Just To Make A Point, Every Time I Finished A Panel Of This I Would Export It As A PNG On The Perceptual

I found these HERE

Beyond the Rift

When Leo thought he had several months to heal, the Kraang invade from a parallel universe, and now Leo and Donnie are separated from their brothers and must team up with another turtle team from a parallel universe to save both worlds.

However, their mission turns personal when they discover their own brothers are being mind-controlled and fighting for the enemy.

Yet, nothing can prepare them for the horrors that follow.

———

Chapter 1: Nightmares

Words: 2,544

A hitched breath echoed through the empty room, tangling itself with the dust in the air. His chest was heaving up and down, eyes were closed shut, and eyebrows furrowed. Hands were balled into fists, grasping the sweet texture of cold fabric. Beads of sweat rolled down his chin and forehead, despite the coolness of the room. Choked sobs escaped his throat before he could stifle them, and bitter tears had begun to spill from his eyes.

He’d call it a nightmare, but there was a small crack in his body that’d claim that statement false—that this was reality. And all he truly knew was that he was terrified. He’d desperately clung to the small, weak flame of hope that flickered in his heart, yearning for someone to acknowledge his current predicament.

His mind flashes back to simpler times where he was a kid once again, sleeping with his brothers after an agonizing nightmare. He’d cling to them for several days until he deemed it safe enough to return to his room, his haven. However, he considered himself too old for such comforts. He stood at sixteen years old, fully capable of taking care of himself…

…If it wasn’t for his broken legs and sprained ankles. His skin was painted with reds and purples, injuries dusting every corner of his skin. His ribs ached, and with every labored breath he took, he was rewarded with more agony.

Leo needed something.

He’d been consumed by an itch he couldn’t scratch—an overwhelming need for anything to stop the nightmares from pestering him, or his wounds from hurting him. His lesions decorated his skin like cruel reminders, mocking him for everything he’d lost and gained in a week from the Kraang Invasion.

As if to stabilize himself from the oncoming nightmare—or reality; who knows?— he’d considered his small victories. For one, he was alive and breathing. Secondly, his brothers were also alive and pumping blood. Third, they’d save New York from a deadly apocalypse. Fourth, he’d heal. He knew his slumped, useless body would recover from the trauma—both mentally and physically. Logically, there is a future where he recuperates, and that everything was okay.

But that was a distant future. Leo knew that healing wasn’t linear—never will be. He’d knew there were days ahead of him filled with pure misery and sorrow, while some others would be overflowing with joy and ecstasy.

He couldn’t wait for those days where the heavy burden would lift from his shoulders and he could just breathe. Days he could take in every sound in the bustling city, and let it fall into a calming rhythm. The constant chatter of crowds, the blaring honking of cars stuck in traffic and construction sites were all a sweet remedy to him.

Thinking of this peaceful future had assuaged his labored breathing and the tears from spilling. Unconsciously, he’d release the tight grip he had on his bed sheets, as his palms now laid gently across his stomach.

“Leo?” a familiar voice whispered to him. He gently cracked his eyes open, slowly letting them adjust to the harsh lighting in the med bay. There was a purple silhouette standing by the entrance. Leo softly smiled, relieved that someone was finally there to keep him some company, and that the someone was Donnie.

“I heard you breathing quite heavily–wait, were you crying?” Donnie hurried over to Leo, his best concerned expression straining his features. Donnie was never good at showing his emotions, so really, it creeped Leo out just how worried his brother looked.

While Donnie analyzed his tear-stained cheeks, Leo was being swallowed by the weight of humiliation. He felt too vulnerable. This feeling of exposure had silently confirmed his fears of being useless, a boy forced to depend upon others. After a tense, awkward moment, Leo found his voice and obliged himself to use it, as he finally managed a weak, “I guess. I didn’t mean to.”

Donnie pursed his lips together, clearly unsatisfied with Leo’s answer. He wasn’t the most reliable or emotionally available person, but he’d been trying to make more of an effort lately. He couldn’t simply sit and watch as Mikey drained himself, comforting his brothers when he was also struggling.

“Listen, Leo, i’m your twin, right? You don’t need to put up a front with me. You had a nightmare—I wasn’t born yesterday.” Donnie sat on the stool by Leo’s bed, crossing his arms and raising an accusing eyebrow at his brother. He’d logically used the word twin, as Leo loved to refer them as that, even though it was not accurate.

(Truth be told, Donnie actually never minded being called Leo’s twin, and very much liked the term even if it went against his science.)

