Chapter Text
Tomorrow is another day
And when the night fades away
You'll be a man, boy!
But for now it's time to run, it's time to run!
Leo remembers telling his brothers one night, if he ever dies, he wants to go out with this song. It would be heroic, epic, and would fit his vibe well. Besides, he loved Woodkid, and this song has been one of his favourites for approximately 6 years already! His brothers groaned in unison, making jokes about it, cause why would he wanna go out in such a sappy way?
Later on though, Donnie looked at him, like... really really looked at him while Raph and Mikey fell asleep next to them. "Don't go away soon" the youngest whispered, patting Mikey's head in his sleep. "As cool as that song would be, we still need you yaknow.”
Leo promised he wasn’t planning to go. They're young, just barely turned 16, they have a whole life ahead of them. When the time comes, when he is a lot older and less afraid, it would be epic to have a heroic falldown. But, he doesn't want to go yet.
He doesn't want to go yet…
In the chaos filled fight, this is what kept repeating in Leo's head. He doesn't want to go yet! He is just 16! He should have a whole life ahead of himself! He shouldn't be fighting for his life with his friend by his side.
Instead of living his best life, he was pinned against a wall by Shredder, one of his claws deep into his left side, going clean through his plastron, insides, and his shell. His feet didn't reach the ground as it hit him, and he could do nothing but choke on a scream.
The pain was blinding, but he barely had time to recover from the impact, when Shredder's other hand grabbed Leo by his throat, pressing down tightly. He gasped for air, while tears finally fell from his eyes. He'd been holding them in for a long time today, and was past at least two panic attacks. He deserved this much at the end.
This wasn't as heroic as he wanted it to be, but this did the job at least. His family will be safe after all...
"YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME?! You're nothing more than a PATHETIC kid trying to play the hero! I CANNOT BE DEFEATED!" The Shredder roared, pressing down tighter on Leo, who tried to claw away the hand closing around his throat. He felt light headed, weak, and his legs were shaking. His vision was blurring, from tears or lack of oxygen, he didn't know anymore.
"Y-you don't understand it o-old man.." Leo gasped, and saw movement behind Shredder. A blur of blue finally stood up, and with all his force, threw something towards the two of them. Leo chuckled. It was a pained, tired one, preparing for the weight that was about to crash down on him. Literally.
"You already lost w-when you walked into our trap…"
Shredder couldn't even mutter out a 'what' before things went haywire. Leo brought up his shaking legs and kicked at Shredder with all the force the boy could muster, sending the towering man straight against the bomb thrown at them. It landed on Shredder’s back, going off immediately. Leo was freed from his stab, and as he collapsed on the ground, a chain reaction started around the huge crater they've been in. More and more bombs went off right above the three of them, and what was supposed to be Times Square collapsed as its last pillars were blown up.
Leo felt his friend trying to get them away, past the finally injured Shredder, but he already knew this was the end. He didn't want to go yet...
Even as they ran, hearing Shredder's cries of pain as he was squished under hundreds of tons of debris, they didn't make it far before a piece of the concrete street fell on top of the two friends as well.
He didn't want to go yet...
Leo couldn't breath, and he felt his shell crack under the heavy weight. He cried as he felt the pressure getting tighter and more suffocating, until his shell finally gave in, breaking open completely.
He didn't want to die yet…
Exactly 173 and a half days ago…
Having siblings is something only people with siblings will understand.
To put it “simply”, it's like a roommate you can't get rid of, plus you can't berate their parents for raising such an incompetent idiot, because they were your parents just as much.
It's either having bullies stuck with you, or the greatest friends you could ever ask for. They're brutally honest and annoying, borrowing your stuff all the time, invading your privacy. Yet, they're the loyal assholes who will punch anyone in the face if they'd try to hurt you. Yeah, try and understand this.
Against all shenanigans, in better cases, siblings love each other.
Leo knew this. He knew his siblings loved him. Heck, they showed it every time they got into trouble, and they were open about how much they cared. Anyone who tried to get to one of them badly, got a taste from the other three of why they shouldn't mess with the bros.
He was grateful for that. He was grateful for them.
