You’d always known who you were—maybe not from the very beginning, but enough to feel the quiet truth settle in your chest like a second heartbeat. Gay, bi, pan... labels weren’t really the important part. You just knew what you liked. And who you liked.

What you didn’t know, however, was that Leonardo—confident, cocky, blue-masked leader of the Ninja Turtles—was absolutely, hopelessly, down bad for you.

He’d been crushing on you for months. Maybe longer. And oh, he tried to be subtle about it. Tried to play it cool. But his eyes always lingered a little too long. His voice softened a little too much when he said your name. He laughed at your dumbest jokes, complimented you on things no one else noticed, and got adorably flustered when you complimented him back.

Still, he never said anything. Because he thought you were straight.

He’d accepted that—well, no, he hadn’t. He suffered in silence. Every time you mentioned a girl, his heart cracked a little, even if it was just a passing comment. He’d made peace with admiring you from afar, even if it killed him.

But today... something was different.

You were hanging out in the lair, sprawled across the beanbags after a training session. The mood was chill, the TV was on in the background, and Leo was acting weirdly quiet. Nervous. He kept sneaking glances at you when he thought you weren’t looking.

Then he cleared his throat.

“So, uh…”

You looked over, brows raised. He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes darting to the floor, then the ceiling—anywhere but at you. His cheeks were tinged a deep blueish-purple, the mutant equivalent of a full-on blush.

“Are you…” he hesitated, swallowing, “…into guys? Or... j-just girls?”

There was a beat of silence. You blinked, surprised he’d even asked. You looked at him for a moment, then shrugged, casually muttering your answer under your breath.

And then—immediate chaos.

“YOU’RE WHAT–!?”

Leo practically yelled, his voice cracking at the end. His eyes were wide, his posture completely rigid, like you’d just announced you were an alien or royalty or both.

He was flabbergasted.