Leo’s mouth gaped, and his eyes had a sort of spark in them that Donnie had not seen for several weeks after defeating the Kraang. Leo quickly sat up, whisper-yelling to his brother, “Twin? So you finally admit it when i’m on my deathbed, huh? Didn’t know this was all it took!” He showed his signature toothy grin, pushing the gnawing feeling of his nightmare into the depths of his stomach.

“Scoff. Don’t change the subject, Nardo. Do you, well, I don’t know… Wanna talk about it, I guess?” Donnie spoke with great difficulty, gathering his words as they spilled from his mouth before he could arrange them properly. He shifted uncomfortably, eyes skidding everywhere but Leo’s own pair. He’d do anything for his brothers. (He reluctantly guessed.)

Leo softly shook his head, eyes lingering towards his bruised arms and hands. “I’m fine. I guess i’m just, I don’t know, put down by the state of my body. I’ve never seen so many injuries on me before…” His voice trembled, barely above a whisper.

If it were up to him, he’d rather talk about his feelings with Mikey, albeit with a little reluctance. Donnie didn’t even have the capacity to understand complex emotions, so what could he know about Leo? Had he looked so feeble and fragile that even Donnie, of all people, was stepping in with concern?

Donnie sighed, hesitating before giving a weak nod. A pause between them stretched before Donnie spoke up with a little more confidence behind his words, “I know. I see you, Leo. I can see you’re hurt and lost… maybe even confused, too.”

Before Leo could object—deny that no, he wasn’t lost in a dark void inside his head, and no, he was okay—Donnie looked him in the eye, his hands fidgeting nervously.

“Maybe all you need is someone to just be here next to you while you recuperate, because that’s what I need too.”

It took one thing for Donnie to talk about his feelings, but it was another for Donnie to admit his own vulnerability.

Leo, stunned to silence, gaped at him. His brain scrambled for words, urging his voice to come out and say something—anything—but it failed him. He felt the urge to deflect, to make a joke or push away, but something stopped him. His fingers twitched, reminding him that he still had control, even if he didn’t have the words.

So he leaned in and hugged his twin.

Both of them were caught off guard. Leo acted on pure impulse, doing what felt right. Donnie, on the other hand, froze—eyes wide, mouth slightly parted. He never welcomed physical affection without warning, always quick to brush it off when his brothers tried. But this was Leo. Hurt, vulnerable Leo, who had just sacrificed everything for his brothers. This was the Leo who cared deeply beneath his usual clownish facade, allowing it to slip just for this moment. For Donnie.

Donnie couldn’t just leave him hanging. He hesitated, but slowly let his arms fall onto Leo’s shell, unsure but determined. His head found a resting place on his twin’s shoulder. He squeezed him tightly, and to his surprise, found comfort in the simple weight of Leo’s arms around him.

It felt almost like a warm blanket.

(He considered surrendering himself more to the rest of his brother’s affectionate touches, but he quickly decided against it. Maybe he’ll just allow it for serious moments like these. It felt nice.)

Donnie felt Leo's racing heartbeat against his chest, each beat a soft and gentle reminder that his brother was here, real and alive. No longer trapped in the Prison Dimension, no longer out of reach. With each pulse, Donnie found a quiet solace, his own tension easing as he clung to the steady rhythm of Leo’s heart.

He squeezed his eyes shut before releasing a trembling sigh. “Are you scared?” He murmured softly, the sound hardly louder than a thought.

Leo was truly, undeniably, petrified. The weight of his vulnerability made his stomach churn, leaving him reluctant to accept help from his brothers. He considered his options, ways to dismiss Donnie’s question. He settled for an ambiguous answer with a lighthearted tone, a mask for his unease.

“I have you, don’t I?” he replied, a hint of playfulness lacing his voice.

“Yes, you have me. I’m ignoring your tone of voice right now, stop playing around. Scoff!” Donnie immediately dropped the hug, giving his brother a repulsed expression. That, he was good at.

“What? We were totally having a bromance moment there, dude. You ruined it!” Leo crossed his arms, eyes closed with his face turned away dramatically.

Donnie jabbed his index finger to Leo’s plastron. “We were, until you ruined it!”

“Ruined it? You’re the one who said I was playing around after I said something totally sweet and nice to you!”

“As if! You’re just trying to run away from this conversation with jokes and your childish, jokey tone. I said I wasn’t born yesterday!”

“Ugh, Raph! Donnie’s middle child syndrome is leashing out again!” Leo hollered towards the entrance of the med bay, genuinely hoping for Raph to step in and handle his annoying brother.

Donnie loudly gasped, hand over his heart, his expression the epitome of mock offense. “Middle child syndrome?! You’re literally the middle child too, dummy!”

