Leonardo learned something new about his owner. She is OBSESSIVE. Ever since she found out his name she's been doing research regarding it. First she made a master list of famous Leonardo's. Next she looked up the popularity of the name since the renaissance. After that she got sidetracked and began researching how royalty worked in the renaissance. He thought he was safe. Until she learned that a king in Hungary commissioned Leonardo Di Vinci for a painting. Back on his name she went. It's been two days of this cycle.

Seeing as it was day three the turtle was really hoping she was done. After all, she had been pretty quiet throughout his daily check-up. Maybe that was just so he didn't try to respond while she looked at his throat. After all, she was obsessive, not stupid. She could tell he was wanting to tell her to shut up. In fact, that's why she's been so stuck on it. His words while poignant out his name were the clearest they've ever been. Now, after looking at his throat, she could see that almost all of the irritation and redness was gone. Just a bit more pushing and he's probably saying something, shocking himself in the process.

(Y/n) loved people's faces when they figured something out, so while closing up her first aid kit she absentmindedly said. "Did you know that Leonardo means Lion-hearted or strong as a Lion."

"God you're as bad as Donnie!" Leonardo finally groaned before sitting wide eyes while staring at her. "Did I just say that out loud?"

"You did." The girl in front of him smiled. "Quite clearly as well."

"It didn't hurt," he mumbled in amazement. "That was the last thing. I recovered. Oh my god! (Y/n) I'm recovered!"

"You recovered!" She cheered along with him only to be shocked as she was picked up in a sudden hug.

The Turtle twirled his owner around three times before finally allowing her feet to meet with the floor once again. He was shocked by his own excitement, but not as shocked as he was by hers. (Y/n) seemed to be bursting with joy. And she was. Her now, dare she say, beloved pet was finally healthy again. He could walk without pain, see without straining himself, and talk as much as he'd like. How could she not be happy for him?

Scoring though his mind, Leonardo tried to figure out what he wanted to say first. There was so much he could tell her, ask her. Where should he start? He scanned her eyes hoping they held an answer, to no avail. Instead, it was the single brown grocery bag that the pair were too lazy to unpack last week that helped him make up his mind.

"Now that I can actually talk there is something I need to tell you," Leonardo started, his expression becoming serious, "Someone has got to knock some sense into your co-workers for talking to you like that. He sounds like a walking cesspool."

She shrugged in response. "Sadly, I'm used to it. But if my big scary pet turtle happens to accidentally attack Ito, I wouldn't really stop him."

He didn't like that. How nonchalant she was about this situation. He's witnessed it more than enough times now to know that this man's behavior was not isolated. Yet (Y/n) simply shrugged as if it was no different than a stray cloud blocking the sun on an otherwise perfect day. A minor inconvenience at worst. Leonardo feared the day that that man, no, that monster chose to attack her with more than just his words. In their few weeks together, he had grown attached to his owner, and didn't want anything to happen to her.

So, when he heard his opening through the girl's teasing he took it and with a smirk Leonardo drew out his words. "Is that a command or..."

"Whatever it takes," (Y/n) teases. "But unfortunately, I do have to get ready, we have guests coming over today."

As she spoke, Y/n wiggled her hips free from Leonardo's grip and began backing towards the master bedroom to change, smile ever present. Her turtle simply smiled at her at first, before her words caught up with him. Guests? As in human guests? As in most likely screaming human guests? Especially when they see her pet turtle, that if they are even expecting at all, they probably expect to be tiny and hand sized. Not pushing six feet tall with lean muscles and, oh right, that ability to speak!

"Guests?"

"Yep, it is Wednesday night and Mr. Okoru has us scheduled for a special Broadway event this weekend meaning that David and I will have to practice with Jamison." She explained, smile wavering slightly as she noticed her pet's nerves.. "We'll be in the office for most of our rehearsal time, you're welcome to join us, or you can watch television or hide in my room, or whatever you wanna do really. I mean they are coming to our home, not the other way around."

When Leonardo's tension failed to dissipate, (y/n) walked back up to him. With softened features she placed her hand on her pet's arm and rubbed her thumb across his bicep. When he chose to look away in response, the girl took a bolder approach. Moving her hand to his cheek, (y/n) guided her pet to look at her and gave him a smile.

"Listen Fran-er, Leonardo." She started, trying not to cringe at her mistake. "If you're really uncomfortable with people being here, I'll call Davey and have us rehearse across the hall. Just say the word and it's done."

