Hey guys! Bonus round, two chapters in one night, whew! Ok, so now might be the time to admit that I'm relatively new to the TMNT fandom, but I've done a bit of research, so I feel pretty comfortable with it. I also would like to admit that I hardly know anything about dancing. I've seen the classics, Dirty Dancing, Flash Dance, Shall We Dance, etc., but I myself don't know how to dance. :/ So, I will try to keep the technical terms down so as to not annoy those of you who do know how. Alright, enough talking. Let's get to it!
I do not own Britney Spears' "Hit Me Baby One More Time."
Raph had been hoping beyond reason that Donnie would just forget about the whole thing. He wished that something would happen that would make it impossible for Raph to be subjected to this cruel and unusual torture. He began hoping that the Foot or the Purple Dragon, shell, even the Kraang would keep them busier than normal so Raph could just have some escape from the humiliation of being Donnie's dance partner, even if no one knew about it.
But unfortunately for Raph, none of those things happened.
After training the next day, Raph tried to quickly sneak away into the sewer before Donatello could catch him. But the techie was quicker.
"Hey, Raph!"
Raphael cringed as he heard Donnie call his name just as he was about to slip out of the lair. He stood there with his fists clenched at his sides, gritting his teeth. He knew from the heat in his cheeks that he was probably bright red already.
"Can you give me a hand with something?" Donnie asked from behind him.
Raph couldn't turn. He just couldn't do it.
He decided to just keep walking like he hadn't even heard Donnie.
But suddenly there the horrible sound of someone whistling an all too familiar tune.
Raph stopped in his tracks again and screwed his eyes shut as he listened to Donnie start to sing softly.
"My loneliness is killin' me, and I…"
Anyone else listening wouldn't have thought anything of it. But for Raph, it worked like an invisible rope to turn him around and draw him, ever so slowly, stomping towards Donnie's lab.
He didn't even look up at his brother's face as he silently stormed past him. If he had, he would have seen the most triumphant expression plastered on Donatello's mug.
Entering the lab, Raph found that a few of the tables had been moved around so that there was a larger space in the center. The shift was subtle, but it made Raphael's stomach drop and his temper flare even further.
Hearing the click of door, Raph spun around to look at Donnie.
"Well?" Raph asked him, like he didn't know what he had called him in here for.
Donnie just walked past him towards the computer screen, already talking.
"Since I'm already a little ahead of you in training, I think it would be to our greatest advantage if you learned some of the basic steps before we progress further. I've saved some of the most helpful videos I was able to find on the web. We'll see how far you get today and then go from there," Donnie said as he bent over his computer, clicking open a few different pages.
Raph was starting to fidget, getting irritated that it looked like he really wasn't going to be able to get out of this.
"Donnie," Raph said, clearing his voice as the purple banded turtle kept his eyes on the screen. "I've been thinking-"
Donatello peaked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.
"Are you feeling well, Raph?"
Raphael glared at him.
"Ha-ha, very funny. I was just thinking… that maybe it would be better if you got Mikey or even Leo to do this with you."
Donnie turned back to the screen.
"Not that letting everyone know about this isn't just a fantastically appealing idea, but that wouldn't work anyway. Mikey wouldn't be able to A, take it seriously, and B, be able to keep his mouth shut. Leo wouldn't do it and at the moment I have nothing in my possession that I would be able to blackmail him with, though I'm working on that… So!" Donnie said as he finally found the video he was searching for and turned around to face Raph. "That leaves you, whom I already have under my control."
"I ain't under nobody's control!" Raph said, pointing an angry green finger at Donnie.
Donnie just rolled his eyes.
"Sure, fine. Alright, let's see here…" Donnie looked Raph up and down swiftly, frowning and moving towards him.
Raph suddenly put his hands up and took a step back.
"No, I changed my mind," Raph said. This COULD NOT happen…
Donnie almost looked like he was about to object, but then a look of indifference settled over his features.
"Fine with me."
Raph stopped backing up. Had it really just been that easy?
"…Really?" Raph asked suspiciously.
Donnie shrugged nonchalantly.
"Yeah Raph. If you really feel that strongly about it, I can't stop you from leaving."
Raph saw a spark of hope in the dark.
He almost broke down and thanked Donnie for his generosity, but instead he stood up straighter and cleared his throat.
"Ok," Raph said, not knowing what else to say. He turned to leave.
He couldn't believe how narrowly he had avoided that catastrophe. He could shout with happiness!
