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Chapter Text

You had met the turtles- or should I say one turtle- one night while you were leaving work late and got jumped by a couple low life thieves. They wanted your wallet and any accessories on you that could fetch a good price. You were just about to hand them over when a cloud of purple smoke engulfed the alley way you three were standing in.

You immediately started coughing when you heard the sounds of punching and noises of pain. You tried to slink out of the alley and smoke, just leave the whole situation behind, but you tripped over something and fell face first to the ground.

You looked behind you to see the unconscious body of one of your attackers on the ground, his limp arm being the culprit of what tripped you. You grunted at your skinned arms, gravel imbedded in your flesh painfully.

As you stood up and dusted yourself off, you saw that the smoke had finally cleared. And the alley was empty save for the unconscious muggers. You looked around frantically for your savior but couldn't see anything beyond a shadow on the rooftop.

Wait, is that..?

You were definitely moving on adrenaline when you decided to start climbing the nearby fire escape. Once you made it to the roof, you spotted a retreating figure hopping from building to building. They were about two roofs away by this point so you brought your hands up and cupped around your mouth.

"HEY!" The figure immediately skid their feet to stop their movement and whipped their head around to see who shouted. You couldn't quite make out who they were, but you had an idea.

"Thank you!" The figure nodded, a motion you could hardly make out, before they leapt off the building, disappearing from your sight.

You had heard about these mutant vigilantes that fought crime and low key saved the world a couple of times. But you weren't sure if they were legit. While you couldn't get a good look at your hero, your gut was telling you that this was one of them.

You sighed into the cool night air as you made your way down the ladder of the fire escape and continue your trek home. Thankfully, you were only a block away from your apartment building. You almost walked past it due to being lost in your thoughts, pretty shaken up by the whole ordeal.

---

One week later, you were in your apartment, enjoying the rare day off from your grueling job at the local grocery store. It seems all of New Yorks grumpiest citizens shop at the mart you work at and you just absolutely loved that for yourself.

You found yourself draped over your small couch, more of a love seat actually, watching a trashy reality show when you heard a loud scream followed by a laser gun being shot?

Against your better judgment, you opened your balcony door and stepped onto the fire escape. The sounds of combat became clear with shouts, more blasts from some kind of gun, and clashing of metal.

Curiosity killed the cat and it may kill me too you thought grimly as you climbed quietly to the roof. Living on the top floor had its perks sometimes. You peeked over the edge to see what you thought could only happen in sci-fi movies. Four humanoid reptiles were fighting blue robots with what looked like brains nestled in their torsos. "What the hell..?" You whispered to yourself.

"Why the hell are the Kraang back?? Didn't we kick their sorry asses back to Dimension X?" A muscular yet stocky lizard thing wearing a red bandana shouted as he impaled a robots skull with his weapon. As you looked closer, it seemed the four mutants had traditional Japanese weaponry while the robots (aliens?) has futuristic blasters.

"Language, Raph. And I don't know, but try to keep one alive so we can question it." The reptile- turtle! (You could see their shells as they moved gracefully around your rooftop.)- in a blue mask duel wielding swords spoke with annoyance.

"No promises, ya pansy." The angry one, or Raph as Swords had said, rolled his eyes with a smirk as he stomped the brain thing in the robot once it fell to the ground, easily ending its pathetic life. "Raph! You need to not kill everything you touch!" The tallest of the bunch squawked as he used his extra long stick thing to sweep a robot off its feet and- whoa a blade just popped out of the stick!- stabbed the robot above the brain, shutting down the body but keeping it alive.

He yanked out the pink thing, but it screamed and bit down on Stick guy's arm, causing him to fling it away on reflex. The alien fell off the building, landing with a wet splat. "Try to keep one alive, Donnie, so we can question it." Red spoke with obvious sarcasm and amusement in his voice. Stick guy just groaned in annoyance.

The fourth turtle was still in combat with another bot, but seemed to have a carefree attitude. "Yo dudes, doesn't it feel like we're being watched?" As he said that, his nunchucks also popped out a blade and decapitated the robot. The alien inside squealed like a pig and scurried away.

At the orange one's comment, the other three perked their head's up. As they were looking around warily, you decided that was your cue to skedadle. But before you could disappear, Swords made eye contact with you.

"Human!" He seemed shocked by your presence and fumbled around on his belt. He quickly threw down something that created a purple smoke cloud that was very familiar. You gasped as you climbed on top of the roof. "Wait! Don't go! Did one of you save me last week?"

"Save her? Man, I wish I could've saved a damsel in distress!" A voice sounded behind you followed by a smack and a yelp of pain. "Shut it, ya moron!" Somehow, the angry whisper was louder than the first one's voice.

You sighed before speaking again, "I'm not afraid of you! I just want to thank you properly! Please!" The smoke cleared and you saw four shadowy figures hiding on the next roof over, partially hidden by the water tower. Only their all white eyes were easily seen.

You gulped and walked towards them, "I'm not sure what happened here, but I know you're the good guys. Y'know, judging by the fact one of you saved me from getting mugged and who knows what else. Speaking of, which one of you was it? Please come out."

Slowly, one by one, the turtle creatures re-emerged and you could finally see them clearly. You couldn't help the small gasp of amazement as you laid your eyes on them. They were clearly all the same breed of turtle but each had a different color, height, and even muscular stature. You weren't sure why they were masks over their eyes but who were you to judge? You make art with your hair on the shower wall. Everyone's got their quirks.

Swords, the one in blue, was pushed forward by the red one. "Go on, Fearless, accept your thanks for being her knight on shining armor." The short turtle had a smirk on his face and mischievous glint in his striking green eyes. Nunchucks was standing next to him, laughing along with whatever was going on.

Swords, or Fearless?, stumbled and had a flush of embarrassment on his face. "O-Oh! Uh, yeah. That was me that stopped your muggers. It was really no problem. No need to thank me, seriously." The guy seemed really flustered at being thanked, making you think this doesn't happen very often.

"Well it was a big deal to me. Is there any way I can repay you? I won't be satisfied until I repay this debt." Before Swords could either accept or reject your offer, Nunchucks pushed him aside, "You could get us- I mean him pizza!" Swords glared at Nunchucks and opened his mouth to speak, probably to scold him, judging by the upset expression.

"Done. I will happily buy you pizza. And I may as well get enough for all of you." You winked at Nunchucks, his grin getting even brighter. Before you could even blink, a force slammed into you, two arms wrapping tightly around your body and lifted you into the air. "Where have you been all my life??" After you got over your shock, you chuckled at the short turtle, "Oh you know. Around."

He set you down gentler than expected and Stick guy spoke up, "Sorry about him. He's a hugger. And a nuisance." Nunchucks beamed, "Thanks D!"

"It wasn't a compliment." Stick guy, or D, rolled his eyes. "Oh. Hey!" Swords sighed in exasperation as he stepped between the two, "Okay that's enough. You really don't have to get us anything, miss."

"Too late, got the website pulled up. What are your favorite kinds?"

"Ooh! Jellybean, anchovy, and jalapeño!"

"Of course it is!" You chuckled, surprised that those were actually options on the website. "And you guys?"

"Meat lovers for me." Red spoke casually. "Can I get spinach and olives on mine?" D spoke politely. You nodded and put in their orders. "And you, Swords? This is, technically, because of you."

He sighed once more, wow he does that a lot, before quietly saying, "Three cheese, please. Thank you." You grinned and finished the large order. "Ah ah, none of that. I'm thanking you, you just enjoy yourself." He quirked the corner of his mouth in a small but visible smile.

---

Once the pies were delivered, you five sat on the roof top, enjoying your personal pizzas. You ordered one whole pie for each person, making sure they would have enough. As you sat around, enjoying the summer breeze, you spoke up, "So, what are your names anyway?"

Swords blue eyes widened, "We haven't introduced ourselves?? I'm so sorry, normally we have better manners. Um, I'm Leonardo, but everyone calls me Leo."

"Raphael. But you, sweetheart, can call me any time." Leo smacked his brother's arm, "Ugh, fine, it's Raph." You laughed at interaction before looking at Stick guy, who's eyes were currently glued to his phone. "Huh? Oh I'm Donatello. But I go by Donnie."

"And I'm the amazing Michaelangelo. I only let the best people people call me Mikey. And you're officially on that list after buying me this whole pizza!" Mikey slid in front of you for his dramatic introduction. Dude gave you serious theater kid energy.

"It's nice to meet you Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey," you nodded to each one as you confirmed their names. "I'm (y/n). And you guys seem really cool. I hope this isn't a one time thing. I'd like to get to know you guys more."

"Aw hell yeah! Another human friend! Can we keep her, Leo? Can we??" Mikey fell to his knees at his brother side, hands pressed together in a pleading gesture. "Mikey, she's not a pet, you can't just 'keep her.' But yes, I suppose you can have another friend, as long as she's okay with your antics."

You chuckled, "Yeah I'd say I'm okay. As long as I get to know all of you as friends." Mikey got up and pulled you into another bone crushing hug, "Yes! I can't wait to introduce you to my toes!"

"What?"

Chapter Text

It was 7:30 at night the next time you heard from one of your new friends. You were sitting on your bed in some comfortable sweats when a sudden and loud knocking on your window scared the crap out of you.

You made your way to your balcony window, a steel bat in hand. You quickly dropped it when you saw a green figure fidgeting on your fire escape. You slid open the glass door and greeted a smiling Mikey who waved excitedly.

"Oh! Hey, Mike! What's up?" You gave him a fist bump with a grin of your own. He made a cute explosion noise as your fists collided. "Nothin' much, dudette. Just wanted to see if you wanted to come to the most awesome place in the whole world!"

"Well color me intrigued! What is this amazing place?" You leaned forward slightly, very interested in what the skater boy had to say. "It's a celebrity home! In fact, it's home to the four heros who've saved the city and the world countless times!"

You gasped in faux shock, "You can't mean!" He nodded along, a bright grin on his face, "Oh yes I do! I'm taking you to... the Lair! The home of yours truly and my brothers. We've got good vibes and good food waiting for you."

You clapped in excitement, "Awesome! I've got nothing going on, let's go!" Mikey then all but yanked you out of your homey apartment and brought you to the mysterious Lair.

---

Once in the "Lair", as they called it, you marveled at your surroundings. You had no idea anywhere in the sewers could be so tidy. And smell good too!

"Whoa, what is this place?" You asked aloud as you gawked at the large space. "I guess it used to be a subway station. That's why it's not that nasty around here." Mikey answered while pulling you in a direction.

"C'mon! I'll show you the kitchen. It's kinda my domain." He grinned at you as he continued to lead the way. You followed happily, excited for the promise of sustenance.

Mikey held a curtain open on a doorway, revealing their modest kitchen. It may have been fairly small, but it had everything they needed. A fridge, stove, oven, and even appliances like a microwave and blender. "This is really nice! How did you get this stuff? You can't exactly just stroll into Walmart."

"Most of our appliances were scrounged from the junkyard and Donnie was able to get them working again! Or he just built them from scratch. The dude's, like, super smart and stuff." Mikey explained while sifting through the refrigerator. "And I've got someone for you to meet."

He opened the freezer on top of the fridge, revealing what looked like a cat made out of ice cream. "Oh! Is this like an art piece or something?" You leaned closer closer to get a better look, and the cat thing meowed and licked your nose, leaving a smudge of ice cream behind.

You jumped back with a very manly yelp, "What the hell?? It's alive??" You held your arms up in defense, looking like you were about to karate chop the creature. "Whoa whoa it's okay! Ice Cream Kitty's a friend! She's part of the family!"

You're eyes darted from Mikey to the cat in the ice box and back to the turtle. "... I have so many questions." Mikey quirked an eyebrow, "You're confused about Ice Cream Kitty, but not the four mutant Turtles who practice ninjitsu?"

You opened your mouth to give a snarky response before closing it. "Touché. Sorry Kitty, you just caught me off guard." You waved apologetically at the frozen Mutant who meowed happily back at you. "She also tastes delicious!" Mikey pushed you out of the way to give I.C.K a big lick. 

"Okay. You need Jesus." You turned away from the weird scene. Mikey just laughed and gave the cat a pet on the head before closing the freezer door. "Well I promised you munchies, you want some pizza?"

"Is that all you guys eat?" You couldn't help but laugh at the incredulity of the idea of these guys' diet being made entirely of pizza. "That's just our favorite food, dawg! I cook for the fam most nights but we've got some left over 'za from yesterday."

"Ah. Well I would love some pizza, Mike. Thank you. And I'd love to try your cooking sometime!" The freckled turtle beamed at you as he began to heat up a couple slices for you. The microwave beeped and he handed you the hot place with the steaming food. "Thanks bud!"

You walked out of the kitchen to see the angry one (It's Raph, you dum dum) punching on a beat up bag with- "IS THAT A BABY TURTLE???" You ran over to the two, leaving Mikey to his own devices. Raph glanced at you and then to his little friend with a smile.

"Yeah kinda. That's Chompy. He's like 5 years old now but he hasn't gotten any bigger since he was a baby." He then turned and continued to wail on the sand bag.

You approached little Chompy and wiggled your finger at him while eating your pizza. "Wow... I've never seen a turtle this color before." Chompy made a cute squealing noise as he rubbed his head on your finger.

"Yeah that's cause he's from space." Your eyes widened as you turned to Raphael, still facing away from you as you were petting Chompy on a plastic crate. "Oh. Of course. I've got a dog from Mars so that makes sense."

"It's not a joke. When we like, 17 or something, we went to space to save the world from a black hole generator." He finally stopped beating up the poor bag and crossed his arms. You could tell he was being serious. "Wow. You know, I have no reason to doubt you. If that's the case, you guys should have a TV show made about you."

"That's what I've been saying!!" A disembodied Mikey called out from somewhere in the Lair. Raph rolled his eyes and pat Chompy on his shell. "Yeah yeah, we're amazing and stuff, we know. But this little guy is even cooler." You saw the gentle smile and love in his eyes when he looked at the little guy. You couldn't help but smile in return.

"So how'd you find a baby turtle in space?" Yoi continued to scratch under Chompy's chin, the little guy making little purring noises. "On a planet made almost entirely of lava. His mom is a giant cosmic beast or something. She actually came to Earth to look for him, if you remember that."

You thought back to all the disasters New York City as dealt with. Then you remembered the famous- "Lava-zilla? That was Chompy's mom??" Your eyes almost popped out of your head. Raph nodded with a chuckle, "She was gonna destroy the whole planet to get him back, but then she saw how much I care about the little guy. And she decided to leave him him me."

"Aww papa Raph saved the day~" You cooed at the normally attitudinal terrapin. Raph immediately got defensive, "Do NOT call me that... but you're right. Chompy really has become like a son to me. I don't know what I'd do without him."

Raph then picked up the small creature and set him on one of his broad shoulders, "Well it was nice talking, (y/n). But I'm gonna head to my room. It's Chompy's nap time." You waved him off and watched him walk away, having a quiet conversation with the alien.

A loud boom made you jump, dropping your empty plate. You looked around wildly and saw smoke wafting out of a room with large metal doors. You approached the doors cautiously, "Hello? Is everyone okay?" Before you could put a hand on one of the doors, they slid open loudly. Donnie was coughing and waving smoke from his face.

"(Y/n)! W-What are you doing here?" His eyes were wide with surprise. He was wearing protective goggles over his brown eyes, his face covered it soot. "Mikey invited me. Are you okay? What was that?"

Donnie sighed before slinking back into the room, inviting you in as well. "Just another classic Donatello failure." You walked in, gaping at the large space. It seemed to be both a laboratory and a mechanic garage.

Donnie slumped down into his desk chair, a small metal device sitting at the desk. It was clearly the cause of the explosion as it was still smoking slightly. "May I ask what that's supposed to be?

Donnie nodded, grabbing a screwdriver. He began to take the device apart. "It's supposed to be a sonar signal amplifier. It's basically a submarine sonar device, but for the sewers. So we can be notified of anything and everything in the whole sewer and subway system. You can never be too careful."

You nodded along as you watched him take the metal plating apart, exposing the advanced circuitry inside. "I turned it on to test it and obviously something went wrong. I thought I was passed the whole "everything I make explodes" phase but I guess not."

He sighed heavily and pushed the broken device away from him and laid his head on the metal desk. Your lips quirked downwards as you approached the sulking turtle. You gently placed a hand on his tense shoulder, "You shouldn't beat yourself up, Don. I wouldn't even know where to start to make something like that. And Mikey told me you repair things from the junkyard to use around the Lair. That's awesome!"

Donnie lifted his head from the desk and you took your hand away. "Yeah... I guess." You rolled your eyes playfully, "I have a sneaking suspicion that you're a genius and just need someone to reaffirm that. So." You gripped the rolly chair and turned him to face you. "Donatello, you're a very smart man, and you need to believe in yourself more. One failure isn't a set back. It just means you get to try again and improve yourself."

Donnie's eyes lit up and he blushed slightly from embarrassment. "Wow. T-Thank you, (y/n). That actually really helps. I'm gonna get this right because I am the smartest turtle in the world!" He jumped up and had a look a determination on his face.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do. Thank you again!" He sat back down and grabbed his tools and the Sonar thingy. He put his goggles back over his eyes and got to work. You smiled at the genius and made your way out of his lab.

You walked back to the center of the Lair and found Mikey in the living area watching some old cartoon. You were about to join him when you realized you had yet to even see the boy in blue, Leo.

"Hey Mikey, do you know where Leo is? I wanna at least say hi to him." Mikey gestured to some paper sliding doors to the right of you guys, "He's in the Dojo training. He always trains at this time of day." He didn't even look at you while he answered, too enraptured by his cheesy show.

"Thanks Mike." You rolled your eyes with a smile and made your way to the beautiful sliding doors. As you got closer, you could hear sounds of exertion. You quietly slid the doors open and saw Leo near a big beautiful tree. You were astonished the such a thing could thrive under ground.

Leo seemed not to notice you as he swung his sword around, grunting lightly as he moved through the motions. He was definitely kicking his imaginary opponent's butt. You watched in awe, very similar to the night you properly met the guys.

Leo's set came to a close and he lowered the sword, panting lightly. Judging by the glean of sweat on his skin, you imagined he'd been at this for awhile. Leo turn turned to face you, "Hey, uh, can I help you?"

You blushed at the fact you hadn't been as stealthy as you'd thought. "Sorry Leo! I was just popping in to say hi! But I didn't want to interrupt. I can go now." You turned to leave but Leo clearing his throat stopped you.

"Y-You don't have to go. Sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude. I just wanted to know if you needed something." You turned to face him again and he was looking at his sword, his eyes glued to the blade.

"If you don't mind, I would love to see you in action. It absolutely astounds me that mutant Turtles can move so fluidly." Leo chuckled as he raised his sword, "Well you haven't seen anything yet." He then began his next set. His sword glided through the air, slicing the molecules in two. He feet slid along the mat, as if he were floating on air. He almost resembled a ballerina, just way more deadly.

You were wordless as you watched the display. The guy was amazing. You could only feel sorry for anyone who got in the turtles' way. Like the muggers when you first encountered Leo. He must've gone easy on them, considering you only remember hearing punches and kicks. He could've easily fileted those guys.

Once Leo was done with his kata, he put his sword on a rack on the wall. The wall also held other weapons, ones you remembered seeing the other guys used. It makes sense they'd store them in one place. Somehow reading your thoughts, Leo spoke up, "These actually aren't the weapons we use in battle. These ones have their blades dulled so we don't cause any actual damage when he train together."

You then noticed the duel sheaths on the back of his shell, "Oh yeah, you're normal swords are on your back- er shell." Leo chuckled and nodded. "I try to never have them far from me, in case of emergency."

He approached you while wiping his face and neck with a baby blue rag. "I always relax with a cup of tea after training. Would you like to join me?"

You nodded and followed him out of the dojo. Before he left, he bowed at what looked like an alter of photos. There was a woman, a man, and a giant rat next to a couple of lit candles. After Leo bowed, he continued to walk. Since Leo hadn't offered any info, you figured it was a sensitive topic, so you didn't ask about the photos.

He led you back into the small kitchen and you sat down at the old table in the middle. You pulled out your phone as Leo put a kettle on the stove.

'No new messages'

You sighed and put your phone back. "What's wrong?" You looked up to see Leo's deep blue eyes watching you with concern. He must've been very observational. "Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it." You waved him off, not wanting to get into anything at the moment.

He nodded hesitantly before turning back to the stove, adjusting the kettle to be perfectly centered over the flame. "Um, What's your favorite kind of tea?"

You thought for a minute, "Besides the overly sweetened ice tea my grandma makes, I don't really drink tea. I'll have whatever you recommend!" He nodded with a smile and opened a cupboard next to the fridge. You saw multiple boxes of tea He was sifting through, trying to decide on the perfect one.

Once the piercing whistle of the kettle sounded, Leo finally pulled a box out of the cabinet and took the kettle of the heat. He grabbed two mugs, one mug had Taylor Swift on it with "Fearless" written on it. The one he handed you was a plain green one.

"You a Swifty, Leo?" You asked with a smirk. Leo startled at the question, almost forgetting what his favorite mug looked like. "No! Well, I mean, her music isn't bad. Raph has been calling me Fearless since I was 15, so Mikey got me this mug for Christmas as a joke. And I've been using it ever since."

"That's so cute!" You squeed and placed your hands on your cheeks with stars in your eyes. Leo shook his head while laughing as he poured the steaming water in the mugs. He then began steeping the tea bags, watching the clear water become a warm brown.

Once the water was officially tea, he handed you your designated cup and sat down across from you. You blew on it, the steam swirling from the air stream. You took a sip and immediately yelped. "AH! Hot!" You fanned your tongue, hoping that would help. It didn't.

Leo laughed and got up. He took your mug to the freezer, where Ice Cream Kitty handed him a couple of ice cubes. He thanked the dairy creature and closed the door. He put the ice in your drink and set it down in front of you. "Sorry, I should've warned you. It's pretty hot still. I've gotten used to it over the years, I forgot you don't drink this stuff."

You thanked him for the ice and tried to look down at your tongue. You could feel the swell on the tip of your tongue from the burn. "It's all good. It builds character." Leo laughed again as he took a sip from his, not reacting whatsoever to the heat.

You saw that the ice had done its job and the tea wasn't steaming as much. So you gingerly took a sip and reveled in the way it wasn't scalding anymore. You let the flavor wash over your mouth before swallowing. It was very earthy and had a hint of nut and fruit. Overall not bad.

"Huh. Not bad at all, Leo. Good choice! What is it?" He turned to look at the box still on the counter, "It's ginger peach black tea. I'm glad you like it! It's definitely a sweeter kind than I usually drink. I'm definitely a Jasmine kinda guy."

"She you're favorite Disney princess too?" You teased as you drank some more of the warm liquid. Leo looked away with a faint flush, "... I can neither confirm nor deny." You almost spat out your drink. "Wait for real???"

"Heh, anyway, it's almost time for patrol so we should probably get you home soon. Have a good night!" Leo chugged his drink and zipped out of the room, leaving you alone and laughing your ass off.

You checked your phone again, seeing it was almost 10:00. I can't believe I've been here over two hours. It was time for you to head home afterall.

Mikey was still in the living area, the other two sitting with him. "I'm heading out guys. It nice seeing you again!" Mikey got up and gave you yet another bear hug. You swore you heard your spine shift from his strength. He set you down and pulled out what looked like a small turtle shell.

