It took a few hours for Leon to calm down from his panic attack. The episode had left him drained, emotionally, physically, and mentally.
Mikey whimpered softly but Leon put an arm around him to reassure him that he's okay.
Worn out and not wanting to handle his brothers so soon, Leon moves away. He picks up his fallen katanas and sheathes them. The two translucent turtles watch him walk to the edge of the rooftop silently.
Leon sits down, dangling his legs over the edge and looking down at the busy city below.
Leon sighed shakily as he leaned his head on Donnie's shoulder who rests his head on top of his. Nidas sat next to CJ who watched silently while eating his ice cream.
From the signs, he somehow teleported to the other side of New York. He could just go home by opening a portal, but he doesn't feel like it. He just wants to be alone for a moment.
"We understand if ya need some time to yourself, little brother." Raph said softly.
He blinks slowly. The city below is so bright and busy. The people below continue on with their lives without paying attention to their surroundings. All of them are stuck in their own world with their own problems.
Leon could relate to that, somewhat. Right now it feels like his problems are just something he has to deal with. He sighs, putting his face in his hand.
"You don't have to handle things alone, Leon." Donnie said as he gave his twin a look who just shrugged.
The two alternates stared at him silently. They had not been able to help him with his panic attack. He could see and hear them, but touch was not a possibility.
Leonardo steps forward. 'Leon-'
"Don't."
Leonardo sighed as Leon sent him an apologetic look.
"Sorry. Just going through stuff there..." He said but Leonardo just patted his shoulder.
"It's not your fault, Leon." He said with a warm smile.
The terrapin turtle paused.
"I get it, okay? I screwed up." Leon mutters, a tinge of bitterness in his tone.
"You didn't screw up. Don't blame yourself." Raphael said.
"You just panicked and you only acted out of defense, dude." Michelangelo added with an understanding smile.
'That wasn't what-'
"Don't lie. I know you wanted to talk to me about what happened."
Leon winced sent the two older turtles an apologetic look but they just gave him understanding looks as the young slider sighed softly.
Leon grimaced to himself, eyes narrowed with guilt as he stared down at the humans below.
"Well don't. I know what I did wrong. I got cocky and got triggered. I'll do better next time."
"You can always learn from your mistakes, Leo." O'Neil said softly. She couldn't help but feel sympathy towards the young slider.
'Kid...' Leo sighs. He steps closer to the young turtle, sitting down next to him. Leonardo watches them silently.
Side by side, they really look similar. Like a father and son, even if they are the same person but at different points in time.
"Huh, you know would look like father and son if it wasn't the fact that you two are from two different timelines." Donnie said and got a playful shove from Leon who smiled slightly.
Leo moves his right arm, the one that isn't entirely flesh. 'You know, as a ghost, I kind of expected to have my arm back. Or at least go back to being an amputee.'
"I still think it's a cool arm." Mikey said as the box turtle smiled towards Nidas.
Leon glances at him. His eyes flicked down to the arm.
It's larger than his other arm. A different shape too. The color seems a darker green than their normal light green tone. The arm lacked any stripes too, only a red part where the elbow is. It reminded Leon of Raph's arm, down to the small spikes and the red elbow.
Nidas smiled painfully. The memory of losing Raph twice in his timeline resurfaced.
'See, Raph wasn't turned into a Kraang monster in my time,' Leo said quietly.
Everyone became intrigued and wanted to know what Nidas went through in the apocalyptic timeline.
'He-' Leo stops, his face turning pained for a moment before he shut his eyes and continued. 'Raph has always been the protector. During a mission, he stayed back to save Donnie from a Kraang robot.'
Donnie's breath hitched but Raph put a hand on his shoulder as the softshell gripped Raph's hand for comfort.
Leon listens silently, his brows furrowed with thought. He knows the story wouldn't be a good one.
'He got crushed.'
Raph winced as he unconsciously touched his shell. Mikey felt a cold shiver down his spine. Leon had to fight the urge to go medic on Raph even though it never happened.
