I'm T-Rae, but you can call me T, or Rae, or gurrrrrrrrl. (But that last one's only for when you're really excited and just have to share somethin' with me 🤭)
I guess I can't say I'm a self taught artist anymore--not after spending nearly 6 years completing a fine arts bachelor's degree--but I've only just started getting back into art. And techinically my art degree isn't really in... art? It's in design (which is art, but not like, drawing and doing graphics and painting). It's more construction trades adjacent than anything.
For years, my sparkle's been... minimal. [Insert sob story here. Womp womp.] But I just started my Tumblr late last year, not expecting it to be this great outlet, but wow! There are so many amazing artists on here! And with similar interests and fixations, too; I had no idea!
- THINK FAST -
~ My favorite color is purple
~ I am a WOMF (that's old school Liza Koshy for woman)
~ I'm unfortunately/fortunately an empath (catch me cryin' at everythin' how bout dat)
~ I rescued a sweet lovin' doggo, she's amazing 🐾
~ I have a kind and gentle hearted hubby
~ I am brand spankin' new to digital art
~ I play a handful of instruments and write music
~ I'm learning how to knit from YouTube! 🧶
~ I knit my first sweater last year!! 🤩
~ I love, and I mean LOVE, to write
~ Hobbies? (Music, writing, knitting, gaming, sewing, painting... the list keeps growing! 🫥)
~ Current obsession should be obvious by now (TMNT, mostly 2k12)
~ Also starting to get sucked into the TADC fandom... 👀
~ Certified yapper 📣
~ Kind of a chronic perfectionist and people pleaser 😩
I also love being anonymous cause I'm really hard on myself and I tend to worry a lot about what people think of me, or rather, how I think they're perceiving me, so this whole anonymous thing is working in my favor. But PLEASE feel free to ask any fandom/art/story related questions. I never shy from a good ask! 🥰
Shoot, is this too long? I dunno how to intro post. 😅
Book 2, Chapter 15: Snippet from "Below the Surface (Leonardo x Reader) - Weekly Updates!"
P.S./Warnings: Heavy themes of Angst, Anxiety, Trauma, Blood, Violence. Suggestive (but no smut ever). PG-13 content! Characters are aged up. Reader discretion is advised.
Snippet Word Count: 1,576 words
When Karai called April to tell her you were kidnapped, she immediately packed a bag and ran to the lair. The brothers, Karai, and Shinigami have been searching for you all night, and by the time April arrives at the lair, she walks in just minutes before the group trickles in.
April senses them all before she sees them, her psychic abilities having developed significantly in the last year. All of their despair hits her at once, and tears streak her cheeks as the group rounds the corner and hops the turnstile entrance.
“She’s really missing?” April says, gripping onto her new backpack with white knuckles.
“She’s gone,” Mikey sniffles, walking up and plopping his head on her shoulder.
April squeezes him tightly, watching the group with teary eyes. They can barely keep their eyes open.
“Where’s Leo?” April asks worriedly.
“We don’t know,” Donnie sighs, his long arms drooping along with his eyes.
“One second he was with me,” Mikey mumbles against April’s shoulder, “the next he was just gone.”
April gives Mikey one last squeeze before letting him go. He rubs his eyes tiredly, trudging off towards the bedroom hall.
“I can find him,” April says to the rest of the group.
Raph drags his feet past April without a word, leaving Shini, Karai, and Donnie in the common area.
“It’s just awful,” Shini says.
“We looked everywhere,” Karai explains, “but her trail went cold.”
“And without a tracker,” Donnie sighs, “she could be anywhere in New York. Anywhere in the world.”
April squeezes Donnie’s shoulder, but he doesn’t even have the energy to give her a half smile.
“Everyone needs to get some sleep, including you, Donnie,” April says empathetically. “We’ll gather as a team in a few hours.”
“Right,” Donnie mumbles, hardly lucid. “I’ll be in my lab.”
As he makes his way through, April sighs deeply, knowing there’s no stopping him. Karai and Shinigami split off down the kitchen hallway, and April takes to looking for Leo. She can sense he’s near, so she makes her way to the dojo first, hoping to find him where he usually is during times of duress.
April slides open the dojo door, but it’s empty, the morning sun just starting to peek through the open grate above the grand tree to the left of the room. She leaves the door open and walks across the hall to Leo’s new bedroom. “Leo?” She asks, softly knocking on the door, but it creaks open. April gently pushes the door further and gasps at the state of his new room.
Leo’s mattress is lifted off the frame, flipped over on the floor. His dresser drawers are pulled out and thrown around the room, leaving wood splintered and broken off around the room. His wood lamp is slumped against the wall, the shade dented, and the light bulb shattered, the nightstand on its side. And worst of all, his beloved Space Hero posters, both framed and tacked up, are ripped from the walls. April covers her mouth as a few sobs sneak past her resolve. She could feel his heartache before she even opened the door, but to see it so plainly is nearly worse. And despite the state of the room, Leo is nowhere to be found. She pulls the door shut with a quiet click as she wipes her eyes trying to collect herself. She walks down the hall, following Leo’s trail of despair through the common room and down the bedroom hall. She knows where he is now.
April takes a few shaky breaths, determined to be a comfort and not a burden. She grasps the handle to your old bedroom door and pushes it open. Your room is dimly lit, the twinkle lights strewn over the ceiling plugged in for the first time in months, your lamp casting a rich, warm hue over the concrete walls. Leo is sitting on the side of your bed, his back upright, but his shoulders slumped, staring at your chair and dresser across the room.
“Leo?” April asks, walking slowly into the heavy space.
Leonardo turns his head, looking at April with a blank expression, and her heart breaks even further. She walks over to his side, but can’t think of the right words to say. Nothing I say is going to help the way he feels right now, she thinks.
Leo looks away as April sits beside him on your empty bed. He’s flipping the Sodalite turtle you gave him between his fingers, the repetitive motion numbing. He stares at the patterned high-back chair in the corner of your room, remembering the day he had to convince Raph to help him bring it in. Raph was sure it was trash, but Leo saw the potential in it, like you see the potential in him. At this point, Leo’s already cried so much, he doesn’t think he could cry anymore. His eyes burn, desperate for sleep, but he doesn’t dare close them. What if you call and he’s not awake to answer his phone?
April leans over and places her head on Leo’s shoulder, staring at the chair, too. She can’t believe you’re really missing. Kidnapped right from underneath them. I should’ve been on patrol with them all, she thinks guiltily. She’s been so focused on college that she has let her kunoichi responsibilities take the back burner, and she can’t help but share blame. “We’re going to find her, Leo,” she whispers, just as much reassuring him as she is herself.
“Yeah,” he says, his voice scratchy and dull.
“Leo?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah.”
April lifts her head, looking at him with a deep sympathy for his aching heart. She knows he’s hiding it all beneath this stoic, dare-not-show-emotion facade. He’s the leader; he feels he has to.
Leo knows if he looks at her, he’ll unravel, so he traces the rips in the arms of your chair instead. He flips the sodalite turtle around his right hand, trying not to think about you, but only being able to.
“Leo,” April says, her voice dripping with sincerity, “you did everything you could. And she knows we’re coming for her. There’s not a world out there where she doesn’t believe we’ll do everything we can to bring her back home.”
