Chapter 4: Leo and Yuichi Alone
The moving cloud in the sky
At night, around 4 days later, there were many clouds as it had just rained a lot. The streets were wet and people were inside their houses.
One cloud stood out above the others, it being a slightly different color. There was small black-purple lightning coming from it, but it didn’t hit the ground. As the cloud moved insanely fast towards the city of New York, it suddenly reached the outskirts, and started to descend towards the ground.
The cloud completely hung over the streets, with houses being engulfed in it. Then, it disappeared. A tall, stocky man came out from the cloud. He had nothing with him, no briefcase, nothing. He wore a black blouse with a white shirt under it, and black pants and formal shoes.
In the distance, a few people could see he had brown hair, a small moustache and a small beard. He looked quite normal, but one look at his face and people saw something was off…
His left eye was glowing purple.
Leo and Yuichi spar together at Yuichi’s gym
“So, the others aren’t going to come?” Yuichi asked Leo. Even though he really liked April, Mikey and Raph, he had to admit that spending time with Leo alone was something he wanted to do way more often.
“Nopeeee, it’s just us two bunny-boy,” Leo smiled as he was walking towards the entrance with his hands behind his head. He had blue sweatpants on this time instead of his normal outfit, while Yuichi wore a gray tracking suit.
“Shut up, kappa,” Yuichi joked back. The duo had great energy together, even though Yuichi felt that if he hung out with Mikey or Raph alone, it could sometimes become a bit awkward. Yuichi and the other two brothers still liked each other’s company though. With Leo though, he felt like he could really be his true self, even though he hadn’t told him everything yet…
“Come ooonnnnn, tell me what a kappa is Yuichi,” Leo begged, his arms hanging down instantly and looking slightly up.
“Alright Leo, it literally means turtle-yokai.” Yuichi smiled, finally giving in to Leo’s constant questions about the word kappa. Yuichi had been teasing the young man since they met with that word. Leo got the luxury of having 2 nicknames now.
“Let’s go spar, you are gonna teach me how to use my body right,” Leo winked at Yuichi.
Yuichi laughed at Leo’s remark and they both walked into the gym. They then sparred really intensely. Yuichi taught Leo everything he knew about trying to take your opponent off balance. At first, it was hard for Leo since he held 2 blades, but after a while, he got the hang of it. Afterwards, Leo wanted to add mystic powers to the mix and instantly, he became a full-on powerhouse, surprising Yuichi multiple times with his elbows, feet, the back of his swords and even his head.
The sparring was to say the least, intense. Both of them were sweating. Halfway through, however… Yuichi took his upper body clothing off, just like the time they played truth or dare. The result was… interesting. Let’s just say Leo was a bit distracted, being less precise, not being able to spar as well with Yuichi as they did the hour before.
Yuichi raised one of his eyebrows. He noticed it and connected the dots. “Hey let’s take a break Leo, we have been sparring for a while now, let’s drink some water.”
Leo plopped down on the bench and grabbed a bottle of water. His hands were still shaking slightly from the workout. Yuichi sat next to him, still shirtless, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. He also grabbed a towel and put it over his shoulders. The turtle took a big gulf, but he couldn’t help but let his eyes wander back to Yuichi’s shoulders… and the rest of it.
“We have never had a sleepover together before, have we?” Leo said, wanting to start a conversation.
“That’s a great idea, Leo!” Yuichi said excitedly. It was almost as if his eyes glittered.
“I did sleep at April’s place after the party 2 months earlier and it was a lot of fun. Let’s plan one after today, just the two of us… in your room or in my apartment.”
“I will text you bunny-boy.” Leo said to his best friend, sounding charismatic as usual.
It was silent for a moment, with them just enjoying each other’s company. Then… Yuichi started to ask something really weird after that moment of silence. “I always wondered Leo, you went to a few parties right, did you ever meet any cute yokai ladys?”
Leo was caught off-guard by this question. Why did Yuichi ask such a strange question out of the blue? Even so, Leo played it off in his usual, charismatic way. “Not really, they weren’t really my type to be honest.”
