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

Chapter 31 - A Bump in the Night

Your POV

A loud noise freaked me out.

I was trying to sleep for the first time in my new room with the painting completed on the wall and all of my things organized inside. During the day, the room was so inviting and special to me. I felt right at home thanks to the guys and Splinter.

But now, I couldn't sleep.

Everything was so different during the night down here, alone. I kept hearing loud noises, not knowing what they were. Even when I pulled the blanket closer, it wasn't enough.

Again, a bump sounded.

I felt like a little kid as I scrambled out of my bed and padded down the hall to Leo's room. Silently, I pushed the door open and saw him passed out on the bed.  He had worked so hard to make this celebration for me, and he fell asleep so quickly that I wanted to leave him alone and sleep in my room for the night. Poor thing, now I'm interrupting him?

The sound could be heard again in the hall. That was enough for me.

I reached over and carefully nudged him awake. "Leo?"

He turned, still really sleepy with drooping eyelids. So cute. "Hm?"

"I can't sleep."

Leo rubbed his eyes and blinked, focusing those vibrant blue eyes on me. "What? Why?"

Shyly, I‌ took his hand in mine. This is stupid. "Nevermind, I'll leave you alone."

"No, no!" He was fully awake now, caressing my cheek with his free hand. "What's wrong?"

"I just...I've never slept in that room alone," I whispered. "There's weird noises and it's darker than my old room and I-"

"Come here." He buried me in a hug, stroking my back and inhaling my scent. I nestled myself against his chest and sighed at his radiating warmth. "Sleep here. With me."

It wasn't even a question as he pulled me into his bed and tucked me in next to him. I kept my arms wrapped around him, and he did the same to me. After placing a lingering kiss on my forehead, Leo stroked my hair. "Goodnight, Angel."

"Night,‌ Captain."

Leo's POV

A thumping noise woke me up. I peeled my eyes open and brought my head up to look around the room, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. The sound stopped. I waited, holding my breath.

Nothing. Just like last time on the roof.

Or...no. She wouldn't.

I‌ looked down at Y/N's sleeping figure, her hair messy in a million places making her even more attractive. I silently left a small kiss on her temple before reluctantly sliding out of her arms and standing next to the bed.

Something didn't feel right.

Grabbing my belt from the chair, I secured it around my shell and put my swords in their sheaths as silently as I could. I tied my mask around my face tightly and controlled my breathing. It was time for full stealth mode.

I tiptoed to the door, looking in every spot in my room before leaving Y/N and locking the door behind me, just in case. The air felt ominous in a way I had never felt before in the lair. This was our safe haven, not a danger zone.

There was a dripping sound of a loose nearby pipe down the hall. It was usually a normal sound, but it wasn't steady. The drops fell in a specific rhythm. Odd.

As I went to investigate the sound, there was a swoosh behind me. I whirled around and unsheathed my sword. My chest heaved in labored breaths.

Another swoosh in the other direction. "Karai?" I‌ whispered as‌ I‌ turned around.

The shing of a metal object rang through the air. Before I‌ knew it, I was pinned against the wall by an all too familiar tanto.

"Miss me,‌ Leo?"

Karai.

I knew it.

"What are you doing?" I whisper-shouted, struggling against her grip. "And how did you find us again?"

She chuckled. The horrible sound vibrated against my head. "It wasn't that hard, really. A true ninja doesn't reveal her secrets." She forced the tanto closer to my throat. "But I think you have a few for me."

I‌ pushed her away and spun around to pin her against the wall, holding my own sword in front of her neck. "Why can't you stay away from my family?"

"Oh, Leo, you know I can't do that." Her sword cut into my arm, and I lurched back. She took the chance to knock me onto the floor and hold my shell down with her foot, smiling down at me. "I have a vendetta to fulfill."

My mind was spinning as I dared to look at my arm. It had a gash, one larger than I expected, and blood was seeping out of the wound. "Karai, please, leave us alone," I‌ begged.

Her smile only grew. "I like seeing you beg. It's a good look for you. Maybe I'll get to see more of it when you hear my proposition."

What? "What are you talking about?"

"You remember the good times, right?" she asked, tapping her chin as if reminiscing. "Going out to destroy my father's assets, getting all of his money, being true ninjas."

I shook my head. "We were never doing good. I regret every second I‌ spent with you-"

"That's enough!" Her hard whisper tore through the air at the same moment she forced her foot deeper onto my shell, squishing me. "You know you enjoyed it. Dressing up in black was something. I liked it."

I held back my retort and tried to put pressure on my arm, wincing when pain kept exploding from the wound.

She ignored me. "Don't you want to be a free ninja? Free to go back to that life and get everything you desire? Everything you want? We could lead the Foot clan together, you and me. A team." Her face got so close I could feel her breath on my skin. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

My thoughts betrayed me as I remembered sneaking out of the lair at night years ago, wearing all black with a seatbelt across the front of my shell, working with‌ Karai and Sunagami to take over Shredder's old stuff while he was alive. It was exhilarating at first, but it broke my code of honor. I backed out when it affected my family.

And now, Y/N was in my life. There was no way I would ever go back to that life now. She was my everything, more than Karai was or ever could be.

"No, Karai," I growled. "Stay away from us."

"I thought you were better than that, Leo!" She drove her foot into my shell so hard the air knocked out of me. "Or did you not learn the first time from the redhead and gap-toothed kid?"

April and Casey. "What are you saying, exactly?" I cringed, waiting for the words.

"That little pet of yours in your room will have the same fate as them if you don't turn to my side. Give me what I deserve, Leo."

I lost all the feeling in my arm once I heard that. Red lined my vision as I jumped up and pushed Karai to the floor, screaming.

Out of my peripheral, I saw Raph run out of his room and twirl his sais between his fingers. "Holy-" He pushed me out of the way and started fighting Karai, jabbing his sais against her tanto and the clashing sounds filling the hall.

"But why are you doing this?" I yelled, adjusting my stance and refusing to feel any pain. "What did we ever do to you?"

Karai snarled and slammed Raph to the ground, wiping her bottom lip with the back of her hand while he was stunned. Her words stunned me.

"Because you killed my brother!"

A/N - Okay, guys, what do you think of this one? The plot has thickened!!

To be continued...