Parrot or Taming Raph's mouth
Disclaimer: I deny any ownership of any adult or adolescent transformed shadow warrior chelonians.
Part Two –
Raph heaved a wearied sigh of frustration, it seemed all he'd been doing was flips, one series of flips after another from the time he got up to the time he took off out of the lair. He, quite personally was getting fed up with this 'wonderful' idea the clan had, in fact he had just about enough of it to want to tell them just where they could stick this idea of theirs.
The only thing that held Raph back was the fact that he knew Splinter would carry through with his threat.
He paused to wipe the sweat from his face before continuing the set exercise. Rama peeked around the corner of the dojo. She squealed in delight " I finds you" she squealed then watched as her Uncle performed a couple more flips.
For some reason only known to the toddler the flips Raph was performing amused her tremendously. She pointed at him and started to laugh uproariously.
Raph turned whipping his head around to glare ominously upon his nuisance niece.
" Unca Raphie funny!" Rama declared through her chortles.
" Let me show you funny you damn troublemaking kid" Raph snapped as he shook his fist her way.
To Rama her Uncle was only playing and thus didn't mean anything by it so she gave a wide grin " Fuck!" she announced cheerfully in return.
" Rama!" Mike's stern bark from just outside the dojo warned Raph that his brother was near and while, Mike just might, have missed Raph's swearing there was no way he missed Rama's joyful response.
" Daddy!" Rama squealed whirling to look at the entrance to the dojo to see her father enter. Mike's stance and stern scowl said clearly he wasn't happy, however Rama didn't have much of a chance to register his displeasure.
As soon as Rama turned her back on Raph he moved fast, getting to her and grabbing her up in both hands and picking her up to turn her around, holding her inches from his own face.
Raph sneered at her " You got to cut that out pipsqueak"
Rama smiled sweetly, undaunted by her Uncle's posture or ominous tone she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big kiss on the cheek " Uve you Raphie."
Raph grumbled " Never mind trying to sweet talk me. It isn't going work."
Mike leaned in the dojo doorway " Yeah it won't work because you have some extra flips to do there." Mike replied as he arched his eye ridges in amusement.
" Get bent Mike I don't need this beep from you." Raph growled.
Rama cheered " No sh.." she was about to say, repeating Raph's latest bad word. However he clamped a hand firmly over her mouth so she couldn't finish it.
" Perhaps Splinter can get you to change your mind" Mike challenged.
Mike wasn't a fool he knew Raph had been recently pushed very near his limits with all the discipline he was being forced to do but, he also knew he couldn't back down to his brother. Not in this particular instance. He also knew that Raph would never intentionally harm a member of the family, he could sometimes come very close to it. All the more reason why most the family chose to give Raph a bit of space when he got like this.
" Aw, come on Mike it was nothing" Raph lied, "Definitely not worth this sort of trouble you get my meaning?" Raph kept his tone congenial but his tone said otherwise.
" I told you I don't want Rama saying this sort of stuff. You think you would start watching your mouth before Splinter decides that he will go washing it out with soap." Mike insisted stalking towards his brother.
" Mmmmmmph!" Rama mumbled behind Raph's hand her eyes wide.
Mike drew close enough that he was able to pluck his daughter from Raph's arms soon as she was free Rama began to babble.
" Raphie funny! Raphie pway!"
Mike nodded, " Sure Raph is a real riot especially when he gets in his grumpy mood or his angry mood and just wait until you see his don't get in my way mood" Mike informed her, " Cause trust me honey you don't want to go there."
" Unca Raphie say…" Rama began.
Mike cut her off " Rama, listen to me" Mike ordered firmly, " I don't want to hear it all right?"
Rama fell silent and whispered a bit sulkily " Okay daddy."
" Now let Raph get back to his exercises and leave him alone," Mike stated.
Raph flashed a truly dark look Mike's way, a look that didn't bode well for his brother. In fact if Mike hadn't been holding Rama, Raph probably would have attacked his easy going brother.
Instead Raph settled for gnashing his teeth as he roared " MIKE!"
Rama laughed at his bellow clearly amused by the shout.
" Let's just get you out of here" Mike whispered to his daughter.
" Git me out" Rama agreed as she bounced in her father's arms.
Mike sighed he knew he couldn't even start to curb Rama's language until Raph started to control his own mouth. For now the best Mike could do was ignore Rama's bouts of foul language.
He knew that Rama liked her Uncle, a great deal, though he had no idea why. For the feelings were not fully mutual. The recent events had caused Raph to become even more volatile then usual and Mike wasn't even too sure about letting Rama too near her Uncle unsupervised.