“I see… so what about the guys?” Yuichi asked, with a smile on his face as he was genuinely intrigued. Leo basically became a tomato at that point. He didn’t really talk to anyone about his oriëntation and was going to try to get out of this conversation at once. “What do you mea-”
“Leo, I can see you staring. You became sloppy when I was warm and took my clothing off,” Yuichi interrupted. He had caught the turtle right in the act. Leo did not have the charisma in any way shape or form to get out of this conversation. The turtle got slightly angry, as he felt embarrassed being forced to be so open towards someone. Being a leader, he always felt like he had to act a certain way.
“OKAY FINE, you are hot okay,” Leo said loudly. Yuichi immediately held his hands forward to calm his best friend down. “Whoa whoa, don’t be ashamed Leo. It is very strong of you to admit that. Opening up about something like that is hard.”
Then, Yuichi said something that Leo never would have expected.
“Besides… I like guys too.”
Leo looked at Yuichi quietly for a moment, his chest rising and falling from everything he’d just said. He felt vulnerable, but also relieved. “You know…” he began softly, “I’ve never really had a friend like you, Yuichi. April is like a sister to me, Mikey and Raph… even Donnie, they’re just my brothers. But you…” he swallowed, searching for words. “You’re different. I… I-.”
Leo could not get any more words out. Yuichi had a big smile on his face, as he honestly felt the same way, always being on the farm with his aunt, or alone in his apartment. Just like Leo, Yuichi simply didn’t know what to say, but he felt Leo’s words strike right at his heart.
After a moment of silence, his cheeks flushed. “Leo, that means a lot to me,” he finally said. He looked away for a moment, not out of shame, but because he needed to hide his emotions. Leo did not know what to do, as he had never conversed with someone about this topic before. Especially someone who was also ‘like him.’
There was a brief silence before Yuichi gently steered the conversation in a different direction. “You know, you might have been wondering how I got so strong.” Leo nodded, still a little unsure but clearly curious.
Yuichi sighed and looked up at the gym ceiling. “When I came to America, my aunt arranged for me to be trained by all sorts of masters. She invited everyone she could find. It turns out I was just… a natural. Even at a young age, I could pick up techniques that took others months. But despite that, I always felt alone. My aunt always looked at me with a really sad face and then one day… I wanted to make her proud.”
From Leo’s side, there was total silence. He wanted to comfort Yuichi. No, he wanted to lay his arms around the rabbit as the turtle felt that he needed it. Even so, the turtle was too nervous to make a move like that.
Yuichi smiled faintly. “When I was ten, I became champion of the Battle Nexus. I thought my aunt would be proud, but she was furious that I had exposed myself in front of so many people. Big Mom, you know, promised not to make my victory public, but not for free of course. My aunt paid a monthly ‘silence fee’ until she…”
Big Mom was known for being called ‘Mrs Krabs’ in the hidden city, doing anything for money, even extorting people. Leo was a bit shocked to say the least that Yuichi had participated in an event like that at such a young age… but this wasn’t the time to focus on that. “That’s… a lot to carry,” Leo said softly.
Yuichi nodded and skewed closer to Leo, “Leo, I always felt like I had to run away from who I am, from what I wanted. Until you and April came into my life.” His voice did not break, it was just… sad. Leo wanted to do something to reassure him, but Yuichi placed his hand on Leo’s shoulder and gently pulled him close. They both said nothing at that moment.
After a while, Leo felt Yuichi’s head resting against his, his warmth so close that his heart skipped a beat. “But… when I am with you Leo, I don’t have that feeling at all,” Yuichi said softly.
Leo didn’t respond, as the compliment got to him a little bit. He was feeling very shy as well, as this was his first time even being together with another guy.
They then lay there, close together while Yuichi pressed himself a little tighter against Leo’s shoulder. After a while, Yuichi got a little more upbeat again, his smile starting to reappear on his face. “Besides Leo, even though you find me ‘hot’, you should start to look in a mirror. You are really handsome too, you know.”
Leo felt his cheeks heat up, but this time he didn’t let it get to him. He looked calmly at Yuichi and smiled softly. “Thank you… that means a lot to me, Yuichi,” he said sincerely, but he wasn’t finished yet.
“Especially with… you know…” Leo said, as he pointed to Yuichi’s muscles with his eyes, complimenting the rabbit again. Yuichi laughed at Leo’s compliment, smiling at the ground afterwards.
Then, he leaned his head slightly against Yuichi’s and exhaled deeply, as if he could finally release some tension after two years.
If only they realized what they were about to face…