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When did these feelings start, exactly? These eerie feelings of admiration and excitement and desire for just one person above all others? Leo had heard about said feelings in movies, though he'd always cast them aside as some silly fairytale experience, just as his brothers did. A fairytale experience that could never hurt you if it never truly existed.
"Leonardo, babe, it's four in the morning. Come to bed already."
Leo chuckled, his tail wagging and heart pounding against his chest at those very words. Never before could he have expected to hear that sentence spoken to him before.
And from someone as vivacious and emotionally shy as Cassandra Jones of all people.
"But my sweet darling Cassie! I'm not tired!" Leo playfully replied, making his way towards Cassandra's bed and plopping down next to her. "If anything, your presence is keeping me more awake than my insomnia ever has~"
"Oh, really?" Cassandra hummed, placing a finger onto Leo's lips to stop a kiss just before it started. "Then you should go home."
"Wait, what?" Leo asked. "B-but it's four in the morning! You said!"
"And I am more than willing to make you walk home if it means I get enough sleep for tomorrow." Cassandra chuckled. The sound was audibly tired, and that made Leo feel incredibly guilty as he took the fact into account.
"Okay, fine. I'll sleep. With the condition that we cuddle. You know I love your human heat." Leo chimed, purring at the thought of snuggling up close to the burning heat source that was Cassandra Jones.
"Needy, needy." Cassandra sighed, giving a quick nod and just barely holding back a laugh as Leo turned out the light before crawling under the covers and pulling her close. "Is my blue ninja happy?"
"Very." Leo confirmed, his voice mixing with a soft purr.
"Good." Cassandra whispered, allowing her eyes to close and smiling as sleep consumed her.
The next morning, Leo and Cassie found that they were more than shocked to be tangled together in the same bed upon waking up. Why that was, neither knew, but that didn't lessen the awkwardness that was the duo shuffling away from each other with equally red faces.
"Hehe, mornin' hon." Leo bashfully chimed, rubbing his right arm with a small smile. "Have any good dreams lately?"
Wow, what a way to start a conversation.
"Nothing spectacular to report." Cassie stiffly replied. Her typically stunted nature wasn't a rarity in the early morning, especially since they were both still getting used to…
This whole situation.
"Yeah? Well… same." Leo hummed. "Something we have in common."
Cassie spared a cautious glance to Leo, taking in his soft smile for five tense seconds before offering one of her own. "You always know how to make a situation uncomfortable."
"But I also know how to make them better." Leo easily replied.
"Is that a gift or a curse?"
"You tell me."
"I'm dubbing it a curse."
"Which is exactly why you love me."
Both mutant and human went silent on a dime, their blushes growing even deeper. They knew it was silly, since it was no secret- between them at least -that they loved each other. For some reason, however, every time either of them uttered the words "I love you," they both became flustered, goofy messes.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"No, it's fine." Cassie quietly replied. "You're right, after all. I do love you, curse and all. But if you share that fact with anyone else , I will deny it and then punch you."
"Oh, trust me. I don't plan on telling anyone my sweet Cassie's anything." Leo assured, sneakily running two fingers along Cassie's arm.
"Well, aren't I glad for that?" Cassie snorted, grunting as a kiss was unexpectedly placed upon her lips. How and when Leo managed to get in the position to do this, Cassie had no idea, and that impressed her to no end. As a reward, Cassie pulled Leo closer and pulled him down.
With the terrapin now practically laying atop her, it took everything in Cassie to keep from bursting into soft giggles. That wasn't her thing, giggling, yet Leo seemingly always managed to pull them out of her.
"Fun fact: I actually have four swords." Leo chimed out of the blue. "My Ōdachi, my Katanas, and a hidden one that only I know about. Unless I've piqued your interest and you'd like to know too."
It took Cassie a couple of seconds to comprehend what Leo was suggesting, but once she did, the human burst into an uncontrollable fit of giggles. Her arms wrapped around Leo's neck, keeping them locked in their slightly uncomfortable position. God, she loved her blue banded ninja, no matter how immature he could be.
"You certainly have piqued my interest." Cassie chuckled. "But I think you're going to have to work a bit harder for-"
"WHAT THE HECK AM I LOOKING AT?!"
"CASEY!" Leo and Cassie yelp at the same time, scrambling to get away from each other and off the bed.
"Casey Jones! How many times have I told you to knock before entering my room?!" Cassie screamed, genuine anger and frustration decorating her once love-filled face.
"I DID! But you didn't answer, so I waited a little longer before knocking some more!" Casey replied, covering his eyes and trying not to think about what he'd just interrupted. "I wanted to tell you that I'm going to be late for school!"
Cassie looked up at the clock on the wall before groaning and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Alright, alright. Give me a few minutes to get ready and I'll get you to school. Leo, in the meantime, you go home."
"What??? But what about-"
" Go. Home. " Cassie hissed, watching with absolute delight as Leo yelped and ran off without another word. "Still got it."
"Mom?" Casey feebly asked, waiting for Cassie to look at him before continuing. "Are you…?" He made a rubbing motion along his stomach with a fearful frown.
"Get your bookbag and wait for me in the living room."