Apr 19
my version of Leo x Karai for my new mini fanfic Not so Careful Intentions (poster to Tumblr & Ao3) #tmntbayverse #leoxkarai #pheradream15fanart
seen from Romania
seen from United States
seen from Chile
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Malaysia
seen from Brazil
seen from United States
seen from Netherlands
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from France
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from Brazil
seen from United States
my version of Leo x Karai for my new mini fanfic Not so Careful Intentions (poster to Tumblr & Ao3) #tmntbayverse #leoxkarai #pheradream15fanart
So I finally made a Bluesky account for my spicy art that kept getting flagged…so go enjoy if ya wanna 💕
+18 Blog for NSFW art & more
Raph x FemReader By: PheraDream-15
Idea: Raph is under the truck working on it (helping Donnie) and y/n walks in and is blissed out looking at his body hard at work—touches, kisses & blowjobs, etc.
A/N: honestly can’t remember if I ever posted this one, if I did, there’s a few changes, if not…it’s probably still trash. Finally had a little time to write before I head off to work…I hope you enjoy it! *ps…SPICEY!*MINORS DNI*
Clutch
“Yo, Don! I need the –,” his loud request was cut short by the feel of metal tapping against his knee. He rotated, putting more weight on his right side to see a red swoosh of fabric, a pale set of shins that led to a small pair of sandals strapped over black-painted toes.
“Here ya go, big guy,” her words came with more gentle taps against his knee, signaling for him to move from beneath the large vehicle above him. Rolling out from under the truck he was welcomed by an ornery smile, her eyes gazing down at him with that familiar twinkle that had his mind racing. His eyes trailed down, tracing the dip of her shoulders, the curve of her waist where her hips jutted to one side. His eyes continued to roam until she held up a bag filled with snacks.
“Don’t get too excited, Mikey caught me and took the two cases of orange Crush,” she explained, attempting to be deadpan but he could hear the smile in her voice as he grabbed the bag and wrench from her hands, setting it down before gripping behind her knees and pulled.
With a surprised gasp, she fell with his grip, landing exactly where he wanted her, straddling his hips as his feet lay solid along the concrete floor to stop the sled from shifting with the added movement.
“Too late, already am,” He gruffed, hands sliding up to grip the fold of where her ass meets her thigh and the thin layer of her dress falling deliciously on either side of her spread thighs.
“C’mon, your hands are all greasy!” She giggled, thumping his chest in fake disdain but made no move as his hands began to tickle with swiped stripes over the smooth expanse of her inner thighs.
His only response was a growl as he tipped her hips and she came crashing into him which granted him access to the pulse point below her ear and the sensitive skin along her jawline. Her immediate response had him growling his want into her ear before sucking the gentle lobe between his teeth.
“Ooh,” her breathy gasp paired with the way her body wiggled atop him had all the blood rush south, his vision going foggy. Especially when he shifted for better access and a familiar wetness settled upon his hard member that was still sheathed below his thin shorts. With that knowledge he crushed her to him in a searing kiss, his fingers grazing along the crease of her knee before traveling up in rushed swirls before tickling her lips with the back of his knuckles. She was already a gaspy, twitchy mess atop him, and the way her body reacted to him so freely caused his heart to race even faster.
“Actin’ all innocent,” his voice was so deep and scratched that itch she’d been craving. She wasn’t about to squander this because this was the first time they had been alone for longer than five minutes in just over a month.
“Yet, you show up here,” with every few words his hands moved even slower in longer, intricate swirls along her soft flesh, spiking her heart rate, and causing her breath to catch in her throat.
“With no–,” he didn’t have to finish his sentence because he made his message clear by swiping over her slick heat and she failed to keep her hips steady. She rolled atop him and it must have been the final straw because before she knew it, she was horizontal with the large brute atop her. His shell provided a shield yet the desire in his eyes burned brighter than the surrounding garage lights.
.
.
“Are you crazy?” Her hushed words were immediately swallowed as he pushed her back against the side of the truck. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t fucking enjoy it when he used his immense size to cage her in before he did what he pleased. Especially with the way his eyes would darken and that god-forsaken smirk would utterly ruin her resolve and her body would go limp and act like clay in his hands.
“For you.” He pushed his body further into hers, hips tilting to allow her to feel the answer rather than hear it from his lips. The smirk was permanently plastered to his face as he leaned forward and they both knew that they wouldn’t be leaving the garage without getting a taste of each other. It was an unspoken, unanimous decision and her fingers were itching to touch him, to drag along the edge of the waistband of his shorts before diving just below the taut fabric over his stiff cock. Feverish hands moved as clothes fell away and their inhibitions fell to the wayward side. Before her overheated brain could process what he was doing, her dress was bunched up at her waist, thighs spread over his hips as she felt his slick tip push past her opening. Her body lurched forward, her arms wrapping tight around his neck as she felt his hips adjust then begin to move.
“Fu—,” her teeth sunk into her closed fist in an attempt to muffle her moans as she felt him bottom out and they both froze as the door leading into the garage from the main area scrapped open.
“Raph?” Donnie’s voice echoed in the open space as his boots moved closer to the vehicle. Raph was thankful that they had moved out of sight from the door.
“Uh, yeah. What Don?” He had to grit his teeth as the little minx he was fully engulfed in started to grind and wiggle her hips, her walls tightening like a vice around his engorged dick. He could hear his brother asking a question but he wasn’t completely following along as the woman tested his patience and self-control. Her movement began to slow, hips rolling slowly then she’d grind one, two, three times then back to rolling. She knew what she was doing to him by the smirk that was plastered on her face as her grip tightened around his neck to keep herself up. He could tell she was getting close, especially holding herself up against him so he needed to think of something to get rid of his brother, fast.
With gritted teeth, he pulled agonizingly slowly from her body with a subtle pop, rotating her in his arms until she was back on her feet, facing the truck wall. His hand covered her mouth, but not before she took his middle digit into her mouth, teasing the bed with her teeth before giving a deep suck. Before he allowed her to think she had the upper hand, his other hand trailed down to the apex between her thighs and began to swirl her swollen pearl, loving the way she’d flex when she thought his finger was going to slip back past her opening. Donnie was still rambling on about something and Raph heard the familiar sound of Don rummaging through tools and papers; so he took that as his cue to tilt her hips, her back arching as both her arms braced against the truck wall, the angle allowing his still-hard cock to be sucked back into her welcoming heat. It took all of his control not to growl at the way her teeth sunk into his finger in an attempt to stifle her moan.
“Then we still have to connect the–,”
“Donnie.” Raphael’s voice came out more strained and irritated than anticipated, but he’d apologize later. He loved his brother but with his current company, he just wanted to satisfy the woman whose vagina was pulsing from not being fully satiated…yet. The subtle, involuntary movements of her body were driving him insane and he was going to lose it if he didn’t get rid of Donnie soon.
“Oh, yeah, sorry. You just hit the communicator so I figured you needed something.” Oh shit, Raph blanked, glancing down to where his locator was fastened to the shorts in a heap near the back tire.
A grunt was his only reply as a soft intake of breath was all he could muster before he felt her hips start to roll up, down, and back again in such a slow way that left him swallowing back a groan by fastening his lips over the exposed edge just below the juncture of her throat. A flurry of names from the New York Mets roster over the past three years started to stumble and bounce around his brain, in an attempt to not have this end too soon.
“You’re good then? I’m headed out with Leo to grab another carburetor since the other blew and Mikey is with Master Splinter.” Raphael barked out his reply and played it off that he almost stripped a bolt which satisfied Donnie’s curiosity enough. His voice became more muffled and with a final farewell, the garage door finally closed again. Raphael unleashed a deep breath and with a thrust of his hips, his control slipping slightly as his cocked was sucked back fully into her needy cunt.
“Shi–,” Raphael’s words were cut off as she arched up, hips twisting before shimming off of his cock. His resolve faltered yet again at her breathy request, “please, I need to see you,” and with a brief pause, and a flurry of movements, they reconnected in a heated kiss, twisting their tongues as she fought for dominance. With a growl she pulled back, pushing his cheeks together to force his eyes to be completely on her as he watched her lick her teeth and grin with determined eyes.
“Fuck. Me.” Her heady words drenched in lust and despite not usually being one for orders, he couldn’t find it in himself to disobey. With a gurgled grunt and a needy smirk, he shoved her into the thick wall of the truck and began…
Not so Careful Intentions
Chapter 4
Leo x Karai
+*+*+*+*+
Karai knew something was wrong before the message ever reached her.
The air inside the Foot compound had shifted, too still, too controlled, closed off. The kind of silence that only existed when something had already been set into motion. She walked the corridor with measured steps, her expression neutral, but her mind racing
Then she heard it.
“Captured on the West side. Blue leader.”
Her steps stopped.
Just for a fraction of a second, but it was enough.
Leonardo.
A slow breath filled her lungs, deliberate, controlled, but it did nothing to quiet the sharp, immediate heat that coiled in her chest. Not fear. Not exactly.
Something more dangerous.
She turned slightly, just enough to catch the rest of the conversation drifting from the adjacent room.
“...samples are viable. Higher concentration than expected.”
“Of course they are. It’s a stabilized mutagen. That’s the point.”
A pause, then—
“Orders are to extract everything we can before termination.”
Karai’s stomach tightened.
Termination.
Not interrogation. Not leverage. This wasn’t standard protocol, not even close.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as the realization began to settle into something colder.
This wasn’t about intelligence.
This wasn’t about strategy.
This was containment. Which meant someone had changed the objective without her.
Karai stepped back into the corridor, mind moving fast now, connecting threads she hadn’t wanted to look at too closely before.
The rooftop.
The hesitation.
The moment she hadn’t taken the shot.
And worse…the moment she hadn’t stopped, what happened. She had felt it then, a shift, but it wasn’t from weakness, but something dangerously close, because in the Foot, distinction didn’t matter.
Either someone had seen, or someone had reported.
—
A guard rounding the corner stopped, a deep bow with a dip of his head as he saw her.
“Mistress Karai-sama.”
She didn’t stop walking.
“When were these orders given?” she asked, her tone even, controlled, almost bored.
The guard hesitated, his left eye slightly twitched as his hand tightened on the gun strapped to his chest.
“This morning.”
A lie.
At least not the whole truth.
