Despite the late hour, the heart of New York remained alive and bustling. Tall buildings twinkled, their windows shining bright with the glow of late-night workers, toiling under tight deadlines. Because the city didn't stop, neither did its inhabitants. So focused on their task, no one noticed the green blur weaving its way in and out of the shadows.
Leo's patrol was supposed to help him keep his mind off you. Instead, he found it allowed him even more time to think. His face scowled. He couldn't believe you decided to move into Raph's room. Of all people, Raph! Of course, you had to choose the one brother he frequently butted heads with. He'd probably tell you that you were justified in your anger, that Leo had been entirely unreasonable and had stuck his nose where it didn't belong.
He frowned. Unfortunately, in this instance, Leo couldn't argue with that.
What could he do to make amends? Apologize? That was undoubtedly the best course of action. He let out a soft, defeated sigh. Honestly, it was probably too late to ask for forgiveness, but maybe you two could come to some sort of understanding. But what if you couldn't? What if you decided to completely shut him out forever?
His hands ran over his face as he groaned, uggghhh, of all the things he was skilled at, why couldn't resolving this issue be one of them?
An alarm sounded in the distance, and Leo noticed a handful of Foot soldiers emerging from a store.
Unsheathing his blades, he growled, "You're just in time, boys, I needed to blow off some steam."
He descended upon the unsuspecting group, erupting the alleyway into a cacophony of clanging metal. Leo could tell he was in a bad mood. Even with their overwhelming numbers, the ninjas didn't land a single blow on him. Each blade pointed in his direction was quickly cut down, and after a few minutes, their bodies laid scattered on the ground before him. Not dead, of course. Even with his rotten mood, Leo wasn't about to take a life unnecessarily. Another thing he and Raph disagreed about concerning Shredders underlings.
He sighed, prodding one body with his foot, "Jeez, I thought I'd work up some sort of sweat at least." Leo peered down at their motionless figures sadly, "What a waste of a life. You could be doing so much more than this..."
"Having issues with your brothers listening to you again, Leonardo?" A pair of soft feet landed delicately behind him. "Or is talking to the unconscious a new habit of yours?"
Leo recognized the owner's voice instantly. Karai. Oddly, her presence didn't conjure the butterflies he usually felt when she was near.
He straightened, tossing her an unamused glance, "Ha. Ha. Very funny."
Karai studied the back of his rigid form carefully. Something was off. Where was the blushing mess of a leader she was accustomed to seeing? Intrigued, she smirked and teased, "You know, you could always fight with us, instead of against us. Then you could talk to these men while they're still, I don't know, actually able to hold a conversation. Wouldn't that be thrilling?"
He clenched his hands into fists, "Better yet, why don't you join us? I've told you before, Splinter would gladly welcome you back." Leo turned to face her, "He's your father, Karai, not Shredder. Why can't you see that?"
She rolled her eyes, "This again? Aren't you getting a little tired of spouting this nonsense?"
He sighed. It was always the same thing, "At least consider joining our team, if nothing else. You could do so much good..."
She let out a disbelieving snort, "And be a goody-two-shoes like you? Pass. Unlike you, I'm free to do whatever I want. You should try it sometime."
Leo turned away from her in frustration and grumbled, "You know I can't."
"C'mon Leo, live a little. Feel what it's like to be on the dark side for once." Coming from behind, Karai ran her fingers across the lip of his shell, down his taut shoulders, "I promise you, it can be quite... liberating." She whispered against his neck, her voice rolling off her lips with seductive secrecy.
Leo's breath caught. She was close. This may have been the closest she'd ever come to him, other than when she was pressing a knife to his neck. Was she flirting with him? Bah, why did he have to be so bad at this kind of thing? Maybe he could ask you when he got ba-
He froze.
No, he couldn't ask you. Not while things were the way they were. And now he wasn't sure he'd ever get the chance since you absconded to Raph's room.
...What were you doing with him right now? Maybe you were curled up in his arms, seeking comfort, while Raph wiped the tears away from your face. Tears that Leo was responsible for.
He shouldn't have let you go. Not without having talked to you.
"Enough." He murmured.
"What was that?" Karai purred as she continued to brush her fingers across his skin.
"I said, enough!" Turning, he pushed her hand away. Karai's face twisted in bewilderment, and he immediately regretted his sudden outburst.
She jerked her hand back, offense clouding her porcelain features.
"Sorry, I-" His eyes dropped to the ground as he took a step back. Shaking his head he murmured, "I can't do this right now." Karai or not, he couldn't stand to be there a moment longer. Not when he should be back home making amends with you over his selfish behavior.
Before she could get another word in, he scaled the building walls and disappeared into the night.
"H-Hey! Wait!" Karai reached for his retreating figure, but he was gone. Her hands clenched in frustration.
What the hell?
