Archive of Our Own ^beta

Cold was not the only way you would describe your walk home. Hazardous, blizzard-like, fucking freezing. Those were all also viable answers if you’d been asked. The snow was falling heavy, but you were so grateful you’d decided to bring your winter jacket to work. It had been a lot warmer during the day, not a flake in sight. But now? Complete opposite.

Your sneakers were frozen, however. They really weren’t designed for such weather conditions. But it didn’t matter! Because you were so very close to getting to your apartment where you could take a warm shower and relax. You didn’t work the next two days, so you planned on going home and binging on some TV show your friend had been badgering you to watch.

You got to your building and used your key to open the door. You wasted no time in stepping into the building. The heat in the lobby? Not the greatest. But at least you weren’t getting blasted by snow anymore.

You glanced towards the elevators.. Yeah, they were still out of order. That was fine, you had no problem with stairs. But you were pretty sure the elevators being down for this long was some kind of regulation.. breaker.

Either way, you walked to the stairs and prepared for your four flight trek. It was fine, you reminded yourself. Just one more obstacle and then you’d be in relative paradise for the next few days. As paradise as one could get in this city.

The walk was pretty simple, you almost slipped once because of your wet shoes, but after that you were incredibly careful. Once you got to your floor, you pulled out your keys as you strolled to your apartment. You stuck the key in the lock, but then you froze.

The sound of your television was clear in your ears. You knew you hadn’t left it on when you left, you didn’t even watch TV before your shift. Briefly, you hoped it was a ghost. Slowly, you unlocked the door. You winced some when the lock clicked, waiting for any sound in the apartment but you heard nothing but the TV.

You snuck the keys back into your pocket before slowly turning the knob, allowing the door to open just a crack. The space was just large enough to stick your hand through, and so you did. You noticed the lights were on in the apartment as well, which was good. You could see whoever was in there.

Carefully, your fingers wrapped around the handle of the claw hammer you kept at your door just in case you needed a weapon. You pulled the hammer out slowly, keeping your ears tuned into the apartment just in case.

You Held the hammer to your chest as you took a deep breath. Were you really going to attack a person for invading your home? God, this was messy. You hoped it was your forgetful nature, that there wasn’t actually someone waiting for you and watching your TV.

Slowly, your hand grabbed the door knob and you pushed the door open. You peeked in and paused when you definitely saw a person sitting on your couch. Their back was to you and they were wrapped up in one of your blankets. Suddenly, it seemed like less of a criminal and more of a mistake.

“What are you doing in my apartment?”

The words were spoken into the room, and you watched as the other sat straight up and froze. You gripped the hammer, stepping closer. The person suddenly stood up, staying wrapped up in the blanket.

“Is this not apartment 4G?” The person asked, and you shook your head, then you pressed your hand to your forehead. He couldn’t see your face.

“No, it’s not. 4G is four apartments down. This is 4C.” You stated, hands moving to your hips. You watched as the person seemed to nod, but then he quickly walked to your door, he very clearly was trying to keep his face and body hidden from you.. You watched him carefully.

“Well.. this is very awkward. I’ll uh.. I’ll be on my way then,” he said and started to walk out the door you left open,

“Hold on a second. You have my blanket, you’re not keeping it.” You stated, and you heard the other laugh.

“It’s too comfy to take off, I’ll pay you back later,” He responded, but you snagged the fabric and held on. He pulled on the blanket, trying to get you to let go, but you held firm. He tugged more and more, and eventually you did let go.

The force that the person was using to pull the blanket suddenly had nothing to fight against, so the figure tumbled out the door, landing on their side with a groan. You walked over, snagging your blanket once again before you gasped.

That was a turtle man.

A turtle man with a blue bandana and wraps on his arms and legs.

A turtle man.

“What the fuck-“

Suddenly, the turtle shot up from the floor and all but tackled you into your apartment. You hit the ground harshly with a thud, the hammer falling from your grasp and skidding across the floor. A green hand came up and covered your mouth as you heard the sound of a door opening and Mrs. Winnie from down the hall called out.

“Y/N? Was that you, dear? I heard a loud crash, you’re not hurt are you?” She asked, and you could hear her slippered feet start to shuffle down the hall.

You looked up at the turtle, eyebrow raised as you wondered how you were supposed to answer when your mouth was covered. His eyes were wild, his body was tense, and he looked down at you before pleading:

“Please say you’re fine. I will explain everything, I swear.” He whispered, moving off of you quickly. You narrowed your eyes at him before sitting up from the floor.

“I’m fine, Mrs. Winnie! Just slipped on my floor because my shoes created a puddle! No worries!” You called back. You got up, trying not to actually slip on your wet floor. You were quick to block your doorway as the elderly woman reached your door. She looked up at you from behind her glasses and smiled, patting your cheek.

“You need to be more careful, my dear. A tumble like that at your age is fine but once you get up there in years, you start risking a hip!” She joked and laughed. You forced a laugh along with her before she wished you a good night and went back to her apartment. You closed and locked your door before turning to the turtle, who was standing awkwardly in your living room.

He looked like he wasn’t sure he made the best choice, like he should’ve run while you had your back turned.

He should’ve.

“What were you thinking?!” You bit out as you walked up to him. His eyes watched you, like he was worried you were going to attack him. How ironic. The man who tackled you into your own apartment was worried.

“I didn’t know this was your apartment! I was looking for my friend April! I was going to surprise her with a housewarming movie night!” The turtle shouted back, “And I can’t exactly let little old ladies know I exist. I shouldn’t have let you know I exist. You shouldn’t know I exist!”

“Well, whose fault is that?” You questioned, narrowing your eyes. His face darkened in embarrassment before he quickly looked away, crossing his arms stubbornly.

“Exactly. Who are you anyways? You came to visit the new girl in 4G?” You questioned, crossing your own arms. The turtle seemed hesitant to say anything, tapping his foot anxiously. He could portal out of here right now. Just leave and not speak about this again. Pretend this never happened.

“I’m Leo.”

Or he could introduce himself.

“Alright Leo.. I’m Y/N.” You responded, then held your hand out. Leo looked at you then he grabbed your hand. There was no escaping this now, he was locked in. The turtle grinned suddenly and shook your hand with a new energy.

“So um.. What do you do?” You questioned. Leo pondered his answer, like it was some big secret. You supposed it must have been since he had thrown a fit about you knowing what he even was.

“I’m New York’s protector.” Leo said smugly, hands on his hips. You tilted your head as you heard this, and the turtle in front of you just laughed. “I know, it must be shocking to stand in front of a hero,” He teased, puffing his chest out as he mimicked a cliche hero pose.

You couldn’t help but laugh at him, covering your mouth. Leo grinned as you seemed to relax, then he sighed and walked over to your couch. He pulled out a sword from under your couch and your eyes widened.

“Oh! Don’t worry! I’m just planning on heading out! I don’t mean to invade your night anymore, so uh.. I’m just going to go home.” He explained, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Are you sure? It’s storming pretty bad out there. I’d hate to send you into the cold,” You weren’t sure you wanted him to spend the night either, but leaving him out in the cold just seemed cruel.

“Huh? Oh, I don’t plan on going outside,” Leo said with a smirk. Before you could question what he meant, he swung his sword and a bright circle appeared in your living room.

“What the fuck?” You questioned, looking up at Leo. He had this shit eating grin on his face as he walked over to the portal. He stood with his back to the portal, hands on his hips as he looked down at you.

“I’m a magical hero, Y/N. I’m full of surprises.” He said confidently but then he seemed a bit nervous. “But uh.. If you run into my friend April, don’t mention that you know me, ok? I’d never live this down..”

“Fine, I’ll keep your secret, Leo.” You answered. The smile you received in return seemed so genuine. Leo nodded and mocked a salute before he fell back into the portal, the disc closing behind him.

You just stood in your living room, mind reeling after what you just witnessed. Eventually, you stripped yourself from your winter clothes and went to take a shower. It was your night to relax after all. You decided to treat yourself, making a mug of hot cocoa before settling into the couch, wrapped in the same blanket you had first seen Leo in.

Your mind kept drifting back to the blue turtle, and you wondered if you’d ever see him again.

- - - - -

The smell of fresh baked brownies filled your apartment. You sighed happily, pulling the tray out of the oven and laying it on the stove. There had been no other reason to bake other than just wanting something sweet. There was really nothing like a homemade treat, and the satisfaction that you got when all the hard work was done. You turned the oven off and tossed the oven mitt to the counter.

