Leon pondered on the previous part of the movie. What will he be his choice?
Raph considers himself an okay big brother.
Sure he isn't perfect. He has a lot of flaws and he knows that. But he thinks he's doing well when it comes to being the big brother to his little siblings.
Leon, Donnie and Mikey gave Raph a hug when they noticed that he was tearing up.
He is attentive, caring, and always helpful and he can be stern when he needs to be. He almost always needs to be stern when it comes to his chaos-creating brothers.
Leonardo put a hand on Raphael's shoulder when he noticed the slight tears filling up his eyes and he smiled thankfully at his older brother.
They know if they need anything, they can always come to him. It didn't matter if it was something serious like an injury or something small like a hug. He always makes himself available for them because they're the most important people in his life.
So it tears him apart to see Leo pull away from them.
Raph sniffed as he held back his tears but returned the hug from his younger brothers. He doesn't want to be apart from them. Not again.
Leo has always been carefree, snarky, and always with a quip on his tongue. He loves to flaunt himself like he's a peacock and not a turtle.
"I am not a peacock!" Leon shouted in embarrassment.
"You act like one a few times." April snitched as Leon groaned.
He loves to do tricks and play pranks and avoiding responsibilities like a plague. It's almost impossible to get Leo to train with them or take anything seriously.
Sometimes he wished Leo would take things more seriously. His carefree attitude worries him a lot. What if Leo got into trouble because he got careless? Or didn't take things seriously enough and got hurt badly.
Leon pouted for Raph thinking like that. Can't he just be happy and glad he took his role as leader for once during the invasion?
The whole Kraang incident had been a lot, to say the least. He still has nightmares about the Kraang capturing him, invading his mind, and controlling him to attack his brothers. He dreams of failing to save Leo when the Kraang tried to kill him. That he was too late and all he could hear was the crack and splash as a sharp pink tendril pierced through Leo's head.
Raph shivered at the memories while Raphael looked a little horrified. So maybe he's starting to regret about wishing some action cause he can tell in his gut that something is gonna happen in a few more minutes.
Sometimes he would wake up in tears thinking that Mikey hadn't managed to save Leo. That his little brother is still trapped in the prison dimension with their enemy, suffering eternal torment. He checks on Leo on those nights to reassure himself that he hadn't failed. That Leo is still alive and there with them.
But now... he seems like a ghost.
"I'm sorry if I'm taking training too seriously..." Leon whispered.
Donnie just rolled his eyes and flick his forehead which made Leon yelp in surprise and look at him with a fond smile. That's Donnie's way of saying 'stop apologizing and we forgive you, dum dum'.
They have Leo, but he doesn't feel the same. He's changing in ways that greatly worry Raph.
"Raph, if you keep worrying too much, your chasm will get more deeper." Leon said with a strained smile.
"Leo, remember what I said about me having the chasm." Raph said.
"That you have to worry about me, Donnie and Mikey 24/7. I know."
He's been training a lot, which is an odd thing by itself. But he's taking it too seriously sometimes. He's training like someone would die if he doesn't.
He doesn't eat much anymore. He barely sleeps. He doesn't join them during movie nights or just to hang out anymore.
"Leo, when we get home, can we watch a Transformers Prime and Transformers Bayverse marathon?" Mikey asked.
"Sure thing, bud. If Donnie can find the correct ones." Leon said with a snicker.
"Scoff! Oh ye of little faith, dear Nardo. Of course I can find the movies. Just give me time and I'll download all of it for a marathon. I'm sure some of you would like it." Donnie said as CJ looks interested.
"Ooh wonder if we can find that back home, Dee." Michelangelo said as Donatello shrugged but he can try.
There's no abundance of witty one-liners or jokes. No sass or pranks on his brothers. No whoops and his signature holler as he nails a trick on a skateboard.
Just this... serious-looking turtle who looks like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders.
'Feels like Fearless here.' Raphael thought while crossing his arms.
He feels like a ghost. Like someone had taken everything that was Leo and replaced it with someone else.
Raph feels like it was his fault. He had wished for Leo to be more serious and he got it. But he never expected this to be the result.
"Leo-" Raph started but Leon just cut him off.
"Don't. Just don't, Raph. I get it. I never take things seriously." Leon said as he crossed his arms. Can't Raph just appreciate him raking things seriously for once?