Her tone was so sincere that Leonardo felt as if he could melt where he stood. With an indecipherable look in her eye clouded by unadulterated kindness he knew she was being honest. If he wanted to get out of this situation, to continue his track record of hiding away from all strangers, she would make it happen for him. Little did he know, if Leonardo asked her to move heaven and earth (Y/n) would figure out how for him. After all, it was what her heart was telling her was right.

She was not quite sure when it started, but somewhere along the line this feeling developed. A feeling of devotion to her dear pet. Something she had never felt before. A tingling sensation in her stomach that moved to her chest whenever she thought about her turtle. A clenching in her heart when she feared he was uncomfortable or unhappy with her actions. A drive to make the world perfect for him, which included giving him this option. (Y/n) didn't like the glimmer of fear in his eyes, or the idea that her hosting would cause him any sort of distress. So, she was wholehearted offering him the solution. It was simply up to Leonardo to decide whether or not he was going to take it.

With a deep breath, he made up his mind. Raising his hand to cover (y/n)'s he leaned into her touch. "Don't change your plans. If I need to, I'll just make myself scarce."

The girl hummed a bit, rubbing her thumb against his cheek bone. "You sure?"

"Positive." He gave her hand a squeeze as his final bit of assurance.

"Thank you," (y/n) grinned while wrinkling her nose before lifting onto her toes and kissing her turtle's cheek. "Now I've really gotta get ready."

(Y/n) escaped the room with a smile, only to lock herself in the master bedroom and lean against the door. Her lower lip was caught between her teeth as she thought about her racing heart. While she wasn't sure what she was feeling, she liked it. It made her feel warm and empowered. Raising a hand to her lips, she gently pried it from her teeth. If she focused she could still feel the texture of his skin. It was smoother than she expected. A child-like giggle escaped her throat as she pictured his gentle smile that she caused. What a wonderful feeling, she thought to herself before pushing off the door to change.

Meanwhile, in the living room Leonardo stood like a statue with his hand lingering where (y/n)'s lips once were. He did NOT expect a kiss. Then again, he didn't expect her concern either. Even as more time passed (Y/n) continues to surprise him. She is a girl shrouded in mystery disguised as an open book, and damn if he didn't want to read more. There was a new desire forming within the turtle. A longing to know anything and everything he could about his owner. He wanted to know her dreams, hopes for the future. No. Knowing them wouldn't be enough. He wanted to live with her.

With that thought his heart stopped. Leonardo wanted to stay with her. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the tops of New York's buildings dotted with shadows from the midday sun and thought of his brothers. They were still out there looking for him. Wanting him home. Home where he should want to be as well. I do want to be home, Leonardo told himself as he looked back down the hall towards the master suite, I just want (Y/n) to stay with me. Was that it? He wondered.

He just wanted her with him, or was he wanting more? Leonardo didn't know, and he didn't want to know. The turtle worried that the truth would be far more than he could handle and decided that the best course of action was to simply let things be what they will be until the time that he would be forced to act. Then, and only then, would he worry about what he wanted. Until then, he would just enjoy the warm feeling in his chest that was caused by the girl.

***

After Y/n was ready for the day, she and Leonardo began prepping for their guests. Leonardo restocked the fridge with drinks while (y/n) scrambled to tidy up the best she could. Next they moved to the living room. Together they chose a few movies for Leonardo to watch, made sure he had all the pillows and blankets that he could desire, and of course, made sure her switch fully charged so he could play on it if he got bored.

"Now this is the ultimate relaxation station," The girl beamed as she flopped onto the sofa landing directly on her fuzzy throw blanket.

"Yeah, it is pretty nice." Leonardo agreed as he approached the girl. Once he was close enough he tapped the top of her head, prompting (y/n) to sit up just enough for him to join her on the couch, only to lay her head back down against his thighs. "Too bad you don't get to enjoy it tonight."

(y/n) scoffed. "Please, if you don't think I'm invading as soon as the boys leave, you're insane."

Leonardo chuckled at her and began to run his fingers through her loose hair. If he was being honest, he wished that (y/n) could stay here with him all night. Together they could watch their chosen movies and play video games. It would just be fun and relaxing. Instead, he was losing her to work. Work that was coming to her, which was even worse. Still. For at least a moment they got to relax with each other. (y/n)'s eyes softly cloning as she eased into his touch, and Leonardo humming mindlessly under his breath.

