A warriors heart

My Turn

My Turn
I stood up and eyed April. She looked at me and furrowed her brow. "Hand me your gun." I said firmly. She grabbed it and handed it to me hesitantly. I looked at Raph and crouched back down, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You and your brothers saved me, now I am going to return the favor. I promise." He narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Good luck... I'd go with you, but I am currently disabled." He croaked. When I heard him laugh, I knew he'd be okay. April quickly stood up and grabbed my shoulders, spinning me around to face her.
"Are you crazy? You'll get killed! What are you thinking?" She asked frantically. I gently took her hands and took them off of me. "I'm going to save them. I have to. But you need to stay here and go find Splinter... Help him and Raph. I'll be back soon. Don't worry." She looked from me, back to Raph and huffed. "Fine, but if you die, I will haunt you in the afterlife." I laughed at her sentence. "Sounds like a plan." I responded. With that, I got April's phone and followed the homing beacon that Donnie placed.
I arrived at the warehouse that was displayed on the GPS. I looked around for any foot soldiers. Of course, of all days, today the bad guy would decide to show up and ruin everything. I sighed and brought the gun to my chest, then held it out in front of me. I ran over to the side of the building, noticing a trail of blood droplets on the ground. I couldn't help but think that it belonged to Leo. Out of nowhere, two soldiers jumped out behind me. I fired the gun, missing every single shot. "Seriously?" I said as I used the gun to hit one of the guys in the head, making him collapse.
The other one watched as he fell and then turned his attention back to me. I reached back and unsheathed my Tachi. The sword glimmered in the sunlight. He threw a few punches, making contact on my abdomen and face. As I stumbled backward, dazed, the guy jumped at me, slashing his sword right beside my head. I ducked under his blade, sweeping my leg under his feet. He fell onto his back and before he could react, I used the butt of my own sword to hit him hard square in between the eyes, knocking him unconscious. Thankfully, that didn't kill him.
Standing up and breathing heavily, I looked around for any other soldiers but saw none. I noticed a few open wounds on my arms and flinched as I felt something sting on my face, just beneath my eye. I reached up and tenderly felt around the wound. I felt something warm and brought my hand back, noticing that it was blood. The wound was seeping with that nasty stuff, dripping down my face. I grunted and opened the door of the warehouse.
When I got inside, I ducked behind a stack of boxes, and peeked my head ever so slightly around the side. I flicked my eyes throughout the room and gasped again when I saw Leo, Mikey, and Donnie lying on the ground seemingly motionless. I started to feel tears gather in the corner of my eyes. No, not now. Keep it together! They are depending on you. I shook my head, wiping my face, wincing as I scraped the gash under my eye. I watched as a group of soldiers came in, along with a man, covered in black armor and a samurai-like helmet.
I narrowed my eyes and gritted my teeth with hatred. It was Shredder... I stood up slowly and reached around the boxes to carefully make my way closer. Leo started to move and he used his arms to try and push himself up. As he tried, Shredder pointed at him and a soldier ran over to him, kicking him in the side. He grunted loudly and it took everything I had to hold myself back from running to him. Shredder nodded his head once and gave another hand signal to the guy. Leo looked at him with a cold side glare and breathed heavily. The man went over to him and punched him again in the gut.
Why wasn't Leo fighting back? He could kill the guy if he wanted too! I've seen him fight! I wasn't worried anymore... I was angry. I was angry that Leo wasn't fighting back, angry that the Shredder was here, angry about the fact that he dared to show his evil self to any of us. Leo collapsed and I drew in a harsh breath. Shredder then called out the word, 'pathetic' as he turned from the brothers. Okay, now he's going to pay. I narrowed my eyes and drew my Tachi. Leo heard me and weakly looked up at me. He saw the fury in my eyes, a raging fire that couldn't be tamed. He narrowed his eyes at me and shook his head, trying to tell me to stop. There was going to be none of that. I moved my gaze from him to Shredder. Leo tried to get up again, but was stopped when Shredder turned to him and uppercutted him in the stomach. I yelled as Leo fell down and didn't move.
He turned to me suddenly, and looked me right in the eyes. "You are going to pay for this. I am going to destroy you." I said, fixing him with my coldest glare. "You're..? It can't be... Calypso? My star pupil. The one who failed.  All because she couldn't finish one opponent. Such a disappointment..." He said, chuckling to himself darkly. I gained a wild look in my eyes. I was not going to let this man get away without making him bleed... I felt like a predator right before it made the kill.
