Day four: twinkling lights
December 17th
Day four's sweet was chocolate mint accompanied by a green note.
Leo smiled with a snort; he was ninety percent positive Mikey arranged that intentionally. Finishing the snack, he opened the paper for the message of the day.
The streets are paved with stars.
"Huh" Leo rubbed his chin. Okay now this one had him stumped, the other three had been fairly obvious, but he wasn't sure about this one. He looked at the little doodles, there were what looked like strings of light in each corner of the note.
The first thing that came to mind was decorations, but they'd already decorated the lair. Maybe Donnie had figured out how to do something in A Christmas Carol theme? No, that wasn't right, they'd put the calendar with this note in his room the day before he'd told them about that.
Donnie was a genius, but he couldn't see the future.
…Unless he'd invented a machine that could and didn't tell them.
…He wasn't going to think about that.
"So, about today's note" Leo began "what was that about?" They'd finished breakfast a few hours ago and so far, neither his brothers nor Father had said anything about any plans for the day.
"What do you mean?" Donnie asked, not looking up from his phone. Okay, was he playing dumb or was he actually asking?
"The note you guys totally wrote from the advent calendar you totally put in my room but are super cagey about for whatever reason?" Donnie rolled his eyes as Mikey and Raph joined them in the living room "I just didn't really understand what you were trying to say."
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Raph elbowing Mikey. "I told you we should've been clearer!" He hissed under his breath, but Leo caught it.
Oh, if he didn't think they were up to something before, he definitely did now.
"Ah, that" Donnie finally looked up "well we thought we'd do some sight-seeing today."
"sight-seeing?"
Mikey sat next to him on the couch, hugging him "Christmas sight-seeing!" He explained excitedly "we're gonna go look at all the lights around the city!"
Leo laughed "oh, okay" he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes with a smirk "and maybe tomorrow we'll team up with Rudolph and the Grinch to fight Krampus." He laughed again until he saw his brothers completely straight faces "hold up, you're serious?" He asked, triple checking their expressions for any sign they were pulling his leg.
He now understood what the note was about, but he didn't quite believe it.
When Leo was five, Splinter had taken them on one of their first trips to the surface during the holiday. He needed to run an errand and was apprehensive about leaving them home alone in the cold. They hadn't gone far, but Leo had caught a look at a few Christmas lights that were in the area.
He'd been mesmerized by the lights. Nothing but twinkling colors and shimmering white against the snow as far as his little eyes could see. It was like he'd stepped into a magical world.
He'd nearly wandered off for a closer look when Splinter scooped him up, scolding him to stay close. Leo hadn't been discouraged, begging his Father to go see all the magical lights, to which he'd gotten a distracted 'maybe.'
It never happened.
He'd asked many times in the years that followed but was always met with another unfulfilled maybe or told it was too risky. Even when they were older and free to go to the surface on their own, he could never get his family on board. None of them were overly enthusiastic about standing around in the cold just to look at lights when they had their own in their warm lair, not that he could really argue with that.
Eventually he started going out to see the lights by himself. He was still bummed he couldn't go last year, but then again, there probably hadn't been much anyway. With how wreaked the city was, where would they put them?
"This is usually around the time you go out to see the lights, right?" Raph asked with a smile "well this time, we're joining you."
"And we know you haven't gone yet" Donnie added. That was true as well, he always told them when he was leaving, and he always liked to wait until closer to Christmas. It guaranteed an abundance of lights "so we thought we'd do it tonight, you know, if you still want us to go with you."
"Of course I do!" Leo said far too quickly, he looked away, face burning as he cleared his throat. "I-I mean, sure I want you guys came along" he tried again, calmer and more casual this time "but…are you sure you wanna come?"
"Sure we do!" Mikey cheered, squeezing him tighter "I'm even bringing snacks!"
Leo chuckled, returning the hug "well, if you're bringing snacks…"
"What's up fam?" April greeted as she and the Jonese entered the lair later that evening "who's ready to see some lights?"
