Chapter Text
“It’s ancient, it’s priceless… and it’s yours.”
Her offer stirred something deep within him. The possibilities of being caught, the rush of committing a crime, anticipation of what’s to come – all of this was too much, too strong and all but chased away how wrong it is.
First instinct, ofcourse, was to shoot the idea down. Master Splinter would be so disappointed if he were to find out…
But no one would. This would just be their little secret – his and Karai’s.
Any concern left in his stirring stomach is gone when he makes eye contact with his new… friend.
“Let’s do it.”
Karai seems surprised as her eyes widen slightly but disappears just as quickly as it had appeared with determination and thrill replacing it.
“You’re leader of the others… how do you suggest we go about this?” By the way she said it, it seemed she was not used to taking orders but also didn’t want to lose his assistance.
For once, he relinquishes control.
“You seem to be more experienced at this.” He tries not to say it with too much accusation. “I’ll follow you.”
Her red lips twist pleasurably and he finds himself enamoured by the simple change of her expression and by the need that starts to stir within him.
She scoops up the binoculars between them, shattering the spell. “It’s some sort of gallery so security will be tight – best not to go through any windows.” The knee she was balancing on lifts as she stands to her full height. “It’s on the eighteenth story, only two levels down from the top. The ventilation system seems like our best option.” She hesitates and lets the arm holding the binoculars fall to her side – “Unless you have a better idea?”
This isn’t easy on her, he realises with some amusement and fascination. Karai must serve a big role in the Foot Clan. Maybe after this, they can talk…
“No better ideas from me,” he relents with a small smile.
Her binoculars are then tucked into the sash around her waist at her right – his eyes follow her every movement. This must be how Donnie feels around April… the unrelenting desire to learn everything about her, to know what it feels like to touch her, kiss her… He clears his throat and looks pointedly away.
He jumps when her hand falls on his shoulder; the slender gloved fingers are silky on his skin. Her thumb brushes over his deltoid. “Nervous?”
Yes…
“Not really. Curious if anything,” that can be said about their robbery and about the girl standing next to him, pressing her fingers into his goose-bump covered shoulder.
Only when she removes her hand does he stand.
The vents were large enough for his shell to fit through and if not for that, Leo would be pretty embarrassed right now. He doesn’t bother to close the vent hatch behind him, they would only be coming back and after months of patrols, he knows that security rarely checks out the rooftops – it was where they were safest.
“Your turn,” Karai says in the darkness, crawling ahead of him.
That was Leo’s current issue. Ignoring that he had the perfect view of her ass was difficult.
Though they had started a game while hopping rooftops and climbing through the shaft slowly. 21 questions as Karai called it.
“Right…” Leo had started the game with a pretty generic ‘what’s your favourite colour?’ with her response resembling a laugh and'violet'. She had just thrown the question back at him and annoyingly enough, blue didn’t come to mind as he answered easily amber, like a sunset.
It only took her looking back at him in the short space for him to notice her eyes and what colour they were.
“What do you do… when you’re not doing this?”
She makes that sound again, cross between a laugh and a sarcastic snort. “What do I do when I’m not thieving? Hmm…”
“And working for the Shredder,” Leo adds for good measure.
Karai stays silent, probably thinking when they reach a corner. “Training, I guess…”
He dwells on that as he distractedly answers her next question; how did you become leader? She laughs again when he says that he simply asked to be.
They reach the room with the katana and the vent is now large enough for Leo to crawl up next to her. Although there was now enough room, their arms were pressed together and her face was so close to his. His cheeks warm.
Her effect on him was disarming.
But her focus is elsewhere. Her amber eyes zero in on their target and he simply watches as her irises flick around the room, searching and calculative. She’s amazing.
“Two guards,” she tells him, nodding to the door of the sizeable room. “I got him; you take the one by the window.”
Leo rips his eyes from hers, looking at the guard. “Got it…”
Karai goes first and he hangs back, just to admire the way she takes the guard out swiftly and without an issue. She blends into the shadows, stalking before cupping a hand over his mouth to stifle any noise, and choked him out. He fell to the ground softly as Karai crouches behind the katana. She nods to him.
“Nice job,” Karai pants to his left, hands braced on her knees. “For a second I thought you would leave me there…”
He’s in a similar position, but his right hand holds his new katana proudly in front of him. The blade was astonishingly well looked after. It’s wrong, but it feels so good… But in this moment, he didn’t care if it was morally wrong, socially unacceptable, and criminal – because Karai was next to him, grateful that he saved her and giving him a smile that men would go to war for.
Or commit a crime for.
Not knowing how to respond to her version of ‘thanks’, he returns her smile.
Leo’s prepared to leave it at that, ready to say goodbye and hopefully see her again soon – because if he doesn’t leave now, he might not ever… but quickly, reality slaps him.
“I can’t take this,” Leo realises and stares down at his prize.
Karai gives him a look and straightens. “We went through all that for you to, what? Put it back?”
“I… Master Splinter will know! He – oh heck, he’s going to kill me.”
He paces, mind racing at the ways Sensei is going to punish him for committing this crime. ‘Didn't I raise you better?’, ‘what kind of Leader are you supposed to be by setting bad examples?’ and even worse – when Splinter finds out that Leo had help, from Shredder’s Foot Soldier.
It was a pipe dream, after all. Being the reckless brother, having fun…
The sword is slipped from his hands and Karai balances the blade on her palm. “Then we hide it, so you won’t have to take it home.”
They mutually decide to hide it at the Byerly Building and tuck it safely behind a billboard.
“It’s been fun,” Karai waltzes to the edge. “We should do this again sometime.”
“I don’t think making a habit out of this will go down well with my family,” he jokes as she stares away from him. Her shoulders lift in a laugh. He likes the sound.
“No, I suppose it wouldn’t, hmm?”
Without goodbye, Karai drops and disappears into the night.
He turns with a goofy grin on his face and faces a very fuming Raphael. His arms are crossed tightly, eyes piercing into his, accusation burning within them.
“You’ve got some explaining to do, fearless.”