For the few minutes they had everything, it seemed perfect. The world was just the two of them, and nothing could possibly go wrong. All good things must end however, and after far too little time they were interrupted. A knock on the door caught their attention and let them know that the time to relax had officially passed. Even so, (y/n) sat up to face him and grabbed his hand.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" She asked him for a final time, fully prepared to send her friends away if he asked her to do so.

Her turtle smiled before lifting her hand to his lips and kissing the back of it. "Yes." he insisted.

"Okay," (Y/n) grinned as she left the couch and went to the door.

With a smile she opened it, happy to see it was in fact David and Jamison on the other side. As per usual, they were dressed much nicer than she was, Jamison more so than David. The blond Broadway dancer decided to wear a half open button down with a blazer and black jeans, successfully out classing in friends as he always does. David, while much more casual, still looked more put together than (y/n) in her sweater and shorts with jeans and a clearly ironed V-neck shirt. Of course, the girl knew that he was dressed to impress, after all it was a Jamison rehearsal

"So, I've been thinking," David started as he pushed past her into the apartment. If Jamison's eye roll was any indication, this was clearly something he had been going on about for a while. "We have officially made up the perfect team, all we need to do is drag in Karai and then BOOM! All slots covered."

The hostess blinked for a moment, attempting to make sense of his words before turning towards Jamison. "What is he on about?"

"Please don't get him started." The blonde groaned while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Oh, come on! You know I'm right." Their friend continued. "We could have our own television show where we fight crime or something!"

"You're completely insane." (Y/n) responds with an eye roll.

"I am not!" David argued as he wrapped his arms around his friends' shoulders. "We've got Jamie! The emotional one. Karai! Our strong-willed leader. (Y/n)! The brains of the operation. And Me! The fun one."

Jamison snorted at the categorization of their friend group. "Since when are you the fun one?"

"Since (Y/n) is too smart for that position. If we were to move her out of the team genius position we would be completely screwed."

The group laughed at his argument whole heartedly. It also made (y/n) wonder if she weren't the team genius where she could be placed. One of the boys would easily double as a heart throb, and Karai was a far more experienced fighter than her. There wouldn't even be a secondary character arch available anyway, she decided, and decided to simply take pride in the fact that she was the smartest person in the room. While the other categorizations mostly made sense, there was one that seemed... well off.

"Okay, then why is Karai the leader? Isn't she a little..." (y/n) trailed off. "Well, I love her when I say this, but impulsive?"

Impulsive, (Y/n) rolled her eyes at her own choice of word. Impulsive wasn't what she wanted to use, but the boys didn't know what she did. Before her show last week, (y/n) had met with Karai to give her the promised chance to explain herself, and the explanation she got was less than ideal.

"Your pet turtle and his brothers are being trained by my dad's arch nemesis." Karai had explained. "We've been fighting them for over five years now."

"You've been fighting turtles...for five years?" (y/n) asked, her tone making it evident that she did not want to entertain Karai's story. "You do realize that means you've been fighting, and since it's been going on for half a decade, losing to teenage turtles right?"

Karai groaned. "I know it sounds ridiculous but it's true! Please (y/n) you have to trust me."

(Y/n) had sighed at her friend's pleading. The story seemed almost too ridiculous to be made up, but at the same time, she was searching for Karai's justification. Mindless violence in the name of their parents' war, it seems all for not in the singer's opinion. Sensing that she was making little ground, Karai attempted a deeper dive into the ongoing conflict.

"(Y/n) please understand. The Turtle's master took away everything from my father," She explained, making (Y/n) turn away from her mirror to look into her friend's eyes. "He killed my mother when he burned my father's house to the ground. That's why I left..."

"You left Francoeur in a fire as some kinda symbolic revenge?" (Y/n) bit into her every word, anger bubbling up in her stomach. "From the sounds of it, this isn't your war Karai! And regardless as to what was done to you and your family, it does not justify taking it out on an innocent. I doubt Francoeur was even alive when that happened to you. You can be as angry as you want at the man who actually hurt you, but you cannot take it out on his students."

The silence between them was deafening. Karai's unusually confident aura deflated at the scolding so intensely that the young woman went as far as to take a step back. She wasn't sure what else she could say or do to justify her choices. All she knew was that she didn't want (y/n) to be angry with her. So, she chose to say the only thing she could think of.

"Your right," Karai whispered. "I'm sorry."

"I don't forgive you Karai, but in order to preserve our friendship I'll simply categorize this incident under a lapse of judgment." (Y/n) said sternly, before softening her features and grabbing the other girl's hands. "I really value our friendship and having you in my life, but I can't associate with someone who would think burning someone alive is justified for any reason. Please, think about this, and, I don't know, realign your morals."