Without thinking, against his will, Leo’s inhale catches in his throat as his tired eyes burn with fresh tears. He finally turns to look at his best friend. Seeing her worried expression, her own tear-filled eyes, it's all he can take. Leo folds forward, hiding his face in his hands, and sobs. April places her hand on the back of his shell; he doesn’t pull away. She sits there with him in silence as he pours out the emotions he tries so hard to bottle up and hide from his brothers. He knows she’s right, that you know they’re all looking for you, but not knowing who took you leaves a sharp pit in his stomach. And not knowing if you’re alive or not is even worse.
“I should’ve been with her,” Leo sobs. April listens. “I should’ve been there.”
April caringly rubs her hand over the back of his shell, letting him say what he needs to say as he works through the grief.
“H-Her helmet–” Leo chokes on a sob, watching his tears fall down on the fuzzy white rug beneath his wrapped feet. “P-Pieces of it were o-on the roof like someone was c-crushing her or slamming her against the– and I– A-April, I can’t–” He can’t help it. His hands grip the sides of his head tightly as he tries desperately to hold himself together, but he’s unraveled at the seams, and all he can do is think about the pain you must be in. The fear you must be experiencing, and how badly he wants to save you from it all.
It’s his purpose. To save and protect. And since he’s fallen in love with you, since you’ve become more important than the air he breathes, his purpose is to save and protect you. And it’s completely out of his control. It’s not just that he feels like a failure; it’s that he’s failed at the very reason for his existence. If he’s not protecting the ones he loves, then what good is he?
April senses this, despite her trying not to pry. Leo’s emotions are seeping out of his brain and into hers without any effort. They’re screaming out at a volume that is unignorable, and she shuts her eyes as tears slip past them. “You’ll find her, Leo,” she whispers.
“And if I can’t…?” He asks, hiccuping. He hides his face in his hands, his elbows propped on his knees.
“You will,” April says, sniffling. “There is no other choice. We will find her.”
Leo lifts his mask to wipe the water away from his face, then tugs it back down, starting to collect himself the best he can given the circumstances. “And Mona Lisa,” he says, taking a deep breath. “She’s been missing for a while, and I didn’t fully believe it until tonight.”
April nods her head.
“I need to talk to Raph,” Leo says, sitting up straight again.
“He’s probably sleeping,” April says, watching Leo stand and cross the room.
“This is more important.” Leo walks out, still sniffling back his emotions, but more determined. His brother needs to know that he understands now.
✨A/N: It's an angsty one... 😣😭💙 Poor Leo! If you'd like to read the rest of this Fanfic, you can check it out at: Quotev Link Here
I conducted a very legit way to select a winner... I put a number to all of your names and gave it a roll. Tumblr name belonging to the winning number 4?
Drum roll, please!
The Art Giveaway winner is...
@crimsonwolf715
Crimson, you've won a custom Short Story (TMNT character of your choosing X Reader or X OC)! DM me, and we'll chit-chat about what you'd like!
A BIG shoutout to everyone who entered the giveaway!
Book 2, Chapter 14: Snippet from "Below the Surface (Leonardo x Reader) - Weekly Updates!"
P.S./Warnings: Heavy themes of Angst, Anxiety, Trauma, Blood, Violence. Suggestive (but no smut ever). PG-13 content! Characters are aged up. Reader discretion is advised.
Snippet Word Count: 1,300 words
“Karai,” Leo says, turning toward you and the small group, “have you given any more thought to what we talked about earlier?”
Karai sighs, standing up from her spot on the floor and giving a stretch up. She flicks her eyes from the ground to Leo’s, watching him with a sharp gaze. “I have.”
“And?” He asks, gesturing his hands out.
You and Shini share a look.
“Someone want to fill me in?” April asks, bobbing her head sassily.
“Leo wants us to move into the lair,” you say, watching Karai wrestle with the concept.
April mouths the word oh with a raise of her eyebrows.
There’s a long pause, but Leonardo waits patiently for Karai’s decision, holding her gaze firmly.
“If we move in here,” Karai says as if she’s choosing each word carefully, “you would have no right to tell me when and where I, or my team, goes.”
Leo’s jaw twitches. His eyes flick to yours briefly before turning back to Karai’s. “Fine.”
“And for no more than one month,” Karai says, holding out a single, counting finger.
“Three months,” Leo counters. “One month is hardly enough time to figure out if this leader is posing us a deeper threat! We’ve been after them already for months, and we’ve hardly even–”
“Fine,” Karai says, lifting her chin and crossing her arms.
“--wait, really?” Leo asks, stunned.
“Yes, fine,” Karai says.
“Really?” Shini asks, surprised.
“Is there an echo in here?” Karai asks mockingly. “I said fine; that means yes, now let's just drop it and get on with it all.” She struts past Leo, towards the exit, but stops at the doorway. She holds onto the heavy wood-framed paper door, and tilts her head back to say, “Don’t make me regret this, Leonardo.”
“It’s the best thing for you and your team, right now,” Leo says honestly.
Karai sighs, nods her head, then walks out.
“I guess we’re packing our bags tonight,” you say, glancing at Shinigami.
“I guess so,” Shinigami says with a shrug. “Smooth move, Leonardo.” She smirks at him, patting his shoulder as she walks by. “I didn’t realize you were such an animal.”
“Move? Animal?” He asks, making a face. “You can see me, right?” He gestures at his mutant turtle form, giving her a confused look.
“Oh, you don’t have to pretend,” she teases, “we all know it’s just so you and (Y/N) can be… well,” she kisses her teeth, “closer every night.” She wiggles her eyebrows at him, and he catches on.
“W-What? No!” He bursts out defensively, his face an embarrassing shade of pink. “T-This is purely a tactical move!”
“Mm, right,” Shini says with a grin.
April snickers, and Leo whips his attention to her.
“Seriously?” Leo asks, flipping his hands out. “You all know as well as I do that the Red Foot are posing a serious threat and I’m only trying to protect–”
“Sorry, sorry,” April says, stifling her laughter.
Leo’s eyes dart about the room, avoiding yours as he tries to gather himself.
“Don’t worry about it,” you say to Leo with a grin. “But I do hope you know that you’ll be getting a lot more of that from Shini with her living here. That’s just how she is.”
“...All the time?” Leo asks, finally looking at you again, his cheeks a residual pink.
“Oh, yeah,” you say with a laugh. “All the time.”
He gives a tight-lipped expression, and April laughs as she heads out of the room.
You and Leo walk side by side out of the Dojo at a comfortable pace. He glances down at your hand before deciding to take it in his, and your stomach flips.
“I can’t lie though,” Leo says, keeping his voice quiet despite the loud ruckus coming from the common area masking his words. “It will be nice having you around every day again.”
A smile tugs at your lips. You squeeze his hand and turn to face him as you walk. “It will be nice, won’t it?”
“Yeah,” he says, his smile mirroring yours.
You both stop at the end of the hall, staring out at the packed living area. Leatherhead and Mikey are splashing about in the pool of water in the back, Mondo is using one of Mikey’s skateboards around the room, and Shini and Karai are back at the game machine behind a frustrated Raph beating away at his training dummy. The room is filled with energy, and grows louder as Mikey splashes water out at Raph, which makes him absolutely lose his already unstable temperament.
