Chapter Text
Now you may be wondering… oh! Usagi, how did you figure out your crush on Leo?
Honestly? It wasn’t romantic not even close
There was no dramatic moment under the moonlight. No intense battle where their eyes met across the chaos and suddenly everything made sense. No slow realization while sitting on a rooftop together as the city lights sparkled below them.
None of that Usagi figured it out in the least romantic way possible
By accidentally paying way too much attention to Leo..while they were playing video games.
Which, in hindsight, was a terrible mistake because once he started noticing things about him… he couldn’t stop noticing them
And the worst part? It didn’t even make Usagi shocked. Like his body knew the entire time
And so it started on a completely normal afternoon in the lair.
The lair was loud very loud which was normal, honestly
The television blasted game sounds from across the room, Mikey was talking at a speed that probably should have been physically impossible, Raph kept yelling whenever someone did something stupid in the game, and Donatello was half paying attention while also typing something rapidly on his tablet
It was chaos
Usagi sat on the couch with a controller clutched in both hands, leaning forward with intense focus as if the video game in front of him was a life-or-death battle
His ears twitched slightly with concentration
“I am going to win this time,” he announced confidently
Raphael snorted from across the room “you said that the last eight times.”
Usagi didn’t even look at him
“Nine is a powerful number this is clearly the one.”
Three seconds later his character got launched clean off the map
Mikey immediately burst into laughter so loud he nearly slid off the couch entirely “DUDE you walked straight into the trap again!”
Usagi groaned loudly and flopped backward against the couch cushions in defeat, throwing one arm dramatically over his eyes
“That was cheap. That was absolutely cheap there’s gotta be a hacker doing this.”
Raphael pointed at the screen immediately
“Nah,” he said. “That was a skill issue.”
Usagi gasped like he had just been personally attacked.
“How dare you say that!”
“What? I’m being honest” Raph replied instantly
Right beside Usagi, Leo snorted “he is you know Usagi?”
Usagi turned his head slowly to look at him
Leo was leaning comfortably into the couch, one arm resting along the backrest behind them while the other loosely held his controller. He had that relaxed, amused grin on his face that usually meant he was enjoying the chaos around him more than the actual game
Usagi narrowed his eyes slightly
He considered Leo very lucky that Usagi was currently holding a controller instead of something throwable (though he CAN through the controller their expensive)
He huffed and leaned forward again “I want a rematch”
The next round started and Usagi immediately started mashing buttons with intense determination, while Mikey began commentating again like he was hosting some kind of championship tournament
“And here we see Usagi bravely charging into danger once again—”
Usagi’s character immediately triggered another trap
“—AND THERE IT IS!”
Mikey collapsed into laughter
Usagi groaned and dragged both hands down his face “this game is clearly biased”
Donnie adjusted his glasses without even looking up from his tablet “or,” he said calmly “you just refuse to learn the controls”
Usagi squinted at the screen
“…I will simply improvise”
He mashed several buttons in frustration
By complete accident his character performed a complicated combo and eliminated Mikey’s character
The room went silent Mikey slowly pointed at him.
“He doesn’t even know what he did”
Usagi straightened proudly and grinned “Victory is victory”
Leo groaned beside him, “I hate that that worked”
Usagi snickered and that was when Leo laughed.
Just a quick laugh.
Nothing dramatic.
Nothing important.
Except Usagi’s attention shifted immediately without him meaning to
He glanced sideways
Leo had leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees while he watched the screen. His shoulders shook faintly when he laughed again at something Mikey muttered under his breath
Usagi blinked
Okay
That laugh was… nice
Usagi frowned slightly and turned back to the screen that was a weird thing to think. People laughed all the time
There was no reason to specifically notice Leo’s laugh
Usagi focused on the game
Thirty seconds later he looked at Leo..again.
He blinked why did he do that? Why does he KEEP doing that?
Leo hadn’t even said anything Usagi turned back to the screen again and the game continued
Mikey started yelling about combos again, Raph argued with him about strategy and Donnie was muttering something about probability and game mechanics
Leo leaned back into the couch again, completely relaxed, watching the chaos unfold with quiet amusement
Usagi glanced at him again
Then frowned
Okay.
That was suspicious why does he keep looking at him?
Usagi shifted slightly on the couch and forced himself to focus on the screen again, except it kept happening
Leo laughing
Usagi looked
Leo talking
Usagi looked
Leo leaning forward to grab another slice of pizza
Usagi looked again.
