Chapter 25

Unwatched Movie

Alex has grown used to just walking into the Hamato's place by the beginning of December. it was exactly what she had done that Friday afternoon. She found that it was so much easier not having an escort to their place. Not only did she get some well needed alone time, she also got there much quicker. It seemed that whenever one of the guys went to get her, their pace slowed due to the conversations shared.

That didn't mean she didn't enjoy their company or miss their conversations. If was just nice to finally be alone. She was constantly around her brothers and parents at home; at school there were her friends, tutoring had all of the guys, work had customers and students. The only times sh go to be alone, really, were when she was on her walk to tutoring, in the bathroom, for Pete's sake, and when she was asleep.

"Hey, gu-" Alex started to greet as she walked into the common room.

Her green eyes glanced around, unable to spot any of her friends that were generally always in there. The girl shook her head and placed her things over at the couch before heading out of the room and down the hallway towards where the bedrooms were. Knocking on each bedroom door, Alex was met with silence from each one.

Alex placed her hands on her hips, leaning most of her weight one one foot as she wondered just where everybody was. It is Friday, right? she asked herself. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and glanced down at it, checking to see what day it was. Nope, it's definitely Friday. She put the phone back in her pocket and turned around, hoping but not expecting someone to walk around the corner to greet her. Where the hell is everybody?

Moving further into the house, Alex continued her search for at least one Hamato to tell her what was going on. She wasn't worried like some people would have been in her situation, due to the fact that the house didn't look at all out of order and for the fact that her gut wasn't telling hr anything was wrong.

Upon getting closer to the bathroom. Alex could hear the soft sound of the shower running. Alex stood outside the bathroom for a moment wondering if she should knock or just go back to the common room and wait for whoever it was in here to come ou. But what if they didn't go back into the common room? What if they went back to their room? Alex would have been waiting there for nothing!

While Alex was preoccupied contemplating what to do, whoever was in the shower turned it off. The young redhead was too lost in thought to hear it, hand still in mid-knock when the door suddenly opened.

Alex came face to chest. She blinked, eyes studying the wet, dripping chiselled chest before her. The chest was connected to familiar warm, strong arms. That arms connected down to hands that were holding a cream colored towel loosely, though still secured around their strong, toned abdomen and waist, leaving very little to the imagination.

"Alex?" Raph asked, his voice pulling the girl's eyes up to his face. "What are you doing here?"

Alex opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out as her eyes moved up to his normally spiked hair. His hair was flattened down, dripping droplets of water down his face. And Alex thought she normally wanted to run her hands through his hair! That feeling was increased ten fold. His cheeks were flushed. Alex assumed it from from the temperature of the water and the steam still slipping out from the bathroom.

The girl's mouth shut, face red and a gulp barely audible from her throat. She had seen Raphael covered in sweat, without a shirt before (and she had found it too appealing then) but never had she ever seen him in such a state as the one he was in now. There was very little there covering him, and as much as Alex tried not to, her eyes kept trailing down over his body, burning a fire through her body and making her completely and utterly flustered.

"I know you like what you see, but I did ask you a question, Firecracker," Raph said, removing one of his hands from the towel, allowing it to droop ever so slightly in order to lift her chin up to look at him, a firm smirk in place.

"T-T-Tutoring," she finally managed to stammer out, backing up a little in order to get away from Raph's exceptionally warm skin (due to the hot shower).

"Nobody told you?" he asked her, leaning up against the doorframe of the bathroom, making it increasingly more difficult for Alex to look away and to resist the overwhelming urge to jump him right then and there.

"T-Told me what?" she asked, eyes fixed on his adam's apple.

"Tutoring is cancelled for today," he told her. "Everybody's out Christmas shopping."

Alex cleared her throat, rubbing the back of her neck as she moved back even more. "I, uh, should probably go then."

Raph shrugged and the towel slipped even further down. Is he trying to kill me? Alex asked herself, face even more red. She was surprised she hadn't passed out yet from the lack of blood in her heart since all of it seemed to be heading towards her face.

"You don't have to go," Raph told her. "You could hang and watch that movie you were talking about last week."

A movie. Alone. With Raph? Alex thought. Isn't that basically a date? She wouldn't want to go on a date with him. But then why did the offer sound so delicious? And did it have anything to do with his current state of dress?

"W-we don't have to," Alex assured him.

"Hey, it's no problem," Raph said. "I haven't seen it yet either. Just let me go change and I'll meet you on the couch." A playful, sly smirk danced across his lips as Alex's eyes once again trailed down. "Unless you have something else in mind?"

"No!" she replied all too quickly. Her face seemed to darken even more at that. That seemed to make him smirk and chuckle even more. Oh, I'm glad he's finding this so amusing! "M-Movie's fine!" With that, Alex quickly turned away and rushed back to the common room.