Leo pulls you closer to him so that your arms are practically squished between each other, and you bite your lip to keep a goofy grin from taking over your face. You lean into him ever so slightly, and the tension in his shoulders relaxes.
“With us moving in together,” you say, keeping your voice low, “don’t you think that poses a few complications?”
“What do you mean?” He asks, his blue mask lifting with his brow. “Your old room still has everything in it. You just need to bring your bedding over.”
Raph lets out a feral yell and is starting to throw things at Mikey, dodging the hits in the water. Leatherhead is frantically trying to convince Raph to calm down, but his words act as a stick poking an incredibly angry bear.
“If you’re worried about settling in again, I can even unpack and make your bed for you, if you want,” Leo says. “Then the move would be as simple as possible.”
Unsuccessfully hiding your smirk, you lean over to Leo’s ear and say quietly, “I’ll let you make my bed if you promise to be there at the end of the night.”
Leo inhales sharply, and with the grace of a turtle caught in a trap, he chokes on air, sending himself into a coughing fit. You cover your mouth, but it does little to stop the laugh that bursts out of it. You knew flirting with him so boldly would fluster him some, but his reaction is so startling, you can’t help but laugh.
“Are you gonna survive?” You ask as your laughter fades to quieter giggles.
As red as his brother’s bandana, he looks at you with wide eyes.
“What?” You ask innocently. “Too much?”
“You can’t say stuff like that out here,” he says frantically, his eyes darting out to the room then back to you. “I-I don’t… I don’t know what to do with that.”
You let out another laugh. “You’re supposed to flirt back, genius.” You lean over and place a smooch on his cheek, and his worried expression cracks. He touches a hand to his cheek, a soft smile lifting his blushing face.
You watch him with adoration and give his hand another encouraging squeeze.
“What am I going to do with you?” He asks fondly.
You blush, but your eyes stay locked on his while your smile widens. “Love me, keep me, never leave me,” you say cutely.
He chuckles, a short, breathy puff of air, and leans over to you until your noses nearly bump. “I wouldn’t dream of anything else,” he says, his tone lower, which sends shivers down your spine.
You give him a quick peck on the lips and make your escape, grinning ear to ear.
“What– hey, wait!” Leo laughs out, taking after you, but his path is interrupted by a wild Mikey running past, leaving puddles of water behind as Raph chases furiously after him.
“Get back here, you little twerp!” Raph yells.
“Somebody help me!” Mikey shrieks.
“Raphael, please!” Leatherhead says worriedly, thumping after them both, his tail dragging a long wet streak of water behind him.
“Seriously,” Leo says. “You guys are making a mess!”
✨A/N: This chapter is one of my biggest ones yet! Just over 9K words... It's packed full of scenes I love, especially the whole section where Leo deals with moving into Splinter's old room (which he hasn't had the heart to touch since Splinter passed😭). And I almost shared the last section, but I didn't want to give spoilers in case y'all wanted to experience this chapter in full. If you'd like to read the rest of this Fanfic, you can check it out at: Quotev Link Here
Custom Short Story (TMNT character of choosing X Reader or X OC)
Custom Digital Art (Bust/Half-body of a Brother + OC)
Drabble Set (an under 1,000-word short story and a simple drawing to go with)
Voting ended onJun 1
How to Enter: It's simple! Make sure you're following me, reblog this post, and boom! You're entered to win the giveaway! 🤗
How do you know you've won? At the end of the month, on May 31st, I will gather all entered account names into a simple online generator, and it will randomly generate the winner's name. I will then make a post, tagging that account name, and announcing the winner!
Notes to consider: I am fine with writing/drawing some levels of NSFW, it really depends on how that's defined (I've seen a lot of different definitions for it). I'm more comfortable with writing suggested spice; I will not write or draw spice-spice (AKA lemons). Once we have a winner, I will privately message the winning account, and we can discuss ideas and brainstorm what you'd like! 😄
Custom Short Story (TMNT character of choosing X Reader or X OC)
Custom Digital Art (Bust/Half-body of a Brother + OC)
Drabble Set (an under 1,000-word short story and a simple drawing to go with)
Voting ended onJun 1
How to Enter: It's simple! Make sure you're following me, reblog this post, and boom! You're entered to win the giveaway! 🤗
How do you know you've won? At the end of the month, on May 31st, I will gather all entered account names into a simple online generator, and it will randomly generate the winner's name. I will then make a post, tagging that account name, and announcing the winner!
Notes to consider: I am fine with writing/drawing some levels of NSFW, it really depends on how that's defined (I've seen a lot of different definitions for it). I'm more comfortable with writing suggested spice; I will not write or draw spice-spice (AKA lemons). Once we have a winner, I will privately message the winning account, and we can discuss ideas and brainstorm what you'd like! 😄
MATE! I FELL IN LOVE WITH YOUR ACCOUNT! YOU HAVE GREAT VIBES! 🕺💗
Do you have a masterlist? I want to read your Leo X Reader book and I can't find the first chapter TwT I'm losttttttttttttt!!!!
Hi, friend!! D'aw shucks... 🙈 You're so sweet!! Thank you!
Masterlist? Gah, I was supposed to do one of those a while back, but I have yet to sit down and actually do one... 😅🫣 Every free writing moment I have, I'm working away on the Leo x reader content! But it is on my to-do list...
If you'd like to look at the snippets of the chapters, which are just partial cuts of some of my favorite scenes, those are on Tumblr starting a few chapters into the first book (which is "Surface Tension"). And those posts are tagged with my #SurfaceTensionAU tag. But if you want to check out the whole story from start to finish:
Book 1, Surface Tension (finished): Quotev URL
Book 2, Below the Surface (in progress): Quotev URL
I publish all my full chapters on Quotev (I've had that account for ages). Each chapter is usually around 5K to 8K words, so I find that's a lot to publish here on Tumblr. Also, you do not need a login/account to read it on Quotev! 😄
I have an art giveaway happening right now, too, if you want to check that out! I'll link that post here. Only 3 more days to vote and get your name in the running! 🤗
Thanks so much for checking out my page and reaching out! 💙
The Leonardo x Reader I'm writing--book one finished, the second book in progress--I started because I wanted to create a world where the reader could feel like they're quite literally living in the 2012 tmnt universe. The characters are slightly aged up (18-21 currently), and I tried to make the reader character interesting while not putting y'all into a tight box. I wanted her to be as relatable as possible, while still being unique to the story itself.
Then I made an OC, Elaina, to carry out my vision of the reader and to finally have an excuse to create some art of her and Leo together. But honestly, the whole series is long, but every chapter tackles something new. I want it to feel so lived in. Like you're experiencing their world, and experiencing what it would be like to fall in love with Leonardo in real time. Piece by messy piece.
And I really appreciate y'all leaving me little comments and notes here and there about how much you're enjoying the series. I read every single one! It feels like y'all are just as invested as I am in where the story is going. I can't wait to show you what I have in store...!
As a kid, I kept going back and forth between Kataang and Zutara ships (and I still am such a multishipper), but y'all makin' all this sweet, beautiful art for Kataang has me just UGH gosh, man, they're soulmates... I cannot WAIT to see the new movie!!!
