Work Text:
The cold morning breeze ran over a boy’s neck, sending shivers all over his body. His brown eyes closed in delight as his chest widened inhaling the air. He could smell pastry being cooked in the nearest coffee shop, maybe taking a look to what they have to offer wouldn’t hurt?
Leo took a few more steps before entering the coffee shop and immediately was greeted with warmth. The place was pretty empty, which isn’t that surprising since it’s only 7 in the morning. If people came to the place, they were most likely to leave very soon with their hot coffee in hand. New York is a busy town, right? You’d think the people are to be as busy.
Other than the smell of sweet pastry and coffee there was nothing much to overwhelm Leo’s nose, so he decided to spend his morning at this tranquil place. Looking around himself in search of a seat, he noticed a scene with a piano and several other instruments.
‘So, this place offers live performances huh, where are the musicians at though?’ He looked around some more to try and find someone that looked like a player, but there was no one around other than the obviously sleepy cashier.
‘Guess we’ll have to work with that’, he mentally shrugged and approached the tired clerk.
-“Hey! Is there gonna be anyone playing over at the scene?”
-“Huh, what?” the cashier was startled by the sudden question, but he answered it before Leo could open his mouth to repeat it, “oh, yeah- I mean, no! Not before 9 at least. Why?”
-“Oh, I was just curious!”
Leo glanced back at the piano, a lonely and sad piano that seemed to be begging him to play it, he bit his lower lip in thought, contemplating whether he wants to do it or not.
‘I did come here to unwind a little… Playing for myself for once isn’t going to destroy my entire life, is it? …Oh, man.’
After a short moment(which didn’t feel short under the clerk’s suspicious stare) of some mental gymnastics Leo decided that he wanted to play it and asked for permission to do so. The man behind the counter smirked at that and said:
-“You’re free to have your fun as long as you want, just make sure it’s before 9.”
-“thanks, my man!”
With that Leo stepped aside in the direction of the scene, but the cashier stopped him.
-“Aren’t ya gonna order anything?”
-“Oop, yeah! Almost forgot!” Leo laughed nervously turning around to face the man once again, “gimme a grande frappucino with extra sugar, please and thank you.”
-“A frappucino with extra sugar?!”
-“You heard me.” Yes, he heard him and he was disgusted, “understand, I had a stressful week and what else than more than a normal amount of sugar can help me rise my levels of seroton- I just need it, okay? Hand me over the bill.”
‘Med. school is turning me into Donnie’, Leo cried internally.
After paying for his order and finally sitting down in front of the piano Leo let out a sigh. This week really was stressful. Just the start of the academic year and he’s already feeling like a candle burning from both ends. He never cared to study much in high school and that was biting on his ankles badly. If he had a time machine, he most certainly would go back to give himself from the past a slap. That guy deserved it. In the current moment, however, studying, school and the past were the last things Leo wanted to think of, so he tried to focus on the piano in front of him.
In front of him was a popular baby grand type of piano: small enough to fit into the limited space on the scene, but powerful enough to be heard clearly no matter where you stand in the café. Leo gently stroked the fall board with his fingers enjoying the coldness and the smoothness of its texture before lifting it up to reveal the black and white keyboard. However, as soon as he released the fall board, it shut down with a loud bang that seemingly startled everybody in the room.
-“You ok over there?” the cashier asked in concern.
-“Yeah, yeah! Everything’s fine, you can go back to sleeping-” the man looked at him with disappointment clear on his face, “-or whatever…”
He lifted the fall board up again, this time making sure it’s stable in a vertical position and returned to admiring the keyboard. This piano must either been new or taken really good care of, because look at these keys – they still had that blinkity blink!
Well, the instrument looked really good, time to check out the way it sounded. Leo presses one of the white keys with his right hand’s finger and it made a high-pitched sol, or that’s what Leo believes it sounded like. Unsatisfied, he played the seven notes with his left hand only.
‘Ok, it doesn’t sound bad.’
