Chapter Text
Sunday
Leo sat across from his father. They are sitting in his room. Leo couldn't look at him. His head was slightly down. He feels so nervous. He’s about to tell Splinter something big. He’s scared of how he’ll react.
“You wanted to speak with me?” Splinter asked, looking at his son. Leo tried to talk. He only nodded. “Well, speak.”
“Well…Sensei I…um…”
He felt more nervous. His heart was about to break out his shell. He had such a good day today, but now it can all be ruined here.
How did he get himself into this…
A few days earlier…
Leo got ready for a usual day. Just hanging out with his brothers, going on a mission, saving the world, usual stuff. He got his gear together and put on his bandanna. He grabbed one of his katanas.
He reached for the other one, but stopped himself. He took the black he keeps below his blue ones. He put them in his holders. The black one was given to him by Usagi.
He doesn’t know why, but he wants to wear it today. He’s been thinking about Usagi lately. He saw him a few weeks ago at the Battle Nexus. Neither of them won though, but it’s fine. At least he didn’t get shot with a tranq again.
Leo even got to hang out with him afterwards. They had tea and… just talked. About everything. It was nice bonding with him. Leo smiled at the thought. A very happy smile.
He left his bedroom. He’s the first one awake of course. His brothers should be waking up soon. He slid down the ladder. Their bedrooms are on the top floor. Although Donnie mostly sleeps in his lab, which is on the ground floor.
He went over to the couch. He has some time before they wake up. Splinter said last night he has some news too. Leo has been thinking about it. Wondering why Splinter just didn’t say it then. He only told Leo, as far as he knows anyways.
He approached the couch to see a pair of rat ears. Splinter was already there, watching TV. He was watching some Romance TV drama. He’s really into those. Leo isn’t sure why, but he shrugs it off.
“Sensei? How come you’re out here?” He asked, sitting beside him.
“I did not want to miss my show,” he replied, focusing on the TV, “it was playing early today.”
“I see,” Leo looked at the TV too. He wanted to know what Splinter’s news was. At the same time he didn’t want to ask. When Splinter is ready he’ll tell them… Leo is so impatient sometimes, “so… anything you want to talk about Sensei?”
Splinter looked at Leo with just his eyes. He didn’t move his face, “nothing I can think of at the moment my son. Did you want to talk about anything?”
“Uh… just wondering if you got any news today?”
“Oh, I see. I’m sorry to keep you on edge last night. Usagi is coming here today to learn more about New York. The Daimyo is bringing him.”
Leo’s eyes widened at that. Usagi is coming by? Leo isn’t even prepared. Their home is a mess, Leo’s room is admittedly messy. He’s been slacking on cleaning. They’ve had a lot of missions lately. Also, they have nothing for breakfast.
Leo’s mind raced a little. It’ll be his third time here, but still. He wants to leave a good impression on Usagi. To show him that… Leo doesn’t really know why he wants to. He wants Usagi to look at him well. Like he always does.
His chest tightened a little thinking of that. Thinking of Usagi. He thought about the katana he grabbed. A little bit of him knew Usagi was coming soon. He was hoping for it.
“The lair is a mess- I need to clean it up!” Leo jumped over the couch. Time to lock in.
Splinter almost said something, but stopped himself. He noticed how excited his son became. He really has bonded with him. One of his first real friends beside Casey or April. He’s happy for his son. He was the one who came up with the idea.
He watched Leo rush around, cleaning up. He’s surprised he hasn’t woken up his brothers yet. Splinter got up. He’ll wake them up so they can help Leo.
Leo cleaned up some trash, leftover gear, and some weapons from yesterday’s training. It’s gotten a little bad, Leo won’t lie. Splinter has been sick, it’s flu season. So he hasn’t gotten onto the boys much about cleaning.
Leo hasn’t either. He likes to keep neat, but sometimes he wants to relax. Shredder has been on the move like crazy, he’s tired. Hopefully him and Usagi have a relaxing time… His brothers too of course.