Knock.
Knock.
Knock.

You froze, looking to your door even though you knew that wasn’t where the knocking came from. You slowly crept out of your kitchen, looking around anxiously. You ducked back into the kitchen, pressing yourself against the wall as you heard the window in your living room open and a thud on the floor.

You wondered if you’d have to grab a weapon, looking at the knives in your kitchen. You were able to briefly wonder if you could move without being heard, but the familiarity of the voice in the living room froze you immediately.

“Ah fuck… It smells so good here..”

All caution abandoned, you walked into your living room to see the blue turtle. He was clutching his stomach as he laid on his back on your floor. His fists were clenched tight as he took careful, measured breaths.

His face was tight, and you realized he must have been in an incredible amount of pain. Looking over his body again, you noticed his leg was bleeding from a pretty deep cut. Your stomach dropped, face paling as you took in the sight of the blood dripping onto your floor.

You hadn’t seen Leo in two months. Since that night he first appeared in your apartment, you hadn’t seen him. You figured you wouldn’t have, the turtle had appeared into your life by accident. Hell, he told you not to tell his friend about what happened. Even when you did formally meet April in the mail room, you didn’t bother to say anything. You said you weren’t going to and you were going to keep your word.

But that didn’t mean you hadn’t thought about the turtle. Anytime the news reported a weird event, a mutant or some criminal getting their asses handed to them, you secretly wondered if Leo was behind it. Even when you listened to your coworkers theorize about the secret heroes in New York, you kept your mouth shut.

You had hoped you would run into him again, but this definitely wasn’t the way you wanted that to happen.

“H-Hey.. You,” You started. Your legs were shaky as you moved closer, trying to keep your eyes on his face and not the open wound on his leg. His eyes blinked open and he looked up at you. You watched the pained smile cross his features. You managed one back, but couldn’t find it in yourself to be genuine.

“What brings you here, stranger? Don’t you think it’d be better to go to someone who knows you?” You asked as you carefully grabbed his arm. He tensed under your touch, but ultimately he allowed you to move it to the side. Your eyes drifted down towards his stomach, trying to make sure he wasn’t bleeding there as well. The plastron there was perfectly intact, but was starting to bruise and you cringed some at the darkened color.

“Pfft.. You know me! We’re best friends, right, Y/N?” Leo managed a laugh, then he looked up to your ceiling. “Do you have a first aid kit? I need to take care of this cut.. And I need some ice packs..”

You slowly nodded as you got to your feet, walking to the bathroom. You crouched in front of your sink and started to dig around in the cabinet. It was a cluttered mess of cleaning supplies, forgotten hair care products, and toilet paper that had no other home.

You knew you had a first aid kit, your dad made you get it when you moved in. A relieved sigh escaped your mouth as you found the small kit. You got to your feet and grabbed a few wash clothes, wetting them before you brought them back.

By the time you came back, Leo had sat up and he was inspecting his leg. He winced as he pulled at his skin, but his lips were a fine line as he looked over the wound. Leo was ultimately trying to decide if he needed stitches, and he was leaning towards a yes.

His eyes shot up at you as you entered the room once again, then they looked down at the box in your grasp. He reached his own hand out as he made grabby hands for the kit. You rolled your eyes as you passed over the box.

“Thank you very much, now Doctor Leo is in the building!” Leo shouted, raising his arms in victory. You laughed softly before walking around him with the washcloths still in hand. You crouched down next to his leg, looking at the wound and having to bite the inside of your cheek as you took in the sight of very mild gore.

You used one of the wet rags to wipe away the blood. You tried to be careful, but the turtle winced as you pressed the fabric to the agitated skin. There wasn’t much you could do to prevent that from occurring, so you just wiped away as much of the blood as you could.

Leo flipped open the case and searched around the contents, mumbling to himself before he found a thing of thread and a needle. Your face drained with color again as he threaded the needle and immediately went towards his leg with it. He looked to you when he noticed how still you went. His face morphed into a pitied smile, about to speak up but you were faster this time.

“I’m going to go get those ice packs! You look like you have this handled!” You rushed out quickly before handing over the rags to the turtle. Your shaky legs barely held you up as you bolted to your kitchen, trying to get away from the other as he stitched himself. In your living room.

You heard him laughing as you entered your kitchen. Part of you wanted to go out and tell him off for laughing at you, but there was no way you could do that. Making a pit stop to wash your hands in the sink, you made your way over to the fridge. The freezer door stuck a bit, but you managed to pull the damn thing open and snag the only two ice packs you had left.

You leaned against the counter, fidgeting anxiously. You really didn’t want to walk back out there and see him stabbing himself over and over with a needle. Blood and stuff really wasn’t your thing, and it made you wonder more why he came to your place when he was injured like this.

“You can come back! I’m just wrapping up out here!” You heard him call out. Eyebrow raised, you walked out to see Leo literally wrapping his leg with a bandage. Your face fell when you realized he was making a pun. As you walked over, you realized there wasn’t any blood in sight. It warmed you a bit to think that he wiped up the floor while you were gone.

“Come on, funny man, let’s get you to the couch.” You said, reaching your hand out to him. Leo tucked the left over supplies in the first aid kit and closed it before he grabbed your hand. It took all your strength to help him up without toppling over. Leo was smooth, however, and got to his feet with no problem. His free arm hooked around his stomach as he let out a soft groan.

“What? Was that fight too gut-wrenching?” You asked, tilting your head as you hooked the arm in your grasp over your shoulder. Leo laughed as you led the way over to your couch, letting him fall onto it. You passed over the ice packs.

“Thank you very much,” Leo pressed the packs to his stomach and let out a relieved sigh. You smiled before walking over to the kit. You snagged it up, taking it back to the bathroom. You took a moment to reorganize the cabinet under your sink, placing the first aid kit near the front just in case.

You hoped Leo wouldn’t make this into a regular occurrence, but if he did? You wanted to be prepared.

Deciding to give Leo a treat for his work, you went to the kitchen. Suddenly, you were really glad you decided to bake some brownies that evening. You cut up the tray, pulling squares out and setting them onto napkins. You walked back out to the living room. You took a moment to take in Leo’s appearance.

The blue turtle looked tired, his body limp against the light gray fabric of your couch. His eyes were closed, one hand holding the ice packs to his stomach while the other was just laying on the couch. At least he looked comfortable and not in as much pain.

You walked over, using your knee to nudge his arm to the side. The nudge caused Leo to huff and move his arm up to his stomach as well. You rolled your eyes fondly, how dare you move him while he hogs up your couch.

“Alright, well, when you’re done moping. I have a snack for you,” You said, sitting criss-crossed next to the other. His attention seemed to be piqued as he opened one of his eyes. You smirked, watching as his eye caught sight of the brownie in your hand and suddenly both eyes were open. He sat up a bit more and you happily passed him the snack.

“You are an angel amongst men!” He praised dramatically before taking a bite, his body once again falling back against the couch. You mimicked his position, finding it was indeed pretty comfortable as you took a bite of your own piece.

“So.. What got you all beat up?” You asked, looking up at Leo with a raised eyebrow. You figured since he was in your home eating your brownies, he owed you at least a little bit of an explanation. The turtle cringed as he heard the question, sending you a scowl. You simply responded with a pleasant smile.

“Fine, fine. I guess you get to know how the greatest ninja in the world wound up injured in your apartment,” He declared, making you laugh. His eyebrow arched as he squinted his eyes.

“I-I’m sorry, but the greatest ninja? Seriously?” You asked, turning your body to face the turtle. You put your arm up on the back of the couch, resting your head as you settled in for the explanation.

“The greatest that the world has ever seen,” Leo responded. His lips turned up into a cocky smirk before his cheeks darkened some as he considered what he was going to say.

“Well.. I was fighting one of my main bad guys. Goes by the name of Hypno-Potamus, right?” He asked, but you paused as you thought about it. You remembered reading an article about a hypnotizing hippopotamus mutant while your coworkers were gossiping. So, you just nodded for Leo to continue, you could put the pieces together.

“Good! Well, he was trying to break into this magic shop on 5th. So, I stepped in to stop him. Simple superhero things, the fight was pretty basic. But, he does have magical rings that are.. So sharp,” Leo said, gesturing to the bandage on his leg, “But that was really the only real damage I got from that fight. I portalled that animal into a dumpster and I locked the top. He sounded.. Really mad. But the police were on the way, so I left him on the sidewalk.”

