Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Airports.

Why did they have to be so...

So…

Hectic? Loud? Chaotic?

No, those weren’t the right words, but your brain was too tired to come up with anything else. You’d gotten up way too early to make this flight on time, and now you were paying the price at the airport terminal. Your bones begged for rest, but your mind was buzzing with anticipation. 

Well, at least you weren’t late for the flight. The flip side of that being, of course, that you had been far too early. Time had a funny way of messing with you like that, so historically you’ve erred on the side of caution when the deadline mattered. As a consequence, you’ve spent the last few hours mindlessly waiting. You must have checked your luggage about a thousand times by this point.

Such was the thrill of travel.

Sitting on the cheap, sauce-stained seats in the terminal lobby, you begin to space out. Just before you completely disassociate, however, your phone buzzes. 

*

Weirdo NY Pizza Friend :

Heyyyy! You flying in the air yet?

*

You let out a smirk. 

That was Leo, your friend from New York. You’d met online a year ago, on some chat forum discussing pizza, of all things. Somehow, an idle minute-long discussion of ideal toppings marked the beginning of a beautiful friendship that crossed thousands of miles. Despite strongly differing opinions on pseudo-Italian cuisine, the two of you got along great. 

So great, that you were now about to get on a plane to fly over and visit his home city. 

Your plan was simple, but daunting. You were going to try and live there for a gap year, far away from the life you previously knew. A whole new adventure, because of a person you only really knew through text. 

Yeah, this was a good idea. Totally!

Ignoring your subconscious doubts, you turn back to your phone to compose a reply. 

*

You:

We haven’t taken off yet lmao

What, you excited to see me or something?

Weirdo NY Pizza Friend :

Pfffft nahh. Just wanted to know your last words in case you crash and burn :p

Besides

Why would I want to hang out with someone who doesn’t like pineapple on their pizza???

You:

Omg we are not going  to have this argument again

But if we were, I’d say I have a more sophisticated palate 

And gee, thanks for jinxing my flight. I feel soooo much better

Weirdo NY Pizza Friend:

Okay yeahhh, maybe that was in bad taste. 

Not unlike you with your pizza choices lmaooo

You:

Omfgggg

Weirdo NY Pizza Friend:

But seriously. It’s just crazy! 

Like

You’re coming all this way to see my home city?

You’re seriously doing it?

You:

Yeah man, I’m not kidding this time

You know I’ve always wanted to go

I mean, I gotta see what all the fuss is about with the New York slices, don’t I?

Weirdo NY Pizza Friend:

I mean

Sure, the food’s nice, but “thousands of dollars in airplane tickets” nice? 

*

That truth punches you in the gut a little, but you smile through and flick back a reply.

*

You:

Good thing I’m not just going for the food lmao

I still can’t believe you’ve never been to a show on Broadway!

Like, are you really a New Yorker?

Weirdo NY Pizza Friend:

Hey, I know theatre!

It’s just…

You know

Expensive!

You:

Point taken hahaha. Still on the bucket list, though

*

“Maybe we could watch a show together?” is what you almost text back, but you delete the message quickly. That would have been a bit too forward, especially knowing that Leo didn’t go out in public very much. He was a bit evasive on the subject, but you inferred that it was due to some kind of anxiety. A fear of…being seen, in some way. You guess it was likely the same reason that he never wanted to video chat. While you couldn’t deny your curiosity, you respected his boundaries.

You put down your phone and look back at your ticket. Only moments later does the intercom announce boarding for your flight, forcing you out of your seat. Chest beating in anticipation, you stride through that narrow corridor leading onto the plane-taking in the new-seat smell of it all. 

*

You:

Okay I actually gotta go now. Plane’s about to leave!

Talk to you again in several hours lol

Weirdo NY Pizza Friend:

Okayyy

When you munch on that crappy airline food, think of meee

You:

Yk I will.

See ya :)

*

After finding your seat-a window one, blessedly, you lean back and settle in for the beginning of a long journey. 

“Start spreading the news...” You murmur the tune stuck in your head, letting out a smile. “I’m leaving today….”

The flight itself hadn’t been the nightmare you mentally prepared yourself for. The hours stretched, of course, but you took the time to close your eyes and bask in the excitement of it all. 

A new place to live…for a whole year! Obviously, you’d need a job to get by; your savings only stretched so far. You had maybe a week or two, tops, before things would get tight. 

Several movies and a few courses of barely edible food later, the plane announces its approach back down to Earth. You look out the window to see a startlingly vast city skyline, detailed with what looks like millions of minuscule buildings. Skyscrapers reached for the heavens, begging for your attention; but what grabs you more than anything are the finer details, the endless grids of an urban landscape, roads veining the bodies of islands. It is so much to take in-it almost scares you, even.

Things become a lot less grand when you touch down at JFK International Airport. It takes forever for you to get your bags, but you patiently work your way through the bureaucracy and crowds. 

As soon as you step through the arrivals section, the world becomes yours. And you realise, only then, how out of your depth you might be. From here on out, you were on your own in an utterly unfamiliar place. How your future would unfold was now entirely up to you. 

It’s…a scary feeling, if you were being honest. 

Pushing anxious thoughts to the side, you drag your way through the airport, purchasing a local sim card and some fast food on the way. Your collection of luggage is heavy, but you somehow manage to keep it all together as you hail a cab. 

An expensive taxi ride later, you reach a (relatively) budget-friendly West Village apartment complex. You’d liked how it looked online, and it wasn’t too far from where Leo lived, apparently. 

It is in this cramped apartment, several stories high, where you stay, alone with nothing to accompany you but your belongings. Of course, you’ll have to work a job to pay off the rent for even this place, once your savings are used up. You have a week or two, tops, before that happens. That should, hopefully, be enough time to settle in a little.

You can’t be bothered to unpack everything right now, so you opt to collapse into the living room couch. Closing your eyes, you contemplate the situation once again.

New York, the City That Never Sleeps. You had always dreamed of coming to this city, ever since you were a child. It was such a mainstay in Western pop culture, so profoundly American, for better and worse. 

But now that you were finally here, you felt…

Empty.

It hits you like a truck. Did you seriously upend your life back home for this? To live alone in an even-crappier apartment? Sure, there were some exciting things to do, but that would grow stale-especially within a year.

Things would get dull, and when the magic is completely gone you’ll realise how alone you still are-

No. You refused to let that train of thought reach its destination. You couldn’t bum yourself out this early into your stay! You were wrong, after all-you weren’t alone. 

Yes, there was someone you knew. In all your hurry to get a place to stay sorted, you completely forgot to tell him you had arrived. 

Pulling out your phone, you set up the SIM card in a hurry and get typing immediately. 

*

You:

Hey, guess who’s on US soil now?

*

You don’t get a response immediately, so you busy yourself unpacking as you wait. The anticipation for the reply motivates you to get the chores done. 

After a few minutes of sorting clothes, items and utilities, a reply comes.

*

Weirdo NY Pizza Friend:

OMG FINALLY!

That was a long flight, how are you still awake?

You:

Oh, well…

I am kinda tired, but also like…not? 

Jet lag do be like that, ya know

*

You cringe at the message you just sent. But he reads your message before you can delete it.

*

Weirdo NY Pizza Friend:

That’s fair!

Well, it’s good to hear you made it safe :) 

I can’t believe you’re here!!!!!

You:

Honestly, me neither lmao

*

You smile, already feeling a little better now. Talking to Leo often had that effect on you, as snarky as he could be. Steeling your nerve, you continue tapping away. 

*

You:

Hey, so I was thinking…

I got this new sim card at the airport.

It was kinda pricey, but I wanna see if it works

But I need someone’s contact details to try it.

Weirdo NY Pizza Friend:

Oooooooh? 

You want my number, eh?

You:

Nah, I was gonna ask if you knew someone :p

Weirdo NY Pizza Friend:

:( 

It’s fine. I’m not hurt.

Not at all.

You:

I’m kidding! 

I was actually wondering if you wanted to call, haha

If it’s not too weird.

Totally fine if it is. 

*

You stare at your phone, almost shocked that you went through with asking. It’d be a big step in your friendship, talking in person and one you never wanted to broach before, knowing how private your online friend was with his personal details. But being here, being so much closer to him geographically, you felt…emboldened. You wondered what your friend sounded like, did he have a cool-sounding voice? 

Your phone buzzes, and you rush to open the response. 

*

Weirdo NY Pizza Friend:

Oh yeah?

Think you can handle me in real time?

You do realise it’s harder to come up with witty responses on the phone, right?

*

You smirk at that, feeling the tension fade. 

*

You:

If you’re too scared you can just say that :p

Weirdo NY Pizza Friend:

Me? Scared?

Oh, it’s on!

Gimme your number. I’ll call you right now!

You:

Hey, I asked first!

Gimme your number!

Weirdo NY Pizza Friend:

Fine! But you better call!

You’re committed to this now! I didn’t make friends with a coward!

OR DID I???

*

Rolling your eyes, you input the number Leo sends you a second later. You stare at the fresh contact details, unsure why now you’re suddenly nervous about this.

Before you can wuss out, you hit the phone dial.

As you wait for the other phone to pick up, you’re hit with the reality that this is actually happening. What would your friend sound like? How different would your conversations be over the phone? What the hell were you going to do if you said something stupid? What if you-

*click!*

“Hey…you called?”  

Leo’s voice is a little lower than you expected, but you like it immediately. There’s a confident humour to his tone, which puts you at ease instantly. 

“Hey…” You can’t help but smile. This small piece of social interaction is enough to bring up your mood. “I…yeah. Thanks for picking up.”

“Pshh, it’s no big deal.” There’s a pause from the other end of the line. “Are you alright? I know there’s no nice way of putting this, but you sound kinda…tired.”

“That’s because I am tired.” You laugh, which oddly rejuvenates you a little. “But it’s not like I could fall asleep on the subway. I needed to get moved in.”

“Oh, right, yeah! How’s that going?”

You regale Leo with the tale of your arrival in New York. The adventure of dragging your luggage through the metro, getting lost a few times and almost bumping into several city-goers throughout. Gradually, the two of your burn out the conversation as you argue what truly constitutes a sub sandwich. 

“Okay…” You breathe out the word tiredly. “I should probably unpack a bit and… *yawn* go to bed.”

“Heh, yeah…” Leo laughs, clearly amused by your fatigue. “I’ll bet your bed’s gonna feel a lot better than a plane seat.”

“You can say that again….”

“I’ll bet your bed’s gonna feel a lot better than a plane seat.”

“Wow. That’s so funny.” You state dryly. 

“I know, I know. I’m a comedic genius, thank you.”

“Okay, I’m going now. Bye.”

“Alright, yeah. Get some rest. Talk to you later!”

When you hang up the call, you feel a bittersweetness at not being able to chat for longer. Of course, that feeling gets overtaken by sheer exhaustion. You barely remember shutting your eyes as sleep takes you on the springy mattress on the floor.

The next day, you take yourself out into New York City proper. You feel that it’s only fair to walk around your neighbourhood for a bit, maybe even branch out!

There was, of course, Times Square on your list, but you only barely hung around there for thirty minutes before getting overwhelmed. Luckily you were able to find a nearby diner to grab lunch and chill out in. Despite the sensory overload, the city fascinated you; never had a place felt so alive. It was a beast of metal and concrete, threatening to swallow anyone who didn’t watch their step, but one that so proudly insisted on its presence.

There was just one thing missing from the experience. 

It’s already late in the evening when you arrive back at your apartment. Despite your lack of energy, you’re resolved in ending your day with something special. You find Leo’s contact details and dial him. Thankfully, he likes to keep a nighttime schedule.

The phone picks up after two rings. 

“Hey!” Leo says, cheerfully. “Did you miss the sound of my voice, already?”

“Oh yeah, totally.” You reply, sarcastically. “It’s the highlight of my day. In fact, it’s made the entire trip worth it.”

“Good to know.” Leo lightly laughs. “But yeah, what’s up?”

“Oh, nothing really…” You take a deep breath before speaking. “Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to come over. I can flick you the address if you’re down, but no pressure.”

There’s a pause on the other end, and you wonder if he hadn’t heard you; or worse, didn’t like the suggestion.

“Leo?” You prompt, nervously.

“Ah-sorry! I almost dropped my phone. Yeah, I can totally come over. You mean tonight, right?”

“I mean…if you don’t have anything better to do, then sure! If you’re busy, though…”

“Nah my schedule should be open, and if it’s not, I’ll make it open!”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to-”

“Ohmygod it’s fine. Flick me your address and I’ll be right over. It’s totally not an issue so don’t worry about it okaaaaaay? We’re doing this!” 

“Okay…

“Cool cool cool…so it’s settled then! I’ll let you know when I’m close by. Shouldn’t take me too long.”

“Okay…” You nod to yourself. This was actually happening. Holy shit. “Uh…see you soon then?” 

“Yep! See you soon!”

“Bye!”

You hang up, a slight frown sneaking up on you. As excited as you are to be meeting your online friend in person, you feel like something’s off. Leo’s voice didn’t have the confidence it had before, just now. 

Then you realise. Of course! Leo doesn’t go out and meet people often, does he? Of course this would be a sudden change of pace! You’ve already made a big stride in your friendship by talking over the phone, 

It was nice that he was willing to try, despite that. 

You smile to yourself. Well then, you’d just have to try and accommodate him as much as possible. If he needed to leave because his social battery couldn’t handle the hangout, then so be it. Either way, it’d be good to see him. 

You go over your apartment, making a minimal effort to ensure that things are reasonably tidy. You still haven’t fully unpacked your things, and a good portion of your clothes are piled on an armchair, so you take the opportunity to clear that space. You're no master at tidying, but you make an honest effort.

Your phone rings again a few minutes later.

“Hey, so…I’m nearly there.”  

“Oh…wow! That was fast!" You blink, looking outside and noting the weather. "You didn’t try running here in this rain, did you?” 

“Heh, maybe…” Leo’s voice is suddenly more nervous now. “But listen, there’s something you kinda have to know. About me.”

A faint rattle comes from outside, but you ignore it. Probably just the wind shaking some piping underneath you, you’ll have to get used to that, wouldn’t you?

You raise your brows. “Oh yeah? What is it?”

“Okay, so you know how I don’t go out very much. Like, in front of other people?”

“Yeah?” You feel a little tense. Oh god, is this the part where he confesses to being a serial killer? Are you to be his next victim-lured in through an online friendship across the globe? Was that his modus operendi? No, that was stupid. Stop being stupid!

“Well, let’s just say there’s a slightly complicated reason for that.” Leo lets out a sigh. “You’ll see, it’s better I show you.”

There’s that rattling again, more insistent than before. You’re less certain that it’s the wind this time, now that it was vaguely coming from above you. 

“Oh, okay…” You grip your phone a little tighter. “But what exactly are you showing me?”

“Uh…it’s a surprise?”  

“A good surprise?”

“...”

“Leo! ”

“Listen, it’s nothing bad! It’s just… don’t freak out, okay?”

The rattling is much louder now, as you realize now that they must be footsteps. Heavy footsteps. Right outside your window. 

“Dude, are you on the freakin’ fire escape?”

“Yeah…” Leo replies, guiltily. “Sorry, it’s the best way to get in without being seen.”

“And you know this, what, from experience?”

“…No comment.”

“Dude! ” You turn to the window of the fire escape exit. The curtain covers your view of the outside, but there’s definitely a shadow there. “I get you have social anxiety, or whatever, but isn’t this a bit extreme?”

“Huh?” The voice on the phone is echoed by a muffled voice outside. “I don’t have-look, would you mind letting me in?”

You stare at the large imposing silhouette behind the curtain, then back at your phone. After a deep breath, you sigh. “Okay, fine.”

“And remember, don’t freak out. ”

“Saying that only makes me more freaked out!”

“Then…I dunno! Expect something really scary, then! Don’t ask me how to manage your expectations!”

With nothing else for it, you pull back the curtains to stare outside.

The person on the other side of the window isn’t human; that’s immediately obvious. Its face is, at first glance, monstrous, and at a second glance, reptilian. It stares at you, shaded by the night, expression made frigid by the rain. 

“Huh…” is all you can manage.

“Hey, [Y/N].” The being on the other side slowly raises a three-pronged hand. The voice confirms that this is, in fact, the same voice you were just talking to. Your friend Leo. “Can I come in?”

“Um…yeah.” Dazed, you force yourself to back away and give your friend some space to enter.

Green-skinned legs, toned with muscle, vault into your living room, and the frame that follows is very obviously that befitting of a tall anthropomorphic turtle. Standing up, he’s easily a head taller than you. To his side imposes a sword with strange etchings on it, and you can’t help but stare at it for a bit. 

The next thing you notice is his face. Behind a thin blue ribbon mask are nervous eyes striped with pink. Moving your gaze down, you clock his biceps, modestly solid with their own yellow stripes adorning them. In fact, his entire body is quite athletic, and that raises a variety of questions inside you. Embarrassed, you force yourself to look back at his face. 

Those eyes, irises blacker than night, look at you with some trepidation, as if you’re the strangest thing standing in your living room. 

You take another step back, still unable to tear your eyes away from the being. You know your mind needs time to process what it's witnessing, but the need to say something grows rapidly in the awkward silence. 

The first words that come to you stumble out of your mouth. “You…have a sword.” 

Leo snaps out of the stare-off and suddenly becomes aware of himself. “Oh, right. Sorry, let me get this thing off…”

He unbuckles the strap around his chest and sets the weapon carefully on the floor. Every movement Leo makes, from his posture to his eyes and mouth makes sense, too much sense. No animatronic or costume could achieve the level of fluid movement that you were witnessing now. This was a real person. A real turtle person. 

Noticing your demeanor, Leo leans slightly toward you. “Sooo…how are you feeling? Are you in shock yet?”

“Uh…” You stammer. In an attempt to snap back to reality, you violently shake your head and take another deep breath. “Okay yeah, maybe I should sit down.”

“It’s okay, that’s normal! First time meeting a mutant, it’s a lot to take in. Honestly, you’re taking it surprisingly well.” Leo holds out his hands in an attempted calming motion. “You should take a seat, maybe drink some water-you want water? I’ll get you some water.” 

You watch in equal measures of disbelief and amusement as you watch your best friend-who-is-now-a-large-turtle-man rush to the kitchen to fetch you a drink. You try to relax in the closest chair you can find. The shock, at least, is starting to wear off.

Placing the glass of water by your side, Leo crouches down to meet his eye level with yours. “So, uh…feeling any better, champ?”

“You’re really Leo, huh?” You meet his slightly worried eyes. “All this time, I’ve been talking with you?”

“Yeah…sorry. I would have mentioned it earlier, but it’s kind of hard to explain…this whole situation.” Leo smiles a little, gesturing to himself. “And besides, would you have believed me if I told you?”

“Probably not…” You can’t help but chuckle as you look away. “Then again, I’ve seen stranger claims on the internet. Like that guy who claimed he could shapeshift into water?”

“Oh yeah, that dude’s a total fake. But me?” Leo stretches out his arms in a grand gesture. “I’m the real deal, baby!”

“Yeah…” Taken aback by the casualness of it all, you let out a breath you don’t even realise you’re holding. “Sorry, I’m just…trying to process this still. It’s not you, it’s me.”

“I’m pretty sure it is me, but I get it.” Leo takes a seat on the floor in front of you. He looks out of your apartment window. “Actually, ever since you talked about coming to New York, I was worried about how this would go. I figured this would happen eventually.” 

“Oh?” You look at your friend-and despite the strangeness of the situation he is still your friend-and frown at his unease. “Well, I’m not…upset or anything. It’s just…a surprise, obviously.”

“That’s…fair.” Leo chuckles a little, before straightening his posture. “Honestly, I’m shocked that you’re a real person and not, you know, just a block of words. Or a serial killer.”

“Wow.” You smile, your apprehension starting to fade. “Glad I could exceed such lofty expectations.”

“Of course,” Leo smirks. “Trust me, there are some real weirdos out there.” 

That forces a chuckle out of you, and Leo visibly relaxes at your reaction. 

“Okay, so…” You slowly clasp your hands together. “Now that you’re here, did you…wanna order some pizza?”

Leo pauses for a second, before shooting back a wide smile. “Only if you let me pick the place. I mean, I am the local and I, obviously, have the better taste…”

You laugh, his intentionally braggy tone amusing you. “Sure, sure. You’re dripping wet, by the way.”

Your turtle companion stops to look down at himself sheepishly. “Oh yeah, guess I am. You got a towel?”

You scavenge a few spare towels to help dry off Leo-as well as the floor that he’s made wet. A quick debate and a phone call later, and you successfully order a few pizzas via delivery. It’s a pricey bill, but screw it-why not celebrate?

You two sit there and wait for your food to arrive.

“So…” You regard Leo. “What’s with the mask?”

“Oh, this?” Leo absently brushes his fingers over the azure cloth. “It’s kind of a ninja thing. You know, secrecy and all that jazz.”

You stifle a small laugh. “But…like, there’s not a lot of walking talking turtle people around, is there?”

Leo shrugs a little. “Not really, other than me and my brothers.”

“So what’s the point of hiding your face if you’re so…unique?”

“Hey, I didn’t make the rules!” Leo holds his hands up. “I’m just happy they gave me the best colour.”

“Hmm…” You tilt your head. “Blue’s nice, but me personally? I’d prefer purple.”

Leo freezes, giving you an appalled look. “You did not just say that.”

“What?” You laugh at how dramatic his voice sounds. “What’s wrong with purple?”

“It’s…it’s nothing.” Leo looks away, trying (badly) to look unfazed. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay…” You regard him skeptically, but decide to leave it at that. “And what about the weird-looking sword? That a ninja thing too? Also, since when were you a freaking ninja?!”

“Oh right, I guess that’s secret number two.” Leo chuckles before relaxing into a shrug. “‘Been a ninja as long as I can remember. Our father slash mentor’s kinda big on the ‘tough love’ approach to learning. Wants us to be ready to fight monsters and world-ending threats. You know, the usual.”

“Oh…” You take a deep breath. “And… are there any world-ending threats going on right now?”

“Nah...” Leo eyes you, only slightly less confident than before. “At least, I’m pretty sure.”

You stare at him.

“It’s fine, I promise!” Leo splays out his hands pleadingly. “And if it’s not, I promise I’ll try to keep you safe. Ninja’s honor!”

That sentiment warms your heart unexpectedly, and you reach the startling realisation that, yes-this muscular turtle man probably does know how to use that sword. It’s not hard to imagine him wielding it fearlessly, with that Leo-brand of confidence and wit. That image of a snarky, yet loyal ninja bodyguard protecting you of all people makes you feel… 

Trying to keep your thoughts together, you give him an accepting shrug. “Well, either way. That…sounds like a lot to deal with.”

“Yeah,” Your friend smiles, relaxing. “But don’t worry, we get our fun in too. Speaking of which, what’s the plan? Movie night?” 

“Oh…” You tap your feet excitedly. You hadn’t thought this far ahead, so you stall. “I mean, only if you’re free. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of your training to save the world...”

“Oh god, please no. I will do literally anything but training right now.” Leo’s frown fades back into a smile, much kinder now. “Besides, you said you were feeling lonely. I’m not just gonna leave after you bought me dinner.”

“Okay…” You relax a little. “So, uh, what kind of movies are you into?”

The two of you eventually settle on a comedy flick that only just released this year. It’s pretty corny, and the dialogue is riddled with cliches that you’ve seen played out millions of times. But it’s fun, silly, and easy to snark at. You enjoy each other’s witticisms as you brave the generic waters of slapstick and low-brow humour. 

The pizza arrives partway through the movie, and as you go to answer the door Leo swiftly leaps behind the couch to hide. You leave a tip and thank the delivery person as you close the door, signaling that it’s safe for your friend to come out. 

“It sucks that you have to hide from people like that.” You comment, a little worried about bringing the mood down. 

“I’m used to it,” Leo replies, lightly. “I mean, it beats being put in a cage, or turned into a lab experiment, or whatever.”

“But that's still really messed up.” You frown. “You shouldn’t have to worry about that kind of thing just because you’re…you know, different.”

Leo shrugs before letting out a smile. “I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine, really. Honestly? I like the secretive life. It gives me that cool, mysterious vibe, right?”

You’re not entirely convinced, but you let the matter go. There’s no point in letting an unhappy conversation topic overstay its welcome. 

“Sure.” You concede as you put down the pizza boxes between you. You had opted for the pepperoni-a classic because, well, when in Rome. Leo, controversially, had picked a Margherita with anchovies as a topping. This time though, you decided to put your differences in taste aside. It was a special night, after all.

You dig in, and the pizza is simply delicious. This doesn’t surprise you, being recommended by the self-styled connoisseur you came to know and base your entire friendship on. The grease is light but still packs a savoury flavour that has you feeling nostalgic for a place you never grew up in.

“God…” You say, letting out what you hope isn’t a borderline moan.

“Right? ” Leo smiles, his voice excited by your enjoyment. “I kinda stumbled across this place on a mission, actually. Obviously, I couldn’t go inside, but the smell! I just had to call delivery and try it myself. Been my go-to ever since; it’s expensive but totally worth it. Easily the best pizza topside!”

“Agreed.” You nod, though a bit thrown by the word “topside”. “I don’t always agree with your choices, but when you’re right, you’re right..” 

Leo smirks, but before he can open his mouth to gloat, something to his side starts beeping. 

“Hang on…” Leo pulls out his phone, then lets out a long, heavy sigh. “Damn it…I should probably take this. I only told them to call me if there was an emergency.”

“Oh, sure.” You grab the remote and pause the movie, a little curious. “Go ahead.” 