Leon winced at the factual tone in Leo's voice. The older slider had a faraway gaze, remembering the memory with a pained grimace.
'He was crushed by a Kraang robot. There was... so much blood. We barely managed to salvage him but his shell- it was shattered. His lower body was just crushed. He was barely alive and we- we know he wouldn't have a lot of time left.' Leo swallowed around a lump in his throat.
Nidas closed his eyes shut as the memories resurfaced. CJ sniffed and leaned against him for comfort. He maybe too young to remember it but he still remember what happened...
He remembered it all. The way Donnie yelled when the Kraang robot slammed down onto their older brother. He screamed so loud his voice cracked. The sound of Raph's shell shattering like broken pottery. There had been so much blood. Raph- his older brother looked so broken. The entire bottom half of his body and his shell was just in pieces.
'Donnie couldn't take it. He blamed himself for it. So he had the idea to transfer Raph's consciousness, his brain, into a robot.'
Donnie looked shock and looked to Nidas and CJ and they saw him nodding to confirm that he did in fact saved their Raph in the apocalyptic future.
Leonardo listened to the story with an unpleasant churning in his stomach. He's had near death scenarios before, and a broken shell was practically a death sentence for turtles. He imagined his Raph in that situation. Protecting their brother from a large robot and subsequently getting crushed for it.
His stomach churned at the thought.
Raphael gave Leonardo a sad and solemn look as the blue mask turtles smiled softly while putting a hand on his shoulder. He's not going anywhere.
'It took a while for Raph to get used to it. He spent most of that time consoling Donnie. Even after that, he's still the big brother,' Leo chuckles ruefully.
"That's our Raphie." Mikey smiled shakily as Raph gave him a noogie.
It was a bittersweet memory, watching the android that looked so much like Raph but it was only a mechanical body. Raph didn't even think about his own situation. Especially not when Donnie had been in tears. Raph didn't think of anything but embracing his brother and comforting him. Leo had watched from behind a wall, not wanting to intrude on their moment.
Even with a broken body, Raph's priority is still his brothers. Back then, Leo had wished things would be different. He never wanted to kill the Kraang more than that moment.
The dimming fire inside Leon, Nidas and Leonardo started to burn a bit more. Oh, that monster would be dead before it can even set it's slimy tentacles on New York or anywhere else on earth again.
He continues quietly. 'But you can't stop Raph, as we have learned. He still wanted to fight. He still wanted to be part of the rebellion. Even with a new body, Raph still wanted to be a protector. Well-'
His throat closed up a little. He pushes past it. 'The Kraang had found our base. They came in droves and when I saw the same Kraang I- I froze. I was so angry but at the same time, I was afraid. All I could see was Raph being crushed. That cost me an arm.'
It hurt so much. Leo could still remember the feeling of a metal claw piercing his arm, cutting through his flesh like paper. He remembered that white hot pain.
CJ shivered in fear as he held on his sensei as Nidas unconsciously put his hand on the prosthetic and rubbed it. Even though the pain is gone and numbed over the years, the reminder was still there.
Raph had heard him scream and forgot the rule to keep hidden to save him.
'Raph had come out to rescue me, much to the Kraang's shock. He was so sure he killed Raph. The next time the Kraang saw him, they made sure to go for the head.'
Mikey whimpered as Donnie tried to control his breathing. Raph didn't know what to say to the revelations of what happened to him in the future. Leon opened and closed his hands to calm down but the tears stung his eyes.
Cold spreads through Leon's body. In his mind, he sees Raph protecting him from the Kraang and being taken. His hand clenched into a fist.
Leo lifts his mechanical hand. Leon stares at it with a new understanding.
'Anyway, you weren't the only one who froze up,' Leo said with a look of understanding. 'It can happen and there's not much we can do to stop it. The only thing we can do is move on and learn from it.'
"Thanks, Nidas." Leon whispered and Nidas smiled softly.
"You're welcome, bud." Nidas whispered softly as they focus back on the movie.
Leon frowned and looked away. "How... how do you deal with it?"
'With losing Raph?'
