Hello my people! I got a review from a guy named MikeyX K asking if there will be any Apritello moments. I won't say whether there will or won't be any. I don't want to ruin the surprise. :3
April: There better be.
Donnie: Yeah, don't hold out on us.
Me: Shut up.
April: Well, are there any moments between me and Donnie?
Me: You'll know in time. *cough* yes *cough*
April and Donnie: YAY!
Me: Yup. You'll get your wish...eventually.
Donnie: When?
Me: Do you seriously think I'm gonna tell you? That would ruin the fun.
Donnie: Fine.
Me: Perfect. Also, I thought I should write an anti-climactic chapter for once. Well, as anti-climactic as I can manage. I'm a very dramatic person.
Anyway, here's chapter 19. Enjoy! :)
In the Shadows
Chapter 19
-Xander's POV-
I wake up in Raphael's warm arms feeling way better than last night. "Mornin' babe," I whisper, pecking him on the forehead.
"Hey gorgeous," he says, stroking my hair with one hand. "Sleep well?"
"Yeah. I'm good. Last night just scared the living shit out of me." To stop me from going any further on the subject, he gently presses his lips to mine. I feel all my angst melt away as our tounges begin to dance. I didn't want it to end, but his hand started sliding under the back of my shirt, and I had to push him away. There's something i just don't want him, or anyone, to know about my past.
"Are you okay?" he asks, concern plain on his face. "Everytime we do this, you push me away. Is there something you don't want me to know."
"There's something I don't want anyone to know," I say, sitting up and making it so my hair covers my face. I hate it when Raph can see right through me like that. It makes me feel so vulnerable, and anyone who knows me well knows that I'm not a big fan of being vulnerable.
"Xander, please. I hate seeing you like this. Just tell me. Please." I cover my face with my hands and sigh deeply into my palms. This guy will not let up on anything.
"Raph, I can't. I just can't." There was a long pause. The tension and the awkwardness in the air were so thick, you could cut it with a knife. It feels like my throat is starting to constrict upon itself. "Look, it's nothing. Let's just drop it."
"I'm not gonna drop anything. It's obvious that something's wrong, and i want to know what it is." He brushes my hair out of my face and angles our heads so our forheads are touching. "Please Xander. I need to know. I'd rather share the weight of your problems than carry the wieght of knowing something's wrong, but not knowing what." Damn he's got a way with words.
"Okay. I'll tell you." I take a deep breath and hesitate for a moment. "When I was ten, my mom was dating this guy, Chris. I hated him and he hated me, but mom never knew about our rivalry. One day she mom going out for a job interview and she asked him to babysit me. He started beating me up as soon as mom pulled out of the driveway. She came back for her purse just as he was about to hit me with a glass bottle." I'm letting the tears fall, not at all reacting them, as I draw in a shakey breath. "She screamed at him to get out and I ran to her. Before I reached her, Chris slammed the bottle over my back. Most of the scars faded, but one still remains."
I turn my back to him and pull my shirt so he can see my scar. It stretches from my right shoulderblade to the small of my back. He pulls my shirt down and pulls me into a slow, passionate kiss. I've never felt so exposed in my life. I was hoping to never tell anyone about my history of living hell. When I changed my name from Alex to Xander, I wanted to forget all about who Alex was. Everything's coming back to haunt me, and it's all too much. But moments like this are why I bother to wake up in the morning. Raphael is my perfect second half, and, though it may be cliche, I know we belong together.
"I love you Xander," he whispers. "I love you so fucking much. Don't you ever forget that." He moved his hand up my shirt and his mouth down to my neck. We became as close as any two people can ever be.
"I love you Raphael."
"I love you too Xander." After our love making, we fix ourselves up a bit and head back to the lair. We walk in and the questions come rolling in.
"Where have you two been?" Leo asks. He sounds a bit ticked, but i don't know why. Oh wait...
"Couple's retreat," Raph says, smirking about our little secret. I start to blush a bit and we sit on the couch, his arm around me.
"So, what did you guys do while we were gone?" I ask. "Did you find out anything about the Shredder?" I pretty much know for a fact that Leo, Donnie, and April have been working nonstop to try to find out more about Tylin and the Shredder.
"No," Leo sighs, disappointed. "We're still running on a blank."
"I'm sure we'll find something," I reassure him.
"Even if we have to beat his ass again," Raph says, punching his palm with his fist, "we'll find out what's up." *Sigh.* Raph's always solving his problems with his fists. But that's why I love him. I sort of have the same problem, but instead of punching people, I punch walls. I have since I was little.
"Guys! Guess what I found!" Mikey shouts excitedly from the dojo. He rushes out with a katana in an ornate sheath. The sword's casing was a velvet-y maroon color with Japanese words written in sleek on one side and a picture of a dragon on the other, both in sleek black ink. "Check this out." It was probably the coolest weapon I've ever seen.
"Where'd you find that?" I ask.
