Summary: Tomorrow arrives at your doorstep… but Raph doesn’t. Instead another brother does that leads to a perilous night out.
A/N: Woo! Part three! This one is a bit more angsty but cute and well, who doesn’t love some good angst? I love you guys so much and all of the feedback that you offer. Always keep fighting.
Music played softly as it rained again, and I waited by an unlocked window. Some part of my memory knew that he would be here, though I couldn’t tell what the truth happened to be or what happened to be a dream. It all seemed like a dream to me. A wonderful dream.
A knock interrupted my thoughts as I opened the window, expecting one turtle and getting another.
“Leo?” I asked curiously. “What’s… why are you here?”
“Is Raph here?” He demanded; his eyes swept my apartment not even looking at me as he talked.
“No?” I frowned. “What the hell is going on?”
“Raph went out tonight and he hasn’t been back, and I assumed he was here.”
“No,” I shook my head, fear growing in my chest for my lost rider. “Give me a minute, I’ll help you look,” I arrived at the conclusion.
“You can’t. Not in this weather, it’s not safe,” Leo scolded. “You stay here.”
“Damn it, Leo! I can do what I want when I want, and you know you need me out there! You know I know him better!”
Cold blue eyes met mine, but I dug my heels in. Nothing would sway me from this. Looking for Raph became my number one priority.
“Meet at the alley in twenty minutes. Donnie will get you connected with the rest of us.” Leo didn’t meet my eyes as he ducked out the window. “And whatever happens to you is not on me.”
With that he vanished.
“Gee,thanks,” I mocked at the window and quickly changed for the ride ahead, my anxiety racing out of control as I muttered to myself the questions that I needed answers to.
The one above them all: Where was Raphael?
I didn’t enjoy riding in the rain, it was cold and wet and hurt if you went fast enough, but I’d do it for him. Anything for my reckless rider. Sliding my helmet on, I sped off.
I arrived at the alley way and like Leo said, Donatello stood, equipment in hand.
“Hello,” He greeted, stammering slightly, “This will connected to your com system that you have set up and will pick up our radio frequency,”
I unlatched my helmet and handed it over, running a hand through my hair as the rain started to soak it through.
“Do you have any idea where he would be?” I asked as the turtle in purple worked quickly.
“Your guess is probably better than mine,” He muttered. “I figured that you would be the first place he went to after fighting with Leo,”
That was new information. That Leo conveniently left out.
“Fighting with Leo? About what?” I pressed, urgently. “Please Donnie this is important. If I’m going to find him… I need to know what happened.”
_____________________________
“You’renot going out tonight. There’s no need.” Leo stood in front of his brother.
“Get out of my way Leo,” Raph muttered. “I’ll be fine,”
“It’s too dangerous!” Leo shouted.
“And since when do you care whether I get hurt or not? Since when do you stop me from going out? Who do you think you are?” Raph stalked up to his brother agitated.
“Since you met her.” Leo answered coolly. “She’s dangerous,”
Raph scoffed and almost laughed as he paced away, growing more aggravated as each second passed.
“She’snot dangerous! Are you fucking kidding me!?” Raph pulled out his sais: a reflex.
“Even now, she’s turning you against me,” Leo circled with his brother, keeping a distance.
“No, I’m pretty sure you’re doing that all on your own fearless,” Raph snarled. “So, don’t you dare go blaming her,”
“You think she actually wants to see you Raphael? We don’t belong in her world and she doesn’t belong in ours,” Leo hissed.
“Ohyeah, and it was okay for you to go after Karai!Sure! That makes total sense!” Raph roared.
“Karai was forced into our world! Are you really selfish enough to make her belong in ours!?” Now Leo had his blades drawn.
“Wedon’t belong anywhere Leo! But she’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to belonging, even when it’s with you three,”
“We are your family!” Leo shouted.
“Then fucking act like it!” Raph yelled, fighting back tears.
He had to get away. He had to get to you. You would know what to say, or at least what to do… or maybe you could give him solace from it all.
So, he took off and didn’t look back.
________________________________
I stared at Donnie in shock as he handed me back my helmet after testing it.
“And Leo had the nerve to…” I growled slipping it back on.
“He went to apologize,” Donnie tried to soothe my fury.
“Oh, I’m sure he did,” My voice dripped venom through the comm.
“Yo!Y/n!” Another voice chimed in over the headset in my helmet. It had to be Mikey, the only brother I hadn’t met face to face yet.
“Hey Mikey,” I gritted out, taking a left down Jefferson.
The wind and rain picked up step, making it hard to see. But I had a good idea of where I was going, a few ideas actually.
I sped to the tunnels, slowing as I reached the outskirts, killing my engine and slipping of my helmet.
“Raph!?” I called into the hollow caverns.
No response. I growled and dove back out into the storm.
“Do you guys see anything!?” I demanded over the intercom.
“Nothing,” Leo’s voice held an air of calm and collected.
Oh, I was so going to punch him in the face next time I saw him.
My next destination located itself in the middle of the Brooklyn bridge. Raph and his bike were nowhere to be found. Huffing, I set off again.
“Come on Raph,” I muttered. “Where are you?”
My hope waning, with one more spot left on my mental checklist, I turned carefully and headed towards the outskirts of the city. To a place Raph had never been. A road I had taken what seemed like months ago, leading him out of the city lights.
The city ways quickly became dense forest.
“Come on Raph, please,” Tears of fear and worry started to blur my vision. “Please, come back to me,”
I slowed my bike, having to. Through the rain and my tears, there was no other option. On the side of the road, I got off my bike, and took off my helmet, leaving them on the side of the road as I started to keep walking down the dark road.
“Raph!”
Stupid seemed like a good word to describe what I was doing.
Soaked to the bone, my tears fell freely.
What was I doing?
I was alone on a road, with no hope of finding a way back until the rain cleared, looking for someone who didn’t want to be found in the entirety of New York and I had nothing to go on.
“Please,” I begged to no one.
“Y/n!?”
I almost dropped in relief.
“Raph?” I called.
“What the hell are you doing out here?” He was beside me instantly, his figure shielding the rain that seemed to be coming in sideways with the wind.
_________________________________
“What are you doing out here!?” She shouted back. “We’ve been looking for you everywhere! Why… what the hell were you thinking!?” Her voice sounded raw as tears mixed with the rain.
“You’ve been looking for me? In this? Y/n, were you seriously riding in this!” Raphael’s voice rose.
“Whatelse was I supposed to do! Leo came to me; said you were gone! Then Donnie told me about what happened and God Raph!” Trembles racked her frame as she continued to yell. “Do you know how worried I’ve been!? How scared that something happened to you!?”
In a desperate attempted to stop shaking, her arms wrapped themselves around her frame. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold her close, to give her comfort.
He never thought that she would care enough to come out looking for him. Or why the hell Leo would go to her of all people.
“I’m…sorry Y/n,” He mumbled, barely audible above the howling wind.
“Please, come home,” She shivered. He could see her paling and her lips turning blue.
“No, we’re gonna get you home, and dry, and warm,” Raph, against his better judgement again, picked her up and walked over to where her bike waited.
Sitting her in front of him, helping her with her helmet, he tore off down the road, back to the city. Back somewhere where he could get her warm and safe.
__________________________________
Whimpers let my lips against my will as I shuddered from the bitter cold. I could hear voices over the comm, but the words didn’t make much sense… not that I paid much attention.
Every cell in my body was screaming to get warm, and fast. I barely processed the effort it took to stay on the bike until Raphael pulled up to my apartment complex.
With head he lifted me and climbed the fore escape, forcing my window open.
I collapsed in the warmth, against him and his warmth. His face was fuzzy… everything was fuzzy. I tried to blink the haze from my eyes, but soon my eyelids were too heavy to reopen.
__________________________________
“Donnie get over here and fix her,” Raph hissed into his comm.
“Raph?” The three brothers all responded.
“Yes. Donnie, she passed out from being in the rain and cold too long and I need your help,” He growled, trying to keep his panic and worry to a minimum.
He had already stripped her riding jacket, shoes and socks, and currently, he cradled her in his lap cocooned in her throw blankets. Anything to give her warmth.
Donnie was ducking in through the window in minutes, and his brother looked at the limp girl in his arms and got to work. Taking her pulse and checking her vitals, Donnie seemed to relax.
“She’s in a stable condition, just a bit of hypothermia. What you were doing is what you should have been and need to keep doing until she wakes up and can shower and get dry clothes,” Donnie spoke softly.
Raph nodded, and his brother neared the window, hesitating slightly before ducking out into the driving rain.
Raphael held her closer in his arms as he moved to sitting on the floor, trying to keep himself together. He didn’t want to lose her, not like this. And he didn’t want to admit that maybe Leo was right… she didn’t belong in his world; she could get hurt… or worse.
But her eyebrows furrowed as her eyes fluttered open, and he knew that there couldn’t be any other place that he belong except right there.
Part One of: I Can Play The Piano Still Ft. When She Still Loved Me.
This quarantine isn’t keeping me down. I can knit bake play the piano read draw write… I could maybe go without the internet and live in a turn of the century novel and survive perhaps.
Summary: Rain prevents you from riding the next few days and you’re growing restless. You wanted to ride. You wanted… to see him. You missed him against your better judgement. But what was wrong with missing him? Nothing at all. What happens when he misses you too?
A/N: As requested a Part Two to Midnight Rider!! I loved the responses on it and I wanted to thank you all for such positive feedback. Here’s something a bit softer and cozy for the hard times. Let me know if you want another part and what you think of this one!! I love you guys! ((P.S. I just finished my last paper-a twelve page research paper-for the semester so now I have more time for creative writing!!))
Rain pattered against my window as the sun went down leaving New York in total darkness. I sighed and wished for sunshine or a clear night when I could ride again. When I could see him again. It had been a few days of constant rain and I was becoming stir crazy. But I wasn’t stupid enough to go riding in the rain. It wasn’t worth the risk.
I stared out my opened window and watched the raindrops race against each other. Curling up in a large sweater with a cup of tea, I settled down for the night.
A dark form in front of my window made me jump and curse, adrenaline racing. Then I realized who blocked my window. It was my daredevil rider.
I pushed the window open, throwing my hands up in dismay.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I scolded. “It’s raining, it’s not safe to be out there,”
“I had to see you,” Raph admitted sheepish as he ducked in through my window.
I headed to my small bathroom and threw him a towel or two to dry off, turning a light on in my wake. The gentle fairy lights glowed with the candles it accompanied.
“Gotta say, didn’t think your place would look like this…” Raph trailed off, his eyes taking in my studio apartment. “It’s so… cozy,”
“Thank you,” I smiled and stood by his side admiring my handiwork with him.
I had made it cozy. My solace. My safe space.
“How’s your shoulder?” I asked, picking up my mug of tea.
“Fine,” He replied a bit too quickly.
“Well, you’re welcome to come and hang out… if that’s what this is.” I gave him a dopey smile. “I can make tea for you if you want.”
Raph stared at me like I had two heads.
___________________________________
“Not what you were expecting?” A smile played at her lips as she curled up in an armchair.
“Not at all,” Raph muttered.
In his head he had this version of her.
Y/n. Her name forever engraved into his mind.
She was strong, confident, badass. She took no prisoners and always knew what to say. But this?
She was soft, and gentle, and he had seen it the other night in her concern. But what he saw before him, he wouldn’t have imagined. She was kind, and soft behind all of the edge and angst she gave off.
He almost loved it more, knowing that she offered both in who she was.
Y/n,
“So, what brought you around?” She mused, tucking herself under an afghan.
“It’s been raining, I haven’t seen you in a while,” He admitted again, taking a spot on her rug leaning against her couch.
A smile played at her lips and in the soft light, she was just as beautiful as she was in leather on a motorcycle. She didn’t make fun of him either, His brothers did. They thought it was ridiculous that he went to find her. Leo ordered against it. As if.
He had grown bored again with the rain coming down and he wanted to see her.
“You haven’t been riding have you?” She asked, concern coloring her voice.
“No,” It was the truth.
Mainly because he knew that if she found out, she’d have his ass for sure.
“Good,” She seemed pleased.
______________________________
Knowing sleeping had left my short-term plans, I uncurled from my chair and headed over to my record player and started the Bob Seger vinyl that I didn’t put away from earlier.
“You’re a classics fan?” He mused as the music started
“My mom was… I picked it up from her,” I admitted. “Now that I’m up do you want that tea?”
I made my way to the kitchen despite his answer and began to make another cup.
“You like classic rock then?” I asked back, leaning against the counter.
He had shifted so that he could still see me from my vantage point in the small kitchen.
“Zeppelin,” He offered. “Though my vinyl collection isn’t as impressive as yours,” He muttered. I smiled and rolled my eyes.
“Why am I not surprised you like Zeppelin,” I laughed. “Find something more original, Bon Jovi, Meatloaf! Hey, you might actually like Meatloaf,” I paused in thought. “Not that I know what you like… it just seems like… a very you band.”
“Whatthe hell is that supposed to mean?” He acted offended, but there was a smile on his face.
“I dunno,” I could feel my face flushing. “They just seem like… you.” I gestured. “I can let you borrow my record.”
“No, I can’t ask that.” Raph shook his head, standing in protest.
“You’re not asking, I’m giving it to you.” I smiled and offered him his tea as we both settled back in my living room area.
________________________________
Raph still tried to figure her out. There was still the fire in her veins that he had seen when he rode with her. This was that same fire, but in a softer way. In one that made him take care of himself, and that allowed her to be selfless.
She hummed softly to the music and sipped her tea absentmindedly, lost in thought he presumed.
“How is your family?” She asked after a while. “It’s been a while since you guys have done anything.”
Raph laughed.
“Yeah, there isn’t much to do anymore. It’s why I started to ride again. And we’re okay, I guess. Mikey has vowed to watch ever Doctor Who episode with Donnie and it’s taking them a while to get through it all.” Raph rolled his eyes.
“I should do that.” She murmured. “I haven’t watched it in a while.”
“You like that nerdy show?” He raised an eyebrow.
A laugh bubbled from her lips. It was soft and carefree. Somehow, even though he wasn’t racing through the streets of New York, he still felt free. A sort of freedom that crept in slowly and comforted him like a blanket.
“I do,” She smiled. “You might,”
“You keep saying that,” He challenged.
“Oh?” A smirk grew on her face and a fire in her eyes.
“That I’ll like things when you don’t really know me,” Raph contested.
She went quiet, a smile still on her lips.
“Maybe I don’t know you that well, but I think I have a good idea of what you might like.” She quipped.
“Yeah?”
She nodded, her smile growing.
A clap of thunder shook her windows as lightning flashed. She didn’t flinch. Fear didn’t occupy her features. He knew Mikey was afraid of thunder, and Donnie didn’t prefer it, but she seemed almost at home among it.
_________________________________
“Tell me then,” I whispered. “Who are you?” I moved onto the couch and curled up on the side, waiting and listening.
