Hey guys... you miss me?

Summary: In which, Leo gives April a hair cut.

Warnings: T-Cest, slight swearing and Mikey being a sneaky lil' fella.

AN: And the award for greatest sassy gay friend goes to; Leonardo! Well... maybe.

Leo jumped slightly at the sudden clatter of the turnstiles, peeking through the curtains of the kitchen to see April storming into the lair. She had the hood of her jacket up, but it couldn't have been raining outside; she wasn't even damp. The red head all but slammed her school bag onto the ground by the entrance, taking a sharp, shaky breath.

School troubles again. She'd been having those a lot lately.

The blue turtle briefly considered calling for Donnie or Mikey; they usually knew how to cheer her up after a bad day, but decided to assess the situation first. He stepped out of the kitchen and called out to her. "Okaeri, April." Her head snapped around to see him, and he immediately gulped when he saw tears brimming in her eyes. Yep, definitely a job for Mikey and his jokes. "Hold on, I'll go fetch Mike and Don, Apr-!" In a matter of seconds, she'd crossed the distance between them and threw herself against his chest, arms flinging around his shoulders and face buried in his neck. The eldest turtle froze for a moment, arms flying outwards to avoid touching any parts he wasn't supposed to. After a few seconds, he edged them back down, carefully placing his hands on her shoulder blades and middle-back, staring awkwardly up at the ceiling over her head. "Um... b-bad day...?," he stammered, then bit his lip when she let out a sob.

April then leant back quickly, grabbing and yanking down the hood of her jacket with tears streaming down her freckled cheeks. "Look what they did!," she cried. "Look what they did to my hair, Leo!" He tilted his head to get a look, and his eyes widened. Keeping one hand on her back, he reached the other up to lift her ginger ponytail in his palm.

"April, is... is this gum in your hair?" She nodded vigorously, then pushed her face back into the crook of his neck.

"Those jerks grabbed my hair and rubbed chewing gum in it!," the red head choked, clinging tighter to him. His brow furrowed in sympathy, carefully beginning to try and pick the sticky, pink substance out of her ginger locks. It was a shame, she had such pretty hair.

"Is... is there a way to wash it out?," Leo asked.

"I've heard peanut butter can get it out...," April murmured, peeking over her shoulder to watch him play with her hair. His face contorted in confusion, twisting his neck to look at her. She made a wet giggle, rubbing at her nose with her jacket sleeve. "I know, it sounds stupid."

"We do have peanut butter. Sensei seems to love the stuff, but he keeps it hidden because Donnie's allergic." April shook her head, eyes squeezing shut and fists clenching against his chest.

"There's no point. If I wash it out, they'll just do it again and again, along with even worse things. I don't want to give them the chance!" She weakly bumped her fist against his plastron, too upset to put any effort into it, as well as not actually wanting to hurt him. "Leo, can you please... please, just cut it for me." Leonardo flinched, then placed both hands on her shoulders firmly, squeezing them.

"You sure?," he asked gently. "I mean, I thought you were trying to grow it long..." April nodded slightly, head hung and staring at his chest.

"Yeah, but... but I don't care, I just want it gone!" He frowned sadly, even though she wouldn't see, then pulled her in for a warmer, more affectionate hug; strong arms enveloping her and promising to keep her safe.

"Alright, if that's what you want..." He guided her back into the kitchen, taking her jacket and sitting her down at the counter. First he opened the freezer, requesting a large scoop of strawberry ice cream from the cat, who meowed happily as she complied, and handed it to April. Then he began rummaging through the cupboards in search of the scissors; cutting hair with his swords was a stupid idea. He made a sound of triumph when he finally discovered them under the chopping boards – god knew what they were doing there – and walked back to the human. "You absolutely certain you want me to cut it?," the terrapin asked with a serious expression. "If you change your mind halfway through, it's too late."

She smiled feebly past her ice cream, nodding slightly. "Yeah, I know. I kinda decided I wanted you to cut it on the way here."

"Me?," he blinked in surprise. "Me specifically?" The red head nodded. "Why?"

