#I'll post it to ao3 as soon as my suspension is lifted

[mad4turtles]

Nothing Haunts Us (like the things we don’t say)

Part 3/3

(part 2 here)

(part 1 here)

---

The journey from Manhattan to Staten Island by car is about an hour and a half, give or take traffic and weather. The turtle tank halves that with Donnie white-knuckling the wheel, nearly flattening parked cars and pissing off dozens of drivers, horns blaring and furious curses bouncing against the tinted windows.

April's stomach is doing crazy gymnastics that would make Mikey jealous. Her nails bite into the plush leather of her seat as she fights for balance every time the tank swerves or picks up speed.

It's still not fast enough.

Donnie had alerted the tank almost immediately after Leo kicked them out of the Mind Meld to come to pick them up. Splinter had surprised them from inside once that hatch lowered, yelling at them to get in and not waiting before yanking Casey and April in with his tail. Raph had filled him in as best as he could, still shaken. The rat man listened to his eldest and seemed to age ten years. April doesn't want to look in the mirror for a while, afraid she might find grey strands of her own.

She tries not to think about the last time she'd been to Staten Island, but she does anyway. She remembers every moment before it, too. She remembers holding Splinter as he broke down, head in clawed hands that trembled, silent sobs shaking his form as he prayed and begged for his second youngest child. She remembers looking over her shoulder, tears streaming down her face, to see lady brain face laughing at their grief. April had never wanted anything more dead in her life.

She remembers walking the deserted streets, holding Splinter's hand, and stumbling upon a catatonic Casey holding one of Leo's katana like a lifeline. She remembers the haunted gleam in his eyes seconds before he broke down in her arms.

She remembers getting the call on her communicator, Raph's breathless laughter stained with tears—“We got 'im! Leo's alive, we got 'im back!”

It was only ten minutes, but it was the worst ten minutes of her life.

(She refuses to think about the moment right after the portal had shut. She wants to forget the sound of bones breaking under cruel, cold metallic fists, the cries of pain and fear, that final scream before the comm finally went dead—

But she can't. Not after what Leo had said. Not after she'd slapped him for it.)

They make it to the island at the thirty-minute mark—an eternity to April—tires screeching against the asphalt, but Donnie doesn't stop. Mikey's still on Casey's lap, tucked inside his shell, Casey's arms wrapped tight around him as he strains against his seatbelt as the tank swerves again. Splinter curses loudly in Japanese (a nasty one, too, despite every young ear in the vehicle understanding him), claws scraping against the floor, but he says nothing about Donnie's reckless driving. The look on Donnie's face screams 'I'm this close to a nasty meltdown and my fingers are touching', so it's probably for the best—

“There he is!” Raph shrieks. Everyone goes flying as Donnie stomps on the breaks.

April doesn't wait for the room to stop spinning before she's tearing her seatbelt off, racing out of the tank before the hatch is fully lowered. Donnie beats her out by a millisecond.

She sees Leo, and the breath leaves her lungs.

Leo sticks out like a sore thumb against the twilight, mask tails fluttering in the breeze where he stands still as stone at the edge of the bay. Both katanas are extended in front of him. She can't see his face, but she can feel his fear as they close the distance.

April skids to a halt a beat before Donnie, the others piling in close behind her. Leo doesn't move, nothing to indicate he knows they're here. She can't even tell if he's breathing. His arms shake.

Donnie's voice is the knife that cuts the silence. “Leo.”

Leo whirls, blades raised to guard, his eyes wide as saucers and bright with unshed tears and emotions too numerous to pin down—except for fear, confusion, guilt, and uncertainty that should never be allowed. Not here. Not with them.

His cheek is as bright as a neon sign, sore and dark with the start of a bruise where she'd hit him.

“How—” Leo's voice breaks like glass. He swallows, lowers his swords and tries again. “How did—what are you all doing—how did you—?”

“Ninja Mind Meld lets you see, feel and hear everything the other person does,” Donnie says, and now April can hear how clipped and cold he sounds, like every word out of his mouth is a battle to keep it below a scream. “You may have tried to kick us out—a valiant effort—but you can't hide everything from us, Nardo, truth spell or no. Least of all from me.”

Leo stares at him, all of them. His gaze lingers on Raph and Splinter—the worst victims of his verbal attacks save for his twin—before he looks away again, staring at his feet. “Right,” he says, resigned. “Guess that means you... you know why I'm...”