Alex was sitting on the couch, finally back to normal when Raph walked in in a simple pair of basketball shorts and a tee-shirt. "I already put the movie in," she called over to him as he jumped over the back of the couch and plopped down next to her.

"Cool," he said. "Thanks."

"No problem," Alex answered, her eyes getting pulled up to his hair. She narrowed her eyes, realizing that he hadn't put anything in it. It was just normal. No spikes.

"What?" he asked her. "You still going with the whole staring thing?"

Alex rolled her eyes, face only slightly red. "You didn't do anything with your hair," she stated.

Raph scoffed, laying down his head on her lap. "Sorry, didn't know I had to get all dressed up to hang out with my fake girlfriend."

"I didn't know I had to let you lay on my lap if Amanda wasn't around," she teased back. She didn't make him move though. She kind of prevented him from doing so as she ran her fingers through his still slightly damp hair.

"It's part of the requirements," Raph said shrugging.

Alex scoffed, gently tugging his hair in order to get him back for that comment, completely forgetting that he had a thing for that. He groaned slightly, eyes going closed for a second before he bit his lip, controlling himself. After doing so, she continued to run her fingers through his hair. "I like it," she told him. "You're hair like this."

"Yeah, yeah, don't get used to it," he muttered, but Alex smirked catching the sight of his cheeks changing a little more pink at the compliment.

"Why not?" she asked innocently as the previews of the movie played on mute. "It looks good."

"It looks like Leo's," Raph grumbled a bit. It was true, without the spikes, his hair did resemble a bit of his brother's flat fringe.

"So? Other than that you two don't look anything alike," Alex said.

"I don't want to be anything like him," Raph grumbled. "Not even look wise."

Alex rolled her eyes. She understood not wanting to be compared to her siblings, but she didn't really understand Raph and Leo's situation. She saw both good and bad things in them, but overall, they were both incredibly good guys. Alex didn't really understand why they just couldn't get along.

"You two are too alike," Alex said. "That's why you don't want to be like him."

"How do you mean? We're complete opposites, everyone says so," Raph grumbled. "He's the goody two shoes and I'm-"

"You're always there to help people that are in trouble. You're both great brothers, always there for one another. You both are strong, confident and stubborn," Alex started to list.

"You make all that sound good. It only gets me into trouble," Raph grumbled, focusing his eyes away from her and onto the TV.

Alex sighed softly, her hand dropping slightly from out of his hair. Was what he was doing for her really that much trouble? She never meant for him to be put out because of it. Alex's gaze was focused across the room, rather than on the movie. She didn't know what to do? Should she tell him she didn't want to do this anymore so that he didn't have to go out of his way? But wasn't she enjoying making Amanda eat her words? Wasn't she having fun hanging around Raph? Was she being selfish for wanting to continue doing it just so she could spend more time with him? To get those unbelievable kisses?

"Don't make that stupid sad face, okay?" Raph grumbled. "I'm not mad."

Alex's mouth opened slightly at that. "Why do you keep going along with this?" she asked him. "The whole fake boyfriend thing. I mean, there has to be so many other things you'd rather be doing with your time, right? Like going out to get an actual girlfriend."

"I don't know many girls. I like spending time with you, I like going along with this, okay?" Raph glared up at her, as if mad she was making him muster up the strength to say a long sentence. "Stop overthinking things, you're like Don."

He likes spending time with me? He wants to do this? Alex bit her lip before bending down slightly and kissing his forehead, hand back in his hair. "Thanks, Raph."

Raph breathed through his nose, his fingers briefly going through his hair. "Yeah," he murmured, looking back to the TV.

"Hey, why didn't you go shopping with the guys?" Alex asked curiously, relaxing slightly, hand fiddling with his hair.

"I prefer going on my own. I actually make some of my presents anyway, kind of like Don with my bike," he murmured.

"I didn't peg you for the sentimental type," she said.

"I'm not, it's just that I know my brothers better than any stupid store," Raph murmured. "Saves me whining later about what they got."

"Did you get me anything?" Alex joked, though she and Kerry had already gone out and done their Christmas shopping, which included the guys presents.

"Yes, I even got one for the hick," Raph grumbled. "Don seemed to insist she be invited to spend Christmas with us. Even when I told him she had her own family to spend it with probably, that and you most likely." Raph looked at her. "You thought I wouldn't get you anything?"

Alex shrugged. "I wasn't being serious," she muttered, blushing from the fact that he had gotten her something. "I just, I don't know. Didn't really think about you getting me anything."

"Well you got a serious answer," Raph murmured. "Well knowing you, you'd get me and my bros something. So I got you something too."