“What do you wanna know?” His voice held a note of uncertainty.
“How old are you?” I mused. “That’s an easy one.”
“Is this twenty questions now?” Raph raised an eyebrow.
I chuckled. “That would mean yes or no answers, this is just… a conversation.” I decided.
“Alright, but if you get to ask questions, so do I,” He countered.
“Deal.”
“Eighteen, you?”
“Eighteen,”
We went on like that for a while, question after question. His favorite singer was actually Billy Joel; I hated the Beatles; he never thought to read anything other than magazines; I couldn’t remember the last time I had read a book; he had never been out of the state; I had been along the east coast on road trips; he hated spinach and cucumbers; I hated smoothies and tomatoes; he had four brothers; I had one.
“Where did you learn to ride?” He asked as it neared one am.
“My mom,” I yawned, blinking slowly. “She’d take me on her bike when I was little… my dad was a mechanic…” I gave a small shrug. “Why do you ride?” I countered.
“It’s…freedom.” He replied.
I nodded, knowing what he meant. It’s why I loved to ride. No one telling you where to go or what to do or who to be, you could just ride and not stop.
“Did you miss me?” His question came softly and hesitantly.
I nodded, my eyes slipping closed from tiredness. Talking to him like this made me feel safe and more at home than I ever had before. Like I was a child, curled up on a winter night waiting for Christmas as snow fell softly into the quiet of the night. A simpler time.
“I did. It’s not the same when I’m not around you… I looked forward to our rides.”
______________________________
Raphael watched her eyes droop closed as the hours passed. He was on a high learning so much from her and letting his walls down over stupid trivia that had him laughing and her blushing.
But being up late tonight didn’t seem to rest well with her despite their late-night rides the week before. He wondered if it was the rain that lulled her to sleep.
It didn’t really matter what it was, she was all but fast asleep on the sofa above him. Peace washed over her like this, though no smile was on her face, a gentle expression rested in her features.
“Y/n?” He asked softly, standing and stretching. He loved the feeling or her name on his lips.
She hummed a response, not opening her eyes. He wanted to laugh.
“You need to get to bed,” He muttered, taking her mug and his and carefully putting them into her sink, very conscientious of the space around him.
“Too far,” Her voice grew jumbled. “I’ll sleep on the couch,” She seemed resolved about this.
“No, you’re not,” He smiled and shook his head at her antics. “It’s not that far, lazy,” he teased gently.
“M’fine,” She tried again, her words slurring.
Raph stared at her curled-up form and her bed that rested against the back wall of her apartment.
Maybe the rain had calmed him too, or maybe being near her had let him be someone who didn’t thrive on anger and deflecting, but he carefully lifted her from the couch and walked her over to her bed and gently laid her down.
She immediately stretched out and found her way under the covers, cuddling a pillow. Her eyes never opened.
“Thanks,” She mumbled, the faintest smile playing at her lips. “Tomorrow?”
Being mutants living in the sewers, they only ever had the scraps of society. Broken toys, beat up books with missing pages, disks scratched to near oblivion, and discarded consuls in need of repair. Unwanted things taped, tied, and glued together as much as they could be. They were grateful for what they got but maybe there was something they’d always wanted…
“Is that Samurai Ren?”
Leonardo looked up, blue eyes catching a glimpse of his favorite childhood toy…an old action figure of the hero Samurai Ren, beat up and beloved. His swords were cut from cardboard and his left leg was missing but still…he had loved that toy. Memories flooded in, a smile slowly spilling upon his face as Leo picked up the toy.
“Yeah…it was my favorite show as a kid.” He murmured. “Samurai Ren, brave and kind! Always showing up to defeat bandits or monsters, searching through Japan for his lost love…Raph was the one who found him for me.”
“Really?”
Leo nodded, returning the samurai to his place on the shelf.
“Found him in some dumpster and came running home to give it to me. I didn’t even care that he was all beat up, I was just so happy to have my own toy. Besides, most of our stuff was in rough shape anyway.”
“Did Ren ever find his love?”
“Lotus Blossom…they were reunited in the final arc of the show. They released a doll of her too, but it was limited edition and I never was able to find one…I think I just used a little cut out of her from an advertisement to play with instead. They’re crazy expensive now.”
There laying on the shelf was a folded and rather worn out piece of paper, frayed at the edges and starting to lose color. Pulling it apart, Leonardo smiled at the familiar sight of Lotus Blossom’s long hair and red lips, so lost in childhood memories that he never saw the glimmer of recognition in your eyes…and as the night went on, he quickly forgot about the whole thing.
Butyoudidn’t.
A week later, you were back in the lair after visiting your parents back home for a couple of days. After a dinner with his father and brothers, the two of you slipped into his bedroom for a little bit of alone time…
“I have a little something for you.”
“Oh?”
“Before I was born,” you explained, “my uncle and dad had a falling out and didn’t speak for years and years. When I was nine, they made up and Uncle Teddy showed up with a gift for all of the birthdays he’d missed. And one of them was this really pretty doll…”
From out of your bag you pulled out an old but rather lovely doll, one the Leonardo recognized at once. She was dressed in a pink and white kimono painted with flowers, a red obi tired neatly around her waist. Her long black hair hung to her tiny feet, a red smile painted on her face. Though her dress was a little worn and her hair a little messy, she was still nearly perfect.
“Lotus Blossom!”
There was the doll he’d been looking for since he was a turtle tot, having been sitting in a box in your closet for years and years. Handing him the doll, Leo couldn’t stop smiling. All those years spent looking for Samurai Ren’s lover…only for her to be with his own love this whole time.
It was fate.
The doll was tiny in his large hands, looking up at him with darkly painted eyes as you smiled at him excitedly.
“I always meant to give her a samurai boyfriend and I happen to know a pretty lonely one.”
“Are you sure?” Leonardo asked. “I mean, she’s yourdoll…”
Which means that I can do whatever I like with her…so now she’s yours. I think they deserve to be together, after spending all these years looking for one another…I know that they’re only toys but it’s still a little romantic in my mind.”
Setting her on the shelf, Leonardo smiled at the sight of them: a beat-up samurai and his flower. He felt you beside him and wrapped a large hand around yours, squeezing softly as he did.
“Thank you…”
He moved so slowly, watching you carefully to make absolutely sure that you wanted this, that you wanted him…and you did. You had always wanted him and always would. Pulling you into him, Leonardo kissed you softly and slowly and so terribly sweetly…the ninja and his blossom locked in a perfect, wonderful embrace.
“What’s up, Mikey?”
Michelangelo almost didn’t hear you, those baby blue eyes still looking at the screen. But your voice, sweet and familiar, slowly pulled him back to reality as his name fell from you lips…something he loved to hear.
“Oh…it’s just nothing.”
But it wasn’t nothing.
You knew that and he knew that you knew it…so he didn’t bother hiding his screen away. Instead he allowed you to look over his shoulders at the laptop, the video still playing on the screen. It was an old advertisement and you didn’t even need to have the sound up to hear the song. It was still playing in your head after all these years.
“Oh! I remember those! This was always playing on TV.”
“Yeah!” Mikey laughed, glancing at you with a smile. “I used to love watching this…I always wanted one but, you know…it just wasn’t gonna happen. It was too expensive for us to buy and impossible to find…so I just never brought it up.”
Sometimes it was easy to forget.
They had such a cool home and great stuff but…it was mostly scavenged and repaired, almost nothing was ever new to them. Mikey loved his father too much to ever complain, not wanting Splinter to feel guilty for their lot in life, you knew that…
And you knew how much Mikey lovedart.
He’d been using odds and ends of supplies that he’d found and painting on pieces of cardboard for years, taking whatever he could get his hands on. But looking back at the screen and watching those kids open the art set made you remember that Mikey had been a kid too…just a little turtle tot, watching this advertisement over and over again and wanting things he knew that he could never have.
Finding the case wasn’t hard.
The red plastic briefcase like thing came empty, just in need of a cleaning and waiting for the second phase of your plan. Art supplies soon filled the empty slots: oil pastels, acrylic and watercolor paints, color pencils, markers, and pens too. You bought brushes and erasers and sharpeners, setting everything in its place until it was finished, filled, and perfect, even getting him a thick black sketchbook and some painting paper too.
“Mikey~”
He was playing some game, eyes on the screen and face breaking into a big, goofy grin when he heard your voice.
“Babe!” He laughed. “Did you come to cheer me on?”
“No, not this time. I actually came to give you a surprise…so close your eyes!”
Ar once his eyes were shut and you were giggling as he guessed all of the things it could be. A fleet of Ferrari’s, a space ship so he could fly to the moon, maybe even the moon itself! Oh, you would give him the moon if you could! But perhaps this would do for now…
“Open!”
Those brilliant blue eyes snapped open and for a moment, still laughing…until he saw it. Mikey looked shocked for a second, green hands running over the smooth red box, the very one he’d spent years dreaming of.
“No way…you found this?”
“It was empty when I bought it but I got all the stuff it would have come with if it had been new! Better stuff, not the kid’s stuff.”
“You…you did all that for me?”
“Yeah, Mike.” You said softly, unsure of what to say or how to say it. “Of course I did. You make me happy so I wanted to -oh!”
Before you could finish saying a thing, Mikey was was pulling you into his arms. The hold he had on you was tight but not in a painful way…in a wonderful way. It was warm and safe and he was holding on like he would never let go. It was a kind of hold that felt right and good, made for lovers holding onto one another.
“You’reamazing,” Michelangelo sighed. “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.”
The rest of the night was spent laying at his side as Mikey tested his new stuff. Color pencils moved across the page, slowly creating a scene before you…a city sketched against a sunset sky, two figure sitting on the roof together.
“I didn’t know you liked Yu-gi-oh.”
Donatello grinned, putting away his work for a moment to look at the tin of old cards you’d found on his shelf. The box was half rusted and falling apart (it actually would fall apart if one didn’t handle it right), a pile of old cards inside. The cards were damaged, torn or cut or taped together, some were even water damaged to boot, but they were his.
“Oh!” He laughed. “Oh, yeah, I was really into it when I was a kid.”
Flipping through the spells and traps and monsters, Donnie pointed out his favorite cards as you looked through them together.
“I used to make my brothers duel me sometimes. But mostly I just collected whatever card that I could find, even if it was kind of lame. People were always tossing out the weaker cards and I would pick ‘em up. Oh, hey!”
There were four card that were held together by an old paperclip, almost like some Frankenstein creature waiting to be summoned. Golden arms and legs were bound by chains, the cards themselves wrinkled from water damage.
“Exodia the Forbidden One! I almost collected all of the cards to complete him…just never got the head.”
“Hard to find?”
“Yeah.” Donnie said. “I always thought I’d buy it one day but then we started, you know, fighting crime and as it turns out, that is a really expensive hobby. So I just put this aside and forgot I guess…jeez, it’s been forever since I looked at these.”
“Can we duel?”
“That, my dove, was a big mistake…I happen to be the King of Games.”
It was just a silly little thing to do, Donnie dueling you and talking all about his favorite episodes and characters. Getting the turtle away from the lab (or some other work that needed doing) could be a difficult task at times, but when you managed to do it, oh, it was so worth it! Still, you didn’t stop thinking about that card…the image of little Donnie searching through scraps and trash for that one card, that one little thing he wanted…it was sad.
So you found it for him.
Once more Donatello was in the lab, working away. He heard you before he saw you, the sound of your footsteps and voice coming closer.
“Later, Raph!”
And then the door was opening and he was smiling, setting aside his tools in order to greet you with a kiss. The feel of you in his arms was like heaven, the both of you melting together so perfectly…just what he needed right now!
“Got you something.”
From behind your made came a small box, made out of gold-painted metal and covered in Egyptian designs.
“Oh! The Millennium puzzle box!”
“I saw it and thought of you…look inside.”
Opening the lid, Donatello was amazed to see the very card his childhood self had dreamed of and searched for endlessly…Exodia the Forbidden One.
“Oh…dove…”
“I know how much you wanted it.” You said. “And I thought it was time that poor thing finally got a head! He’s been all arms and legs for too long.”
Quickly, Donnie placed his cards inside a box, the rusty old tin now empty and waiting for a new purpose…though he knew that he might just keep it around for sentimental purposes. The now completed Exodia was the last to fall in, all five pieces neatly sliding into place and he smiled like a little kid.
“Thank you, darling.” He sighed. “It almost feels like it’s too much.”
“Nothing’s too much for the King of Games.”
“You know…” Donnie said with a teasing little grinned. “If I’m the king, that ought to make you my queen.”
“Oh?”
“Oh, yes!”
And then he was pulling you into another kiss as you laughed, falling right back into his arms…right where you belonged. Playful kisses were peppered all along your face and neck, your laughter filling his ears and he kissed and kissed and kissed you.
“Raph, what’s this?”
Raphael turned to see what you were talking about, only to jump up at the sight of a very old, very beat up red notebook.
Oh. Crap.
“That’s just-”
“Are these song lists?”
“It’s nothing, babe.”
“Then why do you got that look on your pretty face?”
He sighed, a large hand rubbing the back of his neck. As embarrassed as he was, Raph figured that he might as well just tell you…he told you everything after all.
The big stuff, small stuff, and now…stupid stuff too.
“There was this show I watched, when I was a kid,” he said as he sat down next to you. “Kinda sucked…but the guy, he gave his girl a mix tape…and I liked that. Wrote down all the songs, used to listen to ‘em all the time.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah…I just liked it. Making something like that for someone…”
And then he didn’t bring it up again.
You knew that things had been hard for Raph. Growing up surviving off of the discards of society, he’d been hungering for a lot. He’d been lonely.
And he was a lot more romantic then he appeared to be.
It was one of those things that you loved about him. That sweetness hiding beneath a tough exterior, just waiting to come out. Bit by bit you had encouraged it, allowing Raphael to leave behind the tough guy act when it was just the two of you. And because you took every chance you got to encourage it, you immediately got to work.
A couple days later, he was picking you up from work.
Though he’d practically had to rip the keys to the van from Don’s hands, Raph was finally able to get his turn. There was something so right about sitting with you at his side, music playing as he drove through the city streets.
“Hey.”
Your lips pressed to his skin several times, teasing his jaw and neck as Raphael just melted away for you. It was something he’d always wanted, a weak spot of his that he’d kept hidden for years…until he met you. Laughing breathlessly, Raph allowed you to kiss and tease to your heart’s content before slipping away with a smile.
“Made you something.”
“Yeah?”
It was a tape. Glancing at you, Raph took the tape and slipped it into the slot, allowing a song to start playing…and then he knew.
“There’s a time and place for everything, for everyone, we can push with all our might but nothing’s gonna come…”
“Did you…you made made the tape?”
“Yeah.” You replied. “I was feeling romantic.”
“Oh, could you let it be? I wanna hold you and say…”
He felt like…there wasn’t any words to describe how he felt. It was like fire, but nothing like he was angry. It was like he was flying but he wasn’t dreaming, not anymore. This was real, this was perfect…this was you.