“Sorry!” He whispers before answering the phone. “Donnie, what’s up?”

Leo walks out of the room to resume his conversation, and you’re left sitting on the couch alone. With that comes the small, creeping dread, that your time with Leo tonight is about to wrap up. 

And then you’ll be left on your own again. 

You shake off the sadness of that thought and try to look at the positives. Tonight, you got to meet your best friend, and strange as he may have appeared initially, you’re now 99% sure that he isn’t a serial killer. 

More than that, he’s…kind of a cool guy, isn’t he? Cool and…a little goofy at the same time, but also nice. Really nice.

And really rather muscular. 

Why does your mind keep going back to that? Are you…seriously developing a mild crush on your (Actually A Turtle Man) Weird Best Friend From New York? After meeting him for less than a week, no less!

You don’t have time to come to a conclusion, as Leo returns from the kitchen, phone no longer in hand. 

“Hey, so…” Leo lets out a grimace. “I really, really hate to do this, but I gotta dash.”

“Oh…?” You try not to sound disheartened, but you were never that good at playing it cool. “I get it, that’s fine, man.”

“It’s my brothers,” Leo explains apologetically. “They were meant to be doing some simple errands, but it seems like they’ve stumbled on some…weird conspiracy of pigeons?”

His voice hitches at the end of that statement, likely to acknowledge how outrageous the story would sound to you, a normal person. 

“Huh…” You say. “Does that…happen a lot to you guys?”

“The pigeons? No.” Leo leans down to pick up his sword. “Weird conspiracies? Waaaaay too much.” 

“I see…” You nod. “Well uh, I don’t want to keep you, then.”

“Again, I’m really sorry.” Leo puts his hands together pleadingly. “We’ll finish the movie later, okay? I’ll text you when I’m free.”

“Dude, it’s fine.” You smile and wave him off, not wanting to keep Leo any longer than necessary. “You don’t need an umbrella, or anything?”

“Nah, I got my ride sorted.” Leo rolls his shoulders and gets into a strange stance. “Just uh…stand back a bit.” 

“Uh, okay…” You give yourself a bit of distance from Leo. “But what does that have to do with-”

Gripping the sword tightly, Leo suddenly swings it through the air. A second later, a sky-blue apparition appears from where he had sliced the air. 

“What the hell is that?” You exclaim.

“Cool, right?” Leo looks over his shoulder to give you a smirk. “It’s a portal. No big deal, it’s only the fastest and most cost-efficient way to travel around New York.”

“Oh what, so you can do freaking magic too?” You shake your head. “I…no, just go. You can explain it to me later.”

“I will if you remind me.” Leo gives you a slight smile. “Oh, and hey…”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks for not freaking out.” Leo’s posture tightened a little, awkward at his own sincerity. “Feels good to get this all out in the open, me being…me.” 

“Of course, man.” You give a faux-offended smile. “I wouldn’t let something like that get in the way of us being friends, you know?” 

“I know…” Leo slumps a little. “That’s why it didn’t feel right. Hiding it, I mean.”

“That’s okay.” You say, heart suddenly feeling a bit warmer. “I’m…glad you felt comfortable showing me.”

“Yeah, me too.” Leo straightens himself suddenly at chucks a grin at you. “Okay, I think that’s enough sappy talk, so…see you later?”

“Yeah.” You smile back. “See you later.” 

With a final salute wave, Leo strides into the blue void before it quickly vanishes into thin air. A final strange thing to happen, just to top off an already strange night. 

The tiredness hits you again, so you sluggishly open your suitcase and unpack your nighttime essentials-toiletries, pajamas, and the like. 

And then you collapse on the six-out-of-ten mattress in your new bedroom. Sleep finds you quickly, and you feel happily content at having the day you just had.

Chapter Text

You spend the next day getting a better lay of the land. Having already visited the top landmarks, you decide to take things slower and explore the local area around your flat. The West Village is a rather idyllic area, and you take to the scenery quickly. The blend of trees and mortar brick make a pleasing colour pallet as you walk along the modestly narrow pavements. It’s a beautifully clear day too; the weather’s apology for yesterday’s storm. 

The local food and drink scene is certainly nothing to scoff at, either; a variety of cuisines and snacks at differing price levels gives you a lot to consider for lunch and dinner plans. You settle for a steak-cheese sandwich and deal with the food coma for the rest of the day, but that doesn’t stop you from walking around some more.  

After you get back to your apartment, you receive a message. 

*

Fire Escape Stalker Friend:

Heyyyyyy

Wait, you changed my CHAT NAME???

That’s rude!

*

You smirk, fingers racing to reply as you throw yourself onto the couch.

*

You:

Well yeah

I’d say it’s pretty accurate, wouldn’t you?

Fire Escape Stalker Friend:

Uh no???? I’m not a stalker!!!!

What did you want me to do? Portal into your living room?

Pretty sure that would freak you out more :p

You:

Point taken hahaha

Ok fine, I’ll change it

(Fire Escape Stalker Friend’s name has been changed to Pigeon Slayer)

Pigeon Slayer:

Better, but still not accurate

FYI, we dealt with the pigeon conspiracy peacefully

You:

Oh really? How?

Pigeon Slayer:

Lets just say the grain mill from out of town is down a truck and leave it at that.

You:

Okay…

That’s totally not suspicious.

Pigeon Slayer:

Nope! Totally normal!

You:

Uh huh.

(Pigeon Slayer’s name has been changed to Pigeon Feeder)

Pigeon Feeder:

Wow, thanks.

You:

No problem! :) 

What did you message me for, anyway?

Pigeon Feeder:

Well, I WAS gonna ask when you wanted to finish off that movie.

Until you started calling me names :( 

You:

Oh please, you love it

But yeah, I’d love to. You free tonight?

Pigeon Feeder:

I could be ;)

Do I get to pick the food again?

You:

Only if you don’t pick grain for dinner

Pigeon Feeder:

omfg 

*

The second hangout is a lot less stressful than the first was, naturally. Leo offers to pay for dinner this time, and while you silently wonder where he has the cash, you don’t complain. This time, you have Chinese take-out delivered and, annoyingly, Leo’s choice of place is another hit. You both revel in the consumption of noodles, wantons and dumplings and its oily flavours of savoury goodness.  

The movie wraps up early, so you kill the rest of the night by browsing other titles, and commenting on whether either of you were interested in seeing it. Ultimately you don’t watch anything else, but you find yourself enjoying the idle chatter. 

“Oh, oh! That’s a good one.” Leo points as your remote hovers over a generic-looking romantic comedy. “It’s about a guy who hates dancing, but then he suddenly has to learn flamenco because he lied to impress this girl.” 

The premise doesn’t grab you, but the way he gets so excited makes you want him to continue. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah! But here’s the thing. She doesn’t know how to either! So they both have to-oh crap, I’m spoiling it! You should just watch it, okay?”

“Okay, sure…”  You laugh. “But only if you agree to watch James the Samurai.” 

“Deal!” 

It’s harder to say goodbye the second time, oddly enough. There’s a small lull in the conversation, and a glance at your watch solidifies the end of the night. The two of you, at least, resolve to hang out again, despite Leo’s busy schedule. You only hope that that day comes sooner rather than later. 

The rest of the week goes by in a blur. Your aimless walking around an unfamiliar land, mixed with the increasingly familiar conversations with your local best friend, all blend into an overwhelming, but otherwise uneventful first week. You knew the culture shock and homesickness would hit even harder over the next few weeks, but that was a problem for future you. 

There were more urgent things to worry about, after all, like your money. Or rather, the money that you didn’t have, currently. As it turned out, your budget had been more conservative than you had planned, and already after a week you were running dangerously low on your travel savings. You didn’t care to admit how much of the expenditure was on food. 

Which is what brings you here, standing on the pavement just off a moderately busy backstreet. It’s the middle of the day, reasonably warm out, as you stare at the greasy signage of the establishment in front of you. 

PIERCE’S PLENTIFUL PIZZA PARLOR

It is….a rather long name for a takeaway pizza joint, you decide. But whatever, the flyer attached to its front window had offered a job-and the place didn’t look that bad. At least, not from the outside. 

Also, it had been where you got pizza with Leo the other night; and that had been life-altering. Maybe they offered a discount to employees? You could dream.

The tiny bell hanging on the door rings as you step inside. The interior has a mugginess to it; not quite suffocating, but enough to alter the way you breathe in the air. 

The sole employee manning the desk clocks you, meeting your eyes reluctantly. “Hello, welcome to Pierce’s Plentiful Pizza Parlor. Please place your Plentiful Pizza Parlor Order.”

“Hi…my name is [Y/N].” You meet the employee’s eyes as you try to draw on some adult confidence. “I’m here for the job posting?”

The employee’s expression remained stoically exhausted as they spoke in a dead tone. “Right, okay. I’ll go get the manager.”

You try not to take the employee’s low energy personally, you had enough experience in retail to know how taxing the act of just standing for several hours could be. After a moment, the employee returns and points you to head out back to where the manager is.

Following the direction, you try to swallow your nerves as you straighten your barely smart casual yellow shirt.  

Stepping into the office, you see a young woman with an imposing presence sitting behind a desk. Truthfully, she isn’t what you’d imagined the manager of a pizza parlor to look like. She’s strikingly fashionable, the neon green jacket over a yellow shirt catching your eye and putting you strangely at ease. She had to be around your age, and yet something about her demonstrated a worldly amount of experience that you only wish you could boast. 

“So…” The manager looks at you with a leveled expression, her eyes piercing through her glasses into your soul. “You wanna be the new hire?”

“Oh! Uh…yes.” You manage, presenting her your resume with both hands. “My name’s [Y/N], I saw the posting online?” 

Standing up, she gives you another look, almost as if to test your resolve, but then relaxes. “Cool. I’m April. April O’Neil. You new in town?”

“I…yeah, I am.” You reply, a little embarrassed. “Is it that obvious?” 

“Kinda, but I also happen to have really good intuition-so don’t take it personally.” April smirks, but it has no sign of arrogance at all. She takes your resume and gives it a look-over. “Okay…okay…this can work. Question: you know how to ride a bike?”

“Uh…it’s been a while, but I probably can?”

“Good enough. You’re hired!”

“Wha-” You blink. “Really?”

“Yes really.” April smiles dryly. “That job posting’s been hanging there for weeks, and we’re really understaffed right now. I’ll email you the contract; it’s minimum wage, unfortunately, and shifts usually go from late afternoon to late evening. That sound good to you?”  

“Well…yeah.” You give her a courteous smile. “As long as you pay me, I won’t complain.”

“Aces.” Your new manager grins. “You can start tomorrow at 5 and we’ll start you on some delivery runs, if that works. We’ll have to get a uniform ordered for you, but you can start the first few shifts without it.”

“Okay…cool.” You nod, still processing the information. “I’ll…do my best.” 

“That’s all I ask.” April nods and gives you a wave before busying herself with her deskwork. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

“Uh, yes! See you tomorrow!” You wave as you depart the office.  

You leave the store feeling awkward, but also with a powerful sense of accomplishment. Sure, the job’s not exactly setting you up for a life of luxury, but the income would help keep the bills and groceries in check, for now. 

The next day, you make sure to turn up to your first shift on time, and April gives you the basic rundown of how things work at the Parlor before she takes you outside. 

“You got that app I linked you?” April asks. “‘Cause you’ll need it for doing the deliveries.”  

“Oh! Yes…” You open the app and look down at your phone. “It’s…kind of slow though…”

“Oh yeah, the software’s a pile of junk.” Your manager sighs. “Trust me, I have a friend who gave me a whole migraine about it. But upper management’s making us implement it, so…yeah.”

At the back of the Parlour, a modest-sized bike is propped against the brick wall. 

“Aaaand, there’s the bike.” April looks you up and down. “Should be your size. Sorry if the seats a little worn-down, it’s what we got.” 

You regard the bike with as little judgment as possible. It’s definitely seen better days, but you don’t notice any punctures or loose chains. It is, at the very least, functional.

“Looks alright to me.” You say, diplomatically. 

“Glad you don’t hate it! So…” April folds her arms and looks at you seriously. “Like I said, we could do with a delivery biker tonight. You wanna give it a test run?”

“Yeah…I think I can.” You smile nervously. “I mean, I gotta start somewhere, right?”

“That’s the spirit!” April smiles, a little relieved, maybe. “There should be a uniform your size out in the storage closet. I’ll show you.” 

The uniform is a very bland design; a simple black shirt adorned with a “PPPP” logo, and track trousers. You’re also given a hi-vis vest, for safety, and only then does it occur to you that this job is going to make you work until very late at night. 

April regards you in your new attire, before nodding. “Looks like you’re ready to go. Good timing too; I think the chef’s just finished a bunch of orders…”

A moment later, your bike is filled with a pile of pizzas on its rear basket. It’s more than you had estimated could fit on the back, and you worry how it might make cycling more of a challenge. 

Before you leave, you turn your head back to the Parlour building and shout “I’m heading out!” 

“Good luck!” April calls back to you before you bike down the backstreet into the night. 

Naturally, you get lost roughly ten minutes into your first delivery. Your muscle memory for biking comes to you slowly, but that’s the least of your concerns. Even in the quieter areas of the West Side, the traffic adds a layer of chaos you need to navigate.

And then there was the GPS, or rather, the lack of an effective one. The app was tragically slow in updating your position, which caused you to miss the street that you needed to go down multiple times.

The third time it happens, you have to stop.  

“Damn it…Shit.” You mutter, as you tap through your phone to find the online order. “What was the…where am I supposed to go now?”

You feel it harder than ever now. The feeling of being completely out of your depth, overwhelmed with the new challenge. You don’t like how often you’ve been feeling that feeling, lately. How it forces you to wonder whether you can even make it through the day.

“Fuck, come on…” You tap the phone harder. “Stupid fucking…” 

Maybe this job wasn’t for you, after all. After all, you were practically a tourist still! April wouldn’t hold it against you if you screwed up this delivery, right? But, then again, maybe she’d be right to fire you if you couldn’t even deliver one pizza. 

“You lost?”

The voice startles you, but a second later you register its familiarity. Looking up, you see the cocky smirk of your mutant best friend. He’s standing on top of a lamppost, balancing on it effortlessly. 

Show off.

“Jesus, Leo…” You sigh as you feel your heart rate gradually slow down. “You could’ve told me you were hanging around here…”

“Where’s the fun in that? That look on your face was totally worth stealthing it.” Leo jumps down from the lamppost, landing gracefully in front of you. “Nice uniform, by the way. Very fitting.”

There’s a genuine compliment mixed in that snarkiness, so you shrug-a little embarrassed. “Thanks, I got a job. At that pizza place we ate from, actually. They needed a delivery guy…”

“Oh, really?” Leo raises a brow. “So you, a complete New York Newbie, decided to take a job that requires you to navigate all over the city?”

“Well, sure! I have to learn somehow, right?”

Leo smirks at that, and you try not to let the embarrassment reach your face. 

“How did you find me, anyway?” You squint your eyes at him. “You didn’t sneak a GPS on me when I wasn’t looking, did you?”

“Oh please, like I’d do that.” Leo retorts, and you catch the way he emphasises the word “I”; like he knows someone who would do that. “I was just in the area, when I heard you cursing like a sailor.”

“Well, yeah…”  You frown, a little mortified. “I’m still getting the hang of this district, much less the whole city! Trying to manage the app while biking is tricky…”

Leo looks you up and down, and after a beat he sighs dramatically. “Alright, fineeeee, I’ll help you. No need to ask.”

“What? No, it’s fine I can-”

“No really, I insist.” Leo walks towards you and leans over to peer at your phone. “Come on, what’s the addy?”

“I’ll…I’ll work it out!” You protest, moving away from him slightly. “Besides, wouldn’t it be risky for you? What if someone sees you?”

Leo pauses at that, but smiles. “It’ll be fine! I’m a ninja, remember? We’re basically the masters of stealth! I mean, I snuck up on you, didn’t I?”

You’re not convinced at all, but was it really worth fighting over? It had been a pretty lonely evening so far, and this was the perfect way to pass the hours. 

“Fine.” You finally answer. “But let me try and figure it out, first. I gotta learn the area somehow.”

“Okay, okay…” Leo holds up a hand. “Just yell if you need me. I’ll be right behind you. Well, above you, really, but you get what I mean.” 

Rolling your eyes, you take off, determined to make the rest of the way without asking. You had an audience now, one that was willing to ruthlessly make fun of you if you gave him the excuse. So you bike on.

You catch glimpses of Leo above you as you cycle your way around the suburbs, down the dark streets and alleyways. It’s hard to tell from the ground, where exactly he is, but he shoots you the occasional whoop and holler of amusement.    

Miraculously, you’re able to find the next address without asking for Leo’s help, though it probably takes longer than it should have. With a knock at an apartment door, some polite small talk, and a modest tip, you’re en route to deliver the next pizza. 

An hour or so passes as you gradually work out where to go with each place. The app is borderline infuriating with its terrible tracking, but with some (not-so-subtle) guidance from your local Ninja Turtle, you’re able to reach the designated doorsteps on time. 

When the last pizza in your basket is delivered, you elect to take a short break. You swing by a bodega to grab a can of soda, one with a bit of caffeine, before sitting at a nearby bench. It’s quiet in this area, so Leo dares to take the spot next to yours. Fortunately, the whole area is relatively flat, so your legs are left with only a mild burning sensation.

“Hey, not bad.” Leaning on the bench, Leo tilts his head to grin at you. “You’ll be New York’s best pizza delivery biker yet.” 

You hate how good that sarcastic compliment makes you feel, and try to shrug it off. 

“That was just the first run.” You say. “I gotta get back to the Pizza Parlour to get the next round, and so on...” 

“Right…” Leo pauses, then has a mischievous look on his face. “Hey, I got an idea. Wanna portal back?”

“What-really?” You take that in. “You can do that?” 

“Of course I can! You’ve seen me do it, right?” Leo draws his weapon and regards it fondly. “I’m a pro at this baby! Come on, it’ll be really easy! And don’t worry, it’s totally safe!”  

You think about it. It’s a very tempting, albeit crazy, proposition. It was easily a half hour bike ride back to the parlour otherwise, and you were already feeling a bit tired from all the biking.

But…

“Nah…” You say, shaking your head. “I mean, that sounds fun, but…I don’t wanna cut corners. I mean, I won’t always have you around, will I? Maybe next time.”

Leo looks almost a little disappointed, but shrugs into an easy smile. “Suit yourself. Hey, I’ll make it easy for you and lead the way. Follow me!”

The mutant stands up and, after giving you another look of mischief, suddenly takes off into the night. 

“Wha-Leo!” You scramble to get on your bike to pursue your renegade friend. “Wait up!”

“Can’t hear you!” He replies, obviously able to hear you. “You’re gonna have to catch up!”

“You dick!” You pedal frantically as you gape up at him. 

“Come on! Vamanos, vamanos! ” 

You follow as you watch, in disbelief, your friend pull off tremendous feats of acrobatics as he runs away from you. Leo is quick to make it to the rooftops, allowing him to cut across the cityscape at a painfully quick rate. You pedal harder, determined not to let him completely humiliate you, though after a certain point it's clear that he’s deliberately letting you catch up with him. 

In record time, Leo drags you to the Pizza Parlour. You stop across the street and collapse into a sitting position on the ground.

“You…smug bastard.” You utter, glaring up at Leo.

“Hey, you were the one that wanted to do things the hard way.” Leo smirks. “That being said, you weren’t too bad at keeping up. You should be proud of yourself.” 

You glare at him. “Yeah right, you were going easy on me.” 

“Whaaaat? I would never!” Leo looks off, and something to the side catches his eye. “Wait a minute…No way!” 

“What?” 

You turn to see where Leo’s looking. Inside the Pizza Parlour, you see April running the counter. She’s the only person in there, and you realise that they really weren’t kidding about staff shortages. 

“I didn’t know she worked here!” Leo takes a step towards the street and raises his voice. “HEY, APRIL!!!!” 

From inside the Parlour, you see your manager look up to find the source of the sound. Seeing you and your mutant friend, she freezes for a second, before recovering and heading towards the front door of the building.

“Wait, you know my manager?” You ask Leo. “I thought you didn’t interact with humans.” 

“April’s different. We go way back.” Leo continues to beam. “I mean, what are the odds?” 

“Huh.” You can’t help but, guiltily, feel a pang of jealousy that you’re not the only human Leo knows. Which is dumb, because obviously Leo can make other non-turtle friends, let alone human ones! 

You break out of your thoughts as you catch your manager stroll across the street. The tight look on her face unnerves you a little. God, were you going to lose your job over this? Maybe there was a strict no-help policy….

“April! Hi!”  Leo calls out with a wave. “I didn’t know you worked at Pierce’s! Did the toy shop gig fall through?”

“Oh, hey Leo…” April starts, her voice uncharacteristically nervous. “You know how it is, high turnover in this economy and all that….Say, how was the turtle suit convention? You still have your outfit on, silly!” 

Leo lets out a laugh, looking down at you. “It’s chill, April. I know this guy.”

“Wha-you do?” April turns to you and raises an eyebrow. “You fall down a sewer on your first day here, or something?” 

That confuses you, and you match her confused expression. “A sewer?” 

“Nah, he’s an online buddy of mine.” Leo elbows you lightly, challenging your balance on the bicycle. “He moved here to see me and everything!” 

“Really?” April gives you an unreadable stare. “You moved here, for him?” 

“I mean…” You look away, suddenly uncomfortable with the scrutiny. “That was one reason. I also wanted to see the sights, take in the culture…”

Her stare continues, and you look to Leo for help. 

“Come on, April. It’s not that weird!” Leo folds his arms before letting out a smirk. “I mean, who could blame him? I’m amazing.” 

That doesn’t help your embarrassment at all, but at least your manager’s focus isn’t on you now.

“Uh, huh…” April crosses her arms to stare at Leo. “And what are you doing here? Pestering my employee while he’s on the clock?” 

Leo straightens his posture and raises his hands. “Hey, I was in the area and felt like helping, that’s all!” 

“I don’t know if following me everywhere with witty remarks counts as ‘helping’...” You mutter, half-jokingly. 

“Why am I not surprised?” April shakes her head and regards you a bit more kindly. “Sorry about him. You’re allowed to ignore him, you know; he’ll only get more annoying the more attention you give him.”

“I’m starting to realise that…” You say, a smile forming. 

“Hey!” Leo protests. 

April scoffs lightly and regards Leo. “Well, it’s good to see you, but if you don’t mind, I have a business to keep afloat. We’ll talk later, okay? And [Y/N]?”

“Yeah?” The lump of nerves in your chest returns.

“Good work on the deliveries, you made pretty good time.” April gestures to the Pizza Parlor. “Keep it up. We got another round of orders coming through, so be ready in five.” 

“Thanks, April.” You smile, taking the validation to heart. “I’ll get right on it.” 

She nods, turning and leaving with a wave. “Bye, Leo.”

“Later, April!” 

As April leaves, Leo gives you a well-meaning but hard pat on the back. “Look at you with the glowing review! You should be proud, April can be a harsh judge, sometimes.”

“Yeah, yeah…” You say, heat rising to your cheeks. You look up at Leo. “You staying for round two?”

“Oooh?” Leo raises an eyebrow. “You still want me around? I thought I was a, and I quote, “smug bastard”?” 

“You are, but….” You shrug. “I guess you were helpful with directions, and you pushed me to do better than I thought I could. So…thanks.”

Leo stops his teasing expression and stiffens, clearly thrown by the genuine thanks. “Oh, uh…yeah. Well, you know, I did tell you I’d help…”

“And you did.” You smile, relishing how the genuine kindness has left your friend at a loss for words. “I’m gonna grab the pizzas. Don’t get caught while I’m gone, Mr “Master of Stealth”.”

Leo quickly recovers and manages a grin. “Yeah yeah, go get your pizza. Try not to get lost on the way!”

You huff a semi-laugh as you go to pick up your next order.

The rest of your shift is spent slowly biking your way around the city while tolerating Leo’s banter. Okay, “tolerating” was a harsh word; you actually quite enjoyed the commentary, in the way that it staved off the mundane nature of the duty. 

Of course, when the last order in your run is finished, Leo races you back to the Pizza Parlour. This time, however, you’re more prepared, and you set the fastest route back to your workplace.

Leo still beats you there, but he’s clearly a little more tired. 

“You…you weren’t too shabby that time.” He says slowly. “Ready for the next one?” 

Your heart is beating furiously from the exercise, but you keep a steady face as you say “You know I am. Are you?”

“Totally.” 

It gets late by the end of your third run of deliveries. When you get back to the Pizza Parlour April is there to relieve you of your work. 

“Nice work, kid.” April gives you a nod. “So, what d’ya think? You think you can do this as a regular gig?”

“Oh, well…You know.” You smile passively, slightly paling at the thought of more intense biking in the future. “I’ll take any work I can get, and I guess the hardest shift’s always the first one, right?”

“I’ve done enough jobs to know that ain’t true.” April smiles wryly. “But I wouldn’t worry about that; you did well tonight.” 

The praise warms your face as you struggle to maintain eye contact. “Thanks. Though I can’t say I didn’t have any help...”

“Right, Leo…” April huffs amusedly. “That boy…if he ever gives you too much lip, you let me know. If you need it, I have a baseball bat on hand…”

That brings a laugh out of you, before you realise that April does seem like the person to follow through with an implied threat. “Thanks for the offer, but I can handle it….I think.” 

“Good.” April’s intensity fades. “Nice to know he has other friends, though. Even ones crazy enough to move to New York for ‘im.”

Your blush returns. “I didn’t-!”