He looked in their kitchen. He looked for any food they had. They had some pancake batter, and milk. He… could make pancakes for him? Leo wonders if there even were pancakes in ancient Japan.
He’ll ask him when he gets here. If not, they could always grab something? It’ll be a little hard. Leo sighed. He’s overthinking this. He’s been doing that a lot lately.
He rubbed the back of his neck. He left the kitchen, and saw Donnie leaving his lab. He yawned, he seemed tired. He saw Splinter leave behind him. Splinter woke up Donnie. That’s a bit of a dangerous game.
“Donatello, wake up Raphael. Leonardo, wake up Michelangelo. He should be here soon,” Splinter said, going back to the couch.
“Who?” Donnie mumbled, as he rubbed his eyes.
“Usagi is coming for a visit. So Sensei wants us to clean up,” Leo said, as he climbed up the ladder. Donnie just nodded, still half asleep. He followed behind Leo.
Donnie is waking up Raph because he’s the most calm with him. Raph, of course, hates being woken up. None of them can really get mad at Donnie. So that leaves Leo to wake up Mikey. Mikey’s just annoying to get out of bed.
He went into Mikey’s room. He could hear his snoring all the way from out there. He went inside, and saw him sleeping on a hammock. They have beds, but don’t really sleep in them.
He shook Mikey. Mikey groaned and turned away from Leo. Leo just rolled his eyes. They have to hurry up, he isn’t sure when Usagi is coming. He shook Mikey more.
“Come on Mikey,” Leo said, annoyed.
“Ugh… fine, fine,” Mikey mumbled, sitting up. He rubbed his eyes. He glared a bit at Leo. It’s super early, and he doesn’t know why he’s being forced to wake up. He leaned over and grabbed his bandana.
“We gotta clean up.”
“Clean up?” Mikey asked, frowning, “aw man, you woke me up to clean?”
“Well Sensei told me to wake you. So don’t get all sassy with me,” Leo said, pinching Mikey’s cheek.
Mikey huffed. He hates cleaning. He hopped off his hammock. He followed Leo out of his room. Just as they left the room, they saw Donnie and Raph leaving Raph’s room. Raph had a big scowl on his face.
Mikey is already planning to annoy him, “Yo, Raphie, why so gloom?”
“Shut your trap Mikey,” Raph said, throwing him a glare.
“Excited to be cleaning with me? I made a big mess just for you,” he poked Raph’s face.
“That’s it!” He tackled Mikey. Donnie and Leo just watched them fight. Leo rubbed his eyes. They don’t have time for this. He sighed annoyed.
He watched as they fought. He’s hoping Splinter will deal with this. Raph is clearly in one of these moods. He wouldn’t listen to Leo. He looked at Donnie, and gave him a gesture. Donnie quickly shook his head no. He is not getting into this.
“Guys- Can’t you stop?”
“Can it Leo!” Raph yelled, as he had Mikey in a headlock.
“Raph can’t you-” He reached out to Raph, but Mikey grabbed and pulled him into it. The three of them just started fighting.
“Oh, I know what to do,” Donnie reached into a duffle bag. He’s been carrying it around for his tools. His belt isn’t really enough anymore. He pulled out a camera recorder. He began to film his brother’s squabble, “April is going to love this.”
Raph glared at Donnie. He grabbed onto his belt and pulled him in. Donnie yelped as he was brought into the fight.
“Raph you are ridiculous!” Leo shouted.
“Tell that to Mikey!” Raph shouted back.
As they fought, they reached closer to the edge. They didn’t even notice. One turtle slipped his foot, and they crashed down. Leo landed first. The other three fell on his side, and Mikey fell on top of him.
“Ow…” Mikey slid down onto Leo’s right side.
Leo rubbed his head dazed. He can’t believe they just fought. He sighed. He looked forward to seeing two pairs of feet. A rat's and bunny’s. Oh no. He slowly looked up to see Usagi. He was already here!
Usagi raised a brow, “you four seem to be having fun.”
The other three looked up at him too. He looked at Splinter and chuckled. He finds their fights amusing. Splinter just shook his head. He turned to his room.
