Chapter Text
Hikaru's day at work's been pretty boring—up until he notices the group of turtles on the rooftop some buildings away.
And they're fighting too! Oh, this is gonna be entertaining.
It's been a few weeks since Hikaru's seen the turtles around this part of New York; ever since he arrived in the city, he's noticed the turtles here and there, even as they tried to stay hidden. Of course, those videos online spotting them around the city didn't help them go unnoticed either.
Hikaru shakes the thought off, adjusts his glasses, and focuses on the ninjas.
At this point he's sure his coworker, Nicolas, notices him looking out the window and deliberately paying attention to something else. But if Nic cares, he makes no effort to get him to pay full attention to whatever he's talking about. Sometimes he just needs someone to let him vent instead of actually listen to what he's saying. Seems like this is one of those times.
"...so the dogs started freaking out, and I didn't know what to do—usually Savannah's the one to check out whatever's scaring the pets, but she's visiting her family for the week, so I—"
Hikaru stands up when he sees the turtles outside jump down to street level. Their human companions break off as the turtles assess the area and make sure they're okay; it's as the door opens that he realizes they're here, in the restaurant where he works.
The group, two girls and a boy who looks to be a year or so younger than them, seat themselves at one of the many available tables. Hikaru interrupts Nicolas and points to the table where the turtle's friends are sitting.
"I got that table!"
He leaves no room for arguments or protests as he grabs his order pad from his pocket and heads over to the table. As he gets closer, he glances out the front windows and notices the turtles just lingering around across the street. They're in the alleyway between buildings but they're still visible from where he's standing. Looking over the people there, Hikaru notices the way they're all slightly panting, like they'd just been on a run. It makes sense to him; they had just been with the turtles and the three of them had joined the others in their fight. He makes sure not to mention it to them, however.
"Welcome to Tony Lou's Pizza, um," he glances out the window, suddenly considering the turtles might be hungry after that fight too, and hey, they're still lingering in the area, "do you want to order now or wait for your friends to join you?"
The question gives the group pause. They look between themselves before looking to him.
"Friends?" The black girl asks.
He's about to nod and point out the turtles across the street when he pauses. Now that they're face to face, he recognizes her: she's a good friend of the turtles. She even worked a crane during the alien invasion a couple years back, and if he's remembering right, she really held her own. April, he thinks her name is? Hikaru wants to say something about how awesome that was, and how much of a hero she is, but he stops himself from doing so. It's been two years since then, after all, and hearing that from a stranger? It'd be very weird, so he stays on topic.
"Yeah. The ones outside. In the turtle costumes?" He nods towards the window.
The group each turn their heads and he notices the boy's eyes widening when he spots the turtles in the alleyway. And just as she spots her friends, April's phone screen lights up from a new text. A quick glance outside shows one of the turtles, the purple one, looking at his own phone. Hikaru figures he's the one that's texting her.
Immediately after, the three look between one another, and Hikaru can tell they're having a silent conversation. The way their eyes all widen and the look of realization isn't lost on him. He's had plenty of conversations like that with his own friends growing up. Then, as if on cue, the attitude at the table changes, and the three puts on nervous smiles. He can tell that they're all fake.
"Right! Costumes!" The younger boy nods and smiles as he looks between his friends.
The other girl, who looks related to the boy—maybe she's his older sister?—barks out a laugh and grips her phone a little tighter. "Ha ha! Of course! What else would they be?" And then she shuts up and looks to the phone screen as the smile drops from her face. Meanwhile April gets up from her spot and holds the door open, raising her voice so the turtles can hear her from across the street.
"Hey! The waiter wants to know if you guys are coming inside!" She calls over before emphasizing the next sentence. "Your costumes should be fine!"
She glances over her shoulder in his direction and gives him a questioning look.
"Uh, they will be fine, right?"
"Yep!" He nods.
