It had taken a week for Leonardo to start opening up to his family about his time as a prisoner. It took another two for him to tell any of them about this time with (y/n) outside of answering the occasional question. When he did decide to open up, the oldest turtle chose his father to speak too, feeling that he would be the most understanding. As if the man had known his son was finally ready, when Leonardo entered the dojo that afternoon, his father was sitting under the bonsai tree, a cup of tea in hand as another, freshly poured cup sat on the tray in front of him.

The older man looked up at his son when he entered with a subtle smile as he nodded his head to the extra cup. Leonardo nodded in response as he slid the doors shut behind him. Moving forward, he sat on his knees and grabbed the cup, taking a sip while his father patiently waited. The taste and warmth were something he missed. There was nothing that could compare to his father's tea. Ever since he was little it was a source of comfort for him, yet strangely, over these past weeks where he was in most need of the comfort the drink provided, Leonardo never thought to request a cup. Perhaps he knew that if he asked his father for tea, he would be expected to talk.

He wondered as they sat in silence, if that was what the rat was waiting for. For Leo to take the first step and speak to him. It made the turtle question if he was actually ready for his. He still missed (y/n), more than he expected to, and it was starting to hurt. Of course, his own actions hadn't been helping the situation much. Leonardo kept all of his loneliness tucked away inside of him, not allowing himself to feel it. After all, he shouldn't be lonely. Not anymore. He was home. His father and brothers were here, keeping him busy, helping him adjust to normalcy. Casey and April had come down to visit a few times as well, telling him animated versions of everything he had missed while away. Leonardo wasn't alone, he was almost never alone, and yet he couldn't shake the feeling.

There were just things his brothers didn't do that (y/n) did. No one woke him up with their singing, no one thumped their head against his shoulder until he chose something to watch on TV, no one danced in the kitchen while cooking, banging every cabinet in time with the music playing, no one cuddled up against him unprompted only to pout if his arm didn't instantly drape across them. Not that he wanted these things from his family and friends, the opposite in fact. The selfish part of him never wanted to hear another person sing as they wandered the lair, or bicker with him about television shows. Those things were reserved to (y/n) and (y/n) alone. Maybe that's why he was so lonely. He missed the things that were here simply her, simply theirs.

He took another sip, hoping the tea would calm his racing mind, but it did little to help. It wasn't until his father spoke that Leo's mind stopped its dangerous cycle in favor of paying attention to the man.

"How is your tea, my son?" his father asked simply.

Leonardo thought his eyes jumped from his head at the question. It was so far from anything he had expected, yet his father waited patiently with no reaction more than a quick flick of his ear. Silently the rat watched as his son opened and closed his mouth a few times before responding, his head tilted to the side just slightly.

"It's good?" His response was posed a question, something the turtle caught quickly and attempted to amend. "I mean great. Excellent even. It was just what I needed. Thank you."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Another bout of silence settled between the pair as they continued to sip at their respective cups of tea. While it should have realized the turtle, it only made him confused. He wasn't expecting that question. He was almost certain that his father would ask him about (y/n), or at the very least this capture as a whole. Why was he stalling?

Not wanting any further knots to form in his stomach from apprehension Leonardo finally broke, his cup knocking against the try as he set it down. "Wait, aren't you going to ask me about..."

"Your stay with the mysterious crying girl?" His father cut him off, taking a sip of his tea. Damnit Mikey, Leonardo thought when he heard the name his father had used for (y/n), that was a Mikey special if he ever heard it. The turtle didn't have enough time to get flustered, however, since as soon as his father's cup was refilled the rat spoke again. "Yes....and no. I was hoping you would be the first to speak about it."

"That's actually why I came here this morning."

"I know," his father hum as his expression became serious. "Do you still feel ready for this conversation?"

"As I'll ever be." Leonardo sighed. "If you don't mind, wait till the end to ask questions. I think that might make this easier."

At his words, Splinter nodded. His back straightened as he adjusted in preparation to listen to what his son had to say. The rat had been waiting patiently for this moment, ever since his son had arrived home. He had been watching Leonardo closely and could see that there was a part of him that had been left behind during his capture. Splinter was desperately trying to figure out what that something was.

He had his suspicions, if what his other sons had to say was anything to go by.

