Turtle's true pairing

Leo: 

I’d like to believe that Leo, in private, genuinely finds the idea of overpowering people intriguing. He’s learned to do better, KNOWS how to do better when it comes to controlling his attitude– but you give him some leniency with it. 

In the scenario where you and he decide to participate in this—"this" meaning being generous about how much of a sassy, authoritative, commanding turtle he's allowed to be—approach with caution. By God, he takes full advantage.

It’s not like the relationship he has with his brothers. Not ridiculously domineering, no. He knows when to act like an actual man.

But he is a tease. 

“What?” He would sneer. Clicking his tongue, tilting his head, pouting at you when you don’t get your way. 

Again. That’s only in private. He treats you like royalty in the presence of literally anyone else.

I have an idea in my head that he’s definitely the type of individual to enjoy reading books.

Classics, of course, but he gets these (cough) frisky ideas from romance books. No doubt.

That’s where Leo would learn how to do all of this romantic kinky shit to you. No social media, as he’s likely absent from it– maybe visits a few “how-to’s”, but other than that, when it comes to his romanticism tactics; it’s all literature-based.

He’s into begging. Matter of fact, I’d say it’s one of the biggest things he’s into– he loves when the words coming out of your mouth are simply words of want. You want him to do this to you? Him, of all people? You gorgeous being, you. It boosts his damn ego, plain and simple. 

Leo got into this by fault of his own. Blue had gotten his hands on a romantic book that consisted of some fairly explicit adult content for the first time; lord knows how he got it. Probably found it in a trash bin on patrol, the cover looked nice. 

Had no idea what the book consisted of. Picked it up. Couldn’t put it back down. Discovered something new about himself that day. 

It was from then on out he started to hide his growing book collection from his family. Maybe he sets the more acceptable ones out on display… sure. 

In PUBLIC, honor boy is a completely different character. 

He’s respectful. 

Holds the door open, buys you food, aids you with care like no other when you’re sick. Something as simple as a slight headache has him dropping everything to come baby you without having to ask. 

That’s all you have to do: ask. That’s it. 

If you ever get back from a date night, feet tired from wearing heels or a painful shoe all night, you best believe that man is swooping you right up and off of your feet with the shoes dangling in the other hand. 

Leo’s a big fan of back-of-hand/knuckle kisses. It’s one of his favorite ways to show his respect to you, even if he acts the opposite when you’re alone ;)

He just likes getting a rise out of you… tease that man, for God’s sakes. You won’t regret it.

This is just an extra… but he absolutely loooooves helping you zip up your dress. Slowly. Surely. Matter of fact, just follow him to the bedroom, it doesn’t need to be zipped up anyways.

Raph: 

We know that Raph hates being excluded from decisions, major or minor. 

That’s why it’s his number one priority to make your voice heard. 

He WILL make sure that you stand out in a group setting. That man is used to being left out of group conversations. If there’s one thing he can do to show his attention, it’s giving you his own undivided attention; even if that means forcing the rest of the group to listen to what you have to say. 

He doesn't care if he has to fight to do it. By all means, speak your truth.

When it comes to people that aren’t his own dearly loved and immediate family, Raph is more of a socially anxious being! Contrary to popular belief, yes. It’s true. He may come off as a hot head… probably because yes. He is. But the dude knits in his free time. He hates people. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… I’m almost 99% he’d be on the introverted side if he were to be publicly accepted. 

Speaking of knitting! 

Gift giving is his looove language 💕

When winter rolls around, he’s knitting you a blanket and you don’t get a choice but to use it and KEEP it. 

When Spring rolls around, he has you bring that blanket back to the lair so he has some sort of scent remnant of you. 

It’s really no surprise as to why he wants it. 🙃

On a different topic, I’m also a firm believer that he’d be allllllll over kissing the scars on your body. 

So what, you think they’re ugly? He has them too. He thinks they look cool. But oh, they look so much better on you. 

Stretch marks. Scars. Injuries of the like. They show a journey and he is so unbelievably down to prove it to you. 

Speaking of proving things to you…. 

Raph likes loves when you speak out against him. It gives him all the more reason to take your two hands in his giant green one and use that shit against you. 

You wanna talk about how much you hate your body? How much you think people hate you for who you are? How shitty of a s/o you think you are? 

Try saying or proving any of that when one hand is grasping two of yours and the other is over your mouth. 

You’re not able to say anything, regardless. Your mind is too busy on other things ;) 

Like Raph’s voice, for one. He’s vocal! And is WELL aware. 

Spring, he despises; he misses you too much. However, he never allows you over, as he is far too terrified of harming you. 

Because he has no control over his actions for the week (at most), you’ve been tasked with staying home. Spring, in its entirety; SUCKS– but Raph will be a trooper for ya’.

It’s only about a week’s length where spring fever hits him like a train. Yeah. A week’s length is all you have to stay home… without him. 

So. Before that week starts, he gives you the worst hickies known to mankind. 

They’re deep and purple. He only does it so when he sees you again, those feelings come flooding back! It’s like his season, but he’s aware this time. Hell yeah! And he’s got his girl for this round! 

As long as you don’t cover them up, Raph treats you just fine. Unless you request otherwise. He’s down for anything you ask of him… Red is desperate. 

Donnie:

There’s no telling when a spicier mood will hit him.

But there are signs…. and one is a dead giveaway.

It’s around three in the morning, one night. You decided to stay over at the lair with your genius boyfriend and his family; it was getting late, anyways. 

There’s shit scattered all over the lair. As you trudge to grab a snack from the fridge, you manage to step on THREE things: Mikey’s Stuffed Animal, trash that Leo had begged Raph to pick up, and an aluminum wrapper of a strawberry Pop-Tart pastry that Donatello had been particularly fond of. 

Speak of the devil. (He’s such a deep sleeper, how could he have heard you?)

Donnie’s voice, laced heavily with sleep, floats from the doorway. 

The turtle in purple (and probably sweatpants) would mumble a silly question about why you’re up so late. He approaches, warm hand finding your waist as he leans past you to retrieve his prized juice box from the fridge— pausing before he realizes why you were probably in this exact spot, too.

"Would you like ‘n orange or an apple?" He sleepily murmurs against your forehead, pressing a kiss there before pulling back and wrapping his arms around you.

You don't answer, too distracted by how his thumb traces circles just above your hipbone, the scaly finger sending shivers through your sleep shirt.

It’s not with any intention at first. But… it does grow into some.

He likes how warm you feel against him. He likes how he can use you as a headrest. He likes how he can just think about you and nothing else on his mind. None of those stressors from his work are present in his mind just yet, he’s too focused on you.

Donnie, who is most often perceived to be “in-the-mood” after a long day at work, is actually most often “in-that-mood” when he wakes.

He’s been snoozing for a bit and has nothing on his mind. He’s zoned, he’s sleepy, he’s cozy… and you’re warm… come here, will you? 

Donnie's fingers continued along your waist, calloused skin tracing the hem of your sleep shirt. His body remained pressed against yours, weight shifting as he buried his face deeper into your shoulder. You could feel the slow, even rhythm of his breathing against your neck, warm puffs of air raising goosebumps along your arms. 

You felt his lips press against the curve where your shoulder met your neck, lingering there, hot and damp. 

A little noise– soon discernable as a moan– slipped out from your lips. 

You’ve got two seconds to decide whether you want to go back to his room or let him lift you up on the counter before he decides for you. 

(someone remind me to post a mini one-shot for that scenario someday. it’s sitting in my drafts)

When Donnie IS of a more conscious state, there is no scenario that man loves more than having you in his lap when he works. 

Any time you walk by, he’s waving you towards him with a finger. Or a nod of his head. 

You can straddle him, cuddle him, sit in front of him while he works. Donnie doesn’t care. As long as he gets to hold you. 

His hands will drift. Waaaaay further than they should be allowed to with that lab door of his wide open. 

When he’s awake, he’s very into overstimulating the shit out of you. But he’s, and, this is hard to explain or put into words— nice with it? He talks you through it. Makes sure you’re okay even though you’re seeing stars while he whispers to you. Is pecking kisses upon kisses down your body. 

And, of course, helps clean you afterwards. 

When he’s sleepy, like previously mentioned; he likes sitting you on top of his thigh once you get back in the bedroom. He gets to watch you receive pleasure all while being able to control how much you get and when. What’s more to love? 

His sleepy voice, that’s what. It’s raspy and his voice cracks more than it already does on the daily. Hell, it makes you want to be the one helping him out.

He won’t let you. He takes you in his arms and conks back out instead. 💤

Mikey:

Mikey always loved parties. Even better— he loves taking you to aforementioned parties.

Even if it’s not your thing, he sticks with you the entire time. The sweet tangerine turtle will place his hand on your back ever so slightly, wanting nothing more than to ease you mind of this rambunctious place; oh, what’s that? You want to ditch and get some fresh air? 

Say no more. 

He's already found the perfect place, temperature-wise. If you've made a statement about being too warm, great! He's already found a secluded place with just the right amount of breeze to keep you comfortable. Too cold? Mikey's jacket is coming straight off of his waist and straight onto your body.

He has this way of making you feel like you're the only two people there, even in the middle of a thousand-person crowd. 

He'll lean in close, breath warm against your ear as he whispers some ridiculous commentary about the people around you. Mikey is great at distracting you. Making shitty experiences seem bearable for what they really are.

He looooves taking you on solo walks around the venue you're in; he pays EXTRA attention to what makes you light up as you walk past. If there's a specific vendor... for example, a dessert or drink stand if you're at a party, you best believe that man would watch his wallet run dry if it meant seeing you happy. 

He's not the kind to take you out to an ice cream shop and only buy YOU something because YOU were hungry. He'll get something, too! Probably one of those seasonal flavors that sound goofy... cereal milk? That one screams 'Mikey' to me.

As the night becomes too much, and the moon carries on, you two have probably found your way back to the lair. Or, your apartment. Whichever. 

Of course, when it's just you two and Mikey's attention is on you, he goes from crowd-pleaser --> pleasure-giver.

Contrary to popular opinion, he’d take it slow!

Even if he’s been with other people before, if that’s a general headcanon of yours— you’re one he genuinely cares about. Mikey’s been eyeing you for ages. Now, he’s finally got his hands on you. Slow and steady, he’ll take it— unless asked otherwise. He wants to remember this remember you.

Mikey LOVES taking the lead, and generally prefers it, but only if you explicitly offer it. He will never force a thing, but if you give him the reins, you aren’t getting them back unless you ask nicely 😂

This doesn’t take away from the fact that he also loves when YOU take the reins! Please. By all means, tell him what to do. He is not going to complain. You may actually get him to listen for once in his life 🤷‍♀️

Mikey is a huge (!!) fan of praise; if you compliment him or tell him how good he is at being in charge, he'll work even harder to ensure you're taken care of, confirming that he's earned the position you gave him.

 Looking into it, maybe this comes from him being the youngest! He likes being able to take authority, especially when it’s in something he’s good at with someone he loves.

Reciprocal touch and reassurance are absolute musts for him; he needs to feel you reaching back just as much as he’s reaching for you. If you run your hands over his shell or pull him closer, he practically melts. He’ll often ask if he’s doing a good job or if you’re enjoying yourself, not out of insecurity, but because your verbal and physical confirmation acts like straight gasoline for him. It sets him on fire, gets him going, it’s his fuel. Seeing you lose yourself in the moment because of something he’s doing is the ultimate ego boost for him, and he’ll reward your praise with even more focused attention.