Yeah... Impulse could never cover all of that. But (y/n) wasn't sure that any single word really could. Regardless, she stood by the point of her thought. Karai could not be the leader, and if she was no doubt they would be led right down the wrong path.

"Fine, if not Karai who is our fourth member, little miss." David asked, his arms crossed in front of his chest expectantly.

(Y/n) thought for a moment. They really didn't know a lot of people which meant a few things. Firstly, they probably needed some more friends, and secondly, their options were extremely limited. Scanning her walls, she tried to think of someone, anyone who could play the team leader, when her eyes landed on the archway to the living room.

Francoeur wouldn't be a bad option, she thought while mentally going over the character traits of a good leader. Confident, kind, active listener, strong, he filled those categories well enough. Not to mention he could out fight her without breaking a sweat, so if they were in a crime fighting television show as David suggested, the turtle could kick some serious ass. Making up her mind, (Y/n) settled on her answer.

"Why not, Francoeur?" She suggested.

"Whose Francoeur?" Jamison asked, while David simply rolled his eyes.

"Your pet turtle does not qualify for the team."

"Why not?" (y/n) asked before a confident smile formed on her lips. "He can certainly handle himself."

"Since when do you have a pet turtle?" Jamison cut in, clearing confused, with a welcome topic change.

(Y/n) beamed at the chance to talk about Leonardo, a little too quickly even in her own opinion. "Mr. Okoru gave him to me, but he's less of a pet and more of a roommate."

The boys exchanged a knowing glance at her reaction. Of course, in their heads, the light in her eyes, and wide smile were simply excitement from getting a new pet. Like a child with a puppy. They didn't know that it was truthfully a result of the fluttering in her stomach that had begun to appear at the mention of her larger-than-life turtle. The girl had yet to allow herself the time to interpret her own feelings. So, while she knew the reaction was a bit too far, and a bit too excited, it didn't concern her. Not yet at least.

Chuckling, David moved towards his friend, "Do we get to meet this roommate then?"

The girl released a burst of uncomfortable laughter at the question. Her day-long struggle came back to her mind as her friends waited curiously for an answer. All she could do was picture Leonardo's concerned gaze, and the subtle tremor in his voice at the idea of visitors. It wouldn't surprise her if he rarely interacted with people. After all, he was a giant turtle, one of nature's abnormalities, that outweighed the average adult male. Her heart panged when (y/n) imagined people screaming and running from her pet. Little did they know that he would never hurt them.

Leonardo was a kindhearted turtle, she decided not long after meeting him. Sure, he was strong, and huge, and a literal ninja, but just because he has certain abilities doesn't mean he uses them for evil. Snapping out of her thoughts, (Y/n) looked back at her friends with a crooked smile.

"Um... I don't know. He didn't seem too interested in meeting people today." (Y/n) attempted to explain in a way that wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings.

"Oh, come on! We're fun." Jamison insisted while bumping their shoulders.

"Well, I know that, but I'm not going to force him to do anything he doesn't want to. Besides, I just learned his real name a few days ago, I'd rather not back track on progress."

Unbeknownst to the group, Leonardo could hear their conversation from the living room. He hadn't intended to ease drop, truly, but he hadn't started his movies when the boys arrived, and David's voice had a tendency to carry. So, he heard the boy's master plan for a crime fighting team including his friends, as well as (y/n) attempts to trade Karai out for him. The thought made him smile, as did her concern afterwards.

It was nice to know that she was still considering his feelings about the situation.

That was when his stomach growled, and Leonardo realized something important. They had forgotten about dinner. (Y/n) said that she would usually feed her guest before they left but didn't mention anything about dinner for him. Was he just supposed to find something? Or did she want him to join them for dinner? Leonardo had no idea, and no idea in this situation left only one choice. Going in and asking.

So silently Leonardo approached the living room, staying just out of sight as he waited for an opening that was least likely to scare their house guests.

David blinded a few times, surprise written across his face. "You're telling me, learned his real name...and it was Francoeur?"

"What? no!" (y/n) quickly corrected. "His name is Leonardo, Francoeur was just the name I gave him in the meantime, I'm still getting used to using his actual name."