She stopped, turning slowly, hissing with an evident glint in her eye, “and you didn’t think that required my awareness?”
The guard stiffened, his body easily readable, his voice feigning authority, “It came from above.”
Silence. It was as she thought. Karai held his gaze just long enough to watch him squirm, allowing the weight of the truth to settle in before dismissing him with nothing more than a slight turn of her head and a flick of her wrist.
Above her clearance, only one thing meant. She wasn’t being trusted and cut out, which in the Foot, meant that this was the beginning of the end.
She continued, her plans changing as she turned down the next corridor before coming up on a set of metal doors.
The door opened with a quiet hiss, and for the first time since hearing his name…she saw him.
Leonardo.
He was suspended, arms pulled upward, bound tight above his head. Wrists secured to metal restraints embedded in the wall. His body stretched into an X, legs forced apart, ankles locked into place. His weapons were strewn to the side. A series of thin, precisely placed needles was embedded along his arms, the tubing running from them into a clleciton unit at the side.
The darkened vials were slowly filling.
Karai stilled, not out of shock, but recognition. They weren’t interrogating him, but harvesting him. Because why waste something that valuable? Her stomach flipped, jaw tightening just slightly. That same heat from before flared again, but sharper, clearer, angrier.
One of the technicians glanced up, startled.
“Mistress Karai, we weren’t informed you would…”
“You’ve adjusted the extraction rate,” she said, her tone even.
One of the technicians stiffened.
“Yes…orders were to increase yield while maintaining viability.”
Karai’s eyes shifted to him.
“Whose orders?”
A pause, too long to be trustworthy.
Another technician stepped in quickly to smooth things over.
“We were instructed to proceed under revised cleara…”
“By who?” Karai’s voice leaves little room for bullshit; the silence stretched, and with that silence came a shift. She felt the familiar pull of being watched.
She exhaled slowly, posture easily, as if in acceptance, as if she was still playing her role.
“Continue,” she said calmly, stepping closer to Leonardo.
Behind her, the technicians hesitated; she could see one of them move toward the console to flag her presence.
That was enough.
She moved, swift, clean, precise, pivoting on her heel to close the distance in a single step, her hand clutching the technician at the throat, driving him back into the console.
A clean strike to the carotid.
As he dropped without a sound, the second technician barely had time to react before a flash of steel and a breath cut too short. A sudden stillness overtakes the room; the only noise is the resounding beeps of the machines connected to him.
Two bodies, minimal struggle, no mess. But—
The third technician froze, her eyes wide, processing too slowly.
Karai turned, “Stay where you are.”
But she didn’t see the technician bolt, the door sliding open just long enough for her to slip through, and just like that, the silence was shattered. A distant alarm hadn’t sounded, but it would within minutes, and Karai knew she couldn’t afford to let chase her.
That was a choice, and the only thing that mattered now was Leo.
He watched with lidded eyes, but didn’t miss a beat.
His voice came low, edged with sarcasm and a small huff.
“Subtle,” a faint twitch of his lips suggested humor in his dreary tone.
Karai was already moving, hands working quickly at the nearest line, shutting off the flow, removing the needles with practiced precision.
“You think subtle is an option?”
One by one, the lines came free, and drops of darkened blood followed. She could feel him tense as her hands raked over his pebbled flesh, but he made no sound as he tracked each of her movements.
“You just made yourself the problem,” he said, calm and with a half-second pause, just long enough for it to land.
“I already was,” she confirmed, looking up, hazel-green meeting sapphire blue.
“They changed the objective,” she whispered, “This isn’t about information. It’s about control, removing variables.” Her fingers moved, trailing softly up his neck, across his jaw, and up, stopping at the locking mechanism just below his wrists.
“And right now,” she added, voice tightening as she fumbled with the lock, not making eye contact, “You’re not the only one they’re preparing to eliminate.”
Click.
One restraint loosened. Leo dropped slightly on one side, catching himself through the remaining bindings, muscles tightening against the sudden shift. Their eyes locking, closer now, each hearing the reverberating beats of their hearts, both focusing on calming breaths as they both try to decide what’s next.
“You let him go,” Leonardo stated, eyes burning into hers, flicking as if he were searching for the truth. And without looking away, she says,
“Yes.” No hesitance in her voice. Another click.
“Why?”
The question felt heavy as it sat, heavier this time because it mattered now. She stepped in closer, reaching for the next restraint. Close enough that her voice didn’t need to carry.
“Because,” she quietly said, “If they’re watching… I need them to see it happen.”
Leo’s brow furrowed in confusion.
“See what?”
With a final schnick, the last restraint released. Karai’s hand slid down briefly, steadying him as he shifted his weight, gaining his balance. Her voice dropped, lower, sharper.
“Which side I choose.”
For half a breath, neither one moved as they stood chest to chest.
Then, the sound of fast-paced footsteps echoed, closing in the corridor.
Karai pulled back first, mask back in place, her decision made.
“There are three routes out, but only one buys us time.”
“Then don’t pick the obvious one,” Leo smirks, a flicker of approval as he reaches for his katanas.
—
The escaped technician stumbled forward,
“INTRUDER…KARAI…”
Red lights blaze as the alarm is triggered.
—
Leo’s the first to move, despite being weakened, as the door bursts open.
Disarm. Pivot. Strike.
Karai moves in, finishing the second before he hits the ground. They don’t look at each other; they don’t need to, as they move in perfect unison.
—
A metal hatch SLAMS open as Raph drops through hard, stumbling on impact. His breathing is uneven as he runs through the lair’s entrance.
“Don!”
He catches himself on the way, shakes his head in an attempt to expel the gas that hasn’t fully worn off yet. His eyes are still burning as he moves deeper into the lair.
Donnie and Mikey snap up from the console area.
“Whoa, Raph?! What,”
Raph grabs the edge of the table to steady himself.
“They took’em.” he coughed out, arms scrapping across his brow in a feeble attempt to clear his vision.
“Leo,” Mikey’s frantic whisper was barely heard as Donnie rammed into his chair in front of the monitors.
—
They turned a corner fast, too fast as Leo clips the wall slightly as his body is recovering slower and Karai notices instantly. She shifts her body, positioning herself between him and the next blind turn.
Guards ahead.
“Left.”
“No–right, less traffic,” Leo breathes through bated breath.
They don’t have the time to hesitate, and within a fraction of a second, she follows him.
—
“How long ago?” Donnie asks, already pulling up scanners, typing fast as multiple screens come alive.
“Minutes, maybe less, I don’t know, they dropped some kind of gas,”
He rakes his fist along his brow in an attempt to ease the headache that is brewing just beneath the surface.
“Leo didn’t make—”
“No,” Raph snaps, “he didn’t.”
—
The space is tight, narrow, leaving no room as the Foot soldiers rush down.
Leo engages first, and Karai immediately follows. She sweeps low as he blocks high, she strikes, he finishes. This isn’t practiced, but their connection is evident.
—
“I’ve got him!” Donnie all but jumps, “barely…according to my calculations it's—jumping, like interference…”
April moves in behind him, Casey just arriving from the tunnel entrance.
“Can you trace it?”
“I’m trying…it’s not clean,”
Raphael roars, twisting to slam his fist against the column that’s holding him up.
“Try harder!” —
The escaped technician, panicked and breathless, “She killed them…Karai, she’s with him—”
A shadowed figure listens, still, cold, distant.
“Seal all exits,” he commands, “Escalate response,” a pause, voice going colder, “terminate if necessary.”
—
Karai stops just before the exit door as she feels the shift, sensing more guards. She looks back at Leo, “They’re adjusting.”
He exhales slowly, “I can feel it too.” He nods in agreement, eyes sweeping along the corridor, calculating.
—
“There’s something else…I’m picking up irregular readings like…like they were pulling something from him.” Donnie reads, his eyes scanning the information he’s hacked.
“What do you mean, pulling?” Raphael growls, eyes narrowing as he tries to decipher Don’s screens.
April’s expression tightens. “That’s not good.”
Casey mutters from beside her, “Yeah, no kiddin’.”
—
For a moment, there’s a stillness in the air, and Karai allows her eyes to scan as he leans against the wall.
There’s blood on his arms, where the needles were, and her jaw tightens at the memory.
“They were harvesting it.” She’s never felt this small before, but being around him, like this, is changing her.
Leo lets out a quiet breath, “Figured.” Her eyes watch as his body shifts along the wall, arm coming up to hold along his lower plastron, head leaned back against the wall, eyes closed as a deep breath racks through his body.
“You stopped it.” He commends, and the words land harder, leaving her unable to answer.
—
Raph turns away from the console, running a hand over his head, fingers digging into the red fabric covering his dome. He continues to pace, more frantic now.
“We’re wasting time.”
“I don’t have a clean location, if we go in bli—”
“Then we go in loud.”
Mikey’s eyes bounce nervously between his brothers, April’s hands wrapped almost protectively around his forearm, grounding him.
“Raph–,”
“No, Mike. They’ve go thim strapped to a table somewhere, and you want to WAIT!?”
His words hit hard, the tension building as April’s fingers dig into Mikey’s flesh, a bated breath escapes her.
—
The brief silence is broken by the echoing sounds of heavy footfalls. A reinforced door ahead is the only way out. Karai moves toward the panel, then stops, pivoting to look back at Leo.
“This is where it turns.” Her eyes searched his, her body coiled in defense, giving him a choice.
“Let it.” He steels, shoulders squaring. That’s all the confirmation she needs.
—
Splinter steps into the room where his sons have gone quiet, eyes watching as Raphael paces, Donatello is coiled with tension, and Michelangelo’s worry is etched on his young face.
“Tell me,” Splinter commands, his voice steady and calm, but his eyes narrowed as he notices that his blue-banded son is nowhere to be seen.
“They took’em. The Foot. And they’re—” Raphael’s head dips briefly before glancing in his brother’s direction, looking for guidance.
Donatello steps up as his hologram downloads information.
“They’re experimenting on him.” This silence weighs heavily as everyone processes the next step.
—
With the help of Leo’s brute strength, Karai is able to override the lock, but as the door bursts open, light floods in. Leo steps forward beside her, only to be met with an overwhelming force.
—
Raphael resheaths his sais.
“We’re goin’.”
This time, his direction isn’t met with arguments, just the quiet nods and rustling of gear being collected.