Leo laughed as he thought back to how proud he was of his skills. It had honestly been a mistake to put the man in a dumpster, but it ultimately worked out. You nodded as you heard that but then you looked down at his stomach. You pointed, eyebrow raising up in question.

“Ok, so a hippo cut you.. How’d you get all hurt there?” You asked, looking back up to the turtle. That’s when his face darkened more and he laughed nervously. He quickly stuffed his mouth with the rest of his brownie.

“Ha, you don’t want to know about that. It’s nothing important, just a small bruise and a boring story!” He pressed, but you crossed your arms. Your eyes narrowed, you weren’t going to believe that. There was a reason, and you were going to get it.

The turtle seemed to start sweating under your gaze, trying to avoid eye contact. His hands started to pat his lap, tapping a simple beat. You leaned forward, getting into his space. Leo’s eyes shot to yours, and you just stood your ground with the hopes that he'd break. Soon enough, the turtle groaned and rolled his eyes, using his hand to push your shoulder and send you back into your own side of the couch.

“Fine! God, you’re just as persistent as Donnie. I was hit by a car, are you happy? Turns out doing a victory dance in the street is a good way to get hit.” He complained, pouting as he had to admit his secret. You almost started laughing at him, it was a ridiculous way to get injured and you’d be worried if he wasn’t a mutant turtle.

“Wait.. Who's Donnie?” You questioned. Leo seemed to perk up at the change of subject.

“Did I never mention my brothers?” He asked, seemingly surprised that you didn’t know he had siblings.

“Well, last time we spoke, you left after basic introductions, so we didn’t have time. But brothers? Plural?” You asked, tilting your head. You presumed they were also mutant turtles, but you wondered if they all were heroes just like Leo was.

“Yeah! Raph is my oldest brother, Donnie is my little twin, and Mikey is my baby brother. I also have two dads. April is practically my sister, I’ve known her for so long.” Leo expressed, smiling as he leaned back on the couch. He thought about his family, he always loved to talk about them.

“If you have so much family, why did you come to me?” You asked. It confused you, surely his family would be able to help him. Shit, they probably would’ve been more help than you were. You nearly fainted at the sight of blood, they must’ve been used to it.

“They can’t know. Are you kidding me? I’d never live it down! They don’t need any more blackmail for me. N. O. No.” Leo stated, shaking his head. You were ultimately unimpressed by the answer, but you could understand. Your sister loved to tease you as well.

You were going to let it go, but then Leo cringed, his arm clutching around his stomach suddenly. Your eyes widened, especially as Leo shot forward and suddenly threw up on your rug. You cringed as you watched, but what really concerned you was the sight of blood in his vomit.

“Leo.. How hard were you hit by that car?” You asked. Leo shook his head, hand coming up to hold his forehead as he seemed ready to throw up again.

“I’m going to go get April.” You said, getting up from the couch.

“What? No! Don’t get April! This is nothing!” Leo begged, but the way his body heaved and he threw up again on your floor.

“I’m getting April.” You stated. You could only hear him vaguely whine before you left your apartment. You closed the door behind you, not wanting any passersby to see the other in such a way.

You strolled down the hall, pausing outside of apartment 4G. You were wearing your pajamas. Blue, fuzzy pajama pants and a black tank top. Definitely not attire that you use when you’re meeting someone else and telling them that their brother was throwing up in your apartment, but you knocked anyway.

“Coming! One moment!”

You heard shuffling from the other side, what sounded like a piano’s keys getting slammed on, and papers getting rustled in every direction. You could only vaguely wonder what she was doing.

Suddenly, the door opened and April was pulling on her yellow jacket as she looked at you. It was clear she also wasn’t expecting guests since she was in her pajamas as well.

“Oh! Y/N, right? What do you need at this hour?” She asked, leaning against her door frame with a friendly smile. You paused and glanced down the hall at your own apartment.

“My turtle is sick.”

April raised her eyebrow, looking at you and then glancing away, then back. She was obviously confused.

“Uh.. I’m sorry to hear that. But I’m kind of busy writing an article right now. Maybe give it some water and go to a vet in the morning?” She suggested. You knew there was no way you could just go out and say it, not in the hallway. You grabbed her hand, squeezing gently.

“Please, April, I really need your help. He’s not doing well at all.” You pleaded. April’s gaze softened, and you were sure she thought you were just begging for some support. The woman let out a soft sigh before stepping out into the hall, closing her door behind her.

“Ok, let’s go check on your tiny shelled friend,” She said, putting her arm around your shoulder. You would laugh at the irony if you weren’t worried. You led her back to your apartment and grabbed the knob, but before you did, you looked up at her.

“I’m sorry, it’s.. It’s really gross,” You said. She raised her eyebrow before you opened the door. You only took a few steps in, her following behind you, for her to see the state of your apartment.

“HAMATO LEONARDO!”

You nodded at her yell, turning to close the door behind her as she marched over to the blue clad turtle.

“Why are you in my neighbor’s apartment throwing up blood? Oh, I am calling Donnie right now. I can’t believe this.” April ranted as she pulled her phone from her pocket. You walked over to Leo and rubbed his shell. He leaned heavily against you, resting his head on your shoulder.

“... Thanks..” He said softly, and you just nodded. You knew he must’ve felt like absolute garbage.

But, that was the night you got to meet Leo’s brothers.

A turtle in purple all but burst through your door, some funky goggles over his eyes as he marched over to inspect the vomit puddle. Following behind was a large turtle in red and a small turtle in orange. April introduced them as Donnie, Raph, and Mikey.

Mikey rushed over to his brother, taking up his other side as he rubbed his shell as well. Your fingers brushed and Mikey looked up at you, a toothy grin came to his face.

“Thank you for taking care of my brother,” Mikey said, and you returned the smile. You were about to respond but Leo suddenly throwing up once again made you tense and you covered your mouth. Raph walked over and cringed when he saw the situation, his eyes moved over to you and he set his hand on your shoulder.

“I’m so sorry about this, we’ll get him out of here as soon as possible,” Raph said. You nodded, and carefully passed Leo over to Mikey as you got up from the couch. You had to step away, but you watched as Raph carefully picked up Leo and held him close. You smiled and waved as the large snapper carried his brother out of your apartment.

Mikey followed afterwards, horror filling his eyes as Leo looked at him and gagged. Mikey yelped and immediately drew into his shell to avoid the possible vomit. Leo couldn’t help but start laughing at his little brother.

“Leo! That’s not funny!” Raph scolded as they walked towards the stairs.

You looked at Donnie, watching as he used some metal arms from his shell to scoop vomit into a test tube. You sighed, knowing you had to clean up the mess. But at least Leo would be alright.

“What’s going on with him, Don? Do you have an idea?” April asked, her arms crossed. Donnie examined the tube before looking at the puddle.

“My best guess? Internal bleeding. So, we need to get back to the lair and get that controlled pronto.” Donnie stated before his eyes looked to you.

“I know you’ve been thanked, but thank you for helping my idiot brother. April will give you our contacts in case this happens again.” Donnie said. His expression was very blank, but he simply walked out after he spoke.

Lucky for you, April stayed behind and helped you clean up. She even gave you all of their numbers, Leo’s included. You were grateful, especially since you now had a way to contact Leo. Surprisingly, you really liked the blue turtle. You really hoped you’d get to hang out with him more often.

- - - - -

You definitely got to hang out with Leo more often. In fact, the day after his accident, April took you to the lair so you could check up on him. He was definitely embarrassed that he threw up on your rug, but the two of you reconciled.

After that, it seemed you were just always in the lair. It almost became a routine. You’d go to work for your shifts and work the eight hours. Your days were almost a drag as you waited for your shift to end so that you could run back to your apartment and change before going to the lair.

You always managed to find Leo first, getting tackled in a hug. The two of you were attached at the hip, and you felt like you truly earned your title as his best friend. Leo enjoyed teasing you, but luckily you enjoyed teasing back.

But today your routine would have to come to an end. You were coming home early from work because you were running a fever. Which also meant you couldn’t run to the lair either. Which meant no Leo. Fine.

You entered your building, just barely making it inside the doors before you sneezed. You groaned, looking around for a tissue but you couldn’t find one. So, you caved and just wiped your nose with your sleeve. You frowned at the snotty mess on your sleeve, being sick was always the worst.

You made your way upstairs quickly, trying to fight the shivers that shook your body. Your head was still pounding, but you managed to fumble your keys from your pocket and unlock your door. You unlocked the door and crept inside. You lightly kicked your door closed but winced as it slammed shut, the sound making your headache worse.