Leon nodded.
"Raph, promise me you won't risk your life again. Please?" Leon pleaded.
"Leo, as an older brother, it's my duty to keep you and our brothers safe." Raph said while rubbing his shoulder.
"But I'll try." He smiled as the slider smiled back tearfully.
The older turtle sighs heavily, sounding tired. 'I didn't. There was no time to mourn. After Raph died, it was my job to protect our brothers. The Kraang were still on our tails and we have other things to worry about. So I just... kept moving. I learned to push aside my emotions and focus on what's important.'
"Seeing Raph again must have been a shock," Leon mutters thoughtfully.
Leo let out a bark of laughter. 'Oh trust me, the first week I was a mess. I cried so much I'm sure Leonardo thought it was my personality trait.'
This made everyone laugh slightly as the slightly dark atmosphere started to lighten up again.
'Wha- did not!' Leonardo immediately protested.
"Liar." Both Leon and Nidas snitched to Leonardo who gave them a look that promised revenge.
He had understood that the older turtle is somehow related to Leon. Probably a father or brother. He was suspicious at first, who wouldn't after waking up as a ghost and being stuck with an unknown turtle in the same situation as him? But seeing the old turtle sob whenever the other brothers came by, grieving them as if he had lost them once, he had understood.
Leonardo understood loss very well. It was during those first months that the two talked and bonded, two turtles stuck in a situation they have no idea how they got into.
Leo chuckles at his reply. 'But I guess... I should be thankful I get to see them again. Even if they're not the ones I lost.'
"Hugs!" Mikey suddenly shouted and tackles Nidas into a hug.
The older slider looked shock as Raph picked the two up and put Nidas next to Leon with CJ giggling as he sat next to April.
Leon frowned. He can't imagine losing his brothers. They got close. So many times they have gotten close to dying. But he still had his brothers.
Losing Gram-Gram had hurt. Losing his brothers would have felt worse. He can't imagine having to watch his brothers die one by one, leaving himself as the last one standing. Unable to grieve and mourn. Unable to process the pain because they had to fight for their lives.
"So I just move on?" Leon asked, lifting his head to stare at the sky.
"That depends, kid." Nidas said.
'That depends on you,' Leo replied. 'You can choose to dwell in your past mistake, or learn from it and get better. Prevent the same thing from happening again.'
'Well... that does sound like good advice,' Leon thought.
He hears Leonardo settle on his other side. All three turtles sat on the edge, staring down at the New York City below.
"Never thought I'd be glad to see a New York that's the same yet so different." Jones said with a smile.
'Do you want to go back?' Leonardo asked.
"Later," Leon replies. "I just want to be alone for a bit. Besides, my brothers would find me. Donnie put a tracker on all of us."
The Hamato Team looked at their Donatello in surprise who gave them an annoyance look.
"Don't give me that! Give that to him!" Donatello shouted while pointing to Donnie who tried to put on an innocent look.
"I do not know what you are talking about." He said while not looking at anyone.
Leo laughs. 'Oh I remember when we found that out. Had the situation been different, we would have jumped on his ass.'
"Donnie, I'm still mad and in disbelief at what you did." Leon said.
"Wait, so he did put trackers on all of us?!" Raph exclaimed in shock.
"He did." Mikey snickered as April gave her friend/brother a look.
Leon smirked. "We nearly did the same."
His tone turns more joking and exasperated. "Like seriously, he didn't think to ask us? Just casually put trackers on all your brothers. Yeah, alright. He was lucky that it was useful!"
"Just be thankful that it was useful to track Raph down." Donnie pouted.
Leonardo chuckles. 'Honestly, my Donnie would have done the same.'
"Oh yeah?" Leon grins at him. "You don't talk about your brothers much. Got any stories?"
Leonardo smirked. 'Oh, I have plenty.'
Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello looked at Leonardo with a scandalous and betrayed look but he just smirked.
"Leonardo Hamato, don't you dare!" Raphael shouted.
