in neon, and he was trying not to stare.

Trying not to spiral and lose his cool.

”Could you pass the salt, Lee?” Asked Mikey politely, also valiantly putting on a smile despite the obvious tension at the table. Bless his heart.

”Sure thing, Mike!” Leo chirped, sliding the correct disposer towards his youngest brother. Mikey caught it and salted his sausages without another word, and Leo cringed as Donnie watched his every movement as if the slider would do something problematic under his nose. He sighed. “Geez Don, I never knew my salt-shaker-passing skills were so fascinating to you. There has to be a word for a perfect slide, right? Score? Touchdown? Put that big, beautiful forehead of yours to use and wrack up an answer!”

”Scoff. It’s not an Olympic sport.” Donnie rolled his eyes. “Therefore there isn’t an official term.”

”Joy kill.” Leo muttered teasingly, but when he grabbed his coffee cup a sudden flare of pain shot up his arm and he winced, yelping and dropping the mug onto the table and ruefully watching the murky brown liquid spill out. His family immediately all jumped up with worried exclamations, hurrying over to him and trying to get him to tell them what was wrong. Leo took a strenuous deep breath, ignoring his tingling nerves as he tried to wave them off.

”Ohmigosh Leo, are you okay?” Mikey fretted.

”What happened?” Raph’s worry stink wafted off of him in waves, made even worse by the about of bodies crowding in on Leo.

”Rate your pain on a scale from one to ten.” Donnie’s goggles were down in a flash and he whistled. “That’s a lot of mystic…”

”My son, take deep breaths.” Splinter said while taking exaggerated inhalations himself.

”Leo, can you describe the type of pain?” Casey suggested. “Is it sharp or dull? Any pulsing or tingling?”

”Guys, I’m fine!” Leo shuddered slightly from the after effects, feeling like that time Donnie had used him to help test one of his new experiments and had accidentally shocked him to the opposite side of the room. But this was different, because it was just a little cramp in his tired muscles. Definitely not anything more. Nope. Not him. “Geez, you all are like a bunch of mother hens! Give a guy some space to breathe!”

”But… but your ninpo flared!” Donnie scolded. “You cannot just tell us to ‘give you space’, he said in extreme aggravation!”

”Pfft, obviously I’m using my ninpo, Dee.” Leo rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t a flare-up or anything. Just… slept on my shoulder wrong last night. Yeah, that’s it. Then reaching out for the coffee mug just kinda jolted it the wrong way. No biggie.”

”But of course.” Donnie drawled angrily. “Of course it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you are activating an untested mystic power without any chance of rest. Even though—according to you—you managed to kept it working even throughout unconsciousness which is a new level of overexertion.”

”Okay all I heard was a bunch of nerd stuff that didn’t make any sense to the average turtle.” Leo smirked. “Seriously, you guys are all worrying about nothing. I’m totally fine.”

”We’re just scared for ya, Leo.” Raph told him. “We’re your family. If we see ya doing something self-destructive then we can’t not worry. It doesn’t work like that.”

”Yeah I guess,” Leo grumbled. “But can’t you guys just not think about it? Put a little faith in me?”

”No.” Donnie’s eyes narrowed.

Leo scowled. “Okay, you all seriously need to chill out.” The slider abruptly slid his chair back and stood up, gently pushing his way through the crowd.

”Oh no you don’t!” Donnie growled. “Where are you going?”

”Out.” Leo clipped back. “Just need a little bit of ‘me’ time.”

”You can’t leave the lair, Leo!” Casey spoke up. “The city is crawling with EPF and some of the people still haven’t faded from the Kraang infection! That kinda thing takes time.”

”Oh, so you can go up there to scout around but I can’t?” Leo huffed, crossing his arms. “I’m careful! I’ve got my crazy cool mystic powers for one thing, and another is I’ve got my littler alter-gremlin on a leash! I’ll go to the Hidden City instead if it makes you happy.”

”That would be preferable,” Donnie frowned. “But the best option would you to stay here under observation. I don’t like how exhausted you look plus the fact that your ninpo hurt you.”

”I told you it was just a bad night of sleep!” Leo flung out his arms in exasperation. “I know both cities like the back of my hand and need a little break!”

”From what exactly?” Donnie took a step forward. “From a family who cares that you’re slowly destroying yourself?”

”Donald!” Mikey scolded. “Don’t say it like that!”

”See? Mikester gets it!” Leo smirked. “I knew I could count on you to let me go.”

Mikey hesitated. “That’s not a yes. Leo, I’m also worried about you. Could you just maybe hang out in your room or something? And we can all promise not to interrupt you.”

”Hey, that’s a good idea Mikey.” Raph smiled. “How does that sound, Leo? Raph promises not to interrupt you or anything.”

”Scoff.” Donnie snorted. “Is everyone here an idiot but me? He can just make his swords and portal away.”

”But he won’t, right?” Mikey asked hopefully.

Leo ignored Mikey’s question, instead addressing Donnie. “Oh please, DonTron! I was sure that you at least could understand the need for a bit of quiet!” When the soft shell stiffened Leo pressed on. “I’m just tired, okay? I don’t feel like being interrogated right now, and I’ve successfully held Gaichū back for a while now but it’s exhausting. Just one hour. That’s all I’m asking. Pretty please, Tello?”

Donnie clenched his jaw. “One hour. I’m timing it from the second your curtain closes. Rules: no portalling, no training, no getting up to grab anything without your crutch. Understood?”

Leo pumped a fist in the air. “Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about! Geez, the five of you can be so suffocating sometimes. But anywho if you need me then I will be in my room so adios hermanos!”

Leo could feel the eyes of his family boring into him as he hobbled his way to his room, knowing that he could probably suck it up and go faster without the crutch but not wanting to upset Donnie. Once he was finally behind his curtain he took a deep sigh and glanced around for anything sharp, noticing with a grimace that his stuff had clearly been tampered with to remove anything red, as had the rest of the lair.

And Donnie had also removed anything sharp, likely after his whole incident with Gaichū.

His eyes landed on a pencil and he smirked, deciding that this was the perfect time to test the lengths of his ninpo. He picked it up and took a deep breath, knowing that he’d have to be quick or else his nosy twin might come storming in with some hidden sensor set up. He wouldn’t put it past his hyper-vigilant twin to even just be monitoring his room while he was supposed to be alone.

So with a deep breath he summoned his ninpo, and as the power flowed through his arm and into the pencil he felt an excruciating pain ripple down the limb as well. He swallowed a scream as in one fluid motion he wielded a burning hot sword and slashed open a portal to Hidden City, stepping through and watching it wink out of existence behind him as he dropped the scalding odachi and watched as it clattered onto the rooftop.

What had happened?

”NARDO!” Raph heard Donnie shouting as he finished up his breakfast, and the snapper sighed.

”Donnie, we said we wouldn’t interrupt him!” He called back. “This is why he wants space!”

”Don’t you talk to me about space, Raphala!” The soft shell seethed, storming into the kitchen and frantically typing at his wrist tech. “Nardo’s gone!”

”What? Already!” Mikey yelped. “It hasn’t even been two minutes!”

”Precisely! Yet that dum-dum decided to take a fun little rendezvous to who-knows-where while his tracker is off!” Donnie scowled. “I suspect that it was damaged in the Prison Dimension somehow.”

”Tracker?” Raph exclaimed, and Mikey glared at his brother in purple.

”He has one on all of us. That’s how we found you when… you know.” The box turtle comfortingly patted Raph’s shoulder. “But I’m sure that with some reason he’ll take them off!”

”They’re useful!” Donnie defended.

”They’re invasive.” Raph pinched the bridge of his beak. “We’ll discuss that later. Right now we need to find Leo!”

”But he’ll be mad at us for checking up on him!” Mikey whimpered. “I mean, Donnie violated the agreement within less than five minutes!”

”Scoff! I was leaving him alone. I just made sure to set my monitors to detect mystic energy in case of emergency.” Donnie frantically typed into his wrist tech. “I’m calling April. Maybe he’d go to her place if he’s smart, since the entirety of NYC is a dumpster fire right now.”

”Or hopefully he went to the Hidden City?” Mikey suggested. “That way he won’t run into any trouble?”

Raph hesitated slightly, recalling how Hueso had told them that he wanted to help. If anyone could get through to Leo in this state, it was that skeleton. “I’m calling Hueso.” He told the others as he ducked out of the kitchen and into the living room. He took his phone with shaky hands and tapped out the number, placing the device to his tympanum.

”Tio?” He asked hesitantly as soon as the Señor answered. “We need help.”

Chapter Text

Leo gently massaged his stinging hands as he narrowed his eyes at his odachi. So maybe Donnie wasn’t too off with the whole overuse-of-ninpo thing, but so what? He’d just… walk home. Yeah, that worked. Unless he could just suck up the pain…

Another involuntary tremble from his shocked hands shot down that idea and he sighed, kneeling down and quickly tapping the hilt of his odachi to test the heat. To his gratefulness it was only warm at this point so he picked it up and shoved it into it’s sheath on his shell, grumbling under his breath at the lingering shivers. At the very least he was finally alone, so honestly it was all worth it.

The slider crept to the edge of the roof he was on and peered out, spying Run of the Mill in the distance. He smiled gently at the fond memories of that place but also shuddered as he remembered Gaichū. Geez, that guy was ruining everything for him. But Leo could feel himself tiring more than he cared to admit to his brothers and he needed somewhere safe to take a break. But the Hidden City was absolutely glorious from up here! He should go exploring again soon once this whole situation was cleared up, which meant that he needed to focus. Where was a good area to cage himself?

It was time to take his dog for a walk.

Leo sighed as he looked around, irritated that he was this exhausted after only one day. It was seriously pathetic. It probably had to do with the fact that it was in his head and that technically only half of his efforts could actually keep the portal going, but Leo knew that it just meant he would need a safe place to take a little break before he could get the portal back up.

Leo sat down to dangle his legs over the city, finally alone with his thoughts. Which was a mental relief, but also hard to keep back the memories of what he did remember from the Prison Dimension.

Which was a lot more than he was letting on.

He got lucky with Gaichū being so sensitive since he could claim ignorance, but he definitely did remember a lot from that place.

So he shuddered to think of how much more he would’ve endured had his brain not shut itself off.

”Hold still, you little pest!” Growled Prime, but Leo couldn’t help but squirm and shudder as Prime’s tentacles seeped through his eyes and into his brain. The feeling was torturous, and the slider wriggled as hard as he could.

”Get… off…” Leo managed to growl, but Prime only chuckled.

”You’ve been tiresome for far too long, little one. Time to see what’s in that brain of yours that has you so stubborn about this.” Prime smirked as he pushed his tentacles deeper, and Leo would’ve passed out from the sensation if only he was able to. “Oh stop being dramatic. Your brother took this better.”

”Y-You did this to Raph?” Leo rasped before it dissolved into a cry of pain. Prime nodded smugly.

”That I did. Such a tender soul… such a protective sibling…” Prime sighed. “Really it was the only way I could get any information out of him. Seems that you two really are of the same blood.”

Leo grimaced as memories flashed through his mind, drawn to the surface by Prime’s prodding. He was yanked back to a time over a decade ago, comforting a much younger Mikey who had broken Splinter’s remote and was sobbing.

”Lee, what am I ‘sposed to do?” He wailed. “That was Dad’s remote! And his show’s coming on soon! He’ll be so sad an’… an’ upset at me…”

”Shhh, hey don’t cry Mikey.” Little Leo soothed, giving his youngest brother a squeeze before scooping up the pieces of the remote. “I’ll get Dee to fix it. And Dad will never need to know, because it’ll be as good as new and you won’t have done anything wrong. Okay?”

”Pinky promise?” Mikey sniffled, and Little Leo smiled.

”Pinky promise.” Leo held out his last finger, and Little Mikey shook it the same way. “No one ever has to know. It’ll be our little secret.”

”Hmph.” Prime huffed. “Some secret keeper you turned out to be. But there has to be more interesting in here.”

”No…” Leo groaned, shuddering and trying to struggle even though the pain was making him nauseous. “Get… back…”

”No no, I’m here for the show.” Prime pushed deeper into Leo’s memory, causing the slider to cry out again. The slider was sent back into a sewer tunnel, having run away to explore. Little Raph had finally found him standing on the edge of a deep drain, but before he could reach him the snapper turtle tripped on some uneven footing and toppled over the ledge. Little Leo let out a cry of fear and hurried over to see his oldest brother clinging to a pipe and looking up at him with wide eyes.

”Raph’s okay, Leo!” Raph called, but Leo could smell his fear stink from up where he was. “Just go get Pops!”

”I don’t know the way back!” Leo wailed. “And I don’t wanna leave you here!”

The pipe shuddered and Raph clung on tighter. “Raph doesn’t know how to get back either! I was lookin’ for you!”

”It’s all my fault!” Leo whined, but when he saw the pipe trembled again he took a sharp breath. “Okay Leo… you just gotta be brave… like Lou Jitsu… and Jupiter Jim… and Raphie…” The young slider glanced around for anything he could use, and his eyes fell on another pipe hanging above Raph. It was leaking and disjointed, clearly not in use. It would be a bit of a jump, but if Leo could get it down then Raph could climb onto it and they could scoot over to the other tunnel.

”Be brave be brave be brave…” Leo mumbled to himself as he backed up.

”Leo? Leo whatcha doin’?” Came Raph’s worried call, but Leo didn’t pay him any mind. Instead he took a deep breath and sprinted for the edge, finally jumping up towards the other pipe. Raph let out a cry of surprise as Leo reached for the metal, barely managing to latch on. The force of his body on the rusty pipe caused it to jolt a few times before finally falling the rest of the way and banging into the wall just above Raph. The sharp thud of the metal hitting concrete caused Leo’s grip to slip, and the slider would’ve fallen into the drain if Raph hadn’t reached out and snagged him just in time.

”Don’t worry Lee, Raph’s got you!” Raph shouted, helping Leo up onto the pipe-bridge before climbing up himself. The two turtles panted heavily for a moment before Leo started to tremble. Raph let out a soothing churr and scooted over so Leo could climb into his lap.

”I’m sorry, Raphie.” Leo sniffled. “I won’t run away again, I just wanted to be brave like you.”

Raph’s face softened. “You were brave, Leo. Now don’t ever do that again unless you want Raph to have a heart-attack, but I’m proud of ya.”

”Really?” Leo sniffed, and Raph nodded.

”Really.” Raph began to inch his way across the pipe, Leo clinging to his shell. “Now come on. Let’s go find home.”

”Oh, now I see everything much clearer.” Prime chuckled. “Trying to be like your big brother, are you? He sacrifices himself for you, so you sacrifice yourself for the world? Cute. To be honest I can’t imagine why he would want to save you.”

”Because we’re family!” Leo snapped. “And families stick together!”

Prime actually had the audacity to laugh at that. “Sure they do! That’s why you’re here—a dimension away from them.”

Leo flinched at his words, this time forced into a dark room, where he had just entered after hearing a sniffle. His younger self crept forward into Little Donnie’s room, letting out a small, inquiring chirp for his brother. There was a pause before he heard a click in reply, so he hurried behind the bed to find his brother in purple curled up into a ball with his chunky glasses beside him.

”N-Nardo?” He whimpered, and Little Leo quickly sat beside him.

”Yeah Dee.” He said softly. “I’m here. Are you okay?”

Little Donnie shook his head, and Leo frowned. “Are you hurt?” Another shake. “Scared?” Shake. “Sad?” This time Donnie paused before nodding tightly. Leo cocked his head in confusion. “Why are you sad?”

”I can’t play with you guys.” Donnie mumbled, and Leo’s heart clenched.

”Oh.” Leo glanced over at the rim of Donnie’s ‘protection’. “‘Cause of your soft shell?”

Donnie buried his face in between his knees, speaking between sniffles. “Dad says… that I… can’t play with you guys rough… ‘cause I’ll get hurt but… but you’re having so much fun and I… I miss you guys ‘cause… ‘cause you’re always playing with each other… but not with me…”

”Oh Dee.” Leo ran a hand over Donnie’s soft shell comfortingly. “We thought you were busy with your inspections.”

”Inventions.” Donnie corrected bleakly. “I just… I wanted to do something… and thought that… that I could maybe make myself a… a shell like yours… but my prototype didn’t work!”

”Really?” Leo grinned. “That’s a great idea, Dee! And you’ll get it, I’m sure you will. Don’t be sad.” The little slider frowned. “Oh… you were just pretending not to care before, weren’t you? When Dad told you you couldn’t play and you just left to your room.”

Donnie didn’t respond. Present Leo growled and jerked, trying to get away from Prime’s prying.

”Hands off!” Leo rasped. “You don’t get to see Donnie crying like that!”

”Shhhh…” Prime pressed Leo into the rock harder. “The show’s not over.”

Leo sank back into his memory and watched his younger self realize that his sleep-deprived, stubbornly-indifferent brother cared a lot more than he let on. How could he make him feel included?

”And now I’m going to have to start all over and… and I don’t know if I’ll ever finish it… and maybe you guys will have so much fun that you’ll forget about me…” Donnie nearly wailed, and Little Leo was struck with an idea.

”We won’t forget about you, silly!” Leo laughed. “We love you! We could never forget about you!”

”You won’t?” Donnie sniffled, peeking up at his brother. Leo nodded resolutely.

“You bet! Never in a million years.” Leo sat up straight, facing Donnie with a serious face. “And to prove it, I want to be your twin.”

”T-Twins?” Donnie asked in a wavering voice, and Leo nodded again.

”Yep! Raphie gets to be the oldest and Mikey’s the youngest, so why can’t we be twins?” Leo lit up, forgetting the solemnity of his pact in his excitement. “We could share a birthday and do everything together! And you’re going to be my bestest friend for life. I promise.”

”You… really want that?” Donnie’s bottom lip quivered, and Leo suddenly became serious again.

”Yes.” The little slider said firmly. “It’ll be our pact. We’re never ever going to leave each other and are going to be twins forever and ever. Okay?”

Donnie let out a sob and flung himself into Leo’s arms, and the slider in blue toppled over with the force of it, feeling Donnie hug him tighter. “Yes I want to be twins! I love you so much Nardo!”

Leo smiled and embraced his newly-named twin back. “Love you too, Dee. Now how about you show me that shell prototype you were working on?”

”Awww, what a touching moment.” Now Prime’s eyes bore into Present Leo. “Did you think about that little promise before throwing yourself in here?”

”Shut up!” Leo snarled. “That was a long time ago!”

”True.” Prime chuckled. “Looks like you’ve grown into quite the disappointment. I bet that so-called twin of yours wishes that he could take that pact back by now.”

”I said to shut up!” Leo gasped and writhed in pain as Prime pushed himself yet further into his mind.

”You think what you say means anything to me?” Prime snorted. “You’re nothing now. Not that you were anything before, anyways. I would even make the prediction that they’re glad you’re gone. Because what’s this?”

Leo’s head was suddenly filled with tormenting memories. There was him admitting that he was nothing without his brothers. There was Donnie giving him a shock collar. There was him realizing that none of his family had any faith in him. There was him dropping the key. There was Raph taking Prime’s hit for him.

And then there was his entire family pleading with him not to sacrifice himself, but he did it anyway.

”Your mind is mine, pest.” Prime snarled. “Every single part of you is mine to play with in this never-ending hell of a dimension. Your body and your mind both will break under the mighty power of Kraang.”

Leo squirmed as he heard Prime’s malicious laugh, disgust swirling in his gut that not even his memories or thoughts were safe. His mind had been the only thing he had left—the one thing Prime hadn’t touched in his beatings on Leo’s body. But now he was laid bare—there was nothing at all that Prime couldn’t take away from him.

And he had all of eternity to do just that.

Leo let out a choked sob, staring blankly at his trembling hands. How long had he been up here? How long had he been crying like some child up on a deserted rooftop by himself?

He took an angry swipe at his eyes but the tears wouldn’t stop pouring from his face. Now that he was alone there was no one to save him from his thoughts.

Or himself.

Leo sniffled, trying to reel in his grief and anguish as he glanced down at the city below him. What if… what if he just jumped? Right now. Done. Finished. The world rid of Hamato Leonardo.

Would anything change? Would his absence really be felt? NYC was already a dumpster fire because of him. His family was wounded because of him. So if he jumped off this rooftop…

Would it even really matter?

Leo gave a strangled cry and slammed his fist onto the concrete ledge. Of course it would mater to his brothers! Prime was wrong. He had to be.

Because if he wasn’t, then that meant that Leo should’ve done more to make sure he was dead for good. Something more drastic that would ensure his own demise.

But Mikey had opened a portal for him, and his entire family was trying to support him through this. Geez, he seriously needed to get a grip. Leo sighed as he could feel his mind grow ever foggier with exhaustion. He just needed to find somewhere to let Gaichū loose and he would be fine.

Why was this so hard? Leo frowned as he considered his possible options. An obvious choice for a cage setting would be the Hidden City Police, but he wasn’t that stupid. Imagine turning himself in to the cops and letting them see first hand that he was a safety hazard? Not happening. Maybe some barricaded alleyway? But who on earth would actually block off an entire passageway? Unless it had crumbled or something…

Leo straightened, an idea hitting him. That was it! He just needed to find some sort of collapsed building and take a break in some sort of pocket from the rubble. He’d have to portal, but sacrifices had to be made. However the only place he would likely find such wreckage was the surface, so he mentally apologized to his family before glancing around for a fire escape. Time to leave his thoughts behind.

As he climbed down he winced, each bar of the ladder he grabbed pressing into the burns on his hands. He’d have to clean those up back at the lair, but he was already bunking in the Med Bay so it wouldn’t be too bad. Honestly the sting felt food. Grounding. A pain that was tangible instead of some invisible torment inside his head.

He hopped down into an alley and hurried over to a dumpster he knew all too well, yanking open the lid with some difficulty due to the swirling and matter-sucking portal inside. He managed a weak smirk at the vortex before vaulting himself in, feeling himself get whisked away into the depths of New York City.

Chapter Text

Donnie was sitting at his desk, angrily pulling up maps of New York City when suddenly his lab doors slid open with a bang and April stormed in, eyes intense.

”Ah, April.” Donnie began to swivel around. “Good of you to join us…”

April stomped up to her honorary brother and began to shake him vehemently. “YOU CAN’T JUST TEXT ME ‘NARDO’S MISSING. GET HERE.’ THEN GHOST ME!”

”Well I’ve been kind of busy.” Donnie raised a sharpie eyebrow. “You know, the whole ‘Nardo’s missing’ ordeal?”

April facepalmed. “Whatever. Just tell me what you’ve got. But I’m still mad at you.”

”Oh no, he said without a hint of sarcasm.” Donnie drawled in an unbothered tone before turning back to his computer. “He said he wanted some sort of ‘break’ and requested to go to his room alone. Despite my warnings I was outvoted, so I attempted to set some rules in place that he obviously broke. He portalled away and we are unsure of exactly where to.”

April’s face softened slightly. “Aw, poor blue.”

”Poor Nardo?” Donnie huffed. “He intentionally left and put himself in danger when the last time he ran off by himself all willy-nilly he… he..” The soft shell scowled. “I don’t want to think about it. But it’s getting hard to have ‘compassion’ on someone who has the opportunity to let his family protect him but refuses. I might still care, but compassion? Not really the word I was thinking of.”

”Hey, look at me Dee.” April placed a gentle hand on Donnie’s shoulder until he glanced up at her. “We’re going to find him. And even if he does stupid self-destructive stuff like this a thousand more times then we’re gonna be right here to pick him up again.”

Donnie clenched his jaw and looked back at his screen. April frowned. “I’m serious, Don! We’ve gotta be strong for him.”

”I know that!” Donnie growled. “He’s my twin! I’m never going to give up on him. But I just… I don’t understand him and I hate it when I can’t understand something…”

”Yeah, he’s going through a lot of complicated stuff right now.” April said softly. “It’s okay if you don’t understand him.”

”He has every opportunity to get through this with flying colors!” Donnie flung out his arms in exasperation. “He has a family who cares about him, a genius twin brother, an emotionally intelligent brother, a creator who is a literal scientist who could probably run some sort of tests, a safe home… why does he have to be so difficult?!”

”You know Leo.” April’s lips twitched up in a faint smile. “He’s probably just embarrassed about everything. And he was never one to enjoy being pitied or coddled. Attention for some ridiculous skateboarding stunt? One hundred percent. Attention out of worry? No chance.”

”But there has to be more to it! I mean this has gone from barely-understandable to outright insane!” Donnie exploded, and April clucked her tongue.

”No Dee. Don’t ever call Leo insane.” Her dark chocolate eyes bore into the soft shell. “You think it’s hard to understand him now? Try understanding him when you believe that he can’t be understood!”

Donnie grumbled slightly. “You might or might not have a point. The jury is still out. It’s just extremely difficult to help someone who doesn’t want to be helped.” The soft shell hesitated, then added. “Especially when that someone is a dum-dum you would die for in a heartbeat.”

April wrapped her arms around him to give him a tight squeeze. “I know it’s hard on y’all too, Don. But I mean, another thing is that we have absolutely no idea what happened to him in the Prison Dimension. Gaichū could just be a constant reminder that things will never be the same for him.”

”I hate Prime.” Donnie muttered angrily. “I hate him so much it hurts. I hate him for everything he did to Nardo. I hate that he won’t pay like he deserves to. The Prison Dimension is too gracious for a monster like him.”

”I know Donnie. But all we can do now is focus on Leo, and lucky for you you’ve got an awesome kick-butt sister who knows NYC like the back of her hand!” April smirked tentatively. “So what’s the plan? Do you have any idea of where he might be?”

”Well Raph is getting Hueso to check his restaurant, which is where he normally goes to cool off.” Donnie grumblingly admitted. “But since he’s in this dum-dum state of thinking that he shouldn’t be around anyone since he’s a ‘danger’ then I sort of doubt it. But Nardo’s always been fond of rooftops. Something about enjoying the view.”

”Rooftops. Got it.” April nodded, but hesitated at Donnie’s stiffen. “Look Dee, I know you want to go look for him too but Mikey’s right and y’all should stay here. He said he wanted space from you guys, not me. So if I just happened to bump into him in New York then no harm no foul.”

”He shouldn’t have to want space from me.” Donnie snipped. “But whatever, I just sent you a map of all his favorite spots.”

”And you know this… how?” April’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me you actually used all those trackers you talked about years ago.”

”Scoff! Why is everyone so upset about me trying to keep us all safe?!” Donnie scowled. “The other’s already hounded me about it, so you’re off the hook. Just find Nardo soon and let me know that he’s safe.”

”Got it, Don. You can count on me.” April grinned. “And we’re gonna get through this. I promise.”

”You should know me by now.” Donnie turned back to his computer. “Get me some proof and then I’ll believe you.”

Leo had braced himself but still couldn’t help but cry out in pain as he portalled himself into the middle of a collapsed building, having spied a pocket of space in his exploration. He dropped his odachi with a hiss and shuddered, massaging his hands and grumbling to himself at the tingling sensation all over his body. But this looked like the perfect place to let Gaichū out in. There didn’t appear to be a safe exit, and if he tried to by himself then he’d probably get hurt or trapped.

Leo could just wait out his ninpo recharging enough to make a portal back home then wrack up some lie to get his family off his back.

He was always known for his recklessness, impulsiveness and arrogance anyway.

Words that never ceased to echo around his head like some broken record.

The slider let out a sigh, filled with unease as he stared at the sticky Kraang residue weaving throughout the wreckage. It was absolutely repulsive to be back here, but he knew he had to let Gaichū have a break before he accidentally hurt his family again. But this place was seriously giving him the creeps.

Leo did a quick circle around the small, confining space, wincing at his hurt leg and starting to regret having left his crutch back at the lair. Sorry Donnie. But it did seem pretty secure, so he took a deep breath and sat down, trying to reach back into his own mind.

After a couple of moments exhaustion helped to pull him into his Tio’s office, and he staggered over to his portal. He could hear Gaichū yowling and growling from the other side and winced slightly, wondering how long his alter had tired of the Prison Dimension. Why was he so eager to come back? But Leo let out a sigh and relaxed his ninpo, the weight of his overexertion causing him to collapse with his own portal.

He hit the ground hard, the sting nothing compared to the comforting allure of slumber. He heard Gaichū bound into the room snarling but didn’t have the energy to get up and greet him. Even this inner world was starting to feel distant and surreal, sleep being pulled over him like a warm blanket.

Leo let out a weak churr and tried to get up, but that last bit of effort finally caused him to slip into unconsciousness as Gaichū watched on.

Gaichū had had enough of the cold, lonely darkness. Master was nowhere to be found, and somehow his absence was worse than any beating. He was truly and agonizingly alone—no orders to follow and no leader to live for. So once that stupid blue barrier broke down and let him back out into Friend’s Den he had been ready to fight Enemy for his place in the pack.

After all, there were no witnesses whenever he fell into this place. Just him and Enemy, and he was going to show him and his pack just what a warrior he was.

But when he had bounded out with a snarl he found Enemy on the floor, breathing heavily and face contorted in pain. Gaichū cocked his head and lowered himself to the ground, cautiously crawling towards his rival.

Enemy grunted slightly before his face finally relaxed and he went still, prompting Gaichū to nudge him slightly with his beak. The other slider didn’t move, and Gaichū backed away. What was wrong with him? Was he asleep? But why was he so strangely warm? He kept twitching and his breathing was sort of raspy.

It was the same sort of sounds that Gaichū would make when injured by Master.

But he was still warm, and it almost made Gaichū want to curl up next to him to heat himself up. But he knew that now that his foe was mysteriously defeated that he needed to get to his pack.

They were probably still angry with him, but at this point Gaichū just needed someone to lead him.

Even if it was accompanied by pain.

Gaichū burst to life, leaping to his feet and looking around with a wagging tail. But when darkness and chilly air met him instead of a warm den and relieving company he shrank back with a whimper. Where was he? He could see large, daunting structures looming all around himself, and when he backed up a bit more his legs came into contact with something sticky.

And familiar.

Gaichū whirled around with a yelp and was met with Master’s tentacles weaving throughout the beams behind him, inducing conflicting feelings of fear and comfort. Master was here? And crushed by these beams? He whined slightly at how still the tentacles were, wondering what was going on. This strange substance certainly smelled like Master, but it was completely still and cold.

Gaichū whimpered and immediately curled up next to the slimy texture, trying to give his Master some of his own warmth. The monster could take it all if he would just wake up and say something. The slider nuzzled into the tentacles further, not even caring about the chill at this point. He hated how cold and stiff Master was. What was wrong with him? If Gaichū could give his leader even a bit of comfort then he would do it gladly.

He didn’t quite know how long he was laying there, but soon enough small little droplets of water began to seep through whatever dome he was in and coat him and Master. Gaichū whined at the freezing sensation and leaned into Master further, trying to help however he could.

Crunch.

It was the tiniest crackling sound, like Master’s metal foot on a pebble, but it made Gaichū perk up immediately. After being alone for so long he was on hyper alert for any sign of life, even though instead of relief he felt immense wariness. Who else was coming for him? Would he have to fight? Would he win? More stomps followed and Gaichū let out a whine into the darkness.

”Hello? Hello is anyone in here?” Came an urgent shout, and Gaichū let out an animalistic growl. So he was definitely under attack. If Master was awake then this intruder wouldn’t stand a chance, but now that his owner was unconscious and Gaichū was shivering it made him worried about the odds. He needed to protect Master at all costs, and so he got into a crouch, angry at the strange wrappings on his right arm and left leg that limited his movements.

”I think it’s an animal.” Came another voice. “Might be someone’s pet. We need to check it out.”

”Be careful.” Said a cooler voice that was deep and smooth. “If it’s a member of Kraang then we will need to take it back to the EPF until we can get the infection to fade. Don’t forget your agreement with Dr. Bishop.”

”Yeah yeah, we know.” Came the first voice again. “Believe us, your boss is free to keep any alien or help any infected human. But that sounded like some actual animal.”

The foundation around Gaichū shifted and he let out an angry hiss for the intruders to stay away. This area wasn’t big enough for a fight! Were they crazy? Or perhaps they were small enough that they would be easy to conquer.

Suddenly some large claw broke though the beam directly above him and he let out a terrified yowl. These intruders were giants compared to Master! They would both be destroyed and then the endless pain would start up again and he would be powerless to stop it or protect his owner. He could still remember trembling under a rock formation in his old home, trying to remain silent. But Master had found him like he always did and Gaichū could do nothing but watch the rocks above him be torn away, much like the way this giant yellow claw was beginning to lift the wreckage above him.

”Hello? Where are ya, little guy?” Came a cooing voice as the beam was raised up, and Gaichū whipped around to see a couple humans in bulky yellow skins searching the area with strange light beams. When one of the bright instruments landed on Gaichū they froze. “Um… Tom? Y’know what this is?”

”No clue.” Another man scratched his head. “I don’t know an animal that size that’s green. It looks kinda like a… turtle?”

”Not like any turtle I’ve ever seen.” The first man glanced behind him. “Hey Briefcase! Is this one of your aliens?”

A third human stepped over the rubble, dressed in a midnight-black skin and staring at Gaichū in curiosity. Some strange object covered his eyes, but his face was turned toward the slider so he hissed angrily. “Indeed it might be. We haven’t seen a specimen quite like this before.”

”Where’d it come from? It looks nothing like that squishy pink monster.” Frowned the second man.

Gaichū backed up nervously, not appreciating the calm way everyone was looking at him. They seemed curious but not frightened, which was the opposite effect that he wanted to have. He sprung forward with a snarl, gnashing his teeth as the men shouted and jumped back, the one in black even having the nerve to smile.

”Fascinating!” He grinned, and the men in yellow looked at him like he was crazy.

”The thing is feral!” The first man snapped. “Take him to Bishop, by all means! We don’t want him, and there are other places we need to check for survivors.”

”You know, I think I will.” The man slowly took out a long, narrow stick and put the thick end to his shoulder, pointing the hollow end at Gaichū. “Easy buddy, this won’t hurt too bad…”

”WATCH OUT!” Yelled the first man as he tackled the other away. Suddenly some large wrecking ball smashed through the side of the wreckage and made the entire foundation shudder. Gaichū snarled and backed up towards Master’s limp tentacle, whining in confusion until a strange little creature colored with red, yellow and blue fur popped into existence with a flurry of sparked. Gaichū yelped and growled, startling the friendly little creature who had already started towards him. Fear and confusion flashed through the little one’s eyes, and Gaichū continued to growl and assert dominance. This small creature was the least of his concerns at the moment, but it still stepped closer and let out a little purr. Gaichū hissed, but it continued to purr and mewl and come ever closer. Was it insane? Did it not know that Gaichū could rip it apart in seconds? But honestly the sweet, innocent look of the welcoming critter made Gaichū stop snarling and cock his head in confusion. The strange animal wove it’s way around Gaichū’s tense limbs before suddenly the slider felt himself being yanked through what felt like space itself until he collapsed in an alleyway and was immediately surrounded with a comforting scent. Bony arms wrapped tightly around him and squeezed comfortingly as Gaichū churred.

”Well done, Señorita O’Neil.” Came the familiar voice of Friend, and Gaichū glanced over with a whimper to see him and Sister standing there. “That pet of yours has been quite useful, but now we must get Pepino somewhere safe. He’s shivering.”

Chapter Text

Hueso grimaced as Gaichū followed him and April to a nearby alley, noticing his obvious limping and trembling. He slowly sat down with his back to a wall, gesturing for the slider to come to him. But when Gaichū complied and curled up next to him the skeleton could feel how unusually warm he was despite shivering.

”Señorita O’Neil, you should sit down instead.” He advised. “You are much warmer than I am and he needs to heat up.”

”Right.” April nodded, and sat down next to Gaichū, who churred and nuzzled into her. “Oh poor baby.”

Hueso gently patted Gaichū’s head. “I was informed by Raphael that Pepino was the one to leave the lair, so this switch happened out here.”

”Don told me that he’s been using his ninpo to keep Gaichū out. Something ‘bout them now co-fronting.” April sighed. “I think I might’ve gotten a bit more information with how much Donnie was ranting about this.”

”Co-fronting?” Hueso frowned. “I am not too familiar with how their ninpo works but it does not sound safe to put it to constant use.”

”Not at all. I’m sure it would take a lot out of him.” April glanced down and her face scrunched in concern. “Oh geez, look at his hands! They’re like… burnt or something.”

Hueso’s gaze snapped to where she gently took Gaichū’s hand in hers, noticing how the slider winced. Sure enough the turtle’s hands were red and blistering and they shook gently as April held them. “Por el amor de... you are right. Do you know where he could’ve gotten such an injury? And why are there wraps on his arm and leg?”

”Didn’t Raph tell you?” April’s head snapped up. “I guess he was in a panic… but um I’m not quite sure if you want to know.”

”Why would I not want to know?” Hueso’s expression hardened. “I do not care if it is hard to hear. I care about my sobrino’s safety and I can take whatever happened.”

April didn’t answer right away, instead gently tracing the bandages as Gaichū yawned and curled up tighter on her lap. The skin around her eyes crinkled slightly in sadness before she finally spoke up. “He and Gaichū got into a fight.”

”A fight? But they are the same—” Realization dawned and Hueso felt emotion stab him through like a knife. “Oh Pepino, no. So he… he injured himself? Was it only him or…?”

”I heard it was both of them.” April frowned. “Gaichū was biting and Leo was stabbing.”

Hueso clenched his jaw tightly. He couldn’t even imagine his bright-eyed and optimistic nephew attempting something so self-indulgent and destructive, but after seeing Gaichū he supposed he should stop thinking that he knew everything about Leo. He knew for a fact that his self-esteem was painfully low—“I’m nothing without them!”—but he didn’t realize that it was to this extent. “I see. And you said that he was trying to hold Gaichū back with his ninpo?”

”Yeah, but obviously it didn’t last long.” April glanced down the way they had come. “I wonder what Gaichū was doing in that construction site. And I really don’t like that the EPF saw him.”

”EPF?” Hueso repeated, and April nodded.

”The Earth Protection Force.” She explained. “Basically a unit designed to keep the world safe from aliens. Or perceived aliens.” April glared down at her honorary little brother. “Anyone who knows these dorks knows that they’re more human than most of the jerks in this city.”

”I see.” Hueso stiffened but continued to pet Gaichū’s head. “And is this unit for the… extermination of said aliens?”

”No, I think it’s worse.” April’s hand clenched into a fist on the slider’s carapace. “Experimentation. I tried to do a research paper on those guys in college but apparently they’re super secretive about everything and I couldn’t get any good information. But they did take Sister Kraang there.”

Hueso’s eyes narrowed at the word ‘experimentation’. “…And now they know about Pepino.”

”Yeah. Sucks, doesn’t it?” April gently traced the fractured pattern on her brother’s shell. “Geez, these guys are just kids, Hueso. Leo’s been through so much… and who even knows how long he was in the Prison Dimension? Then the thought of the EPF putting out a search for him on top of it all…”

Hueso’s expression hardened. “They won’t find him. He has a family that won’t let anything else happen to him.”

A little chirp from Gaichū drew their attention, and they looked down to see the slider’s tail wagging furiously as Mayhem sniffed his face. The mystic creature’s tail gave a few flicks and he nuzzled Gaichū’s beak, causing the slider to churr happily. April smiled gently. “I’m glad they seem to be getting along.”

”Agreed. If your pet had not gotten Pepino out when he had…” Hueso huffed slightly. “The problem is that Gaichū clearly does not understand that he is supposed to remain hidden from such people.”

Gaichū’s head lifted at his name, glancing at Hueso tiredly before resting back on April’s lap with a shiver. Hueso frowned. “Señorita, I do have a question. Does Pepino… sleep?”

April tilted her head. “Well, yeah it seems like he’s asleep right now. Or else they’d both be fronting.”

”I do not mean his consciousness. That is more of mental rest, but not the physical slumber that can revive your body.” Hueso stared deep into Gaichū’s eyes. “Has his entire being gone unconscious recently?”

April winced. “Oof, I see your point. I’m not quite sure honestly… I’ll have to check in with Don.” Her eyes widened. “So little to no sleep, overuse of ninpo, then being out in the rain like this…”

”Pepino debe estar agotado, ¿por qué no se deja dormir?” Hueso muttered, but then elaborated at April’s blank expression. “Apologies, Señorita. I was only expressing my concern for why Pepino won’t let himself sleep. Has he even been permitted to rest?”

”Well I’m sure his brothers would like him to rest, but it does sound like understanding everything has been their top priority. I’m sure they just didn’t put together that his body was getting so tired.” April reasoned. “It’s been a lot for all of them.”

Hueso’s hand brushed against Gaichū’s forehead. “True, and the fact that Pepino didn’t mention anything likely didn’t help. But it does feel as though he’s running a fever.”

”Wait, what?” April’s grip on her little brother tightened. “Leo’s sick?”

Hueso nodded. “Unfortunately I believe so. Try to keep him warm, but we should at least attempt to get him inside.”

April voiced her agreement and gently stood, Gaichū whining at the loss of contact as he crawled off her lap. “Here boy, sweetie can you come with us to the manhole? Pretty please, buddy? Don’t worry, it’s okay.”

Gaichū’s eyes narrowed, and Hueso cleared his throat. “I don’t believe he would remember how to climb down a ladder, young one. Nor do I believe that either of us could safely carry him down in his condition.”

”Right.” April frowned. “And my place is a bit too far away to risk with the EPF. Should we call the guys?”

”Perhaps, but I do believe that Pepino would prefer waking up to us instead of to his brothers at the moment.” Hueso mused. “Especially after what Raphael told me.”

”So we gotta… switch him?” April glanced at Gaichū. “But Donnie told me that they’re co-fronting now. So Lee’s just gotta be… asleep or something? I’m not really sure how this works.”

”Well if he’s absent due to…” Hueso groaned and massaged his temples. “I don’t understand how one can collapse while one can soldier on if the exhaustion is physical.”

April opened her mouth as if to say something before hesitating. Her fingers drummed on Gaichū’s carapace. “Well, could it have something to do with… pain tolerance or something?”

Hueso stiffened. “Please elaborate.”

”Well, like Donnie said that… um… that Leo said something worrying.” April pursed her lips in thought. “That he couldn’t die in the Prison Dimension. Something that Leo knew. Not just Gaichū.”

Hueso felt his entire bode tense up with protective anger. “Pepino said that? That he physically could not die? Le va a dar un ataque al corazón a este viejo esqueleto.”

”Yeah. Which meant that he had to have gotten to the point where he should’ve died but didn’t.” April shivered. “I hate to think about what that point was. And I don’t think we should ask.”

”I see your point.” Hueso admitted. “So if Gaichū was born in a place where pain was never relieved then his tolerance must be higher than any degree of healthy. He’d probably keep on going until he physically collapsed with the limitations of this dimension.”

”Right. So we need Gaichū to sleep.” April finished. “You positive we can’t just take him back to the lair? I know Donnie would be happy.”

Hueso shook his head. “Unfortunately Raphael made it sound as though there was a lot of tension. I don’t think it would be good for Leonardo to wake up in such an environment, and he needs a time of peace and quiet. Perhaps we could somehow get him to my home in the Hidden City.”

”That’s a good idea.” April cocked her head. “How’d you even find him up here anyway?”

Hueso shrugged. “I saw him just as he was leaving my city through a portal. I followed him until he used one of his own portals to leave and it took me far longer than I would’ve preferred to find where he was and to meet up with you to get him out.” The skeleton stilled in remembrance. “However, as he held his odachi he appeared to be in pain. Perhaps that was how he burned his hands?”

”On his swords?” April whistled. “Poor blue. We can ask him when he wakes up.”

”Right.” Hueso glanced down and added in a softer voice. “If he would only learn to be honest with us.”

The brother’s phones pinged at the same time, and Donnie watched Raph grab his phone first and let out a sigh. “Looks like Hueso and Apes found Leo.”

Mikey flopped down on the couch. “That’s a relief! Is he okay?”

”Looks like he’s sick.” Donnie grumbled, glancing down at the same group chat as Raph. “But they’re taking him to the Hidden City and he seems fine. There’s also something important they need to talk to us about once they get back.”

”Why not come straight here?” Mikey frowned, and Raph glanced over at Donnie’s glare.

”Go on, tell him Raph.” Donnie said cooly, and Raph chuckled nervously.

”Yeah well, Raph might’ve told him about the whole argument and everything, and since Gaichū’s the one fronting right now they want to wait it out.” Raph explained.

”Right. So everyone just agrees that it’s best Nardo stays away from his family at the moment.” The soft shell glanced away angrily. “Perfectly understandable, he said without a hint of sarcasm.”

”Don’t be mad, Donnie! I actually think that’s for the best.” Mikey piped up, and Donnie’s head snapped to him in disbelief. “I mean, he’s probably really overwhelmed right now and needs a break.”