That would work as well as any. Besides, Leonardo had actually grown quite fond of the pet's name (Y/n) had given him. It was sweet, and special. Not to mention, that moment was the first time they truly bonded with each other. He didn't want to lose that. So, with the conversation open, Leonardo hesitantly entered the room and walked up behind (y/n) once he was close enough, he placed a hand on her shoulder, causing the girl to jump and turn to look at him.

"You..." he took a moment to clear his throat. "You can still call me Francoeur (y/n), it's alright."

"Really?"(y/n) beamed, a smile spreading on her cheeks. "Thank you Francoeur, it's like a special nickname."

The pair smiled peacefully at each other before remembering that they weren't alone. In an instant their eyes were on the boys, who were standing wide eyes with their jaws dropped. It didn't even seem like they were breathing. (Y/n) was starting to get cornered while Leo simply tensed up. This is how it went. First shock then screaming. His hands lifted over his ears when the blonde boy suddenly pulled in a deep breath.

Instead of screaming, Jamison finally managed to speak through his shock. "That is a giant fucking turtle."

"Oh! Right!" The girl jumped, "Leonardo, this is David and Jamison. David and Jamison, this is Leonardo."

"Giant. Fucking. Turtle." David responded.

"Yes thank you, we established that." (y/n) sighed exasperatedly at her friends. She was really hoping they would be better than this, but apparently not.

They wanted to meet her pet, and now they had, and all they could do was point out the obvious as they started. No greeting, no kindness, just slack jawed stares. It made her grit her teeth. Leonardo, however, was relieved. He would take shock over terror any day. As a faint smile went to grace his face, his stomach growled once again.

Right, the reason he came in here.

"Anyway..." Leonardo trailed off, turning his attention to the sole girl in the room. "Can we order pizza tonight?" he decided to ask, it seemed better than stumbling through a pathetic, you forgot to make a plan for me to eat, ramble. "Specifically, Antonio's. I've really been craving it and um... well up until today, saying 'I would like Antonio's pizza please.' was daunting."

The girl giggled. "Of course, Francoeur, can you set an alarm on the smart speaker to remind me to order later?"

"On it."

The turtle then went to leave, sparing (y/n) once last squeeze on her shoulder as a goodbye. The girl shot him a smile in response before turning to her friends once again. While they had finally managed to close their mouths, they still looked shocked at what they just saw. As irritated as it made her, (y/n) knew she really couldn't judge. After all, when Leonardo was first thrown at her feet her first thought was also in direct correlation with his sheer size. It wasn't every day that you saw a six-foot tall turtle. In retrospect, the fact that he can talk probably didn't help ease their surprise.

Neither did the dreamy expression that glazed over (Y/n)'s eyes when she spoke to him. From where the boys stood, they saw a fully devoted girl and an equally committed turtle speaking with the utmost respect for each other as well as wells worth of hidden emotion. It was something they both longed for (y/n) to find, after all, the girl was like a little sister to them. The fact that the recipient of such affection is a giant talking turtle was not exactly what they had in mind.

"He seems...nice..." Jamison hesitated, clearly still trying to process what he witnessed

"He is nice." (Y/n) responded with a sigh and a smile.

"And he's not dangerous." David asked, tone serious.

This serious tone snapped the girl out of her daze, as she turned to the boys. "He's not going to hurt you, I promise."

They exchanged a look, but only Jamison was brave enough to voice their thoughts. "But he could..."

"Let's start practicing." (Y/n) cut him off.

***

As the group practiced, Leonardo made himself comfortable in the living room. He had a movie playing as he focused on his Pokémon adventure on the switch. For the past hour, he listened to the rehearsal, surprised to have only heard the boys singing thus far. The only time he heard (Y/n)'s voice was when she gave notes or did a simple vocal trill. Of course, all of this was interlocked with the occasional burst of laughter, or teasing which just made the turtle smile to himself.

He loves me not

He doesn't like me

He thinks not highly of me

The first hints of (Y/n)'s voice caused him to look away from his game fully in favor of watching the office doors. It was overlapped by Jamison's voice, but based upon the tempo, Leonardo could only assume that the song still had more to come. A desire to hear her singing voice bubbled to life in his chest to the point where he saved his game and set it to the side.

Then he would know I love him

Then he would gladly take my love

I know he wants to say that he loves me

But what does he say?

She sounded great, Leonardo decided. She had sounded great the night he first heard her sing as well. He was sure that if circumstances had been different he could have really enjoyed her set that night. Unfortunately, at the time he was in excruciating pain, and trying to figure out if there was any way for him to escape and get back home to his brothers without getting himself killed. Now, in a moment with far less stakes, and in far better health, Leonardo found himself listening fondly to the trio sing. Taking in their layered vocals and harmonizing. It was evident that they were professional performers.