At some point Usagi started noticing smaller things little details, ones that nobody notices
The way Leo’s mask tails moved slightly whenever he turned his head the way he leaned forward when he got competitive during games
The way he laughed harder when Mikey said something especially stupid
Usagi blinked slowly.
…Why was he noticing those things? That information was not important
He did not need to mentally catalogue Leo’s behavior, Usagi shifted again, trying to ignore it
Then Leo leaned forward suddenly, concentrating hard on the game, tongue poked out slightly as he focused on pressing a sequence of buttons
Usagi stared
…That was kind of adorable
Usagi froze, his brain went completely quiet
Adorable? Did he just think Leo was adorable?
Usagi slowly turned back toward the screen again, no. No he didn’t.
That was clearly a mistake, he was tired or distracted or just hungry
Yes. That made sense
Except the second Leo laughed again-
That strange warm feeling appeared in Usagi’s chest
Usagi blinked.
There it was again. That weird… warm tightening feeling, he stared at the screen without actually seeing it
That was new, that feeling kept happening every time Leo did something
Which seemed… concerning.
Usagi slowly glanced sideways again Leo noticed this time
“…You good?” Leo asked casually
Usagi blinked “yup.” He said quickly
Leo shrugged “Cool”
and then he turned back to the game like nothing had happened
Usagi sat there very still.
Then he leaned back into the couch and stared at the ceiling
Because suddenly his brain started replaying the last twenty minutes, looking at Leo. Noticing any little thing Leo does, that weird warm feeling Usagi felt when Leo laughed
And thinking Leo was adorable.
…Oh
Oh no
That was not good
Because there was a very specific explanation for that combination of thoughts and feelings
And Usagi did not like that explanation at all
Across the room Mikey was still yelling
Raph was arguing with him
Donnie was still calmly explaining something nobody had asked about
Leo was still playing the game, completely unaware that anything had changed, meanwhile Usagi was quietly having the realisation of the century.
Because somewhere along the way…
Without noticing.
Without realising.
Without even questioning it.
He had developed a crush on Leonardo
Usagi slowly covered his face with his hands “…This is a problem,” he muttered quietly
Thankfully, no one heard him
Which somehow made the whole situation even more confusing. Because now Usagi had a crush on his best friend
And he had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do about it
༻𖦹𓃹𖦹༺
Usagi snapped out of it when he heard the bathroom door open
The quiet click of the handle and the soft creak of hinges pulled him right out of his thoughts like someone had yanked a string attached to his brain. For the past few minutes he had been standing near the counter, holding his tea with both hands while staring vaguely at nothing in particular, but the moment that door opened his attention snapped toward it automatically.
And there he was
Leo stood in the doorway
Usagi’s brain stopped functioning for approximately three seconds
Leo looked… rough
Not the cool kind of rough that usually came after patrols, where he’d show up a little scuffed but still somehow managed to look impressive and confident and annoyingly cool. No, this was something entirely different
Leo looked like he hadn’t slept in about three days, how did Usagi not notice this before ?
Huge dark circles sat beneath his eyes, the kind that made them look heavier than usual. His eyelids drooped slightly, blinking slower than normal like the world around him was still loading and not to mention that his posture was absolutely atrocious
His shoulders slumped forward so much it looked like gravity had personally decided to pick on him this morning, and the way he leaned slightly against the doorway made it clear he was still half running on autopilot
His deep blue and white long-sleeved shirt was wrinkled beyond saving, like he had either slept in it or fought a war with a blanket during the night
Which, Usagi thought privately, might not actually be far from the truth
Leo looked like he had just walked through hell and back
And somehow—
Somehow—
Usagi still thought he looked ridiculously attractive
Usagi knew he was down bad when he started finding Leo hot even when he wasn’t
Like right now
This was not Leo at his best. Not even close.
His mask sat slightly crooked, like he had tied it in a hurry or maybe rubbed his face too many times while half asleep, one side dipped just a little lower than the other, and the tails hung unevenly down the back of his head
Leo dragged a hand down his face with a tired groan, rubbing one eye before blinking slowly around the room
Usagi watched the entire thing.Unapologetically.
Completely helplessly
This is bad, Usagi thought like this is actually embarrassing.