Leo looked up from his comic book "you guys are coming too? I mean I get Casey; he's probably never seen Christmas lights." Well, beyond the ones they put up in the lair the other day anyway, actually did they have Christmas lights in the apocalypse? They could've repurposed them he supposed. He glanced at him and got a so-so hand motion so maybe he was on to something.
"Sure we are!" April said enthusiastically, leaning over the bean bag chair to hug him "I think it'd be nice to do some festive sight-seeing." Leo grinned as she snuggled him, he'd never actually thought about asking April to come with him before. He just figured since she could walk around the surface freely, she could see them wherever she wanted.
"We're leaving after dinner, and it's nearly done so don't get too comfy" Mikey called from the kitchen. "I hope you're in the mood for three cheese lasagna" he sang cheerfully.
Leo chuckled as Casey took a seat on the couch "you looking forward to the lights?"
Casey rubbed his arm and glanced away "I guess" he said shyly, biting his lip "but I'm also a little apprehensive. Sensei told me so many stories about the holiday, about how much he loved going to see the lights…"
"Sounds like future me set a high bar, huh?"
"Maybe a little" Casey smiled apologetically "but those stories were a big help in those days." His grin fell "what if I don't like the real thing as much? I feel like I'd be letting him down."
"You wouldn't. I know I'm not technically your Sensei and can't speak for him, but if we were still anything alike by the end, he'd just be happy you're getting to experience this at all" Leo assured him with a warm smile.
Casey stared at him misty eyed before returning the smile. "He would" he agreed with a wet chuckle as Leo patted his knee.
Once dinner was finished, they all bundled up and made their way to the surface. To Leo's surprise, Splinter was coming along as well. "It's been so long since I've seen this city during the holiday, it would be nice to revisit" had been the explanation he'd given when asked.
"Hey, does the Hidden City have any lights? Do they even do the holiday?" Mikey asked as they approached the entrance "maybe we could check them out too."
"Oh, I'm actually not sure" Leo confessed, he hadn't thought to check that first Christmas after discovering the city.
"If I recall, Big Mama had a few holiday specials" Splinter stroked his chin "but her hotel was on the surface."
"Maybe we could find out later if we have enough time" Raph suggested with a shrug. He could only imagine what Hidden City decorations must look like if there was such a thing.
"I can ask Draxum" Mikey offered, already texting the former warlord. As soon as Leo's gaze fell onto the entrance, his face lit up and he sprinted the rest of the way. Behind him, his family smiled warmly at his excitement. They couldn't blame him, even they were feeling excited.
"Okay Leo, how do you normally do this?" Raph asked once they were on the surface. He glanced around the alley, it wasn't too cold, and the sky was clear, it was a good night for this. Which was a relief because it would've messed up the plan if the weather was bad and they had to reschedule.
"Not yet" he replied, looking out from the entrance of the alley, his gaze to the sky "it needs to be a little darker." The family followed his gaze, they'd left a little after the sun started setting, thinking that it would be dark enough.
Clearly, Leo had a process, and they weren't about to question him.
Once the sky was more of a dark blue, Leo turned to them with a wide smile "okay, just follow me" he said as he pulled his scarf over the lower half of his face. His brothers and Splinter copying the action, so they were completely covered. No one would guess they weren't human. Satisfied, Leo left the alley, his family close behind.
"Hold on, we're walking on the sidewalks?" Donnie asked nervously "with humans? This is how you do this?"
"Don't worry, I've got emergency exists planned in the event of a quick escape" Leo assured his twin. "Besides, there aren't usually that many people out at this time, and it's not like we've never walked among humans in worse disguises before" that was true, but they'd really been trying to keep a lower profile since the invasion.
"Hey, if there's trouble, we got your backs" April promised, Cass and Casey nodding in agreement. That brought them some comfort and raised their confidence, so they followed Leo, staying close to each other to be on the safe side.
Once they entered the busier streets, their eyes lit up.
They were somewhere downtown, in an area heavily filled with malls and shopping centers. As a result, there were lights everywhere, each window had a whole display set up and the trees planted along the sidewalks were strung up with colored lights shining brightly in the twilight.
It was beautiful.
"I always love starting here" Leo said as he looked around, his eyes almost rivaling the lights "I love seeing the window displays."