The aftercare with Mikey is legendary and arguably his favorite part of the whole experience. 

He’s a total cuddle bug. He will WRAP HIS LIMBS around you like a koala and refuse to let go. 

He’ll bring you water, of course, find your favorite snacks, and maybe even put on a silly cartoon just to keep the atmosphere light and cozy. He’ll then pepper your face with tired, happy kisses and whisper about how much he loves you until you both drift off. :) 

And then he’ll wake you up with his snores. Because I know he does. He absolutely does.

<3

tag list: 💕🌷🐢

It was Saturday night and you had no plans, no one to see, nothing to do except laze about in your pyjamas with your favourite takeout. It was the kind of relaxing evening you loved, yet you couldn’t reach the contentment you usually felt. You were lonely, simply put. In the past, Leon had always found some reason to contact you on Saturday nights. He’d once asked for your opinion on which socks to wear on Monday morning, clearly looking for any excuse to talk to you. At the time, you’d felt so irritated. Why couldn’t he leave you alone? Now, however, you’d welcome the distraction if it meant hearing his voice again.

Still caught up in your thoughts, you barely missed the sound of something tapping on your window. Was it a bird? Some wayward woodpecker lost in the city?

No, you were more than a little surprised to see it was…Shelldon?! Donnie’s little turtlebot son of all things. You’d seen the little bot flitting around between the floors, either delivering messages or dropping off packages. He always asked for skritches upon completing a job, and you always obliged.

Now, he was outside your window with a sign in his mouth that said ‘LOOK DOWN’.

Look down? That wasn’t ominous at all, but you nodded to the little bot and went out to your balcony to look down at the street. Shelldon whizzed away happily, his job complete, while your gaze fell on none other than Leon holding…a boombox. He was impeccably dressed in one of his nicer-looking suits, a deep navy blue with a tie in a swirling pattern of ocean colours. Beside him on the ground were two items: a bouquet of flowers and some large, flat panels that you could assume were signs of some sort.

A song came belting out of the boombox, and heat flooded your cheeks.

“What are you doing?!” you questioned as the song began to play.

“What I should’ve done a long time ago!” he called back, smiling like a loon.

I gave up a long time ago

Trying to find love

TV told me it was like the movies

But it never was

And I couldn't beat it or join it

So, I just avoided it

Come what may

Then you came

The lyrics hit more deeply than you expected them to, and the embarrassment of what he was doing seemed to melt away.

And I wanna hold you in my arms

I wanna let you break my heart

I wanna feel the way it feels to make you stay

And I know you'll bring me to my knees

I know you're way out of my league

I know I can't afford the price I'm gonna pay

But I want you anyway

Leon was…doing the stereotypical grand romantic gesture—the kind a male lead would make at the very end of a romance movie to profess his love for the female lead. Because of course he would. Leon never did anything halfway; it was go big or go home, as far as he was concerned.

As the music crescendoed, he placed the boombox down in front of himself and went to grab the signs. As though he came straight out of Love Actually, he held up the first one.

I’M SORRY

The second sign read:

I WAS AN IDIOT

At that one, you nodded enthusiastically in agreement, throwing your hands up for good measure.

I WAS SCARED

I DIDN’T WANT TO LET YOU GO

I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BETTER THIS WAY

IT WASN’T RIGHT AND I KNOW THAT NOW

I MISS YOU

CAN WE TALK?

You contemplated this, turning around as though you might refuse his request. He had embarrassed you after all, and made you question whether he had ever had feelings for you. You didn’t want to be completely sucked in by this grandiose gesture without considering all the facts.

Yes, Leon was an idiot, but perhaps he deserved one more chance to prove himself. Turning, you waved him up and watched as he quickly switched off his boombox and pulled one of his katanas from…somewhere before cutting a portal right up to your balcony.

He stepped out right next to you and quietly handed you the flowers. It was an absolutely gorgeous bouquet with white roses, blue hyacinths, baby’s breath and white tulips. There was some lily of the valley tucked in there as well. The flowers were emanating a lovely, sweet scent that you inhaled deeply.

“Donnie and his girlfriend helped put this together for me. It’s an apology bouquet,” he quietly explained, then added, “Yes, I did finally apologize to her.”

“They’re beautiful.” You offered him a small smile.

Leon, who’d been tense but unwilling to admit that, relaxed a fraction. Relief was etched on his expression as he settled into his default, cocky grin.

“The white roses are for sincerity, the tulips symbolize forgiveness, and the blue hyacinths are…for peace, which I am hoping to give you.”

You could feel your emotions starting to get the best of you, with the lump forming in your throat and the shaky breath you drew. You did have feelings for him, this much you knew, but he needed to know what he’d done to you before you allowed this to go any further.

“You…hurt me.” You began, trying to keep your voice strong. “I couldn’t understand why you pushed me away. I thought you’d be happy for me.”

Leon did have the decency to look very regretful of that fact and set about explaining himself. “I am sorry for that, and I am exceedingly happy for you.” He took a deep breath then. “I didn’t want things to change, and I did not handle myself well when you announced you were leaving. This does not excuse my actions; it was wrong of me, and you did not deserve that.”

You listened to his words and felt the beginnings of acceptance, forgiveness, and understanding forming within you. “You pushed me away before I could leave you.”

“…and,” he added softly. “I didn’t want to stand in the way of your dreams. The longer you stayed, the harder it would’ve been to let you go.”

The heaviness you’d been carrying since starting the job seemed to dissipate in that moment. This was what you’d been waiting to hear: a genuine apology. Leon showing some real vulnerability and admitting he was an idiot sat very well with you. More than that, he was pouring his heart out, laying everything he had on the line. This was the real Leon, and the latent feelings you’d held at bay for him came flooding back.

“You’re forgiven.” You laughed softly at his immediate look of surprise, “That was a pretty damn good apology.”

It looked as though his entire body sagged with relief, and he stepped closer to you with a shaky huff of a laugh. “Permission to hug?”

“Granted.” You placed the flowers on a small patio table, opened your arms and, subsequently, your heart, to the possibility of something more with him.

Leon gently pulled you in—his strong arms sliding around you as he tucked his face into your neck. You felt him breathing you in with a shaky exhale, then tightening his embrace a little. “I missed you so much, querida…”

It was almost funny how quickly you relaxed—the comforting familiarity of him washing over you like a warm blanket fresh from the dryer. You both lingered for a long moment. It was more than just a simple hug; it was a moment of healing for both of you.

“I missed you too…Leon.” You murmured against his shoulder before pulling back a little to look at him. He was content to keep his arms around you in a relaxed embrace, his expression soft and contemplative as he smiled.

“Nice to finally hear my name on your lips.” There was a bit of his usual cockiness as he rubbed his hand up and down your back.

Leon was not going to presume you were going to invite him in after all of that. He was committed to giving you peace and all the space you needed to. Regretfully, he released you, his hands finding your shoulders instead as he spoke.

“So…now you know. The rest is up to you.”

Slowly, he leaned in, just enough to kiss you but not enough to close the gap. “I’m happy to have you in my life again, hermosa. Enjoy the rest of your evening.” His lips finally made contact against your cheek before he stepped back completely to allow you the freedom to go back inside.

“What changed?” You had questions and expected honest answers; he did owe you that much.

“Me, I changed. I knew what you thought of me and my ‘lifestyle choices’.” There was no bite to his words, regret possibly for how he used to act around you, but that was it.

Your face grew hot as you were unable to defend yourself or argue back at him. You had thought of him as, well, a fuck-boy, a player by nature. Everything in your life had told you that people didn’t change, so you’d nearly written him off as a potential romantic partner.

But then he had shown you, in small ways, that he was capable of change. The fact that he was present, pouring his heart out to you in the most honest display of affection you’d ever seen, was proof of that.

He took your silence as a means to continue. “…And I began to care for you…as time went on, I realized I didn’t want to be that guy anymore. I wanted to commit to one person and one person only…and I wanted that person to be you.”

You appreciated his honesty on the matter as you felt yourself melt inwardly. Finally, after all this time, he was learning; the small changes you’d noticed had all been leading up to this one moment. All of it depended on you, and the choice was clear: instead of heeding his suggestion, you found yourself saying, “Then there’s just one problem…you missed.”

Catching on immediately, Leon finally graced you with his signature smirk as he stepped in close. “Querida, I never miss…I—”

Cutting him off, you stepped forward, chest brushing against his and arms circling his neck as your heart skipped a beat before you brushed your lips against his in a simple, gentle kiss.

“You did,” you whispered, something you were not sure he heard with his hitching breath. Although from the arms that quickly slid around you, it was clear he got the message.

And he was all in. The next kiss that was initiated by him stole your breath away. You felt his hand tangling itself in your hair while he made a sound of absolute satisfaction. One kiss became many as he slowly coaxed you into opening your mouth for him. His tongue was just as demanding as the rest of him, drawing out a soft moan from you.

By the time you pulled away, both were breathing just a little more heavily. His blue eyes were nearly black with need as he offered a light chuckle.

“Would you like to come in?” you asked abruptly, going for your sliding door and pulling it open.

“I thought you’d never ask mi vida.” He said while gently guiding you in.

You uttered a nervous laugh as you closed the door behind the two of you. Now what? Did you both just get right down to it? Leon seemed to sense your hesitancy and gathered you close to place a soft kiss upon your lips.

“No need to rush into anything.” He kissed your forehead next, and you felt the tension lifting off of your shoulders as though it was never there. “What were you doing before my epic interruption?”

“Promise you won’t laugh?”

“Never.” He gave you a dramatic gasp as though the very idea offended him. “What kind of boyfriend do you take me for?”

“Watching this.” You smirked while clicking on the cheesy romance movie you had on earlier.

It was amusing how fast Leon had migrated over to your couch, excitedly pulling on his tie to loosen it. “This is one of my favourites!”

 This time, you laughed, following him over. “Well then, by all means, please join me.” You eyed him again in his swanky getup and raised your eyebrows. “Aren’t you a bit overdressed?”

“Working on it, querida.” The tie was off and tossed to the ground along with his suit jacket. Then he began unbuttoning the shirt underneath, and your mouth went dry.

Was he…going to strip naked right then and there? You couldn’t say you weren’t intrigued by what lay beneath, but he’d just said—

“There were go.” With the shirt off, he revealed a white tank top underneath, and with the removal of his pants, you saw the most ridiculous pair of boxers in your life.

They were black, dotted with… little tiny cucumbers, and the word ‘fresh’ scattered all around, but what drew your gaze in completely was the one big cucumber right on the crotch, styled in quite a suggestive way.

“Leon…those…” you snorted, trying hard not to laugh. “Those are…” You couldn’t help yourself; the hilarity of his underwear had you bursting out with peals of laughter. “They’re so stupid!” You squeaked, your voice pitched higher from how funny it was.

Leon stood proudly, a smile on his face, as he watched you collapse onto your couch in breathless joy. The kind that could only come from a good laugh. He sat down next to you and gently gathered you close.

“I knew you’d like ‘em.”

Of course, he planned to wear those. You suspected it was a way to ease any awkwardness and/or nerves between the two of you, and it worked. You cuddled up close, throwing a blanket over both of you to stay cozy as the movie played.