"Because I didn't want to face Master Splinter or my Dad like this, Donnie would start putting chemicals in my hair to try and get the gum out, and hell knows I'd never trust Mikey or Raph with scissors anywhere near my hair," April explained with a frustrated huff. "You're the only one who actually knows how to use sharp objects safely, so..." Leonardo blinked a few times, then smiled warmly, feeling rather honoured that she trusted him with her precious hair.

"Okay, if you say so." He stepped behind her and removed the yellow hair band from her head, then snipped the bobble holding her ponytail together. Flattening it out properly, he briefly admired how long her hair had gotten since they first met her; she'd have looked very pretty if she wore it down more often. The blue turtle then began to snip and trim the strawberry ginger hair, briefly running to her school bag to retrieve the hair brush she kept inside, and slowly worked his way through. Soft strands and sticky lumps dropped to the floor, but he paused when she let out a quiet sob. "Don't tell me you changed your mind..."

"No, I just... I'm gonna miss it. I kind of wanted to have hair like my Mom, but..." He nodded, then placed the scissors down to safely give her a comforting cuddle from behind, arms wrapping around her stomach and rocking her from side to side. She'd finished her ice cream, so she rested her arms over his to reciprocate the motion, rubbing the side of her head against his.

"You'll still be pretty. Promise." She snickered at that, then folded her hands in her lap as he continued to cut. Soon, he brushed the excess hairs off her shoulder, blowing a big puff of air against her neck to double check he'd gotten them all, which apparently tickled if her burst of giggles were anything to go by. He then went through what was left of her hair with the brush, then let her hop up and look at her reflection in the mirror on the kitchen wall.

April stared at herself long and hard, examining the scruffy bob Leo had managed to give her. She then sighed, running her fingers through it experimentally. "Any good?," he asked.

"Feels strange. Like my head suddenly went on a diet." Her brow furrowed at herself, then turned to face him with an embarrassed smile. "That was a really weird thing to say."

"Don't worry about it. I don't even have hair, so I have no idea what it would feel like. That was a pretty good description." April giggled again, then turned back to her reflection, but her expression became contemplative instead.

"Leo... those guys at school... they pick on me because they think I'm a... 'Goody-two-shoes' or... a 'Perfect little nerd princess'. Stupid things like that." His expression darkened, fists clenching, itching to throw them right into the jaw of those humans causing his friend so much grief. "Well I think I should prove them wrong, don't you?"

"That depends," he said slowly. "You're not gonna do something dangerous, are you?"

"No, but I think it's time... for a change." April turned to him with a grin on her face, folding her arms. "Don't suppose you've got an electric razor down here, do you?"

.

"Hey, has anyone seen Leo?," Raph asked, hands on hips. Mikey looked up at his big brother from his spot in front of the TV, a slice of pizza hanging from between his lips.

"Mm-mm," he mumbled around it, shaking his head. Donnie smiled in amusement at his younger sibling, then looked at Raphael over the edge of his book.

"Not since practise this morning." The purple turtle suddenly noticed the yellow back pack sitting on the floor by the entrance, top slung open haphazardly. "Hey, when did April get here?," he exclaimed, dropping his book and scrambling over the top of the couch. His older brother looked to where he was staring, then marched to the human's bag and picked it up, rummaging through for any clues as to where she might have vanished to. "Raph, you don't go through a lady's personal belongings!"

"Please, not like I've never seen any of this stuff before," he shrugged. Bright green eyes narrowed as he felt around, then noticed the hair brush he knew she always kept with her was missing. She could have left it at home for some reason, or maybe forgotten it, but April was exceptionally organised and neat about her appearance. Those two options were very unlikely. "Okay... so both Leo and April have disappeared together with no word to anyone," Raph began, ignoring Donnie's startled expression and rising jealous panic. "And so has her hair brush."

"Together?," Don squawked, surprising the older turtle enough to drop the bag. "I can't believe it! I can't believe Leo would do this to me! My own brother!" The genius yelped when the warrior slapped him over the head, scowling at him irately.

