I wrote like a dozen summaries before landing on that one; I never thought that one day I would be writing a LeonardoxOC fanfiction but here we are, all because of the 2014/2016 movies. Meow, I liked their version of Leo very much (I know I'm weird let's just move on).
This is set a year after the events of the second movie, so the Turtles and my character are of legal age. Ya know, this is rated M for a reason.
I don't really know what college is like in America, so this is just an educated guess. I'm going to come back and rewrite the start of this chapter as I go along, as I've wrote this out like ten times and I still don't like it. This is the best one though but I'm definitely coming back.
The sun was just beginning to set over the Atlantic when her plane landed.
Her parents thought the first thing she would do when she got off the plane was dance around JFK Airport and burst out into song like a musical on Broadway. Here she was, finally in New York City! If they knew her at all, they would have actually imagined her grabbing her suitcase, place her headphones into her ears to block out the surrounding noises and head straight for pickup without even glancing around.
She didn't want to be here. She wanted to be home, getting her last few years of education close by without having to sleep in a strange room in an unknown city thousands of miles away.
Her sister Irene, their parents pride and joy, didn't go to a completely different continent for the last few years of her education. Instead she stayed put, albeit across the country, became a lawyer and never left England.
Sophie sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She started to regret being such a hermit in her youth.
She grabbed the first taxi she could, taking her headphones out to give him the address of her new dormitory for the next four years after placing her suitcase in the trunk. The driver was a pleasant man-thank god, she didn't know what she would do if the first person she had met on her first day in America was an asshole-and chatted politely to her as he drove through the streets of New York.
I don't want to be here.
She reminded herself even as she pressed her hands to the window of the cab and peered out at the passing city streets in wonder. The people, the sights, the sounds made her stare in awe. She nearly forgot where she was until the driver spoke up, glancing at her through the rear-view mirror; "First time in th' city?"
A blush grew on her cheeks as she sat back, nearly sitting and crushing on her earphones still blasting Imagine Dragons from the buds. She swiped them up and shoved them into her jacket pocket. "Uh, yeah." she replied.
"Ya here for college?" he asked next, his Brooklyn accent heavy. She nodded at him the minute he looked at her through the mirror. "I don't know why ya would pick this city, after what happened last year."
Ah yes, what happened last year. She remembered seeing it on the news; a portal to another dimension had opened up above the city of New York and had began spitting out pieces of metal to form a round sphere in the sky.
Two years before that Sacks Industries was reportedly going to release a deadly toxin into the atmosphere and then give people the antidote before it decimated the entire city's population. How many people would have died from that?
If it wasn't for the Falcon who saved them, somehow. The minute she had saw him on TV she had already made up his mind; that former cameraman the size of a twig did not go against the Foot Clan and Shredder by himself. He must have had help, someone or some people to do the brunt of the work, which he took full credit for.
They were passing it now, the building that used to be Sacks Industries, that had also nearly fell apart and destroyed most of the buildings and streets below. They had finished rebuilding the parts that had been ruined by the falling debris; roads, apartments, businesses, even the giant screen that had flashed with the year '2014' before it had been crushed.
New York was a hotspot for out-of-the ordinary bullshit, and for some reason her parents had convinced her to accept the application she had received from New York University which she was 100 percent certain she had not sent. They wanted her to explore as much of the world as possible, and by going to one of the biggest cities in the world was what they meant by 'getting out'.
The cab pulled up on the side of the road outside of Washington Square Park, and the driver was even generous enough to get her suitcase, backpack and carry on bag full of electronics out of the trunk for her. She thanked him, handing over her fair with a $50 dollar tip.
If she ran out of money she could just use the account her parents had set up for her use, placing $200 each week in for her. She may have hated her parents for being rich growing up-she certainly wasn't, she didn't make the money-but she appreciated that they remembered to give her it to live.
She stood on the side of the pavement as the cab drove away, rummaging through her carry on to find her map and personal booklet telling her where her room was located. It was awkward standing there, pack on her back, carry on thrown over her shoulder and her suitcase between her legs to stop someone from stealing it right from under her nose but it definitely wasn't the most weird thing ever to happen in New York, that was for sure.
"Where is it, where is-ah hah!" she pulled out the booklet first-blushing as heads turned in her direction-and began skim-reading to find the line which told her the Hall. "Okay, okay that is..."-she placed the paper back into her bag and pulled out the folded out map which had began to crease-"across the park and down the street. Great."