Out of the corner of his eye Hikaru can see April motioning for the turtles to come over and she holds the door open as she waits for them. While they enter and look around, a little hesitant as they do so, Hikaru grabs a few extra menus and ignores the looks the other customers send to the table. Without missing a beat, he launches back into his greeting.
"Alright, again, welcome to Tony Lou's Pizza! My name is Hikaru and I'll be your waiter today. Would you like some time to look over the menu?" He asks.
At first there's no response from anyone. The turtles are still glancing around at the other lingering customers, of which there's not many, while their human friends are trying not to do the same. Hikaru can tell that April and the girl she's sitting next to aren't paying much attention to what's on the menu. He says nothing about it, though.
Soon enough the turtle with the red mask and a fang peeking out of his mouth comes to and makes eye contact with him. Hikaru repeats the question.
"That might be a good idea," he says as the others finally start looking over the menu.
Hikaru nods. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
When he heads back to the counter, he notices Nicolas staring his way. He doesn't think much of it until his coworker speaks to him in a hushed tone.
"How are you so calm?"
He stops when he hears the question; it confuses him. Why wouldn't he be calm? Nothing's happened. Hell, Hikaru doesn't even know what his coworker is asking.
"What are you talking about?"
Nicolas motions to the table Hikaru had just been serving and gives him a pointed look, like he can't understand why he doesn't share his feelings about the mutants. "Them! You're not, you know, freaking out?"
No, he's not. Pretty much everyone in the city knows about the turtles and no one's scared of them. At least, most people aren't, and they have no reason to be. Most videos about them that circulate are ones of them fighting off aggressive mutants or saving the city, even the world. Others show them doing... normal things. Like getting food or joking around with their friends. Who's scared of people like that?
So he just shrugs and look back at him. "Why should I?"
Nic stares at him in a combination of disbelief and frustration. Is his coworker just dense?
"Because they're turtles?"
Hikaru rolls his eyes; he knows they're actually turtle mutants, but he's not about to admit that to Nicolas. Thankfully there's a plausible explanation within reach. "They're not turtles, they're just wearing costumes. Pretty elaborate ones too."
"How do you know that?" Nic questions. He motions to the table again and keeps his voice low to not draw unnecessary attention. "For all you know, they could be another one of those mutants roaming the city!"
At that, Hikaru gets upset. Being mutants doesn't equal being a threat, even if a select few give their entire existence a bad rep. And it's not like the turtles are much of a secret in the city anymore. Especially after the alien invasion from two years ago. They aren't the ones that they should be cautious of.
Besides, for all Nicolas knows, he's just being a dick to some people wearing costumes. And who are they harming by doing that?
His voice raises a bit in frustration, but not enough to draw attention from the customers. "So what if they are?! They're literally just trying to order some mediocre pizza after a long day. What danger do they really pose right now?"
Nicolas recoils in surprise and opens his mouth to answer, but Hikaru doesn't give him the chance to do so. He grabs his server pad and heads back over to the table, making sure to put a smile on his face by the time he gets there. They don't need to know that anything's wrong.
"Ready to order?" They very much are, and the group barks out their orders over one another. That doesn't prevent him from being able to make out each item and scribbling them onto the notepad. When he's done, he repeats the order back and they confirm it. "Just so you know, it'll probably be a while before the pizzas are ready, but the rest should be out shortly."
Before putting in the order, he grabs and distributes the fountain drink cups, and as he leaves about half the table gets up and heads to the soda machine. Hikaru's just put the order in and starts on getting the waters for the table when he hears footsteps approaching the counter. He glances over his shoulder and sees one of the turtles standing there.
Now that he's getting a good look at him, Hikaru has to admit, he's pretty cute.
The blue mask really suits him, and it goes surprisingly well with the red stripes over his eyes—so he's, what, a red-eared slider? He's pretty sure that's the right species. Not to mention the way it makes his eyes, a calming yellow, pop, or the gentle smile on his face. Then he glances over his shoulder and spots the katanas strapped to the turtle's back and deep down he feels a pang of kinship. As quickly as the thought arrives, Hikaru shoves it away and returns to reality before a silence can form.