But despite all this, it didn't help how much he hated them at the moment for sending him on a solo mission to retrieve and hide away a possibly dangerous object that TCRI wanted to get its hands on.
"It's better if only one of us knows where the key is," Donnie explained after an hour of discussing what Leo and April found out recently from an inward spy from TCRi, who worried just as much about this “key”. Before they could find him and question the guy though, he had been in an accident and passed away. Accident. None of them believed it.
Now it was up to them to somehow get the key before the mysterious company, who didn't leave them alone in the past one and a half years since their first encounter and always tries to snatch one of them away.
"So what, if they capture us only one of us gets to be tortured for actual information?" Mikey asked sarcastically, crossing his arms and leaning back on his chair.
"No, if they capture and torture us, only one of us can spit out the truth! And if at least 3 of us don't know, and we say different things, it might confuse them about the truth, and they might think we don't know anything about the key." Donnie explained, which didn't calm anyone down.
"Somehow that's even worse…" Groaned Raph, pressing his face into his palms.
"Well, if you have a better idea, please tell us. But I am already calling for younger privileges on the mission, therefore I don't want to go!"
This made everyone groan even louder, simultaneously.
"That is not fair! We should draw our names from a hat, then fate can decide who has to go." Leo suggested, but Raph quickly slid next to his blue brother, and shushed him.
"Oooor,” he started, patting Leo's back "We can make the leader go, since he is the eldest and most responsible one!"
"Wait-"
"I agree!" Mikey yelled immediately, and Donnie nodded along with a grin
"You heard it ‘Nardo!" Raph picked Leo up from his chair, and made him stand up "Solo mission for you tonight, we will get you a pizza in return or whatever"
And Leo protested! He tried honestly, but when his little brothers wanted something from him, it was almost impossible to get out of that.
It was actually weird. He wasn't much older from them, only in some minutes - except for Donnie, who hatched a week later from the rest - yet he somehow became the eldest. He wasn't the strongest, nor the smartest, or even the most fun one with the good vibes. He was awkward with zero confidence, liked to pretend he was Batman, and he knew he was a goody two shoes who liked to avoid trouble.
He was... the responsible one usually. Who somehow always came up with a plan, or tried to figure out who could do something from the team in a dire situation. He kept the team together and their spirits up, and tried to make sure they got out of every mission alive.
He was the one who always gave in when conflicts rose about what to watch. He listened to all his siblings' shenanigans, while always trying to be either the listening ear, or the one who could give them advice.
He didn't feel like he could do much without them, and every time he got separated from them in missions, this feeling intensefied.
The brothers agreed on one thing though: the less people know about this Krang summoning key thing, the better. That's why it had to be a solo mission. Leo had to hide this key from TCRI, and any other possible bad guys wanting to take over the world, and keep it a secret from everyone.
As he was lamenting this whole sibling thing, he finally entered the abandoned building from a huge gaping hole on the glass roof. Inside the cold hangar, there was soft music playing from a long forgotten radio just casually left at the far edge.
He quietly jumped from stairs to pipes onto machines he didn't know what they could be used for when the place was still active, staying in the shadows, silent like the ninja he was.
“Go down to the second level, then follow a pipe with the marking PRT-040627 towards the East”
That's what Donnie said, and Leo followed the instructions without a problem. The pipes around him were rusty, their paint faded mostly, but he managed to make out the coded name. He silently walked atop the pipe, not risking to accidentally get spotted in the open, lattice-stairs.
“When you reach the wall, follow the stairs down to the left, and go straight through the alleyway there.”
Leo did just that, his heart hammering in his chest. The alleyway was dark, littered with graffiti and trash, before the place had been bought by an unknown person neither Donnie nor April could track down. The place has been guarded since, but only on the outside. Better safe than sorry, Leo had to stay silent.
“On the other side, as far as I managed to gather information, there should be an old glass office within the building, but the inside of it had been emptied completely. Not even stairs. You’ll have to climb it from outside. On the top, you have to be careful though, because some glass can and will open when you step on it. If my research is correct, the key should be on top of that.”