"Yup, I hope you like it. It was really hard picking something out for you," Alex said. "I think getting your present took the longest."

"Sorry, I'm so complicated," he joked.

Alex looked back up to the movie, realizing that she hadn't been watching any of it. "That you are," she muttered. "That you are."

"Thanks," he snorted.

"Complicated isn't always a bad thing," she assured him. "Are you sure you won't wear your hair like this more often?" she pressed. "I like playing with it. It's harder to do when you have gel in it."

"No, my spikes are part of the package, Babe," he said blandly.

"Don't call me Babe," Alex ordered.

"Babe."

Alex rolled her eyes, tugging on his hair a little too hard to make him groan, though she thought it was from pain, not pleasure. "Please?" she begged, playing the whole puppy dog pout card.

Raph scowled and tugged a strand of her red hair right back. "Babe."

"I'll let you call me babe if you wear your hair like that sometimes," she offered. "You can't tell me it doesn't feel good."

"Hmm, you might have a deal," Raph murmured.

"Having people play with your hair is one of the best things in the world," Alex muttered. "It's almost better than orgasms."

Raph seemed to blush darkly. "W-What the hell!?" He growled sitting up.

Alex blushed, biting her lip. She looked away and shrugged. "Hey, I'm allowed to my opinion!"

"That doesn't mean you say something like that in front of me, dumbass!" Raph grumbled.

"Oh, so I just have to sit here and listen to you guys make comments like that?" Alex asked.

"When have I ever said something like that?!"

"You and the guys make comments like that all the time!" Alex said. " You guys always say things like 'Oh, I'd tap that. Hey, she's got a nice rack!' I'm not allowed to have an opinion like that?"

"Bu-but we're teenage guys!" Raph grumbled. "And we don't say stuff like that when we think you can hear!"

"So? I'm a teenage girl! Doesn't mean my sex drive is any less than yours!"

"S-Stop talking about sex!" Raph said scooting away from her, his face red.

"Why?" Alex pressed. "Can't handle it?"

"I-I can handle it just fine! Just stop, we're watching a movie!"

"Puh-lease, neither of us has paid more than two minutes of attention to the stupid movie!"

"Becuase you are sitting here talking about orgasuming!"

"Hey, it's a perfectly natural thing," Alex muttered, blushing ten different shades of red. "Guys aren't the only ones that masterbate."

"Doesn't mean you need to talk to me about it! It's distracting!"

"Distracting?" Alex asked. "How is that distracting?"

"I-I'm a guy, okay!" Raph said looking away.

"What does that have anything to do with it?" Alex asked.

"Just please, Alex?" he grumbled.

Alex bit her lip. He used my real name, she thought. He really must be uncomfortable with it. "Uh, yeah. Okay. Sorry, Raph. I didn't mean to bother you."

"It's fine," Raph murmured softly. "Thanks," he said and eased a bit back into the couch. "At least I know how to shut you up now."

Alex glanced down, eyebrow raised. "What?"

"Just play with you hair," he said and smirked dangerously as his hands went up and started combing through her hair.

Alex shivered, biting her lip. She flicked his nose for that. "Shut up," she murmured.

"Ahaha not such a big talker now, are you?" Raph joked.

Alex rolled her eyes. "Either shut up and watch the movie while I play with your hair or get up and let me lay on your lap while you do that."

Raph rolled his eyes and removed his hand. "Yeah, I'm too comfortable for that," he said, though there was a red tint to his cheeks.

Alex huffed playfully. "Well, I see who gets the most out of this relationship."

"Cause I deserve it," he chuckled as he laid back down.

"And what did you do to deserve it, Babe?" she said teasing him with his own nickname against him.

"Kiss you amazingly, Babe," he shot right back.

Alex scoffed with a slight blush. "How do you know it isn't me that's kissing you amazingly?"

"Cause I know I'm just that good." He smirked.

"Please, you're not nearly as good as you think you are," she lied. Oh, those kisses were just that good. She just wasn't going to tell him that. "Hey, wait a minute! Are you saying I'm not a good kisser?"

"Hmm, I think you need a reminder on just how amazing a kisser I am." Raph smirked Sitting up and getting closer to her face, nose brushing against hers.

Alex, despite how much she really wanted to kiss him, turned her head just as his lips were about to meet her, causing him to kiss her cheek. She wasn't going to let him win this! "You wish," Alex said.

Raph paused for a minute, and if she didn't know any better, she thought she might have saw disappointment. "No, you wish," he countered just fine.

"You were the one going to kiss me," Alex pointed out.

"And you wanted it," Raph murmured.

"Shut up," she mumbled.

Raph smirked at her and decided to replay the movie and actually watch it.