”Not you too, Angelo!” Donnie scowled. “First Gaichū accepts Hueso and April without a second glance, and now Nardo would prefer to be with them too? What is this? Why doesn’t he want to stay here with us?”

”Calm down, Donnie.” Raph said gently, and Donnie rolled his eyes.

”Calm down? Calm down, he says! Scoff!” Donnie huffed.

”Okay Dee, spill.” Mikey’s eyes narrowed. “Clearly there’s something else that’s bothering you. And blowing up about a symptom will not help you identify the cause.”

”No need to bring out Dr. Feelings on me.” Donnie muttered, turning away. He didn’t want to think about it, nor did he want to talk about it. Leo had sacrificed himself without a second thought during the invasion… what had he been thinking? Did he think his family wouldn’t miss him? Did he think they wouldn’t care?

Had he been such an unsympathetic jerk of a brother that his own twin didn’t realize how much he was loved?

Then he came back, miracle of miracles, and apparently he had suffered enough to get a second personality while his supposedly-genius twin had been unable to help him. How could he even help now when he didn’t understand the full picture? But he wanted Leo to know how much he meant to the family and had tried to drive that point home.

Only for Leo to now be choosing non-blood-related, honorary relatives over him? Where had he gone wrong?

”I don’t want to talk about it.” He repeated, and turned away. “I just want to get Nardo home as soon as possible.”

Chapter Text

”So, is this your place?” April glanced up at the house in approval. “It’s nice. Homey.”

”You sound surprised, Señorita.” Hueso pointed out as he withdrew a key.

”It’s nothing! Just… y’know I guess I didn’t really know what to expect for where a skeleton would live.” April admitted sheepishly, and Hueso chuckled.

”Were you expecting a graveyard perhaps? Or a coffin?” Hueso smiled as he turned the key in its lock. “But then I wouldn’t have room to raise my son.”

”Wait, son?” April startled, and Hueso gave her a look.

”Yes, my son.” The skeleton gave Gaichū a comforting pat on the head before turning back to the door. “That is why I believe this will be good for Gaichū. I know how to handle young children as a father myself, which is the age I assume he is.” Hueso stiffened slightly. “Unless he was in there for even longer than we assumed. But nonetheless he needs to calm down and hopefully begin training on how to speak. Junior? Mi hijo, estoy en casa y he traído a algunos invitados para que los conozcas.”

”¿Invitados? ¿Es Leo otra vez? ¡Cogeré mi patineta!” Came an excited voice, and April’s eyes widened as a young skeleton yokai in a baseball cap came flying to the door as it opened. “¡Hola, Leo! ¿Quieres practicar algunos trucos conmigo?”

”Junior, este no es Leo.” Hueso quickly intervened, stepping forward as Gaichū growled. “Y tenemos un segundo invitado. Inglés, por favor.”

”Oh.” Junior blinked as if noticing April for the first time. “Um… hello. Nice to meet you, Señorita. And Dad, what’s wrong with Leo? Did you finally bring over that twin he’s always talking about?”

April laughed gently. “Nice to meet you too, kid. And are you talking about Donnie? They look nothing alike, so don’t you worry about mixing them up. I mean they’re both turtles, but in a place like this I think that’s just like bein’ a human.”

Hueso nodded. “I will explain later, Junior. But please be careful with him—he’s quite… tenso. In the meantime, meet Señorita April O’Neil.”

April stiffened slightly. “Hey um… Hueso? Is Gaichū safe to be around… y’know… children?”

”Hey!” Junior puffed out his chest. “I’m twelve now!”

”Yeah well I think we can both agree that the word ‘tween’ seriously sucks.” April pointed out. “But fine—old child or young teen, whatever. Will he be okay?”

Hueso hesitated. “I believe so. Gaichū is not dangerous—merely confused and hurting. But remember what I said, Junior. Sé amable con él.”

Junior nodded and stood still as Gaichū cautiously approached him. The slider gave the young skeleton an experimental sniff before tilting his head and letting out a small chirp of acknowledgement. Hueso smiled. “I also suppose that the fact we have the same scent is helpful. But perdóname, how was your day, Junior? Señorita, please come in.”

”It was great!” Junior rambled as April and Gaichū followed their hosts through the house. “Cody and Josh and I went to the skate park after school and practiced some new moves. But Cody’s also signed up for some boring chess club so he left early. Then there was this big fight at school between Bryan and some new kid who thinks he’s better than everyone else just because he’s an owl yokai and he thinks he’s soooo smart.” Hueso glanced over, and Junior puffed out his chest. “Don’t worry dad. I stood up for Bryan and got the teacher.”

”Bien hecho, hijo mío. Me haces sentir orgulloso.” Hueso praised with a smile as he gestured for April to sit on one of the couches. “And you should show me those new tricks later. I would love to see what you learned.”

”You bet! Remember that one spin thingy I showed you last week? It’s like that but way cooler!” Junior beamed.

”I can’t wait to see it.” Hueso gave his son a quick hug before turning back to April. “Can I get you anything to drink, Señorita? Water? Tea? I would like to bring something for Gaichū as well to attempt to get him familiar with nutrients.”

April blinked, having forgotten she was a part of the conversation. “Oh, um, water’s fine, thanks.”

Hueso nodded. “Junior, do you mind grabbing some refreshments for our guests? Thank you.” Junior hurried off, full of energy as Hueso watched him go with fond eyes.

”He’s a good kid.” April commented as Gaichū crawled up onto her lap with a shiver. She hugged him close as Hueso brought a blanket to drape over the two of them.

”Indeed he is.” The skeleton agreed, stilling briefly before straightening and striding over to the doorway. “He takes after his mother.”

”Yeah, speaking of that…” April intoned, and Hueso stiffened slightly. “If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to uh… Mrs. Hueso? Or Señora Hueso?”

Hueso gently took a first-aid kid from a drawer under the bookshelf and brought it back over. “She… passed a few years ago. It’s just been me and Junior, but he has been so strong. Pepino has been a wonderful help keeping him company on some days when I needed to work late.” The skeleton gave Gaichū a pat on the head. “But we get by. I am very grateful for my son, and grateful for the ways Pepino has been integrated into this little family of ours.”

”I didn’t know Lee came by here that often.” April mused. “I thought he just worked at your restaurant.”

”He does, but sometimes Junior wasn’t the only one who needed a little break from reality.” Hueso withdrew a thermometer, and April frowned.

”Isn’t the living room kinda an odd place for a first aid kit? Is there a reason?” She asked, and Hueso chuckled.

”You’d be surprised at how much trouble these two can get into. This is the place I normally am reading when they come in from the front door with some sprain or scrape or something. It was quicker to just keep it in here.” Hueso frowned at the reading. “Por el amor de... this is far too high. Pepino should not have been wandering around that late, especially not in the rain.”

”Here Dad!” Junior chirped, bounding into the room with two waters in hand. Gaichū leapt out of April’s lap at the sudden entrance, snarling at the young skeleton. Junior yelped and Hueso dove in front of the slider.

”Gaichū, it is okay!” He said quickly, slowly approaching a suspicious Gaichū. He lowered himself onto his knees and held out his hands in a comforting gesture. “Do not be frightened—you are safe.”

”Too bad he can’t understand what you’re saying.” April commented as Gaichū tilted his head, and Hueso nodded.

”True, but if we keep our voices calm and steady then it can have a similar effect.” Hueso told her, and April turned her concerned expression into a more friendly one. “Apologies, Junior. Just please attempt to speak quieter when around him.”

”Sorry…” Junior hesitated. “Is Leo okay?”

”Yes, mi hijo, he will be. He is only confused right now.” Hueso glanced over. “There is a certain condition which creates a separate consciousness. I do not have time to explain at the moment, but I will later. Just please treat him as a new visitor.”

Junior hesitated before nodding. “Okayyy… kinda freaky though. So it’s like… him but not? Sounds like a horror movie plot.”

”The fact that you did not think of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Lewis Stevenson makes me feel old.” Hueso sighed, but there was no real irritation in his tone. “Merely the difference in generations, wouldn’t you agree Señorita?”

”You know you can call me April if you want. I don’t mind.” April smirked. “I know we don’t know each other that well but you’re clearly close with Leo, and he’s my brother.”

Hueso nodded before gently taking the water from Junior and sitting down in front of Gaichū. “It is true, we do have that tie. These turtles have affected both of our lives in the best possible way.” The skeleton gently took Gaichū’s jaw and urged it open. “Do not fear, Gaichū. It is for your own good. It will not hurt you. Just please do not resist.”

Gaichū whined slightly at the feeling of Friend holding his mouth open, eyes tracking the strange container that was placed to his lips. Cold liquid began to trickle into his mouth and he instinctively jerked back with a hiss, spitting out the foreign substance. Friend didn’t even flinch, only repeated soothing phrases and took his jaw again.

”You sure this is a good idea?” Sister intoned. “He doesn’t seem to be getting it.”

”He needs to learn to drink at least, Señ—April. And an environment with fewer people might be the best way.” Friend pointed out, once again directing that chilling liquid into Gaichū’s mouth. The slider shuddered but didn’t pull away this time, knowing that he needed to be obedient so that maybe Friend would vouch for him when Alpha found them. Friend softly tilted Gaichū’s head back and began to massage his throat, causing Gaichū to swallow on instinct. The slider coughed and choked at the feeling, whining and jerking back while shaking his head vigorously. Sister let out a sympathetic coo, getting on the floor to hug him.

“Shhhh, don’t worry baby. It’s okay. You did so good.” She murmured. “Good boy. Such a good boy.”

Gaichū shivered again but then froze as he whined and it didn’t hurt as much. He swallowed again experimentally and could feel his throat and mouth lubricated with the tasteless fluid, tilting his head in thought. His eyes darted to the glass cylinder as Friend smiled. “Does it feel better, young one? ¿Te gustaría más?”

Gaichū hesitated before sidling up to the skeleton and nudging the container with his beak. He couldn’t quite tell if he liked this strange new experience or not, but he had to admit that taking even a small sip had felt glorious and made his body scream for more. He whimpered slightly, and Friend held the cylinder to his lips once again. Gaichū took a small drink to start, but then churred and began to chug.

”Good boy, but take it easy.” Friend warned, gently withdrawing that wonderful liquid. “I do not want you drink too fast. April, could you place the blanket around him? He’s beginning to shiver again. And Junior, I do believe we’ll need more water.”

Sister let out a sigh of relief as Friend granted Gaichū some more of the fluid—water. “I’m glad he’s drinking something. I’ll bet eating will be harder with the chewing and stuff, but I think Mikey can whip up some smoothies or something for when Leo’s out for the count.”

”That is true.” Friend acknowledged. “But I do have to ask (and forgive my bluntness), where is your family? It was good of you to come with Pepino, but I’m sure your parents are worried sick.”

Sister hesitated. “They’re okay. I went to find them after Leo came back, and then told them I was going to check on my friends.”

Friend nodded. “And now you have. But after what I saw on the surface it seemed like a traumatic event for the entire city, and I’m sure that they would appreciate you with them for the time being.”

”But Leo—“ Sister started, but Friend raised a hand to stop her.

”Pepino will be safe here. I will wait until he switches and is mentally stable enough to return home.” Friend promised. “Please take care of your family. And I am positive that Donatello would enjoy verbal confirmation that his twin is safe. Besides—you need to warn them about the EPF. Mi sobrino cannot be let outside in this state.”

”Yeah, that’s true.” Sister frowned slightly. “I wonder what Gaichū was thinking up there.”

Gaichū lapped up the last of the water in the cup and glanced over at his Sister, hearing his name. He yawned slightly, feeling the comfort of this new den surround him in contrast to the cold where he had come from.

He only wished that Master were here to warm up with him.

Chapter Text

Leo yawned as he came awake, stretching comfortably before it ended in a shiver. Geez, why was it so hot in here? And why was he shivering if he was hot?

A second yawn escaped him without him even meaning to, and Leo stiffened as he chirped happily. What the—

”Pepino? Good to see you awake.” Came Hueso’s voice, and Leo yelped. He struggled to scramble up but got tangled in the blankets and toppled off the edge of the bed he was on, falling on the floor with a grunt. He felt a second presence take control of his body, biting the blanket angrily as Leo’s stomach dropped. Hueso hurried over.

”Mi pepino… are you alright? Or is it Gaichū?” The skeleton began, but Leo hissed and scrambled back.

”Stay back Tio!” Leo squeezed his eyes shut trying to still his trembling body. “Where am I? Why are you here? Gaichū’s gonna—“ His words dissolved into a fit of coughing, causing Hueso to kneel down in worry.

”Save your voice, Pepino.” The skeleton soothed. “Gaichū won’t hurt me. Please, breathe deeply.”

”What the shell are you doing?” Leo whined, mind still foggy from waking up. “Just give me a second to… is Junior here too? Tío, soy peligroso. Sal hasta que pueda alejarlo...”

”Pepino!” Hueso surged forward to wrap Leo in a tight embrace when the slider cried out in pain, ninpo markings flickering weakly as sharp agony shot through his body. “Cálmate, estás a salvo. No te hagas daño. Estás a salvo y no te voy a dejar.”

Leo grit his teeth together as Gaichū growled, feeling his body trying to move but forcing it to be still. He needed to protect his uncle. He needed to keep his alter back… but Gaichū was refusing to return to their mindscape and his ninpo wasn’t reacting the way it should. And why on the great green earth was he in his Tio’s home? Hueso placed a hand on Leo’s shoulder. “Please calm down Pepino. Gaichū, it is okay. You have been very good.”

Leo’s face went red and Hueso sighed. “Forgive me, Pepino. But you both need to calm down. You are sick.”

”What? Pffft it’s probably just a little sniffle—“ Leo choked as his scratchy throat acted up, shivering and coughing. Hueso clucked his tongue and gently fixed the blanket around Leo’s shoulders. Gaichū churred and tried to crawl towards the skeleton but Leo jerked himself back. “Well then you should go anyways before you get sick as well!”

Hueso frowned. “You have a high fever, Pepino. And do not get me started on the stupidity of being out in the rain while already exhausted.”

Leo rolled his eyes. “It was just… ngh… a little jaunt through the city… mmph… while ol’ Gaichū keeps acting up…”

Hueso’s eyes narrowed as Leo’s body continued to spasm and jerk. He placed a tender hand on the slider’s head, emitting a churr from Gaichū. Leo flushed again, and the skeleton gave him an apologetic look. “I do not mean to embarrass or shame you, Pepino. Please remain calm.”

“How can I be calm when I have a literal monster in my head?” Leo snapped, then grimaced as Gaichū growled back. He squeezed his eyes shut and put all of his focus into staying still despite Gaichū trying to look around. “You know it’d make me feel soooooo much better if you would…”

”I am not leaving you, Pepino, and that is final.” Hueso said firmly, and Leo scowled. The skeleton’s face softened. “I will not lie to you, sobrino. I did hear what happened last time you were like this.”

”Snitches.” Leo sniffed, keeping his eyes shut. “It was just a big misunderstanding that didn’t need to be shared. Seriously those guys are such worrywarts—OW!” Gaichū wrenched Leo’s head to the side to look around anxiously for the enemy voice, letting out a snarl. Hueso’s eyes went sharp with concern.

”Pepino, it is a very serious thing you did. Do not let it off lightly.” He said gently. “You have many people who care about you, and knowing that you hurt yourself—“

”Gaichū. Hurt Gaichū.” Leo corrected as he hugged himself stubbornly. “Geez that guy is gonna be the death of me. And do you have a rope or something?” Hueso’s face went stormy, and it took Leo a moment to correct his mistake. “For tying me up! Just a little restraint, not for… for that. Or anything bad. Seriously.” He hesitated briefly, realization dawning. “Ohh, wait. Are you… scared of that? No, no I’m fine. It was just something random and I freaked out. It won’t happen again.”

”You purposefully stabbed yourself, proving that you have no self-preservation when it comes to Gaichū.” Hueso leaned forward. “This is not a joke, this is not something to wave off. Leonardo, todos te amamos y nos preocupamos profundamente por ti. Do you understand?”

”It was just my leg!” Leo defended.

”And we want to make sure that your heart isn’t next!” Hueso finally snapped, and Leo flinched away, Gaichū letting out a fearful whine out of the slider’s lips. The skeleton winced. “Pepino, forgive me. I did not mean to shout. But you have to understand that your life is not something that any of us are willing to take chances with. ¿Entiendes?”

”Si.” Leo muttered, looking away. “Lo siento.”

Hueso let out a sigh of relief. “Good. Now do you really want to tie yourself up? Gaichū seems decently calm as long as you don’t actively fight him. I believe that he reacts as I or your brothers react. He seems to base his trust on how we view others, so as long as I remain calm and he is not in active danger then it should be okay.”

Gaichū churred at the sound of his name, trying to move again. Leo hesitated slightly before letting Gaichū crawl over to Hueso and lay down next to him. The skeleton smiled and ran a hand over his shell. “Good boy, Gaichū. It is okay. Leonardo will not hurt you, and he is a friend. Do not worry.”

Leo huffed slightly as Hueso put a hand to his forehead. “Pepino, you are still sick. Please remember to take it easy until you are feeling better.”

“I know.” Leo muttered. “My brothers are gonna get a kick outta this. Leon goes out for a discouraged adventure and gets sick. Proving that the initial hypothesis of him being a crappy leader was correct. After all, he can’t even control himself. Or his other self, for that matter. How can he lead a team?”

Hueso clucked his tongue. “Don’t talk like that, Pepino. You are going through so much and being so strong.”

”I’ve got bandages the size of New Jersey on my arm and leg and a second consciousness in my head. How is that strong?” Leo tranced patterns on the carpet absentmindedly.

Hueso was silent a few moments, the only sound in the room being that of the ticking clock on the wall and their breathing. Then the skeleton spoke up, voice soft. “I know that you do not feel strong right now, but despite everything that is happening you are still a fighter. It might not be acting to your benefit right now…” Hueso tapped Leo’s head and the slider let out a snort of amusement. “But you are still breathing and trying to protect your family. And we are all eternally grateful for that.”

”No offense Bone Man, but I think I’m actually destroying them.” Leo frowned. “They need more medical attention. Mikey’s hands keep trembling even though he tries to hide it, Dee hates anything touching his shell, Raph’s terrified to hurt us… and it’s all my fault.”

”It’s not—“ Hueso began, but Gaichū whined when Leo interrupted.

”It is! Don’t even try to tell me it wasn’t, Tio.” Leo tensed up. “I don’t need your pity.”

Hueso let out a weak chuckle. “Oh, I know you don’t. You never did. And I know that you can get through this all by yourself if you put your mind to it because you’re one of the strongest individuals I’ve ever had the honor of meeting.” His hand stilled briefly before a chirp from Gaichū prompted it to continue running along his carapace. “But it would be easier to share the burden with those who love you, wouldn’t it?”

Leo held back a whine, Gaichū sensing his discomfort and nuzzling into Hueso for safety. “None of you deserve that. Tio, I was the one who started this whole mess. There was this… this key that I didn’t know was a key and… and then Raph tried to catch it but I was worried he’d drop it and thought it would prove that I could save everyone just as well as him and… and then I missed… because Raph’s mystic hand thingy punched me in the face and then the key ended up in the hands of the Foot Clan.” Leo sighed. “Then the Foot used it to open the Kraang portal, then I tried to get it back and Raph took the hit, then Raph got turned into a Kraang monster…”

”Oh Pepino, that is far to heavy for one turtle.” Hueso’s hand traced the pattern on Leo’s shell. “You said it yourself. You did not know it was a key. And Raphael might’ve dropped it if you hadn’t. Or the Foot Clan might’ve tried again after you—not knowing it was a key, as you said—returned it like a good citizen. Do you see?”

”But none of that happened, Tio. What did happen was that I messed up again and this time I ran out of luck.” Leo curled up on himself slightly. “I… I hurt everyone and now Gaichū is still hurting them. I… I should’ve just died in that stupid dimension.”

”No. Pepino, I don’t ever want to hear you talk like that again.” Hueso’s voice grew firm, but he continued his gentle rubbing on Leo’s shell to reassure Gaichū. “You here? Alive? Breathing despite your struggles? That is far more important to your brothers than anything else in the world.”

”But I keep screwing up!” Leo scowled, and Hueso paused.

”Well, I don’t believe that you could do much to improve yourself if you are dead.” The skeleton intoned. “One day you will look back on these moments and be glad you stayed. One day you will see this as a stepping stone to the incredible young man you are growing into.” Hueso chuckled quietly. “I think you forget you are a teenager. You have been alive for sixteen years and you have so much more to see, experience and learn. And I will be here for every single step of the way because you are family and I love you. I only wish that you could love yourself as well.”

”What’s there to love?” Leo sniffed, then chuckled nervously and backtracked. “No no no I didn’t mean it like that! Just uh… I don’t know just… um… you know what? It doesn’t matter.”

”You are clever.” Hueso listed, and Leo cringed. “You are loyal. You are optimistic. You are encouraging. You are caring. You are strong. You are so much to so many people. Never forget that, Pepino.” Hueso smiled slightly. “And you should know that Gaichū is not your enemy. You were both trapped in that dimension, yes? Yet he was formed to protect you. I will not pretend to know even a fraction of what you went through in there, but I am here for you now.”

Leo didn’t answer right away. He was lost in his own mind, thinking about what Hueso had said. Didn’t know what he had gone through? Yeah, that was obvious. Prime digging a tentacle through his shattered shell to bend the fragments while laughing at Leo’s agony? Leo being pinned down for hours on end, Prime only letting off once he stopped struggling to train him to submit faster and faster? Leo telling himself that he would do what the monster said only because he had to but that he didn’t mean it, all the while starting to believe his lies as truth?

Accidentally losing the picture of his family to the void along with his last shred of honor?

If Hueso knew how Leo had broken…

The slider was certain he wouldn’t be so forgiving.

”Thanks for saying that, Tio.” He said instead, offering a slight smile despite Gaichū curiously chirping at the flashes of memory. Leo held back a snort, knowing full well that what he went through was probably nothing compared to what his alter endured with his body.

His body, which was now forever tainted and scarred.

Hueso sighed. “I know you may not believe me yet, Pepino, but I hope that you will soon. In the meantime, are you ready to see your brothers?” Leo stiffened, and Hueso nodded. “Or we could stay here for a while longer. It is up to you.”

”Yeah,” Leo let his eyes close as Hueso draped the fallen blanket over him. “Just… please just a little longer. Thanks, Bone Man.”

Chapter Text

Donnie nearly jumped out of his skin as an alert pinged on his phone, snatching it up and scanning the screen for any information on Leo. He sighed as he saw that it was only April tripping his motion sensors without his twin, striding through the lair and calling for them.

Calling for them.

The soft shell shoved back from his desk, knocking his chair over as he stumbled over it and scrambled for the door. He was out in an instant, him and his brothers nearly colliding in front of their startled sister.

”Geez, where do you three spawn from?” She placed a hand on her chest. “Y’all nearly gave me a heart attack!”

”Nardo.” Donnie demanded, his own heart still racing and out of breath. “News. Now.”

”Is he okay?” Mikey piped, up, and Raph nodded enthusiastically. She hesitated, and Mikey’s face fell. “Oh… is he not okay?”

”I knew it!” Donnie hissed, typing frantically on his wrist tech. “Engaging all search protocols—“

”Tell Raph who, what or where he needs to smash.” Raph already activated his ninpo when April frantically gestured for him to stop.

”No! No he’s fine! No need to freak out!” She dragged a hand down her face. “Leo is okay, just sick. There just somethin’ I need to talk to you guys about.”

”Right. The announcement that has definitely not been treating my brain as a cuisine dish.” Donnie drawled. “So? What is it?”

April opened her mouth before hesitating, and Donnie scowled. “You can’t just leave us hanging! Spill!”

”I just don’t want to freak you guys out.” She explained. “It wasn’t that bad, but it could’ve been and you guys need to know about it.”

”Fascinating.” Donnie rolled his eyes. “I’d very much like to hear more about it, April. He said without a hint of impatience.”

”Okay, well, you guys remember the EPF?” She began, and each turtle stiffened.

”Those are the guys that took away Sister Kraang.” Raph nodded. “What about them?”

”Well, they’re alien hunters, y’know? And for some weird reason we found Leo in the ruins of some collapsed building.” April quickly corrected herself when three voices of protest started to rise. “He wasn’t hurt! Just in this weird pocket that ya couldn’t get to without a crane.”

”Or a portal.” Donnie pointed out. “So he portalled in there… why?”

”I dunno. But we actually found Gaichū in there, not Leo.” April shrugged. “But anyway, we weren’t the only ones who… um… found him.”

There was silence for a moment as everyone processed the vague implication. Then Donnie burst out: “THE EPF SAW HIM?! That reckless dum-dum—“

”Yeah they saw him Dee, but he was fine! Hueso realized where he was first, then he found me, then Mayhem got him out.” April interjected. “He’s okay. It sounded like they were trying to capture him, but they didn’t. He’s with Hueso now.”

Donnie took a sharp breath. “But now they know he exists. I’ve done some research on that organization, and their leader—Agent John Bishop—is absolutely sick. He was ridiculed at first for his claims about being abducted by aliens, but he has some records of kidnapping yokai and, more recently, being the guardian of Sister Kraang. Since no one really took his research seriously he had no one to hold him accountable, and I hear that he was in some hot water when investigators finally went to tour his place and found evidence of unethical experimentation. However he was the only one who could safely contain an alien, so they just gave him a warning to fix his methods and left her with him, since after all there are no laws protecting Kraang or yokai—or mutants, for that matter. Those privileges are reserved for humans and animals known to mankind. I don’t like that an agent saw Nardo.”

”How did ya get all that? I tried to do my own research on that place and came up with mostly zilch!” April protested.

”Nah don’t worry about that.” Donnie shrugged vaguely, dismissing the topic. “But at least Mayhem was able to get him away from there. Did you get his sword as well?”

”His what now?” April stiffened. “There was a sword?”

Donnie’s eyes narrowed. “Well, when Nardo portals he has to use his weapon. He’ll use two kantanas in battle by throwing one to anchor his teleportation, but when going somewhere he can’t throw a sword to then he uses only one odachi. I thought you knew that.”

”I did! I do just—ugh I didn’t even think about that!” April put her hands to her head. “I was freaking out, okay? I was worried about Leo!”

Donnie held his heart drop to his stomach. “So let me get this straight and I’ll attempt to say it in a calm and dignified manner: the EPF has Nardo’s sword?!”

”Maybe they didn’t see it?” April suggested, and Donnie shook his head.

”The EPF don’t overlook things, April! If anything they over analyze. They’re all paranoid! They built an organization set on researching and hunting things that most people believe not to exist, so anything that could remotely support their cause they jump on. No way they would just leave the site believing that he was gone for good.” Donnie began to pace angrily. “Okay, so Nardo cannot be let outside, and cannot be allowed to use his swords. Also cannot see the color red, cannot have access to sharp objects (I have no clue how he even portalled in the first place so I guess I’ll check his room again), cannot be alone…”

”So if Leo tries to portal, then he’ll portal to his other sword? Or… or can’t he disconnect himself from it or something?” Raph fretted, and Donnie shook his head.

”That sword is infused with ninpo. His ninpo. I don’t know what lengths they can track mystic energy, but I do believe that Leo could ignore the pull from that odachi with enough focus. But since he’s sick and has Gaichū in his head then I have my doubts of his ability to do so.”

”Ohmigosh, what do we tell him?” Mikey tugged on Donnie’s arm. “April, does he know?”

”I don’t think so. I think it was only Gaichū awake when we found him.” April told them with a frown. “Geez, he’ll freak out if he knows what happened. But it’s probably important to let him know.”

Donnie hesitated, pinching the bridge of his beak. “I… I don’t know. At this point I’m not sure if that dum-dum would accept not portalling or if he’d try some hair-brained mission to get his sword back.”

”No secrets, Dee. We have to tell him.” Mikey protested. “He’ll be so upset! I mean, did you see his face when he realized that you were Gaichū’s alpha? That wasn’t even a full-on lie, but he hated it!”

“Don’t remind me.” Donnie shuddered, recalling all too well the look of betrayal on his twins face. “Fine. We tell him that his sword was lost and that it’s not safe to portal because we have no idea where it ended up. But we also have to figure out how to relate to both him and Gaichū without making him upset again.”

”Orrrrr…” Mikey’s eyes narrowed. “We tell him the full truth that he’s in danger and—“

”Oh I’m sure that’ll work out well. Telling Gaichū that he’s being hunted.” Donnie snapped. “I don’t know the complications of their memories or how it translates when co-fronting, but how do you think Nardo’s alter will react if he can comprehend that he’s in danger? We want him to feel safe so we can make progress. So we explain vaguely that Nardo cannot—under any circumstances—use his portals.”

”And how do you think Leo will react to knowing that we aren’t telling him things because of Gaichū?” Raph crossed his arms, and Donnie scowled.

”There’s no win here, Raphala! We just have to do what we have to do and—“ Donnie started, but cut himself off abruptly when he heard his twin’s voice ring through the lair.

”This place is a ghost town! Hello? ¿Mi hermanos?” Leo called, and everyone immediately turned to see the slider limp through the door with Hueso close behind. He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder with a smirk, but Donnie grimaced as he noticed the unhealthy rasp in Leo’s voice. “Bone Man wouldn’t let me portal, but I…”

”Leo!” Mikey happily exclaimed, hurrying over but stopping himself before he could jump onto his older brother. Instead he settled for a giant hug. “You’re okay!”

”Of course I’m okay, Big Man! You know nothing can stop ol’ Neon Leon.” Leo winced as he suddenly let out a chirp of delight and nuzzled the top of Mikey’s head. “Um… hehe… Gaichū’s happy to see you too…”

”I’m happy to see him too!” Mikey immediately responded. “Hey buddy! Good boy!”

Leo chirped again, smiling despite the growing redness in his face from embarrassment. Hueso nodded in approval. “No te avergüences, Pepino. Lo estás haciendo muy bien.”

”Gracias, Tio.” Leo responded sheepishly, but then his eyes fell on Donnie. The slider clenched his jaw before letting out a whine and staggering forward. “No no no… bad boy… stop it…”

Donnie’s brow furrowed in concern. “Gaichū? Nardo don’t fight him.”

Leo whimpered and suddenly hugged his twin tightly, letting out little mewls and chirps. “Sorry Don, but could you please just tell this guy that you’re not mad at him? He seems weirdly worried about it, so just tell him he’s okay and for the love of Jupiter Jim get this guy some chamomile tea or something.”

Donnie felt his breath hitch at the force of Leo’s embrace and found himself hugging his brother back just as tightly. It felt good to have Leo safe at home again, and he hated the pitiful turtle sounds Gaichū was making. “Um… sigh, Gaichū I’m not mad. You’ve been very good. Good boy. Do you hear me? A very, very good boy.”

The soft shell felt Leo stiffen, but the slider’s tail began wag as Gaichū churred. “Thanks DonTron. I owe ya one.”

Donnie huffed slightly. “You owe me nothing, you dum-dum. I’m not mad, and this isn’t your fault.” His grip on his twin tightened. “It was never your fault.”

Gaichū let out a flurry of happy chirps as Alpha hugged him, nearly trembling with excited adrenaline. Alpha was glad to see him! Sure that strange invisible presence was still trying to hold him back, but at least his owner wasn’t going to beat him.

Omega, Sister and Beta all came in to greet him with cooing tones and Gaichū just wanted to embrace them all at once. It was so much nicer than being out in the cold rain with those strange men! Here it was warm and light and everyone he loved was here…

Well, not everyone.

Gaichū’s exuberance dimmed slightly as he thought about Master, left alone out there in the cold. What kind of pet was he, to leave his previous keeper out there with enemies like that? Master had always been so good and gracious to him, and if he hadn’t then it was deserved on Gaichū’s part. He needed to go back and help him, but he also wanted to stay here with his new pack. But he loved his Master too much to stay away forever.

No, shut up. Came the slider’s voice in his head, and at least he wasn’t forcing Gaichū to make the sounds anymore. But Gaichū still tilted his head in confusion as his interesting companion continued. Prime is not Master. Prime bad. Master bad. Don’t think about that.

Gaichū started to growl in protest at Master’s name being called ‘bad’, but Companion quickly backtracked. No no no, it’s okay. Don’t growl. Keep everyone happy, yeah? Just don’t think about… Master.

Gaichū could tell that Companion was referring to his pack and hesitated, knowing that it was wise to make sure he didn’t anger his company. Especially Alpha, who had already given him more mercy than Master ever dared.

But try as he could, he just couldn’t shake the desire to see his Master again.

Chapter Text

Raph sighed and rolled over in his bed, grumbling to himself and fiddling with the tip of his tail absentmindedly. He knew that is was ridiculous that he couldn’t sleep but he never seemed able to help it in times like this. Any time Mikey had been crying, or Donnie got hurt in roughhousing, or Leo sprained something while trying out a skateboarding stunt Raph had always had a hard time calming down afterwards. The event always just kept replaying in his mind tauntingly, his brain trying to figure out what he missed and how he could protect them better next time.

Now his younger brother was struggling so much after being tortured for who-knows-how-long and sleep just wasn’t an option until he finally got his nervous system to stop tap dancing. He could still hear Hueso’s words ringing in his head—“Yes, you should protect your brothers. But are you responsible for their actions? No.”—and was trying his best to rejuvenate the wonderful revelation of peace he had felt. He couldn’t change this, and Leo was safe and sound in his room since Donnie finally admitted that technically he wasn’t in immediate need of medical attention. His brothers were all sleeping soundly and Leo was finally not fighting Gaichū. So why couldn’t he sleep?

To be honest, he was wondering how his younger brother was able to sleep knowing how he felt about Gaichū. Sure they weren’t fighting, but it was obviously still hard.

The snapper turtle sighed and stood up, tired of trying to sleep. A couple rounds of some low-budget Lou Jitsu game and seeing all his brothers safe would calm him down, he was sure of it.

Raph gently tiptoed out of his room, glancing over at the dim light still peeking out from under Donnie’s lab door. He stifled a groan and sneaked over to the room, peering in to see the soft shell dead asleep with his head on the keyboard. Raph gave a soft smile and quietly padded over to Donnie’s chair, very carefully and tenderly lifting him up into his arms. Donnie gave an incoherent mumble and leaned into Raph’s plastron as the snapper carried him out of the lab and into his own room, setting him softly on the bed and pulling the purple weighted blanket over him. Note to self, hide the coffee, he thought as he headed over to Mikey’s room. One brother down, two to go.

He silently pushed aside Mikey’s curtain to see the box turtle snoring in some sort of position that resembled a pretzel, faced pressed into his pillow in such a way that Raph knew would give him a sore neck in the morning. Why his youngest brother flopped so much in his sleep the snapper would never know, but he still sighed and pulled the covers over Mikey’s comfortable-yet-contortionistic form. Two down, one to go.

Next was Leo’s train car, and Raph hesitated briefly before going in, knowing how light of a sleeper the slider was. He pushed aside the familiar blue curtain, but stiffened when he saw the bed empty. The snapper’s eyes sharpened and he glanced around, his brother nowhere to be found. Where was that dork? Or did Gaichū wander off…

A flood of panic shot through Raph as he thought about the EPF and the portals, shoving away from the train car and hurrying back through the lair to check the kitchen where Leo would often have tea if his insomnia kicked in. Or maybe he had been in the lab with Donnie? Or maybe—

Raph froze as he saw a hue of blue light out of the living room, and he slowly crept forward with a mixture of confusion and hope. Sure enough, Leo was sitting there playing their favorite Jupiter Jim game with his blue blanket draped over his shoulders. Raph frowned and slowly entered the room, making just enough noise so that he wouldn’t startle his brother but quiet enough that he wouldn’t wake up anyone else. Leo glanced up with tired eyes, but once he saw Raph he quickly turned it into a smile. “Geez, Big Guy. Whatcha doing up?”

”Raph could ask you the same thing.” Raph replied softly, gesturing to the spot next to Leo on the ground. “Mind if I sit down and join ya?”

”Oh, really? I mean, uh, not at all. Have at it. The floor is yours, heh.” Leo chuckled weakly as Raph smiled and sat down, but it turned into a cough before the slider turned back to the screen with reddening cheeks. The snapper glanced at the screen.

”Haven’t played this in a hot minute.” He commented, watching Jupiter Jim blast through a meteor. “Is… is Gaichū here too?”

Leo shrugged. “Nah, he went to sleep. Finally.”

Raph frowned. “How can he sleep if you’re not? And why aren’t ya, for that matter? Raph knows Don would be happy to know that you’re resting.”

Leo hesitated. “No big deal, buddy. Just, I don’t know. Don’t really feel comfortable with leaving him alone right now, y’know?”

Raph sighed. “Yeah, Raph gets it. But you’ve gotta sleep at some point.”

”I did at Hueso’s.” Leo pointed out, and Raph grimaced.

”But ya should sleep every night—“ He began, but Leo harrumphed.

”Oh would you look at that, your words have cured me of my insomnia! If only I had known it was that easy!” He drawled sarcastically before setting his controller down roughly and starting to get up, Raph eyeing his quivering limbs worriedly. “But fine. Whatever Raph, I’ll go to bed. Happy now?” He snipped slightly, and Raph raised his hands in surrender.

”Sorry Lee, didn’t mean to make ya mad. Just sit back down, it’s okay if ya can’t sleep right now. Raph can’t either.” He said softly, and Leo huffed slightly as he flopped back down.

”Sorry. Shouldn’t have snapped. Just tired.” Leo picked his controller back up, and Raph watched him with a slightly guilty expression.

”Yeah, I get that.” He sighed. “And Raph’s sure it’s no fun to have all of us nitpickin’ ya all the time.”

”You’ve got that right.” Leo muttered, eyes fixed on the screen. There was silence for a few moments as they watched the screen before Raph spoke up again.

”Raph remembers playin’ this game with all of us. It has a cool multi-player.” He side-eyed his younger brother. “Been a while since we all hung out, hasn’t it? Even before the… even before everything that’s been goin’ on recently.”

”Yep.” Leo’s grip tightened slightly on his controller as if he was holding back from saying more, which was such an un-Leo thing to do that Raph took a double take and tried again.

”Guess we haven’t been the closest recently since Dad made ya leader.” He said tentatively.

”Yep.” Leo once again agreed, and Raph grimaced.

”Look Lee, Raph missed ya. He was just worried about everything, and that shouldn’t have been taken out on you. I… I’m sorry we were so distant.” The snapper murmured, and Leo stiffened.

”Don’t be sorry. You were right.” Leo’s eyes remained fixed on the screen. “I was acting like an idiot. It wasn’t about me, and I’m glad you finally got that through my stupid brain.”

”Leo, no. Don’t talk about yourself like that.” Raph frowned. “You… you know what? You turned out to be a great leader, and Raph’s proud of ya. Even when I was out for the count and couldn’t be there for you guys, you still came through and saved everyone. Even if I never want to see you use the same method ever again.”

”Sure.” Leo whistled quietly. “Geez, this level is hard to beat.”

”First off, no it’s not. Second off, Raph’s serious.” Raph placed a hand on Leo’s shoulder. “I’m proud of ya.”

”Woah woah woah, no need to go all mushy on me, Big Guy!” Leo chuckled, but Raph noticed that there was a bit of emotion behind it. “It’s just that—“ He suddenly broke down into a fit of coughing, and Raph’s hands hovered over his wracking body helplessly.

”Leo? Leo are you okay?” Raph worried as his younger brother trembled, and Leo waved him off since he was unable to speak—even though that gesture did absolutely nothing for Raph’s confidence. “Buddy? Need some water or tea or something? Whatever it is Raph can get it for ya.”

”No… ack… Raph I’m… ngh… fine.” Leo hacked. “I can… hrk… get it myself.”

Raph’s chasm deepened as he pushed Leo back down. “No Leo, let Raph get it. You need to rest.”

”I can get it myself! I don’t want you to… ugh!” Leo scowled, grabbing his head with a wince. “Stupid headache. I’ll get it later Raphie, it’s fine. Being sick sucks serious shell.”

Raph frowned. “Well ya won’t get better if ya don’t rest.”

”I can’t rest!” Leo snapped, and Raph winced. Leo’s tired eyes grew even more heavy. “Don’t you get it? I can’t sleep, I can’t let my guard down—it’s like having a rabid animal on a leash! Gaichū… he might be being good and cooperative right now if I don’t argue with him, but he might bite you guys again or attack you and he’s trying to make me—“ Leo snapped his mouth shut, curling up and thumping his head against his knees. Raph hesitated.

“He’s tryin’ to make ya what, Leo? You can tell Raph anything, you know.” Raph said softly, and Leo shook his head.”

”It’s nothing you need to worry about. It’s not about me.” Leo mumbled, and Raph felt his temper rise. He knew he needed to be cool about this, but something about Leo’s pitiful martyr complex was driving him up a wall.

The snapper’s eyes sharpened and he straightened. “Now you listen here, Leo. I know I said that crap a lot, but I don’t think you got what I was tryin’ to say.”

”I did. I needed to stop being so impulsive and arrogant. Needed to see that every decision I make could cost someone their life.” Leo mumbled, and although it seemed more like a bitter quote it was still wrong and Raph shook his head.

”Not even close.” Raph leaned in closer. “Raph was tryin’ to make ya see that it’s not about you, but it’s about us. All of us. Me, Mikey, Donnie, Pops, Apes, you… every single member of our team.” Raph’s eyes softened, pleading silently for Leo to look at him. “You were always runnin’ into everything by yourself and not includin’ us anymore. You’re better than that! Raph knows that you’re an incredible leader and planner… but ya weren’t usin’ that skill of yours. Every single plan would sideline us and put yourself into the danger and action. Why wouldn’t you let us help you?” Raph sighed. “Raph thinks it’s because you take after him a little too much, and he wasn’t the role model you should’ve had.”

Leo’s head snapped up. “What? No Raph, I—“

“I modeled a leader who always threw himself into danger, ready to sacrifice himself at any moment.” Raph chuckled weakly. “And it was fine to me when I was on the recievin’ end. But then Pops decides to make you lead and… and it was killin’ Raph to sit on the bench while watching you go out and fight by yourself out of fear of makin’ a mistake and gettin’ us hurt. I know that pressure firsthand, and it’s not pretty.” He glanced up at Leo. “But Raph was wrong. April put it the best when she told me to trust you guys the way you trusted me. As a team leader, sure you carry all the weight of the decisions and the constant push-back from your teammates and take the blame of the fall, but you also have your brothers there for a reason. A leader should bring everyone together to use their strength for the betterment of the mission, not just use himself as a human shield. And Raph knows that you can do that, and knows also that you’re scared the way he was. But I want to tell you right here and now that we’re here for you, and we ain’t ever goin’ anywhere. You hear me? You don’t have to carry everything alone, Leo.”

”But it was my fault!” Leo nearly exploded, trying valiantly to keep his voice at a volume that wouldn’t wake the lair. “I was a crappy leader, Raph! I’m not strong like you! I dropped the key, I got you kraangified, I nearly killed everyone I love…”

”But ya came through in the end, and that’s what counts. So ya stumbled a bit on the way, everyone does that. It’s called being anyone ever.” Raph’s eyes were filled with a passionate fire. “But you’re the best leader that we ever had, and I’m not ashamed to admit that. And Raph’s gonna say it until you believe it.”

”No I’m not! Stop saying that!” Leo snipped. “Let’s see here: did you ever start an apocalypse? Why no, no you did not. Did you get your brother turned into a monster and tortured by some big ugly aliens? Well look at that—no you didn’t. Did you…”

”Enough. About. The invasion.” Raph nearly growled. “Raph made a ton of mistakes. It was just crappy chance that yours happened to be some stupid key to a stupid dimension. All ya did was drop some stolen object. Raph’s dropped more things than he can count!”

”I don’t care about chances or whatever, Raph! What matters is that it did happen, and I’m responsible. Both as the leader and as the idiot who screwed up.” Leo groaned. “Can we just forget about this?”

”Leo, you know Raph can’t just let you off while knowin’ you’re feelin’ like this. It wasn’t your fault, and that’s final.” Raph hesitated slightly at Leo’s stubborn lip stuck out the way he always did when he refused to agree. It was the sort of look that told Raph that Leo had made up his stubborn, brilliant mind and wasn’t even in the mood to try to change it. The look that told Raph that Leo refused to even attempt to listen to the other side and that arguing was futile. Raph felt his lungs squeeze. “Why do you want to believe that it’s your fault so much, Leo? You don’t deserve that.”

”It was my fault.” Leo muttered, turning back to his game and crossing his legs.

”No, it wasn’t.” Raph could feel his patience wearing thin. “It wasn’t your fault, and although you have literally everyone who ever cared about you telling you that it wasn’t, your stubborn brain is still tellin’ ya that it was! What is that, Leo? Because it sure as shell ain’t the wit that Raph know’s ya got in ya!”

