Chapter 24:
Deidra stumbled into the lair and shifted her jacket and bag from her shoulder. She took a deep breath and then looked around for Analise. She found her and the new Michelangelo in front of the television with Wii controllers in their hands. Their shoulders knocked into one another's as they battled for the Mario Party lair championship.
"How's it going?" Deidra asked Analise as she barely beat Michelangelo on the soda spraying mini-game.
"Great," she smiled, but didn't take her eyes off the screen, "We're tied for first as far as points."
"I meant overall, not just the game."
"Normal as it could be. Got the guys clothes and I will be starting back at the museum. All the commissions are done- Yes! Six spaces. How was work for you?"
"The same- no new leads," she groaned, "But I got some good news."
"What's that?" she asked and then turned her attention from the game during Michelangelo's turn.
"Our apartment is fixed and reinforced thanks to the guys at work," she smiled with a bit of pride in her guys' handy work, "We can move back in. Give the guys their storage room back."
"I don't like it," Michelangelo said and looked at the two women, "I don't like the idea of you two alone with that guy still out there and knowing where you live."
"I have to say, sometimes Mikey's got some good ideas," Raphael said as he came into the living area with a beer in his hand. He sat on the arm rest of Michelangelo's side of the couch, "I think this may be one of them."
"You don't think we can handle the big puppy?" Deidra asked with her hands on her hips.
"We couldn't handle that mutant," Raphael took another swig of his beer, "Look what happened to us."
"Well, don't have to worry about that with us, we're already human," Deidra shrugged.
"See," Analise shot out her arm toward the two guys, "No fur… or feathers."
"This is not a joke, hon," Michelangelo took hold of Analise's arm and pushed it down.
"Wait- Hon?" Raphael looked at the two of them, "You two an item now or something?"
"You had doubts?" Deidra asked.
"We had a talk before we went out shopping," Analise explained and looked at Michelangelo, "A certain question was finally asked and answered."
"To get back on subject," Michelangelo interjected and held Analise's hand in his, "This guy is dangerous. Especially to women from what we saw."
"I could figure that out from my growing file on him, thanks," Deidra rolled her eyes.
"You didn't see it like we did," Raphael frowned, "Up and personal. We talked to her."
"And I was too late to save her," Deidra crossed her arms over her chest.
"That's not what I meant," he felt a growl escape his throat.
"You are inferring that I can't take care of myself or Analise can't take care of herself either. We have each other to cover our asses. We were just fine before you guys showed up."
"Yeah, and I bet you would have kicked his ass with the same leg he torn off your sorry hide right after he destroyed the apartment the first time."
"I can kick your ass no problem," she walked up to him and pushed her face up to his, "Don't push it."
Raphael shook his head and then took a deep breath, "Prove it, wannabe ninja."
She clenched her jaw and stared him in the eyes as he returned the action.
Analise and Michelangelo were forgotten as they watched the intensity between the two of them. Michelangelo brought out a bag of popcorn from seemingly nowhere and handed the bag toward Analise, silently asking her if she wanted some. She wondered where it came from, but took a handful of it anyway.
"Why do you always have to try and prove you're right?" she pushed at him. He took a step back a little in surprise that she pushed him and dropped his beer, "Even when you are wrong?"
"I am not wrong about this," he pointed at her, "You go back to that place unprotected, you will get attacked."
"You argue about us coming here, now you're arguing about us leaving," she threw her hands up in the air and began to walk away, "Make up your fucking mind!"
"Where are you going?" he asked after her.
"To pack!" she yelled over her shoulder.
After she slammed her door silence seemed to settle over the whole lair. Raphael was really grateful that both Leonardo and Donatello were out topside, trying to do some observation on the streets. The last thing he needed was Leonardo down his throat too. He rubbed a hand quickly through his hair and took a deep breath.
"Crazy woman," he muttered.
"You have no idea."
Raphael looked at the two of the spectators still on the couch. He had forgotten that they were still there. Analise was the one who talked and popped another piece of popcorn into her mouth.
"That's why she's my best friend and I love her," Analise finished with a smile. She relaxed a little back into the couch, "Give her some time to cool. And then you can apologize."
"Apologize?" he chuckled a little sarcastically, "Like hell."
"I was just thinking-" Michelangelo interrupted.
"That's never a good sign," Raphael groaned and picked up his now empty beer can.
"Why don't we just come with you?" he asked Analise more than Raphael.
"What?" they both asked at the same time.
"Well, I don't like the idea of you going back without some kind of protection, and what better protection for you than me?" he asked with a large smile.
"And just where are you going to sleep?" she smiled back.
"Don't answer that while I am still in the room," Raphael put out his hand and began to walk in the same direction Deidra walked in.
"Where are you going?" Analise asked.
"To cool off."
"It better not be in the same direction as her."
