You put me in a maze where I can only walk in circles.
Leo was in the Lair, surrounded by his brothers as they had lunch together.
Today was Tuesday. On Tuesdays it was Mikey’s turn to pick what they had for lunch, so here they were, eating pepperoni pizza. Classic Mikey.
They all talked, Mikey made jokes, Donnie spoke of his latest projects and interests and Raph made comments.
Leo stayed quiet, just enjoying his family’s presence.
It was like how it used to be; when they were happy.
The scene played out without change, some toppings were being thrown around in a sort of mini food fight, a warm feeling came over Leo, he doesn't know why but he felt like it had been forever since they had all been together like this.
Leo picked up his slice of pizza and brought it to his mouth.
But of course, the ceiling caved in a burst of fire and explosion and everything turned black.
Leo could hear muffled screaming and cries, as a burning weight settled over him, the screams and cries of his family echoed in his mind, the voices slowly faded out, turning into a perturbing whisper in the wind.
When Leo finally managed to gather the strength to open his eyes he found himself a half empty building, filled with only science equipment. The world felt surreal, the floor felt fake under his feet and the walls shifted around his vision as colours morphed and danced around.
But even with all these disturbances, Leo could just barely make out where he was;
Sack’s building.
Leo spun around on his heels, he could see him and his younger brothers being suspended into the glass boxes, the scientists' skilled hands placing and adjusting each needle under their scales.
The scene played out so smoothly, as if it had just happened.
Leo took a step forward, his hand automatically reaching out to help his little brothers, the floor pristine white flooring turned into silk under him and Leo free fell through the building, no matter what happened, Leo couldn’t bring himself to talk, scream, yell, or even make any sound.
He his the ground with a thud, Leo hastily mushed himself up on his elbows, he groaned in pain and rubbed hi head ‘Great, isn’t this just fantastic’ he thought to himself.
The silk blanket under him then disintegrated, turning to sand under his touch.
Leo scrambled to his feet in an attempt to get away, only to find his surroundings had once again changed, this time, Leo stood alone in a forest that had been burnt to dust, ashes fell from the sky like snow and the charred corpses of the once lush trees barely stood.
To some, it was a sad sight, but all Leo could see was hundreds of thousands of homes, resources and animals- living beings; gone.
Leo couldn’t help the series of suffocating coughs that racked his body, he couldn’t help breathing in the smoke and ash that polluted the air, his lungs burned and his chest ached
Subconsciously, Leo brought a hand to his chest, a futile attempt to ease the pain.
“You deserve this.”
A voice, Leo didn’t know who’s but it sounded familiar, echoed through the dead trees
“You left them defenseless”
Who was this?
“Your family should be proud”
What.
The grayscale world spun around Leo, familiar figures appeared in the trees, they were… Floating?
“Take a closer look and see…”
Leo stepped closer to the closest figure, his form shook from the weak coughs and he strained his eyes to get a better view.
Eventually he had gotten close enough that he could make out the distinct shape of a rope, leo stumbled back, this was none of his business, he didn’t need to see this, he didn’t want to see this; what was he here?
“Get closer.”
The voice commanded him, compelled him. Leo’s feet moved without his consent, his eyes, no matter how hard he tried to look away, stayed transfixed on the rope.
Leo was standing a foot away from the hanging person, the body swayed in the wind like a twisted and nauseating christmas ornament.
Leo’s eyes finally moved, they slowly drifted from the rope down to the top of the figure’s head, their bald head, down to their eyes brows, or lack thereof, strange but not unusual.
Who was he to judge?
Moving down to their eyes, Leo had to stop, he needed to stop, this couldn’t be who he was thinking of, it had to be a coincidence.
Leo felt a cold, almost ghostly touch on his shoulder, a whisper, devoid of remorse or empathy whispered into his ear.
“Look at him, Leonardo.”
His body wasn’t doing what he was telling it to, Leo tried to resist, he really did but his eyes drifted down to the corpse’s eyes anyways.
“Isn’t he beautiful?”
Leo couldn’t look away, he tried and he wanted to more than anything, but looking into the cold and dead eyes of the deceased was hypnotic.
You would never be able to tell, but whoever had been talking to him had been smiling, it made Leo’s nausea worse, he forcefully repressed a gag, uncontrollable streams of tears fell down his face.
“Your family is so proud of you, Leonardo.”
The voice repeated, he wanted it all to stop, get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out,
get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out.
GET HIM OUT.
“Look at him”
The voice instructed, Leo could faintly feel cold hands force his head straight once more to make him stare into unfocused, unliving eyes.
Raph’s eyes.
Leo stared into his twin brother’s eyes, his younger brother, his little brother’s dead eyes.
The same brother that he had always cherished and treated with love and kindness, only to push him away when he needed him most to favour his own self-destructive habits.
The same one that understood him more than anyone ever could.
Was dead.
Hung.
Strung up a tree like a piece of decoration.
Leo let out a guttural scream full of so much pain his voice cracked and eventually silenced out.
His brother.
The hands keeping him in place must’ve left him at some point, because without thinking, Leo lunged at the rope, ripping it apart like it was made of paper.
Leo caught his little brother’s limp form midfall, sinking to the floor in a heap.