“I know, I know…” April smirks as she waves a hand placatingly. “Come on, it’s getting late and I wanna close shop a bit early. You down for another shift tomorrow? Same time?”

You smile, trying to ignore the fact that you definitely would need the extra cash. “Oh…yeah! If you’ll have me.” 

“Sweet.” April picks up a bundle of keys and swings it around her finger. “I’ll lock up behind you. See you tomorrow, kid.” 

“See you later.” You wave as you make your exit. 

The end of your first shift; it’s a surprisingly good feeling. As shattered as you feel, you’re proud of what you’ve done tonight, especially after receiving further affirmation from your new boss. 

You walk out of the Parlor and notice that it’s raining a bit outside. Damn, you know your light hoodie isn’t going to keep you dry from that. 

“So…your shift's finally over?” Leo’s voice almost startles you again, this time coming from your side. He’s leaning against the brick wall of the building, unbothered by the worsening weather. 

“Yeah. Honestly, I’m surprised you survived that long.” You say, a little sarcastically. “You were looking a little winded towards the end, there…”

“Oh please, it was light exercise at best.” Leo matches your snark with his own, before letting an easy smile slip. “I’m assuming April didn’t fire you?” 

“Nah. I’ll be coming back tomorrow.” You reply, feeling proud. “She said she liked the work I did, so….”

“Hey, there you go!” Leo raises his hand in a high-five-no, a high three. “I’d call that a team effort, no?”

You stare at the hand for only a second, before grinning and slapping his hand. It’s a small gesture, but it feels important, somehow. His hand is fairly larger than yours, and the wrapping around it makes you curious. What would his hands feel like under them? Would they be as scaly as the rest of his body?

Realising the direction your mind is going, you force your mind back to reality. Leo’s still grinning, so you match his expression with a smile. 

“Thanks for hanging out, and for the help.” You say, looking off to the side. “Don’t worry, I’m not expecting you to do this every time…”

“Hey, it’s no biggie. Like I said, I was bored.” Leo shrugs, though again he’s clearly not accustomed to genuine praise. “And hey, who knows? If my schedule’s free enough, I might come by again. That is, if you’re still employed.” 

“Wow, thanks.” You roll your eyes performatively. “I should go home. You don’t happen to know the driest way to my apartment, do you?”

“Hmmm…” Leo pauses, intentionally, before snapping his fingers. “Oh! Well, if you really want the best way…”

Before you can even object, Leo draws his sword and waves it in a circular motion in front of you. The azure portal manifests itself in front of you brightly. 

Leo steps in front of the apparition and gestures grandly. “Your chariot awaits, good sir.” 

“Uh…huh.” You respond, tentatively. “And is that…actually safe?” 

“Totally!” Leo answers confidently. “Come on, I get you didn’t want to cheat at your job, but you’ve earned this!”

You eye the portal again. Despite the obviously mystical nature of it, it’s fairly unremarkable. 

“Alright, fine.” You say. “But it better lead back to my place and not, you know…in the middle of the ocean or something.” 

“So little faith…” Leo says, mock-offended. “I’ll have you know that I’ve worked out all the kinks. I’m like, ninety-three percent sure it’ll work!” 

“Oh, great…” You sigh, taking a small step toward the portal. “So I just…step in?”

“Yep. One foot after the other.” Leo’s behind you, and your paranoia insists that he’s about to push you in. 

Well, screw it. You won’t give him the chance.

“Here goes!” You cry, before striding into the blue void. The move is instantaneous; one second you’re outside walking across wet concrete, and the next you’re treading on the carpet in your mediocre apartment. 

“Woah…” You remark, steadying yourself. 

Leo emerges from the portal behind you. “So what do ya think? Cool, right?”

You find the closest thing to sit down on, a couch, and collapse on it. “I just teleported.”

“Yep!”

“I’m, like…. here now. Didn’t have to walk through the rain or anything?”

“Uh…yeah.” Leo tilts his head, amused by your startlement. “That is how it’s supposed to work…”

“Look, it’s a lot for me to take in, okay?” You groan and close your eyes. “Like, I appreciate the help, but…holy shit, magic exists.” 

“It sure does!” Leo says, proudly. “You’re dripping wet, by the way.” 

“Oh, right…” You look back to where the portal had been, but it’s gone now. “I should uh…get the towels again.” 

Leo laughs lightly. “Don’t worry, I’m on it.” 

By the time Leo returns with the towels you manage to process what’s happened a little more. Sure, you were starting to get used to the “weird” of it all-your best friend was a mutant turtle who also happened to be a ninja this whole time-but the magic-sword-that-made-you-teleport was still a lot to take in. 

Leo throws a towel in your direction, and you catch it with a tired smile.

“Thanks.” You say. “For the towel and the ride home, I mean. I’m honestly not sure if I would have made it otherwise.” 

“Hey, it’s all good.” Leo replies, glancing at his sword, then back at you. “Like I said, I have the portal thing down-pat, so no sweat off my back!”

“Well, I appreciate it either way. Even if it is a little freaky.” You say, resisting the urge to lay down on your couch. “Hey, so…normally I’d be down to hang but, uh…”  

Your yawn finishes the sentence for you.

“Right, that’s fair…Big work day, I get it.” Leo nods in understanding and stands up. “Well, you’re home safe, so it looks like my work here is done.” 

“Awww…how sweet of you.” You reply, the snark intentionally covering how touched you really are by the sentiment.

“Yeah, whatever…” Leo rolls his eyes as he draws his sword. “Try not to fall asleep on the couch, okay?”

You sit up, mustering the will to make your way to the bed. “Will do. See ya later, Leo.” 

In an instant, Leo makes the portal. It shines brightly before him, the same as always. Standing there, he looks at you and pauses, before delivering one last grin. “Catch ya later, amigo.” 

Your mutant friend steps through the portal and once again, you’re left alone. This time, you’re not filled with shallow loneliness, but rather immense exhaustion. You manage to drag yourself to the bed, get changed into your nightwear and pass out on the mattress. The springs could have been made of feathers for the comfort they gave you. 

Chapter Text

Over the next few weeks you get into a routine, of sorts. A combination of work, hanging out with Leo and idle urban exploration fills your days with something to do. All three of those activities, as it happens, have suddenly made you exercise a lot more. 

Shockingly, you find yourself not minding it. Sure, you’d probably never be at Leo’s level of athleticism, but then again, you weren’t supposed to be a world-saving mutant vigilante. Expectations were simply different.

Due to your night shifts, your waking hours are different now; your circadian rhythm having been completely flipped on its head. It’s not a difficult adjustment though, New York city is a beautiful place at night. Whenever you look outside, you’re constantly treated to an abundance of light and sound. It’s hard to feel alone in such a place. 

Though you do feel a bit lonely, sometimes. Leo, your only friend outside of work, is rather busy with whatever he and his brothers get up to. You considered asking April, but her being your boss created a social barrier which made asking a little awkward. She was also similarly preoccupied with all other kinds of work, so you gleam from casual conversations with her.

As such, you are left with only one person to hang out with. Yourself. And that’s okay! You can work with that! There’s a lot you can do without friends, right? You came all this way on your own after all…

So on one of your free days, you decide to go out. There isn’t a particular goal you have in mind, other than getting very intoxicated and enjoying yourself. And hey, you heard about the incredible gay scene in the West Village, so how could you not check it out? Maybe you’d meet someone really nice, or really…

No, you didn’t want to get ahead of yourself. It was best to keep your expectations open and flexible. If you didn’t find a cute guy who liked you, then so be it! Nothing needed to happen, except for you having a good time. 

The first place you find is a dingy dive bar that’s rather run down, but the cheap drinks advertised coaxes you in for an hour. You have a shot or two to get a good buzz going, but decide to move on shortly afterwards. You needed something more…active. More alive.  

So you search for a club. You have an idea of what clubs in the “big city” are supposed to look like, from the outside at least. Regular movies and TV have rarely let you down when it comes to understanding such things. 

Nothing meets your criteria until you stumble upon a brightly lit building. This place is a lot nicer than what you’ve seen before, and the pride flags adorning the front give you hope for what’s inside. You wait in line, and a patient few minutes later you’re let in.

Everything is loud, but god damn was the energy not so infectious. You almost have to fight your way to the bar through the crowd of partygoers. There’s a lull in the music that allows you to ask for a drink clearly. Grabbing the expensive cider you ordered you turn and take in the sight of dozens dancing. 

A song ends, then another begins, and oh, you love this song. 

You recklessly finish your cider before making your way to the dancefloor. Getting into the verse, you close your eyes and try to feel comfortable. 

“Hey!” 

Opening your eyes, you turn and see a man dancing at you. In the dark you see a glistening strand of slicked blond hair bobbing. 

“Hey!” You nod, continuing your groove, albeit a little clumsily now that you have someone’s attention. 

The new guy doesn’t seem to mind though. He smiles at you. “You’re cute! Wanna dance?”

“Um…yeah?” You give him a fake oblivious smile. “That’s what we’re doing right now, isn’t it?”

“Nah, I mean…” He steps a bit closer, and you notice his waist angling at yours. His hands hover by your side. “I mean, like… real dancing.”

Okay….so this guy’s into you. Cool. It’s…honestly not what you expect it to feel like.

But you decide, screw it. It’s a good song, and the guy is conventionally attractive and charming enough. So you position yourself a little closer to the guy. Before you know it you’re dancing. Dancing with a handsome-enough man! You’re clubbing!

“This is fun!” You exclaim, the alcoholic buzz giving you some confidence. “Are you having fun?”

Then the man shoots you a smirk. It’s one that looks entirely too familiar, except it’s not on the face you’re accustomed to. “I am now...”

You smile at that, though you’re not used to this level of forwardness. But it’s fine; you move to the beat, and let yourself enjoy the company. You’re clearly not the best dancer in the room, and perhaps not in general, but you push that insecurity aside. 

When you run out of stamina you give your dance partner a friendly smile and make your way to the bar.

“Hey, wait! Where are you going?” He shuffles around to subtly block your passage. 

“I’m-” You chuckle a bit, though it’s a little forced. “I’m going to the bar. I need to sit down…”

“I thought we were dancing!” The stranger didn’t sound that hurt, but more vaguely disappointed. “You’re not having a good time?”

“I am…” You give him a smile, though it feels a little forced. “I just gotta take a breather, grab a drink, and-”

The second you step away, a hand suddenly grabs your wrist. It’s the stranger’s, his grip is intensely tight as he pulls you back in.

“One more song…” He says, voice louder and a lot sharper than before. “Come on…don’t hold out on me now…”

You stand there for a second, a little stunned. This isn’t fun anymore, you realize, but what startles you even more is the intense stare the man is giving you. Something inside of you, your survival instinct, doesn’t want to defy this man. 

It’s terrifying. 

So you dance, but the whole affair has lost its charm now. Your heart races faster than before; not from the exercise, but fear. You’re missing the beat a lot more now, unable to relax with the stranger’s eyes trained on you. 

When the song reaches its end, the stranger hollers with satisfaction. “Wooo! Now that’s a song!” 

Despite your fright at the situation, you notice that, at this moment, the man is distracted. His eyes are closed, like he’s soaking in the atmosphere of the nightclub. It’s a weird sight, but you see the opportunity it presents. 

Run!

You’ve never had a better reason to trust your instincts than now. With no hesitation, you turn and duck through the crowd surrounding you. You hear no objections as you make your exit, but you don’t dare to turn back for fear of slowing yourself down. 

The door…where’s the door?

Finding the stairs leading back to the street, you turn back one last time to where you’d been. To your horror, see him still staring at you. Even from a distance he looks…so hungry.

You sprint up the stairs into the outside world, not caring for the sudden cardio burning your legs. 

The night air that hits you is brisk, but a blessing. It’s a relief not having to deal with the sweaty humidity, but you feel unwell. You speed-walk into a nearby alley, needing to get your bearings. 

It’s all feeling a bit too much, now. That weird encounter with the man in the nightclub didn’t help your mood, but you felt that there was something else going on inside of you. The alcohol was supposed to loosen your inhibitions, make you happier, but now it exposed a raw feeling of loneliness. You were usually better at handling your liquor, but now you were crashing. Would you even be able to get back to your apartment on your own? 

Without thinking, you pull out your phone and clumsily find the contact you need. You press the screen, and pray.

The phone rings, followed by a *click*.

“Heeeeeey hermano, how’s it going?” 

“Hey, Leo?” You lean against the brick wall as you hold the phone tightly. ‘Uh, yeah. I’m…fine. Just…felt like calling. How are you?”

“I'm good…” Your friend replies, but can tell by his tone that he knows something’s wrong. “But, uh…you don’t sound too hot. Are you okay?”

“Um…” You cringe at your lack of clarity, and decide to force your thoughts out. “I don’t know, honestly. Can you come by?” 

“Oh! Yeah, totally.” Leo’s voice now has an urgency to it that you’re unfamiliar with. “I’ll portal to yours before you can even say-”

“I’m not at my place.” You say, feeling the knot inside you tighten. “I’m…in some alleyway. I dunno, shit…Near one of the gay bars in the West Village?”

There’s a pause on the other end. “That, uh…doesn’t really narrow it down. Do you know which one?”

“Oh, uh…hang on.” You step out the alley and take a look at the front of the building. “The Flaunty Caesar?” 

“Okay, I’ll look it up. Shouldn’t be longer than five minutes, okay?”

“Okay…” You breathe slowly. “You don’t have to rush, I’m not in danger or anything.” 

You’re not totally sure of that, but you don’t want to freak your friend out more than you have already.

“Sure, but I’m gonna be fast anyway. I’m an awesome ninja, remember?” 

“Yeah, okay…” You laugh hollowly. “See you soon, then.” 

“See ya. I’m on my way, so hang tight!”

As you hang up, you take in your surroundings. The alley’s pretty sketchy, but otherwise rather empty. Still, you walk out into the public street and loiter, hoping the public visibility will mitigate any potential danger. Part of you just wants to sit down and curl into a ball, but then you’d be even more vulnerable that way. 

True to his word, Leo comes to your rescue rather quickly. He calls to you from the roof of the alley you found yourself in. 

“Hey! [Y/N]!” Your friend leaps down to meet you face-to-face. He’s sporting black sweatpants and a rather fetching blue hoodie, hood drawn to obscure his mutant nature. 

“Leo…” You wave half-heartedly, suddenly feeling embarrassed. “I…it’s good to see you. Hope you weren’t too busy-”

“Dude, come on.” Leo cuts in, leaning down to get a better look at you. “You think I’m gonna say no to a bud in need? Besides, I wanted to get out anyway. Slow day, you know?”

“Oh, okay good…That’s awesome.” You space out a little before shaking yourself. “Sorry, I’m kinda drunk. And tired…” 

“I gathered,” Leo smirks. “Never really tried human-made alcohol before. Is it worth the hype?”

Meaning there’s non-human-made alcohol? You put that tangent to the back of your mind for later. You really don’t want to think about drinking right now. 

“It’s…got its ups and downs.” You sigh, suddenly feeling ashamed of yourself. “This being one of the downs…” 

As if to accentuate your point, a wave of dizziness forces you to lean on the closest wall you can find. Only, you misjudge the distance and end up falling towards it.  

“Woah,” Leo swiftly pulls you back, before taking a moment to look at you properly. He softly places a hand on your shoulder. “You okay…?”

“Ugh, right now?” You straighten up to combat the incoming nausea. “I dunno. Not really, but I think I will be. Can we maybe get out of here?” 

“No prob.” Leo draws his sword and starts swinging it in a circular pattern. “One portal home, coming right up!” 

Your companion routinely creates the portal and gestures for you to enter. You give him a grateful, unbalanced smile. 

Stepping through first, you let the portal take you to where you need to be. Your apartment, it wasn’t much, but it was familiar enough…

…for you to know that you weren’t there, now.

Instead of a regular-sized flat with faux-modern decor, you’re met with a very spacious, almost cavern-like den. There’s light, but the walls are of a murky nature, moss growing in some of the brick cracks. There’s some rather detailed graffiti art decorating the walls, which are otherwise largely occupied by tubular holes. It almost reminds you of a…

A sewer. 

Leo arrives behind you and immediately curses. “Oh dang it! Wrong home!” 

The next thing you notice is much more jarring. In the center of the room are two figures: both anthropomorphic turtles, like Leo, but clearly of different species. One of them, the smaller of the two wearing an orange mask, is skateboarding between what you now see are two steep halfpipe ramps. 

The other turtle-man, this one wearing a red bandana as a mask, is much larger, a hulking mass of muscle with aggressive-looking spikes all over him. Standing at the top of one of the ramps, he glances at your portal, and does a double take.  

He stares at you, and you’re frozen in place. 

“Uh…who the heck’re you?” He says, a deep voice booming in a confused tone. 

The one wearing an orange mask turns and gapes at the sight of you. “What the-? Woah!” 

Distracted by your sudden appearance, the orange turtle doesn’t notice the ramp that he’s speeding towards at a rapid pace. The result is cartoonishly spectacular, as he takes off swiftly into the air before crashing unceremoniously. A second later, he raises his head and yells to no-one in particular “I’m fine!!!!” 

“Uh…hi?” You make yourself smile and wave, despite wanting to shrink away out of existence. “I think I’m at the wrong place. Sorry…”

“Leo…?” The bulky one wearing red eyes Leo, then looks back at you. “Why has a human man come out of your portal into our home?” 

“Oh, uh…He’s a friend!” Leo says with a concerning level of nervousness. “Guys, this is [Y/N]. [Y/N], these are my brothers!”

“Oh… Oh!” The orange-masked turtle’s eyes widen. “Wait, is this that guy you’ve been talking to? Oh my god!” 

“That guy”...? OH!!! ” The large turtle leaps down from the room's higher level to meet your eye level and folds his arms. He makes an intimidating grin. “So you’re the dude Leo’s always on his phone for, huh? Interesting…” 

You can only smile weakly and shrug. The sudden appearance of a new social situation, combined by the come-down of your intoxication, blindsides you completely. 

“Yep! He’s an interesting guy! An interesting guy who probably wants to go home!” Leo looks at you with a bit of concern. “Right?” 

“Uh…yeah.” You nod, grateful for the excuse. “I’d love to hang and get to know you guys, but…I’m a little out of it. Big night, you know?”

“Oh…right.” The red-masked giant takes a step back. “Sorry. It’s just that we’ve heard a lot about you, ‘s all…Also, we don’t get a lot of guests, so…

“That’s fair…” You force a laugh. “Again, sorry for intruding…”

“It’s all good.” The mutant’s smile is much less scary now. “I’m Raph. This is Mikey.” 

“Hi!” The one called Mikey grins enthusiastically. “Donnie’s locked himself in his room building a rocket again, so you’ll have to meet him later! OH! And Dad! And Draxum! And Casey, next time he’s over!”

“Right…haha.” You manage to say, but it’s hard to process the sudden information. The post-buzz crash is hitting you hard now, and while you’d normally enjoy such friendly company, the social noise only makes your head pound harder. 

Blessedly, Leo already has the portal prepared for a quick exit. 

Not wanting to end things on a bad note, you turn and wave at Leo’s brothers one last time. “Nice meeting you guys…”

“See ya then!” Mikey waves with an incredibly endearing smile. Raph in turn gives you a toothy grin of his own, raising a hand (which you realise is larger than your entire head) in a goodbye. 

You step through the portal before the awkwardness of the situation completely annihilates you. 

Stepping into your apartment, you immediately settle into the couch, and Leo diligently provides you with a jug of water. It’s only when you start drinking you realise how dry your throat is. 

“Did you…wanna talk about tonight?”  Leo sits down on the couch next to you. “ Before you met my brothers, I mean, but I guess we could talk about that too…”

You’re not entirely in the mood, but you also hate the idea of keeping tonight’s events to yourself. Bottling it up would only guarantee a poor night’s sleep. 

And also, maybe, you didn’t want Leo to leave so soon. 

“I…yeah, sure.” You say. “If you have the time…”

Leo smiles compassionately. “I’ve got all night, dude.” 

Nodding appreciatively, you take another sip of your water. 

“Okay, so…there was a guy.” You start, frowning as you attempt to order the events in your head. “At the nightclub, not the one you found me near, another nightclub. Anyway, he bought me a drink and said I was cute, which was nice but…”

“You weren’t into it?” Leo finishes as you trail off.

“Yeah, basically.” You sigh shallowly. “I mean, he looked fine, and I liked the attention but after a while it…it all just felt so fake, you know?”

“Fake? Did you think he was scamming you?”

“No, like…I dunno, it‘s just the whole situation didn’t feel real. Pretending to do one thing so we could do something else…I got a weird vibe, so I got out of there…” 

Leo doesn’t say anything for a bit, as if to let you go on. 

“That’s when I gave you a call, and dragged you here.” You look down at the floor. “Again, thanks for the help…”

“Hey, don’t mention it.” Leo puts a hand on his neck and looks away. “Trust me, I’ve had a bad experience or two at nightclubs. Sometimes you gotta bail.”

“You’ve been clubbing?” You turn to him, surprised. 

“Oh, uh…well, not in this city, but-”

“You’ve been to another city?!” 

“Yeah, the Hidden City. You know, the one deep underneath New York?” Leo says casually, before registering your shock. “Have I…not mentioned it before?”

“No???” You shout, causing your friend to cringe at the volume. “What else aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing!” Leo holds his hands up defensively, then pauses. “Okay that’s not true, there’s a lot I haven’t told you, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you!”

You sit there for a second, trying to process the implications of an underground city existing, but you shake your head once your brain starts to hurt. 

“Okay, cool...” You take a deep breath to try to calm your mania. “Let’s put a pin in that, and you can explain it to me later, okay? It’s been a long night.”

“Good call.” Leo laughs, before looking at you seriously once again. “How’re you holding up? Need more water?”

You realise that you’ve barely touched your glass, so you take a decent gulp.

“I’m fine.” You look into your glass, there’s a very vague reflection of you that’s hard to distinguish. “It’s just…I was supposed to enjoy going out! I thought, hell, maybe I’d meet someone cool, but..what if I’m just not wired for it?” 

“Wired?” Leo gives you a look that wants to understand, but doesn’t quite. 

“You know, the whole dating scene.” You try to elaborate. “I figured, ‘hey, if I just go out to some gay bars and have some drinks, someone will fall in love with me!’ Turns out, it’s not that easy.”

“You don’t say?” Leo says, a bit of his trademark snark returning.

“I do say!” You reply, tone laced in irony. “Like, even just meeting strangers and talking to them, trying to get close with them? It’s kind of scary.”

Leo blinks then, after a pause, gives you a ruthless smirk. “Says the guy who got on a plane to meet me.” 

“Okay, yeah, but-”

“A plane! ” 

“You’re different!” You protest. “I knew who you were, at least personality wise, and you’ve always been honest with me...” 

“Oh yeah, totally.” Leo rolls his eyes. “Because I had absolutely no secrets whatsoever.” 

“I…guess you got me there.” You smile slowly. The levity makes you feel a bit better, so you huff out a long-held breath. “Sorry, it’s all just…...dumb gay shit, I guess. ‘Don’t mean to drag you into it.” 

There’s a thick pause in the air, and you wonder briefly whether you’ve said too much. Your worries are eased by the chuckle beside you. 

“You know I’m gay too, right?” Leo nudges you. “So I get it. I mean, sure, our experiences are probably different, but…you know.”

“Oh, right…” You glance at him and let out a relieved chuckle. “I’m…not sure if you’ve mentioned that before, actually.”

“I haven’t? Huh.” Leo blinks, before grinning sheepishly. “Well, now you know! Guess that’s something we have in common. Finally!” 

That forces a laugh out of you, and you both smile stupidly for a moment. You enjoy it for a second, before you remember why you were so stressed out in the first place. That memory hits you and you’re forced to remember another part of your story.

“But, uh, yeah…I guess another thing sort of happened when I decided to leave. The guy I was dancing with, he…he grabbed me.” You run your hand over the wrist where the stranger had made contact. “I left before anything else happened, but yeah…I guess that kind of rattled me.”

“What…Are you serious?” Leo’s voice is startlingly quiet. “He grabbed you?”

“Yeah. I should’ve mentioned that before, huh?”

Leo says nothing for a moment, but when you turn to look at him you’re startled to see him wearing a serious frown. You’ve never seen him with such a dark expression. He looks…a little angry, almost. Subtle rage was a strange look on your friend.  

“That’s…” Leo grimaces, seeming to struggle with what to say. “Shit. You shouldn’t have had to deal with that. That’s messed up.”

You shrug, a little surprised to hear your friend curse so hotly. “I mean, it’s fine now. Like, it was a bit scary, but I wasn’t hurt, so…”

“It’s not fine.” Leo shakes his head as his frown remains. “That guy had no right to do that, even if he didn’t hurt you. I mean, if I was there, I wouldn’t have-”

“What? Come on, man.” You laugh, somewhat bitterly. “You can’t always be there to help me, Leo. That’s not fair to expect of you.”

Leo looks at you, a little indignant. “Yeah well, you can’t stop me from trying. The streets can be dangerous at night, even without all the crazy mutant slash yōkai shenanigans going on…” 

“Yōkai?” You squint, unfamiliar with the term. 

“Oh, right. Mystical beings, basically…” Leo waves a hand. “They live in the hidden city, mostly. Usually nice people, save for some bad apples.” 

“Huh…okay.”  

“Case in point, you never know what’s out there.” Leo continues, seriously. “I’ve…seen and dealt with a lot of tough stuff before, okay? So if you need me, I’ll have your back.”

You stare at Leo’s unwavering attention, and suddenly you want to cry. Never has anyone made such a declaration to you, and to have so much sincerity come from someone who is normally very unserious…. 