"I can see why" Mikey said breathlessly as they approached the first window. There were little animatronic elves making toys in a workshop with a string of white lights stung around the frame. They were all watching the little puppets when they heard a clicking sound, turning to find Leo with his phone out "you're taking pictures?"
"I always take pictures. I got a whole album; words can't describe how relieved I was that it survived Shredder and the invasion."
"I didn't know you had a photo collection of your outings" Donnie said, he spoke with his usual flat tone, but the others saw the sadness in his expression. They couldn't help but share his sentiment, Leo had been doing this for some time and they were just finding out about this.
The only one who didn't notice was Leo as he took another picture with a shrug "I mean, they're not great. You're really not missing anything."
"…I'd still like to see them" Donnie said quietly, looking down as he traced little patterns in the frost forming along the window with his finger. Leo looked up at him, recognizing his twin's shy vulnerability and embarrassment from the admission.
He gave his brother a smile and bumped shoulders "hey all you gotta do is ask. But I'm warning you, they're not pretty."
"Me too! Me too!" Mikey pipped up, squeezing his way between them "and they don't have to be! You like them, that's what matters." He hugged Leo with a smile, getting a snort out of his older brother as he nuzzled his cheek against his head.
"Never a day off for Dr. Feeling, eh?" He teased, laughing as his baby brother stuck out his tongue. For the next few hours, they wandered around the streets stopping to look at every display they came across, Leo taking pictures all the while.
"Ooh, look at this one!" Casey said excitedly as he rushed up to another window. This one was a cake shop with a gingerbread village "do you think that's all real?"
Mikey studied it closely the way only a chief could "maybe…if it is, I doubt its edible" he concluded as Leo snapped a few photos. Speaking of edible, the smell from the bakery was making him hungry, Mikey reached into his bag and pulled out a few small bags of brownies he'd brought, offering one to everybody.
"Thank you, Orange" Splinter said, wasting no time digging into his "that delicious aroma was making me hungry."
"So where next, Leo?" Raph asked as they ate. They were nearly finished looking at the lights in this area, and Leo usually got home late after his sightseeing outing so he doubted they could be done already.
Leo hummed as he bit into a brownie "Mm, next up is Rockefeller Center to get a shot of the tree. Then it's a walk through Central Park. They always go all out with the lights and-OH!" He gasped, startling everyone as he suddenly turned to April "I totally forgot to check! Did they do the sculptures this year?!"
April looked caught off guard for a moment before realizing what he was talking about. "Oh, I actually don't know" she confessed, scratching her head "I haven't heard anything, but I also haven't paid much attention to that news."
"Uh, what are you guys talking about?" Raph asked looking between them.
"The ice sculptures!" Leo exclaimed excitedly "they put a bunch of these ice sculptures on display in Central Park that you can take pictures of, and they're all lit up at night. They don't do it every year cause its outside and sometimes the weather sucks, but I always check it out anytime they do!"
Raph shared a look with Donnie who shrugged, neither had known about this. They looked at Splinter, but he shrugged as well, scratching his head, either he didn't know or couldn't remember. Before any of them could ask further questions, Mikey grabbed his brother's shoulders, his expression deadly serious "there's winer art on display and I'm just finding out about it now why?!" He demanded.
Leo stared at him nervously "I-I wasn't sure you'd be interested-"
"HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN ME HAMATO LEONARDO?!" Mikey cried, shaking him with all his strength as the rest of the group tried to shake off the attention the outburst was drawing.
"I-I-m-s-s-o-o-r-r-r-r-y-y!"
Rockefeller Center was nothing new to the turtles, but it was hard not to feel something seeing Casey's face upon arriving at the landmark. Even if they'd gotten him acquainted with the non-apocalyptic version of the city, he'd never seen it during the holidays. The boy was so in awe of everything, it was hard not to get sucked in alongside him.
"You know you probably could've come seen it last year" Leo told him as they admired the tree. "But then again, they probably didn't do all this last year" he crossed his arms with a sigh before turning to look at his family "do you guys know if they did?"