I felt hate and resentment coursing through me, driving me in a way I had never felt before. Maybe I really was a monster, but that didn't matter. He created me and now he was going to deal with it. I lunged at him, slashing my sword directly at his left arm. He didn't expect this move and so I was able to drive my sword under his armor. He growled and turned around, facing me. I anticipated this move before he could even react. He extended the blades on his forearm, trying to stab me. I jumped out of the way, spinning around and holding my blade out towards him.
"So, you still have your skills? Hm, that could be of use to me..." He said, narrowing his eyes. I shook my head and an aggressive expression overtook me. "Never again will I ever serve you." I snarled. He shook his head in mock disappointment. "Very well..." He said. I tried to drive my blade into his stomach, but my strike was blocked and he grabbed me by the arm, pulling me into his fist as he punched me in the gut. I grunted loudly and doubled over, gasping for breath. Before I could react, he slung me onto the ground, and lifted his arm to finish me. I watched as the blades glinted under the slightly dimmed lighting of the warehouse.
I heard the sound of things being slammed into the ground and so did Shredder. I turned my head and saw Donnie, Mikey, and Raph surrounded by the bodies of the foot soldiers. Shredder took an unsteady step back and looked around surprised. "Get away from her!" Yelled Donnie. Mikey ran over and scooped me up, setting me down next to Leo. I watched as he ran back over to the others, preparing to fight the Shredder. They began to fight him, yelling and throwing strikes. I turned my attention back to Leo and crawled over to him. He was lying stomach down, with his face curled partly under his arm. Oh no... please be okay, please be okay... "Leo? Leo, please wake up--- You gotta get up! Please . . ." I placed my hands on him and gently shook him. He didn't stir, so I lifted his arm and saw the stab wound in the center of his stomach. It was bleeding profusely and had caused a pool of blood underneath him
I brought my hands up to my mouth and began crying. I slid my hands back to his shoulder and shook him a bit harder this time. "Leo... Please... Wake up! I need you to get up! Come on!" I said frantically. I was shuddering now from how hard I was crying and was covered in blood of my own. I felt a gentle hand over my shoulder blade. I jolted up and quickly drew my Tachi, ready to protect Leo. When my vision cleared, I realized it was April and she looked terrified when she saw my threatening expression and the blood seeping from underneath my clothes & face. I immediately let down my guard and hugged her. "I thought I told you to not get killed!" She said, laughing and crying at the same time. "I didn't die, you idiot! But Leo-?" I said, stepping back and returning to his side, still crying. April brought her hands to her face and choked on her own words. She furrowed her brow and looked over her shoulder at the still fighting brothers. She told me to stay beside Leo as she took off running out of the warehouse. I turned to him and held onto him, hoping and praying that he would wake up.
"Leo please... if you wake up, I promise I will watch all the re-runs of "Star Wars" with you until I drop dead, and I will declare for all of eternity that you won our first spar. But I need you to please, please, open your eyes..." I said weakly as I started sobbing again and ducked my head, leaning on the arm I had on the ground beneath me. "You had me at Star Wars..." I heard someone whisper.
I opened my eyes immediately, realizing it was Leo. "Oh my frickin' God! Oh my God! You're alive...!" I exclaimed, placing my forehead on his shoulder. He struggled to breathe, so I sat up and placed a hand on his cheek. "I'm not dead, at least not yet... but you shouldn't have come here---you could've died..." He said weakly, his blue eyes showing me just how much he meant that. I brought my brows together as I fixed him with a serious look. "I came here to try and rescue you, Mikey and Donnie. We found Raph in the lair with a giant gash on his side. He told us what happened to all of you. I couldn't not do something. I had to try and save you! Especially since you saved me!" I said, sounding angry.
It was pointless for me to be upset in this situation. I closed my eyes and sighed, realizing that he was just trying to protect me. Of course he was... Even when he was seemingly on the brink of death, he still fights to protect those he... cares about? I looked down at him and found him looking at me with concern in his eyes.
He studied my wounds and the blood that covered me. I glanced at his wound and cringed slightly. "You need to get up. I need to see how bad the injury is." He groaned and started to push himself off the ground through gritted teeth. He crushed his eyes together in concentration as the loose blue straps from his bandana fell down around his neck.. I helped him up, and winced as he collapsed onto a large pile of shredded tire parts. I fell onto my knees and gingerly touched around the stab wound. Leo winced when I touched a sensitive part on his chest. I realized that he had taken multiple hits to that spot.