Custom Short Story (TMNT character of choosing X Reader or X OC)
Custom Digital Art (Bust/Half-body of a Brother + OC)
Drabble Set (an under 1,000-word short story and a simple drawing to go with)
Voting ended onJun 1
How to Enter: It's simple! Make sure you're following me, reblog this post, and boom! You're entered to win the giveaway! 🤗
How do you know you've won? At the end of the month, on May 31st, I will gather all entered account names into a simple online generator, and it will randomly generate the winner's name. I will then make a post, tagging that account name, and announcing the winner!
Notes to consider: I am fine with writing/drawing some levels of NSFW, it really depends on how that's defined (I've seen a lot of different definitions for it). I'm more comfortable with writing suggested spice; I will not write or draw spice-spice (AKA lemons). Once we have a winner, I will privately message the winning account, and we can discuss ideas and brainstorm what you'd like! 😄
Book 2, Chapter 13: Snippet from "Below the Surface (Leonardo x Reader) - Weekly Updates!"
P.S./Warnings: Heavy themes of Angst, Anxiety, Trauma, Blood, Violence. Suggestive (but no smut ever). PG-13 content! Reader discretion is advised.(Also, this chapter snippet in particular includes suggestive, NSFW, content. Another reminder that all characters are aged up 🤗)
Snippet Word Count: 1,445 words
The drive back into the city is bittersweet. You watch the passenger side mirror until the farmhouse is all but a speck of white in a scene of soggy green and brown. The windshield wipers of the O’Neil’s yellow van motion back and forth in a steady rhythm. The sweet scent of rain perforates the interior, and you take a deep, soothing breath. Leo’s right hand rests on your lap, rubbing lazy circles over the back of your hand.
Last night was everything you could dream of; perfectly intimate and wonderfully new. The distance you so carefully crafted between you and Leo over this past year faded away at every touch of his lips, every graze of his gentle hand. The memory of it all, of the rain–heavy as it is now–in the background of every breathless kiss, leaving behind an honest promise that lingers in the air between you now.
You shift your gaze, tilting your head on the back of the seat rest, and take in the small, content smile on Leo’s face. His shoulders are relaxed, his breathing calm, almost meditative as he watches the wet road ahead. He seems different now, or maybe you feel different now. You never knew it was possible to feel this way about any one person–or, in this case, mutant–but the swell in your heart tells you all that you need to know. The weight that used to be on your shoulders, the overbearing protectiveness that Leo used to wield his love with, seems now to have softened. He’s trusted you with everything that he is. All of his deepest, most honest thoughts, and now in the most vulnerable way possible. You tighten your grip on his hand, still watching the curve of his mouth, the relaxed posture of his shoulders, and his smile widens slightly as he squeezes your hand back–a subtle reminder of what you both mean to each other now.
Once you reach the city limits, you can’t help the disappointed sigh that escapes your lips. Leo’s grip shifts, and his eyes flick from the road to your face.
“What’s wrong?” He asks.
“Nothing,” you say with a small shrug, watching out the passenger window at the passing buildings, their lights a bright streak of contrast to the dark sky.
Leo glances at your hand in his, back to the road, then back to your face. “(Y/N)?” He says your name softly, like he’s trying not to sound too worried.
You sigh again, this time deep and slow. You turn back to look at him, briefly making eye contact before you look down at your lap. You take his hand in both of yours now, lifting it to your lips and pressing a kiss on his knuckles. “Is it bad that I miss the farmhouse already…?”
Leo takes a breath, his eyes back on the now busy road. “I don’t think so.”
“No?”
“No,” he says, offering you a small quirk of his mouth.
He stops at a red light, and the traffic behind you stacks up, one bright light car after the next. There’s a loud argument a few cars down–someone's hand flips out of their front window, the other car wails on their horn–and the sounds of New York take over the previously peaceful drive. The van moves forward, following the route to the warehouse, and you sigh again.
“You know,” Leo says, shifting in the driver’s seat, “you don’t have to go back to the warehouse yet.” You glance at him, a knowing smile lifting your lips. He gulps, his left hand gripping the steering wheel tight. “I-I mean that, well, you could always just take your old room back. I’ve kept it clean and all.”
“My old room?” You ask with a teasing note. “Or do you mean your room?”
Leo lets out a nervous laugh. “Right, well, y-yeah, there’s that option, too.”
You kiss his hand again, sinking back into your seat. You’re facing him now, your knees brought up and set to the side, your head resting on the back of the front seat, watching him with a softened gaze. “I would love to,” you say just above a whisper, “but I can’t just leave the girls like that. They need me.”
“I need you, too,” he says simply.
You smile. “I know,” you say, watching his face a moment longer before turning back to the road.
Leonardo reluctantly pulls the van beside the warehouse, leaving it running, but shutting off the lights out of habit. You let his hand go and stretch out your arms and legs toward the dash.
“Man, what a drive,” you say while unbuckling. You reach into the back seat, grabbing the strap of your black backpack.
“Yeah,” Leo says, tapping his thumbs on the sides of the steering wheel. He glances out at the gloomy sky from his window, quickly pulls his blue hood over his head, and hops out of the van.
Surprised by the sudden movement, you pause, watching Leo walk around the front of the van’s hood and over to your door. He smiles at you as he opens it, and you let out a quiet, astonished laugh.
“M’lady,” he says with a small bow.
A warmth settles in your chest as your grin matches his. Memories of living with the boys skate through your mind. All of the hours Leo spent cleaning out Donnie’s storage room to make their home your own, and all the evenings you both spent together. It was all so new then, you were both just getting to know each other. And yet, after all this time, here he is, ridiculously handsome, practically glowing with love for you, and you can’t help but comfortably fall back into the dynamic you’ve both missed.
“It took you long enough, squire,” you say in your mock-queen voice.
“Your majesty, don’t you remember?” He asks, a sparkle in his eyes. “You’ve since then knighted me.”
Your gaze softens. “Ah, yes, I remember.” Back then, you didn’t even know yourself, but you knew even then that he was someone special, someone worth being around. “You have the whole world on your shoulders, but you never let that stop you,” you whisper.
Rain splatters in steady drops over the fabric of Leo’s blue sweatshirt, leaving behind dark splotches, and he moves closer to you, offering you his hand, which you take.
“You’re my whole world,” he whispers, his steely eyes gazing into yours.
You let his hand go, sliding off the front seat and into his arms instead, pressing a firm kiss against his lips. He responds immediately, wrapping his arms securely around you, kissing you back with a matching passion, and for a while, the cool rain soaks your clothes, but nothing can cut through the warmth bursting from your chest.
Leo walks you up the front steps to the dimly lit front door of the warehouse, standing on the welcome mat as you walk through.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come in?” You ask, still holding onto his hand.
“Ah, that’s okay,” he says with a soft smile and a shrug. “I’m sure my brothers are wondering where I am.” His thumb rubs over your cold fingers absentmindedly.
“I’m surprised they haven’t been blowing up your phone,” you say, smiling.
“Me, too,” he says, pulling you back to him for one last, heated kiss. His hands hold your face tenderly, and when he pulls away, his thumbs gently swipe the rain from your cheeks.
Breathless and surprisingly warm, your eyes flutter back open to meet his.
“I’ll see you soon?” He asks, his voice only loud enough for you to hear.
“Of course,” you say, studying the different streaks of blue in his irises.
He hesitates, not wanting to let you go, not wanting to be apart anymore, but he does eventually pull back, removing his hands from your warm skin and quickly retreating into the side alley.
