Spanning more than 90 years of art from across the globe, this collection of short stories celebrates the fictional character in all its horrors, from the oil monster of FernGully to the demon kings of Blue Exorcist's Gehenna. Beginning with the bla...
WARNING: home invasion, stalking, mild violence, psychological manipulation, toxic mindset.
WORD COUNT: 4.019
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The light switch flicked on with an audible click, and you found your apartment strewn with party favours and celebratory banners. One of the banners read, "It's a boy!" Another featured a multi-level cake with candles and the words, "Happy Birthday!"
From behind the couch, Leonardo jumped up and sang, "Surprise!" He was flapping his arms back and forth in a rapid series of waves as he said this.
Once he was finished, Leo leapt over the couch and sauntered to you with his arms crossed. "I ordered pizza to celebrate my return." His arms unfurled and thrust themselves into the air. "You're welcome!"
You dropped your bag on the floor and your keys on the nearby table, which landed with a clank and a rattle. "How did you get in here again?" you asked, in terror.
Leo outstretched his arms and turned his palms to the ceiling, extending his thumbs and narrowing his eyes. "You always leave your windows unlocked." His tone was a mixture of condescending and proud as if he were stating the obvious, and he raised his voice with a chuckle. "It's practically an invitation!"
You stamped your foot forward and leaned toward him. "No, it isn't! Because I live on the sixteenth floor!" Taking a breath, you allowed a hint of disbelief to slip into your voice. "The only people who could make it up here are track stars."
Leo closed his eyes and ran a hand across the top of his head, smoothing the ties of his headband as if it were slick hair. "Or a super-handsome ninja turtle." He then shoved the tip of his katana through the rug and rested his forearms on the hilt.
You watched the fibres of the rug split as the metal penetrated the wood beneath it, and the thought of your skyrocketing rent as soon as the landlord noticed the new hole in your floor was worthy of a wince.
Upon leaning sideways on his katana, Leo turned his head away and looked askance at you with a smug kind of smile. It drew a twitch from your eye and caused a vein in your forehead to bulge, which he acknowledged by moving off his katana and spinning it into its holster.
"What is it? Am I too early again?" This moment of curiosity passed as quickly as it came when Leo raised his arms as if to stretch, only to intertwine his hands behind his head and rest them at the base of his neck.
The tails of his headband flopped as he strolled to the back of the couch. A plop sounded as Leo hopped over the couch and landed on the cushions, with his feet coming to prop themselves on the coffee table.
He reclined on the soft fabric and closed his eyes, but the smile never left his face. "Don't worry! We'll have that pizza here in no time."