"Calm down. Leo doesn't see April as anything but a kid sister." He glanced away, contemplating his own statement. "... I think." Wonderful, now Donnie was infecting him with his paranoid panic. He folded his arms over his chest, fingers drumming on his biceps tensely and nibbling his lower lip. What a ridiculous thought; April and Leo. Together. As a couple. Together. Doing couple things. Like holding hands. As a couple.

April and Leo kissing.

"Leo, where the hell are you?!," Raph bellowed, tearing through the lair in blind panic.

Donnie stampeded after him. "April!," he howled, eyes wide and almost wild. Mikey blinked from his spot on the floor, then grinned and stood, picking up his box of pizza and following his panicked older siblings at a more sedate pace.

"Leo, if you don't get here in the next five seconds, I swear I'm gonna-!"

"Gonna what, Raph?" The red turtle whipped around to see his big brother's head poking out the bathroom door, looking very confused. While the initial fright of him being missing depleted, Donnie's fury still burned fervently.

"Leo! Where's April? - What have you two been doing? - How could you do this to your own brother?," he demanded, grabbing their leader by the shoulders and shaking him roughly. Leonardo looked extremely bewildered now, grasping the genius' forearms and holding him at arm's length.

"She's in here. I was just helping her with her hair," he explained quaintly, tilting his head. Donnie's right eye twitched, scowling at him.

"You've been alone in the bathroom with my April?!" Leo suddenly got a look of realisation, eyes going wide. He looked from Don, to a very tense looking Raph, to a very amused looking Mikey, and back to Don.

He then laughed.

"Okay, I see where this is going," the blue terrapin chuckled, pressing his hand against his taller younger brother's chest and guiding him back slightly. "But it's not what you think, I promise. April decided she wanted a new look, and asked me to help her. She's hoping it'll help with her bullying problem at school," Leo explained, one hand open towards his brothers as a show of innocence. "We actually just finished." He turned back to the door with a grin. "Hey, April, ready to show the guys?"

"I... I think so... do you think I am?," the girl's nervous voice replied from inside the bathroom. The alpha male of the four turtles chuckled a little, then turned away from Donnie and folded his arms.

"Yeah, you look great in my opinion. Remember what we talked about?"

"No more being shy. No more 'Little Miss Sweet and Perfect'." With that, April pushed the door the rest of the way open and stepped into the hallway. The three younger turtles' jaws dropped, eyes practically popping out of their heads. April's hair had been trimmed shorter, but long enough to be brushed over the side of her head, fringe partially covering the right side of her face, and the hair underneath on her temples and behind her ears had been shaved, accentuating the length and flare of the hair on top. "Strong, assertive April O'Niel."

"Woah, April! Nice undercut!," Mikey exclaimed, surprising everyone. He took another bite of pizza, then gave them a peculiar look. "What? I actually do know some things about the human world! I watch more TV than the rest of you combined, after all."

Donnie stared with rising astonishment, then tried to operate his lips and tongue enough to actually speak. When he completely failed at that, Raph helpfully slapped him across the face, effectively rebooting his brain. "April!," he exclaimed. "Y-you l-l-look... you look... so different!"

She rubbed her forearm, smiling and shuffling on the spot shyly. "Like... good different, or...?"

"O-oh, good, you look... you look amazing!" She giggled, freckles getting lost in her cute blush. Raph finally snapped out of his stupor with a grin, folding his arms and giving her a wolf whistle.

"Looking good, Red!," he chuckled. The girl went even more pink in the face, descending into embarrassed giggles and covering her face with her hands. Raph looked over at Leo. "You did all this for her?" The leader nodded with a proud smile on his face, arms akimbo and muzzle in the air.

"Turns out all I needed was a reference on April's phone, an electric razor sensei keeps for his beard, and voilà!," he exclaimed, gesturing to their friend with open arms. "Punk style April!" The red head peeked through her fingers at him, blatantly smiling.

"I bet you could've been a hairdresser in the human world, Leo," she told him sincerely, hands lowering to around chest level. He rubbed the back of his head bashfully, blushing and chuckling again.

