Leo felt something in his blood change, so kind of spike rushing through him at Anthony’s words; Anthony continued. “I mean I can see the resemblance. I get it I really do, you look at him and you see the scared boy who was forced to do unspeakable things and never say anything about it, just like-”
But Leo cut him off his voice harsh and angry. “Not another word Anthony.”
Anthony’s glare intensified at him. “Why not? Don't like hearing the truth?”
Leo repeated himself a bit more forcefully, his own glare getting stronger. “NOT ANOTHER WORD.”
He could feel it now, some kind of itching, burning, tingling energy running through his body. It made his heart pump in his ears, and his fingers tap the bar trying to get rid of this feeling.
They continued to glare at each other, another minute passed before Leo spoke; mentally willing himself to calm down. “Look. If you can't talk to Alex without freaking out like this, then I’ll take him somewhere else.”
A second later he staggered backwards as pain radiated from his face. He stumbled backwards and tripped over his own legs falling to the ground in a heap from Anthony’s punch. For a full 10 seconds he sat there on the floor in a heap, his brain trying to catch up with what had just happened; Anthony had punched him, ANTHONY HAD PUNCHED HIM. A split second later something inside him snapped.
He lashed out with his leg, knocking the chair Anthony was sitting in out from under him, sending him to the floor too. For a full second neither of them said a word. All at once they both moved Leo grabbed Anthony’s wrists as the taller turtle lunged at him; twisting his body Leo pinned Anthony to the floor beneath him. “Your drunk Anthony.”
It was the truth, now that they were in close Leo could smell the booze on Anthony’s breath and skin. A smell he'd come to recognize after so many years as a teacher with hung over students. “Let me take you upstairs, so you can slee-”
But Anthony cut him off, using his longer body to smack him in the back of the head with his foot before wriggling free from Leo’s grip. “I’M DRUNK BECAUSE I HAD TO SIT THERE AND LISTEN AS ALEX TOLD ME ABOUT HOW HE WAS FIRST SEXUALLY ASSAULTED WHEN HE WAS 10! I’M DRUNK BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY I CANNOT GET THE SIGHT OF HIM CRYING, OR THE FEELING OF HIM RECOILING FROM MY TOUCH OUT OF MY HEAD!”
Anthony lashed out at him, smacking Leo’s face; sending more pain through his body. He watched as Anthony staggered to his feet stumbling and grunting with the effort to move. A moment later the genius turtle crumpled to the floor, his limps refusing to work properly. Vaguely Leo wondered just how many glasses of scotch Anthony had drunk before he’d arrived. After a moment Anthony spoke again. “If you try to take Alex out of my care I’ll file a DNR. I’ll make it a crime for you to stop him from seeing me. Got it?”
Those last words were a challenge; Anthony was daring Leo to test him. Leo groaned; his stomach letting out another angry rumble. “Fine Anthony……you win.”
Anthony slumped down until he was lying on the floor. “Damn right I win. Now…..help me up the stairs.”
Leo grunted as he staggered to his feet, before reaching down and gripping Anthony’s arm. Helping the taller turtle up was a challenge, one that he almost lost and would have meant falling on top of him. However after a few moments of struggling Leo managed to pull Anthony to his feet and sling one of his arms around his shoulder. “Geez Anthony….you reek of booze.”
Anthony glared at him sideways. Leo ignored him, helping Anthony up the stairs and into his room before leaning down and pulling back the covers of Anthony’s bed before dropping the drunken turtle into it. Covering Anthony with the blankets Leo turned and had been about to leave the room when a wave of dizziness washed over him making him sway and stagger. Closing his eyes he willed himself to stay upright. Slowly he moved around the bed, before again pulling back the blankets and crawling under them.
Moving closer to Anthony, Leo’s arms wrapped around the taller turtle’s waist, finding the places he had held before when they had been a couple. After a moment Anthony spoke, his voice low and tired. “Why are you doing this Leo?”
Leo sighed, closing his eyes as he did so. “Because he’s my student and my friend, and he needs help.”
