7. Vulnerability
"Awkwardness is an invitation to vulnerability,
and vulnerability is where intimacy and connection are found."
- Sammy Rhodes.
It was the third night Raphael spent on the living room couch, which unfortunately also meant he wouldn't be sleeping much again. With the way he felt restless, he probably should've been patrolling as the Nightwatcher. Certainly the criminals would be taking advantage of his absence by now, but he couldn't leave. He tried last night and he had gotten himself so riddled up about it he wasn't even able to step one foot out of the lair.
He glared daggers at his darkened room on the upper floor. The couch had a direct view to it. Hence his sleep deprivation. She was in there, sleeping in his bed, brushing her head in his pillows, spreading her perfume all over his sheets. How was he supposed to sleep there again whenever he got his room back? He really had the wickedest of luck. For weeks, Raph had been mooning over the woman he saw on the balcony and it turned out she was actually his brother's savior, and apparently intimate friend.
Michelangelo was too handsy, he decided with a frown. He always seemed to have an excuse to touch her and she wasn't any better. Even with Donnie, Sage had no care at all about patting his cheeks or holding his hand. He was green with jealousy, pun intended and all. He wanted to be that close to her. He wanted her to feel at ease around him but every time he got near her, she pierced him with those eyes and his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. So he ended up avoiding her.
For what seemed like the hundredth time in the last hour, Raph squirmed in the uncomfortable cushions sighing. Maybe he should turn on the TV...
Yeah, he thought, that sounded like an idea. He would keep the volume low and that way he could see how the upside world was doing. He was about to turn it on when the presence light in his room was lit.
He frowned. What was she doing up at two am?
Raph was slightly tempted to overlook the fact that she should be resting but he couldn't ignore the loud thump and the curse he heard next. He took a swift jump into the next floor and opened the door after a quick knock, finding Sage almost falling off the edge of the bed and rubbing her forehead. It had a red spot, he noticed with a scowl.
"What're you doin'?" he snapped in a hush tone, fighting the nervous knots tying his insides as she fixed him with her eyes like the sea. "You gotta rest, not try t' get yerself more injured!"
She had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry... did I wake you?"
"No but that ain't the point," he answered maybe a little too sourly. "What are you doin'?"
"I can't sleep so I thought I might read a little... Donnie lent me one of his books and it's really interesting..." She stopped rubbing the red spot on her head and picked up the book to show him - Cosmos by Carl Sagan. Raphael furrowed his eye ridge.
"Y'can read that?"
"Of course I can read it," she hissed, clearly offended by his question. "I have a master's degree in ancient mythology and a PHD in advanced sciences, do I by any chance look dumb to you?"
He raised his hands up in surrender. Shit, he really didn't mean to offend her. "Sorry," he mumbled more gently.
"It's fine." Sage sighed, touching her sore forehead again.
"What about dat? How'd you get that bump in yer head?" Raph caught her looking down. He followed her gaze, spotting his leather-bound sketch book that he kept under the bed. He was forced to fight back a grin. "Were ya snoopin' around?"
Raph loved the way her cheeks turned pink. He wanted to make her blush more, she really looked lovely. As she tucked some of her curls behind her ear, his eyes followed the gesture intensely which only seemed to aggravate her embarrassment.
"I'm very sorry... I was just curious..." she said nervously.
Maybe he would regret it later, but still he crouched down and picked up the sketch book. He swept the dust off from the black cover and handed it to her. Sage stared at him in surprise. Of course she would be. After all, he had barely even spoken two whole sentences to her.
"You can have it. I need a new one anyway," he said, "but you gotta rest. So if you don't turn this light off in fifteen minutes I'm comin' in here and I'll do it myself."
After she agreed, Raph stepped out of the room. He stood just outside the closed door for a moment, listening to the sound of the pages turning. When she gasped, he grinned and leapt through the railing, landing on the ground floor and plopping down on the couch once more. He knew what had caught her atention. He had done a couple sketches of her after the night he saw her on the balcony. As much as he wanted to go back into the room and see her face, Sage turned off the lights not long after so he didn't get the chance.
