The entirety of this piece holds a little more than what ff.net will allow, but the first part of it is amusing in its own rite. So read, enjoy, and head to my website if you decide you want to read the rest of it.
Dedicated to… well… you know who you are. ;) Thanks for the vacation…
Central Park was not the place to be walking around in the middle of the night. She sometimes wondered if the people who were stupid enough to come in here after sunset, alone and unarmed, really did have a death wish. Being stupid was a crime in this city, and the penalty was quite often death. But she didn't particularly feel endangered. Hell, it would take a lot more than a drunk thug with a knife to pose a threat to her now, and she knew it. And if anyone did decide to attack her… well, that would fall under another category of "stupidity".
She squeezed Donatello's hand gently, squinting into the darkness as the rain misted against her faces. He raised their joined hands and kissed the back of hers lightly, continuing to walk slowly along the path. He still hadn't decided if he liked the rain. It wasn't particularly cold, but the occasional gust of wind sent shivers down his spine. He could feel her body tremble slightly when it did, and it had him worried. His eyes turned to her, and he frowned slightly.
"Are you okay?" he questioned. "You want to go home?"
She glanced back at him and offered a broad smile, squeezing his hand tighter. "Oh, no, Don, it's okay. I like the rain. S'just a chilly wind is all."
He studied her for a moment, and let it go as she leaned in to kiss his cheek. They turned, and started into an open space of the park. Not only was the wind coming straight at them now, but there were no trees to block it. He watched as her head lowered, shielding her face as a particularly strong gust hit them. Her hair whipped up and around, stinging her face with the thin strands. She should've brought a jacket. But she'd known the rain itself was bathwater warm and she didn't think that…
The thought was cut off by an arm wrapping around her shoulders. He pulled her closer, and she smiled as she relaxed against him. Through his trench coat, it didn't offer all that much warmth, but it somehow seemed to warm her in a different way. It felt good to be close to him. She felt sheltered, protected. It was funny, but she fully believed that she could walk through the worst part of town at two in the morning, and have nothing to fear if he was with her. She'd seen him in action only with his brothers, never in a real-life fight. But if he could take on the three of them, who were all just as well-trained as he was, how could she not have full faith in his abilities to take on anyone who should happen to threaten her?
She looked up, watching as a couple with an umbrella passed by them, laughing and falling into each other. Donatello's eyes followed, but he didn't otherwise acknowledge them. They were probably drunk, from the looks of it. Not that it was any of his business. As long as they weren't bothering him, he could care less if they were drunk or high or otherwise uninhibited. He ignored them, squeezing her shoulder tightly as he turned to kiss her damp hair. She smiled and tilted her head, bringing her lips to the underside of his chin in return.
A bicycle passed, and a man with a child in a raincoat splashed through the puddles, but no attention was given to the two figures huddled against each other as they walked. Donatello watched, well aware of his surroundings even as his mind wandered far away. He wasn't sure exactly how he'd ended up here. It had started with a need to get out of the lair, away from the bickering that seemed to invade and conquer his mind, making it totally impossible to think. He'd gone to her apartment and from there… well, it had seemed like a good idea at the time. And maybe it still was. But he couldn't help but be slightly worried when he saw her curl up like that.
The wind was broken by a thick set of trees and they slowed, no longer rushing to get to shelter. He brushed her hair back from her face and she looked up at him. "You sure you're okay?"
She smiled and reached up to touch the side of his face. "I'm fine, Donny," she whispered. "If I wasn't, I'd tell you."
"Okay, well… I just wanted to make sure is all."
She leaned in closer and kissed his cheek. Again. He worried about her way too much. But in a way, it was kind of cute. It made her feel cared for, and she knew she was. "I'm fine," she assured him. "I promise. This is nice."
He smiled, finally allowing her to convince him, and nodded slightly. He hugged her tighter for just a moment, then his eyes moved away, scanning the area around him carefully. He looked for any signs that they weren't completely alone. Nothing moved, except the leaves in the trees and the rain hitting the park around them.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
He turned and shot her a questioning, amused look. "Hmm?"
"You look like you're expecting something to jump out at us. Do you hear something?"
He smiled faintly, reassuringly, and shook his head. "No, it's okay. Don't worry about it."