Splinter nods once.
“Then we move as one.”
—
Leo and Karai launch forward…
Outnumbered, surrounded, but they move fast, aggressively, with no hesitation. Steel clashes while bodies twist and fall. Leo is sharp, but not at his full strength, and Karai notices. His movements are slower by fractions, but that is all it takes when balancing on the end of a blade that dictates the difference between life and death.
A soldier comes in high, Leo blocking while Karai intercepts with clean, efficient precision, dropping the guard before the strike lands.
—
“Signal’s right below us, multiple levels, heavy interference…” Donnie rambles, sifting through the hologram at his wrist.
“Then we’re goin’ through it.” Raphael commands, fist flexing along the worn leather handle of his sai.
—
The numbers don’t stop, the onslaught of Foot soldiers is neverending and they both feel themselves being pushed back by each new wave. She sees Leo take down another, but as he turns, she notices his breathing is heavier. He clocks her immediately, and a silent acknowledgment passes between them as Leo caves, “You noticed,” he says, a brief flicker at the corner of his lips as he shifts into a smile.
Then…
Leo missteps, just slightly, but enough for a shaky guard to land a strike across his side, forcing Leo to drop to one knee.
That was when everything for Karai just…stops.
—
Raphael tears through the corridor ahead of the others, his brutal, relentless strength carrying him further into the narrowed space. No Foot soldier stands a chance as they ricochet off the wall, bones snapping on impact.
“Okay…He’s not even waiting for us,” Mikey grunts, following just behind Donnie and his hologram.
“He can’t,” Donnie confirms, “Leo’s vitals are dropping—”
—
Karai moves, dropping beside him, deflecting another strike aimed at his head. Her voice is sharp now, different.
“Stay up.”
Leonardo exhales, pushing himself up, but his strength is waning, and she bears more of his weight. More guards are closing in, and he feels her body shift, positioning herself in front of him. Blocking. Protecting.
—
The door bursts inward under the force of Raph’s strike, metal buckling and slamming against the wall as he charged through without hesitation. His breathing was still ragged from the gas, his eyes still burning, but none of that mattered the second he saw Leo.
Leo was on his feet, but barely. Raphael clocked the uneasy sway at the same time Karai stood before his brother.
Everything in Raph froze for half a second before exploding. He surged forward with a roar, crossing the distance in an instant.
“GET AWAY FROM HIM!”
Karai barely had time to turn before Raph collided with her, grabbing and throwing her hard into the wall. The impact echoed, sharp and violent, but she recovered almost immediately, pushing off the surface as Raph came at her again.
“Raph—wait—!” Leo’s voice cut through, strained, but it didn’t slow him.
Steel met steel as Karai met Raph head-on this time, blocking, redirecting, holding just enough ground to keep him from reaching Leo again. Around them, the room erupted back into motion. Donnie and Mikey flooded in behind Raph, immediately engaging the surrounding Foot soldiers as more poured through the far entrances.
“Form up! Watch the flanks!” Donnie called, already calculating movement, angles, numbers.
“Yeah, yeah—flanks—got it!” Mikey spun into a pair of soldiers, barely dodging a third as he laughed nervously under his breath. “Okay—there are a LOT more of them than I like—!”
Casey stayed near the blown entry point, fighting where he had to but keeping his eyes moving, tracking exits, and timing his shots. He wasn’t here to hold the line—he was here to get them out.
In the center, Raph drove forward again, relentless.
“You set him up!”
Karai deflected a strike, pivoting just out of range of the next. “If I had,” she shot back sharply, “he’d already be dead!”
It almost landed. Almost slowed him.
But not enough.
Raph lunged again—
“RAPH—STOP!”
The force in Leo’s voice cut through the chaos just enough to stall him. Raph turned, breathing hard, eyes blazing—and Leo stepped between them.
He wasn’t steady. Not even close. But he held his ground anyway.
“She didn’t do this.”
Raph stared at him, chest rising and falling, rage still burning hot beneath the surface.d“You trust her?”
Leo didn’t answer right away. He glanced at Karai—just briefly—then back.
“She got me out.”
It wasn’t trust. Not fully. But it was enough to fracture the moment.
But, before anything else could settle, more Foot soldiers flooded into the chamber, heavier units now, more coordinated, more aggressive. The shift was immediate, suffocating. The room was closing in.
“We’re getting surrounded, we need an exit NOW!” Donnie called, already adjusting his stance as he fought.
“Already working on it,” Casey said, stepping back toward the entrance. He caught Raph’s eye just long enough to make it clear. “Two minutes. I’ll get us a ride.”
Raph didn’t answer, but he didn’t stop him either.
Casey disappeared, already moving. Mikey ducked under a strike, sweeping a soldier off his feet. “Little busy over here, guys—!”
“Less commentary, more moving!” Donnie snapped back, blocking another incoming attack.
Leo faltered again. Just for a second, but it was enough.
Karai noticed instantly. She shifted without thinking, stepping closer, not touching, but close enough to intercept anything coming his way.
Raph saw it. He didn’t say anything. But he saw it.
Then the ground shook slightly as a heavier unit dropped into the chamber, armor thicker, presence overwhelming. Everyone adjusted instinctively, the threat immediate and undeniable.
Karai stepped forward, taking point, which was new to the mutagen bonded brothers. Raph clocked it—but didn’t stop her.
—
Outside, an engine roared to life.
Casey leaned out of the driver’s seat, vehicle angled for a fast exit, eyes locked on the entrance.
“Ride’s up!”
Donnie heard it first. “That’s our window!”
Raph shifted immediately, aggression snapping into focus. “Move! Now!”
Mikey grabbed Leo’s arm, steadying him as best he could. On the other side, Karai mirrored the movement without hesitation, supporting just enough to keep him upright.
Together, they ran.
The corridor tightened around them, footsteps closing in fast behind. Karai turned mid-stride, dropping two pursuing soldiers without breaking pace. Raph covered the rear, brutal and efficient, making sure nothing got too close.
“Left—then straight—then up!” Donnie called, guiding them through.
They burst out into the open air—
Casey was already there, engine running, door open.
“MOVE!”
One by one, they piled in—
Leo stumbled, almost didn’t make it—
Karai went to catch him but Raph watched, knowing that she couldn’t be able to fully support Leo’s weight so he moved. Assisting on getting Leo pushed through the double doors of the van.
The doors slammed shut, and Casey didn’t hesitate, flooring it as the vehicle tore away from the compound, Foot soldiers spilling out behind them, far too late to stop it.
Inside, the silence hit hard.
Leo leaned back, eyes slipping closed, breathing shallow.
The comm crackled.
“Status?” April’s voice cut through.
Donnie answered, quieter now.
“We’re coming in hot.”
“Good,” April replied. “I’m ready.”
Raph looked across the vehicle, eyes landing on Karai.
Still guarded. Still angry. But now, there was something else there. Something uncertain, and he wasn’t sure if he could trust it.
Karai met his gaze, her hands folded in her lap, but her knees spread to brush against Leo’s thigh as Casey tore through the streets of New York.
Not once did either of them look away.
.
.
.
Not so Careful Intentions: Chapter List
A Little, Blue
Chapter 3: A Little Surprise
><><><
“Mom!” Y/n shot up off the couch, her body instinctively moving to shield Leonardo to the best of her ability. Not because she was embarrassed but because she knew how much he valued secrecy. Secrecy led to security which was the key to him and his family’s survival; and here she was, jeopardizing that. He was frozen, completely thrown by what had just happened. He’d been completely enamored by the woman who was dozing off, cuddled against his arm, so much so, that he hadn’t sensed the woman on the other side of the door. He needed to leave. He needed to handle the situation and as he watched Y/n move in front of him, all he could do was strategize on how he was going to rectify this mistake. All he could hear was Raph’s snarky tone in his head, “What now, Fearless?”
Despite her intentions, there was no hope in trying to hide the large, green, mutant turtle that was lounging on her lumpy couch from her mother. By the look on her mother’s face, the damage was done. Y/n’s eyes shifted to her daughter who was tucked into her mother’s arms, sound asleep against her shoulder. Corey’s eyes were striking, shifting between her and Leo, then back again. Not a word was spoken as the tension in the air was becoming stifling but as Y/n felt Leo’s thigh shift, her knee buckled and she fell back into him. Startling the adults in the room, Y/n wished that a hole would open and suck her down as she felt her face heat as she avoided looking at Leo but felt his eyes bore into her. Her gaze never left her mother, the older woman standing in her doorway with an unreadable face and stoney eyes.
“I am going to put her to bed and when I come back…I expect some answers.” The pointed look still shook Y/n to this day, even being a thirty-year-old, grown woman, seeing that look on her mother’s face spiked a surge of anxiety. Seconds passed and Y/n’s eyes never left the woman as she watched her walk through the apartment, turned down the hall and listened for the soft click of the bedroom door before she realized she was holding her breath.
Her world snapped back into focus when realization hit that she had not moved from atop Leo’s thigh ,and as her back stiffened, she looked over to see his cheeks were darkened, eyes hard set, flashing indigo, breaking her resolve.
“Uh, um…I don’t even know what to say.” The nervous giggle was choked as she thrumbed her fingers along the edges of his strong arm that was wrapped, protectively, over her thighs.
“Y/n…” Leo’s eyes were dark and she could sense him pulling away mentally and emotionally just by the way he looked at her. The tension between them was palpable, neither knowing what to do and for Leo, it was frustrating to not know how to move forward. That was his job, to always have a plan, no matter the situation.
“Hey,” her hands moved, her back twisting to get a grip of his face between her hands. This was the first time she’d been this close to him, and it took all of her power not to coast the pads of her thumbs over his surprising soft scales that littered his cheeks. But right now, she needed to figure out a way to fix this situation.
“I know we’ve only known each other for a few months. I saved your life, you’ve saved mine and I have zero right to ask but I am going to,” Her eyes were focused, brimming with determination, “Can you trust me?”
His entire body was tense but once he saw the determinatio and the set of her jaw and, he realized that he already did. He trusted her the night she saved him with the help of his brother. He also trusted Donnie’s insight and there were no red-flags. There was no denying that, despite being in a situation he had worked so hard to avoid, he wanted to stay and figure this out. With her. This woman made his head spin and he cursed every non-Leo-like thought as he stared into her e/c eyes instead of lingering on the way she bit her bottom lip. His fist clenched against her thigh to ground him from moving to pull that plump lip from her teeth.
