Leap of Faith, Part One: Out of the Darkness | By : laloga13 Category: Comics > Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Views: 1560 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all other recognizable characters are property of Mirage Studios and not me, sadly. I'm just playing with them for a while, and am not making any money off of this story. However, any OC's are mine! Ha |
Chapter Five
The sound check at the Blue Moon was uneventful, and relatively quick. Leonardo sat in the corner, trying to stay out of the way as Miranda moved wires around and played a few chords to “get the levels right,” something which Donnie no doubt would have been interested in. Finally it was time to go eat, and they headed out into the coming twilight. They arrived at the entrance to a small deli on the corner, and Leo felt a sudden wave of relief. This kind of place I can handle. As they entered, the smell of baking bread chased away the hustle of the city sidewalk, the jingle of the bell on the door warded off any ill-intent. Or maybe he was just hungrier than he realized.
"It's not the classiest place," Miranda whispered as they approached the counter, "but the food is dynamite." They placed their order with a dark-skinned elderly man, presumably Andrew, collected their drinks and took a seat, discussing the evening's plans.
"So I thought that we could take our dinner to Sheffield Park and have a picnic, then head back to Blue Moon." Miranda sipped her drink, waiting for his input.
"Sounds nice. I haven't been to Sheffield Park in a long time." He chuckled softly. "It was one of the places where me and my brothers used to sneak off when we were younger. A lot younger." It was actually the first place any of them had gotten drunk, on a bottle of whiskey that Mikey had somehow "acquired." Ah, the good old days when times were bad. He smiled at her. "It'll be good to see it again."
"I'm glad you think so. Most guys I've met seem to think that a date must consist of a fancy restaurant with a million courses."
Leonardo actually laughed at this remark. "Honestly, that's where I was afraid we'd wind up."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "You, afraid? I thought you were unflappable, 'Fearless Leader?'"
He shook his head. "You've been talking to my little brother too much."
"Truthfully, he wouldn't stop talking about you." She shrugged, a gesture which did not convey as much ease as she probably intended. "To be honest, you piqued my curiosity."
Leonardo glanced at her, she was smiling again, but softly, hopefully. He found himself wondering what it would be like to wake up to her smile every morning. "I'm glad. That you were piqued, or rather, your curiosity was...." He was babbling like a moron. Relax, clear your mind. Don't say anything else that sounds idiotic. Easier said than done.
"Order number thirty-eight!" The lady at the register, possibly Andrew's wife, called the number on their ticket, causing both Leo and Miranda to nearly jump out of their seats. They approached the counter, causing her to blanch as they each handed her the cash for the meal.
"I asked you out, Leo, it's my treat."
"No, it's alright. I can get it."
"Howsabout you two go Dutch?" the cashier said, rolling her eyes. Leo looked at Miranda, who laughed and nodded. As they stepped out the door with their dinner, the cashier glanced at her husband, her mouth twisted into a smile.
"Crazy kids."
Sheffield Park had originally been a private garden that a wealthy businessman had built for his wife, around the turn of the century. One of his descendants donated it to the city about thirty years ago to clear off a felony charge, or so the rumors said. Surrounded by a rough stone wall overgrown with ivy, the park was now filled with red brick pathways that wound through various seasonal plants, trees, and ponds. Leo could make out the scent of unidentified flowers and growing things on the cool night air, as well as the distant trickle of a fountain. It was quiet this evening, and soon they were settled on a blanket that Miranda had pulled from her bag-thus explaining the bulk. They ate in relative silence, and when they'd finished, they sat together quietly, watching the sky darken as dusk fell across the city.
At first, Leo tried to think of some witty or clever remark to break the silence, but everything that he considered sounded hollow in his head. Instead, he glanced at her, wondering if she was regretting the evening yet.
"The first time I came here was about a year ago," she said suddenly, stretching her legs out and leaning back on her palms. "A friend got me into tai chi for a while, and this is where we'd meet for classes."
"You studied tai chi?" he asked attentively.
She chuckled and rolled her eyes. "I tried to study it for about three months, but I was abysmal. Even the teacher said so. Coordination and balance have never been my strong suits."