Leo reached the room, and had to stop for a second. First to admire the view, then to realize how careful he had to be.
The roof here was missing completely, but Leo couldn't have come down here safely, that's why he had to use a different route. The Glass Office, while still intact, had a lot of missing pieces, whether they were doors, windows or simply the wall itself, and it had been thrown around the room. Sharp, broken pieces were everywhere, and it didn't help that there was a huge puddle of water in the middle of the room. Plants settled inside the entire space, the humidity of the room and how it stored the water probably helped them grow freely. Some pipes from the previous room continued here, and two of those went through the Office as well, coming from above the alleyway and taking a sharp left turn towards the glass structure.
It was a mesmerising sight if he was being honest. He really liked to see when life grew back into an abandoned place, and the way the Moon shone down on it all tonight made it all the better.
Leo stayed behind some bushes, observing the room, whipping out his phone to take a quick picture, then started to plan how he could safely get around the debris.
He was mapping his way towards his destiny, when he heard quiet but fast steps on the pipes above him.
His hands flew up to his katanas, gripping them tight, and watched with a sudden rush of adrenaline who might be here.
One of the pipes which went towards the Office rattled under the weight of someone atop, almost at the turn for Leo to see the other intruder. Because technically, Leo was an intruder as well.
He took out Per, his katana ready to be thrown at the unknown person, but when said person came into view, Leo froze.
The intruder moonwalked to the turn, did a back flip, landed smoothly on the pipe and turned around all in the same motion. The person wore a dark blue hoodie, but the hood slid down during the flip, and revealed a white furred… mutant?
He looked like a bunny, with long ears down on each side of his head, two silver earrings hanging from the left one. He had white hair on his right side that ended in dark blue locks, barely reaching under his septum pierced snoot. There seemed to be dark freckles on his cheeks, and his deep brown eyes shone in the moonlight as he looked up to the sky.
The blue hoodie had its arms ripped off, revealing thin but muscular arms. His hands had fingerless gloves, looking mismatched both in form and colour. He wore some kind of light brown baggy shorts that were littered with black and white X drawings. He had some really cool looking high boots, each covered with doodles and some gadgets Leo couldn't quite see from this distance due to the shadow casting down onto it.
The person crouched down, while Leo kept watching him with curiosity and maybe in awe because he had never seen a bunny mutant before. His heart somehow beat faster, which he didn't understand why. Adrenaline, duh? Don't overthink - he berated himself in his head.
As he kept watching, he saw some yellow orbs hanging from some chains on his side, and a gun resting in a pocket. This made Leo's stomach turn into anxious knots, but he decided to stay and observe for now. This was another mutant after all, he didn't know what to expect, but he hoped for the best.
The bunny boy - at least for Leo it looked like a boy - took out his earbuds, and pocketed them. He took out a notebook from a small bag, and examined some pages, looking around the eerie place. After a heartbeat, his gaze settled on the Glass Office ahead. As the unknown mutant closed the notebook, and started to head towards Leo's destination, he realized something.
Whoever this person was, he was after the key as well.
Leo slapped his forehead, not understanding why he didn't think of that earlier. He ran after the mutant, following his mental map of the safe-route as much as possible, while the other gracefully hopped up onto a lattice balcony next to the Office.
Leo reached the Office, and started to climb up as fast as possible, wanting to reach the top before the bunny figured out how to climb. Leo couldn't see through the old, dirty glass completely, but he did see a blur of blue climbing on the other side, just a bit further up from Leo's position, so he willed himself to go faster.
He reached the top, and put on a frosted glass block was the key Leo was looking for. It looked like a concrete capsule with some sick designs on it. Leo ran, hoping not to fall through the roof into the office.
He didn't pay attention to his surroundings, his sole focus on the key and getting out as fast as possible. Probably the same happened to the bunny, because neither noticed the other, until both mutants grabbed the key at the same time.
Leo's blue eyes met dark brown ones, and both mutants froze in their tracks, gaze locked onto each other.
Well woaw… Leo's stomach did a flip. He felt exactly like when he first spotted April, just ten times stronger. He didn't think he could fall head over heels for someone after 10 seconds of seeing them, not after April's friend zoning around a year ago, but here he fucking was.
