The Turtle Charm

It's Probably the Raging Teenage Hormones

Our kiss continued for a while, then I snapped out of my raging teenage hormones only to be consumed with confusion. I pushed Leo away, taking a few steps back. "Tina, a-are you okay?" Asked Leo, "Did I do..."

"I'm such an idiot!" I said, clenching my fists and turning, running out of the kitchen. 

I found myself in the common area where the other turtles and Casey Jr. played a Mario-cart-type racing game. "Oh, Tina!" said Raph, "Want in on the next game?"

"Are you okay?" asked Mikey, "You don't look so good..."

"I-I need time to myself..." I said turning and making my way to my room. Only when I shut the door behind me did I realize how much I was hyperventilating. I turned to a shelf where I set up my essential oil diffuser before grabbing a cushion and plopping down on the floor, legs crossed and fingers touching together.

Eyes closed, I took a slow steady breath in, the aromas of my favorite scents entering my nose before I let go. A couple more breaths in, I could finally think coherently and maybe a little too deeply. 

"Whoa! Did we really just kiss Leonardo?" I opened my eyes. Standing up, I turned to look at myself in the mirror, although I didn't see myself as I was now. The girl in the reflection was somebody I was years ago. She wore her hair in pigtails, donned her reading glasses every waking minute of the day and wore a t-shirt from her favorite fandoms most of the time. Today, she was wearing one featuring the 2012 turtles. She touched her lips, a hint of blush across her cheeks. Pumping a fist in the air she said, "Booyakasha!" 

"Booyakasha?" I groaned, "It was idiotic! I mean, he's a cartoon character!"

"Yeah. One you crushed on for years," she smirked at me.

"I'm pretty sure that guy," I said pointing in the general direction of the kitchen before pointing at the Leo on her shirt, "is not the same as that guy!"

"Okay, okay," she said, "They're different Leos. Touche, but that doesn't change the fact that you're the one who initiated the kiss, chica. Wouldn't it be worth, I don't know...seeing where it leads?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"And what happens when I have a way home? Mama and Val need me. I can't afford to get too attached to anything here or anyone."

"So what are you going to do about the 'boding with mystic warriors' thing? It's the only way to fully return to...well, looking like you." her face twisted, "And you can't do that if you end up avoiding Leo like you did with Luna."

At that name, my eyes shut and I said, "What the hell's the matter with you? Saying that name..."

"Hey, you're the one who broke up with her when you didn't have to..."

"You know why I did it!"

"And you know you if you didn't, she would have been there for you...she was sweet that way..." The me in the mirror shook her head, "Look, all I'm saying is that you can't avoid confrontation this time around. And you don't even know if there's a way back home, so for one in your teenage life, go with the flow. At the very least, talk to him. Communicate. Tell Leo the truth. And I mean the whole truth including...well, this." She waved her hand over the t-shirt before fading away and being replaced by the present-day me.

I sighed, "Well...I guess I have to, don't I?"

I returned to meditating, trying to hammer out what I was going to say when I heard the click of the door from the adjacent train car. After a moment, I heard him enter the segment between our rooms. I turned to see his silhouette through the curtains pause as he raised a hand to knock, but he stopped before sighing and lowering his head. He began turning around and I said, "Hold on, Leo." The sooner I got this out of the way, the better. I went over and opened the door, meeting eyes with the red-eared slider, "Come on in. We need to talk."

Hesitantly, he entered my room. "Go on, take a seat," I said, "Want some tea? I got some chamomile bags."

"Sure," he said and I filled up my electric kettle with water. While it began heating up, I sat opposite of him. The tension must have been so tense that Leo said, "So...That kiss...it must have been the least spicy thing you ever tasted here if you didn't like it," he gave out a weak chuckle, "Sorry, humor is my coping mechanism...Look, I get it, you're the super serious type, and...we'll I'm the class clown. You probably only kissed me because 'Leo Jitsu' takes after Lou Jitsu..."

"Didn't I already tell you?" I said, "Leo Jitsu is cute, but Hamato Leonardo, the turtle mutant is way more handsome...Honestly, I'm kind of one of those people into anthropomrphic characters," I sighed before saying, "Maybe it's because I watched a lot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles growing up..."

"Well, I get it. Don's had a crush on Atomic Lass as a kid and she's a...wait. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Wasn't that what you called us when we first met? Did you get that from a show in your world?"

"Well, I got it from you guys, so...yeah," Leo seemed to be drawing a blank so I elaborated, "Look, in my world, you are a cartoon character. One that's been around for years...Look, I know it sounds crazy, but..."

"Oh shell, every reference Donnie's made up till now makes sense!"

"Wait, Don's a self-aware cartoon character!"

"Hey, so, is it true? Do I really sell the least action figures? Come on, it can't be, right? I mean, I'm just too awesome!"

I found myself laughing a little. "Well," I said, "You haven't always been the most popular...Most versions of you are considered a little bland by the fandom, although you stand out from the other Leo's..."

"So...how many other me's are there? And more importantly, how handsome are they compared to me?"

I laughed again. "There are tons! You're part of a popular franchise that has its own comics, games, movies, and cartoons. Several iterations in fact! I would say, next to you, the 2012 Leo was the cutest...Now that I think about it, you guys share the same kind of nerdiness for space cartoons and movies...On the other hand, the Michale Bay turtles were all done in horrific CGI for their movies."

"What about my series? How was our animation?"

"Well...I don't really remember. I never got past the first episode where you guys got those mystic weapons and accidentally released a bunch of oozesquitos on New York. I was kind of put off by how different you guys were compared to your counterparts...Though, if I ever get home, I think I'll give it another shot...You guys are more interesting than I gave you credit for..." The kettle began hissing, so I got up and poured a couple of mugs, and let the tea seep.

I sighed, saying, "Look, Leo. I'm telling you this so you get it. It's like I'm living a fanfiction right now and I don't know how to feel about it. On one hand, it is kind of cool that I get to interact with versions of characters from a show I loved watching as a kid and...I might have liked kissing you because I kind of do like you...But on the other, I have a life back home to get to, people who depend on me...do you see what I'm getting at?"

Leo looked down to the ground and said, "Yeah...when you go home...you're probably going to leave for good," he brought his knees up to his chin and wrapped his arms around them, "So, it's better if we don't take this too far..."

I ran a hand through my hair, "Yeah...and yet...maybe this is what I need to deal with...this thing," I touched the earing, "These beads represent the 'bonds' I make with you guys, so maybe, I'll have a strong attachment to this world no matter what..."

"What are you saying, exactly?"

I sat right next to him and cupped one of his cheeks, turning his head and meeting his eyes. "I did a lot of thinking...I hate taking risks, but maybe...maybe we should see where this...thing between us goes. It might be..." Before I was able to finish that sentence, Leo pulled me in for a kiss. 

This time around, I stiffened before relaxing and wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing against him, making him tumble back into the train car seat we were on. And I thought to myself, that maybe it wouldn't be too bad to indulge these roaring teenage hormones a bit...though, for the time being, I wasn't hormonal enough for the next base just yet.