Chapter Text
“And how many times have I said it, Leo? You can’t keep goofing off! We’re heroes now!” Raph said, emphasizing each word by pointing at Leonardo. It was a warning.
A warning Leo was sick and tired of receiving.
He knew that they were heroes, they had beaten up tons of bad guys! But even so, he didn’t see a need to be more serious. Joking and goofing off were just how Leonardo was. If he wasn’t there to crack jokes and kick butt, who would do it instead? That’s how it always had been, and he’d gotten by just fine.
He scoffed and placed the hilt of his sword on his shoulder like a baseball bat. His big brother didn’t seem too happy about Leo’s reaction, furrowing his brow in response. That time, instead of saying anything (since he knew it was futile), he just groaned in frustration and went to his own room.
Leo smugly grinned, proud of himself for winning their little argument. It wasn’t often that he could be too stubborn for his brother to handle.
Yet, the longer he stood in his room, the floor cluttered with random things he had definitely meant to pick up and the darkness consuming the room due to the closed curtain, he started to feel guilty.
Sure he had won the argument, but was it even worth it? Now Raph was going to be upset, and technically it was Leonardo’s fault.
But they were prone to arguments! They had completely different views on some things. Like how serious about everything Raph wanted Leo to be, which was just stupid. He got results. He did what he needed, and that should be all that matters. But according to his older brother, it just wasn’t.
Leo sighed, hoping Raph wasn’t too mad. Not mad enough to tell dad, because he didn’t want pops on his case. He shivered thinking about it. Their dad was pretty lenient, but if he could tell that Raph was upset about something you had to get in line quick or you’ll face the tail.
And that tail hurt.
Leonardo sat down on his bed (after pushing the pile of clothes onto the floor), trying to think about what to do to make his brother feel better. Anything that didn’t require cleaning up after someone. Or cleaning at all. And also didn’t involve just fixing himself (He was already perfect).
He needed something quick and easy. Something he could do with his portals and be home before anyone noticed he was gone. That shouldn’t be too difficult to do, right?
Wrong. It took a lot of brainstorming.
Finally, after about ten minutes, he thought back to the list of errands that Raph kept on the fridge. It was perfect! Something simple that he could do and get home from, easy! Plus it would take some stuff off of Raph’s plate.
Sure, Leo wasn’t the best at a lot of things. He wasn’t as strong as Raph, as tech-savvy as Donnie, as good at emotion and overall talented as Mikey.
But one thing Leon could do, was come up with a decent plan. Albeit reckless most times, and often ignored, he could still come up with one! (And if they listened, maybe they would learn that sometimes his plans were good. That they were thought out, not just a spur of the moment thing).
He waltzed into the kitchen, waving to Mikey. His younger brother was focused on something he was cooking, so he didn’t see his greeting. The food smelt good, and Leo peeked over his shoulder into the pots (which was easy, since Mikey was considerably smaller than him). He didn’t get to see much, because he received a smack to the face almost immediately.
“ Ow! Mikey!” Leo groaned, grabbing his face where he’d been hit. It didn’t hurt all that bad, but he loved to be dramatic. It was more fun that way, as he always said.
The younger turtle turned around, his arms crossed as he looked up. “No looking! You’re gonna breathe on it and it’ll taste bad.” He stated, though the claim made no sense, and started pushing Leo away from the stove before rushing back to watch his food cook.
Leon just scoffed in response and reached for the note on the fridge. Weird that Mikey was so pushy (literally), but it was probably fine. Little siblings (Leo only had one) just tended to get angry sometimes. He shrugged, walking back to his room and sitting on the bed.
“Raph’s Errands, do not lose.” He read aloud, glossing over the list.
It was sporadic and seemingly written down whenever something came to mind, from the few words Leonardo read. He considered he should probably read the list before he left, so he could just get everything in a specific location instead of portalling back and forth.
He then really thought about it, and it seemed like too much work. So, he just read the first thing on the list.
“More bandages”
Leon could do that.
He grinned, waving his sword in a gentle circle. The blue glow of the portal was presented before him, and Leo was proud of himself for somewhat mastering it. Mystic weapons definitely weren’t something Leo was the best at, but he liked to believe he had gotten better. Nobody else seemed to comment on it, though.
He tried not to think about it, for his own sake.
Leo stepped through the portal, and arrived on a rooftop near a local drug store. Easy mission, he concluded after surveying the area (staring at it for a few seconds). Sneak in, sneak out with the bandages, mission complete.
It proved to be just as simple as the thought, and he smiled proudly at the bandage roll in his hands. Maybe he could be the best at stealing (was that still illegal if you didn’t get caught?).
He made a much smaller portal, putting the bandage wrap through. It landed safely on his unmade bed back at home.
With a freshly boosted ego, Leon pulled the (now crumpled) list of items out of one of his pouches, reading the next errand on the list.
“New markers for Mikey”
Such a Raph-Esque list, Leonardo rolled his eyes in amusement, opening another portal with a grin.
As he stepped through, he seemed to lose consciousness. There was no color surrounding him, the world going pitch black.
- + -
Leonardo tried to keep a smile on his face as his brother placed the most disgusting looking dish he’d ever seen in his life in front of him.
“Wow, Mikey. This looks.. delicious.” He grimaced. His brother smiled proudly, hands on his hips. Leonardo couldn’t bring himself to rid his youngest brother of that smile. He was proud of this monstrosity, and Leo had agreed to trying it.
