Chapter Text
Despite Leo's inhuman strength, they worried themself to death. Just the thought of him being up there alone in the human world was gross. It made their skin crawl. They know they have an unnatural amount of anxiety about the whole situation, but they can't keep the thoughts away.
When he wasn't right there next to them, he could be out there doing anything. He could've gotten kidnapped, he could be stealing cars and crossing state lines or... literally anything! He wasn't, probably, but what if he was?
What if he'd been killed?
Donnie groaned loudly and yelled, "Raph!"
After a moment, footsteps thundered down the hall, progressively getting louder until he stopped at the door and peeked inwards politely. "Yeah what's up?"
"When is Leo coming home?"
She swallowed thickly, putting a hand to their shell in an attempt at comfort. "Tomorrow."
"B- you- Raph! I want Leo to come back." They shouted, smacking his hand away. "I'm calling him back this instant."
"What? No! You can't do that."
"Yeah why's that?" They grinned, already dialing his contact.
"He's... you just shouldn't bother him, y'know."
"You know where he is!" Donnie gasped, turning away, "You know where he is and I don't?"
"He didn't tell you 'cause he knew you'd flip!"
"So where's he at? Spill."
"I promised not to say! You're not gettin' a word outta me."
Their eyes narrowed, "Okay. Have it your way."
They left the room and sprinted to Mikey's room, Raph right on their heels. He had loud music playing, as always, and he was singing along to it (If you could count that as singing). The door was wide open, so they could see he was painting something. It was pretty weird... but they had things to get done! Donnie paid no mind to it. After all, the mind of an artist was no doubt sick and twisted, no matter how sweet they seemed on the outside.
"Oh, hey guys! Need me to turn it down?" He asked, looking up from the canvas.
"Where did Leo go?" They yelled frantically.
"Donnie!" Raph yelled, "Remember what we promised him, Mikey! Don't-"
"Leo went to a house party with April."
They gave an elongated and dramatic gasp, "A house party in New York?! You do know what that entails, right?"
"Family sized bags of chex mix?" The youngest guessed, tilting his head.
"Oh no no no no no- how could you two think this was okay? He's- he can't-" Donnie was spiraling quickly. Why couldn't these two understand how dangerous this was?
"Dee, you gotta calm down. Leo's capable of handling himself. You know that." Raphael reminded, picking them up as they began to hyperventilate.
"I don't think you're worried about Leo. I think you're scared without him." Mikey said, still focused on the painting. "You don't have to worry though. Me 'n Raph are still here."
"But Leo... he could literally be doing anything right now!"
-
Leo was currently slaying on the karaoke machine to his third Lady Gaga song of the night.
Oh yeah. That's what he was made for. Nothing was better. This was his purpose.
Poker Face came to a close and he stepped down from the makeshift stage (a couple of tables) and into April's arms. "That was absolutely obscene, dude!" She shouted, still smiling and laughing.
"I know, but Gaga's my jam. Dee and I used to sing that all the time together."
"Oh! Leo, damn it." April suddenly shouted, taking Leo by the arm, "Your face is bleeding again."
"My- oh! For real?" He used his free hand to hold it up to his face. Surely enough, his nose was bleeding. She dragged him upstairs away from the downstairs festivities. It certainly wasn't her house, but she didn't hesitate to search every room for a bathroom.
"Man I dunno how you put up with this all the time." April sighed, sitting on the counter as Leo tried to dry the endless flow of blood from his nose.
"Usually Donnie'd just hold a tissue to my face whenever they noticed." He shrugged.
"...You miss Donnie, don't you?" She stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Uh, no." He replied not very convincingly.
"Leo, do you wanna go home?" She asked, voice growing concerned.
He had a taken-aback expression on his face as he responded, "I don't. I just imagine Donnie's really, really, distraught right about now. They're probably all freaked out goin' 'Ahhh Leo's gonna die out there all by himself he doesn't know how to do anything blah blah blah.'"
She went silent for a moment, then said, "Wow I feel like I'm intruding on a hot dump of family issues."
