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When Leo Met Mona 3
By: Ty-Chou
The Christmas Eve shift wasn't too bad. They were a bit understaffed at the restaurant due to most of the employees wanting that day off. However, the patrons were in good holiday spirits and the service went well enough. Tips were more generous than normal as customers felt the need to reimburse the wait staff for working the holiday. Mona Lisa was more than okay with that. She didn't have anywhere else to be that night, might as well be making some good money.
Her feet were faring better now in the heels required for work, but it was bitter cold out and she was glad she wore warm winter boots to commute to and from work this night.
With black heels dangling from her fingers, Mona Lisa rode the elevator to the top floor, exhausted. It was nearly 1AM and it had been a busy, high-energy night. She was ready to flop face first onto her mattress and pass out.
As she fished out her keys and fiddled with the stubborn door lock to her apartment, she became aware of a much larger form looming behind her. For a moment, she froze, heart racing.
"Hey," came the familiar voice.
Grinning, she didn't have to look behind her as she pushed the door open and allowed her visitor inside.
"I waited in the stairwell," Leonardo said as he watched her toss her heels in the corner. "It's a bit colder than normal tonight. I thought you would approve."
With the door closed behind them, Mona Lisa turned to inspect the large turtle for herself. Despite Donatell's text saying Leonardo had made it home after their encounter with the Foot, she had been itching to see his well-being for herself. Leonardo was still in one piece. He had a bandage around his bicep in the same place she remembered seeing nothing but a bloody mess. Other than that, he didn't seem to have any other injuries. His twin katanas were once again strapped to his back as usual.
"You okay?" she asked, nodding toward his bandage.
Leonardo rubbed his injured arm, a bit irritated he was hit with a bullet in the first place. "Yeah, it's healing fast. Mutant blood and all."
"Good, I'm glad. I hope you don't regret taking me out that night. It was really neat, I had fun. Just... wrong place wrong time."
"My mistake for forgetting the city is still very dangerous." He reached out to touch the thick hair adorning her shoulders. "I won't forget again, not when you're involved."
She flushed a little and glanced away self-consciously.
"I also owe you an apology for my brothers," he went on. "I heard they weren't the most accommodating hosts. They made you uncomfortable. I promise they would never hurt you, but they- we- aren't used to sharing our world with others. Sometimes our manners are a little lacking."
"Well, Donatello was very sweet and considerate at least. And shouldn't you be with your family right now? It's Christmas Eve."
"Technically, it's Christmas Day," Leonardo reminded, glancing at the clock on the microwave. "And everyone back home is passed out on right now."
Mona Lisa smiled at the mental image of massive mutated turtles all snoring away in haphazard piles on that small, beaten couch.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" She suddenly ran to the closet, digging through the clothes. "I never gave you your present." She returned with a paper bag in her clutches. "Sorry it's not wrapped."
Leonardo did not mind at all as he reached outside and pulled out a long, thick scarf striped in dark blue and white. He chuckled a bit as he felt the soft textile with his fingers.
"I know, I know," Mona Lisa said as she took it from him. Leonardo bent down a little so she could wrap it around his neck. "I know you think it's silly, but I worry about you getting cold. And I just... worry about you in general." He was all she had.
She had wrapped him in the scarf more than she really needed to until it had covered most of his face and he was barely peering over it..
"Hey," Leonardo said, holding her gaze with his eyes. "I'm fine. Nothing is going to happen to me, okay?"
Her lower lip trembled before a sob caught in her throat. Leonardo froze, unprepared for that reaction. As quick as it came, Mona Lisa was already fighting to gain her composure.
"Sorry. Sorry, sorry," she insisted as she rubbed her eyes. "I don't know where that came from. It's late, I'm tired."
As she backed away from him, Leonardo moved in, reaching out to gently brush the side of her wet eye with his thumb.
"It's okay," he soothed. "I understand. You don't have to hide it from me."