Leo cradled his baby brother’s corps to his chest.
He cried.
He hadn’t cried like this in years, he dobbed and wailed and clung to Raphael like he was a lifelong; because he was.
Raphael was Leo AND Leonardo’s lifeline; the reason he hadn't killed himself years ago.
But if Raphael was the one hanging on this tree, then…
No…
Leo layed Raph’s corpse down gently, he made sure to be extra careful not to mangle any of his limbs, Leo wanted Raph to be as comfortable as possible.
After assuring himself that Raph was okay and almost physically fighting himself to go check on the other hanging figure; to make sure they weren’t who he thought they were.
“Your family loves you.”
SHUT UP
Leo ran at full speed towards the closest figure.
Donnie.
Leo teared through the rope and held his genius little brother. Leo's tears were dry but he didn’t need tears to cry.
He readjusted Donnie’s glasses and closed his tallest brother’s eyes.
Leo picked up Donnie’s corpse and placed him next to Raph.
He didn’t have time to do more, he had to keep checking.
Leo’s body was tired, but he didn’t have time for tired.
So, he kept running, and running and running.
Until he reached-
“Mikey…”
Leo breathed out.
Leo couldn’t have moved quicker, taking him down and letting himself just… Hold him, hold his baby brother.
“My baby…”
Leo choked out between silent wails and hiccuping sobs.
Leo stroked Mikey’s cheeks with his thumbs, a habit he had taken up when they were younger and their father refused to leave his room.
Something Leo did to comfort them.
After some time, Leo did bring his youngest brother’s body over to where the rest layed.
Leo wasn’t sure if they were all comfortable or not, he couldn’t know.
Because they were dead.
Leo would never mess with Raph again, he would never debate topics with Donnie again and he would never joke with Mikey again.
Ever again.
His baby brothers were dead and he couldn’t do anything to save them, all he could do was watch their lifeless bodies decay over time.
“Leonardo.”
Leo flinched at the voice; his father’s voice.
Spinning around from his kneeling position on the ground, Leo came face to face with his father, his Sensei.
And for the first time in a long time, Leo smiled at the sight of his Sensei alive and well.
“Dad I-”
A slashing sound echoes through the air
“What have you done?!”
Splinter bellowed, his tail was now stained with blood but the rat didn’t seem phased.
Leo brought a hand up to his face, feeling the cut with his fingers, it was deep.
“I asked one thing from you!”
Leo eyed the splattered blood on the ground.
“I said ‘Keep you brothers safe,even at your own risk’ and you couldn’t even handle that.”
The blood that decorated the ground was his blood, Leo’s blood.
“It seems I have made a mistake,”
Leo felt something solid manifest in his hand.
“I am disappointed in you.”
Leo rose to his feet.
“You were never ready, my son-”
Splinter was cut off by the blood that trickled down from his mouth.
“I am NOT your SON!”
Leo twisted the knife he had plunged into Splinter’s stomach and pulled it out.
Splinter reached a hand out for Leonardo, but Leo had no interest in helping a dirty sewer rat.
Splinter then fell to the ground, a bright red puddle forming under his remains.
“Your family loves you.”
The voice repeated again.
“My family is dead.”
Leo snapped back.
“No,”
Leo’s surroundings lightened, the scenery changing from dark and gloomy to bright and clean.
He was in the laboratory; the laboratory that he was made in, he recognised.
His eyes caught sight of a small baby turtle, much smaller than it was supposed to be.
Around the turtle were about a dozen people in lab coats and scrubs, scientists, Leo’s mind provided.
They all cooed and complimented the small turtle for its unique features and cute sounds.
Behind them were 3D models of DNA and charts of the turtle’s growth and development, and a bit to the side was a whole corkboard full of designs and ideas labeled
‘Ideas for Leelee’s reconstruction’
They were going to reconstruct the turtle’s DNA.
This was him.
This was Leo.
“This; Leonardo, is your true family.”
The voice directed him closer to the group of scientists.
”No…”
As Leo got closer to the group he could hear more and more details of the conversation:
“I don’t want to submit him as a final project, he’s too cute”
“I get it, but we need to! The client is paying us almost like 4 bajillion dollars for him..”
“4 Billion.”
“Besides, I’m sure he’d feel left out if his brothers developed with the Mutagen and he stayed a regular old turtle.”
“But he's so cute! We could keep him as an office pet!”
“As much as I would love to say yes, he would die in like a month anyway.”
“N-no! This can’t be right!?”
The conversation went on.
“See?”
The voice asked.
The scene froze, as if on pause.
“You never belonged in the sewers, with your brothers or your ‘father’. But with the person that actually wanted you in the first place!”
Leo stared blankly at nothing.
The world crumbled around Leo, faces fell and walls broke, like broken glass and peeling wallpaper.
Leo didn’t dare move.
Until all that was left was the chunk Leo stood on, but like everything else that was good, it went away.
Leo freefell down into the empty black abyss underneath him.
A loud buzzing sound erupted from somewhere in his room and in seconds his ‘roommate’ was shaking him awake and pulling him to his feet.
The metal door opened and Usagi dragged Leo out by his arm.
What. The. Actual. Fuck.