Archive of Our Own ^beta

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🟢 38 🔴 36 🔵 35 🟣 35 🟠 34

⭐ 15

It had been two weeks since the portal to the prison dimension was closed and the Krang were finally defeated. The Dragons found a building nearby that was still intact despite everything and helped get everyone moved to the surface for some fresh air… as fresh as it could be…

Jeremy and Jace had begun helping Todd put together a separate house with a large, fenced-in area for the animals, but when Leo found out what they were doing, he insisted on helping put the fence together.

He made a deal with his father, after all.

However, Todd wasn't having any of it seeing as Leo was still healing from a broken shell, several other at least fractured bones, and can barely breathe, much less swing a hammer. Leo was one more hammer swing away from being strapped down to the damn bed by the third day at the new house. He was allowed to get up for the bathroom and for food and that was it.

Raph too. Claiming ‘I'm so fucking sick of wearing slings’, he would keep offering to lift and carry things around for everyone, but would occasionally bump into a doorframe or trip over the curb now that his depth perception was gone. As a compromise, he was tasked with feeding the animals since that was something that could have been done with one hand and one eye.

Mikey was so thrown off about having hair now that his injuries didn't seem to bother him, asking around the women of the group what he was supposed to do with it. Kendra promised that she'd do his hair however he wanted it as soon as he was able to cook again, eager to have another one of his pizzas.

Donnie wasn't allowed to walk around without an escort, seeing as he had trouble maintaining his balance with the impalement injury he suffered from. He was able to get away with roaming around by having Leo walk with him, using the excuse that Leo needed the bathroom and they got sidetracked.

Or lost.

“There is absolutely no way you two keep getting lost to the bathroom. Donnie, I know your memory is better than that. Leo, you can’t even support yourself, much less another turtle-man your size.”

“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do.” Leo huffed hoarsely.

“Yeah, don’t tell him what he can and can’t do.” Donnie added.

Todd rubbed his face, “For the love of God, I’m about to strap both of you to your beds if you don’t get your tails back inside.” He said, “You two were not like this three weeks ago.”

“We actually don’t even have tails.” Donnie said.

“Can’t move what we don’t have.” Leo nodded.

“Get your asses inside!” Todd turned them and began shoving them inside, ignoring Donnie’s excited whoops from finally hearing Todd curse after all these years and Leo’s dry cough of a laugh. “Go lie down! Both of you!” he looked around, “Where’s your nephew?”

Casey, unsurprisingly, was the worst offender of avoiding bedrest and tackling heavy labor. His stitches had ripped open a few times already and Todd was frankly impressed that he hadn’t gotten himself sick yet.

Thank god, because he’s not ready to treat an illness.

“Just like his momma.” August claimed. “Headstrong, infuriatingly tenacious.”

“The Great Casey Jones.” Mikey added, trying not to wriggle. Kendra had been so busy and Mikey had been so eager, he was able to convince his mother to braid his hair, so long as it didn’t upset her ribs, she and April were allowed to help, but after hearing Todd curse at the twins, April decided to stay in and keep them company, distracting them from trying to escape.

“The Great Casey Jones.” Todd nodded. He looked up at the sky. It really was a pale pink today. At this rate it’ll be white in a couple of weeks.

Then the sky would probably be blue within the next couple of weeks after that.

…

Despite all of the rest they were being forced to take, they struggled to sleep.

Raph would wake up on occasion after failing to catch Leo, or failing to stop the Sister from attacking Donnie and April, or losing more than just his eyes after the Sister jumped out of the ship and clawed at him. He’d see his father take on the armor, watching his body get torn apart just so the armor would fit him.

Leo would hear his father’s screams and hear the bones crunching as the armor consumed him. Sometimes he’d hear Casey’s screams as though she’d taken the armor. Or Donnie’s… He’d open his eyes, just to visually check across the room that Donnie was really okay, and with him. Yes, he’d been impaled, but… at least he wasn’t torn apart.

Donnie would experience having the sign post driven through his shell again, usually with a lot more blood. But instead of being pressed down by the Krang and nearly crushed, he’d be thrown and land near Leo’s body, his vacant and lifeless eyes staring at the rusted sky. Whenever he dreamed that he crashed into the pile with Leo, he’d bolt awake and stress the aforementioned wound, falling into a panic attack until Leo would show him that he was okay.

