D isclaimer: I do not own TMNT, Or the characters. All I own is the plot and my OC Violet.
Author's notes:Kinda another big time skip sorry! Big thanks to Matt Marvel for pushing me to write again.
"I'm sure I can find the time to distract Leo for a sparring match." Mikey grinned up at Raph as they turned to leave.
She had to leap back onto the edge of the building to avoid the swipe aimed at her which grazed her chest.
"Clear ya head Violet! Watch ya surroundin's!"
She growled and ducked, dodging the hand that reached for her and darting forward between Raph's outstretched arm. She slammed the butt of her wooden practice Sai into his jaw, making him stumbled back in surprise. She landed a kick onto his stomach forcing Raph to fall back on his shell. He rolled with the fall, twisting to land on his feet as he slid across the roof away from her. He hardly paused for a second before he charged back towards her. They exchanged blows as they continued to spar. Raph managed to land a lot more hits than Violet but she had improved quite a bit over the last few months and her defence was nearly perfect. Being in the work she was meant that she was fit, flexible, agile and swift, traits that came in hand when they fought.
That wasn't the only thing that had improved over the last few months. Raph and his brothers seemed to be getting on better since their chat in the alley, according to Mikey. The orange clad turtle had stopped by once or twice when Raph had been on patrol. Whether Raph knew Mikey had been by a few times, she didn't know.
She liked Raph's little brother, he was funny. A little insecure and liked to hide behind his own masks, that was something he had in common with Raph. But Mikey meant well and only wanted to make people happy, even if it was at his own expense.
It had been about a month ago when Raph had brought the pair of wooden practice Sai's to their training session. He'd seemed nervous and almost shy at asking if she'd like to learn how to use them. After all, in the beginning they had only agreed to him teaching her how to defend herself. He'd even gone a step past that and taught her proper hand to hand combat which she had excelled at considering they had only started her training just under a year ago now. Time really had seemed to fly by.
She seemed to have enjoyed learning, and it hadn't slipped his notice that she was a slight fitness nut. That he'd know from the start, he was kind of grateful for it. Their training meant that she'd tire herself out enough to sleep without the aid of alcohol or drugs. It also meant that she drank more water and actually started to eat proper food because she needed the energy afterwards. She was a decent cook to be fair. Violet had started to leave him plates of food when she knew he was going to stop by for a visit, even when she sometimes wasn't there due to work or Oliver.
Just because she was having more better days than not didn't mean she didn't have days that got her down. She still suffered from her nightmares and depressive episodes. There were times he'd come by and find her crying or struggling with the drugs in her system from Oliver using her as a guinea-pig or an example to sell his product. There were days he'd stopped by and find her bruised up from Oliver's temper or cuts from when she relapsed and the occasional panic attacks. Sometimes she messaged or called him when she found it difficult to cope, that had been a big step for them. It showed how much she trusted him, and he was more than happy to help when he could.
Obviously, there were times he couldn't drop everything to help her, like when he was fighting out on patrol and taking down criminals and she understood that. It's was Violet that made him promise to finish up what he was doing before trying to aid her, she was adamant that he focus on his duty. That didn't stop him from finding the earliest opportunity to excuse himself however. She'd always apologise, saying that she didn't mean to distract him or be an inconvenience. He'd disagree and try to persuade her otherwise, but she never did listen.
Sparring helped her in a few different ways and was something she looked forward to. It had been one of the reasons he'd asked if she wanted to train with Sai's. She seemed to enjoy learning various techniques, they were something different and Raph's preferred weapons. She agreed and Raph was honest happy at her eagerness to spar and train. He appreciated having found someone who took enjoyment out of fitness and exercising like himself. Sure, his brothers trained too, but that was more out of necessity rather that a hobby or for fun. Both being competitive made them a good match, pushing each other to their limits to improve themselves and sharpen their skills. However, he'd notice, she had been distracted these past few days.
"Wha's eatin' ya?" He asked as they finished their training session, in the process of cleaning and packing everything away before she had to get ready for work.
"Huh?" Violet looked up at him.
"Ya have been starin' at those Sai's for ah while. So wha's bugging ya?"
She looked back down at the wooden practice weapons in her hands and sighed. She had gotten Raph to rebuild the relationships that he'd been neglecting, and it left her feeling like a hypocrite. She hated the way she had treated Dove and wanted to make it up to him. It had been bugging her. She hadn't meant to be nasty to him. Sure, the guy worked for Oliver but that didn't mean he was bad. She knew that she had been giving him a hard time but was mainly because she didn't trust anyone to get close to her. When he had shown he cared, she pushed him away. But after her talk with Mikey, she realised that the relationships with ones around her weren't just important to her but to them too.