Somewhere near the end—the final scene where the two main characters were deep in their dramatic confession of love—you glanced up at him, his features calm for once, and you couldn’t help but trace your fingers along his strong jaw.

He melted a little under your touch and arched his neck a little, hoping you’ll transform your touch to a chin scratch. You were rewarded with a happy rumble as you gave him some skritches there. His arms wrapped around you a little more tightly as he planted a kiss at the corner of your mouth in appreciation.

That wouldn’t do; you wanted a proper kiss. As he turned toward the TV again, you cupped his cheek, guiding him back to your waiting lips. That simple kiss, initiated by you, quickly turned into a heavy makeout session initiated by him.

How had you ended up in his lap? When had you become so embarrassingly turned on? You heard him groan into your mouth, pulling you in more, your hips flush with his as he slid a hand down to squeeze your ass.

That one move elicited a moan of surprise on your part, but you didn’t tell him to stop. If anything, your touches became a little bolder, and you used your hands to explore his unique physique.

He rumbled in appreciation, pulling his mouth away to scatter hot kisses against your neck while also taking in your scent with a deep inhale.

“You are so soft and sweet, mi amor…” he added a few more kisses before he husked, “and I can smell how much you want this…”

Your cheeks turned pink as you buried your face into the spot between his neck and shoulder. Of course, he’d be able to smell that, and you did want this…badly, in fact. You’d wanted him for much longer than you cared to admit.

Still, he needed to hear you say it.

“Querida? Still with me?” he asked softly, pausing his movements while he kissed the side of your head. “Should we stop?”

“No,” you replied softly, lifting your head to meet his somewhat concerned expression. “I want this…I want you, and I’ve waited long enough to have you.”

There was pure admiration in his gaze as he kissed you softly, his hands beginning to wander again, this time, sliding under your shirt to find hidden skin to explore.

“Then you’ll have me, and anything your heart could possibly desire, and then some.” The smirk he was giving you revealed so much more than he was willing to provide. “Permission to make you feel…incredible?”

The suggestive intonation from his voice alone was enough to make you shiver as you nodded, but you still needed to give him some snark. “Big talk from the man who couldn’t even pick out his own ties.”

Leon paused, his expression serious as he requested this of you, “Say your name.”

You spoke your name aloud to him, a bit unsure as to where this was going.

“Say it one more time.”

Squinting, you did as he asked, but a little slower this time.

“Good. I want you to know that’s the last time you’re gonna remember how to say it. Because after I’m through with you? My name is going to be the only thing you remember how to say.”

He chuckled darkly at your shocked expression, standing while scooping you up at the same time. “Trust me, hermosa…”

“Okay, that was pretty good…” Your face was aflame as he carried you down the hall as though you weighed nothing and laid you down, gently, of course. His look was almost predatory as he took his time crawling over you, bending to kiss you deeply first before sitting up and sliding his way back to slide your shirt up and kiss the area just above your waistband.

“In order to make my point, these are going to need to come off…” he looked up at you to see you nod in the affirmative, still blushing, but eager to see if his claims were true.

“Yes, you seem so sure of yourself, Mr. I’m-always-right.” Your teasing him was helping to tamp down your nervousness. It had been a very long time since you’d had a man pleasure you in this manner, and although you did trust Leon to take care of you, it was still slightly difficult to ignore those insecure thoughts of yours.

Leon was already sliding your pyjama shorts off, along with your underwear, as he grinned. “Oh, my sweet, little chiquita, this is something I pride myself on and just look at you…” He gently spread your legs, opening you to him, “All laid out like my favourite dessert.”

“Yeah…?” Still feeling the need to challenge him, you huffed, “It takes me a long time to cum like this, just saying, you might have your work cut out for you.”

You watched as he settled into his front, hooking your legs over his shoulders and placing his hands on your thighs. “Bet I’ll have you screaming in five minutes or less.”

You trembled a little, trying to keep your voice steady. “You’re on…” You glanced at the clock quickly, noting the time as Leon pressed kisses on your inner thighs.

Then he dove in completely, and you gasped. His hot tongue began circling your clit, just carefully at first, taking in your scent, your taste, everything about this most intimate part of your body.

“You taste even better than I imagined.” He murmured, going back to your center, licking and circling relentlessly while you groaned in pleasure.

“Fuck…” You had a feeling you were going to lose this bet. Your thighs were already beginning to tremble, and you gently bit your lip in an effort to keep yourself from whimpering.

He rumbled a soft laugh against your sensitive folds as he brought one of his hands down to caress your opening while his tongue continued its assault on your clit. “May I?” he whispered, his finger poised to enter you.

“Yes…please…” you managed, completely trusting him to be gentle with you.

He slid his finger inside of you slowly. “Good girl…” He hooked it to find that sensitive patch within that made you gasp. With both his tongue and his finger working in tandem, you were rocketing toward your release and trying to clamp your thighs around his head.

You were openly whimpering now, gripping the sheets of your bed and shoving your tank top down to grab your breast and brush your fingertips over your nipples. “Please… please… Leon… I’m so close…” You were breathing faster now, wound so tightly, your release was imminent.

His tongue had found the exact spot on your clit to drive you past the point of no return. He’d also managed to insert a second finger inside of you, stretching you a bit for what came next. “Cum for me, querida…scream…”

Moments later, you were crashing over the precipice with one of the most intense orgasms of your life. You came loudly, unashamed and uncaring of anyone who could possibly hear you, while every muscle in your body tensed and jerked uncontrollably.

Leon lifted his head, looking as smug as he could possibly be while caressing your thighs. “Speechless, mi amor?”

Glancing at the clock, you could see it just hit the five-minute mark, and you groaned, “lucky…shot…” Your breath was still returning to normal as you felt all warm and relaxed, your clit still tingling slightly.

He wiped his mouth with a light chuckle before sitting up completely to cast his gaze upon you. “You are absolutely gorgeous, mi vida…especially like this.” The sight of your body, flushed pink from your recent orgasm, had already caused him to drop, and his erection strained against the fabric.

You watched as he slipped his tank top off and then placed his thumbs into the waistband of those comical boxers, smirking at you. “Would you like to do the honours?”

Having gained back some of your energy, you nodded, curious as all hell to see what he was packing. Although you’d seen him in some ‘questionable’ situations with little to no clothing on, you’d never actually seen his cock. At a glance, you could see that the outline of him was significantly featured against the adjacent cucumber printed on the front of his boxers. He was above average, not surprising since he was a mutant turtleman. Those mutant genes had made him very well-endowed.

Softly, you traced the length of him through the fabric of his underwear and saw him trying to repress his shudder.

“So, this is what you’ve been hiding…” You murmured, pulling the waistband forward a little and then sliding his underwear down and off.

Now, that was a sight to see. His cock curved upward from a slit located at the base of his tail. You’d seen his tail before—his tail and his ass in one of his more ridiculous clothing mishaps. He usually kept it hidden under his clothes, but you could now see that it also housed this. Turtle/human anatomy was fascinating.

The cock itself was a deep purple from the spade-shaped tip to the base as it faded into the green of his skin. It also seemed to have its own natural slick and tapered beautifully into the slit in his tail. Lucky for you, because there was no way he was getting all of this inside of you at once.

“Impressed?” he teased. “Every inch is for you.”

You gave him an experimental stroke, wrapping your hand around him to see that your thumb and forefinger were able to just meet. Instead of offering a clever retort, you were stuck on the sheer size of him. “I…wow, actually, yeah…”

He groaned softly while you touched him, familiarizing yourself with his length.

“All for you…” He breathed. “I can’t wait to be inside of you…”

All of a sudden, you were struck with a sudden thought as you stopped, his cock still in your hand, as you looked up at him with your expression being slightly worried. “Leon…? What about…protection and pregnancy prevention?”

“Huh?” For a moment, he had difficulty processing what you just asked, the pieces slowly falling into place as he noticed how serious you looked. His lust-filled gaze lifted as he gently removed your hand and moved to sit next to you.

“Cariña…I would never put you at risk for anything like that. One of the perks of being a mutant is that nothing sticks—no human illnesses or STI’s to worry about, and next, we likely aren’t capable of fathering children. I know none of my brothers have been able to achieve it with their girlfriends, and they’ve been together for a lot longer.” He paused with a slight smirk, “and in case you haven’t noticed, there aren’t any little me’s running around either.”

You nodded, digesting the information as you leaned into his embrace. “Thank you for being honest about it.” He waited while you cuddled in, mentally sorting through your options, and it wasn’t long before you’d made your decision. It took a lot of trust to let someone in like this, and you felt the very essence of comfort and safety in his arms. “That’s good enough for me.”

 He kissed your brow with a contented hum, silently thanking the powers that may be. “I can be more careful if you’re worried, I can get condoms or pull out instead of—.”

“No, I want you to…” You said, stroking him gently again.

“Want…me to what?” He was finding himself getting distracted by your touch again as he exhaled sharply.

“To…to cum inside of me…” you whispered, blushing again.

The look he gave you then, as he cupped your face and kissed you, was one of pure admiration and love. It warmed your heart and made your stomach flip deliciously.

“Your wish is my command, cariña…” he kissed you again more deeply as he gathered you onto his lap before leaning back against the collection of pillows and the headboard of your bed. His hands were everywhere, touching, caressing, and squeezing as he practically devoured your mouth. Using his strength, he lifted you slightly just enough that you were hovering right above his cock.

“Tell me if anything hurts?” he requested, sensing a slight case of nerves on your part. “If you want to stop at any time, just say the word. Any. Time. Doesn’t matter if I’m ‘balls deep’ inside of you, if you want to stop, we’ll stop.”

You were slightly nervous, but very relieved with how serious he seemed about consent. Underneath it all, there was the thrill of excitement, too. You smiled, giving him a nod. “I will. Go slow.”

Leon slid one of his hands down to your center, circling your clit while he lined himself up with your entrance. “Relax for me, querida…don’t think, just let yourself feel.”

You nodded, hands tight on his shoulders as you carefully lowered yourself down. The tip of him breached your entrance, pulling a soft gasp from your lips. So far, so good, feeling a little more confident, you sank down further and felt the stretch. Wincing slightly, you paused.

His gentle encouragement was right there, helping you along. “Relax…I got you…you don’t have to take all of me at once.” He could see you were trembling, your thighs quivering as you breathed.

“Okay…I’m okay…” slowly, you took a little more of him, moaning softly while his thumb worked, sending small sparks of pleasure to help further relax your inner muscles.

“That’s it…mi amor…you are doing so well, taking me so well…” he groaned something about how tight you felt, and how incredible you felt around his cock.

As the pain from the stretch dissipated, you felt him nearly bottom out inside of you and gained a sense of pride. “I did it…” You leaned to kiss him as you shifted slightly on his lap, his cock buried deep as if it belonged there.

Your turtle lover moaned into the kiss, finding your hips and working them into a slow grind. “Do you know how incredible you are? I’m going to make you feel so good, querida…”

Just the slow, tentative hip movements had you making soft sounds of appreciation. You rolled your hips with his, relishing the shallow thrusts until you felt the need for more.

“So good…” You moaned. “Leon…you can go a little faster…”

His grin was positively sinful as he husked, “If my queen wants more, who am I to deny her?”