Mikey would have dreams that he had lost his mother under that pile of rubble, or the Krang had ripped off his arm instead of just ripping open that shoulder- which with how much pain the deep slashes left him in and how he was unable to use the arm, it might as well have been ripped off. Sometimes, he’d feel the claws tear open his chest. He’d dream that he was too late in getting someone to catch Leo, whether it was Donnie or Raph.

April had nightmares about that Pilot. They felt lucky that it spent more time trying to attack in its weird gecko-like armor than it did trying to mutate them. She barely saw that it had decided to mutate a helicopter, so it and Leo were fighting in the air… Sometimes she’d see that the Pilot would shoot one of its missiles part one of Leo’s portals and hit him directly… and as he fell with no way to save him, the Pilot would turn its missiles on them…

August had woken up after the portal for the prison dimension was closed, having lost consciousness when the Shredder crashed into the building. So when she woke to silence, she thought they had lost. Unable to reach her panic button, unable to calm down enough to take a deep breath and call for help, begging for a sign that her family was okay. Or at least alive.

Casey would see his mom. In the aftermath of it all, he’d revisit the battlefield, as though he was missing something. Like they had left something behind, something important. And in the midst of the rubble, debris, and dead Krang, he’d see a faint outline of his mother. She’d perched herself on a concrete block that had been kicked up and stare up at the sky. He’d sit next to her, like he knew she was waiting for him. “We did it, Mom… We did it…” he’d tell her with watery eyes, patting the key in his pocket. “I wish you were here to see it…” he’d sniffle. Then his mother would turn her head with a smile, “I was with you the whole way… I’m proud of you.”

Casey woke up with tears in his eyes. His mother expressing her pride replayed in his head, forming a lump in his throat and causing him to hiccup before he broke into sobs, tucking himself into a corner and gripping his upper arms.

August was the first to rush over, with almost forty years of ‘mother experience’, she was the emotional first-responder. She pulled Casey into her arms and held him tightly, gently rocking him back and forth until he was able to form a sentence.

April sat close next to them, with Raph and Mikey right beside her. Raph carefully wedged himself behind everyone and wrapped them in his only half-decent arm.

Upon hearing the commotion, Todd rushed into the room, with Leo hobbling behind him. Leo joined the family group hug, unsure why Casey was crying so damn hard, but understanding that he needed them. Todd, on the other hand, went and retrieved Donnie.

The twins needed to be grounded to their beds, but this was the only exception he was willing to make.

“Sweetheart, what’s got you so upset…?” August asked warmly.

Casey inhaled sharply, “I saw Mom…” he said.

Leo’s eyes watered as he tightened his grip in the hug harder.

Todd, with the Dragons’ and Vinny’s help, put together two shrines. After hearing about Vinny’s partner that died over twenty years ago, he built a third. Then after hearing about the Dragons’ guardian that died a little less than twenty years ago, Todd built a fourth. Then he built a fifth, because even though he was bitter about Draxum’s purchase for four turtles from thirty-four years ago, he wouldn’t have anyone to call nephews if it weren’t for the tall, suspicious man.

Lou’s, Cassandra’s, and Draxum’s shrines were set in the Hamatos’ back yard, staked and mounted in the ground (Todd had yet to dig up the recipe he had for concrete). All three were covered and well weather-proofed… they had yet to see any weather, but Todd prayed it was soon.

Once the shrines were put together, Casey and August had returned to their old lair to collect everything they wanted and had to contribute. When he picked up his mother’s favorite book, the Zelda comic that they loved so much, he decided to keep it inside. He didn’t know what the rain was about, but he knew it was wet, and paper didn’t do well with wet and he wanted to keep the book as safe as possible.

Todd had taken a few of the clippings from some of his floral bushes that had rooted and planted them around the shrines. He then tasked Mikey (who seemed to be the most cooperative one when it came to resting) with drawing portraits for each of them. Mikey accepted this as a challenge since he was only able to draw from memory.