“Alright.”
Her mother’s voice broke their trance as she came back into the room. Y/n eyes shot up and watched as her mother unwrapped the long scarf to toss it, along with her coat, onto the table before disappearing into the kitchen. The sound of clinking glasses and cupboard doors opening and closing were the only sounds that could be heard outside of her own ragged breathing.
A subtle tap was felt along the inner curve of her waist and she realized that she still hadn’t moved from her spot but now as everything began to settle around them, she was afraid to. Afraid to move and give him the opportunity to disappear and have to explain what her mother saw all on her own.
“I’m here.” Leonardo’s words were heavy, gruff, and filled with an unknown tone she wasn’t sure how to judge but, she believed him. With a nod she stood, his hand shifting to splay at the base of her back before pushing gently in an unneeded assist but his touch was grounding and helped her courage as she knew she wasn’t alone.
Once standing, her mom made her entrance, rejoining them in the living area, a glass of bourbon clutched in a grip as she stood, arms crossed and leaning against the kitchen island. Her eyes never left Leonardo as he stood, turning to face them woman in front of them, staying by Y/n, bracing for the inevitable.
“So you’re the one who’s been taking all of my lil bunny’s time.” Her words were clipped, to the point as she brought the short glass to her lips, not once blinking. No one spoke as she took a slow, deliberate sip, the silence enveloped the room.
“Mom, please. I need you to listen–,” Y/n’s hands slowly moved to brace in front of her as if in surrender as she slowly stepped towards her mom.
No sooner had her name left her mom’s lips did Leonardo’s familiar commanding voice rock both women speechless.
“Miss L/n, my name is Leonardo…it’s nice to meet you.” He bowed, hands fisted at his sides, and Corey’s eyes watched as if peeling away his layers to get to the man below before he lifted to stand at full attention. Y/n heard his jaw click as his entire body tensed to resemble an unmoving wall. He held himself as if he was preparing for war and by the tension she sensed between her mom and him, it was going to be a close one.
“Alright big boy, I see you, I hear you, but now,” her gaze piercing and Y/n unconsciously shifted closer to Leonardo, and Corey quickly picked up on the movement with slight of her brow.
“It’s time to get to know you.”
—-
It took two hours but there had been no screaming, running, or signs of high blood pressure. Y/n realized quickly that she truly had almost nothing to worry about. Leonardo was a natural and Corey was a woman who could see through any false pretenses.
He started off strong, guarded, and overwhelmingly stoic to when Corey commented and asked if she was speaking to a wall with a sound recording. Her mother’s bluntness worked because as the ice broke, any high tensions eased and Y/n’s anxiety ebbed away. Almost. She couldn’t stop looking at Leonardo who, sat across from her, seeming so far away despite being within reach.
They were all at an impass and the silence was comfortable enough that Y/n had to stand, but she hadn’t relaized her legs had fallen asleep and as she stood, she stumbled. She hadn’t heard him move but a strong arm wrapped around her hips, as her hand smacked the table in a feeble attempt to steady herself and if that wasn’t enough, she was caught off guard again by looking up into his intense blue eyes.
“Oh,” Corey gasped as her hand moved to play with the collar of her crewneck. “What’s going on here?” Her teasing jest and maddening smirk made both Leo and Y/n tense, eyes glued to each other. Y/n’s eye drifted, noticing thin stripes that drifted down his neck begin to darken in shade before he gulped and she’s never wanted to nip at his Adam’s apple too see if he tasted as sweet as he looked. Down girl, gawd. That was a sobering thought as she felt her head drop before gently tapping against his arm to set her back down as she had regained her balance.
“Leonardo.” Her mother’s voice was stern, demanding attention from the blue-banded terrapin. “Do you respect my daughter?”
“Mom,” Y/n groaned, feeling like a teenager whose been caught with her first boyfriend as she felt the heat creep up her neck, eyes became hot in embarrassment.
“Yes Ma’am. She’s an amazing woman and I owe her my life.” Leonardo bowed again, displaying his sincerity along with a vulnerability that made Y/n’s heart squeeze.
“Well,” Corey stood, slapping her thighs as if to end this long winded conversation, “take care of my lil’ bunny, Blue. Or momma bear is gonna have to kick your ass.” Corey playfully growled and shook her fist at the ninja and Leo couldn’t help but crack a crooked smile at the older woman’s antics. Only then, had he realized that his arm was still protectively wrapped around Y/n’s waist as his fingers flexed; causing a single digit to break past the edge of her loose top, connecting with soft, warm, pliable flesh.
“Ugh, Mom!” Y/n groaned again in exasperation, “I’m a thirty year old woman, I don’t need—.” She broke off as she felt the gentle caress along her hip and couldn’t bring herself to lose sight of the woman in front of her. She knew, deep in her bones, that if she looked at the man who was wrapped around her in the eye, she’d forfeit their little acquaintance and risk it all.
“Oh hush, you. I don’t want to hear it. I don’t care if you’re thirty, sixty or ninety five. As long as I’m around, you’ll always be my lil’ bunny and I protect my baby.” Corey cut a quick look at Leo as a warning.
Despite Y/n’s slight irritation, there was no use in denying her mother’s love. She knew she was blessed to have a woman who she could confide in, especially with the unusual, or rather unconventional situation that they have been caught in.
After about twenty minutes, a quick check up with Luna, Y/n and Leonardo bid Corey a good night. As soon as the door closed leaving behind just her and Leo she turned to notice taht he was already securing the swords across his back and moved towards the balcony door. Y/n hated to see him leave, well, metaphorically; because realistically, that man has an ass that would make Captain America cry.
”Um…so, did we scare you off?” Y/n knew she hadn’t hidden her slight discomfort well as she fidgeted with the hem of her sweater as she tried to make eye contact as he had turned to face her. She could still feel the faint trail of his fingers along her waist and that had her blushing even more. Why was she so nervous? Yes, Leonardo was attractive, honest, honorable, strong, intelligent, kind, caring and just overall one of the best people in her life. She couldn’t risk it. She wouldn’t.
“No, but if I’m being honest,” Leonardo’s brow creased, eyes cast down before returning back to her with an almost sad expression, “I’m not sure if this is the right decision.”
“Oh…um, does this mean that we can’t see each other, or…” She was scared of his answer as her steps coming to stop a few feet away from him. She could still smell his vanilla and jasmine scent wafting over her, calming her frenzied senses.
“I am not sure I can do that.” His words made her breath catch as her eyes shot to meet his. Blue met e/c in a charged gaze, her heart speeding faster as she couldn’t quite read his new expression. There was a sad, almost longing that she couldn’t decide whether to embrace him or give him space. They have worked well around each other but it has been the two of them up to this point. He hasn’t been introduced to Luna and he only met Corey by chance.
“Good.” That was all she could muster but she knew she wasn’t going to let him leave without him knowing that, if it was up to her, she wouldn’t let him go.
As Leo left through the balcony door, he was already calling Donnie, letting him know of the situation regarding the mom. He knew that Donnie would be the one to keep this under wraps long enough for him to devise a plan for moving forward. Because, the way that Y/n looked at him right before he left he knew that there was little in this world that would stop him from seeing her. She had wedged her way into his heart and he was going to protect her and her family. Despite never having met little Luna, he knew so much of the small child from Y/n’s motherly point of view. It was endearing and honestly, Leo was envious of the love that she’s expressed knowing that he would never be able to give her that. Woah, slow your roll, what the hell was that? Leonardo froze, he knew that Y/n was special but had been blissfully unaware of the circumstances in which she had made a heart shaped hole inside his soul. He wasn’t sure how much more he’d be able to take as he contemplated what his next steps were as he sprinted across the roofs before making a call to the one person who he knew, would give him the honest to gods truth and a reality check.
“What ya want, Fearless?”
.
.
.
Ch. 1
Ch. 2
Next: Chapter 4: A Little Guest
.
Tag List (If you no longer want to be tagged, or added, please let me know):: @rae-iin, @ashleighclark98, @sugaritbx
A Little, Blue
Chapter 4 - A Little Guest
><><><
“Um, Mommy? Did you get me a big dinosaur?”
Y/n’s eyes burst, locking onto her reflection in the bathroom mirror. What?
“Honey, what are you talking about,” Y/n continued to unwrap her hair from the towel when her little girl let her know that a dinosaur named Leo was in their living room. Shit!
She had rushed from the bathroom so quickly that her feet slipped, causing her to slide into the wall that led out towards the living area. That is when she locked eyes with Leonardo. His stance was relaxed but his blue-flame eyes burned with uncertainty and something else.
“Luna, love, this is my dear friend–” She should have prepared for this, she should have realized that this was going to happen sooner or later the longer she ignored the truth. But she wasn’t prepared for this soon, it had only been a few days since Leo met her mother and now lil’ Luna? The last man she tried to introduce Luna too had bolted and her heart broke at the inevitable.
“Leo!” Her little eyes bright as she bounced from in front of the coffee table. She’d been coloring in her new dinosaur book. Her head swiveled and her eyes searched back and forth between Leo and her mom.
“That’s what he said his name was.” Her little fingers snapped the marker lid back on as she stood, kicking the pillow she sat on out of her way as she bounded toward Leonardo. Y/n wasn’t sure what to do but stood and watched. This was unknown and probably uncharted territory and, ugh, there were too many unknown variables that had her head spinning and she clutched the towel tighter around her. Wait, towel? Y/n looked down adn realized that she was still wrapped in a towel and nothing else. Her naked, black painted toes the only way of coverage outside of the fluffy wrap around her. Leo watched as Y/n’s realization and averted his gaze to the little girl below him in an effort to stop the onslaught of heated, wet images of Y/n that flew through his mind.
“How old are you? Dinosaurs are old old.” Luna’s small croaked as she gripped the fabric at his knees, looking up at him with a broad smile and quizzical eyes.
“I’m 24, Luna.” Leonardo bowed with his answer but his confession caused a gasp to leave Y/n and their gazes locked again. She was thirsting after a man that she was six years his senior. She had just turned thirty in January. His eyes shot to her with a questioning glance and forced her to re-evaluate a few of her feelings. But as his attention refocused back to Luna, she knew that it would be a waste of time. She knew that her feelings wouldn’t change, and she, honestly, didn’t want them to. Luna was completely enamored by Leo that she was able to go and get changed into more appropriate attire. No sooner had she put her pajama pants on that a tiny chime from attop her dresser alerted her of a text from a certain blue ‘dino’.