Tossing your keys to the drawers next to the door, you yanked your hoodie off and threw it into the washer. You walked to the bathroom and stripped, making sure to take a moment to toss your phone to your bed. Your work clothes were forgotten in the hamper as you got into the shower, letting the water run down your back.

You were so lucky you didn’t feel nauseous, you just felt sneezy and achy. You dipped your head under the warm stream, sighing as you let the water warm you up. Suddenly, you felt a sneeze coming on and you went to cover your mouth, but you weren’t fast enough. You sneezed into your hand and your head bounced off the shower wall. You groaned, leaning against the wall as you washed your hand.

The decision to get out of the shower was very easy to make after that fiasco. You stalked back to your room and pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of underwear before you fell into bed. You snagged your phone and checked for any notifications before setting it on the nightstand. You sighed as you curled up under the cool blanket, hoping that you could just fall asleep and the illness would evaporate into nothing.

You ended up drifting off rather quickly, your body was craving the rest. You had no idea when you first started to feel sick, but that didn’t matter. It hit you like a truck. It felt like you had just gotten to sleep properly when your phone started ringing.

You groaned, pulling the blanket over your head. It helped to muffle the obnoxious sound. The idea of reaching over and turning the phone off just sounded like too much work for your body at the moment. Luckily, the phone sent your incoming call to voicemail and you were able to relax again, burying your face in the pillow.

But then it started to ring. Again.

Okay, maybe it was an emergency if they were calling twice in a row. Maybe you could be nice and pick it up. You stuck your arm out from the warm blanket and slapped it down on your nightstand. You whined as your hand hit nothing but wood. You took a second to search around for the damn ringing device. Eventually, your fingers found it and you snatched it, pulling your arm back into the cocoon of warmth.

Against your better judgment, you swiped without looking and held the phone to your ear.

“Hello..?”

“Y/N!! Where are you? You were supposed to be here like an hour and a half ago for movie night!” Leo shouted through the phone. You cringed at the volume before feeling guilty. You had agreed to join in on their family movie night.

“I really can’t..” You managed. You tried to hold back the cough that clawed its way through your throat, but you couldn’t. Your free hand went down to press against your chest as you took in a deep, raspy breath.

“I’m sick, Leo… So, unless you want to come get me so I can spread my illness to everyone else? I’m going to stay home..” You muttered, listening to the silence on the other side. You began to wonder if your cheek had somehow hung up the phone. You were about to cave and open your eyes, to check and see if you had, but then also spoke up:

“I’m sorry to hear that, Y/n.. I hope you feel better soon, we can always reschedule our movie night!” Leo explained, but you couldn’t help but hear how his fake enthusiasm was covering real disappointment.

“I’m sorry man.. hopefully I’ll get over this soon and we can hang out this weekend,” You mumbled, but you could hear sleep calling your name. “I.. I’m going to go to sleep, Leo. I’ll text you later, ok? Have fun tonight,”

“I.. Yeah, alright! Feel better soon, Y/n.” Leo answered before the line went silent.

You hummed and set your phone on the pillow next to you, curling up into a tight ball as sleep did, in fact, lull you back to its warm embrace.

…

Knock.
Knock.
Knock.

Leo waited a moment to see if you’d answer his knocks, but when he was met with silence and no movement from your apartment, he knew you were probably still asleep.

It was about two hours since he had called, so he knew you probably wouldn’t be in any better shape than you were before. But, he came with reinforcements.

Leo carefully pulled the window up, looking around just to make sure no one was watching him sneak in. Then, he slid his way through the window, careful not to jostle the bag on his shoulder that held your ‘get better’ gear.

He walked to your kitchen, setting his bag on the counter before he started to disassemble it. The water bottles he brought went straight to the fridge, except for two that he kept tucked under his arm. Then, he pulled out a container of soup that he had to beg Mikey to make.

Mikey had been very adamant that Leo could have his recipe and make it himself while Mikey watched the movie with the family, but when Leo promised he’d get Mikey anything he wanted for Christmas, anything, the little box turtle had to cave. He did force Leo to help, saying that second hand love wouldn’t heal as much as first hand.

Leo just hoped you’d like the soup as much as his family did when they were sick. He double checked to make sure it was still hot before he glanced behind him. He should wake you up now before it gets cold.

Leo snagged a spoon from your silverware drawer before carrying the container of soup into your bedroom. He paused in the doorway, looking down at your unconscious form under the blankets. Your hair was a mess, but you seemed to be calm and relaxed under the covers. He almost didn’t want to wake you up.

Slowly, Leo walked over and set the container on your nightstand, setting the water bottles onto the surface as well. He reached over, grabbing onto your shoulder and gently shaking you.

“Mm.. No..” You muttered, carefully moving to lay on your stomach to avoid the hand that was touching you. You heard the sound of a familiar laugh and that was the final straw. You opened your eyes and looked up at Leo with a raised eyebrow.

“What? I thought you were doing a movie night..” You mumbled. You carefully pushed yourself up to a sitting position, turning your body to lean against your headboard as the turtle plopped himself down next to you.

“I am! We are! If you can’t leave your apartment, then the party is coming to you.” Leo said excitedly as he forced his legs under your blanket. Your bare legs bumped together and you shifted over to give him more space.

“I feel like garbage Leo.. Can’t this wait?” You asked softly and he shook his head as he handed you a warm container. You raised your eyebrow, opening it to see soup.

“Please tell me you didn’t make this,” You said softly, looking at the other turtle and he just nodded. You wondered if it’d be safer to lick the bottom of your own shoes.

“Ok, ok,” Leo caved when he saw your grimace, “Mikey led the cooking, but I did help!”

You eyed him for a moment before nodding, grabbing the spoon as Leo held it out for you. Leo snagged the remote from your nightstand and turned your TV on, immediately pulling up Netflix to look for a movie that the two of you could watch.

It was a lot easier picking a movie for two rather than a movie for 6+. He was about to pick one of his beloved Lou Jitsu movies, but you snagged the remote before he could.

“Leo, part of the fun of a movie night is to watch a new movie. We’re watching an Adam Sandler movie,” You decided as you started to search for one. Leo pouted as you took the remote, but didn’t argue. You were sick, that meant you got to pick.

The turtle watched the opening credits as you brought some soup up to your lips. It was honestly some of the best soup you’d had in awhile, and you’d have to text Mikey to tell him such. You relaxed back against your pillows as you enjoyed the soup, appreciating the way that it soothed your sore throat.

Leo pulled the waters from the nightstand and handed you the bottle.

“Did you know you’re my favorite turtle?” You asked softly, looking up at him. The blue clad turtle merely smirked.

“I better be. I’m your first turtle. I’m your pet turtle, right? That’s what you told April,” Leo joked. You scoffed, rolling your eyes.

“I was trying to be discreet. Sorry for caring about your secret existence,” You responded, shaking your head. Leo laughed, so you just focused on your soup and the movie. Leo settled in, drinking some of his water as the movie played.

You finished the soup rather quickly, letting Leo take the container from you and set it on the end table so you could settle in.

The movie was pretty good, but you couldn’t lie, you weren’t really paying attention. You took note of how Leo laughed a lot, you liked that sound. Slowly, your head came down to rest on Leo’s shoulder as you stared at the screen.

The slider tensed next to you, glancing over to see your eyes were starting to get droopy as you stared at the screen. He paused as he took in your face. The way your skin looked so soft, your lips were a soft pink. Your eyes, though unfocused, held so much care. God, he admired your eyes.

Leo carefully moved his arm around your shoulders, trying not to jostle you too much but he did hold you close. He wanted you to know that he was ok with you being against him like that. You took advantage of the comfort, pressing yourself against his body and enjoying the coolness that his body provided for you.

The two of you fell into the comfort of the movie and you smiled as you listened to Leo laughing at the cheesy movie. You could definitely get used to this. Your eyes slowly fell closed as you relaxed.

But then you felt a tingling in your nose.

You reached up and rubbed your nose some, trying to get the feeling to subside. You really didn’t want to sneeze right now. You knew it would hurt your chest, your throat. It just wouldn’t be fun.

“Hey, you okay? Do you need a tiss-” Leo started but he was promptly cut off by you sneezing rather harshly. The both of you tensed when you realized the mess that you made. Snot covered your right hand and was sprayed across Leo’s plastron.

“I am so sorry,”

“That is so gross.”

The two of you stared at each other after speaking, and Leo had to take a deep breath as he carefully got out of your bed, not wanting to spread the snot any further than it already had. He reached out and snagged your wrist, helping you get up without having to use your gross hand.