"Oh, hey. Did I get the order wrong back there?" He reaches into the pass for the ticket but stops as the slider shakes his head and holds his hand out.
"No, actually, you're doing great! Even with this whole situation."
The turtle motions to himself, and Hikaru can't help but laugh a little. It's not a joke but the lighthearted delivery brushes against his funny bone. He grabs a tray and begins to gather the waters for his table. "I mean, your costumes are impressive. And, being honest, I've seen a lot weirder than some guys dressed up as turtles."
That's true, although it's not like he'll ever be able to explain that to the other.
The slider scoffs in surprise. "Really? The turtle thing is as weird as it gets for me."
Hikaru lets out another laugh and arranges the water on the tray. He notices the turtle lingering around, and he remembers that he doesn't really know why he came over to talk.
"Anyway, um, was there something you needed?" He asks as he hesitates to take the tray over to the table. Truth be told, he wouldn't mind spending a little bit of time getting to know the turtle a bit more.
'Kay, you got this, Leon.
The slider nods and finds that he doesn't know what to do with his hands. Does he put them on the counter—no, he'll think you're weird!—or fidget with them—maybe, but that's not much better. Eventually he just decides to let one play with the wrapping around his arm as he tries to find the right words.
"Uh, yeah, I was wondering if...."
He quickly trails off as his nerves get the better of him. He can't make eye contact with the waiter anymore, which is honestly a shame because Hikaru's attractive, and just a few seconds ago Leo would've been able to look into his brown eyes for hours. Not anymore, though, and he doesn't know that changed.
His eyes dart around as he tries to find anything to focus on, as if it'll get his courage up once again. And it's not successful.
"Wondering if...?" Hikaru asks, trying to prompt him to continue.
Oh god, I'm taking too long.
"Uh," Leo's eyes finally fall on a poster right next to the waiter and he jumps at the chance to break the silence, "if the table could add that to our order."
Surprised, Hikaru turns and finds the sudden subject of the turtle's attention and can't help feeling a pit of disappointment. He only wanted to come over to add the restaurant's cookie pizza dessert to the order? That's it? He does his best not to let his disappointment show, but he can't help the way his mood and face fall.
"Oh. Really?"
No, not really. Leo doesn't care about the dessert and it's not why he came over. What he wants is find his nerves again and ask his cute waiter if he's doing anything after work. Maybe he can use this a second chance.
"Well—"
"Hey, Leo!" Another one of the turtles, the one in the orange mask, calls his name from the soda machine.
Leo, as Hikaru now knows his name to be, looks over at the others and appears annoyed at the interruption. Hell, he borderline glares at the turtles at the soda fountain as he speaks.
"I'm a little—" He interrupts himself as he lets out a shocked gasp and points at the other turtle by the machine, "—don't you dare get me that flavor, Donnie!"
Then he runs over to the machine and snatches the cup out of the hand of the purple-clad turtle, and leaves Hikaru at the counter. The waiter lets out a soft sigh but shrugs off the interaction nonetheless and drops off the waters at the table before checking on their order.
By the time Leo gets back, Hikaru's already busy serving another table. And the ninja can't help but feel disappointed in himself.
It's just one question, one! And he couldn't even ask it.
Maybe it's not even a good idea, he realizes as he takes his seat again. Hikaru's his waiter. He's being paid to be nice to him and his family, it's not out of the kindness of his heart. Plus he's a stranger, and Leo's not sure if he's even gay! He probably just dodged a really awkward bullet; if he embarrasses himself by asking him out, he'll never be able to come back here. Really, it's a good thing that he couldn't go through with asking the boy out.
But then why's he still feel so bummed out about it?
He gets his phone out and tries to distract himself; it doesn't work. His eyes are fixed on the phone screen but his mind's still focused on the interaction from earlier and what he should've said. And the way Hikaru's eyes sparkle in the light, and the freckles on his cheeks, and his adorable smile, and oh god he needs to stop he's coming over with their food.