"Well, thanks!" Raph's eyes half shut, smile softening as he looked at his older brother's timid expression. The moment didn't last when he spotted Mikey grinning far too smugly at the scene; Leo making cute faces and Raph staring at him dreamily, while April shuffled around with a brand new hair style and Donnie drooling. "So, you gonna ask your friend Irma for that shopping spree?"

"Yeah, think I will." April tugged at her bright yellow shirt, considering it with a frown. "Don't think sunshine yellow really fits with this look." She quickly changed her expression as she looked back up at Leo, smiling so very affectionately. "Thank you so much, big brother!," she said with her hands pressed over her heart, then jumped forward to hug him. He accepted it far more easily than he had when she'd first come in, giving her a squeeze.

"Any time, lil' sis," he sighed, lifting her off the floor for a moment and setting her down again, making her giggle.

.

Once April had gone home, thoroughly pleased with her new haircut and the decision to start tomorrow with a brand new attitude, Leo headed to his room feeling very proud of himself. He'd managed to give April comfort and courage when she truly needed it, and cemented it further with his apparent talent as a hairdresser. What an odd little gift he seemed to have; hair styling of all things. Still, he couldn't complain. April's ecstatic expression had been more than worth it when she looked in that mirror.

"April looked really good." He looked up to see Raph leaning against his bedroom door, arms folded and looking genuinely impressed.

"I'm glad you think so," Leo beamed with a shrug. "I'm especially glad she liked it." The warrior nodded in agreement, then pushed off the door and stood aside to let Leo open it. "I'm sorry, but I still find it funny that you guys thought we were up to something!," he snorted. Raph frowned and looked away, scuffing his foot across the floor.

"Well, we jumped to conclusions. Sorry about that."

"It's fine. I just don't understand what you were so scared of." Raphael looked back up at his brother, those sky blue eyes twinkling with curiosity. "Donnie I can understand; he's paranoid, especially about missing a chance to be with April. But why were you so panicky?" The red turtle swallowed slowly, heart pounding faster and faster in his chest. But he steeled his resolve; it was now, or never, he decided.

"I guess... I was worried I'd missed my chance to be with you," he replied curtly. Leo blinked, expression dropping to surprise.

"... With me?"

Raph nodded. "I know it's weird as hell. And I knew you wouldn't feel the same way, especially with Karai and everything, but I suddenly realised I'd had a ton of opportunities to tell you how damn cute I think you are before now, and the thought of you getting together with April really shook me. Made me realise that I might have made the biggest screw up ever, and damn if Mikey didn't know that I thought that as well." His big brother blinked slowly, processing the information and staring hard at Raph. The warrior looked away again, eyes burning as well as his cheek. "Sorry, man. It's really gross. I really need help, I know. Just forget about it. No, actually, I can't ask you to forget about it. You have every right to think I'm crazy or disgusting or both, so it's fine. I'll just-" The most uncharacteristic squeal was muffled when Leo pressed his lips against Raph's, cutting off his ramblings. Raphael's toxic green eyes went as wide as dinner plates, heart beating so fast he could've sworn it would burst from his chest. His older brother's eyes were shut, looking calm and serene, one hand resting on Raph's bicep.

He stayed as still as possible, until Leo broke away and smiled gently at his stunned younger brother. "You're not crazy or disgusting. And I'm pleased that you feel the same way, and embarrassed you had the nerve to tell me before I even built up the courage to tell you," he said quietly, lifting his hands to caress Raph's cheek affectionately. "April's gonna be over the moon when I tell her." And with that, Leonardo disappeared into his room and left Raph to regain his senses.

Once he had, the goofiest of grins filled his face, and he leapt around and ran down the hallway, screaming with his arms thrown up in the air. "Booyakasha!," he bellowed ecstatically.

Mikey stared after his hot headed brother, pizza dangling from his mouth. He then snickered, turning back to his phone screen while glancing at Ice Cream Kitty. "It's about time, huh?"

Hail to the princess, baby!