“I can’t believe you sneezed on me, after I brought you soup,” Leo complained, but you merely rolled your eyes.

“Didn’t you literally throw up on my floor a month ago? Call it payback,” You muttered as you walked towards your bathroom. You glanced back at Leo when you reached the doorway and realized he hadn’t followed.

His face was a dark green as he stared at you and you blushed as you realized you weren’t wearing pants. You decided to shrug it off as you flicked the lights on in your bathroom.

“You know, me throwing up because I was dying is very different than you sneezing on me,” Leo stated as he finally followed after you, slipping into the bathroom behind you. You laughed, shaking your head.

“You’re right.. Yours was a lot grosser,” You replied, looking up at him as you used your clean hand to turn the sink on. The water slowly started to warm up as you stuck your snotty hand under the spray.

“At least mine wasn’t on purpose,” Leo muttered as he snagged a washcloth from the shelf next to your shower. You put some soap on your hand and started to scrub your hands together so that Leo could get to the water.

The turtle quickly dipped the cloth into the stream before bringing it up to his plastron and wiping the fluid from it.

“You think I sneezed on purpose?” You questioned with a smirk as you pushed your now soapy hands under the water and rinsed them.

“No, that’s ridiculous. I think you aimed at me on purpose,” Leo teased and bumped you with his hip. You rolled your eyes, grabbing the hand towel from the hook to dry your hands off.

“Ew, look at me,”

You looked up at Leo with a raised eyebrow before suddenly you felt the three fingers gently grab your chin and tilt your head up. Leo folded the washcloth so the gross part was hidden before he carefully wiped your nose. You felt your face flush under the delicate care, but you didn’t fight the turtle as he made sure your face was clean.

When he was done, Leo tossed the cloth into your hamper before he frowned. He reached up and pressed the back of his hand to your forehead.

“Your fever must be coming back. Come on, back to bed,” He said and wrapped his arm around your shoulders as he led you back to your room. You were choosing to believe it was your fever. Leo helped you get back into bed, but this time he made you lay down while being propped up by pillows so you could drink water.

“I’ll go get some Tylenol, that should help,” Leo said as he left your room. You watched the turtle leave with a small smile, relieved that he knew what he was doing. Leo always said he was the team medic, but now you got to experience it.

The rest of the night went on relatively the same way, with Leo playing doctor and teasing you for being gross. But it was nice, and you spent a lot of time laying with your head on his shoulder, even if Leo threatened to send you to Antarctica if you sneezed on him again. You made no promises.

The two of you ended up falling asleep to some random movie that night, Leo’s arm wrapped around your shoulders as your head laid on his chest. It was the best movie night you’d had in years.

The funniest part about it, however? Was that you got to do the exact same thing for Leo a week later when he inevitably caught your cold. Luckily, he never sneezed on you.

- - - - -

Two more months passed before Leo found his way into your home without permission. You had still seen the mutant on a regular basis, but usually your friend had gotten used to using your door or you simply went to the lair.

But tonight was very different.

You had been woken up around 2 AM for no reason other than your bladder deciding you couldn’t wait till morning.

Having to pull yourself from the warm confines of your bed was a punishment in and of itself. Regret was starting to pool in your stomach as you remembered the bottle of water you had chugged just before climbing into bed that night.

You threw your blankets aside as you got out of bed, adjusting your shirt as you made the chilly trek to your bathroom. The hardwood floors were cold beneath your feet, reminding you of the unforgiving cold nights that the city provided.

Flicking the bathroom light on, you took a moment to look at your face in the mirror. There was no denying that you had been sleeping pretty hard, red marks on your cheeks from the fabrics of your pillows. There was a trail of dried drool crossing down your cheek as well. Gross.

“Attractive.” You muttered out at yourself, running your hand through your hair in an attempt to smooth out the mess. You dropped your shorts as you approached the toilet, prepared to do your business.

You had just pulled your bottoms up when you heard your window open in your bedroom. Usually, you’d be a lot more nervous about this. But having Leo around made you not as jumpy. So, you took your time washing your hands.

When you were done with your hands, you took a moment to wash your face. Might as well, it was way too early for Leo to tease you for drooling in your own bed.

After drying your face, you walked to the doorway of your bathroom and paused when you saw the turtle sitting on your bed. He had left the window open, your curtains blowing some from the wind. His mask was just barely hanging onto his face, he didn’t have any of his usual gear, just a pair of light blue, striped pajama pants.

“Leo..?” You questioned softly, but the turtle didn’t respond, he was just staring ahead with his back facing you.

You turned the bathroom light off before walking to your bed, flicking on the string lights that lined the ceiling and casting the room into a dim light.

You turned back to the slider, hands moving to your hips as you demanded an explanation. But your stance faltered when you noticed how distant the look in his eyes was. Like he wasn’t actually there with you right now.

Slowly, you moved to sit next to him. You nudged him gently with your elbow and the turtle slowly blinked, coming back to himself as he looked at you.

Suddenly, he had this grin on his face that didn’t reach his eyes. It was shallow.

“Hey, Y/N! Did I wake you? I just figured you’d like to have a world famous Neon Leon sleepover!” Leo exclaimed with fake enthusiasm. You stared at him, unconvinced.

“A sleepover? That’s why you came over without calling or texting?” You asked. The turtle nodded at your question before grabbing your shoulder.

“It was supposed to be a surprise!” Leo moved to sit back in your bed and you watched him closely, watching how the turtle made sure to check the room thoroughly as he relaxed, it was something Leo did when he was nervous.

“So.. just a sleepover? Nothing out of the ordinary?” You questioned as you moved to sit next to him, eyebrows raised in question.

Leo nodded, “Just a sleepover.”

Leo could repeat those words over and over, but you still couldn’t help but think he was covering. The way his eyes wouldn’t quite meet yours. His facade of a grin slowly disappeared as he pulled his legs up onto the blankets.

You nodded, grabbing your phone and putting on some music. It was your favorite playlist, one that Leo tended to tease you about even though you often caught him enjoying the same songs.

You named it ‘The Best Friends Playlist.’

But you really only put it on because you didn’t want to watch something, you wanted to make sure you were paying attention to your friend. A shiver coursed through your body and you remembered the window had been left open.

“Sloppy work, Leo. I’m going to catch another cold,” you teased playfully as you got to your feet and walked to the window. You expected some kind of joke, something, but when you looked back? Leo had his gaze cast to the floor.

You sighed, making quick work to close the window before you walked back to the bed. You paused as you took a moment to look at his mask, how it looked as if it would fall any moment. Carefully, your hand reached up and you let your fingers trail the blue material, unsure if you should tighten the knot or just pull it off.

One thing was certain, you didn’t like the way he jumped under your touch. The way his eyes shot up to meet yours, he looked scared out of his mind as his hand grabbed onto your wrist.

His grip was near bruising, but his eyes widened in horror as he realized what he had done. The slider was quick to let go of your wrist, pulling his hands to his lap.

“Sorry..” he managed.

“Leonardo,” you started, voice becoming firm as you sat next to him. You decided to keep your distance, but your eyes were trained on the terrapin. He just shook his head and moved to stand.

“I-I guess tonight was a bad night for a sleepover, I should go.” Leo started, but you were quick to grab his wrist and pull him back. The turtle looked at you, but you just gently squeezed his wrist and tugged him closer. Leo let out a sigh as he moved to sit down next to you, legs touching. He relaxed as you brought your other hand up to hold his arm.

“What happened? Why are you really here?” You questioned, looking up into his eyes but the other tried not to look back.

“… I had a nightmare.”

Your eyes widened when you heard this, biting your tongue. You wanted to ask, but you didn’t want to make him remember what he had dreamed.

You knew Leo had nightmares, you knew he had his traumas. But he never shared them with you before.

“You came here because you had a nightmare? I’m not trying to be a dick, Leo, but wouldn’t your brothers be more suited to help you? They know a lot more than I do..” you admitted. It’s not that you didn’t want to help, but you always felt like you had no clue what to do when Leo came to you with problems.

“I had to make sure you were ok,” Leo responded, looking into your eyes finally. You could tell his eyes were watery, and it took you back some.

“I would’ve texted you, but I knew you’d be asleep and.. and I would’ve called, but I wasn’t planning on waking you. I was just going to come in, check on you, and leave. But you weren’t in your bed when I came in.” Leo explained. You tensed some at the idea of Leo checking on you without asking, you’d have to discuss boundaries some time in the future. But you did feel a warmth in your chest at the idea of Leo caring enough.