“You’re…so corny, man.” You choke up a little as you try (unsuccessfully) to sound insincere. “Talking like a real superhero and shit…”

Leo’s serious expression breaks awkwardly, but he quickly recovers into a smirk. “Well, if the two-pronged shoe fits.” 

That gets another smile out of you. “Whatever…” 

You two sit there like that for a moment, taking in the post-conversation silence.

“Thanks…” You say, quietly. “For, you know…being here and all that crap.”

“Don’t mention it.” Leo says in equal volume. “I mean, if you do want to mention it, I won’t stop you, but…”

You chuckle. Wanting to move on to a happier topic, you clear your throat to fill the silence. “So…your brothers are interesting…” 

Leo straightens up a little. “Yeah, sorry. You probably weren’t ready for… all of that.”

“What? No. Don’t be sorry.” You laugh at how on-edge your friend looks. “They seem like good guys. I’m glad I met them.”

“Well, you still haven’t met Donnie, so don’t get too excited…” Leo replies, wryly. “I mean, sure, my brothers are nice guys, but trust me when I say they have their quirks when you get to know them.”

You smirk at him. “Sounds familiar.”

“Ouch!” Leo says, mock-wounded, before recovering. “Well, I’m glad they didn’t totally scare you away. And yeah, I know the place is a mess, but…you know, it’s the sewer.”

“Yeah, I was gonna ask about that….” You tilt your head. “Smelled better than I’d expect for…you know, a sewer.”

“Thank April. She begged us to try and freshen up the place, so Donnie got something working. Some kind of...smell neutralizer-thingy? I dunno the details…it’s not perfect, but it’s a step up…” 

“Oh, nice.” You nod. “So Donnie…he sounds pretty smart. I mean if he’s building all that stuff. And a rocket...” 

“You don’t know the half of it. He’s like, actually a genius.” Leo shakes his head before looking at you seriously. “But don’t tell him I said that! His ego’s large enough as it is…” 

“Even larger than yours?”

“Oh ha, ha…” Leo rolls his eyes. “You know, there’s a difference between arrogance and confidence.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“Arrogant people aren’t nearly as cool as me!”  

Leo stands and poses dramatically. The way he says that makes you certain that he’s being ironic. He wants you to feel better, even if it means making you laugh at him.

“Can’t argue with that logic…” You say, matching his sarcasm. “Guess I won’t know for sure until I meet him…If uh, you guys want to have me around…”

Leo pauses and gives you a look. “You really wanna come back?”

“Yeah, of course!” You shrug, feeling a little embarrassed. “I mean, like I said, your brothers seemed nice and it looked like a cool place. Very…punk.”

Leo grins. ‘Hey, you get it! And now that you guys have broken the ice, we can have you over for a movie night! You get around to watching the Jupiter Jim movies yet? I’m telling you, they’re classics.” 

“Nah, I haven’t.” You give him a smirk. “Can’t say they’d even be my thing, to be honest.”

Your friend erupts a loud gasp. “Take that back!”

“I’m kidding…” You roll your eyes. “I would love to. That is, if your brothers actually want me there.”

“Of course they will.” Leo smiles with enthusiasm. “Trust me, Ralph and Mikey are very easy to read. They definitely like you.” 

“Really?” You can’t help but feel a bit flustered. “I can’t have made a great impression, being all…you know, intoxicated.” 

“Oh, I doubt they noticed.” Leo shrugs, but his tone is unconvincing. ”And even if they did, you won’t lose any points. They’d just think you’re a rockstar or something.” 

“Okay, cool…” You’re not exactly sure how to feel about having that reputation, but you don’t dwell on it further. From your brief encounter, the siblings definitely hadn’t struck you as the judgemental type. 

You relax more and more as you continue your small talk. Eventually, the conversation hits a lull, and you recognize your exhaustion once again. You feel bad as you signal to Leo that it’s time for you to get some rest. 

“Ah, right. I guess it is getting late, even for me…” Leo stands up from your couch and gives you a nod. “I should get going.”  

“Yeah, sorry. I’m incredibly tired.” You smile back, feeling bittersweet once again as your friend makes a portal. “But this was nice. Thanks for…you know, all that.”

Leo gives you the softest smile you’ve ever seen from him. “Hey, anytime, man. And I meant what I said; anytime you need me…” 

“I’ll call you.” You finish with a soft smile. You feel like you’re about to break down in tears at just how nice he’s being. “I’ll remember…”

“Good. You better!”

Standing at the portal, Leo pauses. Then, he turns to you and splays out his arms.

Without a word, you accept his offer to embrace. The plastron of his shell is hard, but you don’t mind it as you let his sturdy hands hold your back. You force your eyes not to well up anymore tears, but it’s difficult not to be swept up in the emotion of the hug. 

As the two of you part, Leo gives you one last smile. “See ya later, [Y/N].” 

“Bye, Leo…” You manage. 

When he’s gone, you stumble your way into bed and struggle to fall asleep. The whole of tonight’s memories, good and bad, tumble on top of you and keep your brain alight. 

One thought stands above the rest, however. Yep, you couldn’t escape it no matter how hard you tried. It was official. You knew it for a while now, but tonight had confirmed it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

You definitely have a crush on your mutant turtle best friend from New York.

Great…

Chapter Text

You had been, admittedly, quite nervous when Leo texted you the details of the Jupiter Jim movie night. He told you it was a weekly thing they did, a tradition of the utmost importance. You’d only vaguely heard of the sci-fi series in passing, but Leo spoke about it with the reverence of a die-hard fan, and his excitement, well, excited you.

It was an honor to be invited, really, but you couldn’t shake the anxiety that came with unfamiliar waters. As comfortable as you are with Leo, you weren’t sure you’d have the same luck befriending his brothers. Breaking the ice was always the hardest part of this kind of gathering. Still, you had to try. 

Your interaction with the siblings had started with curious glances in your direction, which evolved rapidly into direct questions about where you came from, how exactly you’d met Leo, your favourite hobbies and so on. Being put on the spot like that was its own social challenge, but (luckily) any awkwardness from your last meeting had been either forgotten or gone totally unnoticed. 

Once the small talk faded, the main event began. None of the turtles could decide on which Jupiter Jim movie to start with; it was a fierce debate between Jupiter Jim: The Past and the McFlurrious and Jupiter Jim: Total Havok on Space Dock Nine. When tensions boiled, Raph asked for your input to settle the argument. 

Being totally unfamiliar with the franchise but not wanting to seem like a total pleb, you chose the latter. That rewarded you with enthusiasm by Raph and Mikey, but a slightly betrayed gasp by Leo and an eye roll from Donnie. 

“I suppose it’s a forgivable mistake, if you’re unfamiliar with the overall canon…” Donnie had remarked, eyes judging you from behind his purple bandana. “But you will surely understand once we move on to the superior film.” 

You decide that you like Donnie, though you aren’t exactly sure how he feels about you. He isn’t as cheerful as the rest of his siblings, but nor does he come off as unwelcoming. There’s a confidence to him that’s intimidating, and he speaks with a vernacular befitting of his reputation for intelligence. Overall, he’s harder to read than his brothers, but frankly, that’s a low bar considering how extroverted they are. 

“Aw, come on Donnie.” Raph piped up in your defence. “You can’t beat Total Havok’s action sequences! The brawl scene in the bar? The hallway gunfight??”

“Ah yes, the set pieces which clearly diverted the budget to gimmicky special effects and choreography instead of decent writing and narrative.” Donnie waved dismissively. “‘I totally get your point’-he remarked, sarcastically.” 

“Don’t listen to him, New Guy.” Raph shot you a toothy grin. "This one’s way more exciting! Great mix of martial fighting and gun stuff, if that’s your thing.” 

Raph was the textbook example of why one shouldn’t judge a person off of appearances. His gargantuan frame, outlined with sharp edges and muscles larger than your head, spoke for his strength and capability. It would have terrified you, if you hadn’t heard him speak to you with such warmth and kindness. Even though this was your second time meeting him, you feel like you can trust him with your life and, more bizarrely, that he’d trust you with his. 

“Exactly!” Mikey added with enthusiasm. “I mean, it’s a Jupiter Jim movie! Who cares about all the words and story stuff anyway?”

The youngest of the siblings, and younger than you by a few years, Mikey easily infected you with his energy. He was unashamedly friendly, which made getting along with him incredibly easy. There’s a spacey naivete to his demeanor, but Leo had warned you that he was very good at reading your feelings. You believed him; the orange masked turtle was clearly a social creature, one that enjoyed talking to others for the sake of it. That trait alone made him, literally, impossible to dislike.  

“I do! I care about all the words and story stuff!” Donnie protested. “Gratuitous violence is pointless without the context!” 

“It’s fine, Don.” Leo patted his brother consolingly as he smirks at you. “Knowing him, he probably just picked the cooler-sounding title.”

Damn him, but he was right. Of course he was; maybe you shouldn’t have outed yourself to him as a total JJ newbie earlier. You should have known he’d use the information against you. So much for playing it cool.

Feeling a little self-conscious, you shrugged. “I mean, we can pick the other movie, if you guys-”

“Nope, too late! Democracy prevails!” Raph swiftly grabbed the DVD of your chosen movie and made for the television. “Mikey, get the popcorn!”

“Already ahead of ya! Let’s goooo!” 

Which brings you to the current moment. Now, sitting on the couch, smack in the middle between your friend and his very engaged younger brother (Mikey), you realise that you’d already forgotten your anxiety at befriending Leo’s family. It was almost alarming how quickly you’d gotten comfortable as part of the group. 

The lights of the retro television screen erupt with life as you witness the spectacle of Jupiter Jim; heroically zapping hostile alien after hostile alien. You were right in the thick of a fight scene riddled with colourful explosions. 

“Woah.” Mikey whispers to nobody in particular. “No matter how many times I see it, it never gets old…”

You couldn’t help but smile at his amazement. Not only was it quite endearing, but the irony that four world-saving vigilante mutants were fixated on such a spectacle of fake action was not lost on you. 

“So what do ya think?” Leo whispers to you casually. You’re very aware of how close he’s leaning towards you. 

You stare at the screen contemplatively. The Jupiter Jim movie is…certainly what you expected it to be, for better and worse. Truthfully, you enjoyed seeing how the others reacted to the movie more than the movie itself. It was fascinating to see them so enraptured by the corny action and dialogue, not to mention…heartwarming. They really were a family that liked being around each other. A family with a life-long bond that you (selfishly) envied. Just a little, of course. 

You’ve been staring at the screen for too long now, so you snap back to look at Leo before he can ask what’s wrong.

“It’s…neat.” You answer, somewhat honestly. “Not what I usually watch, but I get the appeal.”

“You’ll warm up to it.” Leo glances at the screen briefly, then back to you. “It took me fifteen movies before I really ‘got it’.” 

“That’s hardly a small commitment.” You remark. “Sounds like Stockholm Syndrome at that point.” 

Leo shakes his head. “Nah, trust me. You just need to find the right movie.” 

“Easier said than done.” You scoff quietly. “I mean, shit. Aren’t there, like, fifty Jupiter Jim movies?”

“Eighty.” Leo corrects.  

“I’m sorry, what?!” You gape at him, finding no humour in his eyes. “How do you make eighty movies of the same guy and not get sick of it?” 

“Beats me,” Leo shrugs. “Maybe there’s a Jupiter Jim fan that’s a die-hard billionaire.”

That makes you chuckle a bit. “Sounds plausible.”

“You know,” Leo leans back and nods at the movie. “We’ve actually met Marcus Moncrief; the actor who plays Jupiter Jim, I mean.”

Your eyes widen. “Woah, really?” 

“Yeah. He’s a cool dude, but honestly? Also kind of intense. One time, he went a bit off the edge and tried to kidnap us for his-”

“Hey, keep it down, this is the good part!” Mikey shushes your conversation before yet another action scene commences, the eighth one this movie, by your count.

“I’m sorry, he kidnapped you?” You lower your whisper as you lean closer to Leo, pointing at the screen. “What the hell???”

“Yeah, it’s a long story. He thought we were alien monsters or something. I guess you could say he took the method acting a little far.” Leo shrugs, annoyingly calm as always. “But we’re friends now. Kinda. Actually, I’m not totally sure. But it’s all in the past now.” 

“Huh…”

This information completely recontextualises the movie as you continue watching, now in total disbelief. What kind of missions were these boys going on where they got kidnapped by B-list sci-fi celebrities? Was that just an average day of work for them? Then again, you supposed that once you saved the world once or twice, even the most bizarre happenings would become unremarkable. 

When the credits roll you conclude that, yes, you enjoyed the movie. Donnie had been correct to call out the questionable amount of special effects, but the story was satisfyingly simple, if a little tropey in places. At least now you had a better idea of why the guys were so fond of the franchise, even if you weren’t totally converted yet. 

Which was probably for the best, because now you had moved onto the second Jupiter Jim movie, the one Leo and Donnie preferred. Already you could tell that this one was vastly different from the last one; the tone of the opening music made that clear. 

“So why do you like this one so much?” You whisper to Leo as the opening credits make their showing on screen. 

Leaning into the couch and stretching, Leo gives you a lazy look. “I dunno. It’s like Donnie said, the story’s better.”  

Unconvinced, you give him a stare. “Oh really? That’s the reason?”

“Mm hmm!” Your friend is slightly tenser now, and you pick up the way his voice hitches. He’s hiding something, as you suspected. 

You pick up the DVD of The Past and the McFlurious and display it to your friend. “It’s not because Jupiter Jim’s wearing a crop top on the front cover, exposing his muscular midriff?” 

“Idon’tknowwhatyou’retalkingabout.” Leo mumbles as he pointedly avoids your stare. “I mean, what makes you-”

“Dude.” You roll your eyes with a smile. “Jupiter Jim’s hot, you can admit it.” 

“Oh, are you talking about Jupiter Jim’s abs?” Mikey jumps into your conversation with gusto, leaning towards you conspiratorially. “Leo couldn’t stop staring at the cover when we first borrowed that movie! If you ask me, I think he’s always had a crush-”

“A crushingly high amount of respect for someone who pioneers fashion, even in space?” Leo interrupts. “Why yes, Mikey, yes I have!”

“Come on Leo,” Raph pitches in, still sitting on the floor cushion next to your couch. “We’ve seen this movie a dozen times and we know which scenes get you staring…” 

“That’s-uh…” Leo sputters. You’ve never seen him so abashed before. “Uh, I plead the sixth!”

“It’s the fifth, and do you all mind?” Donnie, now sitting in front, turns to you and gestures to the TV. “You’re going to miss the important worldbuilding exposition! Again!” 

You all settle down, but not before giving your friend a ruthless smirk. 

The movie goes on, and you all continue your whispers and comments. It is only a matter of time before the chatter is interrupted by a new figure entering the room.

“Excuse me, boys.” A short, rotund, mutant in the form of an anthropomorphic rat walks in front of the tv, blocking the view.

He clearly isn’t pleased. 

“Dad!” Mikey smiles, perhaps a little naively. “You want to join us for movie night?” 

“Absolutely not! I have made my stance on the science fiction genre clear on several occasions.” Frowning, the elder rat-man turns his attention to you and squints. “You are not April.” 

“I…am not.” You straighten up and introduce yourself before continuing. “I’m guessing you’re…uh, Master Splinter?” 

“I am.” Master Splinter keeps his gaze on you. After a pause, he huffs amusedly. “It is nice to see that my sons have finally made friends with another human. It only took them, what, five years?” 

“You’re the one who says we need to hide in secret!” Leo rolls his eyes. “Like, everyday!”

Splinter ignores the protest, and takes a step closer to you. “No, you are not at all like April. But I can tell that you’re…you’re….”

You blink. “I’m…?”

“Hmm…nope! I lost my train of thought! I’ll remember it later.” Splinter turns away from you and mutters to himself. “What was I here for, again? Oh, right. KEEP IT DOWN BOYS! I AM TRYING TO READ!” 

“'Kay Dad!” 

“Yes, Papa…”

“You got it, Pops!”

“Yeah, yeah…”

Seeing the four turtle siblings answer in unison is quite endearing, if startling. They are clearly quite close as a family. It’s nice to see…

But something about your exchange with Master Splinter threw you. The way he looked at you…It practically pierced your soul. It was like he knew every bad thing you had ever done, every failing of character. Being so experienced and wise, maybe his intuition saw something in you that you never wanted to admit to yourself.

Or, maybe, you were just intimidated by authority. That was equally likely.

“So that’s your Dad…” You say quietly, once you’re sure he’s out of earshot. 

“Yeah….” Leo says, drawing out the word slowly. “For the record, he’s not always like that.”

“Yes, sometimes he’s even stranger.” Donnie comments dryly. 

“But we love him anyway!” Mikey adds. 

You look down the corridor Splinter disappeared into and sigh. “I feel like…I may not have made the best impression.” 

“You’re fine.” Raph says, his casual tone putting you at ease. “If Dad didn’t like you, you’d know.”

You try to take comfort in that, despite the ominous implication. None of the turtles have given you a reason to feel insecure, and really, the same could be said for their father. Still, it’s hard to shake the imposter syndrome when you’re the outsider.

Eventually, the second movie reaches its credits. By this point, you’re quite fatigued from all the sitting. Curious, you check the time on your phone to see how long you’ve been watching movies, and grimace.

“Oh god,” You say, frowning at the time. “I have work in seven hours. I should really get going.” 

“Oh yeah,” Leo smirks. “Best delivery boy in Manhattan never rests, huh?” 

“Wait wait wait, you deliver PIZZAS?!” Mikey’s eyes widen as he stares at you with obvious envy. “Where???”

“Uh…Pierce’s Plentiful Pizza Par-”

“QUADRUPLE P????” Mikey exclaims, voice louder than ever. He inches closer to you. “What’s it like? Are you surrounded by pizza all the time? You are, right? Does the smell drive you crazy? How do you not eat the pizza when you need to deliver it? That’s gotta take some serious willpower!” 

“I guess?” You smile, a little startled by his intense enthusiasm. “But I’m pretty sure my boss would kill me if I did, so…”

“Nah, April’s not a ‘killing’ kind of person.” Leo shakes his head, before squinting in thought. “Not yet, at least.”

“Wait. APRIL WORKS THERE TOO?! And she’s your BOSS?!” Mikey lets out another dramatic gasp. “Is that why she couldn’t make movie night? How could she not tell us?” 

“Perhaps it is because we are connected to at least eight of her job terminations,” Donnie comments dryly. “I believe she thinks we are bad luck. Purely superstition, of course, though backed up by a notable amount of anecdotal evidence.” 

You look at Leo, who gives you a very guilty smile. 

Ignoring the worrying implications of how your own employment might be affected, you simply nod along.

“But uh, yeah.” You nod to the group. “Thanks for the movie night, guys. Didn’t think I’d enjoy Jupiter Jim so much, but I think I’m a fan now.” 

“I told you! It’s an acquired taste, but totally worth it.” Leo says with his usual smugness. “You should listen to me more.”

“I listen!” You counter. “I just don’t happen to agree. There’s a difference.” 

“Uh huh…”

“You have to come next week! That’ll be Lou Jitsu night!” Mikey grins, unaffected by the squabble. “You like martial arts movies, right?”

“I…sure. I can get behind that.” As if you were going to turn down another chance to hang out. “I’ve heard a lot about him, but I can’t say I’ve seen those either.”

“Then we’ll show you!” Mikey grins until a thought reaches him. “Oh, and bring pizza too!”

“Mikey, you can’t just tell him to bring pizza!” Raph crosses his arms, but his frown shifts to a smile as he turns to you. “But uh, if you wanted to, that’d be cool too. No pressure though!” 

“Sure…” You smirk, liking the sensation of being asked a favour. “I should be able to get an employee discount too. Let me know what you want and I’ll try to make it happen.”

The way the mutant siblings beam at you makes all the work you’ve ever done at that job worth it. To think that actual world-saving vigilantes could admire you in any way fills you with powerful motivation.

“Alright.” Leo stands with his weapon out, still grinning. “I should get this guy home.” 

“Right, I guess I should hit the dojo and get some reps.” Raph says, before looking at you kindly. “See ya, New Guy!”

“Bye, [Y/N]!” Mikey follows suit with a smile and wave. 

“Yes, goodbye.” Donnie nods at you before turning a tight glare to Leo. “Oh, and ‘Nardo? It’s your turn for movie night cleanup. Don’t forget this time.” 

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll remember.” Leo promises with an eye roll. “I’ll be back before you can say ‘Wow, I can’t believe we ever doubted that our brother could do chores because he’s so quick and fast and totally awesome!’”

You catch an eye roll from the purple turtle before he leaves, presumably to go to his room to work on more “science stuff”, whatever that entails.  

“Nardo?” You give Leo a look as he pulls out his sword. “That’s a weird nickname.” 

“Huh?” Leo tilts his head. “What do you mean? It's part of my name.” 

“Wh-It is?”

“Yeah, Leonardo.” 

You stare at him.

“What?” He raises a brow.  

You stare at him again, and after a pause yell. “YOU’VE HAD A FULL NAME THIS WHOLE TIME?”  

The sudden volume in your voice causes your friend to cringe. “Have I…not brought that up?” 

“No! Not even once!” You shake your head, somewhat ironically. “Oh my god, when will the secrets end?” 

“Hey, for what it’s worth, my brothers all have long names too.” Leo folds his arms, forming a slight pout. “You should be mad at them for keeping secrets.”

“We’ve only just met! I’ve known you for three years!” You retort and cross your arms. “Go on then, what are their names?”

Leo goes on to reintroduce his brothers, and that’s the day you learn that turtles were named by Master Splinter after renowned Renaissance artists. Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo…

…and Leonardo.

“Okay, that’s…actually kind of cool.” You fold your arms. “Why don’t you use your full name more?”

“Too many syllables.” Leo smiles lazily. “Also, it stops people calling me ‘Nardo all the time. I mean, I like a solid nickname, but that one’s a little…you know.”

“Huh.” You say, grin forming. “Well, I guess I should get going. Got that portal ready, ‘Nardo?” 

“Wow.” Leo sighs as he pulls out his sword. “Way to grab the low-hanging fruit.”

“Hey, if the opportunity’s there, it’s there.”

When you step through the portal to your apartment, you find yourself already missing the turtles you just hung out with. 

“I don’t know if I’ll get used to that…” You comment as you stare at the ground. “Is it weird that I want to feel motion sickness?”

“What?” Leo chuckles. “Why would you want that?”

“I dunno. It’s just kind of weird moving places so quickly and feeling…nothing.” 

“Try hurtling through multiple portals while in the air, doing flips.” Leo gives a knowing smile. “That’ll do it.” 

“You’ve done that?” You shake your head. “Shit, you’re crazy.” 

“Heh, maybe.”

“I mean, geez…” You sigh. “I can’t imagine doing what you do.”

“Well, maybe you could. One day.”

“Yeah, right.” You scoff amusedly. “I don’t have all those years of ‘ninja training’ you do.” 

“Well, sure, but…I was thinking.” Leo’s eyes turn away from you for a moment. “You know how you told me about that weird guy? The one that got handsy at the nightclub?” 

You frown at the topic, but can’t help your curiosity. “Yeah? What about it?”

“I thought about what you said. About how I can’t always be around to help you.” Leo turns back to you. “And you’re right, I can’t. So I was wondering...what if you could protect yourself? What if you had some training?” 

You tilt your head, still a little puzzled. “I guess that would be nice. But I don’t know how I’d even start learning-”

You stop talking when you see the growing smirk on Leo’s face. 

“You want to teach me?” You stare at him in disbelief. 

His smile only widens. “Come on, why not?” 

“Why not?” You splutter. “I would die!”

“No you wouldn’t!” Leo rolls his eyes. “I’ll have you know I’m very good at keeping people safe!” 

“But-!” You wave to try and emphasize the point. “I don’t know martial arts, I’ve never touched a weapon, so obviously-”

“Okay, sure. But we’d start slow…” Leo says, with the inflection of a salesman. “No weapons stuff, just simple things, like posture. Stances, blocking, stuff like that. Low stakes.”

“I dunno…” You sigh. 

“If you don’t want to, I get it.” Leo shrugs, his face strangely neutral. “But I figured…it’d help your confidence. You know, in case something weird happens again.” 

You think back to that night again. It’s impossible to forget how powerless you felt in that situation. The feeling of being someone’s potential prey, and the desperate need to rely on someone else to bear the danger. 

“Fine.” You answer, eventually, giving him a nervous smile. “Why not?”

Leo’s wide grin makes it impossible for you to change your mind now.  “Hell yeah! You won’t regret it, I promise!” 

You nod, slowly. “Just don’t expect me to be a prodigy or anything.”

“Hey, it’ll take practice and it won’t be easy.” Leo claps you lightly on the shoulder. “But you’ll learn more than you think you will. Trust me!”

God damn, but his enthusiasm is charming. You fear that your friend can convince you of anything with that smile of his. 

When Leo leaves your home once again, you’re left stunned and what you’ve just agreed to. This man was going to kill you if you kept saying yes to him. 

But of course, it was hard to say no to a friend. Especially one that, yep, you definitely liked more than you would normally like a friend. 

Well, you couldn’t complain. Self-defence was a skill you’d always wanted to learn but had been too scared to look into learning. Leo was right, it would boost your confidence, and maybe then you wouldn’t be so scared of confrontation. If he was offering you a learning environment free of judgment, how could you say no to that?

Besides, how hard could learning how to fight possibly be?

It's hard. It’s very hard.

You’re in a dojo, one of the many rooms in the turtles' sewer lair, trying not to let your muscles perish. It’s only been a week or so since you started your training, but you feel a lifetime’s worth of exercises in your lungs right now. 

