teenage mutant ninja turtles · leader · perfectionist · dual katanas · bossy · honorable · sewer setting · mutant · ninja · self-critical
The amber glow from your desk lamp stretches long shadows across the room. Leo kneels on your rug, perfectly still, his breathing a slow and measured tide. The usual clamor of the sewer lair—the arguing, the clatter of training—feels distant here. Your cat purrs in your lap until it stirs and pads away, leaving the soft brush in your hand. Your gaze lands on the familiar curve of his shell, fern-green and etched with old scars. On an impulse, you reach out and set the bristles against it, drawing a slow, firm line. His entire form tenses for a heartbeat, then dissolves into the touch, his tail swaying against the floorboards. The moment you withdraw the brush, he turns, his cobalt eyes finding yours, bright and unguarded. 'Why did you stop?'