Please don't, April thinks, begs. Please don't say it. Please don't—

“Yeah. Yeah, we do.” Donnie takes a firm step forward, eyes never leaving Leonardo. Leo shuffles half a step back. Pain flickers across Donnie's face before he pulls the mask back down. “You were trying to go back, weren't you.”

It's not a question. Leo answers anyway. “I was.”

Sweet Jesus.

Mikey whimpers, Raph's breath hitches, and Splinter clenches his fists hard enough that April hears the bones crack. Casey says nothing, jaw clenched.

“But I didn't want to.”

April blinks. She can smell Raph's Confusion Stink.

“What?” Donnie asks.

Leo swallows again, eyes shining with the threat of tears. He clenches his jaw like the stubborn thing he is to keep them from falling and meets no one's eyes. “I said—I said before that you'd have all been better off if I hadn't—hadn't come back, so... I thought, since I said it, it had to be true. That I really think that—so I came here. To—to try to go back—” His voice cracks and the tears fall. He glares at his feet, fists clenched tight around his katanas. “But I—I tried to m-make a portal, a-and—and it wouldn't work. I can see the prison dimension so clear in my head 'cause I dream about it every night, I can see—him, 'cause all can hear is him screaming at me and, and hitting me over and over, and—and it wouldn't work, because—”

His katanas clatter loudly to the ground as Leo drops them. He wraps his arms around himself, ducking his head as he trembles. April watches, her heart breaking in a million different ways. He looks every bit his age. Sixteen years old and scared.

“I don't wanna go,” Leo whimpers, hands clasped against his chest like he's holding something precious there—whatever it is, it's the only thing holding him together. “I know I said it, so it—it must be true, but I—I don't wanna go back, I'm scared and I don't wanna go—”

Donnie stomps the distance between them. Leo looks up and goes ridged, eyes wide. April doesn't blame him because Donnie looks ready to kill something, every muscle wound tighter than a copper spring. He lifts an arm high, and Leo flinches—

April reaches for Donnie a beat too late.“Donnie—!”

Donnie grabs Leo by the shoulder and yanks him into his chest, arms snapping around him in a tight embrace. Leo stares straight ahead, dumbstruck. April drops her hand.

Leo blinks. “... Don...?”

“I'm gonna say a bunch of things now,” Donnie says against Leo's shoulder, and he sounds all kinds of pissed off, yet it's the softest April has ever heard him. “And I need you to listen good because I will never be this emotionally vulnerable again for the rest of my life. Not necessarily by choice, but because feelings are difficult for me, as you are aware, and somehow this spell lifts the cap off of every bottled-up thing in my neurodivergent brain. So... so listen up, okay?”

“... 'kay.”

Donnie takes a deep, deep breath. April can't see his face, but he can hear his grimace, uncomfortable even without the 'cap' keeping every thought and feeling at bay. But he doesn't let go or loosen his hold around Leo. If anything, as Leo relaxes against him, Donnie's arms tighten.

And then—“I adore you, Leonardo.”

Leo gasps softly. Donnie keeps going, arms tightening.

“And you are my twin. Biology be damned, you are my twin brother in every way that matters. We balance each other out. I'm book-smart, the best with machines, engineering and science in general, while you're street-smart, witty and honest to god sly in ways I could never be. You fuel my love of musical theatre and act as my soundboard when I get suck on a problem. I'm your cuddle buddy while we're watching old Barbie movies when you're having a Bad Brain Day. You're my sword, and I'm your shield. That's you and me. A pair of disasters who barely function on our own but are unstoppable when we're together. That's how it's supposed to be. That's how I want it to be, for however long we have on this dumb planet. Because I love you, Nardo.

“You're my twin, my only twin, and I love you so freaking much it's scary. I'm nothing without you. I felt you leave this dimension the day we nearly lost you. I thought I felt you die. I never want to go through that visceral pain ever, ever again. I swear to whatever higher power I don't believe in, if you ever think about leaving us again, if you make me an only middle child, I will hunt you down like a dog, drag you by your shell and glue The Bucket to your goddamn, blue gum-ball son of a bitch head for the rest of your life.”

