The Bravery in his Eyes - A TMNT Leo X Reader Story

Chapter 3 - First Meeting

Leo's POV

I waited until after dark to slip out of the lair and onto the surface. As I‌ made my way across the rooftops, I approached the place where we fought the Foot bots yesterday. Stupid robots.

The building just to its left was where the girl was last night, hiding behind something to protect herself without getting involved. It was a smart move. Finally, someone wasn't jumping into action for their own motives.‌‌ I‌ would never forget the guy who set off Raph after the phone video incident.

I flipped onto her rooftop and disappeared into a nearby shadow. Okay, now what?

I wasn't even sure she was going to be here. It's not like this was coordinated or anything. 

Should I have left a note? Would she have gotten it? I should've thought this through.

Then, I heard someone quietly humming.

Slowly, I peered around the door I was hiding next to and saw her sitting on the edge of the roof. She looked so peaceful as she studied the streets below, humming a song to herself and smiling slightly.

I knocked once against the metal wall behind me to get her attention.

She flinched, and the humming stopped. "Hello?"

I‌ knocked twice.

She got up from her spot and froze. Dang it, why'd I go and scare her?  I saw her carefully approach the door, holding something behind her back.

"Hold on! I won't hurt you, I promise!"

I stood up from the shadow and slowly moved in front of her so she could see me. Her eyes widened in recognition. "You are real," she whispered. 

In her right hand was a thick metal pipe, which I assumed was a weapon she was about to use on me. She noticed I was looking at it and dropped it behind her. "Oh, sorry, I thought-the robots, you know."

I cleared my throat as she analyzed me with her big eyes, not missing an inch of me. "Um, hi. I‌ saw you last night."

She nodded quickly. "Yeah, you were fighting with some other karate turtles?"

My hand went to cover my face out of embarrassment. "Ninjas, we're ninjas."

"Oh."

I held a hand out. "I'm Leo. Leonardo."

She took my hand in a firm shake, marveling at my three fingers. "Y/N."

"Listen, you can't tell anyone that you saw us. We're kind of a secret around here. And people wouldn't exactly react well to, you know, our appearance."

Y/N nodded slowly. "Okay, I can respect that."

I studied her. "You're taking this surprisingly well. I'm surprised you haven't run away by now."

"Why would I run away?‌‌ You were protecting everyone from those weird robots." She crossed her arms, a curious look on her face. "You're protecting the city."

I nodded. "That's what we do."

We stood in silence as I saw her lost in thought, taking it all in.

"So, if I can ask, how...?"‌ She gestures to my turtle form.

I‌ laughed. "It's quite a story."

She sat back down on the edge and pointed to the spot next to her. I sat down and dangled my legs over the edge, just like her.

"Well, my father, or adopted father, was carrying me and my brothers out of a pet shop. There were even weirder robots from an alien dimension that caught his eye, and when he followed them, they spilled mutagen all over us. We all mutated into what we are."

She balanced her chin on her hands, her elbows on her lap. "So your dad is a turtle too?"

I‌ shook my head. "A rat, actually."

Intrigue clouded her.‌ "That's wild."

"And we've been underground ever since. Training, trying to get back against those aliens and anyone else who poses a threat to New York."

Y/N looked down at the streets. "You guys are brave, doing this for others. I saw the police going nuts after you left."

I looked down in shame. "I hadn't meant to retreat. I thought we could handle it."

Her eyes looked at me with worry. "No, don't think that. They were getting kind of crazy. I was scared, too. I'm glad you guys got out while you could.‌ The police took care of the rest, even if they suffered more."

I couldn't believe how accepting she was being. Y/N looked away quickly, as if something were wrong. She hugged herself, cold from the winds that were starting to pick up. I felt bad that I didn't have anything I could offer her.

"Here, go back inside, stay warm,"‌ I‌ advised.

She nodded, standing up and going towards the door, then hesitated. "Um, will I see you again?"

I smiled. "I'm always here if you want me to be. For protection. And you might spot me and my brothers around."

Y/N smiled back. "Okay, then. I swear I'll keep your secret."‌ She opened the door to go back to her apartment and waited again, her fingers closing around the edge. "It was really nice meeting you, Leonardo."

I‌ cleared my throat and smiled again, this time three times bigger than before. What is happening to me?  "Same here, Y/N. I can, uh, call you if you need? I‌ have a phone, and it has a number!"

Y/N laughed. "Here." She handed me her phone with the contact list pulled up, and I put my number in.

As I‌ handed it back to her, a wider smile spread across my face, if possible. She grinned as she put her phone away.

"See you around."

And she closed the door behind her.

I hadn't realized how fast my heart was pumping. I wasn't expecting that.

I couldn't get her out of my head as I slid into the manhole cover on the streets below and made my way back to the sewer.

A/N - What do you think of your first meeting? Comment!