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morning-sun-brah · 4 months ago

Note

Hello hello! Bird's Eye View Annon Here!

Sooo...AO3 is still not working for me, but I was TOO excited NOT to post, so here you go! Enjoy!

Will post to AO3 later, when I can get it working!

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The air was a little too crisp. Leo tapped the underside of his hat with his finger, watching clouds gather in the distance.

“Storm coming in tonight,” he said to Mikey as he leaned on the railing of the front porch, sipping his afternoon tea.

Mikey sniffed the air. “Oh. Yep, a big one, I think.” He groaned. “Better get the cows into the barn. I was hoping to leave them out to graze a little longer.”

“I better get the horses in too,” Leo said.

Mikey turned, giving him a look.

“What?”

“You know what,” Mikey snapped.

“Not you too. I already got an earful from our Dads, Raph, and Donnie.”

“I know you, Leo,” Mikey laughed. “So I’m not going sit on your ear with all that too, but,” Mikey sobered. “Think about the people that care about you. Is what you’re doing worth it?” He jumped the stairs, landing on the green grass below.

“Oh. Almost forgot.” Mikey reached into the pocket of his vest. “Picked up your mail from the post office.”

Leo noticed the evil grin on his brother's face when he took the letters. Flipping through them, nothing stuck out until he saw the name on the last one.

Lloyd Price.

Leo groaned. It was addressed to him.

“Shush, I don’t want to hear it. Again.” Mikey snapped. “Besides, you knew what you were getting yourself into.”

“Maybe I’ll just throw this into the fire. Pretend I didn’t see it.”

A hand smacked the back of Leo’s head.

“Do you really expect him to be nice to you after you almost got him killed?”

May reached over his shoulder and snatched the letter from his hand.

Leo rolled his eyes. “You’ll never let me live that down, will you? You’d think he’d forgive me after I helped him get a job keeping track of the earnings for the Mayor. If I-”

“‘Hadn’t been the one to put in a good word, he never would have worked again,’” May spoke in tandem with him. “Yes, yes, I know. That’s the least you could have done, Marshal.” She put the letter in the front pocket of her apron.

Mikey make a judgmental little click. “Still referring to him by his title, I see. What did you do?”

Leo gave him a mock gasp, even putting his hand on his collarbone. “Nothing. I’ve been my best behavior.”

“Best behavior?” May huffed. “Can you please tell your brother that he should be resting, not running back and forth between the ranch, the town, and his brothers’ farms as though he’s ten years younger.”

“I’m right here, Pidge.”

“And if you listened to me, I would be talking directly to you.”

Mikey laughed. “Sorry May, but Leo’s always been a terrible patient. Though I can’t believe he’s working and not finding ways to goof off. Do you know how many bribes Raph and Donnie had to give him back when we were teenagers? Any chance he’d get, he’d be running off and spending some ‘quality time’ with the stable boy.”

Leo snickered.

May raised an eyebrow at him. “Stable boy?”

Leo reached out and took her hand. “Not my fault that your husband has always been charming.”

He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, his eyes not leaving hers, adoring the way they widened in surprise. May’s cheeks pinked.

“I think I better high tail it out of here,” Mikey said, putting on his hat and turning away. “I’ll tell the rest of the family about the storm. And I’ll tell Mercy you said hello.”

May quickly pulled her hand from Leo. The frown on her face brightened into a smile when she waved at Mikey. “Thank you for getting the mail.”

“Anything for you, sis,” he called back over his shoulder as he reached the fence.

“What’s this about a storm?” May asked Leo.

Leo tilted his head back and sniffed the air. “Yep. Big spring storm. Coming tonight.”

He put his thumb and forefinger into his mouth. His whistle echoed over the plains and farmlands. Within seconds, he could hear barking, as Rocks came running up on the path.

“Marshal-”

“Now, don’t make that face.” Leo ran his finger along her jaw. “I need to get the horses secured into their stalls. I’ll be back before nightfall.” He leaned over and pecked her on the cheek.

May sighed, reaching up to hold his hand and squeeze. “Just make sure not to push yourself too hard.”

“I’ll be all right.”