It's gone and who can trace it?

My life's yours

For the asking

And yet he loves me not

Leonardo could hear the laughter that followed with the end of the song and was admittedly tempted to applaud even though he doubted they would hear it over the fun they were having. Yeah, he thought with a smile, these two were much better for (Y/n) than the others. The turtle's smile stayed as he continued to listen to their songs, only faltering when the smart speaker began to chime. It was time to order the pizza.

Pushing himself off the couch, the turtle hesitantly made his way to the office door. He didn't want to interpret. They sounded like they were having fun and considering that was the first song (Y/n) actually sung, he doubted they were close to being finished. There was also the added concern that they boys wouldn't take it well again.

Well, they already had the AHH GIANT TURTLE! Freak out, he thought to himself with a sigh, hoping that that thought would comfort him enough as he reached up to knock on the door.

To his surprise, what followed was the sound of someone tripping followed by laughter. From the sounds of it, (Y/n) was one of those laughing, which comforted Leonardo, who was admittedly concerned that she just landed face first onto the carpet. His questions regarding who had fallen were soon answered as a brunette male opened the door while rubbing his newly red elbow. Apparently, it was David. The same one who was now looking up at the turtle wide eyed.

"Leonardo!" he all but shouted.

"Hi..." The turtle responded; tone obviously uneasy.

Trying to save her pet from the no doubt awkward situation to come, (Y/n) pushed past her friend to the door. "Hey! Whatcha need?"

"The alarm went off," Leonardo replied a bit sheepishly. When said out loud, he left like it was an even stupider reason to interrupt than originally.

(Y/n) however, seemed completely unbothered, as her smile grew. "Oh ok, why don't you hang out with the boys for a minute, and I'll get us some dinner. One cheese, one Pepperoni?"

Everyone nodded at her order before they watched their sole girl leave the office, causing all three men to look at each other awkwardly. Leonardo was tempted to simply wave and go back to the living room, but the boys had a different plan. Without warning all awkwardness faded from David and without hesitation, he lifted onto his toes to wrap an arm around Leonardo's shoulder, dragging him into the office.

Instantly they pulled him into their conversation. The boys first gave proper introductions. David explained that he was the typical accompanist of (y/n) and Jamison proudly boasted about his career on Broadway as a consistent ensemble member. When they finished they both looked at Leonardo expectantly. Mentally he scrambled to figure out the right amount to tell them before he spoke.

"Oh um, well you already know my name is Leonardo. I have three younger brothers and um, I'm trained in ninjutsu." He told them.

David chuckled a bit as he suddenly bumped his shoulder with the turtle before wandering towards the piano. "A ninja turtle huh. You don't see that every day."

"Well, you also don't see giant turtles to begin with. If I'm being honest, ninjutsu isn't that far out of left field." Jamison chuckled. "I mean didn't you see that huge dog thing on the roof of the grocery store a few weeks back. He was fighting something, and I said you dreamed it up."

"Grocery store in Chinatown?" Leonardo asked and the boys nodded causing him to chuckle. "Yeah, that was my brothers and I fighting dog pound."

"Well, there you have it, I'm not insane." David said with a smile. "Thank you for supporting my sanity, dear turtle."

Together the group laughed before the conversation shifted to their current set. The boys explained to Leonardo that they had to have at least seven songs. One trio, which they sang earlier, three duets (one for each pair), and three solos. Mr. Okoru insisted that he hear them all sing during this event, and they didn't want to disappoint. Of course, this upset David the most, as the boy raved that he was not a singer, and being paired with two angelic singers, as he described them, made him seem that much worse.

Then there was the issue of (Y/n)'s numbers. From what they were saying it seemed as if she was really throwing her partners for a loop, having turned down half a dozen numbers so far.

"(Y/n) really needs some more practice, but I need to get these notes down before anything else." David groaned as he popped his fingers. "Why can't she just sing something that we already know."

"Because she's terrified of Mr. Okoru." Jamison replied simply, though there was a bit of sadness in his tone.

Silence settled over the room. Jamison and David looked at each other sadly as they thought about (y/)'s fear while Leonardo gritted his teeth. While the humans knew why she was so afraid, as well as what had happened to her in the past at their boss' hand, Leonardo was angry for a separate reason. He was angry because a girl like her shouldn't have to be afraid. She was kind, loyal, and smart. She could be anywhere in the world if she wanted to be, but instead (y/n) was stuck working for a man she feared. Feeling the need to break the mood, David moved back to their main topic, with added dramatics to keep the other's focus.