Raph felt a bit hurt. That's not what he wanted to tell him. Sure he wanted Leo to take things seriously but not to an extent where he's not hanging out with his family.
Maybe he asked too much. Leo was already struggling with being made leader so abruptly. He's recovering from the physical wounds on his body as well as the mental scars of the entire ordeal.
He sometimes wonders if he's a good brother at all if Leo is suffering and he can't do anything to help.
"You are a good brother, Raph." Nidas whispered softly.
Still, he wants to try to help. What good is being the big brother if he can't help his younger brothers?
First, he needs to talk to the red-eared slider.
"If he's willing to talk though." Donnie deadpan and Leo just ignored the slight pang of guilt in his gut.
Finding Leo isn't as difficult as he expected. He could hear him talking in the training room. Raph feels like that room has slowly become Leo's residence now. An odd and off-putting thought when, before, it had been Raph who was the frequent user of that room.
As he neared the room, he hears Leo's voice more audibly.
"Wonder who he's talking to." Mikey said as Donnie glanced at the two older turtles.
"Remind me again why I'm doing this." A brief pause. "Well, this isn't working. It's just not something I can do."
"It's either Nidas or Leonardo or both." Leon shrugged.
Raph passes the doorway and sees Leo sitting crossed-legged in the middle of the room, hands clasped in front of him and a deep furrow on his brow.
"Leo?" He calls.
Leon peaks an eye open and his body relaxes into a more casual sitting position with his arms supporting him as he leaned back. "Hey, big bro. What's up?"
"Who are you talking to?" Raph asks as he steps inside.
Leon pauses for a moment before he grins with a mischievous glint in his eyes. A look Raph recognizes as his "I have a terrible pun in mind" look.
"Really, Raph? You had to ask that?" April asked as Raph laughed sheepish.
"Myself," he replied. His grin grows wider as if there was a reaction.
Raph was mostly confused. Was there a joke there that he doesn't understand? "Oookay? What are you doing?"
"From the looks of it, he's trying to meditate." CJ said as the team looked at him minus Nidas.
"What? Sensei and Master Michelangelo do it sometimes to clear their minds." He said defensively.
This gained a sigh from the slider.
"I'm trying out meditating," Leon responded which surprised Raph. "It's supposed to help me calm down and focus. But it's not working. If anything, I feel more restless!"
"Well, maybe it doesn't work as well for you," Raph said thoughtfully. "You're not the type to sit still for long. If you wanted to clear your mind, you usually just do something else to focus."
"Kinda reminds me of Mikey." Donatello said as Michelangelo gave him a look as Leonardo just sipped some green tea. Where he got it from, no one knows.
Leon places a hand on his chin as he looks thoughtful. "Yeah, that might explain it. Welp! No loss for me!"
"Leo..." Raph calls as Leon jumps to his feet. "Really, are you okay?"
"Can you guys stop asking me that?" Leon said in annoyance. As much as he loves Raph, getting asked the same question is getting annoying.
"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Leon says in exasperation. He turns to Raph with a frown on his face and hands on his hips. "Yes, I'm fine."
"It's just- you've changed a lot. We're worried."
Leon looked at Raph sadly before looking down. CJ shifted uncomfortably. There was tension in the air and he could feel in the air, even on the screen.
Leon blinks at him for a moment, his gaze searching him. Then his expression turns into a glare.
"Didn't you want this?"
"What?" Raph blinked in confusion.
"What?" Raph takes a step back from the accusation.
"This," Leon waves his hand. "You wanted me to take things more seriously. To be less immature and arrogant. To train more often. Isn't this what you want?"
Raph tried to remember if he wanted Leo to take things more seriously before the memory of their argument resurfaced in his mind.
"What's it gonna take for you to be serious, Leo?"
Oh gods... He covered his face with his hands. He told Leo that...
" Wha - no, Leo, this isn't what I want!" Raph quickly defended himself. "I wanted you to take things more seriously, not overwork yourself!"
"I'm not overworking myself. I'm being better. In case you've forgotten, I'm the leader now. I know what I did wrong with the Kraang and I'm fixing it!"
Mikey huddled close to Donnie for comfort as the genius put an arm around him. Nidas shifted uncomfortably while both Leonardo and Raphael looked at each other worriedly as Donatello and Michelangelo looked uncomfortable.
Jones and O'Neil glance at the two turtles who didn't meet anyone's eyes as CJ wanted to speak up but didn't know what to say.
"This isn't good for you!"