"Why?"
Analise smiled and shook her head, "You started the argument. Like she would even listen to you right now. Much less want to see your face."
"I will show her," Raphael made a bee line to Deidra's room.
"Huh," Analise said and watched him walk to his doom.
"What?" Michelangelo asked.
"Reverse psychology," Analise smiled and popped a piece of popcorn in Michelangelo's mouth, "It actually works."
Michelangelo began to laugh and turned back to the game with her.
Raphael heard a few things being thrown about the room on the other side of the door. He didn't know if she was throwing it to let out some steam or if she was throwing stuff into boxes or suitcases. She had made up her mind to go back to her home; that much was clear. He took a deep breath to hold in his own temper and then raised his hand to knock on the door. The door suddenly flew open and she looked up at him through silted eyes.
"What do you want?" she asked and then grabbed a small sweat towel to toss over her shoulder. He noticed that she had changed clothes into the set that she trained in. She rolled her eyes when he didn't answer and pushed past him.
"Where you goin'?" he asked and began to follow her.
"I need to train a little more," she said over her shoulder, "I need more practice on shinobigatana. I feel good on katana, but I am not used to the shorter blade."
"I think we still need to talk about you movin' out of here," he still walked after her, but picked up his speed since she did the same.
"I am going back home," she sighed and entered the dojo. She went directly to the weapon wall and pulled off the blade.
Raphael looked at the blade and frowned, "Look, I never said that you couldn't protect yourself. I am just saying that this thing is beyond what we've ever faced. The last thing we need is you dissappearin'."
"I always find a way back," she growled and closed her eyes to try and concentrate.
"Not with this guy without a little help," Raphael groaned.
"Why is it so hard for you to believe that I can handle myself against him?" she asked with gritted teeth, "I've handled worse."
"Doubtful," he muttered.
She growled at the back of her throat and swung the blade out toward him which he immediately blocked with one of his sais. Metal clashed with metal and the two of them looked one another in the eyes. Deidra pushed forward with the shinobigatana in her hands. She strained against his sai and pushed him further into the wall.
"Don't push it anymore. It's done," she growled at him.
He narrowed his eyes at the effort and began to push back. She wouldn't let him move too much and began to smile just slightly at the small win of will power. He saw the smirk and groaned against a few thoughts in his mind on how to turn the fight around.
"Time for another tactic," he said which made Deidra's eyebrow quirk up in confusion.
He swept one of his feet against her front ankle and pushed back. She lost her balance just enough for him to knock her back and her weapon slip from her hands. He threw his sai into the wall to the right of them and grabbed her left wrist. In one fluid movement he had both of her arms in one of his hands and her body sandwiched between the same wall he was against before and his body. His other hand had landed on her hip to keep her from moving or struggling too much.
"Are you going to listen to what I am actually saying now, or you going to be hardheaded and fight?" he asked and stared her in the eyes.
Her mind immediately went back to the night in the kitchen when he was still a turtle. Caught between the wall and him she should feel trapped and cornered, yet even though she felt annoyed, she still felt comfortable enough not to struggle.
"I hear what you're saying," she said slowly in deep breaths, "You're worried about us. More pointedly about me."
"When did I say that?" he furrowed his brows.
"Didn't say it right out," she looked down and could only see his chest. She smelled his scent that she was used to with a hint of something new. Maybe his human skin's new scent mixing with something that would always be Raphael. Her eyes closed and she tried to keep her mind focused on the argument.
"You thinking it over again?" he asked and the vibrations from his chest ran through her body. He felt her shift from his voice and felt a corner of his mouth lift a little in smugness. He leaned against her a little more, but was careful not to crush her. He had to admit that he loved the feel of her against him and unconsciously sniffed her neck.
"I need to stop hiding from this," she said a little out of breath, "I don't hide."
His eyes snapped open and he suddenly understood. He wasn't one to hide either. He'd rather decimate the enemy immediately if at all possible. Understanding washed over him and he watched her face for a few seconds before her eyes opened slowly. His hands loosened on her wrists and his hand rested against the wall while her arms fell against his chest.
"You haven't said anything," she whispered as if to pry a new rebuttal from him.
Once their eyes connected again he felt a familiar pull he wasn't going to ignore this time. He pulled on her hip with his other hand and leaned forward to capture her lips. Her eyes bulged a little from surprise, but quickly found her arms around his neck to pull him closer. Both of his hands went to either hip and he ground himself against her with a growl from his throat. She felt the growl more than heard it and pushed herself from the wall and toward him as much as she could with her own growl in response.
In their own way they were still fighting and finally pulled away from the wall. She spun him to try and gain control. He replied back by grabbing firmly to her hip and picking her up from the floor and carried her to the wall where he wedged her between the wall and his body. She gasped a bit and tilted her head back.