“Yeah but everyone’s agreed that the title goes to you. I’m just the cool guy. The face of the team, ya know?” Leo flipped his nonexistent hair, a smug look stretching across his features.

The soft shell dramatically rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say Leon. Dad thinks i’m the funniest, you’re just a nuisance who attempts to be my level of funny.”

“Don’t speak to your leader like that, Donnie!” Leo dragged out the word "leader," determined to win their banter.

“Whatever.” Donnie resigned with an exaggerated sigh. One point for Leo, zero for Donnie.

Leo softly snickered at Donnie’s defeated expression. For a moment, it felt like old times. The air around them had been heavy with tension and unease ever since the Kraang invasion. Everyone was still on edge, still processing. But this moment of banter? It felt like a breath of fresh air.

It was all over now. Sure, they all had ghosts of scars plastered across their skin and minds, but those scars twinkled like distant stars. Each one, big or small, tied them together—a reminder of what they went through and a symbol of survival.

Maybe acknowledging this was one small (or big) step for Leo toward his journey of healing. Maybe those days bursting with glee and bliss were closer than he thought.

He watched Donnie as his brother’s lips quirked up into a small, genuine smile, a soft laugh escaping him. Leo’s heart warmed at the sight—Donnie, even with the dark circles under his eyes, finally looked a little more like himself. Relaxed. Present. Leo hadn't realized how much he had missed this—his brother, simply enjoying a moment.

Before Leo could stop himself, words tumbled out.

“Donnie?” His voice was softer now, his smile fading as something heavier settled in his chest. Donnie glanced at him, his expression shifting to curiosity and mild concern.

“I missed you. Please stay.”

Tears were brimming at the edge of Leo’s eyes, his own words hitting him like a punch. He hadn't truly felt it until now—just how much he missed his brothers being themselves.

Donnie blinked, momentarily stunned. His usual sharp wit wavered. He fidgeted with the corner of his shell, glancing away before looking back at Leo. “I’ve been here, Leo. You see me every day. Why do you miss me?”

Leo swallowed, struggling to find the right words. “You’ve been here, but not really... not as yourself. You’ve been too preoccupied, too worried. You haven’t laughed in a long time or smiled. Before, you would return my teasing, but it was only out of a sense of duty, right? But this time, it felt... real. And I realized I missed that. I miss you. I want you to stay with me. Just... stay a little while.”

Donnie hesitated, his eyes softening as he processed Leo’s words. He didn’t say anything at first, the silence stretching between them, thick with unspoken emotions. His hand twitched slightly, as if wanting to reach out but unsure if he should.

Then, in a rare moment of vulnerability, Donnie finally spoke. “Okay, Leo. I’ll stay. For as long as you need.”

“Let’s watch Jupiter Jim! Get me my phone, please. Actually, where even is it? I’ve been so bored since I got to the med bay. I feel like I got grounded.” Leo’s tone shifted from excited anticipation to irritation, furrowing his eyebrows to highlight his annoyance.

“Oh. I forgot about that… Well, the LED screen is bad for you anyway. Especially since you’re recuperating right now.” Donnie objected, reluctant to give back Leo his phone when he was supposed to focus on resting.

“Uh, I’m pretty sure LED screens won’t make my wounds reopen. Now, hand over my phone—I need Jupiter Jim and Instagram reels. Unless, of course, you’re buying me a whole TV to watch those on instead?”

Leo crossed his arms, knowing he’d get his way. He always did.

Donnie groaned, lifting the covers and moving to the drawer where Leo’s phone was hidden. “Fine! But you’re getting limited screen time. Two hours a day, max. You’re supposed to agree with me, medic.”

Leo rolled his eyes. “Who says that’s stopping me?”

Donnie’s expression darkened into a mischievous smile. “Who says I didn’t put a special password on it?” Donnie stretched his arms to Leo, phone in hand.

Leo’s face dropped. “Even I wouldn’t go that far! That’s my phone, not yours!” He reached for his phone, but when he tried his password, it didn’t work. Huffing in frustration, he reluctantly handed it back.

“Please,” Leo grumbled.

Donnie grinned victoriously as he unlocked the phone. “Your two hours start now. Use them wisely, dear brother.” He whispered with a playful cackle.

“Well, are you lying down with me or what?”

Leo’s casual invite was all Donnie needed. He sighed, unable to hold back a small grin as he lifted the covers and lay down next to his brother, getting in a comfy position to watch one of the many Jupiter Jim movies.

He could hear Leo’s own heartbeat, and Donnie released a long breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.

’He’s here, and he’s alive— next to me.’