And he was kissing you.
“And no matter what you say or do, you know my heart is true, oh, I can’t stop lovin’ you…”
(Just something short and sweet for my fave boys…I write a lot about the turtles giving gifts but I wanted to write something where they were the ones receiving. After all, they deserve just as much love as they give!)
Imagine stumbling into the turtle’s lives by pure accident, falling from a fire escape and landing right into their arms. They’re expecting you to be shocked or scared or something…but you’re barely even phased at the sight of the giant turtles standing in front of you.
Why?
“Well, I’ve seen at least one of you over the years…like, a lot.”
Leonardo is stunned.
Stupidly, obviously stunned. Always so proud of his ninja training, he takes great pleasure in being the “unseen.” Just a shadow in a darkened alley, a swift blur in the corner of a stranger’s eye, a stolen sight that one might brush away as mere imagination and nothing more. So knowing that you’ve caught them numerous times is, well, a little embarrassing for him.
Okay, it’s more like a lot.
“Who have you seen?” He asks quietly.
“Well,” you said as you carefully gathered the books and papers that had spilled from your bag, “I’m actually pretty sure it was you. I’ve seen you running over the rooftops a lot and I remember your swords.”
And now it was just plain humiliating. Raph scoffed in utter delight, already coming up with a million and one smug remarks to make, and he could see Donnie and Mikey sharing smiles. All the times he’d scolded his brothers about being more careful, warning them to avoid being seen, were now coming back to haunt him. Oh, he was never going to hear the end of this, he just knew it! They would be bringing this up for years and years.
Leonardo looked away from his brothers and back towards you, watching as you carefully inspected your phone for chips and cracks.
“If it’s damaged, I can fix that,” Donnie said helpfully.
“I think it’s okay…” you replied, “But thank you. And thanks for catching me before I, you know, fell to my death.”
“Uh…anytime.” Leonardo replied, his brain feeling fuzzy from the embarrassment and confusion.
“See you guys around.”
And just like that you were gone, walking off into the city and leaving Leonardo standing with his brothers. At once the teasing he’d already been expecting started up, Raph ragging on him and the other two only joyfully encouraging him, but for once…he didn’t care. Not even when Don joked about telling Splinter, not when Raph told him he ought to train more. Instead he watched you walk away and wondered when he might see you again.
Perhaps next time he was running across the rooftops, he’d stop and say hello…
Donatello isn’t really too surprised.
Statistically speaking, a good number of New Yorkers have seen that turtles from time to time. After all, they’ve been living in the city for all of their twenty-two years and have been active on the surface for eight of those now. There are quite a few humans out there who’ve caught a look at them, leading to stories of some sort of man-eating turtle cryptid living in the city waterways…there are some interesting sites out there.
But math doesn’t lie and you’re not the only one who has seen them…just one of the few who has gotten to actually meetthem.
“Really?” Mikey piped up.
“Yeah,” you replied with a shrug. “But it’s not really a big deal or anything. I mean, this is New York City after all. I’d honestly be a lot more surprised if there weren’t giant turtles running around here at night.”
“How many times have you seen us?” Leonardo questioned, his blue eyes glancing sharply at his brothers.
“A lot of times through the years. Running around on the rooftops, getting into a few fights with gang bangers…actually, you know, I think I’ve seen him more then the rest of you.”
You had pointed right at Donatello when you made that little comment and already he could feel Leonardo’s glare settle on the back of his shell. He wondered if his elder brother would care too much about his argument for statistics…probably not! But you were smiling a little, brushing the dirt off of the Dittos that covered your black dress.
“And…you’re cool with that?” Donnie asked.
“Yup.”
“Then…so are we! Right, guys?”
His brothers chimed in, agreeing with the sentiment. And with that, you were off, grabbing your button-covered bag and walking away to catch your bus.
“See you around…?”
“Uh, Donnie. My name’s Donnie.”
“Later, Donnie.”
Forgetting about the impending doom that loomed over him (he could already hear Leonardo’s scolding and feel that sting in his muscles from Master Splinter’s punishment, which was sure to be brutal and terribly clever), Donatello grinned to himself as you vanished into the city…but he was certain that he would see you again.
And maybe you wouldn’t mind that at all…
Michelangelo is curious.
You saw them? For years? And you didn’t freak out or anything? That was rare for humans. Even compassionate people like April got a little freaked and, yeah, he couldn’t really blame anyone for screaming…still hurt though. They were no monsters, even if some people thought otherwise (Donnie had shown them those cryptid sites and he hadn’t liked that much). He’d been expecting screaming or fainting or something…
And yet here you were, cool as a cucumber!
“Just one of us?” Donatello asked, clearly eager for answers. “Do you know which one?”
“Oh…I dunno…” you murmured, running a hand through your hair as you thought it over. “He’s an artist.”
At once Michelangelo felt his Leo and Don glaring at him and Raph, both who claimed that honorable role as artists. The two brothers shared a guilty glance, each of them wondering who had earned himself one of Leonardo’s long lectures.
“I’ve seen him spray painting these gorgeous pieces! There’s these blue angel wings and this neon melting heart by the place I work-”
“Mikey!” Leonardo snapped, Don slapping the back of his head simultaneously.
“You’reIl Divino?”
Well, his secret was out. Michelangelo had been sneaking out every so often to paint the worn out brick and cracked concrete of New York City with his art…and now everyone knew. Including the pretty human in front of him. The fact that she liked his art so much made it possible to pretend that he wasn’t about to be destroyed by his brothers.
“I love your art…especially that roses beneath the bridge!” you chirped happily. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen it around.”
“I’ve been, uh, busy.”
“Well…” you said, picking up your sharpie-covered messenger bag, “if your schedule clears up, I hope to see your work again.”
“Yeah…”
Then you were gone, giving the turtle a little smile as you walked away. Already he was planning a new piece, something with neon pink…and a girl with a bright smile. Leonardo’s lecture began as Raph and Don walked away, laughing to themselves.
And Mikey was stunned totally stupid, wondering what you would think of his next piece…
Maybe he’d get to ask you!
Raphael is unsure.
From the second you nearly fell on top of Leonardo, he’d been expecting the whole shebang. Screaming, panicking, all that good stuff. It happened to them about every time a human managed to find them, a guy starts to expect it. But you could not care less and he…
He’s the confused one right now.
Since getting back on your feet, you hadn’t been even a little phased. Perhaps the fall had scared you but the turtles had not. Straightening your jacket, the metal and plastic pins caught his eye. A lightning bolt, several sarcastic phrases, a red eye. They were cool. You were cool, sighing as you looked back at the turtles.
“When have you seen one of us?” Leonardo asked. “Who?”
“I dunno…which one of you likes to stand on rooftops and angrily scream into the sky a couple times a week?”
At once all of his brothers turned and looked right at him, an unspoken answer to your question. Raph looked away, face hot and eyes burning. Raph’s temper was well known to his family…and apparently to you too.
“Uh…ya heard me, huh?”
“Actually, I screamed back at you once. I believe I told you you to get your crap together and stop throwing fits at four in the fucking morning.”
“That was you?”
Hands on your hips, you looked at the turtle with confidence and attitude. It was almost like you were daring him to snap back, ready for a bite back…he almost wanted to take you up on it! You were not, he realized, even a little bit afraid of him. Shocking for a human but strangely comforting at the same time for the turtle.
“Yup.”
“Why ain’t ya mad at me?”
“I was for a while. But then I saw you beating some Purple Dragons into the dirt and I thought, eh, give the guy a chance.”
Raphael grinned, chuckling beneath his breath. Clearly, you were not like most other humans. He felt certain that if aliens landed right here in font of you, you’d probably just tell them to get out of your way because you were late and trying to get home.
“I gotta go. It’s nice to finally meet you…?”
“Raphael.”
“Later, Raphael.”
He liked it. The glint in your eyes and edge to your grin, the way you said his name…there was just something about you that he liked. And there was something else telling him that this wasn’t the last time he’d see you.
Some part of you would have liked to say that you’d been seeing him for what he was but the truth was…you hadn’t. Eyes closed toght, you had been blind to it for far too long. It had been going on for so long and you had gotten to the point where you just took it.
When he called you names…
According to him, you were stupid and useless, never ever doing anything right.
When he criticized you endlessly…
According to him, you were so damn difficult, so hard to please, alwats screwing up anything you touched.
It hurt.
It hurt like hell.
But you took it all, every word and every barb, always saying nothing. Doing nothing. Like a good little punching bag.
Somehow, the toxicity of your relationship had become your new normal. You had begun making excuses for Adam for years, telling yourself that every boyfriend acted like this. It was a bad day, a bad mood, a bad time. Or it was a rough patch, right? Everyone went through rough patches but…it would be fine. It was normal, it was okay, everything was okay.
Until it wasn’t.
Until you met the turtles.
It had happened so suddenly, a series of accidents that lead to a masked turtle saving your life. And from there, a friendship begsn to blossom. You never told your boyfriend about any of it. He never wanted to hear what you had to say anyway so…you kept it to yourself.
Everyday, you came home to the same old thing.
Useless. Disastrous.
Insults thrown your way, a screaming fight in which you never uttered a word. You only sat there and let yourself be screamed at before Adam stormed out, leaving you to weep.
And every night, you ran off to something new…something wonderful.
One turtle in particular had taken to you, always slipping away when no one was looking. A rooftop overlooking the city and stars became a special sort of place. There you would hear and feel everything you didn’t even know you had wanted.
Beautiful. Intelligent. Funny.
He told you that you were all kinds of wonderful. That you were everything he had ever dreamed of, all that he had ever wanted…and that you deserved so, so much more then that bastard.
And for the first time in forever, you believed it.
They weren’t the biting remarks you were so used to, they were like honey…warm and sweet, and you began to crave it.
You began to fight back.
When your boyfriend snapped at you, you snapped back.
Teeth bared, claws out, you weren’t backing down anymore! He was shocked the first time you dud it, standing there with a stupid look on his face. Damn, did that feel good! When Adam tried it again, he found that this wasn’t a fluke. It was courage. It was you, the you that had been gone for so long, broken down by cruelty…and brought up by love.
“Shut up!” He had screamed, storming towards you.
But you didn’t back down.
You didn’t run and hide.
Pushing back, you glared up at him and, for the first time, you saw Adam for what he really was. Ugly. Evil. A tyrant that had ruled over you life with cruelty and abuse for far, far too long. But tyrants fall and empires crumble, new life springing ftom the ruins of what once was.
“No!” You screamed back, “No! I’m sick of this and I’m sick of YOU! People don’t act like this when they love each other so you don’t love me…so just leave!”
He’d laughed bitterly, smirking that smug like smile, it made you want to smack him.
“Who could ever love you?” Adam sneered. “Who could ever want you? You’re lucky that-”
No. No.
He wasn’t doing this anymore. He wasn’t going yo break you to bits again. You weren’t going to let this happen, not now and not ever. No one else was going to treat you like that ever again. Fire burned within, a raging anger bursting forth and interrupting his little tirade.
“I love me! I want me!” You shouted, shoving him away. “And I am so fucking done with you.”
“Y/N-”
But you weren’t going to hear any more of it. Throwing him and all his stuff out into the rainy street, you glared down at the man you had once loved…the man that had become your nightmare. Every nasty thing he’d ever said to you ran through you mind, destroying any pity you may have felt for the pathetic little creature. There was no parting kiss or kindness for him. The last thing you would ever say to Adam was a simple order:
“Never come back.”
The door was shut. The locks were changed. In fact, you changed everything. New sheets (you hated the ones he had slept in), a new look (you wore everything he had told not to), a new you.
It was…awesome.
Laying back in the sunlight, you felt as though everything had changed for the better. The nightmare was over and your eyes were wide open…and your phone was going off.
The name displayed on the screen made you smile, a message flashing brightly.
“Meet me on the roof?”
“Always.”
Waiting on the roof, you wore a smile on your face and a dress in his shade. The sun set slowly, stars beginning to appear one by one by one, and from out of the shadows, a figure appeared.
“Y/N!”
“Hey, you~”
That toxic love had up and died but you would not mourn it. A sweeter love had taken its place…and you were ready to live again.
(This is based of According to You by Orianthi. Moral of of the story, treat your girlfriend right or she will find someone else who will)
Being mutants living in the sewers, they only ever had the scraps of society. Broken toys, beat up books with missing pages, disks scratched to near oblivion, and discarded consuls in need of repair. Unwanted things taped, tied, and glued together as much as they could be. They were grateful for what they got but maybe there was something they’d always wanted…
“Is that Samurai Ren?”
Leonardo looked up, blue eyes catching a glimpse of his favorite childhood toy…an old action figure of the hero Samurai Ren, beat up and beloved. His swords were cut from cardboard and his left leg was missing but still…he had loved that toy. Memories flooded in, a smile slowly spilling upon his face as Leo picked up the toy.
“Yeah…it was my favorite show as a kid.” He murmured. “Samurai Ren, brave and kind! Always showing up to defeat bandits or monsters, searching through Japan for his lost love…Raph was the one who found him for me.”
“Really?”
Leo nodded, returning the samurai to his place on the shelf.
“Found him in some dumpster and came running home to give it to me. I didn’t even care that he was all beat up, I was just so happy to have my own toy. Besides, most of our stuff was in rough shape anyway.”
“Did Ren ever find his love?”
“Lotus Blossom…they were reunited in the final arc of the show. They released a doll of her too, but it was limited edition and I never was able to find one…I think I just used a little cut out of her from an advertisement to play with instead. They’re crazy expensive now.”
There laying on the shelf was a folded and rather worn out piece of paper, frayed at the edges and starting to lose color. Pulling it apart, Leonardo smiled at the familiar sight of Lotus Blossom’s long hair and red lips, so lost in childhood memories that he never saw the glimmer of recognition in your eyes…and as the night went on, he quickly forgot about the whole thing.
Butyoudidn’t.
A week later, you were back in the lair after visiting your parents back home for a couple of days. After a dinner with his father and brothers, the two of you slipped into his bedroom for a little bit of alone time…
“I have a little something for you.”
“Oh?”
“Before I was born,” you explained, “my uncle and dad had a falling out and didn’t speak for years and years. When I was nine, they made up and Uncle Teddy showed up with a gift for all of the birthdays he’d missed. And one of them was this really pretty doll…”
From out of your bag you pulled out an old but rather lovely doll, one the Leonardo recognized at once. She was dressed in a pink and white kimono painted with flowers, a red obi tired neatly around her waist. Her long black hair hung to her tiny feet, a red smile painted on her face. Though her dress was a little worn and her hair a little messy, she was still nearly perfect.
“Lotus Blossom!”
There was the doll he’d been looking for since he was a turtle tot, having been sitting in a box in your closet for years and years. Handing him the doll, Leo couldn’t stop smiling. All those years spent looking for Samurai Ren’s lover…only for her to be with his own love this whole time.
It was fate.
