Day 23 of Write Every Day in November: So this could be read as pre-relationship Mikey/Leatherhead, but you can just read it as them being good friends. Either way I hope you like it.
I Wake Up Easier With You
Summary: Leatherhead wakes up from a bad dream, but Mikey's there to keep him calm
Leatherhead awoke with a start and gasped as his chest tightened and his heart pounded so fast he could hear the blood rushing in his ears. He looked around and recognized things, but couldn't actually remember where he was. He then felt a warm hand rubbing circles on his side. "Hey its okay Leatherhead, you're safe."
The alligator looked over and saw Michelangelo smiling at him gently. He looked around again and remembered he was in the lair. He was asleep on the living room floor with the youngest of the four brothers.
Michelangelo often invited Leatherhead to stay with them at the lair. Leatherhead liked to stay there too as he felt safe here. It was where he'd first been shown kindness and he liked the feelings it invoked when he was here.
The mutant was waking up less and less in a frenzied state and though it still happened when he was alone it almost never happened when Michelangelo was with him. The orange banded turtle just knew what to do to keep him calm and keep him in the here and now.
Leatherhead would never be able to fully repay all that the young turtle had done. He befriended him when he'd been half crazed and saved him from dimension X. He talked to him like he had no fear that he'd say the wrong thing and Leatherhead would black out and hurt him. He feared what he could do to the gentle turtle, but something in him had changed when Michelangelo had come into his life and it seemed even subconsciously he could never hurt the turtle.
The large alligator mutant looked at his friend who was still gently rubbing his side. He and Michelangelo had a bond that he wasn't sure he even understood, but he was glad it was there. It was something special that he'd never had before and he knew he'd never lose it. He was sure he wasn't the only one who felt it too.
"Feeling better?" The blue eyes turtle asked and Leatherhead nodded. "Do you want to try and go back to sleep or do you want me to turn on a movie?"
Leatherhead thought about it and despite being calm there was still leftover adrenaline pumping through his veins. "I think I'd like to watch a move."
Michelangelo got up and put in a movie. It was a fairy tale about a girl whose wish to go to a ball was granted by a fairy godmother. Leatherhead smiled at the choice of movie. He might not be smart like Donatello, but Michelangelo was very good a reading people. He'd chosen something soothing and peaceful. Something the gator didn't have to think about to follow. He felt his friend lean against him and a few minutes later his breathing evened out and he was back asleep.
Around the time when the girl was trying to get back home after the clock struck midnight Leatherhead felt himself grow tired. He rested his head closed his eyes and soon he fell asleep and this time it he had happy dreams.