Chapter Text
He wasn’t… really sure what to make of this.
“On your feet.”
With the end of a sword nudging warningly under his chin and a stubborn foot pinning his weapon to the ground, Casey found himself following the order cautiously. As he stood, he slowly moved his hands up by his head, palms open and empty, all accept the gloves that covered them.
“Lift up your mask.”
“You know normally people say please.”
The familiar and yet off looking mutant standing before him didn’t appear amused by his words in the slightest, Casey’s hands twitching before he eventually wrapped them around the edges of his mask. With little preamble he slid it to rest atop his head, his face carefully blank as he let this stranger look him over.
“Care to talk now?”
“It certainly makes it easier.” Though he didn’t lower his sword as he spoke.
Casey’s eyes played at disinterest as they trailed to the tip of the blade mere inches from his face.
Swallowing down the building saliva in his throat, he decided to just go for it.
“Your name wouldn’t happened to be Leonardo Hamato would it?”
Instead of looking shocked, the fighter’s eyes just narrowed, so bright and bold and different from the ones he had known his whole life. “I’m guessing yours is Casey Jones.”
For some reason, he wasn’t sure why it came as a surprise that if there were other thems in the world, there would be other hims too. Eyes darting to the end of the weapon once more he took a small step back.
“Technically, Casey Jones Jr.” He admitted. “Casey Jones, or Cassandra Jones, is my Mom.”
“Huh, no kidding, eh?” The other scoffed.
“Are you guys’ not friends where you come from?”
“Casey’s a very loyal friend and would risk his life for any one of us just like we would for him.” Came the quick response, those icy pools never once letting up.
A little confused by the situation if apparently they were so close, Casey stared past the blade to arch a brow at the mutant before him.
“Oh? Then why the cold greeting?”
“You’re not him.”
He… couldn’t deny that.
“Fair enough.”
Not sure where to go from here, Casey kept himself still, wondering if this version was just as capable of murder as his Sensei had been.
Going on the first few patrols with their younger counterparts had been a bit of a shock. Unlike in his timeline where Casey’s first kill had been a thing of celebration, a right of passage really among the young that grew up in the apocalypse, they had been completely appalled at how ready Casey was to permanently put their enemies down for good. It had taken him quiet awhile to avoid going for killing strokes.
Which was why he was in the predicament he was in now.
“So, tell me,” snapping his attention back to the here and now, Casey tilted his chin up to avoid the slight raise of the blade kissing his skin. Although he basically had to look down his nose to be able to see the shorter male, Casey kept a sharp eye on him as he drew closer. “Where are they?”
“Who?”
“My brothers.” Leo pressed, “we were doing our rounds, there was a sudden green light and now I’m here and they’re not and you’re here, weapons rearing, so where are they?”
Ah, Casey saw where the misunderstanding was.
“I had no intention of attacking you.” He said.
From the tightening at the corners of the other’s lips, Casey had a feeling he wasn’t believed. But he’d learned in all his years growing up that if you wanted to keep an opposing side with a bigger enemy to worry about from slitting your throat first, one should talk fast and keep to the point.
“These portals have been opening all across the city and almost everything coming out of them has been hostile. Leo-,” He paused, lips pressing together when he realized how confusing this could end up becoming. “Leon, our teams’ leader, had us split up to cover more ground. If one of the portals conjures up something more than one person can take, they’re supposed to com in and get whoever’s closest to assist.”
“Seems like maybe he should have thought about the consequences of some of his teammates mindlessly starting fights they can’t finish.” This Leo huffed, the blade sliding against the side of Casey throat now as he stepped closer.
Casey kept very still at the cool touch ghosting over his flesh, mindful of the fact that the only reason it wasn’t carving into him was because this guy knew just how much pressure to apply to cut while avoiding drawing blood. “I’m sorry I attacked you.” His voice was calm, but tense, his dark eyes burning into the cool oceans that idly stared back up at him. “I don’t have… the best experience with creatures coming through portals… I was on my way to another location and yours mineralized out of nowhere. I didn’t take the time to assess just what was coming out and I made a rash decision.”
The leader in blue seemed… intrigued, maybe, by his apology, the pressure easing slightly from where his jugular pulsed against it.
“I’m not used to a Casey admitting he’s wrong.”
“And I’m not used to a Leo holding a sword to my throat.” He poked back, tilting his head to the side slightly to continue adding just the slight bit of distance between his life’s blood and the other’s weapon. “Seems like today is full of new experiences.”
