"Leo! What are you thinking?" Raph yelled.
"Look it's not as bad as you think." Leo argued.
"Leo, you brought a stranger into our home, how isn't that bad?" Donnie replied.
"Yeah dude! What if he steals our pizza" Mikey whimpered, protectively holding his pizza boxes close to his chest.
"Guys please trust me on this. He's the reason I managed to escape Shredder. He saved my life." Leo bargained, trying his hardest to get through to his brothers.
"What is happening here." Splinter said as he left the Dojo and encountered his sons having an argument.
"Sensei, Leo brought a stranger into the Lair. What if he's working for the Krang or even Shredder." Raph reasoned.
"Well, Leonardo?"
"Sensei, I promise you this guy isn't bad. The reason I'm able to even stand here now is because of him. Shredder would have killed me otherwise." Leo pleaded.
Splinter stared at Leonardo for a good minute, stroking his beard. He was always confident in his ability to detect a lie and this time around he couldn't see it. Leo was telling the truth.
"He can stay." Sensei added
"WHAT!" Raph,Donnie and Mikey all yelled. Leo just smiled.
"Look at him. He's clearly injured. He's not even conscious. It would be quite rude to turn him away in such a state. Therefore, he can stay until he recovers." Splinter says as he makes his way back to the Dojo. So Leo picks Damian up and carries him to his room all while his three brothers just watch his back before returning to whatever they were doing.
3 hours after Leo had brought Damian to the lair, he went to check up on the unconscious boy. Truthfully, he wasn't sure what to tell Donnie about how he got in that state. He just told them that Shredder knocked him out so Damian was given minimal medicine. Regardless, Leo couldn't stop himself from checking up on him every now and then.
The turtle entered his room to the sight of the boy still out cold. He moved closer to the sleeping figure and examined his features. The way strands of loose hair fell over the front of his face, the way his freckles seemed to glitter in the light, the way his lips were just a crack open as if inviting something in. Without realizing it, Leo found himself moving closer and closer to Damian until their faces were inches apart. When he came out of his thoughts, his face flushed tomato red.
He liked Damian, didn't he? That would explain the thoughts, the feeling of loneliness when they're apart, the desire to spend as much time as possible when they are together. Oh boy. Afraid of what he might do next, Leo left the room in search of someone to give him advice...
And as unbelievable as it may sound, Leo found himself talking to Donatello.
"Hey Donnie? I wanna ask you something."
"Sure Leo what is it?"
"When you first figured out you liked April, How'd you feel?"
Donnie's face turned a slight shade of red before answering.
"Well it makes me happy to be around her. I always want to do stuff with her. It all really revolves around the tingly feeling I get whenever I'm with her."
"I see."
"What's on your mind, Leo?" Donnie asked, turning away from his work bench
"I was just wondering when it'd be my turn to fall in love." Leo chuckled. He didn't want to lie but he had to. He wasn't sure if he'd be accepted.
"Don't worry Leo. I'm sure the one is out there for you." Donnie placed his hand on Leo's shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. All Leo hoped for was that the one for him was the person laying unconscious in his bed...
A complete day later, Damian stirred awake in Leo's bed. His eyes flickered open and the vision of a Space Heroes poster was the first thing he saw. His heart filled with warmth as he instantly figured out who's room he was in. He sat up in the bed and moved the strands of hair that were falling infront of his face. Coincidentally, as he sat up in the bed, Leonardo had entered the room.
Leo stopped in his tracks at the sight of Damian, awake and conscious. Leo couldn't remove his gaze from the boy. It took a little longer for Damian to finally notice that Leo was at the door but when he saw the turtle, he couldn't hold back a smile.
"Hey there, Blue. Cat got your tongue?" Damian teased at Leo's obvious loss for words. Without even thinking, Leo entered the room and lunged and Damian, wrapping him into a tight hug ."Please don't scare me like that again. I was so worried..." Leo said, his words muffled because his face was buried in Damian's neck.