She shoved the map back into her bag and with as much dignity as she could muster, strolled across Washington Square Park. Students from all walks of life were huddled in groups; sitting under trees, on the grass, around the fountain, even on the cobbled pavement that went around the fountain. They ignored her as she walked, and she noticed to her relief that there were other people who were trying to find their way to their own Halls, carrying as many suitcases and bags she was.
Like she did back home, she walked across the street paying no attention to the people around her and keeping to herself as she made her way to the building her room was located in. She had to push past people until she made it inside and then had to try and get her keys from the desk that had been set up for the new students to collect their keys.
An older woman with large glasses and her greying hair pulled back into a bun was the person manning the table, and she nearly sighed in relief when she got to the front. "Name?" she asked.
"Sophie Ahrens." she replied. The woman flicked through the papers with the alphabetical list of students names and began searching for hers. It took only a few seconds, considering her name was at the top of the list, and the woman searched through the keys and located hers:
"Floor 7, Room 618." she said, handing it to her.
She took the key and smiled. "Thank you."
The woman let out a hum as a reply and Sophie carried her stuff to the elevator, thanking the gods and even some superheroes for the elevator being practically empty when she stepped inside and pressed the button for the seventh floor.
She tapped her foot as the elevator rose, nibbling at her bottom lip and tearing at the skin there. It was something she had to kick but like a smoking or drug addiction it was hard. Along with biting her fingernails, it was more anxiety based then a habit she had just picked up.
The doors opened and she dragged her luggage down the hallway. She could hear the laughing of people making new friends and music blaring from speakers as she past room after room. "615, 616, 617, 618!"
With a deep breathe, she placed her key into the lock and turned.
The room was wide but thin, not surprising because even though she was able to stop her parents from paying extra to get her own room-she didn't even know that was even possible-she knew that they made sure she got a big one. It was big enough that it was able to be split evenly in the middle so one side was hers and the other for her roommate, who had already arrived and had picked the left side of the room leaving the right for her.
Her roommate for the next four years was standing on her bed tucked in the corner, which was covered in a matching multi colour-red, green, blue, white-duvet and pillow, with a few cushions resting on the top. A desk and seat was at the bottom of the bed placed against the wall, with another opposite it for her.
She didn't have to pack anything big; her furniture, computer, even all the little things like her graphics tablet had been shipped in last week and had been set up by some of her father's American associates he had contacted. She closed the door and dropped her suitcase, bag and backpack gently onto the floor, gaining her roommates attention.
She found herself blinking at a ginger haired girl, her hair long and straight around her shoulders, who was staring back at her with light blue eyes. The first thing she noticed was that one, her green vest was see through and two, her nose and cheeks were covered in so many freckles it was almost adorable.
The girl smiled from her place on her bed. "Hi! I'm Sarah."
"Sophie." she stepped forward, crossing her arms across her chest. "What...what are you doing?"
"Oh!" her cheeks turned a deep pink as she glanced from her and back to the room's single window. "The room was a little bare so I was thinking we could put up some fairy lights? I should have waited to ask I know, but I already unpacked and had nothing to do, sorry! I-If you want me to take them down-"
"No, no!" she laughed nervously. "I think it's a great idea. Here, let me help you."
Sophie kicked off her shoes and jacket and stood on her bed, waiting for Sarah to hand her the lights, but all she did was stare, surprised. "Sorry, I just...thought it was weird putting them up and were waiting for you to ask me to take them down."
"Everyone's a little weird sometimes, some people more then others." she whispered with a small smile. "I think we're two of them."
Sarah smiled and the two got to work hanging the fairy lights around the window. A five minute job ended up taking two hours as they got to decorating the room, throwing suggestions left and right until their shared dorm room looked like a home. Sarah even helped her hang up her clothes in her wardrobe and drawers and place her personal items on her desk.
"And, lights!" Sarah threw her arms open and Sophie hit the switch. The fairy lights turned on, lightning up the dark night sky outside of their window. "It looks so good!"
"I know, right?" she walked to her bed and threw herself down on it, reaching for her Kodak camera which she had placed on her bedside table alongside her alarm clock and lava lamp.
"Four years of this! This is going to be the best time of my life!" Sarah threw herself down onto her own bed, laying on her back and staring up at the ceiling. "Maybe we should decorate the ceiling too. Would they allow us to do that?"
"I don't know, ask." she rolled onto her side and stared at her. "How-urm-" her roommate looked at her through a curtain of ginger. "How do I get up to the roof?"
