Brothers. Casey knew what it was like to have a sibling. He didn't know what it was like to be a Hamato.
When he first met Raph, the turtle complained about his brothers as easily as he spun his Sai, or flipped over objects like he had a personal grudge against gravity. Casey had only met his brothers for a short moment when he came crashing into the lair with Raph, after that, they had run off to 'bash some skulls in' as Raph liked to call it. A month later, he felt he had known Raph and his brothers his whole life.
"They just don't stop getting on ma' nerves…." Raph was growling. Casey leaned against a wall, raising an eyebrow as he watched the turtle angrily kick a dumpster. How does that not hurt his feet?
"Fearless has ta always be right," Raph continued in a mocking tone. "Always something new. Don't go topside, it's too dangerous. Take Mikey with you, even if you have a new friend, you shouldn't forget your family." Another kick. "Why does he never understand me? I get a friend and suddenly I'm abandoning the family?! I just need time away from them sometimes!" With one final kick to the heavily dented dumpster, 'Who is gonna pay for that?' Raph finally made his way over to the wall where Casey leaned. Huffing, he threw himself backward, his shell clacking loudly as he settled in to glare at the ground. "Cat gotcha tongue?" he threw at his friend without looking.
Snorting, Casey just watched him. His instinct was to jump in and be supportive, tell him that Leo was too strict, Mikey too clingy and wild, and Donnie… too… Donnie. He knew better.
During one of Raph's first venting sessions, Casey had carelessly agreed with him "Yeah, fearless needs to lighten up and learn to have fun!" It had taken him a minute to process why his arm hurt the moment the words finished leaving his mouth, and he was met with green eyes that looked dangerous enough to scare Casey for a moment. Confused, he'd stared back, mouth slightly open.
After a moment, Raph's features had softened, although traces of anger were still in the green orbs. Sheepishly, he glanced sideways at Casey before explaining, "Sorry, I know I was trashing on Leo, but he's ma brother. I can't let anyone else do it."
Casey had an epiphany: Hamatos trash Hamatos. Anyone else? They punch. Lesson learned. No one could say Casey wasn't a quick learner.
Pulling back to the present, he smirked at Raph. "Hey, I may be Casey Jones, hero of the underworld, but I kinda like having full use of my arms, makes it a lot easier to play hockey and bash skulls."
Raph snorted at the memory, before shaking his head and finally looking up. "Yea, sorry 'bout that. God knows I could wipe the floor of the dojo with ma brothers, shell, they drive me crazier than anything, but I don't know why they get under ma skin so easily." His voice trailed off, and he resumed glaring at the ground like the answer was etched into the cement.
Casey took a moment to consider what the safest response would be. He thought about what he had come to know about each of Raph's brothers over the last month.
Leo, the oldest. Level-headed, calm, and authoritative. He could see why Raph would get frustrated with the blue-banded turtle. There was a reason the brothers all called him a mother hen. Casey had never met anyone who could worry at quite the same level as Leo, but he also knew there was no one else Raph seemed to respect more. Not even master Splinter. Casey had learned that when Leo barked an order, no matter what goofy line came before it, or how superior he acted, it was in everyone's best interest to follow it. Raph however, seemed to make it a point of honor to snap back with something to annoy his older brother. Their relationship was built on arguing and having each other's backs when the chips fell. Sometimes it confused Casey, but he'd learned to just roll with it.
Donnie and Raph seemed to get along well, his name rarely coming up in venting sessions, unless the calmer turtle made the shit-list by supporting Leo during a fight. Donnie and Leo were similar in their calm personalities. Casey didn't know how to interact with Donnie. The resident genius didn't enjoy conflict in the way the rest of his brothers seemed to, content with his role as doctor and inventor. His laid-back personality tended to leave him on the sidelines when the brothers argued or fought. The purple-banded brother was calm, if not a bit maniacal when it came to his inventions. He still gets a good laugh when he thinks about Don's spy roache experiment. Raph had immediately lunged at Mikey when the youngest turtle had shared that story without fear of the hothead barreling toward him.
Mikey. Casey had no words for that kid. When Donnie first corrected him and informed him that all the turtles were the same age, he knew his face must have shown his disbelief. He'd shot a look at the orange-banded turtle and heard the others laughing at him. No one would look at Mikey and believe that he was the same age as self-contained Leo, fierce Raph, or genius Donnie. The kid bounced around like his blood was made of energy drinks, picking on his brothers and flipping around the lair in a way that made Raph look like a hobbling old man. He often made it into Raph's venting session, the younger turtle enjoyed picking on him the most it seemed. Casey knew that secretly Raph enjoyed it. He was the most protective of Mikey, all the brothers were. The ball of sunshine was always cheerful. When he'd first met Mikey, he had wondered how the kid could be a ninja when he couldn't even stand still. Then he had seen him in action. The kid fought as well as his brothers, nun chucks flying as he flipped around. If Raph acted like he had beef with gravity, Mikey acted like gravity didn't even exist.
It had taken one battle with the brothers to realize Raph had one rule: no one hurts his brothers and gets away with it. A red blur on the rooftops, the turtle was everywhere his brothers were, taking any injuries they sustained as a personal failure. Until that first battle, Casey hadn't understood what it meant to be a ninja. To carry the weight of each other's lives on their shoulders. Sure, he loved his little sister, but even that love paled in the face of the brothers. He also didn't go out every night, knowing that his sister would be fighting enemies with real weapons who would love to kill her.
April was close to the brothers, knowing them before Casey did, but even she remained on the tentative outside with him. The brothers may be open, friendly, and loyal to all their friends, but when things get intense, they gravitate towards each other. A close-knit organism that contracts to encompass just the four of them. Even Master Splinter was on the outside at those times.
"If one falls, we all fall" Leo had quietly said when a battle went wrong and Mikey was injured. Features drawn, he'd quietly watched as Raph stood by Mikey's cot, fists clenched and looking ready to tear down New York with his bare hands. Donnie had rushed around the lab with a tense expression, tending to Mikey like a doctor. When he'd finally looked up to meet his older brothers' eyes and tell them that Mikey would be fine, it was like all the tension in the room shattered. Quicker than Casey could track, the brothers were all gathered around Mikey.
He'd felt a touch on his arm and looked up to see April gently tugging him out of Donnie's lab. Glancing behind himself as he left, he could see them all leaning towards each other, as though magnets were embedded in their plastrons. It had surprised him to see his hotheaded friend pulling Mikey up into a hug, tightly holding him, the relief visible as the doors closed behind him. Raph punching his arm had made a lot more sense after that night.
"There are some moments that belong only to family" April had softly explained as she guided him to the kitchen. He'd wanted to ask 'Then where is Splinter' but something in her eyes made him hold his tongue.
Grounding himself back to the future, he pushed off the wall and turned to Raph with a smirk. "Love just makes ya' all kinds of crazy I guess."
He was satisfied to see the tension in those green eyes lighten. Plus, he'd successfully answered without incurring the wrath of the over-protective turtle, tonight was a win. "let's go find some Purple Dragon scum!"
Authors note: I haven't written fanfiction in years, but I have the writing bug. So, enjoy this Casey-centric reflection piece. I often wish the 2012 show would have dived a little more into how the family looks from the outside, but alas, there is a plot to focus on each episode. GIVE US THE FEELS AND SQUISHY EMOTIONS!