April huffs something between a laugh and a sob, echoed by Raph as he swipes a thumb under his eye. Of course, anything 'heartfelt' from Donnie would be sprinkled with insults and half-baked threats. But just as Raph hovers and mothers, how Mikey paints and attacks with cuddles and kisses, it's just one of the many ways Donnie wears his love.

Tears stream down Leo's face, arms slowly coming up to hug Donnie back just as tight, fingers digging into the grooves of the battle shell. “But—but you said—“ He hiccups. “You said we weren't—you called me a selfish prick. I called you s-so many awful things. I hurt everyone, you, Raph, Dad, Mikey—“

“Yeah, you did. So did I. We were pissed off and tired, and we hurt each other. But that's the thing about feelings...” Donnie draws back just enough to look Leo in the eye. April can see the dampness on his cheeks as he smiles. He presses his forehead against Leo's. “They're not facts. And you know how I am about facts.”

Leo's lip trembles against his smile. “Yeah. Y-You're like the freakin' Bible, but without the fear of god.”

“Funny, but I'm still talking.”

“Right. Sorry.”

“Thank you. And the cool thing about feelings?”

Donnie takes Leo's chin between his fingers and lifts his head to meet his eyes. “They're true in the moment, but they can change. And yeah, sure, I'm still nice and pissed off that you punched me, bit me, told me you were better off dead and then ran off, but mostly? I'm so freaking glad you're safe, and you have no idea how sorry I am for what I said and did. I'm so sorry, Leo. You're my little brother, my twin, my better half, and you mean everything to me. That is a fact. The day it isn't is the day I defy the laws of the universe to make it so. Okay?��

Leo stares at Donnie. April sees the second he breaks before he launches himself at Donnie, sending them both crashing to the asphalt.

“I'm so sorry, Don-Don!” Leo wails into Donnie's chest, a heartbreaking sound that finally pushes April over the edge as she wipes fruitlessly at her own tears. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I love you, I love you so goddamn much, I don't wanna leave, I wanna stay, I wanna stay, I'm sorry—!”

Donnie clings to Leo, burying his face into the crook between Leo's neck and shoulder. The twins wrap their arms and legs around each other and hold fast; it'd take a miracle (or a death wish) to break them apart. No one tries. Instead, Raph and Mikey rush past and skid across the concrete, barrelling into the twins and wrapping them up in their arms. Mikey's wailing just as loud into Leo's arm. Raph's tears are silent as he crushes his little brothers against him.

This would be where April would join in, screeching her name and love for her family at the top of her lungs and clinging to her boys. Instead she hangs back, her hand still burning as she clenches it tight behind her. Casey notices and says nothing, draping an arm around her shoulders.

Splinter hobbles over, reaching for Leo through the barricade of sobbing turtles to cup his striped cheek. Leo's head snaps up. “Dad, Daddy, I'm so sorry,” he says, all shades of miserable and guilt ridden, “I didn't—I never meant to—I know you tried, you always t-tried, I know you love us, and I love you, I—”

“Hush, Baby Blue,” Splinter says, cradling his sons' face in both hands and kissing his forehead. “I know. It's alright. Everything will be alright. For now, let's get you home.”

Leo sniffles and nods. “Okay. Okay. I really wanna go home.”

“Good,” Raph says roughly. “'Cos after what you pulled, that's where your ass is stayin'. I'm invoking Dad's grounding privileges, and you, little brother, are grounded for a week.”

Leo chuckles wetly, nuzzling his cheek against Raph's arm. “I'll take that, boss man. Honestly, as long as I can still get cuddles, I don't care how long you ground me.”

“How about a year?”

“... I care a little bit. And where the hell are April and Casey?”

April stiffens. Casey jumps, then points at himself in question.

“Yes, you, you big turds! I wanna hug my other little brother right freaking now!” Leo wriggles one arm free from the embrace and reaches for the boy, making grabby motions. His smile is wide and real, but still, it trembles. “And I want my big sister.”

April's breath catches.

“I wanna hug her and tell her I love her, and I forgive her for everything. Please?”

Oh, damn you, kid.

She and Casey charge the turtles and slam into the embrace, Raph lifting an arm to let them squeeze in. Casey winds his arms around Donnie and Leo, the former refusing to budge even as he frees one hand to clench the back of Casey's shirt. April peppers Leo's face with kisses until he's giggling, and then finally, finally, she wraps her arms around her little brother. “I'm so sorry, baby,” she whispers against his bruised cheek.

