Author's Note:

Second chapter's here! And there's more cultural moments here, but mostly, Caseynardo. Caseynardo everywhere.

Leonardo whipped around, hands defensive and feet ready to aim a harsh kick even though having registered just who it was behind that cardboard box. A muffled shout met his hearing, "Leo! Wait!"

Leonardo waited while his thought-to-be-attacker protested, "It's me- you know... Casey! Your buddy Case,"

The turtle bit in his smile, feeling oddly playful that night, kept his arms locked in place, "Who?"

A gasp that sounded all kinds of offended, "It's me Blue! Casey. Casey Jones. Awesome dude? Hockey player? Um... Raph's best bud?"

Leonardo waited a second before replying as seriously as he could, "Doesn't ring a bell."

One defeated sigh later, and the boy blocked by the box answered, "Maybe you don't recognize me cause I'm out of uniform."

Leonardo's eyes bulged- this he had to see, and he jumped to the left so he could meet Casey's widened eyes, "You're wearing casual!"

And Leo would be lying if he said Casey's didn't look appealing in blue. The boy had exchanged his black and grey uniform for one pale aqua hoodie. Leo couldn't deny the light color made the near-red of the boy's eyes stand out against his light skin. Similar black jeans, but he lacked the bandanna around his forehead. And his hair- for shell's sake… His hair was down and flying all around his face as though it had a life of its own.

Casey pulled back, eyes competing with Leonardo for size, "And you're wearing nothing!"

Way to rub it in. Leonardo's face fell, wearing a deadpan expression as he expressed, "This barely makes a difference Casey,"

The human shook his head, hair bouncing all around in a way Leo was sure he never took note before, "Nu-uh Blue, mask-less you makes your eyes look bigger,"

Eye ridges narrowing, Leo asked, "Is that a good thing... or a bad thing?" -because he had to know.

Casey's eyes absolutely twinkled when he answered, "It's adorable Blue!"

And if Leo had another chance to answer, he wouldn't have- because the blush flooding into his face that dark night was enough to render him speechless. A nod was all he managed. And maybe a tiny awkward chuckle.

Casey didn't get the hint that the complement was enough, the boy emphasized on how much he liked the weapon-less turtle, "You know what Blue? You have this innocent look going about here, the big blue eyes and that half-smile. Doesn't mean you mean weak- no! More like... more like you can be cute- or even gentle one minute, and next you'll whip out some awesome ninja moves. That's something. -That's some top-notch attractive stuff!"

Being called adorable was one thing- attractive made Leo wish he could duck into his shell like Mikey- because Casey was making him burn up. And Leo ought to make him stop- but it wasn't a bad thing. It felt… nice? Leo ought to return the complement, so he did.

The turtle swallowed the lump in his throat, and tilted his head to pull on a half-smile, "I like how you look in blue Casey,"

The boy's eyes widened, and he turned his face behind the box, "Um… thanks Blue."

Leo took a tip from Casey's obliviousness from earlier, and he jumped to the opposite side of the box to flash Casey a brilliant grin, "I'm serious Casey! It makes your eyes pop."

"You… really think so?"

"I bet you don't even know how irresistible you look right now,"

Wait. That came out wrong. Leo took a step back just as Casey flushed to near-match the red-banded turtle they both knew would question why they were both outside in the dead of the night making each other blush. Leonardo turned to the side, focusing on the large box in the boy's arms that didn't look heavy at all. Yet he offered to help.

"You… ugh- need help with that Casey?" Leonardo gestured to the box, and it was enough to snap some normalcy back into their situation, "What is it anyways?"

Casey shrugged, "Cotton. Lots and lots of cotton."

A beat of silence, before the turtle asked slowly, "Why?"

"I'm making a diya."

One beat. Another. And one more for good measure before the turtle asked, "What."

Casey gave an awkward chuckle, gripping the box slightly more, "It's a clay lamp… You use oil and cotton to light it with,"

Leo gestured to the house behind them, eyes betraying his confusion, "Are we out of flashlights…? Donnie ought to have extra batteries somewhere."

Casey shook his head roughly, "Oh no Blue! We got flashlights."

"Then…" Leo made a circle with his hands at the box, "Why the… diya?"

Casey sighed, as though having being burdened with a back-breaking task. But in a deep breath uncannily close to Leonardo making a review of one of their plans, Casey started off, "The diya is special Leo. It just doesn't mean making a light- it has significance. It's a part of a tradition going back for decades."

If Leo hadn't felt uneducated before, now he had the odd feeling of standing before a teacher who would sit with him and make sure he understood everything about this… diya.

Leonardo nodded slowly, stepping beside Casey to peer into the top of the box, "So… we use the cotton, and the… uh... oil, to put in the clay lamps to make the... diyas?"

"You got it Blue!" Casey grinned and lowered the box for the shorter male, "I break off a piece of the cotton and roll in into a string, then soak it in the oil and put it in the lamp. Then we light the lamp and make a design with it."

Leo blinked slowly, "We drip the oil onto the ground and make a design?"

"Huh? No!" Casey honestly looked so surprised that Leo couldn't help retreating a step back, "What makes you think that?"

But Casey saw the hurt look. And Casey saw the confusion. And Casey saw the wide blue eyes darting to the side as though he would run any moment. As though he made a mistake and was intruding on something personal. And Casey recognized that look. And he knew just how he was going to fix it. With a little bit of light.

Casey sent Leonardo a soft smile, and stepped forward, keeping eye contact with the turtle when he said, "Come with me Leo, I'll show you what to do."

When Leo didn't hesitate to walk with Casey, the boy knew he made the right decision. And he was sure Leo wasn't doubting it either- because those brilliant blue eyes unhindered by the mask was shining as though making up for the lack of stars in the darkest of nights.