Usagi's sister was so ecstatic to have Master Leonardo actually in her house that she set to work preparing a huge banquet for dinner and Leo soon found himself surrounded by not only his bunny students and their mother, but several of their neighbors as well. Everyone wanted to meet the sensei that the bunnies and Usagi spoke so highly of and Leo was quite grateful at the end of the meal when Usagi took him by the elbow and directed him out the front door so they could walk down the street to a local tavern.
Leo called the hotel when they arrived and Raph could hear how flustered Leo had been at all the attention he'd just received. But he couldn't hold his tongue when Leo told him his current plans.
"What do ya mean yer havin drinks with the rabbit?" Raph growled, turning his shell to April and the kids in the main room of their hotel apartment.
"One drink," Leo said.
"Ya don't drink at all," Raph growled. He was trying to keep his voice down but he could feel his anger building as he realized the stupid rabbit had finagled a way to have Leo to himself. In a bar. "Do ya want me to come pick ya up?"
"No. I don't want April or Shadow left alone. And I actually need to talk to Usagi about something so this is probably for the best," Leo said, turning to find that Usagi had managed to get them a table over in one corner of the room. He appeared to be ordering drinks from the waitress.
"We were supposed to stay together in this dimension."
Leo frowned to himself since he could hear Raphael was still growling. "Raphie," he said, hoping the nickname would soothe his disgruntled mate, "I'll be back soon. And I'm not by myself."
He heard Raph huff out a disgruntled noise before he hung up.
Leo made his way over to the table where Usagi sat and took the glass he was offered.
Usagi eyed Leonardo and noted he looked slightly upset. No doubt Raphael wasn't happy when Leonardo had called him. He wasn't going to ask him about it, though. He in no way wanted to talk about the red-clad turtle. For now, Usagi was thrilled to have Leonardo to himself.
Leo took a sip of his drink and his nose wrinkled at the taste. He began to open his mouth to speak but Usagi beat him to it.
"I couldn't help but notice how much fun Akito and Machi had today," Usagi said. "I'll admit it was nice to see them walking freely through their home dimension."
Leo nodded as he thought of Machi laughing as she skipped through the open amusement park today.
Usagi nodded as well as he quickly finished his drink and signaled for two more from the waitress.
"Keep up, ninja," Usagi said, pushing the second glass towards Leonardo.
Leo took another drink from his glass and made another face as it burned his throat. It was ridiculous that he was already feeling warm from half a glass. He shook his head as Usagi pushed the second glass towards him again.
"Leonardo, I think you should seriously consider moving here," Usagi said. "I know your family is close, but I have to wonder what future prospects Akito and Machi have while confined to the world you currently live in."
"The rest of us do fairly well in that world," Leo said, frowning. "And Raphael and I have had discussions on how to help the kids reach their goals."
"And you have to know what a success you would be here in this world," Usagi said, continuing as if Leo hadn't spoken. "You saw the reception you received at my sister's home. If you opened a dojo, it would be swarmed with new students." He finished his second drink and let the alcohol loosen the tongue he'd been holding for years. "You'd no doubt be swarmed with new students and new admirers."
Leo leaned back and crossed his arms. "Usagi," he said, "we need to talk."
Usagi leaned forward across the table. "Agreed."
Leo took a breath. He'd been avoiding this conversation for a long time. But he'd seen Raphael upset today and was determined to prevent it from happening again no matter the outcome.
"You've mentioned my moving here more than once in the past. But you don't mention Raphael. Where does he fit into these plans you're making for me?"
"Leonarrrrdooo," Usagi said, drawing the turtle's name out longer than necessary. He glanced down at the almost empty glass in his hand and slowly set it back on the table. "I'm tired of waiting for Raphael to prove to you how unsuitable he is for you," he finally said. "You deserve to be with someone level-headed. To be with someone whose skills match your own. To live here with me in a world that doesn't see you as a monster but would treat you like a hero." He threw his arms out to his sides, indicating the bar but also trying to convey that he meant this whole dimension as he finally said the things he'd been waiting to say for years. "You should be here with me, Leonardo. With me. Not stuck with some hotheaded, brash underling just because your sense of family and duty binds you to him and to that world."