The other three boys had recounted the story of their older brother's rescue soon after returning home. Leonardo, citing how tired the endeavor made him, was quick to retreat to bed after the reunion, leaving Splinter and his other son in the living room together.

All it took was a single look from their father for the boys to explain. Speaking in turn, they told Splinter how they found Happen tower and waited outside the window for the perfect opportunity to enter. The penthouse was dark, with the exception of the bedroom. With The curtains drawn they could only see shadows, but they were able to make out Leo's form. When he moved, however, they saw another shadow, this one of a girl. Assuming that that had to be who was keeping him they knew they needed to make a new plan.

They gave themselves a while to regroup, figuring that with both Leo and his capture now home, the time crunch was gone. After nearly a half hour later, they knew what they needed to do. Break in, get Leo, get out. If they were lucky they wouldn't even have to interact with the person keeping him.

Of course, when have the boys ever been lucky?

Their first mistake was nearly unavoidable. With a plan to come through the window, subtlety was not an option. They were hoping, however, that at the commotion, Leonardo would come find them, especially since he knew they were coming. When the girl appeared, cautiously surveying her home, they were unprepared. Rushing away, the boys hid in the shadows.

She was nothing like they expected. This girl was no more than twenty, wearing shorts and an oversized hoodie, with red puffy eyes. She didn't look like your traditional foot soldier. Donatello and Michelangelo admitted that her appearance made them hesitant, but Raphael was not deterred. Before long, he attacked and was prepared to do whatever was necessary to find his brother.

When he had the girl pinned however, Leonardo intervened. He began protecting his capture. The eldest had explained that the girl wasn't an enemy, and instead had nursed him back to health. What shocked them even more was the fact that Leonardo had asked the girl to come with them.

"You know what was really crazy!" Michelangelo cut in excitedly. "Leo looked like he was about to kiss her before the foot showed up!"

This caused everyone in the room to stiffen and stare at the youngest. This information shocked their father while his older brothers were planning on keeping that tidbit to themselves. Things only got worse when Michelangelo began to reenact the interaction.

"Leo was all like 'Come with us Finch,' and she was all like 'Frank-er.' or some weird French thing. And they got all close and touchy and then they learned in, and I was all like-"

"That's enough Mikey," Donnie cut him off, trying to keep his tone calm. "The point is, whoever that girl is, she's important to Leonardo, and honestly, she might have been the only reason he even survived after that fire."

Raphael huffed. "I still don't trust her."

"Perhaps, we shall see what Leonardo says on the matter." Master splinter said simply. "But I have no doubt, if the pair were as involved as it sounds. Your brother will need time."

That was his final word on the matter, and it would appear that now, Leonardo had finally had all the time he needed. So, Splinter knew that he would do whatever was required for his son to feel comfortable with sharing this information with him. Including obeying his request and staying silent for the duration of his story.

"Thanks. Okay." The turtle took one more steadying breath before he began to tell his story.

"I had finally fallen asleep after days of just being awake and in pain, only to be woken up later in the night by Shredder himself. He wasn't in his armor though. He was in a suit, and so were his cronies. Before I knew it, they had forced him out of my cell to a car. At the time I was still too weak to fight. The effects of the fire on top of my precious injuries, I honestly thought I was just going to die from it all. Part of me wondered if that was why I was being moved. So, Shredder could have a front row seat to me finally giving into my injuries and giving up, but instead he took me to the club.

"We went in through a side door into an office, before walking into the main ballroom. The lights were already low, they tied me to a chair next to shredder, at a table tucked in a back corner shrouded in shadow. He had really found the best spot in the club where he could see the stage with zero difficulty, but no one could see him. We sat in silence until the preference started. That's when I first saw her. (y/n), and her friend David, taking the stage to sing for everyone.

"At the time, I couldn't appreciate just how pretty she was. Not just her clothes and hair and everything, but her voice and her smile. Everything about her was, is, just beautiful. It didn't make sense. Why did Shredder bring me here to watch her sing? I was so confused, until he finally turned to be between songs and asked me what I thought of her, because she was going to be my new owner.

"Intently I assumed the worst. I figured that somehow this singer was some top-level member of the foot clan. That she was going to be the person to finally kill me. Of course, I realized that wasn't true the second I saw her again. After the performance I was dragged back into the office where Shredder's goons held me as we waited. Soon enough (Y/n) came in and she looked so scared. It was as if she thought she had done something wrong, and to make things worse, Shredder started chuckling at her, like he was getting off on her fear or something. That's what made me realize that she wasn't a top-ranking soldier, just another one of his toys, who I was about to be given to.