“I guess it is.”
A ghost of a smile graced the mutant’s lips, and Casey found himself struggling not to smile back.
It was the soft green glow slowly building up around the fighter’s head and shoulders that warned Casey of what was coming next.
Without hesitating he stepped forward and grabbed a hold of the misplaced mutant, shoving him to the side and out of the way seconds before a roaring scream dropped on him. He met with the ground hard but was barely able to get out so much as a grunt before long, slimy tentacles were wrapping around his arms and a set of wickedly sharp fangs snapped in his face, detached from the mouth by a long, strong muscle that gave it far to much reach. Struggling to dodge the invasive creature as it attempted to rip out his throat Casey couldn’t help but wonder what would kill him first; the teeth trying to rip him to pieces? Or the stench of its breath that rivaled a thousand corpses?
And yes, he did know what that smelled like.
“Get off of me!”
Using one hand to keep it at bay his other hand struggled to move between the folds of his battle gear, searching for one of his knives or any other gadget now that his staff was a good four feet out of his reach.
But his fingers kept getting caught or slipping and briefly he regretted needing so many layers in the first place.
Just as he was sure those teeth were going to be the end of him, a sword was shoved between the two and thrusted upwards.
The unknown creature screamed as its fangs were severed, the teeth dropping to the ground and missing Casey by mere inches as he jerked his head to the side. When it reared itself back in pain, he rolled in the direction of his weapon, getting onto his feet with it placed properly back in his hands.
“Thanks for the assist.”
“No problem.” The other mumbled, blades spinning in his hand as he stood at Casey’s side, both bracing themselves at the thundering roar of the beast.
It towered over them, nearly half the size of the buildings they were sandwiched between in the alley. There was a revolting scent oozing from the pulsing pours across wet looking flesh, the colour almost sickly yellowish green. As the pain of losing its fangs seemed to dull, an off shade deep blue pouring from what must have been its mouth, it stared them down from a series of empty sockets located at what must have been its shoulders.
The tentacles spasmed behind it, a giant, clawed paw raising high into the air before smashing into the concrete in a heavy step. The weight of the blow alone left both men tittering for balance, Casey hunching down lower while the one next to him let out a threatening hiss in response to the continuous rumble. It didn’t stop there though, and Casey tightened his hands around his weapon when its mouth opened wider, countless snapping jaws weaving around each other as they wiggled out of the darkness of the maw and into the barely lit streets of New York.
“If this is what you thought was coming out, I don’t blame you for throwing the first hit.”
Glancing over at him, Casey spared a precious second to offer a truce. “So, no hard feelings?”
His response was a scoff, those bright blue eyes darting over to him with a teasing smirk tugging at their corners.
“Let’s see if we can survive this first. Then we’ll talk.”
Smirking back, he gave a single nod.
Then they were off.
The masked fighter hit first, using the wall as a springboard to gather momentane and speed. He flipped through the air in a mesmerizing arch, one of his swords drawn back and ready for the swing.
The creature let out a roar so loud that it shook the glass, some of the fragments even showering down into the alley along with a fountain of blood splattered across the concrete.
Casey had to admit as he watched the mutant bracing himself against the creature’s side, able to stay in place even with all the thrashing movements due to the sword he had anchored just above its shoulders, it wasn’t a bad idea.
Figuring if he was going to take the high ground Casey should go for the low, he ducked and dodge the swarm of teeth snapping for him and slid under its belly.
Whatever Leo was doing up top, it made the beast wildly rock itself to the side, body slamming into one of the walls hard enough that bricks and debris rained down on him. Eyeing the tiny legs it had to stand on, Casey twirled his staff in hand and flipped the switch to bring the chain to life.
He cut through the legs it was balancing on, diving and rolling out of the way just before it could crash and crush him underneath. Above he could see Leo flipping and twisting out of the way of the slimy appendages trying to grab him, slicing and swirling in a whirlwind of blades and such well-honed fury that Casey found himself stunned by it.
This guy moved in a way far different from his master, both past… or future he guessed, and present. He’d always known his Sensei to rely heavily on being able to call upon his teleporting, a great advantage to his style that he had spent years honing to a perfection. But this Leo didn’t. He didn’t even draw upon his ninpo, the Hamato family glow missing from his scales as he slide across the wide shoulders he was perched on and leapt upwards at just the right moment, getting the tentacles following him to meet with the snapping teeth.
