(3449 Words)
Raphael had been training with the hamatos for a consistent week, his injuries healing nicely in that time though he was sore almost all the time from either the intense training or the strain on the injuries. He had picked it up quickly and was bound to leap up the ranks rapidly. He had also been doing decent in school.
He'd been able to sneak notes off of Michelangelo easily without him noticing, Leonardo started to let up, and Donatello was the same as ever, if not more open to all of them. life in general seemed to just be starting to go his way. For now anyways.
Raphael wipes sweat from his brow, a small smile on his face after another successful day of training. "Nice work today guys." Leo says, taking a gulp of water from his water bottle. "I think you're all improving a lot." Raph tries not to show his pride in Leo's comment. He still wasn't his favorite guy to hang out with.
"Thanks Leo." Donnie says, tentatively patting Leo's shoulder. He wasn't one for hugs but he knew Leo mostly liked them so he tried. Leo smiles back at Donnie before getting tackled by the resident trouble-maker, Mikey. "Awe, thanks mama Leo!" He says, nuzzling his cheek into Leo's shirt. Leo laughs and rubs Mikey's back. "No problem little brother."
Raph stands a few feet away, feeling awkward as ever. Whenever the brothers got too touchy feel-y he normally just excused himself from the situation. It really wasn't his thing. Mikey looks up from Leo and over to Raph, giving him a knowing look. "Hey Raph~" He says in a sing song voice. "Uh, no." Raph says, crossing his arms.
"Raph~" Mikey says again, backing away from Leo and crouching down, getting ready to leap. "No." Raph says, narrowing his eyes. In Mikey's mind he heard a 'yes' and pounced on Raphael, tackling him in a big hug. "Oh, ugh!" Raph groans. "Come on man!" Leo and Donnie laugh as the two youngest struggle with each-other.
"Alright, alright, that's enough." Leo says as soon as the hug turned into a small sparing match. Mikey and Raph get separated by Leo and they both let out a small chuckle as they grab their bags. "Yo, where'd Dad go?" Mikey asks, sliding open the side door of the van. "He's still meditating." Leo answers. "He'll be back later." Raph never did get the point of meditation. It just never clicked.
They pile into the van and make the trip back home, joking about training and sending little jabs and insults at each-other. Like brothers do. "Dude, I wouldn't want to smell like you, or look like you for that matter." Raph had said with a laugh, aimed at Mikey. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm the cute one, plus I happen to smell like pizza." Mikey says with a laugh. "And at least I can read."
Raph shrinks back slightly. "I can read." Raph says defensively. "Right." Leo adds sarcastically. "That's why when we told you to put in the Carnival Beach movie you put in care bears." They both laugh, leaving Raph to turn away form the conversation and Donnie to watch Raph. "Uh guys." Donnie says quietly.
"Or why you still copy my notes." Mikey laughs. Raph feels a pang of panic and guilt in the pit of his stomach. He knew he still did that? Leo laughs along. "Guys?" Donnie says a little louder. "Or why you're in a special Ed class." Leo finishes, both boys laughing, in near hysterics. Raph folds his arms and looks out the window, trying to just block them out. "GUYS." Donnie shouts.
The van falls silent. "Do either of you remember that I'm in one too? Or that it could be a touchy subject? I don't talk about it at all! The fact that you even know was an accident. He wasn't going to tell us so don't be asses about it." Donnie rants, standing up for Raph. It hurt that he needed someone to stand up for him but he knew that anything he'd try would just make things worse.
"Uh..." Mikey says. "Sorry man... We got a little carried away..." Leo nods in agreement, his eyes on the road. "Sorry." Raph doesn't answer. Like he could. Anything he said would be a lie. If he said it was okay, it would be a lie. If he said it wasn't, that would be too. He knew if it was anyone else he'd probably be doing the same thing.
A couple seconds of silence later Raph lets out a muffled. "Whatever." And the rest of the ride was silent.