"I'm sorry this all happened to you, I'm so sorry." I said, giving him a sympathetic look. He shook his head and held his hand out for me to take. I placed my hand in his and looked down. He used his other hand to cup my cheek. I looked back up at him and he looked at me warmly. "Don't feel bad for something you never caused. In no way were you responsible for me or anyone else getting hurt. But you are strong... and that is one of the reasons why I even tolerate you." He said, winking slyly. I blushed without realizing it, making him laugh, but he winced in pain. Before I could give him a piece of my mind, April suddenly returned with a pack of gauze and bandages. "Took you long enough!" I said to her, sticking my tongue out. She scoffed playfully, placing a hand over her heart. "Um, I just had to sprint three blocks down the street just to reach a gas station! You guys are lucky I found this med kit!" She said, huffing. I laughed and patted her shoulder. "Well good for you, you saved the day." She faced me and squinted as if she could laser eye me to death like Superman.
I took the med kit and unzipped it, trying to remember what needed to be applied to Leo's wounds first. When I reached into a small elastic compartment, there was a little bag with the words "ANTISEPTIC WIPES" in bold, black letters. I snapped open the bag, took out the wipes and ripped the packaging to access the actual wipe itself. As I got a firm hold on it, I brought it up to Leo's chest but then hesitated for a moment, looking up to his face, only to see him smiling with a raised brow. Why is he so attractive? "Do you want to clean the wound?" I asked shyly.
He chuckled and pointed at the wipe. "I don't think I'd do it properly... you seem to know your medical stuff." I rolled my eyes playfully and began to carefully wipe the injury. "Try to stay still, I know it stings, but I don't want to mess up." I said carefully. He gave me a thumbs up and I chuckled. As I finished cleaning the area, I noticed April looking at me funny. She looked from me to Leo (Who, thank sweet lord baby Jesus wasn't looking) and raised an eyebrow. I quickly swatted at her dismissively and she stood up, walking over to help Donnie and Raph with Mikey. I scanned the warehouse for Shredder and noticed that he was gone, taking in a breath of relief when I saw this.
Leo was looking at my shirt, trying to recognize what was on it. "Is that a limited edition 'Star Wars: The Phantom Menace' shirt?" He asked, voice beaming. I laughed as I reached for a clean towel that April had brought as well. "Yeah, but this is the shirt that fits me. The other one I had originally bought for April to wear, but when it arrived, it was an XXL, so it most definitely did not fit her." Leo gasped and I knew right then what he was thinking.
I sighed and shook my head with a smile on my face. "Yes Leonardo, you can have it." I said, sounding defeated. His eyes lit up with joy like children on Christmas morning. I pressed the towl firmly over his stab wound on his stomach, trying my best to keep pressure on the wound without hurting him. Leo gasped out loud and I frantically looked up, seeing him smile slyly. I narrowed my eyes and slapped his arm, making him laugh weakly. "My gosh, I was just messing with you!" He called. I made the classic, "mhm" sound before crouching back down to press the towel back on his wound.
After instructing Leo to hold the towel firmly over his stab wound, I grabbed a large square of gauze and placed it over the injury. Leo held it in place after removing the bloody towel while I taped it over the thick layers of gauze I had placed on his wound using medical tape. Then, I got the bandages, wrapping it around his torso, every so often getting close to him when I had to go around his back. I did my best to avoid his gaze, knowing that I would immediately become flustered. After I secured the bandage by tucking it under the wrap. I scooted back a bit, resting on my knees and flicked my eyes over his chest and torso, making sure everything was good and secure. Leo flexed his arms and I looked away, trying to hide my smile. "Was that a smirk I just caught?" He asked, moving his head slightly to try and see my face. I brought my hand over my mouth and began laughing. Leo started laughing too, exclaiming that he had made me smile.
The others came over to where we were sitting and Donnie squatted in front of Leo, examining my work. I stood up and dusted off my legs, and tended to Raph and Mikey's own injuries. I had completely forgotten about my own wounds until I brushed my face with my hand and winced. Leo looked up at me and asked if I was alright. Mikey whispered something to Donnie, making him chuckle and glance from Leo to me. I squinted at Mikey before responding to Leo, letting him know I was fine. After disinfecting my own gash on my face, I placed gauze over it and secured it with the medical tape.
I tried to walk but doubled over in pain when I had a sudden flash of pain in my abdomen. I remembered I had gotten socked by Shredder in the gut. After cursing under my breath, I stood back up, clutching my abdomen. April ran over to me, placing an arm around me, with a concerned look on her face. I met her worried gaze. "I'm fine-" I said as I fell again, collapsing from the pain in my stomach. April yelped and called for Donnie to come help. He looked up from Leo's wound suddenly and ran over, squatting by my side. My vision started to go hazy and the last thing I remember was hearing Leo call out my name while widening his eyes.