Leo didn’t respond, and Raph scowled. “So what, you’re gonna ignore me now? Because you’re choosin’ to stay stuck like this, Lee! You’re so stuck in your own head that you don’t realize that it’s killin’ us all to watch ya beat yourself up over somethin’ that ya should be able to heal from now!” Raph leaned in closer, eyes pleading. “Raph knows it took us a while, and he doesn’t know how long you were in that Prison Dimension stewin’ over what ya did and makin’ up your mind about this…” Leo stiffened, but Raph pressed on. “But you’re safe now. You’ve got every single opportunity to get better and heal, but you ain’t takin’ it. Do you even realize that? You. Are. Safe.”

”Shut up, Raph.” Leo muttered. “You sound like a broken record.”

Raph swallowed back an angry retort. There was so much that his aggravated brain wanted to shout right now, phrases like ‘you’re hopeless’ and ‘you’re drivin’ Raph crazy’, but he was trying his best to keep them down. The suppression caused his voice to get low and dangerous. “Leo, we can’t help ya if ya don’t want help. I hope you realize that. Ask anyone in this family and they would all tell ya that they would die for ya in a heartbeat and that they want nothin’ more than to see ya get better. Ya think we’ll just stop carin’ because that’s what ya want? Think again, because we’re your family and there is nothin’ you could do to make us love ya any less. Got that?”

Leo’s eyes remained glued to the screen. “I’m done talking about this, Raph.”

There was something in Leo’s tone that was a warning, but Raph was too far gone to heed it. His eyes narrowed. “You know that Raph would respect your boundaries any other time, but not when your entire health and… and maybe your life is at stake too. You might wish we would stop worryin’ and stop carin, but we can’t. That’s not the way it works. You an’ Raph? We’re brothers. Brothers stick together no matter what. Anatawa hitorijanai. Remember that? You will never be alone, Leo, never as long as we’re around.”

Leo’s breath hitched. “And what if because of me, in the future, you all die and I’m left alone anyway? Because you should know I’d rather have you three here and me gone than the other way around.”

Raph almost growled, something in Leo’s words making his head spin. “That won’t happen Leo. We’re gonna stay together through anything that comes our way. Shell, we went through an apocalypse and all made it out alive!”

”Don’t say that we’ll all be together forever, because that’s not true!” Leo snapped. “Just shut up about the cliches, okay? You all did die and I was the only one left!”

Raph stiffened. “Leo? What the shell are ya talkin’ about?”

”It doesn’t matter! You’re all gonna die someday and so am I. It’s just what’s gonna happen, and there’s no point in tryin’ to stop it!” Leo must’ve missed the way Raph visibly flinched because he kept going. “We live, we die, big whump! Every meal? Every wound we patch up? Every evening we spend together? It doesn’t matter! Because no matter what I’m gonna die and you’re gonna die and the world is gonna end and maybe I’m just not freaking strong enough to handle the fact that I’m headed towards some incalculable end and have no idea when it’s gonna come or if things will get worse before it does! And the cherry on top? We all choose to suffer every single stupid day because it would be so… so easy to just say ‘see ya, world! Deal with your own crap, ‘cause I’m out!’”

Raph went dead silent, eyes wide and feeling a sharp, cold fear slithering through his entire body. Leo was breathing heavily from his outburst, but Raph could see that the slider was starting to see his mistake. The snapper’s heart was pounding so heavily in his ribcage that he was sure Leo could hear it as well, and he was positive that that was the most terrifying thing Leo ever said to him. The slider hesitated. “But… but obviously I won’t because dying would hurt everyone else who had the bravery to stay, heh. So… so just ignore all that. Doesn’t matter anyway.”

”Leo… did you just… are you…” Raph could feel his heart breaking as his lower lip trembled. “I just… ya can’t… don’t…”

”Woah woah woah, hey don’t cry!” Leo panicked as Raph covered his face with his hands. “I’m sorry Raph! I… I was just mad and I didn’t mean anything, I swear! None of us will die for, like, a long time and we’ll all be fine and—“

”Ya can’t just say stuff like that, Leo!” Raph nearly exploded, tears streaking down his face as he glared at his guilty brother. “It’s not funny, it’s not helpful… and the worst part is that if ya said it then a part of you has thought about it!”

”What? Pfft, no no, nothing like that. Just um… look it’s okay! I’m right here and the invasion is behind us and… uh… I really don’t know what to do right now.” Leo scooted close to his big brother, who wrapped him in a tight hug.

”This ain’t you gettin’ off easy because you know how to suck up.” Raph mumbled, squeezing Leo tighter. The feeling of his younger brother in his arms—safe and alive—felt addicting at the moment. “‘Cause ya better know that Raph ain’t gonna let anythin’ else happen to ya.”

Leo hesitated. “You can’t promise that…”

”Shut up and let me hold ya!” Raph snapped, and he felt Leo stiffen slightly before relaxing and snuggling a bit deeper into the embrace. Raph sighed and loosened his grip to a more gentle hug. “Don’t ever say anythin’ like that again. Ya hear Raph? Never again.” The snapper felt Leo nod, and there was a moment of silence before he added. “And Raph doesn’t care about whatever stupid idea got into your head about us dyin’ on ya, because you saved us all. We’re here for ya, Leo. We made it through that crap, and so did you. And we’re gonna stay here and be annoyin’ for however long it takes for ya to heal. Count on it.”

Chapter Text

Leo stared at Gaichū sleeping comfortably on Hueso’s rug, almost resenting the peaceful slumber of his alter. He didn’t really know how long he had been in here but it was getting way too hard to focus in real life, so he decided to pass the time like some over-protective parent. It was kinda strange to be watching himself, but since he hadn’t been allowed to look in any mirrors recently it did give him a chance to see some of the injuries he had noticed.

The slider sighed, going over the injuries that he knew his conscious brain had seen before, the shell Leo knew to be crushed but hadn’t even examined looking like it was hatched yesterday. But the scars started to get pretty gnarly as they reached his arms, plastron and legs, Leo wincing as he recounted some that he could recall getting and some that had just seemingly spawned out of nowhere.

The ratio was staggering.

Poor Gaichū.

Leo huffed slightly, hearing some vague sounds coming from Hueso’s door and signaling that his brothers were awake and starting the day. Gaichū heard it too and his head popped up, scrambling into a more defensive position as he stared at the door and waited for his foggy mind to recognize the voices. Leo chuckled weakly. “Easy buddy, it’s just the others. We don’t have to go out yet.”

Gaichū frowned at Companion, wondering why he could always see him in here but not out there. Companion sighed. “Just so you know Raph’s gonna be a bit… on edge with you today. My fault, but whatever. Geez, I don’t even know if you can understand me or not. It’s like talking to a brick wall.”

Gaichū’s eyes narrowed and he sidled over to the other slider, giving him an experimental sniff and frowning at the familiar scent. Companion snorted. “Yeah, I smell like you, Sherlock. But whatever, guess you can’t really comprehend the whole Dissociative Identity Disorder thing. Honestly I don’t blame you—most of the terms is nerd stuff only Donnie can pronounce.” Companion leaned a bit closer, still letting Gaichū examine his hands and plastron. “But look, maybe we got off on the wrong foot and that can’t happen again. We can’t just break down like that in front of the others, and that’s something you gotta learn.”

Gaichū cocked his head in curiosity when Companion framed his face with his hands and Gaichū whimpered slightly, craning his neck to take a sniff at the blood on his eyes. He didn’t seem hurt… and it didn’t smell like blood… but what was it? “Yep, that’s my face. And we’re the Face Man of the team. That means that you’ve gotta control yourself because Donnie gets tunnel vision and Raph freezes and Mikey freaks out. You’ve gotta be calm and be able to morph this handsome face into whatever you want.” Companion chuckled as Gaichū reached out tentatively to feel his face. “Get a good gander, because you’re just as pretty as me. Or oh… oh. Right. Red.” The other slider sighed. “I’m not hurt, buddy. That’s a color. Or wait—you probably don’t know that word. Um… see how it’s not coming off? That means… ugh!” Companion scowled. “How in the world am I supposed to explain colors?”

Gaichū whined slightly at how the blood wasn’t running or smearing. It must be some sort of permanent injury, and he didn’t get how this other turtle could keep making sounds and smiling like it didn’t hurt.

”Okay you know what? Never mind that. Actually a good point—even if you’re hurt don’t you dare show it. Got that? No more whining or whimpering or whatever. They’ve got enough to worry about.” Companion continued, tentatively petting Gaichū on the head. “You might not even know what I’m saying, but whatever. I can help once we’re out there. Think of this as backstage, and one we walk though that door then the show begins.” Companion sighed again. “I have to figure out a better way to do this. I’ll figure out how to explain terms later. But are you going to be a good boy? Not gonna freak out and cause a scene again? All we have to do is get through the day, and then you can sleep again. You liked that, didn’t you? Rest? Sleep?”

Gaichū let out a confused chirp, and Companion huffed slightly. “Okay, different approach. When we fight, Donnie will get upset. You don’t want that, right? You’re scared of… of Donnie? So when we’re being bad…” Companion put on furious expression and pounded his fists together. “… Donnie get’s angry. Do you know who Donnie is? That’s who your… your owner is. Am I getting that right?” Companion sighed in relief as Gaichū whimpered and backed up, remembering that ‘Donnie’ was the name associated with Alpha. He could very clearly remembering the soft shell yelling at him for attacking Companion, and his eyes portrayed to the other slider that he understood. “Good. Keep Donnie happy. And Raph and Mikey and Dad and Casey and April and Tio. Keep everyone happy. Okay?” He hesitated. “Or at least I can be the Face Man and you can make them not look too closely. Good talk, team. Break.”

Companion pulled away and walked over to the door, Gaichū whining slightly after him since he wasn’t done with his examination. Companion took a deep breath. “Aaaand, off to a great start. Just try to save me a shred of dignity when we’re done out there, ‘kay? Oh shell I’m going crazy. It’s not like you can respond.” And with that he opened the door and Gaichū followed, the world shifting as they passed through.

Leo blinked his dry eyes multiple times as he came back to his senses, realizing that he had been staring blankly at the television ever since Raph had fallen asleep and he had zoned out. Lovely. He sighed and glanced around, stretching his tired body and feeling his lungs squeeze in protest. A fit of coughing sent all three of his brothers flying into the living room at full speed.

”You okay, Leo?” Mikey dropped down next to his older sibling. “Need water? Tea? Soup?”

”Thanks Mike, but I’m… ack… fine.” Leo stifled a yawn and patted the box turtle on the head. Donnie’s eyes narrowed.

”Scoff, Nardo I can see the bags under your eyes even with your mask on. Please tell me you got some sleep while hanging out in here of all places.” Donnie hesitated slightly when Gaichū let out a little whimper, brain taking a moment to catch up before he softened his tone. “Sorry Gaichū, good boy. It’s okay, I’m not mad. But I would very very—that’s two very’s—like to know that you and Nardo slept well last night, he said in a tone so smooth Michael Jackson himself would be jealous.”

Leo’s eyes snapped over to Raph, who was avoiding eye contact. His oldest brother probably could take an educated bet that Leo hadn’t slept a wink, but he was also likely trying not to get into it again while Gaichū was awake and sensitive. Leo appreciated that, but also didn’t want to make things worse by flat-out lying. He smirked at Donnie. “Yeah yeah, don’t get so worked up. Gaichū slept like a baby.”

A little vein in Donnie’s neck throbbed. “Funny, I believe that I asked if both of you slept. Care to elaborate?”

”Say, Mikster! How about some of that tea you were talking about? The ol’ throat’s kinda scratchy.” Leo changed the subject, Gaichū churring as the box turtle nodded and took Leo’s hand to lead him to the kitchen.

”You bet! We’ve got chamomile, mint, chai, ginger, peach…” Mikey rambled as he started away, but Leo didn’t miss Donnie and Raph’s little dialogue exchange as he left.

”That dum-dum didn’t answer my question.” The soft shell muttered.

”Yeah well, what would asking help? It won’t make him get any more sleep.” Raph murmured back, and Leo stiffened. “Just let him be for now, Dee.”

Leo couldn’t tell if he was irritated or grateful for the snapper’s intervention.

”Y’know? Chamomile sounds perfect.” Leo smiled, and Mikey nodded.

”Great. We’ve also got some chicken soup if you’re interested!” The box turtle hummed to himself as he grabbed a bowl of soup and placed it on the table before going to grab the tea. “I’ll be right back!”

”Ten-four, Mikey!” Leo saluted, then flushed when Gaichū leaned down to sniff the soup. Leo felt his stomach rumble as he picked up his spoon. He could hear Donnie and Raph entering the room as he scooped up the perfect ratio of chicken, vegetable and broth and brought it to his mouth.

”Gah!” Leo nearly choked as the food entered his throat, Gaichū suddenly squalling and trying to spit it out. Rapid fears of strangulation and not being able to breathe rushed through his brain as he hacked and tried to rid his esophagus of any food remnants.

”Nardo? Careful with that! Don’t eat too fast!” Donnie hurried over, handing Leo a napkin and using a rag (somehow conjured from his battle shell) to clean up the spilled soup. “Are you okay?”

Gaichū whined and all but pounced on Donnie, nuzzling into him for comfort. The twins toppled onto the floor and Donnie stiffened slightly as Gaichū tried to get under him. “What… Nardo what’s going on?”

”Gaichū, stop!” Leo wheezed, pulling his alter back from trying to hide under Donnie. But that only seemed to make Gaichū paranoid that he had upset his Alpha so he started to roll onto his shell. “Crap crap crap… bad boy! Stop that!”

”Don’t fight him Nardo!” Donnie scolded slightly before fixing his voice and taking a sharp breath. “Cool cool cool, cool cool cool. Deep sigh, Gaichū, it’s okay. Nardo, do you know what got him all upset? Was it choking on your food?”

”I guess.” Leo grumbled, still on his shell and feeling his face heat up. “Just went down the wrong pipe.”

Gaichū tentatively got back up, and Leo sat back down in his chair. “Sorry for the commotion, hehe. Just was a weird thing that—“

”Wait.” Donnie’s eyes narrowed as Gaichū let out a whine the second Leo picked up his spoon. He hesitated. “Go slow.”

”Yeah yeah, helps with the digestive process to chew and stuff. I’m a medic Don, I know this.” Leo chuckled before placing another bite into his mouth and making a show of chewing it. But the second the nutrients slid to the back of his throat Gaichū freaked out again and made Leo choke. The slider gagged his food back into the bowl in a fit of coughing, breathing heavily and scowling. “What the shell, Gaichū?”

Donnie stiffened. “Um… Nardo?”

”What now?” Leo huffed, but just then Mikey came flying into the room, tea nearly sloshing over the edge of the mug he was holding.

”What’s going on? Is Leo alright?” He fretted, and Raph came forward as well.

”Just breathe, Leo. It’s okay.” He cooed, and Leo huffed slightly.

”I’m fine! I wasn’t even that hungry!” The slider sighed, and Donnie shook his head.

”Nardo, Gaichū has never eaten anything before!” The soft shell emphasized, and Leo stiffened. “I don’t think he gets what you’re trying to do.”

Leo hesitated, feeling Gaichū still recoiling and whimpering. He finally huffed and stood up. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll just go train or something.”

”What? Not happening!” Donnie crossed his arms. “First off, you can’t just decide to not eat because Gaichū doesn’t want to. Second off, you’re not training while you are literally sick. You need to rest.”

Leo chuckled slightly. “You think it’s easy having this dork in your head? Ol’ Gaichū doesn’t really get what ‘resting’ means. I feel like a hyperactive puppy. And we can figure out the eating thing later!”

”That’s quite a long to-do list you’ve got there.” Donnie drawled. “Let’s see here, you’ll learn to eat ‘later’, you’ll rest ‘later’, you’ll talk about your experiences and start therapy ‘later’…”

”Well we stopped the invasion, didn’t we? We’ve got nothing but time!” Leo intertwined his fingers behind his head comfortably as he started off towards the dojo. “Just want to get this whole ‘system’ working a bit better, you know? A well-oiled machine instead of… this.” Leo gestured towards his spilled soup, wrinkling his beak.

”No.” Donnie said simply, and Leo’s head snapped toward his twin.

”No? What do you mean ‘no’?” Leo frowned. “You can’t just tell me ‘no’! We’re literally the same age, and why not?”

”Well your methods of trying to figure this out on your own have been less than acceptable.” Donnie matched Leo’s glare with his own. “Do I need to be clearer? I’m not going to leave you alone when you’re upset with Gaichū.”

”I’m not upset with him, I just want to figure some stuff out!” Leo protested, and Donnie raised a sharpie eyebrow. “Fine, maybe slightly annoyed, but nothing serious. I wasn’t even that hungry!”

”Perfect time to try eating then, since you won’t stuff everything in your mouth like you do at Hueso’s.” Donnie responded cooly. “He needs to learn that it won’t hurt him. April had mentioned that Gaichū made progress with drinking at Hueso’s, so we can start there. Angelo, could you make a smoothie for us?”

”She did?” Leo blinked. He tentatively grabbed the tea Mikey had brought in and took a sip, Gaichū greedily beginning to guzzle it. “Huh. Weird. So why doesn’t he get how to swallow food?”

Leo stiffened as a strange phantom sensation of a squishy tentacle shoved it’s way down his throat, Master Prime angry at him for making too much sound. Suddenly he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think about anything except struggling against the muscular limb filling his mouth and esophagus and cutting off his natural function. The tentacle slithered deeper and Leo could feel his brain fill with pins and needles as all thought was directed towards panic, making him struggle harder and harder. He didn’t even care if it was feral as he did his best to chomp down on Prime’s limb, grinding his teeth into the flesh and hearing Prime roar in anger. But there was a primal need to survive even if he couldn’t breathe… and when he couldn’t breathe he couldn’t think… and he hated Prime so much and wanted him to stop… and would do almost anything to get a lungful of oxygen…

”Nardo? NARDO!” Donnie worriedly snapped his fingers in front of Leo’s face, and the slider’s eyes finally re-focused on his twin. Donnie took a demonstrative breath. “Breathe, you dum-dum. In and out.”

Leo suddenly realized that he had stopped breathing and took a sharp one, trying to get out of his thoughts. “Right, sorry. Just uh, guess Gaichū doesn’t like anything blocking his throat, hehe. Maybe because food is more solid or something?”

Donnie let out a sigh of relief. “Yeah, but just remember to oxygenate. Please. I can hear Angelo with the blender so it shouldn’t be too much longer.”

Raph’s eyes creased with concern. “Are you sure you’re okay, Leo? You looked like you were somewhere else for a moment.”

Leo waved him off. “Yeah yeah, totally fine. Just thinking.”

Raph looked down sharply, and Donnie hesitated before sighing. “Just… just let us know if you need to talk, dum-dum. But in the meantime those smoothies should be out soon, so we can begin some training exercises.” The soft shell glanced up. “But Dr. Feelings requires that we have your consent first.”

”Sure thing!” Leo grinned although he inwardly cringed. He did want to experiment with Gaichū but was also hesitant to do it in front of his brothers. But they wouldn’t leave him alone, so if there was anything extra he wanted to try he could always do it at night.

He had to do something for all those hours he was keeping watch.

Chapter Text

”Okay Nardo, try to get Gaichū to drink a smoothie.” Donnie hesitated as Leo wrinkled his beak and Mikey shot him a glare. “Awkward chuckle, I meant to attempt to give your body nutrients at your earliest convenience, nailed it. No pressure here.”

”Thank you, Donald!” Mikey put on a pleasant smile and slid one of the two blueberry smoothies he had made over to Leo. “See Gaichū? It’s okay! It’s good!” The box turtle took a sip, overemphasizing the enjoyment of the taste by licking his lips and grinning. “See? That one’s for you!”

Don’t say anything Leo don’t say anything… Leo told himself repeatedly as he tried not to get embarrassed by Mikey’s tone. He was talking to Gaichū, and was doing what he had to not to make the feral slider upset. Leo forced a smile and raised the plastic cup (Mikey wasn’t taking any chances) to his lips, trying to soothe a hesitant Gaichū mentally. Gaichū sniffed the liquid and shivered as it entered his mouth, churring slightly at the taste but not quite gathering that it was supposed to go down his throat. Leo tried to swallow and Gaichū nearly hurled it onto the table, the slider managing to turn away and get the thick liquid back into his cup instead.

”Ugh, Gaichū you can’t hesitate like that! You have to swallow it fast!” He started to growl before catching himself and turning back to his brothers with a sheepish smile. “Sorry guys, he’s uh… still a little hesitant.”

”Fascinating. So it seems as though it does have to do with the thickness and not the misunderstanding of how to chew. Some sort of mental block regarding the blockage of your throat versus a rational aversion to having a solid choke you.” Donnie mused.

”It’s okay, Leo. Just try again.” Mikey encouraged, jabbing Donnie in the side with his elbow.

”Can Raph do anything to help?” Raph spoke up quietly, worry stink wafting surrounding him like a halo. “Sometimes a distraction or mixing foods with something better-liked would help Don when he was picky as a tot. Maybe we could try making the smoothie runnier? Or give him somethin’ else to do? Or even… maybe make the cup smaller?”

”I wasn’t that picky, and if I was then it was justified.” Donnie muttered under his breath.

”That’s a good idea!” Mikey smiled. “I can get some art, since he seemed to be interested in that. Raph, could you grab a smaller cup?”

Raph nodded before he and Mikey hurried off, Leo staring hard at the table as he felt Donnie glance at him. “Ahem, don’t worry Nardo. We’ll get him to eat. And it’s not your fault or anything, it’s just something that many young humans—or mutants—go through.”

”Heh. Yeah, guess so.” Leo chuckled slightly. “I kinda wish we could know how old Gaichū is, but it’s not like he understands the concept of time.”

”Yeah.” Donnie sighed. “And even with the exceptional breakthroughs of this day and age there is no scientific method to prove in one-hundred percent certainty how old someone is. Besides, any methods we do have to get an estimate would be distorted because of our mutant biology. I wish I could figure something out, though.”

”Don’t beat yourself up about it though, Don. It’s not a big deal, and time is hard to distinguish in there anyway. I mean, there’s no sunrise or sunset, I didn’t have a clock or anything…” Leo shrugged. “Just dull.”

Donnie’s eyes darted to his twin, and Leo didn’t miss the obviously-trying-to-be-casual-but-failing tone as he asked. “Right. No way to tell time. Dull place. Any other observations we might not know about yet? That you’re comfortable sharing of course, he added without any pressure to reply as Angelo constantly drills into his genius brain?”

”Heh, I mean what’s there to even share?” Leo quickly sidestepped with a shrug. “It’s cold, dark and boring. My only regret is that I wish I had brought a comic book or something.”

Wrong answer. Donnie stiffened and asked cooly: “That’s your only regret?”

Leo winced. Just another episode on the ‘Leo Being Stupid And Missing Obvious Cues’ show. ”No no no, I mean like obviously that was just a joke and stuff. No need get so worked up, Dee! I mean come on, where’s the emotionally unavailable bad boy twin that I love so much?”

”Well where’s my twin who—“ Donnie shut his mouth like a trap and took a deep breath. Leo narrowed his eyes.

”It’s okay DonTron, I can take it. Just tell me what else I did wrong.” Leo snipped, and although he instantly regretted his choice of words he didn’t back down.

”What else you did—! Nardo!” Donnie pinched the bridge of his snout. “I was just saying that it’s not exactly like you to be this… self destructive either. But I was in no way inferring that you have some long list of wrongdoings that just keeps on getting longer.”

”I didn’t say that.” Leo shrugged, and Donnie spluttered.

”But you implied…” The soft shell started before suddenly Gaichū let out a worried whine and both of them froze, Leo’s pride taking a hit as Donnie hesitated. “I mean, um… I’m not upset Gaichū, just Leo I want to make it clear that…”

”Yeah. That you think I’ve changed and that you don’t like the change. I get it.” Leo’s voice was sour. “I don’t blame you. I don’t like the change either! Just be glad that ol’ Gaichū can’t understand you since I don’t think he’d take it well.”

”That’s not what I meant!” Donnie’s face darkened purple to match his mask as Leo took a deep breath. It was working. The topic was changing away from the Prison Dimension and into something more… manageable. Still not preferable, but definitely better than talking about what had happened in that place. “You know that’s not what I meant! I care about Gaichū! I care about both of you dum-dums!” The soft shell’s voice nearly cracked with suppressed irritation and trying to sound upbeat simultaneously.

”Oh I know you care! But like maybe… a tad too much?” Leo held up two of his fingers about an inch apart. “Solo un poco. Like you can lay off all the stress and stuff and take a chill pill sometimes, y’know.”

”I cannot ‘chill’, Nardo, when knowing that you’re keeping secrets that are likely detrimental to your health.” Donnie said through gritted teeth, face twisted into a fake smile. “I care about your dum-dum butt and wish that you would trust us enough to open up.”

”Ooh, guilt tripping and control issues? I think you might need Dr. Feelings more than I do!” Leo smirked, and Donnie looked mere seconds away from exploding. But just then Mikey hurried back in with his arms full of art supplies.

”Here we go! I thought maybe we could try painting… uh…” Mikey frowned at the thick tension in the air. “Um… did I miss something? You two okay?”

”You.” Donnie pointed a finger at Leo but then quickly dropped it down to a fist at his side as Gaichū flinched. “Are going to drive me insane if you do not cooperate. We are all just trying to help you here, and I’m not trying to guilt trip you! I’m trying to be honest and… gag… open with you!”

”MAYBE NOT THE BEST TIME FOR A DEEP CONVERSATION!” Mikey quickly broke in when Gaichū’s limbs started to quiver with suppressed fight-or-flight. “Gaichū, hey buddy do you remember the paint? Yeah? You like this stuff?”

Donnie scowled and shoved back from his chair, stalking over to the other side of the room to calm down. Mikey hummed soothingly and spread out a piece of paper before the slider, Leo’s eyes continually darting to his twin. But the turtle in blue obediently took a paintbrush as Mikey opened the cans of blue and orange paint. At Leo’s questioning look Mikey chuckled slightly. “I’ve got some more, but I know you like blue the best and for some reason I think that Gaichū likes the color of my mask. He seems to be the most open with me when we first started out. Funny to think it’s been, like, less than two weeks.”

”Yeah. Feels longer.” Leo chuckled slightly, dipping his brush into the blue paint and directing his hand to the sheet of paper until Gaichū churred and took over, aimlessly hypnotized and dragging the soft bristles back and forth. “But where’s Raph with this smoothie? What I got to test out tasted great, Big Man! And blueberries? You sure know the way to a slider’s heart!”

Mikey snorted, but his eyes were soft as he watched Gaichū paint. “I’m sure Raph is almost done portioning it. To be honest he might be having a hard time with figuring out the kitchen since he doesn’t really cook often.”

Leo nodded before a thought struck him. “Heya, Mike? Do you think you could get some… red paint out here too?”

Mikey’s head snapped up and Leo could hear a strangled gasp from Donnie’s direction. He ignored them and continued. “I mean, we’re both in control now so it’s not like he could switch or anything. Besides he needs to learn the difference at some point.”

Both brothers were staring at him, and it took Leo a moment to realize where their eyes were drawn to: the bandages on his leg and arm. He blew a raspberry and sighed. “Or not… whatever we can work on that later if you guys are worried about it.”

Mikey swallowed hard. “Yeah, let’s just stick with eating for now. It might be better to tackle the less… traumatizing issues with Gaichu first.”

Leo swallowed back a retort that his hesitation with eating was also traumatic but didn’t want to get the mother hens started on that. Instead he nodded and glanced at the doorway just as Raph hurried through. “Sorry sorry sorry… Raph couldn’t figure out where the cups were… then he couldn’t find the plastic ones… then the small plastic ones…”

”Hey, don’t sweat it Raph.” Leo shrugged as Raph set a little plastic cup before him half-full of the smoothie, almost accidentally setting it on the painting until a little anxious and frustrated whine from Gaichū made him dodge it last second.

Raph took a deep sigh and gestured at the cup. “Raph was thinking that maybe trying to take a full drink at once was overwhelmin’ him, so maybe if ya just take a tiny bit in your mouth and swallow that then it’d be easier. Like small enough it could dissolve in your mouth if ya wait too long.”

Leo nodded. “Good thinking, bro. Whatcha say, Gaichū? Wanna go round too?”

Leo started to set the paintbrush aside but Gaichū growled and almost jumped onto the table in an attempt to shield it. Leo grimaced. “Um… buddy? Playtime’s over. Just drop the brush…” The slider nearly scowled at the mental battle, him trying to set the paintbrush down but Gaichū jerking his hand back last second. They only succeeded in a very strange game of tug-of-war, where to his brothers it looked like his entire arm was twitching erratically while he glared at it. “Come on!”

”I could feed you!” Mikey offered, and Leo could feel his heart sinking in bashfulness.

”It’s okay, Big Man! It’s just a… stupid paintbrush…” Leo’s knuckles started turning white from his grip.

”Leo, we brought the paint so Gaichū could have some fun while he learns to eat.” Mikey spoke up slowly. “I don’t think you should fight him over it…”

MINE! Came Gaichū’s thoughts, and Leo could feel his irritation rising. Mine mine mine…

It’s just a stupid paintbrush! Leo thought back irritatedly. How could he explain to Mikey that it wasn’t about the paint brush, but about control? If he told Gaichū to stop then he wanted to comfort of knowing that his orders would be obeyed immediately, that is body wouldn’t rebel against him. That Gaichū could be treated more like intrusive thoughts to swat away rather than a puppeteer controlling his own limbs.You can have it later. But don’t forget who’s in charge here. Do you want Donnie mad at you again? Is that what you want?

Gaichū released a growl through Leo’s lips, and the slider bit his tongue in an effort to stifle it. He could feel Gaichū’s anger directed at himself, not even considering Donnie. Right, Leo was more like an equal in his alter’s twisted thoughts. “Hey DonTron, mind telling him to drop it?”

Donnie hesitated. “Nardo, I think Mikey’s right. Just let Gaichū keep the brush.”

”What? I’m not letting him feed me!” Leo protested, grip getting still tighter. “He can’t win this thing! We just need to figure out how to, like, co-inhabit my body or whatever.”

”Co-inhabiting means compromise, not ‘your way goes’!” Donnie pointed out. “Now stop being a baby and let him spoon-feed you!”

”Maybe not the best choice of words Donnie…” Mikey intoned, but just then the paintbrush finally snapped in Leo’s hand, the slider freezing and staring at it with wide eyes. Then Gaichū whimpered. Then it turned into desperate whining what slowly increased in volume, causing Mikey to panic. “Um… hey hey hey it’s okay buddy! I’ve got more paintbrushes! It’s okay I’ll go get some…”

Leo felt Gaichū grow more and more distraught as he stared at the broken paintbrush laying across his pretty blue painting, the splinters tainting the gorgeous sight. And now his treasure child was leaving too… where was he going? Why did he keep leaving… didn’t he like Gaichū? Didn’t he miss him?

Mikey’s coming back! Leo hurriedly reassured, but Gaichū suddenly jerked forward and wrapped his hand against one of the sharp halves of the paintbrush.

”Gah!” Leo yelped as a splinter shot under his skin, Gaichū nearly yowling since his emotions were already high. He leapt off the seat and tried to go on all fours but only succeeded in pushing the splinter deeper. “Ouch ouch ouch… Gaichū stop it you’ve gotta keep weight off…”

”Ugh I knew something bad would happen!” Donnie scowled, but there was worry in his tone as he knelt next to Leo. “Gaichū, it’s okay. Calm down…”

Now Alpha’s mad at me and what did I do why does my hand hurt so much and where is Omega and Beta looks upset oh no are they going to attack me why are they so close and why did Companion make me break the stick that helped me make something so pretty… Gaichū’s thoughts ran through Leo’s head in a rapid flow, and the slider scrambled away from his brothers as Gaichū continued to pathetically whimper. The splinter was jarred, and after another exclamation Leo glanced at his palm to try to remove it…

And there was a small bead of blood growing on his hand.

Chapter Text

”Leo? Leo are you okay?” Mikey’s voice sounded far away as all Leo’s focus seemed drawn to that tiny crimson bead. That and the knowledge that he might have gone too far and made a colossal mistake. “Gaichū? Leo? You’re worrying us.”

Pain… hushed, anxious thoughts began to float through Leo’s foggy mind. Bad… Gaichū bad pest… very bad… punish now… pain… what did I do now what did I do what did I do…

YOU WRETCHED LITTLE PEST!

Leo gulped. “Oh shell… oh shell…”

”Nardo? Talk to us. What’s going on—“ Donnie’s eyes finally snapped to Leo’s palm and his face paled slightly. “Shell.”

Red meant blood. Blood meant pain. Pain that wouldn’t go away for a long time because blood meant that Master had gone so far as to beat him through his skin.

Red meant that Master was coming for him, because after all the only thing that Gaichū could see in those dark caves was that scarlet eye following him wherever he ran.

No! Leo shook his head desperately, trying to remain in control of his mind. Red is a color. This doesn’t even hurt that bad! Can’t you feel that it doesn’t hurt that bad? Your mind is playing tricks on you. Listen to me, Gaichu!

Bad pest. Pest bad. Master angry. Master bring pain. Gaichū continued repeating. Alpha… Master?

No! Donnie is not Prime! Donnie no Prime! Leo grabbed his head as his breathing began to pick up in pace. He could hear his brothers’ concerned voices as if from far away as his heartbeat pounded in his tympana and he could feel himself losing his grip on reality. He regretfully understood Gaichū’s fear, almost shared it by now. Because whenever there was blood then…

Then Leo had been convinced that he was about to die in the Prison Dimension.

Over and over again.

His stomach clenched with shame as he recalled all of Prime’s twisted games. The monster would beat him until the point of near-death then ‘accidentally’ fumble, giving the slider time to run away. Leo would struggle to hide, some primal urge of survival burning in his chest as he bit back the agony exploding from his bloody injuries. He could hear his name tauntingly following him, sliding like honey from Prime’s ugly lips as he staggered or sometimes simply hid in his shell, unable to run. He might have entered the Prison Dimension knowing that he would likely die and would never make it out, but there was still a stubborn part of him that ached to be saved. He would never ask for it, but the little turtle in him that missed his brothers yearned to somehow see their faces again.

It was a strange feeling, wanting and thinking that he deserved to die yet still hoping in that deepest part of his heart that someone would stop him. That someone would save him from this hell and prove how much they were willing to go just to keep him in their life. But with every passing day that he existed in such a state of wavering hope he could feel the last shreds of his will to live fading, getting pounded into nothingness by Prime’s cruel claws and tentacles. He was still alone with this monster—alive. No brother was coming for him as the days bled into weeks, and the weeks turned into months. He could never be completely sure how much time had passed, but eventually he stopped trying to even guess. That small hope inside him turned sour as he realized that his plan to leave his family had actually succeeded but that he was still alive and living in the tormenting weight of his shame.

He couldn’t handle it.

No one was going to come and save him, and he had to accept that.

What was the point of running from Prime anymore?

What was he striving to stay alive for?

More games of this cat and mouse?

A family that he’d never see again?

A home he had almost destroyed?

So finally, with a clenched jaw and a mind so bitter and numb that he couldn’t even think straight anymore, he didn’t dodge Prime’s tentacle as it shot down like a dagger straight into his plastron. It had been slow enough for him to roll out of the way if he had tried, but he was done saving his life for more suffering.

He was ready to end it.

The pain was unimaginable. Leo gasped as it felt like every bodily function was shutting down—feeling blood fill his mouth and his lungs spasming. He gagged and instinctively curled in on himself, trying to hold on to any semblance of his medical knowledge and calculate how much longer until he inevitably bled to death. He estimated that a wound this severe should take around five minutes.

His brain was screaming at him to try to stop the bleeding but he was steadfastly ignoring every survival instinct ingrained into his mind, instead shuddering and trying to not think about everything that he was leaving behind. His brothers would never, ever know what he had done. All they saw was him sacrificing himself for the good of the world—not this pathetic, broken thing that had tried so directly to take his own life.

Prime was shouting something, but Leo couldn’t even hear him over the ringing in his ears and his tumultuous thoughts. He felt the monster land a few more blows as the tears he had been holding back for so long began to stream down his face. He could remember all those pizza nights laughing with his brothers, remember playing video games as a family, remember Raph’s hugs, Donnie’s rambling, Mikey’s laugh… all things that he had taken for granted when times were better. He knew he was far too young to be looking back on the ‘good ol’ days’ but couldn’t care less, instead reliving all his memories with his brothers for what he knew logically to be the last time.

Or what should be logically had he been on earth.

Why wasn’t he dead? It had been far too long and the agony felt unbearable. Besides, his medic brain knew for a fact that he shouldn’t be alive. It was impossible to survive a stab wound to the abdomen this deep, so why couldn’t his body just give up already? A prodding to his injury made him gasp and squirm, opening his eyes a peek to see Prime watching him with a bored expression.

”I see you finally gave up, pest.” the monster drawled. “The games were fun while they lasted.”

”G-games?” Leo rasped, and Prime chuckled.

”Did you think escaping this hell of a dimension would be that easy? Death?” Prime huffed and poked Leo again, watching the slider writhe. “No, this is the Prison Dimension. No escape—not even through unconsciousness or dying. What, did you think you were staying awake on adrenaline alone? This place is meant to contain you forever as punishment, make you wish for a way out but find nothing. To make you lose all hope. However I was stronger than to stoop so low and try to end it all. I held on to the knowledge that someday inevitably I would be freed once more, and it would’ve paid off if not for you.” Prime’s voice reeked of bitterness. “Now you will suffer the way I suffered. You will feel every ounce of my wrath. I will break you and turn you into something you never imagined you could be. And it appears that I am halfway there already.”

Leo stared at him with pained eyes. He… couldn’t die? He was really here for eternity? His lower lip trembled as Prime watched on, the overwhelming shame hitting him like a ton of bricks. He had tried to take his own life… even a sadistic monster held on to hope better than him! He had given up on his brothers… given up on life… what kind of sick and twisted being was he? Now Prime had witnessed him try to commit the unthinkable and he had to live with that guilt for the rest of eternity. Prime had seen him break, and Leo felt a desperation for the sweet relief of death that he now knew would never come. He crumpled on the ground as he cried, the pain from his wounds now nothing compared to the torment in his head. Why couldn’t he just freaking die? He wouldn’t be feeling this way if he could just… just…

Give up.

Like the failure he always had known that he was.

”Is the little pest upset?” Prime sighed. “You don’t even know who you are anymore, do you? You can’t recognize yourself after witnessing my mighty power. I could’ve taken over your planet and perhaps killed you by now, but instead you had to go and lock yourself in here. For what? Sacrifice? To keep your family safe? They will die eventually while you wait in here, and even once the portal inevitably opens up they will all be dead and you will be too weak to stop me from taking over the home you love so much. You failed. And now you have to witness the extent of your failure for however long it takes for someone to open the portal again.” Prime leaned closer. “I wonder how they will die, hmmm? Alone, no doubt. And hating you for leaving them like this. Even if you could get back who could love you like this broken wreck you are? The red one I’m sure will suffer nightmares about being unable to stop you from throwing your life away. The purple one will likely die from that weak soft shell he has since he has one less brother to protect him. And oh that sweet one with the orange mask. So precious and innocent… it’s delicious to imagine all that light dimmed from the grief of losing you. He might grow angry or depressed… or follow in your older-brother footsteps and just try to end all the pain faster…”

”Shut up!” Leo choked. “Shut up shut up shut up! They… they’ll be fine… better off without me…”

”But you’ll never know, will you? You’ll just be stuck here with me as my little pet.” Prime ran a tentacle over Leo’s shell as the slider whimpered and tried to shrink away. “But I treat pets better than I treat little wretches like you. It gets lonely here without my family—another wrong you have done me. You’re already broken beyond repair and at the end of your rope… all you have to do is submit to me. It’s that easy. No one will ever know but you and I…”

”I’d rather die!” Leo spat, then hesitated. Prime chuckled.

”Is that so? Unfortunately dying isn’t an option for you anymore.” He reached out his tentacle again and Leo nearly bit it.

”Don’t touch me!” He snapped, but was in too much pain to move as Prime ignored his request and tickled his shell with a slimy limb.

”There there, little pet.” The monster cooed teasingly. “Don’t get so worked up over your master.”

”You’re not my master!” Leo squeezed his eyes shut from the sick feeling of Prime’s tentacle.

”We’ll see about that, we’ll see.” Prime chuckled. “After all, where are you going to run to? You already tried to die, and here I am offering you some… company. Comfort. All for a tiny little agreement that you will stop defying me. I’m sure you would enjoy the companionship as well, like a good little pet for me. I am your only hope to giving this dead-end life of yours meaning. You could join me and perhaps after another thousand years or so you could lay at the foot of my throne over the earth, after the mighty power of Kraang takes over the world. After all, you will never be anything other than my good little pest.” Prime leaned closer. “Because you yourself have forfeited that right. If you don’t want your life, then give it to me. I’ll take good care of you, my little pet. Just you wait and see.”

Gaichū whined as he stared at the blood on his hand, memories of Master rushing back to him. Alpha was now approaching him as he could feel Companion’s forceful presence in his head beginning to fade and go numb.

Which meant that he could move freely.

”Nardo, this is what I was worried about. Are… are you okay? Gaichū, it’s just a little splinter. I can get it out.” Alpha said in a strained tone before a large metal claw came out of his shell and approached, the soft shell gently trying to take Gaichū’s hand.

Gaichū froze as he stared in terror at the large claw looming over him. He was right: Alpha had a metal form too. A metal form that was associated with blood and was capable of even more pain. So at the moment he had two options—fawn or flight. But with such a new and imminent threat combined with terrible odds Gaichū knew that he had to run.

”Leo! Gaichū!” Omega yelped as Gaichū suddenly turned and bolted, fleeing from passageway through passageway. Where could he even go? He didn’t know of an exit but knew that he needed to get away from here as fast as possible. He stifled a whine as the pain in his hand throbbed with every step but couldn’t dwell on it as he heard footsteps behind him.

”Why isn’t Leo stopping him?” Came Omega’s distant, out-of-breath whimper. “It’s Gaichū if he’s running on all fours like that!”

”Do I look like I know, Angelo?” Alpha hissed back. “Red typically triggers Gaichū, so it must’ve done something to give Nardo’s alter more control over the system. Gaichū! Come! Bad boy, come!”

Gaichū felt a pang in his chest as he continued to run, knowing that by the tone of voice it seemed like Alpha was mad at Omega too. His poor treasure child would surely get punished… but maybe he would be able to convince Alpha to go easy on him. The slider felt awful to leave the box turtle behind but his brain was screaming at him that he knew the facts: this was a fight he couldn’t win.

But there was one being that could surely overpower Alpha’s anger, and that creature might give Gaichū the comfort he had been missing so terribly.

Master.

But how could he get away? He dashed around another corner and fled into the darkness of some sort of cave with murky water running through the middle of it.

”He’s leavin’ the lair!” Beta shouted. “Leo! Leo if ya can hear Raph you’ve gotta stop him! Leo!”

”Nardo! Gaichū doesn’t know how to swim!” Alpha added, and their voices rebounded off the walls just as Master’s would in a cave.

Where am I… came Companion’s strangled and disoriented voice in his head, prompting Gaichū to run faster. Why are we running? Is… is Prime back? What’s going on? Escape… escape from that monster… I can’t do this anymore…

Gaichū rounded a corner and felt some sort of energy growing inside of him. It flickered and caused him to coughing, but Companion quickly helped him power through and keep running. The shouts behind him grew absolutely panicky as the strange, tingling energy got stronger. “NARDO! I CAN FEEL YOUR NINPO! FOR THE LOVE OF GALILEO DO NOT USE YOUR PORTALS! I REPEAT: DO NOT USE YOUR PORTALS!”

”Gaichū doesn’t even know how to portal!” Omega’s voice jumped an octave with alarm. “Leo! Please don’t portal! You’ll get hurt!”

”Or worse!” Beta added. “No portalling! Your sword was likely stolen when you went up to the surface last time! Just come back! Come back here now!”

Gaichū let out a whine and continued to run, feeling that strange energy turn into a burning in his palms as if it was reaching for something that wasn’t there. Companion let out a growl and turned Gaichū’s head back and forth, searching the strange tunnels. Alpha’s voice came again, nearly cracking with worry. ”Nardo! Do not portal! The EPF is looking for you! I know you’re mad at us or whatever but just listen this once! Gaichū! Come! Bad boy! Come here right now! I will not punish you if you come!”

Gaichū had heard that before.

The EPF? Came Companion’s scrambled thoughts. What the shell are they going on about? Are those my brothers? Why are they here? Am I dreaming? They shouldn’t be here…

The other slider attempted to take control of his mind bit Gaichū was high on adrenaline while he was still weak from whatever it was he was thinking about so he wasn’t able to stop running, Gaichū pushing forward with even more strength.