The doll was tiny in his large hands, looking up at him with darkly painted eyes as you smiled at him excitedly.
“I always meant to give her a samurai boyfriend and I happen to know a pretty lonely one.”
“Are you sure?” Leonardo asked. “I mean, she’s yourdoll…”
Which means that I can do whatever I like with her…so now she’s yours. I think they deserve to be together, after spending all these years looking for one another…I know that they’re only toys but it’s still a little romantic in my mind.”
Setting her on the shelf, Leonardo smiled at the sight of them: a beat-up samurai and his flower. He felt you beside him and wrapped a large hand around yours, squeezing softly as he did.
“Thank you…”
He moved so slowly, watching you carefully to make absolutely sure that you wanted this, that you wanted him…and you did. You had always wanted him and always would. Pulling you into him, Leonardo kissed you softly and slowly and so terribly sweetly…the ninja and his blossom locked in a perfect, wonderful embrace.
“What’s up, Mikey?”
Michelangelo almost didn’t hear you, those baby blue eyes still looking at the screen. But your voice, sweet and familiar, slowly pulled him back to reality as his name fell from you lips…something he loved to hear.
“Oh…it’s just nothing.”
But it wasn’t nothing.
You knew that and he knew that you knew it…so he didn’t bother hiding his screen away. Instead he allowed you to look over his shoulders at the laptop, the video still playing on the screen. It was an old advertisement and you didn’t even need to have the sound up to hear the song. It was still playing in your head after all these years.
“Oh! I remember those! This was always playing on TV.”
“Yeah!” Mikey laughed, glancing at you with a smile. “I used to love watching this…I always wanted one but, you know…it just wasn’t gonna happen. It was too expensive for us to buy and impossible to find…so I just never brought it up.”
Sometimes it was easy to forget.
They had such a cool home and great stuff but…it was mostly scavenged and repaired, almost nothing was ever new to them. Mikey loved his father too much to ever complain, not wanting Splinter to feel guilty for their lot in life, you knew that…
And you knew how much Mikey lovedart.
He’d been using odds and ends of supplies that he’d found and painting on pieces of cardboard for years, taking whatever he could get his hands on. But looking back at the screen and watching those kids open the art set made you remember that Mikey had been a kid too…just a little turtle tot, watching this advertisement over and over again and wanting things he knew that he could never have.
Finding the case wasn’t hard.
The red plastic briefcase like thing came empty, just in need of a cleaning and waiting for the second phase of your plan. Art supplies soon filled the empty slots: oil pastels, acrylic and watercolor paints, color pencils, markers, and pens too. You bought brushes and erasers and sharpeners, setting everything in its place until it was finished, filled, and perfect, even getting him a thick black sketchbook and some painting paper too.
“Mikey~”
He was playing some game, eyes on the screen and face breaking into a big, goofy grin when he heard your voice.
“Babe!” He laughed. “Did you come to cheer me on?”
“No, not this time. I actually came to give you a surprise…so close your eyes!”
Ar once his eyes were shut and you were giggling as he guessed all of the things it could be. A fleet of Ferrari’s, a space ship so he could fly to the moon, maybe even the moon itself! Oh, you would give him the moon if you could! But perhaps this would do for now…
“Open!”
Those brilliant blue eyes snapped open and for a moment, still laughing…until he saw it. Mikey looked shocked for a second, green hands running over the smooth red box, the very one he’d spent years dreaming of.
“No way…you found this?”
“It was empty when I bought it but I got all the stuff it would have come with if it had been new! Better stuff, not the kid’s stuff.”
“You…you did all that for me?”
“Yeah, Mike.” You said softly, unsure of what to say or how to say it. “Of course I did. You make me happy so I wanted to -oh!”
Before you could finish saying a thing, Mikey was was pulling you into his arms. The hold he had on you was tight but not in a painful way…in a wonderful way. It was warm and safe and he was holding on like he would never let go. It was a kind of hold that felt right and good, made for lovers holding onto one another.
“You’reamazing,” Michelangelo sighed. “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.”
The rest of the night was spent laying at his side as Mikey tested his new stuff. Color pencils moved across the page, slowly creating a scene before you…a city sketched against a sunset sky, two figure sitting on the roof together.
“I didn’t know you liked Yu-gi-oh.”
Donatello grinned, putting away his work for a moment to look at the tin of old cards you’d found on his shelf. The box was half rusted and falling apart (it actually would fall apart if one didn’t handle it right), a pile of old cards inside. The cards were damaged, torn or cut or taped together, some were even water damaged to boot, but they were his.
“Oh!” He laughed. “Oh, yeah, I was really into it when I was a kid.”
Flipping through the spells and traps and monsters, Donnie pointed out his favorite cards as you looked through them together.
“I used to make my brothers duel me sometimes. But mostly I just collected whatever card that I could find, even if it was kind of lame. People were always tossing out the weaker cards and I would pick ‘em up. Oh, hey!”
There were four card that were held together by an old paperclip, almost like some Frankenstein creature waiting to be summoned. Golden arms and legs were bound by chains, the cards themselves wrinkled from water damage.
“Exodia the Forbidden One! I almost collected all of the cards to complete him…just never got the head.”
“Hard to find?”
“Yeah.” Donnie said. “I always thought I’d buy it one day but then we started, you know, fighting crime and as it turns out, that is a really expensive hobby. So I just put this aside and forgot I guess…jeez, it’s been forever since I looked at these.”
“Can we duel?”
“That, my dove, was a big mistake…I happen to be the King of Games.”
It was just a silly little thing to do, Donnie dueling you and talking all about his favorite episodes and characters. Getting the turtle away from the lab (or some other work that needed doing) could be a difficult task at times, but when you managed to do it, oh, it was so worth it! Still, you didn’t stop thinking about that card…the image of little Donnie searching through scraps and trash for that one card, that one little thing he wanted…it was sad.
So you found it for him.
Once more Donatello was in the lab, working away. He heard you before he saw you, the sound of your footsteps and voice coming closer.
“Later, Raph!”
And then the door was opening and he was smiling, setting aside his tools in order to greet you with a kiss. The feel of you in his arms was like heaven, the both of you melting together so perfectly…just what he needed right now!
“Got you something.”
From behind your made came a small box, made out of gold-painted metal and covered in Egyptian designs.
“Oh! The Millennium puzzle box!”
“I saw it and thought of you…look inside.”
Opening the lid, Donatello was amazed to see the very card his childhood self had dreamed of and searched for endlessly…Exodia the Forbidden One.
“Oh…dove…”
“I know how much you wanted it.” You said. “And I thought it was time that poor thing finally got a head! He’s been all arms and legs for too long.”
Quickly, Donnie placed his cards inside a box, the rusty old tin now empty and waiting for a new purpose…though he knew that he might just keep it around for sentimental purposes. The now completed Exodia was the last to fall in, all five pieces neatly sliding into place and he smiled like a little kid.
“Thank you, darling.” He sighed. “It almost feels like it’s too much.”
“Nothing’s too much for the King of Games.”
“You know…” Donnie said with a teasing little grinned. “If I’m the king, that ought to make you my queen.”
“Oh?”
“Oh, yes!”
And then he was pulling you into another kiss as you laughed, falling right back into his arms…right where you belonged. Playful kisses were peppered all along your face and neck, your laughter filling his ears and he kissed and kissed and kissed you.
“Raph, what’s this?”
Raphael turned to see what you were talking about, only to jump up at the sight of a very old, very beat up red notebook.
Oh. Crap.
“That’s just-”
“Are these song lists?”
“It’s nothing, babe.”
“Then why do you got that look on your pretty face?”
He sighed, a large hand rubbing the back of his neck. As embarrassed as he was, Raph figured that he might as well just tell you…he told you everything after all.
The big stuff, small stuff, and now…stupid stuff too.
“There was this show I watched, when I was a kid,” he said as he sat down next to you. “Kinda sucked…but the guy, he gave his girl a mix tape…and I liked that. Wrote down all the songs, used to listen to ‘em all the time.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah…I just liked it. Making something like that for someone…”
And then he didn’t bring it up again.
You knew that things had been hard for Raph. Growing up surviving off of the discards of society, he’d been hungering for a lot. He’d been lonely.
And he was a lot more romantic then he appeared to be.
It was one of those things that you loved about him. That sweetness hiding beneath a tough exterior, just waiting to come out. Bit by bit you had encouraged it, allowing Raphael to leave behind the tough guy act when it was just the two of you. And because you took every chance you got to encourage it, you immediately got to work.
A couple days later, he was picking you up from work.
Though he’d practically had to rip the keys to the van from Don’s hands, Raph was finally able to get his turn. There was something so right about sitting with you at his side, music playing as he drove through the city streets.
“Hey.”
Your lips pressed to his skin several times, teasing his jaw and neck as Raphael just melted away for you. It was something he’d always wanted, a weak spot of his that he’d kept hidden for years…until he met you. Laughing breathlessly, Raph allowed you to kiss and tease to your heart’s content before slipping away with a smile.
“Made you something.”
“Yeah?”
It was a tape. Glancing at you, Raph took the tape and slipped it into the slot, allowing a song to start playing…and then he knew.
“There’s a time and place for everything, for everyone, we can push with all our might but nothing’s gonna come…”
“Did you…you made made the tape?”
“Yeah.” You replied. “I was feeling romantic.”
“Oh, could you let it be? I wanna hold you and say…”
He felt like…there wasn’t any words to describe how he felt. It was like fire, but nothing like he was angry. It was like he was flying but he wasn’t dreaming, not anymore. This was real, this was perfect…this was you.
And he was kissing you.
“And no matter what you say or do, you know my heart is true, oh, I can’t stop lovin’ you…”
(Just something short and sweet for my fave boys…I write a lot about the turtles giving gifts but I wanted to write something where they were the ones receiving. After all, they deserve just as much love as they give!)
Imagine stumbling into the turtle’s lives by pure accident, falling from a fire escape and landing right into their arms. They’re expecting you to be shocked or scared or something…but you’re barely even phased at the sight of the giant turtles standing in front of you.
Why?
“Well, I’ve seen at least one of you over the years…like, a lot.”
Leonardo is stunned.
Stupidly, obviously stunned. Always so proud of his ninja training, he takes great pleasure in being the “unseen.” Just a shadow in a darkened alley, a swift blur in the corner of a stranger’s eye, a stolen sight that one might brush away as mere imagination and nothing more. So knowing that you’ve caught them numerous times is, well, a little embarrassing for him.
Okay, it’s more like a lot.
“Who have you seen?” He asks quietly.
“Well,” you said as you carefully gathered the books and papers that had spilled from your bag, “I’m actually pretty sure it was you. I’ve seen you running over the rooftops a lot and I remember your swords.”
And now it was just plain humiliating. Raph scoffed in utter delight, already coming up with a million and one smug remarks to make, and he could see Donnie and Mikey sharing smiles. All the times he’d scolded his brothers about being more careful, warning them to avoid being seen, were now coming back to haunt him. Oh, he was never going to hear the end of this, he just knew it! They would be bringing this up for years and years.
Leonardo looked away from his brothers and back towards you, watching as you carefully inspected your phone for chips and cracks.
“If it’s damaged, I can fix that,” Donnie said helpfully.
“I think it’s okay…” you replied, “But thank you. And thanks for catching me before I, you know, fell to my death.”
“Uh…anytime.” Leonardo replied, his brain feeling fuzzy from the embarrassment and confusion.
“See you guys around.”
And just like that you were gone, walking off into the city and leaving Leonardo standing with his brothers. At once the teasing he’d already been expecting started up, Raph ragging on him and the other two only joyfully encouraging him, but for once…he didn’t care. Not even when Don joked about telling Splinter, not when Raph told him he ought to train more. Instead he watched you walk away and wondered when he might see you again.
Perhaps next time he was running across the rooftops, he’d stop and say hello…
Donatello isn’t really too surprised.
Statistically speaking, a good number of New Yorkers have seen that turtles from time to time. After all, they’ve been living in the city for all of their twenty-two years and have been active on the surface for eight of those now. There are quite a few humans out there who’ve caught a look at them, leading to stories of some sort of man-eating turtle cryptid living in the city waterways…there are some interesting sites out there.
But math doesn’t lie and you’re not the only one who has seen them…just one of the few who has gotten to actually meetthem.
“Really?” Mikey piped up.
“Yeah,” you replied with a shrug. “But it’s not really a big deal or anything. I mean, this is New York City after all. I’d honestly be a lot more surprised if there weren’t giant turtles running around here at night.”
“How many times have you seen us?” Leonardo questioned, his blue eyes glancing sharply at his brothers.
“A lot of times through the years. Running around on the rooftops, getting into a few fights with gang bangers…actually, you know, I think I’ve seen him more then the rest of you.”
You had pointed right at Donatello when you made that little comment and already he could feel Leonardo’s glare settle on the back of his shell. He wondered if his elder brother would care too much about his argument for statistics…probably not! But you were smiling a little, brushing the dirt off of the Dittos that covered your black dress.
“And…you’re cool with that?” Donnie asked.
“Yup.”
“Then…so are we! Right, guys?”
His brothers chimed in, agreeing with the sentiment. And with that, you were off, grabbing your button-covered bag and walking away to catch your bus.
“See you around…?”
“Uh, Donnie. My name’s Donnie.”
“Later, Donnie.”
Forgetting about the impending doom that loomed over him (he could already hear Leonardo’s scolding and feel that sting in his muscles from Master Splinter’s punishment, which was sure to be brutal and terribly clever), Donatello grinned to himself as you vanished into the city…but he was certain that he would see you again.
And maybe you wouldn’t mind that at all…
Michelangelo is curious.
You saw them? For years? And you didn’t freak out or anything? That was rare for humans. Even compassionate people like April got a little freaked and, yeah, he couldn’t really blame anyone for screaming…still hurt though. They were no monsters, even if some people thought otherwise (Donnie had shown them those cryptid sites and he hadn’t liked that much). He’d been expecting screaming or fainting or something…
And yet here you were, cool as a cucumber!
“Just one of us?” Donatello asked, clearly eager for answers. “Do you know which one?”
“Oh…I dunno…” you murmured, running a hand through your hair as you thought it over. “He’s an artist.”
At once Michelangelo felt his Leo and Don glaring at him and Raph, both who claimed that honorable role as artists. The two brothers shared a guilty glance, each of them wondering who had earned himself one of Leonardo’s long lectures.
“I’ve seen him spray painting these gorgeous pieces! There’s these blue angel wings and this neon melting heart by the place I work-”
“Mikey!” Leonardo snapped, Don slapping the back of his head simultaneously.
“You’reIl Divino?”
Well, his secret was out. Michelangelo had been sneaking out every so often to paint the worn out brick and cracked concrete of New York City with his art…and now everyone knew. Including the pretty human in front of him. The fact that she liked his art so much made it possible to pretend that he wasn’t about to be destroyed by his brothers.
“I love your art…especially that roses beneath the bridge!” you chirped happily. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen it around.”