She smiled at him and sniffed back the tears. He leaned in further, their foreheads almost touching. Her safety meant everything to him and it touched him deeply that she cared so much for his well-being as well. He wished he could find the words to properly express that to her.
His hands traveled from her cheeks down to her shoulders as he pulled her closer. Mona Lisa went up on her toes as she pressed in, completely surprising the turtle by putting her mouth on his.
For a while, Leonardo just stood there, trying to compute what was happening. Her lips were soft and warm against him, but was this what he should be doing? This wasn't right. This beautiful girl shouldn't be doing this with a creature such as he. He shouldn't allow this to happen.
Regretfully, he pulled away from her, but Mona Lisa would have none of it. She followed him, gripping his shoulders as she kissed him again. This time, Leonardo couldn't fight the urge to refrain. He kissed her back as well as he knew how, and it was several moments before they parted.
When he looked at her again, her eyes shone brightly, face flushed. His hands gently held her shoulders as she tasted her bottom lip.
"Stay tonight," Mona Lisa said, barely more than a whisper. She reached up to fiddle with the scarf, wrapped ridiculously around his head.
Leonardo remained silent, as unmoved as a mountain. He knew better. It was not his place to stay with her. He shouldn't agree to it.
"Stay," she continued. "I want to feel safe tonight. I want to know you're safe."
Damn. She had him then. Playing on his need to protect, his instinct to comfort and care for what he cherished the most. And deep down, there was nothing he wanted more in that moment than to remain there with her for the rest of the night.
"Okay," he said, voice husky.
Their foreheads touched and Mona Lisa smiled, letting out a small laugh. Leonardo treasured those sounds of happiness. He was the cause. He brought her joy; the feeling was alien and warm and thrilling.
She unwound the scarf that she had put on him mere moments before. It fell to the floor at their feet as Mona Lisa then turned her attention to his chest, lightly running her fingers down the ridges of his plastron until she came to the belt. Leonardo watched in amusement as she tried fruitlessly to get it off. Without words, his hands came in to remove the gear himself, shedding his belts and the twin katana on his back.
Meanwhile, Mona Lisa sat herself on the mattress, wriggling out of her nylons and black work skirt. The white button-up blouse that remained covered her down to her thighs.
As she unbuttoned her shirt, Leonardo carefully sat himself on the mattress behind her. This time, he would not look away as the white material fell from her shoulders. She glanced over her shoulder at him as Leonardo touched her hair. Mona Lisa had a great deal of hair. It was thick and full, and pleasant to the touch. She let the turtle run his fingers through it; he enjoying its silky texture while she enjoyed his presence.
Leonardo swept the hair to one side, his finger running over the ridge of her neck and shoulder. The girl rolled her shoulders at the contact, her skin sensitive. He noticed the minute goosebumps raised on her arm as he leaned in and let out a warm breath on the pale skin.
She didn't object when he fingered the thin bra strap, so Leonardo slid them off her shoulders, appraising the now bare skin with his finger tips. When he released the clasp in back, Mona Lisa grabbed the blanket to self-consciously cover her front and Leonardo knew that was as far as she wanted to go that night. He was quite satisfied with that. Just touching her like this seemed an indulgence too good for someone like him.
His large hands descended upon her shoulders, his fingers pressing in to find the stiff cords of muscle. Mona Lisa hunched at first, but then soon relaxed in his hands.
"There's those magic fingers again," she murmured.
"And you're still as sensitive as ever," Leonardo whispered in her ear.
She flushed at the accusation, the bloom of pink going into her chest as well. Leonardo fantasized about one day being able to chase that flush to see how far down it went.
Eventually, the girl went limp against him, blissfully loose and relaxed. It was then Leonardo scooted closer, his arms winding around her, pulling her in. Mona Lisa rested against his chest, her arms overlapping his as he held her close. He rested his chin on her head and they sat there together quietly for several minutes.