He snuggled a bit more into the cushions, wondering if she would be able to look him in the face the next morning or if she would be too embarrassed. He hoped she wouldn't be.
Sage was startled awake the next morning by a rather loud knock on the door. Glancing briefly at the clock she realized it wasn't as early as she initially assumed and she should probably stop staying up until late. Or maybe I shouldn't, she thought with a smile, considering last night was the first time she had an actual conversation with Raphael. He truly was the difficult brother, just like Mikey told her.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Mikey as he let himself in. He was carrying a tray with a porridge bowl, orange juice and a little rose in a crystal vase. He was grinning widely which made her erupt in a fit of giggles. Mikey was such a goofball. Who wouldn't be infected by his good humor?
"I brought my princess the healthiest, most tastiest breakfast by Chef Mikester himself!" he chanted happily approaching the bed.
"Aww you spoil me too much, Mikey!" She chuckled.
"Oh hush! You deserve to be just as pampered as I was by you," he said as a matter-of-factly. He furrowed his forehead, eyeing something behind her pillow. "What's that?"
Following his eyes, she noticed the sketch book exactly underneath where she had laid her head. She blushed. She forgot about that.
"Oh uh, it's nothing, just a sketch book. So are you going to give me that fabulous breakfast or not?" Sage asked, effectively changing the focus of his attention. Mikey sat with her while she ate, chatting animatedly. He was completely oblivious to the fact that she wasn't listening to a single word he said and she was thankful for that.
The events of last night played around in her mind. She could hardly believe he had actually come to check on her. Well, in all fairness, she was making a bit of a ruckus and he was sleeping in the living room so it was only natural he would be concerned, especially after she cursed. Seeing him walk through that doorway with those sultry eyes glaring at her really made her heart jump. She hadn't had a reaction like that since she started dating her ex-husband, even then it wasn't quite so strong.
What in the world was hapening to her? She already knew she was attracted to the strong, silent and dark type of guy but did the same apply with humanoid turtles?
An incredibly vivid image of Raphael standing with his deliciously muscly arms crossed over an equally hard plastron; his strong face set in an seemingly permanent scowl took her breath way. He looked human enough to her, and she was oddly fascinated by his different skin color and texture, just like she had first been with Mikey. Perhaps it was because of her choice of profession. She did spent all of her days surrounded by animals.
No; she shook her head. It wasn't like she thought of them as animals. She simply didn't care that they were different. It only meant they were special and unique, and she liked them all just as they were.
Sage thought about the sketch book again. There were sketches of her in the last few pages of the book, beautifully made too. Raphael truly had an artistic hand, and no one would've guessed. He had captured nearly every detail of her face, although he might have a slightly exaggerated perception of her. She hardly thought she was that beautiful.
She knew it was him on that chimney on that night, weeks ago. After Mikey had told her about his brothers and about how Raph was always disappearing during nighttime, it wasn't all that difficult to guess. He was far away from her loft, and he was half hidden by the shadows and wearing a sort of shiny outfit but the helmet was off and she had very good eyesight. Sage could tell by the contours of his face what he was and she could tell he had dark eyes. Those eyes had been watching her then.
He really shouldn't have eyes like that... They showed too much burning passion.
"You alright, babe?" Mikey's soft voice snapped her back to reality. "You were staring off the whole time..."
She flashed him a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Mikey, no need to fuss over me," she said. "But now that you asked, I think a bath would make me feel a lot better. Do you think I could have one?"
"Sure, just be careful with those stiches."
"Of course!" Sage waved off his concern. When he suddenly swept her up in his arms, she squeaked with the startle and she instinctively clung to his neck. "Bloody hell, Mikey, give a girl a warning before you do something like this!"