He let her go and jumped over the stairs. Rocks met Leo near the fence, his tail wagging furiously, and his black fur shining in the afternoon light. Leo bent down and scratched the shepherd dog’s cheeks before hopping the fence. Once he had saddled Hachi, he whistled to Rocks and the dog happily followed him out into the ranch fields.

About two hours of riding had been enough to corral all twelve horses, including Hachi, into the barn. Once each of them had been given enough water to last the night, he put Rocks in the barn, and locked things up before walking back to the house. He debated staying and brushing down each horse, but the air was buzzing with energy, the wind anxious. He could see the clouds rolling in from the horizon.

The wind picked up, making the laundry that May had hung out to dry fling violently, back and forth, on the line. Leo picked up the baskets on the porch and began pulling the sheets and garments down, folding them before staking them neatly in the baskets. Some of the clothes were still damp, but it would be sundown in an hour, and the storm wouldn’t be helpful in drying them.

He grabbed one basket and threw it over his shoulder and shell, while he kept the other aloft by pressing it to his hip. When he entered the kitchen, the smell of Mikey’s famous beef stew met his nostrils. May spotted him over her shoulder as she stirred the pot over the iron stove. Then she spun around and pinned him with a glare.

“Marshal! Put those down!”

His brow ridges furrowed at her. “I haven’t put the clothes away yet.”

“I can take care of that. Your shell!”

Leo rolled his eyes. “My shell is holding together just fine. At least let me take the baskets upstairs.”

“You’re not supposed to be doing too much heavy lifting!”

He laughed. “Hardly. Heavy for you, yes. But this is nothing for me. In fact, why don’t you ask me to bring these in all the time.”

May crossed the kitchen and tried to take the basket that was against Leo’s hip. He jerked out of her way, dodging her attempts by moving into the living room.

“Marshal, please! Draxum said it would take at least a few more months to fully heal. You only stayed in bed for a little over month!”

“I would have left earlier if everyone hadn’t insisted I stay glued to the bed. I felt much better after three weeks.”

Leo had gotten to the bottom of the stairs, and still he still moved the baskets out of May’s reach. She let out a frustrated growl, and then blinked when Leo put the baskets down. Before she could do anything, his arms shot out, scooping her up, holding her up against his body with his arms around her waist.

“If you wanted to get your hands on me that badly, you could have just asked.”

She slapped her hands on his shoulders, kicking her feet, glaring down at him. “You shouldn’t be lifting me up either!”

“Why aren’t you letting me do my favorite thing?”

“You can’t charm me, you big hypocrite. You pin me to the bed every time I’m ill.”

“To be fair, I also pin you to the bed whenever you are healthy.”

May pressed her palms to her cheeks. “Why did I marry you?”

“Because you couldn’t resist me.”

May scoffed, lowering her hands. “Excuse me? You were the one begging me to stay.”

“That’s only because you wouldn’t stop wandering off.”

“I could have joined a traveling circus and seen the world. It would have been far less annoying.”

“Still dreaming of being a clown?”

“It’s not as bad as being married to one.”

“So you admit that I am funny.” Leo stuck out his tongue.

May frowned.

Leo put her down on her feet. “Go mind the stew before it burns and let me do the laundry.”

May crossed her arms, stubbornly leveling him with the same, lingering glare. Then she bolted forward, reaching for the laundry basket next to Leo’s legs. He caught her hands before she could grab it, and quickly turned her around. “Go on, Pidge.”

“I hate you,” she grumbled as she moved to the bottom step.

“Love you too,” Leo made kissy faces at her as she walked toward the kitchen.

“At least take a bath before you put those away!” May called. “You smell like the stable!”

Leo smiled at the top of the stairs. He could hear May fussing about in the kitchen, muttering under her breath. By the time he had bathed, and put away the sheets and clothes, the sun was starting to set, and the rain had started pitter-pattering along the house. Leo made his way through the upper rooms, closing all the windows, and turning on the lamps. The storm grew angrier outside, the wind scraping at the outer walls.

Leo was just about to lock his bedroom window when he felt a chill move through his shell. Wincing, he arched his spine, hoping to alleviate the slight burning feeling of air seeping into the wounds on his shell. He no longer needed bandages, but he thought about applying more of the ointment Dad Lou and Draxum had made for him. Leo wasn’t worried about infection as much as he was worried about the damn itch. Healing shells also meant that his scutes might shed and he wasn’t looking forward to that. Leo had just gotten both legs through a pair of trousers when he heard something bang against the side of the house.

