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1. Leonardo is five years old when he meets a rabbit, clearly out of place in the sewers.
His name is Yuichi Usagi. He's a bit taller than Leo but seemingly the same age. He wears a teal robe and something called hakama. His words sound funny sometimes, reminding Leo of those martial arts videos his dad shows him and his brothers, but his white fur looks so fluffy that Leo wants to touch it immediately. He stops short once the rabbit tells him his skin is sensitive.
So he asks, genuinely curious, “What are you doing down here?”
“I am looking for my auntie,” the rabbit answers. “We live on our farm. She traveled to this city and never returned. Have you seen her?”
Leo shakes his head no, figuring she is also a bunny. “She’s probably up there.”
Yuichi follows his finger to the opening above them, all flashing red, yellow, and blue. The sewers are green only, and not nearly as bright.
“What is up there?”
“Bad people." He shrugs, sheepish. "That’s what my dad says.”
He remembers the one time they went up there, and it was loud, too loud. Everyone was yelling. The lights and signs were interesting, but his dad didn't like it, so neither did he.
He protects and feeds Leo, Raph, Mikey and Donnie. He trains them as well.
He knows best.
“I will still go,” Yuichi says, rubbing his ears at the noise.
“Why?”
“I must find Auntie.” And then the rabbit smiles, the prettiest thing Leo has seen in his short life so far. His stomach swoops.
“Oh. Do you need help?” Though scared, he would go to the surface if this boy wanted him to.
“No. But you are kind. Can we be friends?"
Leo nods vigorously, pleased. His first friend! They would color and skateboard and Leo could show him around the sewers—
"Thank you, kappa," Yuichi says. He is already climbing the ladder to the opening.
Oh. Okay. Maybe they could do all those things tomorrow. Better not to mention them and distract Yuichi from his mission.
Leo waves.
He follows some familiar pipes home and later that night, dreams of plucking imaginary carrots from wet dirt, placing them in a basket to give to his new friend and make him smile again.
2. Leonardo is eight years old when he is convinced his brother hates him.
Raph is just so angry all the time. Leo always pairs with him in training, and he comes out with the most bruises, aching and sore.
He doesn't want to bother anyone about it — what if they think he's weak? — so he is stuck slumped under a nearby sewer grate, holding an ice pack to his knee. He can't be too long, or the rest of his family might suspect something.
The volume of the humans’ music is as high as ever, filtering through the slits of the grate. Leo usually doesn't like it. This time, it is slow and the woman’s voice is sad.
It’s not good, because his dad says nothing the humans do is, and the woman must be unhappy, but he likes how it makes him feel as if he's not alone.
He is the self-proclaimed oldest, and these things aren't supposed to get to him. But they do.
Blinking back the sudden tears (he's almost nine, he shouldn't cry), he hears a shuffle to his right.
Looking that direction, a rabbit emerges from the shadows, robe and fur spotless. He now carries a sword, and from the glint of it Leo can tell it's real, not like the wooden ones his dad makes them all practice with. Leo wonders how long he was hiding.
"Why are you crying?" He asks.
Leo tells most of the truth. "Raph and I were fighting. I lost. Again."
Yuichi sits beside him, examining the many purple and blue spots on his body. It makes him feel warm, which is strange against the ice pack.
"I know he doesn't mean it," he continues, that well of confusion and irritation inside him becoming begruding acceptance. "He can't control it. But when he gets angry, so do I."
After a moment, the rabbit says: "Let's fight then. So that he doesn't beat you next time."
Leo sputters, trying not to whine. "You have a real sword. I won't stand a chance!"
Yuichi hums. He removes his sword from his back and throws it at the turtle's feet. He picks up a thick stick of driftwood from the stream before it can pass by. "Fine. I'll use this."
The sword is heavy in his hands. A katana. He can see his reflection in the blade, and the purple gem inlaid at the bottom of the hilt faintly glows. Every part of it is beautiful.
"I shouldn't," he manages, even though he really doesn't want to give it back. It feels right. "It wouldn't be fair."
"Oh, don't worry, kappa." Yuichi laughs a little, readying into a stance. "It will be fair."
It is, in fact, not. Actually, Leo gets his butt kicked.
The rabbit is fast and dodges most of his attacks, hearing them before they come. When he does hit back, his movements and the force behind them are natural, effortless, and that piece of wood transforms into a worthy weapon. Whoever taught him puts Leo's dad to shame.
In the end, his bruises hurt even more than in the beginning, but he is in a better mood. It doesn't feel as bad, being beat by Yuichi.
He calls for a truce, breathing hard. Yuichi helps him up. He reaches for the ice pack to find it melted.
"You are good." He holds his paw out for his sword. Leo yields, albeit reluctantly. "Slower than me, but good."
He replaces the sword on his back and begins to walk away. The turtle is not surprised, considering how abruptly his friend usually leaves.
That doesn't mean he wants him to go.
"Wait!" He blurts, having harbored it for long enough. "Did you find your aunt?"