He was drifting now; he could feel his body relaxing as he drifted closer and closer to sleep. He was only dimply aware that Anthony was speaking again. “Who are you trying to convince when you say that; others, or yourself?”
CHAPTER 4
He groaned as he looked down at Alex’s splayed out form, the young turtle’s arms and legs were spread, as though calling to him. “Leo……”
Alex’s voice reached out and grabbed him, drawing Leo in against the young turtle’s body. Their lips met; his tongue lulling out of his mouth to claim Alex’s. He groaned as he felt Alex return the kiss. Their chests rubbed against each other, making Leo shudder. Alex’s soft skin meeting his own rough hide. As they broke apart Leo grinned as Alex let out a gentle ‘churr’ sending a shiver through Leo’s body. He became bolder kissing Alex a little rougher, making the younger turtle shudder under him. His tongue left him mouth claiming Alex’s mouth with an unusual intensity. Leo groaned as he felt Alex’s rails rake down his back.
He growled and leaned in, pinning Alex against the bed. As they broke apart he felt Alex gasp for air. He growled crushing their lips together again, forcing his tongue back into Alex’s mouth. He could feel the younger turtle moving, struggling against his grip; trying to break the kiss. He ignored Alex’s struggle, kissing the younger turtle until his own lungs burned with need. Pulling away slightly he felt his eyes widen as he found Alex had tears in his eyes. “Leo…..Leo stop…..please….”
But he ignored the younger turtle’s pleas, crushing their lips back together despite feeling the younger turtle’s struggle against his grip. He pushed Alex against the bed; his tongue invading Alex’s mouth. His hand trailed down Alex’s body dipping lower and lower until they found the young turtle’s legs which he forced apart, ignoring the wild kicking and clawing struggle that Alex was putting up. Reaching down he grabbed Alex by the throat holding him down, lining himself up so he could…..
“NO!”
REALITY
Leo sat bolt upright in his bed. His skin was drenched in cold sweat and his entire body was trembling as struggled to stop the tears that were dripping down his face. His head jerked around; he was in his room alone, and Alex……….Alex was asleep in his room, he was safe. Trembling Leo buried his face in his hands, willing himself to calm down. “It was just a dream. It was just a dream.”
He repeated the words over and over again, searching for some kind of comfort in them. As though he could convince himself that none of it had just happened. “No…..no……no…..”
He rocked back and forth no longer trying to keep his tears under control as they dripped down his face; he felt shame well up in his gut. He tried to push Alex out of his mind, tried to think of anything other than the green turtle who had snared his attention and desires. He gasped for air but found that no matter how hard he tried he could not seem to get enough. He hugged his legs tighter. “I’m his teacher. I’m his teacher. I’m his teacher.”
And yet unbidden in his mind came the want, the desire……..the need to not be Alex’s teacher……the want to caress his skin, to taste his mouth, to claim his…..
Leo slapped himself, the sharp pain clearing his mind. He forced himself to breathe slower, to calm down, to take the desire and shove it as far down inside of him as he could. After several moments he let go of his legs. Taking one last shuddering breath Leo felt his heart rate return to normal. Wiping the sweat from his forehead Leo glanced sideways at the clock on his nightstand; the date and time flashed back at him OCT, 7th; 5:38AM. Groaning Leo knew there was no way he’d be getting back to sleep. Not if it meant even the slightest chance that his dream might continue. Slowly Leo got out of bed; shivering as his still sweat drenched skin met the cold night air.
Moving over
to his closet Leo pulled out a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt before bundling himself up in them, allowing himself a moment to get war before leaving his room. Moving down the hallway he paused at Alex’s door, only the sound of Alex’s gentle snoring met his senses. 2 months……it had been a little over 2 months ago that Alex had shown up on his doorstep, beaten and half froze. Nervously Leo ran his hand over his face before moving past Alex’s door. Had it really been that long? He knew the answer was yes.