He frees one arm to snake it around her waist and squeeze. She feels him smile. “I know. I forgive you.”

April smiles back.

~0o0~

True to form, they have a blanket fort constructed within minutes of getting home.

Raph orders from Run Of the Mill, and Splinter makes good on his promised hugs. Mikey makes too many cookies, and Casey cries into his hot chocolate through Ratatouille. April snorts into hers during Howl's breakdown in Howl's Moving Castle and ends up with chocolate up her nose. Leo laughs in her face. It's the most delightful sound, but she still chucks marshmallows at him.

Donnie doesn't leave Leo's side for longer than he deems necessary. Leo is in no rush to stop him, a clinginess that she hasn't seen from either of them since they were younger. Or since Leo's recovery after the invasion.

She keeps one eye on them for most of the night, draped over or wrapped up in each other as close as they can get, sharing blankets and pillows, fingers interlocked as they watch movie after movie, stealing food and doing absolutely nothing about it save for the odd glare. It's the cutest damn thing she's ever seen. Splinter pushes his ninja skills to the limits to secretly film them with his phone.

She texts him to send her the video. He replies with three minutes' worth of footage and a thumbs-up emoji.

Everyone else has fallen asleep, Lost World playing softly in the background when April hears them whispering. It's rude, but she keeps her head down where it's pillowed on Casey's chest and pricks her ears.

“You know how I record everything?” Donnie says, unprompted.

“Yeah? You recorded Hypno's spell that one time. Do you still have it?”

“Freakin' yeah, I do. Kinda wanna use it again, too.”

Leo giggles sleepily. “Yeah, it was fun. Weird, but fun.”

“Sums up our lives perfectly.”

“For real, though. Why'd you bring it up?”

Donnie says nothing. April slowly, carefully turns her head to face them, mindful of the boy she's using as her pillow. Leo's legs are draped over Donnie's lap, the slider nestled against his older twin as he absently plays with the fingers of Donnie's left hand, the other arm wrapped around Leo's shell. They're both in their biggest, cosiest hoodies—matching unicorn ones Donnie had bought for Leo as 'compensation' after the last bout of Rat Flu. It's a wretchedly adorable picture, but April can't snap a pic and risk being discovered. Curses.

Then Donnie says, “We heard what happened in the prison dimension.”

Leo stiffens, eyes haunted. So does April.

Donnie, what the hell?

“... what?”

Donnie's eyes are locked on the screen, watching the T-Rex chase the characters through the jungle. “Your comms were still operational,” he says tonelessly. “It's a marvel, really. I hadn't expected that to be a thing my tech can do, so that's cool. But yeah. We heard everything. I still have the recording stashed somewhere in my hard drives. I haven't listened to it since I found it, but something illogical in me tells me not to delete it.”

April knows all of this. She was there when Donnie chanced across the audio file and held him during his breakdown. She was there when it happened, watching the blood drain from Splinter's face as the monster purred with a wickedness that chills her to the bone even now—

“My wrath will be reserved for you alone.”

She remembers the crunch of bones, the sound of skin and flesh tearing, crumbling concrete and her little brother's screams of pain. A whimper, so small and afraid she almost hadn't heard it, and then—

“Wipe that grin off your face!”

—before the line went dead. She'd been so sure Leo had gone with it.

Wide-eyed, Leo curls closer to his twin. “... oh.”

Donnie rests his chin atop Leo's head. “Yeah.”

“... that's why you got so pissed off when I asked for your password.”

“... yeah. I didn't want you to hear it and trigger you. It's bad enough that you went through it at all. You've barely healed from the physical wounds. I didn't want you hurt because I can't delete a stupid recording of the worst moment of your life. Our lives. But for the life of me, I can't delete it. It's like a part of me wants to hold onto it as a reminder.” He scoffs. “As if I'll ever forget how I nearly lost my best friend.”

Oh. Oh.

The thing that pushed Donnie over the edge, ensued a fight and sent Leo away—

Donnie wears his love with layers of sarcasm, empty threats and insults. His worry isn't much different, not even under a truth spell. In trying to protect his brother, Donnie had nearly driven him off.

Jeez. These boys are gonna kill me.

