Chapter thirteen:

Donnie is working away in his lab. He is trying to work hard to not let memories of Leo haunt him. He tries to focus as he moves two pieces of metal into place on his work table, he uses a mini screwdriver to start screwing them together with each having holes for it. He slips, momentarily losing concentrating at a memory of him and Leo searching the junkyard for parts, and gasps as he cuts his hand on a piece of sharp metal he had cut. He raises a hand to look at the blood slightly dripping down his hand. He can tell that it isn't a deep cut luckily. He sighs as he can almost hear Leo's voice responding to this. His eyes closing sadly.

'You should be more careful! Here, I'll patch you up.'

Donnie starts to clench his hand only to stop with a wince as the pain reminds him of his injury. He lets out a breath opening his eyes. He gets out of his desk chair and goes to a first aid kit he has. He brought it into his lab to hide any injuries...

Yet Leo seemed to almost be able to sense if he was hurt as he always popped up, so the first aid kit became more Leo's than Donnies.

Donnie settles and takes care of his injury like he watched Leo do before. He finishes and puts away the first aid kit. He sits there on the ground and just stares at a spot on the floor. His memories of Leo flooding into his head. He no longer tries to stop it.

The memories of the two of them laying back with their backs together, with Leo reading his comics and Donnie reading one of his many science books, which was a wonderful relaxing break especially when they were younger.

The memory of how Leo would always crack jokes and they pretended to hate it, secretly finding the jokes actually funny. He always knew how to deliver them so well, that if he messed up then you knew that something was wrong. He always helped make darker situations feel lighter, and he seemed to know what to say when it really needed to be said. Even if he would try to resist on saying some things until it's pulled from him.

The memory of late nights when Leo couldn't sleep and Donnie was working. So Leo tended to seek him out over others with Raph being the other main one, and this often lead to either them both falling asleep wherever they found comfortable, or Leo would wiggle into the space behind Donnie on his chair passing out there. Donnie would always keep working as Leo did this too used to it.

The memory of them all learning sign language so Donnie and Leo can communicate in quiet times. Plus that way everyone would know what they're saying without them having to speak. It was pretty sweet and a fun little family activity.

Donnie shivers at the memory of a fight when he had snapped at Leo harshly. He started to notice Leo avoided him, until Donnie confronted Leo in his room learning Leo was giving him space and they talked it out. He's always regretted what he had said to Leo back in that moment of anger. At least he was able to apologize though.

Then the memories of the Krang fight starts coming back.

Donnie shakes his head pushing those memories away. He won't let himself remember that right now. He sighs to himself and gets up deciding to try to get back to work. He pauses at hearing a notification that movement was detected. He checks the cameras and finds Mikey at the door to his lab. He ponders if he wants to allow Mikey inside right now or not. He isn't sure if he'd like alone time to deal with his longing for Leo to be home. He tells himself that he'll probably get lost in memories again. So he heads to the door to greet Mikey. He gets there just as Mikey peeks his head around the door the youngest had opened.

"Hey Dee?" Mikey blinks at Donnie who looks back at him. "Are you busy?"

"No. Do you wanna come in?" Donnie invites and Mikey perks up.

"Actually. Could you come with me?"

Donnie blinks in curiosity about this. "Uh. Sure." He agrees and Mikey darts back out. He follows him going with him, he even slightly glances to Casey who had fallen asleep on the couch before turning away, only to pause as Mikey leaves the lair. "Where exactly are we going?" His question causes Mikey to poke his head back in.

"No where dangerous." Mikey promises looking at Donnie again. He smiles gently and gestures with his hand for the other to follow. Before darting back outside the lair.

Way too curious Donnie follows Mikey out then through the tunnels. He even follows Mikey up tot he surface. He keeps going and finds he is being lead to a forested area. "Mikey?" He questions causing Mikey to turn with a smile at him.

"Don't worry Donnie! I just found this really cool place I want to show you." Mikey explains and so the two continue on. He heads through a bush with his hand back in the bush holding onto Donnies hand. He glances back with a smile and moves forward a little as Donnie comes out of the bush. He watches Donnies reaction while still smiling himself.

Donnie looks to where Mikey has taken him only to blink his eyes in awe.