Because objectively speaking, there was absolutely nothing impressive about what he was looking at. Leo looked exhausted, he looked messy, he looked like someone who desperately needed a nap and possibly a motivational speech
And yet Usagi’s brain still went:
Wow.
Leo shuffled another step forward into the room, stretching one arm above his head in a tired motion before immediately regretting it when his shoulders stiffened
He made a quiet, annoyed noise under his breath
Usagi nearly smiled into his tea he looks like he got hit by a truck, Usagi thought helplessly
Why do I still think he’s cute
It had been eight months. Eight months of this exact problem
Eight months of Leo doing literally anything and Usagi’s brain deciding it was the most fascinating thing in the world
Leo leaning against a wall during training? Amazing.
Leo laughing at one of Mikey’s stupid jokes? Incredible.
Leo concentrating during anything? tongue slightly pressing against the corner of his mouth while he thought? Usagi nearly forgot how to breathe the first time he noticed that
It had started small
At least, that’s what Usagi told himself
At first it had just been admiration. Leo was cool, funny, awkward, and honestly a little reckless in a way that somehow worked out for him most of the time. Watching him fight was like watching someone dance through chaos
Then admiration slowly became something else
Something warmer
Something softer
Something far more dangerous
And now apparently Usagi had reached the stage where Leo could show up looking half-dead and still manage to short-circuit his brain
Leo blinked again and slowly scanned the room
Then his eyes landed on Usagi
There was a small pause
Leo squinted slightly “…Usagi?”
His voice was rough and quiet from sleep
And that people. That was the final blow Usagi felt something inside his brain simply give up because Leo’s voice sounded deeper when he was tired
Of course it did
How did he forget that he just saw Leo not even 5 minutes ago
Usagi resisted the sudden urge to put his head through the nearest wall
Yeah he was down bad
Completely. Irreversibly. Down bad.
And honestly?
It was probably Leo’s fault
Because Leo had absolutely no right being this unfairly attractive without even trying
Especially not after last night, the memory slammed into Usagi’s brain without warning
Leo asleep on top of him, Leo’s head tucked against his shoulder, Leo’s arms wrapped around him like he was something safe
Something warm, something worth holding onto.
Usagi’s grip tightened slightly around his tea
For a split second after waking up, he had genuinely thought he was dreaming, because Leo had been right there.
Curled against him, breathing slow and steady, warm despite his naturally cold scales
Usagi had barely dared to move barely dared to breathe.
He had just laid there, staring at the ceiling, feeling Leo’s weight resting against him and trying very hard not to completely lose his mind
Because that was the closest he had ever been to Leo
Closer than training, closer than friendly hugs
Closer than those occasional shoulder bumps when they walked side by side, Leo had been right there..
And for a few quiet minutes, Usagi had let himself pretend
Pretend Leo wanted to be there. Pretend Leo had chosen to hold him like that
Pretend that maybe—just maybe—Leo felt something too, but of course that hadn’t been reality.
Reality was that Leo had probably rolled over in his sleep
Reality was that Leo had just thought Usagi was a soft pillow
Reality that because leo was a turtle, his cold blooded body just needed heat
Reality was that Leo had absolutely no idea what he had done
And Usagi knew that, he had known it the entire time
Still didn’t stop his heart from breaking a little when Leo eventually woke up and looked so confused
Usagi forced those thoughts away quickly
Because Leo was here now, standing five feet away from him
Looking like a sleep-deprived disaster
Leo shuffled further into the room and leaned slightly against the wall, blinking slowly like he was still waking up
Usagi watched him
Leo yawned and Usagi looked away immediately
Because wow.
That was… weirdly adorable
Usagi hated everything. “Did you… sleep at all?” Usagi asked casually, trying very hard to sound normal.
Leo rubbed the back of his neck
“Technically?” he said slowly. “I think my body did. My brain might still be loading”
Usagi huffed a quiet laugh, Leo squinted at him again, still clearly not fully awake.
“You’re staring,” Leo said
Usagi almost choked on his tea “I am not.”
“You are,” Leo replied immediately, pointing lazily at him without even opening his eyes fully
Usagi felt heat crawl up the back of his neck
Abort mission.
Abort mission immediately.
So he did what any completely normal person would do in this situation, he took another sip of tea.
And stared at literally anything else in the room that wasn’t Leo, because if he kept looking at him much longer, he might actually do something stupid
Like smile too much. Or stare too long
Or worse—
Let Leo notice how badly, unbelievably, hopelessly gone he was