Raph had always been Mike's good friend, and Mike was willing to take the punches that Raph often threw his way when he got in one of his more difficult moods, but Rama was only a baby.
While Mike seriously doubted Raph would hurt her, he also wasn't too sure if his brother might not go a little over board with his niece one day unintentionally. Also Mike knew that all the flips didn't seem to be slowing down his brothers mouth any. If anything Raphael's mouth was getting worse.
In fact Splinter had cautioned Raphael that if he did not learn to control his mouth then a good soaping might do the trick.
" Rama you have to leave Raph alone. Trust me when your uncle Raphie gets like this the best thing you can do is tuck up in to your shell and hide."
" Rama pway Raphie" Rama moped looking back towards the dojo.
Mike shook his head " That is just it Rama. Raph very rarely plays. It isn't the way he is." Mike tried to explain to her.
Rama stopped struggling in his arms and looked at her father " Daddy pway?" she asked.
Mike tossed her in the air catching her " Now there is an idea Rama llama ding dong. Let's go play," he agreed as he began tickling her.
Rama laughed.
Mike smiled " Let's see if we can do Raph a favour and keep your mouth out of trouble. I'm sure Raph would appreciate it."
Raph stood on the rooftop beside Casey both of them overlooking the city, Casey had brought up a six pack for the two of them to share and Raph was for the moment brooding over how things had turned in the home.
" You know Case I've had just about enough of it. I'm tired of these continual flips which are doing a whole lot of" Raph cursed, " nothing! I got to say one friggin thin' what the hell happened to freedom of speech?" Raph grumbled.
Casey looked over his friend, they were good friends, and fairly much a like considering the difference in species both of them had problems with anger, enjoyed busting heads, swearing a blue streak and conducting burping and insult contests.
While Raphael wouldn't admit to his recent humiliation, Mike had phoned April to tell him that Splinter had indeed washed Raphael's mouth out earlier in the day. April found the story amusing and had repeated it to Casey ending it with a " Poor Raph, he has got to learn to control that mouth of his before it really gets him into trouble."
While Casey, had found it rather amusing to find out the family had ganged up on Raph to clean his mouth out. He knew that Raphael was in desperate need of something that might be far more useful in stopping this habit.
" Freedom of speech is all fine and good long as you don't go stepping on toes Raph." Casey began as he took a swig of his beer.
" Aw, hell don't you start it too. You don't even know what they did to me today" Raph snarled. Then as if Raph had considered what he had just said ordered, " Don't even ask Casey. I don't know why the heck I have to put up with that sort of…" Raph began interjecting many colourful epitaphs " crap in my own home!" he fumed.
Casey tried his best to keep a straight face knowing now was not the time to inform his buddy about the knowledge he had on the subject.
It seemed Raph had decided after the afternoon work out session that he had enough of the blasted good for nothing flips and then told them that he wasn't going do anymore. Splinter had insisted that he abide by the rules of the house.
Raphael had pointed out a few tidbits of he was old enough to do what he wanted, he didn't have to obey Splinter, this was his home he could do as he wanted. And so on. Judging from Raphael's recent temper Casey was sure that Raph had lost it big time.
Splinter had glanced at his three sons and left the dojo. Don, Mike and Leo had then battled Raph and held him down in time for Splinter to return with a bucket of water and soap.
Raph had left spitting soap from his mouth and looking, in Mike's words, like a rabid turtle.
So far Raph had not returned home.
Casey calmly sat down his can and held up two hands " Hold it Raph but have you heard the stuff that is coming out of your mouth lately?" he asked kindly.
" What are you a beepin hypocrite Casey? You used to swear ten times more than I did." Raph accused sharply, " You even swore in front of Splinter and April then I'd have to go and beat your ass for it."
" You mean I beat your ass" Casey corrected.
" Only in your dreams Case man." Raph retorted.
Casey snorted, " Fine have it your way" Casey relented, " the thing is how often do you hear me swear now?"
Raph considered that question for a moment and realized Casey very rarely swore now. Raphael wasn't even sure when or where his friend had started watching his mouth, but he knew that it had probably occurred to some degree before April and Casey had been married.
Raph looked over at Casey as he pulled another can free of the plastic rings, his silent question hanging between them.
" April said she wouldn't marry me while I continued to talk like that."
" So you turned wimp" Raph scoffed.
Casey shrugged " No I just had to make a decision is all. Did I want to continue swearing or did I want the woman I thought was beyond me." Casey leaned against the slight wall around the rooftop " April recorded me once in an hours time I swore well over twenty times just to prove to me what it was like to hear it and how often it was said."