When I woke up, I was lying down on the couch back at the apartment. Donnie was leaning over me, scanning me with some device. I think it was the same one he used to scan my leg back when they all first rescued me. Donnie's eyes trailed up to my face from his little scanner and his expression changed to a wide smile. The glasses on his face slid down a bit and but he pushed them back up with a single finger before calling the guys and April into the living room. I tried to push myself up, my arms straining under the pressure, making me collapse back down onto the couch. I groaned and Donnie sighed. "Cece, you can't sit up yet... you need to take it easy.
After you blacked out, I had to inject you with stabilizers in order to help you breathe. If I'm not mistaken, you took a huge blow to your chest and abdomen not only causing bruised ribs, but mild internal bleeding." He said seriously. I lifted up my shirt a bit and shuttered at the sight of the bruising all over my right side. Pulling my shirt back down, I heaved in a breath and rested my head over my arm. Mikey and April came into the room and stood in front of me. I slowly turned my head to look at them, taking in the excited expression on their faces. Leo came in with an arm over Raph, hobbling over to me with a worried expression on his face. When I met his gaze, his brow furrowed and he gave me an encouraging smile.
"You're awake!" Yelled Mikey, being his obnoxious self. I nodded and took in another ragged breath, wincing at the pain that shot through me. Donnie turned to Mikey and slapped the back of his head, telling him to quiet down. Raph spoke up next, a sarcastic smile on his face. "Glad to see you're not dead." He said, earning a dissaproving glance from Leo. I looked at him with the only challenging look I could give him, making him laugh. April shoved Raph out of her way and squatted in front of me.
"How are you feeling? Do you need some pain meds?" She asked and I looked at Donnie. She nodded, understanding what I was trying to say. "Donnie, can Caly... I mean Cece take any pain meds?" She asked and everyone looked at April, a puzzled expression on their faces. I stared at April in shock. "Is your real name, Caly?" asked Leo. I looked down at the floor and gently nodded. He made a soft 'hm' noise. I whispered to April weakly. "Please help me sit up..." She nodded and gently placed her arms around me and hauled me up, helping me to sit. I placed both of my hands on the sofa seat.
I closed my eyes and took in a few breaths. My arms strained under my weight but I concentrated on sitting up. I opened my eyes and looked at each of the brothers, my heart beating fast. I strained my voice so that they could hear me. "My real name is---Calypso... I've been going by Caly to April ever since she found me. I am fine with y'all calling me Caly from now on, but only if you want. So long as I don't earn myself any dumb nicknames." I said, my voice weak.
All of them nodded and Raph gestured to Donnie and Mikey, followed by April. They left the room, going into the kitchen and leaving me alone with him. I looked over at Leo, randomly thinking he was mad at me or something. Instead, he opened his arms wide and gestured for me to come to him. I grunted as I tried to move over to him. He gently wrapped his arms around me, resting an arm over my legs and using his hand to keep me close. I laid my head against his arm, being careful to not hurt him.
He glanced at me and then looked away, breathing in deeply. "About your real name, I think it's cool. It definitely suits you." He said, chuckling. I poked his shoulder and laughed hoarsely. Leo cringed at my voice and looked directly at me. "I know... My voice isn't the best right now. If you haven't noticed, I am currently not feeling too well." I said, making him chuckle. "But thanks, I'm glad you approve." I added. He let out a hearty laugh and then looked at me with a smile. My entire soul lit up at the sight of his smiling face.
Leo's smile faded as he glanced at the blank TV. "I want you to know that I am thankful for you coming to save us. That took guts..." He looked down at my stomach and then back at me, a cheesy grin on his face. "No pun intended. But anyways, thank you for doing that. But I am still upset with the fact that you risked your life to save us. You could've died and I-we wouldn't have been able to save you." He said, looking at me again, an intense look in his deep blue gaze.
I looked at him and smiled. "You would've done the same for me, I know you would've. Plus, you really think I'd let you die before I heard you admit that I am clearly the champion of our sparring match?" I said, making his serious face soften. He shook his head, smiling. "You're never going to let that go, are you?" He asked softy. I pursed my lips and squinted. "No, I won't. Not until I hear what I want out of your mouth." I shot back. "Well then you will just have to stick around I guess..." He said, shrugging. I scoffed and gave him a playful sideways glance. He looked at me hesitantly and then held me a bit closer.