"Oh, I won't say anything. This is the future. Though I would say that you were pretty smitten with Y'Gythgba aka Mona Lisa." Leonardo snickered as Raphael flushed in embarrassment.
"Wait, he has a girlfriend?" April looked at Raphael in disbelief.
"Oh yeah. He was totally making googly eyes towards this salamandrian girl from space who became his girlfriend." Michelangelo said.
"Shut up." Raphael grumbled in embarrassment.
"Oh their chemistry were so alike and in sync with each other." Donatello added.
"He even asked one of us for advice since he has a crush." O'Neil giggled.
Raphael just groaned in annoyance but mostly it was from embarrassment. Raph looked as embarrassed as Raphael as Leon, Mikey and Donnie were giving him teasing smiles.
The three turtles sat like that, exchanging stories about their brothers.
Leo told stories about his brothers in the future and the hijinks they still managed to get into despite being in the apocalypse.
"Even years into the future, you four still get into trouble." April snickered as the Mad Dogz just shrugged, knowing it was true.
Like the time Mikey freaked out when he started to grow hair from overusing his mystic powers. Leo admitted he had been jealous at first. He wanted hair for a long time and Mikey getting it was just unfair.
"Wait, I grew hair?!" Mikey exclaimed in shock and delight.
"No fair. I want to grow hair." Leon pouted but gave his little brother a noogie.
Or the time Raph had carried Casey for the first time. The poor guy was so terrified he would drop the boy while Casey was just enjoying the attention.
Nidas patted Raph's arm as CJ smiled brightly since he remembered that.
Leonardo told stories about his own brothers. How he's the eldest, followed by Raph and Donnie and then Mikey. He and Raph butt heads all the time in a sort of rivalry. But there are moments where he would tease the hot headed turtle.
Raphael shove a bucket of popcorn on Leonardo who yelped in surprise but got a handful of popcorn thrown at him.
He mentioned how Raph had been terrified of roaches. The brothers would sometimes take advantage of that just to freak him out but they never went too far. Though he did mention the time Raph was chased around by a giant mutant roach. That had been a nightmare.
Raphael gave his brothers, Jones and O'Neil a glare but they just burst out laughing knowing that it was true which caused him to groan loudly out of pure embarrassment.
The Rise family looked amused at this.
Leon laughed and said that his Raph had a lot of fears as well. He mentioned the bunny from a show that Raph had been terrified of. They even brought a plush from the show to mess with him. Well it turns out the plush bunny was evil and tried to kill them. That had been something.
"I still can't believe a toy would be so scary." Mikey shivered.
"But you gotta admit that it was funny." Leon snickered.
The turtles laughed together. The exhaustion from earlier slowly faded away as they shared stories between each other.
Between time and space, they still love their brothers. It is a staple of every Leonardo Hamato. No matter if they were young, or old, or if they were from another world.
Leonardo and Leon with Nidas smiled to their respective brothers who returned it with equal love for each other.
That moment, Leon felt closer to his other selves. Similar, yet different.
Leon smiles at them. It's nice to be with people who understand him. His brothers are great, but it's nice to have someone who truly understands him.
If he finds comfort in alternate versions of himself, then call him narcissistic. It's nice to be understood and relate to someone who feels the same, in some way.
The three Leos smiled but they didn't notice the blue sparks dancing down their arms lightly which they didn't feel or notice.
It took a while for his brothers to appear on the rooftop. The Leos looked back at them as Raph approached his little brother.
"Leo, are you okay?" He asked with concern. "You just ran off. It's okay, the badger wasn't hurt. They surrendered and promised not to cause trouble."
"That's good at least. Right?" Mikey said in concern.
"You were lucky," Donnie hovered next to Leon with a frown. "You could have gotten lost. Thankfully your amazing genius brother managed to track you down."
Leon smirked at him and pointed a finger. "Don't think you're off the hook for putting trackers on us. You really need to ask."
"Scoff. Well it became useful. You should thank me."
"Told you." Donnie said with a roll of his eyes while Leon copied the action but rather playfully.
"Leo..." Mikey hugged his older brother tightly.