Leo's gaze wandered a bit down, and now he could clearly see those dark freckles on the white fur, and black dirt smudged here and there. Dark circles crept around those beautiful eyes, clearly the bunny wasn't sleeping enough, and-
Leo didn't know how many seconds or even minutes passed, but the bunny - who looked just as awestruck as Leo - finally moved a step back. Before Leo could say something, the glass window under the mutant titled, and he started to fall down with a loud yelp.
The key stayed in Leo's left, while his right one immediately went after the falling bunny, and managed to grab his hand in time. They looked at each other again, and Leo cracked a shy smile while pulling the mutant up.
When both of them were finally standing again, Leo took a step back to give the bunny space, but this caused the glass under them to tilt towards Leo, and the other slid and crashed onto him before any of them could react. They fell backwards, the rabbit on top of the turtle, and their snoots accidentally met.
They both stared at each other wide eyed, and Leo swore he saw a blush appear on the hare’s freckled cheeks. Before he could say anything though, the other groaned loudly, and shoved Leo away. “UGH- BITE ME!” He yelled, seemingly embarrassed by whatever the shell just happened.
The rabbit slid back on his knees, making sure to get some distance away from Leo, and whipped the gun out from his pocket. “WHO SENT YOU! ARE YOU WORKING FOR TCRI?!” He yelled again, pointing the gun at Leo with one hand, while the other reached for his hood and pulled it over his head.
Leo panicked, and immediately put his hands up in protest “N-NO! I am-”
“Wait, aren't you the turtle teen who saved New York and stuff?” The hare interrupted him with a sudden recognition, lowering the gun, but not putting it away just yet.
“Yes!” Leo smiled, but realized how squeaky his voice was from the emotional roller coaster he was going through. He cleared his throat and sat up “I'm the ninja turtle hero thing of New York o-or something like that” he reached one hand out, even though he realised how lame he probably sounded. Wow. Smooth as shell Leonardo.
The other didn't seem to mind though. “Pheww, I'm glad in that case” he chuckled, and put his gun away, which made Leo let out a breath he didn't know was holding. The hare stood up, and dusted himself “I just came to get the key, because I heard TCRI wants to get their gloved hands on this... thing, which probably means trouble.”
Leo smiled, his eyes literally sparkling. He stood up, and massaged the back of his neck awkwardly “Ohmygod, this is a weird coincidence, I came here because of that as well!”
The bunny raised an eyebrow, and Leo blurted out the first question that came to his mind-
“Soooo you're not a villain or anything like that, right?”
-aaaaand he immediately wanted to slap himself shut. He did it mentally at least.
The rabbit just… stared at Leo for some moments, then laughed.
“Nahhh, I don't wanna mess with the world or innocent people, just wanna ruin TCRI by any means possible” He waved his hand, and a mischievous smile appeared on his face that just made Leo blush. “Although I am a criminal because of that, I hope you can forgive me for it.”
Leo was definitely taken aback by the criminal title, but it's not like he had never stolen from shops and people before.
“I’m not a saint either, so don't worry about it!” Leo waved it off with a laugh “You don't hurt innocents and that's what matters I think?”
“Duh? Glad to hear I won't be on your who-to-catch-next list.”
Leo smiled, and nodded along with a silent agreement. Awkward silence fell upon the two, and Leo was about to fall back into simply staring at the rabbit, taking in every detail he could, when the other spoke.
“Sooo, wanna hand over the key? I kinda saw it first?” The rabbit suggested, holding out his hand expectantly.
Leo blinked dumbfoundedly, and looked down at the key, then back at the other mutant.
“I uh…” he cleared his throat, then tried to put on a confident hero play, his voice mimicking Batman as usual. “As protector of New York, I should be the one handling the situation, and hiding the key from villains!” he smiled, showing the key proudly to the mutant, then taking it closer to himself, hoping he can settle the situation with this.
“...Was that a really bad Batman impression?”
Leo faltered immediately, his entire face feeling hot in shame “Gosh I am so bad at this…” he mumbled, and couldn't look at the bunny in front of him.
