Chapter Text
"So... You're telling me you want to open a portal to another dimension to meet... us?"
"That is the basic gist, yes."
Leo was currently sitting on Donnie's bed, legs crossed and honestly, really confused. He massaged his eyes and Donnie tapped his fingers together, watching Leo expectantly. For what it was worth, opening a portal to a dimension that a version of them lived sounded so cool- but it came at the cost of his katanas and Mikey. Leo was all for using his katanas, he was. But Mikey? His little sunshine brother who still had scars from saving him from the Prison Dimension? It was a risk. And was it really worth it if Mikey got hurt? Or worse...
"I promise I won't let anything happen to Mikey," Donnie said quickly, waving his hands around. He had always been good at reading Leo's thoughts. Twin telepathy, maybe. That, or Leo was just very expressive when thinking.
"Look, Dee, meeting another version of us would be uber cool- like, finding out we have Lou Jitsu's DNA cool. But I don't want to risk Mikey getting hurt. I can't do that to him."
"But it's inter-dimensional travel! Imagine if these other versions were experienced! They could help us!" Donnie argued. It was pleading at this point. And Leo would be lying if he said he wasn't considering it. He bit his lip and tapped his finger on his knee, thinking. Donnie looked down and fiddled with his thumbs. "I already built the portal..."
"What." He hadn't meant for it to sound like a statement, but, well. He rubbed his temples. "Okay. Okay, fine. I think we should consult everyone about this. I'm fine with using my swords, but if Mikey isn't on board, it's a no-go. We got a deal?"
"Yes! Yes! Leo, I promise this won't be a mistake- this could help us bigtime. I mean, if these guys already are heroes and experienced way beyond us- this could change everything." He jumped up from his chair. "I'll call April and Casey. You assemble everyone else."
"Aye aye, captain."
So that was how Leo got into this mess. He collected everyone to join in the living room. He would've asked to be in the dojo with the portal, but dad was already in his chair and refusing to move. Leo sat in front of the screen, back to the wall. Mikey was seated to his left, knee-to-knee, and Raph was on his right, leaving a space between them for Casey.
Donnie finally walked in, April and Casey hot on his heels. April stood next to Splinter, leaving her elbow on the back of his chair. Casey took his seat right next to Leo. After the whole being-trapped-in-the-Prison-Dimension thing, Casey had been attached to him at the hip, refusing to leave his side unless it was necessary. He had gotten better, but he was still definitely clingy.
Donnie cleared his throat and stood in the empty space in the circle.
"I built a portal that I think will cross to another dimension with another version of us," he announced. The room was deathly silent. "The only catch being I need Leo's swords and Mikey's mystic hands to get it to work. Leo's already agreed, but we wanted to consult all of you about this- especially you, Mikey."
"A dimension... with more us's?" Raph asked.
"Yes."
And then the room erupted in chaos.
"YOU BUILT A PORTAL WITHOUT TELLING US?!"
"YOU MEAN WE COULD'VE HAD MORE BROTHERS THIS WHOLE TIME?!"
"I CAN USE MY MYSTIC HANDS AGAIN!"
The last comment in particular stuck out to Leo. He grabbed Mikey's hand, squeezing his fingers. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Are you kidding?!" Mikey exclaimed, "I get to help Donnie and open a portal again! That's the epitome of cool!"
Leo smiled and patted his head. So Mikey was on board.
"How about everyone else?" He yelled over the chaos.
"If Mikey's cool with it, so am I," Raph said.
"Another April O'Neill? Who wouldn't want that?"
"I'm taking a vacation to the Hidden City," Splinter sighed. "But maybe you kids need more interaction."
Leo tapped Casey's shoulder. "Case? You okay with this?"
"Another Sensei," he whispered. "I am so okay with this. You'll still be my favorite, though."
Leo snorted. "Yeah, I better be."
"So, if everyone's one board, can we open the portal?" Donnie shifted from foot-to-foot.
Leo stood up, everyone else following his lead. "Yeah, Dee, we're opening the portal." Cheers ran through the room. "Tomorrow." Groans replaced the cheering.
"Dad needs to pack for his trip and it's late. Do you we really want to bother the other us's?"
"No..." Everyone mumbled.
Leo clapped his hands together, grinning. "Excellent! Now, to bed, children."