"When she first saw me, she really was more shocked than scared, which was a relief. What was really shocking was how fast she took to taking care of me. Even as we left the office, she was arguing with the men who led us out about being mean to me. At her apartment she was so careful while leading me through the lobby and keeping me balanced without pressing on any wounds. Still, I was apprehensive about her, trying to figure out what the deal was. Why was she now responsible for me? Why was I given to her as a pet? It really made no sense.

"She brought me inside of this huge penthouse apartment and led me to the couch. She turned on the TV for me and even offered to let me choose whatever I wanted. It was weird, being cared about after so long, even though it was something as small as having the option to choose a television show. (Y/n) then changed and when she came back I was even more confused. She had this big book on reptiles and looked up my breed, then started asking questions about what I eat before she made us salads. That was the best salad I think I've ever had in my life. I'm not sure if it was because I was so hungry, or because I was finally being treated like something worth being taken care of, but it was so good.

"Things only snowballed from there. (Y/n) gave me the master bedroom so that I could be the most comfortable, she let me add things to the shopping list of I had food I liked, she researched which medications could be used on me without causing harm, hell she even asked my permission before naming me because she felt bad calling me Turtle all the time.

"She then named me after a character in her favorite movie. The character is also a mutant who everyone thought was terrifying from looking at him, but as the movie goes on you learn that he's actually a really kindhearted creature and his friends do everything to protect him. Even after she learned my real name (Y/n) kept using the pet's name, Francoeur, and I let her. I guess I just liked the name, or maybe I just liked that it was something she had given to me. I just don't know.

"Overtime, we just kept learning about each other, even more so when my throat got better. I don't know exactly when it happened, but somewhere along the line something changed. She wasn't just my owner anymore, or even just my friend, it was something different. Something I had never felt before about anymore. It freaked me out, if I was being honest. Not that any of that mattered, since before long, she realized just how much I was missing home and made a plan for me to get back here.

"She left her phone on purpose so I could contact you guys. It took an embarrassingly long time for me to work up the nerve to actually send that text, so we ended up with even more time together, just (y/n) and I. It was harder than I expected. I just held her, until the others showed up. Then she went out. When I heard her scream though, I was on my feet. I couldn't let her get hurt. When it was all over, and I finally had to say goodbye, I asked her to come with us. She didn't even tell me yes or no. We didn't have time. Footsoilders were showing up and we had to leave. So, I did.

"I can't believe I left her like that. She was crying so hard. It looked like she was never going to recover. Worse yet, I wanted to do the exact same thing, and if it wasn't for the others being there I probably would have. That's why as soon as everyone finished welcoming me back home I went to my room. I tucked away and just broke down. I just left her there..." With the story concluded Leonardo took a deep breath before narrowly peaking up to look at his father, as the man took a long sip of his tea. "That's it."

Master splinter waited a moment before he replied. "I am glad that you were living with someone who showed you such kindness at the end of your journey."

"So am I." Leonardo smiled as his eyes locked with the ground once more. "She was more than I could have ever asked for."

"It is alright to miss her." His father said kindly. "Just as it is alright to love her the way you do. These are things we cannot control. What you can control is what you do about it."

Love was always complicated, Splinter reminded himself, it would be even more complicated when it came to his sons. Being mutants, it would be nearly impossible for them to pursue a relationship in the traditional sense. Splinter knew he couldn't tell him to take her on a lavish dinner date, or deliver gifts to her door, but then again, it wasn't the same as his last son who fell in love. The man knew he wouldn't have to attempt to teach Leo to enjoy falling down. It appeared as if the feelings Leonardo had for this girl were returned. A subtle smile peaked on the rat's cheeks, but he was quick to hide it behind a sip of tea. The solution was right in front of his nose.

"For example." Splinter muttered, his tone was still teasing as he continued, but like all things his father said, there was an undertone of seriousness. "What are you doing sitting around here talking to an old rat when you know exactly where this girl is?"

The turtle blinked at his father, processing his words slowly. "You can't be serious."

"I assure you I am." Splinter's teacup rattled slightly as he set it against the tray. "That song you've been singing to yourself since you've arrived home. It is Johanna is it not?"