Leo glances up from his phone for the brief period that he's at the table and sends him a smile when they momentarily make eye contact. The waiter returns the smile, but then he leaves again, and as everyone starts to dig into their food, he returns his attention to his phone screen. He doesn't bother trying to focus on any of the posts he's scrolling past.
The others don't really notice the silence coming from the leader, but Raph notices. And he knows something's not right. As discreetly as he can he nudges Leo's shoulder to get his attention.
"You good, bro?"
"Hmm?" The slider looks up, then processes the question and tries to brush it off. "Oh, yeah. Just fine."
Raph knows that's a lie.
"You've been real quiet since we got here," he points out.
The younger brother lets out a frustrated breath and returns his gaze to his phone. This isn't something he wants to talk about, both in public and with someone who he knows won't understand, for more than one reason.
"Don't worry about it, older brother. You wouldn't understand anyway."
Raph experiences a rush of indignation. He and Leo don't share every little thing with one another, but he doesn't like being dismissed before he's even given a chance. "Hey, I might!"
I doubt that, Leo thinks.
He's sure Raphael thinks he'll understand, but there's some feeling in his gut that's telling him that he won't, not really. After all, the slider isn't even sure if his family knows that he's gay. That's a conversation he's not sure he's ready to have just yet, but especially not in a pizza restaurant with other people around.
And then there's the conversation about wanting to ask out the guy just doing his job, and he knows he's gonna get a lot of flack for that. Hell, April's got plenty of horror stories about men hitting on her while she's working and how uncomfortable it makes her feel. He's always sworn that he won't be like one of those guys; I mean, who wants to be a clueless creep?
But he also can't ignore the way he's feeling, even if it's just infatuation for someone he only met a short while earlier. Like, how's he supposed to ignore the butterflies in his stomach when Hikaru pushes some of his dark hair out of his eyes in just the perfect way?
He sighs and glances in Raph's direction. "Can we do this later? When we're not in public?"
The older turtle narrows his eyes at him.
"Promise you'll tell me what's going on in there?" He asks as he points to Leo's head.
Leo rolls his eyes but nods nonetheless.
"Yeah, I promise."
That's all it takes for Raph to get off his case and go back to the pizza slice in his hand. To make sure no one else tries to check up on him, Leo begins eating and puts on a fake relaxed expression despite his internal struggle.
It's dark by the time they finish and pay for the meal. As the group leaves the building, with his brothers ahead of him discussing how to distribute the leftovers, Leo notices Hikaru leaving the restaurant too. Something sparks in his chest and he knows he has to give it another chance; the possibility of rejection doesn't even get to him this time. So he lingers behind and steps over to the waiter.
Up close, he notices the outfit Hikaru's wearing: an old rock band t-shirt, dark ripped up jeans, and a beat up jacket. They all go great with his glasses and the beanie he's put on. The outfit sorta reminds him of the one during that hallucination Hypno gave him in the magic townhouse a few years ago.
"You've got good fashion sense," he says without thinking.
Luckily for him, Hikaru doesn't seem that startled as he looks up from his bag.
"Oh, hey! Leo, wasn't it?"
"That's me: Neon Leon." Leo smirks and reaches a hand out to lean against the wall, but quickly finds that it's too far away and he's falling over. He manages to catch himself just in time and regain his balance while ignoring the heat forming in his cheeks.
Hikaru laughs, and the turtle can't tell if it's from his blunder or what he said. But Leo doesn't really care, because it's setting in how cute of a laugh the other boy has. "What?"
"It makes sense with context," he explains with a wave of his hand.
"Yeah, okay," Hikaru nods as he gives him a polite smile. "Well, um... it was nice serving you and your friends today—oh god, that sounds weird."
He looks away and covers his face with his hand, and that's when Leo notices the ring on his middle finger. It's not that detailed, just a black band with a green gem on it. It's fitting for him, though.
