Standards // ROTTMNT

Standards

In Señor Hueso's standards, he isn't normally a man to care about other people that have no relation to him.

Unless, of course, if it's about his friend Leonardo.

He wasn't supposed to be concerned about him. The fact that he's sticking around the restaurant way more often than Hueso would have liked is starting to itch his patience. The slider would be sitting close to him, watching him as he prepares for the next batch of customers coming into the entrance of the hidden food diner. Leo would frequently tell jokes to anyone who enters, just to see they would laugh or send him an exasperated look at the awful one-liners.

The regulars of Run of the Mill Pizza recognized Leo because of his witty attitude and whenever they visit the restaurant for a quick bite, the yōkai would simply smile in response and answer back with a joke of their own, causing the slider to burst out into hysterical laughter.

It doesn't happen to be one of those times.

Leo arrived, as usual, the sound of his footsteps catching Hueso's attention as he organizes the glass inside the cupboards. A smile makes itself known as he closes the panel door, turning his head to the slider to greet him before he soon paused the moment he saw Leo.

The only way to even describe him is downright miserable. His eyes that ever carried a glint of mischief had vanished completely, replaced by a look of grief. The change of expression was so sudden that Hueso had flinched, a loss at words as Leo took his usual seat in the bar. The slider avoided eye contact with him, never saying one hello from his mouth. Just complete silence.

Hueso is immediately concerned about the mood shift of his friend. It seemed that whatever had upset Leonardo resulted in him being uncharacteristically silent and it's never a good sight to see on one of the optimistic turtles of the group. He grabs a chair from somewhere and settled in front of the teenager, all the while struggling to find words of comfort. Even though he had no idea what made his tortuga friend so sad.

“Uh, Pepino? Is something bothering you?…”

Leo didn't acknowledge the question, merely staring at the wooden surface of the bar. Hueso waited patiently for him to feel comfortable. He may have no experience in these types of situations, but he knew he shouldn't just ignore a person who is hurting inside; that he could relate to on a personal level.

A few minutes passed until Leo finally spoke, his voice oddly quiet and lacking in humor. “Señor Hueso, do you think I'm good enough?”

The subject caught Hueso off guard. He took a closer look at Leo's face and he could pinpoint the despair mingling with expectation. The skeleton yōkai didn't understand what he meant by being good enough. Isn't Leo already confident in his abilities? Despite not observing the slider in full action, he held the potential for his talents.

He raised a skeletal ridge in confusion. “Er, it would be best to clarify this question, Pepino?”

Leo glanced at his hands, lips pulled downwards into a frown. “Sorry. Uh, you know that feeling that no matter how hard you try, you just aren't as ready as you thought you would be?”

Hueso sort of inferred it, but at the same not. He nodded. “I guess? Pepino, whatever it is that's bothering you. You know you could talk to me, right? We're amigos. Está bien expresar tus sentimientos aquí,”

Leo lifted his head at Hueso and smiled weakly at his words. “Está bien, Señor Hueso,” he said, sighing. “Thanks,”

“It's no problem, Pepino. Now tell me what's wrong. You can stop if you want to,” he assured, placing a hand on his shoulder as Leo bit his lip.

“Well…” Leo then went on to explain the events regarding the Shredder and how he felt when they all lost Gram-Gram during the destruction of their home. Hueso listened, attempting to comprehend what he could to help his friend. He didn't realize that he and his family have lost so much in one day and now that the demon is gone from existence, Hueso experienced great relief that it didn't kill anyone in the process

Well, except for Leo's ancient grandmother. He could discern the pain and guilt exposed in his blue eyes, the doubt that he didn't defend Karai from their possessed relative is heartbreaking for the yōkai to witness.

Is this why they haven't come for three days? To fight against a member from your clan? The thought sounded horrible to Hueso and he glanced at Leo with tenderness in his gaze, squeezing his shoulder in a means of soothing the emotional pain—if plenty to quench the feeling.

“I know I haven't suffered the same as you and your family, but the feeling of loss is a natural reaction upon everyone. Even me,” he admitted, chuckling as Leo whipped his eyes at him in surprise.

“I don't believe it,” Amusement colored his tone, the corners of his mouth tugging upwards in a small grin. “Aren't you already dead since you're a skeleton?”

Hueso slapped his arm playfully that previously gripped his shoulder, also grinning. “Pepino, there are some things that aren't supposed to be discovered. Now don't change the subject,”

Leo breathes out a quiet laugh but falls back into being grim, only less serious as before as he continued to comment between the gaps of their conversation. Hueso is reassured that Leo had the decency to still be himself while undergoing urgent situations. He couldn't stop saying such cheesy jokes. Although, he could guess it's a coping mechanism of his.

They kept on chatting, the atmosphere of the restaurant feeling comfortable as the two of them laughed and tell stories about their families whilst behaving respectably to each other. After all, amigos are always there for each other, and Hueso said goodbye to Leo after they were done, the slider currently back to grinning in confidence.

“Remember, you're always welcome to talk, Pepino. Just— not too much, alright?” he teased, prompting Leo to grin even wider.

“No promises, Señor,” Then Leo paused and puts forward his hand to pat his back, the action appearing awkward and gentle. “And we both know I don't say this a lot, but thanks for listening. I wanted… I wanted to share some of my thoughts about what happened and all with another person,”

Hueso smiled, nodding his head. “Be sure to tell your family about this. They're the ones who understand you the best, I'm just here to support you.”

Leo slips in a genuine smile and leaves the restaurant with a shout of goodbye, using his katanas to teleport back home, a trail of blue lagging behind as evidence he had been here.

Hueso shakes his head, sighing under his breath at the supposedly new use of weapons. “Ay, what a show-off he is, but at least a good kid,” he muttered.

In Señor Hueso's standards, Leo is an exception along with certain others, and he could have been more willing to admit that the slider had gained a soft spot from him.