Lee: Apologies for the drop in. I didn’t see anyone but the lights were and I was worried.
He was such a worry-wort, but she couldn’t help the slight feeling of dread that nestled into the base of her stomach at the prospect of him leaving now that Luna knows him. She quickly dressed and added a layer of moisturizer before heading back out into the unknown.
—
They fell into a comfortable silence, Y/n getting drinks and snuggling into the couch as Luna resumed her coloring but continued to ask Leo every single question under the sun before asking him to color with her. By the end of the second hour, Luna was dozing off but fought against sleep as she wanted to tell Leo all about her favorite dinosaurs but not after letting him know she was sad he was a turtle and not a dinosaur.
“Love, I think it’s time for bed.”
“No! Mommy, I’m not tired,” tears were streaming, suddenly standing from her spot and all but collapsed in Leo’s lap. He froze, not quite sure what to do but grabbed for her tiny knee so she didn’t fall off.
“I think you are,” Y/n sang in a near whisper as she watched Luna relax in Leonardo’s grasp, her head laying against the crook of his neck, her little hand wrapped tightly around the strap across his chest as her other gripped an open pink marker that continued to mark along the underside of her chin and some of Leo’s chest.
Leonardo’s eyes fixated on the small child who clung to him. He’s saved children in the past but not one had clung to him with such persistence. Y/n’s heart was about to explode. Something about seeing him there, her daughter wrapped protectively in his arms made something primal scream for him. Both remained silent as Luna’s tired eyes closed, and her breathing evened and the grip along the marker slacked. Y/n felt that wire in her belly tense as thighs rubbed together, the slight friction frustratingly unsatisfactory before standing in a feeble attempt to some relief. It has been to long since another person has made her feel this way. She motioned for Leo to hand Luna over but what he did next surprised her. It shouldn’t have, but she wasn’t used to someone taking the lead and helping without being asked. He stood, Luna tucked in one arm, and nodded towards the hallway as if silently asking for her to take the lead. Her heart was going to burst because once again, there he goes and does these little act that causes her heart to melt and brain to fry. Then the man had to look at her daughter with such care as he stopped in front of the pink and green painted door.
She pushed open Luna’s door and watched as Leo ducked into the small space, taking in the pink dino bedspread covered with stuffed animals of all kinds and the sticky stars that covered her ceiling. He looked so out of place that his large stature was almost comical but her laughter died as she watched him tuck her lil’ Luna-star in with such gentle care that Y/n’s heart squeezed tight. He patted her shoulder as she snuggled in with Mr.Binx and bid Leo goodnight before she drifted off in tiny snores. The room was silent as both Leo and Y/n took in the peaceful innocence before his striking blue eyes shifted back to her. They were unreadable and she felt her stomach tighten for a completely different reason than it had a few minutes earlier.
Y/n softly closed the door when she heard the familiar scrape of the kitchen stool that signaled that Leo hadn’t left. That was a good sign…right? She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a little nervous as she walked into the kitchen to see his arms folded across his chest, eyes set forward and completely still.
“Lee–,” she began but by the look he gave her, she decided to hear what he had to say before she would jump to any conclusions. He’s surprised her more times than she could count so why would this be any different? Ever the optimist.
“How old is she?”
“Six.”
“Where’s her father?”
“No idea.” But by the look he shot her, his expression flashing before his face set in cold indifference. She knew that she needed to explain because she couldn’t handle the intensity of his deep cerulean eyes. He deserved the truth. He has taken all the surprises in stride and not once left her feeling alone and now it was her time to lay everything on the line. She knew that this was it, he’d know the truth and leave, just like…Y/n shuddered and with a sigh, she moved to grab a water bottle for each of them knowing that she was going to need something to do with her hands as she told her story. It has been a long time since she’s had to drudge up the past but she felt like she owed Leonardo an explanation.
“His name was Brian. We met my freshman year of college and were on and off until graduation when we officially broke it off. But, not before I got pregnant. It wasn’t planned as both he and I used protection religiously, she was my little miracle. I told him once I was three months along cause we ran into each other at a coffee shop and he freaked. Said that there was no way that it was his, how I was a whore, and so on.” She waved it off, not wanting to go into too much detail about that day, it had been one of the worst days of her life. Turning with a sigh, she hoisted her body up to sit atop her counter by the sink, right across from where Leo now stood at the island, facing her, arms spread, biceps flexing as his grip on the counter tightened. She averted her gaze and continued.
After taking a much-needed sip, her eyes downcast, refusing to lock with him, she continued. “After that whole confrontation, we had agreed that he would not be held financially responsible for her and would not be required to be a part of her life. He agreed and that was it. Or it was until I was going into labor.” She rolled her eyes in frustration thinking back to that day.
Her mom had run into him while getting some supplies for the nursery when she called to let her know that she was going into labor. Honestly it was all a wrong place at the wrong time. Looking back Y/n felt bad for cutting her mom out of her life for a brief time due to feeling betrayed by the one woman she should have been able to count on. But, it wasn’t at all malicious, Brian was just there when Corey received the call and she had been so happy she shared the news and in all the haste, he seemed happy to hear that he was having a little girl. Her mother was a hopeless romantic, which usually is an endearing quality, but in that instance, it was beyond frustrating. Corey ended up driving him to the hospital and he walked right in like it was the most natural thing to do. It was infuriating beyond belief. Y/n’s blood began to boil recalling how she screamed and yelled for him to leave but he was playing the victim. After her mom had talked her down, with the help of some of the nurses, she decided to give him one last chance to be a part of his daughter’s life. He accepted the offer but only lasted a total of four days before claiming that he couldn’t handle being a dad, stayed around long enough to sign over his parental rights and left. She hasn’t seen or heard from him since.
Leonardo stood patiently, listening to every word and holding on to them like a lifeline. If she hadn’t seen him from the corner of her eye, she’d have thought he left, his large, rigid body made no movement which was more proof of his ninja training. The longer she stared at him, waiting for something, anything, a movement or a list of questions or waiting for him to turn and disappear from her life. That last thought worried her but knew that she’d respect his decision and play the night out as if it were simply a dream. She had to be prepared, her defenses were building stronger and taller with each passing second as her breathing evened in an attempt to feign poise.
“Does she know him, in any capacity?”
That wasn’t what she had expected. Once again, being pleasantly surprised and despite his flat tone, she had a feeling that it was going to take a little bit more for him to get up and leave. She hoped.
“She knows of him, but not him in any regards of being a dad. She’s never met him and she’s never asked, so I decided that I’d leave it up to her to ask when she was ready. I’m not going to bad mouth him because I want her to be able to formulate her own consensus.” Her mother thought she was crazy for that kind of thinking. Corey had been beyond pissed and upset that he’d just abandoned her daughter and granddaughter and couldn’t understand why Y/n didn’t rake him through the coals when she had the chance. There had been no fight, he had signed off his parental rights with a simple signature and a ‘see ya,’ on a random Tuesday afternoon six years ago.
Y/n hopped off the counter, tossing her water bottle before turning back towards the cupboards, looking for something a little stronger. She was so much in her head that she hadn’t realized that Leonardo moved until her back bumped into the wall of muscle that braced against her back.
Neither one moved, only a hitched breath could be heard as she felt the ghost of his cool breath tickling the hair at the nape of her neck. The sensation sent gooseflesh down her arms and prickled down her back. What she wouldn’t do to feel his arms wrap around her and fantasize how his lips would feel if they grazed at her nape. It had become so hot. Stifling. So much so that her brain clouded and her body relaxed back into his; her movement causing his hands to steady along her hips. Strong, calloused fingers grazed the exposed flesh just above the waistband of her sleep pants.
“Y/n,” Leo’s voice dropped an octave and his breath ghosted over her sensitive ear lobe as she felt him bend to her height. She took a deep breath to clear her mind when she felt his lips almost graze her ear as he continued to speak.
“I understand why you didn’t tell me.” His voice was genuine, and his words held no malice and she gasped as the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Her face heated as his fingers flexed so subtly along her hips that if she wasn’t so turned on right now, she may not have noticed.
“She was a shock but,” a soft chuckle rocked against her back and her body relaxed even further into him, “it all just goes to show how amazing you are.” His head came to rest atop her crown as he held her close
Watching him play with Luna was heartwarming and genuine. He was so natural with her and it made her care for him all the more. She honestly felt ridiculous, standing here, pining after a man who was six years younger than her.
“But,” her eyes widened, focused on their faint reflection in the stainless steel fridge door, and his grip tightened just a fraction.
“I’ve met your family… I think it may be time you met mine.”
.
.
.
<<<Previous: Ch. 3
Next: Ch. 5>>>
Tag List: @rae-iin, @ashleighclark98 @sugaritbx
Not so Careful Intentions
Chapter 3
Leo x Karai
+*+*+*+*+
The lair feels different when he returns.
Not louder, not quieter but…tighter.
Like something followed him back and settled into the walls.
Donnie is already at his screens, pulling up feeds, scanning reports, tracking police chatter. Mikey lingers near the couch, pacing once before stopping, glancing toward the entrance where his blue-banded just entered.
Raph does not sit. He’s standing in the center of the room, arms loose at his sides, jaw set, eyes locked on his fearless leader.
Waiting.
Leonardo steps in, calm, controlled, measured.
Like nothing happened.
That sets Raph off.
Raphael closes the distance in three strides, shoving his brother hard in the chest. Leo rocks back a step, but does not retaliate.
“What was that?” Raph barks. “That was the shot!”
Leo straightens slowly, posture resetting, expression unchanged.
“It wasn’t that simple.”
Raph lets out a short, sharp laugh, no humor, as he fixes his brother with a sharp gaze, shoving him again, harder this time.
“It’s always that simple,” he fires back. “YOU take. The. shot!”
“Hey, guys, maybe we jus–” Mkey moves, hands raised in surrender, but the older two don’t hear him.
Donnie lifts a hand slightly, ready but watching, waiting to see if this crosses the line. He knows Leo won’t strike back, but maybe that is what makes it worse.
