Holding Out for a Hero
A/N: Hey, I'm back with another one-shot. I've had this bunny in my head for a little while now and figured that now's the best time to post it. This will feature two OCs of mine, though only one will be telling the story. I hope you guys enjoy this.
Disclaimer: TMNT are not mine. They are the property of Nickelodeon. I only own Leah and Madison Kinney and the plot.
Summary: Madison has always been obsessed with superheroes. When she's rescued by Leonardo, she knows she's found a kindred spirit in him and is willing to help him get through a tough time.
I've often wondered about the definition of the word crazy. I think that everyone has their own definition of the word and what it means for them. Well, I'm sure if I told everyone about what happened to me one night in New York, they'd definitely call me crazy and have me hauled off to a loony bin. I'm honestly not sure if I believe it myself, but it did happen.
It all started one night as I was coming home from the store to get something for Dad. I was thinking about the latest episode of Space Heroes and how awesome it really was. Did I mention that I'm obsessed with that show? Yeah, I am. My sister, Leah, doesn't really think it's healthy for me to be so hooked on a show like that. Then again, she's really into her soap operas and some of those dumb reality shows that I refuse to watch. She and I are twins, but we're totally different in other ways. While she wants to write books, I want to write TV shows. She likes soap operas and reality shows while I like cartoons. She watches sports like basketball and football while I like professional wrestling. She likes to wear her hair short while I like to keep mine long. But despite these differences, we're still really close to each other.
Anyway, back to that night. I was coming back from the store when I was confronted by a group of guys in weird pajamas. They just jumped down out of nowhere.
"Don't worry, little girl," one of them said. "We won't hurt you much. You will be the bait."
"What for?" another guy asked.
"For the Turtles, you idiot," the first one said. "The Master said that we should lure them in any way we can."
Turtles? Okay, now I know these guys must be smoking some of that happy weed. The only turtles I knew about were in the pet shops.
As if on cue, something jumped down into the alley where we were. Whoever it was pulled out two long swords and pointed one of them at the two guys.
"Stop, fiends," he ordered. "I am here to stop you from harming the innocent civilians of this city."
I couldn't help blurting out, "Oh my gosh! Space Heroes episode ninety three. The one where Captain Ryan saved those civilians from that alien race!"
The guy turned around to face me, and I gasped. He was dressed like a giant turtle. Was this his idea of a new superhero or something?
"Wait, you know that episode?" he asked me.
"Yeah, it was so awesome," I replied. I couldn't believe there was someone else out there who liked the show as much as I did.
"I didn't know you were a Space-nik," he responded. "That's amazing." But before he could say more, one of the guys blindsided him and knocked him to the ground.
"Hey, let him go, you asshole!" I snapped.
"Don't worry, I've got this under control," the guy in the turtle costume said. He was fighting the other guy with his swords, and it was awesome to watch. Soon, he had that guy out of commission and managed to take down the others, too. It was like watching a ballet or something, and it was so cool. When it was over, the guy turned to me and sheathed his swords.
"Are you okay?" he asked me.
"Yeah, I'm good," I answered. "I guess I wasn't paying attention, and they caught me by surprise."
"They can do that," he said with a smile.
"Hey, I like your costume," I commented. "Did you make it yourself?"
"It's not a costume," he replied. "I'm really a mutant turtle. I know it sounds crazy and all, but it's true."
"Wow, and I thought I'd seen everything in this city," I said. "So, how did you get this way?"
"Long story," he responded. "I don't really have time to tell it. I'm kind of in a hurry."
"Me too," I said. "I have to get this stuff back to my dad. Where are you off to?"
His face changed into a frown. "I'm looking for a friend of mine," he replied. "She disappeared and hasn't been seen since."
"A classmate of mine vanished, too," I told him. "Her name was April O'Neil. Is that who you're looking for?"
"Yeah, it is. Do you know her well?"
"I've talked to her a few times," I answered. "As a matter of fact, she kept mentioning these friends of hers a lot. She talked about them all the time and about how much fun she had with them. I think their names were Leon, Ralph, Dan, and Mikey."