You stand in the open doorway and watch Leo back the van out onto the quiet road. You give him a small wave as he drives off, and once all you can see are taillights, you let out a dreamy, melt-in-your-spot sigh.
“That good of a weekend, huh?” Karai asks with a hint of amusement from behind you.
You startle, quickly slamming the front door and pressing your back to it. You watch Karai and Shinigami burst into laughter, and a blush creeps up your neck and over your face.
“I’d say it was really good,” Shini snickers.
You sputter for words, but all you can muster is an embarrassed laugh and a teasing, “Shut up!”
✨A/N: Y'all... My deepest apologies for another late chapter. Please, please, please be patient with me as I'm working through a career shift and some stressful personal stuffs. I promise I will not leave y'all hanging! I have so many plans for this fanfic. We're getting to the juicy stuff now >:) If you'd like to read the rest of this Fanfic, you can check it out at: Quotev Link Here
I'm so sorry y'all... but I do not have a chapter update for this weekend. 😫 I will work on it and upload as soon as I can! I have so many ideas, I just have to find the time to sit down and write. I've been swamped with work and studies... 😔
Book 2, Chapter 12: Snippet from "Below the Surface (Leonardo x Reader) - Weekly Updates!"
P.S./Warnings: Heavy themes of Angst, Anxiety, Trauma, Blood, Violence. Suggestive (but no smut ever). PG-13 content! Reader discretion is advised. (Also, this chapter snippet in particular includes incredibly suggestive, NSFW, content. Another reminder that all characters are aged up 🤗)
Snippet Word Count: 2,204 words
~ BIG SPOILERS BELOW ~
Your feet move steadily down the stairs, feeling comfortably warm from your shower. The sound of clothes thumping against the barrel of the washing machine is a mundane, soothing rhythm that you match your footsteps to. Halfway down the staircase, you feel a soft breeze and inhale the sweet scent of rain wafting through the front door, propped open by one of your boots. You see Leo sitting on the porch, a dark green knit blanket wrapped around his shoulders, his phone pressed against his ear.
“No, just tell him– Donnie, stop, just take a deep breath,” Leo says, his voice taking on a steady but firm edge. “Raph might not show it, but deep down he knows you’re doing your best. He’s just freaking out. You and I both would be, too, if we were in his shoes.”
There’s a pause, and you stop at the last stair, holding onto the railing and watching him speak to his brother on the other end.
“I don’t know, but we will figure it out,” Leo says. “Just tell him that we’ll make it our main goal to find her. … We can pack up and leave within the hour; we could be back there by this evening.”
Your stomach twists with disappointment, despite knowing you’d have to go back to the city, to the real world, eventually.
“Are you sure?” Leo asks his brother. “Family comes first, and I don’t want Raph–” He sighs, nodding his head. “Okay, but only if you guys are set.”
You shift your weight on your feet, and the tread beneath you creaks. Leo turns, glancing back at you.
“Sounds like a plan, Don,” he says into his phone, smiling at you a moment before turning back to the rain. “Keep me in the loop if anything changes. … Okay, see y’ah.” He ends the call just as you walk out onto the porch.
“What are you doing out here?” You ask softly, smiling as you sit down beside him.
“I like it when it rains,” he says, watching the grey atmosphere. “I never get to see it like this from the lair.” He turns back to look at you, his eyes as gray-blue as the sky.
“What’s going on with Raph?” You ask as you both turn your attention back to the front yard.
Leo sighs deeply, his shoulders slumping as he leans forward a touch. “Donnie was finally able to trace where Mona Lisa’s been.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” You ask curiously.
“She’s been on Earth this whole time.”
“Oh,” you say, your brows furrowing together. “Why would she be on Earth and not tell Raph?”
“That’s exactly what he’s saying.” Leo sighs, though softer this time. “Something’s definitely off, and Raph knows it.”
A comfortable quiet settles between the two of you, and you glance down at his hand peaking out from under the blanket, propping himself up. You scooch your hand over the aged deck boards. Your fingers ever so slightly bump into his, and Leo shifts his hand closer to yours, encouraging you. You place your hand on top of his, gently rubbing your thumb over his knuckles.
“Honestly,” he says, staring out at the pools of water gathering in the yard, “I think he’s taking it quite well, all things considered. I don’t know what I’d do if that was you, and I thought that maybe…” he takes a breath, his eyes dropping to the corner of the porch.
You squeeze his hand.
“I don’t know.” Leo gently shakes his head, then looks over at you. “I’m just saying he’s not nearly as unglued as I thought he’d be, and that’s saying a lot for Raph.”
“Yeah,” you agree, nodding your head. “We’ll find her.”
“That’s what I said,” he says with a small quirk of his mouth.
A quiet settles between you again as you both listen contentedly to the rhythmic drumming of the rain. Puddles slosh and flick as new raindrops introduce themselves, a strong wind rustles the leaves and bends the high points of the evergreen trees lining the left side of the property. You shiver involuntarily, and Leo, without hesitation, opens up the side of his blanket, welcoming you in. You scooch over, instantly snuggling up against him, clothed in his warm, freshly dried sweatshirt and pj pants.
A light blush dusts Leo’s cheeks as you get cozy against his side. He drops his arm, wrapping the blanket around your shoulders.
“With the storm rolling in, Donnie said to stay put at the farmhouse until it blows over,” Leo says, his thumb absentmindedly rubbing your shoulder.
“That was nice of him,” you say, nuzzling your head against his shoulder until it’s in a comfortable spot against his collarbone.
Leo gulps, his stomach flipping. “Yeah,” he says, trying to hide the nervousness from his voice.
After a few minutes watching the rain and listening to his steady breathing, you shift your head to look up at him. He tilts his head to meet your gaze.
“Hey, Leo?” You ask softly.
“Yeah?”
You move your head back to its comfortable place on his shoulder, considering your next words. “This stay at the farmhouse…” You hesitate, feeling a few restless butterflies. “It’s healed a part of me that I didn’t know would ever go away.”
Leo’s grip loosens ever so slightly around your shoulders. “...Are you talking about your anger with me?” He asks, his voice just above a whisper.
You sit up, looking at him–for the first time in a long time–with your heart on your sleeve. His worried blue eyes study your face, the way your eyebrows are ever so slightly creased together, the hint of saltwater tears building at the base of your eyes, and his heart twists, wondering what you’ll say next.
“I love you, Leo,” you say, filled with emotion. “And I’ve forgiven you for all of that, even before we came here.”
He waits to speak, soaking up your emotions like a sponge to water.
“But coming here,” you start again, “seeing Master Splinter again, being with you… like this… it’s been…”
“Nice?” He suggests.
“It’s been amazing.”
His expression shifts, the sudden tension in his shoulders relaxing. “That’s good,” he says quietly, almost more for himself than for you.
You let out a quiet breath, almost a laugh, knowing his answer to your next question. You look away, holding onto his hand again as you ask, “Do you remember when you left me your journal to read?”
“Yes.”
“And how, inside… you wrote about some of your dreams for the future?”
“Yes,” he says, a little more wary than before, wondering which dream you’re referring to.
You steel your nerves, squeezing his hand, and turning your gaze back to his. Your eyes lock, and for a moment, you try to catch your breath. “I want that with you.”
