#1 Air
Thick, nimble fingers effortlessly slip under the edges of the manhole; shift, shift, scrape—the night air feels wonderful on his prickling hot face.
#2 Beginning
It's three in the morning over stale coffee and a half-assed game of Go Fish (because Leo never did get the hang of poker) when he notices, really notices, the differences in adult-Raphael; it makes him glad to know that even though they don't always see eye to eye, there's a whole lifetime of new beginnings still out there for them.
#3 Dark
The dark never used to bother him, but now, several years since they first met, Leo feels a creeping sense of anxiety and nausea every time he slides open April's window, fearful of finding her face down in the hallway or unmoving in her bed.
#4 Despair
It isn't that he never took their lifestyle and teachings seriously, he just never truly expected to lose a brother this way—curled up on the blacktop of the roof, plastron crusted in black-cherry blood.
#5 Coffee
"Smells great, tastes...not so much."
#6 Doors
Even though he's committed it to memory, he still never handles the tough wooden door in Casey or April's apartments as roughly as they do—"it isn't paper, like yours, doofus."
#7 Drink
Upon turning "18," Donny (as well as Mikey and Raph) talk him into ordering some authentic Japanese Sake and having it delivered to April's; Splinter is delighted, but even though Leo feels as though he's drinking lighter fluid, he hasn't the heart to say so.
#8 Duty
An entire week has passed and Mikey is still answering any casual "thank you" with "just doing my duty, ma'am,"— watching the amount of times Raph has smacked him is exhausting even for Leo.
#9 Fall
Everyone tells him he's boring, by-the-book, predictable and overly-cautious, and maybe he is—but there's more to him than that, he thinks, as he free falls into the dark city, eyes shut tight, heart pounding and adrenaline rushing through his veins.
#10 Imperfect
He won't admit it, but he's never been the best reader in the family; where he lives presents few situations where this is a problem, but it diminishes his shame none, and so he practices every night, mouthing words by candlelight when the others have gone to bed.
Authors Note: Never did "get" Leo, and I have nothing else to do tonight so I decided to give him a try (I think I'm doing it wrong.) Originally 50 sentences, though I may stay at 10, I may go up to 20—I might do the full 50, and I may even do more than one character. Concrit welcome.