“I’ve been, uh, busy.”
“Well…” you said, picking up your sharpie-covered messenger bag, “if your schedule clears up, I hope to see your work again.”
“Yeah…”
Then you were gone, giving the turtle a little smile as you walked away. Already he was planning a new piece, something with neon pink…and a girl with a bright smile. Leonardo’s lecture began as Raph and Don walked away, laughing to themselves.
And Mikey was stunned totally stupid, wondering what you would think of his next piece…
Maybe he’d get to ask you!
Raphael is unsure.
From the second you nearly fell on top of Leonardo, he’d been expecting the whole shebang. Screaming, panicking, all that good stuff. It happened to them about every time a human managed to find them, a guy starts to expect it. But you could not care less and he…
He’s the confused one right now.
Since getting back on your feet, you hadn’t been even a little phased. Perhaps the fall had scared you but the turtles had not. Straightening your jacket, the metal and plastic pins caught his eye. A lightning bolt, several sarcastic phrases, a red eye. They were cool. You were cool, sighing as you looked back at the turtles.
“When have you seen one of us?” Leonardo asked. “Who?”
“I dunno…which one of you likes to stand on rooftops and angrily scream into the sky a couple times a week?”
At once all of his brothers turned and looked right at him, an unspoken answer to your question. Raph looked away, face hot and eyes burning. Raph’s temper was well known to his family…and apparently to you too.
“Uh…ya heard me, huh?”
“Actually, I screamed back at you once. I believe I told you you to get your crap together and stop throwing fits at four in the fucking morning.”
“That was you?”
Hands on your hips, you looked at the turtle with confidence and attitude. It was almost like you were daring him to snap back, ready for a bite back…he almost wanted to take you up on it! You were not, he realized, even a little bit afraid of him. Shocking for a human but strangely comforting at the same time for the turtle.
“Yup.”
“Why ain’t ya mad at me?”
“I was for a while. But then I saw you beating some Purple Dragons into the dirt and I thought, eh, give the guy a chance.”
Raphael grinned, chuckling beneath his breath. Clearly, you were not like most other humans. He felt certain that if aliens landed right here in font of you, you’d probably just tell them to get out of your way because you were late and trying to get home.
“I gotta go. It’s nice to finally meet you…?”
“Raphael.”
“Later, Raphael.”
He liked it. The glint in your eyes and edge to your grin, the way you said his name…there was just something about you that he liked. And there was something else telling him that this wasn’t the last time he’d see you.
Being mutants living in the sewers, they only ever had the scraps of society. Broken toys, beat up books with missing pages, disks scratched to near oblivion, and discarded consuls in need of repair. Unwanted things taped, tied, and glued together as much as they could be. They were grateful for what they got but maybe there was something they’d always wanted…
“Is that Samurai Ren?”
Leonardo looked up, blue eyes catching a glimpse of his favorite childhood toy…an old action figure of the hero Samurai Ren, beat up and beloved. His swords were cut from cardboard and his left leg was missing but still…he had loved that toy. Memories flooded in, a smile slowly spilling upon his face as Leo picked up the toy.
“Yeah…it was my favorite show as a kid.” He murmured. “Samurai Ren, brave and kind! Always showing up to defeat bandits or monsters, searching through Japan for his lost love…Raph was the one who found him for me.”
“Really?”
Leo nodded, returning the samurai to his place on the shelf.
“Found him in some dumpster and came running home to give it to me. I didn’t even care that he was all beat up, I was just so happy to have my own toy. Besides, most of our stuff was in rough shape anyway.”
“Did Ren ever find his love?”
“Lotus Blossom…they were reunited in the final arc of the show. They released a doll of her too, but it was limited edition and I never was able to find one…I think I just used a little cut out of her from an advertisement to play with instead. They’re crazy expensive now.”
There laying on the shelf was a folded and rather worn out piece of paper, frayed at the edges and starting to lose color. Pulling it apart, Leonardo smiled at the familiar sight of Lotus Blossom’s long hair and red lips, so lost in childhood memories that he never saw the glimmer of recognition in your eyes…and as the night went on, he quickly forgot about the whole thing.
Butyoudidn’t.
A week later, you were back in the lair after visiting your parents back home for a couple of days. After a dinner with his father and brothers, the two of you slipped into his bedroom for a little bit of alone time…
“I have a little something for you.”
“Oh?”
“Before I was born,” you explained, “my uncle and dad had a falling out and didn’t speak for years and years. When I was nine, they made up and Uncle Teddy showed up with a gift for all of the birthdays he’d missed. And one of them was this really pretty doll…”
From out of your bag you pulled out an old but rather lovely doll, one the Leonardo recognized at once. She was dressed in a pink and white kimono painted with flowers, a red obi tired neatly around her waist. Her long black hair hung to her tiny feet, a red smile painted on her face. Though her dress was a little worn and her hair a little messy, she was still nearly perfect.
“Lotus Blossom!”
There was the doll he’d been looking for since he was a turtle tot, having been sitting in a box in your closet for years and years. Handing him the doll, Leo couldn’t stop smiling. All those years spent looking for Samurai Ren’s lover…only for her to be with his own love this whole time.
It was fate.
The doll was tiny in his large hands, looking up at him with darkly painted eyes as you smiled at him excitedly.
“I always meant to give her a samurai boyfriend and I happen to know a pretty lonely one.”
“Are you sure?” Leonardo asked. “I mean, she’s yourdoll…”
Which means that I can do whatever I like with her…so now she’s yours. I think they deserve to be together, after spending all these years looking for one another…I know that they’re only toys but it’s still a little romantic in my mind.”
Setting her on the shelf, Leonardo smiled at the sight of them: a beat-up samurai and his flower. He felt you beside him and wrapped a large hand around yours, squeezing softly as he did.
“Thank you…”
He moved so slowly, watching you carefully to make absolutely sure that you wanted this, that you wanted him…and you did. You had always wanted him and always would. Pulling you into him, Leonardo kissed you softly and slowly and so terribly sweetly…the ninja and his blossom locked in a perfect, wonderful embrace.
“What’s up, Mikey?”
Michelangelo almost didn’t hear you, those baby blue eyes still looking at the screen. But your voice, sweet and familiar, slowly pulled him back to reality as his name fell from you lips…something he loved to hear.
“Oh…it’s just nothing.”
But it wasn’t nothing.
You knew that and he knew that you knew it…so he didn’t bother hiding his screen away. Instead he allowed you to look over his shoulders at the laptop, the video still playing on the screen. It was an old advertisement and you didn’t even need to have the sound up to hear the song. It was still playing in your head after all these years.
“Oh! I remember those! This was always playing on TV.”
“Yeah!” Mikey laughed, glancing at you with a smile. “I used to love watching this…I always wanted one but, you know…it just wasn’t gonna happen. It was too expensive for us to buy and impossible to find…so I just never brought it up.”
Sometimes it was easy to forget.
They had such a cool home and great stuff but…it was mostly scavenged and repaired, almost nothing was ever new to them. Mikey loved his father too much to ever complain, not wanting Splinter to feel guilty for their lot in life, you knew that…
And you knew how much Mikey lovedart.
He’d been using odds and ends of supplies that he’d found and painting on pieces of cardboard for years, taking whatever he could get his hands on. But looking back at the screen and watching those kids open the art set made you remember that Mikey had been a kid too…just a little turtle tot, watching this advertisement over and over again and wanting things he knew that he could never have.
Finding the case wasn’t hard.
The red plastic briefcase like thing came empty, just in need of a cleaning and waiting for the second phase of your plan. Art supplies soon filled the empty slots: oil pastels, acrylic and watercolor paints, color pencils, markers, and pens too. You bought brushes and erasers and sharpeners, setting everything in its place until it was finished, filled, and perfect, even getting him a thick black sketchbook and some painting paper too.
“Mikey~”
He was playing some game, eyes on the screen and face breaking into a big, goofy grin when he heard your voice.
“Babe!” He laughed. “Did you come to cheer me on?”
“No, not this time. I actually came to give you a surprise…so close your eyes!”
Ar once his eyes were shut and you were giggling as he guessed all of the things it could be. A fleet of Ferrari’s, a space ship so he could fly to the moon, maybe even the moon itself! Oh, you would give him the moon if you could! But perhaps this would do for now…
“Open!”
Those brilliant blue eyes snapped open and for a moment, still laughing…until he saw it. Mikey looked shocked for a second, green hands running over the smooth red box, the very one he’d spent years dreaming of.
“No way…you found this?”
“It was empty when I bought it but I got all the stuff it would have come with if it had been new! Better stuff, not the kid’s stuff.”
“You…you did all that for me?”
“Yeah, Mike.” You said softly, unsure of what to say or how to say it. “Of course I did. You make me happy so I wanted to -oh!”
Before you could finish saying a thing, Mikey was was pulling you into his arms. The hold he had on you was tight but not in a painful way…in a wonderful way. It was warm and safe and he was holding on like he would never let go. It was a kind of hold that felt right and good, made for lovers holding onto one another.
“You’reamazing,” Michelangelo sighed. “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.”
The rest of the night was spent laying at his side as Mikey tested his new stuff. Color pencils moved across the page, slowly creating a scene before you…a city sketched against a sunset sky, two figure sitting on the roof together.
“I didn’t know you liked Yu-gi-oh.”
Donatello grinned, putting away his work for a moment to look at the tin of old cards you’d found on his shelf. The box was half rusted and falling apart (it actually would fall apart if one didn’t handle it right), a pile of old cards inside. The cards were damaged, torn or cut or taped together, some were even water damaged to boot, but they were his.
“Oh!” He laughed. “Oh, yeah, I was really into it when I was a kid.”
Flipping through the spells and traps and monsters, Donnie pointed out his favorite cards as you looked through them together.
“I used to make my brothers duel me sometimes. But mostly I just collected whatever card that I could find, even if it was kind of lame. People were always tossing out the weaker cards and I would pick ‘em up. Oh, hey!”
There were four card that were held together by an old paperclip, almost like some Frankenstein creature waiting to be summoned. Golden arms and legs were bound by chains, the cards themselves wrinkled from water damage.
“Exodia the Forbidden One! I almost collected all of the cards to complete him…just never got the head.”
“Hard to find?”
“Yeah.” Donnie said. “I always thought I’d buy it one day but then we started, you know, fighting crime and as it turns out, that is a really expensive hobby. So I just put this aside and forgot I guess…jeez, it’s been forever since I looked at these.”
“Can we duel?”
“That, my dove, was a big mistake…I happen to be the King of Games.”
It was just a silly little thing to do, Donnie dueling you and talking all about his favorite episodes and characters. Getting the turtle away from the lab (or some other work that needed doing) could be a difficult task at times, but when you managed to do it, oh, it was so worth it! Still, you didn’t stop thinking about that card…the image of little Donnie searching through scraps and trash for that one card, that one little thing he wanted…it was sad.
So you found it for him.
Once more Donatello was in the lab, working away. He heard you before he saw you, the sound of your footsteps and voice coming closer.
“Later, Raph!”
And then the door was opening and he was smiling, setting aside his tools in order to greet you with a kiss. The feel of you in his arms was like heaven, the both of you melting together so perfectly…just what he needed right now!
“Got you something.”
From behind your made came a small box, made out of gold-painted metal and covered in Egyptian designs.
“Oh! The Millennium puzzle box!”
“I saw it and thought of you…look inside.”
Opening the lid, Donatello was amazed to see the very card his childhood self had dreamed of and searched for endlessly…Exodia the Forbidden One.
“Oh…dove…”
“I know how much you wanted it.” You said. “And I thought it was time that poor thing finally got a head! He’s been all arms and legs for too long.”
Quickly, Donnie placed his cards inside a box, the rusty old tin now empty and waiting for a new purpose…though he knew that he might just keep it around for sentimental purposes. The now completed Exodia was the last to fall in, all five pieces neatly sliding into place and he smiled like a little kid.
“Thank you, darling.” He sighed. “It almost feels like it’s too much.”
“Nothing’s too much for the King of Games.”
“You know…” Donnie said with a teasing little grinned. “If I’m the king, that ought to make you my queen.”
“Oh?”
“Oh, yes!”
And then he was pulling you into another kiss as you laughed, falling right back into his arms…right where you belonged. Playful kisses were peppered all along your face and neck, your laughter filling his ears and he kissed and kissed and kissed you.
“Raph, what’s this?”
Raphael turned to see what you were talking about, only to jump up at the sight of a very old, very beat up red notebook.
Oh. Crap.
“That’s just-”
“Are these song lists?”
“It’s nothing, babe.”
“Then why do you got that look on your pretty face?”
He sighed, a large hand rubbing the back of his neck. As embarrassed as he was, Raph figured that he might as well just tell you…he told you everything after all.
The big stuff, small stuff, and now…stupid stuff too.
“There was this show I watched, when I was a kid,” he said as he sat down next to you. “Kinda sucked…but the guy, he gave his girl a mix tape…and I liked that. Wrote down all the songs, used to listen to ‘em all the time.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah…I just liked it. Making something like that for someone…”
And then he didn’t bring it up again.
You knew that things had been hard for Raph. Growing up surviving off of the discards of society, he’d been hungering for a lot. He’d been lonely.
And he was a lot more romantic then he appeared to be.
It was one of those things that you loved about him. That sweetness hiding beneath a tough exterior, just waiting to come out. Bit by bit you had encouraged it, allowing Raphael to leave behind the tough guy act when it was just the two of you. And because you took every chance you got to encourage it, you immediately got to work.
A couple days later, he was picking you up from work.
Though he’d practically had to rip the keys to the van from Don’s hands, Raph was finally able to get his turn. There was something so right about sitting with you at his side, music playing as he drove through the city streets.
“Hey.”
Your lips pressed to his skin several times, teasing his jaw and neck as Raphael just melted away for you. It was something he’d always wanted, a weak spot of his that he’d kept hidden for years…until he met you. Laughing breathlessly, Raph allowed you to kiss and tease to your heart’s content before slipping away with a smile.
“Made you something.”
“Yeah?”
It was a tape. Glancing at you, Raph took the tape and slipped it into the slot, allowing a song to start playing…and then he knew.
“There’s a time and place for everything, for everyone, we can push with all our might but nothing’s gonna come…”
“Did you…you made made the tape?”
“Yeah.” You replied. “I was feeling romantic.”
“Oh, could you let it be? I wanna hold you and say…”
He felt like…there wasn’t any words to describe how he felt. It was like fire, but nothing like he was angry. It was like he was flying but he wasn’t dreaming, not anymore. This was real, this was perfect…this was you.
And he was kissing you.
“And no matter what you say or do, you know my heart is true, oh, I can’t stop lovin’ you…”
(Just something short and sweet for my fave boys…I write a lot about the turtles giving gifts but I wanted to write something where they were the ones receiving. After all, they deserve just as much love as they give!)
