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Going down the stairs to step into the subway station always felt like going into another dimension to you. The air was always so musty compared to outside despite living downtown New York City, where the smell of car gas and garbage alway lingered. Today was no different. With your backpack slung over one of your shoulders, slightly weighing you down with the heavy textbooks inside, you made your way to the first platform in the station - the same station that you’ve used for the past two years. You’ve memorised every nook and crannies here; every tunnel and every platform number. You knew the best times to board the trains in the morning and in the evening to avoid heavy peak hours and so you could get the best seat.
Waiting behind the platform edge, you noticed your train approaching before coming to a stop with a screech. After allowing the passengers to leave the carriage, you made your way to the middle of the seat, away from the doors. The rackety sounds of the tracks melted into a blissful hum as you zone out with your headphones in. There wasn’t much of a view outside since you were underground so all you could see out the window was darkness. Your eyes wandered elsewhere around the train, trying to not hold eye contact with any of the other passengers. New Yorkers can be pretty hostile at times and the last thing you wanted was to come off as creepy after a long day of school. You noticed a group of girls from your maths class sitting in the corner of the train. You couldn’t catch what they were saying but the way they threw their heads back and laughed hysterically, you could tell they were probably the loudest in the carriage; they always were in class anyway.
The slight rocking motion of the train was enough to lul you to sleep on your seat. But your tiredness was only fleeting when you were struck with a strong, sweet scent of pumpkin spice steaming from one of the passenger’s coffee cup next to you. Yep. Autumn was here, so that meant pumpkin spice was going to be heavily consumed by people around, along with the traditional orange and brown themes plastered in every corner. You never understood the hype of it. And you were glad that your stop was next so you didn’t have to be stuck with the aroma any longer.
You were welcomed back to the cold air outside. There was a sudden gust of wind which made you involuntarily grip tighter into your jacket. The sea of leaves crunched beneath your feet as you walked to your apartment, keys in hand. Daylight was going to burn out faster now and before you knew it, it would be sundown by the time you went home. The season always left a bittersweet taste in your mouth. You didn’t hate it - you loved coming home to a warm house after shutting the cold outside. The recovery from the cold weather is significantly better than the extreme sticky heat during the summer. Sweating was never a pleasant experience.
Perhaps it was the new academic year that would start around this time that made you feel uneasy. That was probably what ruined the whole season for you. You never had anything to look forward to once school started - you didn’t have an active social life so you didn’t have any friends you were excited to see. A few small talks with your classmates here and there but that was probably it. You would just watch in the corner as your classmates got extremely happy seeing their friends again after the summer break. Sure, you had April O’Neil and Casey Jones, they were your only human friends that were your age so you could relate to them a lot. Unfortunately for you, they both attended a different school which was quite a distance from your area, so you barely got to see them.
It was quarter to five by the time you finally reached outside your building. It wasn’t going to get dark until a few hours later for now. You opened the front entrance and made your way upstairs, footsteps echoed with each step in the emptiness of the silent halls along with one of the neighbour’s dogs barking aggressively from inside their apartment. You never liked taking the cramped elevator, despite how heavy your legs were feeling and how quickly you wanted to step inside your heated home, you rather not be stuck in a metal box that smelt of piss for a few seconds. You made your way to your own apartment and immediately could tell that there was no one home when you couldn’t feel the central heating in the house. That, and your parents’ shoes that were always by the front door weren't there now which also gave away that you were home alone.
First thing you did was switch on the heating and waited for your apartment to warm up before going to your room and dumping your bag to the side with a thud. You took a seat behind your study desk. There were sticky notes littered on the walls, notes from last year's finals. You didn’t bother to take them down - It wasn’t like anyone was going to see them anyways. It wasn’t a favourable experience being the only presence in the house and it happened way too often for your liking. You didn’t have any issues with your parents, they were just busy and knew you could handle yourself at home. It really didn’t help with how things were in school. You just craved to have that close connection with someone, to feel listened to and not overlooked.
A few hours have passed and by now, it was pitch black outside but your curtains were not drawn yet. It’s not like you had anyone that could look through your window from the outside since you were higher up and no building was opposite. You paid no mind to it until you heard a soft knock on your window, slightly startling you from the deafening silence. A tall 6 feet muscular figure could be seen outside your window, hanging off the fire exit ladder. From your room lighting, you caught a glimpse of the familiar blue bandanna around his eyes.
“Leo?” You opened your window and gestured to him inside. “Don’t worry it’s safe,”
As he stepped into your room through the open window, you noticed he was carrying something bulky on his side. Once he was inside, you quickly closed the window again, shutting out the blistering cold. There was the smell of chlorine coming from him that you’ve grown used to time ago.
“What are you doing here? Is something up?” You didn’t question the thing he was carrying since you knew he was going to tell you anyway. Leo wasn’t the type to leave things unsaid.
“No, nothing serious. I just came to check on you. You didn’t reply to any of my messages and I was worried,” There was a sudden guilt that stirred in your stomach. You never really messaged people and vice versa so your phone was pretty dry. Thus, everyday after school, you would switch your phone off and try to preoccupy yourself before making yourself dinner and getting ready for bed.
“I’m so sorry Leo, my phone was switched off,” you said, sincerity in your voice.
“Hey, it’s alright, as long as you’re safe,” he pulled out a flask that was inside his side pouch. It sloshed around with every movement so you could tell it was heavy and filled to the top. “I brought you some tea, maybe we could catch up on things?” He handed you the metal flask as he spoke, as expected it was a little heavy.
“Thank you. You’re too sweet. Let’s go to the kitchen, I’m home alone tonight so no one will see you,” You led him to the kitchen and took out two ceramic tea cups from the dishes cupboard. You poured the hot beverage in each cup and took a seat on the dining table. The tea sent a welcoming heat penetrating through your body and a trip through memory lane. It’s been a while since you’ve had some of Leo’s tea. Definitely better than a pumpkin spice.
“So, it’s been a minute since you’ve been in the lair. I guess you’re really busy, huh?” Leo asked, his eyes still glued to you over the rim of the cup as he took his first sip.
“I have, yes. School’s started now and I’m still getting used to the routine,” you haven’t gone to the lair in months. The last time you went was the first few weeks into the summer break.
“Have you spoken with April or Casey?”
“Not since summer”
“Oh well, they have been asking about you,”
“Wait, really?” You weren’t used to people really acknowledging you let alone even asking about you so of course hearing this was a surprise.
“We all have. Even Master Splinter. We miss you coming over, you know… I miss you,” the last part came off as a shy mutter and you noticed his gaze dropped.
“I miss all of you guys too,” you were speechless at this point. You didn’t think anyone would make you feel wanted like this, it was a little overwhelming. Leo reached out for your hand. His touch was cold but you still welcomed them.
“You know you’re always welcome in the lair, whenever you are available of course. I really want you to see you more often.” There was a fresh feel of warm integrity that seeped through you as he said that. From the way he looked at you, you knew it was genuine. This family was full of heroes who were responsible for the safety of the city while staying under the shadows and you had the luxury to be a part of it. They were family to you and they would do anything to keep you safe. There was no reason to feel alone now.
“Thank you Leo. It means a lot.” You sent him a warm smile and he sent one back. Everything was going to be okay, you had people that you could rely on. “So, how are your brothers then?”