"You must not have had a very good teacher, to give up on you like that. Tai chi is excellent for improving balance and coordination." Leo replied, "I'm sure with a little practice you'd enjoy it. I could show you a move or two now, if you like."
"I'll try, but don't say I didn't warn you."
They each rose; as Leo thought over some good basic moves she kicked off her sandals and they stepped onto the cool grass. He, of course, was excellent at tai chi, and he had always considered himself a patient teacher. But Miranda had neither been lying nor exaggerating when she'd made her earlier claims; after about twenty minutes they were both almost sick with laughing over her vain attempts. She was terrible, and he told her so as they plopped onto the blanket.
"Well, some of us haven't spent our whole lives in ninja training," she laughed, "and to be fair, I've never had any reason to move like that in my life."
Leo shook his head as if to clear it; the mention of training sent a stream of memories-of all kinds-through his mind. And it never seems to be enough. When will it be enough? "We have to be good if we're to survive. This world is a dangerous place for freaks of nature."
"Is that how you see yourself? As a freak?"
He sighed and fingered the hem of his sleeve. "I don't know....sometimes. I guess it's like that old saying, 'if you hear something enough, you begin to believe it.'"
She studied him, gray eyes dark and serious. He noticed that her lips parted slightly when she was in deep thought; an observation that made him want to lean closer to her, for all that he remained still.
"Leonardo, I have another 'old saying' for you: it takes all types to make a world. You are living, breathing proof of how much more there is to existence than meets the eye. I'll admit, when I first met Mikey, I was thrown for a loop-to say the least. But I don't think it shocked me as much as it should've; I've always been a believer, maybe too much so in some cases....and I don't care that you look different from me, and I can't help who I'm attracted to. And, for what it's worth," she said, her cheeks reddening slightly, "I think that you're very....attractive, Leonardo."
He ducked his head, unsure how to respond, especially since he could really only hear her last few words reverberating over and over in his head. They sat in silence for a few moments before Miranda spoke again, her voice light.
"Okay, here's the part where you tell me how pretty I am."
Leo sighed and sat forward, staring ahead silently. Miranda frowned a bit and leaned forward as well.
"Sorry about that, I was kidding. I don't normally fish for compliments."
"No, it's not that." Leo replied, shaking his head. "It's just, this is all so new to me." He gestured to her and their immediate area. "I'm kind of at a loss as how to deal with you."
"Deal with me?"
"I mean, I have no experience to help me navigate this new situation-so much of my existence up to now has relied heavily on prior experience-and I'm not sure how to...progress. I've never had any woman, let alone a beautiful one, show any romantic interest in me. And the others, the ones that don't run away screaming, regard me as just a friend." Or enemy, if you count Karai as a woman. "I guess it's hard for me to accept that someone like you would-or could-be attracted to someone like me." He looked at her, she was listening earnestly. "Am I making any sense?"
"More than you might think." She leaned forward and removed his hat, revealing his masked face to the moonlight before she reached around his head and untied the length of blue fabric, letting it fall to the ground. His heart began to beat faster in his chest as she moved closer to him, and looked directly in his eyes. "Even though you see yourself in a certain light, you should know that's not how I see you. I look at you, Leonardo, and I see someone who is kind, intelligent, loyal and honorable." She leaned back on her hands again. "You don't have to wear a mask with me, if you don't want to."
He had no reply for a moment, other than "thanks," and they sat quietly for few more minutes before Miranda spoke again.
"Thank you, by the way."
"For what?"
"For telling me that I'm beautiful." She was turned towards him, the curve of her smile was silvery in the moonlight.
"Anytime," he grinned. The realization suddenly came to him that he felt....relaxed? Perhaps even happy? Indeed, a proverbial door seemed to have opened between them, and in a few moments, Miranda lay on her back, gazing up at the night sky. They were each quiet for a while, though it was more of a companionable silence than an awkward one. Finally, she reached in her pocket, glanced at her phone and spoke, somewhat sadly.
“I hate to be a buzz kill, but we should get going. People get annoyed when they have to wait too long.”
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