"April, you talk like you're not family." He chuckled, kicking his feet, "It's not that bad anyway. They're just like a helicopter parent, less like a... brother."
"Have you tried actually talking to Don about that?"
"Psh! No." He blurted with a grin, but repealed it quickly at her judgmental scowl. "I should, shouldn't I?"
"Yeah, you should."
"April, I love ya, but you have got to stop trying to be the family therapist."
"Woah woah woah don't change the subject! I can't help it that I naturally solve all of your guys' problems anyway." April bragged, silently handing him yet another tissue. "You're afraid of confrontation because no one ever takes you seriously."
He recoiled internally at her honesty, "At least you tell it to me straight?"
"You've said it yourself! Everything you say sounds like sarcasm. You just don't realize Donnie's the exact same way. All you've gotta say is 'Donatello, you are not the boss of my life and you've gotta butt out every now and then.' It's that simple."
"April, I didn't come here for a Dr. Feelings session. I came here to sing my heart out and make normal human friends."
"Yeah, well apparently you've got a lot of excess blood. Someone's gonna think this is a crime scene, yuck! Where were you during all those blood drives?"
"In a sewer. As a... turtle."
"Oh yeah." Her phone beeped, and both of them jumped at the sudden sound. She checked the message and said, "Shit! I-I gotta go. Head to my place once this is over, but be quiet. You good?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Go ahead."
"Make sure you talk to Dee. Love ya." She waved to him and closed the door.
He was immediately enveloped in silence. April was really the only human person he knew, so he was at a loss now. He considered just going home, but maybe he could still put his social skills to use.
If only his damned nose would stop bleeding.
"I'm pretty sure it's unhealthy for this to go on for so long." He mumbled to himself, flushing all the bloody tissues. "Eh... no one'll notice. Nobody's gonna look at me."
He put a hand to the doorknob to leave, but when he opened the door he came face to face with another person. Instinctually, he threw a punch right into their nose. Leo was pretty sure he heard something crack.
"Shit, you've uh- you've got a good arm." The stranger replied calmly. "Uhm, I'll leave you be. Sorry about that."
"Wait!" He shouted without thinking, "I didn't mean to punch you like that, it was uh... reflex? Are you alright? You're bleeding."
They stared at him dumbly for a moment and chuckled nervously, "You are too."
"I didn't get punched in the face though." He wiped more of his own blood from his face as if pushing the problem aside. "If it's broken I can reset it."
"Excuse me?"
"Your nose. I've reset dozens of noses."
"Woah woah woah do you have like- some streak for breaking them?"
"Now that you mention it... whatever, just lemme see." He brought the stranger's face down to assess the break and jeez he'd really done a number on them.
"Wait wait wait no-"
"Hold still I've got it."
"No!" Leo popped their nose back into it's rightful place and grinned. "Shit! Holy fuck- oh my god. Oh my god."
"Better?"
"Sure." The stranger ducked past him and stood over the sink, splashing cold water on their face. "Not how I saw my night going at all, but a welcome turn I guess. What's your name, nose-breaker?"
"Wh- me?"
"Yes you. I see no other nose-breakers on the premises."
"It's Leo."
"You were the Lady Gaga guy! I should've known." They said, expecting Leo to say something else. He didn't, because that seemed to be the end of his boundless social skills. "Uhh, so you're like, gay. Right?"
"What?! Oh, yeah. I guess. Did you just assume that?"
"Lady Gaga gave it away."
"I should go now, shouldn't I?"
"Wait no! I-I am too. I think. Kinda in a deciding stage- whatever! We should totally do a song together in a few."
"Woah." Leo said with amazement. It suddenly seemed like he was staring at a beautiful angel. He could hear angelic choirs and everything. Whole shebang.
"So are you gonna ask for my name?"
Right! He had a bad habit of not doing that. "Sure. What's your name?"
"Usagi. B-but I like you, so call me Yuichi." They smiled, "And uh, pronouns?"
"Yeah, I've got those."
Usagi nearly doubled over with laughter, "No- I meant what are they?"