Leo’s nerves tell him to look away, but his eyes stay tethered to yours. “Which dream are you talking about? There were… quite a few in there.”
You sit up on your knees, the rain pattering rhythmically on the porch roof above, and lean toward Leo. He shifts ever so slightly to face you, watching your face with a nervous energy.
“This one…” You whisper, leaning in and pressing your lips to his slowly, firmly, with just the touch of hesitation.
Leo’s eyes flutter shut as he kisses you back, his stomach flipping, knowing exactly what dream you were remembering. When you lean back, he opens his eyes, watching you with a new wave of worry. “A-Are you sure?”
“...Are you?” You ask, watching the worry behind his eyes.
His jaw tenses slightly as he mulls over the question. Gulping, he takes a shaky breath, his eyes still locked to yours. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You could never hurt me,” you whisper.
“But I did once,” he says, just as soft.
“But you won’t again.”
“No,” he says with a subtle exhale, “I won’t.”
He leans toward you a touch, pausing halfway, glancing down at your lips before moving back to your eyes. “...You’re sure?”
“If you are, then I am,” you say, holding your breath.
The air between you is electric. The sound of the rain muffles to the rapid beating of your heart.
Leonardo closes the distance, his lips pressing to yours gently. You reach a hand out, touching his arm, and he deepens the kiss, the intensity building steadily, gradually. He moves with surety now, though in a way that gives you every opportunity to pull away if you want to. His hand, previously hesitant on your shoulder, slides up to cup the back of your neck, his fingers tangling in your damp hair as he pulls you closer, the knit blanket sliding off your shoulders to the floor.
You lean back, and Leo immediately freezes, his eyes opening with a quick motion, taking in your expression with detail. Air pushes out of your nose, a slight laugh, and you stand, offering your hand to him. He takes your hand and stands with you. You lean over and kiss his mouth, lingering there a moment before turning toward the open door. He lets go of your hand to close it, and you watch him with a foot propped up on the first stair. Your heart is thumping loudly against your ears, your stomach twisting and flipping with nervous, but excited energy.
The door clicks shut, closing out the now raging storm, and you offer your hand to Leo as he nears the staircase. He takes it, following close behind. Reaching the bedroom door, you grab the handle, but Leo squeezes your hand in his, and you turn back to look at him. There’s a look in his eyes, something you haven’t seen before.
“What’s wrong?” You ask. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
Leo swallows, wetting his lips nervously. He lets your hand go and instead gently grabs hold of your waist, pressing you against the closed door. He watches your eyes for any hesitation, and when he can’t find any, he kisses you with such deep, heartfelt emotion, you swear you can taste the most vulnerable dreams on his tongue. When he pulls away, your breath is hot, and your knees are weak, but he holds you up firmly by your waist.
“You have to promise me,” he says, his voice deeper than usual, “that if you want to stop, you tell me.” He’s staring into your eyes with such an honest intensity that your breath catches in the back of your throat.
“I promise,” you say, slightly out of breath.
“And…” He says, slowly leaning his body against yours. “I don’t want to do this unless you see a future with me.”
“Of course, I see a future with you,” you say, gently holding onto the edges of his plastron through his sweatshirt.
“No, I mean,” he says, pulling back just enough to focus his eyes on yours. “I-I mean…”
“What?” You ask, tilting your head curiously to the side.
Leo takes a deep, shaky breath. He knows you’ve already read this truth in his journal, probably a dozen times, but saying it out loud holds so much more gravity.
“Leo, you can tell me anything,” you say.
“(Y/N), I want to marry you,” he says ardently.
Your breath escapes you. “Leo, are you proposing?” Your grip tightens at his sides.
“No,” he says, his voice hushed, “not yet, but… I don’t want to do this unless that’s something you can see… with… w-with me.” His heart is beating so fast, he fears he might pass out.
You smile, your cheeks reaching the corner of your teary eyes, and move your hands up to his face. “Oh, Leonardo…” You whisper sweetly, your heart full with admiration for who he is. You slide your fingers under his mask, pushing it off over his head so you can see his face completely.
Leo holds his breath, closing his eyes briefly as the fabric passes over them.
“Of course I want that,” you admit earnestly. “In your journal, everything you wrote, everything I read… I want all of it with you.” A tear slips past your eye, and he instantly lifts a hand to wipe it from your cheek, his touch gentle and familiar.
“I love you,” he says, finally letting out the breath he was holding.
“I love you, too,” you say, leaning into the palm of his hand.
“And, I promise,” he says with great sincerity, “that one day… if you let me… I will marry you.”
“I’m counting on it,” you say just before pulling his face back to yours, pouring your heart into this kiss.
With one hand, Leo lifts you into his arms, and with the other, he opens the bedroom door, carrying you through it. The latch clicks shut behind him, marking the start of a new beginning with you; a new future. As the rain rolls off the roof, so does the crushing weight of his past choices. The suffocating fear of losing you, of not knowing if he could ever mend the distance he created from selfish needs, finally washes away.
✨A/N: This might be my favorite chapter yet...🙈 Can you tell I was listening to "Unravel Me" by Sabrina Claudio? ... If you'd like to read the rest of this Fanfic, you can check it out at: Quotev Link Here
I wanna change my profile picture... But I have no idea what it should be. I know I want to draw it myself, but what the heck should it BE?! Leo? Elaina? Leo and Elaina? Maybe just a meme? I DON'T KNOWW 😩
My footsteps pound on too soft earth, leaving deeper and deeper grooves in the soft soil, as those rapid moving feet draw nearer to the river.
Faster…
Faster.
The mud doesn’t matter.
The blood doesn’t matter. And neither does the sting of branches whipping new lines across my face.
My boots slide on wet leaves and nearly pitch me off the rise and into the roiling swells of the river. Twisting and churning dark muddied water and none of it mattered at all.
I scan a desperate gaze over rock and reel, praying. My heart pounding so loud I can hear it even over the roar or the river, like it’s the only sound in me.
The water was too swift to cross here, or discern much of anything but debris in the flashing rapids.
I turn my heels and follow the river down.
The water would be calmer eventually.
The river might let him go.
Alive.
I prayed, alive.
And sure as I knew it, that great yawning expanse that coiled and writhed like a furious snake finally soothed, only to release the boy I sought so desperately onto a silt embankment. I felt like spitting my heart from my throat and laying it in the sand.
Maybe that would have hurt less than seeing that flash of tattered blue amidst the water and mud and already beached detritus the river had spat along with him.
“Leonardo…!” His name scrapes out of my windpipe, riding a sob I can’t stop.
Scrambling down the embankment— splashing through the shallows, before collapsing to my knees beside his form, laid face down in the silt and the sand.
If he was breathing, I couldn’t tell.
I had to get him up. Had to get him standing and make sure we got out of this nightmare. That we made it home.
“Leonardo— Leonardo!! Please please please please…” My own soaked and torn long sleeves did little to clean the mud away from his face. His skin was cold. Colder than it was supposed to be.
I felt myself sliding my arms into the sand to lift him up against me. Like it was automatic. Like if I could just get him out of the mud and the water and closer to me he could be warmer. He’d be okay. And we’d be okay.
Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I was already in tears. I felt words and pleas and calls of his name tumble past my lips as if they could fill the now deafening silence of the woods, and the river, and the absence of his voice.