Raph looked Casey over realizing his friend was doing something that was often difficult for Casey to do, reach out and give some advice on a friendly level. Advice and a friendly ear was more April's style then it was for her mate.
Raph scowled as he looked down at the traffic below him " Not that I'm really interested but how did you stop it?"
Casey grinned, " You don't realize how ridiculous a swear word is until you hear a recording of yourself let me tell you. It makes no sense and yet it is used. April said if saying one nonsense word made me feel better about my self I could use almost any word in place of it and still feel good."
Raph furrowed his brow " So what you said something for hell and …"he began.
Casey nodded " It wasn't easy at first to even switch to the newer words. Once I was used to that I dropped the substitute words." Casey admitted.
Raph snorted as he chugged down the last of his beer in silence acting as if he hadn't even heard Casey, though his friend was aware that Raph had heard.
" Well far as I am concerned April was worth dropping a few words for."
Casey had returned to his apartment while Raph headed out over the city. At first Raph had been quite determined not to return home at all, but now as he mulled things over he realized he had no real place to go.
Sure he could, perhaps for a little while, set up a space in the sewers or some abandoned building where he could live on his own, but he knew without his brother's beside him in battle well he could easily fall, especially with his record of getting in over his head.
Sure he often longed to get away from all of them but he also knew when the chips were down, the odds against them differences were cast aside and they stood together. A well oiled team ready to handle whatever was thrown at them.
His family gave him a sense of belonging, the only true place he belonged was with those who understood him, and in the end accepted him.
Even if he did decide to settle on his own he knew that he would still end up spending a great deal of his time with his family.
No matter what happened, his brothers and father would always be his brothers and father. Sure they were not related by blood they were bound by ties that were stronger then blood alone. They were family because of what they had gone through together, and everything they still had to face as a family.
Then there was Rama herself, the toddler loved to follow him around the lair, " Raphie" had been one of her very first words. She had said daddy first, and that was only to be expected but Raphie had come shortly after and long before Splinter, Leo or Don.
While he often found her to be irritating, especially her habit of coming in his room and pouncing on him to wake him up, Raph had to admit that she wasn't a bad kid.
No matter how he snapped, or glared at her she refused to be afraid of him. The rest of his family might tip toe around his attitude and behaviour but she just laughed at him believing that all his anger and posturing was a great joke.
Perhaps the kid wasn't so far off the mark at that. His family was used to giving way to him but she in her own way said he was something to be laughed at.
" Damn kid" Raph muttered as he shook his head ruefully.
He had to admit, if only to himself, that he loved her laughter it was so full of joy and delight. Her laughter was full of a youthful innocence that reminded him of times when he too found laughing easier to do then hurting.
So when he thought about Rama, he realized that his options were to continue to swear and do flips, or start to change his behaviour just a little.
Swear words didn't sound right on a child like that. She adored him, the least he could do was give some of her love back couldn't he?
The dawn was about to break over the city's skyline when Raph made his way back to the sewers and the place he called home.
' Maybe it is time for a change.' Raph thought to himself.
TBC
Tish: Sorry about the long wait on updating. I have been busy with work, writing other stories including a co-authored story and just plain life itself. Poor Raph getting in trouble not only for his own mouth but for Rama's mouth as well. A gratitude for your insight.
Red Turtle: I explained in a separate e-mail to you why this story is in R, besides I feel stories with a lot of swearing, even implied swearing belong more in R. Hopefully my e-mail answered your questions. A gratitude for your insight.
Lenni- Yes Rama did pick up Raph's bad habit of cursing and thus both of them had to stop it. I think after all this time everyone has their own ideas of how to pronounce Ramiela's name. A gratitude for your insight.
Buslady: Ah freedom of expression can easily infringe upon the rights of others. Look at all those PC sayings we have now so one doesn't insult someone else by using what might be construed as a derogatory word. Raph will have to find other ways to express himself. Leaving isn't easy either. A gratitude for your insight.
Splinter: Washing Raph's mouth out could be a cute one shot, I added a bit of fun in here with them actually doing it to poor Raph. He is being picked upon here. A gratitude for your insight.
Reinbeauchaser: Ah yes, children can learn too easily from adults, effective little sponges that they are. I recall my father used to swear frequently. There were times every second word was a curse word. Needless to say all of us children learned to swear at an early age. My mom then had a dickens of a time stopping us. Though she managed to control our mouths she was never able to get him to control his. A gratitude for your insight.