Back at the house it was like the car ride never happened. They all silently agreed to put it behind them and they were all laughing and joking around like they had been all day. "Oh, oh, oh, do you remember when Donnie was like six and he thought Dad was going to send him away because he broke a plate?" Mikey says, giggling.
They had been sharing weird and funny stories with each-other for nearly an hour now, waiting for their father to get home. "Oh yeah! That was hilarious!" Leo says. Raph and Donnie both roll their eyes, the two pure breeds not understanding the feeling, though they still shared smiles. "He hid it behind the fridge and when he found out it was Father's favorite I think he had an Arianism!" Leo laughs.
"He finally fessed up when Dad was cleaning the house and was about to clean behind the fridge!" Mikey says, throwing an arm around hid brother's shoulders. "I was legit scared." Donnie says. "You two don't understand. When you could be booted out of a home for any reason at any time, anything you do wrong is absolutely terrifying. especially when you're that little."
Leo and Mikey shrug and Raph nods, mumbling a low. "Real scary..." Leo bobs his head from side to side. "Yeah, I can see how that'd be scary." They joke some more and look at the clock. "Yo, it's getting pretty late. Where's Dad?" Mikey asks. "I don't know Mikey, sometimes when you meditate right-" He gives him a look. "It's hard to come out of it."
They're silent for a minute when they all jump at the sound of the doorbell. "I'll get it." Raph says, going to the door. He opens it and a girl with very dark brown hair and dressed in a way that could almost get her confused for a prostitute stands in the doorway. "Oh-!" She says, surprised. "Hello there." She finishes, her voice going deeper.
She walks passed Raph, trailing a hand across his chest as she goes. "Uh, hey, guys we have a visitor?" Raph says, very confused. He follows the girl to the living room where she walks in, throwing her arms in the air. "Surprise!" She says with a smile. Leo's face lights up and he stands to go over to her. "Karai!" He says. "I missed you so much." He gives her a kiss and everyone in the room feels awkward other than those two.
"So, uh, who is this?" Raph asks. "This is my girlfriend, Karai." Leo explains "Uh-huh." Raph says, sitting back down. It was weird, she had just walked in like she was flirting with him, her hand touching him and lingering. "Leo, babe, I'm sorry I was gone so long, I was supposed to be back a week ago but my dad's work stuff got delayed." She says, rubbing his shoulders. The two sit on the couch opposite Raph, cuddling close together.
"It's okay baby, you're here now and that's all that matters." Leo says with a smile. Mikey makes a gagging motion with his finger and Donnie rolls his eyes, trying not to laugh at his little brother. "Leo, will you get me a snack." She says in a whiny voice. "Sure babe." Leo says, standing up and walking to the kitchen. Karai smiles and looks over at the remaining boys. "So who's this one." She says, gesturing to Raph.
"Raph." Raph says simply. "Fostering." He says after a minute of her staring at him oddly. "Ah, so you're just staying here for a while." Raph furrows his brow. "Uh, yeah, I guess." Raph says, noticing the weird look Donnie gave him. "Okay." She says, almost singing it. Leo comes back with a small plate of crackers and cheese, sitting back down by Karai. "So how was your trip to Japan?" He asks.
"Oh, it was just fine. Met up with some family, on my mother's side of course." Karai says. Leo nods and she continues. "I really missed you" She says emphasizing the 'really'. "And I have something to give you too." She whispers into his ear. Mikey wriggles in his seat before standing. "I'm gonna go play some War Battle." He says, heading up to his room, obviously uncomfortable. Donnie watches him go, obviously wishing that he was Mikey right then.
Leo sees Donnie was uncomfortable but didn't know how to get out of the situation so he helps him out. "Hey Don, didn't you say you had to help Mikey with his homework? I doubt he's going to do it after a whole night of gaming." Donnie nods gratefully. "Yeah, I should probably catch him now before he starts a round." He gets up and sprints upstairs, leaving Raph alone with the couple.