The pent-up energy inside of him began to go crazy, jolting around inside of his body and making his thoughts spiral. Companion’s panic began to seep through as well. What’s going on… I need to escape… I need to get away…

The power inside of Gaichū was going crazy now, filling his hands with burning pain. Companion let out a strangled cry as suddenly all the energy shot to the little splinter stuck inside of Gaichū’s palm, filling his hand with agony as something sharp seemed to protrude through his skin. Gaichū screeched as something shiny and shimmering with a blue hue stabbed through the skin of his hand and left a giant metal stick in his bloody grip. It was the same thing that Companion had hurt him with, and although he tried to drop it all the energy inside of him held fast and was surging though the strange object with a force that felt natural yet dizzying at the same time. The sword lit up with a blinding light as Companion tried once more to take control before Gaichū felt his very being being sucked through space in a way he couldn’t describe. It was similar to when he would return to Friend’s den with Companion but this felt much more powerful and electric. The world blurred into a blue-and-white glitchy flash before Companion managed to close his eyes before he got sick. The sensation faded, but the fiery pain in his hands remained so he dropped the shiny stick with a hiss before scrambling away from it and noticing the change in atmosphere. Companion was panicking slightly in his head as Gaichū took mental note of the cooler air and hard surface beneath him. I teleported… was that one of my swords? Then what happened? Why couldn’t I stop it? Crap… crap I had a panic attack. You stupid idiot! You’re supposed to keep it together, Face Man! But now where am I? Oh shell I screwed up…

Leo clenched his jaw and tried to control his breathing. What on earth had happened? His ninpo had just gone crazy and his stomach rolled at the thought of his sword forming from the splinter in his now-throbbing hand. It was okay—he just needed to get back and apologize. Maybe he could somehow talk his way around the panic attack and smoothie it over before his brothers started to really freak out. He just needed to get his head on straight and own up to the fact that this was his life and he couldn’t afford to blow up like that. A paint brush? Seriously? Nice going, Leo.

His hand brushed against something and he yelped, glancing down at his other katana still glowing with excess ninpo and hot to the touch. His other sword was here? But how?

He glanced around warily, realizing that he was in an office of sorts. His eyes scanned the room until they landed on some human in a chair, staring back at him with shock and fascination. Leo froze. This stranger had dark hair and was wearing a smart suit. He had a strong jawline and was staring at the slider through dark-tinted glasses with growing hatred and sadistic delight. It reminded him of Prime, and Leo shuddered. “Um… meow?”

The man snatched up a phone on his desk and began barking into it, eyes trained on Leo as his other hand reached for a stun gun on his desk. “This is Agent John Bishop to all units: the alien is in my office. I repeat, the alien is in my office. We’ve got him.”

Chapter Text

Donnie felt like the world had dropped out from under him as Leo disappeared in a flash of blue, face distorted in a panic as somehow a katana appeared in his hand. It was just as they had all feared—he had teleported to his other sword.

Which was either laying in the cold, unstable skeleton of a building or in the hands of alien hunters.

”There… there’s blood on the ground.” Raph whimpered, and Donnie shook himself out of his thoughts to see his oldest brother kneeling where his twin had vanished. The snapper was staring at the concrete in a state of visible distraught. “The splinter couldn’t have done that much damage, right? Why was Leo bleedin’ so much?”

”Are you sure it’s his, Raph?” Mikey hurried over as Raph nodded.

”It’s fresh. And right where Lee was standin’.” Raph stiffened. “How did Gaichū even portal? Leo must’ve done that… but what was goin’ on with him?”

”I don’t know, but we have to look for him!” Donnie hissed, brain finally catching up with the urgency of the situation. “I’ll call April to see where that building was that Nardo lost his sword in. Then I guess I should… should…” The soft shell swallowed hard. “I’ll pull up some schematics for the EPF’s main building, but it’s heavily guarded and will be a pain to get into. And there are multiple, so if we get the wrong one then they’ll know and might move him somewhere.”

”But they might not have him, right?” Mikey piped up hopefully. “The search and rescue crews could’ve found it, right?”

”Which means they could’ve given it to the lost and found at the police station… or sold it to a collector… or took it home…” Raph listed off, and Mikey’s face fell with every suggestion. “He could be anywhere. Don, can you track his ninpo?”

Donnie gave a sharp huff. “Scoff, I would need to know where to look. I could tell if ninpo was activated if I scanned the area with my goggles, but I can’t just pull it up on Google Maps. NOW YOU SEE WHY—!”

”Stop. Talkin’. About. The trackers.” Raph groaned. “Focus! We could search New York in teams, but Raph’s not lettin’ any of us get close to the EPF alone.”

”Well what if my twin is there alone?!” Donnie snarled, and Raph shot him a glare.

”THEN YOU KNOW THAT WE CAN’T HAVE YOU BOTH CAPTURED!” Raph snapped, and Donnie’s eyes narrowed into slits. “Look, if the EPF do have Leo then we’ve gotta be smart about this. These are people trained to contain creatures like us. You won’t be any good to Leo if you’re caught too.”

Donnie scowled and turned away, and Raph sighed. “You know I’m right, Don. Don’t make the same mistake Leo did and let your emotions get to your head. He could be in danger and we need ya to be calm about this.”

”Sigh, I know.” Donnie huffed, face stormy. “But we need to get him out, and I’d rather risk getting caught then risk him getting experimented on or worse!”

”Donnie…” Mikey intoned. “That doesn’t make any sense. I know you’re upset right now, but if you get caught then he still gets experimented on, but with less chance of saving. He… we need to figure out where he is first. Maybe he’s not with the EPF! Or… or maybe he landed there but hasn’t been caught yet! Maybe there’s still time!”

”Maybe, but I’m not holding my breath.” Donnie grumbled and began typing at his wrist tech. “I’ll call April. Then we start searching immediately. Either he’s okay or the people who captured him are going to get the rude awakening that they messed with the wrong turtles.”

The man in the suit—allegedly John Bishop—leapt to his feet and snatched up a taser, pointing it directly at Leo’s face as his second hand gripped a stun gun. The slider didn’t miss the way Bishop’s knuckles turned white on the trigger or the way his arms gave the slightest of tremors. There was a sort of manic exhilaration behind those dark-tinted glasses before he tensed up and Leo felt his stomach drop. Oh no…

He dove out of the way just as two probes shot out of the taser and flew at him, barely missing the electrical wires as Bishop cursed under his breath. The man took a swing with the stun gun, and Leo would’ve avoided it had Gaichū not growled and tried to bite the weapon. Excruciating pain exploded in Leo’s mouth as the slider cried out and spasmed backwards, collapsing on the ground in a twitching heap. Bishop smirked and stepped forward, tossing the taser back onto the table and replacing it with his walkie-talkie. “All units, the alien is down. Come immediately—gah!”

Leo remained dazed but Gaichū suddenly scrambled up with a snarl, limbs still sore and shaking but the slider powering through it. Bishop’s eyes widened in surprise and anger as he held out the stun gun again. “Stay back! You’re not getting outta here, freak!”

Well this guy is charming, Leo thought dizzily. Gaichū hissed and took control, getting into a crouched position as Leo glanced around for his swords. His eyes found his katanas next to Bishop’s foot, and the agent followed his gaze. “Of course… the sword was exhibiting a strange energy… fascinating. Do you want it, Alien? Come and get it.”

Leo clenched his jaw, doubtful if he could even make a full portal in this state. Bishop had a weapon and Leo was sick… but he wasn’t trained in ninjitsu for nothing. The slider pushed his way back to the front and stood up, raising his arms defensively and narrowing his eyes. Bishop’s eyes widened. “So you can stand. Can you speak, Alien?”

Leo nearly rolled his eyes. The nerve of this guy! Gaichū growled in response, and Bishop sighed. “Perhaps we can learn your dialect in time. But if you can understand me then know that fighting is futile. I have armed men who will arrive any second and they will not treat you like anything more than the monster you are. Understand me?”

The man struck forward with his stun gun again and Leo suddenly dropped to the ground, the weapon flying over his head as he aimed a swift roundhouse kick to Bishop’s legs. The man toppled over with a grunt, and Leo bit back the sharp pain in his leg as he dove to the left to grab his katanas. Bishop gasped and stumbled back as Leo slashed his sword in warning, electrical ninpo flooding the room with a bright blue light. The slider smirked even as he felt the handles heating up. He just had to make this fast…

Instinct kicked in as he heard a crash behind him and he leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the door being kicked into the room. He glanced up to see more men with large tranquilizer guns standing there in perfect formation, eyes hidden behind sunglasses.

”Dudes, you do realize that those are called sunglasses for a reason, right? Either you’re dumber than you look or you just finished a Men In Black marathon.” He drawled, and winced as he hard Bishop’s exclamation of surprise. Shoot.

”Get him!” The head agent shouted, and Leo sighed as multiple tranquilizer darts shot out of the barrels. He swiftly slashed a portal in front of him and sent the weapons firing back at the crew, causing the men to lift up their shields in defense.

”Ouch!” He yelped as his swords grew blazing hot, and he dropped them with a clatter. “Shell shell shell…”

Suddenly Bishop tackled him from behind, wrapping an arm around the slider’s throat. Leo gagged and writhed, trying to grab the strong limb with his burning hands. Gaichū snarled and bucked with all his might, sinking his teeth into the arm as soon as the grip loosened.

”It bit me!” Bishop roared in pain, his limbs slackening enough for Gaichū to wriggle out and pounce on him, hissing as he pinned the man to the ground and bared his teeth. Leo’s eyes widened as he felt Gaichū zero in on the man’s throat.

”Gaichū no!” Leo shouted before he yanked himself back right as Gaichū lunged. “Are you crazy?”

Gaichū whined in irritation and struggled back, trying to get at Bishop who was scrambling back. We. Are. Not. Murderers! Help me get out of here! Leo pleaded with Gaichū until he felt a couple darts ping off of his carapace. He withdrew fully into his shell as a more darts flew before popping back out and snatching up his swords again, biting back the pain. Bishop stood up, eyes dark. “There’s nowhere to run, freak. Give up now before we hurt you. And do not play dumb with me—I heard you speak.”

”Yeah yeah, villain monologue villain monologue, ‘you will not make it out alive’ and all that crap the movies always say.” Leo rolled his eyes, Face Man habits kicking in. “Just shut up and accept defeat already. You’re honestly just embarrassing yourself at this point.”

Without warning Leo suddenly chucked a katana at the window, point first. It crashed through the glass with a satisfying sound as the men ducked, Leo offering a jaunty salute before teleporting out of the room and into the air.

”Ack!” Leo hissed and almost dropped his swords as he fell, feeling the metal sear his flesh. But survival instincts were stronger and so he bit down the pain and threw his sword closer to the ground, teleporting there and dropping safely to the earth. Alarms suddenly blared around him as he sheathed his katanas and glanced around, wincing as Gaichū shrunk away from the sound. “Ack no no no don’t freak out buddy, we’ve gotta run. Now which way is the exit…”

”Do not let the alien escape! I repeat, do not let the alien escape!” Came Bishop’s angry voice from the speakers, and Leo shot a look behind him to see more men in sunglasses and protective gear rushing at him, lifting up their tranquilizer guns. Eugh boy…

Finally Gaichū snapped into agreement and Leo took off running, flapping his hands slightly to try to cool them down. Darts whizzed by him and Leo winced as he felt his bad leg slowing him down and causing his enemies to get closer. Worse yet was the tall concrete wall topped with barbed, electrical wire that stretched in all directions, causing Leo to skid to a stop and gulp. Could he even lob a sword that high? He could maybe turn one into an odachi if he had time… or portal up and over with enough throws…

”Freeze!” Shouted one of the agents, closer than Leo remembered. The slider yelped and turned, Gaichū growling in fear and anger. The men were slowly approaching, guns raised and helmets down. Leo could tell that Gaichū wanted to fight but was starting to accept that he was outnumbered. Leo could probably take out most of them on a good day, but his swords were burning, he was sick and had bandages limiting his movements. Gaichū began to hiss in warning even as his fear mixed with Leo’s and began to grow strong and heavy.

It was over.

Neither of them were strong enough to fight off at least thirty armed officers by themselves.

Leo’s mind groped for a solution but found nothing except for trying a last-ditch portal effort, so he started to slowly reach back before Gaichū whimpered and tried to lower himself to the ground. Panic shot through Leo’s body as he struggled with his alter. “Gaichū… stop it… don’t move…”

Pain. Came Gaichū’s thoughts, and Leo winced. Pain… fear… beating… suffering…

Shut up and let me grab my swords! Leo thought back, but knew that Gaichū couldn’t possibly understand the concept of portalling. Fleeing was impossible, fighting was futile, so the only thing his alter knew to do was fawn. Leo grit his teeth together and pleaded with Gaichū once more. It’s okay, buddy. It’s okay, just let me handle this…

Suddenly Leo felt like he had been punched in the gut. The slider’s mind distorted even as confusion swept through his body at the sensation. What was going on? His vision blurred and the world tilted, barely giving him time to panic before the world went black.

Leo groaned and blinked his eyes open, feeling weight on his shell and manacles being attached to his limbs. One of the agents was shouting angrily into his tympana, and it took Leo a few seconds to realize what he was saying: “BLOODY REPTILE! You almost killed us, feral monster! Stupid, idiotic… HEY ARE THE MEDICS COMIN’ OR WHAT?!”

Leo confusedly glanced over to see some medical staff in white hurrying over while wheeling stretchers and carrying supplies. What…

The taste of blood suddenly hit Leo in full force and he almost gagged, eyes widening and darting around to see multiple agents collapsed on the hard ground and moaning with pain. Some of their helmets were off and Leo could see crimson covering various throats and limbs, scratches adorning their faces like tiger strips. Even some limbs were twisted in a way that made Leo’s medic mind cringe, knowing that some were broken and some would have a painful time getting popped back into place. But the worst part?

Leo had blood in his mouth, and although he couldn’t look he could feel his hands cold and wet with something sticky.

A muzzle went over his face as Leo’s stomach rolled at the implications. He had been so sure that Gaichū was ready to give up… looks like the little guy had more fighting spirit than Leo gave him credit for. And to fight so strongly that Leo went unconscious again? The slider trembled a bit as he stared at the blood, but didn’t have time to dwell on it as the weight of bodies was taken off his shell and he felt himself bound tightly and unable to move. Gaichū began to whimper and whine, but Leo shushed him.

You were the one who made them so mad, dimwit! Now this stupid muzzle won’t let me talk WHICH IS THE ONLY THING TO CALM ME DOWN! Leo mentally hissed as he squirmed slightly.

”I would stop struggling, if I were you.” Came Bishop’s cold voice, and Leo froze. His eyes slowly lifted to meet the disgusted yet satisfied look of the agent as he chuckled. “You put on quite a show for us, didn’t you? But it was worthless in the end. All it did was show me what you are capable of, and it will be my pleasure to analyze and document every part of you. Take him back inside, we begin testing first thing in the morning.”

Chapter Text

The humiliation was insane.

Leo clenched his jaw tightly as he was wheeled down an ugly, colorless hallway, chained up to a metal gurney. The muzzle was still preventing him from talking or else he’d try to crack a joke or something, but at least it was stopping Gaichū from whining or something to make matters more embarrassing.

”Fascinating.” Bishop kept saying over and over, and Leo cringed as he periodically felt hands feel his shell, his arms, his plastron… geez this guy wasn’t a fan of personal space, was he? One of the worst parts though was the fact that Gaichū didn’t seem all that uncomfortable with the physical contact. In fact, his thoughts always went to ’good pest, won’t get punished’ every time Bishop touched him. It made Leo sick to think that Prime would likely do the same thing with crossing physical boundaries and make Gaichū perceive it as comfort.

Made Leo’s body perceive it as comfort.

”The physique… it almost has a human-esque form.” Bishop was saying. Yeah, no shock Sherlock. “However it also has the protections of a red-eared slider, native to the southern United States of America and northern Mexico. And yet it somehow arrived in New York City after the Kraang invasion… interesting.”

”What if there are more of them?” Offered one of Leo’s captors, and he gulped. Bishop thought a moment.

”Perhaps… perhaps.” The agent mused as he once again ran a hand over Leo’s shell. “We could send a search crew down to it’s likely habitat, and also tell our teams here to be on the lookout for humanoid turtles. Especially feral ones.” He leaned closer, but Leo refused to flinch. “You’re quite the mystery, aren’t you? Appear out of nowhere, fight with skills associated with the art of ninjitsu, then ditch it all to attack my men like the monster we know you are. Your strength and wit is exemplary, I’ll give you that at least.”

”True, he attacked and injured almost twenty-seven men like it was nothing before back-up came with the sedatives.” The other captor mused. “But it wasn’t completely feral, Sir. Some of the men who are still conscious report that it was looking at them like it was calculating it’s every move. Like it knew where they were going to strike before even they knew. This is a very clever specimen.”

”And it does know perfect English…” Bishop frowned. “Well, English as through the mouth of one who is immature. It was speaking in slang terms associated with a younger generation. Perhaps we could interview it later.”

I blame this on you. Leo mentally muttered to Gaichū. If you hadn’t gone all crazy then I might not have a muzzle and could try to smooth talk out of this.

”With a mind and physique like it has, perhaps we could breed it.” The other scientist suggested, and Leo’s stomach rolled. What—no no no. Not happening. That was crossing a line. He squirmed against his chains and Bishop chuckled.

”Looks like it doesn’t like that idea.” He smirked, and Leo heard the other captor hesitate.

”It does seem partially human… some blood testing will confirm. Perhaps it is more conscious and aware than the other aliens we have found.” She intoned, and Bishop visibly straightened.

”It is nothing more than a threat to earth, and one that we will deal with as we see fit.” The man snipped. “Any experiments, training, rations… even breeding is up to our discretion. Do not start to pity a monster like this.”

”It just seems…” The female captor started again, and Bishop scowled.

”It seems human? A lot of things seem human and we grow attachment to them. We project anthropomorphic qualities to plants, to instruments, to stuffed animals and many other things that have no feelings or no human rights because we are naturally pack-minded. We crave comfort and connection, not to mention a strong instinct to nurture and protect. So we will project our own humanity onto things that don’t deserve it or require it, such as inanimate objects or—apparently—aliens who express the slightest bit of emotion.” Bishop rolled his eyes. “But it is dangerous to sympathize with monsters like this, Doctor. It could turn on you… use your sympathy for its own gain…or something even worse. You of all people should know by now that if we treat something with care or respect, or even give it basic human decency, then our moral obligations will begin to see it as deserving of rights—not to mention that it will grow entitled. The trick is to make sure that we—and it—knows it’s place as nothing more than an experiment.”

The other captor—allegedly some doctor—went silent. “…Yes Bishop. I understand.”

”Good.” Bishop nodded and knocked on Leo’s carapace. “You can run blood testing tonight, I hope? In preparation for tomorrow’s experiments and analyzation.”

”That I can.” The woman nodded. Leo cringed as he felt soft, gloved hands gently grab his forearm. Gaichū nearly churred at the contact, and Leo felt his thoughts sour with embarrassment. The woman hesitated at the sound, but then a cold cloth brushed over the crook of his elbow. A second later Leo felt a sharp prick and Gaichū freaked out, struggling against the chains and whimpering through the muzzle. Leo tried to shush him but Gaichū’s wide eyes were already narrowing with fear and anger as Bishop stepped forward to examine his expression.

”Interestingly enough, the creature seems to have different… personalities, almost.” Bishop mused. “When I talked to it, it was very nearly smirking at me with calculated ease. But when it attacked our security… and even now… it seems more animalistic. It could be some psychological contradiction of being an alien in a new planet, perhaps causing it to revert more towards our own animals’ state of mind. Be sure to take note of that.”

”I will.” the doctor agreed. “Exposure analysis and inter-species interaction will be interesting to explore, to see if it’s feral or civil side will show through.”

Maybe I’d be more agreeable if you stopped calling me an ‘it’. Leo mentally grumbled. I’m not a cut of meat, you wack jobs! My brother’s are gonna flip if they hear about all of this…

Maybe they’ll save me today…

Screw it they’re never coming I’m never going to make it out and I might as well die so I don’t have to live as a plaything…

The sounds of sharp beeping drew Leo out of his spiral, and he felt Gaichū perk up as well at the sound. Bishop was standing in front of a keypad to what almost looked like a large white garage door. There was an affirmative hum and the door groaned it’s way open to reveal two bullet-proof sliding doors, which finally revealed thick set of bars separating them from a barren cage. Inside was nothing except two bowls with mechanical disposers over them (Leo suspected for food and water) and a long chain with a strange looking collar on the end of it. The slider stiffened as the metal door was opened and the EPF wheeled him inside, Bishop immediately picking up the collar and walking over to Leo. Gaichū whimpered and tried to shrink back but Bishop still clamped the heavyweight collar over Leo’s neck in a practiced manner that made the slider’s skin crawl. The collar was a strange sort of thing that reminded Leo more of the manacle on a handcuff than a dog collar. No sooner had the comparison come to him than his mouth went dry with realization.

It was a choke collar—designed to tighten if he yanked on it. However this one seemed to be designed to not let up the pressure unless adjusted by a key, probably efficient in strangling unruly aliens into unconsciousness.

”I know you can understand me, so understand this.” Bishop shook the collar slightly for effect. “You can’t go even as far as the door with this on, and it would be pointless to try. Sometimes we can move in quick enough to sedate our aliens and remove the choker, but sometimes we’ve been too late. I would hate to lose such a specimen as you, so I suggest that you comply. Clear?” Bishop chuckled as he noted the human-like intelligence with which Leo glanced at him. “That’s what I thought. Tag him and then we’re done here until morning.”

Gaichū threw a fit as Leo felt another cold instrument against his shoulder, and soon a sharp pain following it. Leo could feel his alter beginning to spiral into thoughts of what he was doing wrong and why the pain wouldn’t stop, and the slider sighed with resignation. Gaichū, you’re not being bad. These people are bad.

”Agent Bishop?” The doctor said with a hesitant tone, and Leo could feel her hands graze his arm. “There are some strange markings here… it almost looks like a language…”

”What?” Bishop stepped to her side and hummed in thought. “Fascinating. Perhaps it’s native alien tongue… but run it through our database to confirm. It may be nothing, but it may be our key to unlocking a new dialect—perhaps scarring could be a parallel to our human practice of tattooing. Add to the schedule for tomorrow: analyze for any other markings.”

”Yes, Sir.” The doctor agreed. “This one was a rare find… it will be such a beneficial expansion to the EPF’s database.”

Some of the other agents lifted up the stretcher Leo was chained to, setting it down near the back wall and unwinding a rope attached to the base. After the door was shut one of them yelled “Clear!” and Leo felt his bonds unclasp. Gaichū immediately scrambled up and to the farthest corner he could find while the men yanked the stretcher back to them by the rope. Leo shivered at the temperature of the room and glanced back, irked that his muzzle remained. Bishop was standing there, watching him with a curious, sadistic expression.

”Lower the temperature of the room, Doctor. As a turtle that should help with a natural form of sedation.” The agent’s lips curled into a smirk. “You’re mine now.”

Chapter Text

Gaichū let out a whimper and tried to get up, but yet again Companion urged him to hold still. Stop struggling. Bad boy. The collar will choke us if you yank at it. But it felt like every single bone in his body was trying to move underneath his skin and trying to just lay here in an enemy lair felt like torture.

The man clothed in darkness seemed to be the leader among the others dressed in white, and Gaichū couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that those cold eyes were always watching him, that he was being observed in this carefully secluded place he had been locked into. Even the strange orbs located in various corners of the room resembled eyes that were calculating his every move. It made him want to hide in his shell, but t strange cold thing around his neck wouldn’t let him pull all the way in. Companion seemed to have the same worries, and Gaichū could sense his wariness and the way his gaze would dart around the room periodically. This is boring. Companion muttered. What, am I just supposed to sit here for however longer it takes until ‘morning’ gets here? The least they could’ve done was added a clock. And I have to play the babysitter for someone who apparently doesn’t understand the meaning of ‘choking hazard’.

Gaichū growled again and reached up to claw at the thing on his face. It was starting to make him feel really suffocated, like the room was too small and it was hard to breathe. The strange contraption stubbornly remained fixated to his face and he growled slightly, rolling onto his shell and using all his limbs to pry at the cage around his jaw. Companion flinched and quickly spoke up. Ow ow ow… Gaichū stop! It’s not coming off and… ow… some of those stab wounds are still sore on my leg… ugh for crying out loud it’s like trying to reason with a toddler! Just stop it!

Gaichū didn’t listen, since the fact that the claustrophobic object around his beak wouldn’t budge was making him panic. Why couldn’t he get it off? It was so hard to breathe with this… this thing in front of his mouth! It felt like it was getting tighter by the second, and as his anxiety rose so did his determination to break it off if he had to. He continued to struggle until finally Companion tried to make him stop, using his strange, invisible force to snatch Gaichū’s limbs away from the confining design. Gaichū, it has a stupidly locked clasp in the back. It’s not coming off and you’re going to drive me nuts.

Gaichū snarled and fought back, angry at Companion for trying to restrain him. Out of all the members of his pack, why was this the one he was stuck with? Why couldn’t Omega be here so they could play together? Why couldn’t Master be here to comfort him? He continued writhing as Companion fought against him, flailing sporadically on the floor as he would reach for the cage-like contraption but Companion would stop him roughly.

The den was too small… and getting smaller. The walls seemed to be caving in as Gaichū longed to pant from the exertion but the cage refused to let him breath through anything except his nostrils or teeth. He wasn’t getting enough oxygen but his invisible Companion wasn’t letting up and Gaichū couldn’t stand this contraption on his face. His lungs were burning and his injuries had started to throb again as they tousled on the floor but the slider couldn’t stop… he had to escape… to get this thing off his face…

Click!

Companion stiffened as they reached the end of the chain and the thing around Gaichū’s neck tightened a clasp. Breathing got noticeably harder and Gaichū felt his panic shoot through the roof. Easy Gaichū… just back up a little…

What was going on? First the cage around his mouth, and now the thing around his neck was tightening? Gaichū whined and began to tremble, trying desperately to claw at the suffocating object around his neck.

Master’s tentacle squeezed around his throat, getting tighter and tighter as Gaichū wriggled in vain. “Stop struggling, my little pest. No speaking. Silent pets are good pets.” Master’s grip constricted even more, and Gaichū could see a sort of sadistic delight the harder he squeezed. He chuckled manically and tightened his grip even further, a smirk spreading across his face. “I told you you’d feel my wrath! Was it worth it, huh? To destroy my plans? To get in the way of Kraang? Now you will suffer every single hour that I spent in preparation for the invasion that you ruined!”

The contraption tightened again with another click and Gaichū could feel himself growing dizzy both from the strangulation and the lack of oxygen from the cage on his beak. Why was he getting so dizzy? His lungs would just burn and he would be in a great deal of discomfort, but that was it. Why was he feeling so light headed?

You can… pass out here… you idiot… came Companion’s strenuous comment. Stop… struggling… get… back…

There was a heavy groaning sound from the front of the room as Gaichū wheezed through his teeth, the large colorless door opening. Next came the sliding doors, and finally the lady in white and the man in black came striding forward, the woman hurrying over towards them. Gaichū let out a growl and lunged, causing the lady to leap back out of range. The contraption tightened even further, cutting off all air supply.

Stupid… useless… idiot… Companion puffed as Gaichū wobbled, feeling his limbs tingle and his lungs burn. You’re lucky… we’re a turtle… or else we’d be out by now… just let her… unclasp it…

”It appears that it is resistant to the effects of strangulation. Fascinating.” The man said casually, and Gaichū could feel Companion bristle. “Be careful Doctor, it’s teeth aren’t the only things that can do damage.”

”Easy buddy, it’s okay.” The woman soothed. “I’m just going to help you out…”

”While I do appreciate your efforts, please refrain from using pet names.” The man corrected sharply. “It is not entitled to comfort. Although I prefer it alive, I am perfectly non-opposed to the alternative of dissection.”

The lady’s jaw clenched and she finally managed to get close once Gaichū’s legs gave out. The slider’s brain was going insane with panic and the urge to breathe until he felt a gentle pressure at the back of his neck and heard some soft clicking as the thing around his throat loosened back to a snug position. Gaichū wheezed in a deep breath through his teeth, lungs still protesting at the inability to open his mouth to get in more air. Companion immediately tried to shrink back from the helper, but Gaichū instead tilted his head at the act and let out a warning growl with no real malice. Was this human a friend or a danger? She obviously served the man watching them, but she didn’t have the same analytical gaze that made Gaichū feel like he was merely an object and his presence was ignored.

He hated being ignored.

Being ignored meant that he was alone.

And being alone meant that he had no purpose and no master to serve.

”Something that I find fascinating…” The man started, and Gaichū heard Companion huff. If he calls me ‘fascinating’ one more time then I’m going to go insane. “…Is how I clearly explained the collar, and yet it still ended up struggling against it. But through the cameras it did appear as though it was fighting itself… perhaps trying to keep it’s sanity through it’s brief isolation. But perhaps it was also something deeper, such as a feral flip—which we have witnessed and will continue to analyze—, a frequency we cannot hear, some sort of possession or even a type of disorder.” He leaned a bit forward, and Gaichū could feel Companion cringing at that strange word: ‘camera’. “Can you tell me yourself, S-5902? I’m sure that you’re clever enough to speak without moving your jaw, aren’t you?”

I could tell you that that’s a crappy name. Came Companion’s saucy reply as he made Gaichū glare at the man. But now that you asked me to I’m not gonna.

”Feisty, are you?” The man straightened. “You’ll be glad to know that we’ll learn all we need to know with or without your cooperation. We are analyzing your blood right now as well as scanning all our sources for any previous sightings of you, examining your behavior, designing specialized experiments and preparing possible other species to integrate you with. Also I believe that physically arduous and sensory overloading testing to bring out your stress responses will be fascinating to observe. In a carefully cultivated and analytical environment we will be able to address your behaviors more directly, and then we can figure out how to proceed with you—whether that be experimentation, breeding, training, auctioning or another form of profit. There are lots of people out there who would pay a lot of money for an oddity like you, and unfortunately for you I—being in the business of protecting the world from such monsters as yourself—know just how to get in contact with them.”

Companion stiffened. I hate this guy. Just wait until my brothers hear about this… if they hear… ugh just shut up stupid brain and focus! This stupid creep is watching me… and planning on… those options… just keep your stupid head on Leo! You can’t break down right now. He’s not going to sell you or breed you or any wackadoodle thing like that—your brothers are going to come. Don’t give up hope like in the Prison Dimension… you’re not going to be a wimp and let Gaichū take the fall. You’re going to get through this yourself. Just be patient. You can do that, Face Man. Just play it cool.

”It is certainly an interesting specimen.” Helper intoned. “With it’s current temperament I’m sure it would make an excellent pet.”

”Not if he goes feral again.” The watcher sighed. “It would be a terrible thing if anyone sued us for injury—I’m not going through that ordeal with the Animal Rights Activists again. The EPF is on thin ice as it is, and our only saving grace is S-3415. No one else was prepared to deal with a monster like her, and they wonder why the EPF is such an essential asset.” Watcher’s fist clenched at his side. “Evil aliens like Kraang… no one believed me when I told them that they existed and were dangerous. I prepared myself while they all laughed but I was too passionate about my cause to give up.”

”Your resilience and commitment to humankind is admirable, Bishop.” Helper soothed, giving Gaichū one more pat on the head before walking over to Watcher and placing a hand on his shoulder to ease his angry trembling. “That’s why I started working for you. And it turns out you were right, and it’s thanks to your work and preparation that we are able to contain the Kraang and protect the world.”

”It’s the least I can do.” Watcher nodded, and Gaichū felt Companion grow exasperated. Oh geez, does this weirdo seriously think he’s some kind of martyr or something? He seems like the type to give himself a medal and a pat on the back. “I’ve committed my life to the cause of protecting the earth from extra-terrestrial forces and it has at last been recognized, which was inevitable when we have such terrors lurking in the galaxy.” Watcher wrinkled his nose at Gaichū. “Just looking at such ugly creatures makes my skin crawl. They are merely an inferior species compared to the rise of humankind and are of no use except for potential experimentation or the merging of their deoxyribonucleic acid with that of a human to create a biologically advanced army.”

Oh, what do you know. Wack-Job is interested in mutation. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but someone beat you to the punch. Gaichū felt Companion drawl before he stiffened. Oh shell they have my blood…

”You are a brilliant man, Agent Bishop.” Helper smiled. “The world would be lost without you.”

”That I know, Doctor. That I know.” Watcher turned back to Gaichū. “I trust that we will be able to proceed with operations soon?”

”Yes Sir, our best scientists are working on a schedule as we speak.” She frowned. “Should I get some extra restraints? Just in case he tries to escape again?”

”No, don’t bother.” The man’s cold eyes met Gaichū’s. “Because I’ll always be watching.”

”OKAY DON’T PANIC, EVERYONE STOP PANICKING!” Donnie shouted, frantically typing at his wrist tech. “You’re certain that there’s no sword? And they couldn’t be lying to you?”

”I interviewed all the people who were on that search team, Dee!” April fretted. “I told them that it’s a family heirloom and that I’d even be willing to pay to get it back, and everyone said that they saw a strange alien that day but no sword. They said that the EPF dude stayed around to check for any signs of Leo but that they don’t know if he found anything.”

”Ohmigosh Leo’s with the EPF!” Mikey worried, riding piggyback on Raph’s shell and hiding behind the spikes. Donnie scowled.

”But maybe he hasn’t been caught yet! Maybe he’s fine!” Raph clenched his jaw. “We all felt him use his ninpo a bit… so maybe he escaped.”

”Then why isn’t he here, Raphala?” Donnie flung out his arms in exasperation. “Please explain to me why Nardo wouldn’t just portal back home! You know what? Don’t answer that. I’ll do it—it’s because that he was likely under attack! He was probably teleporting with his two katanas and didn’t have the time to switch to his odachi and make a long-distance portal home.”

”So then the fact that his ninpo stopped means that… he was captured?” Mikey whimpered, and Donnie sighed.

”Yes, Angelo, he was likely captured.” Donnie rubbed his hands together. “Which means that we go there, we find Nardo, we bomb the place to the ground—“

”Donnie! Focus!” Raph barked. “If Leo’s been captured then we’ve gotta be smart about this! Don’t forget that Sister Kraang is also at the EPF.”

”Ah right, the little catch.” Donnie huffed. “We can’t let her free, so I suppose that we can’t obliterate them. For now.”

”Any sign of Leo?” Casey poked his head into the room and straightened when he saw April. “Oh, Commander O’Neil! Did you find him?”

”Did I hear something about the Kraang?” Splinter appeared behind the future boy with a frown. “Any news on Blue?”

”Yes, but it’s not very good.” April sighed. “We think… we think he’s with the EPF.”

”And there’s another problem.” Donnie frowned and pulled up a hologram of a tall office building on his wrist tech. “My research says that this is supposedly the EPF, but it doesn’t look big or secure enough to possibly be the true prison of Sister Kraang. Which means that they likely have a second location—or more—where they actually keep their quote-and-quote ‘aliens’.”

”Yeah, there’s that too.” April winced. “It’s actually smart to hide it in case some wackos like the Foot Clan try to break Sister free. Or to, I don’t know, open a portal that caused the apocalypse.”

”Well we’ve gotta start lookin’ then!” Raph pounded a fist into his hand. “We know NYC like the back of our hands!”

”True, but the problem, Raphala, lies in the fact that such a place will likely be outside of city limits, if not state limits.” Donnie hesitated. “…If not country limits. And if not continent limits. After all, it’s the Earth Protection Force, and not the USA Protection Force.”

”Y’think they’d really let Sister be taken overseas? They needed her put away and quick, so I doubt their base is too far away, Dee.” April pointed out. “Besides, Agent John Bishop is an American citizen, so he’s probably hiding out somewhere here.”

”Wonderful, we’ve narrowed our search down to the approximately three million, one hundred twenty thousand square miles of the United States of America.” Donnie drawled before hesitating slightly and tilting his head in thought. “…Minus six hundred seventy-four thousand, one hundred ninety-nine square miles for Alaska and Hawaii.”

”Let’s just hope that they’re still in New York before we worry about all that.” April said quickly. “But we’ve gotta move fast, I hate that Leo just got out of that stupid Prison Dimension with his DID and now has to deal with all this.”

”Poor Gaichū.” Mikey whimpered. “He probably is so confused right now… and Leo probably is taking it hard too.”

”Scoff, obviously! Anyone captured by ruthless scientists dedicated to alien hunting is going to ‘take it hard’, Angelo!” Donnie snapped, then sighed. “Apologies. Let’s just find my dum-dum twin and bring him home before anything worse happens to him.”

Chapter Text

Bishop leaned back in his office chair, placing his hands in the steeple position as he glanced over at S-5902’s impressive katanas leaning on a stand. He reached out to gently run his fingers along the shiny metal, polished as if they had come out of the furnace yesterday. How would a creature like that get its hands on such a sophisticated weapon?

He was no stranger to the study of ancient weapons, especially ones from Japan. The Japanese culture had always fascinated him and he had spent countless hours pouring over volumes of their mythology, believing that there was at least a semblance of truth in the old folklore. After all, the chances were extremely slim that he had been the only one to encounter extra-terrestrials in the existence of human history, so every myth and legend he took very seriously. The Loch Ness Monster? Yokai? Even the supposedly insane Bigfoot hunters had at least one view per video: him.

In all honestly it was all becoming clearer to him that this creature had likely originated in Japan instead of outside the planet. The bright blue mask before it had come undone in the fight… the ninjitsu… the katanas… even the strange scars on his arms had returned in his searches as Japanese, spelling out ‘Gaichū’ in English letters, or ‘Pest’ in the English language.

Fascinating.

Whether it was a name, brand of shame or something else he wasn’t sure, but it was an interesting fact to know.

Bishop’s fingers raced across his keyboard as his eyes scanned the articles in his searches. The closest thing he could find in his investigation was a type of yokai in Japanese folklore called the ‘kappa’ or ‘kawatarō’—murderous aquatic monsters known as either calculated killers or gremlins who would do favors in exchange for forgiveness. What particularly caught his eye was their description: a being that possessed both human-like qualities as well as the carapace of a turtle.

”So both S-5902 and S-3415 originated in Japan, I wonder why that is.” He muttered under his breath, aware of the ancient legends of the Kraang. Then they both show up at the same time during the invasion? It seemed to be too great of a coincidence not to matter. Bishop reached over to shuffle through the blurry footage of the supposed kappa during the invasion, noting that there appeared to be five of the strange creatures—one of them appearing to be a cross-breed between their kind and the kraang. Could it be the offspring of each species? Or simply the kraangification of one of the creatures as seen with some of the humans? Were they fighting or working together to annihilate the earth? He was uncertain, but all the information was certainly sparking his curiosity about this strange monster in his possession. He should introduce both specimens of each species to each other and observe the results.

”Sir, I have something I need to show you.” Came Doctor Uma Parvati’s voice from his radio, and the urgency in her tone made him pause. He pressed the side button and replied in the affirmative for her to come in. As his door opened he swiveled around and raised an eyebrow.

”Yes Doctor?” His eyes traveled down to the papers in her hand. “Have the blood results returned?”

”They have, Bishop.” Uma hesitated. “And they have raised more questions than answered them.”

”Is that so?” Bishop frowned. “Explain.”

Uma hesitated, fiddling with the papers in her hands. “Well, for one thing he seems to have DNA derived from two beings—a perfect split between sources. And one of them is the perfect genetic copy of a DNA already in our database.”

”What?” Bishop snatched his glasses off his nose to stare at the doctor in shock. “How is that possible? The United States has the deoxyribonucleic acid of an alien, and no one thought to tell me?!”

”Not of an alien, sir, but of a human.” Uma bit her lip. “You probably know him: Hamato Yoshi. Also known by his more popular stage name, Lou Jitsu.”

”I’m familiar. He was a big hotshot actor until he mysteriously disappeared without a trace.” Bishop leaned back in his seat, eyes darting back and forth in thought. “An exact genetic replica, you say? But in only half of his DNA? That could potentially explain his personality inconsistencies if he’s struggling with his animalistic tendencies and human tendencies, but not the fact that there seemed to be three distinguishable dispositions. But what’s most interesting is that Lou Jitsu was also born in Japan…”

”What was that Sir?” Uma tilted her head. “Japan?”

”Yes, Doctor. That country seems to be a common thread with this creature, having the most similar folklore to match it’s species, being the country of origin to both his fighting style and swords, having legends of the kraang and how the birthplace of his genetic doppelgänger.” Bishop frowned. “But how is it possible to have his DNA like that? How exact are the comparisons? Do you mean that Lou Jitsu is… the father?”

”No no no.” Uma shook her head. “I don’t mean that Hamato Yoshi was a parent—I mean that according to our system, this is Lou Jitsu. If he was somehow merged with the DNA of a red-eared slider.”

Bishop went deathly still, at once for a loss of words. This turtle was supposedly Lou Jitsu? Hamato Yoshi? Then with the split DNA it would appear that…

”Mutation.” He breathed, eyes sharp with hunger. Uma nodded.

”That’s what we first assumed too, Sir. We aren’t quite sure how this was done, but some how Lou Jitsu was mutated with this slider. Or at least his DNA was.”

”This… this is what we have been waiting for, Doctor!” Bishop’s face lit up. “I hope that you already have experiments in mind? Testing set up? Oh, and we need more of his blood.”

”Yes Sir, we had started planning for not only stress testing but also the harvesting of various organic matter and the surgical exploration of how this mutation has affected his organs.” Uma hesitated. “However, this means that on paper this ‘creature’ is a citizen of the United States of America and part human. I will do some more digging, but I do believe that this makes him immune to any further experimentation due to human rights. Even the mutilation of a human is still a human.”

Bishop’s eyes sharpened. “No one needs to know that.”

Uma started. “But sir—“

”Lou Jitsu disappeared around seventeen years ago, Doctor! He’s old news and assumed dead.” Bishop stood up and approached Dr. Parvati, watching her shrink back slightly. “This is a monster. It’s no longer human. No one needs to know about the DNA of a specimen in our care, understand? Think of all the good we could do! This is our chance to discover the secrets of mutation and increase the power and protection of our armies.”

Uma tremble slightly. “But… but it’s a human! He’s a human!”

”Shhhhh…” Bishop placed a finger to her lips. “Don’t worry about the details, Doctor. Just look at it and you will be able to tell that it is a feral thing to be contained, not a human like us deserving of rights. It is monsters like it that harm humankind, something that I witnessed first hand.” Bishop pulled up his sleeve slightly to remind the doctor of the mangles scars peeking out from under the cuff, and she winced. He pushed his sleeve back down with a huff and straightened up. “Continue with our plans, Doctor. Humanity will thank you for your service.”

Uma hesitated briefly before nodding and backing away. “Yes Bishop. I understand.”

”Good. You always did want to help others.” Bishop pulled up his camera’s of S-5902’s room and watched him lay on the ground in fascination. “Who would’ve thought that the great Lou Jitsu would be the key to giving us the power of mutation? The world will never forget my name after this, I’ll make sure of it. And this thing will soon learn it’s place beneath my power.”

Leo groaned and sank down into his Tio’s office chair as Gaichū curled up in front of the fireplace, watching him with narrowed eyes. The slider in blue sighed. “Just be grateful that you don’t have to feel that stupid collar anymore and that I know how to get us here. It’s nice, isn’t it? Much better than the Prison Dimension.”

As if on cue a chill swept through the room from the open portal and Leo shivered, frowning at the darkness beyond. Why couldn’t he close the portal? Sure it gave him free communication with Gaichū and was still likely more comforting to his alter, but it was still hard to look at. Leo groaned and slouched down in his chair. This was pathetic. His only time of peace was in a make-believe world like he was some tot again, and he knew that the warmth and comfort of this office was all in his mind. He was still shivering in that stupidly cold room with no bed and nothing to do, just waiting for whatever horrors Bishop had planned. His stomach was still in knots from that man’s sickening suggestions and he was doing his best not to let his imagination spiral in those dark directions.

He crossed his legs uncomfortably and watched Gaichū churr and scoot closer to the fire. The lucky guy was so oblivious to the amount of danger they were in… but in his defense he was probably used to it. The other slider looked so peaceful—a jarring reminder of how differently his mind worked. No immediate danger or comforting scents? Then he was perfectly fine to curl up and rest. Trauma triggers or shouting? Guard went up. It was honestly sad because it wasn’t necessarily a symptom of simplicity but of necessity. This was all he had ever known. It was his entire life. He didn’t know about living for himself—not playing video games, skateboarding, reading comic books… his entire life was made up of servitude and trying to avoid punishment.

