(A/N: Apologies for the spaces in updating! lots of personal things going on but I'm doing my best to get out of this funk and continue with writing this story! I love this so much and love the support everyone is giving it! Also took down the first upload because I am a dingus and didn't proof read before posting! )
"Again, I must thank you Evangeline for inviting us to such a wonderful feast. It was quite delicious" Master Splinter stated, leaning back in the recliner, his plate thoroughly cleaned. Evangeline smiled, going around to collect the dishes from each of her guests.
"It was my pleasure, though I can't take all of the credit. April helped me prepare a large portion of it" She replied, taking the tall stack of plates toward the kitchen. Taking a glance around at the mess, she gave an internal sigh. This was going to take forever to clean up. It was a good thing the shop was closed for the next couple of days.
"Dude, I'm stuffed!" Mikey announced, patting his stomach and falling back onto the couch with a loud belch.
"I hope so! I think you went back for more three of four times Mikey" April chuckled, getting up to assist Eva with the dishes.
"Do you and Casey want leftovers? It will just go bad if I keep it in my fridge" Eva asked, rinsing the dishes and setting as many as possible in the dishwasher.
"Sure. Casey can finish it in the next few days" April replied, pulling the plastic wrap from the cabinet.
"You all act like we're done here" Casey scoffed, hopping up from the couch as if he weren't stuffed from dinner, "The party's only getting started!"
The two women glanced at one another then at the male in momentary bewilderment until they realized what he was doing. Casey pulled the bottom cabinets open to show an array of various alcoholic beverages, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.
"Oh dear.." April mumbled, watching her husband pull out bottle after bottle to set on the counter along with glasses.
"Now we're talkin'" Raphael piped up, coming to join his friend, scooping up an entire bottle of whiskey for himself. Eva rolled her eyes. Normally she had rules for this kind of thing but this time she would let it slide. One glance over at the elder sitting in the recliner, however, quirked a but of curiosity in her.
"Master Splinter, how do you take your whiskey?" Eva spoke up, selecting a bottle of the better brand she had gotten a few years ago. She would see personally he drank something better than the cheap drugstore brands.
"Eva, I don't think-" Raph started to say as he watched the smaller female fetch a glass and a small bowl of ice.
"I would like to taste it first, if you will, miss Evangeline" Master Splinter said, silencing his son and the rest of the room who stared in astonishment. Eva only nodded in acknowledgment, politely pouring a small amount in a glass and handing it to the elder to taste. The room was utterly silent as the rest of the family looked on as their father swished the whiskey in his mouth.
There was a momentary pause until his furred hand reached to pluck two cubes of ice for the glass, an approving smile on his face. The tension in the room seemed to melt away with cheers from Mikey, Raphael and Casey who continued their raid on the alcohol. Evangeline chuckled, removing herself from the scene to join April by the kitchen counter. Donnie and Leo of course helped themselves, though with a little more moderation.
"You're not going to join?" April asked, hardly taking her eyes off the group as her husband was already appearing buzzed, clinking glasses with Raph.
"More than likely I'm going to be housing four large turtles and their father tonight so someone has to be sober enough to tuck them in and able to brew some coffee in the morning" Eva replied, hopping up onto the counter with a tired sigh.
"With the way they're drinking you might get some earlier sleep than you thought" the red-head stated, nodding to the scene unfolding before them. Already Casey and Raphael were arm in arm singing a happy tune with Mikey dancing with a glass in hand, attempting to follow the lyrics. Master Splinter had fully sunk into the recliner, mumbling incoherently with another glass of whiskey cupped in his palms. After a good while Eva broke away from the conversation with April to hop down from the counter and kneel beside the recliner where the elder was starting to doze off.
"Master Splinter, would you like to lie down?" She asked, gently taking the glass and placing it on the coffee table.
"Mmn, yes, that does sound quite nice" Splinter mumbled, allowing Evangeline to take his hands and guide him from the chair to her bedroom where he was sat on the young woman's bed.
"Get some rest, I'll take care of the boys" Eva softly insisted before he could protest, tucking the old man in and turning the light off on her way out of the room.
"Eva, we're going to go ahead and head home, do you need any help with anyone?" April asked, hoisting a bag of leftovers onto one arm and steadying her husband on the other.
"No, I'm alright. You already have your hands full" Eva chuckled in reply, going to a closet to fetch some extra blankets. Mikey had already passed out in an awkward position on the recliner, while Donatello had taken to leaning comfortably against the front, his head leaning back on his brother's leg, softly snoring. Evangeline smiled, throwing a blanket over each of them.
"Ya don't have to do that" Raphael stated from his seat by the coffee table in the floor with a half empty bottle.