Yuichi shakes his head, and that leaves Leo with more questions than answers, none he can ask, for the bunny is gone.
3. Leonardo is ten years old when he thinks he is different from the rest of the world, in more ways than the obvious mutant ninja turtle one.
He has tried to ignore it. It's not like he doesn't like girls — he's thought about kissing them before, and all the ones in the movies are cute.
The problem is that he thinks the same things about boys.
It can't be normal. A boy and a boy, together in the way they're supposed to be with a girl? Yeah, right. Granted, he and his brothers are more disconnected from the world than the average person, but they started going to the surface unsupervised last year, and Leo still hasn't seen anything like it.
It must simply be another reason why he is a freak.
Every time Donnie shows him a new anime character or music artist he's obsessed with, male or female, is like a slap to the face. Both are attractive, but he should be able to pick one or the other, right? Not be so torn?
There is no one he can possibly tell about this. They would definitely think of him differently. Worse.
"Something on your mind?"
Well, maybe there is one person.
Yuichi is once again taller than him, perched on the opposite edge of the roof. His hair has grown and falls slightly over his eyes while his accent has virtually vanished. He's tied his long ears back and switched his teal robe for a darker blue, sharp figure framed by the moon.
He tilts his head in interest as his small, pink nose twitches. Leo hates himself for noticing it.
"I think I like girls... And..." He gulps, forcing it out. "...And boys."
Yuichi nods, expression completely empty of judgment or disapproval. He seems to always know what Leo is going to say before he says it, and if not, somehow pries it out of him.
"Wait. You don't care?"
"No. Sounds nice. Best of both worlds."
"Nobody else is like this!" Leo doubles down.
The other boy approaches, settling like a confidential weight on his side.
"How sure are you?" he says and points at the street below, where two girls are sharing fries on a bench. Shy touches and averted eyes end in them holding hands. Both of their faces are red.
They could be friends, but, just as easily... girlfriends.
Yuichi's fingers are mere inches from his own. He pointedly shifts further from them.
"I guess I'm not," he mumbles.
He can't believe the subject is that straightforward to the bunny, but he lets him change it. At least there's less focus on him.
"Have you beaten Raph yet?"
"Of course I have. I'm improving."
"Good. You might stand a chance against me," Yuichi teases, giving him a proud look. The joke gets rid of some of the tension. Then, quieter: "Tell me more."
And Leo does. How he decided to play dirty and tackled Raph, which surprised his brother enough he was able to get the upper hand in the middle of the spar and win for the first time. How they fight on equal ground now and forgive each other for (mostly) anything that happens while they're fighting.
That's not all, though. He talks about how Splinter has taken a step back too, so that they have to run training by themselves, but kept up his hate for humans. How they sneak out for reasons other than stealing to restock the fridge, like hanging out in skate parks or museums or theatres after closing hours, just. Soaking everything in. The whisper of fresh air against their skin.
How disappointing coming back home is.
"I wish we were normal," he says, wrapping his arms around himself and his shell. "Not like... this."
Yuichi softly places a hand on the middle of his plastron. Thump thump thump goes Leo's heart, and he thinks the other's ears twitch. He holds his breath.
"I like this," the rabbit says.
I like you, Leo doesn't.
4. Leonardo is thirteen and a half years old when a bleeding Yuichi shows up at his doorstep.
He and his brothers are in the middle of a Marvel marathon (they're on Civil War, which is honestly pretty mid), hours since Splinter has gone to sleep. A thud sounds near the entrance of their home, traveling to Leo's ears first.
Glancing over, he catches a blur of white.
"What was that?" Donnie asks, not tearing his gaze from the TV. He crunches on some of their stale popcorn as the best scene in the movie plays: Spider-Man catching Captain America's shield.
"I dunno." Leo plays it cool. Hopefully. "Be right back. Bathroom."
Yuichi is clutching his shoulder tightly, mouth twisted. Red soaks into his fur and stains his nails, appearance for once something other than meticulously kept.
"Is that blood?" Leo whisper-yells. "What the hell happened?"
He doesn't wait for the rabbit to respond, quickly ushering him into the bathroom. There, he retrieves the first-aid kit from the shelf behind the mirror and a towel, then pushes Yuichi to sit on the sink.
He moves his paw away from the wound. It is jagged, torn open skin textured and thankfully not very deep. One end is pink yet intact, like that is where the flesh had no choice but to start to give. The other spans towards his collarbone. Blood drips readily, a steady flow.
"You idiot," he accuses. "Well?"
Yuichi visibly hesitates before seeming to realize that Leo won't do anything without knowing what caused the injury. He relents.
"I was grazed by a bullet. Barely, Leonardo," he bites when Leo throws his hands up in the air. "I'll be fine. Just help me — I can't patch myself up one-handed."
Leo rolls his eyes, simultaneously weak and frustrated. He's thinking of a gunshot and how well Yuichi can hear. "This discussion isn't over. You are so lucky we're friends."