This wasn’t real. This couldn’t be real and he could not be doing this to me-
He’s heavy— a weight I pray isn’t dead in my arms as I gather him up as close to me as I can. Curling around him as if that will shield him from the beating he probably took in the river.
My sleeves are muddy and messy and still I’m trying… to clean the mud from his cheeks.
“Please— please, please Leonardo— you can’t… we can’t just let it end here like this. What am I going to tell your brothers? And Splinter? What am I supposed to do without you? I can’t go back without you, Leo. Please…! Please get up, please….” That same desperate request, over and over I whispered it, sobbed it. Stroked blistering red fingers across familiar scars and scales over a far too peaceful verdant visage.
And I cried so hard I thought my lungs would burst. What if he never opened his eyes again? What if he never breathed or laughed or scolded us, or rambled incessantly about one of his cheesy samurai movies? What if this was as far as Hamato Leonardo ever made it…? And what if I had to move on from here without him?
“I can’t accept that..! I can’t… I just can’t accept that this is where it ends… I’m begging you…” My hair is damp and muddy and messy and it clings to my face. The tears rolling down my cheeks are the warmest thing in me right now, and they’re leaving.
I lean my forehead to his. And hug him as close as I can. Because I don’t know what else to do.
My ear presses close to his cheek. I … should keep him warm. I need to keep him warm… I —
And then I hear him breathing.
It’s faint. It’s raspy and watery, and all I can think to do in that moment is suddenly haul him forward to sit up before smacking his shell as hard as I possibly can. Which is hard.
My hand burns as if I’d stuck it into a cold fire. I ignore it.
One jerk— a weak, reactive cough. Then he’s pitching forward to hurl all the river water he’d borrowed back onto
the bank. He’s coughing, sputtering, gasping, breathing.
Meanwhile I’ve forgotten how to.
My hands hover against his shell, the patterns and texture— familiar and comforting, traced a multitude of times in last afternoons with idle hands over lazy afternoon naps. The dips, swirls and gashes from battles and wear are the only things grounding me.
That solid carapace, the curve of which shakes with every strangled gasp of air he drags into his waterlogged lungs before he collapses into my lap.
And readily I catch him.
I don’t hesitate. I curl him back up into my arms and finally, finally he sees me.
Sees my muddied, tarnished gold hair, as the wet curls stroke against his eyelids. Sees my red cheeks and tear streaked face. The hatch-work of cuts and scrapes.
“Har…ley?” That breath— weak and tired as it is, is music in my ears, and I hold him tighter.
“I’m here… I’m not going anywhere. Not without you.” I whisper, my voice tight. Tracing a finger over the long scar above his brow. Tender and gentle, attempting to smudge some mud from the fabric of his mask. I feel the tension that had started coiling in him start to unwind. It’ll be short lived. We both know it.
But for the moment I can hold him. For the moment we’re okay.
I feel the familiar presence of his solid, heavy arm curl around my side, his hand lays flat against my shoulder-blade. I feel the warm sigh of his breath on my cheek as his eyes slowly flutter closed again.
“…Okay.” It’s all he manages to whisper. Relief and acceptance rolled into that single sigh. His voice a low and exhausted rasp, and I’m content to keep him curled up beside me like this until I’m satisfied. (After today… I’m not sure I ever can be.)
His hand splays at my shoulder, petting long, slow and comforting strokes down the length of my back, and I curl him against me tighter. Nuzzling my cheek against his. Even though he’s cold and a little scaley and under any other circumstances I wouldn't dare be so affectionate.
I think he knows that too. Which is probably why he hasn’t sheepishly moved me at arms length yet. Maybe he doesn’t care to. Maybe he hasn’t the strength.
For the moment… it doesn’t matter. Neither of us seems to care.
Book 2, Chapter 11: Snippet from "Below the Surface (Leonardo x Reader) - Weekly Updates!"
P.S./Warnings: Heavy themes of Angst, Anxiety, Trauma, Blood, Violence. Characters are aged up. Suggestive (but no smut ever). PG-13 content! Reader discretion is advised.
Snippet Word Count: 2,153 words
Leo opens the front door, and you follow in; he closes it behind you with a quiet click. It’s strange, being in the farmhouse without the rowdy company of his brothers or the bickering between April and Casey. It’s been a while since you’ve been back here, since Christmas, and you breathe in the familiar smell of mothballs and old pine floorboards, a small smile stretching over your lips. You do love this place, despite the mixed memories here.
Leo yawns into his shoulder, walking further into the house, toward the staircase in the middle.
“You sound tired,” you say with a teasing tone as you unlace your combat boots.
He hums in agreement. “You’d be tired too after going on a mission, then driving for hours,” he says with a grin.
“Well, I’ll give you that,” you say with a smile, tucking your boots neatly against the wall. You take a few quick steps and follow after Leo.
The stairs creak under his heavy feet, and he uses the handrail to pull himself up each step, his bones tired from the evening’s events. Your eyes casually take in the details on his back, watching the way his black katanas shift with each step, the pattern of his shell, and how there’s a richer shade of olive green just around the edges now. Your eyes follow along the curve until they land on his short tail, and you smile as it lightly sways back and forth. So cute, you think.
When you look back up, you’re only a few steps away from the second floor, and your heart does a little skip. The last time you were here, Leo slept on the couch because his brothers were still upset with him for leaving you behind, but now, with no brothers around, and no conflict between the two of you, you wonder what’s going through his head.
“Here,” Leo says, sliding off your backpack and handing it to you in the upstairs hall. “I’ll take April’s old room.”
“Oh,” you say, trying to hide your disappointment. You take your backpack from his hand, give him a tired smile, and then walk towards your usual room. You open the bedroom door to the neatly made queen bed, and hear a couple of Leo’s steps down the hall. You take a breath, drop your backpack on the bedroom floor, and quickly walk back out into the hall.
Leo looks over at you, his hand on the brass doorknob to April’s old room.
“Are you sure?” You ask, trying to hide your nervousness.
“Am I sure about what?” Leo asks.
“Are you sure April would want you sleeping in her room?” You blurt out an excuse.
He glances at the door, then back at you, his tired brain working at the pace of cold molasses. “I don’t think April will mind. I bathe, you know.” He jokes.
You smile and roll your eyes. “I mean… well…” You must be tired, because a good excuse is not finding its way out of your mouth. “Well, I just thought that maybe, you know…” You mentally wince, and butterflies flutter frantically around your insides. You pull at the wraps on your hands, kicking yourself for saying anything at all.
Leonardo lets go of the doorknob, looking at you with a new nervousness. “Did you not, uh, want me to sleep in… April’s room?”
“No, no,” you say quickly, “I don’t mean like that.” You laugh nervously. “I’m sure April wouldn’t mind if you were in her room.”
“Didn’t you just say she might mind?” He asks, confused.
“Oh, right,” you say, squeezing the palm of your hand.
There’s a long, awkward pause, and you hesitate before turning around, quickly walking back into your room. You shut the door behind you, leaning against it with the worst feeling of embarrassment you’ve experienced yet. You groan, covering your face with a hand. Before you can even push off the door, there’s a soft knock, knock. You stand up straight, collect yourself the best you can, and open the door.
Leo’s standing there, his duffel practically dragging on the floor. His eyes drooping, but his expression was gentle.
