Chapter Text
One step. Two steps. Three steps. Thump.
Y/N, who was 2 years old, was learning how to walk. They had the telltale signs that they were ready to walk by themself; pulling themself up on furniture, cruising (which just means they're walking while holding on to something sturdy), even attempting to stand on their own before falling onto their bottom. Today, they wanted to try to walk without having the help of furniture. Leonardo was sitting nearby on the floor, making sure they didn’t hurt themself too badly.
“Come on,” he smiled, “come to Leo. You can do it.”
Y/N, though having a pacifier in their mouth, smiled back at him, and slowly lifted both hands off the couch. Then, they slowly tried to toddle towards Leo, eyes full of focus. A step. Another step. They think they've got it, then-
They fell back onto their bottom with a small “oof,” a bit harder than all the other times they fell. It slightly startled them, but Leo didn’t immediately see that. Instead of them instantly crying, they slowly stood back up to try again. One step. Two steps. Three steps. Y/N almost made it to Leo, but then they fell again. A small whine escaped them.
“Are you okay, hun?” Leo asked them. They nodded and tried to take another step, but then they fell onto their hands and knees, and that made their spirits break. The smallest, most heartbreaking cry bubbled from their chest as they sat on their bottom again, ready to give up.
“Hey,” he said, voice softer than usual. “You were doing so good — what happened?” Of course, Y/N couldn’t really form their own words yet, so instead they formed an apologetic string of babbles as they crawled their way into Leo’s arms.
“I know, it’s tough,” he comforted, rocking them gently and rubbing their back, “but you know what? That’s how you learn; it’s by falling. I don’t think I told you about the first time I got my katanas. I was a little like you — giving it a few good attempts, and then wanting to give up. But Master Splinter always told us ‘Patience is the key to every door.’”
Y/N quieted down a bit and tilted their head.
“Let’s take a deep breath,” he hushed, taking a slow breath in… and slowly breathing out. Y/N followed, taking a tiny breath in and out. “Now, can we try again?” It took a second, but Y/N nodded before crawling back to the couch and standing back up. Slowly, and more carefully, they tried to walk again. One. Two. Three. Four. They stumbled, but they caught themself. They carefully started to speed up until they fell right into Leo’s arms.
“You did it!” Leo cheered, holding them up in the air like they were Simba from the Lion King. “I knew you could do it! I’m so, so, so proud of you, Y/N.”
And so, whenever they needed a little encouragement, she knew that Leo would be by their side. And Leo? He was so happy to see them grow. He was especially happy to see them successfully walking by themself.