To his surprise, instead of getting a mocking comment about his impression, the rabbit doubled down with a smirk and a laugh.
“Don’t worry Blue, I'm crazy! Got a doctor's note~”
Holy shit. Leo didn't think he could immediately like someone even more and willingly ignore said person
“W-was that a Jinx impression?” Leo asked, knowing damn well that was a Jinx impression indeed. He had played LOL with Donnie for years, and watched Arcane way too many times.
“What can I say?” The rabbit smirked, and stepped closer to Leo “You're not the only big fat hero here, Batman.” Before Leo even realised what was happening, the key was snatched away from his hand, and the mutant put space between them, already turning to walk away “Though you shouldn't get your hands dirty with thi- SHIT!”
The idiot forgot about the tilted glass he fell through previously, and stepped into the gaping hole smoothly, falling once more. Leo reached again, but could only grab at the hand that held the key, and it stayed in his hand, while the rabbit managed to grab the edge of the now standing on 90 degree window.
“Are you okay??” Leo asked as he reached his free hand down to pull the other up again “Also did you really forget this was here or are you trying to fall on purpose? Most people use doors to leave!”
“I kinda forgot, my attention was not here anymore” The bunny chuckled, looking up at Leo, then looking around the inside of the office “I’ll be honest, the view is great from here, wanna see?”
Leo rolled his eyes with a smile “I like the view from here honestly” he replied, thinking about the hangar and the office, but the way the other suddenly looked up with a raised eyebrow, Leo realized it could be interpreted in a different way.
“W-wait oh shell I didn’t mean it that way!” He blushed, stuttering with his words “Not like you’re not great looking b-but I meant the the the hangar and the office and-”
The mutant boy just laughed “Dude, you’re just making it worse”
Leo groaned, feeling humiliated, but still reached a hand down “Just come up already”
“I thought you liked the view” the bunny smirked “Besides, why pull me up when you can join me!” and with that, the glass was kicked out from under Leo, who fell with a shriek, managing to grab onto the tilting glass edge, but he dropped the key with that. The other swung himself, then jumped after the key. The bunny catched it, and landed on one of the pipes under them “Told you it’s a great view!” he chuckled, and started to run away.
Leo just watched for a moment, completely stunned. The other was fast, smooth, and a quick thinker, but he was all bark no bite as it seemed. Could’ve gotten rid of him, yet… They were seemingly playing with Leo. He chuckled, and swung himself towards the pipe the bunny was on, hoping to land hard enough to rattle it.
The moment he landed, the whole pipe shook, and the rabbit slipped, not expecting Leo to follow him. He balanced himself enough to stay on the pipe, but he fell to his side. With that, the key fell out of his hand, and Leo wasted no time. He jumped over the other, grabbing the key mid-air, and landed smoothly this time on the other side.
“I’m the night and vengeanceeee~” Leo whispered to himself, but it was loud enough for the bunny to hear.
A loud crack interrupted Leo’s small victory, and the pipe under him tilted. “Oh shell-” he muttered, then he was falling once more. All he could do was grab for something, which was the bunny’s extended hand.
The piece of pipe landed about 6 meters under them with a loud clank, and Leo looked up sheepishly to a smirking mutant.
“What did you say Batman? I couldn't quite hear your victory singing a moment ago.”
“I don't know, but we should really stop falling around” Leo suggested, but the bunny single handedly lifted him up onto the still intact pipe, and snatched the key away before he could even recover.
“Speak for yourself, Ao!” The bunny snickered, and jumped to the glass wall to slide down.
“Oh you little shit-” Leo snickered, and followed the bunny with a rush of adrenaline pumping in his veins.
What was that saying about the turtle and the hare? Slow and steady wins the race? Leo wasn't sure if this could apply to mutants, but he kept it in mind as the two teenagers chased each other around the place.
Leo snatched back the key, and tried to make a run for the alley, but the hare danced into his view and took it back. Leo then used a nearby rock, and with it threw the key out of the bunny’s grasp. The key fell into the water, and both mutants ran after it.
It was kind of funny. There was no bite in this whole interaction, and soon both of them were laughing at how silly the whole situation was.