“We got the civilians out,” Leo says. “That was the priority.”
“We? WE!,” Raph scoffs, “Not sure what this we shit is, but y’know that ain’t the point.”
He steps in again, close enough that there is no space left between them, his voice dropping lower, more dangerous.
“You had her.”
Leo holds his gaze, not backing down, back straight, fists loose.
“I made a call.”
“No,” Raph says, shaking his head, “Y’made a choice.”
The words hit, but the only physical sign that Donnie caught was the slight twitch in Leo’s eye.
Raphael studies him, searching for something. Hesitation. Doubt. Anything, yet he finds none, and that unsettles him more than if Leo had fought back.
“You hesitated,” Raph continues, “You never hesitate. Not like that.” Mikey nods his head in agreement before Donnie smacks him, both stilling as if succumbing into the shadows, watching and waiting for the mic to drop.
“I did what needed to be done,” was Leo’s, almost bored, reply.
That tone, that tone sets Raph further into the flames. Fist curling before slamming into Leo’s shoulder, not a full strike, but enough to make a point.
“Don’t do that.” Raph growls, another shake of his head, “Do. Not. Stand there and act like this, wassa strategy!”
Leo absorbs the hit, stance shifting just enough to take the force without giving ground.
“I’m not fighting you,” Leo states.
“Yeah?” Raph snaps, “Coulda’ foold me.”
He swings, but Leo catches it, redirecting the strike instead of answering it, stepping just enough to the side to break the full line. That restraint and deflection only add fuel to the fire.
“You let her GO!” Raph booms. A statement, not a question. The silence is deafening as Mikey’s eyes go wide, jaw falling to the floor as Donnie ducks, trying to calculate the possibilities of why Leo would do such a thing.
Silence. Again. Leonardo doesn’t deny it, no shift in his stance, negating that what Raph says is the truth.
Mikey exhales, quieter now, “Okay…that is not great.”
Donnie’s gaze sharpens, processing fast, connecting the pieces.
“That does not align with your usual decision-making pattern,” Donnie confronts, carefully.
Raph laughs, harsh and disbelieving. “Yeah, no kiddin’.”
He steps in again, chest to chest now.
“You don’t get to do that,” He seeths, “not out there. Not when we are countin’ on ya.”
Leo’s jaw tightens slightly.
“The civilians are safe,” he says.
“And whata’ ‘bout next time?” Raphe presses. “What happens when she shows up again?”
No answer comes because…he can’t give an answer that he doesn’t fully understand himself. But Raph sees it, sees his brother’s expression shift, not just anger, but something sharper.
“You’re compromised.”
The finality of the words land heavy in the room.
Leo’s eyes lift slowly, hardening.
“Careful,” he says quietly, controlled.
Raphael leans in, voice low and steady.
“Nah. You be careful.”
For a second, it looks like it might turn more raw. Violent. Vulnerable. Unchained.
Mikey steps closer, sensing that something is about to shift, “Raph…”
Donnie is already moving, just enough to intervene, fingers flexing, calculating the response time needed to separate the two before things escalate further.
But Raph straightens to his full height, stepping back.
Not calm.
Not done.
Just…pulling away. Showing restraint, control.
“Next time,” he speaks, pointing toward the exit, “I’m not pullin’ punches.”
He turns and walks off, the sound of his steps echoing harder than they should, leaving nothing but silence in his wake.
Mikey exhales. “I hate when you guys do that.”
He follows, but not after locking eyes with his older brother, as if in a silent plea to fix this before turning and following where his brother disappeared to.
Donnie lingers a moment longer, watching.
“You are not telling us everything,” he states. No question in his tone.
Leo doesn’t respond, which gives the answer Donnie already knew, and with a nod of his head, like that confirms the unspoken truth, he turns back to his work station, the illuminated glow the only source of light in the dank space.
This leaves Leo totally alone. Standing exactly where Raph shoved him.
Still.
Not Steady.
Because something just broke.
—
Raph paces.
Back and forth, then back again. He’s running the same path over and over, energy coiled tight, nowhere to go.
Mikey tries once.
“Hey, you wanna maybe try punchin’ a wall that ain’t structural?”
A grunt the only response.
—
Donnie says nothing, but his eyes flick up from his screens more than once. Clocking his leader’s movements (or lack thereof).
—
They are all waiting.
—
Leo moves.
Leaves.
Quietly.
Like he always does.
Donnie notices first, and with a directed signal, Raphael is ready.
He waits.
Counts to five.
Then moves.
He follows at a distance, keeping to the shadows, staying just out of sight. Leo’s movements are familiar. Efficient. Controlled.
But there’s something different.
He’s not scanning the way he usually does.
Not checking angles.
Not covering exits.
It’s clear he’s going somewhere.
Raphael’s jaw twitches, teeth grinding together in a low growl.
“Out on patrol, my ass.” He mutters to himself before leaping, following in the shadows.
—
Leo climbs without hesitation, scaling fire escapes and ledges as if he’s already mapped the route.
Raph follows, quieter than he looks, heavier but still precise, using instinct instead of calculation.
And then he hears it.
“You’re late.”
Raphael freezes, his heart pounding loud in his ears.
A second voice.
Her.
He shifts just enough to see past the shadows on the adjoining roof.
He sees Leo standing near the edge.
Karai only a few steps behind him.
Close.
Closer than she should be. Closer than Leo should allow.
Raph’s grip tightens against the concrete column. Unmoving.
Because he needs to see whatever the fuck is goin’ on. No more guessing. No more assuming. He needs to know how far gone his brother is.
—
The rooftop holds its breath. Leonardo turns, facing her fully.
The wind brushes lightly past, catching in Karai’s inky black hair as it shifts across her shoulders.
Leo stands near the edge, his focus no longer on the skyline.
It’s on her.
Too close.
“You came alone,” Karai says, her voice quieter than before, less teasing, more certain.
“You expected otherwise?” Leo’s reply was firm.
A small shift of her lips, not quite a smile.
“No,” she concedes, “I expected exactly this.”
She steps closer, the scent following as the wind picks up. Jasmine, cherry, and that faint edge of mint that cuts through everything else.
He doesn’t move. Can’t find it in himself to even try.
“You made a choice back there,” she states, studying him now. Her tone and narrowing of her sharp eyes questioned with a head tilt. “That’s not something you do lightly.”
“It was necessary.”
Her gaze sharpens, “Was it?” But, there. A subtle twitch of her blood red lips.
He doesn’t answer because…they both know that is not the truth.
She closes the space between them, stopping just inside his reach.
“You’re not as untouchable,” her nails grazing along his plastron, before tracing the edge of the straps across his chest, proving her point, before continuing, softer now, “as you pretend to be.”
His hand lifts before he fully thinks about it.
It settles heavily at her waist. No hesitation this time.
He feels the way her breath catches, wanting to lean further in.
“That’s new,” she murmurs, eyes flicking down briefly, then back up, his sapphires sparkle like stars in the night sky.
“You didn’t pull away,” he whispers.
A pause.
A shift behind her eyes.
“Neither did you,” she tests, her grip tightening along the leather strap, the air tightening along with it. Not physically, but something deeper.
“You keep getting bolder,” she’s noticed, “so either you’re losing control…or you stopped trying to keep it.”
His grip flexes slightly at her waist, pulling her just enough to close what little distance remains.
“Maybe I’m done pretending I don’t know what this is,” he says.
That lands.
Harder than anything else.
For the first time, Karai does not immediately respond.
Her fingers drum lightly against his plastron, steadying herself, but also holding him there.
“You’re making this harder to walk away from,” she whispers, not quite believing that he’s the only person to ever pull this type of…type of vulnerability from her.
“Then don’t,” his reply deep, a whispered growl that sends a shiver through her that he feels every inch of as her breath catches.
There’s no strategy in this moment, no calculated move, no discipline to fall back on.
Just her.
The way she is looking at him is like she’s already made up her mind about what he is about to do. Like she’s waiting to see if he actually will.
He should stop.
He does not.
He leans in, but just as he’s almost able to taste the cherry lips, she moves, her lips crashing against his with a whimper. Her force feels inevitable, like neither of them is surprised.
Warm. Immediate. Real.
The taste of cherry cuts through his focus, grounding and undoing him at the same time.
His hand tightens at her waist, pulling her fully into him now, the difference in their size suddenly undeniable. She fits against him in a way that feels wrong for every reason it should…and right for all the ones he cannot ignore.
She answers in an instant.
Not passive.
Not yielding.
Her hand presses harder against his chest, fingers curling around the leather strap, using it to hoist herself higher, holding onto him like she is choosing this just as much as he is. His other hand lifts and twists into her high ponytail, pulling slightly before kneading her scalp.
“Uhn, Blu–” her whimper almost made his knees buckle, but he regrouped, wrapping his arm fully around her lithe waist before picking her up, her thighs spread, fusing to his hips. The heat and friction are strong as he finds himself beginning to burn, she—
“Are ya fuckin’ serious?”
The voice cuts through everything.
Leo pulls back instantly, Karai’s already firmly planted on the rooftop, stepping back, but fingertips still grazing down along his chest, her expression unreadable.
Raphael stands at the edge of the rooftop, fury written across every line of him.
“No,” he shakes his head once in an attempt to undo what he just saw, “No way.”
Leonardo straightens but does not immediately step away from where Karai had stood; instead, he shifts, angling himself closer to his brother while Karai sets her feet. The protective shift didn’t go unnoticed by the rouge on red.
That is enough.
“That’s what this is now?” Raph demands, stepping forward, arms slicing through the thick fog that’s settled around them. “That’s the move? You just—what—decide she’s off-limits to everyone but you?”
Leo’s expression hardens, his fist flexing at his side, “It’s not like that.”
Raphael laughs, sharp and disbelieving. “I just saw ya prove that is exactly like that.”
Karai watches, her gaze lingering on Leo just a fraction longer before stepping back. Not running. Choosing.
“You should deal with that,” she says quietly, not to Raph.
To Leo.
Then she turns, disappearing into the fog as if she were never there to begin with.
“Oh, look, there she goes.” Raph scoffs, “Again.” He growls with an eyeroll, his arms flail in exasperation, “But this time, I know why!”
Leo says nothing and his silence confirms everything.
Raph closes the distance fast and shoves him hard, driving him back on the graveled rooftop.