But just as he grabbed the door handle, ready to bolt from the lab and do a cartwheel with glee, Donatello called out from behind him.
"I just want you to know Raph," Donnie said sweetly. "I might not be able to stop you from leaving… But I can have that video on fifty different websites and sent to every single person in my contacts within half an hour. That should average out to about three thousand views by lunch.
And showing your face and exposing our secrete existence wouldn't be a problem because I already faded the image so that it's unrecognizable to anyone who hasn't already seen one of us… But your voice should be entertaining enough for every viewer to forward it to a few friends. That will make it about nine thousand views by dinner time. By tomorrow-"
"ARIGHT I GET IT, I GET IT!" Raph shouted as he turned back into the room, more than a little down hearted.
He could just beat that arrogant look off his brother's face. Raph was positively fuming. His breath was already coming heavily with fury.
"I'll… I'll…" Raph growled. The last word came out as a snarl under his breath. "Stay."
"Excellent!" Donnie said clapping his hands together and ushering Raphael back to the center of the floor.
"BUT," Raph growled. "If ANYONE hears about this, I will pound ya into the concrete so far that they'll need a crane to pick out your body. Got it?"
Donnie rolled his eyes, but he smiled none the less.
"Understood. Infliction of bodily harm and all that. You do know that I want this to be kept just as quiet as you do, right?"
Raph didn't answer, but instead just glowered at the floor. He couldn't believe that he was doing this.
"Alright," Donnie said as he moved back to the computer. He looked weirdly excited. "So, just watch what the instructors do and try to mimic their movements."
Raph grumbled something incoherent.
"Here we go," Donnie said as he clicked play, looking back at Raph.
Raph just started at the floor. He really felt like hitting something.
Donnie huffed in annoyance.
"Raphael! This will be over much more quickly if you just try and participate and learn."
More grumbles.
Donnie backed the video up and waited until the larger turtle looked at the computer. He clicked play when Raph finally dragged his gaze upward.
Raph listened to the heavy accented voice start to explain the names of the starting positions. Donnie just leaned up against the table, inspecting him with an observant expression. Raph spotted a clipboard in his brother's hands.
Ok, that was so not going to happen! There was no way he was going to be "evaluated" like this.
"You just gonna stand there watch'n?" Raph barked. This was beyond uncomfortable.
Donnie made a sound of vexation.
"Just copy the video!"
Raph fidgeted and looked back at the screen, trying to glare holes in it.
He looked down at his own feet.
"By myself?" Raph asked before he could think better of it.
"You want me to do it with you?"
"NO!"
Donnie sighed in exasperation and put down his pen and paper.
Coming over to where Raph stood awkwardly, he made a face.
"This part is easy," the genius turtle said. "Watch."
Raph watched as Donnie stood up a little straighter, and started to step forward, across and together, then back again.
"See? Easy. We'll work on heel placement and posture later."
He looked back his brother, who only blinked.
Donnie held back another sigh and stood next to Raph.
"Here. This time do it with me."
Raph's eyebrow knitted together and his jaw was clenched, but he reluctantly followed Donatello's movements.
His movements were unsure, but Donnie could see that it wouldn't take that long to get Raph used to dancing if he just tried hard.
They made a full revolution and came back to a standstill, Raph looking up from Donnie's feet.
"Good! See how simple that is?" Donnie asked.
Raph refused to say anything, so Donnie just decided to let him stay quiet.
"Again," Donnie said.
They had almost made another revolution when Raph threw his hands up in the air.
"Forget it! I don't care! Post the fricking video! I'm lea-" He said as he started for the door.
"Oh, no you don't!" Donnie cut him off and grabbed him by edge of his shell, towing him back to his original spot.
Raph shook him off but stayed put, which Donnie took as a good sign.
"Again."
They carried on like this for a few days. Donnie would show Raph a video, adding in his own learnings whenever it looked like Raph needed encouragement. They covered the basic steps for a few dances and the corresponding posture. Donnie tried to tell him about breathing and how not looking like you wanted to kill somebody while you dance, but he soon gave up on that when Raph would simply refuse to move afterward.
It was hard to coax him into it, but it seemed like this private humiliation was worth sparing himself from the promise of very very public mortification.
Donnie could see that, no matter how much he might hate it, Raph was coming along. He wasn't fluid and it didn't look exactly natural, but Raph definitely was absorbing the information and he was paying attention to what Donatello was teaching him. And it helped Donnie to relearn the information by teaching someone else.