"Whoa there, Mike! I'm fine, really," Leon assures as he hugs his brother back.
"You did gave us a scare, ya know." April said with a concerned frown.
"Guys, this is the future. Remember?" Leon reminded them.
"We know, Blue, but when you ran out of the room, it scared us." Splinter said in concern as Leon pursed his lip.
"Are you sure? You looked freaked out earlier," Raph frowned.
"I'm fine. I got some time to... process," That was one way of saying he had his alternates talk with him. He gives Raph a reassuring smile. "I'm okay now. Promise."
Raph hesitated. "Well... if you're sure. But we're here to talk if you need it."
"Yeah! We'll help however you need!" Mikey added with a bright smile.
"Thanks, Mikey." Leon smiled to his orange clad brother who smiled.
Leon smiles fondly at them. "Thanks, brothers. It means a lot."
Leonardo and Leo smile from beside him.
Leon stood up and stretched. "Well... I could go for some pizza. A panic attack really makes you hungry, huh?"
"Pizza!" Both Mikey and Michelangelo cheered.
"Well it wouldn't hurt to grab lunch," Donnie said.
"Hueso's is always a good place to chow," Leon suggested.
"Remind me to order us some pizza from Run of the Mill once this is over." Leon said.
Raph relented after he was given three puppy eyes. "Fine. But we're getting takeout. Don, call dad and ask him what he wants."
"Done and done."
Leon unsheathes his katanas. "I'll portal us there."
He stops when Raph raises his hand.
"No, you can rest. Besides, we took the turtle tank here. We'll drive there."
"Turtle tank?" The Hamato Team looked curious.
"Oh, it's just a Jupiter Jim moon buggy that I fixed up and turn it into a tank but it's in the shape of a turtle and thus the turtle tank." Donnie said with a smirk.
"Well, we have a shellraiser that Donatello made.
Leon shrugs, sheathing back his blades. "No skin off my shell."
"That sounds disturbing," Donnie commented as they jumped off the roof. Mikey hopped onto Raph's shell as they both jumped off.
"Agreed." Donnie shuddered.
Leon rolled his eyes and followed after them with a quip. "Well you try coming up with a good comeback then."
Both Leon and Donnie started to slap each other like kids in a backseat.
"Don't make me reach you two." Raph warned them.
"He started it!" The Disaster Twins said while pointing fingers at each other.
"Well, we don't care who started it." April said.
The two Leos flickered away to follow Leon.
While the talk had brought some weight off of Leon's shoulders, it doesn't completely take away the guilt.
"Leon, for the last time it wasn't your fault." Raph said as Leon sighed softly.
"I know that, big guy, but... I still can't believe that happened.
When the turtles got back to the lair, and after a good dinner with their father and Casey, Raph had suggested a movie night.
Leon, surprisingly, declined.
"What? Why? You never decline movie night," Raph asked in confusion.
"Wait, you're declining movie night?!" Mikey exclaimed with a slight hurt and confuse look as he looked at Leon.
He was just as confused as well. He never declines a movie night. So what's the big idea?
Leon shrugs. "Today has just been a long day. I just want to take an early rest."
"Oh," Raph blinked before he smiled. "Alright then. Have a good rest."
"Leon, why are you declining movie time...?" Mikey asked in confusion but no one knows the answer to that.
"Goodnight, Leo!" Mikey gave him a brief hug which Leon returned.
"Night, Nardo," Donnie said as Leon passed by.
Casey smiles at him. "Goodnight, Sensei."
"Night, mi familia. Have fun with Coco!" Leon winked at them with a wave.
"Coco?" CJ asked in confusion.
"Oh, it's a Spanish musical Disney movie which is so my favorite." Nidas explained.
When he reaches his room, he shuts the door behind him with a click. His smile falls and he turns to the two turtles with him.
"Train me," He said seriously.
"What?" Raph and Splinter looked surprise.
"Wait, what?" Nidas and Leonardo looked at Leon in surprise.