"Mm, not that I recall, no" Donnie confessed "admittedly we didn't leave the lair much given how under construction everything was and our own recovery." That and they were too afraid to be more than five feet away from Leo for more than five minutes for months, but he didn't need to know that.
Not when he was having such a good time anyway, it would just bring down the mood.
"They had a little, but it was very limited" April confirmed.
"A shame, the tree could've been a shrine to our victory!" Cass cried, striking a pose.
"Hey, Casey, if you're up for it maybe we can go skating here before Christmas" Leo suggested as he took a few pictures. He was glad to see the boy was enjoying himself given his earlier fears.
"Oh! Uh, y-yeah that…that'd be great" Casey stuttered out, mentally kicking himself for not keeping his cool. The others all shared his apprehension, looking at Leo with bated breath.
"Aw, don't worry Casey. I promise it's not as scary as it looks" he assured him "I mean it's as hard as it looks, but I'm sure you'll pick it up. You grew up during the end of the world, skating will be cake for you."
They all sighed quietly in relief "well here's hoping you're right" Casey said with an awkward chuckle. Oh, he was so glad Leo had misinterpreted his nervousness. He almost gave away part of the plan.
"Good news Leo" April called with a grin, looking at her phone "I just checked, the ice sculptures are on this year." Leo gasped, his face lighting up to his family's amusement.
Leo hadn't been kidding about Central Park.
All the trees were decorated with various strings of light shining brightly against the night sky. Adding in the freshly fallen snow from the night before, it was truly a sight to behold. "And this is why I save the park for last" Leo said, grinning at his family's amazed expressions.
"I've seen photos and videos online, but they did not do justice" Donnie mumbled, trying to take it all in. Mikey's eyes were practically glowing, wishing so badly that he had a sketchbook and pencils with him so he could capture everything. No wonder Leo took photos.
Raph was just as mesmerized as his brothers as they walked through the garden of twinkling lights. "I've lived in this city many years" Splinter's voice suddenly caught his attention, turning to look at the rat as he admired a nearby tree "to think I've never come to see this."
"Never?" Raph asked in surprise.
Splinter shrugged "there was always something else to do" he explained "something I'd always deemed more important." His eyes traveled ahead of them; Raph followed his gaze to see Leo taking pictures.
He got the feeling his Father wasn't just talking about the park lights anymore, and maybe not just about his brother.
"You're here now" Raph reminded him gently, putting a hand on the older mutant's shoulder "you can still make up for lost time."
Splinter hummed, giving the hand a fond pat "I hope you're right Raphael."
"I gotta say" April spoke as she and Cass looked around more casually "I've come to see these a few times in my life, but this feels extra nice somehow."
Cass nodded "it's because we didn't have this last year" she explained, calm for once "something's always extra special when you've been without if for a while."
"Yeah, I hear you" April hummed, her smile falling "guess we just…take for granted something will always be there" she said quietly.
Cass slung her arm over April's shoulder. "It happens" she assured her "you've been given a chance to fix that" she added much quieter so the blue banded ninja wouldn't hear "embrace it full heartedly."
April smirked "you're surprisingly good at pep talks" she snaked, elbowing her playfully as her smile became more genuine. "But thanks, I plan to do just that" she promised.
They were all looking at Leo as he took his time appreciating every individual tree with a smile. Gone was his cocky, default face man smile they'd mistaken for genuine for too long, in its place was his real one that they nearly lost permanently.
It meant the world to them they were seeing it more and more, and they were going to make sure they never let it slip away again.
Leo paused his photo taking to admire the lights and trees. He'd really missed seeing them last year when he'd been able to think, even knowing they most likely hadn't been up. As he went to snap another picture, he noticed Casey staring at a tree, his expression unreadable "all good Case?" He asked carefully as he approached the time traveler.
"…Where I came from, winter was as good as a death sentence I…I never realized how beautiful it could be" he explained, almost looking guilty as he continued to gaze at the trees.
Leo hummed "that doesn't surprise me, winter can be dangerous and it's not like folks now are much better. All anyone focuses on is the cold, the amount of snow, or how it's dark by five. Which is fair, but it's not like summer's perfect. Two words, heat waves and mosquitoes."