"Oh! Yeah, of course that's what you meant. He/him, what about you?" Leo averted his gaze nervously, suddenly growing warm. It was a strange sensation for him.
"Not 100% decided yet, but he or they for now." He smiled, and Leo couldn't help but smile back. Something about them just seemed so safe and... warm. He was comforting, like a huge blanket. They said something while Leo was getting lost in their eyes for a moment, but he couldn't tell.
"Sorry, what?" He physically shook himself out of it. "Zoned out for a moment."
"It's cool. You've still got blood on your face, and you didn't even get hit! At least not that I'm aware of. Give me a moment." He handed Leo yet another tissue, but for a split second it looked like he was gonna do it himself. "So are you, uh, set? What song do you wanna do?"
"Bad Romance! It's pretty basic, but still one of my favorites. Me and my- never mind. Let's go!" Leo had to stop from going off on a tangent about how he and Donnie would turn up the song and dance around like idiots. Then they'd scream the lyrics at the top of their lungs until someone came back home. It left their throats raw and smiles stuck in their faces.
He grabbed their hand as soon as sirens could be heard outside. A few people yelled downstairs and clattering sounded. Leo and Usagi both looked at each other and cringed, but Leo led him back into the bathroom. He popped open the window then kicked out the screen before dragging them out onto the roof. Usagi looked pretty nervous, so Leo put a finger to his lips in order to keep him quiet.
Jumping roofs is a lot more difficult when you're dragging someone along and in a suburban neighborhood. Shingles were everywhere, and they weren't sturdy in the slightest. Leo still managed until they were far enough, then he dropped to the grass where Usagi fell into his arms quite elegantly.
"Woah. You do that often?" They whimpered in shock, barely able to stand on shaky legs.
"Yeah, all the time. It's a wonder I haven't died. Technically I would've but- never mind. Let's ditch this place."
"You're so cool." Usagi muttered so quietly Leo could hardly hear.
"What's that?"
"Nothing."
Leo heard what he said. He just acted dumb.
-
"Leo isn't picking up his phone! What if he's in trouble you guys?" Donnie was growing both antsy and desperate. Raph and Mikey were just trying to watch Power Rangers but they came crawling back to the living room, unable to focus. There, they just paced until their feet grew sore and then some.
Raph was the one who broke first, as Mikey was very focused on Power Rangers. "If we call April will you calm down?" She snapped, trying to hide her annoyance at their ramblings.
"Very! Yes. Maybe. Possibly. Depends."
"Good enough for me. Calling April now." The phone rang a couple of times before she picked up, out of breath. "Hey... April. Is everything alright with Leo?"
"I have no clue. I ain't with him anymore."
"So he's fine?"
"I just said I don't know."
"Great, thanks for takin' care of him. Dee here's super worried. Okay bye!" He hung up before she could say anything else. "See? Leo's fine. April's with him right now and they're-"
"I don't believe you."
"What?"
"I need to see for myself."
"Dee! You're killin' me."
"Can you inject me with melatonin so I fall asleep and no longer have to live in this torment?"
She raised an eyebrow at them, taking their mug of coffee. "No, but I can take this, give you a melatonin gummy and swaddle you in a blanket. Like a tiny burrito."
"Alright." Donnie sighed, slumping next to him.
"Ooh me too please!" Mikey cheered, suddenly jumping into the conversation.
Raph scoffed and rolled her eyes, "It's like dealin' with a bunch of toddlers with you two sometimes, I swear."
Mikey was out like a light before long. He slept like a log most of the time. Donnie was still anxious, even if they'd given up on openly expressing it. Luckily, Raph could always tell.
He held onto Donnie tightly, which usually helped them to calm down in stressful situations. They were still fidgety though.
The T.V. was turned off, and now only quiet music was playing in another room. The lights were slightly dim and the blanket burrito had tripled in thickness. Even though Donnie was barely visible through the layers of fabric, Raph could feel a sort of aura breaking through.
Maybe they'd caught onto her fear stink habit.
"Dee?"