His defenses didn't lower, but he made an effort to mask them as they continued walking. He wasn't worried, just cautious. This place was unprotected. The darkness was comforting, but the rain blurred his vision. His senses were unreliable. It was instinctive to implement that higher level of awareness. He'd been trained that way from the time he was a kid.
A bench along the side of the path caught his eye, and he stopped. "You wanna sit down?"
She followed his gaze, and smiled slightly. "Yeah."
Before he had a chance to walk toward the bench, she'd already found something else more interesting. "Oh!"
She grabbed his arm and begun leading him away from it. He looked, trying to figure out where she was taking him, and his eyes came to rest on a shortcut through the trees, and a tall structure behind it. She skipped toward it, over the wet grass, dragging him by the arm. It took a moment for his eyes to make out what it was she was taking him to, and he hesitated. "Um… wait a minute… You really think…?"
"Relax," she laughed, flashing him a smile. "There's no one here at this time of night. Especially in the rain. Come on."
She let go of him and turned to dart out into the open area beyond the trees. The wind had died down, at least for a moment, and she seemed unaffected by it as she scrambled up the steps of the playground structure. He looked around carefully before following her at a slow walk. She perched at the top of a long metal slide and looked down at him as he positioned himself at the bottom of it. "You know, technically there is a curfew here," he reminded her.
She smiled. "I know… You think we'll get arrested?" Her voice held a hint of danger and excitement, and he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about it.
"Well, no, but…"
He cut off as he watched her come down the slide and took a step back as she reached the bottom of it. Her knees touched his as she lay back on the metal slab. An involuntary smile crossed his lips as she stretched out. He wasn't sure if the pose was meant to be seductive… but it was, at any rate. He crossed his arms as he watched her for a moment. She winked at him, then sat up. Her hands went to his hips for balance, nearly pulling him over on top of her as she sprang to her feet. He dropped one foot back and spread them apart to steady himself, his arms circling her waist instinctively.
"Come on," she urged. "Learn to have a little fun."
He smiled. "Watching you is fun enough."
She rolled her eyes at the pathetic attempt at justification, but continued to smile as she pushed him back. "Tag! You're it."
His stance was still strong, but he was caught off guard as she scrambled back away from him. He couldn't help but laugh. She was so spontaneous. He guessed that was probably what he loved about her. It was so unlike his own way. Not that she was irresponsible or anything, but she was just so… free. There didn't seem to be a whole lot of structure in her life, and she liked it that way. That kind of immediacy was something he loved.
He tried to grab her, but missed. He stared for a moment, not entirely sure what to say or do about her statement. He could remember a few times, playing tag. He clearly remembered it as a contact sport. And he'd always paid dearly for it later, when something in the house was broken or someone ended up getting hurt. He'd never really been into those kinds of games in the first place. It was something to do when he was bored, but he'd been much fonder of the board and strategy games. But somehow, chasing her around a dark playground in the rain held a different sort of intrigue for him.
She spun and bent down with her hands on her knees, raising one hand to beckon him with her finger. After a moment of hesitation, he started toward her. She skipped back a few steps, then turned and ran, splashing through puddles of muddy rainwater as she headed around the opposite side of the play structure.
She was already up the steps and into the wooden maze by the time he reached the outer edge of it. He scanned the area, easily found the exits and entrances, and darted up the slide closest to her. She stood at the top, feigning annoyance as she glared at him for a moment. "You're supposed to go down the slide, Donny," she chastised, skipping back and up a few more steps. "Didn't you ever play Chutes and Ladders?"
He considered that for a brief moment as he reached the top of the slide and swung under the bar. "Actually, I've never played that particular board game."
She was still trying to figure out if that was meant to be an excuse as he darted up the steps between them and onto the long platform. Ahead of him, she crossed the swinging, rope and wood bridge and spun to see how close he was. Too close for comfort. The bridge rocked as he stepped onto it and stopped, a smile creeping across his face. She jumped back and circled a half wall sticking up out of the floor, strategically placing it between them. But it wouldn't deter him, and she knew it. She jumped back, scrambling to get down the slide before he vaulted over the top of it.
There was no time to sit down and go down the slide the right way. She scrambled down it in a crawl and took off running. He didn't bother with the slide. The seven foot drop wasn't enough to hinder him, and he sprang off the side of the structure, landing crouched. He was back on his feet in an instant, running after her.