His next thrust was deep enough to elicit a cry of surprise from you, as you dug your nails into the tough skin of his shoulders.

“Too much?” he asked, gauging your reaction.

“No…keep going!” you wiggled your hips impatiently, hearing him laugh softly.

“Better hold on tight, querida…” Leon began a series of powerful thrusts, harder and deeper than anything you’d ever felt from a man. It was almost life-changing; you never knew sex could feel like this.

Your cries became louder, your grip on him tightening as your entire body grew warmer and your thighs began to shake.

“Fuuuck…” you gasped, your breath quickening. This was happening faster than you would’ve liked. You were dangerously close to another orgasm, but you didn’t want this to be over yet.

Leon seemed to agree, driving you down onto his cock was deeply enjoyable, he loved the way your breasts bounced and leaned to capture one of your nipples, sucking it with a very slight pinch of his teeth.

“Shit, Leon…I’m…!”

He released it with a slight pop. “Yeah, baby…?” he sounded a bit breathless while maintaining his rhythm. “I don’t want you to cum yet…not yet…”

It was seconds later that he was changing the position, lying you back on the bed while swiftly throwing your legs over his shoulders and kneeling with his hands on your thighs. “Gonna fuck you like this, watch you cum beautifully for me, just like this…”

He began again, driving into you impossibly deeper, watching with a dark-lidded gaze as you fisted the sheets, moaning with abandon.

The way his unique cock was kissing the most intimate parts of you, finding that sensitive bundle of nerves within and hitting it over and over, was indescribable to say the least.

You were crying out with each thrust now, your body flushed and trembling. Release was imminent, and every muscle in your body was beginning to tense.

“I can feel you, querida…I know you’re close…cum on my cock, baby…let me see how beautiful you look…” Just then, he brought his thumb back to your clit again, rubbing it in quick circles to tip you over the edge completely.

Your vision grew white as you screamed his name. You arched right off the mattress, your legs shaking as you rode out waves upon waves of pleasure. Your inner muscles had clamped down on him like a vice, and Leon growled, thrusting hard.

“That’s it, mi amor…now I’m going to fill you up…show everyone that you’re mine…beautiful…perfect…mine…”

Leon came with a groan you could feel, the warmth of his release filling the depths of your inner workings, making you gasp softly. He delivered a few more weak thrusts, keeping all that essence as deep as it could go before he sagged, collapsing on his forearms.

Both of you took a moment to breathe with you  laughing softly and he with a stupidly smug grin on his face.

“So…how would you rate your experience? Amazing? Incredible? Outstanding?” he waggled his eye-ridges teasingly, making you laugh more.

“Not humble at all.” You snorted. “I would say that was…adequate.” You smirked as he scoffed in mock offence.

“Adequate? Cariña, if this wasn’t up to your standards…” he bent his head to speak directly in your ear. “I’ll just have to try even harder to fuck you next time.”

His deep husk and lascivious words made you shiver, and you gave an involuntary squeeze on his softening length, slowly retreating from your body.

He hissed softly, moving to kiss you. “You like that kind of talk, I’ll keep that in mind.” He looked like he’d just discovered something that was both fun and illegal, clearly planning out your next encounter as he pulled out of you.

“Breathtaking,” you said finally, as he gathered you close, neither of you paying any mind to the mess between your legs yet. “I can’t put it into words, actually, it was the best sex I’ve ever had…” But you were sure he had, and the thought made you kind of sad, how so many women before you had experienced this exact moment.

Leon had paused, his features becoming concerned as you’d gone quiet and contemplative after that.

“Then why do you look sad, hermosa?” he cupped your cheek, gently turning your face toward his.

“It’s…nothing. It’s silly,” you said, averting your gaze.

“Talk to me, tell me what’s happening in that pretty little head of yours.”

 Blowing out a breath, you did turn to look at him. “I’m just…thinking about how I’m not the first, third or even the fifth woman to experience this with you. I’ve had other partners too, but none that could ever compare to you.”

The next words were left unspoken, but Leon knew what you meant. You believed that you weren’t anything special; there had been plenty of other women who’d been in this exact position with him. Reacted like you, made the same sounds as you, and likely said the same things as you. What made you stand out? Why did he pick you?

“Querida…” he spoke softly, reverently as he ran his knuckles down the side of your face. “Yes, I’ve had quite a few partners…and I can’t say every one of those encounters was meaningless, but ever since you came into my life, I knew you were special and it was all I could do to distract myself. I knew you weren’t interested. I thought my feelings of infatuation would fade either by taking other partners or just being content with having you as my friend and assistant.”

“But that changed,” you said, running your thumb along the edge of one of the red crescent markings framing his face. “It was the elevator, wasn’t it?

“Yeah…it was the day that I realized I might be falling in love with you.” The words were said softly and honestly, him maintaining eye contact while he stroked your hair.

Your heart skipped a beat, hammering in your chest as you felt the warmth of his confession deep within your soul. You held strong feelings for him as well, but did not feel ready to declare your love for him in return just yet.

Luckily, he seemed nonplussed by your lack of a response and kept going. “But I knew I wasn’t ready, I needed to make some changes, starting with myself. I thought perhaps I could give you a better job within the company, a better position where I was no longer your superior.” He chuckled softly, “but you, the clever woman you are, solved that issue yourself, and I was just too stupid at the time to see that.”

You clicked your tongue, tsking at him playfully. “Yes, you were, you may be an idiot, but you’re my idiot.”

He snorted softly, smiling as he continued, “I thought I’d completely blown my chances with you. Don was the one to convince me otherwise; now I owe him one.” He laughed ruefully.

“Don’t make him wait,” you said. “I think I might need to offer my own thoughts and appreciation.”

Leon gathered you close again, kissing your forehead and sliding his hand down the curve of your back. “I chose you because you’re smart, strong, and you challenge me in ways I never thought possible. No one else could call me out on my bullshit as you do. In my time as your boss, I know I asked more of you than I should’ve, it was selfish, and I vow never to take advantage of you like that again for as long as I have you.”

You were not going to cry, damn him; still, your voice was a little shaky and thick as you tried to form a response. “In the beginning, I…probably wouldn’t have thought I could go off on my own to get a career. It wasn’t until I started working with you that I realized I was meant for so much more. It also meant that I would need to separate myself from you, and I thought it would be a clean break; we’d wish each other well, and that would be it. Then we had to get stuck in that damn elevator together.” You laughed softly. “And then you made me fall for you, taking care of me when I was sick? Making sure I didn’t make the mistake of being with that guy at the conference? I knew you were jealous, and I was going to follow through anyway, and then I couldn’t, and you weren’t going to follow through with that woman either.”

“No,” he admitted. “It was already too late for me at that point.”

“I realized you were changing, but at that point it was too late, I’d had my interview and gotten the job.” You almost sounded regretful, and Leon was not about to let you think like that.

“Cariña, don’t you see? Everything happened as it should. You had to take that job, and I needed to let you go so you could chase your dreams. I am so proud of you for going after what you wanted, and once I got out of my head, I wanted to be everything you needed, even if it meant supporting you as a friend. I stand here as a lucky man, grateful to have been given another chance with you.”

This time, you couldn’t suppress the light sob building up in your chest with the onslaught of emotions you were feeling and buried your face in his neck while hugging him as tightly as you could.

I love you.

It was unspoken, but it was there, and he felt it deep within his soul. No matter the hardships he’d endured, the trauma of saving the world, or the difficulty of integrating himself and his brothers into regular society, he’d gladly do it all again if it meant being led to you. You, a positive force of nature, spreading your light and warmth wherever you went. Having you be the one to hold his heart was by far one of the best decisions he could have ever made.

He felt your love in your actions, your voice, and the way you carried yourself a little higher, with all the confidence you possessed, when he told you how wonderful you were.

Yes, Leon had been the death of you, but in such a way that actually meant you’d been reborn, now a stronger, more capable, and confident version of yourself, ready to take on the world with him by your side.

There was nothing the two of you could not handle. You’d be a power couple by default, but a loving and supportive one by nature. Logic dictated that, throughout their lives, most people remained who they were, and yet Leon was solid proof that change was possible. All it had taken was a little push, and you’d been more than willing to shove him in the right direction. You’d challenged him to confront his flaws and softened him into someone he could truly be proud of. In return, he was going to love you for the rest of his days, and you were committed to loving him fully and completely.

This was how your story of finding romantic love had come to be, not the end but the beginning of something beautiful.

Roll credits.

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Leonardo Hamato was going to be the death of you.

When you first applied for this job, you had no idea exactly how it would play out. Oh, did you quickly learn.

Leonardo, brother of Donatello Hamato, CEO of Genius Built, was head of the Marketing Department. With his silver tongue, he oozed charisma and charm, setting up important meetings and closing business deals. He was the obvious choice for such a role. He was also downright full of himself, cocky as all hell, self-serving—most of the time—and completely insufferable.

You swore he sometimes tried to make your life more difficult, and that man never missed a shot.

Calling you at midnight because he couldn’t find his favourite shirt? You knew exactly where it was. Covering up the latest scandal he’d gotten himself into? You had the legal team on speed dial. Even completely ridiculous requests, such as finding this very specific brand of sparkling water. You’d had to go to three stores to find it, but you did—you did it all, and through it all, you wondered how in the heck someone like him was in such a highly respected position.

The thing about Leo, or Leon, as he preferred to be called, was that despite his carefree attitude and unrestrained nature, he was entirely competent when he wanted to be, scarily so. He did the job, and he did it well. Genius Built had skyrocketed in popularity under his leadership, and you couldn’t begrudge him for that.

You could, however, begrudge him for the number of women this man seemed to rake in. It seemed like every other week there was someone new. Girlfriends never lasted long with him. As soon as it came time for him to commit, he’d bail. There had been at least ten women (that you’d seen) in the year since you’d come to work for him—not that you were counting, because of course you weren’t. You’d rather not know at all, but he had no qualms about showing off how ‘popular’ he was

The man may have been a mutant turtle, but he was devastatingly handsome, and he knew it. Charm and good looks were his tools of the trade, and very few people were immune to his beguiling ways.

Not you, though. When you first got hired, he’d tried, just like Flynn Rider with the smoulder. Leon had tried flirtatiously sidling up next to you with promises of wining and dining you so the two of you could ‘get to know each other better’.

You shut that down immediately. You were there to work, and fraternizing with your boss was a complete faux pas. At first, you were offended that he’d even tried that with you. It took a few serious conversations for him to finally concede that he might be wrong. To his credit, there were no further attempts at ‘seduction’ from that moment forward.

He still infuriated you on a daily basis, though. Not only did you have your daily tasks, but you were also essentially babysitting a grown-ass man who somehow was stumbling his way through life in a very prestigious position.

For the most part, you were content with your work despite his ridiculous demands. It was temporary, after all.

This job was meant to be a stepping stone for you anyway. You were trying to climb the corporate ladder to a position of power and respect. You were a highly educated woman, and it was not your life’s dream to be an assistant to the one Leonardo Hamato.

You had no idea how much he admired you.

*****

Leonardo liked comfort and familiarity. Once he became comfortable with something, he wanted to hold on to it and never let it go. Not the most rational notion, but after the complete chaos of events leading up to and following the attack on the city, he needed something that did not require him to think too much.

You were an enigma, challenging him in ways he hadn’t expected. He was actually ashamed of himself for how he’d acted on that first week you were hired. Very quickly, he’d learned that you were not going to take any shit, especially from him.

