He was running from something he couldn’t see. It was pitch black and he didn’t know what was chasing him, but he knew what it was. He jumped from one piece of fragmented metal debris to the next avoiding capture from the beast that chased him. Everyone was dead. Every corner he turned, another member of his family was dead. They all kept screaming at him.

“Why’d you let us die?! This is all your fault!”

He was terrified. He’d been running for ages, but it didn’t matter. No matter how far he ran, no matter how fast he ran, the monster was always right behind him.

“I found you.”

He spun around and faced empty space. Then a sharp pain shot through his back to his chest. As an invisible sharp thing was covered in his blood and bits of his shell. The monster that chased him turned his hanging body around to face it. But there was only a sinister grin full of bloodlust, anger, and sadistic gratification.

<~>

Leo bolted awake in his bed. Not the terrifying space he couldn’t remember. It was one of the nights where his brothers slept in their own rooms and not his. Leo got out of bed and ran through the lounge and down the hall until he got to his moms’s room.

Big Mama was stirred awake by the sudden light from her bedroom door opening and squinted at the shaking figure in her doorway.

“Leonardo? Are you alright Baby-shell?”

Tears came rushing down his face as he quickly shut the door and scurried his way into her bed. Abigail woke up quickly thanks to the sudden movement and looked at her wife with confusion. Big Mama returned the look and tried to comfort her crying child.

“Baby-shell, what’s wrong? Did you have a scary dream?”

She could feel him shrink into his shell and she sighed.

“Don’t be afraid, Leonardo. Mama’s here. We won’t let anything happen to you. Cheer up, in a few hours it’ll be Christmas time. You looked forward to this all month.”

Leo poked his head from his shell and hugged his mother close to him. He remembered how she looked in his nightmare. She was mutilated beyond recognition and he didn’t trust that this was a sick twist to his nightmare. He did not want to go back to sleep. He didn’t want to…

Big Mama and Abigail curled around their non-verbal son as he started dozing off. They were both worried, but unless Leonardo told him about his dream, they couldn;t do more than rub his back and tell him everything was okay.

<~<~>~>

Leo woke up a few hours later, thoughts still plagued by his nightmare. He was tentatively excited about the day in front of him. He’d planned out the best Christmas ever for his brothers to enjoy. He and Godrick picked out the best tree that would fit comfortably in the lounge; he and his brothers and Suzie decorated the tree with Mikey as their leader. He raced into the lounge and saw everyone waiting for him. Donnie was sipping from a mug as he patted the bean bag next to him. Leo belly flopped into the cushy seat and watched Jack and Daniel tear open their presents.

From Big Mama they got a deed to a nearby abandoned building to serve as their bar. The building was old and run down, but it was possible to fix it into the beautiful bar they envisioned. From Abigail they received matching uniforms for their bar. Crisp, mahogany colored shirts, smooth black pants, shiny dress shoes, matching bow ties with a cloaking broach in the center, clean mauve colored jackets, and name tags with their full names.

Godric gave them both matching pistols and a few magazines of ammo. The guns weren’t loaded, obviously. Suzie gave them both fifty dollar gift cards and tickets to see her next fight in the Battle Nexus. Raphael was excited to give them both stuffed bears he made at “Build a Friend Plushie Shop.” Mickey gave them both a big recipe book full of good, upscale bar food and classy cocktails.

Leo and Donnie, being the other set of twins, gave them a pair of matching t-shirts saying, “Second Best Twins.” They had on the same shirts saying “Best Twins.” That got a lot of people to laugh.

Everyone except them were confused why Samantha hadn’t shown up or given them a present. Big Mama silently promised to check on her old friend at a later time.

<~>

Suzie opened her gift from Big Mama and Abigail. A new sword cleaning kit, a new Battle Nexus fighting outfit, and a big box of chocolate from Germany. From Godrick he gave her a large crystal and obsidian wall ornament shaped like the full moon for her room.

Jack and Daniel gave her two pieces of paper stating they were for their famous “No Questions Asked” favors. Raph gave her a stuffed bear with a big red heart, Mikey made her homemade brownies with oranges, and Donnie gave her a handwritten book of cheat codes to one of her favorite games. Leo gave her a new laptop and an album with pictures collected from over the year.

<~>

Raphael received a whole new wardrobe from Abigail consisting of clothes of his favorite colors (primarily shades of reds, black, pinks, and yellow) that won’t rip because of his spikes and a giant teddy bear wearing a tutu, a tiara, and fairy wings. He wouldn't let that stuffed toy go for anything.