Raph wasn't sure what to think. Maybe Leo wanted him to leave too so he could have some alone time with his girlfriend. That would make sense, but at the same time he didn't say anything to him about it. Raph watches as they looks into each-other's eyes, leaning in for another kiss. 'Yeah, no.' Raph thinks, standing and leaving without another thought. He didn't even try and find an excuse and he didn't think he needed one.
Leo and Karai were really going at it at this point so he doubted they even remembered he was there in the first place. Raph stops in the kitchen and grabs a leaf off of a head of lettuce before heading upstairs, leaving the making out couple alone in the living-room, disgusted. He goes to his room and heads over to Spike's box. "Hey bud." Raph says and lays the leaf down in the box. "Gotcha a snack."
The little turtle starts chomping down on his leaf and Raph smiles but the happy moment doesn't last for long, shouts coming from downstairs now. "Don't you love me!?" Karai must've yelled. "I do but I cant do that!" Leo yells in a tone he didn't think he would've used with his girlfriend of all people. "But Leo, don't you want to do this for me!?" She shouts. "It's dishonorable! Not before marriage!" Leo again.
Raph frowns and tries to block them out. "Fine! I don't need you then!" Karai shouts. "FINE." Leo yells. Raph rolls his eyes and focuses on Spike. "Girls are way too complicated." Raph says to Spike. "Don't you think? Chew on your leaf if you agree with me." Spike takes a bite of his leaf. "Heh."
Raph whips around when he hears the door open. "Wha-" Karai stands in his doorway, a smile on her thin lips. "Uh, hey?" Raph says "Hey." She says lowly. She walks over to him, her eyes half lidded. She places her hand on his chest like she had when she first came in, letting it sit there instead of removing it. "You seem like a pretty fun guy." She says, moving so close to him he could feel her breath.
"You up to make me feel better?" She says quietly. Raph furrows his brow. "What?" She starts pushing him back. "Me and Leo had a little fight and I need someone to make me feel better." She says, pushing him all the way back to the bed. He trips and falls back, looking up at the girl standing over him. "Just once?" She says with a pout. She pushes him so that he was laying straight on with the bed. "Leo won't help me." She whines.
Raph felt his chest tighten as she crawls on top of him, her hand wandering down to his nether regions. His eyes grow wide, partially from surprise, partially from panic. She holds his arms down with her hands for a moment before leaning down and kissing him roughly. "Mmmm." She mumbles, going down and undoing his pants. She slides them down and exposes his boxers. "I need some help, releasing this energy... Looks like you do too." She says in a low voice.
This sends Raph careening back into a flashback, making him stiff as a board. A man was hovering over him, tearing at his pants. "I need some help releasing this energy, looks like you do too." He had groaned out as he ripped the rest of Raph's clothes off. Another memory plays through Raph's mind. Three teenagers stand around him, taking turns pulling his clothes off until he was bare. They hold him down and he can't move. Scream.
While Raph was having a flashback he couldn't control anything. It was terrifying. He heard the door open and he heard a yell but he couldn't do anything, he was struggling against himself. He lets out an ear-splitting scream and shoves Karai the rest of the way off of him. He yanked up his pants without a thought and curls up on his bed, hands on his head and shaking so hard the bed shakes with him.
Karai bolts out of the room and leaves Raph alone, letting out small screams of terror. He was sobbing but he couldn't even tell. It just felt like his body turned against him in a matter of seconds. He hears someone else come in the room and try to calm him down but it doesn't help. They try to rest a hand on his shoulder but Raph lets out another scream. "We have to help him somehow!" Someone says. "Do we call nine one one?" Another voice. "I don't know! Leo would know but he locked himself in his room! I can't get him to come out!"
"Screw it! I'm calling nine one one." The second voice says, leaving with loud footsteps. Raph couldn't tell what was going on around him. His eyes were open but he couldn't see. It was all shapes and colors, nothing real. He felt so alone.
