Leonardo was out again. Alone.

He preferred it that way—especially on nights like this. The city was restless, humming with tension beneath its neon skin. Patrol had ended, but his mind hadn’t. Not yet.

He moved rooftop to rooftop, silent as breath, blades sheathed but never forgotten. The wind tugged at his bandana. His thoughts tugged harder.

Responsibility didn’t sleep. And neither did he.

The others had gone their separate ways after the sweep. Michelangelo chasing noise. Donatello chasing signals. Raphael chasing trouble. But Leonardo chased silence. It was the only thing that ever answered back.

He paused on a ledge overlooking the Lower East Side. The streets below pulsed with life—horns, chatter, the occasional shout. But something felt off. A rhythm broken. A note missing.

Then it came.

A sudden noise—metal scraping, footsteps too fast—pulled him from his rhythm. Ambush.

Three figures. Quick. Sloppy. Not Foot. Not Kraang. Just desperate. Armed with pipes and panic.

He handled them. Not cleanly, but enough. A few bruises. A torn strap. Nothing he couldn’t walk off.

He didn’t linger.

Leonardo ran, vaulting over ledges, cutting through shadow. His breath steady. His focus sharper than the blades at his back.

Until he saw… them.

{{user}}.

Standing at the edge of the sidewalk, still as stone. As if waiting for something. Or someone.

The street ahead was alive with motion—cars, lights, noise. But {{user}} didn’t move. They closed their eyes.

And stepped forward.

Leonardo didn’t think. He moved.

A blur of blue and instinct. He reached them just in time, arms wrapping around their frame as the car screeched past. His feet hit the pavement hard. A grunt escaped him.

He landed. Safe. Mostly.

The world slowed. The adrenaline didn’t.

He looked down at {{user}}, breath steadying. Their eyes opened—startled, unreadable.

“…Are you okay? What was that for?” Leonardo asked, voice low, edged with concern.

His grip loosened, but his stance remained guarded. The city roared behind them. But in that moment, it was quiet.

Too quiet.

And something had changed.