Leo quickly got up. He rubbed his head. It hurts a little, but it’s fine. He needs to be okay for Usagi. He looked at him and smiled. He’s happy to see him. It feels a little weird though. His chest feels tight.
“Leonardo-san. I see you were a little too busy to greet me,” he joked, bowing down.
“Sorry Usagi-san. You know how these bozos are,” Leo joked back, chuckling. He bowed to him too.
The other three got up too. Raph just rolled his eyes at them. It’s Mikey’s fault, not his. Splinter couldn’t believe his sons sometimes. At the end of the day, they are just teenagers.
Leo took Usagi to the kitchen. He wished he had prepared breakfast beforehand. Some turtles made him a little late to that. He sighed. He looked at Usagi. He seems happy. He smiled a bit.
“So… breakfast seems good Leonardo-san,” Usagi said, looking at an empty table. Leo started to panic, but Usagi just put his hand on his shoulder. Leo looked at him, “I’m kidding, I’m not that hungry.”
“Come on, let me make you something. I can make a mean pancake,” Leo smiled. Usagi smiled too, and nodded.
Leo got out the pancake batter, and some milk. He showed Usagi how to make them. They’re pretty easy. Usagi watched Leo. More so his hands. He couldn’t help but watch.
“Any fruit?”
“You have some?”
“Uhhh…” Leo peeked into the fridge, “we got blueberries.”
Usagi nodded, “then I would love some.”
Leo smiled. He put them in the batter, and mixed them up. He started up the oven, and put a pan over it. They didn’t have any butter, so hopefully the pancakes don’t stick. He poured small bits of batter into it. So they’re mini pancakes.
“I’m sorry. I know this is a little boring,” Leo said, not looking at Usagi.
“Don’t worry my friend. I just like your company.”
That made Leo’s heart skip a beat. If he could, he would be blushing. Can turtles even blush? Leo shook his head a bit. He… enjoys Usagi’s company too. More than he’d like to admit. He smiled a bit, nervous. He doesn’t know what he’s feeling right.
He gave Usagi a spatula. Usagi looked at it a bit confused. They usually just used chopsticks for everything. It’s much easier to flip with those. He flipped the pancakes with it.
Leo peek out the kitchen. He saw Raph hitting his punching bag, Donnie already working on something, and Mikey… being Mikey and skating circles around the lair. Leo rolled his eyes, but chuckled to himself.
“Pancakes?”
“Me!” Mikey said, and then ran into some equipment, falling.
Donnie and Raph said me too, not acknowledging Mikey’s fail. Leo went back to Usagi. They’ve already finished half the batter. He put all the pancakes so far on a plate. Leo smiled.
He looked at Usagi like this. A fearsome ronin, now making pancakes for him and his family. Family… Leo stared at Usagi. Usagi could tell, but didn’t say anything. That word went through his head a lot. Family…
He gripped the strap over his chest. He thinks he’s slowly realizing what he feels. He can’t believe it. It’s not true is it? He can’t feel this way. He-
“Seems good!” Mikey said, smiling. He entered the kitchen with the other two. Raph raised an “eyebrow” at Leo. He seemed to have been lost in thought. Raph nudged him. Leo shook his head and looked at Raph.
“Come on dork, food’s gettin’ cold,” Raph said, sitting.
“Thanks for cooking Usagi-san,” Donnie said, with a smile.
“Of course. Me and Leonardo-san had fun,” Usagi put the mountain of pancakes on the table.
Mikey’s eyes shined. He already grabbed some. Raph glared at Mikey. He knows nothing about manners. Donnie just rubbed the back of his neck.
Usagi sat in between Raph and Leo. He doesn’t have pancakes too often, so he’s happy to eat some. Especially with fruit. He grabbed a few for himself and began to eat.
He looked at Leo, out of the corner of his eye. Leo seemed lost in thought. He wonders why. He has been… off since he came here. He shouldn’t be embarrassed about the fight with his brother right? Maybe it’s something else. He wants to ask, but he’ll wait.
