Chapter Text
Leo had been pushing himself for weeks.
The others didn’t seem to notice — or maybe they did, and just didn’t think it was serious. Either way, the burden of leadership had been pressing down on him like a cinder block on his chest. There was always something to do: another patrol, another fight to plan, another round of training Splinter insisted they complete.
And if Leo stopped for even a second, everything might fall apart.
It was easy enough to ignore the first signs — the scratch in his throat, the heaviness in his limbs, the way his head felt like it was being squeezed by invisible hands. He told himself it was just exhaustion. That it would pass. Leaders don’t take sick days.
But tonight was worse.
The air in the New York sewers was damp and heavy, sticking to his lungs as he moved. His vision was fuzzy around the edges, and he could feel heat crawling up the back of his neck, radiating from beneath his skin.
“Leo! You keeping up, man?” Mikey’s voice echoed from ahead, cheerful as always.
Leo forced himself to sound steady. “Yeah. Right behind you.”
The truth was, every step felt like wading through cement. His muscles screamed in protest, and there was a deep ache in his bones that no amount of stretching could ease. His shell felt heavier than usual — or maybe it was just his body giving out.
They were on patrol, tracking faint traces of a new mutant presence April had picked up on her scanner. April was walking alongside Donnie, who was deep into a conversation about the readings. Raph brought up the rear, keeping watch.
Leo tried to focus on the mission, but the pounding in his skull made it hard to think straight. His breaths were uneven, a hitch in his chest making each inhale burn.
“Leo, are you even listening?” Donnie’s voice cut through his fog.
“Yeah. Yeah, I heard you,” Leo muttered, even though he hadn’t.
They turned into an abandoned subway tunnel. The shadows here were thicker, swallowing the dim light from Donnie’s tech. Leo’s knees wobbled, and he bit back a cough, feeling the raw sting deep in his throat.
He could push through. He had to.
Then, without warning, a sharp sound rang out ahead — metal scraping against concrete. Everyone froze.
“Movement,” Raph said in a low growl.
They advanced carefully. Leo was supposed to take point, but his legs betrayed him. A wave of dizziness crashed over him so hard he had to grip the wall just to stay upright. The world tilted.
And then — it all unraveled.
There was a burst of motion from the shadows — a hulking mutant figure lunging forward. Leo tried to raise his katana, but his arm felt like lead. The air around him seemed to warp and twist, and before he could react, his body gave out completely.
The sound of his katanas clattering to the ground rang in his ears just before everything went black.
Somewhere far away, he heard Raph shouting his name.