"Why?" she asked. At first Sophie thought she was just being noisy, but the alarmed look in her blue eyes quickly threw away that idea. Just how many students had thrown themselves off college buildings the night they arrived?
She lifted her camera to draw her attention to it, and her roommate gasped in realisation. "Yeah, just wanted to take some pictures."
Sarah turned onto her side, leaning on her arm to hold herself up. "So you're a photography major?" she asked.
"Nah, just a hobby." she answered. "I use it for my art references-I'm not an art major."
She giggled in response. "I got that from your graphics tablet. So are you good? I'm not good enough to post my art online, but I think I'm good."
"Yeah, I guess. I sell my art online, well kind off, you pay a certain amount per month to access my art which I sometimes sell as posters or wallpaper. That's whats going to get me through college, with a little help from my parents." she rambled on and on, only stopping when she saw her new friends amused smile. "W-What about you?"
"Oh." this time she blushed. "I-I post covers of songs on YouTube in my spare time." she gestured to an unpacked box across the room shoved in the corner. "I still need to take everything out though, soundproof the walls and set up the microphone. I'm hoping to cover Hamilton over the next few weeks."
"Okay, tell me when you are so I can give you some space." she replied.
"Well, in that case you need my number." she pulled out her phone from her bedside table's drawer and handed it over. Sophie placed down her camera to take out her own phone and they swapped, typing out their numbers before handing them back to each other.
She placed it back onto her bedside table and grabbed her camera one more time. "So, roof?"
Sarah shook her head. "You can't. But I saw that an apartment across the street had a fire escape which you can use to get to the roof."
With a nod she sat and stood up, grabbing her shoes and slipping them onto her feet. "Okay, I'll be back."
"Hey, that reminds me!" Sarah sat up with a grin on her face. "Someone's having a party to welcome the new students tomorrow, want to go?"
The thought of socialising chilled her to the bone. She could handle one person, sure, but a crowd of people? That terrified her, but instead of voicing her fear she just smiled. "Sure."
"Great, I'll see you when you get back. Okay?" Sarah flopped back down and Sophie smiled, shrugging on her jacket and leaving her dorm room, gently closing the door behind her. Students new and old were conversing in the hallway, introducing themselves to one another, knocking on their neighbours doors and talking to the inhabitants inside.
How they were able to just casually speak to one another was beyond her.
She stepped into the elevator just before it closed and leaned back against the railings. Now that she wasn't carrying any bags she could move more freely, and that also meant leaning against the elevator walls without having to struggle to stand up straight again.
She pulled her earbuds and phone out of her pocket and placed them in her ears, choosing a song to listen to as the elevator doors opened. With a bounce in her step, she headed straight for the doors and left the building, walking into the dark crispy night.
There was no wind tonight, instead she could clearly hear the distant sounds of car horns and dogs barking as she walked across the street to the row of apartments that were off campus. She had heard rumours of Manhattan being one of the worse boroughs in NYC, but for her it was peaceful, even thought she had only been there for a few hours and had hardly left her room.
She jogged over to the alleyway between two apartment buildings and stopped under the fire-escape. Seeing that the ladder was out of reach, she let out a pissed off huff. She had to jump, meaning she had to exercise!
Making sure her phone was securely in her pocket and her camera was tightly attached to the strap around her neck she jumped as high as she could, taking hold of the ladder and dragging it down with her as she landed. The rusty metal squeaked as it were brought down to the floor with a bang against the concrete.
She winced, looking around to make sure she hadn't made too much noise before beginning to climb the fifteen levels to the rooftop.
New York City was beautiful at night, she realised when she reached the top, the blinding lights blending together to create a picture perfect city view. She could hardly believe her luck; she was going to produce great art when she begins recreating a digital version of the photos she was going to take.
One of Washington Square Park would do nicely as her starting place.
She removed her earbuds from her ear, pausing her music so she could get into the moment. She relied on the natural sound of her surroundings to capture the true essence of her photos, which she would then place into her art.
Quickly grabbing her camera and turning it on, she fiddled with the camera settings before placing it to her face so she could look through the viewfinder. She made sure the flash was on before she took the picture, the shutters clinking together.
Klurrk!
She took a look at her photo and smiled. The streetlights helped make the image brighter, and she nodded in satisfaction. Maybe she could take a few more and compare...