And look. Leo isn't stupid. Not that stupid, anyway, or otherwise his brothers would've hit the self-destruct button way sooner.
Days after his conversation with Yuichi (you know the one), Donnie dug up four phones from a dumpster. He fixed them up using parts from their shared tablet and boom — all the info about Leo could've hoped for about his dilemma, and more.
Bisexuality. Boys kissing boys. And girls. It's totally natural. Who would've thought. Not him.
The point: Yuichi sighs with relief when Leo begins to clean the wound, his eyelids drooping. The silence between them as he presses and waits for the bleeding to stop. His bicep flexes when Leo wraps his shoulder, brows furrowed.
It's not convienient when he is trying to be upset. Like. At all.
"I'm sorry, Leonardo," the rabbit says once he's finished securing the bandages. Not bad, considering his teacher was the internet. "You deserve a better friend."
Leo stays silent, sensing he is not done.
"The men who did this to me are the reason my auntie disappeared. They hate my family — my ancestor, Miyamoto Usagi, who was a wandering ronin in feudal Japan and apparently wronged them. I've worked hard to earn my place in this city, the farm is a mess without Auntie... but they still won't leave me alone."
Whatever Leo was expecting, it wasn't that.
There is a bang on the door and Yuichi flinches. Raph's voice pushes past the buzz in his ears.
"C'mon, fearless! You're not the only one who needs to use the bathroom!"
Yuichi recovers, smirking. "Fearless, huh?"
Leo grimaces. Both of them know it's not true. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why..." Won't you let me in?
No. Too honest.
The smirk disappears. Yuichi turns from him.
"I didn't want you involved," he murmurs. "They'll hurt you."
"Let me handle that! I care about you, Yuichi." Leo leans closer. "You don't deserve to be harassed or attacked for something that happened hundreds of years ago. I want to help you. My brothers and I could teach them a lesson."
"Don't," Yuichi orders, raising his head and fixing a finger on his chest, knocking the breath out of him. "Maybe I don't deserve it but you don't either. Please, stay hidden. Safe. For me."
Who is Leo not to listen?
5. Leonardo is fifteen years old when he saves the world.
Not single-handedly — no, with lots and lots of help. Nevertheless, his first demand to the mayor of New York City is a chance to go to school — because even though saving the city wasn't to be accepted, he wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth and not take the mayor's offer for thanks, not when they've been waiting — for the four of them.
His second is protection for all direct descendants of Miyamoto Usagi.
The mayor says she'll see what she can do, staring at him weirdly. Mikey does too as she trades a few words with a man in a suit and sunglasses, who leaves the hospital room.
"What was that about?" He is eager to hear when they are finally discharged and sent home. Leo's bones still feel out of place, but it is nothing compared to the crookedness of his heart. His brothers almost died. His world. "Who's Miyamoto Usagi?"
Knowing Donnie, they would have the answers by the next morning. Until then, Leo dodges the questions and collapses into bed, falling asleep in an instant.
Noon brings all of Superfly's former posse, including Scumbug (they gag whenever her and Splinter start flirting) and the direct descendant of Miyamoto himself.
Yuichi appears close to tears, draping his arms around Leo's shoulders and bringing their foreheads together.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," he repeats. "I was wrong. You don't need to hide. Can you believe it? They don't hate us."
Leo didn't think his wish would be brought about so swiftly, but there's nothing wrong with that and the adults have now noticed the obvious unknown addition to the crowd. He's about to untangle their limbs and say it's no problem and I know when—
Yuichi surges forward, crashing his lips into his.
Squawks and exclamations erupting around them, Leo kisses fiercely back, sinking his hands into the curve of Yuichi's waist and finding that they fit perfectly.
Finally, he thinks.
He doesn't have to voice this, it seems, as the rabbit's gaze is wide and knowing when they part.
"Who knew Leo got game?" Donnie mutters in the background, revered and no doubt having cracked the case.
+1. "Dunno if you would carrot all if I asked, but... prom?"
Leonardo is sweating, and it probably shows through the nice shirt he wore just for the occasion. He cringes internally as he reads the rest of the note aloud. "Don't leaf me hanging."
Yuichi doesn't bother to hide it, arching a brow, the one with the slit that Raph shaved for him a month ago. He's smiling, though, full of mirth.
"Really? That was all you could come up with?"
"Mikey suggested the drama department sing it, Donnie wanted to hijack the intercom, and Raph had a confetti cannon for when you said yes, soo..." Leo trails off. "Yeah. Pretty much."
He lifts the basket of newly harvested fruits and vegetables, adorned with fake flowers (Yuichi is allergic), and his boyfriend takes it, appreciatively scanning the contents.
"When? Not if, huh?" Yuichi sets it atop his locker. "Tell Raphael to save the cannon for that Jones kid. He needs to make a move before it's too late."
"Is that a yes?"
The rabbit cradles his cheek carefully, pulling the turtle into a kiss that muffles all his thoughts and turns his knees to jelly and makes him late for history.
"Does that answer your question?" He breathes.
It does.
The bell rings.