They all shuffled out of the living room, April hugging them all goodnight as she left. Splinter walked away to his room to pack. Casey hugged Leo before he left. He had been staying with Cass these past few weeks. Leo, Mikey, Donnie and Raph all left for Raph's room.
The second they entered the room they started assembling Raph's pillows, blankets and stuffed animals into a nest. Mikey threw a pillow at Leo and he threw it back. Donnie hit Raph over the head with a stuffed bear, and Raph responded by tackling him. Leo cackled and dove into the nest, his limbs instantly relaxing on the soft materials.
After wrestling with Donnie, Raph climbed in behind Leo, his plastron against his back. Mikey snaked his way into Leo's arms and snuggled against him. Donnie curled into a ball below them, close enough to feel comfortable, and far enough as to not touch.
Leo sighed and allowed himself to fall asleep to the breathing of his brothers.
____________________
"Leoooo. Leo. Wake up. It's portal time." A finger poked him in his face, and he tried to untangle himself from the blankets. He was alone, meaning that everyone else was awake. He groaned.
"Donnie, it’s-"
"Nine a.m., thirty minutes and twenty-two seconds in the morning."
"I was going to say 'way too early for this'," he snapped. Donnie rolled his eyes.
"Everyone else is awake. I was gonna wake you up earlier too, but Raph said you would've tried to eat me if I did."
"I still might."
"Yeah, yeah, okay. Can we activate the portal now? Please?" He intertwined his hands and gave him puppy-dog eyes. Leo shoved his face away and sat up.
"I'll get my swords."
"Oh, I already got them hooked up. Just wanted you to witness the portal in all its glory."
Leo snatched Donnie by his shoulders. "YOU TOUCHED BETTY AND VERONICA WITHOUT MY PERMISSION?!"
"Well you were still asleep and I- you named your swords Betty and Veronica?"
"Yes!" Leo released his brother to throw up his arms. "They're my girls! The dynamic duo! They're inseparable."
"Okay, well, Betty and Veronica are waiting for you so we can activate my portal. Please?"
"Fine, fine, I'm up." He threw all the blankets and pillows off of him to stand up.
Donnie dragged him into the dojo. Everyone else was there, save for April and Splinter.
“Shouldn’t we wait for dad, Case and April?”
”Papa is already out. Draxum kidnapped him to the Hidden City. Casey and April have school. It’s Wednesday, remember? April said to just do it without them.”
”If you say so.”
The portal itself wasn’t very stylish, a mess of metal and wires. It was a circle-like shape, wires of every color twisted around it. It stood at about eight feet tall, towering over all of them. Leo’s katanas were embedded in the top, only the hilts visible. Mikey had his fingers attached to the wires connected to the portal. Donnie stood next to it, tapping at a computer attached to the side.
”Raph and Leo, hold onto Mikey. Just in case.”
They did as they were told. Raph grabbed hold of Mikey’s left arm, Leo on his right. Mikey just beamed excitedly.
”Alright gentlemen, let’s do this.” Donnie flicked the on switch.
A blue flash was first, the blinding color crackling with energy. Mikey’s yellow color seeped in, turning the color into a cool orange. So far, so good.
Mikey didn’t seem to be in any pain, and Leo couldn’t feel anything wrong. Yellow cracks spread up his arm from Mikey’s, but brought no feeling with them.
They waited for about five minutes until something- or someone- fell through, hitting the dojo floor with a thud. The newcomer had a red bandana, large and powerful, his shell covered in duct tape.
“Donnie! It worked!” Mikey cried. Three more turtles fell through, landing on top of each other in a heap.
Then another group fell through.
Not good. Very not good.
”Turn it off!”
Donnie was furiously tapping away at his computer. “I’m trying!”
Leo released Mikey to grab hold of one of his swords to yank it out. More turtles.
“Donnie, shut it off!”
”IT’S NOT WORKING!” Donnie screeched.
Leo freed one sword and desperately tried to free the other one. He was frantic. Another group of turtles.
”DONNIE!”
”I KNOW, I KNOW!” Donnie started unplugging the wires, tearing some of them apart.
Eventually Raph let go of Mikey to punch at the metal. The sheer force jostled Leo off of it, and he hit the floor harshly. Raph started beating the portal as Leo made a beeline for Mikey. Red was starting to appear under the yellow cracks and Leo ripped the wires of his fingers roughly. A sharp sting ran through his arms whenever his scales met Mikey's, and he grimaced. He grabbed hold of his baby brother's hands as the mystic energy died down.