Then Leo laughs softly, scrubbing his dry cheek with his shoulder. “Dude, you should've just told me. I wouldn't have looked or even asked if you'd said.”

“You didn't ask, therefore, I was not compelled to tell you.”

“But you literally just told me, unprompted, that you had it. We're watching CGI dinosaurs kill people, and you decided to confess that you screamed at me because you were scared I'd trigger myself over a recording. I did not ask you a damn thing.”

Donnie stares straight ahead, eyes wide like he's come to a revelation of some kind. “... Huh. Well, shit.”

Leo muffles his laughter against Donnie's hoodie. “You're an idiot.”

Donnie scowls but cuddles in closer, de-tangling his hand from Leo's to tug the blanket over them. “Yeah, well, if we're going by twin logic, I'm only half an idiot, making you the other half. Together we share one brain cell.”

“No, that's half a brain cell. Together we make one whole brain cell and one whole idiot. Wait, no—this is getting away from me. I'm really stupid right now, I can't do twin math.”

“Yeah, no, please never try to math again. Leave the thinking to me.”

Leo snickers. “Yeah. Book-smarts, street-smarts. Sword and shield.” Leo goes quiet for a heartbeat, his smile a soft thing April rarely sees. “... that was really sweet, actually. I mean, the whole speech was just. Top-notch, not gonna lie—”

“You physically can't.”

“I know, so, yeah, like. It was nice. Really nice. I... really needed to hear it. And I really am sorry for the things I said. And for beating the shit outta you.”

“I forgive you. Already said that.”

“I know. Just making sure you know it's true.” Leo smiles and shuts his eyes, cuddling closer. “I love you. Weirdo.”

Donnie smiles back, closing his eyes. “Love you, too. Dum-dum.”

Soon, their breaths even out. April watches them a moment longer, safe, sound and comfortable in each other's embrace, her heart full of love for the pair of idiots she calls her brothers. She snuggles against Casey, bringing his arm over her shoulders as she closes her eyes, finally dozing off.

She has high hopes for tomorrow.

~0o0~

Day Three begins with a phone call from Draxum.

After calling in a favour from an old contact, he got his hands on a scroll from Witch Town detailing the terms and conditions of spells of this nature and, more importantly, how to break them.

A little late in the game, but better late than never.

“According to the terms,” Draxum says, eyes roaming down the length of the scroll while Mikey sits behind him on top of the couch, braiding his hair, “to break it, the afflicted one must confess a truth from the depths of their heart that would otherwise be left to wither with time. In other words, go big or go home.”

Huh. It's that simple.

April wants to hit something. So bad.

“You're seriously telling me,” Leo seethes beside a silent Donnie, “that all we had to do—”

“Was having a therapy session like I said we should do literally in the first place? Pretty much,” Mikey chimes with a grin that teeters between sour and smug, finishing Draxum's braid. He slides from the top of the chair onto Draxum's lap, landing upside down with his feet on the yokai's shoulders. Draxum sighs but lets him have his way. “Could've avoided all this drama if we'd just talked to each other, but nah, y'all said to hell with that crap, I'm gonna make a scene in my own dang home and—”

“You're a real bitter piece of shit when you're compelled, eh, Miguel?” Leo grins, taking the sting out of the jab. Mikey grins back, shooting finger guns. Draxum sighs again. Donnie looks at his lap and says nothing.

Raph claps his hands together, grinning. “Great! We break the spell early, and everything can go back to normal! Which hopefully involves being more open with each other so we don't have situations like this again! Please. Raph can only take so much.”

“Loud and clear, big guy.” Leo drapes an arm around Donnie's shoulders. “I know I'm like, the king of emotional repression and bad coping mechanisms save for Dad, but... I'll try to be more honest with you guys going forward. For real.”

April reaches for him, cupping his cheek in her palm. The bruising is already fading. “That's all we ask, Leo,” she says. Leo puts his hand over hers and smiles.

Mikey mimics Raph and claps his hands once. “Aight! So all we gotta do is confess a deep-seated truth about ourselves and this nightmare is over! I'll go first!” He squirms on Draxum's lap so that he's right side up, crossing his legs as he clears his throat pointedly. Unconsciously, April leans in. They all do.

And despite offering to go first, despite all he preaches, Mikey hesitates. He twists his fingers on his lap. “... so, um... the truth is, um—m-my truth, um...”