Leon grits his teeth in frustration. "What do you know?! You've always been a better leader than me! You make it seem so easy! Well, you're not the leader anymore, I am! So I'm so sorry if I'm just trying to make sure I can protect our brothers and not let them die!"
Raph opened his mouth but nothing came out. He open and close his mouth to say something to his brother but nothing comes out so he just kept his mouth shut but he sent Leon apologetic look who glance at him but look away quickly.
Raph stares at Leon with wide eyes. He doesn't know what to do in the face of Leon's anger. He's not doing well, that's obvious. Leon looks like he is cracking under the responsibilities pushed onto him as well as the trauma of the whole Kraang ordeal. Mikey was right, Leo is struggling with the weight of being the leader.
Raph tries to reach out to his little brother. "Leo, that's not what I meant."
"Whatever," Leon scoffed and pushes past him.
Tears stung Mikey's eyes as he keened softly in despair as Donnie chirped softly to calm him down but there was so little he can do.
Raph ran after him. "Leo-"
"Just leave me alone!" Leon yells. He pulls out his katanas. His markings glowed with mystic energy as he cuts through the air and a blue portal appears.
He's gone soon after, leaving Raph alone with his conflicted thoughts.
He once again wonders if he's a good big brother to his siblings.
"Raph... You are a good big brother. You just have to faith." Nidas whispered softly as he watched the screen with a saddened expression.
Leon appears on top of a building near their lair. It's a place he frequents a lot when he wants to be alone. Donnie hacked into the cameras so they wouldn't be spotted, playing the same footage of an empty roof the moment one of them steps onto the building.
He paces around in frustration, lips pulled into a scowl and brows furrowed so deep he knows it would create a Raph chasm if he keeps it up.
"He doesn't understand," Leon mutters to himself while he rubs his arms.
"He just worried, Leon." Leonardo said.
'He's just worried,' Leonardo voiced out, standing a few feet away from Leon.
"He's not the one losing control of his powers," Leon stops and stares down at his own hands. It feels like he's looking at someone else's arms. Despite the green skin and the yellow markings, these arms no longer feel familiar to him.
"Which we still don't know how." Donnie said. Their Ninpo don't just go out of control. They have complete control of it but with what's happening to Leon, it's worrisome.
How would Raph understand? He's the first to expand his powers. He did it to save Leon from falling to his death.
Raph might have trouble thinking under pressure, but he's a great protector when it comes down to it. He's always there on time. He's always just in time to save them.
Leon could still hear the sickening crack when the tendril that had been aimed at his head was stopped by Raph's shell. The smell of blood had never been so sickening before.
Leon's breath hitched at that and he hugged the plush a bit more tight to calm down as tears sting his eyes. Damn it. If only he wasn't so reckless...
Raph had stayed behind with those monsters. He sacrificed his escape pod to save Leon. He was left at the mercy of the Kraang while Leon ran away.
Raph was always there to protect them. Raph is always there to save them.
Time and time again, whenever they needed saving, Raph would always be there. His hand would reach out and grab them. His own body was used to shield them.
'Protector.' Leonardo and Splinter both thought. That's Raph's role to everyone. He's the protector.
How can Leon compete with that?
He's not as strong as Raph. He's not as smart as Donnie. He's not as upbeat and inspiring hope as Mikey.
He's the face guy. The one who looks good and cracks jokes at inappropriate times.
He's not a leader. He's not a protector.
How can he even compete with someone like Raph?
Raphael looked at his hands. He always try to compare himself with Leonardo but they always end up in an argument.
A note appeared in his lap and he read it curiously.
'You always bear the world's problems on your shoulders. It is an admirable quality when you are a protector of others. But you must realize that while at times, you may not be my favourite student, it does not mean that you are my least favourite son. You are strong, passionate and loyal to a fault. These are the merits of a great leader as well, but only when tempered with compassion and humility.
-Sophia
P.S. I got another dimension Splinter to write that for me. Hope it helps.'
Raphael looked at the note more and tried to understand before realizing what it means. He looked to Raph who had to same note but he had a confused look.
He looked at the note with a small hum. He knows that he wasn't always Splinter's favorite when it comes to training but their father still loves them all individually.
He refocused back to the movie but was planning to have a little chat with his older brother later when they're given a break.
For years, Raph protected them without fail, at the cost of his own body. He never faltered. He never failed. He was the oldest brother. The protector. The born leader.