———————————
Leo's feet flew across the city rooftops, each passing second was time wasted being apart from you. Reaching the lair, he immediately stormed Raph's room, flinging the door wide open.
Raph sat up from his bench and rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure, just come on in. Make yourself at home, why dontcha?"
She wasn't here. Why wasn't she here?
Raph huffed, "Ya know, you gotta lotta nerve showing up in here, especially after I just spent-" Leo didn't wait for him to finish that sentence before slamming the door on his face.
Mikey. Maybe she was with Mikey.
His mind was focused, he had to find you. Had to make things right.
Mikey was on the couch, two slices of double-stacked pizzas in his hands. The seat next to him - empty. The youngest looked at Leo with shock, cheese dripping from his too-full mouth as he asked, "Back alweady, bwo?! I thought you juft lef- Hey! Weo? Where you goin', man?!"
Leo ran towards Donnie's lab. She had to be there, where else could she be?!
The young scientist was found bent over his table, working on another tech project he'd conjured up. But no (Y/n). Leo was beginning to panic. Did she leave the lair?! What if the Foot got her?! It wasn't safe for her to be roaming around topside yet!
Donnie glanced up to see his brother's eyes frantically moving about the lab. "Leo? What's wrong?" It was rare to see his brother in such a state; it threw him off-guard for a moment.
"Have you seen (y/n)?!"
Donnie tilted his head, "Yes."
Leo's eyes lit up for a moment until he realized his brother wasn't going to elaborate. "And?!"
"And what?" Donnie went back to looking through the microscope at the small circuits he was patching together. "Please be specific." A silent chuckle passed beneath his breath, knowing full well what Leo was asking for. He didn't feel bad, considering how much hell Leo had put them through the last couple of days.
Marching over and grabbing him by the shoulders, Leo spun his brother around and shook him urgently, "Donnie for the love of- where IS she???"
Donnie pulled away, "Ok, all this..." he motioned towards Leo with his hands, "...needs to calm down. She's in the kitchen." He'd no sooner gotten the words out of his mouth before Leo sprinted out the door.
Donnie smirked. Geeze, finally!
—————————————
The nervous wreck of a leader paced just outside the kitchen door, having rushed there without formulating a plan. Should he start by apologizing? No, it would be better to start with an explanation of what a complete and total moron he had been - would likely continue to be. That this whole mess was entirely his fault, and that you, in no way, shape, or form, ever had to explain anything to him.
His fingers fidgeted nervously against each other. Of course, all this was subject to whether you even stuck around long enough to listen to him. Leo straightened. He had to try. Had to at least attempt to make things right again.
As he stepped through the barrier, any plans he had instantly turned to white noise.
You were hovering over the mixer, flour dusting your face and hair while your tongue poked out of your mouth in concentration. You had yet to notice Leo. He was ok with that, enjoying the ability to watch you in your chaotic little cooking world. The air was thick with an aroma he was unfamiliar with, but it smelled heavenly.
Ok, Leo, it's now or never.
He silently approached you, holding his breath as he drew near. You hummed a soft tune, and his face broke out into a smile at the familiar sound of your voice.
About a foot away, he cleared his throat, "Um, (y/n)?" Your back stiffened, and his heart sank. Part of him half expected you to bolt from the room.
Shutting the mixer off, you slowly turned to face him. He grinned at the mess running down the front of your apron, resisting the urge to wipe away the flour dusting your cheeks and nose.
"Hey." You waved nervously at him.
"Hey." He stammered back. There was a tense moment of silence between you. Taking a deep breath, Leo gently, cautiously took both of your flour ladened hands in his, noting the way your skin felt so much softer than his.
"(Y/n), look, I'm sorry."
He felt your fingers twitch ever so slightly as he continued, "You were right. I should never have pestered you to tell me something you didn't want to." He shifted on the balls of his feet, looking down at where your hands joined. "Sometimes, I get so overprotective of you, and... well, I'm not sure what happens." His cheeks tinged red with embarrassment. You remained silent, and he couldn't bring himself to look at you, afraid of what he'd read in your face, "I'm not proud of what I did, and, maybe saying sorry isn't enough. But I promise you, I won't bother you again about the lab incident or whatever happened with Mikey."
When you still didn't say anything, Leo was sure it was because you were too upset at him to speak. He tried to fill the silence, "I know, I'm a total idiot—a nosy idiot who gets in people's faces when things don't go my way. And I'll probably mess up again," He rolled his eyes, "definitely will mess up again. But I-"
His eyes widened as he felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck and pull him into a tight embrace. The air in his lungs froze as your body pressed against his. She-She's hugging me! Oh my gosh, she's hugging me! Does that mean-?
He pulled back slightly and looked down at you, unable to keep the pale blush from settling on his cheeks at the huge smile stretching across your face—that beautiful, warm smile of yours. Leo's stomach flipped and fluttered as his heart throbbed painfully against his chest. A reaction he was too distracted to understand.
