As promised, she slipped down into the sewers after school, following the tunnels she now knew like the back of her hand into the lair. "Tadaima!," she called, remembering her manners. From various parts of the lair, she heard them all call back to her.
"Okaeri!" The red head smiled, dropping her bag on one of the couches and wandering towards the dojo. As expected, Leo was there going through sword katas, his katanas soaring through the air with a strange elegance; she'd never really thought of a turtle as a graceful creature.
"Hey," she called, catching his attention with a raise of his eyes. He smiled softly at her, finishing the set of moves before sheathing his blades, turning to her.
"Hi, got your jacket right here," Leo greeted her, walking towards the shelf where Master Splinter kept his precious photo. Holding it out to her, Leo kept that calm, polite smile on his face as April took it. She stared at her coat, then up at the turtle, then back down in thought. "Something wrong?"
"No, no, I..." Her fingers stroked over the fabric, then tilted her head and smiled. "Hey, can I get a hug?" His eyes popped open a little wider, jolting in place, then glancing away for a moment.
"Er... I guess... wouldn't you rather ask Donnie or Mikey?," Leo asked, even as he slowly opened his arms.
"I wanna hug you too," the red head replied, folding her arms around his neck and resting her chin on his sturdy shoulder. His hands drifted to her back, gently but firmly holding her. This was... nice. The only way she could think to describe it was 'Big Brother Hug'. Maybe it was that sixth sense Splinter was convinced she had, but she suddenly got the feeling she was incredibly safe, like nothing in the world could touch or hurt her.
Because Leo would never let them.
Knowing that was kind of serene, along with the fact that getting him to hug her was so simple; he didn't judge her for it or push her away, he simply accepted her as she was. With that in mind, she gave him a light squeeze, and as she pulled away, pressed a soft little kiss to his cheek. Leo didn't tense or get all flustered, he just smiled slightly, eyes shutting as he appreciated the tender motion.
"What was that for?," he asked. "All I did was give you your coat."
The red head giggled, hands rest on his forearms while his rested on her hips. "I just thought... I needed to show you guys how much you all mean to me. If choosing your family was an option, I'd definitely want you guys as my brothers." The blue turtle tilted his head, then raised an eye brow before he reached up to brush a lock of hair behind her ear.
"If you're lucky, friends and family are one and the same. I'd want you as a sister, too." April grinned wide at him, before pulling away and letting him get back to his practise. She noted, as she left through the sliding doors, that her big brother had the softest of smiles on his face.
Now we all know Leo is a completely dorky fanboy of the most adorable variety, but I've noted how mature he acts around April. Being that he hasn't grown up with her like his brothers, and is the opposite gender, he probably feels the need to put forward an adult attitude. Why? Because during the months where her Father was missing, April only really had Splinter to rely upon for an adult, parental figure. I feel he realised this so piled on the maturity in order to give her a second platform of stability and security. Sort of his own way of saying, "We're here for you, we'll take care of you". That is one of the many reasons I love this incarnation of Leo.
Hail to the princess, baby!