After one or two instances of nearly drifting off, Mona Lisa forced herself to move again, grabbing a baggy discarded T-shirt from the foot of the mattress. She slipped it on and turned off the lights before returning to bed.
The mattress was small, Leonardo's bulk taking up most of the room. They had to snuggle in close and neither of them minded. Mona Lisa pressed in close to his chest, the turtle on his side and her head resting on his arm. After she had made herself comfortable, Leonardo's limbs pulled her in, enveloping her, and she was safe from all the rest of the world.
With a soft sigh, Mona Lisa was asleep in minutes, her thick hair splayed over his arm, one small hand pressed to his chest. Leonardo remained awake a while longer, his eyes wandering the darkness of the single-room apartment before his gaze landed on the pale light from the window. It felt serendipitous to come to this point and his thoughts drifted off to when they first met.
Leonardo had been out wandering rooftops, reveling in the thrill of being alone and undetected by the world below. After April, after defeating Shredder, Splinter was more lenient about his sons' excursions to the surface. Leonardo could tell his sensei wasn't always happy about allowing them to grow up, but it was something necessary for their development in becoming adults.
Usually, if they went topside, they went as a team and kept an eye on each other. But Leonardo would sneak up alone to listen to the sounds of the city, to have a moment to look at the stars and hear his own thoughts. He also took personal glee at sharpening his skills of being as a shadow. At times, he would crouch close to the humans, so close he could reach out and touch them, and they would never know he was there at all. While his brothers often wondered what it would be like to live among people, Leonardo always preferred being a fly on the wall, observing without being noticed.
On one such night, when the chill winter air was being chased away by the promise of spring, Leonardo observed something that put him into action. It wasn't the first time he had intercepted a crime in progress. That, too, honed his skills and gave him a certain thrill at thwarting evil while not leaving a trace. So when he witnessed three men surrounding a frightened young woman, he did not hesitate to intervene.
The leader of the group had the woman pinned to the brick wall, his knee thrust between her thighs while he held a knife to her throat. His two cronies cackled as they moved in, blocking all exits. Their glee at her helplessness rose as the leader snaked his free hand up the girl's skirt.
"Now, be a good girl and we'll make sure you enjoy this," he hissed. "Fight me, and I'll slit your fucking throat."
The woman's response was trying to kick him in the groin. Unfortunately, she wasn't in the best position and she merely managed to hit him in the thigh. Enraged at the attack, the man shoved her against the brick wall.
"Dumb bitch! Didn't you hear what I just said? I'll cut you!"
"Do it, then, you chicken shit," the woman hissed, hatred and fire in her eyes. "I'll die before I let a disgusting pig like you touch me without a fight and you can fuck my dead corpse."
Leonardo cut the drama short as he swept in, knocking into one of the would-be rapists and flinging him against a building. The thug fell to the ground, instantly unconscious from the impact.
The second one spun around, eyes wide.
"What the hell..."
He saw Leonardo's bulk in the shadows and panicked, pulling a gun from the waist of his pants. Leonardo drew his blade, the metal reflecting off the glimmer of the streetlights.
"What is it?" the thug panicked. "Stay away from me!"
He fired, the bullet ricocheting off the lightning-quick blade. Leonardo rushed forward, a well-placed punch to the jaw rendering the second person out cold on the ground. When the turtle turned to face the final attacker, he found the man already on the ground, his knife far from his reach. He was curled up, trying to protect himself as the woman kicked him in the ribs and face, even the groin, growling every horrible name she could think to call him.
The stunned man's face was bloody by now and he was hardly able to do more than use his arms to protect his head. Leonardo came up from behind, grabbing the girl by the arms and backing her away from her would-be attacker. She struggled to continue to assault the man as she screamed, "Never again! Do you hear me?! Never again!"
If Leonardo had been more human sized, she may have broken from his grasp with how hard she fought. She still almost did, he was so stunned by her reaction. Most victims he saved were startled and meek in the wake of his rescues. They felt his unnatural presence and were afraid at having something so different in their midst. This girl had all but ignored him and she was furious- nearly hysterical. Something traumatic had happened to her in the past and it had changed her forever.