"You know Splinter's shelf of stuff in the dojo?" he says. Everybody nods including me, even though I think I've even been in the dojo a couple of times. "Well, I found this behind it. Pretty sweet, right?" Everyone's eyes instantly widen to the size of dinner plates. I honestly don't know what's up with that. I'm one of those people who lives in the same place for a while and still doesn't know what's going on.
"Mikey, put that back before he finds out!" Donnie says. Mikey just scoffed and started playing with the katana.
"Relax Donnie. I'll put it back. As soon as i see what I can do with it." He unsheaths the beautiful weapon and weilds it as if he knows what he's doing. Master Splinter walks up behind him as he starts imitating Leo.
"Michalangelo," Splinter says, catching Mikey off guard. "What are you doing with my grandmother's katana?"
"Sensei, I-I'm sorry. I-I-I just found it," Mikey stutters, thinking of an excuse as to why he was playing with the sword in the first place. He gives Splinter back the sword and looks down at his feet.
"It is alright, my son," Splinter says calmly. "How did you find this, anyway?"
"I was sparring with Donnie. He tripped me and I landed on my face by the shelf, and I saw something sticking out from behind it. I pulled it out and here it is," Mikey explains cautiously. "You're not mad, are you Sensei?"
"Of course not." He goes into the dojo to put the sword away. "Also, I've been meaning to tell you all," he starts as he comes back out, "no training for today. You have all worked very hard lately. I believe a day off is in order." I heard a sigh of relief from Donnie, a small cheer from Leo, and a loud "aw yeah!" from Mikey. Everyone disperses from the living room except for Raph and I. Raph kisses my ear and starts tickeling my ribs.
"Raph, quit it," I say between giggles. I've never really been one to giggle, but whatever. I kiss him and he stops. We pull apart and i nudge him in the arm. "So I was wondering, since you have the day off, maybe you could teach me a thing or two."
"Oh really," he says lowering his voice. He wraps his arm around me and starts whispering. "Maybe we could step into my room for a bit,we could teach each other some stuff." I flick him lightly on the forehead.
"Not like that. I mean ninjutzu."
"What are you talking about? You're a great fighter. You kicked the Shredder's ass. That's way more than a lot of people could say."
"That was anger, fear, and adrenaline. The next time I get into a fight, I want to know what I'm doing."
"Okay. But afterwards, would you consider my previous proposal?"
"I'll think about it." We head into the dojo to begin our lessons. Raph starts by teaching me about the basic stuff like stances, punches, kicks, and blocks. He shows me a simple kata to practice, and i try to mimic the movements he showed me.
"By the way, I've been meaning to ask you," he says. "When you found out what I really am instead of the guy you thought I was, why didn't you freak out?"
"Simple," I say matter-of-factly, finishing the kata. "A) You saved my ass, and B) you were my only friend in the whole city. I finally got to see the real you, and that means a lot to me in any friendship or relationship." I consider the questions I have, and a huge one comes to mind. "While we're on the subject, how did you get yourself to look human at school?"
"I have to thank Donnie for that one." He and I lean on the tree that resides in the dojo. "He made me a holographic watch that can make anyone look like anything. It's a little more complicated than just simply that, but it's a whole lot of science-tech nerd stuff." There was a short pause. "I don't know if this is a touchy subject, but where's your dad? Was there a divorce or something?" I think he saw the frozen, distressed look on my face. I never think about my father, and Mom and I never talk about him. So yeah, It's a touchy subject, but Raph answered my question, so I guess I should answer his.
"He's in prison," I say quietly. "He did stupid shit, and now he's doing time for it. My family basically disowned him." I stare at my hands in my lap. Raph puts his arm around my shoulders and i lean into him.
"I'm sorry Xander," he says sweetly. "You didn't have to tell me if you didn't want to."
"It's cool. I actually feel a bit better by telling someone. By the way, what were you doing at school, anyways?"
"The Kraang were planning something. I think it had to do with aprehending some sort of target. We all drew straws and I picked up the short one." I think about where I heard the term Kraang before, but my mind comes to a blank. I've lived here for six months and I still don't know who the Kraang are. I decide to keep quiet about it. It's not like it's majorly vital or anything, right?
"Lucky. At least you had a chance of not going."
"True. School was living hell, but if i'd never gone, i'd never have met you."
"Good point. So what do you say we step out and go for a run."
"I'd like that." We go topside into midtown and start running to our hearts content until we reach the more ghetto part of town. We find a 'private' rooftop where no one will bug us and just chill for a while, laughing and talking. Suddenly, abright flash of pink light emerges from the alley below. I peek over the edge to see what's up, and what I see shocks the shit out of me.
Cliffie! I think this might've been the longest chapter I've ever written for this story, and for all my stories in general. :3 I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm working on a new story as well. It's called Seeing Red and it's a Regular Show fic. So far, I only have the prologue up, but I'll try to post the first chapter soon. Later! :)