I wondered what that meant and glanced at him, curiosity in my eyes. "Caly," I liked the sound of my name when he said it. "Yeah?" I responded. "I think now would be a good time to tell you that I like you... A lot." He said, matter-of-a-factly. I looked away from him, my stomach doing a flip-flop. Leo had just told me he liked me and I didn't know if I should confess my feelings as well, or keep my mouth shut. I could tell that Leo was anxious when he told me this... "I understand if you don't-" He started to say until I booped his nose. "I like you too, and have since we first met... But don't expect me to go easy on your butt whenever we train next time." I said, smiling.
Leo's eyes lit up in a way I have never seen before and he brought his hand underneath my chin, lifting up gently. "Oh, you should be the one hoping for mercy, Ms. Calypso." He said, narrowing his eyes playfully. Then what happened next made me feel light as air. Leo brought his mouth to mine, kissing me softly. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him to me.
My heart was beating at a million miles per hour. April walked around the corner with her phone in one hand, looking down at the screen. I quickly pulled back from Leo and fumbled out of his lap, lying on the other side of the couch. April looked up at us, a skeptical look on her face. "Is everything okay?" She asked, the corner of her mouth arching upward. I blushed furiously and brought a pillow over my face, trying to cover myself. "Yup, all good!" I said, my voice going up a few octaves. Leo arched his brow and looked at me, laughing hard.
April squinted at me and then stuck her tongue out, turning around and going to her bedroom. I ducked my head down into the pillow and mumbled to myself, knowing that April was going to interrogate me later about this. Leo laughed again and stood up, hobbling over in front of me and crouched down. "You can come out of hiding, you weird hermit." He said with a teasing tone. I gripped the pillow harder and curled my knees up, trying to hide my face. He laughed and grabbed the pillow. "No, no, no, no." I said, my voice sounding like a child. "Yes, yes, yes, yes." He responded. "No." I said, briefly peeking over the pillow to see that he was gone. I sat up cautiously and looked around. Leo popped out from behind the couch and I yelped, wheeling my head around to see him. "Ah ha! So now you look at me." He said triumphantly. I threw the pillow at him, expecting it to hit him in the face, but he dodged it and laughed, making fun of my horrible aim.
I scoffed and slumped into the couch. Leo bent down and poked my head. I looked up and gave him my best straight faced look. He laughed and kissed my forehead before going into the kitchen. I sat there, realizing that not only did Leo tell me he liked me (a lot) but he also kissed me! I sat there and tried to get up, feeling lightheaded at first but then fell back onto the couch with an 'oomph'. April came back into the living room and looked at me. "Are you alright?" She asked, looking genuinely concerned. "Yeah, I was just trying to get up." I said, huffing. She held out a hand and I took it, trying to stand up again.
As I stood, I got light headed again and began to fall. April caught me and gave me a straight face. "Where to?" She asked. "To the kitchen, please ma'am." She nodded and we walked (well, I hobbled) into the kitchen and sat down. Raph, Mikey, and Donnie looked at each other and then at Leo. "What was that all about?" Leo asked, a perplexed look on his face. Mikey smiled and then elbowed Donnie. "I told you..." He said, laughing to himself. Donnie smiled and began laughing. Raph caught Mikey's words and looked at Leo, narrowing his eyes. Leo took on a shoulder width stance and leaned back against the wall.
"While you were chilling with your girlfriend, we were finding out where Shredder was headed and where he was going to strike next." Raph said aggressively. Leo didn't hesitate before calmly responding to him. "First off, don't bring Caly into this. Donnie, what do you got?" He said, walking over to his nerd of a brother. Mikey glanced between Raph and Leo as they looked at each other, narrowing their eyes. "I picked up on some communication signals between foot soldiers and Karai..." Donnie replied, looking up at Leo warily. Leo looked away from Raph and at Donnie, a dangerous look in his eyes.
I sat up a little taller when I heard Karai's name, remembering what Leo had told me about her. "What'd you hear?" He asked, gesturing for Donnie to continue. "Apparently there is an experiment that will take place very soon." He said with a worried tone. "Where and what time?" Leo asked. "About two weeks from now, at TCRI. Something in the code listed the words, 'MUTAGEN 2/1'." Donnie exclaimed as he opened his computer and began typing. I looked at Donnie and had a confused look on my face. "What is mutagen? It sounds dangerous..." I asked, cocking my head to the side. He glanced over his computer and looked at April, then cleared his throat, looking at me.