Oliver treated Dove like shit, so had she. She had basically isolated the poor guy. No one else would go out of their way to talk to him as he spent all his running around after her or doing errands for Oliver. He was always on call, so he never really had a social life. Who did he talk to? He had only ever been civil with her, and she had been aggressive and push him away. Only ever thinking about protecting herself and not how that made him feel. Dove was alone. He had no family, that's why Oliver had chosen him because he had nothing to lose. No one would notice if he went missing. That's how he liked his staff. It's the reason why he chose vulnerable victims. It was easy to control the situation.
When Raph had given her the practice Sai's, he had also given her an idea. Doves birthday was coming up and she wanted to get him a present. That's why Violet has spent hours in various shops over the days, and weeks, trying to find a gift but the problem was, she had no clue what he liked! She'd even dragged him on a shopping trip, with the excuse of needing an extra pair of hands to carry her bags, just to see if he looked at anything in the shops, or windows, that sparked his interest. That hadn't worked either.
"Violet?" He asked after she didn't reply.
"What would you get Casey, if you were going to get him a gift?"
"Ah gift for Casey? Why? Somethin' I should know?" Raph winked at her.
She rolled her eyes. "Dove's birthday is coming up and I wanted to get him a present but I'm not sure what to get him. So, what would you give someone?"
They continued to clean the Sai's in thought as they sat on the roof of her apartment building. "I guess it would depend on who it is. Mikey likes his games. Donnie is inta science an' tech an' Leo has tha stupid show he likes, space hero's? Casey likes his sports like hockey an' April has ah thirst for knowledge an' information." He shrugged. "Huh, maybe tha's why her an' Don get on so well..." Raph muttered absently. "Point is, wha' ya get for one person probably won't be suitable for another."
Violet groaned into her hands, feeling defeated. "This is impossible! I don't know what he likes or what he would want." She sighed.
"Maybe ya shouldn't be lookin' for somethin' he wants, but rather somethin' he needs. Somethin' that shows ya have taken notice and has a personal touch."
She looked at him in surprise as she leapt to her feet. "Raph you're a fucking genius!" Without thinking she lent down and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Gotta run! See ya later Batman!" She called taking off across the roof and down the metal fire escape to her apartment. Leaving Raphael sat on the floor in shock.
...
He had picked her up after work like he usually did to take her home. Normally the silence between them didn't bother her. But the ride back to her apartment felt awkward somehow and she was nervous.
Dove had held the car door open for her to step out of the vehicle and with her nerves all over the place, she had just shoved the box into his chest. Now she stood there feeling uncomfortable as he stared at her with raised eyebrows.
"What's this?"
"What does it look like?" She snapped defensively before immediately cursing herself internally. She was trying to make up for her behaviour not make things worse. Violet swallowed as she tried to force herself to relax. "It's a gift. For your birthday." She added.
He frowned. "A gift? Why? It's not till next week. How did you even know?"
"Don't think too much into it okay?" She tried to hide how vulnerable she felt by brushing off his questions. "Can you just open it already? It's cold out here." She huffed as she folded her arms, breath coming out in a faint clouds in the early morning air.
He complied, knowing that she must be tired from working all night. He removed the lid of the box to reveal a wrist watch. She hadn't wanted to seem like she was buying his forgiveness, because that wasn't why she wanted to do it. So, she had gone for a watch which was made from sliver. The metal strap was decorated with small patterns that had been done by hand. Dove looked at her in surprise. It was beautiful and, by the look of it, expensive.
"I can't take this Violet. What about your debt to Oliv-"
"Oliver can wait. Some things are worth more than money." She cut him off. "Besides, I can't take it back now, it's been personalised."
He pulled the watch from the box and turned it over. On the back the word "For" followed by a small image of a bird, had been engraved.
"For Dove?" He smiled at her. "Thank you."
She shrugged, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. "Don't mention it. I mean it. Wouldn't want Oliver to get the wrong idea." She waved at him as she walked into the building. "See you tomorrow Dove."
Dove sat in the car admiring the small patterns in the metal before putting the watch on. He knew that she'd tried to play the situation down, like it had been a last-minute decision to buy him the watch. However, it was his job to keep an eye on her and he'd seen her venturing into various shop over the past few weeks that she would never think about entering normally. Sometimes it was impossible to keep track of her when she really didn't want to be found, but Violet had been distracted, so he could follow her easily for once.
He thought that she had been hiding a boyfriend and been looking for a present. Dove had been worried about the situation she'd end up in when Oliver eventually found out, but now it made sense. Honestly, he was touched by the thought and effort she'd put in, but it also left him feeling guilty.
Should he tell her of Oliver's plans?
This chapter won't make sense yet, but it will eventually! Promise! So, Violet has gotten better and Raph is teaching her how to uses Sai's. someone also mentioned how much of a Bitch Violet was to Dove and I never really wanted it to be that way, that's not the only reason I've had them make up. I just wanted to show how defensive and untrusting Violet is because of her past. I have big plans that involve them, so please continue to follow this story to find out.
Thanks pack! Another chapter coming soon! X
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