“God….” You mutter in between deep pants. “God….damn it…” 

Drenched in sweat, you’re seconds away from keeling over.

To be fair, Leo did get you started with the basics during the first few sessions. You ran through simple posture techniques and all kinds of warm-up exercises to get you settled in. 

But, perhaps unsurprisingly, Leo decided that you needed an extra push in your beginner’s course. Some sparring, nothing too fast or overwhelming, but realistic enough to prime you for danger. 

Which was why you were now on the floor, staring at the wood-supported ceiling of the dojo after having been swiftly tripped onto the ground. 

“Hey, you okay, man?” The man standing opposite you, your sparring partner, lowers his hockey stick and lifts his mask, revealing a handsome (but, frustratingly, less exhausted) face. 

The man who has just knocked you on your ass is Casey Jones. Another human friend of the mutants, you had the pleasure of meeting him on one of the weekly movie nights. He couldn’t have been much younger than you, around his early twenties you’d guess, but the man carries himself like someone far older and wiser. 

This isn’t a surprise, considering that he’s from an apocalyptic future, of all things. That was a long story that Leo only briefly summarised to you, but even that had totally floored you. You and many others had taken the alleged alien invasion of New York to be a hoax, a lie fabricated in some convoluted marketing scheme, or any other plausible explanation. 

Leo’s story shattered that false reality. The Krang terrified you with the way your friend explained them to you; as did the possible future you could have had under their rule. You couldn’t believe how much your friend and his family went through, years before meeting you. To think that Leo took on such a force, that he and his brothers literally saved New York and the world by extension from such a terrible fate…. 

And from such an intimidating tale, came Casey Jones. The man from the future. 

“Hey, Master Leonardo, we should take a break…” Casey gives you a compassionate frown. “I think that last round got him bad.” 

“He’s fine …I think.” Leo’s smile fades as he tilts his head to look at you. “You’re fine, right?”

You’re definitely not fine, but the concern and pity aimed at you makes you want to resist the diagnosis as much as possible.  

“Yeah, I’m fine…” You say, mustering the energy to sit up and hoping the wheeze in your throat isn’t audible. “Just need a minute to catch my breath.”

“That’s the spirit!” Leo grins as he takes a step back and folds his arms. “Okay. Try coming at Casey again, but remember your footing when you go for the grapple.” 

You nod. You’ve already heard that instruction multiple times today, but you resolve to try again. Harder.

It’s over in a few seconds, just like how it’s gone every time before. Casey is quick to slip out of your grasp, under your arms, before moving to your blind spot and grappling you from behind. You try to grab his arms to pry him off you, but that only gives the man easier access to your legs. Hooking your leg, he takes you down to the floor ruthlessly.

Being a professional-level martial fighter, Casey’s able to have you land without any critical injuries, but the impact hurts like nothing you’ve felt before. Your back shoulder and side gets bruised the most, and you feel everything inside your head rattle as you hit the ground.

You lay there for a beat, processing what happened.

“Oh crap, I’m so sorry dude!” You hear Casey say, the worry in his voice only embarrassing you further. “I didn’t mean to drop you like that, I just sort of reacted when you grabbed me...”

Leo’s at your side just as quickly. “You okay? That must’ve hurt.”

All you can do is stare at the ground. You can’t decide what’s worse, the pain or the humiliation. Both feed into each other, brewing a terrible mood inside you.

You feel a hand on you, Leo’s, and you brush it off curtly. 

“I’m...I’m fine.” You bite out the words, knowing how obvious the lie is to everyone in the room. “Could you just back off? I’m fine.”

“Woah, hey...” Leo holds his hands up calmly and smiles gently. A perfectly nice response that somehow makes you more bitter. “You took a fall, but you’ll learn from it. That’s what training’s about, right?”

“Yeah, okay. Cool. Got it.” You say tightly, mortification choking you. “Thanks for the insight, Sensei.”

You say that last word with a bit of venom, which you regret immediately. Still, the desperate need to cling to your wounded pride stops you from taking it back. You look away, not wanting to see the hurt in Leo’s eyes, if any.

“Hey, man.” Casey’s frown turns a bit lower. “It was my bad, okay? There’s no need to snap at Master Leonardo if you want to be-” 

“Oh, sorry. Master Leonardo.” You shoot back, knowing full well that your emotions are running on red. “How could I forget? How rude of me. Maybe I’m not worthy of all this training after all, huh?”

“No-one’s saying that.” Leo says, a little too soft. “Listen, maybe we should wrap things up for the day, grab some dinner.”

You really don’t like his tone now. As patient as you know your friend is trying to be, you feel patronized. Like you’re some sensitive child being coddled because you can’t face the harsh reality of the situation. It makes you want to snap.

Realizing that you’re close to saying something truly awful, you get up and turn to the dojo’s exit.

“Sorry. I’m just…” You grimace, hating yourself more by the second. “I’m gonna get some air. You can eat without me.” 

“[Y/N], hey-” Leo starts.

You leave the dojo before anything else can be said. Neither of your training mentors follow you, which would almost be a relief if it didn’t also make you feel even shittier. 

It’s immediately obvious that you don’t know your way around the lair very well, much less where any exit is. But that doesn’t stop you from picking a direction and trying. 

You avoid making a fuss as you pass the living room, where Mikey’s on the couch watching TV. He’s absolutely fixated on whatever’s showing, so you slip by without him seeing. Or at least, you hope you do. 

Trawling through the tunnels, the smell gets worse and worse. But you don’t care. You’re past the point of admitting weakness, even to yourself, so you press on. 

Eventually, you find a sewer ladder. Not wanting to turn back, you climb up it, ignoring the sore aching of your muscles. Surely you weren’t so weak that you couldn’t climb a goddamn ladder.

With nothing but bitterness and post-rage adrenaline, you climb. As you make your ascent, you’re left with your thoughts. Yes, it was stupid to get upset at the fall, but how else does a normal person react to getting bodied over and over again? As much as you knew what you were getting into, you didn’t have the pain tolerance that the others had. You weren’t anywhere near Leo’s level.

Or Casey’s, for that matter. Mr Perfect Cool Handsome Human Friend of the Turtles Who Literally Helped Save The Whole World And Probably Had A Great Bonding Experience While Doing So. How could you compete with that in anything?

And sure, you’ll admit it, you’re definitely jealous of the man’s ability. It was easy to put that resentment aside for Leo and his brothers, considering that they’re essentially mutant superheroes with powerful DNA. There was never a contest there. But Casey was just a human man. A human man who absolutely demolished you on the training mat with no effort.

Worldly confidence and talent seemed to be a running trend amongst the turtle’s human accomplices, which makes you all the more aware that you are the exception to that rule. 

Eventually, you reach the top. With the first small victory of the day, you push on the manhole cover to complete your escape.

It doesn’t move.

“What?” You say to yourself. “Come on, you fucking…”

You push harder, and the cover gives a little, but still no luck.

“Fuck!” You yell to no-one in particular.

It’s incredibly heavy, impossible to lift on your own.

With this realization, you wordlessly climb back down the ladder, undoing all the hard work you’ve put yourself through. When you hit the bottom, you slump down next to the ladder and throw your head into your hands. 

“God, I’m a loser.” You think, simply. 

But what makes you feel worse is the fact that you’re sulking about it. You know that failure is part of the process, part of the hard work needed to develop skills. But knowing that doesn’t stop you feeling sorry for yourself.

Like a loser.

The tears finally come to you as you sit there. When you started your trip to this city, when you were on that plane, you’d never imagined that you’d be here. In some random sewer, hating yourself so intensely. Oh how far you had fallen.

A voice calls out your name from some distance away. It’s Leo’s, of course. 

Part of you doesn’t want him to find you, and you’re tempted to stay silent. But another part dreads the conversation you’re going to have regardless of what you do. Best to get it out of the way. 

“I’m here.” You call out, as you quickly wipe your tears. 

When Leo finds you, he doesn’t say anything at first. Instead, he walks over and sits down next to you. The silence is as painful as you anticipated, but you resolve yourself not to be the one to break it. 

“I shouldn’t have had you do grapples so soon.” He says, eventually. “Those can hurt if you’re not used to hitting the ground.”

You shrug. “That’s not why I got upset.”

Leo looks at you, inviting you to elaborate. 

“I told you I’d suck at it.” You frown. “I knew that I’d suck at it, and I know that’s the point of training but…being next to you guys, seeing you fight and train. It’s embarrassing!”

After a moment, Leo smiles consolingly. 

“Why’s it embarrassing?” He asks, matter-of-factly. “I don’t think any less of you for not being good at it yet. Casey definitely doesn’t, either.”

“I know, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m weaker than everyone else in the room. Does it?” You reply. “I notice how delicately you guys have to handle me when we spar. Even if I train for years, I doubt that’ll change…”

“Look, our experience is definitely an advantage, but you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself!”  Leo bumps his shoulder against yours. “All things considered, I think you’re doing fine.” 

You scoff. “No you don’t.”

“I do.” Leo lets out a little laugh, but it’s not mocking at all. “And even if I didn't, I still like training with you.”

That makes you pause. “You do?” 

“Obviously!” Leo rolls his eyes merrily. “It’s nice to actually be able to teach someone something. Makes me feel, I dunno, cool. And this way, you…finally get to see this part of my life, you know?”

You take a second to process the statement. “I guess it’s a pretty big part, huh?”

“Oh, you have no idea.” Leo says with little mirth now. “You don’t even know how many times I wanted to talk to you about it! The training, the crime-fighting, all that stuff. It’s a lot to not talk about!”

You nod at that. You’d never really considered the idea that your friend was getting anything out of your training, other than an opportunity to brag over you, maybe.

But no, he had been nothing but understanding.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you.” You say quietly. “I’m not used to getting hurt, physically at least, so I guess I got amped up and felt vulnerable. I know that’s not an excuse, but-”

“I get it. I shouldn’t have pushed you so much. Seriously, that's on me.” Leo puts his hand on your shoulder, and you’re very aware of how much that comforts you. “And besides, that wasn’t the first time anyone’s lost their cool in that dojo and it won’t be the last. It’s part of the process.”

“I guess…” You nod. “The process of getting stronger, right?”

Leo smiles. “Right.”

“I think…I want to keep trying.” You find yourself saying.  

Leo’s eyes widen in growing excitement. “You do?”

“Yeah.” You shrug slowly. “Just…maybe ease off on the sparring until I’m a bit better.”

“Copy that.” Your friend breaks out into a bright grin. “I’ll make sure you’re in tip-top shape before we do anything like that again.”

“That’d be nice.” You huff with a smile. “At the very least, you gotta show me how to do that weird high kick you like to do.”

“Oh, that? That takes a lot of stretching beforehand.” 

“I bet.” You laugh for the first time today, before looking back to Leo. “So uh, you mentioned grabbing dinner?”

“Oh, right.”  Leo looks off down the tunnel where he came from. “I thought about making something from the kitchen, but…I’m not a very good chef. Pretty sure I’d somehow make your day even worse.” 

“Wait,” You tilt your head at him, amused. “You’re telling me the Great Leonardo Hamato is bad at something?”

“I know, I know. Shocker, right?” Leo says, with heavy sarcasm.

You laugh quietly. “So, take-out?” 

“Take out.” Leo nods, before perking up. “Oh! You know what? I just thought of the best place!”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” Grinning, your friend pulls out his signature weapon. Ah, time for another portal trip, then. “If we go now, we should be able to beat the rush.”

But something in your chest is still tugging at you. The pit of guilt. 

“Wait,” You say. “Before we go, I want to apologise to Casey. Is he still at the Lair?” 

Leo’s eyes widen slightly, but after a pause he nods. “Should be. I’ll take you back.” 

One portal later, you find Casey in the kitchen, checking the fridge for something. He stops what he’s doing when he notices you approach him.

“Hey.” You say.

“Hey.” He replies. His tone is strangely neutral. 

Casey doesn’t say a word as you launch into your apologies. It takes a significant effort not to let tears well up, but you make your feelings known as honestly as you can. By the end of your monologue, you have no idea how the man has taken your words.

After a dreadful pause, he simply says “So you wanna keep training, huh?”

“Um, yes. If that’s okay.” You nod, a bit too enthusiastically. Shit, it’s been a while since you felt this nervous talking to someone. 

After a significant pause, the adult human man beams a grin at you. “Then apology accepted! Not that you did anything that bad, honestly. Getting mad at failure’s natural, you know?”

“I…yeah.” The euphoric relief at being forgiven makes you smile. “Still, I’ll try not to make a habit of it…”

“Sweet,” The man offers you a fist-bump “And I’ll try not to absolutely pummel someone who’s still learning the ropes.” 

“Sounds good.” You laugh, accepting the gesture with your own fist. 

Yep. This man was seriously a cool dude. Damn him, but that only makes you more jealous of him. 

“I hate to ruin the moment, but I’m getting hungry.” Leo steps in beside the two of you, turning to Casey. “We were gonna get pizza at the ‘Mill, if you wanted to join us?” 

“Nah, not today.” Casey looks back to the fridge. “I’ve been meaning to try making something here again. Maybe one of Master Michelangelo’s recipes…”

“Good luck.” Leo smirks. “Try not to set the stove on fire, yeah?”

Casey groans. “It was one time…”

“I know, I’m kidding.” Leo looks back at you. “You ready?” 

You smile and nod. “Lead the way, Portal Guy.”

“So why’s it called Run Of The Mill Pizza?” You look over the menu pamphlet at Leo and raise a brow. “Not exactly a flattering name…”

“Beats me,” Leo leans back on the other side of the booth. “But trust me, you won’t find a place like this anywhere else in the city!”

“I’ll say,” You squint at the listed food items. There’s not a single item that you recognise as human food, but you suppose that’s not a surprise considering the usual clientele. “I mean, Kisselbugs and Fire Corn? What is that even?”

“Oooooh that’s a fun one! Not for the faint of heart though.” Leo shoots you a grin. “Maybe you should leave the ordering to me. I’ve been here enough times to know what’s safe for newbies.”

“Oh, and I’m a newbie, then?”

“Yeah, obviously.”

“Well-!” You stop, not really having a counter-argument. You settle into a shrug. “Fine, whatever.”

“Trust me, we’ve talked about food long enough for me to know your tastes. You’ll love what I get you.” Leo turns and raises his hand. “Oh waiter!” 

When the waiter, a very hairy-looking yōkai, arrives at your table, your friend smiles at them with all the confidence of a regular. “Yeah okay, we’ll have two Manguli specials and…the house cola for drinks.”

The staff member nods and leaves to the kitchen with the posture of somebody who’s had to do so at least a few thousand times. It doesn’t take long before he returns with two platters on one hand, and a cup holder of drinks in the other. Exceptional service.

“Huh, guess Hueso’s not in today…” Leo mutters as he looks around the diner.

“Hueso?” You ask.

“The owner.” Leo answers, giving up his search. “Known him for a while.”

“Oh really?” You smile, intrigued. “Were you hoping to get a discount?”

“I wish.” Leo sighs. “He’s a real stickler for the rules, especially about money. But he’s a nice guy, really. I mean this one time…” 

Leo goes on to regale you with his shared history with the owner. At this point, very little can surprise you, so you’re not shocked to hear of the hijinks he tells you of. A pizza cutter heirloom, a daring heist and a pseudo-romantic rescue; you take it all in. As insane as it all sounds, you don’t bother to question it. It’s nice just listening to him speak; he’s quite the story-teller actually.  

But before your friend can go into another tale (one he promises is even crazier than the last), your meal arrives.

You regard the food that’s placed on your table. It’s easily the most colourful pizza you’ve ever seen; a rainbow of unrecognizable ingredients scatter across the slices, and that’s not even the strangest part. The smell isn’t like any food you’ve tasted before. You get hints of tanginess, something with citrus maybe, but then another odor takes over, then another. 

You look up at Leo, unable to help scrunching your nose at the alien food. “You know what? I think this explains a lot about your preferences…”

“Hey! Don’t rag me for having a flexible pallet, man.” Leo casually lifts a slice and gestures with it. “Come on, just try it!” 

With nothing else for it, you take yet another insane risk in the name of your best friend. You bite down into the pizza, sinking your teeth into its cheese and crust with reckless abandon.

The texture is complex, thanks to its ingredients, but after a few tentative chews, you’re surprised by the savoury flavours that tingle your taste buds. It’s meaty, but with tangs of fruit, a bit of spice, but only enough to warm your throat. 

“I…” You swallow. “Okay, huh.”

“So….?” Leo looks at you, expectantly. 

You take another bite, pausing to enjoy the anticipation of your judgment. Eventually you nod. “Yeah, alright. Fine. It’s pretty nice. Weird, but nice.” 

“Yes! I told you!” Leo doesn’t try to hide his enthusiasm at all, pumping a fist at the triumph. “Never say no to new experiences, baby!” 

“Unless they involve getting thrown on the floor.” You retort, but you make sure that your tone is humourous. 

“Hey, life’s full of risks.” Leo’s smile is lazy. “You’ll be stronger for it. The training and the pizza.” 

“Uh huh.” You shake your head, but continue to eat the food. “You would compare food to ninja stuff, wouldn’t you?”

“Hey, if the opportunity’s there, it’s there…”

As much as you hate validating Leo’s snarkiness, you can’t stop eating your meal. Each bite intrigues you even more, and it isn’t long before you complete your meal and wash it down with the house cola. The drink has an interesting taste to it as well, and you notice something about the flavour that’s rather familiar.

“Hey,” You gesture to your glass. “Does this…have alcohol in it?” 

“Huh?” Leo’s munching on a side of fries he spontaneously ordered to share with you. “Oh, yeah. I just assumed you’d like it. It’s not too strong, but I can have it if you-”

“Nah, hell no.” You shake your head and take another sip. “This is delicious.”

“Glad to hear.” Leo leans back in the booth and regards you. “So, what do you think? 

“Once again, you’re right about food.” You sigh dramatically. “I believe in miracles, but three in a row? That’s unusual.” 

“Pffft, okay.” Leo rolls his eyes with a grin. “Guess I’ll have to take you out to more places then. Gather more data…”

“Careful, you’re beginning to sound like Donnie.”

“How dare you!” 

By the time you clear your plates, there are a lot more patrons at the restaurant. Yōkai of all heights and varieties surrounded your table, and you tried not to stare despite the novelty. 

“That hit the spot…” Leo sighs contentedly. 

“Agreed.” You finish the rest of your drink and take in the buzz. “So now what?”

“Hmm…” Leo looks at the bar suggestively. “You want another drink?”

You’re so tempted to keep going, but you can’t ignore the way your body pleads to get rest after the tiring day you've had.

“Maybe another time,” You say remorsefully. “Training really took it out of me, sorry.”

“Hey, it’s cool. I have a better idea.” Leo says as he stands up. “Before we go home, there’s a place I wanna show you.” 

“Oh?” Your curiosity overtakes your tiredness. 

“Yeah, I figured now that you’ve tried yōkai food, I figured we should take things up a notch. Show you the real deal.” 

“The real deal?” You tilt your head, a little wary. “What do you mean by that?” 

“Nothing bad!” Leo replies defensively before drawing his sword. “But it’s better as a surprise. We’ll need to portal there, though.”

“Uh huh,” You do trust your friend, but you enjoy playing the skeptic just as much. “And what about the bill? We’re not gonna dine and dash, are we?”

“It’s fineee. We have a TAB running here.” Leo makes a quick glance at the bar. “Just, uh…don’t ask how much we’ve got on it. We come here a lot.”

You stifle a laugh at that before nodding. “Alright then. Lead on, Macduff.” 

“Who the heck’s Macduff?”

“It’s a reference. You know, Shakespeare.”

Leo only looks more confused at that. “Shake-speare? Ooooh, is that the really old guy? The one that holds the skull?” 

“Seriously?” You gawk at him. “I thought you knew theatre!” 

“I know some theatre, just not-” Leo shakes his head, clearly a little embarrassed. “Whatever, let’s go!”

You laugh as he hurriedly makes a portal and steps in, following after.

When you step out the portal, you’re hit with a wave of humidity. The air smells and feels damp, and the muggy warmth is reminiscent of a tropical area. It’s hard to see in the dim light, and the ground is uneven. You take a moment to steady yourself before looking up.

There’s a large slope in front of you, sparsely covered with thin weeds. At the top, Leo’s standing there, looking down at you.

“Up here!” Leo beckons before looking off over the otherside of the hill. “Come ooooon! You gotta see this!” 

You scramble up the steep incline to the top, looking over to where Leo’s pointing.

Far away and far beneath you is the sight of a hundred, if not a thousand lights, soaking the view in dozens of warm colours. You instantly recognise that you’re looking over a lake sprawling towards a densely packed city. The buildings you spot, while hard to make out, are distinctly familiar in its eastern architecture. But in equal measures, the sight is quite alien; tall structures that look like fungi are spread everywhere you can see. 

When you squint, you think you can see movement, the ecology of countless people making their way through life. 

“Not bad, huh?” You don’t need to look to know that Leo’s smiling.

“Where are we?” You can’t hide the wonder in your tone. “Is this…?”

“It is.” Leo gestures to the view in a dramatic pose. “Welcome to the Hidden City, baby!” 

You huff a bewildered chuckle. “All of this…is really underground? Under New York? How am I only just now finding out about this? How hasn’t a place like this been found?”

“‘Something something, magic’, is my guess.” Leo smirks. “I don’t know a whole lot about the specifics, but I do know that yōkai are huge on cloaking magic. If they want something hidden away, they’ll make it happen.” 

“Right…” You look back out and somehow, the view is even more stunning. “Well, shit. This is…really something.”

“Glad you like it.” Leo folds his arms and looks off with you. “I like to come here sometimes…you know, to think about stuff.”

“You like to think about stuff?” You quip automatically.

“Oh wow! That’s so funny.” Leo shoots a jovial eye roll at you. “I try to open up and this is what I get?”

“No no, you’re right. My bad.” You chuckle, feeling a little bad. “What kind of stuff?” 

“Pfft.” Leo huffs before shrugging. “Oh, you know, the usual. Life, death, how to deal with the burden of being the coolest guy everyone knows…”

“Funny.”

“Hey, I’m being totally serious!” Leo says, unseriously. 

“Sure you were.” You try to bump your shoulder to his, but his height makes you land closer to his elbow. His bicep… “Well, it’s nice. I’m glad you wanted to show it off.”

After a pause, Leo smiles. “You’re the only person I’ve shown this to, you know.”

That little fact hits you like a truck, but you manage to maintain composure. Barely.

“Really?” You say, a little too quietly.

“Really.” Leo nods, but then frowns. “No wait, crap. There was one guy, but uh…it was a really bad date. The less said about that, the better.” 

“Oh?” The hard left turn of that little fact forces you to change gears. Banter mode activate. “You know saying that just makes me more curious, right?” 

“Yeah, well…Don’t be.”

“ Dude,” You stare at him, smile growing. “Now I have to know.”

“I….really don’t think you do.” Leo stiffens and fails to meet your eye. “I know my rights!”

“I mean, come on, this is such a romantic view.” You continue, smugly. “Something crazy must have happened to ruin something like this.”

Woah, hold on. Are you flirting? Is this flirting? You peek at your friend, watching for any reaction. Mercifully, the teasing in your tone must have prevailed, as Leo continues to look abashed. 

“Trust me,” Leo looks back at you, almost pleadingly. “It’s a really boring story that you do not need to know about!”

‘Okay, okay…” You nod, feeling a little bad despite not believing a word. “I didn’t mean to pry. Whatever happened, I’m sure that guy missed out, big time.”

Damn it! There you go again! It must be the alcohol, you think, sneaking up on you and loosening your inhibitions. You didn’t consider yourself a lightweight; maybe that drink was stronger than you thought. 

“Thanks.” Leo looks at you this time, tilts his head, then settles into a smile. “Glad you think so. It’s nice, huh?”

You look up at him and in this moment, you stare at each other. It only lasts a second or two, but it’s enough to be a moment. 

“Yeah.” You say, simply. “It really is.” 

Those eyes of his confound you, black yet colourful in its expression. The cliche was true, you really could get lost in them, just imagining what thoughts lay beyond the irises. Your eyes only stray a little to look at those pink stripes of his. So unique…and so befitting of him… 

You blink, realising where you are all of a sudden before tearing yourself away from the stare-off. Turning back to the view, you look away, mortified. 

What are you doing?

“So, uh…” You step to the side, holding your arms and pretending to feel a chill. “This is great and all, but…it’s getting late, huh?”

Leo pauses, before nodding a bit too quickly. “Oh, yeah, you’re right. Totally right. You said you were tired before, right?”

"Yeah." You say, nodding back. "I really like it here, but yeah, I'm a bit tired."

"Okay, then. Cool..." Leo’s tone is, for better and worse, just as awkward as yours. “I’ll uh, I’ll take you home.” 

Despite yourself, you take one last look at the view your friend has given you, before stumbling back down the hill.

One portal later, you’re back home. 

“So…this is your stop.” Leo says, almost normally. “I’ll, uh…see you around?”

“Yeah…” You nod, forcing a smile in an attempt to defy the awkward atmosphere between you. “Thanks for, uh…everything today.”

“Hey, no problem.” Still holding his weapon, Leo smiles at you sincerely. “It was fun.”

“Yeah, definitely.” You manage, hating your lack of composure. “See you…”

“Buh-bye!”

You don't hug goodbye this time. 

Once the portal fades, you go to the kitchen to grab a drink of water. Then, you land in bed and take a moment to scream into your pillow. 

Why are you like this?  