His hands hovered awkwardly near your sides. Was this ok? Could he hold you as well? Tentatively, his hands settled on your hips. When you didn't pull away, his arms slid around your back and pulled you into a tight embrace, hugging you firmly against his chest. He let out a sigh of relief. He didn't realize just how much he missed you, missed this. You radiated light and comfort, like the sun, and slowly, he felt his fears melt away.
Nestling his nose into the crown of your head, Leo let himself be enveloped by that sweet, intoxicating scent of yours that he loved so much. He rested his forehead against yours, finally letting himself smile.
You looked up into his clear, beautiful blue eyes, "Leo..."
"Wait! Before you say anything..." He took a step back, letting his hands fall down your arms before settling on your hips. Your heart fluttered shamelessly. His face contorted into a mixture of emotions that only seemed to heighten how shaky and uncertain his voice was.
"I want you to stay..."
You tilted your head, "Stay?"
Leo scratched his cheek nervously before nodding, "With me. Please." His posture straightened as his voice regained some of its natural confidence, "I don't want you to be with anyone else. Please, stay with me... not Raph."
Your eyes widened, realizing what he was trying to say. You grinned sheepishly at him, "Oh, well, I'm glad to hear you say that 'cause... I kinda already put all my stuff back in your room. Eh-heh..."
"Wait, what?! I thought you moved your stuff in with Raph?!"
You twiddled your thumbs in embarrassment, "Yeeeaahh, about that... I sort of told him what I'd done, and he basically kicked me out of his room and told me to grow a pair and talk to you."
It wasn't a lie. After listening to a ten-minute explanation, complete with nose running and bouts of sobbing, Raph practically threw your bag of belongings at you, saying he wouldn't let you come back in until you had a proper conversation with his annoying brother.
Leo felt a pang of guilt for having doubted Raph's intentions. He made a mental note to thank him after this.
A ding went off. Whirling around, you grabbed two hot pads and removed the mystery item from the oven. Leo suddenly realized the heavenly aroma in the kitchen was due to you baking a cake. You fanned it briefly, placing it on the cooling rack before sheepishly turning back around to him, "So, anyway, I figured I should bake you an apology cake." You scratched your nose, "Ya know, for the way I've been acting as well."
"(Y/n), you did nothing wro-"
You placed your hand up, "Neither of us is innocent in this, Leo. I should have explained things a little further instead of snapping." You took a deep breath before continuing, "The thing is, I'm not sharing information with you because I promised Donnie and Mikey I wouldn't. That's all."
Leo shifted uncomfortably. You grinned, "And before you go wringing it out of them, I promise you, it's nothing bad, just personal."
Sighing with resignation, Leo looked at you and smiled, "Alright. I get it." Peeking around to the stove, he asked, "So, what's this apology cake you spoke of?"
Your eyes lit up, "It's a carrot cake." You fidgeted, suddenly nervous. "I wasn't sure what you liked, but," with a spatula, you swiped along the inside of the mixing bowl, taking a generous helping of the cream cheese frosting, "...do you wanna try a bite- AH! Shoot!" The sample began to slide off the spatula, but before it hit the ground, you quickly caught it in your outstretched hand.
Leo laughed, "Good save!"
You grinned and laughed with embarrassment, "Ugh! Sorry, I'll get you another bite."
Shaking his head, he chuckled, "No need." Gently, he grasped your wrist and pulled your hand to his mouth. Your breath caught as his tongue slowly slipped along your skin, quivering at the sweet tickling sensation that traveled across your palm.
Leo's other hand skimmed maddeningly slow around your waist as he pulled you closer. His tongue continued to ravish where the cream cheese had landed.
"L-Leo... I think you got it all..." you squirmed.
"Not yet." He whispered huskily, his breath hot against the wetness of your palm. His lips encased your fingers one by one as he diligently sucked the frosting off each member, earning a pleasure-filled gasp that accidentally tumbled from your lips.
Leo's body stiffened at the sound.
He immediately released you and stumbled back slightly, "Sorry I..."
The two of you blushed madly, unable to look at each other for the next few seconds.
Leo chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head as he mumbled, "Um, I guess you can say I liked it."
You stuttered, trying to regain control of your breathing, "You do?"
He nodded, "Yeah," His adam's apple bobbed slightly. "I like it a lot..."
His eyes found yours, two dark pools that held you captive and at the same time sucked the air from your lungs. You could feel your stomach tightening into knots, churning nervously as your cheeks continued to garner more heat. He's talking about the frosting, right? Right?!
Your words tumbled out drunkenly, your voice sticking to your throat like the scratch of cotton candy, "Would you, um, like some of the... the... you know..." Your fingers snapped, trying to conjure up what it was that you had just cooked. Helplessly, you looked up at him in the hopes he understood what you couldn't seem to articulate.
He grinned, "Yeah, I'd love some cake."