"Lemme give you our phone numbers! That way you can reach out to us if you wanna vibe some more!" You nodded at the idea and pulled out your phone as well. He took it from you and input all four of their contact info.

"There you go! Four new contacts added." You scrolled through your contact list and saw the boys' names. "Awesome. Thanks Mikey! Well, have a good night you guys!"

The others saw you off, even Leo, who had appeared next to the others on the couch. You then turned and left through the old turnstiles.

---

Okay I think it's another left... or was it a right?

Fine! It was official. You were lost in the old stinky sewers and you didn't know how to get to your apartment. Or back to the Lair for that matter. You couldn't seem to even find a ladder leading to the surface so you could find your way on top.

You groaned loudly in the echo-y tunnels and pulled out your phone. Good thing Mikey gave you their numbers. You weren't sure who to text, you didn't want to be made fun of. After a minute of pondering, you decided to place your fate in Leo's hand.

'10:03 pm
Unknown Number:

Hey Leo, it's (y/n). Funny story, I'm low key lost in the sewers and I need help. Please don't make fun of me, my pride is hurt enough as it is.'

You sent the message into the void. If phone calls didn't give you anxiety, you would've called to get an immediate response. But oh well. Anxiety's a bitch sometimes.

A minute or two after you sent your text, your phone buzzed with a new message.

'10:05
Leo:

Girl, are you serious? You just left like a couple minutes ago! Alright, Mikey's on his way. You're lucky we just left otherwise you'd be stuck waiting. No more leaving on your own until you know the way there and back, okay? We don't need you getting eaten by a sewer monster.

Ps, I'm definitely making fun of you later ;P'

After reading the message, you just wanted to slam your head into the wall. But you were afraid you'd get hpv or something just from contact. You sighed into the drippy silence, just waiting for your spastic savior to rescue you.

You eventually heard footsteps echoing throughout the tunnels. "Mikey, that you?" You called out, your voice bouncing off the damp walls. The footsteps got louder and faster and soon you saw the orange coded turtle running towards you. "(Y/n), there you are! Now let's get you home, dude."

Mikey took the lead and turned right at the immediate tunnel ahead of you. Right there was a ladder. "Here you go. Right up there is your apartment building."

...

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" You shouted at him and immediately climbed the ladder. It took you a couple tries to get the manhole cover lifted but you managed. And yep, he was right. You were in the alleyway right next to your building. You could even see your balcony from here.

"I was that close???" Mikey laughed at your shock and embarrassment. "Dude you should see the look on your face!" He held his stomach as he laughed at your misfortune.

Your face turned scarlet and you growled at the turtle. "Okay okay, we get it. You can go now!" He wiped a tear from his eye and pat your shoulder, "Aw cheer up! I was just teasing you! It happens to everyone!"

You rolled and eyes and stifled a yawn. "Alright, have a good night, grumpy pants." Mikey snickered again before hopping back into the sewers, moving the cover back into place. 

What a day.

Chapter Text

So there you were. Hanging in the sewers as any normal 20 something would do after work. It's been about a month since you've met the four Ninja and you couldn't be happier. At this moment, you were sitting on a surprisingly comfy couch playing a video game with three turtle brothers. There was going to be four, but someone decided he wanted to be boooooring and meditate instead.

You were playing Mario Kart with the three younger brothers, currently in first place as (your main). Their little sounds of victory grating on the others' ears. Mikey was in second, playing Daisy. Donnie was in third as Yoshi. And Raph, Bowser, was in 11th place. "I just chose the wrong load-out, okay? Otherwise I'd be beating your sorry asses easily."

"Sure sure, drama king." You laughed evilly as you crossed the finish line, once again the overall winner. "Huzzah! You may now bow before me!" You stood up and put your hands on your hips in a victorious pose.

"Got room for one more?" A sudden voice spoke out from behind the group, everyone turning around to see a smiling Leo has joined the group. "Always!" Mikey grinned and passed him a controller.

"Just to warn you, (y/n), Leo is the best at this game." Donnie's chocolate eyes glanced between the two of you. You shrugged him off and sat down on the couch again. Leo took a seat on the floor next to your legs. You could practically use him as a foot rest.

As you guys restarted the game, Leo picked out Link. "Of course you're gonna be the Hero himself." Leo chuckled with a shrug but didn't say anything else. Despite Raph's complaints, he didn't change his kart at all and the other couldn't help but laugh at his future misfortune. 

The game started off well, you took off in first, knowing exactly when to hold the acceleration to speed off. But someone was on your tail. A certain green wearing elf man. You glanced down at Leo to see him staring at the screen in full concentration. 

You looked back up and didn't see his character behind you anymore. You snickered, assuming he'd gotten hit or something. But before you could continue your train of thought, Link fell in front of you, taking off even faster. "What the what??"

At Leo's and others' laughs, you realized he used a short cut. You should've known. You grumbled to yourself as you tried desperately to catch up, but to no avail. Leo won first place with you right on his tail. The other three weren't even upset they lost again, they were just happy to see the smug look off your face.

"Aw, is Princess salty she isn't winning anymore?" Raph mocked you with mirth in his voice. You growled and instantly started the next race. This time, you were determined to come out on top. You made sure to hit every boost and skid every turn. It paid off, as you sped across the finish line in first place.

The next couple races continued the pattern of you and Leo alternating as the winner. The fourth race you were able to pull ahead at the last minute, just barely bumping Leo out of the way and zipping across the finish line. As the fifth and final race was starting, you gripped your controller tightly. Your competitive streak was coming out and it wasn't pretty.

The race started as normal, you and Leo were practically neck and neck. You chewed on your lip, thinking about what you were gonna do to achieve victory. And then you remembered he was physically right in front of you. 

You smirked as you adjusted your position so your legs were a hairs width from his arm. Then you crossed your legs, so one foot was basically on his shoulder. You could feel him stiffen below you but didn't acknowledge what you were doing. Yet. You smirked as you began to relax your leg, placing more pressure on his admittedly toned shoulder.

When you saw that you were coming up on the finish line on the third lap, you made your move. You pushed his shoulder with your entire leg, causing him to fall over and break his concentration. Link spun out as your character raced across the finish line, ending in first place overall.

"Yes! I win!" You cheered, laughing at your victory. "Yeah only cause you cheated!" Leo sat up and was glaring at you playfully. "You knew you wouldn't have won otherwise." You chuckled nervously and tossed your controller away, "Who's to say? The world may never know."

"Okay if you guys are done flirting, I'd like to get back to gaming." Mikey spoke up, eyes glued to the TV. You shook your head and rolled your eyes playfully. "I gotta go anyway, I promised Derrick I wouldn't be out late tonight."

"Who's Derrick?" Donnie asked with a tilt of his head. "Oh he's my boyfriend."

"You have a boyfriend?? Didn't think you had it in ya!" Raph exclaimed, seeming proud of you for having a relationship. "Uh, thanks? I guess. Anyway, I gotta head out. Have a good night guys."

"Want me to walk you home?" Leo spoke up, his voice soft and a little unsure. "Considering it's your rule, it only seems fair." Leo nodded with a smile and stood up from the floor.

"I'll see you guys later!' The three brothers not accompanying you all bid you their farewells and the two of you set off to get you home.

"Thanks for hanging out with us, despite your busy schedule, (y/n)." Leo spoke quietly after a couple minutes of silence into your journey. "You're saying that as if I'm doing you a favor." You quirked an eyebrow at him. Leo looked away and rubbed the back of his neck, "Well it almost feels like it. You were in no way obligated to humor my brothers and stick around. But here you are. I can tell they already care about you. Me too. You feel like you're becoming part of the family"

You beamed at Leo's admission. "It's really not a big deal! You guys are great! I love having friends outside of work and family. There are no more favors being done. That was the pizza party we had on my roof."

Leo smiled at the memory, "That was a pretty great thank you, not gonna lie."

"Well of course it was, I arranged it and I'm amazing." You winked and bumped his with your shoulder hard enough to get your point across. He chuckled and playfully shoved you back.

"Oh is that how it's gonna be?" You lifted a brow as you pushed him again, even harder. He laughed lightly, "Oh it's on." He lifted a hand, grabbed your shoulder, and easily shoved you away from him, as if he were pushing a pillow.

You grinned and stopped walking for a moment. He noticed when you were behind him a ways, "Uh, (y/n), you good?" You gave him a blank face as a response. "(Y/n)?" Then, with no warning, you surged forward, using your speed and surprise to basically tackle the turtle.

Leo yelped as he was taken down. That was embarrassing. And he was not gonna take that lying down. You stood above him, on a dry patch of the sewer, holding your stomach as you laughed your ass off. He pushed himself up from the, thankfully, mostly clean ground and dusted himself off.

"You're playing a dangerous game, missy." He rolled his eyes and continued walking, going up the ladder first so he could get the manhole cover for you. He easily lifted it, showing off his effortless strength, and held it for you. You hurried out of the hole, thankful to finally be out of the dank sewers.

"Whatever you say, Hero boy." You chuckled and made your way to the end of the alley. You lived close by this alley, so you could easily walk the rest of the way on your own. You turned to face Leo to say your goodbye only to see nothing in his place. "Leo? Where'd you go? You're supposed to prove chivalry isn't dead!"

Before you could make another snarky comment, you felt yourself fall over, the ground quickly approaching your face. You couldn't even try to protect yourself, it all happened so fast. But before your face could become street pizza, a hand gripped the back of your shirt, holding you inches from the ground. "Don't start a war with a trained Ninja, it won't go over well."

He gently pulled you back up on your feet, chuckling at your dazed expression. "I told you." You shook your head rapidly to refocus yourself. "Listen. I don't need this assault." You couldn't help the grin as you pushed past him towards your building. "Thanks for walking me home, Hero. And for almost shoving me to the ground."

"You're very welcome, my fair maiden." Leo rolled his eyes at the nicknames before making his way back to the manhole. "You have a good night." You waved at him, "You too, Leo."

By the time you blinked, he was already gone. You sighed into the breeze and made your way to the front door. As you were letting yourself in, your phone buzzed in your pocket, alerting you of a text. You struggled with the janky lock, trying trying yank the door opened, ignoring the message.

You finally made your way to the top floor and entered your tiny one bedroom apartment. You leaned against the door with a relieved sigh and locked it. You pulled out your phone to see the text was from your boyfriend, Derrick.

9:02
Derrick <3:

'Hey babe, I'm going out with friends tonight. I'll talk to you later.'

You rolled your eyes, not even surprised in the slightest. He always seemed to suddenly have plans on the nights you were supposed to face time each other. Since you had a busy schedule, you guys had set days to chat when you couldn't meet in person. But more and more lately, Derrick had been blowing you off.

You quickly typed up a response. 

9:06
(Y/n):

'Thanks for letting me know. Have fun!'

You then set your phone aside as you showered and got ready for bed. You went to sleep that night, telling yourself that this is what all couples go through and that you'll get through it.

Hopefully. 

Chapter Text

6:32 pm
Mike Wazowski:

Dude u gotta help me! i may have pranked Raph on axident!

Pizza Queen:

You did what now??

Mike Wazowski:

The prank wuz ment for Leo! i can never seem to get that guy. but Raph walked into it and got glitter shot at him!

Pizza Queen:

Omg you might die for that. I don't think Raph's ever wanted to look like he just walked out of a strip club.

Mike Wazowski:

I KNOW HELP ME

Pizza Queen:

I'm at work, sorry man. You can hide in my apartment, I don't remember if I locked my windows.

Mike Wazowski:

Thanks your the best!

---

7:00 pm
Elmo:

Did you srsly hide Mikey at ur place??

Shortcake:

I uh plead the 5th?

Elmo:

... I know where u live

Shortcake:

😅

Shortcake:

Please don't kill me

Elmo:

Ugh fine but u owe Mr

*Mr

*ME dammit!

Shortcake:

Haha

---
7:35 pm
Absolute Menace:

Yo D I got a science question for you

Twilight Sparkle:

What's up?

Absolute Menace:

How much mayonnaise would I need to consume to kill myself?

Twilight Sparkle:

Well you'd most likely start vomiting before you'd die, but if you managed to hold it down, it'd take around 26.75 kg for the salt in it to take you out.

Why?

Absolute Menace:

No reason. Just found myself stocking the mayo shelf and wanted to put myself out of my misery.

Twilight Sparkle:

... I regret answering your question. You lured me in with scientific curiosity. How dare you?

Absolute Menace:

Hey it was a real question! It just may become applicable one day who knows

Twilight Sparkle:

Sent a gif

Absolute Menace:

You really sent a gif of someone shaking their head instead of typing smh?

Smh dude

---

You laughed to yourself as you sent Donnie your last text. You clocked out of your long shift, took off your nasty neon work vest, and walked out the automatic doors.

You hadn't had the chance to harass Leo while you were at work so you decided you'd do it later. Messing with Leo was always fun. The guy just seemed so polite sometimes. You were happy your chaotic energy was loosening him up a bit.

You flagged a taxi down and began the journey to your apartment. While the man was driving, you pulled out your phone to begin your harassment. 

7:45 pm
(Y/n)

Yo hero, I got a would you rather question for ya!

Bluey:

Alright, go on.

(Y/n):

Would you rather do the macarena on live television (forget you're a turtle in this scenario) or never eat pizza again?

Bluey:

Uhhhh I'm gonna have to think on this one.

(Y/n):

Seriously?? It's that difficult a question?

Bluey:

I'm not used to being asked these kinds of questions!

(Y/n):

Haha alright take your time. I expect an answer in one to two business days.

Bluey:

You got it 👍

The taxi stopped in front of your building as you put your phone away. You paid the driver and stepped out of the car. You hadn't noticed it started raining and you were getting very wet.

You dashed up to the front door and scampered in, thanking whoever was listening that the lock actually worked today. You used the elevator to take you upstairs, not wanting to walk much in your now soggy shoes.

The elevator dinged as it made it to the top floor and you stepped out. You got your keys ready as you approached your door. Before you could insert the key, you could hear talking inside. You lifted an eyebrow before testing the handle, finding it was already unlocked. 

You opened the door to see Derrick, your boyfriend, standing in the living room talking on his phone. His back was facing you. You always forgot the guy had a spare key to your place. You cleared your throat as you took off your damp shoes and socks.

Derrick turned around and spotted you. He said his farewell to whomever he was on the phone with before greeting you. "Hey babe! You're finally home!" He walked up to you and pressed a firm kiss to your lips. You were barely able to kiss back, still shocked that he was here.

"Oh, hey Der. You didn't tell me you were coming over." Derrick rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Do I need an invitation to see my girlfriend?" You shook your head, "No but a little heads up would be nice."

Derrick scoffed again, "What, you got something you want to hide from me? So I don't walk in and see something I'm not supposed to?" You shook your head rapidly, "No no no, nothing like that!"

"You're sure making it seem that way. Especially with those new guy friends of yours. I'm putting so much trust in you to stay faithful and this is the thanks I get?" He was openly glaring at you now.

"Der, please, you know I would never do that to you. The guys are just friends." Derrick stomped past you, "I was gonna make you dinner, but I'm not feeling very appreciated right now. I'll see you later." He stormed out of your apartment, leaving you a flustered mess.

"Ugh! Why does he always do this! I swear that guy's bipolar sometimes!" You continued to grumble to yourself as you made your way to your bedroom. You changed into a tank top and a comfy pair of gym shorts.

Now in dry clothes, you were in a slightly better mood. Only slightly. As you went to your kitchen, you looked for something to eat. Only to find your eyes drifting to your booze cabinet. "One drink couldn't hurt."

You pulled out your peanut butter Whiskey and a tumbler. You filled the glass with ice and then the alcohol. You cooked a small TV dinner and sat down with your drink and food. As you watched the next episode of The Bachelor, you found that one drink turned into two. And then three. And by the next one you had lost count due to the fuzziness in your head.

You were sprawled out on your couch, your TV show long forgotten. You were on your phone, scrolling through your apps until you saw an unread message. 

8:15 pm
Bluey:

Okay I think I'd rather do the macarena. I had to look up exactly what the dance was lol

You grinned at his message, at least what you could read with your vision bluring a little.

(Y/n):

Og courde uod choooos3 pizza you gooooooob34

You smiled and set your phone down. You stumbled to your feet and walked over to your speaker system. "Alexa, play Careless Whisper on loop." As the song started to play, you began to dance to the legendary saxophone solo.

You made your way back to your phone and opened your new message.

Bluey:

(Y/n) are you alright?

(Y/n):

Leo im judy dandy i wanna dancr

As you sent the message into the void, you dropped your phone on the couch and continued to dance to the song. Well dance was a strong word. More like wiggled your limbs sporadically.

---

About 20 minutes passed and you found yourself on the floor, staring at the ceiling. Careless Whisper was still playing quietly in the background.

You felt a breeze start flowing through the room and you lifted your head off the floor to see Leo opening the balcony door. "Leoooooo!" You managed to get to your feet without falling over and you ran to greet your friend.

"(Y/n)! I'm glad you're okay! You didn't answer my last text or phone call. I had to come make sure you were safe." You smiled brightly at the turtle, your face flushed from the booze. "Awww Leeee you're so sweet! I'm perfectly fine, boo, just a little drinky."

You hugged his arm tightly, "Come dance with me!" Leo chuckled nervously and slid his arm out of your grasp. "Actually I think it's time for bed." You stuck out your lip in a pout, "Don't be boring, Bluey! I'm not even tired!" To prove your point, you stifled a yawn while barely keeping your eyes open.

He blinked at the name you called him, deciding to question it when you weren't plastered. "Uh huh. Okay. Let's go." He gently took your wrist before leading you to your bedroom. You whined quietly as you were pulled along.

He opened the door to your room and let go of you. "Alright, get in bed. I'm not leaving until I see you're not gonna get up again." You rolled your eyes, "Fineeeeeee." You clambered into bed and began looking around. "Where's my phone?"

Leo sighed before rubbing his tired blue eyes, "Stay here, I'll go find it for you." He was back in a minute, cell phone in hand. As he set in on your bedside table, you reached out and grabbed his large wrist. "Stay with me? I don't wanna be alone."

Leo bit his lip before sighing. "Fine. But only until you're asleep." You nodded in agreement and made room for Leo to get in bed with you. "Whoa, hold your horses. I was just gonna stand." You looked like you were on the brink of tears at the idea of not having Leo next to you.

Leo sighed again, unable to fight your puppy eyes. It seemed Mikey wasn't the only one capable of doing that. He climbed on your bed, but stayed on top of the covers. "There. Happy?"

You nodded and nestled into your pillow, facing Leo as your large eyes closed with sleep. Leo pulled out his T-Phone, content to read until he was sure you were gonna stay asleep.

As he did so, he felt something grab his leg. He looked down to see you grabbing his leg and basically trying to spoon it. Leo blushed madly at the contact and he tried to gently pry you off of him. But that only led to you gripping him tighter.

Leo huffed and texted his brothers that he was gonna be home late tonight and settled more on the bed. You mumbled in your sleep and adjusted your hold on him so your arms were further up, trying to wrap around his torso.

This caused Leo to blush even more, feeling like he was betraying both you and your boyfriend. He kept trying to tell himself that this is what all friends do. Even if one friend may or may not be ever so slightly the teensiest bit attracted to the other.

He shook his head of that vile thought and looked down at your sleeping firm. Your face was still slightly flushed but you had a peaceful smile across your lips. Leo smiled at you and shimmied himself so he was lying down next to you.

You immediately clung to his shell, using him like a body pillow. He sighed into the darkness and closed his eyes. A little sleep and platonic cuddles never hurt anyone. Right?

Chapter Text

Leo slept better that night than he had in years. No nightmares plagues his mind, no waking up every two hours in a cold sweat. Just a restful, dreamless sleep.

As Leo came to at 6:00 in the morning, his internal clock waking him up, he realized two things very fast. One: This was not his room nor his bed. Two: There was something in his arms. Something warm and alive. 

He peaked one eye open, trying to gage his surroundings. He immediately woke up fully when he saw your sleeping form snuggled up to him. His arms were wrapped tight around you, your head pressed into his plastron. His normally green face erupted into a massive blush. 

The previous night's events came rushing back to him. Specifically, your drunk wishes of not being left alone while you slept. He slowly and carefully removed his arms from your torso and pulled the blanket off of you two. How did we get under the covers?

As he attempted to get up, he realized his legs were tangled with something. He looked down the queen sized bed and saw that he was indeed stuck. You had pushed yourself so close to him that yours and his legs had become intertwined. He whimpered at the involuntary contact and slid his legs from yours.

He hopped to his feet silently, like a turtle do, and grabbed his phone. It still had some battery left. He saw the time and bit back a groan. He hated to leave you before you woke up but he had to get home. Training was in 15 minutes. He can't be late to a session he was leading.

He ran to the living room and was about to bolt before he remembered something. You were probably going to have a hangover when you woke up. He couldn't leave you like that. He quickly pulled out his T-Phone and searched up what to do for these situations.

---

Leo made it down to the Lair and to the Dojo three minutes late. He knew he was gonna get an earful for this. He bit back a sigh as he ran into the room where his brothers were waiting for him. Raph was tapping his foot, Mikey was already on his phone, and Donnie was clearly in his mind world. As Leo ran in, he was on the opposite side of the room as the others, facing them.

He skidded to a stop, panting lightly at the exertion. Great, more cardio for him then. He made eye contact with his surprised brothers. "Hey! Um, good morning!"

Raph smirked at the slightly sweaty leader, "Well good morning, sleeping beauty. I don't think you've been late to training in years."

"Three years actually. When he woke up with a migraine but tried to hide it." Donnie added quickly, looking up as he spoke, going through his brain database to answer.

Leo chuckled nervously, "Y-Yeah well, it happens sometimes. Anyway, let's get started. Stretches first." Leo began to lead the group stretching, trying to move on from the whole situation. Raph was very much not trying to move on.

He followed along but had a coy grin on his face. "We got your text last night. But I don't think any of us saw you come home. When did you get back?"

Leo's eyes widened, "Uh, you know, late. You guys were probably asleep." 

Mikey pursed his lips as they all changed to stretching their legs. "Then why are you all sweaty? Coming from your bedroom to here shouldn't do that to you."

Leo coughed into his hand, "Uh, just under the weather I guess. Let's just drop it." He then had the guys set themselves into starting position position to begin the lesson.

"Uh huh. That's why you smell like perfume and booze. You're 'under the weather." Raph's green eyes glinted as Leo gasped lightly. 

"Ohhhh that's what that is. I couldn't put my finger on it." Mikey wondered aloud.

"Spring flowers and Peanut butter Whiskey to be exact." Donnie corrected, eyeing the way Leo winced to himself. 

"Listen, (y/n) wasn't doing well last night so I was making sure she was okay. She wanted me to stay with her until she fell asleep. That's all." He muttered the next part under his breath, "I didn't mean to fall asleep there."

They began to work through the katas, their moves fluid and smooth, despite all four of them being obviously distracted. Leo refused to say anything more as he continued leading training. The other three stopped their comments but they couldn't help wondering exactly what went down last night.

---

Ughhhhhh what planet am I on?

You cracked open your crusty eyes and winced at the light peeking through your small window. You rolled over, instantly regretted the movement. You stilled your breathing, making sure you weren't gonna hurl. You took a slow breath before reaching for your phone.