A gust of wind blew her hair over her shoulder and she turned, staring into the distance at the dark rooftops she could hardly make out, regardless of the lights illuminating the streets. She was certain there was no wind before...
There!
Movement to her left, slowly making it's way to her right. She couldn't make out what it was, but she could take a picture and brighten it up with Photoshop to see what was there.
Knowing that she was running out of time, she pulled her camera to her face again and took a picture. The surroundings rooftops in front of her flooded with light before it quickly vanished as the shutters closed for a second time.
Klurrk!
She removed the camera from her face and stared off into the darkness. No sound, no movement, no gust of wind. She ran a hand through her short, curly brown hair in annoyance. Damn, she was certain-
She looked down at the photo displayed on her camera.
Her eyes widened.
There, just in the picture's right side, was a person. Without the flash, she wouldn't have been able to make out who or what it was, but with the help of the illumination it revealed...
A turtle?
A giant, turtle with swords strapped to it's shell. It was tall, as tall as her even, with bulging biceps and thighs. It's large muscular arms were tense, she could make out the skin being strained and taut. The hidden, dark, sick side of her preened in excitement at how gorgeous it's body was. Minus the swords and strap keeping them attached to it's shell, it was also wearing what looked like a skirt, custom made footwear and a blue bandanna over it's eyes. Blue, cerulean eyes that had been looking straight at the camera.
And, to her horror, at her.
"Did you see that hot chick on the rooftop?" was the first thing out of Michelangelo's mouth as they slid down their makeshift water slide and into their Lair. "She was totally checking me out!"
"She wouldn't give you a second glance, numbnuts." his older brother Raphael spat, pushing the smaller turtle out of the way. Donatello let out a cough to grab their attention and pointed at the eldest brother, who was pacing in front of them, one hand wrapped around one of his katanas.
"How did she see us?! We're ninjas, we're supposed to fade away into the night without being seen-" he ranted.
The turtle known as Mikey snorted, pushing past him without a backwards glance. "Oh lighten up Leo, maybe she has hot friends!"
"Mikey, I don't think I made myself clear; this girl saw us!" Leo ran a three fingered hand across his head in expiration. "She took our picture!"
"Your picture." Raph corrected, ignoring the look he received from the leader of the team as he headed straight for his gym equipment.
"Maybe she didn't have the flash on?" Donnie suggested to his nervous ridden brother, both hands wrapped around his bo staff as he tried to comfort him.
"She was taking pictures in the middle of the night, Donatello, of course the flash was on!" Leo snapped. At Donnie's flinch he stopped in his tracks and sighed. "We have to delete that photo."
"You go do it, she took a picture of you not us!" Raphael replied. The very sudden taps of paws hitting the ground made all the turtles freeze in their tracks, slowly turning to look at the aged rat walking towards them, arms around his back.
"Someone saw you?" his deep voice was full with accusation.
Donnie was the first one to speak up, pushing his glasses back up his beak as they slid down. "Correction, someone saw Leo."
The surprised expression that graced his father's face make the eldest of the four brothers wince just before shooting a look at the purple clad ninja, who shrugged in response. "Leonardo, is this true?"
He let out a deep breathe. "Yes, Sensei."
"Then, what should you do about it?" was his next question. Leo dropped to a crouching position in front of their father, looking down at the floor in shame. He had broken the second trait of a ninja, albeit accidentally.
"I need to delete the photo from her camera," he replied, "without drawing her attention to my presence."
Donnie, who had now moved over to his desk full of screens, looked over his shoulder. "If you can get the SD card and bring it here I can quickly delete it before she even realises it's gone."
Leo smiled and nodded. "I'll do that."
Splinter sighed, rubbing his ageing beard in his paws. Maybe...
"If the girl sees you, you have my permission to tell her about our existence." Master Splinter brought his attention back to him. "We won't be able to reveal ourselves to her then leave without an explanation. It lacks honour. It is not the way of a ninja."
"Really, Master Splinter?" all the turtles-Raph who had been lifting weights, Mikey who had been digging into left over pizza and Donnie who had been tinkering with the broken toaster, again-looked up at their father in surprise. Leo was as equally shocked. "You will let her into our lives just like that?"
"Only if she sees you, or you can't think of any other way to get a hold of the camera." he enforced before turning away from his eldest son and walking away, not before ending the conversation with:
"Remember Leonardo, this is your problem to fix."
Please remember to review and tell me what you think, constructive criticism is also appreciated. I would love to know what your thoughts are!