Donnie had to have his wits about him to be able to snag Raph before he would sneak away though. If anything, this whole thing was proving just how stealthy the bulky ninja really could be when he wanted. There had been a whole day where he knew that Raph was still in the lair because the sensors he had set up were telling him that no one had come or gone, but he still couldn't find Raph anywhere. Donnie had started to wonder if he'd somehow snuck past the sensors when the clock struck dinner time, and Raph magically reappeared.
"Where were you all day?" Leo asked, having obviously noticed their brother's absence as well.
Raph had just shrugged slyly and snagged a piece of pizza.
"Around. Working on my shadow skills."
Donnie had just scoffed and given him a pointed look.
He made a mental note to set his scanners to check for unknown escape routes in the lair.
In a few days' time, Donnie believed that Raph was ready enough to start really helping him advance his own skills.
"Ok, let's try something new," Donnie said after he had caught Raph making a bee line for his room after lunch one day. He nearly had to haul the red masked turtle into the lab.
Raph just stood there and grumbled something Donnie couldn't hear. Donnie had learned to ignore such things. He noticed though that Raph looked up in suspicion when he didn't turn his computer on.
"No video today?" Raph asked.
Donnie smiled, trying to make sure that Raph wouldn't bolt and run again.
"Nope. You're going to dance with me today. You're going to be my partner."
Raph's eyes widened and his muscle tensed like he was going to sprint away. That was another thing Donnie had learned. Raphael was fast when he wanted to be. Mainly when Donnie said that they were done for the day and Raph left the lab in a cloud of dust, like he'd vanished into thin air.
Before Raph could make a break for it, Donnie grabbed his shoulder and held him in place.
"Alright, so you remember how it goes?" Donnie asked quickly. "I'll take the part of the gentlemen for this session, and you can be… Ahem, I'll lead," Donnie finished as he saw the flames shoot from Raph's eyes over what he had almost just said.
"Place you're right hand here on my shoulder… Bend your elbow."
"That would be a lot easier if you weren't such a fricking giant," Raph griped as he reached up to his taller brother.
Donnie suppressed a smile. At least he was comfortable enough to complain and make jokes again.
"And take my right hand in your left… And I put my left hand under your-"
"You better keep that hand up topside or I will bust my foot off in your ass, buddy-"
"Shoulder," Donnie finished, doing just that.
He felt his cheeks redden as Raph refused to look him in the eye. Donnie had been so focused on getting Raph to cooperate that he hadn't considered that this would be uncomfortable for him as well.
They stood there like that for an awkward moment.
"You're leading, genius," Raph barked finally.
"Oh, yes. Right," Donatello said, clearing his throat.
It turned out that dancing with Raph was going to be more difficult than Donnie had originally anticipated. Not only was Donnie taller, but Raph made sure to keep the maximum amount of space between them at all times, which made their movements sloppy and awkward. There was a lot of feet stepped on, sudden changes in directions, and near shouting matches when it came to making sure that just one of them was leading.
It was exhausting.
But the end of the afternoon, they were both ready to tear each other's heads off. Raph finally said that he quit for the day and stormed off, leaving Donnie feeling cross and frustrated in the lab.
Later on patrol, the two were still a little irritated at each other. They tried to ignore it, but they weren't overly successful at it.
"Ok, guys," Leo whispered as they came up out of the man hole. "Let's keep together tonight. There's been more clan activity down on 6th avenue the last few nights, so let's hit it together."
Raph and Donnie both grumbled, having both been hoping to split up and get away from each other.
They had made it to 6th without incident, when suddenly Raph bumped into Donnie when he stopped short in front of him.
"Watch it!" Raph hissed.
"Me? Why don't you watch where you're going?" Donnie hissed back.
"I could if you weren't always blocking my way."
"Well, then maybe you need to look up from your feet."
"Maybe you need to shut your yap and not be so demanding."
"Maybe you should learn how to listen!"
"Maybe you shouldn't always have to be in the lead!"
"You always try to take the lead!"
"Only because you're trying to be so controlling, ya gangly nerd!"
"I'm only controlling because you don't know what the shell you're doing, you block headed ignoramus!"
"GUYS!" Leo whisper-shouted above their bickering. "Shut up and fall in!"
They scowled at each other but kept quiet for the rest of the patrol, with Leo and Mikey giving each other confused glances.
Tension? Awkwardness? Embarrassment? Go figure… Well, let's see if the boys can work things out… Also! A big thank you to Kuronique Misaki, TMNTFANGIRLFOREV, and Guest for lovely comments and liking this story!