Leo’s brothers thought that Leo had low self-esteem?

Gaichū thought that he was nothing.

He only saw himself as a tool or a plaything for his masters to use.

And that was his entire world.

His entire purpose in life.

Leo sighed and leaned back in his chair. He really couldn’t tell which of them had it worse, since after all with increased wisdom came increased sorrow. Gaichū couldn’t be upset about the torture and abuse he endured because he didn’t know any better—it was just the way things were, so the feral slider could be content in knowing that all he measured up to was the dust underneath Prime’s mech feet. It was just as it should be. Leo, on the other hand, knew what it was like to have a caring family who he could have fun with. He knew what it was like to mess around with his brothers, have turtle piles and just hang out in the comfort of knowing that his brothers would take care of him.

So when he had started to realize what a burden he was to them, it had hurt.

A lot.

After he became leader especially and saw how angry Raph would get… he had been placed in the spotlight and it was showing off all his flaws to be criticized. Raph could yell about how Leo was irresponsible or not getting it like Leo himself hadn’t already told himself those same things a million times, but now he couldn’t hide from his insecurities. Every day was a new argument and it hurt because Leo missed the good ol’ days when Raph would handle everything and he could just feel safe in that fact—even if it was kinda selfish to his big brother.

He missed being a kid.

Splinter should’ve stepped up and given that luxury of innocent, mindless youth to Raph as well, but he hadn’t and now it was Leo’s turn to take the position he had never asked for.

Then he sacrificed himself to the Prison Dimesnion and learned that he couldn’t die… being a plaything hurt even worse because there was still a tiny little voice screaming in his head that he didn’t deserve this treatment. That little voice was pleading with him that he belonged with his family and that he was entitled to basic respect and dignity, but at the same time be believed that his family would be better off without him. That war in his head mingled with the beatings on his body and made life a living hell.

No wonder his brain had shut off.

So now he watched Gaichū drifting off peacefully on Hueso’s rug and felt envious towards his blissful ignorance, knowing that the fact that he didn’t understand the horrors that had been done to him was heartbreaking but also jealous that this slider didn’t have to deal with the mental anguish Leo went through every second of every single day. With a sigh Leo brought his thighs to his plastron and rested his chin on his knees, watching his alter rest in front of the fire.

Tomorrow would be another fight, Leo knew that for sure, but at least for tonight he could disassociate and pretend that he was somewhere far away from all this crap.

Far away from Bishop.

Far away from his trauma.

Far away from his life.

Far away from the strange growling that still echoed from the Prison Dimension to haunt him.

Chapter Text

Leo lifted his head abruptly, having been yanked from his inner world by the telltale sound of his door groaning open. Upon seeing a bunch of EPF agents with what looked like cattle prods his lungs squeezed and he scrambled to an upright position. One of them lifted his weapon. “Your bloodwork came back as useless. Bishop’s ordered for you to be dissected instead.”

What?

But I can’t…

Leo stiffened. He could die here. This was earth. He was back home.

Gaichū growled as one of the men approached, leaving the door wide open, and Leo noticed the immense body padding and protective gear they had on. One of them glanced up at the camera before reaching forward. “Now Bishop claims that you can understand me, so know that if you don’t fight me then you’ll be led to a room that will make your death… quicker. Our men are armed if you struggle.”

Leo’s head was buzzing. He was about to die? They were going to kill him then dissect his body? His brothers would never find him… never know what happened to him…

Would that be a bad thing?

Of course it would. They would come looking for him and get captured.

And they would be devastated.

”I wonder how your brothers will die, hmmm? Alone, no doubt. And hating you for leaving them like this… The red one I’m sure will suffer nightmares about being unable to stop you from throwing your life away. The purple one will likely die from that weak soft shell he has since he has one less brother to protect him. And oh that sweet one with the orange mask. So precious and innocent… it’s delicious to imagine all that light dimmed from the grief of losing you. He might grow angry or depressed… or follow in your older-brother footsteps and just try to end all the pain faster.”

Leo’s heart squeezed. He couldn’t die like this.

Shhh, Gaichū hold still for a second. He soothed as the agent reached behind his neck and fingered the clasp of the collar. The man paused for a second to run a hand over Leo’s shell and shoulder, whistling to himself as Leo’s stomach lurched and he cringed in discomfort. “The great Lou Jitsu. Who would’ve thought it?”

What… what’s he talking about Dad for? What’s going on? Anxiety began to form painfully in that space behind Leo’s eyes but he shoved it aside to keep Gaichū still. He didn’t know what the shell was going on or how things had escalated so quickly but all he knew was that he needed to escape. The man finally nodded, satisfied that Leo wasn’t trying to attack him, and unclasped the collar.

Now.

Leo let go of his mind as Gaichū bolted, hearing surprised shouts from around him. His alter panicked from the noise and made a beeline for an exit, diving in between two agents who tried to catch him and causing them to collide together. An alarm blared and he could hear the men shouting angrily into their radios. “S-5902 is loose! Close all sectors! Don’t let it escape!”

Gaichū whined in worry and frustration, shaking his head from the muzzle as he darted aimlessly around corners and pushed himself to go even faster when he head footsteps behind him. Find something sharp. Leo encouraged his alter. Good boy. Run away. Find something sharp.

”I’ve got him!” Shouted an agent, and Leo suddenly felt someone tackle him from behind. Gaichū let out a snarl and turned sharply to snap at the man through his muzzle, but when that didn’t work he settled for flailing his limbs and blindly landing a strike with his foot to the man’s face. The agent stumbled back, crying out in pain as he held his nose. Gaichū hesitated slightly with a whimper, and Leo frowned. His alter seemed almost… upset that the man was hurting. Worried that Bishop would be mad at him. Which was in stark contrast to his killing spree that he went on while Leo was unconscious…

Leo shook off his thoughts. Gaichū, focus buddy! Get out of here! Get back to Donnie. Donnie, not Bishop. Got it?

Want Alpha. Gaichū’s thoughts returned, and Leo nodded in approval although he cringed slightly at the overbearing feel of his twin’s name. Gaichū turned around and fled the scene, Leo hearing the telltale buzz of their electrical weapons.

He needed to get out.

He needed to live.

”You little pest!” Snarled one of the agents, and Leo faltered slightly. “I’ll have fun watching your organs get ripped out after this!”

”I’d rather him be alive for the dissection to feel the pain after all this fuss.” Muttered another agent, and Leo’s stomach flopped. It was all feeling… too familiar. Running away from death, being called demeaning names, fighting to stay alive for an uncertain chance at seeing his family again… no, no a certain chance at seeing his family again. Because he would. Because he was on earth and they wanted him alive.

Because he was the Face Man and could be whatever they wanted him to be.

Even if he himself didn’t give a flying shell either way.

Even when he just wanted to sleep.

A sleep in which he would never have to wake up and face another day again.

Leo shook his head to shake it off his intrusive thoughts as he rounded another corner, trying to focus. His head was buzzing with his spiraling thoughts at the déjè vu and his body started to feel like he was floating above the floor rather than having his feet pound against it with every step. Was he really here? Was this really happening again? Or was it more of a fever dream?

Was he really in bed at the lair, having some sick nightmare?

Or was he still in the Prison Dimension and disassociating, and this was a vain and wishful daydream?

Was he even alive?

Had he ever been really alive?

His breath felt too heavy, his limbs weary from running. Here he was yet again, running away from some jerk who wanted him dead. He was merely an animal to be owned and dominated, worth nothing aside from his master’s entertainment. Bishop didn’t care about him, and neither did Prime. But he was on earth now or was he so he could finally escape the cruelty of life and his captors.

No, shut up stupid brain! Leo hissed and Gaichū stumbled slightly before picking himself back up and continuing to run blindly through the halls of the EPF, which were surprising empty. Why weren’t there more agents after him? Why did he feel so tired? Like he was stuck in an endless maze, and maybe there wasn’t a way out.

Leo’s lungs squeezed. What if there wasn’t a way out? What if this was some twisted matrix he was trapped in, and it was just like the Prison Dimension? What if all of this was a hellish void and he would just keep on running for all of eternity when it would be so easy to just give up?

Each hallway was bland and colorless and empty, all the noise coming from the agents behind him. Leo could feel his resolve dwindling as Gaichū pressed on, filled with panicked adrenaline and not realizing that he could finally just die if he wanted to. Bishop was going to kill him and it would be the end of it. The poor little gremlin had no clue how blissful it would be to give up because he had never had the opportunity before. Now it wouldn’t even be Leo’s fault! His brothers would never know that he had allowed it—they would only know that Bishop killed him.

His brothers.

Ugh, I said SHUT UP! Leo mentally scowled at his own brain, thoughts tumbling over one another in desperate attempts to be heard. His brothers wanted him alive, but he wanted to be dead. He needed to escape but he was tired of running. Bishop was offering a way out, but it would be a betrayal to his family to take it. He was fighting for his life at the moment, but what if he didn’t want his life? What if he was just too tired to fight? What if he could just be done?

But Gaichū wasn’t ready to die. The poor guy probably had no idea what ‘death’ really meant. He just wanted to escape the agents who caused him pain, but what if he could grasp that there was a way to escape all the pain? Every tormenting anguish that made up his life just gone?

Trauma, gone.

Mikey’s laughter, gone.

Prime, gone.

Three a.m. hangouts with Donnie, gone.

Bishop, gone.

Raph’s hugs, gone.

Mistakes, gone.

Pizza at Hueso’s, gone.

Sleepless nights guarding Gaichū, gone.

DANG IT, LEO! FIGHT FOR YOURSELF!

What if he didn’t? What if he did? What if he gave up? What if he fought? What if nothing mattered? What if he just faded away? Disappeared? Would his memory evaporate into the wind? Would anything change? Would they forget the sound of his voice? Would they miss all the skateboarding competitions and pizza nights? All the turtle piles and adventures across New York City? Would they hate him? Would they thank him? Would they grieve him? Would they even notice? Would they be able to move on? Would they shed tears over him? Would they even care? Was it stupid to even think they would? Was it stupid to think they wouldn’t?

Was it selfish that all these questions were only there because a part of him wanted to die…

Leo snapped back to the present as Gaichū let out a whine, and the slider realized that they had come to a dead end. There were only locked doors around him when Leo tried the knobs and he turned around with unfocused eyes to see the agents closing in on him. Any amusement was gone from their eyes as they advanced, some of them sparking their weapons just to see Leo flinch. Gaichū let out a warning growl, and Leo watched them with wary eyes. He was so tired he couldn’t think straight. It wasn’t just a physical exhaustion from not sleeping, but a bone-deep burden in his very soul weighing him down and alluring him with sweet thoughts of giving up. He mentally withdrew from the front of his body, watching the agents as if through glass as Gaichū growled and stiffened at the newfound control over himself.

”You’re dead, pest!” Scowled one of the agents, and Leo frowned at the second use of that familiar word. Gaichū cocked his head a bit in that same recognition, and Leo wondered if it was simply because everywhere he went he was a pesky annoyance or if it was on purpose. But that second option was probably him being paranoid and sick of hearing Prime’s voice echo in his head every time he heard that word.

Gaichū hissed and backed up further, his fear and claustrophobia shooting through Leo’s every nerve. The feeling of being trapped was torturous, making Leo’s alter feel helpless and vulnerable. What did I do wrong they’re going to hurt me they hate me they hate me so much just leave me alone please leave me alone I want Omega please go away and leave me alone…

Leo suddenly felt a surge of anger towards the men and a sudden protectiveness over Gaichū. How dare these men frighten his alter? How dare they hurt him? How dare they?

A low, possessive growl rumbled from Leo’s throat even as his mind clouded and his vision blurred. The slider felt himself falter, quickly falling into a deep unconsciousness.

Hate.

Too loud.

Danger.

Destroy.

Leo nearly whined as he woke up, limbs feeling heavy and exhausted mind complaining at having to face life again. Predictably he was once again chained stiff to a gurney, but what was strange were the smug looks of the agents and the presence of none other than Agent John Bishop standing in front of him with an exhilarated smirk. “Well well well, that was quite the performance, wasn’t it?”

”What… happened?” Leo mumbled through clenched teeth from the muzzle, and Bishop chuckled.

”So you can talk with the muzzle. Good to know.” He snapped his fingers, and the female doctor next to him wrote down the note on a pad of paper. Leo’s eyes narrowed with annoyance but he was too tired to care.

”Just shut up and tell me what you’re yapping about!” Leo huffed, and Bishop grinned.

”So you really don’t remember? That’s interesting as well.” The agent placed a finger underneath Leo’s chin, tilting his head up ever so slightly as Leo grimaced. “It appears that you had a relapse of your feral behavior, just as I predicted. Luckily my agents were prepared or else you could’ve gotten them seriously hurt.”

What…

They were prepared.

It had been a trap.

Leo didn’t escape, he walked right into his first experiment.

The slider mentally groaned. Ugh, why couldn’t Gaichū stop exploding like this? He was just embarrassing them and giving Bishop more information. But then he stiffened, feeling Gaichū shrink back in fear. What happened? Why is Watcher so angry? What did I do wrong?

Leo’s eyes widened, and Bishop leaned forward. “Why the expression, hmmm? Care to elaborate?”

It couldn’t be. Could it? It made sense, but the very notion made Leo’s stomach drop down to his feet in dread.

There was another alter.

And if he had thought this whole ordeal felt familiar before, this confirmed it.

He had been toyed with.

Again.

Chapter Text

Leo stared at the ground in front of his gurney as EPF agents and scientists crowded around him, poking and prodding him for their research while he sank deeper and deeper into thoughts of this mysterious new alter.

His mysterious new alter.

One dangerous enough to give armed EPF agents a run for their money.

He was out of control all over again, knowing that he could snap at any second and that his body would be used by some separate consciousness. Sure it might be useful in dangerous situations like here or the Prison Dimension, but what happened if he went back to his brothers? He would just have to find this alter in his mindscape and wrangle the two gremlins best he could.

”S-5902, did you even hear me?” Leo felt a sharp pang in the side of his neck and Gaichū yelped, eyes flicking up to Bishop’s irritated face. The agent was holding a syringe that he had likely stabbed the slider with, and Dr. Parvati—who was finally standing still at the perfect angle for Leo to read her name tag—hesitated.

”Sir, that is a medical instrument. Please don’t use it as punishment—you might damage the metal.” She told him worriedly, and Leo snorted. What about damaging me, lady? I think you’ve got your priorities mixed up.

Bishop chuckled slightly at the disgruntled expression on Leo’s face. “At least the alien is listening now. Isn’t that right? Can you speak like a good boy?”

Leo shot the man a glare, and Gaichū shrank back at that particular command. Bishop frowned. “You don’t fool me. I know you can speak. Now I can either make use of some… motivation techniques or you can be easy and talk to me.”

”I can tell you that you need a breath mint.” Leo muttered, and Bishop huffed slightly before straightening.

”Despite the imprudence, at least we are making progress.” Bishop snapped and Dr. Parvati held up her pen. “Also the fact that not only do you know what a breath mint is but that you also speak comfortable English is something to note. I can detect an interesting lilt to your dialect that may help determine where you have been living, and I will have some experts analyze any signs of an accent.”

Leo gulped.

”What is so interesting is the fact that someone took the time to teach a freak like you how to talk.” Bishop leaned forward. “Unless you already knew how?”

”I learned by watching the telly, darling.” Leo switched to a thick British accent, and Bishop’s jaw clenched with irritation. “And I did happen to notice the lack of a washroom in my chambers… might you be willing to direct me to one, old chap?”

”There is a tray in the corner of the room, but some aliens don’t understand the concept.” Bishop grit out. “Any refuse will be collected and analyzed.”

Leo sighed sharply. “Blimey.”

”You may try to mask your voice with a fake accent, but wince we have your original vocals on recording this actually helps us a great deal.” Bishop glanced over at the doctor, who was scribbling furiously on her notepad. “By examining this fake accent we can determine which entertainment sources you likely learned it from, since it is far too flawed to have been taught naturally or from a dialect coach. You are only helping us further, Gaichū.”

Gaichū perked up immediately as Leo flushed red, and Bishop’s grin took over his face. “Ah, so it’s a name. Good to know.”

”Wha-what? Pffft it’s not a name. I thought you sneezed.” Leo smirked. “Gesundheit.”

”Doctor, note the initial stuttering and the exaggerated reply.” Bishop said cooly, eyes never leaving Leo’s. “Also the quick wit coming up with a smooth excuse and humor which attempted to not only disarm but also annoy me. The control of it’s facial expressions is also another thing to take into consideration.”

Oh, so we’re playing hard ball, are we? Well two can play that game. Leo thought before mimicking Bishop’s deep voice. “Yes Doctor, please also note the stiffness in this man’s posture and the way he refuses to turn his back to me. Not to mention the trembling of his hands when we first met and his eyes, which have this look of intense hatred. Could be a sign of past trauma regarding extra-terrestrials, if I do say so myself.”

Dr. Parvati nearly dropped her pen and pad. She stared at Leo in shock as Bishop’s head snapped to him, eyes filled with rage. Bingo. Leo mimicked Bishop’s screwed-up face and continued. “Ah, and there it is. The reaction I was expecting. It appears that I have hit a tender spot, please write that down, doctor. The way his breathing has picked up in pace and his eyes unfocused slightly, as if reliving certain moments. The fact that he has an entire organization designed to experiment on aliens rather than seek galactic peace says another thing… GAH!!”

Leo and Gaichū both cried out in pain as Bishop suddenly snatched an electric prod and stabbed it into his side, the shock filling Leo’s body painfully until he fell limp against the gurney. Bishop tossed the weapon back to it’s surprised holder and slammed a hand down on Leo’s collar, the opposing forces of his hand and the stretcher beneath the slider causing it to tighten a click. Gaichū let out a whine and weakly tried to struggle, only for Bishop to squeeze the collar yet tighter.

”Rule. Number. One.” The man said cooly, barely restrained anger simmering in his voice. “No running your mouth. Know your place, alien. You think you’re pretty smart, huh? Think you can rile me up? I can kill you in a heartbeat. You are under my complete and total power. Remember that, you little pest.”

”Really digging into the whole ‘pest’ thing, aren’t ya?” Leo choked out, and winced as his collar was squeezed. Gaichū began to let out strangled whines mixed with fawning churrs, eyes wide and fearful. Bishop smirked.

”Oh, am I scaring you? Good. It’s sinking in.” Bishop straightened so that Leo had to look up at him. “I find your mood swings fascinating. The way you get flustered when you make those animalistic sounds, for instance. It seems… involuntary. Instinct of your animal DNA?”

Leo shot him a glare, but his face was twitching between defiance from him and fear from Gaichū. Bishop’s eyes narrowed. “Such a fascinating battle within yourself. I’ll have to keep track of that, especially if this is the outcome of an amateur mutation. Because that’s what you are, aren’t you? A mutant?”

Leo tried to bark out an answer but it came out as a rasp from the metal collar squeezing his throat. Gaichū squirmed, and Bishop watched for a moment before sighing and loosening the instrument. Leo gasped for air, throat burning and sure that he would have a bruise tomorrow. Bishop raised an eyebrow. “Well? Are you a mutant?”

”I’m this little thing called none of your freaking business.” Leo snapped, but Bishop didn’t miss the exhaustion in his eyes and Leo knew it.

”You haven’t slept, I’ve noticed.” Bishop continued, and Leo tensed. “You only stare with your eyes wide open, body perfectly still as if in a trance. I’d recommend getting some rest when you can—some of our plans will require you at full strength.”

”Then how about turning up the temperature?” Leo muttered, and Bishop sighed.

”Full mental strength, that is. Seeing how well you can perform while handicapped is an important part of our research.” Bishop’s eyes raked over Leo’s form in a way a predator looks at his prey, and Leo cringed uncomfortably. “Your skin is already littered with scars, and we can also see that your shell has been shattered and healed many times over. But don’t worry—you’ll be forced to sleep when we perform our internal exploration.”

”Internal what now?” Leo’s eyes snapped up, and Bishop smirked.

”Well, we need to see how the mutation has affected your organs and internal functions.” He said as if explaining it to a toddler. “You’re scheduled for your first surgery tonight, so you don’t have long to wait. Dr. Parvati here will observe the operation as well as take samples of your tissues and remove organs that are not necessary for you to have in order to function to dissect, such as a singular kidney or your appendix. There is also the strange ability to teleport, which is not an organic ability in either part of your DNA.” Bishop’s grin spread. “We may dig deeper or cause some… other changes if you do not cooperate.”

Panic shot through Leo’s body and Gaichū sensed it, wriggling with all his might against the chains. Bishop frowned and leaned forward. “That teleporting… I wonder if you could help me out a bit? Explain how you came to learn such a technique? Or even perhaps explain why we detected four other mutants just like you using similar abilities of the supernatural?”

Leo froze. “What?”

”You heard me. The footage is blurry and mostly destroyed by the Kraang, but we have salvaged enough to see four other turtles.” Bishop gestured to Dr. Parvati, who nodded and stepped forward. She withdrew two photos from her notepad and held them in front of Leo, showing him all his brothers circled in red. Leo’s mouth went dry. There was all four of them fighting the kraang after Raph had been kraangified… then a blurry photo of all his brothers right after Leo had dropped the key. Kraangified Raph and normal Raph were circled separately, so Leo supposed that Bishop assumed they were two different turtles. Bishop tapped the photo. “Look familiar? Care to explain?”

”Those were just… other aliens that came down with the Kraang. I trapped them in the Prison Dimension with Prime.” Leo forced out.

”It would almost be believable if not for the fact that you have been so avoidant of every single topic before this.” Bishop pointed out, and Leo could’ve kicked himself. “Why be so secretive and then suddenly reveal the truth so easily and plainly? Unless you are lying about this, which would indicate that these turtles are far more important to you than everything else we have discussed.” The agent leaned forward. “With other topics you were willing to anger me and put the blame on yourself for being stubborn, but with these turtles you wanted them out of the picture entirely. Fascinating.”

”Perhaps they are friends.” Dr. Parvati suggested. “Or maybe even family.”

”All good thoughts, Doctor.” Bishop praised before turning to Leo. “Well? Which is it?”

Leo’s mind immediately came up with ten different lies he could tell but he swallowed them all down and said nothing. Bishop wasn’t like most people he encountered. He was calculating and would know that anything Leo ‘revealed’ was a lie. Better to say nothing and stop digging a deeper hole. Bishop frowned. “I asked a question from you and I expect an answer. We’ll find them either way, but it would make it easier on us if you gave a location and relationship status.”

He’s trying to get under your skin, Leo. He won’t find them. He can’t find them. Leo reassured himself, stomach flopping and lunges squeezing in worry. Just shut up and stop thinking about it… they’re careful… Donnie has security… it’s going to be okay…

But what if it wasn’t? What if they became reckless in looking for him? What if worry pushed them to take risks and they were all caught because of him?

Or what if he was saved and his other alter killed them all once triggered?

Bishop sighed in sharp irritation at his silence before turning away. “Fine. Have it your way. Doctor, have our agents target New York City for turtle-like beings in masks roaming around. And prepare for the operation.”

”You’re not taking my freaking organs out.” Leo nearly growled, voice low and dark. Bishop only chuckled.

”Unfortunately that’s not your choice to make.” The agent turned to Dr. Parvati. “Install a neural device as well and update his tracker. And don’t forget about checking the possible prices with various collectors, especially with the factor of living versus per piece.”

”Per piece?” Leo almost gagged. “You’re sick.”

”Well, some people collect certain elements, such as teeth or bones.” Bishop glanced over the slider. “It would do you well to remember your place. If you are obedient then your value to us will decline slower and we may never have to resort to selling. But if you are difficult to keep alive then we can make a profit and try again with those other turtles we will inevitably find now that we have you as proof of their existence.”

Leo kept his mouth shut, not wanting to give away anymore information, but the glower on his face was enough to send his message. Gaichū also could see and understand that those ‘other turtles’ were his pack, and Leo knew that they could both agree on this at least:

If Bishop so much as touched his brothers then he was dead.

Chapter Text

”Donnie? You in here?” Mikey poked his head into Donnie’s lab to see his older brother typing furiously at his computer, a plethora of empty coffee mugs shoved to the side. Mikey frowned. “Um… you know there’s such a thing as over-caffeination, right?”

”There’s also such a thing as the statistics of a missing person being less likely to be found the longer they are missing.” Donnie snapped back. “I have the EPF’s main office pulled up but I’m unsure of where Nardo might be being kept. Here’s what it looks like.” The soft shell pulled up a holographic structure of the EPF’s main building, and Mikey stared intently at every window, trying to picture Leo being in one of them.

“And here’s what it looks like blowing up.” Donnie pressed a few buttons and Mikey’s face went rigid as suddenly holographic purple bombs flew into the side of the building and exploded, creating a massive crater that caused the structure to tilt dangerously before collapsing. Donnie sighed. “Don’t give me that look, Angelo. I’m trying to cope.”

“I need to get you a stress ball.” Mikey grumbled. “Or we need a cat. SOMETHING better than this.”

”Scoff. We already have Mayhem shedding all over the lair when April brings him over.” Donnie grumbled.”

”Wel.. we could at least scout out this place, and I’m sure they would have information on any other building.” Mikey pointed out with a decisive nod, turning back to the building.

”Agreed. If they don’t have my twin then we can at least use… persuasive measures to convince them to give us information.” Donnie smirked and reversed the explosion of the EPF just so he could replay it again. Mikey glared at him.

”If Leo is in there, by chance, then we’d blow him up too.” The box turtle pointed out harshly, then sighed. “Sorry Dee… I’m just worried about him.”

Donnie hesitated, then turned back to his computer. “Yeah… so am I.” There was a moment of silence between them before Donnie spoke up again quietly. “I… did some digging on the charges against Bishop. Definitely some regarding animal abuse and some others that I prefer not to think about, like surgical exploration and even poaching accusations that were never confirmed. I wasn’t even able to read the entire list.”

Mikey frowned and placed a hand on Donnie’s quivering shoulder. “Donnie… you shouldn’t look at that stuff. It’ll only make you more worried.”

”I have to know.” Donnie clenched his hand on his thigh. “I… I need to be prepared. Because I sure as shell wasn’t when Nardo came out of the Prison Dimension. And that dum-dum probably won’t even tell us everything once we get him back so I need to know what… what trauma signs to look out for.”

”Oh Donnie…” Mikey gave his older brother a tight hug from behind, head resting on the metal shell. Donnie stiffened before beginning to tremble more. “I… I’m scared too. We were making progress with Gaichū… now Leo gets thrown into another crappy situation without any break. I feel so bad for him.”

”Yeah. And I hate that I can’t… fix it.” A little vein in Donnie’s neck began to throb. “I couldn’t reach him in the Prison Dimension. I don’t know where he is now. Then knowing that he still won’t freaking tell us anything and hides behind that dum-dum smirk of his is killing me. Like he’s been through hell and back and he still won’t stop joking about everything for two seconds… and when he’s not joking then he’s being self-destructive. How can I help him if he’s the one who’s hurting himself?” The soft shell began typing again. “The second best is to absolutely obliterate those who are also hurting him to cope. Like Bishop, since Prime is stuck in his stupid dimension.”

”Casey and April are out scouting New York now, Dee. We’ll find him.” Mikey told his brother optimistically, but his voice faltered. “And… and maybe Leo will be able to portal back himself.”

”They probably have him in some white padded room.” Donnie muttered. “So as not to harm their ‘experiment’.”

”I hope so. Better than what I’ve been imagining.” Mikey admitted. “I mean you said he was accused of animal abuse and stuff… it made me worried that he was treating Lee like some sort of bad dog. Like Prime did. That would be awful for both Leo and Gaichū.”

Donnie stiffened, images of animal arenas and pounds coming to his mind. He shook it off and sighed. “Yeah well… let’s just hope that he’s not suffering too much. Sigh, I don’t know how much more I can take just knowing about all of this, much less what he can still go through without breaking.”

Leo whimpered slightly, curling up uncomfortably on the floor of his cage and clutching at his injured plastron. He at least had bandages wrapped tightly around his midsection and the incisions had been clean, but now that he was awake he was doubting that they had given him sufficient pain medication. Meanwhile Gaichū was whining in confusion at the amount of pain without any blood as well as trying to snap at the IV cord, and Leo was doing his best to hold his alter back. Bishop was talking with Dr. Parvati in the caged room behind the door, and Leo tried desperately to eavesdrop. “The removal was a success. We should have an age estimate soon from the fibrotic tissue as well as the knowledge of any gut issues from his appendix.”

”Good. I was concerned about how the surgery would go, with him having both human-like anatomy and the plastron of a turtle, but I’m very glad to hear that it succeeded.” Bishop nodded decisively, but Dr. Parvati hesitated.

”We will need to confirm, but in the brief glimpses I got of the tissue he doesn’t appear to be the right age for Lou Jitsu, who should be around late fifties to early sixties by now.” She frowned at Leo. “Not only do our analyzations of his kidney appear to be far younger, but also his dialect patterns and mannerisms are more alike that of a teenager or young adult. We will get a better idea once the results are in, though.”

”Fascinating. Perhaps his turtle mutation has affected his organs… but I would’ve imagined it would be more of a strain on them rather than a de-aging process.” Bishop peered at Leo though the bars, and Leo shot him a pained glare. “Unless we have been thinking about this in the opposite way, and this creature in fact started out as a turtle and was mutated with Lou Jitsu’s DNA. Which would mean that it is not only not in the U.S. Database as a human being with a birth certificate but is is also just a warped animal, probably nothing more than a talking parrot.”

”But he has human DNA.” Dr. Parvati emphasized, but Bishop waved her off.

”According to the computer, he does not exist.” The agent shrugged. “I suppose we may never know who or what this mutant started out as if it won’t tell us, but even then I’m not sure it can be trusted either way. He did respond to the name ‘Gaichū’ though… so maybe that was a pet name?”

Gaichū chirped slightly, struggling to get up at the sound of his name. Leo winced at the sharp pain and tried to force him back down, mentally chiding him. Gaichū, it’s okay. Be lazy. Please be lazy. I’m tired. And he doesn’t deserve our attention.

”Oh? Good boy responds to his name quite nicely.” Bishop smirked. “Like a pet rather than a human being.”

I think you’re the one who should be wearing this muzzle. Leo thought bitterly, wincing as his midsection rolled with pain again. Dr. Parvati hesitated when she saw him, eyes softening.

”I don’t think that the pain medication was sufficient, sir.” She intoned, and Bishop scoffed.

”He’s lucky we gave him any.” The agent sniffed. “He’ll survive.”

Yay, yet another shortcoming of the guy who dropped me off the roof to make us all more immune to any poison… and medication. Leo thought bitterly, but in reality he would leap for joy to see Baron Draxum right about now. Especially if he came with his brothers… Gaichū churred slightly at the thought of Mikey. Dr. Parvati still didn’t seem convinced.

”I think we should give him some more. Distress may hinder his recovery… and I assume that you’ll want to continue on with the experiments as soon as possible?” She suggested, and Bishop sighed.

”I don’t like the thought of wasting medication. This may be a good lesson… after all, pain is the best teacher.” Bishop hesitated in thought before nodding. “Alright. Give him some more. But S-5902, know that if you act up then it will be immediately revoked. Understand?” Leo could barely look over with a bitter expression, and Bishop raised an eyebrow. “Acting up already? I asked if you understood me, and I expect an answer.”

Leo clenched his jaw. He hated this. He hated everything about this. He hated Bishop’s stupid smirk and stupid calm voice, hated Dr. Parvati’s stupid pitying stare, hated the stupid collar, hated the stupid cage he was in, hated the entire stupid situation and how much it was stupidly like that stupid Prison Dimension…

”Hm. Maybe it doesn’t hurt as much as you thought, Doctor.” Bishop mused, loud enough so that Leo knew that the sentence was directed to him as well. “After all, he’s still fighting against us instead of accepting this. Hold off until he submits—I don’t want to reward bad behavior.”

Dr. Parvati opened her mouth as if to say something but then shut it, looking down at the floor. “Yes sir.”

Leo’s mind panicked slightly at the thought of going the night without proper pain medication but he was at the same time terrified of giving Bishop even an inch in fear he’d take a mile. This was how it started. Offering ‘mercy’—which was really basic dignity disguised as generosity—in exchange for obedience. Then it would be normalized and he’d go a step further with bigger things such as talking and privacy and even moving around. Then Leo would start spiraling into helplessness and shame, feeling like he was out of control and life had no meaning right before his captor placed himself in the spot of the savior and took advantage of his weakened mind.

Then Gaichū.

Then that other alter.

Consequences of which Leo knew first hand. He had to keep his chin up here. He couldn’t break like he did with Prime. Oh, his brothers would argue that it was unavoidable, that anyone would’ve broken under that level of abuse and trauma…

But it was him.

Hamato Leonardo.

And he was certain that breaking was his fault, and his alone.

He was weak.

He was weak and now his family was paying the price.

He couldn’t do that again.

He was going to face Bishop without pathetically letting Gaichū take the reins.

And that was final.

Gaichū whimpered and struggled against Companion’s invisible hold, trying to scratch at the bonds covering the painful spots on his plastron. What was going on? Why did everything hurt so badly when there was no blood?

Why was he being punished when all he had done was lay here?

What had he done wrong?

Chapter Text

Hueso’s hand trembled as he stared at the phone. He could still hear Raphael worriedly calling his name but it sounded blurry in comparison to the news that he had just heard:

Pepino had been taken.

By those alien hunters, no less.

Hueso sucked in a sharp breath, mind reeling. His honorary nephew was missing… while sick… while injured… while struggling with a new disorder. No certainty if he was alive or hurt or even being tortured. It make the skeleton’s world crumble.

”Hueso? Tio? Are you there? Hello? Raph’s sorry if he was too harsh…” Pitahaya fretted, and Hueso grit his teeth together, shaking himself off and bringing the phone back up.

”Yes… yes I am here.” Hueso breathed. “Thank you for telling me. Do you know where he is being kept? When did you last hear from him?”

”We uh… it’s been a couple days.” Raph admitted. “It’s been chaos over here and we kinda forgot to call…”

”I understand.” Is what came out of Hueso’s mouth even though a protective instinct in him flared in anger at having not been there for them sooner. “Do you have a plan? A location? Anything?”

”Don has a couple of ideas about where the EPF’s headquarters could be after we got some intel back from Casey and April, but we still need to confirm.” The snapper reassured him. “They found some places that were either blocked off or heavily guarded or even had people tell them no trespassing in the middle of nowhere. We’ve narrowed it down to about five likeliest locations.”

”Cinco…” Hueso sucked in a sharp breath. “And it’s been more than a day…”

”Leo’s tough. He’ll be fine.” Raph said, but his tone was almost harsh and it made Hueso pause. The snapper’s voice was strained and determined, but there was an underlying waver that told the skeleton that he was trying to convince the both of them. “He… it’s only been a couple of days. Raph’s sure he’ll hold out long enough for us to find him. He has to. He will—“

”Deep breaths, sobrino. In… and out.” Hueso worried, hearing Raph’s voice raise in pitch. There was a sob from the other end of the line and Hueso’s heart wrenched. “Oh Pitahaya… I am so sorry that you all have to go through this again. Remember to breathe. It is okay to be scared.”

”Raph knows… and it’ll be okay… but just… sorry I…” Raph’s voice trailed off as he stifled a shaky whimper. “Sorry… it’ll be fine… Raph’s sorry, he doesn’t know why he’s crying…”

”Because you are scared. And that is perfectly understandable and healthy.” Hueso soothed, trying to calm his own fraying nerves. “Cry all you need, Pitahaya. It is okay. I’ll be right here.”

The skeleton paused as he heard a door shut and Raph’s muffled sobs. He frowned, knowing that they snapper had hidden himself from his brothers. He began again, voice steady and comforting. “I know it has to be hard, young one. To know that your brother is in danger once again… to be unable to do anything but continue searching. You are being so, so strong right now. You are still holding on to hope. You are letting yourself feel. That takes so much bravery. Never forget to take care of yourself as well, understand?”

”Yeah but… but Raph doesn’t want to scare Mikey or make Donnie more worried or anything.” Raph sniffled. “And he needs to be prepared for whatever shape Lee comes back in…”

Hueso winced, his own breath catching at the thought. These were alien hunters known for unethical experimentation. Who know what Pepino was going through? “I know, Pitahaya. I know. But whatever it is we will be there to help him through it. Just as we always have.”

”But this is twice now that he’s gotten hurt and Raph couldn’t help him…” Raph began, and Hueso sighed.

”Raphael, listen very closely to me: this is not your fault. It never was.” Hueso told him firmly. “All you have done for Leonardo is help him. And you know that he would tell you the same thing. You are a wonderful brother, Pitahaya, and don’t ever forget it. Pepino never will.”

There was a pause on the other end before Raph replied quietly. “Thank you, Tio.”

”Of course. Now please call me when you have anymore news. I will also be over there soon to assist in any way I can.” Hueso told the snapper. They said their goodbyes and Raph hung up, leaving Hueso to click his tongue in worry. “Pobre Pepino... pobre de todos mis sobrinos.”

”No, bad S-5902!” Bishop scolded irritably, holding a small remote in his hand connected to a neural chip now installed in the base of Leo’s skull. The slider glanced up at him in a daze, mind reeling from the sickening pain that had already flooded his body thrice now. “How is this so hard for you to understand? Being good means no pain. Being bad means you get punished. Now don’t move.”

Dr. Parvati reached for Leo’s IV again, but the second it jostled Gaichū whined and jerked back, trying to retreat despite the immense pain in his midsection. Leo nearly vomited from the sensation, and he was sure that he would have if he had anything in his stomach to throw up. “Gaichū, this will nourish you. Just let me fix it and you’ll feel better.”

”It’s his own fault for ripping it out.” Bishop sniffed. “It’s fascinating how stupid some creatures can be. “You added the sedatives?”

”Yes Sir, and if you don’t mind me asking could we please turn up the heat a bit?” Dr. Parvati asked tentatively. “He is part turtle after all, and I’m concerned about brumation.”

”Well he’s not slowing down enough.” Bishop sighed sharply as Leo flinched away from Dr. Parvati’s soft hands. “However that would be fascinating to witness. Would it be possible to perhaps send him into a brumation then wake him up with adrenaline or some sort of thing? It may give us valuable information about how the weaknesses of his animal DNA affect his accelerated healing capabilities.”

”I would advise against it, Sir. He’s already sick as it is and I wouldn’t want to mess up any of his natural functions.” Dr. Parvati worried, and Leo weakly snorted.

”Like my natural function of a second kidney or an appendix? Or no incisions in my plastron?” He snipped before crying out in pain as Bishop casually pressed a button on his remote. Leo’s vision nearly blanked out as stars swam, a migraine pounding in his head. His stomach rolled and his injuries screamed, causing him to collapse while Gaichū whimpered pitifully, trying to crawl toward’s Bishop’s feet.

”I wonder how many punishments it will take for this unintelligent mutant to finally grasp who is in control. That was his fourth time.” Bishop mused, and Dr. Parvati cringed.

”Well, there is the brain’s natural function to avoid pain but also incredible stubbornness that can sometimes tip the ratio.” Dr. Parvati mused. “That is how Post Traumatic Stress Disorder works, after all. One’s mind works overtime to identify the cause of a traumatic event and sets in a strong reaction to avoid said trauma repeating, creating triggers and becoming overly-sensitive in subconscious paranoia that the body will endure such pain or fear again. That is the theory on how this neural engine should train him, but some beings are more spirited than others and resist their natural function to submit and avoid discomfort.”

”However it is inevitable that everyone has a breaking point, Doctor.” Bishop sniffed. “Including this specimen. Really his stamina is impressive despite his little… shall we say, glitches of submissiveness.”

Yay, look at that Gaichū. You get your own category of a glitch. Leo mentally muttered to his alter. But say, wouldn’t it be nice to go back to Hueso’s office? Maybe take a little nap… or just stay there until our brothers come…

Gaichū let out a little whine and Leo sighed. Alright, looks like he would have to continue co-fronting.

Leo shot the doctor a slight glare as she reached for him again and she pulled back. “Gaichū, I need to do this. For your own good.”

A slight buzz of electricity shivered down Leo’s spine and caused the slider to stiffen, Gaichū squirming hard and trying to hide in his shell. Dr. Parvati shot Bishop a look. “Sir, with all due respect I don’t believe that this method is working. It is only making him struggle more. Might I suggest a gentler method?”

”This is not a pet to be coddled, Doctor. This is a dangerous mutant that nearly killed our men.” Bishop’s tone was cold and condescending, as if he were explaining it to a toddler who was acting out. “He will be trained in the method all of our aliens are trained. Why are you trying to change the system now? You know how it always goes!”

”Well… this one just seems…” Dr. Parvati struggled with her words. “More aware than the rest. He doesn’t seem malicious—just frightened. Because of us.”

”Right. Because snapping to a feral side is completely humane and normal.” Watcher rolled his eyes. “You are too empathetic, Doctor. For the last time: he is an mutant. A non-human. A freak of nature.”

”Just let me try something.” She urged before crouching down next to Gaichū. Companion shot her a glare and Gaichū tried to shrink away, but instead of trying to shove the IV in again she offered a smile and made no move to attack him. Gaichū could sense Watcher’s impatience even as she hummed softly and glanced at her own hands. “Good boy, sweetie. Gaichū, I’m not going to hurt you. It’s okay. You’re being so good for me right now.”

Gaichū hesitated and glanced over at her eyeing her calm presence and relaxed manner. But what if it was a trap? They kept on hurting him without even touching him… much like how Companion could control him the same way. It was terrifying to know that he couldn’t even predict what was coming for him by such a reliable sense as sight, but right now Helper was remaining still and didn’t seem too mad. She glanced up at him, her warm eyes watching him with an almost friendly expression. “Good boy. Can you come over here?”

Nope. Don’t do it, Gaichū. Companion warned. She’s not being nice—she’s manipulating you. She’s going to hurt you and humiliate me. We’re not some pet to be cooed at. Don’t listen to her.

”It’s okay buddy. Just let me help you.” She said softly, slowly reaching out her hand to place on his arm. Companion shuddered and tried to pull away, but Gaichū nearly melted into the soft touch. It wasn’t painful—just the opposite. This entire den was a bombardment of cold on his skin, tension around his neck and hard stone beneath his feet so that her warm hand felt like heaven. He couldn’t help but churr and start a little closer.

Bzzzzzt!

The slider yowled and whined as another flood of pain washed over his every sense, causing him to drop on the ground and curl up. He squeezed his eyes shut and willed the agony to go away, hearing Helper protesting as the ringing faded from his tympana. “I was making progress! That was the closest we’ve gotten so far at getting the IV back in!”

”No.” Gaichū whimpered and glanced up blearily to see Watcher staring at him with something between dread and disconcertion. “No, he cannot get used to that treatment. He will become entitled to it—expecting it and forgetting what he is. Put it in now.” The pain started up again, so intense that Gaichū couldn’t think straight. His entire body was burning with white-hot agony in every nerve and he could feel Companion suffering as well, trying to somehow escape the anguish. The punishment lasted longer this time, and when it was finally over Gaichū lay on the ground, breathing heavily and with a fresh shiny instrument in his arm. Helper was walking out after Watcher, but not before shooting Gaichū a final, empathetic glance.

Chapter Text

Leo winced and shifted slightly on the cold, hard ground of his cage but still couldn’t seem to find a comfortable position. The pain in his abdomen was excruciating and every single move he made somehow seemed to make it worse. He groaned and curled up again, shivering and realizing with dread that his throat was starting to itch. It escalated into a coughing fit that lasted longer that in could’ve because the muzzle was preventing his jaw from opening all the way, and the way his body spasmed caused his incisions to stretch painfully. He collapsed back on the ground while panting—and decided to blame all the pitiful sounds escaping him on Gaichū.

He could feel his alter anxiously watching the door, waiting for Bishop to come back. Time was terrifyingly similar to the Prison Dimension in that the lack of a clock and the constant bright lights made it impossible to tell how long it had been, but it definitely felt like a longer pause than normal. Where was Bishop? Or even Dr. Parvati? It was dead silent in his claustrophobic prison, and yet Leo seemed to keep hearing what Gaichū hoped were footsteps to the clearing of someone’s throat. It was pathetic.

This is good. The slider kept telling himself and Gaichū. Bishop will only hurt us. He’s only keeping us alive for his sick games of experimentation. Besides, at least I have a breather from my brothers, heh. I should savor this because no way will that monster keep me here alone for much longer. He’s gonna come in any second now and I’ll be wishing he’d leave me alone again.

Any second now.

Any second now.

Any… second… now…

Gaichū whimpered and curled up on the ground, and even Leo was starting to feel a little restless. How long had it even been? How long had he been laying here in this stupid silence, white walls and stark lighting taunting him with their monotony? The slider glanced up at the camera in the corner of his ceiling, frowning at it and having a crawling feeling that Bishop was watching his every move.