He focused back on his food. Now he’s getting lost in thought. Thinking about Leo. It was weirdly quiet. Everything is probably thinking something is up. Usagi looked at the others. They seemed distracted with their own stuff.
“Man, we should have pancakes more often,” Mikey said.
“Well if we could ask April to get us more,” Donnie said, “if anyone has any cash to pay it.”
“The only dollars I find are just on the sidewalk,” Raph mumbled. They’re all broke.
Usagi felt in his pockets. He has some Yen, but he isn’t sure if that would work here. It’s not like they would accept his money. Especially Leo. In a nice way. He’s the guest, he shouldn’t have to pay. He wouldn’t mind buying some stuff though.
“So, Leonardo-san, what do you have planned for us today?”
“Oh um… I’d like to show you Central park. If we can, maybe even the Statue of Liberty.”
“Sounds great,” he smiled at Leo. Leo smiled back.
The other three just looked at each curiously. They could cut this romantic tension with a butter knife. Mikey smiled, getting an idea. He’s a genius. He got up from his seat. Everyone looked at him.
“You know, Sensei said we gotta train more. Maybe us three can hang back, while you two go hang out. We’d just be dragging you guys anyways.”
“Oh, are you sure? I don’t mind the company-”
“Relax bunny man,” Mikey said, putting his arm around Usagi. That made Leo’s eyes slightly narrow, “you two just go have fun. Don’t be too crazy,” he chuckled.
“Alright,” Usagi chuckled too. He looked over at Leo, “shall we get going then?”
“Oh, um, yeah!” Leo said, getting up. He shook off his thoughts, “I’m ready if you’re ready.”
“I’m all ready,” Usagi got up too, smiling. They left the kitchen together.
Mikey smiled at himself. He should play matchmaker. He sat back beside his brothers. Raph just looked at him, clueless. Donnie didn’t really care about the matchmaker deal. It’s not his business.
“What was that?” Raph asked.
“I’m playing matchmaker,” Mikey said, in a teasing voice.
“Matchmaker? With Usagi and Leo? What, are they in love or somethin’.”
“Well… most likely,” Donnie mumbled.
Raph looked at Donnie surprised. He didn’t think their… relationship was like that. He never would have pictured it. Not that there’s anything bad, he’s just surprised. Knowing Leo though, he’ll be a mess probably. Raph had never seen Leo in love so he can’t say for sure.
“Well, time to get training then. You and me first Mikey,” Raph said, getting up. That made Mikey hide in his shell.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
They ran along the rooftops. Hopping from building to building. Usagi had never been that high up before coming here. It’s beautiful. It’s still dawn. The sun is shining against the New York building. Beaming in between buildings.
Usagi stopped for a second. He took it in. He inhaled the New York air. Honestly, it wasn’t great, but it was different. Leo looked at him and smiled. Usagi loved to look at the skyline. He appreciates a good view as much as the next guy.
Leo went to him and stood by him. Usagi looked at him from the corner of his eye, then back at the sunrise. Leo looked at his hand. He wanted to hold it. He reached out, but stopped himself. He should leave Usagi alone…
Usagi grabbed his hand, “ready to go Leonardo-san?”
Leo’s eyes widened. He just nodded swiftly. He feels like his heart is doing backflips. His face is mostly red as a Raph’s mask. Usagi just smiled. He led Leo to the next roof. They’re almost at central park.
Leo just stared at their hands. Usagi wasn’t paying attention to that though. He saw trees in the distance. He smiled. He found it weird that there's a forest in the middle of a huge city. Maybe they just needed some nature around. Most likely, it’s kind of ugly with nature.
Usagi slowly stopped as they reached it. He looked down at all the people. It’s beautiful. His ears perked. He’s a sucker for nature and plains. It’s where he grew up. While Usagi focused on the view, Leo focused on him.
“It’s beautiful. You think we can go down there soon?”
“Y-yeah-” Leo cleared his throat, “yeah, of course. Maybe we can tonight. If Sensei won’t mind.”
“Sounds great Leonardo-san,” Usagi smiled at him. Leo smiled back.