“Why did you have to make sure I was ok? I don’t go on missions with you, Leo. I’m always fine,” You pressed and Leo shook his head, hand coming up to rub the back of his neck.

“But you weren’t ok in my dream. Usually when I have nightmares, I expect it. They haunt me, but they’re the same every time. The Krang. Losing my brothers. Getting trapped in a prison dimension. I’m familiar with those things, and even if they scare me, I can cope. I go and I take a walk. I get some water. I breathe. But you have never been in my head like that.” Leo explained.

You frowned at the mention of the Krang. It seemed like just last week you had been talking about it:

Leo made some snarky comment like: “You should’ve been in New York and seen me that day, I was badass!”

“I was in New York,” You had responded.

The turtle’s eyes widened after your words, for some reason he just assumed you hadn’t been present in the city. You guys never talked about the Krang invasion. You knew he had saved the day, but you didn’t know the details other than they won and Leo almost died.

So, Leo asked you to tell him about what happened. His heart sank when you said you were just two blocks from the metro tower.

Explaining the story was more difficult than you originally anticipated. You had just finished explaining for the thousandth time to a customer that you had to charge them if they wanted extra shots of espresso in their coffee. Working as a barista was truly thrilling work.

But then you saw the people screaming as they ran down the streets. You rushed around the counter, crossing the dining area and pushing past customers as you opened the door and stepped out.

You had been haunted by the sight of a giant portal tearing open the sky right before your eyes. Instinct kicked in immediately and you shouted at anyone on the street to come inside, ushering them into the cafe. You made sure you got everyone you could before slamming the glass door shut and twisting the lock.

You stumbled back as you watched what appeared to be fleshy pink tentacles started to tear up the concrete in the street. Your blood ran cold as you watched one shoot up and skewer one of the stragglers on the street.

Suddenly, what used to be a human was turned into some kind of monster.

Your face paled and you felt the bile rise up in your throat before you looked to the customers around you.

You remembered yelling at everyone to get to the backroom and you ushered as many customers back there as you could, a handful having to take refuge behind the counter. You were gripping a broom handle as tightly as you could, crouched behind the counter but watching the street as if challenging someone to come in and attack you. It was a terrifyingly long couple of hours as you waited. No one wanted to risk moving, no one wanted to risk being caught.

Eventually, you moved to stand when it seemed way too quiet. But just as you did, the tentacles spasmed and crashed into the glass of the shop.

You leapt over the counter and braced your broom handle as a tentacle shot in and struck out at you. You swung back, hitting the tentacle with all your might. But the beast struck you as hard as it could, slamming you into the nearby wall. You groaned as you held your side, carefully pulling yourself up from the floor. Your leg had nearly given out on you, it was definitely broken.

The broom handle had snapped when you were thrown so you used it to stab into the tentacle. Your body was tense as you heard a distant squealing, but ultimately the tentacle had stopped moving. You listened to the sounds of shrieking from outside and stumbled towards the shattered entrance.

You ignored your fellow humans as they tried to help you stand. You carefully pushed them away, not wanting to be held back as you stared up at the sky and watched what looked like a giant ball exploding from what used to be a portal. You were nearly blinded by the explosion, getting dragged back into the building by some customers as debris started to fall.

You escaped that day with some broken ribs and a broken leg. Some superficial cuts. You’d gotten out easy compared to some of the other residents of New York.

To this day, you always had the lingering fear that the space meatball would be back and all hell would break loose again.

You had told Leo about your experience just a few days ago, and you remembered the way his body tensed as he listened. The worry in his eyes when you recounted the way you couldn’t sleep for weeks afterwards.

Suddenly, you fully understood why Leo would be so freaked out about his nightmares. He was at the center of all the action.

“Hearing you talk about your fears. That you thought you were going to die.. It was just another cruel reminder that my actions.. I could have destroyed the world. I could have gotten you hurt and I just..” Leo’s words faltered and he looked away.

Leo’s hands came up to cover his face, and you finally noticed the way his body was shaking. Guilt cracked through his body, the thought of potentially losing you over the worst mistake he’d ever made in his life was becoming way too much.

His thoughts came to a halt as he felt your warm arms wrap around his body.

You pulled the turtle close and just held him, ignoring the way his body tensed. Your hands carefully rubbed the other’s shell. Leo didn’t move for a long time, but eventually his head fell to your shoulder and his arms wrapped around your body tightly. His three fingered hands gripped the back of your shirt as he pulled you impossibly closer.

“Don’t think about what could have been.. Focus on what is happening now,” You said softly, pulling back just enough. Your hand came up to the blue turtle’s cheek and carefully wiped away the tears that started to make their way down Leo’s cheeks.

“Now? Your brothers are safe. Your friends are safe. Leo, I am safe,” You pressed, offering a small smile, “And you know why? Because of your actions. The ones that saved the world. So, just take a moment and stop thinking about a future that isn’t going to happen now,”

Leo stared into your eyes after you finished talking. A sinking feeling rested on your shoulders as you wondered if you had said the wrong thing. You weren’t a therapist, Leo knew that. And you felt guilty for not knowing how to help the other.

Your worry dissipated when you noticed the way Leo’s lip twitched, like he was fighting off one of his obnoxious grins.

“Are you saying I’m your hero?”

You definitely didn’t miss the teasing lilt in his voice as he tries to feign innocence.

“Yes, Leo, you’re my hero,” You responded with an eye roll.

Suddenly, the arms around you pulled back and your eyes widened when strong hands grabbed you from under your arms. Leo hauled you up from the bed. The ninja practically threw you back into the blankets, ignoring your shouts of protest as he crawled on top of you.

“Don’t worry, Y/N! Your hero will protect you!” Leo laughs as he practically lays on top of you, blanketing your body with his own. It was a welcomed weight, but that didn’t stop you from trying to push the shelled hero off.

“You’re such a dork! Get off of me, Leo! I take it back, you’re not a hero. You're a monster,” You complained as you wiggled underneath the other. Leo stilled, causing you to pause and look into his eyes once again.

“A monster you say?” The ninja questioned, his hands coming down to your sides and you tensed up as you realized the mistake you had made.

“Perhaps.. A tickle monster?”

You shrieked as his fingers danced along your sides, drawing out the uncontrollable laughter from your mouth. Leo grinned menacingly as your face turned red, your body twisting under his as you tried desperately to move away.

“Leo! Please!” You begged, hands coming down to grab onto Leo’s in an attempt to stop the assault. Leo relented, laughing as his forehead came down to rest on yours.

You took long, deep breaths in an attempt to regain your composure. Your eyes were closed, but you could feel how close Leo was. His breath brushed against the skin on your face and you just enjoyed the proximity. Slowly, you opened your eyes to see Leo was just.. Smiling.

His eyes were closed, his lips pulled into a genuine smile. For the first time all night, the turtle seemed to truly relax.

Leo’s eyes blinked open, and suddenly the two of you were locked in a stare down. It wasn’t uncomfortable, quite the opposite.

Leo was the one who closed the gap, his body moving forward as he sealed his lips to yours. It was quick, but that didn’t stop the heat that blossomed across your cheeks as you returned the affection.

Leo pulled back almost as quick as he had moved forward, staring down at you with his eyes wide. You smiled, hand coming up to pat the reptile’s cheek.

“Come on, let’s get some sleep,” You spoke, not wanting to let the kiss hang in the air any longer than it already had. Leo nodded, moving off of your body. He snagged a pillow from your bed, planning on taking over your couch.

“You can stay if you want,” You spoke softly. Leo looked at your quickly, eyebrow raised in question.

“Are you sure?”

You didn’t answer directly, shifting to one side of the bed. You slipped your way under the blankets you had discarded when you first got up that night, patting the spot next to you.

Leo broke into a grin as he placed the pillow back in the original spot, following your lead as he practically leapt into the bed. The leader pulled his mask from his face and set it on your nightstand before he settled down into the bed.

You glanced up towards the fairy lights, wondering briefly if you should turn the lights off.. But right now, the darkness just felt too dark. You looked over to Leo, taking in the way that Leo stared up at the ceiling. His eyes were drooping and you felt relieved to know that the turtle was going to be able to go to sleep.

Well, hopefully.

The pull of sleep was becoming too much for you. You had work the next day, so staying up any later would most likely be a terrible idea. Your eyes had just closed when you felt a hand wrap around yours. You peeked an eye open to see Leo’s eyes had closed, but his hand had crossed the expanse of the bed to grab yours.