“Whoa.”
Casey was so caught up in watching the ever quick and changing flow of the fighter above him, that he almost forgot what they were doing in the first place.
His staff jumped up in front of his face more out of subconscious habit to protect himself than it did from his own actions alone, a set of teeth clamping down hard on the metal and latching on before giving it a strong yank.
With a yelp he found himself being lifted into the air, swinging around the still standing side of its body with a large arch. As he rounded the wide area, he could feel his eyes growing round at the countless amount of teeth just waiting to sink into him. One hand letting go of the staff he quickly searched in his pockets, a feat that was much easier this time without something nearly two tons trying to crush him. Finding what he was looking for he gave a small laugh of victory, clicking down on the center of it before tossing it hard into the center of the mess.
It beeped once, drawing curious snarls in its direction.
Casey let go of his weapon and allowed it to fling him out of range, one final beep sounding off before-
A loud- BOOM!- cut through the area, his eyes sealing themselves shut to avoid being blinded by the white light that followed the plethora of screams. He rolled into a kneeling position, seeing that not only had the blast destroyed most of the snapping threat, but had also blown a huge crater into the creature’s side.
Looked like its skin wasn’t as tough as it appeared.
A yell caught his attention next, his heart leaping to his throat to see the blue banded turtle tilting majorly to one side as the beast staggered before it dropped further and abruptly, crashing into the building on its other side now, the impact pitching the mutant from his spot.
For a brief moment, Casey chastised himself for thinking that he was in trouble, knowing full well that Leos had teleporting abilities.
Until the ground continued to draw closer and closer and closer…
And a flash of a thought jolted through his brain that- just maybe- it was only his Leos’ that could teleport.
Bolting from his spot Casey sprinted towards the slumping beast, his feet smacking into the ground hard as he pushed himself to reach the flaying individual heading for the ground at breakneck speed. Seeing a large piece of rubble, which must have been part of the wall at some point, Casey aimed himself for it, running up it without breaking his stride and throwing himself off the end.
With arms wide open he caught the mutant, tugging him close as they both fell and hit the ground.
The landing hurt, but he managed to ease some of the impact, curling in tight around the body in his hold and keeping them both as still as possible while he rolled over his shoulder and back onto his feet.
Still crouched, still clinging to the mutant from another world, their breathing remained heavy and quick for a few short breaths, each of them taking the time to catch up with what had just happened.
Jeez. That had been a close one.
Hanging his head Casey could feel the tension in his body loosening, his grip around the strong mutant in his arms going lax. Barely did he have a second to start pulling away before the other Leo seemed to spasm, flaying wildly in his hold and before Casey knew what was going on, legs were being clamped around his shoulders and his body being used as a pole as the mutant heaved himself up.
All thoughts cut out, his mind narrowing down to nothing but the feeling of those strong thighs clasped around his head tightly and how surprisingly soft they were and-.
A wet splosh hit the ground before him, dark eyes only getting a moment to notice the clawed hand that must have been reaching out for him before the thighs unwrapped from around him, feet pressing against his shoulders and a hand on his head shoving him down. His body went from a pole to a springboard in seconds as the other leapt off his shoulders.
The force of it pushed him back on his ass, his lungs heaving for air as he caught the tail end of the fighter’s spin, his heart in his throat and his stomach twisting in ways he didn’t understand as he witnessed the sword flying from his hands and straight into the beast skull.
He sat there, not sure what to do but feeling an odd heat creeping upon his cheeks as he stared in awe at the one standing over his kill.
“Knowledge for next time,” Leo said, and only now was Casey picking up on just how deep and almost raspy his voice was. His thoughts were quickly distracted from the sound of his voice however when he met those sharp eyes. “Just because its down, doesn’t mean its out.”
He found himself pausing in the middle of getting back to his feet, his hand clenching hard around his knee when the other tossed a smirk over his shoulder as he slid his weapons back into place.
Something burst in his chest and squirmed in his stomach.
The other Leo must have found the expression across his face amusing, giving a small huff of a laugh before he made to continue.
“Thanks for the catch by the way.”
“Uh, y-yeah. Any- anytime.”
Why did it feel like he was suddenly being possessed by the Kraang and that their tendrils were crawling around every organ he had?
While his mind reeled with this new feeling, he almost missed the exit the other made, scrambling the rest of the way to his feet and chasing after him.