A loud crash echoed through the dojo as the portal was finally destroyed. Raph was breathing heavily, Donnie holding onto his shoulder. His knuckles were bleeding. Leo quickly assessed the room.
A broken portal, two bleeding brothers, and one extremely shaken brother.
Oh, and the four groups of turtles draped on top of each other into a heap. Wonderful.
___________________
After the new turtles untangled from each other and screamed, things eventually died down. Mikey's hands had been haphazardly bandaged, and Leo was currently dabbing alcohol on Raph's beaten knuckles as Donnie apologized to the new turtles.
There were sixteen of them, all different from Leo's own team. The first group that had fallen through were large, all of them at least Raph's height or taller. They wore clothes, which was definitely new. From what he'd been able to find out, they were the only ones who hadn't experienced inter-dimensional travel. They stuck to themselves, all huddled together without leaving any room between them.
The second group kinda freaked him out, honestly. They were all muscle, tense and hardened from years of fighting. And their eyes were pure white. Totally weird. They all seemed to be around the same size and stature, the only difference being their bandanas and the color of their scales. White-eyed Leo kept staring at him, and he adverted his gaze.
The third group were tiny and actually really cute. They were half the size of the clothed turtles, all soft edges and wide eyes. They all looked the same, bummer. But Leo liked them. There was no unnecessary staring at him, no huddling in the corner, and no loudly talking to Donnie.
If the white-eyed turtles freaked him out the most, then the last group annoyed him the most. They were shaped kinda like Leo and Donnie, save for their legs, which widened down their feet. They reminded him of the show Mikey watched sometimes. What did they call that one character's legs? Damien? Diaphragm? Daikon. That was it. The daikon group was chatting with Donnie, except for the Mikey, who was excitedly chattering away with Leo's Mikey.
Leo started to bandage Raph's knuckles. "Maybe don't get into a fight with a portal next time, bud."
"It worked, didn't it?"
Leo snorted and finished bandaging him up. He tapped at his wrists with a grin. Raph smiled back, tapping his palm. "Thanks."
"Anytime, big brother."
They stood next to Donnie now, who was finished with his explanation and apology. He sighed in exhaustion and leaned against Leo, forehead hitting his shoulder.
"So inter-dimensional travel, huh?" Clothed Raph asked. "If I hadn't pinched myself already I would've thought I was dreaming." He yelped.
"Mikey! I just said I already pinched myself!"
"Oops, my bad!" Clothed Mikey stuck out his tongue and their Leo sighed.
"And it'll be a while before you can fix the portal? How long do you think it'll take?"
"A few weeks, at least," Donnie answered, typing something into his arm gadget. "Since someone smashed it to pieces."
"Sorry," Raph mumbled. Leo patted his arm.
"I think me and the other Donnies could help," Daikon Donnie offered. "Now there's multiple geniuses in this room."
"Oh mi gosh, I'm not alone anymore!" Donnie leapt forward at his counterpart and tackled him onto the ground.
"Donnie found a new twin," Leo cried dramatically, putting his hand over his forehead and leaning backwards. "Now I'll be alone for the rest of time."
Raph rolled his eyes and put him upright. "Drama queen."
"Guilty as charged, baby."
Raph flicked his beak.
"What do we do now?" White-eyed Leo asked.
"I asked April and Casey to bring pizza. A lot of it. They should be on their way. For now though, we should probably make sleeping arrangements," Donnie said as he raised himself off the ground.
"My room's the biggest, so me and my little brothers can sleep there. Donnie, Mikey, Leo- you guys okay with giving up your rooms?"
"Sure!" Mikey said.
"Absolutely not!" Donnie and Leo hissed at the same time.
"My beloved comics and action figures!"
"My inventions!"
Raph sighed and face palmed. "So Mikey's room is free. It's smaller, so you guys can have it." He pointed at the soft group.
"You callin us small?" Soft Raph asked, hands on his hips and raising an eyebrow.
"I didn't mean any-"
"It's fine," Soft Leo interrupted. "Thank you for your hospitality."
"He's so polite," Raph teased, poking at Leo's side. "Why can't you be like that?"
Leo stuck his tongue out and his brother laughed at him.
"We can take the dojo," Clothed Leo offered.
"You sure you'll be comfortable?" Raph asked.
"We can make due."
"Alright. Works for me." Raph stroked his chin, thinking. "So the guest room and living room are up for grabs."