With the contact lost they both took a few breaths and a look at the predicament they were now in. Her hands found a comfortable resting spot on his shoulders where her fingers glided over his skin. His hands supported her as his eyes drifted between her own eyes and her lips.
Deidra let out a small breath of air after the kiss with an, "Eh."
Raphael smiled a little at it.
"Why do you have to argue with me?" she asked.
"If it always ends like this… the real question is why haven't we done it more?" he began to kiss her on the neck. Her eyes rolled back and one of her hands went to his hair. She laughed a little to herself.
He stopped kissing her and frowned, "What?"
"You're fluffy," she pointed out and ran her hand through his hair again.
He frowned deeper, "How do I like you so much and don't give a flying fuck about the other humans up there that we've run across through the years? You have any idea how many we've met, but only keep in touch with Casey and April?"
"There's an evolutionary imperative why we give a crap about our family and friends. And there's an evolutionary imperative why we don't give a crap about anybody else," she explained and leaned toward him again, "If we loved all people indiscriminately, we couldn't function."
"Who said anything about love?" he asked with a bit of fear laced in his voice.
She knew that tone. She had used it herself when she felt herself getting too close to someone. Getting too close where pain will get into the equation later down the line if something were to happen to blast whatever this is out of the water. And yet, she didn't think it would.
She just smiled, "You'll figure it out."
She kissed him again slowly and he could only think to respond in kind. After a few more minutes the kiss ended and Deidra looked down to find her legs still wrapped around his waist and his arms holding her up. He kissed her neck again and decided that he liked the taste of her skin. He didn't know if it was just her neck or if she had this taste all over. He decided then that he would find out.
"Aren't you getting tired?" she asked.
"No, I have great stamina thanks to training," he said nonchalantly, "Did you want down?"
She sighed as he began to lower her to the ground, "I still have to pack."
"You're still going," he said more than asked.
"I told you, I won't hide from this guy," she kept her hands on his arms as he set her down, yet kept his hands on her waist.
"Then I'll go with you," he said simply.
"Where did that come from?" she asked with a small shake of her head.
"Like I said, sometimes Mikey has some good ideas," he smirked.
"And you're staying where in my apartment?" she asked.
"And here I thought this was pretty straight forward," he moved his hands up and down either side of her body.
"I still haven't heard a certain question," she said and took a step away from him. A very hesitant step.
"Alright," Raphael shrugged and turned her toward him and kissed her hard as if to assert some kind of ownership. After the kiss he looked down in her eyes, "Can I have the honor of courting you as a possible romantic interest?"
She smiled with a bit of a chuckle, "That was worded more, uh… elegantly than I was expecting from you."
"Splinter went over this with us when we were younger," he shrugged, "And that's not an answer."
She suddenly kissed him just as hard and with a great amount of passion. He hugged her to him and she smiled against his lips.
After the kiss Deidra nodded her head, "What the hell? I could give this a try."
Raphael smirked and went in to kiss her again, but she suddenly dodged his lips and furrowed her brows.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"Mikey brought this up with you two moving in with us?"
"More like he would be moving in to protect Ana, but yeah," he nodded and tried to follow her train of thought.
"Where is he going to be sleeping?" she asked and saw the simple look Raphael was giving her. She shook her head, "I'm just saying that Ana still has her v-card and I am not letting that girl lose it that quickly."
"Like Mikey would even know what to do with a girl," Raphael chuckled.
"He's your little brother, but they grow up," she reminded him.
"If she hasn't lost it now, I doubt she's going to give it up just to give it."
"No, but she will give it to someone she truly loves," Deidra sighed, "I just hope she knows what she's doing. I mean, she usually does."
"So, you going to help me pack?" he asked to break the silence that had settled.
"Pack your own shit, I got to get mine together," she pushed from him and walked out the door of the dojo.
He watched her leave and took a deep breath. He suddenly felt a lot luckier than he was this morning. As he walked out of the dojo he took a step back right before Deidra jumped at him, missing him completely.
"Nice try," he said to her.
She frowned from the ground, "I swear I will catch you off guard one day."
"Challenge accepted," he nodded and walked toward the stairs to see what he is taking.
Deidra passed the couch where Michelangelo held a wii controller over his head and Analise was over him with one hand laying on his arm as if reaching for it. Something must have happened during the struggle since they were now lip locked with one another.
"Hey, you two!" Deidra yelled from the hallway.
They both fell from the couch and to the ground. Deidra laughed a little and then looked over the back of the couch to the two on the floor, "Get your stuff together, Mike. You're coming with Analise. I won't take no for an answer."
Both of them looked at one another and then where Deidra was. Analise rubbed her head in confusion.
"What just happened?"
"I don't know," Michelangelo shook his head, "But I like where it's heading. I'll get the essentials."