A yelp echoed from below. Forgetting his shirt, Leo bolted. He didn’t even bother with the stairs, jumping over the railing, dashing through the living room, and bursting into the kitchen.

“What’s wrong?”

May jumped away from the kitchen window, whirling around to face Leo with redness creeping into her pale face. “Nothing. A branch just hit the window. It surprised me, that’s all.”

She hid her hands in the pockets of her apron. Leo spotted the discarded cutting board on the kitchen counter behind her, as well as the knife that was on the floor, and the lemon that was half cut, no doubt for the kettle and tea cup that was sitting next to the stovetop.

Leo raised a brow ridge, holding out his hand, palm up. “Really? That’s all that happened?”

“I’m fine.”

“Now who’s being a difficult patient. Let me see it.”

“It’s a small cut, that’s all.”

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem for me to see it.” He wiggled his fingers.

Slowly, May pulled her left fist out of her pocket and uncurled her fingers. A small bit of blood had pooled on her palm, leaking from the cut on the topmost pad of her forefinger. It really was a small cut, nothing a simple bandage wouldn’t fix. Nevertheless, Leo found himself frowning at it.

May pulled her hand from his. “It’s really nothing. The window banging like a gunshot just caught me off guard, that’s all. No need to fuss over it.”

Leo took her by the elbow and led her to sit down on the divan in the living room. He went to the storage space under the stairs and came back with small medicine kit that he place the tea table. Sitting down across from May, he took her hand again.

“Gave me a right heart attack,” he murmured as he cleaned the cut.

"Doesn't feel good, does it? How do I think I felt when Donnie came to tell me that you were trampled?”

“May,” Leo whined. “For the last time, I’m fine. My shell doesn’t even hurt.”

She didn’t speak as he cleaned the blood, though she did hiss when he disinfected the cut. Her hand twitched, but she stayed still as he prepared the appropriate length of thin bandaging for her finger. Leo would have joked about holding her hand, but truth be told, he was looking for any excuse to touch her.

Fear of hurting him had made her keep her distance, and it was starting to annoy him. He wasn’t broken, damn it. But that didn't stop May from quickly changing subjects, holding still whenever he kissed her, or putting space between them whenever he got too close.

In any other situation, Leo would have angrily retorted that he would gladly get his shell broken all over. But then May would angrily turn away from him again. He hated it when she was too quiet. Well, there was one exception, but there hadn’t really been a chance of that in the last few weeks.

“Why do you insist on working so hard?” May asked suddenly.

“Just doing my job and daily chores. Is there really something wrong with that?”

“What if you pull something, and the cracks reopen?”

“I’ve cracked my shell before. I know my limits. There, all done.” He finished bandaging her finger and released her hand. Leo closed the med kit, but left it on the table as he stood, turning toward the kitchen.

“Now let’s go clean up that mess and have some din-”

Leo struggled not to stumble forward. May had crashed into his shell, wrapping her arms around his torso. His bulk made it difficult for her hands to meet, so she settled on simply spreading her fingers over his plastron, under his pectoral plates.

“Leo.”

He stilled, as frozen and quiet as a fox that was seconds away from frightening a bird.

“I am proud of you for saving that boy. I really am,” May said.

Leo tried not to remember the sound of the shrieking townspeople, and how no one had been fast enough to get to the child before the wagon could crush him. He tried not to remember the crunching sound when the hooves came down onto his shell. Instead he focused on the split second of relief he’d felt after he pushed the boy out of the way, when the boy had landed hard on his rump, on the safe side of the road.

“But I don’t need you to keep trying to prove how selfless you are. Stop working so hard for me.”

“Who said I’m working this hard for you?”

“You couldn’t lie to me three years ago. Don’t think I’m falling for it now.”

She squeezed his torso. Leo reached for her hands, covering them with his own. “I like helping you round the ranch.”

She slipped a hand away from his. Then she ran a finger, carefully, so featherlight that he almost didn’t feel it, over one of the cracks in his shell. He shuddered. The wound had closed but it was still a little tender if he were to admit it to himself. Like a lightning bolt, the crack in his shell had splintered outward, the deepest fissure near the top left side. May followed the line to his deepest wound.