Or he wasn’t…

And maybe Leo was entirely alone…

Gaichū suddenly let out a strange barking sound at the camera, and the echo of it nearly made Leo jump out of his own skin. He groaned in pain and squeezed his eyes shut. Geez Gaichū, give a guy a warning!

Alone… Came Gaichū’s worry, and Leo winced. Where’s Watcher? Is he mad at me? What did I do wrong? He’s gonna hurt me when he comes back… or maybe he’ll never come back like Master… and maybe I’ll be alone forever…

Okay, no. Stop that. Being alone is a good thing. Leo mentally chided, ignoring his own fraying nerves. At least he’s not touching me. Or hurting me. Don’t you like this, Gaichū? No pain? Yeah?

Watcher hates me and he’s going to punish me when he gets back… Gaichū whimpered, and Leo sighed. He just needed to wait this out. So what if it felt like it had been hours? Or even longer than hours? Bishop probably got caught up in some of his psycho-research or whatever, or even just had a bad case of constipation—a thought that made the slider smirk. But hadn’t he been just wishing for a bit of peace? Some space from all the pestering of his brothers and the interrogation of Bishop? This was perfect.

So why was his head beginning to ring as if the silence was deafening?

The slider took a shaky breath. It felt too still. Like something should be happening right now but it wasn’t. And it was quiet and monotonous enough to be mistaken for the Prison Dimension, save for Prime’s stomping and shouting.

Leo’s breath hitched. Nope, he couldn’t think about that. No way. He was back on earth and wasn’t… wasn’t there. Sure he was trapped in an eerily silent prison overlooked by some psychopath who thought he was doing something right while taking pleasure in torturing him and there was no way to tell time, but it was just a stupid, rotten-luck coincidence.

Leo rested his head on the ground, gritting his teeth against the ache in his injuries. If anything, this silence seemed to be making his head pound louder and louder with all the traumas he didn’t dare confront. Throughout the stillness of his cage he could hear Prime’s manic chuckle… feel his bones snapping… flinch at the deafening shouting right in his face. He could see his brothers staring at him with fear… uncertain if he or Gaichū was fronting at the moment. “USELESS WRETCH!” Prime screamed at him as his fists pounded his point into Leo’s very body. “YOU PATHETIC LITTLE PEST!”

Leo’s breath hitched, eyes widening slightly into a blank stare. His mind seemed to be trying to fill the auditory void in the worst possible way, and he even started to feel like he was back there.

Floaty.

Disconnected.

Oh shell he was spiraling. Was was it that Mikey always taught? Five things he could see, right. His eyes darted around the room. Boring white walls, an ominous caged door, that stupid security camera, the food and water dispenser in the corner (which had yet to be used, he thought bitterly at the pang of hunger in his stomach), and his own shaking hands.

Next was four things he could feel. The cold hard ground, his heart threatening to pound out of his chest, the claustrophobic muzzle on his face, and the tight collar around his neck. His breathing picked up again and he tensed up before trying to move to the next step, which was three things he could hear.

Three things he could hear.

He began to panic slightly as only blaring silence met him, torturous and isolating. He could hear his own frantic breathing, did that count? Or the… the high-pitched grinding of his collar’s chain on the floor whenever he moved?

But beyond that…

”You’re impulsive, arrogant, and don’t see that every move you make could cost someone their life.”

”You wretched, little PEST.”

”You just don’t get it, Leo.”

”This collar doesn’t like my one-liners?”

”Where’s Raph?”

”Can someone tell my son I DO NOT WANT TO SPEAK TO HIM?!”

”I’m not giving him the bugs! These villains are all talk and no—NO!“

”Right. I forgot. Dogs aren’t supposed to bark.”

”You’re the Face Man, so get in there and do what you do best! Face!”

”Leo, sacrifice yourself to buy us time!”

”The world needs Master Leonardo, and all we got is this guy.”

Just his thoughts.

Nothing but his deafening thoughts.

Leo could feel pressure building behind his eyes and he let out a strangled whimper, angrily refusing to cry where the camera could see him. This was pathetic. And torturous. He thought he wanted to be alone?

What an idiot he’d been.

He couldn’t be alone.

Not with his thoughts.

”Hey, wack job?” He weakly shouted at the camera, voice raspy and wavering with unshed emotion. “You’re being awfully quiet up there… did I finally scare you off?”

Please, please come back. His fragile mind pleaded without saying it out loud. Please don’t leave me alone with myself.

A little whine escaped his lips, and in a way he couldn’t quiet grasp he suddenly felt Gaichū’s presence wrap around his rebelling thoughts like a blanket, small and tentative. Almost like a mental hug. Leo’s breath hitched as he realized what it was—Gaichū was trying to comfort him.

Gaichū remained at the forefront of Leo’s mind, a still, relatively calm presence for the slider to cling to. Leo took one shaky breath after the other, trying his best to hold onto that small grounding act of his alter. Gaichū churred softly and Leo almost broke down right then and there, finally not fighting Gaichū or trying to wrangle him but just… being.

And Gaichū didn’t fight either. He just continued to offer a comforting rumble in Leo’s chest and slowed down the slider’s breathing to a more healthy speed, trying to help him in any way that he could.

Leo blinked his eyes open, realizing that he was back in Hueso’s office. A gentle sound drew his attention down to where Gaichū was resting his head in his lap, eyes closed and cuddled as close as he could for comfort. Leo’s eyes welled up and he let out a sob, wrapping his arms around his alter and hugging him tight. Gaichū chirped slightly and nuzzled Leo back, tail wagging nervously.

”Thank you, Gaichū.” Leo whispered, voice hoarse. “Thank you.”

Gaichū let out a little churr in response, and the two sat there in the comfort of Tio’s office, the crackling warmth of the fireplace offering a gently atmosphere for Leo to finally relax.

Or, relax as much as he could with that haunting growl still echoing out of the Prison Dimension.

Bishop stared at the feed on his screen, observing in satisfaction as the mutant specimen began to panic and shout at the camera. He smirked. Good, the turtle was feeling the weight of anxiety and would eventually snap and submit to any form of contact. Bishop would swoop in as a savior to his solitude and the turtle would obey.

The agent leaned back in his seat. If the slider was part human then this method of punishment should work similar to solitary confinement, since after all they were all pack-minded and craved contact. But soon S-5902’s eyes went back into that blank stare and Bishop frowned, leaning forward again in intense fascination. A quick check of the neural device proved that he wasn’t quite sleeping, so what was this? Some form of deep disassociation?

It was definitely something to keep an eye on.

Chapter Text

”Thanks for coming, Tio.” Mikey offered a weak smile as he welcomed Hueso into the living room, wincing at the sound of Raph and Donnie arguing. “Donnie hasn’t slept and Raph’s getting anxious. Sorry about the chaos!” As if on cue a fresh wave of arguing sounded from across the lair and Mikey winced.

Hueso’s eyes creased with concern. “Guisante, you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m sure you are all very worried about Pepino.”

”Yeah. It’s been a couple days and… and especially with Gaichū being so vulnerable.. and Leo having just gotten out of the Prison Dimension…” The box turtle flinched again as a particularly loud scolding from Raph echoed through the lair and Hueso clucked his tongue in sympathy.

”¿Están siendo demasiado ruidosos? Are they being too loud for you?” The skeleton asked gently, and Mikey shrugged.

”They’re… just upset right now. I mean you can’t really blame them, hehe.” Mikey offered a weak attempt at a chuckle before stiffening yet again at the noise. “I just hate hearing them fight. Leo and Raph used to fight all the time after Dad made Lee the leader, but at least I had Donnie to help. He knew about the noise thing. But now it’s just me and…”

”You do not have to sacrifice your wellbeing for them, Michelangelo.” Hueso opened his arms and Mikey hurried into them, burying his face in Hueso’s arms as if trying to hide from all the shouting. Hueso wrapped him in a warm embrace and ran a hand over his shell. “Todos sois tan jóvenes... pero tan rotos... me duele el corazón. How have you been holding up despite the noise?”

”I’m fine.” Mikey mumbled, voice muffled. “Donnie and Raph are probably taking it the hardest.”

Hueso sighed. “I already spoke to Raphael, and will check on Donatello in a bit. I was asking about you.”

”Why?” Mikey’s peeked up at his Tio, and Hueso rolled his eyes.

”What, you think I came down here to run around panicking about something I currently have no control over? No, I came to check up on you three. I will help once Pepino is located, but as much as I hate to admit it there is not much I can do at the moment.” Hueso hummed softly. “I care about all four of you, you know. Even if that means that I have to pry a bit to see how you are really doing, since you all seem to have the same habit of bottling up your emotions. Just in different ways. You mask by caring so much about others that you forget about yourself.”

Mikey was silent for a few moments, and Hueso frowned. “You do not have to open up to me, but please at least know that I am here if you ever want to talk. For now… perhaps a singular work of how you are feeling? ¿Por favor?”

Again silence. Until a small: “I feel scared.”

”Ah. I see.” Hueso’s arms grew slightly tighter around the box turtle, and Mikey started up again.

”I’m scared that this will finally be the thing to break Leo. I know he was in the Prison Dimension for so long and that’s how he got his alter, but now they’re co-fronting and he has to face whatever’s happening to him head-on. Unless he disassociates again, in which case what if Gaichū gets hurt instead? He’s so sweet and innocent.” Mikey sniffled. “And then Raph and Donnie are fighting and… and I’m scared…”

He trailed off, and Hueso felt his heart clench again with empathy. He could feel the tenseness in his sobrino’s body and he sighed. “It’s okay, Guisante. It can be difficult to express yourself when you’ve been bottling it up for so long, but I am very proud of you. It is perfectly understandable to be worried about your brothers… and perhaps about yourself.” Mikey’s head snapped up and Hueso offered a smile. “You are also struggling, even if in your own mind you refuse to admit it. I noticed that you yourself were the only one you didn’t mention, and it makes me think that you are afraid of how much you can take.” He hugged Mikey close again, feeling the box turtle tremble slightly. “But there is a strength in you. I can see it, and I know your brothers do as well. A special type of fire made up of passion and loyalty—one that no storm will be able to quench. I know that you might feel small right now, but your heart makes up what you are lacking in size.” Hueso patted Mikey’s head and the box turtle let out a snort that was half-laugh, half-cry. Hueso smiled. “I know it may sound cheesy or cliche, but it is true. Do you know what keeps a person going despite a broken body or broken circumstances? Hope. Joy. Spirit. All of which you possess in abundance. Hold on to that. Not just for your brother’s sake, but also for your sake. Keep doing what you love, keep dreaming and believing things can get better and seeing everything and everyone in a positive light. Do you understand?”

Mikey nodded tightly, hugging Hueso like a lifeline. Hueso ran a hand along the box turtle’s shell. “You are so strong, Guisante. So very bright and resilient… you will make it through this. Your brothers will make it through this. And you will continue to shine as brightly as you always have.”

”Thanks Tio.” Mikey mumbled, and Hueso’s eyes creased with fondness.

”I am only speaking the truth. The very truth I hope that you will learn to believe about yourself.” Hueso glanced over at the tunnel as another bout of shouting rang out and Mikey pressed a bit further into him. “Guisante, I am going to go check up on your brothers now. You go into your room and listen to music or at least do something enjoyable for yourself until they’re done arguing. Okay?”

Mikey started to protest, but as the sound made him shudder he nodded and started off in the direction of a train car with an orange curtain, stealing one last glance behind him as he disappeared into the solitude of his own space. Hueso nodded in satisfaction before turning towards Donatello’s lab, the source of all the commotion. He sucked in a deep breath and started over just as more arguing arose.

”… Ya can’t just throw away your own health Donnie!” Raph was shouting as Hueso silently poked his head in. “Ya need sleep, not just caffeine-induced energy! What were ya always telling Leo? To get some rest to heal up”

”Don’t you dare bring up Nardo right now Raph!” Donnie snapped back, and Hueso could see the exhaustion in his eyes. “Not when he might be hurt! Not when he might be dead!”

”He’s not dead!” Raph’s voice rose.

”He might be if I don’t find him in time! And this whole argument is not helping! He said very correctly and his oldest dum-dum brother agreed and finally left him alone to work in peace.” The soft shell growled.

”Raph’s not leaving until you—“ Raph froze, eyes darting to Hueso. He hesitated. “Um… hey Tio. When did ya get here?”

”Perfect. Señor Hueso. Look Raph, we have a guest that needs tending to. Off off. Ta ta.” Donnie swiveled back to his desk, and Raph looked just about ready to strangle him. But then he brightened with an idea and glanced over at Hueso, who gave him a nod. ‘I will speak with him’ the skeleton mouthed, and Raph smiled gratefully, relief in his eyes.

”Well Don, fine. Raph should probably go check up on a few things anyway, so you have your wish. I’m leaving.” Raph was silent before tossing over his shoulder just before he disappeared: “But Tio’s staying. Have fun!”

”Wha-wha-what? Why?” Donnie whipped around to argue, but Raph was already gone. Donnie stared hard at Hueso a moment before turning back to his computer. “Awkward chuckle, fine. But don’t touch anything unless you want to explode. And don’t say anything unless you want me to activate the nose cancellation I installed in here.”

”Do not worry, Calabacín. If it gets too loud for you then we can pass notes.” Hueso ignored Donnie’s scowl and gestured to a seat. “Mind if I sit down?”

”By all means.” The soft shell grit out, and Hueso sat. “But I am currently very busy, so if you don’t mind not interrupting me then it would be much appreciated, he said in a very calm voice because he isn’t stressed and definitely not contemplating murder against Bishop.”

”Donatello…” Hueso gently warned.

”What? I said I wasn’t contemplating murder!” Donnie huffed slightly. “Just… just let me work.”

Hueso remained silent for a few minutes, watching Donnie type away on his computer before speaking up again. “What are you working on?”

”I already said I’m not taking a break—!” Donnie started to snap before hesitating, frowning as Hueso’s words sank in. He glanced over, eyes guarded. “What are you up to?”

”Nothing. I am just as worried about Pepino as you are.” Hueso offered a smile. “He speaks very highly of you, you know. And I am very touched by your determination to find him.”

”Scoff, obviously I’m gong to try to find him. He’s my twin.” Donnie grumbled before turning back to his computer. “But if you must know I’m pulling up the schematics for the EPF’s main building and calculating every possible entry and exit. Not to mention that two of the suspicious sites April and Casey found were a bust, so no need to waste our time there.”

”I see.” Hueso stood and walked over, glancing at the screens. “It appears that you’ve made a lot of progress so far. Good job.”

Donnie brightened slightly at the praise and opened his mouth to speak before slumping down his chair. “I get it. You’re going to tell me that I’ve done a lot already and so should get some sleep. Not happening.”

”But why not?” Hueso frowned in concern. “I won’t pester you on how Pepino would want you to sleep and how worried your brothers are because I’m certain that you already know all of that to be true. So why won’t you rest? Even if for a little bit?”

Donnie chuckled manically. “Rest? That’s a good one. You almost even made me laugh.” The soft shell’s eyes were glued to his screen. “So you’re telling me that I should just shut off the ol’ Donnie brain? Sleep when maybe an alert will come that I’ll miss? Rest when I know my twin is out there with who-knows-what happening to him? Indulge myself in a break when every second Nardo is missing decreases the chances of finding him?”

Hueso nodded in understanding. “I see. So it’s anxiety keeping you awake. Constant worry that you won’t be there for Pepino when he needs you the most because you take a break. Concern that you won’t be good enough to save him.”

”I prefer the term efficiency. If I sleep then Nardo will have less people trying to save him for however long I am unconscious. I need to do everything I can, and that’s final. So if you’re going to nag me about that stuff then you can go have a little tea party with Raph and gossip about me over steaming beverages. I’ll be here actually trying to find my twin.” Donnie sniffed, and Hueso sighed.

”I am not trying to nag or annoy you, Donatello. I am only concerned for your health. And mental state.” Hueso tentatively moved closer. “Because if you believe that you must take the blame of the world, then you are severely misinformed. Anything that may happen to Pepino is the fault of that alien hunter, not of you. And you are just important as any of your brothers, so why should you be the only one not taking a break?”

”Oh please. I’m the genius here.” Donnie rolled his eyes even as Hueso glanced around the room and moved towards the beanbag chair. “What can Mikey or Raph do? I can hack into systems. I can download blueprints. I can calculate simulations and odds of success and—“

Donnie stiffened as Hueso draped a weighted blanket over his shoulders, frowning and cutting himself off. Hueso watched his reaction carefully, ready to take the blanket off at a moment’s notice. “How is this?”

”What are you doing?” Donnie asked stiffly, and Hueso hesitated.

”I recall Pepino telling me that you can occasionally be averse to physical contact, so I thought this would be a good alternative.” The Skelton relaxed slightly as Donnie pulled the warm blanket tighter around his shoulders. “I may not be able to understand everything that you three are going through, and I won’t pretend to. But I do know when someone needs comfort or to just sit and be for a while. So how about a compromise, yes? I know that your brothers and I would be very happy if you would sit in your beanbag chair for ten minutes. Ten minutes only. I will stay in here and watch your computer to ensure that you do not miss any alerts, and you will at least be able to sit down in a comfortable position and revive yourself.”

Donnie hesitated. “I can’t…”

”Fine minutes then. Just… just something to rejuvenate you. I will be right here if you need me.” Hueso didn’t break his calm gaze with Donnie’s suspicious one until the soft shell sighed and stood.

”Fine. But only because I’m not in the mood to have Raph bugging be again after this.” Donnie walked over to his beanbag chair and curled up in it, Hueso not missing the immediate way his muscles relaxed. “Five minutes only. I’m timing it.”

”Of course.” Hueso nodded and smiled to himself as Donnie closed his eyes. There were a couple minutes of comfortable silence in which Donnie’s breaths began to deepen and Hueso started to think he had fallen asleep. But then, quietly: “Hueso?”

”Yes?’ The skeleton turned around to see Donnie’s eyes half-lidded and staring bleakly at the ground.

”Could you… like, maybe… kinda… ugh, just forget it.” Donnie huffed to himself and began to turn away when Hueso stopped him with a gentle hum.

”Words can be difficult sometimes, Calabacín. Do not get frustrated with yourself.” Hueso said calmly. “Now what would you like?”

Donnie frowned in thought. After a long moment he finally muttered. “Closer.”

Hueso hesitated slightly. “Could you please elaborate? Just a small bit?”

”Could you sit closer? That’s what… that’s what Nardo would do when I was feeling overwhelmed but didn’t want touch.” Donnie mumbled, face reddening with embarrassment. Hueso smiled gently and nodded, opting for the ground next to the beanbag chair instead of his seat. Donnie let his eyes close again, and slowly but surely his body began to relax. Hueso leaned back against a table, eyes darting to the screens every couple of seconds.

To his relief, the five minutes crept past and Donnie was still motionless on the beanbag chair.

”Ah, Doctor. Thank you for coming in.” Bishop nodded as Uma Parvati entered his office. “I need you to take over watching S-5902 for the night shift. I’ll take tomorrow’s night shift. Just let me know if anything changes with him.”

”If anything changes?” Uma frowned as she checked the monitors to see the mutant staring blankly at the wall. “Is he okay? Perhaps the isolation is too much for him at the moment…”

”Just keep track of anything out of the ordinary.” Bishop interrupted, gesturing towards a pad of paper. “Thus far I have logged auditory hallucinations by the way he would randomly glance at the door as well as desperate shouting at the camera. Please let me know if anything exciting comes up, and thank you.”

”Of course, Sir.” Uma watched Bishop leave the room with a sense of unease, glancing back at the monitor. A pang of guilt tugged at her heart as he saw how small and alone the experiment seemed in the room, but she still sat down in the office chair and prepared herself for the long night ahead.

Chapter Text

Gaichū let out a churr, comfortably resting his head on Companion’s lap as the other slider gently stroked his shell. It was so quiet… but at least Watcher wasn’t going to hurt him here. It was warm and comfortable, and for once Companion seemed pleased with him.

”You know, you’re not too bad when you’re not actively trying to fight me.” Companion commented, giving his alter a pet on the head. “Good boy, buddy. We’ll get outta here. Maybe the silence is a good thing, y’know? Maybe Bishop’s being detained… or attacked by our brothers… hopefully. But you’re being a very good boy.”

Gaichū’s tail began to wag happily at Companion’s praise, nuzzling into his side a bit more. Companion’s face softened and he continued to run his hand along Gaichū’s shell comfortingly. “I can see why the others like you. You’re so calm and sweet… geez, I wonder what they think of me, heh.”

Gaichū glanced up at Companion with curious eyes as the slider continued, unsure of where this was going. “And I mean, you don’t talk either. I know Don is probably thrilled at that. Did you know he gave me a shock collar a couple years ago? Heh, those were the days.” Companion absentmindedly rubbed his neck, and Gaichū watched his hand carefully. “Geez that thing hurt. Had a couple burns, but that’s one of the advantages of being the family medic: no one ever knew. No point in hurting Donnie’s feelings. Besides, I know he meant well but…” Companion barked out a laugh. “But nothing. He’s kinda right. I know I probably talk too much and it annoys them. Not to mention Raph also gets on my shell about being too irresponsible and stuff… he probably likes how quiet and submissive you are. I bet you don’t screw up half as much as me.”

Gaichū let out a small whimper. Companion’s voice was starting to waver slightly as if he was getting upset. What had Gaichū done wrong now? But the closer he looked, the more he realized that the other slider seemed more angry at himself than at Gaichū. “I know they all say that all that is not true but… but ugh! I can’t just… stop thinking it. Every single wrong glance, every time they worry about me, every time they try to change me… I don’t know. It just feels like… confirmation? I guess? It’s the empathy and comfort that seems out of the ordinary. And maybe that’s just another problem with me, y’know? Pfft, who am I kidding? You wouldn’t know. You probably can’t even understand me.” Companion frowned slightly, body tensing up the tiniest bit. “I can’t believe I screwed up that catch. Of all the times to miss something like that, all the times we plays catch or basketball or Wii sports or something… it had to be the key to another dimension containing aliens that would end the world? Like seriously, what are the odds of that. And now a stupid splinter sent me here—must just have rotten luck or something.”

Companion sighed. “I’m going crazy here. Talking to myself. Geez, it’s stupidly lonely in here. At least I have you though.” He let out a weak chuckle. “I feel sorry for you, bud. I don’t enjoy my own company, so I can’t imagine you do. I can’t imagine why any of my brothers would. I mean, what is there to even like? Bad jokes and a stupid smile? But it’s not like I can go any deeper with them. They don’t deserve to deal with whatever crap is going on inside my head. Shell, they can’t know. Do you even know what they’d do if they could hear all these intrusive thoughts? I’d probably get dragged off to the white padded room.” Companion hesitated before adding quietly, almost in a whisper. “They’ll never know. If I decide that I want to… to do that, then it’s going to be quick and certain. No buts, no chance of being saved. They don’t deserve to be worrying about me. I’ll either get through this, or I won’t, but they’re not going to be a part of the decision.”

Gaichū couldn’t quite tell what Companion was going on about, but the dark edge in his tone and the way his eyes were downcast made the slider realize that this was something serious. He whined slightly and snuggled up a bit tighter against the other turtle, making him bark out a weak laugh. “Heh, sorry for the trauma dump there, buddy. I know you can’t understand me but, well, I dunno. I guess it helps to say it to someone. Besides, killing me would also kill you, so I guess I kinda have to think about the upped stakes, right? Can’t do that to my brothers. They love you.” Companion glanced over at the portal, the only source of cold in the room. “I wonder where Mister Third Me is hiding. It’s gotta be somewhere in there if we haven’t seem him yet. Honestly I’m not sure if I want to meet him, but if we don’t find a way to keep him at bay then he might hurt our brothers. And no way am I going to let that happen again.” He gave Gaichū a playful scratch on the head. “You were a real piece of work when we first started, weren’t you? I mean I was too, so I guess we’re kinda even? Or… partially even?”

Gaichū let out a confused chirp, and Companion shrugged. “Don’t mind me. I just like to hear myself talk. Helps me cope. And stay grounded, but whatever, hehe. This room seriously sucks, I mean who designed it? White walls, white floor, bright lights, a stupid food and water dispenser—which I’m starting to doubt works, by the way. I know they’re probably transferring nutrients through the IV, but can’t a guy get a pizza or some soda? Is that so hard?”

Gaichū’s tail gave a tentative wag. It seemed as though Companion’s spirits were lifting slightly, or at least he didn’t seem as close to melting down as he had prior. He churred hopefully and yawned, shivering away from the portal. Companion held him a bit tighter. “Yeah, that thing is cold, isn’t it? At least it’s warm in here… in my mind, hehe…” Companion hesitated. “I should probably go check outside though. It’s weirding me out that it’s still so quiet. I mean, is Bishop on a vacation to Tahiti or something? Where did that creepazoid disappear to?” He stood up, Gaichū whining slightly at the loss of warmth. Companion sighed. “Come on buddy, let’s go out for a bit. We can just check out the scene a bit, then if all is well we come right back. Sound good?”

Gaichū hopped up and trotted after Companion, tail wagging curiously as he let out a few affirmative chirps. Companion smiled slightly and nodded, heading over to the door and trying to twist the knob.

Nothing.

The slider frowned and tried again, yanking and twisting on the doorknob. “What the shell? Since when has this thing been locked?”

Gaichū tilted his head in confusion. Why was Companion getting upset again? Why couldn’t they get out of Friend’s den? Companion more desperately strained himself to turn the knob but to no avail, panic settling into his voice. “Okay, this is okay. Perfectly fine. Why wouldn’t it be? It’s normally unlocked and the way out of here but… but now it’s locked and we’re stuck. No probbles at all, as DonTron would say. Just gotta… twist harder… maybe…” Companion’s face screwed up in irritation. “Okay, nevermind. Not budging. Maybe… some other way out? No chance am I going into that freaky portal again, no sir. Not happening. But… um… UGH!” Companion threw himself against the door, slamming his shoulder into it repeatedly as Gaichū whined. What was going on? The feral slider likewise charged into the door, doing it again after Companion praised him. “Good boy! We just gotta… get out…”

They went after it for a few minutes before Companion finally backed away, panting. “Geez, what’s wrong with this stupid door? Why can’t we—“

The slider stiffened. “Wait… wait. It’s… it is quiet. There isn’t any growling… and the only reason we wouldn’t be able to front would be if—“ Companion’s eyes widened and he threw himself against the door again. “Shell! That other guy is fronting again! We need to get out!”

Uma yawned as she watched the monitors. Gaichū was still motionless and staring at the wall as he had been for the past couple of hours, and she was slightly worried about his lack of movement as exhaustion began to cloud her brain.

The doctor sat bolt upright and rubbed her tired eyes. No, not Gaichū. S-5902. Ugh, why was it so hard to just think like Bishop? Her boss had such a strong mind and a drive to do what he believed was right—it was admirable. She hadn’t met someone as passionate as herself about protecting others in ages, so even though John Bishop was a bit intense she had immediately taken a liking to him. He believed so strongly in the EPF’s mission to protect humankind that she couldn’t help but become his most trusted assistant over time, and their efforts had paid off after the invasion when Sister Kraang had nowhere to be held except for with them.

Uma frowned slightly as she watched S-5902. The problem was that this particular creature was different than the other aliens they had encountered in that he not only possessed human DNA but also seemed more civil than any of the others who were coherent and intelligent. Sister could also speak fluently, but she was very clearly filled with hate for the human species and a threat to all of the people Uma loved so much. But this mutant? He seemed… scared. Not malicious, but more like his main objective was to survive and not to destroy. It was… certainly something to think about. It almost made her feel a sense of guilt to be containing him when she could see no threat in him.

Was it possible Bishop was wrong?

Or maybe that was just too much coffee and too little sleep talking.

Uma’s thoughts snapped back to reality as her eyes detected movement on screen, and she gasped slightly.

S-5903 was awake again.

She scrambled to grab a pen and paper pad, staring intently at the mutant. He glanced around with sharp, suspicious eyes and let out a low growl that sent shivers up Uma’s spine. What… what was this? This was definitely a sharp contrast to his snarky side and his more animalistic side. This was a strange blend of calculating intelligence and deep hatred.

It reminded her of the footage where he first attacked all those men.

She quickly scribbled down some notes, stealing a glance up at the slider and nearly dropping her pen in surprise.

He was looking straight at her.

She stared deep into those eyes, filled with pain and a dark intensity. What was going on with him? And why did those eyes seem so desperately… sad? It caught her off guard for a moment, since she was mostly used to seeing suspicion or cockiness in the mutant’s gaze. This wasn’t even pain—it was like a bone-deep numbness that was simultaneously sad and exhausted. It gave her pause for a moment, watching him carefully as her sensitive heart wrenched. In a split-second decision she stood up abruptly and strode to the door.

She was going down there.

For research, of course.

Chapter Text

The slider breathed heavily as he stared at the strange orb in the top corner of his cage, recognizing it as similar to the glowing eye belonging to that metallic monster in his old home. He didn’t quite know where he was or what the cold pressure was around his neck but all he knew was that danger had to be lurking nearby and he had to destroy the threat.

Because there was never not danger to eradicate.

It was kill or be killed.

And that monster with the spine-tingling laugh would surely be thrilled to find him off guard so he could beat the fight from his body, leaving him broken and shivering in a pool of his own blood.

The slider snarled as memories of crushing tentacles and manic laughter filled his head, glancing around with sharp eyes to see where his enemies could possibly be hiding. He needed to be ready, and if he was lucky then maybe he would make it out on top—the cries of fear and pain silencing those terrified whispers that told him he would forever be too weak to stop those monsters from taking his strength. He needed to be smart about this and prepare for anything.

A sudden groaning and creaking made him snap his head towards the large, opening wall, getting into a defensive crouch as a figure appeared. She had a clean white jacket on, the same color as the blinding cage he was in. She also had light brown skin and black hair, reminding him briefly of his only time of safety.

Darkness.

The monster couldn’t find him in the darkness. He was far too loud while the slider was far too quiet.

The strange woman stepped into some sort of barred chamber separating her from his cage, peering over at him with seemingly innocent and curious eyes. What was she planning? Why was she here? It didn’t matter anyway—if she tried to get close to him he would rip her throat out. She didn’t even have on visible armor. Was she an idiot or simply naive of the way the world worked? Perhaps she was young in her species.

The stranger walked right up to the edge of the metallic bars, watching him with a peculiar expression that made the slider feel exposed. It was too open. Too calm. Too wondering. He hated it and could feel his shell crawling with unease. When was she going to attack? Or was she a distraction until someone else attacked? Nothing was happening even though he was in the presence of another, and he was too smart to be fooled into hoping he was safe.

Nothing was safe.

He would never be safe until he was finally forever alone.

A dark, bitter hate rose up in his chest as the lady carefully unlocked her door and took a tiny step into his cage. He wanted to be alone, but this enemy was standing between him and that delicious thought. He should’ve known that life wouldn’t be that gracious—there was always someone else out there ready to hurt him. First the monster, then those men with the weapons, and now this woman. But he gave no warning growl or defensive hiss—he was better than that. He merely remained still as death, staring at her with dangerous eyes.

”S-5902?” Came here tentative, lilting voice, and the slider frowned. Even her soft tone was a sharp contrast to the gravelly roaring of the monster back in his old home—making his guard raise even higher. What was happening? She was probably quieter to mask her motives and movements—which only added to the slider’s suspicions. “I know you can speak and… and I just want to check on your IV. Are you going to attack me if I come close? Bishop isn’t here, and I promise that I only want to help. I’ll just check the fluids then give you your space.”

Then she waited, watching him with expectant eyes. The slider didn’t move, waiting for her to attack first. They stayed like that for a few moments and he noticed her expression slowly morphing into something more curious and concerned. “Are… are you in any pain? I’m sure a few doses of medication couldn’t hurt, but it would help greatly if you could describe your discomfort. I just want to ensure that your recovery is going smoothly.”

The slider remained perfectly still, and his enemy seemed to grow more uncomfortable as the silence stretched on. Good. It gave him a sense of power to see her squirming while he remained dominant—power shown through his still quietness. Either she would leave or they would fight, and based on their interactions thus far the slider was sure he would end up on top. So thus he remained as he was, watching her with cold eyes.

The woman seemed at a loss for words, clearly wanting to come forward but hesitating at the intensity in his gaze. At least she had some common sense then. Nothing about the slider screamed ‘welcoming’ or ‘friendly’ and he knew it—it was a warning to those who crossed him that he was not one to be mingled with. The monster called it disobedience and it made him angry, but the slider couldn’t understand why if that was the only way he ever acted. The men he fought with had visibly stiffened the second he woke up, obviously having tried to attack him in his sleep.

Which was a big mistake on their part.

At least until he had ended up hurt and pinned down until he slipped into unconsciousness once more.

And he was not one to forgive.

Forgiveness was a weakness he was never shown, and would never show.

He knew the way of the world, and that way was cruel and heartless.

Only the strongest survived, and he was done being the weak one that always ended up broken and wondering why it was even worth the fight.

The woman took a tentative step closer and the slider stiffened, ready to pounce. Was she crazy? Or was the survival instinct inside of her just dead? “Tell me if I’m hurting you, but I just need to check that IV…”

That was it. The slider snarled and pounced, eyes blazing but unable to snap from the strange contraption around his muzzle. She let out a startled gasp and dove backward, but the slider still would’ve reached her had the cold collar around his neck tightened. He hissed as the breath was cut off from his lungs, throat closing as metal squeezed with a couple of irritating clicks. He clawed at the strange collar but it refused to budge, his efforts only making his lungs panic even further. After struggling for a few more moments he collapsed on the floor, body convulsing as he attempted to breathe. Not again not again not again not again…

Click, click, click.

The second he felt soft hands around his neck he snarled and bucked, seeing the woman quickly retreat as glorious oxygen finally returned to his lungs. He chased after her, but the second the heavy chain behind him pulled taut he was yanked back by his neck and felt the collar tighten again. What was going on? What was this… this thing around his neck? It felt like a cold tentacle…

The slider felt rage and hate burn in his chest, mixed with the cold fear that the monster was once again overpowering him. Were his enemies somehow protecting this woman even though he couldn’t see them? He clawed angrily at the constricting collar to no avail, feeling his limbs start to tingle and turn weak. His lungs were screaming, and even though the lady started forward again he let out a growl and she hesitated. But his resolve began to weaken, vision blurring as his need for oxygen continued to go unfulfilled and his body began to fail him. This time when he felt the woman’s gentle hands fiddling with the back of his collar he couldn’t even fight, resentment and bitterness warring with the crippling shame and fear he felt at being so vulnerable.

Finally he heard that same clicking and the pressure around his neck finally alleviated and he took a shuddering breath, relishing in the feeling of air filling his lungs. He lay there panting for a moment, dizziness causing him to momentarily forget that there was an enemy in his midst. A sense of relief flooded him at the glorious sensation of being able to breath, laying there on the ground in the comfortable silence.

No monster roaring after him.

No weapons buzzing with electricity.

Just peace.

But of course that didn’t last.

He heard the smallest clink and leapt up onto his shaky feet, seeing the lady freeze and having just picked a thin, shiny instrument up off the ground. She hesitated. “I… you ripped out your IV. And I don’t understand—how can you move when theoretically in so much pain? You could hardly lift your head earlier—much less be this agile. Please don’t be upset but I need to put this back in…”

The slider snarled and took a threatening step forward—or it would’ve been threatening had he not collapsed from his rebelling limbs which were still weak from the lack of oxygen. The woman hesitated, worry filling her face as she watched the slider struggle. He glared at her, breathing heavily and still suspicious but recalling how the past two times she got close was to ease his suffering. There was no way she was helping him… but there was a slim possibility that she wasn’t actively out to harm him at the moment.

Key words being ‘at the moment’.

Once she saw that he made no move to attack her she very slowly came close again, tentatively grabbing his arm and pressing her fingers into his wrist. She pursed her lips and nodded, moving the cold little sliver of metal next to his wrist. She immediately started talking in a soft tone, watching him carefully. “I’m sorry for coming down here and upsetting you, but I got worried when I saw you weren’t acting like yourself. I didn’t know if it was pain or some side-effect of the medication or even a malfunction in your neural chip… and done.” She pulled away abruptly, and the slider frowned, glancing down to see that small instrument now imbedded in his wrist. His sharp eyes raised to see her backing away slowly, hands raised. She offered a brief smile as the slider glared at her, tense and confused. What was she doing? Backing away in fear if she knew what was good for her, but she had won that. He couldn’t breathe and couldn’t move… why did she help him?

It simply wasn’t… normal.

It didn’t make any sense.

And it was terrifying.

But as he heart rate slowly went down he could feel exhaustion tugging at his mind, overwhelming and insistent. Was he crazy? He couldn’t sleep at a time like this! He needed to be prepared for… for whatever it was she was planning with her fake acts of mercy. But the lull of sleep proved too powerful, and slowly his vision faded to black.

Leo burst back into the real world with Gaichū, panting and adrenaline still pumping from his efforts to break the door down. He gasped and scrambled back as he noticed Dr. Parvati not ten feet away, raising his hands as if to ward off a blow. What the heck was she doing here?

”Woah woah, easy!” He could hear her mutter something under her breath as she took a step forward.

”Don’t come any closer!” Leo snapped at her, and he could sense her freeze in surprise. Gaichū let a whine and pressed his mental presence as close to Leo’s as possible.

”You… you’re speaking now?” She asked, and Leo peeked out from around his own arms. He could feel a fresh sting on his wrist and briefly glanced at it, noticing that his IV had been re-inserted. He frowned slightly as he examined it with critical eyes.

”You know I can talk. Don’t act surprised.” He muttered, keeping his eyes averted as he deftly tightened the cord to the needle and unwound it from around his arm. He could see Dr. Parvati stiffen in surprise as he reached out to adjust a few things on the fluids pouch on it’s stand, wincing in pain. Geez, what had happened? His entire body was aching and his abdomen especially was churning with a sensation that nearly made him sick with agony.

”You… know how to work with an IV?” She asked, sounding surprised, and Leo cringed. Shoot, he probably should’ve left it alone.

”So what?” He turned his shell on her and laid back down, heart pounding and lungs squeezing with anxiety. He could feel soreness around his neck and could only imaging that his alter had tried straining at the collar, tensing slightly at the realization that if Dr. Parvati hadn’t seen the incident that he could’ve strangled himself to death.

Just the stupid mistake of trying to retreat to his inner world while he had another alter on the loose.

How much of an idiot was he to repeat the same mistake with two alters…

He heard her hesitate briefly, not quite leaving yet. “So… so were you just not talking earlier? Or… or why would you rip out your IV when you know…”

”Don’t you have anything better to do? Go suck up to Bishop or whatever it is you do!” Leo quipped bitterly, whipping his head around to see her flinch. Shut up Leo! You want them to leave you alone to go insane again? Is that what you want? His mind growled at him, but he couldn’t quite see her without feeling anxiety form a pit in his stomach.

”…Fine.” She said quietly, and Leo started to turn around before she continued. “If you’d rather talk to Bishop about all this, that’s your choice.”

She strode over to the door, hesitating at the caged-off section. “…I’m not sure what to believe about you. Bishop believes you to be nothing more than a monster, but I am not one to make so firm and quick of a judgement. However I cannot understand you if you won’t let me, and that is your choice. Bishop will be back in the morning.” She started to walk out, but not before throwing one more line over her shoulder. “There’s something different about you than the other aliens. I can tell. You also possess human DNA, so if you are more than what Bishop tells me you are then you will have to speak up. Do not anger Bishop of course, since you are in his territory, but know that I’ll be watching if you wish to make an effort.”

What do you know, Gaichū? Leo mentally mumbled as Dr. Parvati walked out. It looks like little miss Parvati might not be as passive as I thought.

Maybe.

Chapter Text

Leo curled himself up, numbly staring at the floor in front of him. It was so cold in his cage—so, so cold. And lonely. And still.

And silent.

The silence was the worst part because his brain was freaking out and trying to replace the quiet with memories and auditory hallucinations.

He squeezed his eyes shut, hearing Donnie’s voice echoing and calling for him. Mikey joined in, desperate and worried. Raph was roaring in anger upon seeing this place, and a stubborn part of Leo just knew that they’d burst through the door any second now and save him.

But the realistic part of him knew that they wouldn’t.

How long do you think it’s been, Gaichū? He mentally murmured, and he shrunk further when even his internal voice sounded small and weak. Who am I kidding, it doesn’t even matter. Maybe this… maybe this is it. Gotta wait another couple years for them to show up, heh. Or… however long you were in there too.

He heard a little chirp in response and sighed, closing his eyes and focusing on calming both himself and his alter. He’d been through this before. He just needed to adapt.

He buried his face in his knees and turned his shell to the camera he knew was watching him carefully. His heart was aching, and he could hear thoughts whispering alluring fantasies of giving up hope. He didn’t want to—he knew his brothers would never forgive him. Besides, he could recall Casey saying that hope was a ninja’s greatest weapon, the smart kid. Yet at the same time…

Hope was the very thing that hurt him the most.

Sure it kept him sane. It kept him pushing through. It kept fire in his heart and stamina in his muscles. But it also crushed him slowly with every day that passed and nothing changed. As minutes turned to hours and hours turned to days that slowly trudged past him he could feel his determination slipping. It was pathetic really—he had even held out longer than this in the Prison Dimension. However he knew that the reason it was harder the second time around is because he knew what was likely to come.

Years of abuse and torment.

And for what? To come back and hurt his family? To realize that he never truly accomplished that dream of safety because now he was back in captivity again?

His hope in the Prison Dimension had been in vain, so who was to say that he would escape this time around?

He felt like he had sunk to a new low, like having climbed halfway up a hill he had fallen down only for the ground to cave and cause him to fall into a pitch-black cavern. Gaichū at least was here to keep him company, and of course that new alter who tore out the stupid IV and made Dr. Parvati come down here and see him in such a state…

Leo clenched his jaw, mind drawn to the IV.

Or, more specifically, the needle.

After all, he had made a sword out of a splinter, who why not this?

He could’ve kicked himself for not thinking about it sooner—the pain and isolation must be getting to him. Should he risk it? He could design an odachi to try to get home… or even katanas to fight with an break his chains…

Leo stiffened, a dark thought striking him.

”You’ve been portal chopped!”

It had cut off Raph’s mystic arm like it was nothing.

He reached up to feel his neck…

Leo’s breath hitched as Gaichū let out a confused chirp, sensing the darkness shrouding Leo’s mind. The slider allowed his hand to linger a few moments before letting it drop down to the IV in his wrist.

If he turned this needle into a sword, he had two options to escape.

But would have one chance to choose and execute.

Hehe, sorry buddy. Leo could feel tears burning behind his eyelids as he realized the emotion that came with the daydream of ending his life: comfort.

Relief.

Nearly giddiness as well.

How had he even gotten to this point? Well he knew how, but still it was strange to think back on that young slider who was playing with Lou Jitsu action figures and dreaming to be just like him when he grew up. So innocent and hopeful—the very notion of suicide would’ve been appalling and horrible. After all, why would anyone want to die? He had his brothers, he had his toys, he had his entire life ahead! He could be whatever he wanted to be when he grew up and why waste the opportunity—no, the gift of breath in his lungs and fire in his eyes?

It felt like that kid was dead, and Leo never even had time to grieve his passing.

It was just go go go. Life didn’t wait for him to catch up or even give him a time to pause and finish his childhood. He was supposed to be a hero to New York, a good brother to his siblings, and not to mention he was thrust into the world of evil from a young age. He could recall when that reality slapped him in the face—it was when Draxum had thrown him off the roof.

And he would forever resent him for that.

He had been blissfully ignorant to raw cruelty until that sheep had carelessly thrown him out of that reverie.

”These villains are all talk! He’s not gonna actually—“

”Okay.”

And Leo had fallen.

The slider had stared up in shock as he realized that they were no longer kids playing with action figures and watching movies, but raw, broken beings in the twisted matrix that was life. Now he shuddered and let out a quiet sob. When had the world turned from bright dreams to dull survival? A place where people killed other people without a second glance? Where fathers neglected their children and forced them to grow up early? Where the oldest child took the arrows of rejection to protect their younger siblings and did what they had to do? Where villains fought and stole for their own gain? Where those you love could and would eventually die? Where all at once he was looking back on his life like something nearly over instead of forward to all the decades he likely had left?

Where life suddenly felt fragile and fleeting instead of vast and opportunistic, as it had when Leo was falling down that building?

What was the point of escaping if all he would ever know was suffering until he died? Leo curled up a bit tighter on himself as he contemplated his options.

He shouldn’t be alone right now. Not with these thoughts. Not with the silence and pain exemplifying his existential dread and making him feel more alone than ever.