"We can take the living room," White-eyed Leo said, raising his arm.
"So we'll take the guest room," Daikon Leo finished.
Hearing all the Leos' voices made his head spin. All so different, yet so familiar. It made his brain hurt.
"Now that that's all settled, it's pizza time."
As if on que, Casey and April arrived, each holding at least eight pizzas in each hand.
"Care to explain why you had us order-" April stopped mid-sentence, her jaw practically dropping to the floor.
"Leo?" Casey asked. "Why am I seeing double?"
Leo sighed. This was going to be a long few weeks.
____________________
After explaining what happened to Casey and April, they learned that the other versions' own Aprils and Caseys had not come through with them. There had been momentary panic until the Donnies did their sciencey explanation, all as excited as the other as they chattered over each other. Nerds, what could you do about them?
"The most likely scenario was that since only you four managed the portal, only versions of you were dragged in," White-eyed Donnie said.
"You have no idea how happy I am that you are here," Donnie sighed.
"Ditto, man."
So the Donnies got along just fine. The Raphs seemed to have calmed down and were chatting quietly, and eventually Leo's own Raph abandoned him to join his counterparts. The Mikeys had already hit it off, and they told each other jokes and all their crazy missions. That left the Leos.
While Leo had April and Casey with him, all of his counterparts sat quietly, staying close to their brothers and eating their pizzas. April nudged him and jerked her head at the scattered blue turtles. Leo rolled his eyes and stood up to sit by Soft Leo. He was the least intimidating, sitting with his knees to his chest and holding his slice with two hands. Leo waved awkwardly.
"Hey."
"Hello," Soft Leo replied through a mouth full of pizza.
Leo sat down next to him, crossing his legs.
"Thank you for letting us stay here," Soft Leo said finally. "And for the pizza."
"It really wasn't any trouble," Leo assured. "It's kinda cool to have counterparts, y'know?"
His other self nodded and took another bite of pizza. Leo smiled. This Leo was definitely his favorite, but he also hadn't really talked with the other ones, so.
"I'm guessing they don't like social interactions?" Leo guessed.
Soft Leo shrugged. "I think they're just taking everything in. It was certainly a shock coming here, let me tell you." He laughed.
Leo rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, sorry about that."
"Eh, nothing that hasn't happened before. There's been weirder."
He was about to ask before Clothed Leo made his way over to sit next to them. He made a thud as he sat, leaning his arm on his bent knee.
"Hey."
"Hey."
"Inter-dimensional travel is weird. How are you guys not, I don't know, freaking out?"
"Too tired," Leo said.
"Already seen it," Soft Leo said.
"Seen weirder," a new voice said.
Leo looked up to meet White-eyed Leo. A chill went through him. He was creepy, right? He was so... defined. He sat right next to Leo.
"Sorry for being anti-social," he said. "I get nervous talking to people sometimes."
"Nah, I get it," Leo assured. Maybe White-eyed Leo wasn't so bad.
Daikon Leo eventually got sick of being alone, and made his way towards them. He sat between Clothed Leo and Soft Leo. He was still quiet, looking down at the floor. Leo frowned as he watched him.
"Do you guys wanna watch a movie?" He asked. Movies usually cheered he and his brothers up.
Daikon Leo glanced up at that slightly. "What kind of movie?"
"Why, only the greatest movie of all time: Jupiter Jim!"
"What's that?" White-eyed Leo asked.
"Dudes, you don't know what Jupiter Jim is?" All four heads shook. Leo sighed dramatically. "You poor souls. I shall tell you the tale of the greatest man there ever was-"
And he did what his brothers called "the Leo thing" where he droned on and on about something. He went on about the lore, the characters, the plot, and ended up spoiling it. Oops. Luckily none of his counterparts minded, if anything they seemed to get excited as he talked.
"So it's like Space Heroes," Daikon Leo said. He had the biggest grin on his face and Leo silently patted himself on the back.
"Space Heroes? Is that your Jupiter Jim? What's it about?"
This spurred on a chorus of "the Leo thing", all of them talking about their favorite shows and books. It was nice to see that "the Leo thing" was very much a Leo thing. it was kinda fun to see these stoic leader weirdos all waving their hands around and tapping their feet excitedly. Leo zoned out a few times, but forcefully pulled himself back. He liked this. He liked knowing that this wasn't just a him thing.
Maybe the next few weeks wouldn't be so bad.