The Daywatcher – 7th in the Leo x Asha series following Captive Heart
Rating: K
Solitude. Blessed Solitude. He hated meditating, but had to admit that the quiet of this place did something for him that sitting in the dojo did not. Raphael had discovered an old swinging tire in one of the large trees near the pond that he wanted to investigate. He walked out to the tree, grateful not to have been followed by Mikey or pestered by Leo. Both of them having girlfriends was irritating as hell, but also had its perks. Birds chirped in the trees, flying back and forth occasionally swooping perhaps to pluck a bug or worm from the ground below.
When he reached the swinging tire he was pleased to discover it was very large, like it may have belonged to a truck or something. It might even be big enough…. He eased his large frame onto it carefully just in case it didn't support his weight. The branch seemed pretty thick and strong but still. There, it was perfect. His shell fit perfectly into the hollow space of the tire. Goodness he hadn't been able to do this since he was a small turtle in the lair. Cautiously, he moved his legs a little causing him to swing just a tad bit. It reminded him of his hammock at home and he instantly relaxed, legs and arms dangling carelessly. Then he heard footsteps approach, and they were coming fast. Whoever it was, was running and unfortunately they were running in his direction. Dammit. Was there ever a time he could be left alone? Raph craned his neck to see who it was, ready to verbally rip them a new one. He saw it was Asha. She was running and stopped a ways down the small beach. She didn't seem to notice him. Asha always made it a point to speak to and acknowledge Raphael, but this time she was oblivious.
Raph reached his hand out to touch the tree trunk and stop himself from swinging. The tire didn't creek or make noise, but he didn't wanna chance it. From the short distance he could see she had on headphones. She was crouched down, hugging her arms around her knees and rocking on the balls of her feet. Her shoulders were hitching rhythmically, and at first he didn't know what to think until it dawned on him she was crying. Raph eased himself up. If she were crying shouldn't Leo be out here to comfort her? He had gotten all the way up and was facing towards the house when it clicked. She may have been crying because of Leo. Maybe they had a fight or something. He hesitated not knowing if he should simply leave the area, go get someone else, or heaven forbid go over there and try to comfort her himself. Raphael heard the clang of dishes coming from the kitchen in the distance. He heard the high pitch of April's laughter, and the pure joy of Mikey's. He turned back and looked at Asha, who was still crying and still unaware of his presence.
Finally, having come to a decision on what to do, he climbed back into the tire swing. Asha needed alone time obviously, and he was going to let her get it even if he wasn't going to get any himself. He sat quietly watching her and wondering what could have set her off. She was sobbing, wailing almost and he was surprised no one heard or came out to see what was going on. Even if they had come out, he was going to send them back the way they came or else. He knew that when he was very upset he needed to be left alone, and it hadn't escaped his notice that Asha behaved in a similar fashion.
A flash of anger hit him. If Leo was up to shenanigans again with this girl, Raph was gonna read him the riot act. Furthermore, if that were the case, he would advise Asha to break up with Leo. Maybe it wasn't his business or whatever, but playing with people was unlike Leo to do and Raph wasn't gonna watch him start now. It wasn't like they could just go out and get girlfriends, and it seemed like Leo was taking this opportunity purely for granted, and the thought of that just really got under Raph's shell.
Slowly, Asha's shoulders stopped moving. She remained in the same position rocking back and forth. He saw her wipe her face as she sniffled a little bit. She stood up and stretched, taking her headphones off to readjust them and then April was calling her name from the kitchen. Breakfast was ready. Asha's head snapped towards the sound, still unaware that Raphael sat a few yards away from her. Yeah, she was really not at herself. Asha was never this unmindful of her surroundings. He heard her clear her throat and yell that she was coming before trying to straighten her shoulders and make as if she had not been upset. Raph made not a sound, as he watched her trudge back up the little walkway to the house. Once she rounded the corner he let out a little sigh. Damn, that was deep. From her behavior he guessed she didn't want anyone to know she was crying. That was fine. Raphael was good at keeping secrets. He remained in the swing a few moments more before he heard his own name called. He didn't bother responding, just got up and headed for breakfast. He would try very hard not to make it awkward.