———

I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter, there is a lot more to come!

This fic was posted in AO3, you could read it here if it’s better for you to directly read it from the site. Kudos and comments are deeply appreciated and bring happy tears to my eyes. They keep me going.

Updates happen on the weekends (Saturdays or Sundays), but I usually post sooner. However, don’t expect earlier updates.

This fic has a minimum goal of 30k words and 15 chapters.

Some words to use when writing things:

winking

clenching

pulsing

fluttering

contracting

twitching

sucking

quivering

pulsating

throbbing

beating

thumping

thudding

pounding

humming

palpitate

vibrate

grinding

crushing

hammering

lashing

knocking

driving

thrusting

pushing

force

injecting

filling

dilate

stretching

lingering

expanding

bouncing

reaming

elongate

enlarge

unfolding

yielding

sternly

firmly

tightly 

harshly

thoroughly

consistently

precision

accuracy

carefully

demanding

strictly

restriction

meticulously

scrupulously

rigorously

rim

edge

lip

circle

band

encircling

enclosing

surrounding

piercing

curl

lock

twist

coil

spiral

whorl

dip

wet

soak

madly

wildly

noisily

rowdily

rambunctiously

decadent

degenerate

immoral

indulgent

accept

take

invite

nook

indentation

niche

depression

indent

depress

delay

tossing

writhing

flailing

squirming

rolling

wriggling

wiggling

thrashing

struggling

grappling

striving

straining

Did this quick doodle a few days ago, used it as value practice! :D

the suffering never ends

Alright people, it's time for more Villain Leo lore!!!

Today we are diving into Leo and Splinter's relationship!!!

Read under the cut because this got so LONG, these two have so many issues and there was so much to work with.

Alright, so it's no secret that Leo and Splinter have a....less than ideal relationship. You can see throughout all of TMNT history that Leo looks up to Splinter an insane amount, and Rise Leo is no different.

This boy looked up to Lou Jitsu his whole life, and we can often see him doing the same movements and catchphrases that Lou did. Granted, all the boys do, but Leo seems particularly attached to Lou

And we've all seen the smile comparisons, it's insane how similar his grandiose smile is to Lou Jistu's.

The point is, Leo really looks up to his dad, and we can see this in his actions and attitudes towards not only Lou Jitsu, but also Splinter in canon.

"Trust me pops!"

I mean, just look at how happy he is to be there with his dad, in his element. This episode is Leo at his peak, outsmarting everyone and predicting his family's moments to the letter.

Also, idk about you, but that smile seems incredibly genuine. That's not even a Lou Jitsu smile, that's a 100% Hamato Leonardo smile at his dad whom he looks up to so much.

And what does Splinter say to his son's ask for trust?

"I knew I should have brought Purple!"

....what.

That is his SON. His 14, maybe 15 year old son, who is asking for his father to trust him.

....and he responds by saying that he wishes he had brought his more intelligent twin brother instead, who he has already shown an implied favoritism towards in the past

"And I thought Purple was the funny one!"

"Told you guys I was the funniest."

This is a pretty harmless comment tbh, but Leo takes so much pride in his quips, one-liners and puns that this had to sting a little bit.

There's such a huge amount of content to sift through when it comes to these two, and that fact actually saddens me because I had SO MUCH to pick from when making this post, but here's some highlights.

One thing that I noticed while watching a Splinter and Leo compilation is that during the memory episode, Leo is the only one Splinter directly hits

NONE of the other three were directly hit like this is any point in the episode and yeah, this could totally be played off as a bit or just a case of wrong place, wrong time, but we'll get to my theory later, right now I'm just laying out the facts.

An important detail I'd like to point out here too is Leo's face after the first hit.

Guys, he looks HURT. Donnie and Raph are looking at him, checking that he's okay, but he is looking right past them at the shadow Splinter, who is dressed and looks just like his childhood idol, who just hit him specifically right in the face.

Not only his idol even. No, the most pure and unfiltered representation of his father, the man who's raised him his whole life.

And he just got hit in the face.

Ouch. For a kid as emotive as Leo (who I honestly think feels his emotions even more intensely than Mikey when he lets them out), this is a devastating blow. Literally.

Then, let's talk about this scene, you all knew it was coming.

"Can someone tell my son I am NOT TALKING TO HIM!!"

"You got this pops! I love you!"

Guys this scene hurts my heart. Like, once again, he can't be older than 15 at this point. Yeah he's being a badass stratigiser this whole episode, but you cannot convince me that he wasn't at least a little excited to see his dad, his HERO in action, and wearing a matching outfit as well, and show his dad, his idol and hero, exactly what he's capable of. Leo absolutely worships the ground Splinter walks on and what does his father have to say to his son"s encouragement??