Today was your day off so at least that counted for something. As you were reached over, your hand bumped into a glass, wet with condensation. You lifted your head and spotted a glass of water, a couple pills of Asprin, and a paper note.

You immediately downed the pills and gulped your water. Your throat felt like sandpaper. You turned on your lamp, hissed at the light, and turned it off again. You decided you'd have to read the paper in the dark. You grabbed it and squinted your eyes at the elegant hand writing.

Hey (y/n)! I thought you might not feel too hot this morning so I left these for you. Try not to take them all at once. (Whoops) Sorry for leaving before you woke up but I had to get home. I'll see you later!

Leo

You blinked a couple times as you reread the note. 'left before you woke up' does that mean he was here last night? What happened? Did we..??? You immediately grabbed your phone, intent on clearing things up.

---

The most painful training session was finally over. Not physically painful, but dear lord Leo thought he was gonna shrivel up under the scrutinizing gaze of his brothers. Mostly Raph and Donnie. Mikey let the whole thing go pretty easily. Adhd moment I guess.

Leo was now in his room, trying to meditate to clear his mind. He hated how easily flustered he became when questioned by the others. There was nothing going on between him and (y/n), so why was he so defensive?

He shook his head and groaned softly, trying to reach the Astral Plane so he could regain his inner peace. His phone alerting him to a new text kept him from doing so. He was going to ignore it, but something told him he should see who it was.

Boy, was he glad he did.

(y/n):

Hey Leo, thanks for the pain killers and water. I do have a question tho. Did we... do anything last night? I can't remember anything after I got home.

Leo's brow quirked, unsure of what you were asking.

Bluey:

Well I went to check on you after you started drunk texting me. You tried to make me dance with you. I put you in bed instead. And you asked me to stay until you fell asleep. That's it!

A few minutes passed before you sent your response. 

(y/n):

... I hate that I'm asking but I know I get... weird when I drink. I didn't try to, you know, seduce you or anything?

Leo's eyes became wide as saucers, his scales burning with the intensity of the sun. You couldn't possibly have meant that. He scratched the back of his neck as he thought of how to respond.

Bluey:

No! No no no you were fine! There was no uh seducing whatsoever 👍

Leo cringed at himself after he sent the message. He really just wanted to sink into his shell and die. But, alas, he couldn't do that. His phone buzzing brought him out of his moping.

(y/n):

Oh thank God. I don't know what I would've done if I had done that with one of my best friends. Crisis averted! :)

Leo sighed through his nose as he read and reread the message. You were making it sound like you were only upset that you could've seduced a friend of yours, not that you were doing that with a mutant. A freak. A monster. He wondered if maybe you could've given him a chance if you weren't already in a relationship. 

Leo shook his head to get that thought out of his brain. This was not productive thinking. He sent another thumbs up to you before setting his phone aside to actually meditate before going out on patrol.

---

The sounds of laser fire and fighting filled the cool night air of New York City. Leo and the rest of the team spotted a group of Kraang droids entering a previously abandoned warehouse. 

Leo was able to convince the others to hold off on attacking to see if one of the aliens would spill the beans on why they were back. It turned out that they never left. A couple factions of the genocidal aliens had been in hiding since the turtles kicked Prime and others back to Dimension X.

The Kraang were hoping to make a comeback or something, so they had holed up in this warehouse to plan and stock their resources. The turtles weren't going to have that. 

Once Leo had decided they'd heard enough, they lept into battle. "It is the ones called the Turtles. Kraang, disintegrate the ones called the Turtles." Blasters began firing immediately as the team started slicing and dicing the bots.

Over the years, the ninjas had gotten a little less merciful with the Kraang, often ending a fight with few brain squids surviving. This battle was no different. They had no reason to keep any alive for information, so Leo let the others (mainly Raph) finish the job.

Leo was facing two bots, each armed with shock sticks. He was parrying all the shock attacks, the robots surprisingly having enough skill to keep up the ninjitsu master. Leo sliced through one of their torsos, pink blood splattering everywhere

"Leo! Watch out!"

At Donnie's shout, Leo moved to the side, just in time for a laser to blast his shoulder. That would've hit the back of his head or neck if Donnie hadn't warned him. He must've been off his game since he hadn't sensed the threat.

Leo winced and immediately gripped this left shoulder, his hand coming away with blood smeared on his fingers. He hissed though his teeth as Raph finished off the Kraang with a sai straight through the pathetic creature.

Donnie ran up to Leo, "You okay? I'm surprised you didn't sense that one, you're the best of all of us at that." 

Leo nodded with a grimace. "You're telling me. I don't know what happened." 

Don looked over the burnt shoulder, "It doesn't look too bad. The wound seems to have cauterized itself from the laser."

Leo nodded and sheathed his swords. "Let's destroy the place and get out of here." One small commitment of arson later, the boys were on their way to their home in the sewers.

---

The boys entered their quiet home and were surprised to see you there sitting on their couch. You turned your head at the noise of the turnstiles and you perked up. "There you guys are! I've been waiting all night for you!"

Leo quirked a brow under his mask, "Waiting? Why?" 

You stood up and walked over to the confused men. "Mikey invited me for a movie night. I thought he told you." The three turtles not named Michaelangelo turned to the orange-coded Ninja.

"Dang, was that tonight? I totally forgot! Sorry, dudes!" Mikey scratched the back of his neck with an embarrassed chuckled. Raph and Donnie rolled their eyes as they wandered off to decompress after the eventful night. "We can still do the movie! If you don't mind," Mikey grinned at you, hoping you'd agree.

You nodded with a bright smile, "Well I'm here aren't I?" Your sparkling eyes went to Leo to greet him when your gaze landed on his left shoulder. "Whoa, what happened to you?"

Leo looked down at his wound and shrugged, wincing slightly at the gesture. "Just a small injury, nothing to be worried about." 

Your eyes widened at the man's audacity to dismiss his own injury. "No that ain't gonna fly. I took a first aid class in school, and that burn looks nasty. Let me clean it up for you."

Leo's deep blue eyes widened at the care you were expressing for him. "Oh, um, okay." You waited for him to continue but it was clear he very much wasn't going to. 

You sighed with a chuckle. "Can you show me your medical supplies?"

"Oh yeah! Sorry." Leo chuckled nervously and started leading to the med bay. Aka the corner of Donnie's lab. You two walked into the large room and started heading towards the far corner. There were a couple curtains set up to give a sense of privacy to whoever needed to be treated.

Leo pushed a curtain aside and stepped through. It was definitely a sparse infirmary, but it seemed to have everything they would need. All the medical devices having been made or scavenged by Donnie, of course.

Leo opened a cabinet full of basic first aid supplies. It held antibiotic ointments, bandages, hydrogen peroxide, pain killers and- "Burn cream! Perfect!" You reached up and grabbed the necessary supplies and set everything on the counter.

"Now sit on the bed, I won't be able to reach your shoulder if you stand." You gestured to the small examination table with a thin mattress on top of it. Leo nodded and sat down, making himself a couple inches shorter than before.

You approached him with the hydrogen peroxide and a small rag. "This is probably gonna sting but I need to clean this." Leo nodded in understanding and turned so his injury was easily accessible to you.

You then began to pour the disinfectant on his skin, the wound bubbling up instantly. Leo bit back a hiss of pain as the burnt skin fizzled. You whispered comforting words as you wiped the area and repeated the process, not stopping until the bubbles ceased.

You then applied the burn cream, a soothing cooling effect instantly relieving Leo's discomfort. Your small hands then deftly wrapped up Leo's shoulder, your fingers grazing his thick scales and toned muscles. He looked away once he felt his face begin to heat up from the contact.

"And finished! You're all fixed up. Now take some ibuprofen and call me in the morning if the pain doesn't go away. That'll be $1,500, I accept cash, check, or food." You winked and held your hand out as if waiting for your payment.

Leo laughed at your antics and got up from the bed, towering over you yet again. "How about I pay you with greesy popcorn and a fun movie?" You tapped a finger to your chin, thinking the offer over. 

"Throw in a hug and you've got yourself a deal."

Leo's eyes widened for a brief second before smiled gently at you, "I think I can afford that." He opened his arms and you immediately wrapped your own around his shell. 

"Thanks again for last night. You're a good friend, Leo."

Leo nodded even though you couldn't see from this angle. "Anytime, (y/n). Just warn me next time you plan on drinking so I don't think you're being kidnapped or something when you text me nonsense."

You laughed at that as you stepped out of the hug. Leo's fingers twitched at the longing for more contact. "It's a deal. Now let's get this movie night started!" You ran out of the room and Leo put all the medical supplies away.

Leo exited the lab and went to the pit where everyone else had gathered. He went to the kitchen to prepare the promised popcorn as the others argued over what movie to watch.

As Leo came back with a few large bowls filled to the brim with the buttery snack, he saw Mikey choose a movie on Netflix called Jupiter James or something. He did love space adventures so he figured he'd enjoy this flick.

Leo handed you your bowl and sat down at the end of the couch, as you were squished between Donnie and Raph. As the movie started and everyone finally quieted down, Leo couldn't help but keep darting his eyes over to look at your face, gently lit by the glow of the TV screen.

As he did this, Leo's eyes widened as he came to a painful realization. He was getting feelings for this girl, and that could not happen.

Chapter Text

SKIRTTT

The Shellraiser skidded to an abrupt stop, Leo already out of the car before it fully braked. Splinter and the newly mutated Super Shredder were on top of the Wolf building. There was no way he and the others were getting up there in time.

Leo grit his teeth and lifted his telescope to his eye, hoping to see what was going on on top of the 60 story building. What he saw through the lense erupted a scream from his throat.

Splinter, his father, turned and was impaled through the gut by Shredder, the monster's long claws appearing out of the other side of Splinter's body. Blood began to drip to the concrete rooftop.

Leo could tell the monster said something, but he would never know what. Before Leo could process what was happening, Shredder flung Splinter off of his talons, off of the building, plummeting to the asphalt below.

Leo began to sprint, futilely hoping to catch his father and save him. But deep in the recesses of his mind, he knew Splinter would be dead before he hit the ground.

Leo reached a hand out as Splinter fell faster and faster towards the ground. Time seemed to slow down until he heard-

CRUNCH

"AHH!" Leo jerked awake into a sitting position, his blanket flying off of his body. His scales were coated in a lair of cold sweat, his heart beating so hard he could feel it through his plastron.

Leo's breaths were rapid and shallow as tears raced down his cheeks. He hadn't had a nightmare about that night in months. He hadn’t been prepared for it’s return in the slightest.

When Leo's vision began to blacken around the edges, he realized he must be having an anxiety attack. He tried to remember Donnie's breathing techniques to calm him down.

Leo closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing, focusing on counting each second as he inhaled and exhaled. He focused on the feel of his mattress, the sound of his clock quietly ticking, and, when he opened his eyes, he counted the scars on his hands.

Once Leo finished counting, he realized he wasn't panicking anymore, but he was still very much shaken up. He desperately needed comfort. When he was younger, he would go to Splinter after a nightmare, but that wasn't possible anymore. And there was no way he was  going to bother his brothers about this.

Before he could properly think it through, Leo had grabbed his T-Phone from the bedside table and clicked the first contact that came to mind. He put it on speaker and held the small shell in his lap, bleakly staring at the dim screen.

The phone rang a couple of times with no answer. Leo was just about to hang up when he heard a quiet, tired voice on the other line.

"Leo? What's going on?"

"Oh, h-hey (y/n)."

He heard fabric shuffle and your voice started speaking a little clearer. "Is everything okay? It's like 2:00 in the morning." Leo chewed on his lip as he listened to your sleep-ridden voice.

"U-Uh..." Leo looked up as he felt tears prick his eyes once more, "N-No, it's nothing. S-Sorry for bothering you, goodnight." The crying turtle hung up before you could respond. He muttered under his breath how calling you was a stupid idea.

He put his phone back on his bedside table and laid back down in his bed. He couldn't control his thoughts as he replayed his dream, that night, over and over again. Salty tears made their way down his face. Leo covered his mouth with his hand to prevent any sounds as his body was wracked with silent sobs.

Leo was just beginning to drift off, exhaustion from crying taking over his body, when he heard the entrance turnstiles being moved. It was quiet, but his trained ears easily picked up the sound. He wiped the residual tears away as he got out of bed and began to creep to the sound.

As he got closer, Leo could sense a presence. A very familiar presence. He eventually saw your form standing in the middle of the Lair, still in your pajamas. You had thrown a baggy hoodie and some ratty sneakers. "(Y/n)?"

You jerked and turned your body to the voice, visibly relaxing at the sight of your friend. "Leo!" You jogged up to him and gave him a look over. "Are you okay? What was that phone call?"

Leo averted his cobalt eyes, his teeth gnawing at his chapped lips. "O-Oh that... Uh, don't worry about it. It was stupid. I didn't mean to make you come down here." He scratched the back of his neck, uncomfortable with your scrutiny. 

Your eyes widened after a moment of silent staring, "Have you been crying?" 

Leo's eyes widened and he backed up a bit. "What? No no, I'm just... tired." Your brows narrowed and you grabbed his arm.

You began walking him back where he came from, "C'mon, let's talk about this. We can go to your room for privacy." Leo sighed as he let himself be taken. He was so exhausted that he couldn't even be flustered by the idea of you and him being in his bedroom together.

After realizing you had no idea where you were going, Leo took the lead and brought the two of you to his sanctum. He opened the door and let you in first. He followed you and took a seat on his bed. "Mind if I sit?" He looked up to see you pointing at the foot of his bed.

Leo nodded and scooted closer to the head of the bed next to his pillows. He pulled his knees up and rested his chin on them. You sat on the mattress and crossed your legs, looking at Leo. "Whenever you're ready to talk, I'm here to listen."

Leo turned his head so his face was pressed into his bare knees. He couldn't help the fresh tears that began to leak out of his eyes. He hadn't felt this emotional in years. That dream had just been so damn realistic.

He could feel your eyes burning into his shell so he lifted his head and rubbed his puffy eyes with the back of his hand. "S-Sorry. I guess the short version is that I had a nightmare. I know it's childish." He felt the mattress shift and looked up to see you had moved closer to him.

You placed a small hand on his shoulder, "It's not childish at all. Nightmares are no joke. They can really mess you up. Do you wanna talk about it?" Leo took a calming breath and nodded.

"I guess you should know anyway, since it was basically a memory. It happened years ago, when I was only 17." Leo then went into detail about the Super Shredder and Splinter. About their battles. About the night his father had been murdered before his eyes.

Throughout the whole retelling, you had been silent, only nodding in understanding and small words to keep him talking. Once Leo finished the story, he was shaking with anguish and exhaustion. "Anyway, I called because I... didn't want to be alone. But I couldn't wake one of my brothers. They shouldn't relive that night if they don't have to."

You nodded and scooted even closer to him. You lifted a hand and, not before hesitating, gently wiped a tear away. You pat his cheek before gripping his shoulder again. "Thank you for being comfortable enough with me to call. I know that must've been difficult."

Leo sighed angrily, "But I shouldn't have had to! I'm supposed to be the responsible one! I shouldn't have to need comfort like some- some child!"

You shook your head and took your hand away, "Needing comfort isn't juvenile. If anything, accepting the fact you need help and someone's shoulder to cry on is super mature of you. Being vulnerable with someone is not easy."

Leo's eyes widened as he gasped. A vague memory of Splinter played behind his pupils. A moment where his sensei had something similar, about how showing vulnerability can be the strongest thing someone can do. Leo cried out at the memory and bit onto his finger, trying to muffle the sound.

Leo felt a pair of soft arms wrap around his shoulders and he immediately turned and pulled you into a tight hug. He hunched over and curled his face into the spot where your neck and shoulder meet. You scratched gentle circles into his shell with one hand and the other held the back of his head. He hadn't been held like this since before Splinter died.

Before Leo knew it, he was starting to doze off in your hold. His breathing was starting to steady itself and his eyes were struggling to stay open. It seemed you had noticed cause he felt your chest vibrate with a chuckle, "Okay buddy, you're getting a little heavy. Let's lay you down."

You gently pressed Leo down onto the mattress and covered him back up with his baby blue blanket. "Do you want me to leave?" Leo gave such a subtle shake of his head that you wouldn't have noticed if you weren't watching him. You smiled and snuggled up next to him, "I guess this will return the favor." Leo gave the smallest hint of a smile before pulling you close to him, his face snuggling into your collar bone.

You smiled and loosely wrapped your arms around his neck and shoulders before closing your eyes. You felt Leo's breathing even out and could tell the exact moment he was asleep. You let out a tired sigh and soon followed him into the abyss of unconsciousness. 

---

Leo woke up feeling like actual garbage. His eyes felt swollen and crusty, his throat was sore, and he just felt all around off. He opened his red-rimmed eyes and looked around. He looked at the clock and saw he had slept in. Not by much, just about 10 minutes. He's usually better than that.

Leo sat up and stretched his arms, hearing a satisfying pop as he did so. He got out of bed and put all his gear on. He felt much more comfortable with his mask and other accessories on his person. He always had.

He made his way out of his room and stumbled to the kitchen. He was going to need some caffeinated tea to get going today. As he got closer to the kitchen, he could smell something being cooked. Mikey must've gotten up early .

Leo was not expecting to see you standing at the stove, spatula in hand, humming quietly to yourself. Your body was swaying to whatever song was playing in your head, clearly in another world. You were still in your pajamas, a lovely dark blue sweatshirt and matching sweatpants.

You were still humming when you turned to grab an egg and jumped at the sight of the turtle ninja standing in the doorway. "Ah! Oh, Leo, it's just you. Good morning! Your alarm woke me up, but not you, so I figured I'd make you guys breakfast!"

As Leo blinked, trying to figure out why you were in their kitchen at 6:15 in the morning, his eyes widened as it all came rushing back to him. Mostly the tear-filled confession of his nightmares and your gentle hand comforting him through it all. Leo blushed at the memory and sat down at the table in the middle of the small kitchen.

"You didn't have to do that! You should've just woken me up and one of us could've made you something. You're the guest, after all," Leo fiddled with his thumbs as he spoke, his eyes staying low on the table.

"Aw, it's really no problem! But I'll definitely take you up on your offer some time!" Leo looked up to see you were facing away from him once more, working on cooking breakfast. "How do you like your eggs?"

"Oh, uh, scrambled please and thank you," Leo answered timidly, "Sorry, but the offer wasn't meant to be from me. I'm not much of a cook. I can make Ramen, but that's about it. I tried to make breakfast once and it didn't turn out so well." Leo chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"So you're volunteering your brothers? For shame, Leo." You spoke with a playfully judgmental voice as you set a plate down in front of your friend. You had made pancakes, bacon, and eggs. The eggs were, of course, scrambled to perfection.

"It wouldn't be the first time," Leo laughed as he marveled at the plate, "This looks amazing! Thank you, (y/n)."

"Hey! Who's been messing with my kitchen?" Both you and Leo turned to see Mikey charge into the room, nunchucks at the ready. He visibly relaxed when he saw it was just you and his brother in there. "Oh, hey (y/n). Wait, what're you doing here?"

Leo stiffened, not wanting his brother to find out what happened last night. He'd never live it down. Luckily for him, you spoke up, "I just wanted to come give my best friends a lovely breakfast, free of charge. Acts of service is my love language, after all."

"That's awesome! Thanks, broski!" Mikey gave you one of his signature bearhugs and sat down, eagerly awaiting his meal. You made him a plate, all the food already having been prepared. Mikey immediately began to devour the food as the last two brothers entered the kitchen. 

Donnie was clearly only half awake as he stumbled to the coffee machine. He had it on a schedule so the brew was already finished as he grabbed the pot and poured his hot drink in his favorite mug. Raph seemed suspicious of the free food but quickly discarded the feeling once he laid eyes on the spread. "Wow, you don't suck as bad as Leo at cooking, good job!"

You blushed at the flattery and finally sat down to eat with your own plate of food. Leo had finished by this point and took his dirty dishes to the sink. As the basin filled with hot soapy water, he grabbed his tea kettle and began to boil water for his tea.

Mikey got up, threw his dishes in the water unceremoniously and hugged you once more. "Thanks again, dudette!" You pat his arm, unable to hug back as you were still sitting at the table, 

"It was really no problem, Mikey."

As Leo was doing the dishes, and refusing your help as you had already cooked for them, he thought on this whole situation. He needed to stop being alone with you. You two kept getting into scandalous situations and that wasn't good. You were in a relationship! He couldn't keep pushing himself on you, potentially ruining your friendship if you ever found out his feelings.

Leo was startled out of his thoughts by your melodic voice, "I'm heading out guys, see you later!" Your voice was distant, probably near the turnstiles. Leo was a bit hurt that you hadn't personally told him goodbye, but that was selfish of him. He really needed to get over this stupid crush.

"Uh, Leo, you okay? You're just standing there." Donnie's quiet voice broke Leo out of his mind once more. It seemed he also really needed to get better about not spacing out. As Leo looked around, he saw that he had indeed just been standing in front of the empty sink.

"Y-Yeah, I'm good. Tell the others training's off for today. I'm not feeling too well." Without another word, Leo walked out of the kitchen, leaving his unfinished tea behind. He decided some fresh air would do him some good.

So, despite it being daylight, Leo made his way out of the sewers. He easily climbed a building and took a deep breath of the "fresh" NYC air. He closed his eyes as his shell was warmed by the early morning sun. This was exactly what he needed.

He opened his eyes and made his way to the edge of the rooftop. He sat down, letting his long legs hang over the edge. He bit his lip as he thought more on the whole "stupid pointless crush" situation. He really didn't want to stop hanging out with you, especially for his brothers sake. You had become such an integral part of the boys' lives at this point.

He let out a breath as he pushed that thought away. There was no way he was going to do that. But he definitely could make sure the two of you were never alone again. Leo looked up, a spark behind his ocean-blue eyes. Yes, he would always make sure that there was at least one other person with the two of you at all times.

Leo sighed dejectedly. He didn't love the idea, as he did enjoy spending time with you one on one, but if this was the only way to crush these filthy feelings, then so be it.

Chapter Text

Group Chat made by (y/n)

(y/n):

Sup nerds? The place to be tonight is my place at 5:00. Be there or be square 😎

Elmo:

Who r you callin nerds?

Twilight Sparkle:

To be fair, we watch anime and 80s cartoons.

Mike Wazowski:

We also play Mazes n Mutants! We larped too!

Elmo:

Y WOULD YOU TELL HER THAT

(Y/n): Gaspppppp I need to hear this tea!

Bluey:

Maybe later. We'll see you tonight .

You sighed as the conversation ended and you put your phone down. Ever since Leo confided in you, you had noticed he had been pulling away ever so slightly. He was slow to respond to your messages when you texted him. And in person, he always seemed to avoid eye contact and was even quieter than usual for the leader.

You shrugged it off, figuring he was just going through the mutant turtle equivalent of a mood swing and went ahead to prepare for the party. You didn't want to seem as if you were leeching off their hospitality, so you decided to throw a party at your small apartment.

The place was just able to hold you and the four mutants comfortably so the size of the place shouldn't be a problem. As long as they didn't get too rowdy. You really didn't want another noise complaint. The last one was courtesy of Derrick screaming at you when he thought you were cheating on him.

He came to that conclusion because he walked into your apartment, no warning, while you were face-timing one of the turtles. You had to hang up immediately, and that of course seemed suspicious. So Derrick blew up on you, resulting in said noise complaint.

