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