Each portrait took about a week… If the days where Mikey rested because the pain was too unbearable were counted out. So the final portrait, which was Dad’s, went up about five weeks later. The plants by then had nearly overtaken the lower half of the shrines, which was exactly as Todd had intended it.

The sight had reminded Leo that he promised that he’d bring Jenny to the surface. Normally, he’d slip away without telling anyone except maybe Donnie and go alone. And he’d do so while injured without asking.

But this time, he pulled Todd aside and spoke with him about the situation and much to Leo’s surprise, Todd agreed.

“If that was one of your father’s final wishes, then… who am I to say no? Just… please take someone with you. Someone that isn’t Donnie.”

“Casey.” Leo nodded, “I want to take Casey.”

Todd exhaled slowly, “Alright, fine- he should be healed just enough.”

…

Jenny was delighted to see Leo again and meet Casey, who had the prior warning that she was a giant spider yokai, but still shuddered when he first saw her. Leo informed her that the fight was over. There were no more Krang. He apologized for taking so long to get to her- seeing as the Krang were defeated seven weeks ago-

“Oh- well you two certainly look like you’ve been through hell and back, so of course you took the time to recover.” She’d wave one of her hands at them dismissively. “I’m relieved to see you in… mostly good health.

Leo invited her to come see the surface, opening a portal for her and Gus to come join them. Their jaws and mandibles dropped when they saw the pale blue sky, having only seen a red or rusted environment for the last couple of decades. Jenny had fallen to her knees, her hands over her mouth and in tears. “Oh… boys, it’s beautiful…” she said breathlessly.

To say the rest of the family was shocked to see her was an understatement. Save for Raph and August, who had seen her previously, no one quite knew what they were expecting when Leo warned them, ‘Dad’s ex is a giant spider’. And to say that they were somewhat skeptical of her was… well…

She couldn’t blame them given the stories Lou must’ve told them. But she swore that she’s changed, and she wanted to do nothing that would harm them.

It’d be unwise, considering what these boys were capable of anyway.

…

Tired from the trip, despite the portal, Leo turned in early for the night, leaving his siblings and nephew outside to idly chat. It was just about dusk, the sun hadn’t fully set yet, the sky was ranging from a burning gold to a deep raspberry color. The light cast lest everything with an orange tint.

But this wasn’t the rusted orange they had grown up with, it was a warm, comforting, tropical orange.

“I hear Central Park used to look really nice.” April said, “There were trees everywhere.”

“There are trees everywhere.” Raph corrected her.

“They’re just… dead.” Donnie shrugged.

“Yeah- okay, but Todd’s working on chopping those down and uprooting them so we can put in new ones.” Casey argued.

“Won’t the trees just… regrow on their own?” Mikey asked.

“Technically speaking, yes. Eventually. And with all the dead krang infection that have dried up… I dunno- a week ago, there’s plenty of fertilizer and shit to feed the plants. And no Pilot to try and control them, there’s no worries about getting… um… shit, what were they called?” Donnie snapped his fingers, trying to think of the word, “Y’know, those walking trees? I haven’t read Lord of the Rings in… over a fucking decade, but I remember the trees.”

“Weren’t they Ents?” Casey asked. “I finished reading that the last time I was grounded.”

“Yeah! Those! We won’t have to worry about Ents.” Donnie exclaimed. He sat back, “But, planting the new trees will help thicken the forest and repopulate the trees faster with more variety.” He said, “Just gotta hope we’re not overcrowding anything that might be already trying to take root. Unless we just end up with some hybrid trees.”

Mikey shuddered, “Kranged Ents… that’d be terrifying…”

“Well- we dodged that bullet.” Raph scoffed.

“Wonder if anything would be taking root now, actually.” Casey hummed.

“Doubt it.” Donnie and April said simultaneously. They looked at each other, then Donnie gestured to the rest of the group, letting her explain. “Well- there hadn’t been enough sunlight up until recently. Maybe… within the last week they sky’s actually been blue and we finally have a defined idea of what the sun looks like. What it really looks like.” She said. “And that’s so recent to us, we probably can’t even see stars yet.” She explained, “So the plants hadn’t had enough sunlight to really survive- or at least trees, and… well- most of the plants that Todd already has up here need either partial sun or have a light on them. Which- yeah it’s worked, it’s worked the last thirty-five years, but…” She felt Donnie slapping her arm, “What?”