His right hand joined in. Leo is glad not to find any notes that are out of key. He checked the sound with the classic beginner exercises a little more, before getting to play more seriously. His go-to melody was from some sort of an anime that wouldn’t let his brain exist in quiet for some time now. It’s all because of Donnie playing it on loop the other day, Leo was sure.
In reality, the melody he played belongs to Demon Slayer’s first opening and Donnie’s recent hyperfixation on that anime was indeed a reason for the melody getting stuck in Leo’s head.
Leonardo started off slowly, trying to project what he heard playing in his neighbor’s room 24/7 onto the keyboard in front of him. His first attempt failed; for he couldn’t figure out which exact key to start with. The bass clearly wasn’t the option here, the singer’s voice was of a higher pitch. However, it wasn’t high enough for a soprano. Or was it? It could’ve been, what if it was?
‘Damnit, who cares?!’ Leo complained in his mind, deciding to trust his intuition. He played piano for 5 years, he should have at least some skill, right? So, he pressed a few more keys he trusted were suitable for a start and continued with the song.
Playing the song with no actual notes on his hands and only the melody in his head, Leo couldn’t help himself submerging into the memory of his childhood. The years he spent learning how to play at school and the little performances his siblings and him organized to entertain their father. The tiny winy pressure their dad put on them being artistic because he wanted them to be free in their expression. The “you’re just like me, when I was able to do that” and “Oh I remember being able to do the other thing” type of phrases that Splinter threw at them from time to time. The kids didn’t know anything about guilt tripping, but they still felt like they were being robbed off of their personality. Like they didn’t have a personality of their own. Like their father was the only one that could give them that identity. Thankfully, the kids grew into teenagers and, obviously, started developing their own opinions on the situation. In the end, Splinter just let them be, but all the years spent on mastering their artistic skills were a sad reminder of the time wasted on being perfect for Leo. Especially now that the slider is trying his hardest at fighting that toxic perfectionism.
To say Leo’s coffee was forgotten is to say nothing, because Leo was now fully emerged into the process of playing the annoyingly pleasant melody. He was nearing the part of the melody that is pretty hard to play given his lack of practice throughout the last several years. He noticed that the place was starting to get fuller with people, especially the ones that sat closer to the scene to observe him playing. He was never afraid of performing on scene, so it didn’t bother him. What did bother him was that there was a random guy approaching him. Was it the actual pianist? Were they mad at him? Couldn’t they wait ‘till he’s done with the song?
As questions were making Leo’s brain run miles in his skull, the person was nearing, and it seemed like they weren’t willing to stop until they’re standing right beside him. Or closer. Sweat started showing profusely on Leo’s masked face, immediately getting absorbed by the blue fabric and it was getting harder not to make mistakes. Eventually, the stranger stood right behind Leo and it felt more like he was looming over Leo’s form, as if trying to intimidate him. Not cool, bro. not cool. Leo’s thoughts were a chaotic mess of anxiety and intrigue, because the stranger haven’t shared a single word with him yet. Just as Leo thought of that, the stranger leaned over to his right.
-“May I join ya?”, they asked nonchalantly and without receiving an answer the stranger joined Leo. Looking to his right, Leo sees a furred white face of who seemed to be a rabbit yokai. His eyes are of a fascinating crimson shade and his nose is of a really soft peachy color. It twitches whenever the guy seems satisfied in the music they produce and for some reason Leo can’t help, but coo at it internally. When it comes to the play, the guy has an advantage of owning 4 fingers on each of his hands, which lets him catch the notes that Leo is now missing. His focus is gone. Poof! No more.
This stranger was really impudent, annoyingly impudent. And the way he’s leaning over Leo’s shoulder is quite a violation of the turtle’s private space. Well, not really, but it was pretty weird that he just came in storming into someone’s “performance” and acted like it’s normal.
