Disclaimer: I don't own any characters except for Waverly.
Chapter 7: Insomnia.
Raphael growled and turned off the Playstation, completely fed up with Leo's constant nagging. Mike sighed and dragged himself off the floor before skipping towards the kitchen in order to prepare his luxurious chocolate pudding for dessert. Still angry and flustered, Raphael stalked to his room and slammed the door; too frustrated to realise that he'd left Venus and Leo alone on the couch.
Venus absentmindedly traced her finger against the fabric of the sofa as Leonardo quietly watched her every move. Their attention was diverted when Mike dropped his wooden mixing spoon on the kitchen floor. "Do you want to have a quick training or sparring session? I think he's going to take a while with dessert," Leonardo invited. Venus smiled and graciously held his hand as he led her to the dojo nearby.
The two turtles decided to do three-step sparring, going over some of the harder partner combinations involving ax kicks and suitable retaliations to a knife attack. After practicing the selected movements proficiently, Leo decided to take a rest after noticing how worn out Venus looked from playing laser tag with Raph earlier. He watched as Venus sat in a lotus position in hopes of clearing out her busy and troubled mind. She breathed slowly for about a minute before her eyes fluttered open. Leonardo was waiting patiently. Venus gave him a small smile, thinking of something to ask him to break the ever-growing tension.
"Leo. Who's your idol?" Venus asked out of curiosity.
"Idol?" Leo repeated with furrowed eyebrows.
"Yeah. If you could meet anyone dead or alive, you would you choose?" Venus clarified the question. Leonardo was thoughtful for a few moments.
"Bruce Lee," he said simply. "I admire his theories and the hardships he had to endure in order to teach, practice and live in America," he justified. Venus gave him a nod. "He stars in one of my favourite movies; The Game of Death. Well… technically it isn't a movie," Leonardo explained further.
"What do you mean?" Venus asked.
"The Game of Death was the last movie Bruce Lee was in, but it's only a couple of minutes. The fight scenes at the end were the only part of the story that was filmed. It's excellent. If I remember my facts correctly, it's the only double nunchuku fight that exists on camera," Leonardo informed her.
"I bet Mike liked that scene," Venus assumed with a smile.
"Yeah, he did," Leonardo agreed, reflecting on the movie.
"So when did Mike decide to use tonfas instead of nunchuks?" Venus asked with curiosity.
"He changed when he got sick of whacking himself in the head!" Leonardo said with a wide grin.
"Serious?!" Venus giggled.
"Actually, they were giving him sore underarms from stopping them from spinning all the time. Also, Mike was punished by Splinter one day because he kept mucking around with them, and he was equipped with tonfas for the rest of the lesson. I guess that they slowly grew on him. Personally I never liked the idea of Mike having a spinning weapon," Leo explained further.
"At least he doesn't have a sharp one," Venus humoured.
"I used to have two katanas," Leo mentioned.
"You did?"
"Yeah. But earlier this year I felt confident enough to just carry one. Makes me lighter. Also, we all used to wear red bandannas, but I'll leave that story to Raph and is individuality." Leo said, reflecting on his childhood years. There was a calm silence between the two reptiles. Leonardo shifted comfortably closer towards Venus; a movement which Venus didn't object to. "So… who's your idol?"
"Chung I."
"Should have guessed," Leo said as a slight grin appeared on his honest and genuine face. "And your favourite movie?" he continued.
"Probably Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I can relate to some of the themes. Though the subtitles are pretty bad," Venus admitted.
"I didn't really like all of the flying fight scenes. But then I guess it emphasised the myth and legend part of the story… Yet, I really felt sorry for the character Li Mubai, who never found the strength to admit his love," Leo said softly as he noticed how gorgeous and fascinating Venus' dark brown eyes were. Their faces moved closer.
"Just like you," Venus whispered boldly. Leonardo couldn't help but grin at her last comment. Very gently, he pressed his lips against hers, tenderly kissing her luscious mouth. In milliseconds, Venus was returning Leo's kiss, enjoying every moment of his romantic warmth. Still caught up with the event, Leonardo sensitively caressed her face with a hand while Venus did her own exploring and traced a finger down his strong yet gentle biceps and triceps.
A delicious smell wafted in from the kitchen, slowly breaking the starving yet satisfied turtles apart. Leo spent a moment to admire her eyes, falling more deeply in love with her with each passing second, while Venus playfully fingered his blue bandanna tails. She coyly looked at him, then kissed him again, not wanting to join the others in the kitchen just yet.
They both grinned to each other when they finally broke apart. Together they rose off the floor and gradually moved towards the direction of the kitchen, and the chocolate pudding that awaited them.