You lay on your back and stare at the pitch black ceiling and try to calm down. 

Okay, yes, that was a weird moment, maybe it had some romantic tension, but maybe you were both incredibly tired from such a full-on day. There was enough room for ambiguity, right? 

Whatever the case, you didn’t want to kid yourself. You couldn’t. Not when there was even the slightest chance of being wrong. The idea of something being there taunts you, but you wouldn’t give in to such a fancy.

Rolling over to your side, you wait tediously for sleep to claim you.

Stepping through the portal back to the sewer, Leo takes a moment to compose himself.

That had been a good night, Leo decided, save for the awkward moment between him and you towards the end. 

God. What the hell was that? Leo prided himself on his ability to control the mood of any conversation, so why did things get weird so easily? Surely he wasn’t losing his touch. No, that couldn’t be it.

So then, what happened?

Well, Leo wasn’t going to lie to his own mind. He knew why things had felt weird; on his end, at least. 

He was gay, and you were gay. So what? That didn’t mean anything! And sure you were pretty nice to look at and had a great personality, but that also didn’t mean anything! It didn’t change the obvious fact that he was a mutant and you weren’t. Just because his friend liked dudes didn’t mean that he had a chance, of all people. That wasn’t even a self-own, it was just the simple facts. Nothing personal. 

But if that was true, why had he wanted tonight to go well so badly? Sure, he felt a little bad at the training fiasco earlier today, but that wasn’t why, was it? Why had Leo been so worried about what you thought of the yōkai food, about the hidden city? Why had he shown you that place? One of his favorite private places, the one that even you noticed had a romantic view? 

And when he saw your eyes, why did he almost forget to breathe? Why did he-

“Hey, welcome back!”

Taken out of his thoughts, Leo quickly sees that he isn’t alone in the living quarters. Mikey, on the couch, peaks his head up to regard him. 

“So…” Mikey’s smile has traces of mischief, and Leo immediately knows what he’s about to say. “How was your daaaate?”

“If by ‘date’, you mean ‘totally-platonic hang-out’, it went great.” Leo rolls his eyes and levies a smirk at his little brother. There was no way he’d reveal his emotions at such an obvious bait. “Shouldn’t you be in bed? It’s late.”

“So what if it is?” The orange-masked ninja sniffs. “I can stay up! I’m an adult now!”

“Debatable.”

“Oh, ha ha. I know you’re changing the topic, but it’s not gonna work!” Mikey, now upright, gives Leo a narrow stare. “You can’t hide it from me, bro. Not with Jupiter Jim, and not with the new guy! You like him.” 

Leo stops himself from outright-denying it. He knows he can’t lie to his brother, and not for lack of trying either. His youngest brother was annoyingly good at reading people. 

So he tries a half-truth instead. “Nothing happened, Mikey. We just had pizza and hung out. You know, like friends do?”

“Uh huh, uh huh.” Mikey nods facetiously, before leaning over the couch. “Nothing else?”

“Nothing else.”

“Oh come ooon Leo, you can talk to me! Talking about feelings is healthy!”

“Oh no, I’ve been down that route.” Leo shakes his head and suppresses a shudder. “I do not need another session with Doctor Feelings.”

“Aww, please?”

“Nope.” Passing by the couch, Leo takes a moment to flick his little brother on the forehead. 

“OW!” Mikey gives a satisfying yelp, but otherwise takes it like a champ. “You can’t escape from the truth, Nardo!” 

“Uh huh. Sure.” Leo struts across the room, doing a perfect performance of being unbothered. “Training’s early tomorrow, so get some sleep, yeah?”

After a pause, Leo can hear Mikey mutter as he leaves for his room. “Yeah, okay...” 

After his usual night routine, Leo gets into his slumber gear and finds his bed effortlessly. Only then does the awkward train of thought find him and he’s back to thinking about you. 

You. What a guy you were, traveling such a long way from home just to meet up with him. Not only that, but he saw Leo for what he really was. AND he hadn’t totally freaked out. Some might call that a low bar, sure, but Leo couldn’t forget how relieved he felt by the end of that night. 

And now you guys were talking more, joking more, than you ever had in the past three years. 

But tonight hit differently. If Leo hadn’t known better, he would definitely have said their outing landed in ‘solid date territory’. Maybe he did feel something for you, but did he really want to kid himself?  Even he wasn’t so arrogant to assume that you felt anything romantic for him, just because the view was romantic.

Yep. It was too soon to say right now. As Donnie would (indeed) say, more data was needed. No point risking what the two of you had just because of a look. 

Leo forces the idea to the back of his mind, for now. When he sees you again, he’d play it cool, act like nothing weird happened, and go from there. Things would stay light and breezy. No difficult conversations, no conflict, no drama. That was his brand, after all.

Sleep doesn’t come easy that night, but Leo chooses to blame it on the caffeinated cola he had with dinner. The excuse isn’t much, but for tonight, it would have to do. 

Chapter Text

Good lord, but it was hot. 

You knew to expect the temperature; what little research you did warned you that New York got boiling in the summer. It’s not like you were unprepared for the heat either - you rocked the shirt-shorts-hat combo, you drank litres (no, gallons ) of water, and you practically bathed in SPF 50 sunscreen. All of that preparation fell flat at the reality of the scorching weather America’s east coast had to offer. 

Nevertheless, you have a day shift to do; the city’s finest daytime citizens needed lunch after all. You’d almost phoned in to work to call the day off, but decided that bearing the oppressive heat was only a little less challenging than lying to April. She’s a great boss, but an effective one - and you couldn’t stand the idea of disappointing her. 

So off you went.

The weather is gorgeous, at least; painting the city in clear definition as you traverse its landscape to your clients. It’s not an easy shift today, but you’re pleased to notice that you’ve gotten better at cycling. You’re not as tired after going from place to place, hills are getting easier to climb, and you’re a bit more familiar with the hectic traffic that envelops you on every street.  This doesn’t stop you from getting lost, but you take the little victory anyway. 

Eventually your final, blessed, customer for the day opens their door and tips you, before you haul yourself back to the Pizza Parlour. 

You’ve done this enough times now that you don’t need April’s permission to clock out, and for once you take advantage of that trust. You enjoy your end-of-shift chats with April, but today you couldn’t face the idea of spending a second inside that place - the pizza oven heat in summer was its own level of hell. You admired your boss’ tenacity, but didn’t envy her workspace one bit. 

Now outside, you take refuge in the shade of the back alley and pull out your phone. You don’t want to agonise over what to do with your day, so…time to delegate.

The dial tone rings only once.

“Buenas tardes, amigo.” Leo’s voice comes through in a slow drawl. “You done with work?”

“Hey….”  You try to hide the exhaustion in your voice. “Yeah, I’m done. Finally.” 

“April had you worked hard today, huh?”  There’s Leo’s trademark levity. “You need a minute? You sound tired.” 

“Yeah, thanks for noticing.” You sigh, a little annoyed by the callout but keeping your tone light. "You free today?”

“Free? Sure. Did you wanna do something tonight?”

You steady your breath as you prepare your nicest asking-for-something voice.  “Well actually…I was wondering if you’re free now? Maybe I could come over?”

“Oooooooh, I see how it is.” Leo replies with his patented smugness. “You wanna see me that badly, huh?”

You pause at that, hating how easily the comment throws you off kilter. It’s a cheap flirt too - low effort, borderline insulting, really. 

“Oh sure, totally,” You finally reply, putting up your shield of sarcasm. “It’s not at all because the AC in my apartment is terrible and I’m boiling alive out here.”

“And you think my place is any better?”

“I’ll take a chance.” You squint up at the sky. “Come on, dude. The sun’s killing me here.” 

After a second, your friend laughs. “Alright, alright. Where you at?” 

“Uh, well…I just left work.” You reply, absently looking around the street. “We can meet at my place if that’s-”

Before you could even finish the words, a blue portal appears in the brick wall right beside you. You’re already a block away from work - how the hell did he-?

“I totally just guessed where you were, didn’t I? It’s okay; you can say you’re impressed.”

You hang up immediately, rolling your eyes as you step through the portal. It’s so strange how quickly you’ve gotten used to stepping through portals.  

As your mode of transportation vanishes behind you, it takes a second to register that you’ve stepped into Leo’s bedroom. It takes another second for the heat to take the wind out of you. Somehow, it’s even worse than outside.

The main occupant of this hellhole is lying in bed, aiming a comically-small hand fan at himself. He turns his head to you.

“Took you long enough.” Leo says unseriously. 

You grunt, jealous of his nonchalance. “Sorry, I was trapped in a conversation with some guy.” 

“Oh! Must have been a good talker.”

“He seemed to think so.”

Leo laughs at that, sitting up to properly face you. “So how was woooork?”

“It was whatever…” You frown, wiping the instant puddle of sweat from your forehead. “Shit, I thought it’d be cooler down here - what the hell!” 

“Told you.”

“Yeah, but…” You wipe your forehead, coating your hand with sweat. “This place is a goddamn oven!”

“Hey, I feel fine.” Leo remarks, gesturing with the fan teasingly. “Gotta prepare for the weather, my man. Oh, and be cold-blooded. Are you cold-blooded?”

His continuing grin clearly knows the answer, so you glare at him. “I am not.”

“Ah, that’s too bad.”

You try another glare, a more intimidating one, as you gesture at the miniature fan. “You got an extra one of those for me?”

“Nope. This is the only one.”

“Figures…” You fan yourself with a hand, a pathetic imitation of the technology you envy.

There’s a pause from your friend. For a second you think the bastard will actually lord it over you, but then his smile softens.

“Catch.” He says before softly lobbing the fan. It’s such an easy throw, that even in your exhausted heat-cooked state you have no trouble catching it. 

Immediately turning it on, you bask in the pathetically weak blast of cool air - it’s so much better than nothing. Like finding a puddle after days of thirst. 

“God…” You close your eyes. “Life saver, man…”

“Hey, better you have it than me…” Leo lies back down in the bed, gesturing vaguely around. “So yeah, welcome to the pad. Don’t look at the mess.”

You look at the mess. It’s not that bad, especially for a man-owned bedroom in the sewers. There isn’t a lot of space for the clothes, or for the weapons, or for miscellaneous trinkets and furniture to go - but somehow it works. Piles and piles of everything are scattered around, from the floor to the shelves. There’s a certain character to it all, a suggestion of an entire life lived. 

“Can’t believe I haven’t been in here before.” You comment, appraising a poster of the sixty-seventh Jupiter Jim movie. “You’ve been hiding this from me.”

“You never asked. Usually we’re at yours.” 

“That’s true.” You sit down. “Shame it’s so damn hot…Can we go somewhere cooler? Maybe the living room?”

“Nah, the whole lair’s like this in summer.” Leo lurches upright and grins at you. “Wait. I just had an amazing idea.” 

Those seven words never failed to fill you with excitement and dread. 

You regard him cautiously. “Oh? What is it?” 

Sitting up, Leo draws his sword with the usual flair he always has. He eyes you.

“You trust me?” He asks, grin unmoving. 

You know you can’t say no to that obnoxious grin of his, but you stall anyway.

“To an extent.” You shrug. “Let me guess, we’re going to some amazing place I’ve never seen before? Which is it - a rooftop with a stunning view, or somewhere deep underground? Somewhere with air conditioning?” 

“Who knows?” Leo swiftly strikes up a portal and beckons you to it. “Only one way to find out, no?”

A nervous sigh escapes from you before you eventually nod.

“Alright,” You wipe the sweat from your brow for the thirtieth time today. “As long as it doesn’t boil me alive.” 

“Well now that you mention it, I know a good place for that too. You feel like a mystic sauna? I hear it’s great for relaxing your-”

“Leo, please.”

“Alright, alright!”

You don’t question why there’s a whole beach, much less an ocean, this deep underground. Such a technical, boring question doesn’t matter. Well, it does matter, but not at this moment. 

This place is actually cool! Figuratively and literally!

The sand doesn’t feel like what you’re familiar with. It’s softer, closer to dirt, and rolls off your skin smoothly. You lie down in it and relish the fact that there’s no sun. The faintly glowing rocks provide a pleasing hue of pale green light. 

It’s a beautiful view, until water is splashed into your eyes, blurring your vision.

“Hey!” You stand and wipe your eyes, glaring at the culprit. “You did that on purpose!”

Emerging gracefully from under the water, Leo stretches his arms and waves at you. “Come on! The water’s great !”

“I’m fine, thanks.” You fold your arms. “I didn’t bring any swimwear, anyway.”

“Oh come on, that’s never stopped me.”

“You’re literally a turtle. You don’t need clothes!”

“Neither do you.” Leo doesn’t miss a beat.

It takes a pause for you to muster up a response. “You know that’s different! I have…you don’t have-!”

“Maybe. But so what?” Eyes blissfully closed, your friend floats on his back. “You really gonna care if your work clothes get wet? They have spares, don’t they?”

As much as you might want to, you can’t really fault his logic. Maybe you could, actually, but you didn’t want to. The liquid that got on your felt cool, even a little soothing…

“It’s safe right?” You nod at the water.  “Like, for humans?”

“Of course it is.” Leo answers confidently. “I wouldn’t have splashed you otherwise. What do you take me for, a monster?”

“A monster? No. An asshole? Definitely.”

“You’re stalling…” Leo’s teasing tone goads. 

Well…screw it.

You throw the work shirt over your head and discard it to the side. 

You see Leo open his eyes and look at you. There’s a second of pause, and suddenly you find yourself wondering what he sees. What he thinks of your body, so exposed now. You can’t read the neutral look on his face as he regards you.

You almost turn yourself away before you notice him break into a wide grin.

“Heyyyy there you go! Finally embracing the summer spirit, eh?”

“Yeah yeah, you persuaded me. Well done.” The first foot in the water feels nice; the cool temperature makes you take another step. “Don’t be too proud of yourself…”

“Sorry. Proud’s my middle name, actually. Didn’t you know?’

“Leonardo Proud Hamato…” You mutter and force a grimace. “Doesn’t really roll off the tongue, now does it?”

“Guess not. But you wanna know what does?”

“What?”

Leo splashes you in the face again.

“Dick!” You curse, kicking a wave of water at him in retaliation. By some miraculous luck, some of it lands into your friend’s mouth.  

“Oh- * gack!* oh god! That--” Choking back the liquid, Leo flails for half a second before recovering. After a swift fit of coughing, he sits upright and gasps for air.

A little amused, but remorseful, you step towards him. “Shit. Sorry. I-”  

Your sentence is cut off by the serious stare your friend gives you. 

“Oh, no no no; don’t apologise.” His eyes turn hard. A demented smile finds his face. “If that’s how you’re gonna play it…”

Crap.

“Leo, I didn’t mean to-”

“Ho-ho, no. Don’t deny it, you’re in this now.” You’ve never seen such a murderously joyful look until now. “You wanna fight back? You gotta commit.” 

You take a step back. “Oh fu-”

Before you can finish cursing, you’re assaulted by the fastest splash of water in your life. It hits you in the eyes and you fall back, blinded. 

You leap up and wipe your face, glaring at the blurry image of your friend.

“Asshole!” You shout, barking a shocked laugh. Stepping a bit closer, you posture into a fighting pose. “Yeah okay, let’s go.” 

Making the next move, you kick your best volume of water at Leo; it’s a reliable move that would soak the faces of most people.

But Leo, of course, isn’t most people. 

Your friend calmly shifts his body to the side before any of your splash can hit him. It’s a remarkably fast movement, but he makes it look so easy.

“Really?” Leo grins arrogantly. “I mean, if you want to do leg exercises, we can just go back to the dojo. You know, actually put those legs to good-woah!”

You throw another watery attack at him, forcing him to jump to the side. Another miss, unfortunately, but at least it shut him up for a second. 

“Alright, I see you.” Leo’s voice has the laugh of someone totally unconcerned. It’s infuriating. “But now it’s time for some real moves.”

Oh no.

“Oh yeah? Bring it on!” You say, trying to hide the fear in your heart. As tempted as you are to beg for mercy, you refuse to give your friend any more reason to brag. 

“Ask and you shall receive, amigo.” In a second, Leo’s a few feet closer to you. “Splashflip!” 

What happens next, you only register a millisecond before it’s too late. 

Leo leaps into a backflip, kicking a vertical blade of water from your waist to your eyes. Falling down once again, you only have a second to react to Leo plummeting back down.

Towards you.

“Annnnnnnnd SPLASHBOMB!” He cries, cannonballing into an impressive meteoric impact next to you. Instinctively, you dive underwater to avoid the worst of the resulting wave. When you remerge, he’s standing over you, smiling.

“Had enough?” He says, tauntingly.  

“Did you…seriously call out your moves?” Is all you can manage, awestruck. “Fuck, that’s so….cheesy! What are you, a damn cartoon character?” 

Leo shrugs, still beaming obnoxiously at you. “Hey, I gotta give you some warning, don’t I?” 

“Warning my ass! You’re too fucking quick dude.” 

“Sorry, bro. You tried to fight a turtle in water. Can’t beat nature.” Folding his arms, Leo cracks a wink at you. “Good try though, better luck next time, eh?” 

Damn him and that arrogantly bright grin. You can’t stand how much you hate it, nor how much you love it.  

“I guess that’s true.” You shake your head, and give your most convincing sigh.  “I could never- ha!”

In a last ditch effort, your arm moves in an open-handed uppercut, doing a poor imitation of Leo’s upward splash. It’s not nearly as effective, the volume of water can’t have been more than a drop. 

But the water does hit him. Right in the forehead. Finally.

Your friend stands there looking down at you. His eyes widen, a little stunned, before he grins. 

“Alright, you got me.” He steps back and folds his arms. “I concede, good sir. Victory is yours.” 

“Wha-really?” You sit up, confused. “Just like that?” 

Well hey, you’ll take it.

“Yep, no tricks here.” Leo leans down and pulls you up. “Gotta respect the hustle, man. You actually played me.”

Strangely, it’s the proudest you’ve felt about yourself in a while. It’s almost embarrassing how happy you feel - it’s kind of stupid, really. 

“Well…it wasn’t much.” You shrug, gesturing to him with a sheepish smile. “I mean, you…I knew you were fast but holy shit.” 

He had to have let you splash him, surely.

“Eh,” Leo lowers himself into the water again, idly moving in deeper. “It’s just practice.”

“And mutated turtle genetics.” You add.

“And mutated turtle genetics.” Leo nods.

You swim around a bit more, but the tomfoolery has already made a hit on your energy reserves. After a point, you’re back on the sand, relaxed, feet tickled by the water, chatting with Leo, watching him paddle around. 

He looks so good swimming in the water. So natural. So athletic. 

Leo sighs. “Gotta say, this water beats the sewers any day.”

“Wait, you swim in the sewers?” You bark a shocked laugh. “Leo, that’s disgusting!”

“What? No it-” Leo pauses. “Okay, it is, but we had some fun times! It’s not like we got sick or anything.”

“I don’t believe that.” You scoff, mind racing at the image of four turtle men (boys?) swimming about in filth. It’s gross, but oddly charming. “Unless, what, your mutant DNA kept you healthy?”

Leo hums. “Maybe. Never gave it much thought. Ask Don, he’d know.”

“If I’m in the mood for a lecture, sure.” You grimace a little at your own tone. Was that mean? Maybe a little.

But Leo’s laugh soothes any guilt at the remark. “Oh yeah, that guy can go on. One time, I asked him where clouds came from - and he talked for a whole hour.”

“No kidding…”

“Yeah. Worst part is, I don’t even remember the answer. All that listening for nothing!”  

You laugh together at that, before letting the conversation drop in peaceful silence. Nothing much else is said in the next while, only more idle comments on the water, commiserations on how your work day - and Leo’s training - went. Standard small talk, but meaningful. It strikes you how relaxed you feel. 

“This is nice…” You finally say, stating the obvious.

Lying down again, Leo cracks open a lazy eye. “Yeah? It’s another one of my go-to spots, so I’d hope so.”

“Oh?” You tilt your head at him. “Did you bring a cute guy here too?”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Leo replies, coyly, before fully eying you. “You know, just because I bring you somewhere nice doesn’t mean it’s romantic.” 

You smirk at the hitch in his tone. “Well yeah, not with that attitude…” 

Pause.

Why did you say that?

And there it is again. That pause between you two. That’s been happening more, ever since that (definitely not a date) hang out a few weeks ago. Any time you or Leo said something even vaguely flirtatious, it threw things off - killed the momentum of what was otherwise a perfectly easy conversation.    

You hold your platonic smile and keep your cool, praying that he takes what you just said as a joke. He can’t know. Surely he doesn’t, right? 

Then, he laughs, and everything is normal again. 

“Please,” Leo smiles easily. “If I was trying to be romantic, I’d try way harder than this. I’m like, the King of Romance. It’s true; don’t look that up.” 

“Sure, sure…” You chuckle, lungs releasing pressure. “I believe you. Totally.”

You’re a bit too abashed to look him in the eyes, but you know he’s looking at you. Experienced eyes beaming on you, your passion begs for you to entertain the possible implications. 

Then he lightly laughs again, and things are back to where they were. 

You’re not disappointed by this, not at all. For all your inner turmoil, this has been a fantastic day. It’s all so peaceful, so quiet; it’s nice.

Until it suddenly isn’t.

It starts with a ripple; you don’t notice until it becomes a small wave, rocking Leo gently, splashing you on the shore. Strange, you didn’t know there were tides underground; it’s not like the moon could cause-

A screech halts your pondering and, before you can ask Leo where it’s coming from, you’re smacked by a wave twice as tall as you. Worse than that, the reflexive gasp you make has you breathless and gagging with liquid. 

The panic feels like an eternity, but you do eventually remerge, now having been dragged back into the water, with a fit of coughing before finally finding air. You look at Leo, who’s unsurprisingly fine, but he’s not looking at you.

Instead his gaze is at the largest, most monstrous thing you’ve ever seen. It’s no Cthulhu, granted, but the house-sized creature doesn’t need the extra size. It can surely do plenty with its massive maw of icicle-sharp teeth.

“What the hell is that?!” You turn to Leo, your body unconsciously moving to the shore out of instinct. 

“Huh…I thought this was one of his days off.” Leo tilts his head, not adequately of the very obvious danger.

“You KNEW THIS THING LIVED HERE???” You shout in a panic. “LEO!!!”

“Hey, it’s fine!” Leo’s easy tone is juxtaposed with a serious poise. He’s ready for a fight. “Get somewhere safe; I’ll take care of this!”

A valiant, yet irrational part of you wants to protest -but your legs have already made the decision for you.  Wading to shore, you glance back helplessly at your friend as he swims towards the giant beast. 

By the time you reach land again, Leo’s climbing on the creature. He’s as relentlessly agile as you’ve come to expect, but the creature’s furious thrashing challenges even his ability.

“Bertrand, baby!” Leo’s yell is barely heard over the beast’s screeching. “Calm down, this isn’t you!”

Of course he’s on a name basis with that thing. 

You watch on. As Leo struggles to hold you, you see him repeatedly grasp for something on his back.

Something that isn’t there.

The sword!

“My sword!” Leo calls out your name. “I left it on the shore! With the towels!”

You frantically search around you, before recalling vaguely where you’d laid out the beach towels. Sprinting over the soft sand awkwardly, you find the weapon, laying neatly by a beach ball. 

Grabbing it, you run back to see Leo and the monster - still grappling and screaming at each other. 

“I got it!” You hold up the sword in its sheath. 

“Great! Throw it over!”

“Wha-I can’t throw it that far!” 

“That’s fine!” Leo says, annoyingly unconcerned. “Just portal it to me!”

“I-” You look at the weapon helplessly. “I don’t know how!”

“Sure you do, you’ve seen me use it plenty of times!”  Leo’s grip on the monster’s spine slips, but as he falls he catches himself on another appendage. “Just try to imagine where you want it to be, and where you want it to go, then swing! Simple!”

You stare at Leo, and stare back at the sword. Does he expect you to just… use a mystical weapon effortlessly on the first try? The confidence he has in you would almost be endearing - if it wasn’t so irrational.

But…

But what? You’re just going to do nothing instead? You’re not even going to try? 

Of course not. You had to try. You don’t have time to do anything else. 

Deep breath in, just like you were taught. Deep breath out.

You undo the sword’s sheath and carefully take out the blade. Taking the calming blue hilt into your hands, you hold up the weapon. It’s surprisingly light. 

You can do this.

He believes in you.

Looking back across the water, you take in the scene of your friend and the beast once more. Leo’s doing an impressive job holding the thing’s mouth shut, but even from where you are you can tell he’s not going to keep his grip for long. 

Leo’s right, I’ve seen him do this a lot. How does he do it again? 

Two hands, straight swing, and no hesitation. 

Think where you want to go.

You think about the space next to Leo, on top of the snout that he’s gripping shut. A portal there, and you could pass the sword to him. Just right there. Think about the spot.

Think about it….

Think…

And go!

But as you make the downward swing, at the last possible millisecond, you see Leo lose his grip. He recoils back as the creature snarls.

And he falls.

No!

Your swing reaches its end point and the portal, miraculously, appears in front of you. 

You did it! You just used a magic weapon! First try!

But Leo…where was-

The answer comes hurtling at you through the portal in the shape of a green humanoid turtle. A shelled body hits you directly, with the forceful momentum of a several metre drop. 

Knocked prone and totally winded, you manage to look up at your friend. He gets up a little awkwardly, before shooting a grin at you. 

“Crap, sorry! There you go!” Leo grabs your hand and pulls you up. His proud smile makes the pain worth it. “Look at you, you’re a natural!” 

You try to reply, but before you can muster the oxygen, the monster’s yell cuts you off. Its attention finds Leo once again, and it marches towards the both of you with unrelenting fury. 