Everyone looked shock especially the Rise family. Leon never liked training but, why is he asking the two older turtles to train him?
The two turtles looked shocked at his sudden demand.
'What?'
'Huh?'
Leon stares at them with a serious face. "You're right, I can't change the past. But I can make sure that the same thing doesn't happen again. You wanted me to train more, so train me."
"Leon..." Nidas sighed softly.
Leonardo and Leo glanced at each other, taken aback by his sudden determination.
'Okay,' Leo said.
Leonardo added. 'But not tonight. It's been rough and you need some sleep.'
"Sleep is essential so we don't end up sleeping in training." Leonardo said sheepishly.
Leon gritted his teeth. "How can I sleep after knowing that I lost control?"
'It's hard, we get that. But if you don't sleep, then it would just cause more problems in the future,' Leonardo said rationally. 'I understand the need to train immediately. Especially after what happened. But foregoing sleep to train would just make you feel worse.'
Leon curled his hands into fists. He clenched his jaw and looked away.
Raph, Donnie and Mikey looked at their blue brother who couldn't meet their eyes as they frowned in concern.
Leo steps beside him. 'I know it's hard. But you need rest. We'll train tomorrow.'
Leon wanted to protest. He wanted to go against them and train for himself. But he learned his lesson.
He sighs, frustrated. "Fine."
He turns away to change into his striped pajamas. The Leos flickered away to give him some privacy.
Lying down on his bed, Leon stares at the fairy lights hanging from his ceiling.
Sleep doesn't come easy for him.
"Insomnia is a b-" Leon didn't continue due to a nudge from Raph who was giving him a warning look to watch his language.
The next day comes and Leon is up bright and early. Instead of playing around, he went into the training room.
He hasn't been a frequent visitor of this room. The little board hanging on the wall proved it. Mikey had made it for the purpose of tracking their attendance for training. While Raph has the most star stickers, Leo has barely any stars.
"Wow. That Raph sure takes training seriously like Leo." Michelangelo said as Leonardo and Raph glanced each other. What? They like training, okay?
He would rather play around than train. Now he can't do that. Not when their lives are on his shoulders.
He isn't strong like Raph. He can't be their shield who can protect them from any threats. He needs to get better. Be faster. Stronger.
Splinter hummed silently but he can't help but worry for his blue son. Training is good but not spending time with family isn't good.
Leon feels a presence behind him just as two turtles flicker into existence.
"So how do we do this?" Leon asked.
'Well, you can't touch us so it can't simulate a proper spar,' Leonardo mumbled to himself.
Leo steps forward. 'We'll make it easy first. Follow my form and copy me.'
Leon obeys.
"So katas?" Leon guessed as both Nidas and Leonardo nodded.
Maybe he and his brothers can ask them and the Hamato Team to train them later.
That's how they spent the next few days. Leo and Leonardo teach him the knowledge that they had learned.
Fighting techniques. How to properly use their surroundings to their advantage. Other skills that the duo had learned over the years were fighting.
As much as Raph was impressed that Leon is taking the training seriously this time, he can't help but worry and feel concern.
Leon picks up all the lessons like a sponge. He's always been a quick learner and a skillful fighter.
They went on to spar with each other. Since Leon can't touch them, they suggested another way. Leon can't let them touch him as they fight, blocking their attacks is possible. They'll tell him if they manage to touch him.
Leon had also insisted on training his portal powers. He can't lose control like that again. So he began practicing, portalling himself and being more creative with how he uses his powers.
Leo, being experienced in mystic powers, helped him. Leonardo kept an eye on them to make sure they didn't do anything too straining or dangerous. So far, he's only slipped up and nearly fell from the top of the lair. He managed to make a portal below him to save himself and his pride.
"You're gonna give me and Pops a heart attack one of these days, Leon." Raph grumbled.
Raph had been surprised by his sudden determination to train but he was overjoyed to have a partner willing to spar with him.
He praises Leon's growth in fighting which really boosted his morale. It made the aching muscles and increasing tiredness feel worth it.