You shook your head clear of the memory and went into your small kitchen. It was cheaper to buy frozen pizzas for the guys rather than order them, and they eat a lot, so you had to get started cooking these things.

As you set the oven to preheat, you gathered all the chips and drinks necessary to make a ninja turtle party lively. You had a spread of multiple bags of chips, giant bottles of sodas, and even some cases of booze. You weren't sure what the guys liked so you got spiked lemonade, beers, a bottle of margarita mix.

In between pizzas going in and out of the oven, you decided to decorate a bit. You got the large stereo out for tunes, you got all your favorite movies in an album so they could flip through it, you even pushed the couch and comfy chair back to give more standing room in the living space.

Before long, you were all set for your whizbang. A mix of party songs was playing quietly to fill the silence and a heat lamp was keeping the pizzas warm. You remembered to get everyone's favorites from the night you met them.

A tapping on your balcony window alerted you to their arrival. You waved your hands in excitement and ran over, pushing open the curtains. Mikey was grinning closest to the window, obviously the one who knocked. Raph and Donnie were behind him, also smiles adorning their faces. Leo was in the far back, perched on the balcony railing. He didn't seem as excited but that was par for the course with him.

You opened the sliding door and waved them in, "Come on in!" The boys eagerly entered your abode, small nods and sounds of approval at the party atmosphere. You closed the door behind Leo and shut the curtains, "We've got pizza, chips, and drinks in the kitchen!"

"Ooh!" Mikey darted ahead, eager to get first dibs on everything. You chuckled at his antics. He definitely had youngest sibling energyl.

"Thanks for having us over!" You turned from watching Mikey to see Donnie smiling at you and Leo standing behind him. Leo gave you a polite nod to affirm Donnie's statement.

"Of course! I love you guys! I feel like I'm at your place all the time, so I wanted to return the hospitality." You grinned at the cool colored coded turtles, "Well, enough standing around; go get some food or drinks!"

The boys nodded before hurrying off. There was a chance Mikey had already eaten all the pizza. A small chance, but not impossible. You followed the turtles to see that Raph had watched over Mikey to keep him check.

The turtles grabbed plates full of food and began to investigate the drinks. "Aw sweet! (Y/n) hooked us up!" Mikey cheered as he swiped a spiked lemonade and bounded to the living room. Donnie chuckled and took one as well.

Leo made his way out of the kitchen, a beer in hand. He definitely preferred Sake, but the starchy drink would have to do. It had the lowest alcohol content of the selection and didn't want to become loose lipped.

After his three brothers left, Raph approached you. His striking green eyes darted around the room as he spoke with a quiet voice, "Um... you got sugar for the margaritas?" You chuckled softly, picking up that Raph was embarrassed by the fruity drink.

"You bet! Here," You reached into a cabinet and pulled out your margarita sugar. "No need to be ashamed, Raph. In fact, I'll have one too!" You winked at him as you rolled the rims of the glasses in the sugar and poured the pink beverage.

Raph smiled at you, a genuine softness in his expression for once as he gratefully accepted his drink. "Thanks. I guess I still have it in my head that men aren't supposed to have drinks like this."

You rolled your eyes playfully, "I never bought into that toxic masculinity crap. Enjoy what you want! Don't let dumb society 'rules' stop you from having fun!" Raph grinned and punched your shoulder playfully. You knew that's as mushy as he was gonna get.

You two went into the living room and took a seat on the couch. You sat on one end next to Donnie, who sat next to Raph, next to Leo at the other end. Mikey was sprawled out on the floor, flipping through your movie album. "Oh good, you found it. Go ahead and pick some movies, guys. We're gonna have a fun night!"

A resounding cheer and raising of drinks echoed throughout the apartment. Mikey finally decided on one and passed the album around. As Leo flipped through the books, his navy blue eyes widened and a loud gasp escaped his mouth, "You have Space Heroes: The Movie??"

You chuckled at the twinkle in Leo's eyes and at the chorus of groans from his brothers. "Yeah, that show was always a guilty pleasure of mine. So I had to get the movie when it came out." Leo looked at you with such amazement you couldn't help but blush under his gaze. 'That's a... weird feeling to get from my friend. Huh...'

You shook your head from that train of thought and smiled at the brothers, "Well we know Leo's choice." 

Raph rolled his eyes and stood up, "I'm gonna need another drink to get through that train wreck." Leo scoffed and sipped at his own beverage.

You nudged Mikey with your fuzzy sock covered foot, "Go on and put your movie in." He nodded excitedly and shuffled over to the DVD player. He put in the disc and laid down on his stomach, legs kicking in the air behind him.

As a cute animated film about dragons began to play, everyone settled back in their seats. Hours passed as everyone's choice movies played, all spectators commenting occasionally. Some people make snide remarks more than others during a cheesy sci-fi space movie.

After all the movies had been watched, everyone was definitely feeling the buzz from their drinks. You were no exception. You stood up and stumbled over to your music box. You turned it up and gasped, "I love this song! Somebody dance with me!"

Apparently, you really liked to boogey when inebriated. You saw that Leo was closest to you so you reached for him. Leo's eyes widened as he subtly dodged your grabby hands. "Uh, I'm not much of a dancer. But Mikey is!" He grabbed Mike's arm and pushed him to you. You shrugged and began dancing with the orange-clad turtle.

Leo breathed out a sigh of relief when your eyes were off him. He knew he was tipsy and he was not going to risk being in contact with you. He began grabbing all the dirty dishes and brought them to the kitchen. He turned his attention to you and Mikey, still grooving to the funky beat.

Leo then looked for his other brothers. Donnie was back on the couch, staring at nothing. He knew his brother was a philosophical drunk so he didn't even want to know what was going inside that giant head of his. He couldn't see Raph from where he was. Leo began walking around, trying to find out where his immediate younger brother was.

Leo passed by the bathroom and heard a voice. "Mona, I miss you. You have no idea the things I wish I could do to you right now." Leo's face erupted in a massive blush as he hurried away from the bathroom. He forgot Raph was a flirty drunk. He shook his head, trying not to think of the things his brother was saying on the phone to his lizard girlfriend.

Leo made it back to the living room to see everyone winding down. You and Mikey were now on the couch, conversing with Donnie. The scientist managed to talk about his drunken deep thoughts after all. Leo sighed fondly at his family and their friend.

Suddenly, the doorknob was jiggling. That sobered Leo immediately. "Ninjas, scatter!" Even drunk, the three turtles in the living room managed to get up and hide in the shadows before the sudden guest walked in.

You stood up, still a little unsteady on your feet as you slowly approached the door. It swung open to reveal Derrick, your boyfriend, in all his glory. His brow was furrowed as he barged in.

"Alright, where is he?" Derrick didn't even say hello as he snooped around the place. 

"Uh, hey to you too, Der. What are you doing here?" You quirked a brow at his suspicious behavior.

"Well I was gonna surprise you with dinner so I texted you asking what you wanted. But you didn't answer. So I called and you still didn't answer! So I came over to make sure you were okay and what did I hear? You talking to someone! Another guy judging by the voice. So where is he?!" Derrick's voice got louder and angrier as he spoke. Leo suppressed a growl from his hiding place. No one gets to talk to you like that.

"Sorry I missed your calls and texts, but I was binging some movies, so I didn't hear them. The voice you heard was either the TV or the stereo. I would never have a guy over here like that. Why don't you trust me!" The alcohol in your system was giving you the courage to stand up for yourself. Leo was proud of you but worried how this jerk would take it.

"Because of your new secret friends! You're always visiting them or texting them. But you won't show me pictures or let me meet them. How am I supposed to trust someone who does that??" Derrick was getting in your face now, angry spittle flying as he shouted.

"We've been together for how long now? I've never once broken your trust or given you reason to doubt me! But you're just too paranoid to realize that! I'm not your ex, Derrick. I don't sleep with every guy I come across!"

Your boyfriend clenched his fists in anger. He was about to argue some more but he took a quick sniff. "Have you been drinking? Is that why you're being such a bitch right now?"

Leo saw red at that comment. He was just about to come out of hiding and show this POS what for but he heard your gasp. "Are you serious? What the hell is wrong with you?! That's it, out! We're done! Get the hell out of my apartment and out of my life! You do nothing but accuse me and yell at me when all I've done is try to be a good partner. We're through!"

"You're only breaking up with me because you're a whore and don't want me to find out. Well too late, bitch." Derrick turned to leave but he was swiftly knocked out by a large green fist meeting his face. Leo was seething and he couldn't hold back anymore.

Leo's eyes widened in shock. He had no idea why he had done that. Well, he knew why. But he was just shocked that he lost control like that. That so wasn't like him.

You looked up at Leo, tears pricking your beautiful eyes. "Y-You..." Leo rubbed his arm, clearly uncomfortable with what he just did.

"I didn't mean to. He was just saying such awful things about you. Before I knew it, I had already knocked him out." Leo looked away, ashamed of letting his anger get the best of him. What he wasn't expecting was a pair of soft arms wrapping around his shell.

"Thank you, Leo. I was seconds from doing that myself. I'm only sorry you had to witness all that. Are the others still around?" You looked up at him with such admiration in your eyes, he couldn't help the fiery blush that spread across his cheeks. 

Leo shook his head as you pulled away from the hug, "They managed to get out before he came in. I stuck around to make sure you'd be okay."

You grinned up at him, tears silently running down your face, "My hero. Now would you mind dropping him off at a hospital? I heard a crack when you socked him."

Leo chuckled nervously, "Yeah I definitely broke his cheekbone. I could feel it. I kinda let my anger get the better of me." He rubbed the back of his neck, his blush now from embarrassment. "But seriously, it sounds like that guy was someone you should've hated. Why were you with him for so long?"

You sighed and looked away. "He wasn't like this when I met him. At some point, it was like a switch flipped and he wasn't the same man I fell in love with. I just didn't want to admit it to myself."

Leo nodded in understanding. He was about to say something else before a groan from Derrick interrupted him. "Oh right, gotta take care of this." Leo chuckled before patting your shoulder, "Have a good night, (y/n). I'm sorry this happened, but I'm sure it'll be okay." You nodded in agreement as Leo hefted the unconscious Derrick over his muscular shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Without another word, Leo vanished into the night, heading towards the nearest hospital. He planned on leaving a note saying Derrick fell down the stairs and a good Samaritan dropped him off.

You watched Leo leave, your soft smile dissipating as more tears leaked out of your eyes. You were the one to break up with Derrick, so why were you hurting so much. You sighed and wrapped your arms around yourself. There was no use thinking about it now, you supposed. May as well sleep it off. Like Leo said, it was going to be okay.

Little did you know, it was going to be even better than okay.

Chapter Text

"I'll never let go, Jack!"

"It's too late! You let go and now life sucks. Get over it Rose," You shouted at the TV while stuffing your favorite ice cream flavor in your mouth. It's been only a week since you broke up with Derrick and you were not doing too hot.

Even though you had been the one to end the relationship, you felt like crap. You were doing okay until that day when you decided to delete all the pictures you had of each other. Going down that painful memory lane led you to where you were now. On the couch in the dark, wearing comfy pajamas under a blanket, a tub of ice cream in your lap. 

Tears were silently streaming down your face as Titanic played. You figured you were already sad as hell, so you may as well watch a sad movie and pretend your emotions are only because of the film.

You looked down and noticed you had finished the pint of ice cream and sighed. Great, now you hated yourself for eating the whole thing in one sitting. Nothing could bring up your spirits now. 

At least, that's what you thought. 

Your phone buzzed you out of your self-deprecating thoughts. You opened your cell to see a new text from Mikey.

Mike Wazowski:

Hey (y/n) hows it going? We havent herd from u in a while

You sighed again before slowly typing a response. 

Pizza Queen:

Not great tbh. Currently watching Titanic and drowning my sorrows in comfort foods. Hbu ? 

A couple of minutes passed before Mikey's next message. Your eyelids were heavy as you read his reply. 

Mike Wazowski:

U wanna come down to the lair? Were gonna have a game night !

You smiled at the invitation. You chewed on your lip as you typed.

Pizza Queen:

Idk Mike, I don't really feel like going out. Or putting on pants XP

Mike Wazowski:

Ok, thats fine. Just know the sewers are always open! 🥰

You smiled at the gif of a cat offering hugs that followed his message. Mikey always seemed to cheer you up. You looked around at your dark apartment and figured some fresh air couldn't hurt.

You pushed yourself off the couch and turned off the TV. You stumbled to your bedroom and took a look at yourself in the mirror. You did not look very attractive at the moment, or at least you didn't think so. Your hair was a mess, you had dark circles under your eyes, and you were in old, tattered pajamas.

You sifted through your closet and put on a baggy blue t-shirt and black sweatpants. After running a brush through your hair, you decided society was ready for your presence. You collected your things and set off for New York's finest sewer tunnels.

---

You walked through the turnstiles, hands in your pockets. "Hey guys," You called out, not immediately seeing any of your best friends. 

Mikey appeared out of thin air with a big smile on his face. "You made it!" He glomped you and gave you one of his signature bone-crushing hugs. You smiled and tried to hug him back, but you found that your arms were pinned to your sides and you were held slightly in the air.

"Wow, you must've really missed me. Alright, I think my ribs are breaking," You chuckled breathlessly as Mikey gently set you back down on your feet.

"We all did!" Mikey turned his head behind him, "Guys! Get your shells over here! We have a guest!" Not long after Mikey's very loud exclamation, three more turtles appeared and made their way over to you guys.

"(Y/n)! Nice to see you! I'm glad you could make it," Donnie smiled sweetly at you, the gap in his teeth showing. 

Raph shoved Donnie aside and playfully ruffled your hair, "Yeah Shortcake, some of us were worried about you. Only some." You rolled your eyes at his demeanor before turning to the only ninja who had yet to greet you.

Leo was looking at you shyly, his eyes darting around the room. He gave a small smile, "I'm glad you're feeling better, (y/n)." You couldn't help grinning at the leader, remembering how he had socked Derrick in defense of your honor. No one had ever done something like that for you. That wasn't something you would ever forget. 

"So, as I said, it's game night! As our guest of honor, you get to choose the first game!" Mikey placed an arm around your shoulders and led you to the pit. There was a stack of board game boxes and a crate of various multiplayer video games. "We have a lot of games, so go ahead and pick whatever you'd like!"

The boys all sat down on their couch, not wanting to pressure you. You tapped a finger on your chin as you examined the wide selection. Your eyes scanned each box until they landed on one in particular. "You have Twister? I haven't played that in years!"

"You wanna give it a go?" Donnie stood up and skillfully took the box from the bottom of the stack without knocking the rest over. Ninja skills. You nodded excitedly at the purple-clad turtle. He took out the large mat and spinner.

Mikey then slid over, "I'm the master at this game, so to give you a fair chance, I'll be on spinner duty." He winked at you and you heard Raph groan in the background. He muttered something along the lines of sucking at the game.

Once the colorful tarp was unfurled, everyone playing took their places. Mikey began spinning, calling out names and the spots they needed to be on. After a couple of turns, Raph decided that becoming a turtle pretzel wasn't worth it and bowed out.

As the game went, you and Leo ended up close together, limbs practically entwined with each other. Donnie had managed to stay on the opposite side of the mat the whole game. Mikey then had to make things difficult, and call out, "Leo, right hand on blue!" The problem was that you were in between himself and the blue dots.

Leo bit his lip as he stretched by your legs to reach the required spot. You then were called to put your left foot on green. Of course, green was behind Leo. The easiest way to reach it was to go over Leo, who was currently crouched next to you. You took a steadying breath before swinging a leg over Leo's shell. You had just enough clearance to straddle him without making contact with his shell. You weren't sure if Leo even realized what position you two were in.

Donnie's turn went by easily. Somehow, he was just standing there, only getting spins for his feet. 'Lucky bastard' . Leo was then told to move his left hand to blue. To do this, he had to flip himself so he was in the crab position. With his plastron now facing upwards, he was able to see that you were on top of him. His face erupted in a massive blush that he hoped you wouldn't notice. 

Your turn had you rotating as well, but it made you face Leo, so you were basically hovering over his lap. You realized your position and blushed as well from the sheer embarrassment. Leo couldn't take it anymore and pretended to cough, causing him to fall. He bumped your leg on his way down so you fell as well. In fact, you fell right on top of him. Your face hit the hard surface of his plastron.

You groaned in discomfort and lifted yourself up, your hands by the sides of Leo's head. You opened your eyes and saw a very embarrassed, very flustered Leo beneath you. You yelped and scrambled off of him. Leo also scooted away. You turned and saw that the three other brothers were watching you, all with very different expressions. They ranged from pure amusement to secondhand cringe to innocent confusion.

You cleared your throat and stood up. "W-Well, congrats Donnie on the win! Though it did seem rigged."

Donnie chuckled after shaking his head out of his stupor, "What can I say? I'm amazing." He put his hands on his hips and Raph punched him in the shoulder. 

"All you did was stand there, you dork."

You laughed at the interaction, already feeling much better than you did hours prior. Mikey smiled at you. "You wanna play another game?" You nodded and began to sift through their video game selection. 

You gasped as you pulled one out, "You got Smash? Aw yeah, we're playing this." You eagerly ran to the couch, waiting for the game to be set up. Raph sat next to you and handed you a joy-con. Mikey sat on your other side, Leo on the bean bag, and Donnie at your feet on the floor.

The game was turned on and everyone picked their characters. Mikey chose Kirby, Donnie chose Zelda, Raph was Bowser, and Leo selected Link. You picked your main and the match started. Little did the guys know, you played Smash Bros when it first came out on the GameCube. You loved this game. So you were excited to whip these turtle losers' butts.

It became very evident that this was not Leo's game of choice. He was having trouble staying on the platform the whole time, let alone actually landing a hit. Donnie and Mikey were decent, but it was clear that this was Raph's domain. He dominated the stage with his fire-breathing turtle dinosaur. Well, he would've. But you were able to keep him on his toes.

The others all lost before you and Raph, and every match ended with you both alternating as the winner. After a couple of rounds, you called it quits to bestow mercy on your subjects. Raph laughed and playfully shoved you off the couch.

You couldn't help but cackle from your position on the floor, the ridiculousness of the situation tickling your funny bone. A green hand appeared in your vision and you accepted it. It lifted you easily off the ground and you were face to face with Leonardo. "I'm glad to see that we were able to cheer you up."

You nodded with a bright grin on your face. "Now it's movie time! You didn't get to choose a movie last time, so now it's your turn!" Mikey slid up to you and pushed a cardboard box of movies into your arms. It had VHS tapes and DVDs all jumbled together. 

You set it down and pulled out the movie on top. "Bro this is my favorite!" It was quickly plucked out of your hands and placed into the DVD player. You sat back down on the couch, this time with Leo and Raph on your sides. Mikey took the bean bag this time and Donnie laid on some pillows and blankets placed on the floor.

Halfway through the movie, you felt your eyes getting heavier and heavier. You knew you were tired when you left your apartment, but you hadn't realized just how exhausted you were after crying your heart out to Titanic. You tried so desperately to watch the film, but your blinks seemed to get slower and longer until you couldn't keep your eyes open anymore.

Your head slumped to the side and landed on one very muscular shoulder. Leo jumped at the sudden contact and looked down to see your sleeping face. He smiled down at you, your mouth slightly open and dripping drool on his scales. If you were anyone else, he would've been disgusted. But he thought you were the most beautiful person ever, even when getting slobber on his shoulder.

Leo let you sleep through the rest of the movie, deciding you needed the sleep if you had passed out during your favorite flick like that. Once the movie was over, everyone began to pack up for the night. 

"I'm gonna take her to her place," Leo spoke softly so as to not wake you up. The others nodded tiredly and wandered off to their bedrooms.

Leo stood up and gently lifted you into his arms. You didn't stir as your head was rested against his hard chest. After making sure you were situated, he made his way out of the sewers.

On the way to your apartment, he couldn't help thinking over the night's events. Especially during the game of Twister. He liked to think of himself as a gentleman, but when he saw you above him, straddling his hips, it made something fry in his brain. You just looked so gorgeous from that angle. He wanted to see you in it again, but maybe actually on top of him- 'Leo, what are you thinking?? Get your head out of your shell! (Y/n) is your friend and she just had a nasty breakup. She doesn't need you ogling her like that. '

Leo shook his head and continued to scold himself for the rest of the journey. But he couldn't help but think of your hands on either side of his head, your body on his. Your beautiful (e/c) eyes gazing into his own. Your eyes would dart down to his lips, biting your own in between your perfect teeth. Then you would lean in and- 'What the shell is wrong with you?? Get your mind right, man. You can't be thinking about her like this.'

Leo groaned to himself as he landed on your fire escape. He eased the door open, holding you with one arm. He squeezed into the dark apartment, nimbly making his way to your bedroom. He gently placed you down on your bed, your soft snores filling the room. He slid off your sandals and tucked you under your blanket.

Leo stood above you, just gazing at your peaceful expression. Before he could realize his actions, he was already leaning over you. He placed a kiss as gentle as a feather on your forehead. He then darted away, leaving not a trace of him ever being there.

Except there was one issue. You weren't asleep anymore.

Chapter Text

Air wooshed by your ears, hair flying in your face. Your eyes were closed as you drifted in between unconsciousness and the living world. You curled in tighter to the hard surface you were pressed against. It felt warm and comforting. You wished to fall back asleep, but the feeling of being whisked through the night sky kept your brain from doing so.

Eventually, you heard a creak of metal and whoever was carrying you must’ve brought you inside, as the cacophony of New York City had quieted instantaneously. A pair of strong arms laid you gently on your soft mattress and you immediately snuggled into your pillow. The person you quickly realized was Leo took off your flip-flops and covered you with your plush blanket.

You were about to thank him when you felt a pair of surprisingly soft lips press on your forehead. Your entire body stiffened, but you don’t think Leo noticed. In fact, you were pretty sure Leo was already out of your apartment. There was a small creek as the ninja zipped out of your abode, disappearing into the night.

‘Did he just..?’

Your eyes popped open and your eyebrows lifted to your freshly kissed forehead. Why had Leo just done that? That wasn’t something purely platonic friends did with each other. Maybe that’s what young adult mutant ninja turtles did to express affection? You bit your lip as you dismissed that thought. You weren’t convincing yourself.

You sat up in bed, all drowsiness gone from your being. That small peck had really thrown you for a loop. You brought your knees to your chest as your brain began to replay all the ‘friendly’ or ‘shy’ actions Leo had done for you over the months of knowing him. 

You supposed Leo being awkward when you first met him was just that- Leo being a socially awkward person. When Leo came to visit you when you were drunk off your ass, was that a friendly action? He did seem genuinely concerned, but maybe that’s because he had other feelings going on as well. He also left you those pain meds and a nice note. Maybe he was just a caring person and does that for everybody? Something in you made you doubt that.

Then there was the night he called you after a really bad nightmare. His reasoning for not wanting to bother his brothers made sense, but there was a part of you that made you think he also just wanted to be near you specifically. He needed you to calm himself down. You couldn’t help the slight blush from that thought.

And who could forget the fact that Leo had literally knocked a guy out when Derrick insulted you? You knew Leo cared a lot about honor, and socking a dude in the jaw when he wasn’t looking didn’t seem very honorable to you. Leo did apologize for it, seeming shocked by his own actions, but still. If he was surprised by what he did, that means he punched Derrick without thinking. Meaning his first impulse was to defend and protect you. Definitely not the most platonic thing in the world.