Casey gave him a small smile "how are you able to see it?" It was a question he'd always wanted to ask his Sensei. He'd never been able to understand how the turtle could look out at the frozen death raining from the sky with a fond smile. Sure, he'd shared his happier memories of that time of year with him, but try as he might, the boy just couldn't picture what he'd described.
"I just…do, I guess" Leo answered genuinely "I don't really have a trick or method, not one I know of. Its just stuff I've always noticed" he shrugged, smiling up at the tree "maybe I'm just lucky that way."
Casey's own smile grew "I guess you are." It was times like this he saw so much of the Sensei he knew in Leo. He wasn't sure he'd still grow up to be him, but it be fine if he didn't. It wasn't fair to expect him to, just like it wasn't fair to compare the two.
He'd learned that the hard way.
Suddenly Leo's face lit up as he caught sight of something and dashed off. Casey looked back to the others as they followed close behind, once they'd joined him, their own amazement grew.
Before them were rows of ice sculptures with colored lights illuminating them from below. "Ohmegosh, yes!" Leo cried excitedly; hands clasped together "they're they are!"
Mikey's eyes grew at the sight "they're…beautiful!" He squealed. His brothers and Father looking equally impressed "I know I only just learned this existed, but its already better then all my expectations!"
"Huh, less than normal" April remarked "then again given the invasion last year, its impressive we got these at all." Casey and the rest of the mutants gawked at her.
This was smaller than usual?!
"Who cares?! Let's go!" Leo cheered as he sprinted towards the event. The others quickly trailed behind, equally eager for a closer look.
Thankfully the event was free, so they were able to just walk right in. As Leo resumed his photo session, the others took as much time as they could to admire the frozen artwork.
Not surprisingly a lot of them were Christmas themed, but they spotted a few Hanukkah and Kwanzaa sculptures as well. Most of them, however, were more on the artsy side. "These are amazing!" Mikey gushed "I wish I could make sculptures like these" he sighed wistfully as he admired a sculpture of Santa's sled being pulled by two reindeer.
"Why don't you? You're a natural artist, I have no doubt you'd nail it" Leo asked.
Mikey snorted "bold of you to assume Raph would let me anywhere near the tools needed" he said cheekily, the two sharing a quiet laugh. He was right of course, as much as Raph was trying to ease up, Mikey was still the baby of the family in his eyes.
"I wasn't expecting them to be so intricate" Donnie said softly, admiring two especially impressive sculptures. One was a dragon that was bigger than Raph and the other was a ballerina that looked like it could come to life any second.
"Yeah, check out this one" Raph said, pointing to a life size octopus "must have taken hours. And, ooh, look at this swan!" Suddenly, Raph's eyes grew to the size of plates with a gasp "Dad! There's a Lou Jitsu!"
Splinter's head snapped in the direction of his oldest voice and was met with an impressive ice sculpture of his former persona. It was quite accurate if he said so himself, even with the inclusion of the Santa hat. They'd even had his signature catch phrase "nice to see I still have fans" the rat mused, admittedly touched by the knowledge.
"Oh yeah, this guys a big fan. Like bigger than us" Leo commented as he snapped a picture "he always does a Lou Jitsu sculpture."
"And you never thought to tell your old man?" Splinter accused playfully.
"No, I told you" Leo said casually with a grin "I tried showing you the pictures but, you know, your shows were on." He shrugged, not the least bit bothered. He looked over to his Father and frowned when he saw the sadden look on his face "hey, it's not a big deal-"
"Yes, it is" Splinter interrupted as he pulled Leo into another hug "all you asked of me was five minutes of my time, but I prioritized reruns." He always dismissed his boys, especially Leo it felt, always told himself there would be time later.
Time he'd practically felt slipping through his fingers as he sat by his comatose baby blues bedside for days on end.
Leo was once again left bewildered by his Father. Of course it'd sucked at the time, but he knew the rat well enough by now to know not to take it too personally. He wouldn't deny Splinter had been trying to be better since the Shredder and especially the invasion, and he'd improved quite a bit admittedly.
Really, it was on Leo for thinking he could get his Dad's attention during his shows. He shouldn't be beating himself up over this.