Coming to a stop at the end of the hall Leo pulled open another door and descended the flight of stairs that were on the other side; moving into the basement. Pulling on the small sting hanging from the ceiling Leo flinched slightly as light blasted through the darkness pushing it away to reveal the dojo. Stepping inside and closing the door behind him, Leo inhaled the dust rich air. Groaning he began pulling off his pajamas replacing them with his workout clothes. Moving over to the punching bag that hung suspended from the ceiling Leo took a moment to look around dojo he had built with his own two hands. In his travels after school he’d somehow wound up in Japan; where he had spent several months doing odd jobs for a local martial art school. One day he’d been watching a class when the instructor had called to him and asked if he had wanted to join. He’d shrugged and joined; but found the experience completely liberating. He’d spend the rest of his time training and practicing, honing his skills until even the teachers at the school had been impressed, so much so that they had offered to let him stay longer.
Smiling at the memory Leo moved, striking the punching bag as he had been taught to. He’d found martial arts to be calming to him. Something about focusing his mind on the next strike helped him. it provided him with a kind of calm that few other things did; it gave him clarity, time to reflect on all that had happened to him in the past 2 months, time to focus on…….. Leo caught the punching bag as it swung back at him. Gripping the side of the bag Leo paused, resting his forehead against the bag’s rough brown hide. His life had certainly changed lately. Looking back on how things had been; he felt bored, and……a little sad. He’d gone to work, taught lessons, graded papers, hung out with Anthony and then gone to bed; everyday. But sine Alex had come things had changed. He found himself celebrating every time Alex did well in one of his classes while going out of his was to try and help the young student when he didn’t understand something. Therapy seemed to be helping a bit. At first Alex would leave the office and not say a word the entire drive home, only to slump into bed and pass out. Now after 2 months he spoke to Leo as they drove home, and although he still went to be extraordinarily early he would at least stay up long enough for Leo to pick up something for them to eat,
Growling Leo punched the punching bag. Things were going so well, now. So why did he keep having these dreams? Growling again Leo continued to punch the bag like a thug, no longer doing his normal strikes. Yes the young turtle had changed his life. He smiled more, laughed more, he was…..happier. Yet at night….in his dreams; things changed. He found that unlike while he was awake he could not fight the desires that had formed. In his dreams he was not Alex’s teacher; he was his lover. He’d kiss, lick, nuzzle and claim every inch of Alex’s young body, making the young turtle moan, shudder and churr with every move. Those parts of the dream were………..nice.
Again he caught the bag as it swung back at him. He hated admitting he liked those parts. Feeling Alex’s body against his own, feeling the young turtle’s warm soft skin rubbing against his own rough skin, there was something that just felt ‘right’ about it. Involuntary he shuddered as he remembered how Alex’s skin had felt. He wondered if the young turtle was truly that soft in reality. Shaking his head he resumed punching the bag. The dreams never stayed nice though. They always changed, they always became a nightmare. He’d become rougher, and rougher until Alex was pleading with him to stop, until he no longer cared about Alex’s struggling.
He shuddered and stopped moving as those memories washed over him. The sight of Alex terrified, of his pleading eyes looking up at Leo begging for him to stop. Again he shook his head, trying to rid himself of those thoughts. He began punching the bag harder and harder, as though he could drown those thoughts with the sound of his fists striking the hide of the bag. Why did he have to like Alex? Why did he have to find the young turtle so, alluring and attractive? Pausing again Leo found his heart was racing and his knuckles stung from the repeated abuse. “Leo?”
Leo felt his eyes widen as he slowly turned, finding Alex standing awkwardly in the doorway. “What……are you…..doing?”
He watched as Alex slowly looked around the dojo. “What is this place?”
Leo did his best to smile. “It’s a dojo. I come here to train and……relax.”
Alex continued to look around the dojo or a moment before looking at Leo. “I didn’t know you know karate.”
Despite how he was feeling Leo rolled his eyes. “It’s not karate, its ninjitsu.”
Alex looked at him blankly. “What’s the difference?”
Again Leo rolled his eyes. “Karate is purely hand to hand combat. Ninjitsu teaches you how to use weapons as well as hand to hand combat.”
He watched as Alex shifted from one leg to the other before speaking. “Could….could you teach me?”
Leo opened his mouth. He wanted to say no, he wasn't a teacher. Yet as he did so his eyes scanned Alex’s face, the face that had been covered in cuts and scratched and blemished with a black eye a few months ago. “I…….um……I….”