Your eyes widened as you thought back to the previous night. Specifically that awkward game of Twister. You saw that Leo was blushing towards the end of the game before the two of you fell out and lost. You had originally thought that was because he was just plain embarrassed by the close contact. But maybe he was actually blushing because of the intimate position you two were placed in. You thought back to the way Leo looked up at you, his normally emerald cheeks a dark red and his deep blue eyes pinpricks.

You gasped as you finally came to the realization that Leonardo, your very close friend, probably had romantic feelings for you. You groaned and fell back into your pillows. You had no idea what to do with this information. You loved Leo, but only as a friend. And you definitely did not want to break his heart or ruin the friendship you shared. You rolled over and reached for your phone. You knew you weren’t getting sleep that night, so you texted your manager that you were calling out sick for your shift the following day.

You flopped onto your back and stared up at the ceiling. The small glow-in-the-dark stars looked down back at you. You sighed through your nose as you thought about what to do about this situation. After thinking and rethinking, you finally came to the conclusion that the first step to take was to talk to Leo. You realized that it didn’t matter what game plan you came up with if Leo wasn’t around to confirm or deny his feelings. You were going to have to confront him on this. You groaned again and covered your face with your pillow.

It was around 7:00pm the next day when you texted the blue-coded ninja that you needed to talk to him. You invited him over to your apartment at his convenience, but told him the sooner the better. You also promised him snacks and tea to sweeten the deal. You were really loathing this, but you also knew that this talk had to happen in order to resume being friends.

About 45 minutes passed before Leo showed up at your fire escape. He knocked politely on the glass door and waited for you to open it for him. He was always such a gentleman. At least, when he wanted to be. Leo smiled shyly at you as you greeted him and invited him into your apartment. 

“Hey (y/n), what’s going on?”

You smiled back and gestured for him to take a seat on your beat-up couch. The piece of furniture hadn’t been damaged until the turtles came into your life. Enough nights of the rowdy ninjas had led your black couch to have ripped fabric and lumpy cushions. Leo gladly took a seat and thanked you when you handed him a cup of tea. 

He sipped it and his eyes lit up. “You remembered my favorite tea! Thank you.”

You nodded back at him with a grin of your own, “Of course I remembered! I try to remember as many things about my loved ones as possible.” 

At the mention of loved ones, Leo’s face lit up with a bright blush. He tried to cover it by drinking his tea, but you still caught it. You were paying closer attention now, and you had no idea how you hadn’t seen how down bad he was until now.

You took a sip of your own drink, a hot chocolate since you still weren’t much of a tea drinker, before setting your mug down with a sigh. “Actually Leo, I need to talk to you about something. Something important.” This sobered Leo up immediately, his eyes growing wide with concern as he watched you fiddle with your hands. “I… I know you have feelings for me, Leo. Romantic feelings.”

Leo choked on air, his eyes blowing even wider. His face erupted in a blush and he waved his hands around in a panic. Before he could get a word in, you brought your hands up in a placating motion. 

“But I’m not mad! Please don’t panic!” You knew the poor guy suffered from anxiety so you were worried about how he was going to react to this conversation. Leo’s cheeks were puffed out as if he were holding his breath. “Please relax, Leo, I swear I’m not upset.”

Leo released his breath with a shaky exhale. He averted his eyes and his fingers twitched around the small cup in his large hands. He was waiting for you to continue talking. 

You took a breath yourself and spoke. “As I said, I know about your feelings. I was kinda awake when you kissed me last night.” Leo’s eyes widened again and he opened his mouth to defend himself, but he found he didn’t have any words to do so. His mouth opened and closed like a fish before he settled on staring at the floor.

“Listen, Leo, I really like you. I do. But I just got out of a two-year relationship. I’m not ready for romance with anyone at the moment. And… I don’t currently like you the same way you like me.” You glanced up to see that Leo’s eyes were glistening with unshed tears. You knew he was trying to keep it together, but this was probably shattering his heart. “But it doesn’t have to stay that way.”

That caused Leo’s head to jerk up and look at you, “What does that mean?” His voice cracked slightly from both emotion and being unused this entire conversation. You did him a favor and pretended not to notice.

“I mean that I’m not ready for a relationship right now, probably not for a while. But… When I am ready, I would be willing to see where this goes. Like I said, I really like you, Leo. You’re an amazing person and I’m sure you’re a catch. But I haven’t been able to gain any romantic feelings towards you due to my being in a committed relationship. It just never occurred to me. But over time, I’d be willing to see if that changes.” Leo’s eyes never left you as you spoke, your words shaking him to his core. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Your voice had become shaky the longer you spoke, but you pressed on. “But for now, can we continue to be friends?”

Leo let out a quiet breath, a small and slightly sad smile gracing his features, “I’d like nothing more. Honestly, I never expected anything more. I cherish our friendship, (y/n), and I don’t want to lose it. Plus the guys would never forgive me if you stopped coming around because of me.”

You chuckled as he scratched the back of his neck. “Phew, now that that’s over with, you want something to eat?” Leo nodded as he took another sip from his much cooler tea. You stood up and went to the kitchen to heat up some leftover pizza for him. It was all you had at the moment and you knew none of the boys would ever turn down free pizza.

Leo could not believe what just happened. He had been somehow both rejected and accepted in the same conversation. He wanted to kick himself for slipping last night when he kissed your forehead. He should’ve realized you weren’t asleep anymore. And he should’ve never done that in the first place! All he wanted to do that entire conversation, if you could even call it that with how little he spoke, was crawl into a pit and die.

But then you said that you weren’t entirely against the idea of a romance between them? Just, not right now? Leo wasn’t very experienced with this sort of thing. He’d only had one crush before and that ended up being on his half-sister. He cringed, remembering his old feelings for Karai. Somehow, Leo always managed to fall for the wrong people. But both girls were such amazing women. And yet they just were wrong for him. He was definitely the problem.

The last thing Leo wanted to do was lose the friendship he had built with you. He didn’t know many people outside of his family, and those he did either tried to kill him, ran away from him, or wanted nothing to do with him. So to see a human person who wasn’t tied to him by blood or loyalty, who stuck around just because they wanted to, because they saw him ? 

Someone who looked at him and found a person worth listening to and spending time with? Someone he could talk to about things he couldn’t talk about with even his brothers, someone with an outside perspective? God, it was like a breath of fresh air he couldn’t get enough of.

And therein lies his problem. He always wanted to be around you, he wanted to know you, your likes, dislikes, fears, and passions. He wanted to share your happiness and sadness. But you didn’t want the same. At least, not now? Someday?? But also maybe not??? Ugh, why did love have to be so confusing?

Leo was snapped out of his thoughts as you approached him, a paper plate of steaming pizza in your hand. “Sorry it’s only two slices. I know you guys can put away a whole pizza each, but that's all I got.”

Leo shook his head as he gratefully accepted the plate. “Don’t apologize! You’re being very generous giving me your food.” 

You scoffed and waved off his compliment. “Eh it’s nothing really. I need to go shopping for food anyway. Oh! I completely forgot, but I have an employee discount at the grocery store I work at. If you or the guys ever need anything, don’t hesitate to hit me up! I’d be happy to abuse my privileges.”

Leo smiled, his eyes crinkling behind his mask, “I’ll definitely keep that in mind. I know Mikey is definitely gonna give you a list once he finds out.” You laughed, knowing that’s exactly what the youngest turtle would do.

After Leo finished his slightly soggy pizza, he bowed politely to you. “Well, I have to head out. The city isn’t gonna patrol itself. You have a good night, (y/n).” Leo was startled when you suddenly pulled him into a tight hug.

“Thank you for understanding. I’m sorry I can’t reciprocate your feelings yet.”

Leo’s eyes widened before he gently wrapped his arms around your torso. “There’s nothing to apologize for.” 

You pulled away from the hug and smiled brightly at him, “Have a good night as well, Leo. Stay safe and kick bad-guy butt for me.”

Leo chuckled and waved goodbye, “I’ll make sure they know the butt-kicking is from you.” He then turned and left through the balcony and quickly disappeared from your sight. As he hopped across the rooftops, he couldn’t help but hope for the future.

Chapter Text

“Mmm not that one,” Mikey spoke next to you as he looked at your phone screen. You were both sitting on the couch at the lair, but you were sitting upside down, your feet dangling over the back of the couch. The young adult mutant turtle had convinced you that creating a dating profile on a popular app would finish up the healing process.

It had been three whole months since your break up, and you were definitely feeling much better. But that wasn’t  good enough for Mikey, apparently. So there you both were, feeling the blood rush to your heads as you selected your best photos to use. You hadn’t realized how little selfies you had until you were searching through your camera roll for over 10 minutes.

“Ooh yeah do that one! You look hot as hell, girl!” You couldn’t help but blush at the compliment. Or that could’ve been from being upside down for too long. Who knows? You decided you didn’t want brain damage so you sat up properly on the old couch and selected the photo. You had to agree with Mikey that you looked really good. Your hair and makeup were on point because  you had dressed up for an art gallery that night.

“Okay, now I just need some tidbits about myself. What should I put for my bio?” Your finger hovered over the blank space. Mikey also fixed his posture so he could continue to look at your phone. 

He scratched his chin in thought. “Hmm, I’m not the best with words. HEY DONNIE!” You winced at the sudden shout, your eardrums vibrating. The purple-banded turtle soon exited his lab, a welding mask atop his head. 

“What is it now, Mikey?” Donnie’s annoyed expression changed to confusion when he saw the two of you sitting on the couch. “What’s going on?”

You lifted your phone to show the resident genius your half-finished dating profile. “I don’t know what to put in my bio and I guess Mikey thinks you’ll be helpful.” Donnie sat down on your other side and glanced over your page.

“Well, I guess you’re supposed to put something short and sweet that sums up your being. Like if I were to make one for myself – which I’ve never done at all – I would say, ‘Turtle genius, master of ninjutsu, looking for a romantic partner to work on experiments with.’ Or something. Like I said, I totally haven’t done anything like this.” Donnie chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. He’d realized he had said too much. “Anyway, good luck!” The awkward nerd quickly scuttled out of the living room and back into his techy cave.

You and Mikey both laughed after Donnie had run away, finding his socially inept tendencies amusing. Don was helpful though, so you finally decided on a biography that fit your personality and lifestyle. But you obviously left out the part of the four mutant turtles that had become such a big part of your life. You picked a couple of icebreaker-style prompts to answer and then it looked like your profile was good to go. “Alright, I think I’m done!” 

Mikey stole the phone from you and began to eagerly investigate your app. He nodded and gave the device back to you. “I think it looks good, but we’ll need a second and third opinion,” You knew where he was going with this so you hurriedly covered your ears. “RAPH! LEO!” Well, at least the hyperactive ninja was consistent.

A grumpy Raph and confused Leo emerged from their respective areas of the Lair. Mikey beckoned both over to you guys. You saw Leo avoid eye contact as he approached you. You sighed softly and looked down. You two hadn’t had much contact since the night you sort of turned him down. You felt bad for not outright rejecting or accepting his affections, but you didn’t want to hurt him. He was one of your best friends and you didn’t want to risk losing him. You regretted keeping him on the hook, but you didn’t know what else to do. You were very inexperienced with anything romantic that didn’t have to do with Derrick, so you were really in unknown territory here.

You were snapped out of your thoughts when you felt your phone removed from your hands again. This time Raph was looking at your screen. You guessed that Mikey had filled in the boys while you were spacing out. Raph nodded in approval and handed the phone to the eldest turtle. “Looks good to me, shortcake. I’m sure you’ll get a match in no time. And when someone hurts you, you can bet that these hands will be thrown.”

You quirked an eyebrow up at the gruff turtle, “Thanks Raph for your confidence and unending optimism.” Raph shrugged at your sarcasm, not taking back his comment. Your eyes drifted to Leo, who was intensely scrolling through your profile. It definitely was not your plan to subject him to seeing your love life, but it seemed the others didn’t have a problem with it. You saw the slightest blush appear on Leo’s scales as he handed the phone back to you, hopefully for good this time.

“It looks good. Anyone would be lucky to match with you.” He gave you a small smile, telling you that he wanted you to be happy with whoever you were with. You smiled back at the blue-banded turtle, showing your gratitude.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Get to swiping!” 

Your eyes widened at Mikey’s demand. “Uh, what? I thought I was just making the profile today. Not actually doing anything with it!”

Mikey shook his head and rolled his eyes as if he were talking to a child. “You really thought I’d have you get this close to moving on without actually doing anything? Nah fam, in order to truly move on and heal, you have to go on at least one date with someone else.” You subconsciously glanced at Leo who made eye contact before avoiding your gaze.

“I-I think it’s a good idea, (y/n).” You were quite surprised by Leo’s statement. You definitely weren’t expecting to get his blessing on this. Then again, Leonardo was a true gentleman, and he clearly wanted what was best for you. You smiled gratefully at him before turning to Raph, who had cleared his throat.

“Yeah, what he said. It’ll be good for ya. As the only one here with a real partner,” A chorus of ‘hey!’s echoed from Mikey and Donnie, who was apparently listening to the whole conversation from his lab, “I can safely say that you need this. You haven’t been the same since the whole asshole boyfriend breakup thing.” You chuckled and nodded, looking down at your phone. The screen was showing you your first potential match, telling you to swipe right or left.

Raph patted your shoulder in reassurance before returning to wherever he had been previously. You glanced at Mikey who seemed to be sulking. “You good, Mike?”

“Huh? Yeah, I was just thinking about what Raph said. Shini and I are still in the talking phase I guess, so he’s technically right.” He looked down at his lap, his own phone in his hands. A text thread between himself and Shinigami was pulled up.

“Don’t worry about it, Mikey. You’re a total catch, she’ll fall for you in no time.” Mikey grinned up at you and gave you a large bear hug. (turtle hug?). You chuckled before separating from him. You looked around to see that Leo had left as well. It was around the time for his daily meditation so that made sense. You took a breath before looking back down at your phone. The first guy seemed cute, but you weren’t into the fishing picture.

The second guy that popped up was posed next to a deer carcass, so you quickly swiped left. After a couple of swipes, you landed on a guy named Ted who seemed nice. He was cute, in your age range, and had similar opinions to you according to the icebreakers. So you figured why not and swiped right. Not one second later did you get the notification that it was a match. You felt your heartbeat speed up, startled at the rapid progression of this little “game.” 

“Aw yeah, get it girl!” Mikey was the best cheerleader though so you couldn’t complain.

You opened the chat box that appeared and saw that he messaged first. It was a simple but cheesy pick-up line. Something along the lines of, “Do you believe in love at first sight, or should we match again?” You couldn’t help the laugh that escaped your lips. You were always a sucker for pick-up lines. That’s how Derrick first started flirting with you after all.

You sent back a laughing emoji and said that you hadn’t heard that variation of the line before. Ted responded smoothly by saying that’s surprising, given how beautiful you were. That one caused you to blush. This guy was bold and you weren’t sure how you felt about that. You glanced at the time and realized that it was getting late. 

“Oh shoot, I work the early shift tomorrow, so I gotta go. Thanks for all your help, Mikey.” You hugged him again before dashing out of the Lair. You cupped your hands around your mouth before shouting, "Bye guys!" Everyone else's calls of goodbye sent you on your way.

Two weeks have passed since you first matched with Ted. And things were going great! You two texted constantly all throughout the day. Once the ice was broken, you had discovered that you and Ted actually had a lot in common.

Things were going so well, in fact, that you decided you were ready for a date. You both agreed to meet at this really nice restaurant in a few days. You weren't going to lie, you were pretty excited.

You were lounging at home after one of your shifts, scrolling through social media on your phone. After messaging Ted again, you figured you should give Mikey an update. Both so he could see his plan was working and so someone knew where you were going to be. Y’know, in case Ted was an ax-wielding serial killer. Hate when that happens.

Pizza Queen:

Hey Mike! Just wanted to let you know that your girl's got a date on Friday!

It wasn't very long until his response. 

Mike Wazowski:

Dudette thats awesome! When and where?

Pizza Queen:

Alberto's at 7:00

Mike Wazowski:

Bro i herd that place is fancy as balls. Hope you have fun!

You chuckled at Mikey's text. He had such a way with words. You put your phone away and began getting ready for your five-star TV dinner.

The next day you went dress shopping after work because after sifting through your closet, you'd come to the realization that your selection of fancy clothing could be better. And you wanted to look your best!

You went to a discount dress shop, cause who can afford nice things in this economy am I right? You scoured the aisles, searching for the one. You know, the one that just pops and says, 'You may have thought of me as some country bumpkin, but now with my hair down, I'm awesome!'.

After searching and searching, you came across a beautiful gown. It was pale blue with a sweetheart neckline and had an A-line skirt that ended at the knees. It was classy, but it still definitely showed off your figure. You gasped in delight as you grabbed it and raced for the dressing room. To your utter delight, it fit like a glove!

You looked at the price tag and saw it was a little out of your range, but it was so beautiful that there was no way you were leaving without it. You'd just skip a few meals to make up for the cost.

You walked out of the store, bag in hand with a large grin on your face. You hadn't felt this upbeat and positive in a long time. You were actually looking forward to this date! Maybe Mikey was onto something.

As you waited for your taxi, you pulled out your phone and texted Ted.

(Y/n):

Just bought my dress. I'm so excited for Friday! :)

A taxi pulled up next to you so you put your phone away and stepped into the vehicle. Once your seat belt was fastened, you felt your phone buzz. Ted sent a thumbs up. Nothing more. 

Huh. You shook it off, figuring that he was busy.

The day finally arrived. You took the day off from work cause your nerves were practically making you sick. Your stomach felt jittery and you couldn't seem to sit still for very long.

As the sun set and your date got closer and closer, you began to get ready. You did your hair and makeup, feeling fierce. You slid on your dress and some comfortable sandals. You didn't feel like death by high heels suited you. You looked in the mirror and twirled. The skirt of the dress swirled around you majestically. You squealed and flapped your hands around, too excited to contain yourself.

You took a quick mirror selfie and sent it to Mikey. You figured he'd like to see proof of you actually putting yourself out there again. A couple of minutes passed and Mikey responded with heart-eye emojis and orange hearts. You giggled softly at his over-the-top reaction. He sent you a good luck gif as well and you sent him one offering hugs in return.

You checked the time and saw you had about 15 minutes before you were supposed to meet Ted at Alberto’s. You grabbed your purse and zipped out the door. Once seated in the taxi, you sent a text to your date letting him know you were on your way. You looked out the window and watched as gray clouds began to roll across the sky. You hoped it wouldn’t start raining before you got back to your apartment. You hated being out and about during anything but nice weather.

Before long, the cab pulled up in front of the restaurant. There was already quite a long line of well-dressed patrons hoping to get a table. Thankfully, you had a reservation. You paid the fare and stepped inside the fancy building. Chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling, cast the interior in a warm glow, giving the whole place a romantic atmosphere. Someone played a grand piano in the middle of the room, quiet melodies filling the air. To sum up, the whole place was gorgeous and you hoped you didn’t stand out as much as you felt you did.

You gave your name to the hostess and she showed you to your table. Ted wasn’t there yet. You checked your phone to see that you didn’t have any new messages. You smiled at the hostess as you sat down at the empty table. You asked for water as you waited for your date. A shiny glass of the refreshing beverage was placed in front of you. You sipped on it as you checked your phone again. You texted Ted that you were at the restaurant and you were wondering if he was on his way.

After a couple of minutes of waiting for a response, your waitress asked if you wanted anything to start. You declined, hoping to eat only when your date arrived. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be happening. You waited for five minutes, then ten, then twenty. After thirty minutes, you felt your eyes start to sting with unshed tears. While the waitress was gone, you threw down some cash to pay for the water and dashed out of the restaurant.

It was dark and cloudy outside. You stepped away from the bustle of the front door and pulled out your phone. You dialed Ted’s number and it went straight to voicemail. You sighed shakily and checked your dating app. You tried to pull up Ted’s profile, but it showed that you were no longer matched. Water droplets began to drip onto your screen. You looked up to see if it was raining, but it was your own tears that began to leak.

You couldn’t believe you had been stood up like this. After all the pep talks and confidence boosts, you had been feeling like a whole new woman. But now, standing on a cold sidewalk with tears slowly cascading down your cheeks, you felt broken once more. You really thought that you and Ted were clicking. You bonded over common interests and the casual flirting was fun! Why did he do this to you?

‘Leo wouldn’t have done this to me.’

Your eyes widened as you processed that thought. You were right, Leonardo definitely would not have done this. And not just because he was a giant mutant turtle who couldn’t go into fancy restaurants. Leo always acted like a gentleman, and he would almost definitely do the same on a date. More tears raced down your face, unable to contain all the emotions swirling through your head.

Before you could fully comprehend what you were doing, your thumb was hovering over Leo’s contact in your phone. His number was already being dialed.

Chapter Text

“Hello? (y/n)?"

Your breath hitched at hearing Leo’s confused voice over the phone. “H-Huh? Leo? I didn't mean to call you. Sorry.” 

Just as you were about to hang up, Leo spoke, breaking you out of your trance. “ Wait! Don't hang up! What's wrong? I thought you were on your date? ”

You chewed on your lip as you thought over your next words carefully. “The date… didn’t go so well. I’m, uh…” You didn’t quite know how to explain your situation without fully accepting the fact you had been stood up. Verbally addressing that fact made it seem too real.

“What happened?” Leo’s voice became serious and quiet. It was clear he was waiting on your every word.

“Ted… never showed up. A-And he blocked and unmatched me.”

…

“He what?” Leo’s voice dropped dangerously low and full of silent anger. A shiver ran down your spine.

“I-It’s no big deal, really. I don’t even know why I called you, to be honest. I-I’m sorry for bothering you.” Your voice cracked as tears began to well in your eyes once more.

“... You said you were going to Alberto’s, right?”

You glanced up at the lit-up sign on the front of the restaurant. ‘Alberto’s’ was in a fancy cursive font, glowing in a warm yellow. Just 45 minutes ago that sign had filled you with excitement. “Yeah, I am.”

“Okay. Stay put, I’ll be right there.”

Your eyes widened at that, “Leo, you don’t have to do that. I’m fine, seriously.” You eyed a couple as they walked past you into the restaurant. You sighed softly to yourself.

“Too late, I’m on my way. Be there in 10.” Leo hung up after that, leaving you on the dark sidewalk by yourself. Even if he wasn’t with you in person, his voice alone had calmed you considerably. You hadn’t felt that before. 

You wandered over to an empty bench near the restaurant. You sat down, your bare legs shivering from contact with the cold seat. You held your phone in your hands, staring down at the dark screen. You couldn’t believe Leo was coming to help you, after everything you did to him. You bit your lip as your eyelids drooped. You weren’t sure what he saw in you.

You always had problems with your self-esteem. It had gotten better over the years, especially when you had Derrick, whom you had believed loved and cherished you. This in turn helped you think you were someone worth loving. But then Derrick’s affection lessened and lessened, making your self-doubt reappear. After the break-up, you wallowed in self-pity and loathing, believing yourself to be someone no one would love. But then Mikey had encouraged you to move on and “put yourself back out there.” And texting Ted was great! His flirty comments pushed away your insecurities and made you think you were lovable again. But then he didn’t show up. And all those dark thoughts began filling your brain and heart once more.