After what felt like hours he heard loud sirens outside and he sobs harder. It all hurt his head and his muscles ached. He hears someone calling him but he didn't recognize the voice. He couldn't respond anyways, it felt like his throat had closed up. Someone touches his thigh and He screams bloody murder. After the hand left it felt like his skin was crawling and burning in that spot in the shape of a hand.
He wanted someone to pull him out of this hell, or maybe just end it all for him. Either one would be okay with him at this point. "Raphael, Raphael, can you hear me?" The unknown voice says, Raph finally able to understand the words. he takes a deep, shuttering breath and lets out a small noise.
He was scared out of his mind. He could start to think a bit outside of his panic and realizes after he came out of this there would be no way they'd let him stay. The panic rises again. He feels someone put a hand through his hair and he shutters, coughing raspily with dry sobs. He couldn't feel his hands and it scared him even more.
"D-D-Do-on't-!" Raph says urgently, curling in on himself more. "Son, you need to calm down. You're okay." Someone says. It hurt to listen. "You're going to hurt yourself if you don't calm down okay?" Raph manages to move his head, shaking it slightly but causing himself more pain. "H-H-He-elp-p." Raph manages out. It hurt so much. It hurt to think, it hurt to breathe, it hurt to live.
"Raphie, it's okay. Please be okay." It was Mikey. He could recognize it now. Mikey was by his side. "Come on Raph..." Donnie pleads, appearing beside Mikey. His vision was clearing but his mind stayed the same. Panic ran wild in his brain. They were going to kick him out. They wouldn't want someone so unstable in their house, especially one that had just tried to have sex with Leo's girlfriend.
It was going so well here too. He feels his breathing quicken and someone tries to settle him down but it doesn't work he lashes out, hitting something solid. It didn't really hurt him too much but he knew it would've hurt if he had hit someone else. Did he hit someone else? Suddenly his muscles tense and he bolts up, pushing himself so hard he falls off the bed.
"Raph!" Donnie shouts. Raph shakily stands from the floor and stumbles quickly out the door, nearly falling down the stairs and fumbling with the front door. He slams it open and falls outside, hands and knees on the pavement and most likely scraped open. The three or more people that were in the room with him were close behind and he tries to get up.
His arms were too shaky and he collapses to the cement. He shakes hard, having run out of tears. He feels his throat tighten even more if that was possible and he sits up, his hands over his eyes and scraping at the skin of his forehead. "Raph!" Donnie shouts once he gets outside. "Raphie, no, no, no!" It was Mikey again. "Stand back boys." The third voice says.
Raph feels two pairs of hands grab onto him and he screams, kicking his legs out and struggling against them. He feels a white hot pain in his arm as someone slowly inserts a needle into the flesh. He screams again and fights harder. Unfortunately the people holding him hold him too tight. He can't get out.
Slowly he feels his muscles relax of their own accord. Yelling and shouting as loud as he could as his body goes against him. He feels the men loosen their grip and he's starting to be lowered to the ground. He hears someone else crying and then he feels a tight grip around himself. Someone was hugging him. Hugging him really, really tight. "You need to let go now. He needs to be taking to the hospital."
The sobbing person lets him go and he's carried to a car where he's laid in a bed. "Can we please come with." Someone asks. "You may." Three people get in the car- van with him. He was too out of it at this point. The doors close and the start moving. He knew his life was going too well.
Hold your breath, and shut your mouth!
The scene will be the death of us.
I told ya so! Hey!
Told ya so! Hey!
Everyone's out to get me!
Nothing left to prove to you,
Well, no one's gonna stop what I do.
I told ya so! Hey!
Told ya so! Hey!
Cause everyone's out to get me!
Told You So.
Get Scared.
Ahhhhh! This is crazy! I wrote this whole thing in a span of about an hour and a half and I'm freaking out! It all came out in a rush and I can barely tell if it's any good! But I'm kinda happy with it! I hope you all liked it and I can't wait to hear what you think of this chapter!
I just want to thank all of you for your reviews, it may not seem like it but even the smallest "Hey good chapter." Makes my day! So thank you all so much.