"No, but I want to" Eva replied, taking the couple steps needed to offer one to the red-masked turtle, "The same goes for you if you want"
The mutant turtle stared at the young woman for a split moment, as if looking for some other motive. The few times the two had interacted, it hadn't necessarily gone well, yet here she was offering him a blanket.
Gingerly, Raph accepted it. Only then did Evangeline notice someone was missing.
"Where did Leo disappear to?" she asked, glancing around the room as if he could be camouflaged somewhere. Knowing the brothers though, that could have been possible.
"Meh, I think he went up to the roof or somethin'" The larger male replied with another sip from his bottle.
With hardly another word, Eva left the extra blanket on the couch to venture into the room the boys usually entered from. Opening the unlocked window, Eva peered out.
"Leo? Are you up there?" She softly called, letting the chilly air outside fall silent, well, as silent as New York City could get. Waiting for a few moments, it didn't take long before the ribbons from the familiar blue mask came dangling down as a turtle hung expertly from the roof.
"Did you need something?" Leo asked, one of his eye ridges raising curiously.
"Mind if I come up?" Eva blurted out, suddenly feeling the need to join the male in whatever activities he was getting into on the roof. For the smallest of seconds, Leonardo seemed surprised but quickly recovered, offering a steady hand to her. The smallest of welcoming smiles pulled at her lips as the young woman let his much larger hand engulf hers as Eva climbed through the window.
Normally, she would have braced herself to be thrown through the air but much to her surprise, that didn't happen this time. Rather than toss the much smaller woman like a rag doll, his hands gently hoisted her toward the roof, working their way down Eva's arms until they reached her waist. To this large mutant turtle it almost seemed like her weight was nothing more than a feather to him.
Evangeline drew in a shallow breath as his arm wrapped around her torso, drawing her body firmly against his plastron. Her heart thudded softly, not from the two of them hanging three stories above the pavement, but from Leo's breath skimming over the tender skin of her neck, in turn causing a storm of goosebumps to ripple over Eva's arms.
Before she knew it, Leonardo had pulled himself back onto the roof where he sat his charge on her feet, his arm lingering as if hesitant to let go. It was only then that the chilly air snapped Evangeline from her thoughts as she shivered slightly. Thankfully it wasn't as cold as it could have been considering the time of year.
"So why are you up here alone?" Eva asked, following the large mutant male to the spot he had apparently set for himself, plopping down next to him what he sat down.
"I guess I just needed somewhere to think" he replied, his words nearly a whisper. Eva looked up, seeing the familiar, distant look that was setting into the turtle's tired eyes.
"If you think any harder there won't be room to enjoy the good things that are going on around you" She stated with a good natured smile, folding her arms to conserve more body heat. Leo gave into a halfhearted chuckle.
"You almost sound like Master Splinter"
Eva decided to take that as a compliment.
"Maybe it would help if you told me what's on your mind?" she suggested, taking a long shot in the dark. There was a small, micro chance Leonardo would say what he was really thinking, but it was worth a try.
"I guess I'm just...stressed?" Leo drew in a breath, looking out at the flickering lights of New York City, "I worry. I worry for the safety of my family. I'm the oldest. It falls on me to make decisions when things get thin, even if I'm just as lost as everyone else. And Master Splinter...he's getting older..."
Evangeline, though she was listening as intently as possible, could only stare in shock up at the eldest brother. Leonardo had just told her what was going on. Expressed his feelings, if only a fraction of them, with no objections. How was she suppose to react to that?
Leo glanced down, catching the wide-eyed look Evangeline was currently giving him. He chuckled with an amused grin.
"I guess the little bit of alcohol made me relax a little too much. I can stop of you want me-"
"No!" Eva blurted, shaking herself from the stunned expression, " No, please continue. I'm just a bit surprised. You've never opened up to me like this before. I didn't think you trusted me this much"
"Eva..." Leo softly uttered, the tone that surrounded her name making a shudder ripple up the young woman's spine, "...despite the way I act sometimes, I do trust you. You've treated all of us like we weren't any different than another human being"
Leo's words trailed off when Evangeline's fingers traced a path down his forearm to curl gently around the back of his three fingered hand. Her hands were soft, a drastic contrast from his much larger, calloused, green ones.
"Because you aren't any different Leo" Evangeline said, leaning her head on his bicep, lightly squeezing his hand.
Hesitantly, almost fearfully, Leonardo gave into the urge and slowly turned his hand over, allowing Eva to let her fingers fall between his. Leo's heart swelled, making him suck in a shortened breath. He wanted to believe that it meant something, but even with the alcohol affecting him as it was now, Leo kept himself from straying too far from reality. Even so, he was determined to enjoy moments like these while they lasted.
"You know you can always come to me if you feel like things are becoming overwhelming" Eva stated with a squeeze from her hand. Very gently, Leo gave his own in return, smiling warmly down at her.
"I'll be sure to remember that"