A couple of drops of water landed on your phone. Your eyes widened as you felt around your tear ducts with your fingertips. You weren’t currently crying so the drops couldn’t have been from you. You looked up and saw the gray clouds from earlier had gathered and started a downpour. Your shoulders slumped in defeat. 

“This just isn’t my night,” you mumbled to yourself. As you stood up to find shelter, you heard a familiar voice whisper-shout behind you.

“Psst! (Y/n), in the alley!” You turned to face the alley next to Alberto’s that appeared to be vacant. You approached it, knowing that a comforting face was hiding in the shadows. As you approached, you could make out Leo’s figure hiding next to a dumpster. Before you could greet him, a green hand reached out and pulled you towards him.

Suddenly, you were no longer getting sprinkled on. Leo was holding an old blue umbrella, the tines bent in some places but still holding the canopy together. He made sure the two of you were safely under the surface of the umbrella, resulting in you both being in close quarters with each other. You quickly recovered from being startled by the sudden movement and smiled sadly at Leonardo. You couldn’t keep the facade up and your face turned downcast.

Leo’s free hand twitched at his side. He longed to hold you close to him until your sadness disappeared, but he knew that wasn’t the right move at that moment. Instead, he held the umbrella over you in silence, waiting for you to either speak or not.

After a minute or two of just the sound of rain pitter-pattering off your shelter, you looked back up at Leo. He wasn’t looking at you, instead keeping an eye on your surroundings for any bystanders. The corner of your mouth twitched upwards. Leo was always on duty it seemed, and tonight was no exception. You sighed, your eyes drifting back towards the damp ground.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to-”

“Don’t apologize. You didn’t make me do anything. I’m glad you called me.”

Your eyes widened in surprise when Leo cut you off. He was normally so polite, so he really must not have wanted to hear you apologize again. You then realized that Leo didn’t care where you were, what you were doing, or what time it was. If you needed help with anything, physically or emotionally, he was going to be there for you. Your cheeks warmed up and you gazed in astonishment up at your hero in a half-shell.

Leo met your eyes and smiled back at you, seeing your thoughts play behind your wide eyes. He must’ve known what you were thinking as he slowly wrapped his free arm around your shoulders. “I would do anything for you, (y/n).”

Tears pricked your eyes as you subconsciously leaned into Leo’s hold, voice rising in volume, “But why? I haven’t done anything to deserve your affection. In fact, all I’ve done is prove I’m no good for you!”

Leo was taken aback by your exclamation. He had no idea you thought about yourself that way. “Why? Honestly, I’m not entirely sure myself. I’m still pretty new to feeling like this. All I know is that your presence in my life makes every day better than the last. Your hospitality, generosity, acceptance, and even your sense of humor make you a wonderful person. You’re not perfect, of course, you’re not. But that doesn’t make you any less worthy of affection.”

You stared in rapt fascination at Leo all throughout his speech. No one had ever spoken about you like that before. Tears began to fall full force down your cheeks and you hugged Leo tightly. You buried your face in Leo’s plastron as his arm tightened around your upper back. You sobbed into Leo’s hard chest, tears and snot flowing down your face. You were definitely not a cute crier.

After a couple of minutes, your body stopped shaking and your breathing evened out. Your tears stopped running and you pulled yourself away from Leo, his arm falling back to his side. You grimaced at the wet spot on Leo’s plastron, you wiped it off with your arm. You rubbed your nose with the back of your hand, “Ugh, sorry about that. I’m an ugly crier.”

Leo chuckled and shook his head, “It’s alright, really. And there is nothing ugly about you.” Leo’s eyes widened when he realized what he just said. When did he get so bold? His cheeks lit up in a darker green as his cobalt eyes darted around.

Your face also warmed up considerably. You were not expecting Leo to flirt with you just now. Or maybe ever. But what shocked you more was that you didn’t hate the way his comment made butterflies dance in your tummy. You smiled up at Leo, feeling your whole body become warm and fuzzy. It was like everything just clicked. You wanted to spend more time with the turtle, one and one. Before you could even think about what you were going to say, the words just fell out of your mouth, “Would you like to go out some time?”

…

Leo choked on his own spit at your question. Did you really just ask him that? His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as he stared down at you. Your face was a bright red but your eyes held conviction. You were serious about this. “Uh, w-with me?” Leo wanted to facepalm at his stupid question. Who else could you possibly have been talking to?

To his relief, you giggled at his awkward behavior. You nodded your head, “Yes, with you, silly. I like you, Leo, and I would love to spend more time with you, just the two of us. And I would love to see where this goes.”

Leo nervously licked his chapped lips (beak?) and his eyes darted around before landing on you once more. A smile twitched onto his face as his shoulders released tension he hadn’t realized had gathered. “I would love nothing more than to go on a date with you.”

A bright smile broke across your face, your eyes glistening in the dark. But they were no longer shiny from unshed tears. You gave Leo another tight hug, “Thank you, Leo, for everything. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for how I acted before.”

“Before?” Leo’s head tilted in confusion.

You nodded before elaborating, “When I didn’t fully accept or reject your feelings. And then I practically shoved my date in your face. It wasn’t nice of me.”

Leo shook his head, a gentle smile pulling across his emerald complexion, “There’s nothing to be sorry for. No hard feelings. But if it makes you feel better, I forgive you.”

You beamed up at him and squeezed him again. As you pulled away, Leo pressed the handle of the umbrella in your hand so you could stay dry on your walk home. You grinned as you stepped away from him, “So when’s our date?”

Leo thought for a moment, “Sunday at 8:00 work for you? Just come to the Lair, I’m already planning something.” True to his word, his thinking face was in place, a plan coming to fruition behind his azure eyes. You gave him one more smile and wave before doing a giddy skip in the direction of your apartment.

Sunday rolled around unbearably slowly. It felt like it took years just for those couple of days to pass. But eventually, you found yourself making the familiar trek down to the bowels of New York’s sewer and subway system. Your hands flapped by your sides as you walked, your excitement and nervous energy too much to contain.

You quickly approached the Lair, the turnstiles clicking softly as you walked through them. They seemed to have been well maintained over the years, not being able to rust due to constant use. You looked around and didn’t see any of the turtles immediately. “Hello? Leo?”

The turtle in question seemed to drop in from out of nowhere, causing your heart to skip a beat. You bit back a yelp of surprise to try to maintain some dignity. “(Y/n)! You’re early! Sorry, I wanted to greet you properly when you got here.”

You smiled easily at the awkward ninja, your heart full of affection, “You’re fine Leo, I was just a little nervous so I wanted to get here earlier than planned.” Leo let a breath go, a sense of relief flooding through him from the knowledge that you were nervous too.

“Well, um, welcome. Uh, we got the whole Lair to ourselves while the others are out on patrol. So we have a couple hours of privacy,” Leo vaguely gestured to the area around you guys. “So I thought we could just hang out and watch something, if that’s okay?”

You grinned up at him, “That sounds lovely. What did you wanna watch?” You began walking to the center of the large space, your legs leading you to the TV. Leo followed behind you, his hand scratching the back of his neck anxiously.

“I was thinking of maybe showing you my favorite show?” You turned towards him, your expression softening at the man. He normally held a subtle confidence, his stature of leader being obvious to anyone. But at that moment, he looked like any other awkward young adult on their first date.

“Space Heroes, right?” His eyes brightened when you remembered and he nodded his head, a twinkle in those ocean blue orbs. “I’d love that! The movie was pretty interesting so I’m excited to see the show it originated from.”

Leo’s shoulders slumped, not in dejection but from even more relief as he pulled a plastic crate from behind the television. It was full of VHS tapes, bringing you back to your childhood when VHS was the mainstream way to watch movies. He sifted through it before pulling out a case that was clearly well-loved. The color from the print was almost completely faded, just snippets of letters and line-art remaining. “Okay, here’s the first season.”

You watched as he delicately pulled the black tape out of its worn case and gently placed it in the slot of the VCR. He hit rewind and the nostalgic sound of the tape being spun back filled the air. You huffed a quiet laugh, “I don’t think I’ve even seen a tape in years. I’m surprised you still have these.”

Leo nodded, a smile brightening his handsome features, “I know right? Unfortunately, Space Heroes never got ported to DVD, so these tapes are all I have. I’m sure there are pirated episodes online, but I want to be a true Spacenik and purchase them legally, to support the creators in some way.”

You chuckled softly at the nickname for the fandom as the loud click of the tape finishing being rewound sounded. Leo hit the play button and shuffled over to the couch. He sat down near the end and glanced at you. You were still standing near the TV You smiled at Leo and sat next to him, about a foot of space between the two of you.

The cheesy opening for the show began, clips of characters throughout the series showing to introduce you to the cast. It was the most 70s cartoon you could imagine. You chuckled softly to yourself at the stilted animation. This was going to be interesting. 

Episode one started, just throwing you into the universe. It didn't feel like a pilot, not bothering to introduce new watchers to their characters or the “futuristic” setting of space. You leaned back into the couch, eyes focused on the screen. You knew how important this show was to Leo, so you had to pay attention.

Well, one episode turned into two, then four, and suddenly you two were at the season finale. At some point, you two had subtly scooted closer to each other, barely an inch of space between yours and his thighs.

As the episode began playing, Leo yawned quietly and rested his arm along the back of the couch. You bit your lip to keep from laughing. This dork was just too adorably cliché. You rolled your eyes playfully before reaching up to his hand and gently placing it along your shoulders. 

Leo stiffened before relaxing into it, his large hand cupping your shoulder comfortably. You scooted into him, bodies flush together. You rested your head on his chest- front shell thing. You'd have to ask him about turtle anatomy at some point.

You felt a rumble reverberate from his chest. He loudly cleared his throat to cover and stop the sound. You glanced up at his face to see his eyes avoiding you and his cheeks lit up in a very bright blush. You weren't sure what that was, but you figured it must've been embarrassing for the mutant.

The epic two-part finale came to an end, the screen turning black as the tape stopped. Leo hit the rewind button on the remote and the VCR whirred back to life as the tape was returned to the beginning.

After it clicked, signaling the VHS was ready to eject, Leo didn't get up to retrieve it. Instead, he turned off the TV and subtly squeezed you closer to him. Blushing at his boldness, you looked up at him. His brilliant blue eyes met yours and he smiled down at you.

Neither of you spoke, both content with cuddling in silence. That was until loud voices began echoing off the empty sewer tunnels. Almost completely synchronized, you two launched to either side of the couch, putting as much distance as possible between you.

You pulled out your phone in an attempt to look casual as the other turtles came to greet you. Leo busied himself with putting the VHS away. “What up, dudette?” You looked up from your blank phone screen to see an excited Mikey beaming at you.

You stood up and he offered a hand for a high five (three?). You happily slapped his large hand and he pulled you into a tight hug. “What are you doing here? I thought Leo was just sulking alone tonight.” You could hear the eye roll that the leader in blue gave his younger brother.

You chuckled before your eyes widened slightly, realizing that Leo hadn't told the others that you guys were on a date. You guessed he wanted to keep it on the down low, so you wanted to oblige him. “Yeah he was and my best friend sense was tingling, so I came down here to harass him and keep him company.”

You could sense Leo's relief when you played along with it. Mikey nodded in understanding, as he himself often bothered his brothers when he thought they were lonely. His baby blue eyes darted to the crate of VHS tapes, “You watched Space Heroes with him? Man, he's gonna get hyperfixed again!”

“Hyperfixated, Mikey.” Donnie easily corrected as he slid up next to you guys, a bottle of water in hand. “And yeah, probably.”

“Thanks a lot, (y/n), now we'll never hear the end of Captain Brian.” Raph joined the group, a playfully annoyed tone deep in his voice.

“Captain Ryan, I swear you forget his name just to tick me off.” Leo finally finished what he was doing and sidled up to you. You couldn't help the smile that you flashed at him, cheeks warming up slightly. Leo gave a subtle smile in return before looking at his brothers with an unamused expression. “Well, you guys won't have to worry about my fixations, ‘cause now I've got someone who won't make fun of me.”

Raph rolled his eyes, his piercing gaze landing on you, “Seriously, I thought you had slightly decent taste. You actually like that garbage?”

You felt Leo tense ever so slightly next to you, obviously desperate for your opinion to match his. “Well, to be honest, I wasn't expecting much. But it's actually a good show! We watched the whole first season and it's awesome!”

The three collective groans that rang out couldn't cover the ecstatic gasp that came from beside you. Leo had the brightest smile on his face and his hands flapped at his side from pure joy. “Really?! Aw yeah, another person joins the fandom!”

“And we lost her. Well, it was nice knowing you, (y/n).” Mikey patted your shoulder dejectedly before slumping away to his room. You shook your head with a laugh at the theatrics.

“It was nice seeing you guys, but I actually gotta go.”

Leo perked up, “I can walk you home. It's late, you shouldn't be out alone.” You smiled at him, thankful for the company and protection. 

You gave Donnie and fist bump and playfully punched Raph in the shoulder. “Good night, you guys. I'll see you later.” The two middle children bid you farewell as you and Leo made your way out of the Lair. 

On the journey to your apartment, the air between you two was filled with chatter about the dorky cartoon you just spent the last couple of hours watching. You weren't lying when you said you enjoyed it. The characters were actually pretty compelling and futuristic technology was cool.

You two stood in the alley next to your building. You were about to tell him goodnight when two strong arms suddenly lifted you up. You startled and realized Leo was holding you bridal style. Without warning, he leaped up and easily carried you to your third-floor balcony.

He set you down on the rickety floor and scratched the back of his neck, “S-Sorry for not warning you.” You shook your head, your hair a mess from the climb. You smoothed it down, “Don't worry about it! That was way faster than climbing the stairs.”

Leo chuckled as his eyes watched you adoringly. “I had a lot of fun tonight.” His cheeks were a darker green once more, signaling his blush.

You tucked a stray hair behind your ear, “I did too. I can't wait to see what our second date has to offer. But don't worry, I'll plan that one.” You winked at him, his eyes practically alight with stars.

“That sounds amazing! Well, um, good night.” Before he could turn to leave, you grabbed his shoulder and stood on your toes. You pressed your lips against his scaly cheek softly.

Leo immediately stiffened, frozen from the bold action. You laughed, covering your mouth with your hand. Though you had acted confident, you were trembling and your face was on fire. “That was for last time.”

Leo blinked once. Then twice. Then he moved, the spell finally breaking. “O-Oh, you mean the-?” He gestured to his forehead, referencing when he gave you what he thought was a secret kiss when you were supposed to be asleep. You nodded, a mischievous glint in your eyes.

Leo chuckled breathily before shaking out his hands, “Great! Well. Uh, good night. For real, this time.” Before you could pull any more tricks, Leo hopped off the balcony. You sighed dreamily after he was gone and went inside, goosebumps covering your skin. Whether that was from the chilly temperature or your rapidly beating heart, you weren't sure. But you had a fairly good idea.

Chapter Text

“Ughhhhhh that won't work either!” You threw your head back, your chair rolling backwards from the action. You were vibing with Donnie in his lab that afternoon. You were desperately trying to plan your second date with Leo, but all your ideas either weren't good enough or weren't fit for Leo. Turns out, most date ideas aren't suited for a mutant who can't be seen by other people. 

 You needed a quiet place to think, and Donnie had offered the peace of his lab as a safe haven to hide from the chaos of his brothers. You were also hoping that you’d absorb some of Donnie’s genius through osmosis and get a big brained idea. But that didn’t seem to be working so far.

“What's wrong?” You glanced at Donnie who wasn't looking at you, too busy with whatever new contraption was in his hands.

You spun around in your chair, eyes staring at the ceiling. You bit your lip, thinking on how to phrase it. “I’m trying to plan a hang out for someone who hates crowds. They can’t be around other people. And hanging out at either of our places all the time gets stale, you know?” You glanced at Donnie, whose tongue was slightly sticking out of his mouth in concentration. His gaze still never left the device in his hands.

He reached for a screwdriver, “What about a rooftop hang out? You can have music, snacks, games, ect. It’s more interesting than being indoors but still safe from other people. You live on the top floor right?”

A bright light flashed as you got an idea. You looked at Donnie and saw the small metal box was brightly lit. “What is that?” The box was no bigger than a deck of cards. It was covered in twinkling lights, mimicking the way stars gleam in and out in the night sky.

“Oh it’s basically a night light for one of my brothers. He really likes the idea of sleeping under the stars. He also isn’t a fan of the pitch dark anymore.” Donnie explained, with a soft smile on his face as he did one final examination of his finished project. Those lights actually gave you an idea.

“That’s so sweet! I’m sure Mikey’s gonna love it!”

Donnie’s eyes widened before he smiled nervously at you, “Huh? Oh y-yeah, this is definitely for Mikey and not anybody else!”

…

“It’s for Raph, isn’t it?”

Donnie jerked his body in a stiff flinch, “W-What? I have no idea- yeah, it is. Do not tell him you know! He’d give me a swirlie for sure.”

You laughed at the very vivid image of Raph shoving Donnie’s head in the toilet. That was just so very middle child-like to do. “Your secret’s safe with me, Don. I don’t why he has to be so sensitive. It’s okay not to be a badass all the time.”

Donnie rolled his mahogany eyes and shrugged, “You’re telling me. Anyway, did you figure out what you’re doing with Leo?”

“Yeah! I- wait what?? H-How..?” You stared incredulously at Donnie, your jaw hanging slightly. The purple-clad turtle just had a smug grin on his face.

Donnie chuckled at your expression, “C’mon, you doubt my genius? Last week when Leo didn’t go on patrol and just ended up hanging out with you for hours? And I’m not blind, I saw that dopey grin on his face after he walked you home.” Throughout Donnie’s explanation, your face became more red with embarrassment at being caught so easily. The nerdy ninja seemed to notice and tried to placate you, “It’s okay, really. I’m glad to see Leo actually smiling and being able to enjoy himself. And if you guys are trying to keep it a secret for now, don’t worry. The others are too dense or inattentive to notice.”

You bit your lip nervously, “And you won’t tell them either?” 

Donnie nodded with a relaxed smile, “Leo put up with my crush for years, even let me talk to him about it. It’s the least I can do in return.”

You got up from your chair and gave Don a tight hug. He chuckled at the gesture and loosely wrapped his long arms around you. You sometimes forgot how tall and lanky the guy was. He was close to seven feet tall but was always so gentle with you. You pat his shell before pulling away. “Thanks, Dee. Now if you excuse me, I’ve got a date to plan.” Donnie bid you farewell as you skedaddled out of the Lair. As you were leaving, you pulled out your phone.

(Y/N):

Hey Lee, what’s your opinion on dancing?

You didn’t get a response from the leader until you had reached your apartment. As you walked in, your phone buzzed in your pocket.

Bluey:

Wow I haven’t heard that name in forever. Can’t say I have much experience with dancing. But it was fun when we’ve had parties in the past. Why?

You grinned at your phone screen without even realizing it. It seemed that even just reading his voice made you smile.

(Y/N):

Oh no reason. On a completely different note, you wanna meet at my place this Saturday for our second date? 8:00?

Leo’s next response was almost immediate. It’s honestly impressive how fast he can text with only six fingers.

Bluey:

Yes! 

I mean

Yeah I can probably make that work :)

You laughed aloud at Leo’s attempt to act smooth and calm. He was so cute. You glanced at your calendar to see that Saturday was in two days.

(Y/N):

Great! Then I will see you then! PS bring a corsage ;)

Leo sent a thumbs up emoji as well as asking about your favorite flower. You answered and your alarm for work went off. You forgot you took an extra shift that day to make some extra cash. You sighed as you got your uniform on and set off to your exhilarating job at the grocery store.

The next two days passed and you felt like your heart was going to burst from your chest. You were jittery and pumped and terrified all at the same time. You weren’t going to lie, you were surprised by how excited you were for this next date. Pleasantly surprised.

Your roof was all set up and prepared for the night. You were pacing your apartment, counting the seconds until Leo was supposed to arrive. You anxiously chewed on your painted nails before realizing your mistake. You grimaced at the now-chipped paint before shaking your hands out at your side. You needed to get rid of this nervous energy before-

Knock Knock Knock.

You startled out of your pacing and jerked your body to your window. “He’s here.” You took a few calming breaths before approaching your balcony. You opened the curtain to reveal Leonardo, standing on the balcony, a small box and a bouquet of flowers in hand. You beamed at him as you opened the glass door, “Leo! Welcome!”

Leo smiled at you in return before his eyes widened. “Whoa. Uh, you look beautiful!” You blushed and looked down, almost forgetting that you had dressed up for this occasion. You were wearing a blue cocktail dress, the same shade as his mask. It had a halter top neckline with lacey mesh over your clavicle. Your waist was cinched in and the bottom of the dress flared out, giving you an hourglass shape. You finished the look with black flats and a simple makeup look.

“Thank you, I have something special planned for tonight.” You gripped the hem of your dress, smiling up at him shyly.

Leo handed you the small plastic box, revealing a simple corsage, “I imagine it has something to do with this? I had no idea what it was when you asked. After a quick Google search, I realized I had to make one myself, so that’s a real flower. Oh, speaking of, here!” He handed you the bouquet as well. It was a modest collection of your favorite flower.

You nodded with a grin and took both items from him. “Oh this is beautiful, Leo! Hold on.” You set the corsage down before searching your apartment. You quickly found a clear glass vase and filled it with water. You placed the flowers in it and set the vase in the middle of your coffee table. The centerpiece really brightened up the whole place.

You went back to the corsage and took it out of its package. True to his word, it was made from a real flower hot glued to what looked like an elastic hair tie. He must’ve stolen one from you cause it looked awfully familiar. You chuckled, sliding it onto your wrist. You loved it either way. You then turned back to Leo, who was just watching you with a soft smile on his face.

“Now for you.” You reached under the table and pulled out a blue bowtie. It was a fake tie he could just put around his neck, as there was no way he was fitting into a shirt. Leo accepted the bowtie with an inquisitive look on his face.

“Okayyy? Would you please explain what’s going on?” Leo slipped the bowtie over his head and it settled at the base of his neck. 

You adjusted it so it sat straight, “Wellll, I was trying to figure out something fun we could do. After some thinking, I decided to give you your own prom night!”

Leo’s eyes widened, his head tilting, “Prom? You mean that dance that high schoolers do?”

You nodded, an ecstatic grin on your face. “It’s a huge moment for most teens. And I imagine you didn’t get to have an opportunity to go to any school dances, or school in general. So I’ve got a night full of music, dancing, and something special planned for us!” Your spread your arms out, smile turning sheepish. “That is, if you’re okay with that?”

Leo couldn’t help the smile that graced his handsome features. Your eyes held a glimmer of hope and excitement. It was adorable. “That sounds really fun, (y/n). You’re right, that’s definitely a part of life neither me nor my brothers got to experience. It’s really thoughtful of you to do all this.”

You wiggled your body happily and then took his hand, “It’s what I do. Now come on, Prom awaits!” You led Leo back outside to your balcony and gestured to the ladder. “You mind going up first?” You gestured to your dress and its fairly short hemline.

Leo blushed brightly and nodded, averting his eyes and easily scaling the ladder to reach the rooftop. You followed quickly after him. Once on the roof, Leo’s eyes widened as he took in the scene. You had set up a large speaker with a dance mat and there was a tent on the other side of the roof. “You did all of this?”

“Well, yeah. I wanted you to have a fun and memorable night.” Leo glanced down at your comment and grinned. Despite your confident tone, you were fiddling with your dress again, giving away your nervousness.