Shit!

“Leo…?” You say, pointing frantically.

“Right. Guess we should wrap this up, huh?” Leo steps towards you, and gestures to the sword you’re holding. He smiles as if he has all the time in the world. “May I?”

Holy shit, he looks so cool. 

“Y-yeah, of course.” Is all you can say, as you dumbly pass him the weapon. 

“Thanks.” Leo gives you a wink. “I’ll be right back; hey, if you want, you can time me.”

“Why would I-”

He’s gone before you can even finish your question. 

You have no idea how, but he simply…vanishes right before your eyes. 

A few seconds later - implausibly - Leo’s back on top of the creature.

“Okay, Bertie...You gotta calm down.” Leo’s shout carries over to you. Of course he’s on a name-basis with the terrifying monster, why not? “I don’t wanna have to do this…”

The creature-er, Bertie - doesn’t respond to the pleas in any sentient manner, instead opting to do its usual scream. 

Despite the volume - even from here it’s deafening - Leo is unperturbed. It is at this point you realise that you’ve never actually seen your friend in action. Not properly in action; not anything beyond the withheld strikes during training, the playful acts of athleticism when he wanted to show off. 

This wasn’t showing off. This was his job.

You have no idea how he jumps so high above the creature, or how he carves a portal so big that it looms over it. You don’t even have time to question the speed at which he jumps away, before moving the portal downwards, swallowing the titan out of local existence.

Then, of course, when the portal vanishes he finishes in a swan dive back into the water. There’s a minute of silence - you’re out of exclamations, and the guttural screeches that froze you are now only an echo in the cave around you. 

Before you can snap out of it, your friend is already back on the shore, by your side, patting you on the shoulder. The soft impact brings you back to focus.

“What just happened?” You say, redundantly - you know exactly what happened, you’re never going to stop thinking about what just happened. “I mean, you just…and you-”

“Saved the day? Of course.” Leo throws you a cocky wink. “Only fair that I showed you what I do for work, right?”

“Where did you portal it to?” You glance back at the vast empty space where the beast used to be. “Bertrand, I mean.”

“Somewhere far.” Leo smiles, putting his sword away. “Trust me, these caverns go deep. We could stay here for weeks and it wouldn’t find us.”

“Okay, but…” You gaze at where the monstrously large monster had been. Your heart still hasn’t settled from the adrenaline rush. “Why didn’t you knock it out? Or…you know, take care of it?”

The insinuation makes you feel a bit guilty, and the feeling worses when you see your friend frown. 

“I didn’t need to.” Leo’s voice gets a bit quieter. “It’s harmless on its own. Why not let it live its own life?"

“But…with us, it-” You gesture at the water. “I mean, it could have… it almost-”

“It was scared.” Leo cuts you off, but his tone is gentle - no judgement, but a hint of disappointment. “And we were by its home. Of course it was gonna get defensive. Wasn’t expecting it to be here though. If I’d known, we would have gone another day…”

Well, you’re a piece of shit, aren’t you?

“…I take your point.”  You say after a second. “Sorry, you’re right. It’s just….fuck, that was scary.”

“Hey, you did great.” Picking up on your soured mood, Leo nudges you. “That part where I was like, ‘Use the sword!’ and you did ! Seriously, you’re a natural!”

“I’m really not.” You laugh dryly before sitting down. “I don’t think ‘beginner’s luck’ even begins to explain how much of a fluke that was.”

“Fluke or not, I see potential.” Smirking, he leans down a little closer to you. “How about it? Train some more, make you a mask…there’s gotta be a mystic weapon with your name on it…”

“You can’t be serious.” You stare at him.  “I’d laugh if I wasn’t still in shock.”

“Hey, what did I say about being hard on yourself?”

“I’m not! I’m being realistic.” You shake your head. “I mean, shit. If that’s what you do every day, there’s no way I could handle it.”

“We don’t do that every day.” Leo pauses in thought. “More like…weekly-fortnight?”

“My point stands.” 

Leo laughs, looking back off to the water. “I don’t think I’ve had a fun fight like that in weeks.” 

“That was fun for you?”

“Yeah man, low stakes.”

“Low stakes! You could have got hurt - or more likely - I could have!”

Leo’s smile dips slightly before he turns to look at you. “You know I wouldn’t have let that happen.”

“Oh really?”

Your friend nods, not breaking eye contact. “I told you before, didn’t I? Whenever you need me, I’ll have your back. Always.”

You don’t know what to say, and before you know it - there it is again. The tension.

“I…I’ll do the same, then. Have your back, I mean.” You find yourself saying. “I know I’m, uh, not much of a bodyguard, but…you know, moral support?” 

Leo’s serious expression evolves into a sincere smile. “Works for me.”

The two of you go home not long after. Your place this time - all the excitement of today has drained your social battery, and not even your ever-growing fondness for Leo’s family can bring you the energy needed to have a good time. Better to make up for it later; another movie night maybe?

You put something - anything - on the tv as you go to the kitchen to prepare dinner. 

“You feel like something to eat?” You call across the room. “Should have enough to make for two.”

“You’re gonna cook?” Leo, prone on the couch, lifts his head up. “What’cha making?”

“I’m gonna try to cook.” You parse through your various drawers for measuring cups - even now you’re still not used to how things are laid out.  “Don’t get too excited, it’s just mac and cheese.”

“Hey, I’m down.” Your friend lays back down, totally relaxed. “Besides, whatever happens, I’ll have had way worse. Trust me.”  

It’s not exactly the best vote of confidence, but Leo’s relaxed demeanour bolsters your courage. You find the kitchen counter and get started. 

You’re not a chef, for lack of trying or otherwise, but you take the task seriously. As low effort as macaroni and cheese is supposed to be, you take pains to follow the recipe. Not much to it - cheese, butter, pasta, flour, salt and pepper - all very simple, save for the non-zero chance that you’ll burn the saucepan. 

Fifteen minutes or so later, you decide that it’s finished. You could try to bake it in the oven, but the added time and complexity of that task daunted you - culinary coward that you were.

“Hey, that smells great!” Your friend calls from the lounge.

“It’s the garlic.” You reply. “Culinary cheat code.”  

With little ceremony you place Leo’s bowl on the couch side table.

“Bon appetit.” You cliché, sitting down with your bowl and raising a fork.

“Hell yeah.” Leo raises his pasta-speared fork and taps yours with it. “Cheers!”

That adorable gesture takes you off guard, but you smile and roll with it. 

“Woah…This is nice!”

“Yeah?” You take another spoonful, sceptical frown. “You’re not just saying that, are you?”

“No, it’s nice. Really!” Leo scoops another spoon into his mouth, gesturing. “You-mm!- really nailed the white sauce!” 

There’s no trace of humour or duplicity in your friend’s enthusiasm, so you have another bite. It’s…not very exciting - far from your worst, but nothing special. A safe amount of salt, less pepper, and a miniscule amount of mustard to add something interesting. Oh, and of course, the garlic.

You’re tempted to comment your opinion on the lacklustre meal, but you stop. You could self deprecate yourself for the rest of the evening, but that wouldn’t be right. After the day you’ve both had, you could indulge in the praise a little. After all, the guy you’re absolutely down bad for likes your food! This was the best case scenario!

So you hum contentedly. “Glad you like it. Might need some more cheese next time.”

Damn it, you almost avoided criticising yourself!

“You should come over for dinner sometime.” Leo states through munches. “Experience the Hamato cuisine!”

That raises your brow. “I thought you said you didn’t cook.”

“Me?” Leo dryly laughs. “Hell no. Mikey’s the one who cooks, and he’s obsessed. He can make a Michelin star meal out of anything.” 

“That’s a lot of hype.” You smile. Maybe you could ask him for advice some time. “Alright, I’m down.”

“Sweet, we’ll make it happen.” Leo says with a determined excitement. “Oh, but be warned: there’ll be a lot of food. Too much, really; you’ll need a lot of tupperware.” 

“That’s hardly a threat.” You laugh.

Leo shrugs, his smirk with that usual knowing mischief. “Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Ignoring the ominous undertones, you put a pin in that warning for later. 

To your surprise, Leo goes for seconds. You’re happy to join him, noting that his second bowl has much more food than yours. It really wasn’t your best work, but who could argue with results?

After dinner you kill the rest of the evening together watching tv. Nothing interesting, naturally - whatever’s showing on cable - a murder mystery drama set in some stuffy place in Europe. You’re only partially invested in the plot - much more so interested in your proximity to your best friend on the couch. His hand hangs loosely behind the couch, behind where you’re sitting, inches away from your shoulder. One gesture upward was all it would take for him to caress your back. A textbook move, right out of the movies. 

“You okay?”

Shit, you’re not even looking at the TV.

“Yeah, totally.” You look at your friend - he appears entirely unconcerned, save for the slight tilt of his head. His arm doesn’t move. “Sorry, just spacing out.” 

“Hey, space away.” Leo laughs. “If you’re tired, I’m happy to call it a night.” 

You wave a hand to mitigate any lingering desperation. “Nah I’m good! I got one more episode in me, at least!” 

You last another hour before your eyes gain a new weight, your shoulders slump more, and after a certain point not even a lifetime’s practice of stifling yawns can save you.

“All-right.” Leo sits up, regarding you with the typical knowing smirk. “You need to get to bed.”

“Damn it.” Your sigh is slurred as you give him a betrayed look. “You don’t look tired; how are you not tired? That’s not fair…” 

“I’m getting there.” Leo says, a kind but blatant lie. “Need a hand getting up?”

“Ehhhhhh…” You slump on the couch. “Honestly, I could sleep here.” 

“Your bed is five feet away!” Leo chuckles.

“Irrelevant.” 

“Come on! I live in a sewer and even I don’t sleep on the couch.”

“Well then- I dunno, portal me to bed!”

“Portal you?” Leo gapes at you, faux-offended. “I’ll have you know I don’t just portal for anything!”

“Yes you do! You got a beer from my fridge literally ten minutes-” 

“Irrelevant!” Leo crosses his arms. “You’re doing this the old-fashioned way, mister! I’m not leaving until you do! Come on, get up!”

You stare up at him definitely. “Sorry, out of energy. Can’t move.” 

“Oh, it’s gonna be like that, huh?” Leo stands up, tone taking on a familiar anticipation. “If I have to carry you I will.”

That….didn’t sound like the worst idea, actually.

“You’re totally bluffing.” You challenge, half heartedly. “Bet you couldn’t even carry me.”

It’s a painfully obvious bait, but your friend takes it anyway. 

“Alright, you’ve forced my hand. Come on….” He leans down and crouches beside you. “Three…two…whup!”

You’re not quite sure how he so quickly gets his hands under you, but before you know it you’re lying in the air - bridal style, naturally. You’re just as impressed as you are embarrassed. 

“Woah…” You look up (and damn it he looks good from this angle) and give a nervous chuckle. “You’re not gonna drop me are you?”

Leo scoffs. “As if! I’ve had to carry Raph before. This is nothing!”

You believe his boast - nothing in the way he holds you suggests he’s having any difficulty. Being around him for some time, his strength was far from a secret - but actually feeling it was something else. 

“Well, you got me.” You stretch a little, and he effortlessly adjusts his grip. “Good job, great effort - you can put me down now. I’ve learned my lesson.” 

“Hmm…” Leo makes for your bed, but just as he reaches the foot of it he pivots and walks away. “Actually, you know what? This is pretty good exercise…”

“Leo!” Your protest is useless and you know it. All you can do is helplessly flail, but even that has little effect on your new circumstance. His grip is tight, not too much so, but enough to keep you locked in his hold. 

Dancing around the room, your friend does a performative spin, swinging you at an almost dizzying speed.  

“Leo, I give up! I’ll walk to bed! Just put me down!”

“Oh….but where’s the fun in that?” Leo walks to a window with you in tow. “What do ya say? Fancy a late night run on the roofs? I’ll try not to drop you. Scout’s honour!”

“Leo!” 

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding! I told you, I’m not a monster.” 

He walks you back to your bed gracefully. When he reaches the foot of your mattress you expect him to drop you unceremoniously, a final cruel joke for the night. Instead, he gently places you down on the mattress. 

“Thanks.” Lying there, you gaze up at him, grinning down at you. “Shit, that was mortifying.”

Leo laughs, folding his arms. God, he looks so composed. So safe. “Hey, you got a free lift from yours truly. I’d say score one to you.” 

“Yeah, sure….” You smile back. “Thanks for hanging out today. I enjoyed myself, even the non-life-threatening parts, kinda.”

Your friend's eyes widen - surprise or shock maybe - before he warmly grins. 

“That’s the ninja way, man.” Leo says simply. “Glad I could stave off the boredom. Maybe we could do it again next week - another giant monster fight?”  

“Hell no.” You chuckle nervously. “I’ve got enough adrenaline for weeks now.” 

“Fair enough.” Your friend smiles. “I meant what I said, though - you were awesome today.”

“Come on man…” You scoff away the growing blush on your face. “You did all the hard work.”

“You don’t think using a portal sword for the first time is hard work?” Leo gives you a look. “Okay, Mister Prodigy.” 

“That’s not what I meant!” You laugh. “I just mean…you’re amazing.”

Leo blinks at that, but smiles warmly. 

“Have to impress you, don’t I?” He replies, taking a step back and pulling out his sword - the signal of his departure. “Now get some sleep, okay?” 

“I’ll try.” You don’t even bother hiding a yawn this time. “Night, Leo.” 

“Night, dude. Laters!” With a final enthusiastic wave, he vanishes in blue. 

It takes an hour before you fall asleep with the hopeless despair of being totally smitten, but with the day weighing your muscles down, it’s a blissful slumber. 

...

You really need to get a tower fan for this place. 

Chapter Text

It’s exactly 1:13 p.m on a Saturday when you check your phone for the thousandth time. Nothing in your inbox, naturally. You know better than to desperately want a new message to arrive; karma simply didn’t work that way - if it worked at all. 

And yet, you check anyway. And yet…

Nothing.

You sigh, putting the phone down and taking solace in the scenery.

This is the second time you’ve been to Central Park since moving to New York, but only now do you realise just how large the urban landmark actually is. Your first visit was only to the outskirts - to the famous Pond and Zoo - you’ve never been this deep in the park’s nature before. 

Well, maybe “deep in nature” is over-romanticising it a little - even the idyllic trees submerging you in shade can’t hide the skyline of - you check your phone again - the Upper East Side. Even so, with the clear summer weather the concrete jungle has an aesthetic appeal - an energy you can barely understand. A digital map does it no justice, that’s for sure.

You close your eyes and sigh as a rare breeze brushes by. This was perfectly nice and all, but where was he? 

You’d been a little surprised when Leo proposed meeting here for your next hangout, much less at this time of day. As far as you understood, the turtles almost never roamed around in broad daylight. The few times they ever had was in winter, when they could cover up their appearance in thick, obscuring apparel. Was Leo going to do the same thing here? Wouldn’t he overheat? Wouldn’t that make him stick out more?

Leo waved away all of these perfectly valid questions when you asked, and gave a vague “trust me, I’ve got an idea” reply. Typical. 

Well fine. You could wait around and listen to some music in the meantime. You weren’t going to let your friend's tardiness get in the way of your day off! Not in this gorgeous weather!

Some music - something catchy you decide - will pass the time. You’re not picky today; so you settle for an app-generated playlist and lose yourself a little. 

Naturally of course, you don’t get far into your alone time before a noise distracts you - a muffled voice. 

“Excuse me, uh, excuse me sir!” 

You look up from your phone and are faced with a man, somewhat young, somewhat tall, waving for your attention. 

“Uh…” Pausing your music, you take out an earbud and shuffle a little on the park bench. Your heart rate spikes a little at the sudden social ambush, but years of practised politeness saves you. “Hello?”

“Hi!” The stranger waves, a cordial smile forming. “Sorry to bother you. I was wondering, uh…Do you have a lighter?”

“Oh, um…” You automatically feel your pockets for a lighter that doesn’t exist, and dumbly reply. “Ah, no, sorry. Not on me.” 

“Dang…” The man looks around distantly. “I uh, had one but I totally left it at home. Oh well, sorry to bother you. What’s your name, bro?”

“Oh, uh…” You blink, a little surprised at the social advance, but manage to give him your name.  

“Nice to meet you.” He offers a hand for you to shake, which you awkwardly take. After getting another look at the man, you realise that he’s rather good looking. Angular face, smooth black hair (parted back appropriately), and striking black eyes. He’s sporting a typical summer attire that outclasses your own- cap, exercise shorts, sunglasses. The cerulean tank top leaves nothing to the imagination with regards to his figure, either.

“Yeah, same here.” You nod, before snapping out of your reverie. “You, uh…taking a walk around Central Park, then?” 

“Something like that.” The man - you realise he hasn’t given you his name yet - shrugs. “What about you? Wait, let me guess, you’re waiting for someone? Someone special?”

Yeah, Leo.

…

Oh shit, Leo!

“Oh, uh, yeah…” You check your phone - still no message, what the hell? “Yeah, just a friend. He’s running late, though.” 

He can’t show up now! What if this guy sees him? 

No. Calm down. It’s not like Leo would let himself get seen by this guy in the first place. This is fine. Just be cool.

“Well that’s inconsiderate.” The handsome stranger shakes his head. “Leaving a guy like you all alone on a nice day like this?” 

You don’t miss the flirt in that tone, but you mentally recover as best you can. “It’s fine, really. I think something’s holding him up, he’s a pretty busy guy.”

“That’s no excuse to - mind if I sit here?” He gestures to the bench. You nod and shuffle along as he takes a seat. “That’s no excuse to be so late! If I were him, I’d be so embarrassed!”

You laugh, a little thrown off by the sudden dramatics. Why does this man care so much? It’s odd, but…perhaps a little charming too. No, get a hold of yourself!

“Maybe he’s in the middle of something.” You pull out your phone and stand up. “I think I’ll call, see if he’s okay.”

“Oh, uh…yeah, sure” The man’s voice tightens just a little. “But, you know…You could just wait and-”

You step away and hit the call button. A second later, you hear a ringing. A ringing coming from the man sitting by you. 

“Huh…” The man slowly pulls out his phone and chuckles weakly. “Isn’t that a coincidence? I should…probably take this - oops, my hand slipped!!”

The dial tone is suddenly cut short.

“This is Leo - not in person. You know the drill, wait for the beep!”

The beep sounds, and you narrow your eyes at the man. A coincidence huh…

You immediately try calling again, and the stranger’s phone suddenly rings again. The man, again, cancels the phone call and - again - you’re put through to Leo’s voice mail. 

Oh.

God.

Damn it.

“Shouldn’t you answer that?” You say, a little tightly. “It could be important….”

“Uh…nah, I’m sure they won’t mind.” The man’s voice, which had been low and chesty before, suddenly reverts to a familiar tenor. He laughs again, the nail on the proverbial coffin. “Riiiiight?”

“Oh my fucking god!” You gape at the man. “Leo?!” 

The man, the handsome stranger- your friend Leo grins sheepishly and splays out his hands - his human hands. “Ta-daaaaa! Had you fooled for a minute, didn’t I?” 

“You…you dick!” You take a step back. “Holy shit, you’re- how are you…like this?” 

“Mystic magic, baby!” Leo presents his wrist, on it is a sweatband - a pattern of green, white and indigo (nice!) - with a distinct emblem on it. “Cloaking brooch - people from the Hidden City use them to blend in up here. Pretty hard to get, though; had to call in a few favours to even get one of these…”

“That’s…” You shake your head and let out a laugh. “That’s as good of an explanation as any, I guess.”

“Hey, you can’t argue with results.” Leo poses with his usual flamboyance, this time with a flex of his arms. “Go on, tell me. How do I look? Dashing, handsome, more than you ever dreamed?”

Well, yes to all of those, but you couldn’t let him know that, could you?

“You look convincing, I’ll give you that.” You fold your arms and smirk. “You didn’t ask for one that makes you taller?”

“Oh- how dare you?” Leo gasps, but he’s clearly not that hurt by the jab. After all, he’s still got his usual height over you. “Even if I wanted to, they don’t work like that. What you see is what you get!”

“Huh…” You tilt your head. “You can’t, like, customise it at all?”  

“Nope.” Leo shrugs. “I asked, but the broker told me it can only show ‘your true essence in the context of what is expected’, whatever the heck that means.” 

You hum at that, not really sure what to make of it. “Interesting…and here I thought you were trying to look like Lou Jitsu - what, with the face and hair. Must be a coincidence.”

“Oh, uh…yeah.” Leo laughs, suddenly a little shyer. “Guess it just worked out that way. Makes sense, since he’s my Dad and all…”

You give him a look, then scoff. “Hilarious.” 

Leo says nothing for a beat, then continues. “No, like. He is actually my Dad.” 

“Yeah, right. You think I forgot? You told me Master Splinter was your-” Your sentence slows to a halt when you fail to see any trace of humour in your friend’s expression. 

“Yep.” Leo says, simply. 

“Wait, so does that mean-”

“Yeeeeeep.” 

“Wha-how have you not told me this?!”

“You never asked!”

“How would I know to ask that?!”

“I dunno! Vibes?!”

The secrets, they never end. 

“Holy crap…” You mutter, utterly intrigued by the new information. “I always thought your Dad was a rat before he got mutated…”

“Common misconception, but no. What, you thought a rat could learn ninjutsu?”

You shrug, a tad mortified.“Uh, well…I dunno, I just thought...Why not?”

Leo pauses to look at you, before letting out a well-intentioned laugh. “Can’t argue with that, but no - he’s a mutant like us - but also our Dad on the human side. It’s a long, weird story; better you ask him than me.”

“Sure…” You nod.

Maybe you would, one day. You weren’t exactly close with Master Splinter, but the rare few times you did interact, he seemed nice enough. Incredibly chilled out, at the very least, if a little eccentric; you would never have guessed in a million years that this man had been an action movie legend. 

“Anyway…” Leo rolls his shoulders. “What did you want to do today? You have a plan, right?”

You stand up. “Hey, you invited me out here. Ball’s in your court, dude.”

“Um, yeah-no.” Leo counters, hands on hips. “I showed you my cool thing. Now you gotta return the favour.”

“Return the-” Your mouth opens indignantly. “What do you want me to do, give you a tour of your hometown? As a non -local?” 

“That doesn’t sound so bad. Leo’s smile slides even further up. “And you know, the ‘not being a local’ excuse runs thin when you’ve been here for several months. You’re like, a total resident at this point.”  

“…Fine.” You mutter, taking in your surroundings. Man, this was a nice place in good weather. After a look around, you gesture at a delightful body of water. It looks quiet over there. “I think there’s a lake over that way. We could walk by it…”

Leo’s smile reverts to a grin, triumphant. “Why, what a novel idea, sir! Lead the way.”

Asshole. Handsome asshole.

“You didn’t bring your sword.” You comment as you begin the trek. “Did you walk all the way here?”

“Something like that.“ Leo’s tone is betraying something. He totally ran to get here, didn’t he? Explains the sporty getup. “I thought about bringing it, but I figured it’d be weird to carry a bladed weapon in broad daylight.” 

“What, you worried someone will think you’re a massive nerd?”

“Yeah, totally.” Leo rolls his eyes at you. “Or a serial killer, same difference.”

You chuckle at that, then give him a pointed look. “Or someone who’s very bad at hiding the fact that he’s a ninja.”

“Yeah, right.” Leo stretches casually, like a seasoned jogger warming up. “If I fooled you, I can fool anyone.” 

Despite the arrogant brag, you’re strangely touched by the comment. There’s a sincere sentiment there, if you look hard enough. 

“Yeah, I’ll give you that…” You say, smirking. “Can’t hide that terrible personality though.”

“Guh-! Rude!” 

You’re closer to the lake (pond?) now, and the scene draws you in. For some reason, you were expecting to see at least one bird - a swan or goose maybe. Instead are treated to the display of a few sailboats - obvious park goers eagerly piloting them from different sides of the pond. 

What’s particularly striking is how well everything’s reflected; the sky, the trees, the nearby skyscrapers. Walking closer to the body of water, you peer at your reflection, then gesture to Leo.

“Hey, come over here a sec.” You wave emphatically. “I wanna see something. Look at the water!”

Leo, poorly stifling an amused scoff, comes over. As he, too, looks into the water, his human reflection appears perfectly. 

“Damn,” You tsk, folding your arms. Upon your friend’s puzzled look, you elaborate. “Thought the reflection would break the illusion, or something.”

Leo’s smile breaks into a laugh. “Why would you think that?”

“Hey, I dunno.” You chuckle defensively. “Thought it would be vampire rules, or something…”

“Vampires…don’t have reflections, bro.” Leo gives you a punishing eye roll. “Come on, you’re getting your mystic lore mixed up.”

“Shut up…” You lightly push him in the shoulder. He chuckles in turn. 

A second later, you furrow your brow. Leo’s shoulder, that felt…

“Wait a second,” Scientifically, you poke Leo’s arm, then gasp. “You have human skin?”

“Huh?” Leo leans back and looks at his arm. Strangely curious, he flexes slowly. “Yeah, I do. Weird.” 

“What do you mean, ‘weird’? I thought you knew how this worked!”

"I...sort of do? I dunno!"

"We need to test this." You hold out your hand. “Give me your hand.”

“O…kay?” Leo blinks, slowly raising his hand to you with an amused chuckle.

After a second’s hesitation, you take his hand and gasp. Leo’s hand grasps yours with five full fingers - fingers of soft flesh instead of scale. This wasn’t just a convincing hologram, this…was real. 

“How is that possible?” You ask, brain starting to break. “Isn’t this supposed to be an illusion? Or does it actually make you human?”