Damian patted Leo's shell in reassurance.
"I promise. But hey at least we're both alive." Damian added. Leo pulled away from the hug and gave Damian a light punch on the shoulder.
"Come get something to eat, you must be starving." Leo said, ushering Damian to the door.
Damian sat at the kitchen table, munching on a slice of pizza...with 4 turtles just staring at him from across the table. Leo just watched Damian with a huge smile on his face. Raph stared daggers into Damian's soul. Donne gave him more of a questioning look that said,"How the hell did he recover so fast?"
Mikey...just looked at him because everyone else was.
"Umm sorry but I can't really eat with eyes on me." Damian muttered
"Ohh sorry about that. I was just surprised to see you recovered so fast." Donnie replied.
"Yeah I get that a lot." Damian joked. It was then that Damian's realized that Leo hadn't told his brother's anything about him or their meetings, so he decided to play along.
"I'm Damian by the way."
"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Damian. The name's Mik-HMM?" Mikey was interrupted by Raphael's hand over his mouth.
"You're not freaked out by a bunch of mutants like us?" Raphael asked.
"Why would I be." Damian replied.
"Just curious. Name's Raphael." Raph said, removing his hand from Mikeys mouth.
"Hey! No fair! I wanted to be first. But anyway. Michelangelo here but call me MC Mikey." Mikey added shortly before Raph gave him a slap on the back of the head.
"Donatello. I usually go by Donnie." Donnie added.
Damian turned to Leo, pretending to not know who he is.
"And you, Blue?" Damian asked.
"Ohh uhh I'm Leonardo but call me Leo" Leo stuttered, a small blush rising to his face at the mention of his old nickname.
"Well I'd love to stay and chat but I gotta continue monitoring the Kraang." Donatello added.
"And I gotta continue annoying Donnie WHILE he's monitoring the Kraang." Mikey said as he followed Donnie out.
"I'm gonna go do some training then." Raphael said as he left the room, leaving just Leo and Damian there.
"You didn't tell them?" Damian asked
"Tell them what?" Leo replied.
"That you know me?"
"Well how could I just say that I've been sneaking out to see you."
"They didn't question how you found me?"
"I just told them that you distracted Shredder, which gave me enough time to escape and pick you up after he supposedly 'knocked you out.' I mean how do I explain that you struck him with freaking lightning. I'd sound crazy."
"Fair point. You think they'll catch on?"
"They person I'm worried about is Donnie. He's smart enough to connect the dots."
"Regardless, we gotta come clean soon enough. I have a feeling that Raphael might already be onto us." Damian said.
Unknown to them, just at the entrance of the kitchen door was Raphael, silently listening to their conversation.
_______________________________________
Raphael sat in the living room going over the conversation he had just overheard. Leo had been sneaking out regularly to go see this guy? Why though? If he wanted someone to talk to, he had his brothers. What about this 'Damian' made him so special.
"Hey Raph." Donnie called. He had just left his lab.
"Any news on the Kraang?" Raph asked.
"Nothing new." Donnie sighed.
"Hey Donnie?"
"What's up Raph?"
"Has Leo asked you anything weird lately? "
"Well there was this one time he asked about me liking April."
"What'd he ask?"
"He just asked what it felt like to have a crush cuz he was wondering when he'd find someone he'd have a crush on."
"I see..." Raph added before he noticed Damian and Leo walk onto the living room with Mikey.
"Damian bro you're so cool." Mikey said.
"Thanks Mikey. You're pretty cool yourself." Damian replied.
"Score!" Mikey yelled, making Damian's and Leo laugh.
Leo took notice of Raph and Donnie first and decided to greet them.
"Hey guys. What you up to?"
"Well Raph was just asking me abou- MMM?!"
"Nothing much just checking in on Donnie" Raph added with his hand over Donnie's mouth.
"OK... Is there anything good on TV?"
"Space Heroes is on in 10." Donnie added, finally free from Raph's grasp.