But he was alone.

And there was no one there to save him from his thoughts.

Except for the comforting fantasies of cutting the cord.

”Ah, Doctor.” Came Bishop’s smooth voice, and Uma whipped around to see him standing there with a calm smile. Too calm. “Just the person I was wanting to see. How was the night watch?”

”It was mostly uneventful, Sir.” She stammered, scrambling for her notes. “I wrote down some changes though…”

”Perfect. Thank you.” Bishop glanced at the notepad she handed him. “Hmm… more behavioral anomalies… emotional withdrawal… all to be expected. But do tell me, these were all observed from this office, correct? You didn’t do some more… thorough research?”

Uma gulped. “Um well… I did have to go down there to check his IV cord… Sir…”

Bishop sighed. “And the truth comes out. Did I or did I not give you specific instructions not to go down there? The point of isolation is to break down a being’s sanity and spirit. Visiting him defeats the whole purpose!”

”I know Sir.” Uma ducked her head. “But… but he was behaving strangely and I was worried about potential post-operation complications—“

”That is good of you, Doctor, but he is not a patient in need of bedside service. He is a dangerous mutant in need of behavioral adjustments.” Bishop pinched the bridge of his nose. “One of the agents mentioned seeing you go to his cage, and I must say I was disappointed. That is a liberty that you have not been given, and although I have given you plenty of authority around here I do expect you to be respectful of my organization and how I desire to run it.”

”I… I know Sir. I’m sorry.” She glanced up. “It won’t happen again. However you did place me in charge of the health and wellbeing of all your specimens, and the operations we performed do not come without great risks—even to his life. I was only trying to do my job.”

Bishop considered this a moment. “Very well, but I am telling you now that any decisions that go against immediate training or experimentation must be taken to me first, understood?” He waited for Uma’s nod before continuing. “I have located a client who is extremely intrigued by this mutant’s teeth of all things.”

Uma tensed up slightly. “You… you’re going to take S-5902’s teeth out? And sell them?”

”Perhaps not all, but a few, yes.” Bishop nodded. “That is, if this transaction works out. The EPF could use the extra money, and this way we can still keep the specimen alive. My client is one of a group that hunts exotic creatures for their teeth, calling themselves the ‘Tooth Fairies’. The name itself is strange and childish for illegal poachers, but I am not one to complain if they are willing to pay for it. I am going to meet with him and need you to watch over the EPF while I am gone, but I need to know that I can trust you to not fall victim to pity for my specimens.”

”Oh.” Uma straightened in her seat, taken aback. “How… how long will you be gone?”

”No more than a few days.” Bishop told her. “I am hoping to keep S-5902 in isolation until he is physically able to move on to the next stage of experimentation. I would very much like to test his stamina and strategic abilities—not to mention delve deeper into the strange happenings of his personality switches. But he is too stubborn at the moment to be of any use, so this time will be good for him. I leave tomorrow morning, and while I am gone I will require twice-daily reports and will send agents to check up on you and the mutant. Can I trust you with this?”

Uma hesitated briefly. Bishop was leaving her in charge of the EPF? It was so sudden, and yet it did give her a sense of relief that he was at least willing to let Gaichū recover a bit longer before pushing any physical limits. And in the meantime she could observe the mutant and hopefully gain a better understanding of him. “Yes Sir, I can handle it. You can count on me.”

Chapter Text

”What do you mean, all of those sites were a bust?” Donnie ground his teeth together as his breathing grew heavy, the world spinning around him.

April looked at him with concern. “I mean that me and Case scouted out all of those potential locations for the EPF and found nothing. I’m sorry Don—he’s still missing.”

”He can’t ’still be missing’, April! It’s been a week!” Donnie stood up angrily. “An entire week that my twin has been trapped in the hands of those monsters and we just can’t find him? Really? Is there some new EPF dimension I’m unaware of? Is that it? They sent him off into the void?”

”Hey, it’s not my fault!” April defended. “You can be upset, I get that, but don’t take it out on me! We’re all doin’ the best we can!”

”Well it’s not good enough!” Donnie turned abruptly and kicked his chair, not only succeeding in toppling it but also in painfully stubbing his foot. He scowled in pain and hopped around, clutching his wounded appendage while glaring at his offending chair. “Stupid chair!”

”Um, stupid you! Did ya really think that would work? You designed it to be sturdy!” April sighed and took a step forward. “Look Dee, I know you’re scared for Leo and we all are too. But we’re gonna find him because he never has and never will be alone. Anata wa hitori ja nai. We’re going to find him.”

”You’re darn right we are.” Donnie growled, staring at his overturned seat as he stiffened slightly. “Just like we saved him from the Prison Dimension. Only we were still far too late.”

April’s eyes softened. “Gaichū?”

Donnie sighed sharply. “Scoff, yes. Who else would I be talking about? He was in there long enough to develop an entire second personality and… and he was all alone. He probably thought we forgot about him or just… just left him in there. You can see it in his eyes every time he’s around us now. He’s more… guarded and stiff. Like he doesn’t belong in our home anymore. Which is complete and utter bull-word-I-can’t-use-around-Raphala.”

”Look Don, Leo’s tough. And we’re all doing the best we can—“ April hesitated as Donnie scowled and turned away abruptly, stalking to the other side of the room. “Um… you good over there? No sorry—stupid question.”

Donnie let out a few angry clicks as he dug at his eyes, and it took April a minute to realize that there were little tears leaking out from behind his knuckles. Her demeanor immediately melted into more of a concerned older sister as she took a few strides toward him. “Oh Dee…”

”Shut up! I’m not… I’m not crying!” Donnie growled, turning to keep his shell towards her. “Just… just go… do… something… he said eloquently…”

”Donnie, it’s okay to cry. It’s scary to have your twin missing for so long.” April soothed, gently coming up and placing a tentative hand on his shoulder. When he didn’t flinch away she turned it into a hug, resting her head on his battle shell and making sure to be ready to pull away at the first sign of discomfort. “We’re all scared for him.”

Donnie’s entire body began to tremble as he tried desperately to stop the saltwater flooding from his eyes. “S-stupid d-d-dum-dum t-tears… I’m not s-s-scared, okay? J-just… shell I hate Bishop so much… and I h-hate that N-N-Nardo is still with him and I hate th-that we can’t find him…”

”I know.” April murmured. “I know Don. It’s okay to be scared.”

”I just said that—!”

”Anger is a secondary emotion, Dee.” April squeezed her honorary brother a bit tighter when she felt his breath hitch. “It’s easier to process than things like fear or grief.”

”G-grief?” Donnie rasped. “He’s not d-d-dead!”

April shook her head. “You can grieve someone who is still alive, Donnie. You said it yourself—he’s not the same since the Prison Dimension. You can mourn the carefree times you would have together—those moments you would both laugh until your stomachs hurt, sharing secrets under the covers when you couldn’t sleep, arguing about which Jupiter Jim movie was the best… you can grieve the version of your brother that you lost.”

Donnie let out a strangled cry, doubling over slightly to hug himself as emotions wracked him. April frowned in sympathy and walked around him so that he could cling to her instead, burying his face in her shoulder and body shaking with sobs that ripped from his throat uncontrollably. His sister hummed a gentle melody as Donnie cried, running her hand along his battle shell knowing that he could feel the vibration underneath. “It’s okay, Donnie. It’s hard to realize that you’re no longer the same as you once were. That those moments you never gave a second thought to were more precious than you could’ve ever imagined while you were still so young. That those times are gone and you’ll never get them back—and that they were sorely taken for granted.”

”He’s not the same anymore.” Donnie whimpered. “There’s… something broken in his eyes. In his smile. Even his laugh comes out more forced and doesn’t last long.”

”I know Don. Ever since the Prison Dimension—” April murmured, but Donnie shook his head.

”It wasn’t just the Prison Dimension! That’s what pushed him over the edge but…” Donne’s jaw clenched. “Sigh, I’ve seen the signs. He’s just been fading over the past few years but… but I didn’t think about it. I didn’t think about any of them. Raph and Mikey… they’ve changed too. And I hate it. I don’t want them to change. Mikey isn’t the curious little brother he was anymore—he’s more serious. More thoughtful. He seems to understand everyone on a deeper level even though it wears him down. There’s this searching look his eyes when he talks with us that makes me feel like he can see right through me. Then Raph… he’s always been protective but now he seems weary. Like… like he can see danger everywhere even when nothing’s wrong. He even walks differently, his footsteps are more heavy and slow like he’s always tired.” Donnie dug at his eyes. “They’ve all changed so much and I don’t get it and I hate that I don’t get it and don’t know how to help them or stop it…”

”Oh Donnie.” April felt emotions fill her own chest as he rambled on. “I know it’s different and strange but… but you’re all growing up.”

”But when did it happen?” Donnie gripped her tighter. “I try so hard to understand them, and just when I do they start to change? Why is life so hard? I… I had hoped that we’d all stay the same forever. That they’d always be there—Mikey dreaming in his carefree way, Nardo having fun and making the most of life, Raph watching over us and beating us in games… but especially after the invasion they’ve all just changed so much. We can’t go back to the way we were—not after seeing something like that.” The soft shell felt more tears burn his eyelids. “I couldn’t protect them. I couldn’t stop it.”

”I know, Don. I know.” April squeezed her eyes shut. “It hurts me too. Just seeing how awful and cruel the world can be, realizing that those you love will get hurt and will die one day, seeing the changes in others and feeling the change in yourself… I can feel it too. I mean, I’m eighteen! I’m an adult! When did that happen?”

Donnie let out a wet laugh. “Yeah. You’re old.”

April managed a weak smile, tears trickling down her cheeks now. “Yeah, ha ha. But… but I’m still here, you know? I’m still your sister, I’m still the same person. Just… older, and I understand things more than I used to—even things I wish I never had to learn. Your brothers are the same too, you hear me? Mikey is still fun-loving and sweet-hearted Mikey, just maybe a little more aware of the darkness in the world. Raph is still your older brother who will always be there for you, just more battle-weary than he used to be.” Her arms tightened around her little brother. “And Leo is still your twin—just broken. That doesn’t mean that he can’t heal with all of us helping him. He might never be the same, but we can learn to get used to and love this new normal and our new selves. I wish y’all had more time to live out your childhood, but life is like that sometimes. It sucks. It gives you heartbreak and pain beyond what you could’ve ever imagined you’d experience.”

Donnie let out another sob, and April gently maneuvered him so that he could look her in the eyes. “But you listen to me, and listen well. We still have each other. And we ain’t goin’ anywhere. Bet on it.”

Donnie’s heterochromic eyes searched hers and only found firm resolve; a certain fire that not even an apocalypse could put out. She was still here fighting like the April O’Neil he had always known, and she was right—his brothers were still his brothers and they were all there for each other no matter what. There was a bond between them that nothing could break except themselves.

And Donnie wouldn’t let that happen.

”I love you April.” He whispered hoarsely, bringing her back into a fierce hug.

April smiled. “I know, you dum-dum. And I love you too.”

Chapter Text

”I’ve got it!” Donnie burst into the living room, a triumphant grin on his tear-stained face and April close behind him. “Listen up peasants—we’re going to the EPF tonight!”

”Wait, what?” Mikey nearly fell off the couch. “You found Leo? And were you crying?”

”Completely irrelevant!” Donnie hesitated. “And no, I have not found Nardo yet but I have hacked into the main EPF system and managed to acquire some entry passwords to get us into important offices. At best we find information regarding my twin’s whereabouts. At worst we trash the place and call it a night. Either way it’s a win-win scenario!”

”That’s great news!” Casey grinned and stood up, hair wet from a fresh shower Raph insisted he took after searching for Leo. “So what’s the plan?”

”Woah woah woah slow down!” Raph’s chasm deepened. “So we goin’ to the EPF? Or just Casey and April because of our whole situation? And Casey how are ya so on board already?”

The future boy shrugged. “I’ve gone on search and raiding missions with less notice.”

”Less notice? How—“

”Well my Donnie wouldn’t even tell me where we were going. Just ushered everyone into a tunnel or something and told us to move.”

Raph pinched the bridge of his snout. “Right, of course he would.”

”Um, hello? Big mission ahead?” Donnie waved his arms frantically before shouting down a tunnel. “Dad? Did you hear me?”

”Yep. Let me know if you need me.” Came Splinter’s reply from the TV room, and Donnie bit back an irritated remark before continuing.

”To answer your question, Raphala, yes April and Casey Junior are gonna be our main scouts.” Donnie explained. “They will go in and while distracting the guards they will deploy my mini spy bots into the building so that we can gain access. I was thinking we could also bring Cassandra—“

”Cass is coming?” April exclaimed at the same time Casey gasped, “Wait is that my mom?”

Donnie hesitated briefly. “Right, she is the past version of your maternal guardian. Well congrats on a soon-to-be reunion, he said very enthusiastically, and anyways—“

”Don this is a big deal for Casey!” Mikey protested. “At least give him a sec!”

”No… no I’ll be fine.” Casey looked back up at Donnie. “What’s next?”

”Is no one gonna talk about this kid’s terrible emotional processing?” Raph nearly shouted. “It’s healthy to take a moment to think about, oh I don’t know, meeting the past version of your mom?”

”Leo’s more important! We’ve got a mission!” Casey frowned. “I can think about all that later.”

”I bet you learned that from Leo too.” Raph muttered.

”CAN YOU GUYS STOP INTERRUPTING ME FOR FIVE SECONDS?!” Donnie exploded. Once everyone froze and looked at him he nodded in satisfaction. “Perfect. Anyways as I was saying before so rudely spoken over, Cass will enter the building disguised as an EPF member. Mikey and Splinter can tailor the uniform.”

”I’ll do what?” Came Splinter’s surprised call.

”You said you want to make a move tonight?” Mikey frowned. “I don’t think—“

”Shush, Angelo! Genius speaking!” Donnie huffed slightly. “She can assume the identity of an EPF member who had a very tragically short life…”

”Donnie!” Raph yelped, and Donnie scowled.

”Ahem, I mean an EPF agent who unfortunately was unable to make it into work that day but forgot to call ahead.” The soft shell cleared his throat. “She will listen and observe—eventually bringing into the conversation the mysterious location of the aliens. Meanwhile I will be controlling the bots from the Turtle Tank where the rest of us will be hiding and ready to take action should things head south. Capisce?”

”Sorry Don, this is such short notice! I don’t think we can get an entire uniform made by literally tonight!” Mikey pleaded. “Especially seeing as it is three in the afternoon already! And I don’t know about the material or design…”

Donnie hesitated before sighing. “Fine. Tomorrow morning then. That gives me time to get the uniform you need to tailor as well from the… unfortunately unwell agent. But we’re going to the EPF as soon as we can and we’re going to find my twin no matter what it takes!”

”You’ve got that right!” Mikey grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Those guys are gonna get a little piece of Dr. Delicate Touch if they don’t give us back our brother! Leo’s gonna be safe and back where he belongs and we can continue helping him and Gaichū learn to work together!”

”That’s the spirit!” Casey had a slightly bittersweet expression tainting his smile, a far away look in his eyes. “After all, hope is a ninja’s greatest weapon.”

Leo stared at the ground in front of him. He was so cold, and the frigid temperature was doing nothing to help his mental state. How long had it been? Days? Weeks? Time was blurring together and life was seeming more and more bleak.

Like an obligation rather than a gift.

Gaichū was starting to get anxious as Leo could tell, occasionally whining or prodding at Leo’s mind as if attempting to jar him from his numbness. The slider at first had sent back soothing mental encouragements but even those were becoming more automatic and less heartfelt. It was so quiet and still in his cell—the lights never even flickered and no outside sound reached him. It was stupidly depressing and Leo began to question if anything else even existed or if it was merely a fever dream.

Hours ticked by in torturous monotony, interrupted only by Gaichū’s worried chirps and his occasional shudder from dark thoughts spiraling into a desire for action. He needed to do something to ground himself, but at the moment movement felt impossible with how numb and under-stimulated he was. How could he move when he wasn’t real? How could the ground support him if it was nothing more than a relative visage?

Leo hesitated briefly before finally grunting and shifting so that his shell was to the ominous camera in the corner of the room. He then gently massaged his IV, feeling that delicious sting as the needle adjusted in his wrist. Gaichū let out a strangled whine and Leo winced, closing his eyes and murmuring soothing thoughts. Sorry buddy. I know it hurts.

Gaichū whimpered, wondering why Leo was hurting him and what he had done wrong. Leo inwardly cursed but tried to smooth it over. I’m not mad, Gaichū. I’m sorry. But even that small act of pain was addicting and gave Leo a giddy rush throughout his entire body. He felt his mind sharpen and a little happy feeling shiver down his spine. He wanted to do it again but didn’t want to upset Gaichū further.

The slider hesitated, glancing behind him at the camera. He couldn’t help but wonder if Bishop was watching him, or even just Dr. Parvati. He couldn’t quite tell what was the deal with her, but the small amount of grounding that he gave himself—however unhealthy—was making him think a bit clearer. She had told him that she wasn’t entirely convinced of his lack of humanity, and that if he wanted her to help him then he’d need to be the one to make an effort. Leo took a deep breath, considering his options. Was it worth it to try and talk to her? Or should he just let himself slip away?

He had an opportunity either way… should he take it and risk getting hurt again?

His life was in his hands.

And his brothers were waiting for him.

Uma stared at the screen, stomach twisting into knots as she observed Gaichū’s numb expression and distant eyes. After he had turned his shell to her she wasn’t quite sure what he was doing or planning, but had watched him with bated breath. Bishop was gone—off to meet those tooth poachers—and all she was told to do was watch the mutant. Make note of any observations and do not approach him again.

Uma sighed and leaned back in her chair. It should be easy. She was in control of her emotions and was a grown adult capable of following protocol. She and all of New York City had witnessed first hand what happened when aliens got out of control, so why couldn’t she get over this particular specimen?

”Hello?”

The doctor nearly jumped out of her seat, heart pounding as her eyes snapped back to the screen where she had thought she heard a muttered inquiry. The slider was still turned away from her, but it was undoubtedly his voice. “Hello? Look, I don’t know if you can hear me or whatever, but this is just ridiculous. I’m not an alien. I grew up here in New York and saved their ungrateful butts more times than I can count, heh.”

There was a pause, the silence obviously making Gaichū falter. “I’m not a threat or whatever Fancy Suit thinks I am. I’m sixteen years old.”

Sixteen?

Uma sucked in a sharp breath, eyes fixed on the slider. He was… taking a huge risk. What if it had been Bishop here instead of her? But he was doing what she had asked… and was a child.

Assuming he was telling the truth.

”Look, I don’t know if you can even hear me or whatever but I have a family I need to get back to. They already lost me once and I can’t do that to them again. I love them too much for that.” Gaichū continued. “They’re probably worried sick. I hate hurting them or making them scared for me, but it sometimes just happens. Kinda my fault, but I had to do what I did. So if you can help me… please do. Please.”

Uma was stunned silent by all the information. Sixteen years old? A family? Worrying them? Her head was spinning with an empathetic desire in her to go comfort him with how broken his voice sounded and fear over Bishop’s reaction if she disobeyed him. She had bills to pay and a reputation to upkeep.

But in the long run, what was more important? Her job or her conscience?

In a moment of heart-racing decision, she stood up and started for the door.

Chapter Text

Gaichū whined in worry as Companion’s words trailed off, sensing the despair in his friend’s mind. He whined and tried to get close to that invisible presence as he could, chirping in hopes that it would lighten the mood. Companion churred in response, and Gaichū’s tail wagged in nervous excitement. “What do you know, Gaichū? No one came and I probably gave Bishop some tasty details into my life. Looks like this stupid isolation stunt of his worked…”

There was suddenly a groaning sound as the large doors began to open one by one at the front of Gaichū’s den, and Companion’s head snapped to it in suspicion. Gaichū felt anxiety knotting in his stomach in worries that Watcher had returned to hurt him, shrinking back in his mind. But instead of the cruel man in the suit it was Helper, looking slightly timid but determined. She strode in with purpose, eyes filled with searching empathy. Companion seemed to freeze as he looked at her, hesitating before speaking. “Oh… you came.”

”I told you I would, didn’t I?” Helper took a tentative step forward. “You seem much more tame than earlier. Why the change? And were you telling the truth or just trying to get me to come down here?”

”I don’t know how wackadoodle was acting when he was fronting, but that wasn’t me.” Companion let out a slight huff, ignoring Helper’s look of confusion. “And yeah, I was telling the truth. I’m sixteen and am not a monster like Bishop’s treating me as.” A beat of silence before he added: “At least I’m trying not to be.”

”I’m afraid I don’t quite understand…” Helper finally closed the distance and kneeled in front of Gaichū, peering into his eyes. “Someone else was ‘fronting’? And you mentioned you have a family… other mutants? Adoptive parents?”

”Heh, one thing at a time.” Companion replied in a lighthearted tone, but Gaichū could sense the wariness. “You said you could… help me? Get out I mean?”

Helper bit her bottom lip, glancing behind her. “Yes, but only if you cooperate. I only want to understand.”

Companion was silent a moment, and Helper frowned. “I thought you wanted to prove to me that you were more than one of Bishop’s specimens. This is your chance to do so. I am listening.”

”Okay yes I have a family! A biological family.” Companion finally admitted, leg bouncing nervously. “I’ve got brothers, a sister and a dad. Well, technically I guess my sister isn’t biologically related to me and my dad more like a DNA donor… but still. They have to be worried sick about me and they’ve already been through so much.”

”You mentioned that.” Helper leaned closer, eyes softening. “Is… is your family life okay? Or was it something else?”

Companion looked at her askance. “Family life is fine—well as fine as it can be. You think it’s really dandy being a mutant in New York City? And did you notice the giant alien invasion or what?”

Helper winced. “Yes, yes I suppose that was a silly question.” She was silent a moment as if waiting for Companion to speak up, but when he didn’t she sighed and sat down next to him. “You know, I also have siblings and parents. My parents are back in India—where I was born—but me and my twin brother moved here for college. I studied biology and anatomy, eventually getting my doctorate in medicinal studies. My brother went on to study psychology and now works with the FBI.” Helper’s voice grew a bit quieter. “It’s been a few years since I’ve seen him, and longer than that since I’ve been able to visit my parents. I miss them.

”…I have a twin brother too.” Companion said quietly, and Helper smiled at him.

”Is that so? What’s his name?” She asked gently, and Companion averted his eyes. Gaichū whimpered slightly as he felt Companion’s thoughts drift to Alpha, a bittersweet longing accompanying the memories.

”Donnie.” The slider finally muttered, and Gaichū whined again with worry. Helper frowned in concern.

”It’s okay, I know it’s hard to miss family…” She began to coo, but Companion let out a sharp sigh.

”Of course I miss them! But that wasn’t me whining like a baby.” He muttered.

Helper hesitated, understanding beginning to dawn. “Do… do you have Dissociative Identity Disorder? Is that that you were talking about earlier? The ‘fronting’ and ‘not you’? Am I understanding you correctly?”

Companion sighed and nodded bitterly. Helper’s face was willed with empathy and realization. “That… that actually makes so much sense. The personality switches… who am I speaking with right now?”

”The only one that can talk.” Companion shrugged, and Helper hesitated.

”Is your name… Gaichū?” She asked tentatively, and Companion shook his head even as Gaichū perked up, causing a strange sort of whiplash that made Companion wince.

”Ow—no. That’s my alter. He’s also fronting with me right now.” He hesitated before finally saying quietly. “My name’s Leo.”

”Oh.” Helper hesitated briefly before nodding. “Well… thank you for letting me know. And it’s good to meet you, Leo. And Gaichū as well I suppose.”

Helper was saying his name! Gaichū chirped in nervous excitement, tail wagging as he inched closer to the lady, who flinched away. Companion cringed. “Sorry… he kinda likes his name. And neither of us will hurt you—that’s the new guy.”

”How many of you are there?” Helper asked tentatively, holding still and with bated breath as Gaichū churred and curled up next to her. She placed a careful hand on his shell, and Gaichū shivered with happiness. It felt so good to be pet again—it was so cold and lonely in this strange den. “Is this okay?”

Gaichū felt Companion tense up slightly before forcing down the discomfort. “Gaichū likes it. It’s probably good for him to have some contact again.” Helper nodded and relaxed her hand as Companion continued. “And there’s just the three of us—me, Gaichū and now this third one who’s only fronted a couple of times. But I can’t communicate with him yet so… so I don’t know if he has a name or anything.”

”I see.” Helper nodded. “And if you don’t mind me asking… when did this develop? Or at least how long have you had it?”

”Every since the invasion. Kinda.” Companion let out a humorless huff. “I don’t know the exact time to be honest.”

Helper didn’t pry at Companion’s cold tone, instead dropping the subject. “Thank you for telling me. And I know it can’t be easy to have such an intense disorder develop during these teen years.”

”Heh, tell me about it.” Companion sighed. “But I mean, I guess I kinda overreacted in the beginning. Gaichū isn’t as feral as I thought—he’s just scared. He seems to think Donnie is the ‘Alpha’ or whatever, and that bugs him to no end. But he’s always going on and on about wanting someone to obey—something I hate but can’t really change. It’s all stupid Prime’s fault.”

”Prime?” Helper questioned, but immediately backed up when Companion flinched. “My apologies, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want!”

”No it… it’s fine.” Companion sighed. “Kraang Prime. The big ugly gum-wad who was kinda like the leader of the Kraang and the overseer of the invasion.”

”Oh… one of the two who got away.” Helper breathed. “We have the one known as Sister Kraang here.”

”Don’t remind me.” Companion hesitated. “Bishop’s not… not going to make me face her, right?”

Helper shook her head vehemently. “No, Bishop is gone at the moment. And we can get you out of here before he gets back if you will let me help you.”

Companion’s head snapped up. “Yes… yes can I go now? Please?”

Helper hesitated, a pained look in her eyes. “I’m sorry. Not now, but very soon. I need to come up with a plan to get you out of here first since all the other agents know that you’re supposed to stay. Perhaps… perhaps your teleportation could help? And if you don’t mind me asking, what was that?”

”It’s just something my family can do. It’s something passed down through our heritage.” Companion frowned. “And I could try to make a portal but… well… it hasn’t been working right recently.”

”What do you mean?” Helper followed Companion’s gaze to his hands, wincing as she saw the burns. “Oh sweetheart…”

”Yeah. So my ninpo has kinda been burning me recently…” Companion chuckled nervously. “Kinda because I’ve been a bit sick… and overused it…”

”I assume your ‘ninpo’ is those abilities you mentioned.” Helper nodded decisively. “Then the first thing I can help with is raising the temperature. We can try to get you well enough to use your portals, and in the meantime I will work on an additional escape route.”

”Additional escape route?” Companion frowned. “Can’t you just like, I don’t know, let me outside?”

”It’s not that simple—“

”Dr. Parvati? What is gong on in here?” Barked a startled voice, and all eyes snapped to the door where a tall man with one of those painful sticks was standing. He started forward. “Bishop told me that you weren’t supposed to come in here again…”

”It’s not what it looks like!” Helper stood up abruptly, and Gaichū whined at the lack of her warmth. “Bishop told me to stay away unless there was a medical concern, in which he gave me an exemption.”

”That’s not what I heard.” The agent started forward again threateningly, and when Helper tensed up Gaichū immediately leapt to his feet with a snarl. How dare this human threaten his friend? Was he going to hurt them? But the warning growl was a bad idea, because on instinct the man raised his stick…

And Gaichū’s vision went black.

The slider burst back into reality angrily, on high alert and glaring at the man who dared to try to attack him. Light bristled from the tip of the weapon, delivering a burning shock that made the turtle yowl in pain. Someone was shouting in worry, but the slider paid her no mind as he lunged for the man with the stick, watching in satisfaction as he dove away from him.

Click click click!

He let out a strangled yelp as the collar tightened around his neck, yanking him backwards painfully. He choked and writhed, trying to get up until a scolding tone met his ears.

”…I told you it was a medical issue! He’s recovering from surgery and shouldn’t exert himself like this!” Came the familiar voice of that woman who had loosened the collar. “Do you know how long it took for him to finally let me approach?”

”I… I’m sorry Doctor…”

”’Sorry’ doesn’t change the fact that he needs to breathe in order to recover!” The woman’s gentle hands began to fiddle with the contraption around his neck.

The strange man hesitated. “Are you… feeling well Doctor?”

The woman sighed. “You’re right… sorry. I took a night shift to watch him and then I’m concerned about how Bishop will react if he comes back to find his specimen dead or ill…”

”Hey hey, you have nothing to apologize for. I shouldn’t have scared him.” The man began to back away. “I was just… misinformed I suppose. Just be careful, okay? These aliens are dangerous.”

”Don’t worry, I will be.” She told him, loosening the collar and finally allowing the slider to breathe. “And once again I apologize for snapping, since you were only doing your job. I’ll be out in a minute.”

The man exited the room, and the slider glared up at the strange woman. What was she doing here? The most confusing part was that she was still here even while he slept and hadn’t hurt him—even defending him from the cruel human attempting to attack him. She offered a smile, keeping her movements slow. “It’s okay… I won’t hurt you. I promise.”

The slider remained cold and frozen, waiting for her to make the first move. But to his surprise she only slowly got on her knees and ran a hand over his shell. He stiffened immediately, starting to growl but feeling a strange sort of pleasure from the action. He tensed up, watching this woman’s every single move. Her eyes filled with empathy. “Oh you poor thing… you must be that third alter. I can only assume you’re not used to comfort or kindness if you’re this hostile. Perhaps that was your function in the system.” She gently stroked his shell again. “I wonder what you three went through…”

The slider finally backed away, suspicion and confusion twisting his stomach. Enough of this strange neutral exchange—when was she going to reveal her true motives? Why was she being so gentle if not to lower his guard for something unthinkably cruel? She sighed and backed away, hands raised in a calming gesture. “Fine… I’ll go. But don’t worry, we’re going to get you out of here. You’ll be safe soon. And I’m sorry you ever ended up in a place like this in the first place.”

Chapter Text

”Alright, Case.” April took a deep breath, smoothing out her formal suit and slacks. “You ready for this?”

”Yep!” Casey adjusted the bulky camera on his shoulder and straightened his cap. “Geez, it’s weird being in a world where people actually watch the news and record things again. In the future it’s just trying to survive another day.”

April frowned. “Y’know, you’re always goin’ on about the future… if you ever need to talk or get anything off your chest we’re all here for ya. It sounds like you’re not quite over all that stuff yet.”

”Oh, no I’m fine!” Casey chuckled, shyly taking a step back. “Sorry if I’m talking too much. I’m ready to go in whenever you are… I don’t have to talk, right?”

April hesitated a moment before sighing. “Well, if ya ever need to process then you know where to find me. But yeah, let’s go and you don’t have to say anything if ya don’t want to.” She took a deep breath before flashing an award-winning smile and opening the door, backing into the office and loudly declaring: “And this is April O’Neil reporting live from the Earth Protection Force’s main office here in the heart of New York City! Stay tuned and we’re going to see if the monstrous kraang they possess is as terrifying by itself as one as it was with three!” She whipped around and held up the phony microphone to stone-faced guard. “So tell me Sir: where are they keeping this mysterious ‘Kraang Two’?”

”We do not allow filming of any kind in here.” He said gruffly, and April gasped.

”Oh? Care to share with the public what secrets this mysterious operation is keeping from them?” She smirked mischievously as Casey moved a bit closer with the camera. “Don’t be shy—you’re on live television! And I’m sure our viewers will be very interested to hear what you have to say about the EPF! I mean, this place was once ridiculed as a collection of…” She pulled out a notepad and squinted at it. “‘Paranoid conspiracy theorists and animal abusers’, but now you’re the talk of the town as the ones who were able to save the city from the Kraang Invasion! No one had seen that coming, am I right? What are your thoughts on that catastrophic event?”

”You two need to leave. Right now.” The man reiterated, voice tinged with a hint of impatience this time. April turned to the camera with a grave expression.

”You know what they say folks: silence is more often than not a sign of truth-avoidance.” She said solemnly.

”I don’t know who you’re referring to by ‘they’, but I am pretty sure no one says that.” The man scoffed. “You and your friend need to get out. This is a private building.”

”I’ll leave when I’m good and ready to leave, thank you very much!” April crossed her arms. “I’m a reporter! I’ve got deadlines to meet! News slots to fill! Stories to sell! This place is all the gossip right now, and I’m here to spill the beans!”

”You leave me no choice.” The man took out his walkie-talkie. “Security to main lobby!”

”I have a lawyer!” April jabbed a finger over her shoulder. “And Casey knows ninjitsu.”

”I what?” Casey blinked at her blunt admission, not having expected to be brought into the conversation. “You’re just gonna tell him that?”

The man sighed. “And bring backup.”

Cassandra Jones deftly hopped through the window and into the darkened office, gently setting down the piece of glass she had just cut through. O’Neil and that random new guy had just gone in and would hopefully distract security while she slipped in and tried to find any information around the blue turtle.

She wondered who that new kid was anyways and why he looked at her so weird.

But she wasn’t one to dwell on stuff like that.

”Purple Knight, I am inside the building.” She hissed into her radio, and heard a cackle of delight on the other end.

”See guys? That is how you properly use code names!” Donnie’s voice glitched through. “Well done, Maroon Rook. I believe you are currently in a meeting room if these schematics and your tracker is correct, and I had you enter there because they had a gathering today to update some things and I hope that the information is still in there.”

”Ten-four.” Cass nodded and started towards a cabinet in the corner of the room. “We will find the blue turtle, and I will destroy anyone in my path.”

”That’s the spirit!” Donnie praised.

”You sure she was the right one to send on this mission?” Came Mikey’s hesitant voice, and Cass sighed.

”Don’t fear, if I am caught I will not mention your name and will swallow poison to cover our tr—“

”NOTHING THAT EXTREME!” Raph hurriedly interjected. “Look, if you are about to be caught, abort mission. We’ll try again, but we can’t lose more people to these creeps.”

”Affirmative. Find information but take them out before they can take me in.” Cass corrected and heard an exasperated sigh from the other end, likely from Raph.

”My brothers are being kinda lame, but yes. Just find anything relating to Nardo and report it back to me.” Donnie’s voice grew slightly strained with intensity. “More specifically: I need to know where he is. Find his location.”

”Got it.” Cass frowned and stood on her tiptoes to peer into the top drawers and at the file names with a penlight before moving down. They all appeared to be routine stuff such as schedules, staff information (at which she peeked to see if there was any information on her identity), and emergency drills.

”Nothing in—“ She began, but then she frowned at one of the staff’s information. “Actually, here’s something interesting. It appears that Steven Rhondyke is on their ‘transfer’ team, and that he reported a successful move of ‘S-5902’ to Location B a couple weeks ago. His office is room H19.”

”That definitely does sound promising… go to his office next.” Donnie decided. “You are currently in room D27, so you’ll need to find an elevator to go up.”

Cass nodded, hiding a grin. Finally some action! Nearly clicking her heels on the way out she covered her face with a helmet and exited the room casually, glancing around blankly. “Um… Purple Knight…?”

”Turn left.” Donnie immediately piped up. “Then take your second right and it should be at the end of the hall.”

Cass nodded and followed the soft shell’s instructions, stiffening slightly when she passed a lingering security guard but relaxing when he simply nodded at her. Once in the elevator, however, she grimaced when she saw two armed EPF agents inside.

”’Morning, Ramona.” One of the men nodded at her. “You coming to help with those reporters down in the lobby?”

”Uh… no, it sounds like you’ve got it covered.” Cass replied, trying to pitch her voice slightly higher to match the voice sample Donnie had given her. “I was told to switch with the Floor H security while their guards help downstairs.”

”Yeah, makes sense.” The other guard chuckled. “Geez, those reporters are relentless. They keep going on and on about wanting to see S-3415… oh the things they do for publicity.”

”Yeah, I’ve seen her ugly mug up close when they were preparing her for transfer and I’d be content never to have that experience again.” The first guard shuddered. “Those aliens are something else, let me tell you. Good thing she’s stuck on that island now and won’t be botherin’ us here at this office. I hated keeping her in the Waiting Facility.”

”Yeah. That thing can scream loud!” The second guard barked out a laugh. “When Bishop and Parvati came to pick her up with the Transfer Team she was causin’ such a racket! But good thing she’s their problem now.”

”Yeah, good thing.” Cass echoed before the reached Floor H and she got out, waiting for the elevator doors to close before whisper-shouting. “You heard that, Purple Knight?”

”Loud and clear.” Donnie’s voice dripped with bitterness. “Sounds like S-3415 is Sister Kraang, which hopefully means that S-5902 was Nardo.”

”And they mentioned an island… that would make sense why you couldn’t find the second location yet.” Cass added. “Hopefully this office will have more information.”

”My thoughts exactly.” Donnie agreed. “It should be on your right.”

Cass followed the soft shell’s instructions and located the office, scanning her access badge (or Ramona’s access badge, courtesy of Donnie) across the slot.

Access denied!

Cass frowned, scanning again. The same error popped up and she cringed. “Um… Purple Knight? It’s not letting me in.”

”It must be a private office then. Curse the stupid EPF and their high-tech security!” Donnie hissed. “If you give me a second I can try to bypass it…”

”Ramona?”

Cass whipped around to see an agent standing behind her, head tilted to the side. “Why are you trying to get into my office?”

”Ummm…” Cass straightened. “Just needed to grab something really quick. Boss’s orders.”

”You think he’d ask me to get anything out of my office.” The agent stepped closer. “And why try if you know you can’t get in without my card?”

”Well, I thought I might spare myself a trip and see if you had left it unlocked.” Cass lied, and inwardly grimaced as the man’s grip tightened on his electric gun.

”They auto lock. You know this.” He stepped yet closer.

”Hm, how unfortunate. Anyways if you could maybe bring up that strange other location now…” Donnie began, unbothered, before he was interrupted.

”ABORT MISSION! NOW!” Shouted Raph, and Cass hesitated.

”Well? Got anything to say?” The agent’s voice grew a bit deeper with suspicion. “What are you even doing up here, anyway?”

”Casey, get out of there!” Mikey worried. “Look, we know Leo is likely on an island somewhere and we can try again another time if Donnie can’t find anything!”

”But it’s all guessing! She’s already in there and so close!” Donnie protested. “S-5902 could be anyone! And what if there’s more than one location?”

”We’ll be in even more hot water if she’s caught, Don!” Raph barked. “Cass, abort now! That’s an order!”

Cass hesitated briefly before sighing and ducking her head. “You’re right… I’ll go now. Apologies for worrying you, Steven.” The agent visibly relaxed slightly at the use of his name, but didn’t say anything else as she walked away.

Chapter Text

Uma hummed gently to herself as she tucked a blanket inside of her medical duffle bag, adding in an IV pouch of painkillers and some medicine to help Leo with his fever. She was lucky that she rarely lied—all the agents had believed her when she told them that Bishop had finally given her and her alone permission to visit with S-5902 for medical purposes. A small part of her brain had cringed at having to share so blatant of an untruth but for the most part she was certain that she was doing the right thing.

After all, her conscience had felt worse when she was denying the empathetic understanding that screamed Leo was just as human as she was.

She glanced at the monitor with a frown, noticing the eerie stillness of the mutant as he watched the door with wary eyes. So it appeared that that third alter was still fronting… she wondered where Gaichū and Leo went when they were gone. She had done some frantic research on DID the second she had reached her desk, and now it had been a couple of hours but they still hadn’t switched. She had hoped to wait until Leo was awake so he could be more compliant with the IV but it appeared that it wouldn’t happen any time soon so she had to move now.

Besides, this alter had to be in tremendous pain but was simply used to it.

What a relief it would be to learn what a healthy comfort felt like.

She strode with purpose out the door and to the elevator, mentally reminding herself that she needed to look like she was supposed to be doing this. She needed to appear to be on a mission and kept the nervousness out of her expression when she passed other agents. They would never know or suspect a thing as long as she kept her cool, and Leo needed her to pretend so she could help him.

There was a sixteen year old counting on her.

A sixteen-year-old who belonged with his family.

The slider glared silently at the door, not daring to move an inch. Moving meant a waste of energy, sounds meant distractions. He needed to focus in case any enemies came in to attack him again.

How had he even gotten into this strange cage he had no idea, and he hated that. He hated that he couldn’t recall why or when he had moved and hated that so much went on while he slept.

But hate wasn’t a new feeling for him. In fact, the emotion seemed to have been infused into his very bones. It was all he had known, after all. But that strange woman was invoking some strange… new feelings inside him. Confusion was definitely at the top—he couldn’t understand why anyone would be so trusting and naive. He was very clearly hostile and not in the mood to socialize, yet she still chose to help him with her soft hands and gentle voice. The worst part?

A small side of him actually hoped that she would be the one to walk in the door next.

She was quiet and calm—the opposite of the loud, angry monsters that always tried to hurt him. It had made him distressed at first, wondering when she would inevitably snap and go for his throat, but it had never happened. She had visited him more than twice and yet was still the same gentle person she had always acted like.

Which meant that she was tremendously stupid.

But it also meant that maybe she was stupid enough to be kind in such a cruel, hateful world.

Suddenly he heard the sound of the doors opening and he stiffened, eyes snapping to attention as he waited for whatever was about to spring at him. But to his disorientation (and slight relief), it was once again that same woman looking at him with that kind smile. “Hey sweetie… I’m not going to hurt you. I promise. I brought some stuff to help you… would you like that?”

The slider remained still but he didn’t growl this time, not feeling the need to warn this stranger of coming too close. Her face visibly brightened as he merely watched her unlike usual and took it as a sign to come closer. She kept her footsteps slow and her movements predictable, daintily kneeling down beside him and starting to open her bag. It emitted a strange bussing sound and he immediately growled, head raising to stare at it. She froze before shifting the bag so he could see the top. “Sorry… it’s just the zipper. Do you see? It makes that funny sound when being opened.”

The slider narrowed his eyes but accepted the explanation, warily eyeing her as she withdrew a large, flat thing from it’s carrier and unfolded it. He sniffed it experimentally, noticing how soft it was when his beak brushed against it. He let out an involuntary churr, raising his head in surprise. What… what was that thing? It felt so… comforting. So soothing. So unlike the rocky terrain and painful beatings he was used to. She smiled. “Do you like that? Here… easy now… I’ll stop if you don’t like it…”

The soft object was gently pulled over his shell and he released a rumble of pleasure, sliding his head back to hide a bit more efficiently. It was perfect. Enemies wouldn’t be able to see him when he was disguised like this, and it was much more comfortable than hiding under a crag. He possessively tucked himself all the way under the heavenly object and peered out suspiciously at the woman, who was watching him with pleased eyes. “I thought you’d like it. I do wonder though… can you understand me?”

The slider frowned. She seemed to be asking him something… at least her voice wasn’t harsh. But there was no way he’d fall for that trick. Every creature made strange, unique sounds to express emotions… was she trying to make him communicate with her? She was waiting so patiently that after a moment he decided to indulge her with a small chirp. Her eyes widened and she leaned down. “Is that a yes? Or… or are you saying something? Do you speak English like Leo or… or not…?”

Too may questions. He let out a disinterested huff and tucked into his shell, hearing her sigh. “Right… sorry sweetie. I’ll be quiet now if you want me to.”

The slider peeked out to see her still sitting next to him, not quiet doing anything but just remaining in his presence. He narrowed his eyes. What was she doing now? She gently began to hum some sort of tune… the foreign, melodic sounds emitting a sort of soothing feeling. He hesitated briefly before scooting closer and once again retreating into his shell. She let out a small chuckle and rested her hand on his shell.

He immediately stiffened. Contact meant pain. Was this her finally trying to hurt him? But her touch wasn’t… harsh or cruel. It was soft and gently and… and almost companionable. He remained still for what felt like forever, waiting for her to either move away or try to attack him but it didn’t happen. It was actually making his hypervigilant mind start to tire, slipping away into a comfortable rest.

Leo’s body spasmed as he tumbled out of Hueso’s office with Gaichū, and he immediately realized that he wasn’t alone. Dr. Parvati was sitting there and looking at him with concern until Gaichū let out a happy chirp of recognition and nuzzled her. Her face immediately changed. “Gaichū? Leo?”

”Hehehehe, yep.” Leo flushed as Gaichū churred and popped out of his shell, and the slider noticed the soft blanket around him. He sat up, pulling it tightly around his shoulders and shivering. “Thanks Doc.”

Dr. Parvati barked out a laugh. “No need to thank me, sweetheart. I’m glad you like it, and you can actually call me Uma.”

”Uma?” Leo tilted his head, and she nodded.

”Yeah, that’s my name.” She chuckled. “That’s what my friends and family normally call me. Dr. Parvati is for co-workers.”

”Uma.” Leo thought a moment before nodding, and scooting closer to her. “I like it. It’s pretty.”