So why was Leon made to take his place? It feels like a shell too big for him to fit in.
Splinter hummed as he rubbed his chin. He knows the reason why he made Leon the leader but he wants his son to find out himself.
Never once did Raph fail to protect them.
Yet Leon is struggling. With himself. His identity. His choices. His powers.
How can he be a great leader like Raph?
"Leaders don't always have to be great at first, kid." Nidas said with a solemn smile as Leon look at him. He had to ask him later.
Leon feels his eyes burn and he sniffled, raising his hands to wipe away the wetness.
"Dammit," he sighs shakily and laughs to himself. "I'm pathetic."
"You're not pathetic." Raph, Raphael, Nidas and Leonardo said at the same time which made Leon look at them with a surprise look.
"Sensei?"
Leon spun around and stared wide-eyed at Casey. His head is just poking out from the edge of the building.
Leon raised an non-existent eyebrow at that. Wonder what CJ is doing there?
"Casey," Leon said before putting on a grin. "Hey! What brings you up here on this fine evening?"
Raphael raised an non-existent eyebrow at that. So Leon is a face man of the team? That's surprising.
"Oh it's, uh- it's nothing," Casey backtracks. "You can stay up here. I can find another place to-"
"No, no," Leon interjected quickly. "You can stay. I'm just... gonna pace around a bit. Clear my head, y'know?"
"Seriously? You're not okay with Raph, Donnie and Mikey talking to you but you're okay with CJ talking to you?" April asked as Leon shrugged.
"Don't ask me. It's the future." He simply replied.
Casey stares at him before his face softens and he smiles weakly. "Yeah. I do."
Leon shares his expression. "Come on, let's just sit together."
Casey pulls himself up on the roof to join Leon. He's wearing normal loose grey pants with a large comfortable blue hoodie with tons of patches, courtesy of Mikey. There's even a patch of their logo on his upper right sleeve.
Nidas smiled solemnly. If the Krang never happened, CJ would have been living a normal human life but fate has different plans and he already sees Casey as a son.
Leon glances at Leo, who stares at Casey with a melancholic look on his face.
The young slider sits down by the edge of the roof. Casey joins him.
They both stared down at the busy New York streets. Colorful with neon lights that make the city shine with a multitude of colors. The people below fill the streets with chatter, laughter, and music.
"It felt like yesterday when the invasion happened..." Nidas said as Leonardo looked at him.
"What do you mean?" Leon asked curiously.
He gestured to the screen.
"Everything was lost the moment the sky ripped open. We lost everything. Friends and loved ones. They're all taken by the Kraang. It's always survive the next fight or die fighting." He said grimly.
The night sky looms above them. The moon is in its crescent phase, slightly obscured by thin clouds.
Leon and Casey sit side by side, both of them in their thoughts. After a while, Leon notices Casey stop himself from leaning toward him. The slider chooses him and wraps an arm around the boy, tugging him to his side.
He feels Casey tense up for a moment. Then he leans into the embrace.
Nidas did the same action to CJ who leans against the embrace in content. He felt two more leaning against him and saw Leon and Mikey smiling at them as they leaned against him with Raph chuckling behind them.
Leon doesn't push Casey to talk and neither does Casey. Both of them are grateful for it. They need time to process their thoughts and emotions.
It's peaceful. A sort of comfortable calm between the two. After the whole ordeal, they never had much time to just... sit in silence. There was always something to do or a thing to take up their attention.
For all the distractions helped with establishing a sense of comfort, it didn't allow them to truly process what they went through. For a while, it felt like they had been delaying this moment to come to terms with the whole ordeal. Their near deaths. Everything that's happened, from the time travel to the invasion.
Like this, for a moment, they could just sit and breathe and truly process everything.
Leon... doesn't know how to feel about Casey. It's not the kid's fault he's here. His future self had sent Casey here to fix his mistake. Probably, from his last request, to stay here in a world without war.
Nidas held back a sigh. He should have gone back with CJ instead of letting the kid shoulder the responsibility of the world falling into chaos from his mistake. But he's just glad that Leon did something that he couldn't accomplish.
Leon knows himself. He knows he would have wished for a kid like Casey to live a normal life. To grow up without the stress of war or the ever-looming threat of death. To grow up doing stupid things as he and his brothers did. To make cringy memories that they would remember and regret in the future. To complain about the smallest thing because it wasn't something they liked.