"And miss on a face like that? No way!" He laughed, getting himself an eye roll. Carrying her like she weighed less than a feather, Mikey took her to the small bathroom on the first floor and gently sat her down on the toilet. He turned on the hot water, plugging the bathtub. "You can use anything you need. When you're done, knock on the door or call me, okay?"
He left her to her bath and Sage undressed carefully while she waited for the bathtub to fill. The wound was looking better. She was thankful for her extraordinarily fast healing body otherwise she wouldn't be able to move around as much as she did. A few more days and she might even be walking. Okay, highly unlikely but still, she was allowed to at least dream. Her only main concern was the clinic and she hoped Donnie had her phone fixed by tonight so she could call someone to look after it for a while.
She lowered herself slowly into the warm water, sighing contently. She hadn't taken a bath in what seemed like forever, she thought as she leaned back, sinking lower until she had water up to her chin. It felt heavenly.
Then there was of course James. He was supposed to be taking Damian to Mexico for the next two weeks since school's summer break had started yesterday. Sage wasn't going to deny her son that. So she would have to figure out a way to get him up top and to his father's estate, hopefully with the help of the brothers.
Sage looked through the different scented shampoos curiously. They had more than she assumed, probably brought to them by their friend April, whom she was dying to meet. Just by smelling them, she could immediately tell which one belonged to each brother. Green apple for Mikey. Spearmint and lemon oils for Donnie. Cedar wood for Raphael. His was the strongest and she remembered it clearly from when he had carried her into the lair, but it was mixed with something else then. Something spicy and alluring which she recognized was his own body scent.
Deciding it probably wouldn't be the best idea to get his smell on her skin, no matter how much she was tempted to, Sage opted for a lemon scented one.
Once she was finally cleaned and feeling a thousand pounds lighter, she eased out of the tub and wrapped a fluffy towel around her. She knocked on the door a few times like Mikey instructed her to but there was no answer. Frowning, she repeated, this time more heavily. She was met with no answer again.
Sage huffed and pounded furiously on the door. When it swung open, she froze.
"R-Raphael?!" she squeaked, staring at the petrified turtle in front of her. If she wasn't as shocked as he was, she might've laughed at his face. Her hands flew to her chest to make sure her towel was tightly secured and she gulped when his eyes followed the movement and then roamed over her figure. The bathroom heated, making her sweat and it wasn't because of the steam.
She briefly heard the sound of someone coming down the stairs whistling. Before she could react, Raphael suddenly stepped fully inside and closed the door behind him. Sage gaped at him, trying desperately to ignore the frantic pounding of her heart as she realized the bathroom was too small for the two of them to stand in there without nearly touching each other.
"Are you insane?" she snapped, hiding her nervousness behind irritation.
"Mikey was gonna see you in dat!" he growled back fiercely, his eyes darkening.
He was too close. She could feel his hot breath on her face and she was fairly certain the loud thumping she was hearing was his heartbeat. Then again, maybe that was hers. She ignored the way her body reacted and faced him directly, tilting her chin up defiantly set on not showing him any sign of vulnerability.
"Your brother has seen me with less clothing than this, Raphael," she said. It was with great pleasure that Sage saw the muscles in his jaw clench.
"Want me to call 'im then? I bet you much rather get his help dan mine!"
"I didn't say that," she started, softening a little, "I never rejected your help, Raphael, you just never offered it to me."
Raph faltered, knowing she was right. He opened and closed his hands by his sides in a nervous habit. "I ain't good with women," he finally confessed, breaking the silence. Sage gave him a strange look, lifting an eyebrow, and he rolled his eyes. "Human women, a'ight? I ain't good with human women."
Well that got her laughing. "Sorry," she added quickly when he made a face. "You do know women are all the same, right? It doesn't matter if we're from different species, when it comes to attitude and thinking we are all pretty similar."
"That ain't true..." he mumbled under his breath. "Look, you want my help or not? You ain't supposed to be this long on yer feet."