"Really Dad, I still have the pictures, we can look at them later" Leo assured him. "I know it's a bit emotional right now, given we couldn't really celebrate after last years…whole situation" he patted Splinter's shoulder with a smile "there's bound to be a lot of feelings after surviving the near end of the world."
Oh, how Splinter wanted to correct him, but not now. It was far too soon; it could dampen the plan his boys had worked so hard on.
He gave a soft sigh and placed a hand over his son's "I suppose you're right. Don't mind your old man." He was right in a sense, there were a lot of emotions this holiday season "and I look forward to those pictures, I want to see if they're all as good as this one" he grinned up at him, Leo's smile growing. "Of course, they all pale in comparison to the original" he teased, striking a pose and getting a laugh out of his son.
Behind them, his brothers watched with melancholy smiles of their own. Splinter wasn't the only one guilty of refusing to spare Leo five minutes, thinking back to all the times they'd rejected his offer to come out here with him, all the fun and memories they could've had, it was hard not to get emotional as their brother said.
Especially knowing how close they came to never having this chance, but it was like Cass said, they had the chance to make it right now, and they would.
That's what the plan was for.
Mikey was pulled out of this train of thought by a ping from his phone. He read through the short text as his face lit up "hey Leo!" He called out, waving his hand in the air to get his attention "good news!"
This time, all of them were looking around in astonishment.
Draxum had finally responded to Mikey's inquiry about whether the Hidden City put up any lights or decorations. Evidently, most places did, especially those closest to the surface. He did warn them that they weren't the same as what they might be used to, but the fact remained that they did have lights.
Lights they were now seeing firsthand.
They were fairly simple by comparison to the city above, and clearly more mystic based, but they were no less beautiful. They gave off an almost cozy, fairy tale vibe.
"I never realized so much of the Hidden City decorated" Splinter confessed with a smile "in my experience, most yokai don't celebrate any of our holidays, but it has been a few years, perhaps that changed. And I suppose you don't need an excuse."
"See, now this is how you put mystic mumbo jumbo to good use" Donnie said as he examined the floating, color changing lights strung up in glass orbs. "Use it to enhance and add to the whimsy of the holiday" as he spoke, his gaze fell on his twin.
Leo had the same expression of awe and wonder he had no doubt the rest of them had for most of the night. The joy on his face was more brilliant than the lights surrounding them.
It reminded him of when they were kids, the way Leo got so excited as the holiday season approached. The way he still did, even after all he'd been through, even after his own family had tried to crush that spirit, however unintentional. Donnie knew he was being overdramatic, but as Leo had said, there were a lot of high running emotions after the previous year, ones not even his emotionally unavailable bad boy image was immune to.
With a soft smile, Donnie walked up to his twin. "So which are better in your opinion, New York lights or Hidden City lights?" He asked casually.
Leo snorted "obviously they're both awesome" he said with a grin and roll of his eyes "but I'll definitely have to add this to the route next year."
"Indeed, we will" Donnie agreed with a nod. Leo looked at him in surprise "I understand I don't speak for everyone" he continued before Leo could respond "after all, we cannot account for outside factors such as weather or wellness, but hence forth I'll make it a personal goal to accompany you on your yearly outing, come hell or high water." His tone and expression both left no room for argument "if you'll have me, of course."
Leo stared at him, his eyes shiny "of course I want you to come, but you don't have to Dee" he assured him softly.
"I know, I want to" and he meant it. He wanted to make as many memories with his twin as he could, because who knew when the memories would be all they had left. Not just for him, but for Leo as well.
Much as he wished otherwise, Donnie couldn't control when that would be anymore then he could permanently prevent it. Hopefully not any time soon, but he'd be sure they'd both have as many happy memories to look back on as possible for when that inevitability arrived. All the while enjoying every moment of making them.
Just like they were doing right now.
In case it wasn't obvious, my Canadian ass doesn't live in New York. Although it'd be cool to watch the ball drop in person.
Point is, I know shit about its locations. So sorry about that.
Thank you for all the comments, I hope you're all enjoying these little Christmas presents.
Until the next one.