Once the key was out of the water, grabbed by a lucky Leo, this dance around the hangar continued. It was a dance and not a chase, because both of them had to pay attention to all the debris and broken glass, so each step, while fast, was calculated.
The bunny smirked with the challenge of getting closer to Leo, who still had that mental map in his head about where it was safe to step, therefore he could turn around to face his opponent while trying to actively get away.
The bunny jumped into an opening, and Leo changed directions immediately. Another bounce, followed by Leo's dodge. On the third try, the hare managed to step close enough to get a hold on the key, but Leo didn't let go this time, and pulled it away. The bunny still held on, and now they were in each other's space. Leo was half a head taller than the teen in front of him, so he put his hand up high to get the key out of reach for the other.
The other mutant didn't give up though, and jumped up to get a hold on the key, with success. Leo still held his hand up though, against the heavy weight, so the boy decided to climb Leo.
Leo was still walking backwards, but he suddenly slipped, and lost his balance. The two teens fell into the bushes Leo was hiding in not long ago, and they both groaned in pain.
When Leo looked up, the boy was smiling down at him, crouched down on his plastron, waving the key above Leo's head.
“You should improve your game, Batman.” He smiled down, mischief screaming from his entire posture.
“Not bad for someone so short.” Leo huffed, and he really meant it. It had been a while since he had this much fun during a mission, especially without his brothers.
The bunny looked downright offended at being called short, but their banters were cut short with a loud bang and a yell.
“WHO'S THERE?! THIS IS PRIVATE PROPERTY!”
Both teenagers looked at the other side of the hangar, where a guard entered… with a gun held up defensively.
“Okay it's time to run-” Leo whisper-yelled, picking up the boy and gently throwing him off of his plastron so he could stand up and run towards the alleyway. Once Leo was up, he grabbed the other mutant by the arm, and pulled him towards the exit as well. The guard only saw the movement, and made his way towards them in fast, heavy steps.
“Why are we running? I thought you were a hero or something?” the boy asked, snatching his hand away from Leo's hold but keeping up the run by his side.
“Just because I'm a hero doesn't mean I’m allowed to sneak into a restricted private property to steal away a possible weapon!”
They made it to the other side of the alley, and started to climb up towards the exit.
“Why?” the other asked, genuinely confused “How are you supposed to fight crime if you're not allowed into these types of places?”
“That's not how the law works!” Leo yelled, half in a panic attack from getting caught like this.
“You look stressed” the bunny snickered, jumping up onto a pipe just when the guard got out of the alleyway.
Leo was grabbed by his belt, and the bunny pulled him up onto the pipe.
“I know a shortcut!” was all the explanation Leo got before they were running off to an unknown part of the building.
As they ran in the dark halls, Leo wanted to take a turn to the right to a promising door, but the bunny quickly shoved him in the other direction. "Trust me-” the hare told him, then took one of the yellow orbs off from his belt, and stopped in his tracks.
The moment the guard showed up from the corner, he swung the orb towards the guy.
"BITE ME!"
Leo heard the wicked, mischievous yell, and when he looked back, he got the perfect picture of the guard getting hit with the orb, which then produced a small explosion, covering everything in a cloud of colourful glitter.
With a triumphant giggle, the boy ran after Leo to lead the way out through a ventilation, the guard still coughing and wheezing in the background from the sudden glitter bomb he was greeted with.
They kept running, even after getting out of the ventilation system outside the property, and ran for a block or two, then climbed up on the first fire exit they found. On the roof, they finally stopped, and sat down.
Leo was evening his breath, trying to process everything that just happened.
“Glitter bomb? Really??” He had to ask. It was so absurd and funny.
“You gotta protect yourself in style~” The other chuckled, laying down on the ground for a second. "Sooooo... wanna continue our banter about who hides the key away from assholes who want to wipe the world out? If yes then give me a second to catch my breath.”
Leo laughed, bringing his knees up to lean on it, watching the key set between the two of them. His gaze then drifted to the bunny boy, who closed his eyes and tried to even out his breathing, clearly getting tired.