”What, no snarky remark?” She teased gently, and Leo huffed.

”Too tired.” He muttered, not quite wanting to admit that he was actually enjoying her company. “Why are you even down here again? Just to give me the blanket? Or… or can I go…?”

Her face saddened slightly. “Sorry Leo… I’m working on it. The other agents think I’m in here for medical purposes and wouldn’t let me just take you out—which isn’t exactly a full lie. Speaking of I brought you some supplies…” She rummaged around in her bag. “Your other alter doesn’t quite understand… but do you mind keeping Gaichū still while I change out the medicine? I’ve brought you some painkillers and some other things to help with your fever.”

”You’re a lifesaver.” Leo watched her start to add another pouch. “Want me to help with that? I can work on the cord or something.”

She glanced down at him. “No… no you can relax. I can fix it.” She hesitated. “But how do you…?”

”I was kinda the family medic.” Leo shrugged. “Only thing I was good at really, hehe. And even then I’m sure the others could do it ten times better especially with Casey around.”

Uma frowned and Leo winced. Shoot. “I mean… I guess I just kinda fell into that role because Don was squeamish and Mikey was too little to understand at that point and Raph was already the leader and stuff…”

”I’m sure that’s not the only thing you were good at.” Uma said, voice filled with a touch of newfound firmness as she moved to the cord on his wrist.

”Well you don’t know me.” Leo protested, and she glanced up at him.

”You said that they miss you, didn’t you?” She finished with re-taping the needle down. “I think we both know that that means something. It clearly shows that you are a great brother who is loved and cared for by your siblings.”

”I wouldn’t say that…” Leo hesitated, images of Mikey’s wounded arms and Raph’s eye and Donnie’s shell flooding back to him. Gaichū whined and tried to get close to Leo again.

”We all make mistakes.” She smiled. “And you’ll have plenty of time to make up for them once we get you back to the mainland.”

”Yeah about that…” Leo frowned. “What about you? When I leave…”

”Don’t worry about me. Maybe Bishop will be mad, but it will be worth it.” She gently began to run her hand along Leo’s blanketed shell. “No matter what happens at least I’ll be able to look at myself in the mirror and know that I did the right thing and that you’re back with your brothers where you belong.”

Chapter Text

”I suppose this is the place.” Bishop stared up at the wrought iron gate that read ‘DOCTOR A. NOE’ across the top of a decorative tooth design while across the bottom it added: ‘CENTER FOR DENTISORIAL ARTS’. The gate was supported on either side by tall brick pillars with a tooth statues on the top.

The gate was opened by two men with what appeared to be tooth-themed guns (Bishop was beginning to doubt the legitimacy of this meeting by the second) who guided him up to the front door, knocking in a peculiar pattern.

”Ah, welcome in, Agent Bishop.” The door to the intimidating mansion was opened wide once Bishop’s presence was recognized, revealing a man with neon green glasses in front of several long scars on his face and a neat white coat. “We Tooth Fairies have been expecting you.”

Bishop wrinkled his nose at the name but nodded curtly, backed by some of his own men. “A pleasure, Dr. Noe.”

”Please, call me Alex. Take a seat wherever you like.”

”Thank you, Dr. Noe.” Bishop properly sat down in one of the chairs facing Dr. Alex Noe’s desk, noticing the awkward falter in the poacher’s demeanor before he nodded and sat in his own seat. “I hear that you are interested in exotic teeth, correct?”

”Why yes!” Dr. Noe grinned. “We’ve got quite the collection, you see. We’re dentists, after all, but I realized that my true passion was to collect teeth rather than clean them. However people seem to have an issue with you trying to remove their unique incisors. Pity.”

Bishop was silent a moment, trying to process the unfiltered eccentricity of this man before he cleared his throat. “Um… right. Of course we all have our interests—I am in the business of hunting down aliens. Speaking of which I have quite a few options for you…” Bishop snapped and one of his agents began to rustle around in a briefcase. “A strange phenomenon we have discovered is that some of the aliens we contain do not have ‘teeth’, per say, since the food is different on different dimensions. Nutrients might be filtered through bacteria in the air or by breaking down the food once it is in the stomach… or even in one dimension there is no need to eat at all as the atmosphere preserves one’s body in a sort of stasis or animated suspension. But we do have some if you are interested.”

”Why of course I am!” Dr. Noe greedily grabbed the photos offered to him and began to sort through them. “Any snaggled or oddly shaped teeth are especially fascinating to us…” He trailed off to a stop, frowning as he squinted at a photo. “Wait a second…”

Bishop stiffened. “Yes? Did you find some you wish to purchase?”

Dr. Noe’s eyes widened. “This is one of the creatures we spotted with the majestic Sasquatch!”

Bishop frowned. “I am unsure of whether or not you are joking.”

”How dare you even suggest that I would joke about such a creature as the squatch!” Dr. Noe snapped before slapping down the photo of S-5902 onto the table. “I’ve seen him before, clear as day! Except he was wearing these ugly brown clothes and some sort of white gel on his beak. Hideous thing stole the squatch from me right before I was about to claim my prize of his glorious teeth!”

The agent hesitated briefly, glancing down at his mutant. In the photo S-5902 was tied to the gurney right before the muzzle was administered—a perfect shot of him snarling to show off his pearly whites. Those angry heterochromic eyes and striking red crescents on his face… it would be hard to mistake this creature for any of the other mutants in the picture. “You say you… you saw this creature? Where? And was he… with anyone?”

”Yeah, he was with three other creatures like him. I managed to capture a few photos… ah thank you.” He snatched the photos from a fellow Tooth Fairy who had brought them to compare. He slapped them down, hand lingering on the photo of what appeared to be an alligator snapping turtle mutant with a red bandana—likely one of the turtles Bishop had caught on camera. “This one’s snaggle tooth is absolutely dazzling, if only I could meet them again.”

Bishop eyes swept over the photos with a scrutinizing eye. There was S-5902 obviously and the snapper, but there were also two more that he could get a better look at. One of them had it’s shell covered in what appeared to be a wooden substitute so that it was hard to determine the species, but it seemed to be roughly the same size of S-5902 and had the same heterochromic eyes but mirrored instead. Fascinating. Then there was the smallest one—perhaps a box turtle determined by the bright orange spots. He had a matching orange mask and a bright look on his face—full of youth and exhilaration from all the action.

”So? Do you have the red one as well or just the blue one?” Dr. Noe asked impatiently, and Bishop swallowed hard.

”Just… just the blue slider…” He began, but there was something happening in his chest. His heart was pounding and his lungs were burning all of a sudden at the realization that there were more of these feral beasts somewhere in New York—probably hunting for their fourth member and perhaps just as savage…

”Agent Bishop?” Dr. Noe prodded as Bishop sucked in a sharp breath, unable to stop his arms from shaking. He immediately dropped the photos and lowered his hands under the table to hide it as he looked up with a composed expression. “My apologies… these were from New York, correct? Not some exotic adventure?”

”Nope. Here in this very state.” Dr. Noe leaned back. “But I’m sure that the blue one knows where the red one is hiding.”

Bishop hesitated. “What are you implying?”

Dr. Noe leaned forward. “I know that your time isn’t cheap Sir… but I am willing to pay to speak to this mutant if you would let me. In addition to his teeth as well—because who am I to pass up the teeth of such an astonishing creature?”

Bishop hesitated. Bring this buffoon to the EPF’s hidden Location B? It would cost him a few extra days of travel to arrange everything, but at least Dr. Parvati’s twice daily reports had been positive so far. Of course he could be blindfolded… and perhaps the interrogation would yield some helpful information…

”Fine, I’ll allow it. For a steep fee, of course.” Bishop tapped the photos on the table. “But in exchange I will also get to keep the photos. Deal?”

”You have yourself a deal, Doctor.” Dr. Noe grinned and shook Bishop’s outstretched hand. “A pleasure doing business with you.”

”Okay okay… we can go off of this.” Donnie paced back and forth in the living room. “Nardo’s on an island somewhere… and they’re obviously treating him like one of their sick experiments.”

”S-5902.” Raph scowled. “They didn’t even have the courtesy to give him a real name. That’s just a ridiculous number that they’re callin’ Raph’s brother!”

”Poor Leo.” Mikey whimpered. “I bet that feels so… dehumanizing.”

”Which I believe, Angelo, is their goal.” Donnie grit out. “They want to make him feel like nothing—like some worm underneath their ugly boots that they can do with as they please.”

”But at least we’ve got something to work with, right?” April piped up hopefully, and Donnie gave her a look.

”Ah but of course, he said without a hint of sarcasm. After all, the ocean only covers approximately seventy point eight percent of the earth!” Donnie’s voice started to raise before he caught himself. “Lucky for us I don’t think that Bishop would’ve gone too far away from New York’s coast if they were able to transfer Nardo so quickly. So since the Turtle Tank can turn aquatic… pack it up. We need to go look for Nardo.”

”Finally, some more action!” Casey grinned.

”Agreed. LET’S GO DEMOLISH SOME CREEPY WACK-JOBS!” Cass pumped a fist in the air, and Casey glanced at her sideways before shaking off his shy smile and turning back to Donnie.

”All for it, but we do have to be prepared for whatever we find.” Raph reminded, and Mikey frowned.

”Um… you mean finding Leo and some alien hunters?” The box turtle asked, and Raph hesitated.

”Leo hasn’t portalled away yet. Maybe he just hasn’t gotten his hands on anything sharp… but he might be hurt or sick.” The snapper murmured, and the air in the room seemed to drop a couple of degrees as everyone thought about that.

”If those numbskulls did anything to Nardo then they’re dead.” Donnie growled, hands clenching into fists. “They’ve already earned that stupid location a good demolition, but once Nardo gets out then he’s gonna tell me names and I’m gonna make a list. And believe me—they’d better hope they’re not on it.”

Chapter Text

Leo glanced over at Uma, who was typing on her laptop while she sat next to him. She had brought the device down here to continue with work, insisting she was comfortable. “You know… you really don’t have to stay down here with me.”

”Isolation is terrible for one’s mental state. Especially in a stressful environment.” She frowned and brushed the back of her hand against his forehead, feeling for his temperature. It was a motherly gesture that almost immediately put Leo at ease even though he had never had a mother of his own to coddle him when he was sick. It was strange how one could feel nostalgia for something they had never experienced, he thought briefly, thinking of all those times when he or his brothers fell sick and Splinter hardly came to visit.

Especially as they got older and he deemed they could take care of themselves.

Gaichū seemed to appreciate the touch, churring and nuzzling into her hand. She smiled and scooted closer, allowing him to lean against her as she continued to work. “Your fever is still far too high. How did you explain your ninpo works again?”

”Well it’s just… in me I guess. And it connects me to my brothers.” Leo murmured, eyes falling shut. “But making portals is pretty draining… I don’t know, it just hurts when my body isn’t up for it.”

”That’s understandable. I might not know the inner workings of such an ability, but I imagine that your young body isn’t quite made for the unnatural phenomenon.” She continued typing with one hand, the other tracing his shell gently. “Bishop won’t be back for another few days, by the way. He’s planning on bringing visitors with him.”

Leo stiffened. “Visitors? To what, to show me off or something?”

Uma cringed, grip becoming almost protective. “I believe those are his intentions, yes. But I won’t let that happen.”

”… How can you stop them?” The slider intoned.

Uma sighed. “I am hoping to get your fever to break soon… but even if your body is not up for portalling I can at least hide you. I could even try escaping with you and taking you back to your home, but that would be more risky.”

Leo hesitated. “I mean… that… that could work. A portal home would probably take the most effort, but I could suck it up and teleport to you if you have my other sword.”

Uma glanced down at him. “Your other sword? You mean the ones in Bishop’s office? Back at Location A?”

”Yeah… or I can make new ones.” Leo’s eyes darted, a plan already forming. “If you take my sword with you it will serve as like… kinda an anchor? Then I can use the other katana to portal to wherever you are.”

”So that’s what you were doing that first day.” Uma breathed, thinking back on the memory. “Teleporting. That could definitely work… but it would be suspicious if I tried to leave this location. Perhaps we could smuggle it onto a ship though…”

Leo was silent a moment. “You… you did mention that. About us being on an island.”

”Yes?” Uma tilted her head.

”When did I get here? When I escaped outside there was just these weird creepy walls.” Leo glanced up at her.

”Well, you were transferred here for your surgery. When you were sedated.” Uma explained. “We have three locations: Location A is our main containment facility back at the docs where we keep most of our specimens for examination, then they come here to Location B where we have our bigger lab and more cages for once we’ve logged the specimens and they can be transferred, and Location C is our office in the city. You first appeared in Location A, then for such an intricate surgery we brought you here.”

”But my cage never changed.” Leo reminded, and she let out a small huff of amusement.

”It did, actually. We just keep everything looking the exact same from location to location for psychological purposes.” Uma stiffened slightly. “The atmosphere is meant to be under-stimulating and monotonous, meant to keep the specimen’s mind in a sort of sluggish and wary state of timelessness. Hence no lights out or clocks or anything.”

”Well you succeeded.” Leo shivered. “It seriously sucks in here. I wish Mikey was here to paint the walls or something… and even DonTron’s lab looks better than this!”

Uma’s face softened. “Yes, I bet you do wish your brothers were here, don’t you? They sound wonderful… I wish I could meet them one day.”

”Heh, you’d probably like them. Mikey especially.” Leo smiled fondly. “You kinda remind me of him actually… just way more calm.”

”Do I?” Uma chuckled.

”Yeah! I mean, Gaichū’s definitely the most comfortable around him… probably because he’s so kind and understanding. And also really creative and empathetic.” Leo’s heart ached and he suddenly averted his eyes. “Shell I miss him so bad.”

”You’ll see him again.” Uma began to rub his shell comfortingly again. “And your other brothers too. Do you hear me, Gaichū?”

Gaichū perked up, and Leo shrugged. “He can hear you, but I don’t think he can really understand you.”

”He can’t?” Uma frowned.

”No, he doesn’t talk or anything really. He’s kinda like a puppy or something I guess.” Leo explained, ignoring the way Uma’s frown deepened. “He obeys whoever he believes is his master, just wants to be good so he isn’t punished, is really touchy feely and affectionate… that sort of thing.”

”So… do you communicate with him in that way?” Uma intoned. “Like he’s a… a pet?”

”Well yeah I have to!” Leo sighed. “What else am I supposed to do? He’s always worrying about upsetting people and hoping to be obedient and thinking about Kraang Prime as his master—which is sickening by the way—… I just tell him no or stop or whatever and try to keep him comfortable and calm.”

Uma was silent for a moment, thinking over what he said. Finally she spoke up, voice tentative and quiet. “I can understand the temptation… after all you’re just going with the way that he acts.”

”Exactly.” Leo nodded decisively, but her next words gave him pause:

”But don’t you think that you’re enabling him?”

”What?” Leo’s head snapped up towards her, and she hesitated.

”I don’t mean to be rude but… but he’s you.” Uma glanced down at him. “I decided to give you another chance because I believed there was more to you than some feral animal. And you proved to me that you’re just as human as Bishop and I. So why not Gaichū?”

”Yeah. I’m basically a human. Gaichū was Prime’s pet!” Leo protested, and he felt his alter grow confused at the constant use of his name.

”He’s traumatized.” Uma corrected gently. “Look… I’ve been here a long time. I’ve served by Bishop’s side and encountered various kinds of life forms… and I’ve watched them slowly lose theirselves from the conditioning. In order to train or examine some of our specimens we had to assert control as one would over an animal or a prisoner—teaching them that humans were masters and they were under our control. Teach them dependency on us. It was for our own safety so that they would not harm us or try to attack us, kind of similar to the way a zoo might teach the most ferocious beasts to commingle with humans. But you… your mind works as mine does, and that means Gaichū’s does too. Just because he is broken or conditioned does not mean that he cannot unlearn those habits to embrace his humanity.”

”But… but he’s not like me!” Leo spluttered. “You didn’t see the way he just bit my dad or attacked my brothers!”

Gaichū let out a whine, sensing Leo’s distress. The slider grit his teeth together. “Good boy Gaichū, it’s okay.”

”’Good boy’?” Uma sighed. “Leo… he’s you. This is just his trauma and conditioning causing him to act in ways that no human should ever have to behave as. It’s… it’s terrible the way his surroundings stripped him of his dignity and pride. Stripped you of your dignity and pride.”

Leo felt the breath rush away from his lungs as memories of Prime came back to him—all the humiliation and begging and games… it made him sick to his stomach. Prime had treated him like a plaything to be used. As entertainment in that endless hell of a dimension. Not even his brothers knew the full story, but by meeting Gaichū they had a pretty good idea. He had been broken time and time again, sanity slipping away as his desire to die and escape from that never ending nightmare caused him to disassociate further and further until he lost himself.

And Gaichū was born.

”Leo?” Uma worried. “I’m sorry… I did not mean to upset you. I am only saying that I do not think it is healthy or fair to Gaichū to be treating him like the animal he was made to believe he is. He deserves the same respects as you or I… he just needs to learn.”

”No offense, but you don’t know what it’s like.” Leo muttered, mind still reeling and heart feeling way too heavy as it pounded against his ribcage. “You don’t know what it’s like to just wake up with a monster inside your head and I just finally got the hang of it…”

”You want to be in control.” Uma said quietly, and Leo stiffened. “I can understand that. Why else do you think Bishop is so determined to make his specimens break? He wants them to believe they are under his boots—a tactic based in fear of being overcome by them again…”

”Hey!” Leo practically snarled, shoving away from her and glaring at her with wide, angry eyes. “How dare you compare me to him?! How dare you?”

Uma raised her hands in surrender, expression melting into regret and worry. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to upset you…”

”Oh, you think you know me soooo well don’t you?” Leo let out a low chuckle, knowing he was being cruel but feeling that raw ache in his chest at the guilt he felt and sickening dread that maybe she was right and he was turning into the very monsters that hurt him so badly. “You… you think that I’m just another Bishop? Huh? Just another Prime? That I’m some sick dictator dehumanizing my own alter just for my own comfort?”

”No… oh sweetie no…” Uma shifted to rest on her knees as she looked at him. “I did not mean that at all. I am only saying that you cannot heal if you do not accept Gaichū as a part of yourself. As the wonderful, intelligent, half-human being that he is. That you both are.”

”What, so just because your brother has a degree in psychology or that you’re some doctor that you think you know what’s best for my stupid mental state?” Leo hesitated, realizing how ridiculous that question sounded. “Let me rephrase: you have no idea how hard it is to keep Gaichū from hurting everyone I love! And now I have this third wack job who’s even more ruthless and… and maybe I… maybe I am a monster…”

”Sweetheart…” Uma hurried forward as Leo sank down, bringing his knees to his chest and making himself small. “Darling don’t say that…”

”But it’s true. Gaichū and that other one… they’re crazy. And then maybe I’m just as bad for not wanting to deal with them like you said.” Leo’s voice cracked and he grimaced, turning his head away from Uma and ignoring Gaichū’s mental efforts to comfort him. He felt so cold… so cruel. The feeling wasn’t new though—more like the raw, dull soreness from a wound that had scabbed over but been irritated again.

He had hated himself for a long time before this.

Gaichū and the new alter? They were just extensions of a consciousness he loathed. A life he viewed with bitterness. A being that always seemed to let those he loved down.

He hated his own guts.

He hated himself so badly it hurt.

Gaichū started whining, prodding at Leo’s mind and nervously bouncing around, making it hard to focus as his alter seemed to weave in and out of his active consciousness, not so much worried about fronting as he was understanding what was going on. Leo felt a wave of irritation, wanting to snap at Gaichū to shut up but knowing it would only make matters worse. He knew Uma was probably right, that Gaichū likely could be taught proper mannerisms and a more civil way to behave, but the notion of having another equal alter in his head was terrifying. Gaichū was easy to control as long as Leo was recognized as a friend—he just needed to say no to make his alter stop and good boy to make him calm down and so on. But what would happen if Gaichū realized that he had choices? What would happen if his alter realized that this body was just as much his as it was Leo’s… or that disobedience and autonomy didn’t get him punished?

What would happen if Gaichū became someone that Leo couldn’t control?

Or worse, couldn’t measure up to?

How would that even work? Who would front? What if Gaichū turned out to be someone Leo didn’t want to be and then forced him to do things he didn’t want to do?

Sharing his brothers… sharing his memories… sharing his actions…

”I can’t.” Leo mumbled. “I can’t let go.”

Uma hesitated. “Is it okay if I hug you?”

Leo nodded tightly, and Uma wrapped her arms around the slider. Leo hated feeling small, but thinking about how much his life was falling apart made him feel like a worm underneath Prime’s mech suit. He knew that in order to heal he needed to accept and start to merge memories and consciousnesses with Gaichū, but he didn’t think he was ready to do that.

Or if he’d ever be ready to do that.

Because if he let his guard down?

He’d cry.

And he wouldn’t be able to stop.

Everyone seemed to think it was so… easy. ‘Just open up’, they said, ‘just let us in and let us help you!’ But what they didn’t see was just how broken Leo was. It wasn’t just a matter of mere stubbornness—he knew that if he busted a hole in his dam then there would be a flood.

And those he loved would drown.

There was so much he was keeping contained… so much that he shoved away into the darkest closets of his mind… and he was terrified that if he stopped holding together the pieces of himself that he would finally shatter to the point of no return. He knew he had to hurt in order to heal and feel everything he’d been suppressing, but he also doubted that he was strong enough to go through the pain to see the other side.

This numb, empty shell that he had become? It was better than the agonizing wreck he’d be if he faced everything that he’d gone through.

”Shhh… sweetie everything is going to be okay.” Uma soothed, and her thumb brushed a tear away from Leo’s eye when had he started crying? as she held him close. “It’s okay to go slow… I don’t know what you’ve been through but whatever it was you didn’t deserve any of it. You hear me? You are so, so precious Leo… oh goodness I wish I could just wrap you in a blanket and make you forget all of the trauma life threw at you. But you’ll make it out of this. I can see it. You’re so strong already… all three of you are.”

”I don’t feel strong.” Leo muttered, and her grip on him tightened.

”I know you don’t… but none of us have it figured out darling. None of us.” Uma’s voice trembled, and Leo stiffened. Was she crying too? But her hug was too tight for him to pull back and confirm. “I’m going to get you out of here. And you’re going to see your family again. And you know what? You’re going to be just fine. Because I can see it in you now: the wonderful future you’ll have if you only hold on. Oh sweetie the world can be so cruel to young hearts… but you’re going to be okay. Do you hear me? You’re going to make it back to your family and you all will be okay.”

Chapter Text

Uma took a shuddering breath as she felt Leo relax against her at long last, tears dried on his face and leaning comfortably on her shoulder. He was so… young. So vulnerable. And yet here he was dealing with things that no one should ever have to experience.

Her heart also ached for Gaichū. Leo had been vague on the details of his abuse and always spoke for his alter, never quite giving Gaichū the opportunity to even learn how to covey or understand what he was feeling. Could the young slider even comprehend the extent of what he had gone through? Could he even feel the hurt of it if he had never known any better?

Or was life just this endless torture to endure for the unattainable goal of keeping everyone happy and avoiding abuse?

Then of course there was that third alter. Never speaking, never letting his guard down. The poor slider didn’t even seem to have a name. What had happened to this teen? She could understand how he didn’t wish for his alters to get out of hand of course, but it couldn’t be healthy. And besides being sedated, when did he ever sleep? When one was gone the other took up the body’s shift… it had to be exhausting. But at least Leo had dozed off on her shoulder and could get a little sleep before he decided to deny his own self basic necessities. She gently guided him down to a laying position, adjusting the blanket around him to make sure he was comfortable. She was about to pick up her laptop again when she heard a sleepy chirp and looked down to see the slider blinking up at her. She sucked in her breath and softly murmured her inquiries. “Leo? Gaichū?”

Gaichū tilted his head slightly at his name and Uma smiled, running her hand over his shell in the way she knew he liked. The slider churred and rested his head on her lap and she nearly melted. “Good boy sweetie…”

She suddenly stiffened. What was she saying? She was starting to sound like Leo! She hesitated briefly before changing her tone. “I’m so proud of you Gaichū. You’re being so strong through all of this.”

The slider’s tail began to wag, and Uma’s eyes softened. “Can… can you say your name sweetie? Gaichū?”

Gaichū tucked slightly into his shell, and Uma felt her chest squeeze. “It’s okay darling… no one is going to hurt you. Can you say Gaichū?”

Gaichū couldn’t understand why Helper kept repeating his name like that. She seemed to be asking him to speak like Master would… was she also trying to trick him? To make him think he’s safe before squeezing his throat? He let out a whine and snuggled a bit closer to her, pleading for mercy.

”Oh sweetheart…” Helper hesitated a moment before gently tapping his head to get his attention. When he looked up at her she held up a hand, almost looking like she was pinching something in the air. But it seemed intentional so he did his best to pay attention. “G.” She then held up a sort of fist, fingers folded over and thumb up on the side. “A.” She continued making these strange motions in the air. “C. H. U. Gaichū. Can you try?”

Gaichū watched her blankly, and she gently grabbed his hand, hesitating at his lack of fingers. But then she began to adjust the strange gestures to fit his three-fingered hand. “See? There’s G. A. I. C. H. U. That’s your name. Can you try? Gaichū.” She put all the hand motions into a sequence. “Can you try slow? G. Just like this.” She adjusted his hand before letting it fall back down. “Now G. Can you do it?”

Gaichū hesitated, tilting his head. But when she held up her own hand in that strange pinched position his tail gave a little flick of interest and he tried to copy it. When he did, her face absolutely lit up with delight. “Good boy! No… no good job, Gaichu! You did so well! Can you do it again? G.”

This time Gaichū held up his hand on his own, knowing what to do. She nearly squealed and gave him a tight hug as he squirmed excitedly. “Good job sweetheart! You’re doing so, so good! Can you try A now?”

Gaichū held up his hand in the same way, and she hesitated, gently readjusting his fingers to a new gesture. “That’s a G… this is A. A. Can you try it? Like this.” She held up her own hand for him to mimic and repeated her praises when he succeeded. A giddy glee was flooding all of Gaichū’s senses, causing him to let out little chirps and clicks and he trembled with barely pent up energy. Helper was happy with him! He was being a good boy!

They continued the routine, her showing him signs to copy and him complying best he could. By the time they got to ‘U’ he was nearly flapping his hands with exhilaration and Helper was positively beaming. He almost wanted to get up and run around the room excitedly but all his focus was on Helper and making her happy.

”Good job Gaichū! Now put it together.” She slowly repeated all the motions he’d been taught into a sequence. “Can you try darling?”

Gaichū’s beak scrunched up in concentration. This one was harder, but he watched closely and copied the best he could. She let out a small cheer and gave him a quick squeeze. “Good job! That was perfect! Gaichū. That’s your name!” She pointed to him and signed what she had taught. “Gaichū. G-A-I-C-H-Ū. Gaichū.”

Gaichū excitedly opened his mouth to repeat the familiar sound but stopped himself just in time, instead repeating the signs in hopes to make Helper forget his near-slip-up. She smiled fondly at him and pointed at herself. “Uma. U…” She held up her pointer and index finger close to each other. “M…” She formed a fist and stuck her thumb between her pinky and fourth finger. “A.” She repeated the familiar sign with his name and Gaichū excitedly copied the sign. She giggled and repeated the three gestures. “Uma. That’s my name. Uma.”

Gaichū nodded and signed her name. He was starting to understand how this worked… she wanted him to copy her hand signals. He could do that! And they seemed to be associated with things… he just needed to remember. She adjusted the cozy fabric around him and brought her hands up her chest to just below her shoulders, palms facing herself. “Blanket. This is a blanket.”

That was easy! Short and simple… too simple? He hesitantly repeated the sign and she nodded. “Yes! Blanket!” She gave him a pet on the head and began to point to other objects around the small den or in her bag and Gaichū copied. By the time he started to feel overwhelmed he knew ‘Gaichū’, ‘Uma’, ‘blanket’, ‘bag’, ‘water’ (Gaichū greedily guzzled the liquid despite her attempts to make him drink slowly, fussing about something relating to a ‘surgery’ or whatever), and ‘floor’. She also associated certain emotions, exaggerating her face and tone of voice to be happy, then sad, then angry—making sure to reassure him that he wasn’t in trouble. But each expression seemed to have a name and Gaichū did his best to keep up.

”That’s good for today sweetie, I’m so proud of you.” She smiled and faced, him, gesturing as she spoke. “Uma… feel… happy… for… Gaichū. Can you try?”

Gaichū hesitated before repeating the sentence word for word. She chuckled gently and shook her head. “No… how do you feel? How… Gaichū… feel?”

Gaichū frowned, hesitating briefly as it began to click. ‘How’ meant a question. ’Gaichū’… was him. ‘Feel’ was an emotion. He slowly raised his hands and signed ‘happy’.

Helper stared at him for a long moment before bringing him into a tight embrace, breath hitching at his excited chirps. “Good… that’s perfect. That’s what I’m asking… I want you to communicate with me. You matter so much sweetheart… and you deserve to be heard. Well done, Gaichū. Well done.”

Donnie finally set the last bag inside the Turtle Tank, making sure to include Raph’s teddy bear, Leo’s unicorn, Mikey’s markers and paper pad and his own weighted blanket for Gaichū. His breath hitched as he thought about how long his twin had been missing, but at least now he had a small semblance of hope: Leo was on an island. That was something to go off of… at least more information than he had yesterday.

And he could only hope that Leo wasn’t completely broken by the time they got to him.

Donnie let out a sigh and sat down on the floor next to Leo’s unicorn, bringing the toy close to his chest and inhaling the familiar scent. The plushie was worn and slightly discolored, but Leo loved it like crazy. Slept with it every night and would throw a fit as a tot if it ever got a tear. Now it was a bittersweet reminder of how much he wished and hoped that his twin would soon be safe again, and just the feeling of the slightly matted yet still soft fur was comforting to him.

We’re coming, Nardo.

Chapter Text

The slider slowly came to his senses, tensing up almost immediately when he felt the warm presence of someone next to him. In fact he seemed to be resting his head on someone’s lap…

A familiar sweet scent washed over him that he instantly recognized as the kind lady and his chest lightened a bit, glancing up and nudging her. She looked down at him with a smile. “Did you get some good sleep Gaichū?”

More of those pointless sounds. He let out a tired rumble and scooted a bit closer to her, not quite interested in her yapping. She hesitated. “Sweetie? Are you okay… ohhhh.” Realization dawned as he walked in front of her and sat down, wary eyes fixed on the door. No way was he going to let someone hurt either of them—himself or the woman with a soft voice. She spoke up again, voice uncertain. “Um… are you the third one? Gaichū? Leo?” When he didn’t respond to either word she sighed. “Right. Okay… um… I’m glad to see you sweetheart! I guess maybe Gaichū and Leo are both resting right now… at least your body got a few hours of sleep. That’s something.”

The slider growled gently—a low warning rumble letting her know that she was starting to annoy him. Why was she talking so much? There was no danger! But in the same way her innocent self decided to be kind to a predator like him she seemed to miss his cue. “Don’t worry darling… no one is going to interrupt you or hurt you. We’re alone in here and I told everyone not to come in. Oh, what am I saying? I doubt you can understand me. Maybe…”

The slider turned to glare at her as she tapped his shell and held up her hands experimentally. She started to move them in strange gestures. “Uma. U-M-A.”

Boring.

The slider went back to staring at the door and she sighed. “Maybe a bit harder… it’s fine. We can just sit here if you prefer that.”

A few minutes passed by of blissful silence, and although it felt so refreshing at first it made anxiety begin to churn in the slider’s stomach. Why was everything going so well? Why was the lady being so nice? Why was everything so quiet? Maybe any moment someone would burst through the door. Or the his friend would flip and attack him. Or he’d wake up and realize that he’d been dreaming he was back in his old home again, always quiet and eerie. He glanced behind him to see the lady looking at him in worry. “Hey… are you okay sweetie? It’s okay—you can relax here. Nothing’s going to hurt you.”

”Don’t worry you little pest… come back to your master… I won’t hurt you…”

Crash.

Crunch.

”Where are you hiiiiidingggg??? I just want to taaaaalk…”

Light.

He was no longer hidden and the monster was holding a rock over his head like a prize. He gave the slider a wicked smile.

”Found you pest~”

The slider attacked.

The monster fought back.

There was a sickening amount of blood mingled from the both of them.

Because neither knew of the prospect of mercy.

”Sweetheart, breathe.” The kind lady’s voice drifted to his active mind and the slider whipped his head up to give her a growl. His heart was pounding as if he had just been in a severe fight, but there was no enemy to be found and his wide eyes darted around to make sure he wasn’t mistaken. It felt like it was happening all over again—and strangely enough all the sensations seemed to be coming out of nowhere. His racing heart, his squeezing lungs, his wide eyes, his burning anxiety and anger… it was all bubbling to the surface and causing him to lose his mind in the fear and hatred even though he was alone with the only person who had ever dared show him an ounce of soft comfort. Where even was he? Where were his enemies? They had to be around somewhere… when would he be forced back into a kill-or-be-killed fight? He had learned he hard way that every time he dared to relax something terrible happened and he he hated himself even more for being naive.

Life was war.

Safety was silence.

Wariness was learned wisdom.

Hatred was all he knew.

A strange sound drew his attention, and through his foggy mind he realized that the kind lady was breathing deeply. She inhaled slowly before letting it all out in a steady rhythm, eyes on him. It made him realize the stark contrast compared to his own shallow gasps and he shuddered, thoughts still reeling. She continued to breathe in that slow manner and soon the slider began to copy her—inhalations beginning to slow and grow more reverent of each breath he had the gift of taking.

At least he wasn’t being strangled.

”Good job sweetie… that’s it. Just breathe deep. You’re okay. You’re safe.” She soothed, tentatively placing her hand on his shell. When he didn’t pull away she wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and he churred at the familiar comfort. He hesitated a moment before grudgingly scooting closer and curling up in her lap, savoring the warmth. She smiled and began rubbing his shell gently. “There you go—much better.”

What was this twisted matrix where he wasn’t under attack and people actually seemed to care about him? A place where two beings could get together when it was cold and share body heat without bloodshed? But at the same time it was so foreignly wonderful that he just wanted to melt into this embrace and never get up. The lady began humming slightly before mumbling slightly under her breath. “You know… this isn’t going to work. Gaichū at least is learning to communicate, and if you’re a little slower with that it’s fine but I need to at least call you something.”

More useless mumbling, but the slider couldn’t care less as long as she kept petting his shell like that. She hesitated briefly before speaking in a soothing tone. “You know… I’ve researched names before and tried to pick out my favorites for if I ever settled down and had children. I was always so fascinated with those from my home country.” She gave him a quick squeeze. ”How about Kavachin?”

Was she talking to him? He glanced up in confusion and she chuckled. “I know I know—it’s a bit long. I just always enjoyed the sound of it. Besides—it kind of reminds me of you. It means ‘armored’, and you’re certainly one with high walls. But I also know that you were formed out of the necessity to protect your system from whatever was hurting you so much.” She tilted her head. “How about we shorten it? Maybe… Kava? Do you like that, sweetie?”

Kavachin? Kava? What was she going on about? She tapped a finger on his plastron and repeated it. “Kava. You’re Kava.”

Was she talking… about him? She even held up her hand and showed him four signs. “K… A… V… A. It’s nice and short! Easy too. I don’t even know if you can comprehend this, but you deserve a name of your own, sweet Kava. And one day you’ll understand. I promise.”

Kava. It was a nice-sounding word, and she kept repeating it as if it was supposed to mean something to him.

Or as if it was him.

But all those complications could wait—right now all he wanted was some rest.

Finally.

Uma smiled down at the newly-named Kava as he started to fall asleep, heart melting as his guarded face morphed into something calm and peaceful. Perhaps he had another name she wasn’t aware of, but by the way he seemed so disinterested in speech she doubted it. Even Gaichū—also nonverbal—was attentive to every word as if waiting for commands. Kava wasn’t.

It was so strange how motherly she felt towards this system already—a sort of maternal urge to protect them burning inside of her. She knew that Bishop would be back any day now and it tore at her heart, knowing that if she helped them she would likely face losing not only her job but her reputation as well. Who would hire her as a vet or biologist if she allegedly set the creatures free? And who would hire her as a doctor or a nurse if she was associated with someone who was known to abuse his patients? Bishop knew of her skill and kept her on, but she knew that her opportunities in life without him would be slim. However she knew that this was the right thing to do and that she needed to get this young teenager free.

She brushed her hand against his forehead and sighed in relief, feeling how it was considerably cooler than a few days ago. Hopefully Leo would be well enough to portal away by the time Bishop arrived.

Hopefully.

Chapter Text

Donnie glared ahead as the turtle tank silently plowed through the water, having been converted into a submarine form. Mikey scooted a bit closer to him, watching him worriedly. “You… all good Dee?”

”I’m better than good.” Donnie replied, voice low and intense. “We’re finally going to get Nardo back and kill whoever stands in our way.”

”Maybe not that far, Donnie.” Mikey whimpered slightly. “Look, I want to see Leo and Gaichū again too but… but we’re not murderers. We can get him back without actually hurting anyone.”

”Oh I want to make it hurt.” Donnie grit his teeth. “For every single night that I spent sleeplessly trying to find my twin, for every single thing that Bishop did to him once we get him back, for every single trauma that he reopened for Gaichū too… I want Bishop to feel it. Tenfold.”

”Let’s just find Leo first.” Mikey sighed, fiddling with his fingers as Casey manned the submarine and Cass worked with April on the map.

”Come on Reporter Lady! Didn’t the purple one teach you anything about hacking?” Cass scoffed.

”They have a hard network! And why don’t you do it if you’re such the expert?” April snipped back, and Cass scowled before going back to pacing.

”Fine, you hack and I attack.” She rubbed her hands together conspiratorially. “We get in there. We get the blue one. We destroy everyone in our way and then some.”

”See?” Donnie smirked as he jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at Cass. “She gets it.”

Mikey sighed. “I’m also worried about what it could do to Gaichū. He already is known to have an unhealthy attachment to abusive authority… at least I assume so by the way he views everyone on a power scale and how jumpy he is. How might he feel about Bishop at this point? And what would happen if two of his ‘masters’ fight?”

”That’s… actually a good point Mike.” Raph frowned. “He might be chummy with Bishop at this point. We just have no way of knowing.”

”Or he’ll see us saving him and finally realize that we’re on his side and not out to get him.” Donnie argued. “And Nardo can help explain it to him as well.”

”Not to burst your guy’s bubble, but we’ve been out here for almost a day at this point.” April called back from the front. “This system is driving me nuts and I can’t find a good location!”

”Scoff. Let the genius do the hacking.” Donnie got up and walked over, sitting down and pulling the computer into his own lap. “I might have taught you but—oh my banana pancakes! What the shell is this software?!”

”See?” April scowled. “Getting into the maps is even harder than the main office’s system.”

”I can get through this, I can get through this… I can totally get through this…” Donnie’s tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth as he typed furiously.

”Hey guys?” Casey called. “It looks like the water is getting shallower…”

”Ah yes, the vast sea tends to do that in some places, he said with the utmost patience in his voice.” Donnie responded distractedly.

”LAND!” Cass screeched, and Donnie nearly fell out of his chair from the sound as Raph caught Mikey’s shell when the box turtle retreated.

”In complete ignorance of my busted tympanum, hark!” Donnie set the computer down and hurried over. “A great earthy mass that does not show up on any average map… fascinating! It almost could be man made!”

”It’s definitely less welcoming than the EPF office.” April breathed, eyeing the tall concrete walls with barbed and electrical wire through the periscope. “Poor Leo.”

Donnie stiffened. “Looks like we’ve reached our destination unless this is just some weirdo who enjoys private islands with walls large enough to contain massive aliens and perhaps extraterrestrial attacks.”

”Yeah, none of the other little islands we saw on the search looked anythin’ close to this.” Raph added, face stormy. “Bishop isn’t playin’ around with his prisoners, huh?”

”Apparently not.” Donnie nearly lost his footing when the submarine jolted to a halt. “Status report, Casey!”

”It… it’s actually brilliant!” The future boy’s eyes were wide. “It appears that the water shallows so gradually so that there can be no surprise attacks—we were almost grounded. Then at the end of the sand there’s a huge cliff and at the top are those walls. Anyone coming out would face a nasty drop and anyone coming in too fast would be spotted. We’re still submerged but according to the depth detector I don’t think we can make it any father without being seen.”

”Great.” Donnie grit out. “So we either have to go stealth or explosive. I personally prefer the second option…”

”What if they hurt Leo before we can get to him?” Mikey protested. “We should try to maybe sneak it or something. Or get him to access his ninpo so he can portal out to us.”

”Angelo, he hasn’t even tried since that first night. He’s either sick, hurt, unconscious or a combination of all three. Or some horrible fourth option I don’t wish to think about.” Donnie took a deep breath. “But you’re correct, we should try to enter stealthily until we can guarantee his safety. Then we bust him out and show Bishop what happens when he messes with our brother.”

Leo sat up with a jerk, breathing heavily and immediately spying Uma curled up in a sleeping bag next to him. His face softened slightly, touched by how committed she was to making sure he didn’t have to be left alone. But then he frowned, trying to feel that spark again that he had so desperately hoped wasn’t a fever dream. Gaichū started to whine in confusion but Leo shushed him, remaining perfectly still.

There it was again.

He could feel his brother’s ninpo.

His heart began to beat faster. The connection was so strong he could almost feel it in the air—they had to be close if it was like this. He hadn’t felt his ninpo surging in this way since he had left the lair and it was sparking something dangerously close to hope inside of him.

”Uma?” Leo cried out and curled up again as he moved too fast in his excitement. The pain was noticeably less with the painkillers but he still had to be careful. “Uma? Are you awake?”

”Hmmmm?” Uma mumbled slightly in her sleep, blinking awake and glancing over at him. “What? Where… oh… oh Leo!” She scrambled upright groggily. “Did something happen? Are you okay? Any pain? How… Gaichū… feel?” She signed the last part, but Leo didn’t pay much attention to it.

”I… my brothers…” The slider bit back the pain and tried to stand up, crying out again and Gaichū starting to whimper as he collapsed. Uma hurried over, clucking her tongue worriedly. “I… I can feel them… I think they’re nearby…”

”They… what?” Uma gently pushed him back down. “Leo you need to rest. You’re still not fully healed…”

”I don’t care! I can feel their ninpo! They’re close!” The slider squirmed in both pain and the desire to move. “I don’t know how the shell they found me, but I know they’re close.”

”Are you sure that isn’t the pain medication talking?” Uma began, but Leo shook his head vigorously.

”Ninpo is… stronger when we’re… together.” The slider grunted in pain. “Anata wa hitori ja nai. We’re not alone.”

Uma stared at him for a long moment before nodding. “I believe you. Which means you need to get to them.”

Leo nodded and tried once more to get up, but not only did his incisions hurt but the heavy painkillers were making his movements uncoordinated and clumsy. He began to crawl pitifully towards the door but Uma quickly stopped him, reaching for his collar and grabbing her key. She hadn’t taken it off yet in case any nosy agent decided to peek in but it was finally time, and Leo nearly shuddered with relief at having the cold, heavy thing off his neck. She also untied his muzzle and tossed it aside. “We need to move fast… do you know where they are?”

”They’re close… I know they’re close…” Leo groaned. “Thanks for the meds but do you think they could wear off soon? I’m kinda worried about a portal since it’s landed me in… the wrong places more than once if I’m not focused enough. And it’ll hurt so I doubt I can try more than a couple.”

Uma’s face creased. “Sorry… I just gave you a fresh dose while you were sleeping.”

Leo let out a huff. “Of course that happened. Just another complication life decided to throw at it’s favorite champion, but if they’re here then they’ll get me out. I know they will.” His eyes clouded over slightly at the thought of the Prison Dimension. “They always do.”

Uma nodded. “Right. I wish I could carry you but… I don’t know if I can…”

Leo sighed. “Right. Giant mutant turtle. Charming. But it’s fine—I can crawl. Or better yet…” The slider fell silent, a thought hitting him like a freight train. Did he trust her enough to try this? She had been nothing but kind… however this would be his only chance at escape and he had to make it count. He had no choice but to hope his faith in her wouldn’t stab him in the back. “Do you have something sharp?”

She frowned. “Something sharp… oh!”

”My portals.” Leo confirmed. “I’m going to make two and you’ll take one with you. The agents won’t be suspicious of you so you can find my brothers and give them my sword. Then you can come back here and let me know that I can portal and I’ll end up with them.”

”I won’t even need to come back.” Uma stared at him with determination. “I can access the video camera in here—including the speech function—with my phone. I’ll let you know fright when they have it to save time. But are you sure your portals will work? You’re still not fully recovered…”

”They’ll work.” Leo shuddered. “They have to.”