When Shadows Rise | I

Ch. 35 | Turbulence

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"Where the hell were you?"

Before tonight, Talia thought if anyone could pull off the perfect scolding 'look', it was her parent's (Talia wasn't a troublemaker by any chance, but there were the occasional I-broke-a-glass-incidents). But she was mistaken. So mistaken. Leo's furrowed eyebrows and tense lips perfectly exemplified the face of a parent watching their child come home after their curfew. Heck, just a second ago she almost mistook him for Mr. Hamato.

"Good evening to you, too," Raph said, approaching his brother.

Leo looked like he couldn't believe Raph had the nerve to say something like that. "Excuse me, you can't just come up to me and act like you haven't done anything."

"As much as I'd love to hear a lecture from you, it can wait. There are more important things to discuss."

"You lied to me!"

"Like I've never done that before."

Leo's chest heaved up and down. The porch light highlighted the vein on the edge of his forehead that throbbed with such intensity, it was a sight for sore eyes. Talia got the feeling that the only reason Leo was probably holding back, was because she and April were here as well. Raph passed Leo and went inside; Leo temporarily swallowed his wrath. This was far from over.

"April, Talia," Leo addressed, the anger in his eyes dissipating.

"What's up." April nodded. "You know we wouldn't make unannounced house calls, but. . ."

Leo waved a hand. "Yeah, I know. I just. . . what was he thinking? And bringing you two for the ride as well. . ."

"If it makes you feel any better, we went willingly." The redhead's sentence did not, in fact, make Leo feel any better. His face almost wilted, like he expected much better from them than his impulsive brother.

"You and I are not going to deny Raph can be an impetuous- pardon my language- asshole sometimes," April said, "but for what it's worth, we wouldn't have dug up the treasure without his attitude." She fist-bumped Leo's shoulder before opening the door and shutting it behind her.

Now Talia was alone. Alone with Leo. The light reflecting off his hair— which was floppy and dripping wet— produced a sheen that almost seemed blue, like the iridescent of a raven's wing. His dark clothes hugged his body, making it almost difficult not to stare at his defined muscles.

"You're going to catch a cold, you know," Talia said randomly.

"What?"

"Your hair— it suggests you took a shower recently. And you're out here when it's kind of chilly. . . when I was little, all the girls and boys in my class said that it's not a good idea to go outside when it's cold after taking a shower because you'll get sick."

Leo lifted his jaw. "You're very observant."

Talia shrugged. "Not usually. Sometimes, I'm the last person to know about, well, everything."

"Not from where I'm standing." Leo smiled— a small smile that might've indicated amusement. "About what you said— did you know that it's been proven a myth? A change in temperature doesn't really make you sick, but it can boost your odds of catching a virus."