He could not shake the memory of Alex, beaten and bruised huddled on his doorstep scared, alone and sobbing. Of the young turtle unable to defend himself as he was beaten. “……ok…….but……but I’ve never taught anyone, ok?”
Alex nodded. “Ok. So…….what should I do first?”
Leo thought for a moment before gesturing to a cabinet behind him. “There’s a Gi in the cabinet, put it on please.”
He watched as Alex slowly crossed the room and pulled open the cabinet before pulling the gi out. “Um……is there someplace I can change?”
Leo bit his lip, “I’ll step out and close the door. Just let me know when you’re done, ok?”
Alex nodded. Stepping out of the dojo Leo closed the paper door behind him. As he did so he ran his tongue over the spot on his lip he had bitten, it was the same spot he’d bitten numerous times since Alex had started living with him. The patch of skin had become rougher, scarred from his repeated chewing. “Um…..ok Leo.”
Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath Leo turned back around and reentered the dojo pausing for a moment so he could look Alex up and down. Admittedly the gi was a little too big for Alex; as such the young turtle had rolled the sleeve of the gi several times, as well as the pants. “Is it gunna be ok for you to wear?”
Alex smiled sheepishly. “Yeah…..I……I think so.”
Smiling reassuringly at Alex Leo led the young turtle over to an area in the corner that was set up with a soft mat. Sitting down Leo motioned for Alex to join him. “I wish to make one thing clear to you Alexander; ninjitsu is not to be used out of anger. It’s only to be used in defense of yourself or your property. Do you understand?”
He watched as Alex nodded slowly. “Very well. The key to ninjitsu is balance. Not just of your body but of your mind. Anger makes you sloppy; it clouds your judgment and allows for mistakes. Therefore before each session we will clear out minds. Close your eyes please.”
Doing as he was asked Alex took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “I want you to clear your mind. Focus on only my voice and your breathing, ok?”
Alex nodded and took several deep breaths. It was an odd feeling, like a kind of tingling in his muscles. His body itched and twitched with the need to move, to do something. Yet he remained there, sitting on the floor, inhaling and exhaling with Leo sitting next to him doing the same. “How…..how long do we stay like this?”
Leo chuckled at the question. “Until I feel that we’re ready to begin. For no
w just focus on your breathing. Breath in, breath out. Ok?”
Nodding Alex turned his attention back to his breath and continued to do as instructed. He could feel it still, the odd tingling sensation; the need to get up and move around. Against his will began clenching and unclenching his toes. After another moment Alex sighed and opened his eyes. “It’s no good. I’ve got to much energy. I…….need to move.”
He watched as Leo opened his own eyes and looked at him for a moment. “Hmm…..perhaps I shall teach you a few stances and that will help burn off some of your energy?”
Alex shrugged, it was worth a shot. Following Leo Alex stood up. “Ok, now watch what I do and copy me as best you can ok?”
Alex nodded and watched as Leo shifted his weight to his back leg while bringing his hands up in front of him.
They continued like this for some time, with Leo showing Alex a stance and then watching as Alex tried to copy it as best he could, before he would move in and correct Alex. Alex shuddered as Leo’s hands touched his arms, his legs, hips, chest, neck, and head. It felt good; Leo’s grip was firm but at the same gentle, as he guided Alex through the stances showing him how to properly balance his weight or flow from one motion to the other. Again Alex shuddered, they were very close. Leo’s body heat mixed with his making his skin feel hot and tingly, he panted slightly; part of him wanting to get rid of the extra heat while other part of him wanted to hold onto it.
He felt Leo shift again, moving behind him so Alex’s shell was against Leo’s chest while Leo’s hands traced his arms guiding them into the proper positions. He felt his head turn, looking at Leo sideways; Leo looked back at him, for a moment their eyes connected. For a fill 5 seconds they held each other’s gaze. Alex felt his heartbeat increase; unconsciously he licked his lips his breathing becoming labored as Leo continued to stare at him, those blue eyes seeming to look into his soul.
A Student In Need Page 6