Chapter Text
Man never truly possesses anything
Neither his strength, nor his weakness, nor his heart
*
He was nineteen when he’d first felt it.
*
April tried not to look but she kept glancing up anyway. He was watching her, not saying a word as she tended the scars on his cheek and shoulders; the wounds were shallow but the blood wouldn't stop seeping.
She looked up again and he held her gaze with a guarded expression.
How long could this go on? Leo and his brothers going up against the evil that resided in the underbelly of the city, night after night. They were trained fighters but there was only so much the four brothers could do. There was no endpoint to this lifestyle and April had to live with the very real possibility that one day, one of them might just...not make it home.
Cold crept through her body at the thought. She felt a slight tremor in her hand that pressed the washcloth against Leo’s cheek. She pulled away quickly but he caught her wrist.
He’d noticed.
April glanced up and there it was, that faraway sadness in his eyes like he could simply read her every thought. There had always been an unspoken connection between them - a quiet harmony no one spoke of. Sure, she’d been closest to Donny who was her best friend but Leo was...she couldn’t put a name to it. Not yet.
“April…” he started with a concerned expression.
April bit her lower lip - she shouldn't make him worried, he had so much to shoulder already. Her job was to stand firm, welcome them - her family - home and make them feel safe. The last thing she’d wanted was to make Leo worry about her well-being.
Leo let go of her wrist and lifted his hand to her cheek, deft fingers catching a few stray strands that escaped her already messy bun and tucked them behind her ear. It was a small but intimate gesture. April closed her eyes and drew a shaky breath, steadying herself and trying not to lean into that gentle hand.
“Please, be careful…” she whispered, not trusting her voice.
Leo didn't say anything as his shoulders sagged and gaze lowered. April never said it but he knew she was scared for their lives and there was nothing he could really say to make her feel better. Injuries were an everyday occurrence in their lifestyle and fatal wounds were a possibility that they could not deny.
April frowned in frustration, mentally kicking herself as she wiped at the tear that rolled down her cheek, past those treacherous eyelashes. She must’ve been really tired, not being able to keep her composure in front of him. Lately everything seemed difficult. Bit by bit, she was losing sight and direction in her life, and Casey… well. Things haven’t been easy between them and it affected everything else, including just how much April could mentally endure. The mutant family had noticed the increased tension between their human friends but decided not to interfere with their personal life and vice versa - she didn’t want to drag them into it. But she felt closed off and it was slowly consuming her from the inside out.
April felt arms circle around her back and soon found herself held against the turtle. Her eyes widened.
“I’m… I’m sorry, it’s just that—“ she gasped.
“I know,” Leo murmured, “it’s alright, April. It’s just me. You can cry if you need to.”
And she did. He held her in the quiet afternoon light and in that moment April felt safe for the first time in a long time to just...let go. To cry. To show pain. To be vulnerable. She fell apart and knew Leo would be there to pick her up.
He’d always be there.
She clung to that belief with the same naivety that made her stay with Casey for another three years, thinking they could work things out.
Life, however, was a little more complicated.