Leon kept training, alone or with someone. He took occasional breaks when it got too much but he had once fought continuously for two days so he could hold on for longer.
While the determination is great, it is a double sided coin.
Mikey had to come in to remind Leon to eat. Sometimes bringing in his meal when Leon got lost in training.
Mikey frowned in concern while twiddling with his thumbs. Leon missing meal time? That's never happened before.
Raph had to remind him to take care of himself when he noticed Leon training longer than he had.
Raph kept his mouth shut but the worry and concern for his younger brother.
Donnie had to drag him to take proper rest when he noticed his brother hadn't left the training room for hours.
Donnie glance at his twin worriedly. As much as he was the twin that doesn't show emotions, he's worried about his twin not taking breaks or rests.
April had literally dragged him to sit down and watch videos together.
April fidgeted with her jacket. Leon spending more time in training is worrying.
Other than to eat, sleep, and the occasional breaks, Leon had pretty much thrown himself into training.
Even with the connection he has with the other Leos, they did have their arguments. They are similar, but still very different. With different experiences and sometimes their old habits and past trauma would rear its head.
"Old habits die hard." Leon weakly joked as he couldn't meet anyone's eyes for some reason.
Like the time Leonardo tried to convince him to do the "proper" forms, falling back into the time he and his brothers would train in their dojo back when Splinter was still alive.
"This is giving me flashbacks of the time dad tried to convince us the Hamato way was the right way."
'That sounds great!'
"No. No, it isn't. We just did our own thing and kicked butt better than what dad tried to tell us."
"Zero training yet you guys always win fights huh?" Raphael pointed out.
"Pretty much." Raph winced.
Or the time Leo had fallen into his habits from the apocalypse. In a world where he had to be alert all the time and always on the move, certain habits stuck.
'You need to eat faster. If you take too long, then you won't be able to-'
"And choke? Leo, this isn't the apocalypse. There is no Kraang that will suddenly appear to bite my head off. Especially after Donnie rigged the lair with upgraded defense systems."
"Sensei, you don't have to worry about food anymore." CJ said as Nidas sighed.
"I know, Case. But old habits." He huffed slightly.
By far, their worst fight had been when Leonardo noticed how- other than Raph- his other brothers are not as keen as training. Leon had been the worst before, but Donnie and Mikey were not that interested in constantly training.
Donnie would rather stay in his room and work on a project. Mikey has his art and cooking which he does to express himself.
Leonardo had tried to convince Leon that, as a leader, he should make sure his brothers fall in line and follow orders. The terrapin turtle had fallen back into his destructive habit of micro-managing. He was the leader in his own world. The responsibility of dragging his brothers to take things more seriously had fallen on his shoulders.
Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo looked at each other with a dim look. They miss how Leonardo is not always so serious and takes his role as leader too seriously before.
Leon had stepped his foot down on that.
"They're just kids!"
'Leon-'
"No, Leonardo! I won't drag my brothers from their well deserved break just to train. Maybe it's common in your world, but in mine, we let them have fun. If anyone has to train, it's me. I won't let you drag them into this. I won't drag them into this."
Leon, Leonardo and Nidas glance each other worriedly but wordlessly kept their comments to themselves.
They hadn't mentioned that fight again. Leon focused all of his frustration into himself.
Leonardo had been impressed by how much he's grown. Leon had his bouts of aching muscles, but he wasn't hindered by them. He keeps moving and he jumps back faster than a normal human or mutant.
Leon thought it had something to do with being Draxum's test subject. Being engineered specifically to become warriors would give him more of an advantage than other mutants.
"So Uncle Draxum made you guys?" CJ said.
"Pretty much." Nidas and Leon said.
The slider keeps improving day by day. But in his determined state, he doesn't notice his family's ever increasing worry for him.
Leon frowned slightly as he sighed.
"Wait, I just remembered something." April said before she turned to CJ.
"Didn't you call Nidas dad?" She asked as CJ laughed sheepishly with Nidas just smiling slightly.
"It's... an interesting story." Nidas said.
"Ooh, do tell."