Immediately after the thought crosses his mind, the slider realizes he hasn't addressed what Hikaru said. He shrugs his shoulders, which catches the other boy's attention as he lowers his hand.
"I'm used to weird. I mean, just look at me!"
Hikaru laughs again, and it gives Leo the last little bit of courage he needs to follow through with this. With a smile still on his face, he turns serious.
"Listen, that's not what—this is the first time I'm doing this—would you want to... would it be alright if—" He cuts himself off as he once again becomes acutely aware of what he's doing. He's trying to ask someone out. Not even just someone, but a boy. A mutant ninja turtle and a human. The realization hits him like a truck and freezes him in place. At least, until a familiar voice cuts through the rushing thoughts and inner panic.
"Hurry it up, Nardo!"
The slider glares at Donatello over his shoulder and shouts back. "Just go! I'll catch up!"
He watches as the group hesitates at first, then, after a moment of talking amongst themselves, turn and head home. When they leave his sight, he turns back to Hikaru. And his nerves return as soon as he remembers what he's doing. Leo raises a hand and rubs the back of his neck as he glances around the area.
"Um, look, I, I wanted to ask you this earlier, and I can handle a 'no,' but would you want to, I don't know, talk... later?" Leo cringes as he decimates the landing. "Talk later?" That's the best he's got?
Way to go, cassanova.
Hikaru doesn't cringe or immediately tell him no, but his reaction doesn't give Leo much hope.
"Oh, uh, well, I don't just give my number out to strangers."
Leonardo nods. He knows where this is going, he's been subjected to enough romance stories to see what's coming. It sucks, and yet, it's life; he'll move on from this, eventually. Maybe it's better this way. Now they'll never have to see one another again, so Leo will only ever relive this moment of embarrassment in his head and not in real life.
Then Hikaru continues. "But if we keep bumping into each other, maybe I'd take that as a sign to get to know you better."
At that, the slider perks up. That's not an outright no, and it leaves the door open for them to meet again.
"So that means—"
He doesn't have the chance to finish his question as Hikaru checks his phone and quickly becomes concerned.
"Shit, I gotta go!" He says as he steps away and starts looking for Nic's car. After spotting it, he looks back towards Leo with a smile. "It was nice meeting you! And hopefully I'll see you around?"
Then, as the car pulls up, he gets into the passenger seat and Nic pulls away from the sidewalk. Leo's left watching the car with a glimmer of hope rushing through his chest, and Hikaru smiles as he watches the turtle in the sideview mirror.
The ride to their apartment building is short and quiet and uneventful. They arrive on their floor after a quick elevator ride, say their goodbyes, and each head into their own apartments.
As soon as the door is closed and locked, he lets out a deep breath, and a wave of exhaustion hits him as he heads into the bathroom. He doesn't have to keep pretending that he's "Hikaru" now; no one's around to see who he really is. Without looking at his reflection in the mirror, he takes off the cloaking ring and sets it aside. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, and when he opens them and looks in the mirror, he sees his true self.
Usagi Yuichi, the samurai rabbit in training.
Well, he was.
Tonight, he's not able to brush away the shame that creeps up on him. Usually he's able to justify his reasons for abandoning his training and hiding amongst humans, and he can pretend like the guilt doesn't linger in the recesses of his mind. He can pretend that he's just some random yokai who'd decided to live topside and experience Earth with its other inhabitants. The promise of an average life—well, as average as it can get for him—is usually enough to ignore the reality of his situation.
But now he's met someone he doesn't want to lie to or hide from, and his shame grips onto that with everything it has.
Yuichi sighs and enters the living room. He wants to open the curtains and look out the window, but he can't risk anyone seeing him. After four years in hiding, he doesn't need anyone to find out about him. Still, he wants to stargaze. He wants to look at the sky and wonder if Leo's looking at the same stars.
And if he's wishing to see him again too.