“Ya don’t get’ta to that,” Raph snaps, “Ya don’t get’ta push us in that position because ya can’t keep it t’getha!”
Leo catches himself, this time pushing back just enough to stop the momentum.
“Watch it,” Leo says, a quiet danger strumming just below the surface.
“Oh, now ya want boundaries?” Raph fires back, “That’s new.” He deadpans.
The tension snaps tight between them.
Nothing is hidden anymore.
Raph doesn’t wait.
He moves.
Fast. Direct. Blunt. Angry.
Leo barely has time to shift before Raph’s fist comes in hard, not a warning this time, not controlled.
Leo blocks it, but the impact still drives him back a step.
“That’s what this is?” Raph snaps. “That’s the move ya makin’ now?”
“Ra—”
“No.” Raph cuts in, coming at him again, “You don’t get’ta explain ya way outta this one.”
Another strike.
Leo deflects.
Then another.
Faster now. Another, even faster. Leo deflects, turning his shoulder to absorb the momentum, stepping back again. Raph presses, not giving him space or time.
This is not sparring.
Leo gives ground once, twice, then stops.
“Enough.”
The word is quiet, but it lands.
Raph swings again.
This time, Leo doesn’t just block it. He catches it, stopping the motion completely, their strength locking for a split second.
Then Leo pushes back.
Raph stumbles half a step, more from surprise than force, and something flashes across his face. Not just anger now. Something sharper.
“What—Now ya done holdin’ back?” Raph says, breathing harder now.
“You’re not listening,” Leo replies, voice still controlled, but tighter.
“Then say somethin’ worth listenin’ to.”
Raph comes at him again.
Leo meets him.
This time, he does not retreat.
The fight shifts.
Steel flashes as Leo draws, not striking to injure but to create distance. Raph closes it instantly, driving forward with raw force, breaking through the space Leo is trying to maintain.
They move across the rooftop, momentum carrying them in tight arcs. Raph pushes. Leo redirects. Raph overwhelms. Leo adapts.
“You chose her,” Raph says again, the words hitting harder now that they have shape. Now that there’s proof.
Leo blocks, pivots, and counters just enough to keep Raph off balance.
“I made a call.”
“Stop sayin’ that,” Raph snaps, slamming into him again. “That’s not what it was.”
Leo shoves him back this time, harder.
Raph’s eyes flash. “There it is. That’s what you should’ve done back there.”
They circle, closer now, slower, more dangerous. Every movement is tighter, more deliberate.
“You don’t understand,” Leo says.
“Then make me.”
Leo hesitates.
Not physically.
But just enough.
And Raph sees it.
He steps in again, ready to press the advantage—
When a sound cuts through the night.
Both of them hear it at the same time.
Footsteps.
Too many.
Raph turns first, striking out and dropping the nearest attacker in one clean motion. Leo moves with him, precise and efficient, clearing space at his side.
But this is not scattered resistance.
This is coordinated.
“They were waiting,” Raph says.
“I know.”
More figures drop in, surrounding them, closing the distance with practiced timing.
Raph and Leo shift without thinking, standing back to back, instinct overriding everything else as they fight outward in tight, controlled movements.
Then the smoke hits.
Thick and fast, cutting off visibility in seconds.
Raph coughs, swinging through the haze, trying to break through shapes that vanish as quickly as they appear. Whatever this smoke is, it’s new. This ain’t right, Raph thinks, lunging forward on unsteady feet as he feels unstable. Eyes blurry as he tries to shift his focus to his other senses while searching for his brother.
“Leo!”
No response.
Raph pushes forward, forcing his way through the cloud, striking, clearing, searching—
But the resistance shifts.
Pulls back.
Disappears.
The smoke thins just enough as a flash of blue sweeps across the roof and then—
The rooftop is suddenly too quiet.
Too open.
Too empty.
Raph’s chest tightens.
“Leo?”
Nothing answers him.
Only the distant hum of the city and the fading echo of movement already gone.
Raph stands there for a second longer, breathing hard, scanning the space like he can force him back into it.
Then the realization settles in.
This was never about the fight.
This was a trap.
And Leo walked straight into it.
.
.
.
Not so Careful Intentions: Chapter List
Not so Careful Intentions
Chapter 2
Leo x Karai
+*+*+*+*+
The lair is quieter than usual. Not silent, never silent with Michelangelo elbow deep in a bucket of cheeseballs, but quieter.
“You’re telling me,” Mikey says, halfway upside down off the back of the couch, “that she just vanished? Like, gone gone? No smoke, no boom, no dramatic ninja exit?” His eyes widen as he shoves another fistful of cheeseballs into his mouth.
Raphael leans against the pillar near the kitchen entrance, arms crossed, jaw tight. “She didn’t vanish,” Raph mutters. “She left.”
Mikey squints at him. “Yeah… that feels worse. This is Leo we’re talking about. He doesn’t just… let things go.”
Donatello slurps the last of his third cup of coffee, eyes never leaving his screen. “It is worse. Vanishing is reaction. Leaving is intent.”
Mikey pauses. “Okay, yeah. I liked it better when she was magic.”
Raph exhales sharply. “She separated him. That wasn’t random.”
Donnie nods, pulling up fragmented data. “Movement patterns line up. She drew him away from us. Clean break. No interference. That is strategy.”
Mikey drops off the couch, landing lightly as he screws the lid back onto the cheeseballs, his appetite clearly gone. “Yeah, well, strategy or not, I don’t love the part where we get split up and she just… walks away.”
“We should have had her,” Raph mutters, pushing off the pillar and stepping into the kitchen.
Donnie glances up. “We didn’t.”
Silence settles over them as they gather around the table.
“Do we tell Splinter?”
Mikey’s question stills the room. Raph’s jaw tightens instantly, and Donnie’s fingers hover over the trackpad.
“No,” Raph says, too fast.
“Raph,” Donnie starts.
“No,” Raph repeats, sharper. “We don’t go running to him every time something gets complicated. That is not how we were raised.”
“That is not what this is,” Donnie counters. “If the Foot Clan is escalating—”
“And what?” Raph cuts in, voice rising. “We tell him we had a shot and lost it?”
Mikey shifts uncomfortably. “That is… kind of exactly what we would be saying,” he mutters.
Raph glares. “Not helping.”
Donnie exhales, calmer now. “We don’t have enough yet. But if this connects to something bigger, he needs to know.”
Raph looks away, frustration simmering, then back. “We handle it. Next time, we don’t split. We don’t hesitate. We end it.”
Mikey glances between them. “You think Leo’s gonna go for that?”
Neither of them answers, because that is the part that doesn’t sit right.
On the other side of the lair, Leo kneels, still. Or trying to be. The world narrows to breath. In. Out. In.
The red fabric rests in his hand, frayed at the edges, soft like silk. A lotus. Simple. Intentional.
His thumb brushes over the stitching again and again. Not part of the meditation. Just a distraction.
“You’re not walking away from this.”
Her voice lingers.
He exhales. Focus.
He closes his eyes.
In. The corridor. Her movement. Too controlled to be escape.
Out. The room. The silence. The moment she didn’t pull away.
His grip tightens.
“Then leave.”
He didn’t.
His jaw clenches as his eyes open. The lotus catches the dim light. A message. Not a threat. Not a warning.
Something else.
Something worse.
Because he does not understand it, but for the first time in his life, he wants to.
—
Donnie’s screen flickers, then stabilizes. “That’s not nothing,” he says, voice rising.d
Raph and Mikey are on their feet instantly. “What?”
Donnie zooms in on grainy movement underground. “Subway line three. Multiple abnormal heat signatures. Coordinated.”
Mikey leans over his shoulder. “Yeah, that is definitely not casual subway activity.”
Raph steps forward. “Foot Clan?”
Donnie nods. “Matches chatter from the other night.”
Raph glances toward the hallway. “We call him?” Mikey asks.
Raph hesitates, then nods. “Yeah. We call him.”
As if on cue, Leo steps into the room. Composed. Controlled. Too controlled.
“Subway. Line three,” he says.
Donnie blinks. “How did you—”
“Doesn’t matter,” Leo cuts in.
Raph watches him closely. Something is off. He can feel it, but cannot place it.
“Movement’s increasing,” Donnie says. “If we’re going, we go now.”
Leo nods once. “Then we move.”
—
The subway platform is wrong the moment they arrive.
No screaming. No chaos.
Just tension. Thick and heavy, pressing into the concrete walls.
A cluster of civilians is backed against the far wall, hands raised, fear locked into their posture. Foot Clan soldiers move around them with quiet precision. Too controlled for panic. Too deliberate for anything random.
“Hostages,” Mikey breathes, his eyes immediately landing on a small child near the front of the group.
The kid is clutching a worn Charizard plush, knuckles white, shoulders trembling.
“No sudden moves,” Donnie says quickly. “Look at their spacing. This is coordinated.”
“It is,” Leo confirms, voice low. His eyes move fast, counting, mapping.
Raph steps forward. “Then we break it.”
Leo’s hand shoots out, stopping him. “Not like this. We rush, they react. Civilians get hurt.”
Raph exhales sharply but holds.
Leo scans once more, then nods. “Donnie. Lights.”
The overhead fixtures flicker once. Twice.
Then everything drops into darkness.
They move.
Fast. Silent. Precise.
Foot Clan soldiers go down before they can react. Disarmed. Pulled into shadow. Dropped hard and quiet. Mikey moves with controlled chaos, sweeping one attacker aside before shifting immediately toward the civilians.
He crouches low in front of the group, hands up slightly so he does not startle them.
“Hey, hey,” he says softly. “It is okay. You are good. Just stay right here, alright?”
The child with the Charizard stares at him, wide-eyed, frozen.
Mikey lowers his voice even more. “That is a pretty cool partner you got there,” he adds, nodding toward the plush. “He looks like he can handle things.”
A tiny, shaky nod.
The child’s grip loosens just enough.
Mikey gently extends a finger. The kid hesitates, then hooks their small hand around it, holding tight.
Mikey squeezes lightly. “Yeah. You are doing great. Just stay low for me.”
Behind him, Donnie moves with precision, redirecting civilians and clearing space. “Stay behind the pillar,” Donnie instructs. “You will be out of the way here.”
Raph barrels through the last of the resistance, forcing the remaining soldiers back with raw power.
“Clear,” he calls.