"Mutagen is a mysterious substance from another planet. All we know is that it has the ability to mutate an organism into something unpredictable. But the liquid is highly unstable, and that is what makes this stuff so dangerous." He said, pushing his glasses up almost as if he were annunciating his point. Raph looked at me and shook his head. "The ooze is what turned us into what we are today." He said. "Were y'all humans before the transformation happened?" I asked, suddenly interested. This time Mikey responded. "We were regular turtles before anything happened. Master Splinter had raised us, becoming our father. He taught us the martial arts we know and assigned us all different weapons." He said with a wary glance at me.
I eyed the sheathed Katanas that crossed each other on Leo's shell. "What about Master Splinter? Was he a human?" I asked, then Leo turned to me and said, "No, he was a rat. We were all in a lab. April's father worked in that lab until he died at the hands of Eric Saxs. He had set fire to all the research, because they had injected us with that mutagen, causing us to grow and become this." He said, gesturing from himself, to his brothers. I nodded and then my eyes widened. I looked at April wildly and narrowed my eyes. "You lied to me. For twelve damn years... You lied to me! You told me that he had gone missing!" I yelled, sounding angry but pathetic at the same time because of my hoarse voice. April was 23 now, and I was 16. But in all of that time she could have told me something, anything about her father actually dying all those years ago because of Saxs. I stood up with all the strength I had and fell to the floor. I heard gasps and Leo came over, trying to help me up.
I looked at him and he could tell I was angry. "I appreciate you trying to help me, but I can do this on my own." I said in almost a whimper. Leo gave me a look that clearly said he thought otherwise, but he sighed and let me go. He went back to Donnie and kept talking about the mutagen with them, trying to change the subject. I hobbled into my room and shut the door behind me, falling onto my bed. I sat there and heaved in breaths trying to calm myself down. I lied back, resting my head on my pillow. I then turned my head to my nightstand and saw my sword lying in its sheath. I reached over to it, picking it up and bringing it to my lap. Sitting back up, I gently pulled the blade out of the casing and sighed, running my hand along the metal. I lifted the blade to my eyes and took in the severity of the gash. I cringed at the sight of it, and sheathed the Tachi, setting it down.
I heard a knock on the door and glanced at it, knowing who was trying to see me. "Come in." I said with a sigh. The door opened and April walked in, sitting on the other side of the bed, facing me. I overheard Raph and Leo arguing about something that had to do with Splinter and what he had instructed them to do. April rolled her eyes and got back up to shut the door. When she came back, she gave me a sympathetic look. I glared at her, showing her that I was still very much mad at her. "Listen, Cal. I'm sorry about everything. I should've told you the truth..." I crossed my arms and raised my brow. "Yeah, you should've. I spent years searching for something, anything on your father. I was trying to help you, when all of that was pointless! You knew he had died in that fire because he was shot and you never told me. Heck, I loved your father as if he were my own dad. I never saw my father and you never gave me the chance to know the truth!" I said as tears began running down my face.
    April was crying now too and she hugged me. I only let her because I knew she was deeply sorry about never telling me. "I'm so sorry Caly... I am so sorry..." I took in a ragged breath and sighed. "You had good intentions... just don't lie to me like that ever again." April cried into me, then pulled back from our hug and holding me at arms length from her so she could see my face. "What can I do to make it up to you? I'll do anything..." She said suddenly, wiping the tears from her eyes. I sighed, then moving my gaze to the folded up shirt I said Leo could have and that gave me an idea. "First, you can help me give that shirt to Leonardo and then you will watch the entire movie marathon with me." I responded, with a small smirk. She scoffed and patted my head. "Fine. I'll do it, but you better not rewind the movies constantly to settle the debate about what Darth Vader really said to Luke." I huffed and playfully crossed my arms. "Whatever." I said and she laughed, hugging me again before snapping her fingers. "Oh, before I forget," Crap. Here it comes... the interrogation... "What happened with you and loverboy? You know, when I walked in and you jumped to the other side of the couch?" She continued. I blushed again and covered my eyes, smirking. April nudged me and I laughed. "Basically, he told me he liked me a lot and we kissed. But it wasn't anything like in those romance movies where the guy and girl have some huge makeout session with slobber all over the place." I said, shuddering at the sound of that.
April began dying laughing and slapped my knee playfully. "Girl, I've always told you that you should be a stand up comedian. I really mean it!" She said, wiping her eyes from the tears that came due to how hard she was laughing. I joined in on the laughter fest and once we settled down, she stood up, helping me up as well. I grabbed the shirt and we began to walk out the door, when we saw Raph standing a little distance away from Leo, still arguing about Splinter.
