A pair of Katanas

4.rendezvous

  I held my alarm clock above my head, staring at the flashing digits, and wishing time would go by faster.

  Dad had come into my room at about 11 PM to give me an extra long tuck in and even brought me a cup of warm milk.

Yes. At 17 years old, my father still insisted on tucking me in.

After he finally left, I followed through with my night time routine- making sure my teeth were as white as snow and my face washed and glowing.

I looked at myself in the mirror and frowned.
My eyes travelled over the bathroom counter, finally settling on an unopened box of watermelon-scented perfume.

It'll just collect dust anyway.

I spritzed some of it onto my wrist and neck, taking in it's sweet fragrance.

Flinging my closet doors open, I picked out a sweatshirt and some running shorts. Practical yet stylish.
I think.

  I didn't really know. I'd never dressed up for a guy before. And I didn't want to mess it up by overdoing it.

I had then crept under the sheets and ...waited.

To keep myself entertained, I tried to watch those 5 minute cooking videos on YouTube. Unfortunately, it resulted in an unhealthy midnight craving for Ramen.

Not a smart decision at all.

                                            ~•~

Eventually it turned 1:50 AM.
I scrambled out of bed, stopping at the bathroom mirror to fix my hair.

I had stumbled out of my bedroom window,hurting my lower back in the process.

good job, y/n.

Praying that no one had seen me, I stood up and dusted myself off.

Mixed emotions swarmed throughout my insides as I walked up the fire escape. I was thrilled to meet this oddity, yet nervous and scared at the same time.

I propped myself up on the ledge and checked my wristwatch.

Two more minutes.

Taking in a gulp of the cold night air, I allowed my thoughts to consume me. What if he'd never come? Maybe he found it funny to ditch me and-

"Hey." came a soft voice.

  Whipping around, my eyes fell on a tall figure standing a couple of feet away, his face concealed by a blanket of darkness. For a minute, I swear I could feel my heart inside my throat. My flight or fight instincts kicked in, and I was on the verge of making a run for it.

A deep, yet calming chuckle filled the pin-drop silence.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." he said, moving into the light so I could see him better.

I relaxed, unclenching my jaw that I didn't even realise I had clamped together.

"More like a turtle thing."

"Hey!" He grinned. "I have a backstory!"

Patting the space next to me, i motioned for him to sit.

"Enlighten me."

He sat down obligingly and began to tell me about himself.

                                          ~•~

For the first time, I had a proper conversation with a stranger. No small talk, no vague questions. He told me about his mutation, his upbringing, his family. I was utterly lost in his stories and the way he told them with such passion and pride.

The conversation deepened and we talked about our fears and aspirations. What kept us up at night, and the little things that brought us joy. We had numerous fits of laughter, especially after he told me after all of his brother's pranks. "Mikey" seemed to be the troublemaker. I had already taken a liking to the mischievous brother .

He had just finished telling me the story of how Mikey had managed to create an "ice cream cat". I had never heard something so absurd before, and was practically rocking with laughter.

It was then that a thought struck me.
I didn't even know our vigilante's name.

Sitting up, I crossed my arms saying, "Now you've got to tell me."

"Tell you what?" He asked, confusedly.

"Your name. You promised."

  "I'm Leonardo." He sighed. "Sensei named me after the renaissance painter."

"Ooh I love his work!"

"Really?"

"No."

Leo rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Ooh!! I'm y/n!! I think I'm funny!!" He mimicked me in a high pitched voice.

"Shut up!" I laughed, punching his arm.
"Also, doesn't Leo mean lion?"

"Yeah. I like to think of myself as one."

"Yeah?" I murmured softly.

Leo nodded. "A brave leader who makes good decisions. I think Sensei knew what he was doing when he named me." He added.

"I like your mask. How come-" I began.

"No,no no."  He hushed,smiling. "We've talked too much about me. Tell me about you."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Leo, it's 4 AM."

He sprang up. Rubbing the back of his neck, he groaned, "Oh, I'm so sorry y/n! I've got to go. I'll walk you back, though."

"Don't worry. Me too." I said,smiling .

  I stood up and tried to find my balance after siting on stony,cold concrete for so long.

  He offered a three fingered hand, which I took and hopped onto the fire escape.

  Once I was safely inside my room, I leaned out of the window and waved a goodbye to Leo, who was already scaling the opposite building. He turned around and waved back, before evaporating into the city air.

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