“You’re lucky you can still walk,” she whispered.

Leo turned around. The living room was dim, lit by the single lantern Leo had put on the tea table when he went to get the med kit. With the storm outside and dusk still settling over the world, the room was lit with grey and orange shadows. Lightning flashed outside, illuminating May’s face. Leo couldn’t hear the harsh rain or the rolling thunder that followed. He cupped May’s face in his hands, leaning down so he could look into her eyes.

“I’m all right.”

“Are you?” May poked his plastron. “I’ve seen the way you grit your teeth when you think I’m not looking, how you try not to scratch your shell, or how breathless you get after too much work.”

“I’d like to be a different kind of breathless-”

“Leo!”

“I’m just tired from work is all.”

“Please. You have the energy of a foal. You’re slowing down, and don’t tell me it's because of age.”

Leo pressed his forehead against hers. “Are you worried about my stamina, May? That is one thing you never have to worry about. I can prove it to you, if you like.”

Her cheeks felt hot under his hands, but she didn’t bite. “Can you just-”

She squeezed her eyes closed, opening her mouth to pull in a deep breath. Leo ran his thumbs over her eyelids, wiping away the tears she was trying to hide.

“The first week after the accident,” he began, “I was in and out of consciousness most of the time, but I saw you whenever I woke up. Saw your hands and how tired you looked. Donnie told me that whenever he could get you to leave my side, you’d keep yourself busy doing everything around the ranch.” Leo smiled ruefully. “Got an earful from him. Kept ranting about how I should be thinking about my poor wife before I throw myself into danger.”

“He’s right.”

Leo groaned. “Please, don’t say that.”

“And I had help,” May said. “Your brothers, Mercy, and April came by. They practically took shifts. Even that boy’s mother came by. Cassandra.” Despite the shine in her eyes, May still smiled. “She’s really something. I think she could singlehandedly take down an army if she wanted to.”

“So could you,” Leo chuckled.

“Of course I can.”

She pressed her lips together, but couldn’t stop the sob that had been trapped in her throat.

Leo got down on his knees.

“Hey, hey, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

May covered her face with her hands as Leo pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her back.

“Your lucky you didn’t break any bones!”

“I know.”

“You could have died,” she wailed.

“But I didn’t. I’m here, May.”

“For how much longer? I know you recover fast, but this isn’t just a scratch that needs a few stitches.” Her breathe caught in her throat. “Do you have any idea what you looked like? By the time Donnie told me what had happened, they’d been working on you for hours and you were still bloody and your shell was in pieces.”

Leo grimaced. “You shouldn’t have seen that.”

May hissed. “There was no way I was leaving that room until I knew you were stable. Not even Mercy could stop me from helping put you back together. I did what I had to! Just-you’re not fair!”

May cried, shuddering breaths that had her shaking, and broken words that just tumbled out, one after the other.

“I know you did the right thing, and I know it was brave, and honorable, and I’m so proud but so angry, and don’t you dare say you’d do it all over again! I don’t care! I don't care about the stupid logic! I don't care if the mayor comes tomorrow and gives you a Medal of Honor! Don't you dare get hurt like that again!”

May hiccuped and wailed in his arms, and it was all Leo could go to gently pat her head and hold onto her. He took her weight when the pain could no longer allow her to support herself. She leaned against him, and he held her up with his arm around her waist when her knees buckled. Her grief could shame the storm raging outside, and all Leo could do was whisper softly to her until she could finally pull in a deep breath and let her hands drop from her face.

“I’m sorry, Pidge. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

May sniffled, cleaning her hands and fave with her apron. “But you have no problem making me worry?”

Leo stiffened. “That's not true."

May wriggled, pulling back so that he look at his face. Even red eyed and puffy cheeked, her glare could melt icebergs.

“Prove it then. Take a break, call for help, get some rest, or something! I’d even agree to get a stable boy for you to run off with if it meant you’d stop pushing yourself so much.”

Leo gave her several wide eyed blinks. “Now I know I didn’t hear that right. Not your best joke, Pidge.”

“You’re not giving me a lot of options.”

“And you’re breaking my heart.”