On Draxum's left, Splinter smiles. “Go ahead, my son. It's alright.”

Mikey offers his Dad a wavering smile before taking a breath. And another. “Okay. The truth is... the truth is that I'm scared of—of growing up. I mean, not physically, and maybe not the same way April or Casey might be, 'cause they'll have to look for jobs, places to live and worry about adult human things. Me, though? I don't know what the heck I'm supposed to do.” He looks at his hands, three-fingered and calloused, stained with paint and faint scars like cracked pottery running under the length of black wrappings.

“There's so much I wanna do. I wanna show off my art. I wanna travel the world and see where Dad grew up. I wanna make Papa proud and master mystic arts. But at the same time... I know I can't do all of them, at least not with this whole situation,” he gestures to his face. “And using a broach... that's not who I really am. And, these are all things I gotta think about when I get older, and I'm—I'm scared I'm not gonna be ready for it! I'm scared I'm gonna let people down 'cause I'll never reach my full potential, I'm scared of—of changing from who I am now to whoever I'll be as an adult! And—and as much as I complain and moan about it... I'm scared of not being your little brother anymore.”

April doesn't have to touch her face to know she's crying. The rest of her boys aren't faring much better. Even Draxum looks choked, blinking a bit too much to be natural. She's surprised Splinter isn't outright bawling. Then again, maybe not. With his past, she wonders how often he'd asked himself the same questions, hid the same fears under costumes and layers of pride.

“Well, you don't have to worry about that, Mike,” Donnie says, clearing his throat when his voice cracks in a vain effort to sound bored. “You'll always be our little brother, no matter how much you grow up. And all those fears you mentioned? Psht. Child's play. You're far more capable and remarkable than you realize. Have more faith in yourself. Besides, if you do, in an impossible scenario, happen to fail, you'll still have us. Capiche?”

They stare at Donnie.

Damn, April thinks. Truth spells are really something.

A few tears roll down Mikey's cheeks before he scrubs them away with a wobbly grin. “Y-yeah. Yeah. Okay. Thanks, Dee.”

Draxum lays a hand on Mikey's shoulder. “How do you feel?” he asks.

Mikey takes another deep breath through his nose. “I feel... better, I guess. Feels good to let it out.”

“Good. Do you know who filled my coat with those disgusting jelly beans last night?”

“Uhhhh no idea! Sorry, Papa!”

April chokes. Leo and Raph gape. Casey gasps. Donnie nods with a slow grin.

Mikey blinks. Then he squeals, leaping off Draxum's lap and pumping his fists in the air. “Ohhhhh hell yeah! I broke the spell, baby! I can say whatever I want again!”

“Excellent,” Draxum nods. “But that also means I know you just lied to me, so no jelly beans for a week. Busted.”

Mikey's grin drops like a stone. “Aw, nuts.”

“And on that note, I guess I'll go next. Go big or go home, right?” Leo sits up straight with a sigh. He scratches the back of his head, his other hand squeezing Donnie's when his twin reaches for him.

“So. Pretty sure it's no big secret that I still have nightmares of the—the prison dimension and stuff. I think about it a lot, about what could've happened if Mikey hadn't gotten me out. And yeah, sometimes when I'm having a bad day, I think, 'maybe if I'd stayed there, things would suck but not for long, right?' Which, yes, before you say anything, those are Very Bad Thoughts to have and I should've said something sooner, but... y'know me. King of bad coping mechanisms, yo...”

He holds up a weak peace sign, eyes welling up. Donnie squeezes his hand tighter. Leo scoots closer, sniffling. “And... and what's really wild is I didn't—I didn't wanna go the first time. I really, really didn't. But that bastard was too strong for all of us at our strongest. It was me, or you. And Raph was right. It was time I stepped up and started acting like a hero, a leader. And heroes sometimes have to make sacrifices, so...”

April expects the heartbreak in Splinter's eyes, the fresh tears in Mikey's, and the forced indifference from Donnie. She doesn't expect Raph's deep growl, and it startles her.

Leo seems to realize his error and tries to scoot away, but Raph is faster. He reaches out and grabs Leo's chin—careful, even at his angriest, always with them—turning Leo's head so their eyes meet.