Imagine stumbling into the turtle’s lives by pure accident, falling from a fire escape and landing right into their arms. They’re expecting you to be shocked or scared or something…but you’re barely even phased at the sight of the giant turtles standing in front of you.
Why?
“Well, I’ve seen at least one of you over the years…like, a lot.”
Leonardo is stunned.
Stupidly, obviously stunned. Always so proud of his ninja training, he takes great pleasure in being the “unseen.” Just a shadow in a darkened alley, a swift blur in the corner of a stranger’s eye, a stolen sight that one might brush away as mere imagination and nothing more. So knowing that you’ve caught them numerous times is, well, a little embarrassing for him.
Okay, it’s more like a lot.
“Who have you seen?” He asks quietly.
“Well,” you said as you carefully gathered the books and papers that had spilled from your bag, “I’m actually pretty sure it was you. I’ve seen you running over the rooftops a lot and I remember your swords.”
And now it was just plain humiliating. Raph scoffed in utter delight, already coming up with a million and one smug remarks to make, and he could see Donnie and Mikey sharing smiles. All the times he’d scolded his brothers about being more careful, warning them to avoid being seen, were now coming back to haunt him. Oh, he was never going to hear the end of this, he just knew it! They would be bringing this up for years and years.
Leonardo looked away from his brothers and back towards you, watching as you carefully inspected your phone for chips and cracks.
“If it’s damaged, I can fix that,” Donnie said helpfully.
“I think it’s okay…” you replied, “But thank you. And thanks for catching me before I, you know, fell to my death.”
“Uh…anytime.” Leonardo replied, his brain feeling fuzzy from the embarrassment and confusion.
“See you guys around.”
And just like that you were gone, walking off into the city and leaving Leonardo standing with his brothers. At once the teasing he’d already been expecting started up, Raph ragging on him and the other two only joyfully encouraging him, but for once…he didn’t care. Not even when Don joked about telling Splinter, not when Raph told him he ought to train more. Instead he watched you walk away and wondered when he might see you again.
Perhaps next time he was running across the rooftops, he’d stop and say hello…
Donatello isn’t really too surprised.
Statistically speaking, a good number of New Yorkers have seen that turtles from time to time. After all, they’ve been living in the city for all of their twenty-two years and have been active on the surface for eight of those now. There are quite a few humans out there who’ve caught a look at them, leading to stories of some sort of man-eating turtle cryptid living in the city waterways…there are some interesting sites out there.
But math doesn’t lie and you’re not the only one who has seen them…just one of the few who has gotten to actually meetthem.
“Really?” Mikey piped up.
“Yeah,” you replied with a shrug. “But it’s not really a big deal or anything. I mean, this is New York City after all. I’d honestly be a lot more surprised if there weren’t giant turtles running around here at night.”
“How many times have you seen us?” Leonardo questioned, his blue eyes glancing sharply at his brothers.
“A lot of times through the years. Running around on the rooftops, getting into a few fights with gang bangers…actually, you know, I think I’ve seen him more then the rest of you.”
You had pointed right at Donatello when you made that little comment and already he could feel Leonardo’s glare settle on the back of his shell. He wondered if his elder brother would care too much about his argument for statistics…probably not! But you were smiling a little, brushing the dirt off of the Dittos that covered your black dress.
“And…you’re cool with that?” Donnie asked.
“Yup.”
“Then…so are we! Right, guys?”
His brothers chimed in, agreeing with the sentiment. And with that, you were off, grabbing your button-covered bag and walking away to catch your bus.
“See you around…?”
“Uh, Donnie. My name’s Donnie.”
“Later, Donnie.”
Forgetting about the impending doom that loomed over him (he could already hear Leonardo’s scolding and feel that sting in his muscles from Master Splinter’s punishment, which was sure to be brutal and terribly clever), Donatello grinned to himself as you vanished into the city…but he was certain that he would see you again.
And maybe you wouldn’t mind that at all…
Michelangelo is curious.
You saw them? For years? And you didn’t freak out or anything? That was rare for humans. Even compassionate people like April got a little freaked and, yeah, he couldn’t really blame anyone for screaming…still hurt though. They were no monsters, even if some people thought otherwise (Donnie had shown them those cryptid sites and he hadn’t liked that much). He’d been expecting screaming or fainting or something…
And yet here you were, cool as a cucumber!
“Just one of us?” Donatello asked, clearly eager for answers. “Do you know which one?”
“Oh…I dunno…” you murmured, running a hand through your hair as you thought it over. “He’s an artist.”
At once Michelangelo felt his Leo and Don glaring at him and Raph, both who claimed that honorable role as artists. The two brothers shared a guilty glance, each of them wondering who had earned himself one of Leonardo’s long lectures.
“I’ve seen him spray painting these gorgeous pieces! There’s these blue angel wings and this neon melting heart by the place I work-”
“Mikey!” Leonardo snapped, Don slapping the back of his head simultaneously.
“You’reIl Divino?”
Well, his secret was out. Michelangelo had been sneaking out every so often to paint the worn out brick and cracked concrete of New York City with his art…and now everyone knew. Including the pretty human in front of him. The fact that she liked his art so much made it possible to pretend that he wasn’t about to be destroyed by his brothers.
“I love your art…especially that roses beneath the bridge!” you chirped happily. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen it around.”
“I’ve been, uh, busy.”
“Well…” you said, picking up your sharpie-covered messenger bag, “if your schedule clears up, I hope to see your work again.”
“Yeah…”
Then you were gone, giving the turtle a little smile as you walked away. Already he was planning a new piece, something with neon pink…and a girl with a bright smile. Leonardo’s lecture began as Raph and Don walked away, laughing to themselves.
And Mikey was stunned totally stupid, wondering what you would think of his next piece…
Maybe he’d get to ask you!
Raphael is unsure.
From the second you nearly fell on top of Leonardo, he’d been expecting the whole shebang. Screaming, panicking, all that good stuff. It happened to them about every time a human managed to find them, a guy starts to expect it. But you could not care less and he…
He’s the confused one right now.
Since getting back on your feet, you hadn’t been even a little phased. Perhaps the fall had scared you but the turtles had not. Straightening your jacket, the metal and plastic pins caught his eye. A lightning bolt, several sarcastic phrases, a red eye. They were cool. You were cool, sighing as you looked back at the turtles.
“When have you seen one of us?” Leonardo asked. “Who?”
“I dunno…which one of you likes to stand on rooftops and angrily scream into the sky a couple times a week?”
At once all of his brothers turned and looked right at him, an unspoken answer to your question. Raph looked away, face hot and eyes burning. Raph’s temper was well known to his family…and apparently to you too.
“Uh…ya heard me, huh?”
“Actually, I screamed back at you once. I believe I told you you to get your crap together and stop throwing fits at four in the fucking morning.”
“That was you?”
Hands on your hips, you looked at the turtle with confidence and attitude. It was almost like you were daring him to snap back, ready for a bite back…he almost wanted to take you up on it! You were not, he realized, even a little bit afraid of him. Shocking for a human but strangely comforting at the same time for the turtle.
“Yup.”
“Why ain’t ya mad at me?”
“I was for a while. But then I saw you beating some Purple Dragons into the dirt and I thought, eh, give the guy a chance.”
Raphael grinned, chuckling beneath his breath. Clearly, you were not like most other humans. He felt certain that if aliens landed right here in font of you, you’d probably just tell them to get out of your way because you were late and trying to get home.
“I gotta go. It’s nice to finally meet you…?”
“Raphael.”
“Later, Raphael.”
He liked it. The glint in your eyes and edge to your grin, the way you said his name…there was just something about you that he liked. And there was something else telling him that this wasn’t the last time he’d see you.
a/n: i’m going through a breakup rn so the feelings are all over the place :“) anyway, raph angst! ❤
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!”
The lair was filled with shouting and you stood by, leaning against the wall. Your boyfriend was in the middle of the circle, scowling while April and Casey scrubbed some blood off his shoulders. You didn’t do it, you couldn’t even look at him without wanting to scream at his carelessness. It used to be sadness that filled your body when he would get like this but it grew to be emptiness, a whole bunch of nothing instead.
And that was so much worse
Your face was neutral as his brothers fussed about him, you had become so desensitised to blood that now you barely bat an eyelash whenever he came home with more red that green on his body. Mikey glanced at you, throwing you a concerned look but your eyes remain fixated upon the red banded terrapin. As if like a play, you watch all the steps happen in slow motion.
“You do this all the time! Every time I say something to you, it’s in your blood to go against my orders and get into stupid situations like this!” Leonardo snarls, throwing another rag at Raphael.
“Get that stick outta yer ass fearless, it’s my blood on the floor not yers. But that can very well be fuckin’ arranged” Raph hissed, grunting when he threw the rag back at Leo. It bounced off the others plastron and directly on the floor, just inches from his feet. The leaders eyes blacken from rage, all but holding his composure by a single dangling thread and his brothers attitude would be his undoing.
“What were you thinking, Raph? Just look at your wound” Donatello cuts in, silently diffusing the inaudible wrath radiating from the eldest brothers. He observed the brutal cut that decorated his bicep. It was deep, weeping blood whenever it was touched in the slightest. It looked raw and painful but if it was, he didn’t show it.
“S'nothin” Raph snarls, snatching his arm back a small groan at the twist of his elbow. Blood spilled from his arm to his lap, staining the floor much to Leo’s displeasure. They began bickering and you stifled a yawn, not caring enough to listen to them anymore.
It was literally the same script, perhaps a few words mixed up but you could memorise the whole interaction. Leo would storm off, Raph would scream and leave the lair. You’d be the one lending a listening ear, understand his point of view and encourage him to make things right with his brother. And it would all be okay again.
Until the next time it wasn’t.
You decided to go to the kitchen, hoping the peace and quiet would soothe the dull thumping in your head. Feeling a headache coming on, you gently run your fingers on your temple to figure out something to do with Raphael. It just felt like too much to balance constantly along with your own life. It was only so long until you reached your breaking point, when would that be?
“Aren’t you going to say something?” And just like that, any hope you had for some time to yourself all but dissipates into thin air.
“What do you want me to say?” You sigh, sitting upright to meet April’s worried gaze. Her usual baby blue eyes are dark, indicating more stress than she’s letting on.
“He listens to you more than us Y/N, just say something. Anything” She pleads but you remove her hands from your shoulder, giving her a sad smile. You see blood droplets on her clothes, a pang of sadness going through you. For her or for Raph, you didn’t know.
“I’m not his mom, April. He’s not my responsibility, he’s a whole grown adult. Hell, I don’t even think I could be considered as a partner right now….” You whisper that last part, more so to yourself. Your phone beeps before she could even say anything and you’re thankful for the escape.
“Hello? Oh yes, I’m….. on my way. Okay…. be there shortly” Pressing the decline button, you dust yourself off before looking at the woman. She offers a sympathetic smile, gently patting your hand. No words could be spoken in that moment, your gaze tells her not to interfere and she complies.
“Have a good night Y/N” She spoke sweetly and you nod, giving her a half smile walking to the main room. It felt like too much energy to muster a whole one. You know she wants you to do something, to calm down the raging ball of fury namely known as Raph but how long will you continue to pick up his pieces? How long could you excuse his behaviour, how long until you lose yourself to him?
“You’re leaving?” Mikey’s voice is soft but it captures everyone’s attention, startling you a little. You reach over to your bag, looking at him with a soft smile.
“Yeah, I got a call” You nod to your hands where your phone lay.
“Yer leaving” Raph repeats and you don’t even look to his eyes, you can’t. So much anger swirls inside of you, so much frustration seeps through your veins you’re scared you’ll say something you’ll regret, so you keep your mouth shut and nod.
“Goodnight” You smile at the youngest brother, walking past all of them. And just when you think you’ve found yourself out of the lions den, that same deep voice cuts in harshly.
“So that’s it? No nothin’ from ya. Bleedin out but hey, that’s okay right?” Raphael stands to his full height, his tone biting. His family pause behind him, awkwardly looking at each other before drifting into the background and into their own private quarters.
“Should I have sympathy for you? Last I check, nobody forced you to fight them, nobody held you hostage. You’re sorely mistaken if you think I’m going to cry for your lack of consideration” You shrug calmly, trying to walk over to the exit. The heat rises to your neck, you know all hell is about to break loose if you remain here for a second longer but that voice takes you back. Holding you there by your feet, demanding you for answers.
“We’re playin that card, huh? I never asked fer ya ta cry over me, in fact I don’t even know why yer fuckin ‘ere in tha first place!” His voice is louder, full of anger and pain and the old you would’ve comforted him, would’ve remained calm and peaceful. But that’s in the past, your feet were glued to the floor. Your fingers clenched into tight fists, pure irritation coursing in your veins until they reached your very fingertips.
“I’m here because your youngest brother called me worried that you were covered in blood head to toe. I’m here because your temper is so bad and foul that apparently I’m the only one you listen to, hardly at that. You just do what you want to do, no concern for anyone else! I don’t know what I thought to achieve, it’s the same broken records for months now!” Your raised voice reverberates between the walls and for the first time that night, his stance relaxes.
His brows that were once furrowed have dropped. His arms that were tightly crossed against his chest have fallen by their rightful place. His heartbeat increases, a familiar feeling of dread settling in his bones. And by the resignation on your face, it’s starting to confirm his deepest fears.
“So you know what? You’re not my problem anymore Raph, I’m not doing this. I can’t do it” You hold your hands out in defence, a bitter chuckle escaping your lips
“What are ya sayin?” His voice is so quiet, small and scared for the next words you’re about to utter
“I’m breaking up with you” You meet his eyes, staring directly into his soul. All the heartbreak and pain you’ve been carrying, all the worries and stresses disappear from your shoulders one by one. His, on the other hand, seem to pile on by the minute.
“Y/N, I-” He takes a step forwards but in turn, you take backwards. This was it, this was what you needed to get off your chest finally.
“I don’t want to hear it Raph. You’re selfish. You’re all instinct and no restraint. You just do whatever you want and I’m supposed to just accept that? I can’t anymore, I’m exhausted” Your voice breaks a little but you’re firm in your words. There would be no second chances, not until he changed and you don’t think he will. You held out hope for that years ago and look where it had gotten you.
Your phone buzzes and it brings you both out of the initial shock of those words, words the terrapin thought he would never have to hear. Tears fill his eyes slowly as he watches you check your phone, a frown indented on your forehead. How long had you felt like this? When did you stop loving him? Where did he go so wrong?
So many questions but not a word could pass through his lips. His whole world felt like it had come to a standstill, was this how heartbreak felt like? All his physical pain were but a minor cut compared to the agony it felt like his heart was going through. Like slowly, his heart was breaking into a million pieces that would never quite be the same again.
Your eyes connect with his once more, wanting to hug him before the first tear fell on his face but you stop yourself. You had to draw a line somewhere and you’d stop yourself before it was too late
“Find someone else to pick up your pieces but it won’t be me Raph, not again” You turn away and he reaches out but just as his hand almost reaches you, you’re already walking through the tunnels.
