Now had she planned to drop her Chinese take out while screaming from the shock of someone touching her shoulder. Or more the lights had been taken out by the summer storm flashing in her windows and making her own place come off with the horror movie vibe?

No, none of that had been planned as in moments she reacted from the weeks of training with Master Spinler and the boys as a strong three-fingered captured her fist with a deep truth chuckle. Thin and strong should fill her eyes for a moment as the outline of two swords on the shell of a turtle flashed in the grasp of the lighting. Her take out now spread over the wooden floor, sadly never even given a chance to be tasted by the cruel world.

"GODDAMIT Leonardo! How many times have I told you guys don't pull the ninja thing on me?" Her voice had from edge shrink to full-on low threatened as her friend only smiled in his amusement.

Letting go, the shorter of the two tried to keep his smile in check under the red's green glare. "Well I would say that was a pretty good hook punch, but given you are off balance would have left you open."

Growling and muttering a few nothings, she moved away in shoving her bag right in the arms of the amused ninja as he took it. Leo only followed her outline in walking to the kitchen see her looking for a flashlight, with mutters of "I hope Donnie put the damn thing back." Feeling his eye ridge go up and place the bag of food on the table.

Grasping it, it flicked on, Leo blinking in the high light. "Mind putting that down a bit Red? Don't need to blind me."

Frowning, she lowered the beam as he put down his hands. "So what brought you here Leo? Mike stink bomb the lair de turtle again?"

Shaking his head and a loose shrug "I was on patrol and the storm started up and so did the blackout. Given I was just a block away, I came to your place before it got super bad."

"Well, you owe me some Chinese take out by the way. Grab the broom and dustpan and clean it up. I'll throw us in some pizza from last night into the oven and warm it up." April ordered, tugging around her bag to put something away.

Opening the small closet door, he grabbed the broom and dustpan. Pausing in thinking and place to lean on the door he closed it. Rarely did he do this, only at home when he felt safe or around someone he felt was safe. Grasping the buckle, the soft sound of leather coming undone as his sword came to leave his shell as he grasps them in a near artisan moment to place them on the table with the human woman looking around for the pizza of the night before and a few other things to feed her friend. It was the sound of them being placed on the table, the click of the mental sheaths that caught her ears over the song of the rains on her window.

She caught his back turning, bladeless to the low glow of the flashlight as the fire caught in the tick of the gas turning on. April smiled, seeing his blades placed on her table so openly. Leo never went without his blades, those things where a part of him much as the soul. To be bladeless and to do this in her home, it shown a deep sense of trust that Leo rarely might give to that minus outside his family till now.

Trust

That first time he had done this, April knew it meant something. She had been down in the lair and a good six months had passed getting to know her new family of sorts. Michelangelo during one of their movie nights had smiled seeing their leader barebacked around the human woman. Explaining in a hushed tone that she had gained the trust of Leo and that was pretty hard to do given how Splinter had raised them before their lives had done a 360 due to robots.

Checking the pizza, the winds pounded at her window making blink the lighting flashing. "Fearless, pizza is almost done!"

"I'm done Red, sorry on the lost of fried rice and orange chicken. May they rest in uneaten heaven." His tone was mocking, dumping the leftovers into the trash.

Leo caught the scent of the pizza, feeling his stomach growl in the cheese and sauce casting out its spell. "What kind of pizza?"

Smiling, she had caught his rumble, "Triple meat and double cheese with mushrooms."

Yep, that would do for him. Pulling back a chair, the pizza was warmed up and placed on the table. April only shook his head in his pure ninja focus was on the pizza. Getting to the fridge, "You want a beer Leo or something else?"

Thinking, he smiled, "I'll take an Angry Orchard."

Now, this did make her pause, given Leo rarely took anything that might impede him. Hell, he even rarely drank coffee these days. "Ok where are Leo and what have you done with him?"

Chuckling, the leader of the turtle clan smiled softly. "Well I don't think I'm leaving tonight and one beer or hard cider won't kill me April. Even I can relax a bit, more so when the kids are not around."

"Boys driving you nuts?"

Biting into the pizza and closing his eyes as the spices and meat danced on his tongue and cheeks to savor this moment. He knew April had grabbed a slice and was eating it herself, letting the question hang in the air.

"A little, just how it is with family."

Nodding, it was enough to be said. As the two oddballs in the world ate pizza and spent the night just talking with a few beers between them. Leo would later leave before dawn broke and laughing as April snored from her bedroom. Cleaning up their nights active in the kitchen and leaving 20 bucks with a note on the table:

Here is for the Chinese food, but can you grab me some egg rolls with what's left over? Sensei ate mine and never replaced them!

Thanks, Red, Fearless!

Note: So after writing We Wait, I felt a need to write something a bit more heartwarming and showing the deep friendship April has with the turtles in her one on ones with them.