Leo knows it is not.
A flicker of black and red cuts across the far edge of the platform.
Not retreating. Not engaging.
Watching.
Her.
Karai stands just beyond the dim emergency lights, still and composed. Like she has been there the whole time.
Waiting.
Their eyes meet.
Everything else falls away.
She turns and begins to walk.
Not running. Not rushing.
That same deliberate pace.
Leo’s jaw tightens.
He knows what this is. He knows he should not follow.
“We’ve got civilians,” Donnie calls. “We need to stabilize and call this in.”
Leo does not move.
“She’s separate. Leo,” Raph snaps.
Too late.
Karai glances back once. A faint smirk. A quiet challenge.
Then she disappears into the tunnel.
Leo exhales, sharp and controlled.
He knows it is a trap.
He follows anyway.
“Leo,” Donnie calls after him.
Raph swears under his breath. “Stay with them. Get the civilians out. Call it in.”
“What about—”
“I’m on it.”
Raph is already moving.
Donnie switches to comms. “NYPD dispatch, this is Donatello. Confirmed Foot Clan presence in the lower subway sector. Multiple civilians recovered. Requesting immediate response.”
Mikey stays crouched with the civilians a moment longer, the child still gripping his finger.
“Help is coming,” Mikey says gently. “You are gonna be okay.”
The child nods again, a little stronger this time.
Mikey slowly pulls his hand free and stands, glancing toward the tunnel where Leo disappeared.
“…You think he is good?” he asks quietly.
Donnie hesitates. “I think he made a decision.”
Mikey exhales. “Yeah. I don’t love that.”
—
Leo moves fast. Too fast.
Footsteps echo behind him. Raph.
“You are kidding me,” Raph calls, voice sharp in the narrow tunnel. “You know this is a trap.”
“I know,” Leo replies, not slowing.
“Then why are we running into it?”
Leo does not answer right away, because there is no good answer.
“Because she wants me to.”
That lands hard.
Raph’s expression darkens. “That is exactly why we do not follow.”
Leo stops suddenly. Raph nearly runs into him.
“You can go back,” Leo says, still not turning.
Raph stares at him for a beat. “…Not a chance.”
Leo exhales once, then keeps moving.
Raph follows.
Because no matter how wrong this feels, he is not letting his brother face it alone.
The tunnel opens ahead into a short set of stairs. Faint light spills down from above. They move up and out into an abandoned loading zone, the air cooler, quieter.
The warehouse looms in front of them. Dark. Massive. Waiting.
“She led us here,” Raph mutters.
“I know,” Leo replies.
—
The space is wide and hollow, dust hanging in the air like it has been undisturbed for years. Broken shelves line the walls. A large desk sits at the center, covered in scattered papers and old equipment.
Moonlight filters through cracked windows, casting pale streaks across the floor.
They spread just enough to move, but stay within reach.
“Stay sharp,” Raph says.
Leo does not respond.
Because he feels it before he sees her.
A shift in the air. A presence that settles into the room like it belongs there.
Then she steps into the light above them, standing along the upper walkway.
Karai.
“You brought company,” she says, voice calm, almost amused.
Raph steps forward immediately. “End of the line.”
She does not even look at him.
Her attention stays on Leo.
“Is it?” she asks quietly.
Then she moves.
Fast.
She drops from the walkway, landing between them with controlled precision. Raph lunges, but she pivots, slipping past him with fluid ease.
And then she is right in front of Leo.
Close.
Too close.
“Miss me?” she murmurs, low enough that it is only for him.
His hand catches her wrist. Firm. Controlled.
“Don’t,” he says under his breath.
“Then don’t hesitate,” she whispers back.
“Take her!” Raph shouts.
Everything snaps back into motion.
She twists, breaks free, and moves again, but the space is tighter now. There is no backup. No room for error.
Raph closes in again.
Leo moves.
Just slightly.
Just enough.
Raph’s strike misses by mere centinmeters.
Karai slips through the opening.
Gone.
Silence crashes into the room.
Raph turns slowly.
“You moved.”
Leo says nothing.
“That wasn’t a miss,” Raph continues, voice low and sharp. “You blocked me.”
Leo meets his gaze but does not answer.
That is enough.
Raph moves first.
Fast.
His hand shoves into Leo’s shoulder, hard enough to force him back a step.
“What are you doing?” Raph snaps. “That was the shot. That was it.”
Leo steadies himself, posture tightening. “It wasn’t that simple.”
Raph laughs once, harsh. “It is always that simple. You take the shot.”
“She wasn’t the target,” Leo fires back.
“That’s not the point!” Raph steps closer again, anger rising fast now. “She’s the problem. You know that.”
Leo does not move.
That only makes it worse.
Raph swings.
Not full force.
But not controlled either.
Leo blocks it, quick and precise, redirecting the hit instead of returning it.
“I’m not fighting you,” Leo says.
“Yeah?” Raph snaps. “Could’ve fooled me.”
He comes at him again.
This time harder.
Leo deflects, stepping back, trying to create space without escalating.
But Raph is not stopping.
“You hesitated,” Raph presses. “You never hesitate. Not like that.”
Leo exhales sharply. “I made a call.”
“No,” Raph fires back. “You made a choice.”
That lands.
Hard.
For a second, Leo’s guard slips.
Just enough.
Raph shoves him again, driving him back toward the edge of the room.
“You don’t get to do that,” Raph says. “Not out here. Not when we’re counting on you.”
Leo’s jaw tightens.
“And what?” Leo shoots back. “You want me to be predictable? You want her to win that way?”
Raph freezes for half a second.
That is all Leo needs.
Leo pivots.
Slips past him.
Gone.
—
“Leo!”
Raph turns, but he is already too late.
Footsteps echo into the tunnel.
Raph swears under his breath, kicking a loose piece of debris across the floor.
“Unbelievable,” he mutters, breathing hard, anger still burning.
For a second, he considers following.
Then stops.
Because this is not pursuit anymore.
This is something else.
And that makes it worse.
—
The rooftop is still, the kind of stillness that feels earned after chaos. Clouds drag low across the sky, swallowing most of the moonlight, leaving only thin streaks of silver that catch along the edges of the concrete and rusted metal.
Leo stands near the edge, shoulders squared, breath slowing but not steady. He tells himself he is regaining control, but the tension in his chest says otherwise.
“You’re late.”
Her voice slips into the quiet behind him, soft and deliberate.
He does not turn right away, but he feels her before he sees her. The air shifts, carrying a faint scent that does not belong to the city. Jasmine first, then something warmer, like cherry, and beneath it a cool edge of mint that sharpens everything instead of softening it.
“You knew I would come,” he says.
“I hoped,” she replies.
He turns then.
Karai stands a few steps behind him, balanced between shadow and moonlight. Her hair falls in a dark cascade, inky black against the pale glow, a few loose strands catching the light just enough to frame her face. Her eyes lock onto his, hazel green and piercing, studying him with a focus that feels less like observation and more like intent.
Her lips are a deep red, striking against the rest of her stillness. Nothing about her is accidental.
“You made that harder than it needed to be,” she says, stepping closer.
“You were never in danger,” he replies.
A faint smile touches her mouth, subtle but deliberate. “That is not entirely true.”
She moves again, closing the distance between them with quiet confidence. The scent deepens as she gets closer, warmer now, grounding and disarming all at once.
Leo does not step back. His hands hang at his sides for a moment, fingers flexing once before stilling. He should create space, reestablish control, put distance between them.
He does none of those things.
“This changes things,” he says, his voice lower now.
“Yes,” she agrees.
The silence that follows is not empty. It hums between them, charged and waiting.
“You should not be here,” he says.
“Neither should you.”
She closes the last of the space between them, and Leo’s hand lifts slightly, almost without permission. Not reaching to stop her, not yet, just hovering near her arm as if deciding whether he is allowed to cross that line.
She notices. Of course she notices.
Her gaze dips briefly to his hand before returning to his face, something sharper settling into her expression.
“Careful,” she murmurs.
The shift is subtle, but it is there.
A flicker of movement, quick and precise, and suddenly there is a blade in her hand. A short weapon, clean and controlled, as if it has always belonged there.
Leo does not flinch.
She steps closer, the blade resting lightly against his plastron. Not pressing, not threatening, just tracing along the surface with slow, deliberate intent, following the curve of his chest as if mapping him.
His breath changes, not from fear but from focus.
His hand moves then, faster now, closing around her wrist. Firm. Controlled. Not stopping her completely, but anchoring her in place.
“Do not,” he says, voice low.
Her eyes sharpen, and there it is, that flicker of something real beneath the control.
“That sounds like hesitation,” she replies.
Her grip on the blade shifts slightly, but she does not pull away. She lets him hold her, lets the moment stretch.
“You are not the only one with control,” he says.
She leans in, close enough that her breath brushes along his jaw, the hint of mint sharper now, more immediate.
“Then prove it,” she whispers.
His grip tightens just enough to ground himself, and his other hand moves, slower this time, settling lightly at her side. Not pulling her closer, not pushing her away, just holding the space between them steady.
But the distance is already gone.
“You let me go,” she says.
“I know.”
“Why?”
His gaze drops for just a second, drawn to the shape of her lips, then returns to her eyes. He does not answer, because he cannot.
Her hand relaxes slightly in his, and the blade lowers just enough to shift the tension away from it. It does not disappear, but it is no longer the center of the moment.
Their breathing falls into rhythm, slow and measured, as if the rest of the world has been pushed back.
He leans in.
This time, there is no hesitation.
And for a single, suspended second, she lets him.
The space between them closes to almost nothing.
Then she turns her head, just enough.
His breath brushes her cheek instead of her lips.
It is a choice.
Not rejection.
Control.
“Not like this,” she murmurs.
She slips her wrist free with practiced ease, the blade gone as quickly as it appeared. She steps back, restoring the distance between them, but it no longer feels like safety. It feels sharper, more dangerous.
“This is not over,” she says.
“No,” he replies. “It is not.”
She holds his gaze for one last moment, then disappears into the night.
Leo remains where he is, unmoving, his hands still slightly raised as if he has not quite let go of something that is no longer there.
The scent lingers in the air.
Jasmine.
Cherry.
Mint.
And now it is not just around him.
It is something he carries with him.
—
.
.
.
Not so Careful Intentions: Chapter List