…And he loved that about you.

But he knew your opinion of him wasn’t the greatest, so he did what he did best: he deflected, threw himself into his distractions, which more often than not happened to be other women.

It wasn’t his intention to have you believing he was a complete rake; it was easier for him to cast his mind to thoughts of you while being in the arms of another.

While he did occasionally send you off on a mundane task once in a while, he preferred the ones that made you come to him, especially in the off-hours. He relished in creating interactions where the two of you could just talk, and he’d tell you anything if you so much as asked about it.

Currently, he was pacing about his large walk-in closet in nothing but his white button-down and a pair of black boxers. You should consider yourself lucky he was clothed; you’d seen him in far less. You were tasked with choosing the perfect tie for him to wear at the upcoming conference, in which the two of you would be in attendance. Secretly, he believed having you there would bring him luck in closing the deal with a few key individuals.

You were asking him about the recent gala where he’d served as the bartender, and you nearly dropped every single one of the ties you had lined up on your arm when he told you what he’d said to his brother and his potential new girlfriend.

“Sir, you didn’t!” you’d gasped, “in front of Donnie and his date?! You have a death wish, don’t you?”

Leon laughed, completely disregarding your question while plucking a tie from your arm and holding it up to his neck. “Is this one too green? I feel like it will deflect from my natural emerald, don’t you think?”

Sighing in quite the long-suffering way you did every time he said something stupid, you peered at him, examining his face for a moment. “Well…judging from the fact you don’t look bruised, I’m guessing Donnie didn’t maim you after that lovely comment.”

“Oh, come on, Chiquita, it was all in good fun! Ol’ Dontron knew I wasn’t actually aiming to steal his girl, I was just giving him a little push, and it worked, you should’ve seen how they danced.” For a moment, he waltzed himself around the room, humming to the classical tune that had been playing before stopping in front of you.

You quickly fought away your blush as he leaned in close for a moment.

“He was aiming to kiss her on that dance floor and would have if not for the speeches.”

His face was so close to yours you could feel the soft puff of his breath on your forehead, gently stirring up the fine hairs on your head that had managed to free themselves from your bun.

“And…they left together, and I know he stayed the night.”

Slowly, you drew back, coughing slightly from the awkward implication and bringing it back to your original point.

“Still, Sir, that is no excuse for what you said. Apologize to her.”

“It’s no big deal, she knew I wasn’t—”

You nearly whipped a tie at his face as you pursed your lips in annoyance. “You blatantly flirted with her, knowing that she was there with your brother, embarrassed her, and you're assuming she’s just fine with that? You'd better apologize, Leonardo Hamato.”

“Ooh, I like it when you get feisty…”

That comment earned him an eye roll and a disapproving click of your tongue. Much like a parent with their child, you fixed him with a pointed stare while crossing your arms expectantly. This was your superpower: he rarely listened to anyone, but he would listen to you.

“Fine! I’ll apologize…” he huffed. “Eventually,” he added quietly.

Nodding, you presented him with a blue tie, his favourite, and the one that went with everything. “This is the one. Pair with the grey, pinstriped suit.”

He beamed, taking it and placing it on the suit in question. “This is why I love ya.” He smirked, teasing you a bit.

You let out the faintest hint of a laugh as you reached to grab your purse and coat. “Will that be all for tonight, Sir?”

“…Yes.” Did you detect a hint of reluctance in his voice? “Thank you, and enjoy your weekend, do something fun for yourself.” Softly, he added, “You deserve it.”

With your back to him halfway to his door, you turned slightly and smiled, “Thank you, Sir.”

“Leon,” he corrected, though he knew you’d never call him anything but Sir as long as you kept the boss-and-personal-assistant dynamic. You’d drawn that line in the sand the minute you began working for him, but he still tried, hoping to hear his name on your lips. When he didn’t, he added, “Goodnight, mi querida.”

“…Goodnight.” You replied, softer this time, nodding before heading home to your apartment. Curse him for being infuriating one moment and sweet the next. He was still a complete rake, with enough scandals under his belt to make the National Enquirer blush. Another would seriously affect the company. No, you couldn’t allow yourself to be drawn in like those other women; you had more self-respect than that, and nothing was going to jeopardize your position at this company.

It was better to keep your head down. You could endure the Spanish terms of endearment and get the man his chai latte, not from the Starbucks directly across from the building, but from a locally owned coffee shop several blocks down the street, tucked neatly inside a little bookshop—a blink-and-you’d-miss-it place. You’d taken to leaving for work fifteen minutes early just to give yourself extra time to get his drink order from this place because Starbucks didn’t do it right.

Picky bastard, he was lucky you liked the extra walk and found the bookstore adorable. You’d gotten several good books from there as well.

When prompted, Leo would say he preferred supporting small business owners, which you did believe was true. Picky with a purpose, because you’d come to learn that behind every action appeared to be a well-thought-out plan. Some you still couldn’t verify, but with everything he did, there was some kind of ulterior motive.

It was as though he had a plan for every conceivable outcome. He liked to be prepared, taking everything into account before committing. He was the one who looked for all the possible ways to exit a room upon entering. At the same time, however, he could appear totally unhinged and nearly impossible to rein in. He was the very definition of "if he wanted to, he would."

There was so much more to Leonardo Hamato than what lay just below the surface, and though you didn’t know it yet, the walls were all about to come crashing down. A figurative tornado of emotions, ready to sweep you off your feet.

And it all began with an elevator.

*****

On top of being your daily pain in the ass, Leon Hamato was the self-proclaimed office prankster. Most of his pranks were juvenile annoyances, like unplugging all the USB sticks for the mice or taping air horns under their adjustable office chairs. No one was safe, especially not you, and anyone willing to retaliate by pranking him was praised. Leo loved being pranked almost as much as he enjoyed pranking others. Not from you, however, even though you were on the receiving end of many of them.

This particular day had begun with you fussing over his outfit and matching tie while scolding him yet again for pranking the Treasurer by swapping the ink cartridges in his fountain pens from blue to red. All those documents would need to be redone with the correct ink colour. He also encased your fob key in Jell-O. He knew it was your favourite flavour and probably assumed you could eat your way to it.

You and Leon were on your way to a board meeting a few floors up. The heads of the department were convening for the monthly debriefing to discuss how finances would be allocated over the next four weeks.

It wasn’t as if you had to accompany him; assistants were not required. However, in pure Leonardo fashion, he’d insisted on having you there with him. Since his twin brother was the CEO, he could pretty much get away with most things. His requests for a personal sauna for his office and the staffroom candy bar had been swiftly shot down, though.

When confronted about the fob key prank, he blew out a soft huff of air and shrugged. “Couldn’t have been me. What proof do you have?”

You gave him the most deadpan look you could manage. “I know it was you, no one else in the office knows blueberry Jell-O is my favourite.”

“You wound me, cariña,” he gasped, clutching his hand to his chest dramatically. “To think I would dare such a thing…it cuts me deeply.”

You were already pushing his dramatic ass into the elevator, ending his little display of amateur theatre with a sigh of exasperation. “Uh-huh, I feel so broken up at that notion. Now get in, or we’ll be late.”

This, he allowed you to do, straightening up once the doors closed and the elevator began moving.

“Aaaanyway, didja see that episode of So You Think You Can Dance?” He began rambling on about his favourite dances, seemingly completely unbothered, while crossing his arms behind his head as the elevator went up. He paced around, stumbling a bit on his black dress shoes, causing you to do your best to hide your smirk and soft snort of laughter.

“I saw that.” He smirked, presenting you with a particularly knowing grin, eyebrows raised, like a dog about to run for the stick that was about to be thrown.

“You saw nothing, Sir.” You replied, maintaining your composure as best you could.

“Uh huh…you think I’m funny, I knew it all along.” He chuckled to himself triumphantly.

Again, you rolled your eyes, giving him a small grin of your own. “Very well, Sir, considering slapstick is the lowest form of comedy, you’re hilarious.”

Although he didn’t say so, he loved it when you challenged him, craved it even. “Then I’ll just have to try a little harder,” He’d turned to you, looking down on you smugly, bringing his face a little closer to yours.

For a long moment, you held his gaze, a greenish-brown that was both warm and inviting. There was a certain softness in his eyes reserved only for you, and you feared you’d drown in them if you stayed a few seconds longer.

That was the exact moment you both felt the elevator stutter and stop completely with a jolt. In the shock of it all, you’d grabbed onto his upper arms while he laughed, resisting the urge to pull you closer to his chest.

The power had obviously been cut, leaving only the emergency lights on. Being the strategist he was, Leon was already assessing the situation as he gently patted your shoulders. “Calm, mi vida. It’s just a power outage. I’m sure they’ll fix it momentarily.”

“S-sorry, Sir,” you said, backing away from him, slightly embarrassed you’d reached for him at all.

“No need to apologize, it looks like we have some time to kill.” He was already removing his suit jacket and placing it on the elevator floor.

Assuming it was meant for him to sit down, you prepared to remain standing, unwilling to sit on the questionable floor of this elevator. “I suppose we do.” You crossed your arms and sighed softly to yourself. Given how long it could take to fix the elevator, standing for an indeterminate amount of time in your heels would not be a pleasant experience.

You jumped slightly as he cleared his throat. “For the lady, please sit.” He was gesturing like a gentleman, but, as with everything this man did, it was exaggerated to the point of being ridiculous, and your first inclination was to refuse out of pride for yourself.

“I’m fine.” You replied stiffly.

“Very well.” Shrugging, he sank to the floor beside his abandoned jacket. “Great view of your legs from here,” he noted casually, laughing when your hands found the edges of your skirt and your face coloured with a blush.

That asshole. You knew he wouldn’t stop until you listened to him, and you cursed yourself for the pencil skirt and blouse combo you’d chosen to wear that day. You groaned inwardly, carefully lowering yourself to the floor and gingerly settling on the smooth silk of the inner lining.

“That was easy,” he crossed his arms and leaned back in a more reclined position, settling in comfortably.

You didn’t note the way his eyes followed the curve of your soft thighs, and the way your skirt rode up just a little as you sat yourself down on his jacket. You’d busied yourself with getting as comfortable as you could while maintaining your professional demeanour.

After a few seconds of silence, you suddenly realized something in a moment of frustration. “Aren’t you a ninja? With powers? Can’t you get us out of here?”

That jerk just laughed, making no move to do anything. “…Mmmaybe, but I think it might be safer to wait it out.” Unbeknownst to you, he had an inkling that his twin was behind this, payback for the fact that he still hadn’t apologized for the gala yet. “I couldn’t very well ‘ninja my way out’ without taking off my suit anyway, and I don’t have my swords. You that eager to see me stripped down to my skivvies?”

“No,” you scoffed, muttering, having already seen him in such a state by accident in the past. “Some ninja you are.”

Leon didn’t respond, just remained completely unbothered while watching you with amusement.

“Great,” you groaned softly. “You’re definitely not making that meeting, and that’s going to push back your phone appointment, and then you have an interview…your lunch break will have to be pushed and—.”

“Whoa, whoa, be calm, querida, I’m the boss man, remember? I call the shots around here, and I say I’m indisposed for the next hour.” He relaxed again, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Very well…” You tapped the toe of your heel on the floor. “Now, what do we do?”