If he could time travel somehow, he would. He was much too busy watching Space Heroes to even process what Mikey was asking him, and it led to him staring at this bowl of mush. Not the greatest decision he’d ever made, but you live and you learn.
If he even survived eating this..
He sighed, dismissing the thought and picking up the spoon Michelangelo had so generously graced him with. The food fell off of the utensil in chunks, and it looked green-ish in color. Leo held down the vomit building in his throat, closing his eyes as he brought a spoonful of the concoction to his mouth and took a bite.
The flavors were horrible. He could taste pickles, carrots, ketchup.. was that mayonnaise? Where did Mikey even get mayonnaise!? There was some kind of bread, pepperonis. A lot of cheese. Something was definitely burnt.
Leonardo swallowed it anyway. The lasting flavor on his tongue almost made him gag, but he was able to hold it down.
“Is it good? I put tuna, mayo, ketchup, pepperoni, lots of pickles, cheese, toast.. I burned some of the toast. I hope It’s not bad!” Mikey deflated, worrying about his mistake.
It was most definitely bad.
“I loved it Mikey. Great job!” Leo reassured, forcing a smile and holding his hand up to give his brother a high-three. The younger perked up and accepted it happily.
Leonardo felt his stomach twist, and decided he should probably lay down. And drink some water. He didn’t want to throw up, that would most definitely ruin Mikey’s confidence in his cooking. Michelangelo was insecure enough, Leo acknowledged, and he wasn’t going to make that worse.
“Leo? You look sick. Are you sick again?” Mikey asked, feeling Leonardo’s forehead. He used the palm of his hand, which Leo knew wasn’t the proper way to check temperature, but he decided not to comment on it.
He just smiled weakly, standing. “I think I’m just super tired!” He fake yawned, forcing a smile. “But I’m thirsty, so I’m gonna grab some water and go lay down. Could you finish the rest for me?” He gestured towards the bowl as he walked around the island to get a cup.
Michelangelo nodded, sitting down in Leo’s seat now. He grabbed a big scoop of whatever that was supposed to be and ate it, melting as if it was delicious.
At least there won’t be leftovers, Leonardo hoped to himself, walking out of the kitchen.
Before he got to his room, he checked in on his second youngest brother, Donatello.
“Hey Donnie. Have anything new on the Kraang?” He asked, standing in the doorway to Donnie’s lab. He was very preoccupied, but Leonardo wouldn’t dare guess what he was doing.
In all honesty, he didn’t care all that much about the small details, just enough to check in every one in a while. Since it was the polite thing to do.
“Oh, Leo!” Donatello dropped what he was looking at, smiling up at the older brother. He seemed excited about something. Great, a science rant. Just what Leo needed when he was already feeling nauseous.
But, since his brother was excited, he smiled back and tried to seem equally as excited. “I’ve found a similar chemical equation to explain the mutagen, and I think it might help with finding a retro-mutagen that uses less of our limited supply!” He then looked back down at what he had been working on. “If I could connect the two, and get that down, then I’d be able to help anyone– or anything– that gets mutated!! Isn’t that exciting? I’m so excited!!”
Leonardo’s stomach felt tighter, and the sickness was creeping up his throat. The nausea was kicking in, that was just great.
Despite how sick he felt, that really was good news. So, Leonardo put on a smile for his little brother. “That’s great Donnie! Good luck.” He gave a thumbs up and left, which Donatello probably didn’t notice since he was engrossed in his work again, humming to himself as he worked.
Leo finally entered his own room, taking in the atmosphere. It was neat, everything had a special place. Leonardo liked to have an organized room.
“A clean home is a reflection of a clear mind and a clear soul.”
He liked that quote, and practically lived by it. He didn’t spend much time in his room anyways, opting to stay in the living room or dojo when he was home. It felt more cramped the longer he stayed there so he would only use the room for sleeping.
Despite that, it was still decorated. He kept a small bonsai tree on a shelf, Master Splinter had gifted it to him.
He named it Leonardo Jr, but In his defense, he was only 7. Plus, naming things was Mikey’s thing, not Leo’s.
He had some books, also kept on the shelf, along with a Space Heroes figure Donnie had found for him on one of his runs for materials, which he wasn’t supposed to go on, but Leo was glad he did. The only other thing was his practice swords from when he was younger. It was the first time Splinter had let them train with weapons, and though the others probably didn’t care, the memory was dear to Leo.
It was something he was really good at, way back then, and sure the weapons were plastic and/or foam, but it was still fun. It was still the first time Leo had felt… like he knew who he was.
He missed those times, when everything was much more simple. When the only monsters they had to worry about were the fake ones they made up in games, and the Shredder was an empty threat used to scare them into chores.
He placed the cup of water on a side table that sat next to his bed, which was really just a cardboard box, before flopping onto the mattress. No use in thinking about those days anymore. The past would stay the past, and Leonardo should only focus on the future.
The silence in the room made him feel a bit nauseous, his head spinning even though he was laying down. His stomach was cramping, and he sighed as he pushed the vomit back down.
His stomach really hurt. That tuna must have been bad. Extremely bad.
And where did Mikey get mayonnaise from?
Leonardo worried about the ingredients he had just eaten as he drifted off to sleep. There, at least, he couldn’t feel the stomach ache.