"Listen Raph, if you have something to say, now's the time. But I'm not going to stand here and discuss Splinter's direct orders with you!" Leo yelled. I subconsciously took a step back at the aggressive tone in his voice. Leo when he was angry, was not something you wanted to see or hear. April looked at me suddenly and I shook my head. We continued walking out of the hall and Raph turned his attention to us suddenly. He glanced back at Leo and cursed at him, pushing past him as he walked into the second bathroom in the apartment, slamming the door behind him. I cringed at the sound, knowing that we were probably going to have to get it replaced.                           
Leo and I shared an unreadable look before he walked past us, going to the balcony. I sighed and looked back down at the shirt, feeling disappointed. April rubbed my back sympathetically and we went to the couch and sat down. Donnie and Mikey came into the living room as well, sitting on the couch. I looked at my phone and picked it up, getting ready to break the silence. "Do y'all want Pizza or something?" I asked, smiling when they looked at me suddenly. "I'll take that as a yes. Cheese or Pepperoni?" I offered. Donnie responded first, looking at April and smiled. "How about we get both? It would be the most logical knowing that we have so many here." He said enthusiastically. I nodded in agreement and placed an order for two large pizzas. "Should I get breadsticks too?" I asked, glancing up from my phone and over to April. "Yes, please!" She said excitedly. I gave her a thumbs up and added the breadsticks to the order. After submitting everything, I got an Uber to pick everything up and deliver it to us. It was around 10:00 at night now and I could tell everyone was exhausted.
I got up and grabbed the shirt after telling April I was going to go find Leo. She winked at me and I swatted at her head. I was thankfully able to walk by myself now. As I made my way to the balcony, I was surprised to see that Leo wasn't there. I went outside and squinted through the darkness. After hearing some shuffling on the roof, I knew I was going to have to climb. So, I placed the folded shirt in my teeth and carefully climbed up to the roof. I grunted as I clumsily hauled myself up. I then huffed and stood up, looking around and dusting myself off. I didn't see anyone on the roof, especially since it was so dark. Suddenly, I heard a loud thump behind me and I quickly turned around, seeing a large figure crouched.
The silhouette stood up and I recognized the two blades in his hands. "Leo?" I whispered, sounding frightened. "Caly? What are you doing out here? Especially on the roof?" He responded. I scoffed and pulled the shirt out of my teeth. "I was trying to find you. I got your shirt!" He sighed and looked down, sheathing his Katanas. The loose straps of fabric from his mask were blowing in the wind. "Thanks, but you really should get back inside. It's dangerous, especially with how injured you still are." He said seriously.
After he saw my concerned expression, he wrapped his arms around me and rested his head on mine, like how we were that night on the balcony. "Please tell me what is wrong, Leo. I know it has something to do with Raph." He sighed heavily again and stepped back. "He's just being difficult. Splinter had told us to stay away from Shredder and that we needed to observe our enemies from the shadows. However, Raph thinks we should do a full scale attack. Which would not only be incredibly reckless and stupid, but also there would be no objective other than to attack Shredder." He said, crossing his arms. I made a soft "hm" noise and nodded. "So, you're stressed... I can only imagine how often this kind of thing happens. I mean, you are obviously under constant pressure from your brothers." I said as I threw my hands up to exaggerate the point I was trying to make. Leo looked at me and sighed harshly. "My place as leader is difficult and being in this position requires patience and inner strength... That's what Sensei had told me as he handed me the Katanas. But I never knew how true those words were until I actually had to lead the team." Leo said as he unsheathed a blade and held it in his hands.
I heard a familiar ringtone on my phone and looked down, pulling out my phone. I read the notification, realizing that the Uber driver had delivered the food. "I ordered pizza and breadsticks. It's here now, and ready to be devoured. Are you hungry?" I asked, lifting my brow. Leo sighed, and sheathed his sword. "Yeah, I'll be down there in a bit. Just make sure to save three slices for me, alright?" He asked, slightly smirking. I think he could tell I was still worried about him because he pulled me into another hug and placed his forehead on mine. "I'll be okay, Cal. I just need to clear my head a bit." He said, looking into my eyes. "Alright, take however much time you need. Just don't stay out for too long. Okay?" He backed up and rolled his eyes playfully. "Yes, mom." I punched his arm gently and we both laughed. Before I climbed back down to the balcony, I walked over to Leo and handed him the shirt, watching as he unfolded it and held it out, studying it. A wide grin spread across his face and he slipped on the shirt.