“We could talk.” He suggested, as if it were the most obvious choice. “You know, talking, the thing people do to get to know each other.”

“You know me.” You deflected, averting your gaze.

“Do I? All I really know is that you like blueberry jello and hate my pranks. You get this little grin when I make my appointments on time and the day’s events move in an orderly fashion. You also find me completely insufferable, and your nose scrunches up when you sass me.” He chuckled softly.

You tried not to outwardly sputter and turned to him slightly with a clear look of indignation on your features. “Because you are! You have no regard for your schedule; you just do whatever your little heart desires. You send me out on the most asinine errands and call me up at midnight for the dumbest reasons! And then there’s your personal life! I’ve had to call your legal team twice last month! Did you really need to be caught with the girlfriend of the CEO of our rival company in his limo?!”

Without meaning to, like a rubber band that had been stretched too tight, you’d snapped; you couldn’t stop yourself and poured out every last one of your frustrations as you were trapped in this stupid elevator with him.

“Sometimes I don’t even know why you hired me!” You’d crossed your arms and turned away again, cursing yourself silently. Now he was going to fire you, you idiot.

The elevator was uncomfortably silent for a minute or so until Leon started laughing, not just a chuckle but a full-on belly laugh, until he was practically crying. “That was great,” he said, wiping his eyes. “Do you feel better now?”

Once the shock wore off, you nodded. Strangely, you did feel better and released a breath you didn’t know you’d been holding. “Yes, Sir…” pausing, you added, “I like…reading, I like that little bookstore you make me walk to every day for your chai latte. I like watching romantic movies and nerdy ones. I love reality shows like Dancing with the Stars and Nailed It. I have a cat named Bluebell, and prefer tea over coffee.” You shrugged slowly. “That’s the gist of it, happy?”

“Very.” He replied, grinning ear-to-ear, before leaning in close. “I feel very close to you right now.” Raising one eye-ridge flirtatiously, he continued. “I say we discuss this further, over dinner…happy ending guaranteed.”

This ass, you could smack him, “Sir!” You pushed gently on his chest while trying to hide your blush. “Please, that was not an invitation for…that.”

Pulling back, he rumbled out another laugh. “I know, querida, I was kidding.” Getting relaxed once again, he crossed one leg over the other before continuing. “And I am sorry, I don’t mean for you to always be the one to clean up my messes. I’ll do better.”

You peered suspiciously at him, looking for signs that he may be lying. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“You deserve it, and as for why I hired you? You’re the best.” He answered simply.

You hid your smile, nodding quietly. “Thank you, Sir.”

For the next forty-five-ish minutes, you talked, really talked. Leon was especially chatty, even letting certain things slip, making you privy to some of his innermost secrets. You’d had no idea the man had an affinity for romantic comedies—the cornier, the better. He now knew you liked watching them too—mostly because you enjoyed picking them apart and exposing obvious plotlines. It wasn’t just collecting Jupiter Jim memorabilia and bingeing those movies. Leon was a huge nerd in many ways.

“Don’t tell anyone, Chiquita, it could ruin my ‘impeccable’ reputation.” He said, placing a dramatic hand on his chest.

You snorted softly, rolling your eyes slightly, “Don’t worry, Sir. I’ll keep your ‘guilty pleasure’ under wraps.”

“This is why you’re the best.” He said it so easily, with confidence, expressing how much he appreciated you. Something within you began to soften. He really wasn’t as annoying as you’d originally thought.

You were so lost in conversation that he startled you by suddenly standing. “Yo, Donnie, I think you’ve had your fun. I’ll apologize, alright, I promise.”

The elevator abruptly began to move, still on its journey upward even though the meeting would’ve been concluded by now. Leo strolled on out like he owned the place, with you following close behind.

“Could you have said that at any time?!” you hissed.

“Yep, knew it was DonTron messing with me.” He was so nonchalant about it, heading to the boardroom to see his brother exiting. The two shared a knowing look, a silent understanding between the twins that you couldn’t decipher if you tried. Donnie handed him his notes, and that was it. He abruptly turned and handed them to you before heading back to the elevator.

“Welp, that’s that, a job well done!”

“B-bu—” you managed, quickly following after him. “That’s it?”

“Yep! Go ahead and take five.” He pushed the button and waited.

“O-okay, Sir.” You shuffled the papers in your hands and took a breath. Watching the numbers slowly illuminate floor by floor, the idea of taking the elevator suddenly became less than appealing. “Um, Sir?” You lightly tapped him, causing him to tilt his head down to look at you.

“Can we take the stairs?”

*****

Your head was pounding, and for once it wasn’t related to anything Leon had done. You were sick; your sinuses were sore, your nose was blocked, and your voice sounded unrecognizable because your vocal cords were red and swollen. You had already called in sick for the next few days and sent Leon your notes and the updates to his schedule. You told him specifically not to call you for anything; he either needed to be dying or the world ending.

He, for the most part, had been surprisingly respectful of your request. It seemed he recognized that you were genuinely ill and was giving you the time you needed to recover. It was nice… and yet you were still somewhat suspicious of how quiet he was being.

While sitting shivering on the couch, wrapped in a cocoon of blankets, you sneezed, wincing as the action made you feel as though you were swallowing shards of glass. This sucked. You could barely muster the energy to feed yourself, and moving in any direction made your head feel worse.

A knock on your apartment door made you groan. “Please go away…” You murmured.

A moment later, you heard the door unlock and slowly open. Blearily, you wondered who could’ve had your key. You’d only given it to one close friend in the case of an emergency and…Leon. Oh, no.

“Sir?” You squeaked out, slowly turning your head to see that it was indeed him. After closing your door, he started making his way into your small kitchen.

“Don’t talk, no need to strain your voice,” he said, placing several bags on your counter.

Instead of heeding his request, you shifted slightly to see what he was doing. “You didn’t have to come…I’m fine…just gotta wait it out.”

“Querida, what kind of boss would I be if I knew my faithful assistant was gravely ill?” He was pulling out what appeared to be a thermos, a box of tea, and a jar of honey. From the other bag, he removed cold medication and lozenges.

“What is all that?”

Putting on his best Lou Jitsu impression, he gestured dramatically to the little silver thermos. “Hooot SOUP! Courtesy of Mikey.” He declared proudly. “Chicken noodle, homemade of course and just the thing for this nasty cold to go bye-bye.”

Before you could protest, the man was filling up one of your bowls and bringing it over to where you sat. He was surprisingly gentle as he placed the bowl in your hands, helping you adjust before asking, “You got it?” Maybe it was the fever making you delirious, but the way he spoke was creating all kinds of nice feelings in your belly.

“Got it, thank you…” You rasped, taking the spoon to your lips and blowing off the steam before giving it a taste. “Mm…” the soup was good, really good. Thankfully, you still retained this of your five senses so you could enjoy every spoonful.

Leon looked pleased once you had eaten the whole bowl. You declined the offer of a second bowl, so he made you a cup of tea instead. “Now, you know I don’t like to brag…” You snorted at this, “but this little blend is what I like to call: The Coldinator.” He added a tablespoon of honey to the cup and stirred. “Did I ever tell you about Dad’s rat flu? This tea was a lifesaver.”

He hadn’t, and you shook your head at him, giving him the go-ahead to begin a tale, the likes of which you’d never heard before. The tea was actually quite pleasant, the honey added a hint of sweetness and soothed your throat.

“Don’t worry, Donnie created a vaccine a long time ago.” He snorted softly. “Can you imagine the onslaught of chaos if that were ever to hit the general public?”

You shook your head, unwilling to speak any longer since it was far too painful. You winced again as even turning your head caused you pain, and you closed your eyes in discomfort.

Not only did Leon notice, but he was also immediately up, rifling through one of the bags for something else. Moments later, a pill and a glass of water were being carefully pushed into your hands. “Here. Take one of these, and then it’s time for you to sleep.”

You took it, realizing it was an Advil cold and sinus tablet and realized you’d need to go to the bathroom first before sleep.

Gingerly, you moved to stand, and quick as a flash, Leon was right there, helping you stand and dutifully walking you to the bathroom. Thankfully, he did let you handle that on your own, but stood like a sentry on the other side, waiting for you to come out. After finishing your business, you were helped into bed and tucked in at that. Your body was shivering again at the sudden change in temperature. Your warm blankets on the couch had been swapped with room-temperature sheets, and you whimpered softly as a cool hand was placed on your forehead.

“You’re burning up, querida…the medicine should help.”

All you could manage was a nonsensical reply as your body finally calmed and you closed your eyes. With sleep on the horizon, you began to drift off. You could have chalked it up to a fever dream, but you swore you felt the press of a soft pair of cool lips on your forehead just before sleep claimed you.

You were out like a light for the next eight hours.

As you woke, you still weren’t completely recovered—not like you’d be magically cured after one night, like in the cartoons—but you did feel slightly better, your headache wasn’t as bad, and you were able to pull yourself out of bed and wrap yourself in a fluffy blanket before shuffling into the hall.

You half-expected Leon to be gone, but what surprised you more than seeing him sleeping deeply on your couch was that your main room was spotless. Everything was so clean; the mess he’d made on your counter was gone. All the cold medicine had been gathered in a neat little pile, your dirty dishes had been cleaned, and there was a fresh teabag in your cup, with hot water in your kettle on the keep-warm setting.

Just as you were about to pour water into the cup, a quiet snort from the couch made you jump. Turning—slowly because you still had a slight headache—you saw your boss, limbs stretched out, one leg on the couch, and one leg off, with one of your throw blankets wrapped haphazardly around his middle. He was softly snoring and still dressed in his rumpled shirt. A few of the top buttons had come undone, revealing a peek of his sunny yellow plastron beneath. His turtle anatomy had always been a source of fascination to you, and aside from the occasional clothing mishap…you did not see much more than his face or hands on a daily basis.

It amused you that he and his brothers used to gallivant around the city practically naked when they were teens. Nowadays, clothes were their standard way of being as they lived their lives as citizens of New York. There was something quietly intimate about seeing him like this, vulnerable, and his rambling mouth quiet for once.

He was also murmuring in his sleep, and it suspiciously sounded like your name. What could he be dreaming about?

“Please, mi amor…please put me out of my misery…”

A slow smile crept across your face as you stopped to listen.

“You always stack the papers so nice…oops, dropped my pen, get it for me…bend over…just like that…your ass is so pretty…”

Your cheeks were aflame now. Was he serious?! A fantasy that involved you picking up his pen?! His sleep talking would just get more ridiculous as you continued to listen.

“Gimme a slice of that cake…you’re like a sexy Viennetta.”

This time, you nearly choked on your own spit, trying not to laugh when you saw one of his eyes slowly crack open. Quickly, you turned to go back into the kitchen, hiding your face as he slowly sat up, yawning.

“Hey…feeling better?”

“Yep!” You answered much too quickly. “I’m much better…” Your voice still had a decent rasp to it, but you at least felt less like you were dying.

“Good, now, sit, I’m making you breakfast.” He rose, giving his body a good stretch that had you sneaking a glance, and then he was shooing you out of your kitchen, ignoring your protests that you could do it yourself.

“B-but, Sir! Don’t you have…” You’d been effectively sent to timeout on your couch as you peeked at your phone, gasping softly. “You have a meeting in five minutes!”