Leo's chest tightened and although he'd been feeling overly warm due to the alcohol in his system, he was suddenly feeling very cold. It was what he'd suspected but didn't want to believe. It was what Raphael had known all along.
Leo had always viewed Usagi as his friend. And he'd really been Leo's only friend from outside the family that he hadn't had to share with everyone else. Plus, Usagi was the one who had introduced Leo to the idea of teaching new students. And Usagi had been a good ally for his family as he had helped save Leo in the past more than once.
But none of it excused his blatant disregard for Raphael's position in Leo's life.
"Usagi," Leo said, slowly. "I'm sorry, but,"
Usagi dramatically rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair.
"I'm sorry that you have strong feelings for someone who does not return them," Leo continued, ignoring the eye roll. "I wouldn't wish that for anyone. And it was unintentional on my part. But, Usagi, Raphael," Leo paused as Raph filled his thoughts. "I wish you knew him better. If you knew anything about Raphael you'd see how well-suited he is for me. He keeps me balanced. And happy. I can't imagine my life without him. You see someone hot-headed and brash and I see a fierce warrior who has always protected our team." Leo paused again, staring hard at Usagi. "Look, I don't have to have defend Raphael to you, but if you'd ever asked me anything at all about him, the first thing I would've told you is that I've loved him for as long as I can remember."
Usagi downed the rest of his drink and then quickly stood. His hands slammed down on the table as a wave of dizziness hit him. He wasn't used to drinking that much that quickly and he cursed the alcohol for not allowing him to have the dramatic exit he desired.
Leo watched him wobble and stood as well. He'd left Raph tonight purposely to have this conversation with Usagi and he wasn't even sure how much of it Usagi had heard.
"I'll help you back to your sister's place," Leo said, thankful that her house was only a few blocks away. He guided Usagi past the other tables and back out onto the sidewalk before looping an arm around his unsteady friend's back.
Usagi's steps faltered but he stopped being frustrated with his clumsy limbs when he realized that with Leonardo's arm wrapped around him, he could easily turn his head towards that green neck and breathe in the turtle's scent. He looped an arm back around Leonardo and let his fingers trace over the grooves on Leonardo's shell. Usagi's steps faltered again, but he took advantage of the near trip to pull them into the alley they were passing and then push his off-balance friend into the side of the building.
"Wha-," Leo said, throwing his arms up to catch himself as he felt his shell hit the brick wall behind him. Under different circumstances, he might've laughed at his tipsy friend since he'd never seen a clumsy Usagi before. But he felt only anger when he realized Usagi's furry face was pressed into his neck and one of Usagi's knees was wedging its way between his legs.
"You smell so good, Leonardo," Usagi whispered to him as he raised his leg up between Leo's thighs. He took advantage of the close proximity and quickly licked and then kissed the neck in front of him.
Leo growled and shoved against Usagi's shoulders, but Usagi had been prepared for retaliation from Leo and had already dug his feet into the street beneath them to prevent Leo from shoving him away. He pushed back against Leonardo's shoulders and the sudden movement knocked Leo's head back into the wall behind him.
Leo groaned in pain before he knocked one of Usagi's ankles with his feet and threw him off balance enough to finally knock the strong rabbit back several feet with a hard shove.
"What are you doing?" Leo growled as he took a threatening step towards Usagi who wobbled but remained on his feet and glared back at Leo. "What is it about my relationship with Raphael that you do not understand?"
"Relationship," Usagi hissed. He took another step towards Leo. "What I understand is that you had an unruly teammate and you found a way to keep him in line. I was stuck in the bedroom next to you at that beach house and I got an earful of him moaning your name, which means your technique must work wonders."
Leo stared hard at Usagi. "I am not in a relationship with Raphael to manipulate him into being a better teammate," Leo said very slowly in a low, dark voice. He wasn't convinced Usagi was listening to him since he clearly hadn't paid attention to anything Leo had said back at the bar. "I'm his and he's mine and it's been that way since we hatched. I'm sorry you don't understand that." Leo paused. "We can't be friends anymore, Usagi."
Usagi's eyes widened slightly and he took another step towards Leonardo. He watched the turtle take a step back.
Leo shook his head. He turned and left the alley in order to walk back to his hotel.