"That's Leo, Raph, Don, and Mikey," he corrected. "I'm Leonardo. Leo for short. My brothers and I have been good friends with April for a while. We're still trying to find out why and how she disappeared, but we can't find any leads. It's been really hard on all of us."
"I bet it has," I said softly. "I'm Madison. It's really nice to meet you."
"You too," he answered. "I hope you get home safely."
'Oh, I will," I told him. "I'll just have to remember to pay attention and not let my mind wander as it often does. I hope that we see each other again and that we can be friends. Would you like that?" It didn't bother me that he was a giant talking turtle. At that moment, I really felt like I had found a kindred spirit to talk to and to share my secrets with.
He didn't answer right away, and that made me a little worried. Did he not like me?
"Um, I'd like that," he said. "Maybe I should walk you home so you don't run into any more trouble."
I smiled. "Well, I guess that would be okay," I replied.
"Great," he said. He seemed genuinely happy to help me out.
As he walked me home (he spent a lot of time sticking to the shadows so as to not be seen), we talked about our love of Space Heroes and how we'd gotten into the series. That led us to discussing our siblings though Leo was very guarded about his brothers and his dad. He told me he had three brothers and that they didn't like Space Heroes the same way he did.
"Yeah, Leah's like that, too," I said. "She says that it's a stupid show."
"Raph says the same thing," Leo said brightly.
"Hey, maybe they would make a great pair," I teased.
Leo seemed a little shocked that I had said that. "I don't know if Raph would go for it," he said.
I laughed. "I'm not talking about romance, silly," I said. "I meant that they'd be good friends."
"Oh, well, I don't know," he mused. "We're kind of focused on April right now. No offense, Madison, but I don't think we're in a rush to make any new friends right now. We just want to find April and bring her home."
"I understand, Leo," I said softly. "I don't blame you for that. I want her to come back, too. Well, here we are. Thanks for walking me home."
"You're welcome," he said. "If I see you around again, maybe we can hang out."
"I'd like that," I responded. "Maybe I could help you search for April if you want." I pulled out my phone. "Give me your number just in case you need me."
He pulled out his own phone which was in the shape of a turtle shell. I gave him my number, and he copied it down into his phone and gave me his own number.
"There, now we can keep in touch," I said. "Just let me know if you need anything, okay?"
"I will," he answered.
"You look like you could use a hug," I said. I reached over and hugged him, wrapping my arms around his shell. He was hesitant at first, but then he returned the hug. I felt a few tears fall, and I could tell he was really upset. When we broke apart, he wiped away the tears and smiled at me.
"Thanks," he said. "I really needed that. I'll see you around, okay?"
"Okay," I answered. "See you around."
I watched as he climbed the fire escape and then ran across the roof to another building. I waited until he disappeared and smiled. He was so nice. Maybe I had found my own hero after all.
"Maddie, what are you looking at?" a voice asked me. I turned to see Leah standing in the doorway.
"Nothing," I answered. I went inside and gave Dad his stuff then went to my room. As much as I wanted to tell Leah what had happened, I just felt like I couldn't at that moment. It was something I wanted to keep to myself for now. I knew that later on I would tell Leah all about what happened to me and about how Leo rescued me when I was ready to do so. I knew she wouldn't believe me, but maybe down the road, I would give her the proof that mutant turtles really did exist in New York.
As I got ready for bed, I couldn't help but remember about how brave Leo was. I had definitely found my own hero, and though he wasn't like Captain Ryan, he was still pretty cool. I knew that Leo and I would definitely be friends for a long time, and I would help him whenever he needed me. With that last thought in my head, I closed my eyes and fell asleep, dreaming that Leo and I were helping Captain Ryan ward off a group of alien ninjas.
The End
A/N: Madison and Leah will show up again in the future. And before you guys ask, I'm not planning on having Leo and Madison fall in love right away or anything like that. She will appear again in Truth and Lies. I wanted to get the story of how she met Leo out first since I haven't finished Leo's chapter in Truth and Lies just yet. I hope you enjoyed the background story. Feel free to leave a review, and have a shelltastic day.