Leo's mind was racing. He hadn't realized he was singing out loud, let alone loud enough for others to hear. On top of that, why did his father know that song? It was just a random piece that Jamie gave to him in his letter, claiming that it was 'perfect for his range'. Why did his father know it? Moreover, why did it matter? He looked back at his father, who was waiting for an answer and tried to make a proper response. "Yeah? How did you..."

"Anthony did not get Johanna by doing nothing. Anthony, true to his word, stone her from where she was being kept." splinter cut him off, voice becoming stern. He made sharp eye contact with his son and refused to break it, knowing he needed to get his point across. "Why are you not doing the same?"

"Master Splinter you don't understand. If I were to just break in and take Finch away there would be hell to pay." Leonardo attempted to explain. He had been over this on his own more times than he wanted to count. "Even if they didn't find us, no doubt that her friends would be punished."

"Then do not break in. Find a way to talk to her. Convince her to leave."

"But..."

"No." Splinter cut off his son again. "Do you or do you not want this girl in your life?"

"I mean I do, but..."

"Then go, make a plan and execute it." He stared at his son for a moment before picking up his teacup once again and making himself comfortable, raising the cup to his lips. "And tell me before she arrives, I want our home to be presentable."

With that Leonardo was ushered out of the room with a swing of his father's paw. The turtle kept his wide eyes on the other man as he set his cup down and rose to his feet. He even went as far as to walk backwards towards the door. It wasn't until he slipped out that a full thought finally formed in his mind, but even it was pitiful.

"What just happened..." Leonardo muttered to himself as soon as he left the Dojo, one hand on his forehead attempting to rub away the crease's confusion had formed.

***

After the discussion with his father, Leonardo began formulating a plan. Or at least attempting to.

Truth be told, he was far too afraid of what would happen to Y/n if anything went wrong to ever make a complete plan of action. Instead, he resorted to following her every night and waiting outside David's penthouse, where she was staying while her own apartment was being repaired, until she went to bed. Now stalking was far from his first plan, but after the first few days, and the relief that came from seeing her safe, Leo found himself almost addicted to the process.

So now, on the first Friday watching her, Leonardo was sitting on an adjacent rooftop watching as Y/n reemerged from David's guest bedroom, hair brushed, face makeup free, in a pair of fluffy looking pajama bottoms. He had followed her all of the way from the club to the Happen building. The whole walk she has silently listened to David ramble on about his latest attempt to ask about Jamison.

Leo would admit that hearing that the brunette was finally moving forward on that front made him smile. As he heard David ramble, the turtle's eyes kept darting back to Y/n, making note of the few times a soft smile peaked on her lips. It never lasted long, but it was something.

The turtle lost all sense of the conversation when the pair entered the building, so he settled in on his ledge to watch. He hummed to himself as Y/n grabbed a drink from the fridge, talking to David as she walked. The girl then settled on the couch, turned on the televisions and wrapped herself tightly in a throw blanket. He recognized that blanket as the one that usually lived on her own couch. She must have brought it over.

He smiled again. That blanket was stupid soft, and always smelt like her. Or it did. By the time he left, that banket smelt the both of them, which only made sense considering it was a favorite for them both. Silently he watches as Y/n lifted the blacked to her nose and took a deep breath. She looked content for a moment before her eyebrows pinched together as if she was thinking about something. She quickly shook her head then looked back at the television.

"I'll steal you, Johanna. I'll steal you." Leonardo sang to himself as he watched Y/n wrap her blanket tighter around her shoulders. "Do they think that walls can hide you? Even now I'm at your window. I am in the dark beside you..."

"Is that her name?" Someone suddenly asked, causing Leo to jump so harshly that he nearly fell off the edge of the rooftop.

Scrambling he gripped the edge of the building to steady himself as his head quickly turned to see who was there. Much to his relief, it was one of his brothers, and the best option to catch I'm in such an intimate moment, Donatello. This was the first question Donnie had ever asked about the girl. He was the only one who kept any question or comments about the girl to himself. Leo wondered if it was because of their brief conversation the night he came home. Afterall, from that discussion, Donnie knew just how much Y/n meant to him. Moreover, the purple clad turtle knew what it was like to be kept at arm's length away from love for one reason or another. Even so, his older brother's heart was beating uncontrollably from the scare as well as the shock that someone, anyone had actually managed to catch him off guard.