“Wait! Where are you going?”
“I have to find my brothers.”
The blunt response made Casey pause, but he kept to the other’s side, scooping up his weapon when he passed it and clicking it back into place between his shoulders.
“If you’re looking for them, you should come with me.” He suggested, both of them peering around the exit of the alley and making sure it was clear before heading out.
Seemed that most New Yorkers knew to stay indoors when things took a weird turn. Casey couldn’t blame them.
“Master Donald will probably be able to pinpoint their whereabouts.”
The mutant before him stopped so suddenly that he nearly ran straight into his shell. Casey had a moment to compare just how short this guy was, barely reaching his chin, unlike Master Leon who was nearly his height and would only continue to grow if his time with Master Leonardo was anything to go by, before the other Leo spun on his heels and he found himself looking into deep, ocean eyes once more.
“Master Donald? Is he this worlds Donnie? Does everyone call him that?”
Faltering under the intense gaze Casey quickly found himself shaking his head. “No. It’s only me. Force of habit… I guess.”
He got an arched brow ridge for that one, but Leo seemed to consider it. “You said you have coms right?” He added a moment later, looking over Casey’s gear as if he would be able to find the small device. “Can you get a hold of him and ask? If the whole city is like this, the sooner I find them the b-.”
Leo didn’t get to finish, his request interrupted by yet another unholy screech.
Both of them snapped their heads around to see yet another creature- with wings this time, perfect- being dropped in from another randomly opened portal. This time it was Casey finding himself being shoved out of the way, back into the alley and against the wall just as a giant horn as long as he was tall, flew past them and speared itself into the concreate like a Kraang missile through their old headquarters.
Although his back stunk a little bit from where his weapon had been slammed against his spine he knew it was the better option and spared a quick glance down at the one who still had a fistful of the front of his cape clutched between his hand, keeping Casey pinned against the wall. He didn’t seem to be paying the human any mind, his eyes narrowed and slitted white while his focus remained just outside the alley.
“Thanks.”
His appreciation drew the other back to attention, but he was surprised to find himself missing the contact when the other Leo seemed to realize he was still touching him and pulled back.
“Can you contact your… Donald?”
“I can, but he’s probably got his hands full right now.” Casey muttered, the screaming and sirens a blaring background noise to help accompany his statement. The other’s lips pressed firm, and Casey could already see the stubbornness settling in his eyes. Knowing from years of experience that it was better to put a plan in place before the thin period of opportunity fled forever he quickly made a statement. “Look, if your brothers are even half as good as you, they’ll be fine. There’s a high chance that they’ll even run into some of the other mutants and yokai that Leon and Draxum rallied together after the Kraang attack.” His words didn’t seem to be helping, maybe even confusing the poor guy more. Quickly, Casey pressed on. “If you just run around out there, you’ll never find them. Master Donald can help you, but we need to get a handle on this first.”
“But my brothers-.”
“We’ll keep an eye out for them, but running around a large city while its under attack for a handful of people isn’t going to lead you anywhere.” Casey informed him. “Stick with me. If we don’t find them before all of this is over, I’ll take you to Donald and make sure that he does everything he can to help you find them. Deal?”
Holding his hand out, he let his expression remain serious and honest. Not only did he just want this stranger to remain close so he could bring him to the others, but his help during this whole mess would be greatly appreciated. He was an excellent fighter, and with all of them stretched thin as it was, Casey was willing to take any help he could get his hands on.
Blue eyes peered at his hand, giving it a scrutinizing once over before he let out a short sigh and brought his hand up to clasp with Casey’s. “Deal.”
“Great!”
His hyper explosion made the other’s eyes go wide, leaving Casey’s face flushing hotly in embarrassment. With a quick clear of his throat- as if that could cover up his fumble- Casey tightened his hold around the others hand before slowly letting him go.
“Is it okay if I call you Leo?”
The shelled mutant gave a small shrug of his shoulders, turning his back on Casey and moving back to the opening of the alley, already ready to get started.
“I suppose if you guys call yours Leon it will make things less… complicated. I’m calling you Jones.”
He didn’t give Casey a choice, picking out the name he would be addressing him by going forward with little care if Casey would have preferred something else or not. Casey didn’t mind though, quickly joining Leo in peering around the corner to see the new monster they would be dealing with.
“So, you have a plan?”
He figured the amused chuckle was answer enough.