You didn’t mind, you simply gave the hand a light squeeze as you let sleep take hold.

You woke up the next morning to the sound of your alarm blaring. Your face was pressed against the hardness of Leo’s plastron and strong arms wrapped around your waist. Your own arms were wrapped around the other’s body in return. The ninja pulled his hand from yours to turn off the alarm, both of you unbothered by the position you’d wound up in.

Ten more minutes couldn’t hurt.

- - - - -

The two of you didn’t speak about the kiss you had shared. No, it was just a heat of the moment type thing that didn’t mean anything. You knew it didn’t mean anything. Hell, even Leo who liked to tease you about everything you did, didn’t bring it up.

That was a silent agreement to take it to your graves if you ever heard one. Or never heard one.

However, cuddling became a frequent occurrence for the both of you. During movie nights, you could always find yourself tucked up against Leo’s side as the mutant held you close with his arms. No one said anything, besides Donnie the first time he had witnessed it.

“Great. Public displays of affection.” The soft shell had said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. But then he brushed it off and moved to sit in his own beanbag.

Leo sneaking in had also become more common of an occurrence.

Sometimes, you didn’t even realize he had come by until the next morning when you’d wake up with arms wrapped around your body. Leo’s head always managed to find its way tucked under your chin those nights, as if he was listening for your breathing. You didn’t mind, being a comfort for Leo was never a problem.

What did, however, become a problem were your increasing feelings. You hadn’t noticed it until one day when you had come to the lair after work. It had been raining and you were lucky you’d brought a jacket that kept you dry.

But the lair was empty when you first entered, no signs of the turtle brothers anywhere. It wasn’t until you heard grunts and the sounds of bodies hitting gym mats that you realized they must have been sparring.

You walked into the gym, staying in the doorway as you watched Raph flipping Mikey off of his back and throwing the youngest into Donnie. The two younger turtles fell to the ground with a groan as Raph flexed his arms victoriously.

Then there was the shine of blue.

You watched the slider flung himself out of the portal, you had no clue how he managed to shoot himself out like a cannon. But with his arms stretched out, he slammed into the elder snapper’s chest with a loud thud and the both of them came crashing down to the gym mats.

Leo was the first to recover from the hit, standing on his brother's chest and flexing his own arms just as his brother had done before. Raph groaned underneath him, mumbling about how that was going to leave a bruise.

But your eyes were locked onto Leo. The way his body shined with sweat under the light of the gym. The way his cocky grin made your heart nearly stop. It was a shock to your system, surely. Because before then you merely considered the sweaty turtle to be gross.

But Leo wasn’t gross now.

After that, Leo’s eyes landed on you and you could see the way his smile switched from cocky to genuine. He bounced off his brother, ignoring another groan that Raph let out as he strolled over to you.

The slider hooked his arm with yours and immediately started to chat with you, leading you from the gym.

From then on, you found a lot of things that Leo did to be attractive.

Which was rather unfortunate when you were trying to bury those feelings deep in your mind.

What were you thinking? It was like you were trying to press the self-destruct button on your relationship with Leo! Sure, there was a chance that Leo shared your feelings, but those chances were very slim. And slim wasn’t enough for you to risk losing the one person you knew you could turn to for anything.

That’s where you found yourself now, sitting on your couch and considering these complex feelings.

Anxious hands tapped against the coffee table in front of you, wondering vaguely if you’d be able to hide these feelings for much longer. It was starting to be extremely difficult to hide your feelings for the turtle. Especially when you found yourself in close proximity to the turtle.

Which was all the time.

You felt a smile tug on your lips as you remembered all the times you hung out in the blue turtles room. All the times he showed you a new comic that he got. Every time the two of you met out in Central Park for no other reason than to just get out of the house.

You just thought of him.

The sudden sound of a knock at your window drew you out of your thoughts.

Looking up to the window, you watched as a green, three fingered hand pulled the glass up. Today was a Thursday, you had work tomorrow. You had already left the lair for the night. There was little explanation for the turtle of your dreams coming to your home.

“Leo, what are you doing?” You questioned as the ninja slid through the window, back facing you. Tilting your head to try and see around him, the blue clad ninja took care as he pulled something else through the window. Had you left something in the lair? Suddenly, Leo turned around and held out the mystery object towards you.

A bouquet.

What?

“Leo–”

“No! No, please. I need to get this out before I lose my mind and simply portal out of here. God, Y/N. You really have no idea how much you make me lose my cool and we are running on borrowed confidence, ok? So, I just need you to let me talk and I need you to hold these.” Leo stated as he pushed the bouquet into your hands.

The bundle of flowers was held together by a soft, light blue fabric. There was a flurry of bright red roses that decorated the bouquet.. But there was no way you could ignore the way your favorite flowers stood out. Small, blue Forget Me Nots were sprinkled along the entirety of the bunch.

Your eyes looked back up at the turtle, who was staring at you. You noticed the bead of sweat at his temple, and all your skepticism melted away. A smile quickly replaced your confusion.

“Alright, Leonardo, what do you have to say to me?” You questioned, eyebrow arching. The turtle took a deep breath, his thumbs twiddling together now that he didn’t have the bouquet to mess with.

“We met completely by accident.” He blurted out.

That’s one way to start.

Leo must have noticed the confusion start to pour back into the situation, because he stepped forward and carefully wrapped his hands around yours.

“We met completely by accident, but every single day, I find myself questioning what I would do if I never met you.” Leo continued, his eyes finding yours. His gaze held firm as his nervousness seemed to melt away, a grin coming to his lips.

“I.. I can’t imagine it. I can’t imagine my life without you. And it amazes me how in such little time, you have become so important to me. And it all happened by freak chance! One mistake and I wound up in your living room, meeting some crazy person with a hammer. I just.. I just never realized that crazy person would become my best friend,” Leo let out a sigh, his gaze falling down to the bouquet in your hands.

“And I was fine with that. I was fine with finding my best friend by accident. I was fine with opening up to you and showing you my life. I was fine to sit with you and learn about your hobbies and interests… But I wasn’t fine when suddenly everything about you made my heart race.”

Your left hand moved from between the bouquet and Leo’s hand, moving it to the outside of Leo’s to hold onto him instead of the flowers.

“Y/N… I have tried to find a fancier, more meaningful way to say this but I am not a wordsmith. But I am your hero-”

You couldn’t help but fondly roll your eyes at his words.

“-And your hero.. Geez, Y/N, your hero really likes you.. And not in a ‘lets go watch movies with the gang and hang out together’ kind of way but a ‘I want to hold your hand and watch the stars with you’ kind of way. So.. So, what do you say? Do you want to hold hands and watch the stars with me?” Leo asked, his eyes coming back up to meet your own. You took note of the way his eyes seemed to sparkle with hope, fighting back the claws of fear. No, Leo couldn’t let himself lose confidence. You wouldn’t reject him.

“Leo, I would love nothing more than to watch the stars with you,” You answered, unable to help the grin that came to your face. All your worrying had been for nothing. Leo had felt the same way about you all along. Funny how that works.

The turtle’s eyes widened as he quickly moved the flowers to the small table next to your couch. His arm was quick, but he wasn’t careless. The bouquet was set down with such gentleness. Sadly, Leo must have spent all his gentle actions on the flowers because his arms shot around you and crushed you to his plastron.

You laughed, wrapping your arms around the other as he used his strength to lift you off your feet, spinning in a circle with that giant grin of his. Leo’s laugh joined yours as he set you down on your feet, his hands moving to hold your upper arms. The blue ninja’s eyes flickered from yours to your lips, you could practically see the gears turning in his head.

So, this time, you closed the distance.

That familiar heat spread across your cheeks and ran down your back. Leo was quick to return the kiss. You could feel a similar warmth on Leo’s own cheeks as he pushed against you.

“YEAH BABY! GET IT LEON!”

Leo jerked back from you, both pairs of eyes shooting over to the window that Leo had left open. On the other side of the window frame, Leo’s three brothers stared back with equally wide eyes.

Both Donnie and Raph had a single hand over Mikey’s mouth, but clearly it was far too late to keep the youngest turtle quiet. Leo blinked slowly as he stared at his brothers, huffing out of his nose.

“Dear hermanos. Is there a reason why you are spying on me while I confess my feelings to someone?” Leo questioned, pulling back from you in order to walk over to the window.

Raph laughed nervously, resting his arm on the window sill.