Your shoes clattering were a bitter reminder, each step a stabbing twisting dagger to his heart as they became mere echoes to the wind.
And he stands there, his knees to the ground watching you leave as tears spill rapidly from his eyes.
“How is recovery goin’?” The amusement in Raph’s voice made you roll your eyes, facing the terrapin at the end of the door. For the last 2 weeks, you had been confined to the lair. Splinter and Leo thought it would’ve been best for you to lay low for a while, until your major injuries had healed. And for the most part they healed well, who knew Raph could play doctor? Granted he wasn’t exactly professional like Donnie but he could do the basics and for that, you were endlessly grateful.
“Well…. as best as it can possibly go…” Sighing, you sat on one of the red stools in the kitchen while he tinkled around the kitchen. For someone who was extremely muscular and tall, his footprints weren’t as heavy as you had thought them to be.
“They still hurtin’ ya?” He looked over at you with concern and you shrugged, placing your phone down to look at him.
“Yeah but-” You didn’t even get a chance to finish your sentence before Raph fussed over you, eyeing your shirt to see any blood.
“Why didn’t ya say somethin?? Are ya bleedin’? Should I get Don-” His eyes bored into yours, the intensity swirling in them wildly. It shocked you for a minute, an army of butterflies invading your heart before you shook yourself off. No, he was just being sweet. It’s just that
“It’s not bleeding. It’s uncomfortable but the pain is bearable. Don’t call him, the last thing I want to do is look at him” Your voice dropped to a whisper, ending the sentence with a slight frown. After everything that had happened, after the whole ordeal, Donnie was still the one your heart yearned after. And you hated yourself for that. A familiar lump grew in your throat, your fingers curling around the utensils to distract yourself from the tears that grew close to falling.
“Have you ever gotten your heart broken by someone who didn’t even love you?” You chuckled sadly, toying with the end of the knife. You hadn’t expected him to answer, probably give you a snort and tell you to move on. But he set his knife down for a moment, his eyes gazing into the distance just for second.
“I know that feeling all too well, actually…” Raph whispered, cutting his sandwich in half. Your head turned to him, eyes narrowed at the brute. But before you could even ask him, a voice you dreaded to hear perked up behind you
“You’re walking” The smell of coffee and a woody cologne filled your nostrils and it brought you back those memories you’d tried to hard to lock up.
“10/10 observation” You reply coldly, placing away the knives and dusting yourself off. Raph looked between the two of you awkwardly, fading into the background to do this thing. You wished he stayed, hopefully to get you out of this situation.
“Look at me Y/N. Please” The last part is soft and desperate, you can feel your heart breaking slowly.
“What do you want Donnie?” Your tone is low, tired from the sadness you had been carrying all these days and weeks.
“I just want things to go back to normal” He sighs softly, his brows creased and you chuckle humourlessly. After everything he put you through, after all those horrible moments endured between him and April, after the awkward love triangle, he was fucked in the head if he thought you were going to forgive him so easily.
“What, you think because April doesn’t want to you that I do? Come on Donnie, even you must know better than that” You chuckle but there isn’t a slightest hint of humour in your voice.
“Please I just-” He began but you shook your head, interrupting him
“You just what? You want me to forgive you, after all that I went through? I didn’t take this hit for you Donnie, I took it for your brother” Lie
“And whatever this was between us is gone, you made your choice now live with it. I don’t care” Another lie
“So…. this is it?” His voice wobbled, holding his gaze with yours and in that moment, you had so eagerly wished to embrace him and go back to that no trouble life. Nothing more than to kiss him once again, snuggle in his warmth that you had missed so badly.
But running back to the hands that broke you will not heal you.
“Yes” Such a simple answer, only a word but your tongue felt so heavy. Every atom in your body screamed at you but you switched it off, turning around. You could hear his breath hitch, trying to call put your name but nothing came out.
Your breaths were shaky as you left the kitchen, your eyes burning with unshed tears. You wanted to scream at Donnie until your throat was hoarse, until some sense was knocked into him. But then why did you want to hold him and apologise for hurting him like he hadn’t done you much worse?
“Sorry…” You move out of the way but the stranger holds your wrist gently, making you turn to them. Your heart feels a little lighter when you catch sight of those familiar warm irises.
Raphael,it always was
“How was it?” He asks softly, tilting his head ever so slightly.
“I think we just broke up…” You whisper, taking a deep breath in. You expect him to give you a nudge and give some advice that you’ve most definitely heard on google but to your utter surprise he pulls you in.
“Come ‘ere” Raph holds you ever so gently in his arms, stroking your back while you buried yourself in his chest. It was warm loving, his heartbeat securing you to the present. Right here, right now.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know why-” So many thoughts cross your head, unable to pinpoint an exact one but like the total sweetheart he is, Raph squeezes you a little reassuring hug.
“It’s good, ya good, don’t worry about explainin’” His deep baritone voice melts you like butter, unknowingly sending shivers up your spine. You see in this light all his features, all the different colours in his eyes. His scars, his skin, the different hues of colour he’s got. All of it, so beautiful.
Donnie escaped your heart, images of this terrapin flooded it instead. And you didn’t care, you allowed your body to be filled with the warm love of him. Romantic or platonic, nobody had the faintest sight but it felt so much better than carrying hurt and pain.
You hadn’t even meant for it to go this far, you hadn’t meant for this to all happen. Your head found leaning slightly upwards at him and he met you halfway. One of you was bound to break away surely.
But the next thing you knew, your lips had met his. They were softer than you had ever imagined them to be, one hand gently holding your head while the other was secure on your hip.
Donnie’s kisses were different, they were comforting and loving. They were expected, they were safe.
But the way Raph kissed you was entirely different. Passion, desire, thrill and danger all somehow poured into one small kiss. You feel desire brewing deep within your stomach, bodies pressed flush against each other. His pleasure is evident and you want to succumb to him whole, his calloused fingers tracing small circles on your thigh. You want him to go further, already pushing him close as your fingers dance across his chest-
“Where is Raphael?!”
Somewhere one of his brother call him and that realisation hits you like a ton of bricks. The both of you move swiftly away from each other, gasping at the other. You stare at the turtle in utter shock, a hand on your chest to cool the fire he’s ignited inside of you but that can only be extinguished by him. He looks to you to his hands and back to you, wanting to say something. Hell anything, but you’ve backed away.
“I-I-” “I have to go” You quickly call, practically sprinting out of the exit. You hear your name being called but daren’t look back, the adrenaline pushing forward and forwards until you’re in the public again.
You take gulps and gulps of air but they feel like they never reach your lungs. Your body feels like you’ve ran a marathon, the ghost of Raphael’s lips tingling yours. Gently touching your face where he had touched you, you could feel the familiar prickle of tears fill your eyes
Being mutants living in the sewers, they only ever had the scraps of society. Broken toys, beat up books with missing pages, disks scratched to near oblivion, and discarded consuls in need of repair. Unwanted things taped, tied, and glued together as much as they could be. They were grateful for what they got but maybe there was something they’d always wanted…
“Is that Samurai Ren?”
Leonardo looked up, blue eyes catching a glimpse of his favorite childhood toy…an old action figure of the hero Samurai Ren, beat up and beloved. His swords were cut from cardboard and his left leg was missing but still…he had loved that toy. Memories flooded in, a smile slowly spilling upon his face as Leo picked up the toy.
“Yeah…it was my favorite show as a kid.” He murmured. “Samurai Ren, brave and kind! Always showing up to defeat bandits or monsters, searching through Japan for his lost love…Raph was the one who found him for me.”
“Really?”
Leo nodded, returning the samurai to his place on the shelf.
“Found him in some dumpster and came running home to give it to me. I didn’t even care that he was all beat up, I was just so happy to have my own toy. Besides, most of our stuff was in rough shape anyway.”
“Did Ren ever find his love?”
“Lotus Blossom…they were reunited in the final arc of the show. They released a doll of her too, but it was limited edition and I never was able to find one…I think I just used a little cut out of her from an advertisement to play with instead. They’re crazy expensive now.”
There laying on the shelf was a folded and rather worn out piece of paper, frayed at the edges and starting to lose color. Pulling it apart, Leonardo smiled at the familiar sight of Lotus Blossom’s long hair and red lips, so lost in childhood memories that he never saw the glimmer of recognition in your eyes…and as the night went on, he quickly forgot about the whole thing.
Butyoudidn’t.
A week later, you were back in the lair after visiting your parents back home for a couple of days. After a dinner with his father and brothers, the two of you slipped into his bedroom for a little bit of alone time…
“I have a little something for you.”
“Oh?”
“Before I was born,” you explained, “my uncle and dad had a falling out and didn’t speak for years and years. When I was nine, they made up and Uncle Teddy showed up with a gift for all of the birthdays he’d missed. And one of them was this really pretty doll…”
From out of your bag you pulled out an old but rather lovely doll, one the Leonardo recognized at once. She was dressed in a pink and white kimono painted with flowers, a red obi tired neatly around her waist. Her long black hair hung to her tiny feet, a red smile painted on her face. Though her dress was a little worn and her hair a little messy, she was still nearly perfect.
“Lotus Blossom!”
There was the doll he’d been looking for since he was a turtle tot, having been sitting in a box in your closet for years and years. Handing him the doll, Leo couldn’t stop smiling. All those years spent looking for Samurai Ren’s lover…only for her to be with his own love this whole time.
It was fate.
The doll was tiny in his large hands, looking up at him with darkly painted eyes as you smiled at him excitedly.
“I always meant to give her a samurai boyfriend and I happen to know a pretty lonely one.”
“Are you sure?” Leonardo asked. “I mean, she’s yourdoll…”
Which means that I can do whatever I like with her…so now she’s yours. I think they deserve to be together, after spending all these years looking for one another…I know that they’re only toys but it’s still a little romantic in my mind.”
Setting her on the shelf, Leonardo smiled at the sight of them: a beat-up samurai and his flower. He felt you beside him and wrapped a large hand around yours, squeezing softly as he did.
“Thank you…”
He moved so slowly, watching you carefully to make absolutely sure that you wanted this, that you wanted him…and you did. You had always wanted him and always would. Pulling you into him, Leonardo kissed you softly and slowly and so terribly sweetly…the ninja and his blossom locked in a perfect, wonderful embrace.
“What’s up, Mikey?”
Michelangelo almost didn’t hear you, those baby blue eyes still looking at the screen. But your voice, sweet and familiar, slowly pulled him back to reality as his name fell from you lips…something he loved to hear.
“Oh…it’s just nothing.”
But it wasn’t nothing.
You knew that and he knew that you knew it…so he didn’t bother hiding his screen away. Instead he allowed you to look over his shoulders at the laptop, the video still playing on the screen. It was an old advertisement and you didn’t even need to have the sound up to hear the song. It was still playing in your head after all these years.
“Oh! I remember those! This was always playing on TV.”
“Yeah!” Mikey laughed, glancing at you with a smile. “I used to love watching this…I always wanted one but, you know…it just wasn’t gonna happen. It was too expensive for us to buy and impossible to find…so I just never brought it up.”
Sometimes it was easy to forget.
They had such a cool home and great stuff but…it was mostly scavenged and repaired, almost nothing was ever new to them. Mikey loved his father too much to ever complain, not wanting Splinter to feel guilty for their lot in life, you knew that…
And you knew how much Mikey lovedart.
He’d been using odds and ends of supplies that he’d found and painting on pieces of cardboard for years, taking whatever he could get his hands on. But looking back at the screen and watching those kids open the art set made you remember that Mikey had been a kid too…just a little turtle tot, watching this advertisement over and over again and wanting things he knew that he could never have.
Finding the case wasn’t hard.
The red plastic briefcase like thing came empty, just in need of a cleaning and waiting for the second phase of your plan. Art supplies soon filled the empty slots: oil pastels, acrylic and watercolor paints, color pencils, markers, and pens too. You bought brushes and erasers and sharpeners, setting everything in its place until it was finished, filled, and perfect, even getting him a thick black sketchbook and some painting paper too.
“Mikey~”
He was playing some game, eyes on the screen and face breaking into a big, goofy grin when he heard your voice.
“Babe!” He laughed. “Did you come to cheer me on?”
“No, not this time. I actually came to give you a surprise…so close your eyes!”
Ar once his eyes were shut and you were giggling as he guessed all of the things it could be. A fleet of Ferrari’s, a space ship so he could fly to the moon, maybe even the moon itself! Oh, you would give him the moon if you could! But perhaps this would do for now…
“Open!”
Those brilliant blue eyes snapped open and for a moment, still laughing…until he saw it. Mikey looked shocked for a second, green hands running over the smooth red box, the very one he’d spent years dreaming of.
“No way…you found this?”
“It was empty when I bought it but I got all the stuff it would have come with if it had been new! Better stuff, not the kid’s stuff.”
“You…you did all that for me?”
“Yeah, Mike.” You said softly, unsure of what to say or how to say it. “Of course I did. You make me happy so I wanted to -oh!”
Before you could finish saying a thing, Mikey was was pulling you into his arms. The hold he had on you was tight but not in a painful way…in a wonderful way. It was warm and safe and he was holding on like he would never let go. It was a kind of hold that felt right and good, made for lovers holding onto one another.
“You’reamazing,” Michelangelo sighed. “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.”
The rest of the night was spent laying at his side as Mikey tested his new stuff. Color pencils moved across the page, slowly creating a scene before you…a city sketched against a sunset sky, two figure sitting on the roof together.
“I didn’t know you liked Yu-gi-oh.”
Donatello grinned, putting away his work for a moment to look at the tin of old cards you’d found on his shelf. The box was half rusted and falling apart (it actually would fall apart if one didn’t handle it right), a pile of old cards inside. The cards were damaged, torn or cut or taped together, some were even water damaged to boot, but they were his.
“Oh!” He laughed. “Oh, yeah, I was really into it when I was a kid.”
Flipping through the spells and traps and monsters, Donnie pointed out his favorite cards as you looked through them together.
“I used to make my brothers duel me sometimes. But mostly I just collected whatever card that I could find, even if it was kind of lame. People were always tossing out the weaker cards and I would pick ‘em up. Oh, hey!”
There were four card that were held together by an old paperclip, almost like some Frankenstein creature waiting to be summoned. Golden arms and legs were bound by chains, the cards themselves wrinkled from water damage.
“Exodia the Forbidden One! I almost collected all of the cards to complete him…just never got the head.”
“Hard to find?”
“Yeah.” Donnie said. “I always thought I’d buy it one day but then we started, you know, fighting crime and as it turns out, that is a really expensive hobby. So I just put this aside and forgot I guess…jeez, it’s been forever since I looked at these.”
“Can we duel?”
“That, my dove, was a big mistake…I happen to be the King of Games.”
It was just a silly little thing to do, Donnie dueling you and talking all about his favorite episodes and characters. Getting the turtle away from the lab (or some other work that needed doing) could be a difficult task at times, but when you managed to do it, oh, it was so worth it! Still, you didn’t stop thinking about that card…the image of little Donnie searching through scraps and trash for that one card, that one little thing he wanted…it was sad.