*****
Venus' mind was spinning with the new emotions she was experiencing. Unable to sleep, Venus opened her eyes and smiled to herself when she found Leo's arms still wrapped around her. After dessert, she spent the rest of the night in Leo's room, talking about all sorts of things, slowly learning more about each other. Time seemed to have passed quickly, and before either of them noticed, it was the really early hours of the morning. Too tired at that hour to talk further, Leo simply sheltered Venus in his arms, where they both later simply dozed off.
Venus sighed and slowly slipped out of Leo's gentle hold, not wanting the others to know that she had spent the night in Leo's room for fear of speculation of non existent events. In the dark, she sneaked out of the train carriage and entered the main living area on tiptoe. Not surprisingly Don's bedroom light was on. Her eyelids felt heavy with sleep deprivation, yet something unknown curiously drew her towards the illuminated room.
Venus observed Donny through the opened doorway, watching him as he twiddled with the recently broken object at his workbench. The male turtle sensed her presence almost immediately, though he didn't shun her away when she stepped into his room. Venus continued to watch him work for a while before asking a question.
"What happened to the Playstation?" she questioned softly.
"Mike wanted to know what would happen if he pressed the reset and the power button at the same time. Totally wrecked it. He short-circuited the TV as well, but I've already fixed that," Don explained while grabbing a nearby screwdriver.
"Oh," Venus said simply, mainly out of tiredness.
"The Hummer's fixed now as well. It should be okay to drive, but I just have to double check that it's safe," Don said. Venus smiled with relief upon hearing his news. Her exhausted swollen eyes scanned across his room, coming to rest on the fish tank. She observed the baby inhabitant swimming around the water in a carefree manner. The turtle's skin seemed to be a healthier richer green, and also looked to have more of an abundance of energy.
"Jelly's looking better already Don," Venus complimented.
"Don't thank me. All she needed was some fresh, non-tap water and a heat source. Oh, and her name's now Waverly," Don said modestly. Venus held a confused expression.
"Oookay… How on earth did Shelly progress into Waverly?" Venus sighed with exasperation.
"Just be thankful that it still ends with 'ly'. At least Mike's memory isn't completely hopeless," Don commented. "So why are you still up?" Don asked, keeping his eyes focused on the grey Playstation instead of her.
"Just couldn't sleep," Venus said simply.
"Hmm… Well that explains why you came from Leo's room instead of your own," Don said with a light hint of sarcasm.
"It's not what you think," Venus defended almost immediately.
"I never said that," Don replied honestly. "But since you seem so defensive about it, what did happen in there?" Don asked slyly. He stared into her tired eyes. It was three in the morning, yet his mind was still as sharp as ever. Venus sighed, knowing that he was too smart and that she was too tired to simply lie.
"I kissed him, okay," Venus answered with a slight attitude. She awaited a smart aleck comment or a smirk, but none came.
"There's nothing to be ashamed of," Don said with reassurance.
"I just don't really won't anyone to know that we're an…"
"Item?" Don completed. Venus nodded. "Don't worry about that. Who am I going to tell anyway? Splinter's usually asleep or meditating these days, Mike values his life and doesn't step into this room for fear that I might combine sodium and water again, while Raph has only limited conversations with me and thinks that I'm some kind of slave who has got nothing better to do than to print him out pages and pages of Tomb Raider walkthroughs," Don commented, returning to his repairing of the Playstation. Venus couldn't help but give him a supportive smile.
"So what time do you plan to stay up till?" Venus asked.
"When I've finished this, however long it's going to take," Don said, opening and closing the lid of the game console. "You shouldn't stay up though. You have no reason to," Don mumbled.
"I thought you might have wanted some company, someone to talk to. Don't you ever feel lonely when you're cooped up in this room all day?" Venus asked. Donatello simply shrugged. Venus sighed. "Goodnight Don," she finally said. A little smile spread across Don's mouth.
"G'night Venus."
*****
Raphael's fingers tensed over the smooth grey object. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he concentrated with all his might. Playstation game Tenchu character, Rikimaru, was up against the final enemy in the ninjitsu adventure. One hit from the big fat devil would instantly kill Raph's computerised person, or so Raph had read from a Tenchu walkthrough that Don had printed out for him. Leonardo and Michelangelo sat beside him; their attention intently focused on the television screen.
After a short dialogue between the two fictional characters, the battle was underway. Raphael obliterated the obese enemy in less than half a minute, thanks to being equipped with an arsenal of cheated weapons. He watched the final sequence. "No… Defeated by a mere human?!" the evil Playstation figure moaned. "Yeah… A human with a gun and one hundred lightning bolts!" Raphael boasted to the TV.
"You so cheated!" Leonardo complained, upset that he wasn't the one to finish the game first.
"This game's impossible to complete without the cheats!" Raph argued.
"No it's not! You just don't have what it takes to be a Grand Master!" Leonardo accused.
"Then prove me wrong Tenchu boy!" Raph yelled.
