Leo's Memories

Chapter 18 Sleepless

It was the middle of the night and Leo was too antsy to pretend to sleep. Memories kept resurfacing. The touches. The pain. He shivered as cold blue eyes appeared in his mind. His scars burned. Why did they all burn? His breathing was heavy. Was this a panic attack? He should know, he's had plenty in his life. The spasms in his limbs got worse. Did he take his medication? He thinks he did. So why was he shaking so much?

"Leo?" A soft whisper broke through his panicked thought. The turtle gasped and held his breath as his human friend woke up. He shouldn't have to see this, "Leo. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," He was still shaking. Why wouldn't it stop?

"Nightmare?" Matthias sat by his side.

"No."

"What happened? You're shaking," He knows that. Matthias's warm green aura washed over his own. It reminded him of a lush green forest. It was heavy, but soothing. Like a weighted blanket. On impulse, the turtle grabbed the human and pulled him into his lap. Matthias squeaked at first before calming down and snuggling into the mutant.

"It was just memories,"

"Wanna talk about it?" Leo looked into the human's lovely green eyes. Matthias was so kind. He didn't deserve him.

"We were experiments." Matthias looked over to the sleeping child in the corner. He saw the scars. He knew there were stories behind them.

"For how long."

"A year." Leo's arms tightened around Matthias.

"What about your brothers?"

"They're in New York."

"They haven't tried to contact you? Why haven't they come looking?" Leo looked away. He doesn't have an answer for that. Matthias took the hint and settled down in the muscled arms, "You should try to sleep. I'll stay here."

"If only it worked like that," Matthias looked confused at Leo's small chuckle, "I haven't slept in 17 years. Some kind of brain thing." Leo laid down anyway. Matthias got comfortable in his arms. He fell asleep to the turtle playing idly with his raven black hair.

"Brother-in-law!" April shouted in glee.

"That was so cute! You know, minus the whole panic attack thing," Mikey jokes. Raph slapped him on the head.

Matthias woke up in his first turtle pile. He was laying in Leo's arms and Nathara was cuddled into his side. He blushed when the muscled arms wrapped around him only squeezed tighter. Now, Matthias was a big man, 6'7" and well built, but he could definitely appreciate men bigger than him.

"You awake?" The human squeaked as his impromptu pillow spoke up. Right, he doesn't sleep.

"You stayed completely still all night just so I could sleep?" Leo could see the confusion and embarrassment on the human's face.

"Yes." Matthias blushed harder, "Are you okay?"

"Why are you so adorable and freakishly hot!?" Matthias shot up from the mutant turtle's arms. "Not only are you freakishly hot, you're also kind, strong, extremely talented. Have you seen your morning exercises?" He was pacing all over the cave now, "You could have kicked me out six months ago when we first met, but you let me stay! Despite everything that humans have done to you."

". . . A-are you done?" Leo was blushing furiously as he moved a wide awake Nathara off of his lap. Matthias blushed harder, mortified at his confession, "I-I think you're hot too. . ." Leo was so shy.