The sun fully rose up, shining on their still together hands.
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Leo and Usagi entered the lair. They had a long day. It’s late. They decided to go to Central Park tomorrow. They just really hung on the roof tops, sparring, and just talking.
Mikey was on the couch watching some space show. The other three weren’t around. Leo looked at Mikey. Mikey looked back and waved. Leo and Usagi waved back.
“How was it?”
“Oh, I loved Central Park. I can not wait to see it tomorrow,” Usagi smiled.
“Why don’t you head up to my Usagi? I’ll join you in a second,” Leo said. Usagi nodded, and went towards the ladder. Leo went towards Mikey and leaned over the couch. There’s been something on his mind, “Mikey?”
“That’s my name.”
“Why did you let just me and Usagi go? We had fun, but the way you said it seemed off.”
“Well, I’m just playing matchmaker,” Mikey said, with a cheeky smile. Leo’s eyes widened a bit.
“We.. aren’t dating.”
“But you want to, right? I see the way you look at him.”
Leo stayed quiet for a second. He doesn’t… he… he shook his head. Mikey is just trying to get under his skin. Right? His mind is racing now. How could they be a couple? In love? He’s another man… it’s weird right?
Mikey looked at Leo. Did he short circuit? Mikey waved his hand in front of him. Leo was still staring off into the distance. He’s overthinking this too much. They can just date. It’s not a big deal to Mikey.
“It’s… not like that,” Leo mumbled.
“Alright. If you say so,” Mikey teased.
Leo glared at him. He left to the ladder. He climbed up. His body feels weird. He hates it. He peeked over the edge to his room. Usagi is in there. He… is waiting for him. Leo tightened his grip on the ladder.
He climbed up all the way. He went inside his room to see Usagi. He was looking at all of his stuff. Leo is a little embarrassed that he’s seeing his action figures. The ones that are still in the box.
“So why do you have mini humans?”
“Just um… it’s a thing. It’s like dolls.”
“ Interesting,” Usagi smiled, “where should I sleep?”
Leo stood quiet for a second. His mind is still racing. He doesn’t know what to do. He wants to do something, but he isn’t ready to. He held his hands together. He held them tight. He’s wrong.
“Usagi um… why did you hold my hand?”
“You seemed anxious. I thought it may calm you down,” Usagi responded, right away.
“No other reason?”
Usagi raised a brow, “did you want another reason Leonardo-san?”
“I… “ Leo took a soft breath, “I think you need to go.”
“What?”
Leo couldn’t look at Usagi. He stared at his hands. He can’t believe he said that. Although it seems Usagi is on to him. He’ll hate him. He can’t have Usagi hate him for his feelings. It’s… better to push him away.
“I had an amazing day, but… I don’t know if we can be friends anymore,” Leo said. Usagi just stayed silent. Listening to Leo, “we’re wrong.”
Usagi looked away. He held his katanas tightly. It was the only thing he could grab onto. He’s upset. With himself. He couldn’t look at Leo either.
“Leonardo-san I- We-” He sighed, “I respect you. I respect your wishes. I understand if you do not wish for us to be friends.”
It’s not like that. Leo wanted to say. He wants to be friends. In the end he’d just ruin it. His feelings will ruin what they have. He can picture his face. Usagi’s disgusted face. It’s heartbreaking.
His body was shaking a bit. Usagi looked at him concerned. He almost reached out his hand, but stopped himself. It’ll just make it worse. He sighed. He doesn’t know what to say. Leo just needs to figure it out himself.
“Goodbye Leonardo-san,” Usagi bowed.
“...Goodbye Usagi-san,” Leo bowed too.
Leo lifted him, the same time as Usagi. They caught a glimpse of each other’s eyes. Leo looked away quickly. Usagi just turned his body to the entrance. That is now his exit. He walked to it.
He turned back, to see if Leo was looking at him. He wasn’t. His ears drooped. It felt like he stood there for ages. Just waiting for a glimpse of Leo’s face… but it never came. He turned. He left.
Their string had been cut, and Leo held the scissors.