Leo gently took your hand, your small appendage engulfed by his large fingers. His ‘thumb’ stroked your wrist, spreading goosebumps across your skin like stars in its wake. “Well, Miss Prom Queen, what’s first on the agenda?”

Your face had heated up from Leo’s soft affections, but your flustered state quickly gave way to excitement once more. “Well, we dance!” You pulled him over to the ‘dance floor’, which was just a thin plastic mat to give you guys an even surface to dance on. You grabbed your phone and selected the playlist you had curated for that night. Music began to flow out of the speaker. The first song was an easy going yet bouncy tune, definitely made to get your body moving to the beat.

Your body began swaying in rhythm with the song. Leo's foot was tapping with the beat but that was it. It was clear he was nervous and not sure what to do. You rolled your eyes with a smile and took his large hands. You waved them around, making Leo look ridiculous but it also made a large smile break out on his face.

Leo was able to shake his nerves and started dancing on his own volition. You grinned and started doing the stereotypical disco dance. Leo laughed and did the sprinkler in return. You smirked, “Oh it's on!”

That started a competition of who could do the most cheesy and cliché dance moves. You won the contest after flossing. Leo covered his eyes, “No, anything but that!”

“Haha! Floss to assert dominance!” You cheered and stopped the cringey dance move. Leo couldn't help but laugh as the party songs suddenly halted and smooth ballads began playing. 

You blushed as you realized this is where the slow songs were now playing. You curated your playlist to start with fun, bouncy music to ease the nerves. Then the songs would get more and more slow and romantic, so you and Leo could slow dance together. Ideally, at least.

You cleared your throat and offered your hand, “May I have this dance?” Leo took your appendage with his own, a light flush on his cheeks. He nodded.

You closed the distance between you two and placed your free hand on his shoulder. You couldn't help but marvel at the muscles beneath your fingers. You definitely wanted to feel those up later.

Leo coughed quietly, “I, um, don't really know how to do this.”

You smiled at him, no judgment in your eyes. “That's okay, I'll teach you. First, you can put your other hand on my waist.”

Leo's eyes widened before nodding. He hesitantly placed his calloused hand on your waist, his touch light as a feather. “Good! Now, just follow my lead. We're gonna go in a square. Right foot first.”

You led Leo through a basic waltz, the ninja able to keep light on his feet despite not knowing what he was doing. You were grateful for that, cause you didn't want to break a toe if he stepped on you.

After a few rounds, Leo seemed to get the hang of it. With a mischievous sparkle in eyes, he spun you out and brought you back in. You were not prepared for this, and you squeaked as you twirled, your skirt fluttering with the motion. As you were spun back to him, you gently collided with his hard chest. You looked up at him, a breathless smile on your blushing face.

Leo was beaming down at you, clearly having the time of his life. Your stomach fluttered once your eyes met. You felt a chill run down your spine and you shivered.

“Are you cold?” Leo’s gaze became concerned. You definitely weren’t, but you also weren't ready to tell Leo that it was himself that was giving you chills.

So you just shrugged, “Maybe a little. But that's okay! We can move to the next part of our date!” Leo's head quirked as you took his hand again. 

When had you become so comfortable doing that? 

You led him to the tent that had gone unaddressed until now.

“I've always wanted to gaze at the stars on a date, but, you know, light pollution exists. So I have the next best thing.” You crawled inside the tent and gestured for Leo to follow. You sat down and pat the spot next to you. Leo gladly took it.

You leaned forward and tapped a button on a small dome sitting on the ground in front of you. Immediately, it lit up and projected a dazzling starry sky on the ceiling of the tent. Leo's eyes widened, “Whoa…” It was the closest to actual stars he'd seen since leaving April's farm house those years ago.

While Leo was distracted, you reached over to the side and grabbed a Polaroid camera. “You can't have prom without taking some pictures!” You held the camera up so the lense was facing you and Leo. “Say cheese!” You and Leo grinned into the camera as the bulb flashed. A small photo was printed. 

“Now a silly one.” You put bunny ears behind Leo's head as he crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue. You laughed as the light flashed. “Okay, one more normal one.” As Leo smiled at the lense, you suddenly leaned in and kissed his cheek. You took the picture, hoping to catch Leo's adorably surprised expression.

You giggled at Leo's blush as you waited for the photos to develop. You set them aside and laid down on your back. “C'mon Leo, let's look at the stars!” He chuckled and laid next to you.

Without hesitation, you scooted closer and rested your head on his chest. His arm wrapped around you easily as your own laid across his front. You two were basically intertwined as you laid under the stars.

You sighed in content, a warm fuzzy feeling encompassing your entire being. You definitely liked the way being around Leo made you feel.

You sighed blissfully and snuggled closer to him, your legs practically tangling with his muscular ones. You then bit back a snicker as you came up with an idea.

You lifted your hand and pointed at a cluster of twinkles, “You see those stars?”

Leo tilted his head, trying to find the ones you were gesturing to. “Um, yeah?”

“That's a constellation. It's the brave lion, also known as Leo.” You grinned at your date, hoping he'd go along with it.

Leo laughed, knowing there were no real constellations in the lights. He'd researched the subject with his fascination with space. “Oh really? I didn't know that.” Leo then picked a random spot, “Well that cluster there is the adorable and funny maiden, also known as (y/n).”

You blushed at his obvious flirting, butterflies fluttering in your tummy. “What a coincidence. Those stars make up Nardo, the charming and handsome turtle.”

It was Leo's time to blush. He was not ready for you to remark on his appearance, especially not in a positive way. “I-I'm sure Nardo would be honored to hear you call him that.”

You lowered your eyelids and smirked at Leo, waiting for him to make eye contact with you. Once he did, you whispered, “I'll be sure to let him know once I see him.”

Leo's blush brightened and he had to look away to keep himself from kissing you on the spot. Once his eyes were averted, he heard a quiet yawn. He glanced back over at you to see you covering your mouth with your hand.

“Are you tired? Wait, what time is it?” Leo pulled out his T-Phone and saw it was close to 11:00. “Oh wow. You should probably get back inside. It's late.”

You pouted and laid your head back on his chest, “I don't wanna.”

Leo laughed, the sound causing pleasant vibrations to echo through you. “I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, I am too, but rest is important. I won't let you deprive yourself of sleep, especially because of me.”

You sighed (very dramatically, I might add), before reluctantly sitting up. You turned off your little projector and carried it and the camera out of the tent. You looked at the now developed pictures, “Oh these turned out great!”

You showed them to Leo and he grinned at the photos. “Do you wanna keep any?” Leo nodded and took the goofy picture. “Oh there's only three, let's get one more to even it out.”

You held up the camera and pressed your head next to Leo's so your cheeks were touching. “Cheese!” The bulb flashed and the photo printed. “I'll keep that one. You can take this one.” You handed Leo the photo of you kissing Leo on the cheek. 

You sighed and looked around at the rooftop. “I'll clean this up later, I don’t have the motivation to deal with it right now.”

Leo chuckled. “I feel that. Let's get you inside, it's getting cold.”

You nodded and followed him back to the ladder to lead you to your balcony. You climbed down first and he was right behind you. Once safely on the ground, you two faced each other.

“Thank you for an amazing night, (y/n). This was so much fun!” Leo beamed at you, a sparkle in his azure eyes.

You grinned back, “I had a lot of fun too. Probably more than my actual prom.” You fluttered your eyelashes, “I definitely can't wait for our next date.”

Leo nodded in excited agreement, “Me neither! It's my turn to plan this time.”

You two smiled at each other, the breeze fluttering your hair and his mask tails. You noticed his eyes flick down your lips. Were you always standing this close to each tower? When had your hand reached up to his face? Why did it look like he was leaning down?

“RIIIIIING”

You two jumped apart at the loud ringtone of Leo's cell. He grumbled curse words under his breath as he pulled his phone out. “What is it, Mikey?”

You panted softly, realizing you had been holding your breath during that exchange. You could hear Mikey's muffled voice through the speaker. Leo continued to look annoyed. “Seriously? I'll be right there.” Leo hung up, “They can't find Chompy anywhere, so they want me to help look for him.”

You laughed breathlessly, “Of course. You're always on the clock, I guess, Mr Big Brother.”

Leo rolled his eyes, “You have no idea. Anyway, you have a good night. I'll text you when I get home and Chompy's found.” He suddenly leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to your forehead.

He jumped away, your own farewell caught in your throat. Something about that small peck felt so intimate and adoring, it literally left you at a loss for words. Despite Leo's wishes, you had a feeling you weren't getting much sleep that night.

Chapter Text

Leo couldn't stop smiling even if he wanted to. He couldn't believe it. You were actually starting to reciprocate his feelings! He never thought this day would come.

Despite being mildly irritated by his brothers for interrupting the end of his and your date, he couldn't be happier. He had a skip in his step as he made his way down to the sewers.

About halfway home, Leo's phone buzzed with a notification of a text. He pulled out his device, hoping it was from you. Alas, it was Mikey. Turns out, Chompy had somehow made his way into the freezer and was hanging with Ice Cream Kitty.

Leo shook his head and responded with a thumbs-up emoji. His brother's pet was such an odd creature.

As Leo was about to hop over the turnstiles, he realized he was still wearing the bow tie you had given him. He quickly pulled it off and stuffed it into one of his belt pouches, along with the photos. He then leaped into the Lair, hoping his love-struck expression had faded.

“Why do you look like that?”

Guess not. Leo turned to the voice to see Raph looking at him like he'd grown a second head. “Like what?”

“Like you finally got laid.”

Leo's face erupted into a massive blush. He couldn't believe his brother could be so foul and crude! “RAPH!”

Said turtle busted out laughing, knowing exactly how to get under his brother's shell. “I'm just messing with you, Leo. You still don't have the rizz to pull that off.” Leo face palmed, regretting ever letting his brothers have access to the internet.

“I can’t believe you. To answer your question, I saw a limited edition Space Heroes comic book on the way back.” Raph rolled his eyes and groaned, not wanting to hear more. Leo was glad the lie was so easily bought. He still wasn’t ready to tell the others about his dates with you. He wanted to change the subject. “So how did Chompy get in the freezer?”

Raph shook his head and glanced at the small alien on his shoulder, “I have no clue. We don’t even know how long he was in there. He looked happy with Kitty though. Donnie wants to monitor Chompy overnight to make sure there’s no side effects from the cold.”

Leo nodded in understanding before glancing at the clock behind him. He had about 10 minutes before patrol. “Well, I’m glad you found him. I’m gonna get ready.” He slipped away from the conversation and beelined for his bedroom. He closed the door behind him and took out his new belongings.

He smiled at the two pictures and tie. He put the bow tie in the drawer in his bedside table. He then pinned the photo of you giving Leo bunny ears on his corkboard. The board held pictures of his brothers, friends, and his father. And now it held his love. He blushed as he looked at the kissing picture in his hand. He wanted to frame that one. For now, he slid it into the same drawer until he could get his hands on a new picture frame.

And, well. Maybe having a photo of you kissing him out in the open was a bit of a giveaway.

Leo grabbed his swords and made sure the sheaths were secured tightly to his body. He opened his door to see Donnie waiting for him. “What’s up, Don?”

The purple-banded turtle smirked, “How was your date?”

Leo froze. His eyes widened as he turned his gaze to Donnie’s. Leo blinked multiple times to make sure he wasn’t imagining this embarrassing scenario. Unfortunately, he wasn’t. “Uh…”

Donnie chuckled, “Yes, I know about you and (Y/n). I have for a while now. I’m not the resident genius for nothing.” Leo let out a breath of air at the lack of judgment and teasing from his younger brother.

Leo whipped his head around in all directions to make sure no other turtles were eavesdropping. Then he let his dopey smile return, “It was amazing, Dee. We have to go so I’ll tell you about it later. But she is just the best.” Leo’s hand flapped at his side before calming down and donning his aura of stoicness. He walked off, Donnie following with a knowing smile, ready for patrol.

A few days later, Leo found himself pacing back and forth in Donnie’s lab. “Later” had come and he was currently info-dumping to Donnie about his time with (Y/n). “She planned a whole prom night, Donnie! She had music, dancing, and even stargazing all planned out! She brought this nifty little projector to make stars for us.”

Donnie chuckled, now figuring out why you had asked to borrow Raph’s new nightlight. The device was now in his red-clad brother’s room, safely returned as promised. It all made sense now. Donnie realized he had stopped paying attention, but when he focused on Leo again, the older turtle hadn’t stopped talking about you.

“She’s just so sweet and thoughtful. And funny to boot! And I think she actually likes me back, Donnie! I swear she was flirting with me and I’m kind of freaking out about it. I don’t always read emotions right so I- I don’t want to get this wrong.” Leo was scratching his arms as he paced, trying to ground himself. But this was the first time he was able to fully vent about his feelings, and it was all flowing out of him like a waterfall. “I said I’d plan our next date, but I’m drawing a blank. How do I follow- that ??”

Leo stopped talking out loud and was now muttering to himself as he walked back and forth, practically wearing a rut into the floor. Donnie chuckled, remembering being very similar back when he was a teenager. He was very glad he had grown out of his awkward slightly stalker-ish behavior. “Hey, Leo?”

Said turtle stopped in his tracks and his eyes darted to Donnie, “What?”

“You need to stop worrying about it too much,” Don stood up from his desk chair and approached his older brother, “From what you’ve told me, (Y/n) really does like you. And I’m sure she’ll love whatever you put together for your next date. She doesn’t really care what you do as long as you’re there.”

Leo sighed, his shoulders slumping, “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Donnie chuckled, “Well of course I am, I’m the smart one after all.”

Before Leo could retort, an alarm started blaring from Donnie’s computer. The two ninjas dashed to the laptop, Donnie quickly unlocking it to see what the alert was. “It’s my crime alarm. Looks like there’s a break-in at Vern’s Jewelry on Eastman and 5th.” Donnie pulled up the security camera footage. “And it’s our best friends the Purple Dragons.”

Leo nodded, in leader mode, “I’ll grab the others. This shouldn’t be too difficult.”

It turned out to be very difficult. While the Purple Dragons were normally a level one boss fight, something was different this go-round. Hun was there, as well as a woman they’d never seen before. The woman had long purple hair and piercings all over her skin. She wore a black crop top and low-rise pants, revealing her purple dragon tattoo on her lower back. In other words, she was intense.

The new woman seemed to be second in command to Hun. The two worked side by side to keep the turtles at bay while Fong and the other Dragons gathered as much loot as possible. Raph received a roundhouse kick which sent him flying back. Leo managed to catch him before he broke anything else. Raph held his bruised jaw. “Ugh, who is this crazy chick?”

“You can call me Angel. I’ll guide you to your deaths.” The woman, now identified as Angel, spoke with a thick Bronx accent. Leo rolled his eyes. He was pretty tired of homicidal maniacs trying to end himself and his brothers all the time. He sent Mikey and Donnie to take down the goons trying to get away with the stolen jewelry. He and Raph were gonna take on the deadly duo of Hun and Angel.

Before either Dragon could attack Mikey or Donnie, Leo launched himself forward, swords blazing. He was attacking with his blades turned so as to not do lethal damage. He may hate Hun and now Angel, but he was still hesitant to kill unless it was the only option. Leo was attacking Angel while Raph went after Hun. The woman smirked, “Why not actually attack me, little blue?” Leo shuddered at the nickname Angel used. He did not like the way her voice purred. Angel’s weapon was a nail-filled bat, and despite it being wooden, it was blocking Leo’s slices well.

Leo wanted to muscle her weapon away, so he swiped down with one sword, hoping to force the bat from Angel’s hands. The woman had to use two hands to keep her weapon in place, but her smirk never faded. “Ooh so strong, Blue. I wonder what else you can do?” Her eyelids lowered and she licked her lips, her dark purple lipstick never smearing.

Leo visibly winced, his strength lessening slightly. That hesitation was all Angel needed to gain the upper hand and swing her bat. One of the nails hooked on Leo’s blade and swiped it from his hands. His sword flew to the side, impaling itself into the wall. Leo gulped. This woman was good. Too good. He glanced at Raph to see him barely keeping up with Hun one-on-one. He saw Mikey and Donnie had managed to take out all the other dragons. That was good.

Movement from in front of him alerted him that Angel was going to strike him. Leo pulled out his second katana, blocking her attack. “Why don’t you be a good little boy and give up? I’ll reward you for doing such a good job.” Leo kept his cool this time and shoved her away before planting a hard kick to her stomach. Angel went down, her confidant visage finally vanishing for a second. But only a second. Leo walked over and pointed his katana at her, telling her to stay down. Angel bit her lip, “Mm next time, push me harder, little blue.”

Angel then pulled a small tube from her back pocket. She aimed it and blew into the end. Leo’s eyes widened as he tried to move out of the way. But he wasn’t fast enough. He felt a prick in his right arm when he rolled to the side. “Ow!” Leo looked at his arm and saw a small purple dart sticking out of his skin. His vision blurred as he looked at it. The world started spinning and his stomach turned upside down. “Guys!”

Leo felt the world shift beneath him, and he fell to the ground. His ears were ringing but he could vaguely hear his three brother’s concerned voices. A green and purple blur was the last thing Leo saw before his world faded to black.

You were getting ready for bed when your phone rang. Your screen showed Donnie’s contact. You answered it. “What’s up, Donnie?”

“Uh, hey (Y/n). Are you busy right now?”

You glanced at the clock to see it was close to midnight. “I was about to go to bed. Why?” You heard Donnie swear under his breath before speaking again.

“Leo’s hurt.”

Your eyes widened, your grip tightening around the phone. “Hurt? What do you mean? What happened?” You had more questions, but Donnie cut you off.

“He got hit with a poison dart during a fight. He’s out cold right now. But I wanted to let you know in case-”

“I’m on my way.” You threw off your blanket and stood up. You slung on a jacket and slipped on some ratty sneakers. “I’ll be there in 10 minutes. Bye.” You hung up and shoved your phone in your pocket. You felt bad for cutting Donnie off like that, but your emotions were raging at the moment. How did Leo get hit with a poison dart? Who were they fighting? What kind of poison? And who’s ass did you have to kick for hurting your turtle?

You didn’t dwell on the implications of that last question, because you were already in the sewers. You panted as you ran, trying to get to the Lair as fast as possible. You ran through the turnstiles. You didn’t spot anyone right away. “Hello?”

Mikey came out of Donnie’s lab and spoke with an abnormally quiet voice. “(Y/n)? What’re you doing here?” The youngest turtle was clearly shaken up. His normally vibrant baby blue eyes were full of worry.

You ran up to him, your heart racing, Donnie called me. Where’s Leo? Can I see him?” Mikey nodded before leading back to the lab. He took you to the corner where you helped Leo with his burn those months ago. As you approached the Med Bay area, you could see Donnie hovering over the table where Leo was resting. Raph was standing nearby.

You sprinted the rest of the way, going to the side of the table that was unoccupied. “Don, what happened?” 

Donnie glanced at Leo’s vitals one more time before turning to you. He scratched the back of his neck, “We were trying to stop the Purple Dragons from robbing a jewelry store. The member Leo was fighting was someone we’ve never met. Leo had her on the ropes but I guess she had a backup plan.” Donnie grabbed something from a metal tray. He showed you a purple dart, no larger than a cigarette. “She shot this at him. It’s dosed with a toxin I’ve never seen before. I wouldn’t be surprised if they created their own to take us down. We’ve been dealing with the Dragons for years.”

You tore your eyes from the dart and they fell on Leo’s prone body. He was still out. He almost looked peaceful, if it wasn’t for the thin sheen of sweat coating his scales. You could hardly believe something so small could take down someone so strong. “Is he going to be okay?”

Donnie busied himself by watching Leo’s vitals. The steady beep of Leo’s heart rate filled the room. “I think so. He’s stable, at least. But I have no idea how long he’ll be out.” 

You nodded in understanding before looking around, “Is there a chair or something? I want to be here for him.” Donnie left for a moment before bringing back his plush desk chair. He explained the wheels could lock if needed before giving you a hug and leaving. Mikey and Raph had already left for the night. It was clear they were all exhausted from their excursion. You set the chair next to Leo’s bed and held his hand. You felt the warmth of his scales and the steady beat of his pulse. “Wake up soon, Leo.” Before you knew it, you had fallen asleep as well. Your front half rested on the thin mattress, your arms folded under your head. You never let go of Leo’s hand.

Run.

All Leo could do was run. From what, he wasn’t sure. But he was filled with a sense of dread and fear, telling him to get away as fast as he could. His breathing was rapid and uneven, heart beating out of his chest. He pumped his legs harder, willing them to move faster.

Leo was surrounded by darkness. No walls, no floor. Just a black abyss.

“You can run, Leonardo, but I will always find you.”

Leo froze. His heels dug into the nonexistent ground when that voice permeated his senses. There was no way He was back. Leo’s entire body trembled as he slowly turned around. Two red eyes gleamed at him from the darkness. “No, no nonono, I killed you!”

Armor clinked as the figure of Leo’s nightmares took shape. The Shredder stood before him, his figure as he was before being mutated. Somehow, he was even more frightening when he was just a man. A very deadly man.

Leo backed up before falling to the ground, his entire body seizing from pure fear. “What are you doing here?”

The Shredder cackled, the horrid sound so loud it caused Leo’s tympanum to vibrate and ring. Leo slammed his hands over his ears, hoping to silence the noise to no avail. “I always come back, you pathetic creature.”

“LEO!”

Leo’s head jerked up. That voice was familiar. Way too familiar. He stuttered, “(Y/n)?” 

He blinked and suddenly you were in front of him, Shredder gripping your shoulders. “Watch, freak, as I make you suffer!” Shredder raised his gauntlet, the blades morphing into deadly, murderous claws. He swung his arm down, ready to slice through flesh and bone.

“NO!” Leo jerked awake, flinging his body into a sitting position. Tears and sweat poured off his face in rivulets.

“Leo? Oh my God, Leo!” You had awoken at Leo’s cry and you stood up. Even though he was awake, Leo’s eyes were far away. Tears were still running out his eyes, his lips trembling. “Leo?”

His bloodshot eyes snapped to yours and they widened in recognition, “(Y/n)? Y-You’re here? You’re okay?”

You chuckled despite there being very little humor in this situation, “You were the one hit with a poison dart and you’re asking me if I’m okay?” 

Leo’s eyes widened as he remembered the previous night’s events. He rubbed his eyes and face dry, “O-Oh yeah. Where are we?”

You took his free hand with both of yours, concerned for his emotional state. “We’re in the med bay, at the Lair. You’ve been out for,” you checked your phone for the time, “About five hours now. But are you okay? Why were you crying?”

Leo prodded under his eyes and felt his damp mask. Then the dream- no, nightmare, came flooding back to him. He winced, not wanting to explain it to you. “I, um, had a nightmare. A pretty bad one…Y-you were in it. That’s why I wanted to know if you were okay.”

Before he could say another word, you had thrown your arms around him. He easily reciprocated the embrace, his arms tight around your middle. One of your hands held the back of his head while the other traced gentle circles on his shell. You’d done some research and found out turtles could feel things on their shells and could even be relaxing for them. You hoped it was true for these turtles.

Leo almost instantly relaxed in your arms, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. You spoke softly in his ear, “I’m sorry you had such a bad nightmare. But I’m here, safe and sound, with you. Everything’s okay.” Leo exhaled a breath of relief as he hugged you even closer to him.