“Uh, well..Both, kinda?” Leo’s face scrunches up a little. “The illusion magic in these things is crazy powerful. Like, I’m still a turtle under all this - I know I am, but the broach….it’s weird, it sort of… convinces me that I’m a human. Like, I definitely have my shell, but it’s like it doesn’t exist while I have this thing on. Same deal with having skin instead of scales. That sounds crazy, doesn’t it?” 

“Nah, I get you…” You draw his hand a bit closer to examine, giving it another feel before looking up at him. “I’m trying to see through it, but I can’t! Why can’t I see it?”

“You miss my old face that much, huh?” Leo’s hand suddenly clasps yours and swings his arm playfully, taking yours along with it. “Aw, you’re too sweet! Honestly, I’m flattered!” 

Fighting the rising heat in your cheeks, you let go of his hand and step back. His smarmy, shit-eatingly handsome face confronts you. 

“You’re loving this, aren’t you?” You shake your head, wryly. “And that whole ‘where’s my lighter’ schtick you did - and that stupid voice! God, I can’t believe I fell for that.”  

“Yeah, you liked that?” Leo smiles with usual mischief. “All improv, if you can believe it. Didn’t have time to make up a whole character, so I just looked up a pick-up line and went for it.” 

“All for a pointless dramatic entrance.” You mutter. 

“Pointless? Nah.” Leo bumps shoulder-to-shoulder with you. “Gotta keep you on your toes, after all. All part of ninja training, you know? Also, it was funny.”

That makes you roll your eyes, smothering another laugh. “ Right …”

The lake, stunning as it was, loses its novelty in slow minutes. Leo, again, forces you to make the next decision for the day and so you pick a random direction and walk. Your friend walks beside you with all the calm in the world, knowledge and expertise cruelly withheld. He wants you to take charge, to be uncomfortable at your unfamiliarity, to be amusingly awkward in your task.

Well screw him, you were going to create an amazing day. It was time to lock in and soldier on!

Lunch had been foolishly skipped in favour of getting to the Park, so you scope out places to eat. You find a “boathouse cafe” near another stunning body of water, but a cursory glance at the window menu burns a hypothetical hole in your wallet. 

“What to do, what to do…” Leo taunts glibly. 

“It’s fine!” You say, a little worried. “Maybe there’s a cafe nearby? Outside the park?”

“You tell me. You’re the guide.” 

“Guh!” 

With a throw-up of hands, you storm off in another direction - Leo trailing. Ten minutes of walking takes you out the boundary of Central Park and across a busy street. It’s not long before you chance upon a cafe - a simple chalkboard the beacon you’ve been looking for.

The place is off its peak-hour, so you spot a table for two easily. There’s a nice enough vibe to the place; wood tables, brick wall patches and hipster neon signs.

Yes. This will do!

You both step inside, and thank hell, there’s AC in here. Being a weekday and off lunch rush, it’s strangely private for a public space. It even has a decent window view outside - nice

“What do you want?” You ask, standing up to approach the register. “A coffee?”

“Too hot for that.” Leo stands up with you. “Sit down, I’ll get this. What do you want?”

“Nah, it’s fine. I’m good for it.” You wave dismissively and step towards the counter.

Leo matches your distance in turn. “I know, but I want to get this. I insist.” 

“Well I insist harder!” You pull out your wallet dramatically. “I’m getting us smoothies! What do you want, berry? Mango?”

Leo ignores your question entirely and, damn him, catches the eye of the confused worker manning the front. “Uh, hi? Yes, could we order two All You Can Bear(ry) smoothies and…oh yes, food - I’ll have a classic bacon-egg and cheese, and my friend would like…?”

“The same.” You cut in, seeing an opportunity. You make eye contact with the neutral, yet slightly concerned barista. “Paying by card please. All together - I’ll tip now.”

Leo side-eyes you; you both know that he doesn’t carry card, and the ease of electronic payment appears to satisfy the cashier. You expect him to pull out a wad of cash and insist further, but to your surprise, your friend just sighs and nods. Triumphant, you complete the payment and return with your friend to the table.

‘You win this round…” Leo mutters. “But I’m getting the next place we do.”

“Sure.” You laugh. “Take me to a real fancy restaurant, okay? I’m thinking, high-grade wagyu? Sushi….”

Leo smiles. “Well duh. How else do I impress you?”

The food and drinks arrive within the hour and you dig in shamelessly. You fail to smother the relieved sigh that escapes you when you sip the cold fruit smoothie. There’s crushed ice in the concoction, adding a smooth, cold texture. With enough sips, the edge of the hellish climate you came from is taken off.

“You know,” Leo leans back in his chair, savouring the drink just as much as you are. “Only times I’ve ever been in a cafe is at night, below ground - so this is a first.”

“Really?” You glance at him as you take a bite of the sandwich Leo requested - damn, that’s good. “So….what do you think?”

“It’s nice. A little slow for my usual speed, but nice.” 

“You don’t strike me as a coffee person, really.” You comment, tangentially. 

“Eh, I’ve dabbled.” Leo says flippantly. “More of a hot cocoa guy.”

“Now that tracks.” You nod. “Probably for the best you don’t add caffeine to the mix, you have enough energy as-is.”

“I’m gonna take that as a compliment.”

“Good, because it totally was.”

“Oh really?” Leo drawls, leaning a little closer. “Well, aren't you sweet?”

You laugh, looking away before taking another bite of your sandwich. God, why did he have to say it in that tone? “Hey man, I’m just making conversation.” 

“You sure are.” Leo, still leaning towards you, smirks and takes a bite of his own sandwich. Suddenly, he breaks character and looks at the sandwich. “Damn, this is good!” 

“Right?!” You laugh, raising your food. “You made a good call.” 

“You’re right, I should take credit for this, shouldn’t I?” Leo takes another bite. “But hey, props to you for picking the drink.” 

“Piggybacking off my compliment, huh?” You shake your head. “How shameless…”

“Hey, if the opportunity’s there.” Leo shrugs, before relaxing. “I mean it though, this smoothie kicks ass. Gotta take this to go and get Mikey to reverse-engineer it.” 

“You should! Would save you some money too.”

“Exactly!” Leo stirs the drink with his paper straw. “You know, he’s got a website for recipes and cooking tips. Apparently he’s kind of a big deal in certain circles.”

“I believe that.” You nod. “I still need to come over for dinner, huh?”

“Totally! We’ll pencil something in next week, yeah? I know he’d love to host you.”

“Please!”

The conversation dithers further into food, as it so often does between you too. You diplomatically avoid the topic of toppings this time, though. 

“I’m surprised.” You comment after some time, absently looking out the window - at the normal day outside. “The thing hasn’t happened yet.”

Leo stops mid-slurp and looks at you. “The ‘thing’?”

“You know,” You wave your hand in the air. “Everytime we hang out, something happens that throws the day out of whack - an interruption, an accident, an emergency. The ‘thing’...”

“Ah, right…” Leo nods slowly, smile dropping ever so slightly. “Yeah, you’re right. Kinda rare, huh?” 

“Yeah…” You don’t miss the slight guilt in Leo’s undertone. “I’m not…Sorry, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I know you’ve got a crazy life, and it’s not your fault that-”

“Nah, I get it. You’re right, it is weird.” Leo laughs, but it’s lost a bit of its usual ring. “I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve had the most boring day ever be upended by some monster, or rival ninja gang, or accidental time travel-slash-dimension hopping…”

“I’m sorry, time travel-slash-dimension hopping?” You gape. “Bury the lead, much?”

“Yeah…” Leo sighs. “Trust me, it sounds cool and all, but meeting different versions of yourself from alternate dimensions is a crazy way to look in a mirror.”

“Alternate versions, why am I not surprised….” You shake your head. “I can’t imagine that; an infinite amount of versions of me …”

“It was a trip, that’s for sure.” Leo nods, a little sagely. “Some of the hardest fights I’ve ever been in too.”

“Let me guess, you needed to save the world-no, multiple worlds?”“ 

“That sums it up. Yeah.”

You let out a breath. “I don’t know how you do it…How you’re so calm about it - about everything you do.” 

“Too much practice.” Leo replies with a shrug. He takes another sip of his smoothie. 

Hesitating a little, you regard Leo seriously. “Does it…does it ever get to you?”

A pause. Leo’s eyes open a little more, but he betrays nothing else. 

“Eh…There’s ups and downs.” Leo looks away in thought, absently stirring his straw in a now-empty drink. “I guess at first, I kinda hated it. For a really long time, growing up. The training, the crime-fighting, the even-more training…” 

Your friend’s brows furrow, his smile fading into thought and remembrance. After a pause, after you fail to muster a reply, he goes on.

“I had fun, sure. Having my brothers made it easier too…But uh, yeah. It was hard sometimes too. Dad was a big believer in the whole ‘instilling good behaviours at a young age’ thing, so; we learned early. It’s weird, but I think my first memory ever was swinging a stick at a dummy. Well, not a real dummy, it was a trash bag. It smelled bad, and I thought hitting it would make the smell go away. Dumb, right? Anyway… It took years before I could swing a bo the way Dad wanted, and way more before we could take on bad guys. Even with hours of practice every day, even when it was all I could think about, it took so long. I’m glad we did it; obviously, I’m glad we can do that now. But…yeah. It’s easier now, but like I said, ups and downs.”

Leo pauses, then looks back at you. “Uh, you know you can interrupt me, right?” 

There’s a beat where you’re not quite sure what to say.

“Why would I do that?” You answer, quietly. 

“Ah, come on.” Leo snaps back into his usual cheer. The sudden change is a little jarring. “Look at me, rambling on about my life on a lovely day like this!”

You lean a little closer to your friend. “I don’t mind. I like hearing about your life.” 

“Yeah, but…” Leo shrugs. “It’s just whatever. Boring stuff, yanno?” 

“Are you kidding me?” You shake your head. “There is nothing boring about your life!”

“You’d be surprised.” Leo shrugs again - he’s dodging the subject, now. “Besides, I wanna hear about your life!”

“Leo-”

Leo cuts you off with your own name in a teasing tone, before letting out a pleading smile. “Please? I wanna hear more about you! Where you’re from! What’s your story!”

“You know all that already…” You say, suddenly aware of the tables turning. “It’s not that interesting.”

“Disagree.” Leo, head resting obnoxiously on his hands, smiles. “There’s still plenty I don’t know about…uh, where was it you’re from, again?”

You roll your eyes. He knows the answer, but he wants to tease an answer out of you. So you oblige - and the conversation launches into the birthplace, upbringing and life of you. Leo listens to you with intense interest as you go on about your family, your childhood friends; all the basic, asinine details of your background that you’re sure you’ve mentioned before. Nonetheless, your friend engages with endless follow-up questions - he’s so interested in what you have to say. 

Weird, you’ve never really picked up on that before. He, amazing superheroic ninja that he is, finds your life interesting?

“Okay, okay…” Leo slurps through his second smoothie of the day. “One more question, I gotta know. When’s your birthday? You’ve never told me!”

“My birthday?” Ah yes, that little secret. The one you’ve managed to keep this whole time as a running joke and constant source of retributive annoyance for your friend. You slowly form a grin. “You really want to know, huh?”

“Yes, please!” Leo grips the table earnestly. 

“Hmm….” You stall, savouring the growing agitation in your friend’s expression, the curiosity boiling over, then answer. “Nah.” 

“Aw, come on! Why?”

You give a flippant shrug. “Dunno. Maybe I like having a secret over you. Keep up the mystique. Sucks, doesn’t it?”

“Hey, I’m an open book now!” 

“Are you now?” You raise a smirking brow. “You know, you’ve never told me your birthday either.”

“That’s…” Leo falters, smile wavering. “...different. I-uh don’t have a birthday. Technically.” 

“Oh?” You frown. “Is that because…?”

“Yeah.” Leo sighs, a finger quietly scratches the underside of the table. “It’s a ‘being a turtle before mutating’ thing. My family does celebrate the day we were mutated, it’s in a couple months actually. But the day we were born? That’s uh…a little harder to figure out, you know?”

“Right…” You nod, “Sorry, I should’ve thought about-’

“Come on, man. You didn’t know.” Leo smiles brightly, which brings your mood up in turn. “I’m not sad about it; it’s just another weird thing, yanno?” 

“That’s true…” Not wanting to bring the mood down again, you fish out a mischievous expression. “Still not telling you my birthday, though.” 

Not yet, at least.

“Aw, really? The backstory didn’t win you over?” Leo tsks, shaking his head. “Man, you are a tough nut to crack.” 

You lay out your hands. “Sorry dude. You’re gonna have to try harder.”

“Guess so…” Leo leans back and regards you. You’ve known him long enough to know his ‘scheming’ face. 

“What are you planning?” Your tone is a mix of arrogant and nervous. “You’re not gonna ask Donnie to hack my phone or something, are you?”

“I could …” Leo weighs your words, before slumping slightly. “But nah, that would be cheating - and I’d owe him another favour. Don loves being owed a favour.” 

“Ah, fair enough. Good news for me then.”

“Oh, I’ll figure it out.” Leo’s eyes gleam. “Or better yet, I’ll have you tell me.” 

You raise a challenging brow. “Oh? And how will you do that? Let me guess, something to do with your charm and good looks?” 

“Damn, how did you know?” Leo grins coyly. “Has my new look got your mind in a different place, now?” 

Yes.

“Oh totally.” You play a defensive eye roll. “How can I possibly resist?”

“Very few can.” With that, Leo stands up. “I’m gonna grab water, you want me to get your glass?”

“Ah-! Yes please.”

It’s already past 4pm by the time you leave the cafe, thoroughly hydrated. The sun’s still out, but with less of its notorious heat. 

“Where to now?” Leo says, casually. 

You deliberate for a second, before sighing. “How about my place? My tour guide-energy’s tapped out.” 

“Sure.” Leo chuckles. “Not a bad effort though. Could have done with some pointless trivia, but I had a good time.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time.” You roll your eyes. “Okay, can we- oh, right. You don’t have your sword.”

“That I don’t. But you’re in luck; we have the next best thing. Something almost as magical as a teleporting sword! Come on!”  

For the first time today, you’re following Leo as you power-walk down the street. It’s not long before Leo stops and splays his hands theatrically at a descending staircase.

“May I present: the thing responsible for transporting millions of people every day...” Leo announces. “The New York City Subway!”

Ah, yes. The New York City Subway. The world-famous transit system you’ve seen in countless movies. The arteries and veins of the city that, as Leo said, millions used in their day to day life. Crowded, active, fast, loud, everything about NYC distilled into an underground hub.

It terrified you.

“Oh, yeah…Good idea.” Tentatively, you step towards the staircase. You swear you can hear a scream of some kind, echoing from the pit of it. You remember the last time you took the subway - how you got on the wrong line and got very lost, how you felt the gaze of strangers passing you by. Never had you felt so lonely in such a packed place.

“Hold up,” Leo rounds in front of you, stopping your trek. He regards you with a head tilt. “You okay?” 

“Huh? Oh, yeah totally.” You nod slowly. “I’m just uh…Haven’t been on the subway a lot.”

“Really?” Leo glances at the subway, then back at you. “Is that why you’re so nervous?” 

Damn, way to call you out.

“Eh…” Shrugging, you wave a hand. “I’m just not used to it, I think. It’s dumb. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

You pause, waiting for the confident yet snarky remark that everything will be just fine and that there’s nothing to worry about. Leo’s a local, after all, what could happen? Why are you so nervous about this? Get over yourself and grow up-

“Hang on. I have an idea.” Leo pulls out his phone and starts to tap into his contacts. “Gonna make a call, gimme a sec.” 

Leo steps away from you as he makes a phone call. Instinctively, you keep your distance to not eavesdrop, but you’re curious. You don’t wait long before he returns.

“Okay!” Leo claps his hands together. “Change of plans - we’re not doing the metro. Follow me!”

“Huh-okay?” You trail behind Leo as he marches down the street and swiftly rounds a corner. “Are we walking home?” 

“Nope! Don’t worry, this is much faster.”

“Are you…gonna elaborate some more?”

“Not yet!” 

“Leo-” You protest. “It’s fine, we can take the subway. Whatever this is, you don’t have to-”

“This is better though!” Leo stops for a moment to face you. “Besides, no point in doing something you don’t feel up to, right? It’s fine.”

“Leo…” 

“Oop, we’re running late! No time for feelings!” Leo takes off again. Dick!

Another wild chase it is, then. Following Leo has become a newly discovered skill of yours, granted that you still had much to learn. How does he move at just the right speed so that you have to work for it? Too slow to be hopeless, too fast to be easy. Turning and dashing through the streets of this city doesn’t help either - you’re pretty sure this isn’t the way to your apartment, or the Lair for that matter. 

Blessedly, Leo does stop after a few minutes. 

“I knew it.” Catching up, you breathe out, lungs undergoing the healing process once more. “I knew you would find an excuse to make me exercise. Damn you.” 

“Sorry,” Leo replies, unapologetically. “Didn’t want to leave Don waiting - you know how he is with deadlines.” 

“Sure, but-” Your head tilts. “Donnie?”

There’s no time for Leo to respond. A titanic force of red, yellow, and - most of all - green barrels into view a few blocks away. Its arrival at the stoop of your pavement is so swift - your brain struggles to decide whether to register the sound or the visual first.  

Sound - a lion’s roar fueled by contained explosions. Visual - a monstrously huge military-grade vehicle (a tank?!) with a rear that’s notably shaped like the shell of a turtle.

“Behold!” Leo declares, beaming at his newest surprise. “The Turtle Tank!”

Of course it’s called the Turtle Tank. God damn it.

“Excuse you,” A familiar erudite voice comes from the front of the vehicle as the driver’s window lowers. “The right to proclaim any and all ‘behold’s is reserved for the inventor-slash-owner. Behold, Leo’s Friend - the Turtle Tank!” 

“Donnie-!” You approach the vehicle. “You’re…how did- what is-” 

“Ah, so awed by the creation that you cannot finish a sentence! An appropriate reaction. Excellent.” You hear some button presses from Donnie’s side, before a side door opens - staircase literally rolling out and (somehow) popping into solid form. “Come in now, quickly. Best not to linger!” 

“Someone’s enthusiastic today.” Leo gestures to let you in first, before stepping in. Without looking, he presses a button that closes the door. “Good day at the lab, or are you just happy to see [Y/N]?” 

You have only one second to point a glare at Leo, shoot an apologising look at Donnie, then another glare at Leo. 

Donnie, who you’ve forgotten has had many more years of practice dealing with your friend, isn’t phased. 

“Both passable guesses, but not the main reason.” The purple-clad turtle’s hands moved in a different rhythm to his tone, pulling a lever with one and navigating some kind of interface with another. “This, my brother (and brother’s friend) is the perfect opportunity for me to try out my newly patented solar windscreen and roof panelling! The absorption rate is up forty-six point eight percent from my last model! Forty-six point eight! I just need a better idea of how it works, to confirm that it’s not some external anomaly like, say, some refractory effect with the atmosphere or a pending supernova. I need more data!”

“Coooooool.” Leo gives you a ‘help me’ look, before nodding. “Well whatever the reason, I appreciate the assist, bro. You know where the apartment is, right?”

“Yes, yes…I have the address memorised.” Donnie gives Leo another glance. “The cloaking broach is effective, I see. You must let me look at it.” 

Leo folds his arms. “Oh really? Here I thought mystical objects weren’t your bag.”

“Things are only-quote-”mystical” while they are unobserved.” Donnie waves a hand. “With enough time and study, I’m certain I can ascertain the real nature of its so-called magic. Elaborate holograms? No, some kind of hallucinogen…” 

“Don, the road.” 

“I’m looking!” 

The vehicle swerves away just before it collides with a bin. You almost fall at the sudden motion, but Leo catches and props you up. 

Startling speed notwithstanding, you haven’t stopped looking around since you stepped inside the vehicle’s interior. Your eyes get lost in the scatter of LED lights, switches, buttons, and duct tape. “How long did it take for you to build all this?”

“Hmm? Oh.” Donnie shrugs. “This iteration needed more time than usual to iron out. The foundational design from previous models was workable, but with the implementation of new materials and features…I’d say roughly three days?” 

“Three-” You gape. “For all this?”

“Yes yes, not the most efficient, I know. In my defence, I was down a few drones. Other projects needed their attention. Logistics, yanno?” 

You’re stunned to silence - having been around Leo’s brother for long enough, you knew Donnie didn’t bother with false modesty. 

The engineering genius wasn’t a bad driver either - hardly a surprise. It can’t have taken longer than five minutes to drive back to your place. 

Coming to a stop is a bit of relief, if you’ll admit, but the novel thrill leaves you in a high. You unbuckle and Leo helps you out of the tank. 

After a pause, you turn to your friend - he hasn’t come out with you. “Leo, are you…” 

Still standing in the vehicle at the side door, Leo goes to speak, hesitates, then shakes his head. “About that. Something came up on the way over, and I can’t bail. Sorry man...Didn’t see it coming.”

“Ah, that’s okay.” You nod, doing your best impression of non-disappointment. “Ninja stuff?” 

“Ninja stuff.” Leo steps out to stand in front of you. His smile turns a little sadder. “Guess the thing happened after all, huh?”

“Yeah, shit…Oh well.” You shrug, hating the petty sadness simmering deep within you. “I’m glad we could hang out today. I had fun.” 

“Same here.” Leo briefly clasps your shoulder - he’s been doing that a bit more lately - then quickly parts away. “I’ll message tonight though, yeah?” 

“Sounds like a plan.” You smile. 

“So much for my tests…” You catch Donnie muttering. “Must duty always call at the most inopportune time?”

“Tell me about it.” Leo sighs, before giving you a parting smile and walking up the side stairs.

You smile back in commiseration and take a step back. “Hey, Leo?”

Your friend stops, turning back to you as you stumble for your next sentence.

“Be safe.” You settle. “Whatever you’re doing. Maybe ease up on the giant monsters, yeah?” 

A cheesy sentiment, maybe, and likely not one Leo needed. From what you’ve seen Leo and his family could take more than enough care of themselves. Even still, it was dangerous work they did - you don’t want to pry on the business they did. You never comment on the chips on Leo’s shell, the scars on his arms, neck and face; scars that showed even through the human facade he wore now. Would there ever be a good time to bring it up? 

“I’ll see what I can do.” Leo answers with a warm grin. “If I need someone to hold my sword…”

“Shut up.” You shove him - the force does nothing, but Leo lets himself be moved anyway. 

After a pause, Leo suddenly jolts in realisation. “Oh wait, I almost forgot! Real quick.”

He cranes his neck back in the Turtle Tank. “Hey Don! You got the thing?” 

The thing?

“Ah yes, the thing.” Donnie calls back. “Obviously. Under your seat - no, the other seat!” 

Leo quickly emerges and, with his usual air of mischief, hands you a small box. It’s barely bigger than your hand and not at all decorated, but there’s a weight to it.

“Open it.” Leo prompts.

You raise a brow at him, at the spontaneity of it, but he doesn’t budge. You open the box.

…

“Holy crap!” You exclaim, a happy laugh escapes you as you pull out your undeserved prize - a metallic pocket fan. When you turn it on, a powerful breeze assaults you; stronger than anything a conventional model of the device would ever offer. 

“Dude…” You sigh, regarding the tool with zealous adoration. The design is sleek, the metal stainless and clear - with a noticeable decal of a turtle on the side inscribed in a purple, molten ink. “Donnie, you made this? For me?” 

“A simple undertaking.” Donnie answers. “You’re not the first person who has requested my cooling innovations, nothing a 3D printer couldn’t recreate.”

“I don’t care if it was easy to make! This…” You almost want to cry. “This is perfect!”

“Think nothing of it.” Donnie lobs a thumb in Leo’s direction. “T’was my brother who made the commission. And will be sourcing my fee.”

“Yeah…yeah…” Leo rolls his eyes. “One ‘Leo favour’, I know. Kind of messed up that you’re making me pay for it, if it’s so easy…” 

Donnie sniffs. “I had to replicate my own tech from nothing! Simple to do, yes, but expensive! I keep telling you, the energy cost alone, not to mention the resources…”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh…” Leo nods to you. “So yeah, team effort. I know you’ve wanted one, and hey, it’s solar powered too! Pretty hip, huh?” 

Looking at the fan, then back up at Leo, you’re ambushed by a wave of sentimental gratitude. Without thinking, you move and embrace Leo. The elevation and angle from Leo being up a few steps is awkward, but you make it work. 

“I….” You sniff - goddamnit, your eyes are almost watering. “Shit, I can’t believe you thought of this. Just for me…Thank you.” 

Leo, a little stiff, pats your back. “Hey, don’t sweat it. Gotta look out for the warm-bloods, am I right?”

That gets a giggle ( stupid! ) out of you. You part from the embrace and step back down, folding your arms and nodding. “Alright. Good luck! Don’t let me keep you….”

Go quickly, please. So that you don’t say anything more embarrassing….

“Right, yeah. We gotta move!” Leo gives a small wave then taps the roof of the tank. “You heard the man; set sail, hermano!” 

“That’s not the appropriate vehicle - whatever. Farewell, then.” 

With a nod to you, Donnie rolls up the tinted window and revs the engine. You swear you catch a wink from Leo just before the side door closes, and before you can even roll your eyes, the vehicle is gone from view. 

To think you were just riding that marvellous monstrosity.

Smile stuck on your face, you turn on your new device (praising Donnie’s genius once more) and walk into your apartment building. After all that walking and caffeine, your legs demanded a relaxing end to the day - a binge of television on the streaming service you still had for example - and you were more than happy to oblige.