"What?" They responded, voice muffled and quite obviously upset.
"Are you gonna be alright?"
"Yeah. I won't be weird and stalk him anymore." They whispered, "That still doesn't make it any better."
"I know. I'm sorry."
"But I... trust him. Mikey was right, I don't like being alone."
"What's wrong with me?" Raph asked, feigning offense. "You're not alone."
"Eh, Leo's better." They chuckled, "I'm kidding."
"I know."
"Told you I was right." Mikey whispered, his eyes still closed. The others yelped in surprise, assuming he'd been asleep the whole time.
-
"So how close is this place you wanted to show me? It's freezing out here." Leo asked, shivering as a heavy breeze blew by.
"It's not that cold out, silly." Usagi chuckled, nonetheless tossing him the flannel that was tied around their waist. "Wait until you find out this place is not indoors."
"What? Are you serious? I'm gonna die of frostbite." He whined, "I can already feel my lungs freezing up. All my bones are so cold they're going brittle, like an old woman."
He smiled plainly and wordlessly grabbed Leo around his torso, "Hold on." And if this guy doesn't stop being so damn perfect maybe the weather won't affect Leo anymore. They used their free hand to climb up onto a dark balcony.
"Woah," Leo muttered, wiping the hair from his eyes, "nice view."
The sky was dull and grey, and there wasn't even as much as a cityscape. Usagi looked to him and disagreed, "This view literally sucks."
"Yeah but I'm working on being compassionate or whatever." He rolled his eyes dismissively.
Usagi smiled, finally letting go of his hand. He said, "You don't have to do that. You can be real around me."
"I'm not falling for that. You're gettin' my cool boy façade until you pry it off o' me." Leo pushed them playfully, "You do think I'm cool, right?"
"Yeah but you're losing points." He responded, punching Leo in the shoulder and pulling him into a headlock. "You still wanna do Bad Romance with me?"
"Yeah, yeah I do! Just let me go, you buffoon."
"Alright alright."
"Ooh, my phone's dead as shit." Leo grimaced, "You?"
"I don't have one."
"We can do this a cappella then! Stand up, Yuichi, let everyone hear this epic duet!"
He stood on the very edge of the balcony's rickety railing, which made Usagi very nervous, but they tried not to let it show. They sang out into the cool night air, probably earning a few confused glances from people far off. They didn't sound good, not at all, but that's not really what it was about. It was about them having fun, and that's exactly what they did.
Leo ended the song with a flourish and a dramatic pose with his hand to the skies. "...ooh la la, want your bad romance!" He screamed, letting it echo and bounce off the nearby walls. His chest was heaving from effort when he looked down at Usagi. "Catch me." He breathed out, jumping backwards from the railing.
Usagi caught him, but not without freaking out. "You could've fallen, dude!"
He shrugged, offering a nervous smile, "I wouldn't have died." He put Leo down, "Before I leave, can I uh... get your number?" Leo asked hopefully, eyes gleaming.
"Haven't got a phone, remember? What about you? Could I get an address? We could be, like, pen pals." They grinned giddily.
"Uh... I don't have one." He said without thinking, but quickly bounced back to fill the awkward silence. "I'm not homeless."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"We're not that close yet hon." He said, patting him on the shoulder, "I think we'll see each other again, I can feel it. Like it's fate. I think we're just fated to be friends."
"You're funny, but okay. See you around." Leo waved silently and hopped back over the railing, disappearing from view as he fell. "Leo!?"
He was perfectly safe, but quite a few feet away. Still, he had landed on his feet and was smiling mischievously up at Usagi as he left.
He opened the window to April's room a bit afterwards. She'd been waiting for him. He was trying to sneak in as quietly as possible, but she was ready.
"Leo!" She whisper-yelled, scaring his soul right from his body. "Where have you been?"
He thought a lot longer than he should've, plopping into the chair that would serve as his bed for the night. He kicked his shoes off, and delightfully realized he never gave Usagi's flannel back to them. Now they had no choice but to see each other again.
"I think I'm in love, April."