“Yes?” You ask, picking at the fabric on your hand behind the door.
“Do you want to sleep with me?” He asks, blinking tiredly.
Heat bursts into your cheeks, but you nod your head yes, knowing what he meant. “J-Just get in here,” you say, pulling him in by his wrist.
He chuckles, partially stumbling over his feet.
It’s not that you’ve never fallen asleep together before; you used to pretty frequently when you lived with him and his brothers, but it feels different now. There’s no hiding of each other's feelings, no hiding of the relationship, and you have an entire house out in the country completely to yourself. Pull yourself together, you mentally scold yourself.
Leo drops his duffel against the right wall, just in front of the dark wood doors to the closet. He plops on the edge of the bed and begins unwrapping his wrists. You watch him a moment before dragging your backpack over to the left side, setting it against the tall dresser beside the window. I didn’t think this through, you think, pulling out a pair of loose-fitting pajama shorts and a grey shirt. I should’ve changed before he got in here. You glance back at Leo sitting on the edge of the bed; he’s unwrapping his feet now. You nervously unclasp your leather belt and thigh holster, setting them both up on top of the dresser with a soft clink. The sun is coming in this window bright, illuminating the room with streaks of orange, yellow, and burnt umber, and you mentally note to close the curtains before you get into bed.
Your back is to Leo now, but you hear the sound of his sword belt unclasping, the metal tapping briefly against the hard surface of his plastron. The room feels charged, crackling with your nervous energy. You untie your black mask from around the base of your neck, neatly setting it on top of the dresser, and glance back at Leo again, wondering if he can sense the tension in the air. He’s yawning, covering his mouth with a hand. His belt is still on, so you have at least a few moments before he’s tucked himself in bed. You quickly unwrap your black tunic, untying it and letting it fall to the floor, along with your black pants. When you turn around to snag your knit shirt and shorts, you meet Leo’s wide-open eyes. You freeze, staring at him, staring at you, a bright red dusting his cheeks. His eyes flick down to your black bra, but almost immediately back up to your eyes. If it’s even possible, his face grows a little redder, and he spins back around to face the wall, his heart threatening to burst from his chest.
“S-Sorry,” Leo stutters out quickly, feeling feverish. “I-I didn’t know you were–Well, I didn’t think that you needed to… I didn’t mean to…” He studies the floor boards with surgical focus.
“N-No, it’s fine, really,” you stumble out, fighting off a fresh wave of embarrassment. You quickly tug off your bra and put on your pajamas. “I should’ve warned you that I was changing.”
“It’s… fine…” Leo mentally winces. Yeah, of course it’s fine with you, you’re the guy! He mentally scolds himself. Shell, I hope she’s not upset… His eyes are still wide, the drowsiness of needing sleep having lifted away at the sight of you. I should try to say something else…! He clears his throat briefly before saying, “I… didn’t mean to stare.”
You bite your bottom lip, your stomach filled with butterflies, a rush of adrenaline sharpening your embarrassment. You’re not sure what to say. You consider flirting somehow, just something to break the tension, but you’re having a hard time thinking of a good line.
The room darkens as you draw the curtains. Leo feels the bed shift as you climb in, but he’s too embarrassed to face you, so he scooches in backwards, then lies on his side as close to the edge of the mattress as he can. A couple of seconds later, he feels the mattress moving and hears a quiet giggle from behind him.
“Are you seriously not going to look at me now?” You ask teasingly, finally thinking of a line to try and break the awkward silence. “Have you never seen boobs before?”
He flips around, looking mortified in a sort of deer-in-the-headlights way, and your quiet giggle turns into a heartfelt laugh.
“W-Well, I’ve never seen your… y-you know…” Leo says frantically, his face still a bright shade of red.
“Boobs?” You finish his sentence, laughing away.
Leo grabs the pillow from under his head and covers his face with it, letting out a muffled groan. “Just don’t look at me,” he mutters against the pillow, considering hiding in his shell.
Which tickles you even further. You roll into his side, laughing.
He peeks out from under his pillow, just enough to see the sheer joy on your face. Leo’s embarrassment gradually melts away, captivated by how beautiful happiness looks on you.
“You are,” you say, looking up at him, wiping away happy tears, “the most adorable man I’ve ever met.”
Something about the way you say man makes his heart do a little flip. He’s never thought of himself as a man... He’s always wanted to be, but being a mutant always seems to come first. His tense muscles relax, and he tucks his pillow back under his head, watching as you smile up at him.
“Don’t worry,” you tease, leaning up to press a kiss on his cheek, “I’m sure you’ll see them again soon.”
And just that, he’s a stuttering, blushing mess again. Soon? He thinks, as if it’s never something he’s considered. Of course, he’s thought about you that way before. When you were dating last year, sneaking around the lair or tucking yourselves away in alleys to steal a heated kiss, it was all conducive to the kind of heart-pounding thoughts he usually tries to train away. They would only grow more vivid in the quiet shadows of the night; yet, he’d always try to shake them, wanting to respect you even in ways you’d never know.
As you tuck your pillow against his shoulder and scooch into him, your bare leg presses against the side of his, and he freezes. Holy Shell, Leo thinks, his hand opposite to you, gripping the edge of the mattress. Suddenly, he realizes the intimacy of it all; driving out to the farmhouse, being here, just the two of you, and he worries he might have given you the wrong impression. “I didn’t just bring you out here to be alone with you,” he blurts out, his grip tightening on the side of the bed.
You grin, nuzzling your face into the side of your pillow against his shoulder. “I know, Leo,” you whisper. You take in the familiar scent of him, like ozone and earth, and for the first time in months, the hollow ache in your chest finally feels full again.
You can feel his racing heartbeat just beneath your fingertips, which rest on the face of his plastron, and you can’t help but smile widely. You love the way he is around you. Cautious, but in a way that says he wants to be careful with you, for you. You understand him on a level even his brothers can’t comprehend, and at the slightest twitch in his voice, you can tell something’s shifted. With your eyes closed, you run your hand lightly over the start of his double scar, gently brushing your palm and fingers over the gouges. He will always be a warrior, a hero that people won’t even know to praise, and you feel lucky to finally be a part of his world again.
Leo swallows thickly, trying to focus through the rush of oxytocin flooding his brain. Though your touch grows slower and slower as sleep grasps at the edge of your mind, his skin grows warm, and his stomach twists with nervous energy. By the time you’ve fallen asleep, Leo is wide awake, his heart and mind racing at embarrassing speeds. Being with you like this, after all this time apart, missing you, craving you, he’s finding it difficult to relax. Before, when you’d share your bed, or he’d share his, it would be mostly for comfort. A bad dream, a rough day, and he’d fall asleep instantly, immediately comforted by your presence. But this is different. All he can think about is how hot your skin feels against his, how soft your hair is under his chin, the way he’s dreamed of being by your side again, and that it’s finally happening.
✨A/N: I love and hate these awkward scenes, haha! It makes them both feel so human and normal, but the second-hand embarrassment I get is SO PAINFUL 🙈
Side note: Part II of this chapter is about to get el caliente~ So, reader discretion is advised...! And a friendly reminder that all of these characters are aged up (19-21 years old). If you'd like to read the rest of this Fanfic, you can check it out at: Quotev Link Here