"Still, I need a break, but we can't have her losing her tone." David whined before looking over at Leonardo, a smirk quickly replacing his pout. "Wait a minute. Leonardo could sing a piece with her. Give us both a few minutes to chill and her a bit of warm up."

While Leonardo's eyes widened at the idea, Jamison's face lit up. It was clear that he liked the idea. In an instant he had turned on his heel and looked up at the turtle.

"What do you say, Leonardo? Why not stay and practice with us?" Jamison suggested while nudging the turtle with his shoulder. "Sing a song or two with our leading lady?"

The turtle in question laughed sheepishly at the notion. "If I sang it would probably cause an avalanche."

"Boo!" David shouted with a laugh. "Come on man, we're all friends here. Besides, singing is just like fancy sustained talking. I'm sure you could do it if you tried."

Leonardo laughed again. "I don't know. I don't know a lot of songs anyhow."

"Well, that's an easy thing to fix." Jamison perked up before grabbing his folder and digging though for a certain piece. Once he found it, he showed it to David with a smirk, an expression the other man soon mimicked before encouraging his friend to pass off the song. "Just read over this one as we work through the next few, then you can sing it with (Y/n). It's one of her best numbers."

"Alright, pizza is ordered." (Y/n) announced when she walked back into the room. "The guy on the phone said they were kinda slammed with orders, so they estimated an hour. I hope that's alright for everyone."

"Perfect! It'll give Leonardo more time to learn that piece." David chuckled.

"What piece?" The girl asked before looking towards her turtle only to see him holding a small packet of music. "Those two aren't giving you a hard time are they."

"Come on, give up more credit," David whined, though his smirk never left. "We were just preparing him to sing a duet with you."

(Y/n) blinked at the new information before looking at her turtle who simply nodded in agreement. "Okay then..."

"Yep, he gets till we finish up the rest of the set to practice, then it's all you guys." Jamie chuckled before playfully shoving (y/n) and pretending to flip hair over his shoulder. "Now, get out of my spotlight. It's my time to shine."

***

"Alright! Leonardo and (Y/n) you two are up! You ready?" Jamison beamed while walking to sit beside David on the piano bench.

"As I'll ever be," The turtle muttered as he stood and walked towards the girl, being sure to keep his sheet music close to him.

"You can still back out, you know, if you want." (Y/n) said with a smile, once again, allowing his comfort to take the lead.

Leonardo simply shrugged. "It's just one song right? I just hope I don't burst your eardrums."

"I'm sure you'll do great," (Y/n) cooed as she placed a hand on his cheek for a fleeting moment, before looking at David with a nod. "Let's do this thing."

'Til the moment I found you

I thought I knew what love was

Now I'm learning what is true

That love will do what it does

Leonardo waited anxiously for (Y/n) to finish her part, trying to distract his nerves with the beauty that was the girl's singing voice. Sure, he had heard her sing both on the stage and casually around the house, but this was different. (Y/n) was singing while giving him her undivided attention. The words she recited went straight to his heart, and though he knew it wasn't actually her, it was a character. Even so, it felt like the words were her own, and that feeling helped motivate him as he began his verse of the song.

An angel come to save me

Who didn't even know she gave me

Something to believe in

For even a day

One day may be forever

But that's okay

That's okay

Everyone present smiled widely at Leonardo's singing. He was in no way a trained singer, but he definitely had some natural talent. Not only that, but the pure emotion he was putting into the words made this singing that much better. It felt true. (Y/n) could even feel the blush forming on her cheeks as she imagined what it could be like for the turtle to say such things to her outside of their musically confided context.

Do you know what I believe in?

Look into my eyes and see

"If things were different." Leonardo sighed with a goofy smile on his face. It felt weird reading from a script, but the musical trio was right. He was having fun.

Marching his energy, (y/n) giggled as she received her lines from memory. "If you weren't going to Santa Fe?"

"And if you weren't an heiress." the turtle read before poking the girl's nose. "And if your father wasn't after my head."

"You're not really scared of my father are you?" (Y/n) asked as she raised a hand to Leonardo's cheek.

Leaning into her touch, he replied. "No, but I am pretty scared of you."

"Don't be." she giggled then nodded towards Leonardo to sing the next part.

And if I'm gone tomorrow!