The sharp squall of police sirens filled his ears and flashing lights flickered into the alley. Leonardo let go of the girl for a second and she was already charging back to finish pounding in the thug's face. The last thing Leonardo wanted was for this girl to get arrested for assault when she had clearly been through enough already. Against his better judgment, he grabbed her and raced into the shadows before the police ever noticed they were there.
They flew through block after block, Leonardo's keen sight guiding him effortlessly through the pitch dark alleyways. When the sirens were too far away to hear, he finally slowed his pace and the woman in his arms began to fight for release. He dropped her and she whirled around, breathing hard as if she had been the one running. The faint light from a neon sign caught her flushed face and she stared at him with hard eyes. A hardness she never used on him again.
One deep breath, two, and the hardness dissolved from her expression. Something lost and vulnerable took its place and her big expressive eyes never left his face. Eyes that accepted what he was instantly, that did not question or fear his appearance. She only looked at him helplessly like the world were crumbling beneath her feet and she had nothing else solid to cling to.
Something swelled in Leonardo's chest and he wanted nothing more than protect this person until the end of time.
It was early, too early even for the sun to come out when Leonardo removed himself from the bed as carefully as he could. He turned to quietly put on his gear when a lamp light flicked on behind him.
"Not even staying for breakfast?" Mona asked.
He turned and smiled at her. "Very tempting, but I need to get home. I wasn't intending to stay out all night."
"Well if you ever intend to, you know you're always welcome."
His eyes wandered over her sleepy smile and that full nest of messy hair. Something changed tonight, their relationship had shifted and Leonardo wasn't sure he wanted to keep it slow or attack it at full speed. He only knew that he wanted it in his life and any complications that came with it.
He leaned over to brush hair from her face and kiss her forehead. When he pulled back, he noticed an old ID sitting on her nightstand and studied it.
"Your real name is Ramona?" he demanded, somewhat disappointed.
"Ramona Elisa," she replied with far less alarm. "Mona Lisa was what my mom always called me."
He returned the bit of plastic, frowning a little as she grinned.
"Remind me not to keep any big secrets from you."
Leonardo was suddenly reminded he had no room for judging about secrets and let it go. "I'll see you again soon."
"You better," she said as she stretched lazily in bed.
Leonardo was tempted to forgo the cold trek home and climb back in bed. But he managed to make it to the door.
"And if you ever want to bring over Donatello for a movie night or something, I'd like that," she called.
Leonardo smiled back. "Sounds good, I'll see what I can do."
Leonardo entered the main living area of the lair, noting two of the three brothers were still snoozing on the couch where he left them, the fuzzy TV relaying an infomercial about cleaning products at a low volume. He smiled at them and moved on to his room only to be blocked by Raphael's larger form.
"Hey bro," he said in a groggy voice. His eyes were a bit unfocused as he was still working off last night's Christmas party. "Aren't you a puzzle."
"Uh, hey Raph," he responded carefully. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you've clearly been gone all night. You come back smelling of a woman but," he paused to breathe in deep, "you don't smell like sex. So what'cha been doin'?"
Leonardo's response was a silent "I don't have to tell you anything" expression and Raphael looked like he was expecting such a response. The red clad turtle was still too tired to get into it properly at the moment. But no doubt it would be brought up again and both of them knew it.
"Mornin' guys," Michelangelo said as he approached from behind, trying to pad over to the kitchen area. He got close to Leonardo and then leaned in even closer. "Dude, you smell good. Let me get another whiff of that."
He moved in close to nearly nuzzle Leonardo's neck and the blue clad turtle shoved him away.
"Ugh, get off, both of you," he protested and then stalked off to his room.
Michelangelo and Raphael were both smirking behind him and, as Leonardo retired to his room, he was smiling a bit to himself as well.