I couldn't help but gaze at the way his muscles stood out underneath the shirt. I laughed at the way his shell stuck out in the back. Leo followed my gaze and turned his head, looking over his shoulder and at his shell. He scoffed and rolled his eyes again. "So what do you think?" He asked, turning his attention back to me and smiled like a dork. "Why don't you give us a nice pose?" I said, laughing. He winked at me, quickly unsheathing his Katanas and standing with one foot forward, crouching slightly. I clapped my hands quietly before running over to him, and tackled him. He fell backwards and landed with an "oomph!". I landed on top of him and pinned him down with my hands on his outstretched arms. "What was that about?" He asked, a surprised look in his eyes. "Say it." I responded. "Say what?" He asked and I scoffed. "Admit that I won the sparring match." I said playfully. He studied my face and opened his mouth slightly. I looked at him expectantly and he started laughing. "Fine, you won the sparring match. Happy?" He said, raising a brow and giving me a sarcastic smile. I could see a million questions racing through his mind. But what was he thinking?
We both got up and headed to the balcony. Leo climbed down first and then helped me down as well. I went to the living room with him following closely behind. When we entered the room, I walked around to the couch, ignoring the sly smiles on April and Mikey's face. Donnie glanced at me with the most knowing look I had ever been given. Leo picked up the box and silently got three slices of pizza, walking away and going into the kitchen. After making sure Leo was out of earshot, Donnie looked back at me and smiled. "So, how did everything go? Was Leo upset about Raph?" He asked and April elbowed him, making him chuckle. I avoided his gaze and ate my pizza. After I swallowed my first bite, I cleared my throat and flicked my eyes up to him. "Everything was okay... He just needed to clear his mind." I responded. He raised his brow, making his glasses go crooked. I laughed and pulled a pillow out from behind me, whacking Donnie hard.
He and Mikey started laughing along with April and then Donnie threw the pillow back at me.. "So when did Leo finally tell you how he felt?" He asked, after he contained his laughter. I grumbled and he poked me with his staff. "Well...?" He asked, expectantly. "Today..." I eventually responded. He smiled and looked at April. She blushed and looked away, smiling. I wanted to join in on the fun so now I would embarrass them two. "So Donnie," I said, making him turn his attention back to me. Right as I opened my mouth to say something, Raph came out of the bathroom and sat down beside us, breathing deeply. I quickly shut my mouth, followed by everyone else.
Leo walked back into the room, and kept a wary eye on Raph. He walked over to behind Mikey and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. I had noticed he stood like that a lot. April handed Raph the box of pepperoni pizza and then sat back down when Mikey farted out loud. Leo smacked him on the back of the head, making him laugh. I watched as Donnie stood up and stepped over Mikey, and sat next to April. They shared a meaningful look and then both looked away, smiling. I thought that was so adorable and smiled softly.
I reached out for the remote and turned on the TV. When it flashed on, the news was blaring about the latest in crime and recent sightings of a giant warthog and rhino. I embarrassingly choked on my pizza and started 'dying'. April came over and patted my back, laughing her head off. Once I could breathe again, I avoided the looks that everyone was giving me and gestured to the TV. "Do y'all know anything about a giant rhino or warthog?" I asked, briefly coughing again. Raph wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Yeah, they are BeBop and Rocksteady. Two knuckleheads who the Shredder mutated. They were at one point behind bars, until they escaped because of the Foot clan." He said, sounding agitated.
I nodded, clearing my throat and reached out for the pizza boxes, glaring up at Mikey when I saw they were completely empty. He smiled awkwardly and shrugged. I rolled my eyes and huffed, standing up and walking into the kitchen. I opened the fridge and scanned it for any snacks I could grab. Finding a nice looking apple, I picked it up and walked back into the living room. When I went back in there, I noticed Raph was eyeing my apple and I narrowed my eyes at him and pulled it behind my back. "Don't even think about it." I said, smirking. Raph held his hands up in mock surrender. "I wasn't going to do anything!" He replied, smiling as well. He looked over my shoulder at Leo and then quickly looked back at me. Before I could say or do anything, I heard Leo unsheathe his blade and he stabbed my apple, pulling it out of my hands and making it fall onto the floor. I quickly turned around and made my eye twitch. "Are you serious? You are so mature, let me tell you." I said, placing my hands on my hips. We all laughed and after a bit, went to sleep. I slept in my room with April on the bottom of my bed. Leo and Mikey slept on the couches outside in the living room while Donnie and Raph slept on the floor.