“It’s a funny story, really. You see, Mikey saw you scrambling for money and we uh.. We thought you were in some trouble, brother. So we followed and uh.. Well.. Now we’re here!” Raph explained.

Leo leaned forward, hands resting on the window sill as he whispered to his brothers. You watched as Donnie’s face turned to one of disgust before he peeled off the wall of your building and disappeared from your view. Raph was the next one to leave, offering you an apologetic smile as he left. Mikey whispered back to Leo, glancing between him and you.

“By Y/N! Keep him in check!” Mikey shouted, narrowly missing Leo swiping a hand out at him as he bounced off into the night. You could hear his laughter from down the street, laughing to yourself as you walked over to the slider.

Leo’s face was set in a frown as he closed your window, shoving the curtains closed to hide the two of you from the rest of the city. You grabbed his arm, tugging him to turn around and face you.

His eyes moved down to yours, the two of you just staring at each other before erupting into your own fits of laughter. Leo wrapped his arm around your waist, holding you close to his body.

“Well, do you want to go watch some stars then?” Leo asked, pulling his sword out and making a portal. You smiled, nodding as you snagged your jacket from the hook.

“Let’s go watch some stars,” You agreed, following your new partner through the portal without hesitation.

That night, Leo had brought you to the rooftops of one of the taller buildings in New York City. The two of you huddled together as you stared at the sky, but the wind and overall light pollution was making the activity almost impossible.. That was fine, your attentions weren’t all that focused on the sky anyways.

Leo took you home before midnight, claiming he’d be a bad boyfriend if he let you stay out too late if you had work the next day.

Boyfriend.

You liked that.

Leo didn’t sleepover that night, and for that you were grateful. Finally, you were able to freak out without getting teased by said turtle. You were barely able to even get to bed with all the thoughts racing through your head.

Who knew you’d end up falling for the same turtle that stumbled into your life all those months before?

- - - - -

You let out a huff as you set the final box in your new apartment. It was on the sixth floor this time, but at least the elevators weren’t broken. The lease for your old apartment was available, but you had your eyes set on this one for a while.

It had two bedrooms! How could you pass that up? Especially when you were promoted to manager at work. The pay increase was greatly appreciated to you. All your hard work has paid off for you. Within the past year, you’d stayed late, you came in early, you covered shifts, you took the job as seriously as you could.

It certainly did help that there was a family of mutant turtles who loved to come in and hang out when the shop was empty, especially the blue one that kept leaving you the sweetest reviews.

Speaking of the blue one, your eyes swept around the apartment for the turtle. He was supposed to be helping, but the slider was nowhere to be seen. Your shoulders sagged, hand coming up to your hair. He was most likely doing something important, so you would give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

Leo had made your year feel like a chaotic rollercoaster. That damn turtle was always finding his way into your business.. Which made sense, he was your boyfriend now. Leonardo pulled you into many adventures.

None of them were violent.. Well, none of them were intentionally violent. Leo just had a knack for finding trouble. Your favorite memory was when Leo dragged you down to the ‘Hidden City’ to show you a restaurant called Run of the Mill Pizza.

The two of you entered the restaurant hand in hand, Leo was quick to tug you closer as he realized how crowded it was. He should’ve known, honestly, it was a Friday. But, he led you to an empty booth towards the back of the restaurant, looking around with a fond smile on his face.

“You’re going to love Hueso. Him and I go way back, plenty of adventures,” Leo had explained as the two of you sat down. You picked up the menu, but didn’t even get to properly look at it before the atmosphere around took your attention. There were so many mutants and yokai alike in this restaurant.

Infact, for once, you were the only human. This didn’t phase anyone else, but it was truly fascinating to you.

The turtle ended up helping you order something that wouldn’t be too outlandish for a newbie in the mystic world, his words not yours.

The real shock was meeting Hueso, however. The skeleton man greeted Leo with a hug while calling him pepino, which confused you. But you didn’t question the man as he turned his attention to you.

You loved Hueso.

The man was quick to tease Leo, claiming: “I never could have imagined you meeting someone so sensible.” You told him about your job at the cafe, immediately connecting over the privilege of working in food service. He was actually the man who made you even want to start working for a manager position at your job.

Leo had appeared relieved the entire night, like he had been worried the entire time about you meeting the skeleton man. You had questioned him about it later that night, why he was so worried about you meeting his friend.

“It’s just.. I really value his opinion. He’s got a lot of good advice and all that,” Leo had tried to deflect, but you saw through his words fairly quickly. That was the night you learned that Hueso was more than just a friend to the turtle, but a parental figure that he relied on.

You smiled fondly at the memory, walking over to a box that was labeled pictures. At the top, as soon as the lid was open, a framed photo of Leo, Hueso, and you was laid within the pile. You smiled as you looked it over, looking into the box more to see pictures of Leo with his family. That slider should really show up and help you start hanging these pictures.

You walked to the bedroom where the bed frame had already been put together thanks to one purple turtle. Leo had tried to help him, trying to show off, but Donnie had eventually convinced him to go help grab boxes so that they wouldn’t be there all day.

“Leo! Are you even here?” You called out, crossing your arms as you tried to listen for the other. The call was met with silence in the apartment and you sighed, rubbing your temple some.

Knock.
Knock.
Knock.

You raised your eyebrow as you strolled out to the living room. Crouch at the fire escape window, sword pushed down between the window and the sill in an attempt to pry it open. You blinked slowly, watching as he managed to push the window up. His fingers pressed the glass, about to push it up but you walked over first.

“Leo, you’re smudging the glass,” You whined as you pushed the window open, leaning against the sill as Leo grinned at you.

“I can clean it,” The slider responded, holding his hand on the pane as he moved forward and pressed a quick kiss to your lips. The kiss was enough to draw your smile to your face, shaking your head as you watched the turtle closely.

“Why are you even coming in through the window? You have your own set of keys, Leo,” The question left your mouth as you watched the turtle climb into the apartment.

“Yes.. But that’s why I had to do it one last time. Because I don’t really have an excuse to do it now. I live here,” Leo stated as he nudged your hip with his own.

That was also true. When you had told the mutant that you had to move apartments, Leo had gone quiet in thought. You hadn’t understood why at first, since you would be the only one truly affected by the move. Sure, the two of you had made memories in the apartment together, but the memories wouldn’t be going away.

Then Leo quietly asked if he could come with you.

It had been a surprise then and it was still a surprise now. Personally, you really didn’t mind having Leo move in with you. The two of you practically lived together anyways. He had clothes and a toothbrush at your place and you had the same at his.

But this was Leo.

Leo, who said to you that family was everything to him. You just wondered if he’d be okay with being away, and you were sure to express your concerns with him. However, you did cave after he gave his reasoning:

“I’m twenty-one, Y/N.. I have to move out eventually. Plus, it’s not like I won’t be able to visit my family. I’m literally a portal away if I miss any of the guys. My room will be there if I ever need it. Plus, I can help with rent. I’ve been doing odd jobs in the Hidden City and.. I just think I’d like to wake up to your face everyday.”

Leo was a convincing son of a bitch, that was for sure. But you still decided to give him a trial period first. For an entire week, you told him he would be living with you. That meant no going home. Well, not none, but he was at least required to take care of his “home” routines in your apartment. You didn’t want him going in blind.

Leo did a lot better than you expected. Sure, he missed his family, but Leo did go out on patrols with his brothers and that Friday the two of you attended a family movie night. It didn’t seem like such a bad idea anymore.
So, you agreed to let the slider move in with you.

Your eyes watched the blue clad turtle as he walked over to the picture box you had previously opened, grinning as he pulled some of the pictures out.

“I didn’t know you packed all of these,” He claimed, looking up from his hands to grin at you.

“Yeah? Well, I didn’t want you to only have to look at my family photos, so I asked Mikey if I could borrow some and make some copies for you.” You answered. Leo set the pictures back in the box before darting over to you, his arms hauling you up as he pressed multiple kisses to your cheek.

“Leo! Leooo! You’re getting distracted!” You whined, laughing as the turtle spun you around.

“I can’t help it! I love you, Y/N,” Leo grinned, pressing another kiss to your lips as he carefully set you down on your feet. Your face burned red as you stared up into his eyes, taking in the unrestrained joy that circled inside his irises.

“I love you too, Leo,” You responded, standing on your tiptoes to kiss the slider on the forehead.

“Now come help, I want to get the main furniture set up before we have to call it a night,”

“Why? Am I not enough to keep you comfortable?”

“Leo!”