“What? I’m breaking your heart?”

May began to push against him. Leo got back up onto his feet and pulled her back into his arms when she got just the slightest bit loose. Though angry, she settled quickly, resting her cheek on his plastron, spreading her fingers over his pectoral plates.

How long had it been since she let him hold her this close. Leo winced at the sound of her sniffling, hating that this is what it took for her to be in his arms. He tugged at the little bow behind her neck, and felt the top part of her apron slacken against his plastron.

“I’m willing to do a lot of things for you. I’m willing to put aside my pride and ask my brothers for help. I'm willing to listen to your father berate me about not being good enough for you, for the umpteenth time. What I am not willing to do is share you with anyone else, not unless you no longer love me.”

“Marshal, I wouldn’t still be here, begging you to take care of yourself if I didn’t love you. And I never said anything about being with anyone else! This has nothing to do with what we’re talking about!”

“It has everything to do with it. Because if I’m not willing to share you with anyone else, then don’t you dare suggest that I should be with someone that isn’t you.”

He pulled at the knot on the small of her back, and her apron slipped off, pooling on the floor between their feet. May’s breath quickened, and Leo’s hands slid down to the small of her back, where her dress bow was.

Her hands moved from his chest to his abdominal plates. “I don’t want to share you with anyone else either.”

Leo tugged on the bow, and then worked his fingers between the ribbons that laced up the back of her dress, loosening them.

“But I also don’t want to hurt you.”

She trembled against him, and Leo tangled his fingers in her dress, tugging.

“Do you love me?”

“Is that a question?” May huffed.

“Just answer.”

“Yes, you idiot.”

“Then you can’t hurt me.”

Her dress was loose enough to pull apart. When Leo slipped his hand underneath the fabric and pressed his palm against her skin, only a satin undershirt had been in his way.

“Hmm? No corset? Well, well.”

“No shirt, Marshal?” She countered, pressing her lips to his plastron, right above his heart.

“Someone scared the daylights out of me while I was getting dress-”

Leo’s breath caught. May slowly dragged her fingertips down his plastron, her nails scratching the hard material, lighting up the nerve endings in his body wherever she touched. He pressed her closer to him, his hand lightly squeezing the muscles over her shoulder blade.

“Are you sure about this?” May whispered. “I could just-”

“I'm as sure about this as I am of breathing, so don’t you dare finish that sentence.”

Leo grabbed May’s hands. He fell backward onto the couch and pulled her toward him, till she stood between his legs. Then, with another tug, he had her chest pressed his face. May put her hands on his shoulders to try and balance herself. But couldn’t stop herself from wobbling when Leo reached down and tugged her skirts up over her legs.

“Come up here.”

With his hands steadying her hips, Leo waited as May slowly pulled herself over him. Once she was sitting with her knees bent under her, and her thighs straddling his hips, he leaned back to get a better look at her face.

The orange glow from the lantern highlighted the pink color in May's cheeks. Her eyes searched his. He wondered what she was could see in his face, whether he had something written on his expression that she could read, but he quickly found himself getting lost in her eyes instead. In the half shy, half excited tilt of her head. In the way her palms rested on his jaw. Her hands were soft. Not even the courser material of the bandage on her finger could stop the tingles that ran down his spine from the contact. Her fingertips slipped under his mask.

“Take this off.”

Not bothering to untie it, Leo tugged the mask over his head, and was rewarded by the softness of May’s lips on each of his crescent stripes. She kissed the top triangles above his eyes, on each of his brows, and then softly placed more kisses on the lower triangles on his cheeks.

“Dinner will get cold,” May mumbled between kisses.

“Don’t care. Not what I’m hungry for.”

May’s chest rose and fell harshly, but she gripped his face firmly in her hands when she said, “Do it slowly.”

“Of course.”

His hands cupped her elbows, sliding up the sleeves of her dress, stopping on her shoulders.

“I do like to savor my meals.”

Leo nibbled on the soft skin of her neck and collar bone. Then, he gripped the fabric and pulled, slowly pushing the dress down and off her arms as though he were unwrapping a gift. When the dress lay wrinkled on her waist, May collapsed against him, and Leo let out a breath of sweet relief at the feeling of her body pressed completely against his.