“Not important,” he winked back, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows. “They’ll just have to wait.” He was searching through your cupboards and exclaimed with a quiet ‘aha’ as he found what he was looking for. Your bag of quick oats hit the counter with a soft thud as he went to search for a measuring cup next.

You were trying to quell your anxiety. Although you appreciated him coming over to take care of you, it wasn’t as if you wanted him to jeopardize important shareholder meetings on your account.

“Calm, chiquita, I already rescheduled it.” It was as though he’d sensed your discomfort, highly aware of how much you disliked the schedule being deviated from.

“…Oh.” You relaxed a bit, not expecting him to actually think ahead.

“Don’t sound so surprised, I can take care of things if I need to.” He said, slowly stirring the oatmeal on the stove.

“Of course.” You answered quietly. There were a lot of thoughts swirling around in your head currently, as you wrapped the blankets more tightly around yourself.

Minutes later, he was presenting you with a bowl of oatmeal that he’d already added milk to and topped with a sprinkling of brown sugar. He sat with his own bowl nearby and watched you begin to eat.

“I will need to be going soon,” he said between bites. “I know, I know, don’t miss me too much,” he teased.

“I’ll be okay.” You promised, giving him a smile. “Fine by Monday.”

He was smiling as he finished off his bowl of oatmeal. “If you aren’t, let me know. I need my assistant to be in top shape. We have that conference coming up.”

“Yes, of course, I’ll be good for it.” You ate more slowly, relieved he’d gone with something easy to swallow.

The meal was finished quietly, and Leon did the dishes before straightening up and preparing to leave.

“Arrivederci,” he bid you farewell with a swooping bow and added in a more serious tone, “Please take care of yourself, mi querida.”

You caught his gaze, answering back in your own tone of no-nonsense. “I will, Sir.”

He departed after that, and you were left alone with your thoughts, time to process all that had just happened. What was happening? Why was he suddenly so... caring? After all, this was Leon — self-absorbed, arrogant, and a pain in your neck. The man who had just dropped everything to take care of you for the past twenty-four hours revealed a very different side of him, one you hadn’t known existed. Clearly, there were many more layers to him than you'd realized.

You were going to need to keep a closer eye on him.

*****

In the weeks following your recovery, you’d watched Leon for any other odd changes to his behaviour.  While not odd, per say, you did notice he’d been behaving himself and hadn’t done much to make your life more difficult; instead, he’d spent all of his time preparing for the business trip that was in a few days.

You’d been preparing for the trip as well. It wasn’t as though you could refuse, nor did you want to. The good behaviour had intrigued you, and you were curious to see how it played out on this business trip. In the past, he’d never really taken them seriously and always ended up stumbling back to his hotel room with some floozy on his arm. Somehow, he’d also managed to give his presentation perfectly, which infuriated you to some degree.

This time, it looked to be different, but you weren’t going to hold your breath.

The journey went smoothly enough. The flight was on time, you had first-class seats, and spent the better part of it with your nose buried in one of the books you’d brought with you. At one point, Leon had convinced you to watch a movie with him. It was another one of those cheesy romantic comedies, the type you could scoff at for how predictable it was. Like before, it became a sort of game with the two of you trying to successfully guess what would occur next.

From there, the cab ride to the hotel went relatively quickly. It was around 4pm, and you had the rest of the evening to prepare and rest up. Your room was clean with fresh, crisp sheets on the bed and the signature chocolate on the pillow. Leon’s room was right across the hall; he’d booked it that way on purpose, preferring to have you close just in case.

After freeing your top sheet and duvet from their tightly folded corners and toeing off your shoes, you’d flopped into bed and fell asleep minutes later.

A light tapping on your door roused you hours later, and you quietly made your way to the door, only to open it and see Leon with a tray in his hands.

“Evening, sleeping beauty, thought you could use some dinner.” His mouth quirked into a grin as he surveyed you. “Love the bedhead look, so chic, wish I had hair so I could replicate it.”

You blinked owlishly as you realized he was teasing you and chuckled softly. “I think you could pull it off.” Stepping back, you moved to let him set the tray on the table.

“Nah, tried it once, looked fabulous, but the hair was an evil kleptomaniac, which kinda put a damper on things.”

You decided not to question him further on that little tidbit of information and instead sat down to see what he brought you.

The smell was so good that it had your mouth watering instantly. It was a pasta dish, simple but delicious, with bowtie noodles in a creamy rose sauce, sliced chicken breast, and a triangle of garlic bread. You half-expected him to invite himself in to chat while you ate, but he didn’t. To your surprise, he left, citing the need to finish preparing for his presentation.

 What was going on?

The real test would come the following day, after he finished his presentation—he aced it, of course, despite some xenophobia during the question period—and you both had the rest of the evening free. Typically, you’d both have a few drinks. Leon would find a piece of eye candy to latch onto, while you would eventually go back to your hotel room alone.

You were bracing yourself for it this time. Seeing him with other women was disheartening in a way you could not quite explain. It brought the feeling of something heavy settling in the pit of your stomach, a leaden weight that refused to be moved. You’d tried reasoning with yourself that he was an adult and that it was none of your business what he did in his spare time, but it felt almost like a slap in the face nonetheless.

One of these times, you’d be the one to take someone up to your hotel room.

Take that, Leon.

You were sitting at the hotel bar’s polished marble counter and on your second drink when she walked in. You recognized her right off as a member of the conference and exactly Leon’s type—tall, legs for days, and blonde with an air of sophistication. She’d already been eyeing your boss, still finely dressed in his pinstriped suit and tie, and was heading his way. The two of you weren’t sitting together at the bar by chance. He’d arrived after you and was now chatting with that woman.

Here we go.

Turning away, you sighed softly as you swirled the contents of your cocktail and took another sip.

“May I join you?”

You swallowed a gasp as a smooth-talking man slipped into the seat beside you.

“Um, sure.” You replied, giving him a smile.

He ordered you a drink, and the two of you got to talking. He was also attending the conference, and his business was based elsewhere in NYC. You couldn’t help but notice how sweet and charming he was, and thought perhaps this was your chance.

You did not notice Leon sporting a menacing glare in his direction from across the bar. He was barely able to attend to the leggy blonde in front of him and was practically grinding his teeth as you stood with the man at the bar and accepted his invitation to dance.

The blonde was trying her hardest to bring his attention back to herself. “I like dancing.” She declared in hopes that he’d say something along those lines instead of watching his eyes follow his assistant and the man from the bar.

“Let’s dance then.” His answer was clipped as he abruptly stood and took her hand.

“Oh!” She gasped, practically being dragged there. She had already surmised that this was his eagerness in trying to close the deal with her, and was more than happy to comply.

Leon just wanted to get as close to you as possible.

Now, it’s possible you were a little tipsy at this point, with three drinks under your belt and not in the greatest of headspaces. You got caught up with the fact that someone was giving you attention for once. You were inadvertently making Leo jealous, too. Good, see how he liked it.

Within an hour of meeting this guy, you were allowing him to pull you into his embrace as you slowly danced around with the other couples.

Softer, jazzy type music was playing from a live band, and you were quietly chatting with Guy while you slowly moved around the dance floor. He seemed nice enough and genuinely interested, and it didn’t take him long to slip you an extra room key in hopes you’d make your way up there.

Your heart was pounding as you watched him walk away and clutched the little card close while marvelling at the opportunity suddenly presented to you. An invitation for sex that might as well have been served on a silver platter.

None of this went undetected as Leon was following your every move. The moment you left the lounge, he was hot on your heels. Jealously and protectiveness had outweighed all sense of logic at this point, and soon he was stopping those elevator doors just as they were closing to get on with you.

“Heyyy, chiquitita, off to bed? I’d be more than pleased to escort you.” His jovial nature this time seemed a bit forced, and you narrowed your gaze slightly.

“Actually…I’m heading somewhere else.” You hedged, raising an eyebrow at him. “What happened to Miss tall, blond and ditzy?”

It was a challenge, and he knew it; still, he tried to play it off. “She was fine, not my taste today.”

 Time was running out for him to stop you as the elevator doors opened. “Oh, what a shame, well, here’s my stop.” You were ready to step around him when his arm shot out next to your head while his forearm pressed against the cool brushed aluminum wall, effectively caging you in.

“Wait.” He implored softly, now showing you the barest hint of vulnerability. “Don’t go to him. If a release is all you’re needing, then—”

You pushed hard against his chest, suddenly furious with him as the elevator doors quietly slipped shut.

“You are unbelievable! The one time a guy notices me, and you pull this shit? Screw you, and this stupid, jealous crap you’re trying to pull.”

His expression conveyed both shock and awe as you laid into him, but he did back up to give you space while the elevator climbed to the next floor, both yours and his.

“I was just looking out for you.” He tried, the excuse was weak, and you both knew it. It did very little to quell the flames of discontent within you.

“No, screw you and the stupid, fucking double standard. So, it’s fine if you go off screwing every pair of legs that gives you the time of day, but the one time—the ONE time I try it, you—”

“That was before!” he interjected, finally losing his cool and throwing his arms down.

“Before what?!” you demanded, and when he didn’t answer you right away, you asked again, louder this time. “Before. What?!”

“Before I started to care about you!” he finally exclaimed, and the doors opened on a little old couple trying to get down to the lobby. Neither of you had gotten off at your floor, so the elevator had gone back down again.

You and Leon had fixed each other with tense expressions while the little old man and woman chatted sweetly with each other. You were still trying to process what he just said. Maybe he was messing with you? He’d had a few drinks up until this point; was it a drunken mistake? No, drunk words are sober thoughts after all, and you were forced to consider that maybe, he might possibly be telling the truth.

Leon cared about you. He didn’t want you going off to some random man’s room when he was right there to give you what you needed. That still didn’t excuse the fact that he was being a complete asshat about it.

You huffed softly, crossing your arms as the couple walked off, and Leon quietly pressed the button for your floor again. To your surprise, he also pressed the bottom to the floor your ‘date’ was waiting on.

“I’m sorry.” He finally said. “You’re right, and it’s none of my business who you decide to spend your off-hours with. My suggestion was callous and fueled by unfounded jealousy,” he sighed softly and continued, “I want you to be happy, but please be careful, you don’t know this guy, although I would hazard a guess that he’s not a bad guy.”

You relaxed, visibly as you nodded. “Thank you, Leon.”

He smiled then, “That’s the first time you called me Leon instead of Sir.”

Blushing and scrambling for an excuse, you said, “Ha, it’s just because I’ve had a few…don’t read too much into it.”

Once again, elevator doors opened, and this time, Leon stood aside. He said nothing more as he watched you finally exit the elevator. His gaze never wavered even as the doors slowly closed and you glanced back, one last time.

You huffed softly to yourself as you slowly walked down the hall. Stupid Leon…who does he think he is? How dare he? He thinks he can just…

In the midst of your fuming, you’d ended up right at the door of your supposed date. Your heart was pounding; the key had been retrieved from your pocket, yet you were unable to complete the final motion of tapping it against the sensor to unlock the door.

This is stupid, just do it!

You were still in the same spot a minute later, frozen and becoming increasingly self-conscious of anyone seeing you.

Swallowing a groan of frustration, you had to admit, the thrill of engaging in a one-night stand with a perfect stranger was less than appealing, and when you pictured yourself in a lover's embrace, someone else came to mind. He had a cocky grin, emerald-green skin and two red crescents cutting across each eye.