Not live in a destroyed world. Or fight for their own survival.
Cj shifted uncomfortably. He always wondered what the world looked like before he war. Now that he has changed the future and is getting to experience what life was like before the war and invasion.
Casey never got the chance to be a kid. Always fighting for his survival in a world without hope and ravaged by monsters they couldn't win against. Fighting with only a flickering flame of hope.
Leon's heart went out to Casey and his situation. Everything is new to him. An unfamiliar territory that he must now live in. All alone. With familiar faces yet so different at the same time.
Leon glances at his alternate selves, both of whom are standing a far bit away to give them space.
He understands now, how it feels to see a version of someone who's supposed to be familiar but is so different.
Leon turns to Casey, who has a faraway look in his eyes. He shut his eyes for a moment before looking at the streets below.
They didn't say anything for a while, not wanting to break this fragile peace.
Still, someone had to say something eventually.
Leon decides to bite the bullet. "How are you holding up?"
Nidas chuckled weakly while Leon rolled his eyes.
"What? The silence is gonna be unbearable if someone didn't spoke up." He said defensively.
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that, kid." He said before shoving Leon's head playfully back into his shell and getting a squawk in response from surprise.
Casey let out a weak chuckle. "Okay, I guess."
Leon stares at him, waiting. Then the human sighs.
"It's...hard," Casey admitted quietly. "Things are just so... different here. It's good! Of course, it's good! There's no invasion or Kraang. There's plenty of food. We don't have to move around so often or fight for our lives."
"It's- it's-" Casey stammers, struggling to find the words. "It's just-"
"Different from what you're used to." Leon, Nidas and Leonardo answered.
"Different than what you're used to," Leon answers for him.
CJ gave the three blue masked turtles a look as Nidas just ruffled his hair with a fond smile.
Casey nodded. "Yeah... I mean, school is... a lot. It's... very boring, to be honest. I think fighting had been easier. At least then I have the determination to keep going."
Donnie let out an offended gasp and was about to go on about how school life was paradise but Leon sent him a look.
"Don-tron, we both know that you enjoy school while some of us don't." Leon said.
"Scoff. I find school paradise. The learning, education-" Donnie suddenly just began speaking but no sound came out of his mouth. They looked over to see Sophia holding out her want which was glowing at the tip.
"Don't worry. I only muted him so we don't have to hear him rant about school being paradise." She said.
"Wonder how long it will take for him to notice." Raphael said as they watched Donnie noticed that no sound was coming out and sent Sophia a murderous look.
"Donnie, we get it. You like school." She said before she waved her wand and Donnie coughed and sighed when sound came back.
"I will put you on my hit list when this is over." He growled as she rolled her eyes in amusement and did something which was a turtle sound and Donnie bristled.
"How dare you!" Donnie was about to pounce on their host but Raph held him back but he was holding back a snicker.
Sophia laughed before disappearing as the movie resumed.
They shared a chuckle at the dark humor.
"But it's also... strange. Everything feels so strange. There's no fighting. It's so bright. Nights are cold without everything constantly on fire. There are so many people."
Casey sighs, pulling his legs to his chest. "I don't know... I feel out of place here. This... isn't my time. I'm not from here and sometimes, it feels so vivid. Lots of things just make me feel even more off. I can't go back, there's no way to go back. There's no one there for me anyway. But I feel like... like I don't belong sometimes. Like there's no place for me here."
"You'll get used to it, Case. Trust me." Nidas reassured him as CJ smiled.
Leon hums in understanding. "Yeah... I get it."
"You do?"
"Mutant turtle living in the human world. Isolation is a feeling we're familiar with."
"Oh..." Casey says. "When the apocalypse happened, nobody cared about mutants or humans. It's allies or enemies."
The turtles from dimension 2012 have wistful looks. If only they can get to experience that.
Leon hummed softly. "Mm, must be an experience."
"I'm used to it. Grew up with humans and mutants. Mainly you and master Michelangelo. After mom died... you took me in. Future you."
Nidas had a melancholy smile at that. It was true that he took in CJ when Cassandra died from fighting against the Kraang and he made sure to keep his promise to her to give CJ a chance to live a normal life.
Leon hums, glancing at his future self over Casey's head. "I must have done a good job protecting you."
Leo turns away from them with a pained look. Guilt weighed him down like heavy lead. He sent Casey here with the hope that he would be able to live a normal life. He never expected to watch the kid he cared for, have trouble in a world that was meant to be safe for him.