What was ours still will be

unconsciously the singers stepped together, eye contact never breaking, causing their audience to smile while sharing a knowing look. The couple was unorthodox, they'd admit, but damn if they didn't look like the most devoted pair in this moment.

"$20 they kiss," Jaimeson whispered in David's ear, happy that the piano masked his words.

I have something to believe in

Now that I know you believed in me!

When their song ended, Leonardo and (y/n) both leaned in. David anxiously grabbed Jamison's leg in anticipation. They were really going to do it, he thought, eyes never leaving the seemingly slow-motion actions of the pair in front of them. Suddenly the two met in the middle, only it wasn't their lips that touched, but their foreheads. The men watching them both audibly groaned in disappointment causing the others to step away from each other to look at them.

"You two ok?" (y/n) asked.

"Yeah," Jamison groaned as he stood just enough to fish his wallet out of his back pocket. "You just lost me 20 bucks though."

(Y/n) and Leonardo exchanged a quick glance before simultaneously responding. "Sorry?"

Laughter erupted, filling the room with joy. This moment felt like perfection, then was made even more so when the chime of the doorbell echoed through the apartment. Instantly all three boys cheered. The pizza was here. Of course, this reaction caused (y/n) to laugh harder. It refused to subside as she opened the door and gave the delivery boy his tip while struggling for breath. The poor teen gave the woman a concerned look before quickly retreating, an action which resulted in only more laughter.

There was nothing that could ruin this moment, the group decided as they all finally calmed enough to plate up pizza and eat together in the kitchen. Their final hour together was filled with stories, jokes, and spouts of poorly sung show tunes. When the meal finally ended, Jamison and David took their leave, giving (y/n) a hug and Leonardo a friendly punch to the shoulder or first bump. With the pair gone, (Y/n) and her pet exchanged a sweet smile then moved to clean up.

With the house back to square one, they both wandered to the living room where they practically collapsed beside each other on the couch. (y/n) pulled her legs up under herself as she reached for the remote, quickly turning the television to her favorite cartoon channel where Space Heroes was currently playing. With a content hum she leaned back shoulder bumping against Leonardo's.

"Your friends are really nice," Leonardo suddenly said, making the girl giggle.

"Yeah they are," she responded. "I'm glad you came to hang out with us. Usually when it's just the three of us together I'm forced to suffer through the boy's lovelorn looks at each other while mentally screaming for them to just make a move already."

Her turtle laughed at her complaining before looking her way with a knowing smile. "They were doing that even with me there."

"You're not wrong. The real issue is that David loves Jamison but is too afraid to act on it since he thinks Jamie would never like him back, while Jamison is somehow convinced that Davy is straight so he will never make the first move." The girl huffed a bit at her own explanation before leaning into her turtle's side. "When I ultimately fall in love, I hope that it isn't nearly as confusing as it is for those two."

"May the odds be in your favor." Leonardo responded while stretching, letting his arm settle across (Y/n)'s shoulders when it landed.

"Have you ever been in love, Francoeur?" (Y/n) asked while readjusting herself to become comfortable against his plastron.

"In love?" The turtle hummed. "No, but I did have a crush on this girl once. She tried to kill me and yet strangely, my feelings didn't go away until I found out she was actually my stepsister. The whole thing was a bit of a mess."

"How Star Wars of you." the girl mused with a teasing grin.

"Ha! No kidding." The turtle laughed as he explained. "How about you, Finch?"

(y/n) sat up slightly at the question, her head tilting to look at him. "Finch?"

"It's a nickname, a type of songbird." He nervously explained. "I won't use it if..."

"No-no! I love it! I just didn't expect it." She quickly responded, cuddling closer to the turtle's shell as if to prove that there was no discontent. "Anyway, no. I've never been in love. I've always been so much younger than my peers, so I guess I just never found the right conditions. Honestly, when I do fall in love, I probably won't even realize for a while."

Leonardo laughed loudly while reaching over with his free hand to poke (y/n)'s nose. "How dense of you."

"Oh, shut up." (Y/n) laughed as she leaned her head against his shoulder, enjoying the feeling of Leonardo's arm wrapped around her shoulder.

~~A/n~~

Random Note for those who are curious. Here is the Broadway Night Set List from the Trio!

She Loves me Not - All Three

Together Wherever we go - (Y/n) and David

It only Takes a Taste - (Y/n) and Jamison

What you Own - David and Jamison

Wonderful - David

Build a Wall - Jamison

I can do Better Than That - (Y/n)