"Sweet!" Leonardo exclaimed as he took a seat on the sofa. He waved his hand over to Damian, beckoning him to take a seat next to him. With just a smile, Damian followed him and sat down next to the blue turtle...
20 minutes into the show, Raphael couldn't hold back his curiosity.
"Say, Damian, was it?"
"What's up?"
"I really want to know how a regular guy, managed to survive a blow from the Shredder and live to tell the tale."
"Raph!" Leo called before Damian put his hand infront of his face.
"It's fine Leo. Raph, what exactly do you mean?"
"Shredder's a fighter even Splinter is afraid of. So how is it that a regular guy just happens to be able to distract a trained ninja long enough for Leo to escape?" Raph questioned. Damian just laughed as a response.
"You're smarter than you look, Raph. I guess the cat's outta the bag." Damian looks towards Leo who sighs and just nods.
"I've known Leo for weeks before this. We used to meet up and chat. That's why I wasn't surprised when I met you guys. As for how Leo escaped Shredder, let's just say I'm a special type of person. It'll be better if I show you. Raph can you stand up?" Damian asked.
Intrigued by this, Raphael stood up.
"Alright, I'm gonna face away from you. Whenever you feel like it, I want you to throw your weapon at the back at my head."
"What?"
"Just trust him Raph." Leo added. Damian turned to face away from Raph. He decided wait 7 seconds before launching his weapon at him. What Raphael wasn't prepared for was when the weapon stopped dead in it's tracks, midair, less than 10 cm from Damian's head. Damian turned around and grabbed the suspended weapon.
"That's not all I can do but I'm a bit exhausted to show the rest so I'll just explain. I'm what most people call an Asgardian. So, as you have seen, I have powers. As for what happened to Shredder, Leo was able to escape because I hit him with lightning and well me and lightning don't mix too well. That explains why I was knocked out." Damian finished as he took a look at the turtle's faces. Leo was unfazed. Raph and Donnie looked shocked and Mikey looked like his brain exploded.
"I know it's a lot to take in but I can guarantee that I'm not lying. Leo can vouch." Damian added.
Hir brothers turned to him and Leo just closed his eyes and nodded.
"Like I said, if it weren't for Damian, I'd be dead." Leo said.
After a minute or two, Raph stood up and walked to towards Damian.
"I don't say this often but... Thanks for saving our brother." Raph extended his hand towards Damian. Damian smiled and took it.
"No worries. He's made too big of an impact in my life for me to let him die." Damian replied, which made Leo turn slightly red. Raph then proceeded to pull Damian into a hug, unexpected for a man of his character.
"You better treat my older brother right or so help me I'll shove my Sai so far up your-" Raph tried saying silently
"RAPH!" Leo called, his face now beet red...
A few hours later, Damian eas preparing to head home. He was sitting in the living room with Leo. Leo wasn't really in the moment. His face was full of sadness at the fact that Damian had to leave so soon. As for Damian, he hated seeing his friend so down so he did what he thought was best to cheer him up. Damian wrapped his right arm around Leo's back and pulled him against his shoulder.
"Cheer up Leo. I've got your number so we can talk at anytime."
"I know...it's just not the same as the real thing, you know?"
"I guess. But hey, remember what I said? Call for me and I'll be there." Damian reassured Leo. Feeling comforted by his words, Leo dropped his head onto Damian's shoulder.
Damian, caught completely off guard by Leo's advance, glowed bright red and he turned away from the sight because it was too cute to handle.
"Oh get a room you two!" Raph called, immediately making Leo and Damian separate with red faces.
An awkward moment later, Damian stood up and headed towards the exit, alongside Leo.
Leo escorted Damian to the surface where they parted ways.
"Until next time! Oh and tell your brothers I said thanks for having me!" Damian called as he turned to make his way home, leaving Leo a smiling mess on the rooftops.
"Dear God, I really like him don't I?" Leo questioned himself as he retreated back to the Lair...