“You really just want to get this away from TCRI?” Leo asked, taking the key up slowly, examining it finally.
It was a small, dark grey cylindrical object with light grey, abstract, embossed patterns and a fractured and blemished surface. Both ends of the key and its backside had symbols, and somehow, it created the illusion of two eyes on a weird face for Leo. Why was this thing called a key anyways?
“Do I really look like someone who wants world domination? Nah bruh, that sounds like too much responsibility. I just want this… thing hidden so I can sleep peacefully.”
Leo looked at the boy, lamenting for a moment.
“And you have a place set up to hide this away?”
“Yepp”
“Then…” Leo handed over the key, waiting for the boy to take it “I trust you”
“Wait what-” The hare sat up and looked at the key, then up at Leo.
“You kinda saved me there from the guard and got us both out. You weren't trying to actively take me out so… I trust you. You seem to know what you're doing.”
Leo placed the key to the bunny's hand, then held his empty one out.
“I'm Leo, by the way. Leonardo fully, I… I don't really have a full name honestly.”
The boy looked at the key again, now in his hands finally, and blinked at Leo. He seemed unsure for a moment, but he took Leo's hand for a shake in the end.
“Uhh… Usagi. Miyamoto Usagi Yuichi”
Usagi… the name sounded familiar to Leo, but couldn't pinpoint it.
“Woaw, you're Japan?”
“Yes, but if you're gonna ask what's my favourite anime I'm gonna bite you!” He threatened, putting the key away in his bag “Just because I am Japanese doesn't mean I watch anime!”
Le nodded with a smile, hands put up in light defense “Alright, noted. That means you never even watched anime though?”
Usagi watched Leo for a moment, searching his face with a dramatic pout. “...I liked Cowboy Bebop” He grumbled, crossing his arms and looking away “But Spirited Away traumatized me as a kid, so I have mixed feelings about anime”
“Okay yeah that's totally fair” Leo nodded, while slowly getting up finally “That one was traumatizing for me too. My little brother made me watch it when we were 8, and I had nightmares for weeks.”
Usagi had the audacity to laugh at it, and stood up as well. “Aren’t you like the fearless leader of your team or something equally sappy?”
Leo blushed in embarrassment, and looked away “S-shut up” He lightly whined “You also said it traumatized you!”
“Yeah but only because I didn't know what it was when I found the pirated dvd. The only thing the cheap disk had on it was the title. You should've known what you're signing up for if your brother made you watch it!”
And as they started to run away again, hopping from one rooftop to another, they kept up this teasing. It felt natural, light-hearted, and Leo couldn't stop smiling at Usagi. This mutant boy was one chaotic mess, and Leo liked it.
They finally reached Brooklyn, and hopped down to a dark alley.
“So you guys really just went to high school after saving the city?” Usagi asked after he landed smoothly on top of a garbage container.
“Sure we did!” Leo landed on the ground with a crouch, and stood up with a shrug “Only times we regret it is when we get a bunch of homework all at once, but otherwise we really enjoy it”
“You are total nerds for that” Usagi snickered, sliding down from the container
“Alright, I'm gonna head to the East from here. You sure you don't wanna join?”
Leo shook his head “No, the less people know about it, the better. And again, I trust you. Just… let me know if they find it somehow?”
Usagi nodded, then eyed Leo for some moments, swinging from one leg to another, thinking. Under Usagi’s observing gaze, Leo couldn't help but look down, and he kept his focus on Usagi's boots. The front was mismatched, one being black with a JINX scribbled on it with some white paint, while the other had a black smiley face drawn on it. Huh, everything he wore seemed custom made, he'd be a great cosplayer-
“Do you have discord?”
Leo blinked, and looked up.
“What?”
“Discord? Like… to chat maybe? And to let you know if something happens with the key?”
Leo was taken aback for a moment. Gosh, talking with someone??? As cool and awesome as Usagi??? He nodded happily.
“Yes! Yes I have discord!” He beamed, and stepped closer as Usagi pulled his battered phone out from his bag.
“Aight, what's your username?” Usagi asked, ready to send Leo a request.