From the other side though, Leo didn’t experience this kind of physical intimacy with anyone other than his family, so his current experience is intriguing. Plus, the guy wasn’t playing bad, he can’t even be accused of messing up the song. In fact, his 4 fingered hands are pretty helpful. Whatever, Leo will deal with all this later. He came to relax a bit and that’s what he’s gonna do.
They played together the last bits of the song and Leo was pretty sure that was the most relaxed he has been in a while. The way this stranger’s fingers play is so delightful. It’s as if he’s dancing over the keyboard with those white digits and it lifted Leo’s mood a tiny bit. The guy didn’t slip up once and was backing Leo up when he wasn’t paying attention. He must’ve had a lot of practice.
When they were over with the song, both Leo and the stranger guys let out sighs of relief and satisfaction probably. Then the guy turned his head to Leo and let out a pathetic excuse of an apology.
-“I just got really excited to hear this song being played, cuz t’s one of my favorite anime openings ever. I literally practiced playing everyday! And I never had a chance to play it with someone else, so I got excited.”
-“Yeaaah, I get it. Just know that not everyone is as slow as me, if I had more time I would’ve kicked ya out for assault”, as Leo said that the rabbit’s face got a look of anxiousness on it, which was funny, because Leo was the one feeling anxious a little earlier. He didn’t hide that and laughed right in the stranger’s face.
-“I’m kidding, man! Or am I?”
-“Uhh, sorry”, the rabbit looked confused now.
-“Nah, it’s okay.”
And then they sat in an awkward silence for a moment or two. Considering the lack of space between them, the awkwardness was not only uncomfortable, but also overwhelming. Was he not going anywhere? Did Leo have a reason to want to keep the guy sitting next to him longer? Why did he even want to do that?! Wow, things are getting complicated. Maybe he should just talk to him.
-“Yeah anyways, I gotta go. Thanks for letting me play with you!”
The rabbit beat him to it. Rabbits are faster than turtles, aren’t they?
-“Wait, hold on- uhh, do you-“ quick Leo, think of something smart, “-do you come here often? I mean- fuck…you don’t have t answer that.”
-“Why not? I do come here often, this is like the only good place I know here, I come everyday before uni starts! What about you?”
-“Oh? Uhm”, the question startled Leo, because he really didn’t think through this. He’s the faceman though, he can do it! -“I was never here before, but I can start coming more often FOR REASONS THAT AREN’T HAVING AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE YOU MORE.”
Leo messed up badly. His words keep slipping from his mouth and he can’t control it at all, he’s just saying everything he’s thinking out loud at this point. He probably looks like an idiot in the guy’s eyes. Although the idea to carry this conversation further was pretty idiotic on its own, no surprise he’d look like one.
The rabbit guy is now looking at him with even more confusion on his face and it’s driving Leo nuts. How could he, the faceman, the leader of the team, mess up this bad?!
-“You’re not too good with words, are you?”
-“No. No, I’m not, but I can be good at…playing piano with you?”
It’s really entertaining how Leo is aware of the situation and the level of bad his one liners are getting to, but he is no longer able to control his own mouth. It’s living its own life at this point! Leo was prepared for getting awfully shamed and disgusted at, but all he got from the rabbit man was a snicker.
-“Who’s the creepy one now?”, he laughed at Leo, who was now both relieved and dumbfounded by the reaction.
-“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry for that, dude.”
-“It’s okay. I actually like how dumb your jokes are! We should exchange numbers!”
-“Wait, wha- for real?”
“For real!”
And they exchange their numbers. Turns out the rabbit guy’s name is Yuichi and he’s an exchange student from Japan, came to study business in US. Leo isn’t lying when he says that the guy really has the charisma, so he could make a good businessman. Or maybe he’s got the looks that come even before the charisma. Or maybe it was all Leo’s biased mind influencing Leo’s perception of the man because he is reminiscing the day, he first met his boyfriend. Either way, the memory of the bad first impression haunted the turtle man to this day. Poor guy has no way of stopping it other than cuddling up with the man he swears he loves on their shared bed in their shared apartment.