You started to pull away, but your arms stayed looped around his neck. You gazed into his beautiful blue eyes and you felt your heart tug you towards him. The hand on the back of his head gripped the knot of his mask. You used it to pull his face towards you and pressed a soft yet passionate kiss on his lips. Leo froze for a second before kissing you back, his hands sliding down to your hips. His large fingers held you as if you were delicate china.

You separated from the short kiss, your face red as a tomato. Your eyes widened as you realized what you’d just done. “O-Oh my…”

Leo’s face was similar to yours, as in it was completely red. His eyes were lidded and his lips held an adorable smile that just screamed happy bliss. He was snapped out of his trance by your voice. “I-I’m so sorry, I should’ve asked for permission before doing that.”

Leo shook his head to clear it before smiling down at you. You were staring at the ground, an embarrassed flush on your cheeks rather than a happy blush. He tilted your chin up with a finger and grinned, “Trust me, no hard feelings here. In fact, you could say I rather enjoyed it and wouldn’t mind doing it again?”

You giggled and threw your arms around his neck again before pressing your lips to his again. Despite him being a turtle, his lips were quite soft. He didn’t have a prominent beak, but his snout was the perfect shape to kiss you. You smiled into the kiss before pulling away once again. Leo made a small noise of disappointment you couldn’t help but snicker at.

“I know, trust me, I don’t wanna stop either. But I should probably let your brothers know you’re awake.” You kissed his forehead before skipping out of the lab to find his brothers. Leo brought a hand up to his mouth and touched his already slightly swollen lips. He couldn’t believe you had kissed him. And on your own volition!

Leo heard footsteps so he quickly wiped his mouth off and did his best to steady his facial expression. He was soon tackled by a green and orange blur. He grunted as he absorbed the impact of Mikey’s bear hug. “Bro! You made us all so scared!” Leo chuckled as he hugged Mikey back. His little brother could be so emotional sometimes.

Raph walked up and lightly punched Leo’s shoulder. “You need to stop doing that. You’ve hit your limit of health scares, okay Leo?” 

The leader rolled his eyes playfully as he separated from Mikey’s hug, “Yes, sir. I’ll do my best at least.”

“Let me get some blood, Leo, so I can see if the toxin’s still in your system.” Donnie walked up to him, a syringe in hand. He glanced at you, your warm smile making it so he couldn’t even feel the prick of the needle in his skin. Enough blood was drawn that Donnie could observe. He dropped some in a slide and put it under his microscope. His tongue stuck out while he focused the lens.

“Okay, looks like there is still some poison in your bloodstream. You’ll need to take it easy for a couple days while you detox. Think you can manage?” Leo nodded, just wanting more alone time with you. “Good! And with that, back to bed. You need to rest. But you can do that in your bedroom.” Donnie then turned to you. “You can stay here the rest of the night. You can take the couch.” He winked at you, knowing very well you would not be sleeping on the couch.

As the boys filed out, you approached Leo once more. “Let’s get to bed, Lee, I’m exhausted. Chair sleep is not it, chief.” Leo chuckled and stood up, his legs slightly shaky. You noticed and helped support him as you walked to his bedroom. The coast was clear, so you could go into his room with no suspicions raised.

Once in Leo’s bedroom, you couldn’t help but look around. You easily noticed Leo’s picture board and grinned when you saw the funny photo of you guys on your ‘Prom night’. You smiled at the rest of the pictures on the board. Then you noticed that very few pictures actually had.. him in them. That made you frown. He had such a beautiful smile. You were determined to get some photos of him and sneak them onto the corkboard.

You turned and saw Leo was sitting on his bed, watching you. “Oh, sorry. I got distracted.” You walked over and slid into the small bed next to your new partner.

Leo kissed your cheek. “It’s not a problem.” He scooted over to give you more room but you just plopped yourself on top of him. He wrapped an arm around you, holding you close. “So… um, does this make us, um, a couple now?”

You looked up at him. “Do you want us to be a couple now?” Leo nodded, a blush dusting his cheeks. “Good, ‘cause I want that too.” You brought a hand up and gently caressed his cheek and mask. “Do you need to take this off?”

“Oh right!” Leo sat up and untied his mask, setting it on his bedside table. You watched, enamored. You had never seen him maskless before. It seemed intimate, almost. Leo caught you staring. “What? Like what you see?” He settled back down and laid next to you.

You smiled warmly and cupped his cheek again. “Very much. You’re so handsome, Leo.” You leaned forward and caught his lips in another kiss. Now that you had a taste, you had become addicted to the turtle’s kisses.

Leo kissed you back before pulling away. “And you’re so beautiful, (Y/n). Good night.” He kissed your forehead before leaning back on his pillow. He was out almost instantly. The poison must still be making him fatigued. You settled back on his surprisingly comfortable chest. “Good night, Leo.”

Chapter Text

Churrrrrr. 

You awoke slowly, a strange noise being the cause. A muscular pair of arms held you tight against a firm chest in a spooning position, and a deep rumbling sound vibrated against your back. You blinked your eyes blearily, your brain taking its sweet time to catch up. You yawned as you looked around. The area seemed familiar. Your tired eyes darted down to see dark green arms holding you like a teddy bear.

Finally, your brain turned on and you remembered the previous night. The most prominent memory being Leo’s shockingly soft lips pressed against your own. Your face heated up as the rumbling behind you continued its steady sound.

You carefully rolled over to figure out if Leo was purring like a cat just to mess with you or something. One look at Leo’s face told you that he was still out cold. His mouth hung open slightly, a small spot of drool on his pillow. The vibrating was definitely coming from him though. You remembered he made a similar noise on your first date while cuddling on the couch. But he covered it with a cough and seemed embarrassed at the time.

You smiled at Leo’s peaceful expression. You booped his snout with a finger, giggling softly at the way his nose wrinkled subconsciously. You loved that Leo was getting rest, but you also needed to get up and use the ladies’ room. Or turtles’ room. You poked him again, slightly more forcefully. The purring noise stopped, and Leo’s brow furrowed. His beautiful blue eyes greeted you as he arrived in the world of the living.

He blinked a couple of times, his eyes unfocused. After licking his chapped lips, he finally acknowledged your presence. He smiled at you and one of his hands rubbed up and down your back. “Morning.”

“Good morning, sleepy head. What was that noise you were making?” You quirked an eyebrow at him.

Leo blinked a couple more times, clearly not understanding what you meant. “Noise?”

You nodded, “Yeah! You were purring like a cat.”

Leo suddenly blushed and looked away. He chewed on his lower lip for a second before sighing softly. “I-It’s called churring, actually. It’s something turtles do when they’re content.” He muttered something way too quiet for you to understand, even in your close proximity.

“Repeat that for me, chief.” You couldn’t help but chuckle. Leo was so cute when he was embarrassed.

“I said, we also make that noise when with a mate.” Leo’s cheeks were flushed, and he continued to avert his eyes.

You rolled your own in response and patted his cheek, turning his gaze to yours again. “You don’t need to be ashamed or embarrassed of your turtle-y behavior. I think it’s cute!”

Leo’s blush faded and his charming grin appeared, “Yeah well I think you’re cute.” He pressed a soft kiss to the tip of your nose. You let out a girly giggle at the action. Your eyes flicked down to his lips and Leo definitely noticed. You two began to lean in, your eyes closing.

“Lame-a-nardo, you awake?” Raphael suddenly opened Leo’s door. You and Leo startled away from each other, but you couldn’t get very far, as you were still in his bed. You two made eye contact with Raph, his eyes wide as dinner plates and his jaw on the floor. Nothing was said for a whole minute.

“Who’s got no rizz now?” You snapped your head in Leo’s direction, his question catching you completely off guard. He was blushing like a tomato, but his handsome face held a confident smirk.

“I- You- Never mind, Mikey made breakfast. Get yourselves decent before it gets cold.” Raph stumbled out of Leo’s room and slammed the door behind him. After a moment, the two of you started laughing like a couple of maniacs. The situation was just too ridiculous to warrant any other reaction.

“W-Why the rizz?” You choked out in between bouts of laughter.

Leo rubbed his eyes before responding, “Raph made a comment saying I didn’t have enough to get laid. O-Obviously we didn’t do anything, but he definitely thinks otherwise. Maybe it’ll get him off my shell. He’s been making comments about my, um, sex life for years. Saying I’d be less stressed out if I ‘found a girl who’d tolerate me enough to bed me’. H-His words, not mine. Well, I changed one of his words.”

Your face reddened at the thought of being with Leo so intimately. You could definitely hear Raph’s statement coming out of the sassy turtle. Before you could respond, Leo shimmied out of the bed. “A-Anyway, let’s go get breakfast. And deal with the aftermath.” 

Leo stumbled out of his bed. He grabbed his mask and tied it around his face. Your eyes followed his form as he slid on his arm and leg coverings. His socks ended above his knees. You licked your lips, practically salivating from watching his tight thighs flex. Once he deemed himself ready, he turned back to you. He blushed under your intense gaze. He then looked around, “I don't really have any spare clothes for you. Sorry.”

You shook your head. “It's fine, I can change later. Let's get going.” You both exited his room before ou found the bathroom. You let Leo go to the kitchen on his own.

After relieving yourself, you found yourself in the small kitchen with the four brothers. Raph was pointedly not looking at either of you. Even though he wasn’t good at hiding his feelings, he was keeping his discovery to himself. You could appreciate that. You glanced at the four turtles all sitting at the table. Leo was trying to act normally, but his leg bounced rapidly, giving away his anxiety. Raph kept his gaze on his plate, his body rigid. Donnie was glancing worriedly at his older brothers. Of course, he had caught on immediately that something wasn’t right. Mikey, on the other hand, was humming quietly to himself as he ate his toast.

“Okay, this is ridiculous. What happened?” Leo flinched at Donnie’s question. He was using the tone that only appeared when he needed to know something. It was often referred to as the “I don’t need sleep, I need answers” voice. You glanced at Leo, letting him take the lead. This was his family after all.

He sighed softly before setting down his fork. “I guess it’s time I tell you guys. (Y/n) and I… we’re…” His voice trailed off as his eyes met yours. He seemed to be questioning what you two even were. Boyfriend/Girlfriend? Partners? Kissing buddies?

You took Leo’s hand above the table to emphasize the point you were about to make. “We’re dating. Since last night.”

“Technically, you’ve been going on dates for the past month. So, you’ve been ‘dating’ for a month. Romantic partners for a day.” Donnie’s voice piped up.

Raph glared at his tallest brother, “Wait, you knew about them? Then why did you bother asking?”

Donnie rolled his eyes, “I wanted to know why the air was so thick with tension. You could cut it with a knife.”

“Oh. Raph saw me and (Y/n) in bed. N-Not like that!” Leo blurted out the second part of his sentence when Donnie’s eyes widened. He really needed his brothers to stop thinking about his sex life.

You turned towards Mikey, the only one to not have spoken yet. His baby blue eyes were practically sparkling as he grinned at you. “You’re gonna be my sister-in-law??” Leo choked on his orange juice as he tried to take a sip.

You chuckled nervously as you patted Leo’s shell, the poor turtle sputtering as he tried to clear his airway. “No, n-not yet, Mikey. We’re still very early in our relationship.”

The sparkles faded from Mikey’s gaze, his entire body deflating. “Aw, fine.” He suddenly stood up and grabbed Leo by the edge of his plastron. He pulled in the leader close to his face, his eyes stern, “You better treat her right, son! Or I’m gonna go all ninja on your ass!”

Raph barked out a laugh and Donnie covered his own mouth to prevent him from doing the same. You decided you did not want to get on Mikey’s bad side. Leo’s shocked expression turned to one of minor annoyance, “Language!” That made you cackle. Of course, Leo wouldn’t be upset about being threatened. It was Mikey’s use of profanity that mattered.

Mikey let go of Leo and sat back down. He had a satisfied smirk on his face as he continued eating his scrambled eggs. Leo relaxed next to you, a soft groan escaping his lips. You rested a hand on his thigh. His very muscular and toned thigh. You tucked that thought away for later as Leo didn’t look too good. His brow was furrowed, and his eyes held discomfort. 

“You okay?”

Leo nodded, placing his large hand on top of yours. “Y-yeah, just a headache.”

Donnie perked his body, his smile disappearing, “That’s probably from the poison. You need to take it easy, Leo. No training or patrol today. Doctor’s orders.”

Leo groaned again, this time from disappointment. “Fine.” You could tell he was irritated by the order.

You gently rubbed his thigh in a comforting manner, “If your head’s bothering you, I can get you some aspirin. Where do you keep your medicine?”

Donnie directed you to a closet where they stored their basic first aid supplies. You set off, wanting to make your boyfriend feel better. You quickly reached the small closet and began to sift through it.

“Aha!” You exclaimed when you found the painkillers. You grabbed the aspirin and searched for the expiration date. Your eyes widened. “Oh wow.”

You walked back to the kitchen, the boys deep in conversation. You felt bad for interrupting, but they needed to know. “Hey guys?” They quieted and looked at you, all four pairs of eyes curious. “Did you know your aspirin expired in May?”

“Oh, that was like three months ago. That's not that bad!” Mikey shouted.

“Yeah, May of 2020.” You tossed the bottle to Donnie so he could see for himself.

“Oh! Yeah, that's a tad bit expired, huh?” Donnie chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Yeah. It is. It's probably not a good idea to have medicine that doesn't work when you guys literally face danger every day.” You planted your hands on your hips, scolding them as a mother would.

The guys had the decency to look like they felt bad. Minus Raph. “In our defense, princess, it's a little difficult to get drugs when you look like we do.”

You pursed your lips, feeling determined to help these idiots, “Well not anymore. I'll go restock your first aid. All of it. Your supplies are looking a little sad.” You walked over to Leo and kissed his cheek. “Take it easy, I'll be right back.”

Leo blushed at the affection in front of his brothers. The other three managed to hold it together until you were out of sight. Then Raph and Mikey started laughing and making kissy faces at Leo.

Leo scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Whatever. If I can't train, then I'm gonna go meditate in the Dojo. Do me a favor and leave me alone.” Leo stalked off, his mood seeming especially down once you left.

In truth, Leo was pissed. Not at you, God no. But at himself. Everyone was treating him like he had broken his leg all over again. And it was all his fault. He should've been better. He should've been able to tell that woman, Angel, wasn't out of the fight.

Was he going soft? There's no way. Sure, the chivalry ingrained in his soul always hated fighting women. But Karai had proved to him that you can fight a woman with honor. He didn't go easy on her when they were enemies. He couldn't afford to. Showing mercy wasn't the same thing, was it? He absolutely loathed killing. It was against his very nature. He still used all his strength, just not with the blades of his swords.

So stuck in his thoughts, Leo was at the Dojo before realized it. He moved to sit in front of the beautiful tree when his eyes caught his swords resting on the wall. Memories flashed as he gazed upon his katanas. Memories of not being good enough. All of his failures replayed like a movie he couldn't look away from. The most recent of which, of course, being Angel. He couldn't believe how incompetent he was for not being able to dodge her dart properly.

His hand grasped the handle of one of his swords. When had he even walked over there? A decision had been made before he even realized it. Screw doctor's orders. He needed to get better. Be better. And taking a day off to relax wasn't going to accomplish that.

With his mind made up, Leo began to run through his katas. Easy enough. His body flowed through the motions. It was too easy. He needed to challenge himself if wanted to improve his skills.

Furrowing his brow in concentration, Leo began to work on a move that he saw in Splinter's old scrolls. He knew the motions by heart, but he had yet to actually put them all together due, to the difficulty. He took a breath before swinging his sword, not yet realizing his girlfriend had arrived back at the Lair.

You happily trotted back into the turtles’ domain. You carried a plastic bag full of first aid supplies. You glanced at the bag. You probably should've gotten a paper bag. You know, to save the turtles and whatnot.

Pushing your environmental guilt aside, you approached Mikey and Raph who were lounging by the TV. “Hey guys, I'm back. Where's Leo?”

“Dojo.” The two spoke simultaneously, too absorbed in their show to even look at you. You hoped your stubborn boyfriend was only doing calm activities, like meditation. But a twist in your gut made you doubt that.

You approached the sliding paper doors, not hearing anything inside. You quietly slid open the door, your eyes widening when you saw what was inside. Leonardo was sweating as he stiffly swung his sword around. He seemed to be working on a new move, as he kept repeating the same motions over and over until he got it right. You weren't sure what he was doing. What you were sure of was that you were ticked off.

You and Donnie told him to rest! He promised he would! You curled your lips in anger as you watched him. While you wish you could just marvel at his musculature, you were too angry to appreciate it.

Just as you were about to storm in, Leo stumbled. He brought his free hand up to his head, his eyes slightly crossed. He must've had a dizzy spell and headache, courtesy of the poison.

As a result of his sudden dizziness, his hand holding his katana slackened its grip. The sword fell. The very sword that his father gave him after he passed away. In his panic to keep it from hitting the ground, Leo reached to grab it by the blade.

“Ah!” Leo hissed through his teeth when the blade bit into his skin. But he kept his grip, unwilling to let it fall carelessly to the floor. He refused to disrespect his late sensei that way.

“Leo!” You dashed in, finally making your presence known.

Leo jerked his head at you, eyes wide. He mentally scolded himself for not noticing you sooner. Another mistake.

You skidded to a stop and gently took the handle of Leo's katana. “Leo, you need to let go. You're bleeding.” He glanced at the floor and saw a couple of drops of blood. He winced as he slowly pried his hand open. You took the sword away and set it on its rack. You knew how much he cherished his weapons.

“You're lucky I just came back from the pharmacy.” Your voice startled Leo out of thoughts. You were back in front of him, a pack of bandage wraps in hand. Leo's legs were shaking, he noticed. Whether from his intense workout or the intense headache, he wasn't sure. Probably a combination of the two.

“Leo, you need to sit.” You gently took his uninjured hand and guided him to sit on the floor. Leo's legs all but collapsed under him when he met the soft mat. You then took his bleeding hand and assessed the damage.

There was a clean line down his palm, blood bubbling the surface of his green scales. You sifted through your bag and pulled out disinfectant and a wipe. “This is gonna sting.”

Leo barely nodded before he felt lava course through his hand. He bit his lip harshly, not wanting to reveal how much it was hurting. You could feel how tense he was as you wiped the blood off his hand.

You sighed as you pressed a gauze pad on the cut and then began to wrap up his entire hand. “You shouldn't use this hand for a while. You need to heal. Boy, that sounds familiar, doesn't it?”

“Huh?” Leo looked up from his bandaged hand, eyes clouded and confused.

“For God’s sake, Leo, what were you thinking?! You were injected with an unknown poison yesterday! You were told to take the day off and relax to let your body recover. And you, what, thought working yourself to exhaustion counted as relaxing?”

Leo’s eyes widened before narrowing, “No, that’s not what I thought. But it doesn’t matter if I’m recovering. I can’t take a break when I just got my shell handed to me! How can I call myself the leader when my skills are lacking?”

You growled at his admission. You know he said ‘it’ doesn’t matter. But what you heard was he didn’t matter. And you were not going to let that slide. You gripped his shoulders tightly. “Of course it matters! What, you think everyone’s just okay with you collapsing ‘cause you refuse to rest for even one day?”

“They should be! This is nothing new! Even when my leg was broken and I could barely stand, I kept working and training. I need to do this, (Y/n). You wouldn’t understand.” Leo’s breath was heaving after he finished yelling. Your eyes were wide with shock. He had never raised his voice at you.

You took a breath to keep yourself calm, “I may not understand what it’s like to be in your shoes. But I do understand that I don’t want the man I love to kill himself by running himself into the ground.”

…

Leo’s face was full of shock. He was completely silent as he contemplated your words. You sighed and started to stand to give him space. But before you could get up off the ground, his hand shot out and grabbed your wrist. You looked at him and were startled to see flecks of tears in his eyes. “... Y-You love me?”

You blinked a couple of times as you replayed your argument in your head. You didn't even realize you had said that. But that didn’t mean you were going to take it back. You sat on your knees and gripped his free hand. “Yes, I do. So if you’re not going to take care of yourself for you, can you at least do it for me?”

Leo bit his lip, still processing all his feelings. So many emotions were felt in a very short time span. You waited for him patiently. After a moment of silence, he nodded as he blinked his tears away.

“I-I’m sorry. I’ve always been hard on myself. But ever since Sensei died, I’ve held myself to a higher standard. Master Splinter told me that it was now on me to be my brothers’ sensei and even father figure if needed. It’s a role I don’t take lightly.”

You smiled sympathetically at him. Leo let go of your wrist and you moved that hand up to gently caress his cheek. “Even senseis and fathers need a break now and again. You’re not going to be useful to your brothers if you can’t use your hands.” Leo glanced down at the bandages, blood already blotting through the stark white.

He nodded in understanding, a soft sigh escaping his beak. You let go of him and wrapped your arms tight around his neck. “Just promise me you’ll try, okay?”

“Okay.” Leo spoke softly into your ear as he hugged you back. His hot breath on the shell of your ear caused a shiver to run down your spine.

You pulled away from the embrace just far enough to gaze into his beautiful ocean-blue eyes. Your forehead bumped his lightly. “Thank you.”

You then adjusted your position and met his lips with a soft press. The kiss echoed love and adoration. You couldn't get enough. So you kissed him again. And again. Two pairs of lips were molding together perfectly, as if they were made for each other.

You acted on your earlier promise and your hands slid to grip his shoulders. You two had always used respect when touching each other. Now you were going to grope this man. Respectfully.

Your fingers massaged the tight muscles in Leo’s shoulders. He quietly groaned in muffled pleasure into the kiss. His soft noise lit something in you. You wanted to hear it again. 

To achieve this, you ran your tongue along Leo’s lips. You had forgotten he wasn't experienced and didn't know what to do. You decided to show him by nibbling on his lower lip.

Leo gasped and you held back a smirk. You seized the opportunity to slide your tongue into Leo’s mouth. Your hands continued to work on Leo’s deltoids. Leo let out a soft moan, his larger tongue meeting yours.

You decided you two were not close enough for this. So you crawled into his lap, straddling his hips. Leo’s hands moved to grip your waist to pull you closer. Your tongues intertwined, dancing to the music of muffled sounds of pleasure echoing from you both. 

“Leo, have you seen my-” Raph's voice, once again, interrupted you two. You broke off the kiss but didn't bother getting off of Leo. You wiped your mouth as you both turned to glare at his immediate younger brother. 

Raph had already slapped a hand over his eyes and was walking away. “Seriously? In the Dojo?? Now I gotta wash my eyes.” He continued to mutter to himself as he stomped away.

You chuckled and looked back at Leo. He was breathing heavily and his face was beet red. He had the cutest dreamy smile on his visage. You cleared your throat and awkwardly clambered off your boyfriend.

“I, um, you should take some medicine. For your headache.” You grabbed your discarded bag and handed Leo the bottle of painkillers.

He accepted it and popped a pill in his mouth, dry swallowing. “Thank you, (Y/n), for everything.”

You nodded with a smile. “Of course, you dingbat. For you, Anything.”

Leo stood up and offered his good hand to you. You gratefully accepted and marveled at his strength once more when he lifted you to your feet effortlessly. “Oh, one more thing.”

“Huh?” Leo cut you off with another firm kiss. He pulled away as quickly as he leaned in and whispered. “I love you too.”