The space is slightly dense trees and mostly grass leaving plenty of room to walk in. The sun dappling through the leaves shimmering as the leaves shift in the wind. It truly is a beautiful spot.

"Wow Mikey!" Donnie walks further into the area stopping before he'll be tugging on Mikey's hand. "How did you find this place?"

"I was walking and almost got spotted by humans. Ran this way and Bam! This spot." Mikey informs Donnie. "The humans couldn't find me but I knew I had to show you this place."

"I'm glad you did." Donnie admits actually liking it here.

Mikey giggles and heads further in going to where the dappled sunlight really comes through. He gently pulls Donnie down to lay with him and while the two start on their sides, sharing a loving look, they turn onto their backs.

They enjoy the slightly cool grass against them, and the slight warmth of the sun that makes it through. They remain quiet for now with no words needing to be said by either of them.

Donnie closes his eyes finding even just some sun feels good on his skin. He also can feel the slightest breeze pass by when he closes his eyes. He supposes that his mind focuses on the sun he can see when his eyes are open, only to let his body become more sensitive to other sensations with his eyes closed. He opens his eyes turning when Mikey moves until their sides are pressed together. He smiles at the other when he gets glanced at, getting a smile in return. He wraps an arm around Mikey who chirps happily getting a slight chuckle from Donnie.

Mikey nuzzles into Donnies neck which earns him a content sigh. "Let's come here more often." He suggests and Donnie just lets out a hum of agreement to the idea.

The two lay there enjoying the spot as well as each others company. They remain cuddled close the entire time. Neither of them realize that when they close their eyes they would slightly fall into a nap. They blink awake just a bit later and turn to one another. They share a loving smile then Donnie checks the time on his phone.

"Wow. Time flies." Donnie mentions showing Mikey what time it is.

"Guess we should be heading back." Mikey suggests and Donnie nods so the two of them get up.

They walk back home each holding one of the others hands. They make it back still holding hands when they enter into the lair. They find it to be quiet so curiously they go to see if anyone's here.

Splinter is curled up in his spot having eaten a whole cake and isn't really watching his show. He looks to be missing someone and it's not hard to figure out who that someone is. "Boys. Let me be right now." He tells them clearly able to feel their gazes. "I'll be okay. Don't worry about your pops."

The two glance to each other before letting him be. They try to see if Raph is potentially home right now. They search the whole lair until they come to Leo's old room being the last place to look. They stay close and peek inside.

Raph is curled up looking to be asleep on the floor. He is clutching close one of Leo's favourite blankets so whenever he breathes in he gets whatever's left of Leo's scent.

The two quietly back out and leave him be. They instead head to Mikey's room and Donnie sets up some YouTube videos on his tablet. They are at least happy that they can cuddle each other right now, as it does help them feel a little better.

...

"Good news." Donatello appears by Leon and Michelangelo who are playing video games. "The machine is ready. It can take you home."

Leon blinks at hearing this.

"That's great news!" Michelangelo mentions excitedly. He then turns to give Leon a smile. "You hear that? You get to go home!"

"Yeah." Leon nods giving a smile to Michelangelo while trying to hide his nerves about it.

"We can make it tomorrow. Let you get ready to head home." Donatello suggests getting a nod from Leon who turns to him. "Alright. I'll let you do whatever you need to." He heads away after that.

Leon tries to keep his confidence telling himself that he can do this... He can do this...

"Are you excited?" Michelangelo inquires and Leon snorts.

"What sort of question is that? Why wouldn't I be?" Leon points out and Michelangelo hums in understanding.

"Yeah. That's true." Michelangelo confirms and watches Leon get up. "Do you want some company while you get ready?"

"I'm good this time. You can work on that game for us." Leon tries to assure him giving a slight wave then he heads off. He goes to the one place that he knows is empty at this time.

The kitchen.

No one will be coming over for anything for a little bit... Though this should only give him a little time.

Leon lets out a breath once he is inside of the kitchen. He raises a hand towards his chest as he feels his heart twist with nervousness. He glances down as he pauses at noticing that his hands are shaking. He clenches his hands into fists while still staring at the one he had raised. His mind allowing the worries he had tried to push away flood out. He thinks about how what if his family gets upset that he stayed away so long. His mind then switching to the possibility that his family will not believe that it is actually him. He shivers at the idea that he won't be believed to be real. He could be seen as a clone or something to them. His heart really hurting like someone is twisting or tearing it. He tries to fight the urge to curl up into a ball.