You were doomed, but you felt guilty about not going, so instead you went back down to the hotel bar to find the blonde from earlier. You slipped the keycard into her hand on the pretense that it belonged to Leon and dropped the floor and room number for the man you were with earlier. Someone might as well be getting laid tonight.

Five minutes later, you were knocking on Leon’s door. It was dumb, and you certainly didn’t need to do this, but you felt compelled to let him know you’d changed your mind.

He opened the door with a look of concern, shirtless with a pair of grey sweatpants on.

You spoke first, complete with a dramatic shrug. “I didn’t go, alright? Are you happy now?”

He was more than happy , so much in fact that he crossed the distance between you, slipped his hand around your waist and pulled you in for a kiss with enough passion to make your head spin.

Your first instinct was to wrap your arms around him and try to take control of the kiss, and he was more than happy to oblige, angling his mouth to kiss you more deeply. You just wanted to feel something good for a change, a choice that was more or less influenced by the alcohol you’d consumed earlier, but also sheer stubbornness.

Unfortunately, logic had to rear its ugly head as you felt Leon trying to guide you into his room and close the door behind you. The click was enough to make you pull back and take a breath, catching his lust-filled gaze with your own. This…couldn’t happen, you’d fought so hard to maintain a professional relationship with him, and now here you were about to toss it all out the window.

This couldn’t happen…

But fuck, you wanted it to.

“Something wrong, mi amor?” he brushed the side of your cheek with his fingertips and cradled the back of your head with his other hand. Those hands held so much promise, the hidden pleasures they could bring and yet you were about to refuse him.

“I…can’t, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…kissed you back.” Gently, you pushed on his chest, and he released you. Let it be said that Leon was a man of his word and would never coerce a woman into sleeping with him. He didn’t need to. Still, there was a hint of regret in his eyes as he let you go.

“Querida?” He questioned, looking concerned. “I’m sorry, I’m the one who shouldn’t have—”

You didn’t blame him, but you also didn’t give him much more time to explain himself; instead, you backed out of his room quickly – a soft blush covering your cheeks as you made your retreat. “Goodnight, Leon.”

Back in your own room, you flopped on the bed with a groan. “What is wrong with you…?” Now you had no one to warm your bed. Stupid Leon for making you feel all conflicted, and damn him for being a good kisser and making you question everything.

Try as you might, you couldn’t shake the fact that you found him attractive and, dare you say it, actually liked him. He was still a pain in your ass, but he’d sort of changed lately. He didn’t even entertain that woman who’d been flirting with him.

It was not typical behaviour for him, and now that kiss…you felt all twisted up inside. A month ago, you’d decided that enough was enough and you needed to take that next step up the ladder, so you’d started applying for jobs and had actually gotten an interview. This potential job would be a game-changer, a chance to really show off what you could do. And it wasn’t as if you could have a relationship with Leon anyway in your current state, and he was not the type of man you’d typically go for.

Now, your rational mind was pointing out the hard facts you simply could not ignore. He couldn’t possibly have feelings for you; you weren’t his type, either. You’d both been drinking, caught up in the moment, that was all it was. You were colleagues, work partners, and that’s all you ever would be.

All you ever could be.

**

“You’re hired, you can start as soon as your new hire paperwork is submitted.”

Hearing those words filled you with a sense of elation. You couldn’t believe you’d gotten the job. Out of all the candidates, they’d chosen you. Now all you had to do was complete the paperwork and submit your two weeks' notice…to Leon, who had no idea you were going to be leaving him.

You couldn’t afford to be weak now. This was your career, and nothing was going to stand in your way, not even him.

You pondered the best way to broach the subject as you began typing up your letter of resignation.

There would be no easy way to tell him. Better to rip the band-aid off and leave it on his desk Monday morning, along with his morning latte. He’d understand… wouldn’t he? Would he even care? Would your absence be felt, like a wound needing to be stitched and bandaged? Would he be happy for you, hiding a deep ache every time he walked by your empty desk?

His reaction was far different from what you’d expected. The look of confusion when he was presented with the letter had quickly been replaced by a cold sort of understanding he wasn’t adept at hiding.

He was happy for you, he said, barely reading it before tossing it back on his desk. You could no longer read him after that, but you could glean from his tone that he was not as pleased as he appeared. His responses were a little too quick and clipped for your liking.

“This is…great, it’s good, so good in fact that you shouldn’t even bother coming in for the remainder of your time.”

Now, you were confused, protesting softly as you tried to decode his ‘Leon speak’.

“But, Sir…I’m not sure I understand…”

“Oh,” he waved a hand dismissively. “You’ll still be compensated for your time, but I need to start training your replacement. I’ve had my eye on Miranda; she’ll do nicely.”

His words stung. To be told that you could be replaced so easily might as well have been a slap in the face, but by Miranda? Really?  She was eager to please, but there weren’t many thoughts bouncing around that blonde cranium of hers. What was he playing at? She’d never be able to work out his complicated schedule, let alone all the other ridiculous things he asked for. Was this because of that night at the conference? He couldn’t get you, so he was now jumping at the chance to replace you with someone more... accommodating?

“But don’t you need me to—" You try not to stammer, shocked as you are.

“Nope! I got this.” He didn’t even know what you’d been about to say, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t need you—for anything anymore, apparently. “Better go clear out your desk. You can pick up your severance cheque on the way out.” There was a finality in his tone that you knew would be impossible to contend with.

You’d heard it before, when a business deal had gone south and he had ended negotiations right then and there. Now he was using it with you, and all you could manage was a stiff nod and a softly spoken, “Yes, Sir.” You would not let him break you or see your tears. You would keep a stiff upper lip and clear out your desk over the next hour.

If that was the way he’d like to end your partnership, then fine. Go ahead and burn that bridge, Leon.

You were glad you never did end up sleeping with him. It would’ve made this even more difficult.

You cast one last glance at his office, only to see him in the same position as when you left. You said your goodbyes to your coworkers and exited the office for the final time.

It wasn’t until you stepped out onto the street with the box holding all your belongings that tears stung your eyes. How dare he? After everything you’d been through? How could he so easily discard you like a piece of trash? You’d thought he’d changed, but he was still the same jerk he’d always been. Unfeeling and uncaring, selfish and concerned only with self-preservation, all wrapped up in a cold, calculating demeanour.

 Jerk

Little did you know that Leon was anything but fine. Panic gripped him as he watched you walk out of the office and subsequently out of his life because, like an idiot, he’d pushed you away. Easier to leave someone before they leave you, after all. That fact hadn’t even registered with him. It wasn’t until the day was long over and the workplace empty of all employees that he dared walk by your old office.

You’d left your desk light on, forcing him to go in and click it off. Realization hit harder in that moment as the room was bathed in shadows. It was too large, too empty, devoid of you and all the warmth you carried.

He leaned over your old desk, gripping the edge slightly. You were gone, and he only had himself to blame.

Just when he’d come to the realization that he did indeed love you.

**

Weeks passed, and you settled into your new job. Leon stayed silent on his end, and you’d assumed he was absolutely done with you. Despite how he’d acted, an obviously terrible reaction to your leaving, you missed him. You missed his stupid face and the way he always smiled like the sun shone out of your ass whenever you’d completed a task or provided him with something to sign. You were still furious, of course, and in no way ready to forgive him, but still, you found yourself reminiscing about the times you’d enjoyed yourself.

You missed his warmth and the calm contentment of working alongside him. Damn him for making you care, especially in the last few months of working for him. There was a deep ache in your heart whenever you thought about him. He’d hurt you, and there was no closure to be found as long as he seemed intent on maintaining a closed line of communication.

Very well, you might need some time to heal, but you would be strong and move on from him. You wondered how he was faring in your absence. Was Miranda as good a replacement as he’d thought she’d be? Bitterly, you came to the conclusion that he’d probably already slept with her and barely even thought about you. People don’t change that easily.

Leon was absolutely miserable. Miranda’s work ethic had paled in comparison to yours, and he’d barely used her. The atmosphere in the office was noticeably somber too. There were no more pranks on his part, and he’d barely left his office, even to take a lunch break.

This did not go unnoticed by his twin. He was the eyes and ears of the entire building after all, nothing got past him, and right now, his brother was hurting. It was up to him, apparently, to knock some sense into him—not the best choice, Mikey or Raph would’ve been better for this, but alas, they were busy.

“Ah, good afternoon, dear brother of mine.” He’d said while striding into his office, much like Leon did whenever he went upstairs to his.

Leon was staring moodily at a coffee cup; the drink had long since gone cold since his new assistant had fetched it for him. She’d gotten lost on the way to the coffee shop in the bookstore and instead had purchased it from the Starbucks across the street. Not only was his drink prepared incorrectly, but she’d also taken the liberty of adding whipped cream to it—ew. “What is it?” he asked in a bored tone. “If this is about the sales in this month’s past quarterly…”

“It is not,” Donnie said, moving to one of the chairs in front of his desk. “You still haven’t apologized to my girlfriend for your callous remark at the Gala. Since you have so much extra time on your hands from firing your assistant, I believe now is the time.”

Leon scowled, scoffing lightly as he threw his hands up. “Really? That’s why you came all the way down here?”

“Yes, just because you screwed things up with her doesn’t mean you can’t still make things right with my girl. Maybe then you’ll see how much of an idiot you’re being and actually fix your mistakes for once.” He gave his brother a pointed look to drive his point home.

The slider was quiet as he contemplated his words. “It’s too late…” he said finally, “I was losing her, so I pushed her away. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

“Does admitting it out loud make you feel better?”

With a rueful laugh, Leon shrugged. “I guess? It doesn’t change anything. She’s still gone. I should just let her live her life, and…”

“It’s never too late. That’s quitter talk and not the mentality of this company’s face man, now is it?” Donnie gently pressed. “She deserves to know the truth.”

“I…it’s stupid.” Leon shook his head. “I drove her nuts when she was my assistant, that’s why she left…she wanted to get out. She wanted to leave…me.”

With that, Donnie got up, popped the lid off Leo’s untouched drink, and threw it in his face. The resulting sputter of shock went completely ignored.

“Did you even spend five minutes learning what her actual career path was? It wasn’t to be your assistant forever, you dumdum. You were so afraid of losing face that you ignored everything and treated her like crap on top of it all. Well, guess what, you look dumb now, your worst fear realized and look at that, you survived. Now get your head out of your ass and go talk to her.”

Leon gaped at him, shock evident as he snatched some tissues to dab up the mess on his shirt and face. “Okay, say you have a point…what should I do?”

“Well, first clean your face because let me reiterate, you look dumb. Second, grand romantic gestures are your forte, not mine. Watch some romance movies, particularly the one called Two Weeks Notice.” He returned to his seat with a self-satisfied nod.

“Thanks,” Leon said, smiling for the first time in weeks. “I’ll apologize to your girlfriend next time I see her.”

“See that you do,” Donnie said, preparing to leave without sparing him a second glance. “And not that you need it, but good luck.”

Leon was left not only with his thoughts but also with a sticky mess to clean up. True to his word, he finally apologized to Donnie’s girlfriend and then set about concocting a plan to talk to you. A lot of things needed to be set in motion, and it all had to go perfectly.

He just needed to borrow Shelldon.

End Part 1 - Follow for Part 2

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