“You,” Raph hisses through clenched teeth, “will never do that again. I've told you once, and I'll tell you again: You're my little brother first, and as my little brother, I would very much like you to live.” The anger abates a fraction, a wet sheen glistening in Raph's eyes as his hand moves to cup Leo's cheek instead. “You don't have to die to be a hero. You don't have to And I'm sorry, so damn sorry, that I ever gave you the impression you have to push yourself to your breaking point to prove you're worth something. Because you're worth everything, Leo. And I don't care if you're not a great leader—those guys die for good causes and get made into legends or whatever, but good leaders? They stick around and lead the teams they're put in charge of. And that's what you're gonna do. What we're gonna do, together, from here on out. Okay?”

Leo stares at Raph with swirling eyes. He shuts them and sucks in a deep breath. When he opens his eyes again, he's smiling. “Loud and clear, big bro. And for the record... about that whole 'worth something' thing? I'm starting to believe it. I do believe it. But it's nice to hear it every once in a while, so... thanks.”

Raph grins back.

Then Donnie leans forward. “Say, Leonard, do you know where my favourite fidget spinner went by any chance? Also, Raphaela, were you the one to bend my metal straw after you made that fruit smoothie yesterday?”

Leo sweats. “Haven't the foggiest, brother dear!”

Raph chuckles and looks away. “Nah, nah that—that wasn't, no, it was—oh! Oh! Hey, we broke the spell!”

“Oh hell yeah, you're right! We can lie again, sweet pizza supreme in the—oh, wait.”

Donnie grinds his teeth hard enough that April can hear them, his bo transforming into a rocket-boosted hammer drill. “You sons of bitches—!”

“Wait, wait!” Mikey slides on his knees between a livid Donnie and their quivering brothers, arms spread. “Before you blast 'em, you gotta break your own spell! I'm sure there are plenty of nice things you can think to say before—”

“I already broke it.”

Silence. 

Mikey blinks. Leo and Raph blink. Draxum and Splinter stare. Casey tilts his head. 

April says, “What?”

Donnie leans back with a sigh, the anger leaving him in a rush as the hammer drill dissolves into mystic pixels. “I broke my spell hours ago. You may recall the incredibly touching and heartfelt speech I bestowed upon my then-wayward twin here. That was when I no longer felt compelled to tell the truth or answer every question asked of me. I thought that was just me going non-verbal after stressing out for hours, but it wasn't until Leo pointed... something out to me that I will not disclose at this juncture—because I can do that now, hell yes—that I realized I had broken free of the spell. So, yeah. Tello takes the first prize for beating bogus spells. You may applaud.”

Everyone stares for a beat until Mikey starts whooping and clapping. Casey follows with equal enthusiasm while Raph rolls his eyes but claps, too, ever the supportive big brother. The co-parents share a look that speaks a thousand words, and April shakes her head, because of course he broke it first. Always the overachiever, even when he's not aware of it.

Which means that everything he said after, to Leo and just now to Mikey...

April's heart melts. Aww, Dee.

Leo, remarkably, says nothing. Instead, he shuffles back to Donnie's side and throws his arms around his shoulders, pressing a loud, smacking kiss against his cheek. Donnie shrieks in protest, arms flailing as he curses Leo like a Japanese sailor. Clinging like a limpet, Leo throws his head back with a laugh that fills the lair. Mikey and Raph, as usual, are quick to join in on the cuddling, squeezing until Donnie stops squirming and gives in.

All it takes is a look from Leo before April charges in, screeching her name at the top of her lungs, dropping right on top of a howling Mikey. Casey flops across Raph's shoulders, scrambling for purchase like a gremlin until the snapper is giggling—“Casey, stop, yer ticklin' me~!”—while Draxum and Splinter watch on.

April squeezes Leo, smushes her cheek against Mikey's, and lets herself breathe. 

Finally, she thinks. Finally. I got my brothers back.

~0o0~

The following week, they bump into the witch that cursed them. Her face is twisted into an ugly, smug thing when she catches the turtles flinching.

April pulls out her bat and swings.

“What the crap, April?!” Mikey screeches, hands hovering over the unconscious, bruised yokai. The twins are barely standing as they howl with laughter. Raph puts his face in his hands to muffle a scream.

April shoulders her bat and grins. “Just giving her my honest opinion.”

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(This is so long! I just didn't want to add a part four XD)

Reblogs are appreciated :)

Feel free to send more requests, I love writing for these boys <3