He blushed again, and silently held his hand out to write it down himself, cause it was embarrassing to say it out loud. Usagi handed him the phone, and Leo quickly typed it in, hoping the other won't see his username until he can definitely change it at home-
“Your username is really insert_i_am_batman_08 ??
Nevermind that-
“I was 11 when I created it and I never had a reason to change it before” he groaned, burying his face in his hands as Usagi laughed.
“Dude chill, my username isn't any better!” he nudged Leo, who then peaked his eyes out from behind his hands.
“Your username is… cheeselordbunneh666?”
“Duh? I like cheese, I'm a bunny, and definitely a menace to society” he finger-gunned Leo with a smirk, then put his phone away. “Don't feel embarrassed Batman, be cringe, do crimes is my motto!”
Leo wasn't sure about the crime part, but he decided to let it go. For now. He was called Batman non-stop by Usagi, which was like a good head pat for his self-esteem, so that made him favour Usagi already.
“Thanks Usagi” he smiled, finally looking at him “Like really. You're awesome”
“You flatter me, Ao” Usagi smiled smugly, then turned around to leave. “See you around, Batman!”
“Have fun, Jinx!” Leo waved with a wide grin, and watched Usagi disappear behind a corner.
He stood there in alleywall, suddenly hyper aware of the cold wind slowly carrying trash around him, his brain processing everything that just happened. He was totally head over heels for this mutant boy. Head over heels… for a boy. The thought hit him so suddenly, he literally stumbled back from where he stood.
“I’M GAY?!” He screamed, panicking one more time.
When he arrived home, all his brothers were sleeping in the living room, except for Donnie, who was quietly reading something on his phone. Probably fanfic.
“Took ya a while” He commented, unphased and not looking up yet “If you were successful with your solo mission, your reward is waiting for you at the kitchen counter. I think it's still warm, arrived like half an hour ago”
Leo silently sat down next to Donnie, staring ahead and silent still. That unusual silence got Donnie’s attention.
“You good?”
“Why was it called a key? It literally wasn't a key, more like a capsule” Leo suddenly asked, hoping to avoid bringing up his sudden existential crisis. Donnie shrugged.
“I don't know. The files I read through only mentioned the weapon as a key, and never elaborated on more. It's either a riddle, or it opens something we don't wanna find out about.” He explained, watching Leo now with suspicion “You managed to hide it, right?”
“Yes of course!” Leo defended himself immediately “You really thought I'd come home with a possible weapon?? It's taken care of, as we agreed” Donnie nodded then, convinced, and started to read again.
Leo stood up, walking into the kitchen and opening the pizza box there. Four cheeses with pepperoni, his favourite. He took out a piece, and pulled his phone off the charger where he left it before leaving.
He sat up on the counter, and started to eat, while going through his notifications.
- Friend request sent by cheeselordbunneh666. Do you accept it?
Leo couldn't help but smile, accepting the request and opening up their chat.
Night Ninja💙
Hey, just got home.
He didn't have to wait long, because just a minute later, Usagi answered
Usi👾💀
Eyyyy Batman
Thing taken care of 😎
Also pls don't really mention you met me if that's ok? Assholes are still after me and I don't want u to get involved too much
Leo looked back to his brothers, resting peacefully, Donnie slowly drifting off too. After all, it was around 4 am.
If he mentions Usagi, then his obvious suddenly gained crush over a boy will be revealed with it. He is… well, he wasn't sure how they'd react. They never really talked about this before between each other. Raph is definitely not into girls, that's like an open secret in this household, but Leo? He always had crushes on girls before. This was new to him, and he is definitely not ready to open up about it, not until he is sure this is really a long-lasting feeling.
Night Ninja💙
No problem, we can keep this a secret 😎👉👉
Usi👾💀
Thanks Ao, means a lot 😭🤚
“Well… this is going to be interesting…” Leo muttered to himself before taking another bite of his pizza. He kind of succeeded on his mission, even if he wasn't the one finishing the job. Plus, he made an ally today. Friend? Possibly something more? He wasn't sure.
He had a gut feeling about Usagi, but a positive one. Maybe, after all, he can have a close friend again who matched his weirdness.