Her brother’s jaw had been dropped, staring up at the dark end of the sky, which had turned a dark, royal violet color, but hidden amongst the last few clouds that blocked their sky, where tiny pinpricks of light.

“Are those…?” Casey squinted.

“Stars…?” Raph gasped.

“We gotta get Leo.” Mikey started to stand.

However, Donnie had already jumped up, wincing as he pulled at his still-healing wound and rushed inside, “Leo! Leo you gotta get out here!” he cried, “Leo!” he burst into the room, receiving a narrow-eyed look from his exhausted twin, “Yeah- yeah, you can hate me later for waking you up, but come on!” Donnie tugged on his arm.

Leo sighed, getting up and pulling his arm back. Donnie would not be so insistent on pulling him out of bed this urgently if it wasn’t important. “What the hell is going on?” he asked, a tinge of frustration in his lost voice. The second they stepped out the back door, Donnie grabbed his shoulders, turned him to face west and made him look up, prompting a gasp from the slider, “That’s…”

“Stars.” Donnie exhaled sharply.

“St-stars…” Leo breathed, slowly sitting down, but never turning his gaze away from the sky.

“Kids! Kids, look-!” August ran out the back door, then stopped in her tracks, seeing her children, all well into their thirties and with a child they considered their nephew, sitting, huddled in the backyard, staring up at the sky as the stars continued to show themselves. Starting of as maybe a pinprick or two, then speckles of light, then glowing clouds of stardust, swirling across the sky as the full moon showed its face. August inhaled sharply, holding back a cry. She’d moved across the yard, subtly to sit by the shrines, specifically in front of Lou’s, watching the stars with them, listening as Leo began pointing out every constellation he recognized, explaining what they were, what they represented, the myths behind them… giving them all information that she didn’t even know he had.

Smiling all the while.

This was the first time in ages that she’d seen him this enthusiastic about anything. And the last time she’d heard about him let loose about something he cared about was when Donnie asked what Jupiter Jim was about, and walked away from a lecture that lasted almost two hours.

Then Leo fell silent, finally speechless. “I think we missed Orion, though…” he said.

“When would we see Orion?” Mikey asked, “What- is that like a four-in-the-morning thing?”

“No… like he’s not visible during certain times of the year.” Donnie said, having read enough of the astrology books that Leo read that he’d been able to follow along close enough. “Uh, what was it again, like November to April or something?”

“January to March.” Leo said, then scoffed, “I wish it was November.” He said, his smile fading, “Orion’s first sighting for our birthdays?” his lip trembled, a tear starting to fall.

Mikey and Donnie exchanged concerned glances.

Leo took a deep breath, “Orion always made me think of Dad. The warrior constellation. Kinda like Dad was a warrior in the Battle Nexus.” He explained, “Before we mutated.” He sniffled and wiped his eyes, then he smiled. “I- I never thought I’d ever see this during my lifetime…” he let out a dry, half-hearted chuckle, “Always figured I’d get myself killed doing some stupid shit before I’d ever see the stars…” he exhaled sharply.

“I’ll be honest, I didn’t think I’d make it this far either.” Raph added, “Whether I got myself killed trying to save your ass or… y’know… I wound up alone and lost control of myself…” he said.

“You got a lot better.” April nudged him, “Give yourself more credit, Big Guy.”

“I didn’t think I’d make it this far either. I’m the dumbass that blew up his own hand in the comfort of his damn bedroom, so… some freak lab accident would’ve been on-brand for me.”

“Unless you get impaled by the Krang.” Casey added.

Donnie ruffled Casey’s hair, “That’s fair.”

Mikey hugged everyone as best as he could. “We made it, guys…” he sniffled. “The stars, the plants, soon the ocean and we can finally go swimming.”

“Man, I can’t want to go swimming.” Raph exhaled.

August smiled, listening to the kids chat to themselves.

Kids… who was she kidding. They were definitely not kids anymore.

They were saviors of the world.