Disclaimer: Ninja Turtles are not mine but Chloe is. Please do not sue and no flames.
Misunderstood
Leo and I were sparring in the dojo. Splinter had gone on a meditation retreat and Mikey and Donny had gone to the junkyard.
"I'm going to meditate for a while if you want to join me," Leo offered.
"I'm going out for a while," I said.
"Just be careful."
"I'm not a baby!"
"I know you're not a baby," Leo said calmly.
"Then don't treat me like one," I retorted and then stormed out.
I was racing across rooftops and keeping an eye out for crime. I was about to call Casey Jones when I remembered that he was on a date with April O'Neil.
I spotted the house where eight year old Chloe Calls lived with her grandparents. I sent Chloe a text asking if we could talk even though talking isn't one of my strong points.
"Meet me at my bedroom window," Chloe texted.
"Be there in a few minutes," I texted and continued to race across rooftops.
I got to Chloe's bedroom window and she let me in. The two of us sat down on her bed and faced each other.
"Did you and Leo have an argument?" Chloe inquired.
"How did you know that?" I asked in amazement.
"Lucky guess."
"I wanted to go out for a bit and he told me to be careful like I'm some baby."
"I'm used to Mikey and Donny coming to talk to me but you and Leo usually go to Splinter."
"Mikey and Donny are at the junkyard and Splinter's on a meditation retreat."
"I'm here if you need to talk," Chloe said gently.
"I don't know where to start," I confessed.
"Why don't you start with what caused your argument with Leo?"
"It'll be a while so you might want to make yourself comfortable."
Chloe laid down on her pillow and I explained what had happened. Chloe just laid there and listened to me rant.
"Have you asked Leo why he acts that way towards you?" Chloe inquired.
"It's because he's leader and he feels that he has to control me," I replied and then Chloe's cell phone beeped.
"Leo's on his way here if you want to talk," Chloe said as she read the text she received.
"I can't face him right now so I'll hide in your closet," I said and then dashed into the closet before Chloe could stop me.
I was sitting on the floor of Chloe's closet but I wasn't paying attention to what was there. I was listening to Leo talk to Chloe.
"I just wish Raph would understand that I'm not trying to control him," Leo was saying. "I just get worried about him going up to the surface by himself because something bad could happen."
"Like getting captured by your enemies?" Chloe guessed.
"Exactly. The reason I get worried is because my brothers are my life."
"I understand that you love them."
I continued to listen to Leo and Chloe. Just then, my eyes starting pricking and I started fighting it.
Stop acting like a baby, I scolded myself. You're 15 years old.
Several minutes later, Leo excused himself and headed for the closet. He opened the door and saw me sitting on the floor.
"What are you doing in there?" Leo inquired.
"I didn't want to face you after what happened," I admitted.
"How long have you been in there?"
"Just before you came in Chloe's room."
"So you heard everything I said?" Leo inquired.
"I did," I admitted. I felt my eyes pricking so I closed my eyes and turned away from Leo.
The next thing I knew, Leo pulled me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around him, buried my face in his plastron, and allowed the floodgates to break open. Leo gently rubbed my shell and I felt my shoulder getting wet. The two of us tightened our hold on each other and stayed like that for a while.
Later, I heard Leo talking on his shell cell. I realized that Leo and I had fallen asleep in each other's arms.
"We should get back home," Leo told me.
"What for?" I asked.
"Donny just called and he and Mikey just returned from the junkyard."
"How do we get out without being seen?"
"We'll have to go into the pool area and go from there," Leo said.
"Since Chloe's sleeping right now we should be quiet," I pointed out.
Leo and I quietly got up and opened the closet door. We managed to leave Chloe's room without waking her.
Leo and I arrived at the lair while happily chatting. We noticed that Mikey and Donny were going through the items that they found at the junkyard.
"Glad you made it back," Mikey said with a grin.
"We came back, noticed that neither of you were here and got worried so I called Leo," Donny explained.
"Raph and I had a little argument earlier so I went to talk to Chloe," Leo explained.
"I felt like I was being treated like a baby so I ended up talking to Chloe before Leo came over," I explained. "I told her that I felt like I was misunderstood and that my brothers believed I was angry all the time when that's not always true. She listened to what I had to say. I mean, really listened."
My brothers and I continued to talk. We decided to have a sleepover in the entertainment area that night.
Later, my brothers and I were on the floor of the entertainment area covered in blankets. We were also snuggled up together which I admit felt really good.
"Thanks for being there for me, Leo," I said gratefully.
"Sorry for making you feel like I was treating you like a baby," Leo apologized and we tightened our hold on each other.
"I could use some sleep," Mikey said sleepily.
"Same with me," Donny admitted and I watched him drift off to sleep.
I also watched Leo and Mikey fall asleep. Then I rested my head on Leo's plastron and slowly drifted off to sleep.
The End