"Leon?" A voice kind of surprises him and it sounds like Michelangelo. "Is everything okay?"

Leon turns to the other who blinks in worry. He tries to say something only for nothing to come out. He raises his hands and slightly shakily signs to Michelangelo. 'I'll be fine. Just processing things."

Michelangelo blinks at the signs in confusion. "What are you doing with your hands? Why won't you talk?"

Leon blinks realizing that Michelangelo can't understand him. He shuffles his feet unsure what to do about this.

"Michelangelo." Splinters voice causes Michelangelo to turn as he enters with the other three turtles. "There is going to be a meeting about an upcoming special mission, that's happening in a week or two, today." He glances to Leon who looks away.

"I think somethings bothering Leon." Michelangelo admits bringing more attention to Leon.

Leon keeps his eyes away from looking at others.

"Leon? Is something bothering you?" Splinter inquires and Leon tries to sign at him.

'I just got thinking too much. Just nervous about how well my reunion with my family will go.' Leon really hopes that someone can understand what he is signing to them. His hopes are dashed as the others look confused.

"What's wrong with ya?" Raphael questions leaning a little closer to Leon. "Why don't you just answer the question?"

"Wait. Wait." Donatello says gaining attention to him. "I think I might know what's going on. To a degree at least." He has their full attention on him. "When we were talking about other languages we knew he mentioned that he knew sign language. I think that he is responding but in sign language." He glances to Leon who nods softly as the others glance too.

Attention turns back to Donatello.

"Okay. So why is he suddenly using sign language?" Raphael crosses his arms over his chest clearly unsure what to make of this situation.

"Well. He said that when they were kids him and his Donnie were not talkative kids. Which can still come out even now if they get overwhelmed, though Leon gets it's less than his Donnie. They learned sign language from a book they found, so that way they still had a way to speak in a way. When they found it difficult to be able to speak." Donatello explains to the others.

"Okay. Well we don't understand any sign language. So what are we supposed to do?" Raphael questions and Splinter looks a little thoughtful.

"I will be back." Splinter heads off with that.

"I've been trying to learn it just recently. It was an idea in my head for awhile before I decided to do it. I am still a beginner but I know some words. I'll see if I can piece anything together." Donatello turns his attention to Leon. "Okay. Can you try to explain again? I'll see what I can pick up from your sign language."

Leon nods softly and starts to sign while Donatello watches his signing. 'I'll be okay. I just keep thinking about what will happen when I go home. I want to go. I want to see my family again. I just can't help being nervous. Especially all this time that I've spent here.' He waits to see if Donatello picked up any of that.

"Hm." Donatello thinks as he tries to piece together what was said. "Okay. So what I got from that, at least words that I know, is go, family, and time."

"What? Does he just want to go right now?" Raphael questions and Leon wonders if there's a better way to communicate.

"We could make it today instead of tomorrow if that'll make you feel better." Michelangelo mentions and Leon looks down feeling a little frustrated at this.

The four glance to each other not really sure what to do as they can't get a clear understanding of what Leon is saying.

"Boys! I have a solution!" Splinter announces making his way through. He crouches and offers Leon a handheld white board with a white board marker. "Just took me a moment to find it. I used to use it when you were kids. Mainly for myself. So if I was tired then I had things written down ti remind myself. I haven't used it in awhile though."

Leon gently takes it with a small nod of thanks. He opens the marker and starts to write on the white board.

"Handy that you had that." Donatello admits as he can't believe he didn't think of Leon writing it down.

Splinter just nods clearly feeling that no words are needed for this.

They wait for Leon to finish writing it down. They look the words over when he turns it to face them.

It'll be fine. Just some nervousness of the big moment. It's just been so long since I've seen them.

"We can understand your nervousness." Splinter assures Leo who lowers the sign. "Though I am glad that you do know it'll be fine. They'll be happy to see you again."

"Plus you'll be able to visit anytime you want. I made a way for that." Donatello adds to which Leon nods his head.

