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“My body is broken…” Leonardo murmurs, drawing a shaky breath. “...you have to let me go.”
Casey sobs, the sound garbling around a silent “no”, and Leonardo barely has it in him to keep the scene going. All he wants to do is to get up and embrace his kid, dry his tears and promise never to let anything hurt him again. He feels a tear of his own roll down his beak, down to his lips, and he tastes salt when he opens his mouth to speak.
“I go to my fathers… in whose mighty company… I shall not now feel ashamed.”
He knows Théoden attempts to smile here, but he can’t. His lip wobbles, staring up at Casey’s grief-stricken face, and he’s simultaneously relieved and mournful that this will be over soon. Obviously, he knows this is just acting, they’re only doing what they saw actual actors and actresses do on screen, but it feels more personal than perhaps any of them were prepared for. He knows Casey is brilliant and just as much of a theatre kid as he and– and Donatello are, immersing himself into the role of the shieldmaiden of Rohan with the kind of passion he embraces any and all of the things he loves.
It doesn’t make the tears on his face any easier to see, however.
Leonardo steels himself, taking a couple of halting breaths, whispering Éowyn’s name before going still. He closes his eyes because he’s not that good at playing dead and he’s glad he did because when Casey folds over him to hold him, wailing, it takes everything in him not to move.
Suddenly, there’s a loud, choked sob coming from on top of Leonardo and he and Casey both break character from the surprise. Théoden’s horse, unmoving until now, squirms and trashes and a zipper is pulled in the middle of the costume and from within, Leo crawls out, tears streaming down his cheeks. He’s quickly followed by an equally teared-up Mikey who clings to his brother as soon as he’s freed his upper body from the costume’s front.
“Are we done yet?! We’re done, right??” Leo blubbers, hugging his little brother to his chest, clearly unconcerned about Leonardo’s diaphragm which he’s effectively crushing with his knees, plastron in the way or not.
“I can’t take it! It’s too sad!” Mikey cries and despite being squashed under the two inconsolable brothers, Leonardo manages to exchange amused looks with Casey. The boy’s eyes are red but he’s smiling, again, and Leonardo feels a twinge in his chest. He lifts his arm to wipe his thumb over a wet cheek and Casey leans into him.
“Yeah, yeah alright! Cut!!” April yells from the side and no one misses how she wipes at her eyes. Raph, clad in the Witch-king’s attire and also sniffling, steps closer to her and puts a hand on her shoulder.
“Ahem. We might have to redo it since the horse didn’t perform its part quite as well as I hoped,” Donnie chimes in, holding out a clipboard to them. “Look, the camera is supposed to pan out sloooowly, and with how quick you were to get out of the suit, we barely got halfway–”
“Nooooo! Don't be cruel, Dee! I refuse!” Mikey wails and wiggles out of Leo’s grip to turn to face Leonardo instead, swooping down to nearly suffocate the older slider with his hug. The action does have the benefit of knocking Leo off of Leonardo and with an undignified yelp, he falls to the floor next to Casey. Donnie bristles at being interrupted but gets a very sharp and very human elbow into his ribs which forces him to swallow his retort.
“Ohmigosh I’m so happy you ain’t really dead! My heart broke at least a gazillion times! You two are way too good at this!” Mikey sniffles, flattening his cheek against Leonardo’s temple and holding onto him for dear life. The slider chuckles, a little strained, and pats him on the shell.
“Thanks for the compliment, little brother,” he says and then cranes his neck to look to the side at April. “I think we need a break.”
April huffs out a laugh. “Yeah. Even better, let’s have an early lunch. You guys have earned it.”
“Early lunch! Cowabunga!” Mikey cheers – as if he hadn’t been crying his eyes out just a few seconds before – and scrambles off of Leonardo, bouncing to Donnie to get his phone.
“Imma order pizza! Everybody okay with the regular haul?”
A chorus of assent echoes around the space and Leo gets up too, offering his hand to Leonardo. The older slider takes it and heaves himself up with a grateful smile.
“Eugh boy. April really couldn’t have chosen literally any other scene for her video project, huh?” Leo chuckles, wiping the last of his tears from his face. Leonardo laughs.
“She did say her professor is a fantasy nut and a Tolkien fan. I think this one is perfect if she’s aiming for an A.”
“Right,” Leo grins as he gathers the horse costume from the ground. “Aw man, I think the zipper broke,” he groans and takes the suit to Raph. “Can you–”
“Raph can fix it,” Raph sighs. Leonardo watches the two for a moment before turning back to Casey. The boy still hasn’t gotten up from the floor and he frowns.
“Case?” he asks, sitting back down next to him. “Something on your mind?”
Casey shrugs but then leans closer to him, shoulder flush with his side.
“Somehow… it feels like that scene hit a little too close to home…”
The boy trails off and Leonardo pulls him into a one-armed hug.
“How do you mean?”
“You weren’t acting. When you said that I saved you.”
Leonardo’s eyes go wide and there's a sharp, almost painful tug on his heart. How does Casey not know?
“I meant it.”
Casey's eyes are on his in an instant, a startled wonder reflected in his gaze. Leonardo leans down to press his beak against the boy's forehead.
“Cass made me promise to take care of you. I haven’t regretted it for a second. You saved me by giving me one more reason to keep fighting, you were that reason to all of us, a beacon of hope that showed us that miracles can happen even in a wasteland.
“And that’s not the only time you saved me. You did it again at the end of all things. You helped me save Michelangelo. Do you remember that one night shortly after we’d arrived here and we came to thank you?”
“I do remember it,” Casey says, voice thick. “I didn’t think–”
“I know. It’s okay. You saved Mikey, thus you saved me. This is a debt I can never repay, but that very last promise I made to your mom, I will make to you – I swear I’ll be here for you. I’ll take care of you. I’ll keep you safe.”
Casey’s laugh is garbled as he reaches up to twine his arms around Leonardo’s neck, pulling himself into the slider’s lap and burying his face into his furs.
“That’s so cheesy,” his muffled voice says and Leonardo wraps his arms around him.
“Yeah, it is. Just the way I like it.”
Casey hums and falls silent. Leonardo strokes his hair, brushing his fingers through the dark curls. They’re already a little tangled but not too badly, and he supposes it does lend some realism to their little movie recreation.
“Thanks, dad. I love you,” Casey says suddenly, and Leonardo startles.
“No need to thank me. It’s a given. And I love you.”
Casey shakes his head but he’s smiling when he pulls away to look at Leonardo.
“I knew you’d say that, but still. I’m so lucky you’re my dad.”
Leonardo thinks he could cry.
“I’m the lucky one,” he murmurs but they both get interrupted by a loud growl from the boy’s stomach. They stare at each other and then burst out laughing.
“You know, ‘Where there's life there's hope, and need of vittles’,” Leonardo grins and Casey grins back.
“True,” he says, “but I think I know a much more fitting quote.”
“Oh? Do tell.”
“‘All’s well that ends better.’”