"NO!"

GAHHHH like yes, Leo was kinda being a little shit this whole episode and could have clued his dad in on the plan a little bit, but honestly that could have ruined everything if Splinter had any holdbacks.

Not to mention, this is the only Leo and Splinter episode we get. Donnie gets the derby, Mikey gets the Hidden City bonding, even Raph gets the ending of the memory episode, and in each, they have a genuine moment of bonding with Splinter.

Splinter never ONCE apologized for his actions in this episode. Not once. RAPH is the one who tells Leo in this episode later on that he trusts Leo, something he's been begging Splinter for the entire time.

All of a sudden, this moment doesn't seem so out of place.....

"I love you soooo much!" "No, no you don't, I'm your least favorite!!"

This line could totally just be a throwaway line, but as it was pointed out to me by the wonderful @nardos-primetime, the alarms that the boys did for Google home have a REALLY upsetting one for Leo

Go to about 1:57 and listen to that one and just......cry.

NOW that line in "Rat Flu" makes a LOT more sense. Splinter LAUGHED at Leo when he asked if he was his favorite. LAUGHED at him.

But wait, you may ask. What about the ending? Splinter made Leo the leader, obviously he trusts him!

....yeah, just take a look at their faces here.

Donnie and Mikey are basically horrified beyond belief and in complete shock

Raph is.....blue screening, honestly

And Leo looks completely taken aback and shocked and scared and honestly, I don't blame him. There is absolutely NO precedence for Splinter to do this. He has proved time and time again that he does NOT trust Leo, he never ONCE tells Leo that he trusts him even though he asks for that trust during the entirety of "Unhappy Returns". NONE of them look happy about this new change.

You could see this as Splinter finally giving Leo a chance, but I see this a lot more as one of the more popular Fandom interpretations of Splinter wanting to give Raph a break. Raph had a huge breakdown during the finale and I don't think it's unreasonable for Splinter to have heard of that and decide that his beloved eldest needed a chance to recover.

Who better to pass this burden on to than his least favorite son!

We also see in the movie that this shift in power dynamics really doesn't do much other than create a lot of interpersonal conflict between Leo and Raph, something Splinter does absolutely nothing to help out with, other than telling them to quiet down.

Now that we have all of our evidence (and I put more work into getting evidence for this than for the English project I'm supposed to be doing right now can I just cite this as a source for me being capable of gathering evidence???) we can actually get into the analysis of how this all would affect him.

First of all, I mentioned that I would discuss the repercussions of the memory episode. This analysis is more for Splinter, but I feel like it's still important. We've seen time and time again that Leo is very similar to how Splinter was as a young teen in both looks and attitude. If Splinter truly resents his younger self and how he acted, it would make a lot of sense for him to also subconsciously resent his son who acts a lot like himself at that age. This would cause him to lash out at Leo in his subconscious, the one place where his true thoughts and feelings are on full display.

I just wanna point out his face again here, Leo looks so hurt. He definitely already knows that he's not anywhere near Splinter's favorites at this point, but it still hurts him to see that get confirmed.

This brings me to my next point of Leo's psyche. He is a very confident, witty, smart teenager, but he's still just that. A teenager. He's anxious, insecure, and very self-reliant. He looks to others for praise often and rarely receives it, usually having to hype himself up. His relationship with Splinter only emphasizes these qualities about him and makes Leo look so much worse in Splinter's eyes because his son is just a modern-day representation of his past self.

Now let's put this into perspective of Leo's decent into villainy.

If Leo is hurting and under the impression that his brothers are maybe starting to dislike him, even hate him, adding Splinter on to this can only make it worse.

Maybe he goes to his dad for tips on how to lead when he feels like he can't talk to Raph anymore and needs his father's advice.

Maybe he sets up a dinner for him and Splinter to just chat and bond instead of sitting at the dinner table with another one of Mikey's meals that he feels too sick with anxiety from his little brother's disappointed looks to eat.

Maybe he goes to his father crying from another nightmare after not feeling welcomed in Donnie's lab anymore after they fought for an hour the day before.

And maybe, just maybe, Splinter waves him off every time.

Forgets.

Laughs at him.

I mean, this is a kid who relys on others to build him up, to praise him and love him because after all....

Who is he without his family?

Maybe it's time to find out.

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Link to an AMAZING ficlet by the FANTASTIC @beetleviolet

This is so CUTE!! I like it a lot 🥰

Leonardo calls his kid-brothers by many many nicknames. These are a few of my favorites <3