"Oh so you want to carry me out of this bathroom where you locked yourself with me for the last fifteen minutes while I'm in nothing but a towel and take me to your room in front of your brothers and father?" Sage smirked when her words sunk in his head and he scowled.
"There ain't much ova choice, is there?" He growled, "either way we gotta come out."
"Hey don't look at me like that, I don't mind it," she chuckled, peering up at him through her long lashes. "But I'm pretty sure you're going to be embarrassed, Raphael."
He made a guttural sound in the back his throat that rumbled pleasantly in her belly. "Can you just stop callin' me that? Geez, yer a freakin' frustratin' woman, y'know that?"
Before she could talk back, Raphael swooped her in his arms and exited the hot steamy bathroom. Like she predicted, Donnie was sitting by his desk working on fixing her phone and Mikey was on the floor playing PS3 with Damian, and looking like he was losing too. They all glanced up at the two of them and the expression on Mikey's face was more than enough to make her to blush.
Raphael, however, was unaffected by the attention. He ignored his brothers and made his way up the stairs leading to his room. Sage lowered her head to his wide shoulder.
"What don't you want me to call you?" she asked curiously.
"Raphael," he grunted.
"But that's your name..."
Kicking the door open, he stepped inside and sat her down on the bed. "Yeah but everyone calls me Raph," he said.
"I'm not calling you that." Sage pointed to the orange oversized sweater Mikey had given her to wear, "can you hand me that please?"
He tossed her the sweater. "Why not?"
"Because I like your name," she explained as she pulled the sweater over her head, dropping the towel once it covered her to the knees. "I think it's beautiful."
She might've been mistaken, but Raphael's emerald green cheeks turned a light shade of pink. Sage smiled; he was cute when he was embarrassed. He ignored her comment. He cleared his throat and gently helped her under the covers, rearranging her pillow so she could be comfortable leaning against it.
He smelled so good. And he was so warm. She wished she could reach out and pull him into the bed with her. She wanted to cuddle against him, nuzzle his neck and chest. Something in her face showed him what she was thinking because Raphael's sultry eyes darkened when he pulled back and saw her face. She wondered if he had ever felt the warmth of another human body before, or if he had ever been touched by a real woman.
Her hand moved without her consent, gingerly brushing his still rosy cheek. She felt him stop breathing.
"Thank you, Raphael," she murmured softly. He drew back abruptly as if electrocuted. Sage frowned, looking at her hand deeply hurt. What did she do wrong?
After grunting a 'you're welcome', Raph exited the room, leaving her alone. She sighed dejectedly but thankfully she barely had any chance to dwell on his sudden coldness because soon a disgruntled Mikey and her perky son showed up to keep her company.
Karai prepared herself for the punishment coming her away. She took pride in not even flinching when his heavy hand struck her cheek, nearly sending her flying backwards hadn't she stood her ground stubbornly.
"HOW COULD YOU LET THE BOY GO?!" her new master wailed angrily.
"We did not let him go, Your Highness," she tried to explain, hanging her hand down. "He was stolen."
"YOU FOOL!" He spat distastefully. "You allow for our only lead to the scroll to be taken right underneath your noses! You and your clan of imbeciles are useless!"
"I will accept whichever sentence you decide for me, my Lord, but please spare my ninjas. This falls entirely on me," Karai begged as she dropped to her knees at the mercy of her master's cruelty.
The man sneered at her. "My time is far too precious to be wasted on shameful vermin like you. If this is proving to be too much for you, perhaps it might be time for my faithful sons to join you."
As if summoned by his words, three tall and large figures stepped from behind his throne. One was the spitting image of his father, but the other two couldn't look any more different. Their hair was dark as night and their eyes shockingly pale blue. The three of them carried fierce looks on their faces and the air around them cracked with a power that made Karai shudder in fear.
"Can I trust you, my sons?"
They bowed down to him respectfully, placing their fists over their hearts. "We shall not fail you, Father."
Alright, one more chapter done, guys! :D What did you think?