The storm continued to rage outside, a roaring, angry clash of thunder, wind, and lightning so loud that it almost drowned out the sounds of May’s screams and Leo’s grunts. It continued to thunder and blast the sky with energy, for hours after sundown, slowing only when May drifted off to sleep.

--- ---- ---

Leo watched the rain tap tap tap against the bow windows across from the divan. The lamp on the tea table had flickered out, leaving him in a room of dark blues and grays. The lightning, wind, and thunder had calmed down. He suspected that the storm would end by morning. Absently, he rubbed May’s bare back as she dozed half-naked against him, her cheek pressed against his shoulder, her dress in a wrinkled heap around her legs and his hips. Leo really need to change his trousers soon, but he didn’t want to wake May up. The slight discomfort of the mess they both made was worth it if meant he could hold onto her for just a little longer.

It had been so long since she had been pressed against him, not since before the accident. She wouldn’t even let him hold her at night, too afraid to toss and turn and end up hurting his shell. If only she knew that nothing soothed his aches as much as she did, especially having her that close. He missed how soft she was against his plastron, the sound of her steady breathing, the weight of her body on his legs, the way she either curled her fists against his chest, or tucked her hands around his sides.

Leo leaned his cheek against May’s forehead.

The movement made May stir. She shivered slightly, and Leo sighed, carefully looping his arms under her thighs so that he could carry her up the stairs and back to bed. May groaned with the jostling. She lifted her head from his shoulder.

“Leo?”

“Mm?”

May leaved back, peering up at him, eyes still bleary with sleep. “How long was I asleep?”

“A few hours.”

May looked around. “It’s still dark. Have you been here all this time?”

“I was comfortable.”

He leg go of her legs so that he could wrap his arms around her back again and give her a gentle squeeze.

“Very comfortable.”

“My, aren’t you chipper. Did something good happen?”

“I’d say five good things happened.”

Leo couldn’t help the smug smirk that spread across his face, a smirk that only grew wider when May’s eyes flitted to his lips.

“Still worried about my stamina, Pidge?”

May’s legs twitched around him. She covered her face. “S-six. It was six.”

“Hmm, I must have missed one for you.” Leo pulled her hands away from her face. “Should we make it seven?”

“Marshal! Hush!”

“You weren’t telling me to be silent a few hours ago.”

May opened her mouth to retort but was stopped when Leo rolled his shoulders and shifted slightly in his seat. She put a hand on his cheek, and Leo couldn’t help leaning into her touch.

“Please be honest with me. Does anything hurt?”

“Nothing hurts.”

“Leo.”

“It’s the truth. Shell is a little itchy, but some ointment can fix that. Think you can help me with that?”

May smiled. “Happily. Anything else?”

“Going to be a muddy walk over to Mikey’s tomorrow, and then another to Donnie’s, then Raph’s.”

“Why?”

“Well, I figured you’d like to see Tess and your sister. Also, so I can talk to my brothers about how to divide up the work at our ranch.”

May’s lips crashed onto his. Leo’s eyes rolled back into his head. He nipped her lower lip, pulling her hips forward. May whimpered when her lower belly rubbed against his plastron. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips desperately against his, whimpering into his mouth when his tongue darted into hers. Leo pressed into her, one of his fangs lightly grazing her lower lip. The sound of their lips coming together was so loud, he could no longer hear the rain.

The spell was broken when May pulled away with him so that she could gasp for air.

Leo exhaled. “If that’s all it takes for me to get one hell of a thank-you-kiss, I would have done this sooner.”

May laughed, and then frowned when she noticed where Leo’s eyes had wondered. She clicked her teeth. “Really, Leo?”

“What? I can’t help it that you have such pretty breasts.”

May poked him in the forehead. “I should bite you!”

“Is that a promise?”

“It’s supposed to be a threat.”

“A very tempting threat.”

May pinched his snout. “Can you please be serious?”

“I’m always serious about you, what with you being the big troublemaker that you are.”

May scowled when he laughed, but didn’t protest when he pushed against her back, making her lean against him again. Once she was secure, he put his hands under her thighs, fingertips digging into the softness of her backside. He stood. May tightened her legs around his waist as Leo walked toward the stairs.

“If you keep making that pout at me, I might really spoil the moment.”