"How about we all go out for a walk? If you're feeling up to it Leon. It can be a nice little something to do together before we say goodbye for now." Splinter offers and Leon nods to the idea. "Alright. Then it sounds good. Let us go. You can use that board to communicate if you need to for now." He leads the way with the rest following.

The four turtles stay by Leon who follows practically in the middle of this kind of circle they made.

"You don't have to worry too much. We'll be there for you no matter what happens." Michelangelo promises putting a hand on Leon's shoulder.

"Plus if things do end up going wrong you can always escape to here." Donatello points out and Leon is truly glad for their support.

Leon erases his last message and writes a thank you which he shows them. He sees their smiles at seeing the message.

On the surface the group make their way along sticking to the edges of town, less likely to be spotted, as they just enjoy this walk.

"Hey Leon. Did you know when we were kids Raphael used to move through the sewers quickly? He was scared a bug would crawl on him." Michelangelo mentions to Leon mischievously. He sends a smirk in Raphael's direction.

"Hey!" Raphael calls to Michelangelo with a glare. "Shut up! I was a stupid kid!" He charges for the younger who squeaks and runs around their family. He doesn't give up as he continues chasing the other.

"Guys!" Leonardo sighs as the two keep running around.

Splinter smiles to himself and Donatello rolls his eyes.

Leon lets out a chuckle under his breath not that any of them heard it. He finds himself smiling even as Raphael manages to catch Michelangelo.

"No!" Michelangelo whines squirming in Raphael's hold, while Raphael puts him in a headlock while their family watches amused as they walk towards the two that went a little ahead.

"You wanna play embarrassing stories game? Okay. Two can play at that game." Raphael mentions while keeping Michelangelo held in place. "Hey!" He speaks up making sure the others can hear him. "Remember when you decided to pretend to be Donatello to try to trick us? Then we just went along with it despite that it was obviously you! You were just mocking him and how he speaks and such more than pretending to be him."

"Kid me did an excellent job pretending to be Donatello!" Michelangelo insists with a pout doing his best to look away. He is indeed secretly embarrassed about that moment, clearly never wanted to mock his current mate back then.

"I have more where that came from." Raphael promises causing Michelangelo to squirm.

"Alright boys." Splinters voice gets their attention. "That's enough right now."

Raphael releases Michelangelo with a slight smirk. "Yeah. We're even anyways."

Michelangelo lets it go since Splinter told them that was enough. He otherwise would be antagonizing Raphael further.

Leon wonders what kind of things he'll get up to with his family when he gets back. He doesn't doubt that things like what just happened will happen at some point. He continues to follow them as they continue their stroll all around the city.

That night...

Leon is about to head to bed to try to sleep when he hears someone come in. He turns having thought that everyone else had gone to bed already. He spots Raphael who glances around then approaches him. He doesn't get a chance to give a greeting before Raphael speaks.

"Okay listen. You didn't get this from me." Raphael pulls a knitted scarf from behind his back.

The scarf is knitted changing colors of each of their four masks.

"Aw for little ol' me?" Leon lightly teases gently taking the scarf. He actually does really like it.

Raphael takes a moment as it's the first words he's heard from Leon since the other went quiet. He manages to shake it off and gives a nod. "Yeah. Just a bit of thanks for helping me land my mate." He glances away feeling slightly embarrassed he couldn't do it himself.

"Aw you flatter me." Leon puts on the scarf before Raphael can say anything. He finds the fabric to be soft and comfortable. He also notices the other glance to him before nodding as if silently congratulating himself on making it look good. "I really like it! Thank you so much!"

"Yeah whatever. Just don't go blabbing about where you got it. Night." Raphael turns around to leave.

"Night. Sleep tight." Leon responds and the other heads off with that. He brings a hand to let his fingers brush part of the scarf. He smiles to himself with a quiet giggle as the small gesture did make him feel special. He heads to settle into bed and tries to just think about the gift, instead of that he'll soon be facing his family again in his world.

AN:

Happy Halloween!

I didn't have any Halloween specials so I thought I'd just finish this and post it for Halloween.

Originally this was going to be the last chapter, but when I wanted to post it for Halloween I decided to cut it a little short. Saving the rest of what was going to be included here for one more chapter. It's almost done!

I hope you're enjoying and that you'll end up liking the final chapter when it comes out!

Kitkat.