From Big Mama he got posters of his favorite wrestler Ghost Bear and tickets to go to his next match. From Godrick he got a pair of stainless steel sai with red leather wrapped handles and his initials etched on the bottom of the handle.

From Jack and Daniel, he got a shirt that read “I’m the Oldest Middle Child” and a booklet of coupons for Run of The Mill. Suzie got him new knitting needles and a book on how to make your own knitting stuffed toys. Mikey gave him homemade cookies and a new mask. Donnie and Leon gave him a uniform for the semi-local boy scouts called “Todd Scouts.” Donnie had to hack his way through Raph’s devices and Leo decided on what to get him. They signed him up for the Todd Scouts in the spring and Raph was ecstatic.

<~>

Donnie got a new wardrobe from Abigail with enchantments to hide the bulkiness of his battle shell and made from a fabric that wouldn’t upset him. Big Mama got him some new electronic components and computers for his lab. There was a teeny tiny explosion that destroyed his servers.

Godrick gave him blue prints and special metals and paints to create his own bō staff. Jack, Daniel, and Suzie all chipped together and smuggled him a bunch of crystals they “found” in the Hidden City’s Museum of Natural History. Raph gave him a couple soft blankets and a purple stuffed bear with a white lab coat and glasses. Michael made him his favorite lemon lime mini cake and some blueprint ideas he had. Donnie opened Leo’s gift and took out a hazmat suit designed with his body specifics.

“I’m taking you to an abandoned nuclear power plant in two weeks!”

Big Mama was not pleased.

<~>

Mikey was the most excited about Big Mama’s gift. She enrolled him in a yokai art class every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Abigail, again, made him a whole new wardrobe and a few special outfits to wear to his new classes. Godrick gave him a pair of nunchucks with a special chain, orange and yellow leather wrapping around the handles, and “Angelo” etched into the handles.

Jack and Daniel gave him a big book of different ideas to paint or draw if he ever got art block and a bunch of new canvases. Suzie gave him a whole set of stainless steel cooking supplies. Utensils, mixing bowls, pots, pans, etc. Raph gave him a neon orange bear with an apron, fancy chef hat, and a rolling pin. Donnie gave him an ipad for when he turned into Dr Feelings or Dr Delicate Touch, cue shudder from the purple genius.

Leo proudly stated that his present to Mikey was a room next to his younger brother’s bedroom dedicated to his art. Mickey actually tackled Leo to thank him. Leo was happy to spoil his little brother, with permission from his mother, of course.

<~>

Big Mama and Abigail gave their son new, empty photo albums and a new camera. Godrick gave him a book on how to care for pet rabbits, mostly to tease him, and two tickets to go to the Unicorn Ranch in Switzerland. It was hilarious to see Leo’s face go bright red at the book title.

Jack and Daniel gave him an amulet. He put the amulet on at their insistence and his appearance changed to match a fox yokai with a bushy red orange tail, whiskers, and all.

“We always knew you were one of us!”

The twins’ jokes got everyone to laugh as Leo deactivated the amulet with a snicker. Future mischief was already being planned. Suzie gave him a couple tickets to go to her next match in the Battle Nexus and a bunch of new medical supplies. Raph gave him a blue stuffed bear wearing a doctor's coat with the shiny disk on its forehead and a box of bandaids in its paws.

Donnie gave Leo his own personalized stationery set with fancy calligraphy pens and a fancy ink well and neon blue ink. Mikey made Leo a pineapple chiffon cake and a family portrait. The lack of a certain rat in the painting did not go unnoticed by a certain hotel owner.

Two presents for Leo still sat under the tree. One of them was an old, but fancy sapphire encrusted pocket watch from Rick. The other was a book on Egyptian mythology from an unmarked sender. Leo smiled broadly and only he knew who sent the book.

<~>

Big Mama and Abigail received a joint present from all the kids for a luxury weekend getaway to the Bahamas, and stuffed bears meant to resemble them. Godrick was bombarded with books on fighting styles through the ages, homemade cookies and brownies, movies, the occasional weapon, and a stuffed lion toy with a poofy mane wearing a suit.

<~<~>~>

As the kids slept off the Christmas feast they ate with the original Grinch movie playing in the background, Big Mama, Abigail, and Godrick worried over Leonardo. The mothers told him about what happened in the morning, and none of them had an explanation for it. They didn’t want to chalk it up to a night terror, but didn’t think they had a choice. Leonardo seemed as if he’d forgotten all about it in favor of enjoying the merry day.

Big Mama made it known that she would keep her child happy, no matter the cost.

Vote, comment, and have a fantabulous day 😊😊💖💖
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