May sighed, though there was no real annoyance in it when she leaned forward to hug his shoulders. “One would think that after three years, you’d be better at not riling up your wife.”

“But it’s so fun.”

May reached over his back, putting her palms against his shell, carefully running her fingers over the healing cracks. “Does it hurt when I touch you?”

“No. Just itches. Temperature is more annoying, aches when it’s too cold. Or I’ll feel a little sore after staying in one position for too long.”

“Leo?”

“Hmm?”

“You’ll take it easy?”

“Yes.”

“Promise?”

“I am a man of my word, Pidge. Provided that you keep yours.”

“What? I haven’t given my word on anything.”

Leo reached the top of the stairs. He turned down the hall and kicked open the door to their bedroom. Gently placing May down atop their bed, he stepped back so that he could hastily kick off his trousers. Then he reached for what remained of May’s dress and tore it off her.

“And who’s going to mend all that!” May whined.

“I’ll buy you another one,” Leo replied as he threw the tattered dress to the ground and joined her on the bed.

May lay backward, letting Leo slide off her shoes and stockings.

“Promise me something, Pidge. Otherwise I’ll go right back to work in the morning.”

She leaned up onto her elbows, watching him warily. “And just what am I promising?”

“Stop tip toeing around me. I promise not to exert myself, but Jesus woman, I’m not made out of glass. I need you to touch me. I need to touch you. Otherwise I’ll go insane.”

May bit her lip, eyes traveling down from his lips to his plastron and lower. “All right.”

“And-”

“There’s more?”

“Hush. Let me finish.”

Leo paused, glancing down at May’s legs now that her stockings were no longer in his way. He held onto May’s calf, pulling her legs into his lap. She winced, trying to pull out of his hold, but Leo held onto one of her ankles.

“Your poor feet,” he sighed, digging his knuckles into the pads under May’s toes.

May flinched. Leo moved to the other foot, pressing his hands into swollen, red, skin, marveling at the fact that she hadn’t torn anything.

“You’re lucky you don’t have any calluses.”

May whined. “I doesn’t hurt that bad.”

Leo leveled her with a disbelieving look. “Did you think I didn’t notice you charley horsin’ in the kitchen?”

“I wanted to keep you from taking on more tasks.”

Leo rolled his eyes. “You’re on your way to collapsing from exhaustion.”

“Now I am.”

Leo pinched her pinky toe. May shrieked, kicking her leg. Again, Leo held on. “Don’t try to be funny,” Leo snapped, even though he wore a smile. “You’re going to promise me that you’ll also take it easy and stop pushing yourself to do all the work. There’s no point in me gettin’ better if you end up hurting yourself in the process.”

“Is that the real reason I’m seeing Tess and Mercy tomorrow?”

“Can’t keep anything from you, now can I?”

May laughed, lying back down onto the bed. “You never could. All right. I promise to be more careful.”

Leo switched feet, slowly easing the soreness from May’s heel. She closed her eyes, letting him knead the sore and tired muscles. Then his hands started to wander, sliding up her legs.

“Any other demands?” May asked breathlessly.

Leo hovered over her, pressing his lips to her forehead. “Wrap those legs around my shell. I have a lot of lost time to make up for.”

With a giggle, May lifted her legs. “Make it seven.”

ANON!! ANON!!!!!

I AM SCREAMING THIS IS SO GOOD AHHHH!!!

PLEASE. THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS I WISH I COULD SHARE WITH YOU NOW BUT I DON'T WANT TO GIVE SPOILERS! BUT ANON!!!!!

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I LOVE this. I LOVE THIS!! It's just like Leo to take it easy when he should be healing. I LOVE the way you write for the time period. I LOVE how you've set a scene. MAKE IT SEVEN!! Please this is so sweet and fond and domestic and 😭😭😭😭😍😍😍

Let me know when you get it on ao3 so I can leave a comment and yell more! Anon, I hope you are having a phenomenal week. I'm giving you the biggest hug in existence.

#literally their banter is so spot on #AH #I LOVE THEM #bird's eye view #bird's eye view anon #ask #anon ask #The Pigeon's Perch #cowboy au #cowboy leo #leo x ofc #tmnt leo x oc #Rise!CowboyAU

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