Chapter Text
Leonardo has grown, and then grown some more in the time of the apocalypse. He knows a losing battle just as easy as his fallen brothers had, insisting for him to continue in their final moments. He knows well. Even as they run and defend, and keep pushing to survive, it ends futile. They are surrounded, trapped, and he knows one of them will die at the very least. Casey could not survive another heartbreak in this world, and as he locks eyes with his brother only not older than him in years, they come to an understanding. One final plead, to go down together yet let Casey continue on. Make a difference, change the ending. Find the key. Stop the Kraang.
He tells this to him true, his words efficient and eyes sorrowful. Be better than I was, left unsaid. It’s almost too much to ask, for him to still be greedy in what he knows to be the end. Yet, he knew Michelangelo would not want anything else. He raised Casey as much as Leo and the others did, and although Raph and Donnie had died younger, they lived on within the two of them.
Leonardo felt more like Raph, even as he was assigned to be the leader at a older age, he still felt his oldest brother rightfully held that role. He was strong, and dare he say it, he learned how to be a father from his only older brother. Leo knows he would be proud of him, he can feel his eyes start to water at the thought.
Soon. I’ll see you soon.
Michelangelo had grown to be more like Donnie, his strength and determination led him to become the smarter turtle he is. He’d remembered some things Donnie had told him, and now as he’s in an apocalypse, he knew he should not hide behind his mask. Pushed away his child-like wonder, and delved into studies. Learned from Baron Draxum how to gain control, how to become the master he’s labeled as. He pushes himself, protective of his family but showing it in a way Donnie couldn’t have.
As the four fell to two, the personality just seemed to fill into the other two to try and gain a semblance of balance. Maybe it was the survivor’s guilt, it’s not like they would ever find out. Therapy appointments are hard to come along in an apocalypse.
Mikey is setting it up, the glow vibrating gently and appearing almost as the sun they’d lost in this smoke-ridden earth. The beauty of it does not bring him happiness, he knows what will happen when he creates the portal. It begins, his youngest brother holding his arms in front of him, the cracking up his arms lighting up, spilling out.
He does not have time to grab Casey to stop him, the action of his son running to stop his brother causes him to run after him too.
“Master Michelangelo, stop!”
He calls, his eyes shiny with unshed tears.
“Casey, please! Don’t, it has to—“
As they all fall into the circle, the ground cracks and crumbles in glows of orange, the overwhelming presence of power consuming them. The ground opens beneath them, his brother’s portal fusing short. His eyes glowed, the cracks remaining but no longer crawling past his shoulders.
Mikey stumbles, looking around and then back at him in fear, going to open his mouth before the ground swallows them whole. It’s not the breaking of the ground, it almost seemed like a different type of portal. As he fell through, the only thing he could feel was his brother’s energy crackling, grabbing both Leo and Casey close. Protective.
They fell for a while, enough for him to feel a new sensation. A gentle brush, a whisper so soft he barely registers it over Casey’s worried cries and apologies.
“The universe calls to you, her strings hold you as a puppet and beckon you at the final hour.”
For all he’s learned, he does not understand, but the mystic warrior listens anyway.
“She loves you, she asks for your forgiveness. Knows that the deaths in your family have hurt you, but she could not change it. Fate is twisted in it’s missions.”
The first cold hand of a dead body told him that easily, he did not have to hear the universe tell him so.
“Please listen to me for one final time, heal as you go and change fate’s result. This timeline is far from being unsalvageable and answered your own calls.”
He wants to speak to her, say something back, but his mouth is full of cotton and his tongue is slack. He wishes to scream, ask her why only the three of them and not the others. But he knows. Knows more than the universe can say.
“Till the day comes, Michelangelo Hamato.”
Her last words utter to him, and he closes his eyes for a moment as they fall a little longer. He can hear the end of the fall, another opening in the seemingly ever darkness.
Casey seemed to not hear or see, for he panics within the box turtle’s arms, eyes blinking back tears as he fought against the grip. Michelangelo’s grip had slackened with the comfort momentarily given from the whispers, leading to him breaking out.
“Casey!”
He calls, desperate and loud in the echoed silence. It causes his brother to turn as well, reaching out, amplifying his power. A arm larger than himself look place of his own, glowing bright with his blue mystic energy despite the skill mirroring their eldest. His hand just narrowly misses, outside of their reach as Casey falls through a portal which closes as he falls through.
The mystic energy flows out of his brother, he can feel it and see the glow dissipate out of the corner of his eye, staring at where the portal had once been. They don’t say anything, but Michelangelo can feel the tremble of Leonardo’s horror.
They don’t have long to dwell on it, for they start to fall at a faster rate, another portal opening. It appears to be in the middle of a forest, or a park, but he doesn’t have long to dwell on it. Mikey pulls into the energy still conserved inside of him, this time building a burning feeling inside his chest, to slow down their fall. Just until they reach the ground, portal closing behind him.
The grass is warm under his calves as he sits on the back of them, turning to glance at his brother, his leader, for what to do next. Leonardo is staring blank, one hand digging into the grass while the other holds his aching side.
“Casey… Mikey, we need to find him.”
His head turns away from the sun to look at his remaining family, though void of the usual determination. It looked more like desperation, as if he was begging rather than ordering.
Mikey was at a loss for a moment, they both weren’t supposed to be alive now. They weren’t supposed to be here. His wrinkled face smooths out for once, devoid of stress before he quickly throws himself to holding his brother tight. Leo couldn’t help but let out a small gasp. Even as family, they hadn’t had much time for hugs recently.
“We will. I promise. We just… need to heal a little first. You need to heal, Leo.”
He could practically feel the shaky breath Leo let’s out, limp hands at his side trembling as they come to hook around the back of his baby brother, desperately clinging on. They sit there now, as the leader shatters and the warrior picks up the pieces.