CJ sent Nidas a reassuring smile when the older slider frown at that. Nidas looked at CJ, then to Leonardo and Leon who gave him a reassuring smile which he returned weakly.
Leonardo places a supporting hand on his shell.
Casey smiles wistfully, unaware of his master's plight. "Yeah... sensei was great. He made sure I was safe, even if it meant he got hurt. I wish he wouldn't do so often that but he did protect me, so I am grateful."
His expression turns sad. "I miss him."
"I'm really sorry for sending you back alone, Casey." Nidas apologized.
CJ sniffed and hugged him tearfully.
"It's okay, Sensei. I forgive you." CJ said as Nidas hugged him back.
Leon gently rubs Casey's arm to comfort him. "Yeah... I bet."
"I don't mean-"
"It's okay, Casey, I understand," Leon quickly stopped his panicked tirade. He gives the human a soft smile. "I know I'm not him. I'm not the Leo you grew up with. Nor am I the master who protected you for so long."
Casey winced. "I'm sorry. For what I said back then."
"The world needs Master Leonardo, and all we got is this guy."
Raphael winced at that with Jones. That's a major burn.
Those were his words to Leon. One said in frustration, anger, and bitterness.
"No, I needed to hear it," He understands it perfectly. Leon looks back at the streets.
They stayed like that for a while, basking in each other's warmth to fight against the chill of the night.
"It made me open my eyes to the situation and I took the battle seriously and it was worth it." Leon said just before CJ could even begin to speak.
"I know we're not the family you grew up with, but you are family."
Casey looks at him with an astonished look. Leon looks back with a smile.
"Things might feel odd for now. You might take a while to get used to it. But we're here for you. I may not be my older, future self. Your guardian and mentor. I'm not 'Master Leonardo'. I'm a bit too young to be someone's father figure."
That made everyone laugh lightly as Nidas gave Leon a scandalous look with Leon sticking his tongue out playfully at him.
Leon laughs at Casey's embarrassed sputter. Oh if only he could hear the same flustered sputter from Leo.
He continues softly. "But I am Leon. I might not be your guardian, but I can be your brother. Me and my brothers. We welcome you with open arms. We'll love it if you want to be part of our family. I know my brothers would say the same. I'm sorry that we never established that."
"You... are you serious?"
Leon laughs softly. "Deadly serious."
CJ felt his heart soar and new tears sting his eyes as he wiped his eyes but they started to fall. Mikey took the initiative and gave CJ a big hug.
"Welcome to the family, CJ." April smiled as CJ just cried silently from joy.
Nidas smiled happily as they group hug.
"Oh no. You're part of the family too, big guy." Leon said as he pulled Nidas into the hug.
Nidas stiffened a little before melting into the embrace.
Casey gazes at him with a distant look in his eyes. Like he is seeing someone else.
A tearful smile forms on his face as he hugs Leon tightly. Leon returns the embrace just as tight.
"You know... you sound like sensei a lot."
Leon's smile twitched and he meets Leo's gaze. "I'll take that as a compliment."
Leo pressed his lips together as his eyes turned misty. His entire body is trembling with emotion. He nods at Leon.
Leon feels warm at his approval.
Nidas felt tears in his eyes at that and he blinked them away but everyone just smiled at them. Family. He finally has a family again.
He looks down at Casey. "I'll try to be the best Leo you deserve, even if I'm not the same Leo you knew."
Casey sniffled, his body shaking with soft laughter. "You already are."
Those words hit something in Leon. A warmth grows in his chest.
CJ smiled wistfully.
"That's really kind of you, kid." Raphael said with a warm rare smile.
For all that Leo represents the future where he failed, and with his body marred with the proof of fighting a hopeless war, there is so much more to Leo. The boy in his arms is proof that he had done something right.
Leo had protected this kid. He kept Casey alive in a world meant to kill them. He gave this kid as much love as he could in a world that is torn by war.
He had done something right if Casey had admired him as a great warrior. A protector. A guardian.
Being told that he had met Casey's expectations of the man whom he admired, felt nice.
He pulls Casey closer to him.
"Thank you, Casey."
Mikey, Michelangelo, Raph, O'Neil and April aww'ed the sweet moment but even though the moment was really sweet Leonardo can't help but worry for some reason.
He just hoped that nothing bad would happen.