So you found it for him.
Once more Donatello was in the lab, working away. He heard you before he saw you, the sound of your footsteps and voice coming closer.
“Later, Raph!”
And then the door was opening and he was smiling, setting aside his tools in order to greet you with a kiss. The feel of you in his arms was like heaven, the both of you melting together so perfectly…just what he needed right now!
“Got you something.”
From behind your made came a small box, made out of gold-painted metal and covered in Egyptian designs.
“Oh! The Millennium puzzle box!”
“I saw it and thought of you…look inside.”
Opening the lid, Donatello was amazed to see the very card his childhood self had dreamed of and searched for endlessly…Exodia the Forbidden One.
“Oh…dove…”
“I know how much you wanted it.” You said. “And I thought it was time that poor thing finally got a head! He’s been all arms and legs for too long.”
Quickly, Donnie placed his cards inside a box, the rusty old tin now empty and waiting for a new purpose…though he knew that he might just keep it around for sentimental purposes. The now completed Exodia was the last to fall in, all five pieces neatly sliding into place and he smiled like a little kid.
“Thank you, darling.” He sighed. “It almost feels like it’s too much.”
“Nothing’s too much for the King of Games.”
“You know…” Donnie said with a teasing little grinned. “If I’m the king, that ought to make you my queen.”
“Oh?”
“Oh, yes!”
And then he was pulling you into another kiss as you laughed, falling right back into his arms…right where you belonged. Playful kisses were peppered all along your face and neck, your laughter filling his ears and he kissed and kissed and kissed you.
“Raph, what’s this?”
Raphael turned to see what you were talking about, only to jump up at the sight of a very old, very beat up red notebook.
Oh. Crap.
“That’s just-”
“Are these song lists?”
“It’s nothing, babe.”
“Then why do you got that look on your pretty face?”
He sighed, a large hand rubbing the back of his neck. As embarrassed as he was, Raph figured that he might as well just tell you…he told you everything after all.
The big stuff, small stuff, and now…stupid stuff too.
“There was this show I watched, when I was a kid,” he said as he sat down next to you. “Kinda sucked…but the guy, he gave his girl a mix tape…and I liked that. Wrote down all the songs, used to listen to ‘em all the time.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah…I just liked it. Making something like that for someone…”
And then he didn’t bring it up again.
You knew that things had been hard for Raph. Growing up surviving off of the discards of society, he’d been hungering for a lot. He’d been lonely.
And he was a lot more romantic then he appeared to be.
It was one of those things that you loved about him. That sweetness hiding beneath a tough exterior, just waiting to come out. Bit by bit you had encouraged it, allowing Raphael to leave behind the tough guy act when it was just the two of you. And because you took every chance you got to encourage it, you immediately got to work.
A couple days later, he was picking you up from work.
Though he’d practically had to rip the keys to the van from Don’s hands, Raph was finally able to get his turn. There was something so right about sitting with you at his side, music playing as he drove through the city streets.
“Hey.”
Your lips pressed to his skin several times, teasing his jaw and neck as Raphael just melted away for you. It was something he’d always wanted, a weak spot of his that he’d kept hidden for years…until he met you. Laughing breathlessly, Raph allowed you to kiss and tease to your heart’s content before slipping away with a smile.
“Made you something.”
“Yeah?”
It was a tape. Glancing at you, Raph took the tape and slipped it into the slot, allowing a song to start playing…and then he knew.
“There’s a time and place for everything, for everyone, we can push with all our might but nothing’s gonna come…”
“Did you…you made made the tape?”
“Yeah.” You replied. “I was feeling romantic.”
“Oh, could you let it be? I wanna hold you and say…”
He felt like…there wasn’t any words to describe how he felt. It was like fire, but nothing like he was angry. It was like he was flying but he wasn’t dreaming, not anymore. This was real, this was perfect…this was you.
And he was kissing you.
“And no matter what you say or do, you know my heart is true, oh, I can’t stop lovin’ you…”
(Just something short and sweet for my fave boys…I write a lot about the turtles giving gifts but I wanted to write something where they were the ones receiving. After all, they deserve just as much love as they give!)
Imagine stumbling into the turtle’s lives by pure accident, falling from a fire escape and landing right into their arms. They’re expecting you to be shocked or scared or something…but you’re barely even phased at the sight of the giant turtles standing in front of you.
Why?
“Well, I’ve seen at least one of you over the years…like, a lot.”
Leonardo is stunned.
Stupidly, obviously stunned. Always so proud of his ninja training, he takes great pleasure in being the “unseen.” Just a shadow in a darkened alley, a swift blur in the corner of a stranger’s eye, a stolen sight that one might brush away as mere imagination and nothing more. So knowing that you’ve caught them numerous times is, well, a little embarrassing for him.
Okay, it’s more like a lot.
“Who have you seen?” He asks quietly.
“Well,” you said as you carefully gathered the books and papers that had spilled from your bag, “I’m actually pretty sure it was you. I’ve seen you running over the rooftops a lot and I remember your swords.”
And now it was just plain humiliating. Raph scoffed in utter delight, already coming up with a million and one smug remarks to make, and he could see Donnie and Mikey sharing smiles. All the times he’d scolded his brothers about being more careful, warning them to avoid being seen, were now coming back to haunt him. Oh, he was never going to hear the end of this, he just knew it! They would be bringing this up for years and years.
Leonardo looked away from his brothers and back towards you, watching as you carefully inspected your phone for chips and cracks.
“If it’s damaged, I can fix that,” Donnie said helpfully.
“I think it’s okay…” you replied, “But thank you. And thanks for catching me before I, you know, fell to my death.”
“Uh…anytime.” Leonardo replied, his brain feeling fuzzy from the embarrassment and confusion.
“See you guys around.”
And just like that you were gone, walking off into the city and leaving Leonardo standing with his brothers. At once the teasing he’d already been expecting started up, Raph ragging on him and the other two only joyfully encouraging him, but for once…he didn’t care. Not even when Don joked about telling Splinter, not when Raph told him he ought to train more. Instead he watched you walk away and wondered when he might see you again.
Perhaps next time he was running across the rooftops, he’d stop and say hello…
Donatello isn’t really too surprised.
Statistically speaking, a good number of New Yorkers have seen that turtles from time to time. After all, they’ve been living in the city for all of their twenty-two years and have been active on the surface for eight of those now. There are quite a few humans out there who’ve caught a look at them, leading to stories of some sort of man-eating turtle cryptid living in the city waterways…there are some interesting sites out there.
But math doesn’t lie and you’re not the only one who has seen them…just one of the few who has gotten to actually meetthem.
“Really?” Mikey piped up.
“Yeah,” you replied with a shrug. “But it’s not really a big deal or anything. I mean, this is New York City after all. I’d honestly be a lot more surprised if there weren’t giant turtles running around here at night.”
“How many times have you seen us?” Leonardo questioned, his blue eyes glancing sharply at his brothers.
“A lot of times through the years. Running around on the rooftops, getting into a few fights with gang bangers…actually, you know, I think I’ve seen him more then the rest of you.”
You had pointed right at Donatello when you made that little comment and already he could feel Leonardo’s glare settle on the back of his shell. He wondered if his elder brother would care too much about his argument for statistics…probably not! But you were smiling a little, brushing the dirt off of the Dittos that covered your black dress.
“And…you’re cool with that?” Donnie asked.
“Yup.”
“Then…so are we! Right, guys?”
His brothers chimed in, agreeing with the sentiment. And with that, you were off, grabbing your button-covered bag and walking away to catch your bus.
“See you around…?”
“Uh, Donnie. My name’s Donnie.”
“Later, Donnie.”
Forgetting about the impending doom that loomed over him (he could already hear Leonardo’s scolding and feel that sting in his muscles from Master Splinter’s punishment, which was sure to be brutal and terribly clever), Donatello grinned to himself as you vanished into the city…but he was certain that he would see you again.
And maybe you wouldn’t mind that at all…
Michelangelo is curious.
You saw them? For years? And you didn’t freak out or anything? That was rare for humans. Even compassionate people like April got a little freaked and, yeah, he couldn’t really blame anyone for screaming…still hurt though. They were no monsters, even if some people thought otherwise (Donnie had shown them those cryptid sites and he hadn’t liked that much). He’d been expecting screaming or fainting or something…
And yet here you were, cool as a cucumber!
“Just one of us?” Donatello asked, clearly eager for answers. “Do you know which one?”
“Oh…I dunno…” you murmured, running a hand through your hair as you thought it over. “He’s an artist.”
At once Michelangelo felt his Leo and Don glaring at him and Raph, both who claimed that honorable role as artists. The two brothers shared a guilty glance, each of them wondering who had earned himself one of Leonardo’s long lectures.
“I’ve seen him spray painting these gorgeous pieces! There’s these blue angel wings and this neon melting heart by the place I work-”
“Mikey!” Leonardo snapped, Don slapping the back of his head simultaneously.
“You’reIl Divino?”
Well, his secret was out. Michelangelo had been sneaking out every so often to paint the worn out brick and cracked concrete of New York City with his art…and now everyone knew. Including the pretty human in front of him. The fact that she liked his art so much made it possible to pretend that he wasn’t about to be destroyed by his brothers.
“I love your art…especially that roses beneath the bridge!” you chirped happily. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen it around.”
“I’ve been, uh, busy.”
“Well…” you said, picking up your sharpie-covered messenger bag, “if your schedule clears up, I hope to see your work again.”
“Yeah…”
Then you were gone, giving the turtle a little smile as you walked away. Already he was planning a new piece, something with neon pink…and a girl with a bright smile. Leonardo’s lecture began as Raph and Don walked away, laughing to themselves.
And Mikey was stunned totally stupid, wondering what you would think of his next piece…
Maybe he’d get to ask you!
Raphael is unsure.
From the second you nearly fell on top of Leonardo, he’d been expecting the whole shebang. Screaming, panicking, all that good stuff. It happened to them about every time a human managed to find them, a guy starts to expect it. But you could not care less and he…
He’s the confused one right now.
Since getting back on your feet, you hadn’t been even a little phased. Perhaps the fall had scared you but the turtles had not. Straightening your jacket, the metal and plastic pins caught his eye. A lightning bolt, several sarcastic phrases, a red eye. They were cool. You were cool, sighing as you looked back at the turtles.
“When have you seen one of us?” Leonardo asked. “Who?”
“I dunno…which one of you likes to stand on rooftops and angrily scream into the sky a couple times a week?”
At once all of his brothers turned and looked right at him, an unspoken answer to your question. Raph looked away, face hot and eyes burning. Raph’s temper was well known to his family…and apparently to you too.
“Uh…ya heard me, huh?”
“Actually, I screamed back at you once. I believe I told you you to get your crap together and stop throwing fits at four in the fucking morning.”
“That was you?”
Hands on your hips, you looked at the turtle with confidence and attitude. It was almost like you were daring him to snap back, ready for a bite back…he almost wanted to take you up on it! You were not, he realized, even a little bit afraid of him. Shocking for a human but strangely comforting at the same time for the turtle.
“Yup.”
“Why ain’t ya mad at me?”
“I was for a while. But then I saw you beating some Purple Dragons into the dirt and I thought, eh, give the guy a chance.”
Raphael grinned, chuckling beneath his breath. Clearly, you were not like most other humans. He felt certain that if aliens landed right here in font of you, you’d probably just tell them to get out of your way because you were late and trying to get home.
“I gotta go. It’s nice to finally meet you…?”
“Raphael.”
“Later, Raphael.”
He liked it. The glint in your eyes and edge to your grin, the way you said his name…there was just something about you that he liked. And there was something else telling him that this wasn’t the last time he’d see you.
If you’re anything like me, you have two great loves: TMNT and the Twilight Saga. So what would it be like if the boys watched the Twilight movies with you?
Leonardo is a bit baffled by the whole thing.
He hates Edward and the way he often treats Bella (tampering with her car? Breaking her heart?? Literally ALL of New Moon) but doesn’t like Jacob much better (he would never dream of forcing you to kiss him.
Team Bella-needs-therapy.
He liked a lot Jacob before Eclipse (you know, when his character was assassinated by SM) but is just okay with them both by the end of the whole thing.
Is a gentleman and is APPALED by their behavior, just appalled. “I think Charlie should get to shoot them both, honestly.”
But it’s also terribly romantic and he can see the appeal of it, even gets into a little bit. He won’t read the books but he’ll watch the movies whenever you want.
He loves the music and the soundtracks (especially New Moon’s).
Carlisle is his favorite character, Charlie too.
Donatello enjoys the vampire lore. It’s interesting (he really likes the powers and the history of the Volturi). But he will always prefer CLASSIC vampire stories such as Dracula and Carmilla.
Team Volturi (because the Cullens would not stop being dramatic and causing drama and he’d want to kill them too).
Is horrified by Renesmee and thinks she’s SO creepy.
He has a slight tendency to laugh out of nowhere because certain lines are just so weird. “Spider monkey?? Really???”and “WHO NAMES THIER BABY THAT OH MY GOD!”
Will jokingly call you his “little cocaine binge” as a sarcastic reference)
But he will read the books if you’re that into the series and likes them a lot more then the movies, begrudgingly admitting it.
Will insist on watching Dracula afterwards to enjoy “a real vampire.”
Alice is his favorite character, he thinks she’s cute and sweet.
❤Raphael secretly loves it. The drama, the romance, Edward feeling like a monster that is unworthy of love…he totally gets that. He even gets a little emotional about it but acts like he’s “meh” about the whole thing.
Totally Team Edward.
But he LOVES Bella and Jacob building motorcycles together and wants to do it with you now, please, please, please build a motorcycle with him and drive away into the twilight.
The first two films are his favorites, mostly the first because of the ✨aesthetic✨ of it.
Will occasionally suggest it as a date night movie (because YOU like it) but you both know he just really wants to watch it. “I mean, we could watch it…if ya want to…”
He loves the happily ever after/true love themes and he will absolutely read the books (but WILL NOT let his brothers know this and reads them only at your place when he’s visiting).
Rosalie is his favorite character and he cheered her on as she slaughtered her abusers (he likes Emmett too).
Michelangelo totally loves it. The drama! The romance!! A girl torn between two loves, oh, whoever will she choose (he loves a love triangle and you can pry this trope from his cold, dead hands)!!!
Totally Team Jacob.
But gets super pissed at his behavior in Eclipse and is so upset that he was ruined (because he was so cool and sweet before, why did Meyers do him so dirty???).
Will say the lines in over dramatic voices just to hear you giggle at random moments. “THIS IS THE SKIN OF A KILLER BELLA!!”
He doesn’t have the patience to read the books but will listen to audio books while painting and really likes them, especially on a rainy day…it jsut hits different.
Leah Clearwater is a QUEEN and his favorite character (and kind of hates Sam for breaking her heart).