"Donnie!" Leonardo basically shouted once he found his voice. "I... I didn't realize you were there."

His younger brother chuckled a bit as he approached, throwing his legs over the side of the building to sit on the roof beside Leo."Yeah, I picked up on that when you jumped out of your shell."

"Sorry." his older brother smiled sheepishly, turning his full attention to the purple clad turtle. "What was that you asked?"

"I asked if Johanna was her name, or is that just the song lyrics?"

"Song lyrics." Leonardo said simply, his head briefly turning back to glance at the girl in question, still watching television but now she had a mug of something, and David was next to her. She's ok, his gaze landed back on his brother. "That song was what was in that letter she gave me from her friend."

Donnie, however, was now looking into the penthouse as well, eyes locked on the back of (y/n)'s head. "I didn't realize you met any of her friends."

"Yeah, I did. David and Jamison." The blue turtle explained, he too looked at the other building, his eyes however lingered on the large sheets of plastic that were hanging over the shattered windows of (y/n)'s apartment. He squinted slightly as if he'd be able to see through them and track the layout once more. "They sing with her at the club sometimes. Well David all the time, he's her pianist, but Jamie is only sometimes. They came over for a rehearsal, and I met them. They even talked me into singing."

His brother chuckled as he looked at him with a teasing smile. "Wow, did their ears bleed?"

The pair laughed together at the joke before turning their attention back to Y/n. From the looks of it, David was telling her some sort of story. His expressions and gestures cover an ungodly range of emotions. Most of it was for flare, they concluded, especially once Y/n started laughing at his antics. In response to her laughter David's face lit up. The man then began prodding at her cheeks until the girl shoved him away with a swift hand to the face.

Good, she looks happy, Leo thought to himself. That's all he wanted for her. Happiness. Whether he was the cause was irrelevant in the end. Especially when he knew how quickly it could all go away.

When making the plan for his escape, the pair tried their hardest to make it all look like a coincidence. One mistake on her part that led to him getting away. Over and over again, Leo tried to think of places where their plan could have fallen through. His main concern was their interaction in the end. He protected her. The cameras had to have caught that. Leo just hoped that no one would think too hard about the tapes, because if they did...

When Leonardo chose to speak again, his voice was hardly more than a whisper. "Do you think they'll find out?"

"Who?"

"The foot clan." Leonardo explained as he nervously looked at his brother. "Do you think they'll find out that she helped me escape?"

"I honestly have no idea." Donatello admitted while returning his brother's gaze. "Is that why you've come back here every single night since you got home?"

He knew he wasn't being slick when he slipped away from the team during patrols, but he didn't realize where he was going was so obvious. Well, it really only was to Donnie, who had taken the task of covering for Leonardo without being asked. Over and over again the purple turtle told the others that Leo was just recovering from some deeper injuries. (Not a total lie, but Donatello was far from qualified to treat emotional damage.)

It was only after the second week that Donnie chose to follow him. That Friday night he watched as his oldest brother ran across town and waited outside of Tsukino Hana nightclub. The oldest turtle leaned against a fire escape until nearly midnight when Y/n left the club with David. Leonardo then followed the pair all the way to the subway entrance before racing across town once again just in time for the pair to exit the underground train. The trailing continued until he arrived back at the Happen building. Leo didn't leave until he watched Y/n face plant onto the couch. Donatello could only assume that this was an everyday occurrence, and considering how his older brother looked away when it was mentioned he knew he was right.

"Partly..." Leonardo admitted.

Donatello sighed, usually he enjoyed being right, but in this instance it just made it ever clearer that he needed to push Leo towards a distraction.. Placing a hand on his brother's shoulder he forced the other turtle's attention to him. "Look Leo, we need our leader back, but if you're that worried about her then I'll take over for you tomorrow."

His older brother's eyes lit up at the idea, but he was careful to keep his voice low. "You will?"

"Why not," He shrugs. "You go mutagen hunting with Raph and Mikey. Hopefully you'll run into some purple dragons or Footbots or something. Just to get you back in the game. I'll stay here and follow Y/n home from work, then text you when she gets in alright."

"Seriously?"

Donatello shrugged again, with a half-smile this time. "What are brothers for?"

Grabbing his hand, Leo finally managed to smile as well. "Thanks Donnie."