"Fine!" Leo yelled back, but Raphael kept the D-pad firmly in his grasp, not wanting Leo to beat him at this particular game. Leonardo stared at the almighty grey object in his hand and suddenly lunged towards it. A tug-of-war abruptly began over the Playstation controller. Venus entered the room and calmly watched the childish behaviour. She giggled, causing both Raph and Leo to stop and stare blankly at her. Venus smiled when both of their faces turned bright red with embarrassment.
"Hey Venus," Leo greeted bashfully.
"…Would you like to play laser tag again tonight?" Raphael suddenly invited, quickly getting over the embarrassment. Leonardo glared at him, an action that made Raph grin.
"Um… Sure, I suppose," Venus accepted, not really think twice about her answer. Without letting Leo say anything, Raphael herded Venus towards the garage. He threw her a helmet before hopping onto his Hog. Venus followed suit, wrapping her arms around him for security; her favourite part of the ride.
Raphael revved up the engine and scooted down the dark streets. Venus held Raph tighter as she watched the road swiftly move underneath her feet. The male turtle noticed this change in grip, causing him to sneakily smile to himself. On purposely, he quickly turned a sharp corner, making Venus clutch on to him even tighter. A big evil grin swept across his face as he performed the stunt again, receiving a similar reaction from the female turtle clutching onto his shell. He chuckled to himself; wisely deciding not to do it again as Venus was starting to catch on to his little tricks.
They arrived at the laser game building in a matter of minutes. Using their ninja stealth, they sneaked into the locked up compound before eagerly equipping themselves with the sensory pads and toy guns. "So why exactly did you want to play another game tonight, when we played one just yesterday?" Venus asked as she watched Raph strap on an electronic vest. Raphael simply shrugged in response.
"I dunno," he said casually. Venus frowned slightly after not receiving the answer she was hoping for.
"Do you play laser tag with anyone else?" Venus asked.
"We used to play it all the time when we were young. That was until the laser guns broke. Donatello never got around to fixing them," Raphael commented simply.
"How's the Playstation now? Don spent most of last night fixing it," Venus said, trying to make conversation with the simplistic male turtle.
"It's fine. Mike can be such a dick sometimes," Raphael said, remembering how it broke in the first place. "Do you know if Don's made me that light saber yet?" Raph said with a hint of impatience.
"Um… I think he's been too busy to make one. First he had to fix the Hummer, then the Playstation, and now he has to take care of Waverly-"
"Waverly?… I didn't think it was possible, but the names are getting worse," Raphael muttered. Venus gave him a smile, before returning to the topic of conversation.
"I don't know how he does it."
"Who?"
"Don!" Venus said, desperately wanting to have a decent conversation with the delinquent turtle. "I mean, I don't know how he can just work all day and night, and yet can still find the time to keep his room tidy and keep a baby turtle healthy," Venus said, thinking about Don's unusual yet amazing habits.
"That's because he's gay," Raphael said bluntly. Venus' thoughts were frozen.
"What?"
"He's gay. Didn't you know?" Raph said with astonishment. Venus shook her head, wanting more information. "Well, that's why he's good at keeping babies and cleaning his room. He's a Jane Austen reading, classical music loving, Internet research obsessive, and contemporary artist turtle!" Raphael generalised, summing it all up for Venus. "Not to mention that he also has the worst excuse for a weapon," Raph added for no real reason. The female turtle was speechless, although it was all making some sort of weird sense in her mind. "So, are you ready?" Raphael questioned, gesturing towards her gun and sensory pads. Still thinking about what he had said earlier, she nodded blankly.
Like she had done so the previous night, Venus hid amongst the many concrete pylons that supported the ceiling. Her ears pricked at the sound of footsteps. She swiftly moved around the pylon in the direction of the sound, but found nothing. She sighed silently, and returned to her original position, only to come face to face with Raphael. Venus stood frozen in her spot, waiting for her sensory pad to light up, but it never did. She studied his serious face and immediately knew that something was different.
Without saying a word, Raphael pulled Venus towards him and hungrily kissed her lips. She was stunned at first and wanted to back away. Her mind was screaming at her, saying that this was wrong and that she was with Leo, but yet her body didn't seem to listen. Finding that she was starting to become more responsive, Raph slid his hands along her body. A part of her mind questioned why he was so bold to even do that, but another part of her brain didn't want the passionate kiss to end. This pash wasn't as romantic as Leo's, but yet it was more sensual.
"Why did you do that?" Venus asked softly when they finally broke apart.
"Because actions speak louder than words," Raphael said with his typical smart aleck tone. Venus stared into his dark and illusive eyes, confused and worried about what had happened. She was definitely attracted to Raph, yet she got on better with Leonardo. Venus had no idea what was going to happen when she got back to the lair. She would have to choose between the two eventually, but what then? Would they fight? She tried to think about the very near future, but when Raphael leaned in to kiss her again, all she could think of was the present.
To be continued…