Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT
A/N: Well, I got it universal; everyone loves the fact that the TMNT are back together and all are awaiting Raph's 'baby blues.' hehehe And one thing that has been frustrating me, please ignore it when you see words missing spaces. I go back over it and fix them but then ones that I haven't even touched are suddenly missing thier spaces! I think my computer has a fetish...
I must apologize if this chapter isn't quite up to par. The minor insomnia that I've been battling for more than a year seems to be winning right about now, it's turned into a more serious type, so my concentration is kinda suffering. As long as it gets fixed before my PRT, I suppose that I'm good. I've tried sleepy tea, beer and sleep aids. Next stop: Ambien!
Chapter 22
An Astonishing Declaration
(Raph pouts slightly) Man! You'd think that I wasn't the one telling the story, here! I mean, you were happier seeing my bros than you ever were at seeing me! What's up with that! Huh? (you try to explain but he only half listens before interrupting you) And it's now like you've never seen a pregnant guy before...(He stops you before you have a chance to comment) I mean, I'm sure that you wouldn't be making it as big a deal if a girl was pregnant now would you? Aw geesh, I'm making no sense whatsoever. You're not really listening to me right now, are you? (shake your head, grinning) Figures. Uppidy reviewers. Forget it. I don't need to talk to anyone. Puh. Pathetic. Here's the fu#king story already...
This was the most quiet that I've ever seen my brothers be together. They were in shock, stunned silence. They were looking at me out of the corner of their eyes with more than a little bit of fear.
It was friggin awesome.
Except, of course, for the fact that Mikey couldn't even take his eyes off me or wipe that huge grin off his face! If he asked me one more time to 'do it again!' I swear no one will hear him scream!
Anywho, after we, er I (hehehe) had defeated those guards, we continued our rush over to the other side of the palace where Vivid, Amuke and Heartfelt were probably knee deep in fighting. I have to admit that my heart was kinda pounding though. I desperately hoped thatVivid wasn't in trouble. I know it might sound wierd, but I think that I dreamed of her the entire time that I was asleep. Plus, considering the update Donny gave me she couldn't seem to stop thinking about me. I think that Mikey suspected, he kinda looked at me in that annoyingly sly way that he has then made kissing sounds on the back of his hand. I'll kill him, I swear it!
Other than that, my only complaint is that I still feel like I have to take a dump. I know it sounds gross, but for some reason it's always niggling away at the back of my mind. Not like this is the time or the place for that sort of thing...
While brainstorming on the way, I couldn't help but think about this swollen belly. I could feel the little sucker moving around in there. But the main question was; how was the damn thing going to come out? I remember on the ship that Vivid told me that most humans get a man-gina from the extreme hormones and that it looked likely with me as well. For some reason it was extermely difficult to picture that in my head. I mean, I didn't have a hole like that! But then again I didn't have the physical build for it to easily come out anywhere else. I mean, turtles don't even have that, did they? I remember Donny saying something about eggs being laid via a tube or something...
shudder
No more thinking on that subject for a while.
Alright. And one other subject that I was thinking of on the way; how to fix this situation that I was in right now! Well, obviously I was pregnant. Something that I planned to rectify at a later date!But according to the rules of her universe, Honor couldn't use me (growl) unless two conditions were met. First of all, we had to be bonded, er, married. And I had to do it voluntarily. When Hell freezes over, right?Of course I learned that she was thinking on how to do it; 'bond with me or Vivid gets it!' so I'd have to be careful about that. No one hurts her, or even threatens her without getting a serious ass-kicking from me!And secondly, the only way that she could absorb the ultimate power that she wants is if I had a boy. Now, according to what Vivid explained to me I'm the only one on elentia who is capable of having a boy; but just like human mothers, we don't all get what we want. What will she do if I have a girl?
Hehehe. Screw you, Honor!
Suddenly a thought struck me. I knew! I knew how to prevent all of this from happening! My brain worked furiously as we ran. All that I really needed to do was to enlist Vivid's cooperation...no. That wasn't the right way to say it. Come to think of it, I'm damn sure that I would've wanted to do this even if it didn't involve all these, eh, complications. I could hardly believe that I was thinking of this, I never thought that this would cross my mind. And once it did, I realized that I wanted to! I wanted to badly! Damn I sure hope that it works out like that!
My thoughts were interrupted when we saw the door to the lab.
We burst into the lab after tearing through a relatively weak batch of soldiers. I found out why it was so incredibly easy. All the fighting at this side was already done. Wait, fighting must not be thecorrect choice of words. I should say massacre!Bodies of fallen soldiers lay here and there some obviously broken beyond understanding. Equipment was crashed, broken and cluttered everywhere. Pretty much every piece of (probably expensive!) equipment was completely trashed beyond repair. Some of the stuff looked like it was literally plucked up from it's base and thrown. There were also several huge holes in the wall. I recognized some of this as Amuke's handiwork, hehehe.
The moment that we burst in, the first person we saw was Heartfelt. Her blood red hair was pulled back in a tight braid and her clothing was slightly bedraggled and bloody from the fight. But that's not what surprised us. When we came in, she had her back to us, seemingly unaware. In her hand was what looked like a bazooka, one much too heavy for a petite woman her size. The moment that we came in we made the slightest noise, and before we knew what was happening she was spinning on her heel, swinging the huge gun on her hand as effortlessly as the most season trained warrior. In one fluid motion she placed it on her shoulder and was kneeling down. By the time that she was facing us, she was down on one knee and already looking through the eyepiece, taking aim.
Damn. I didn't know she was that fast! It didn't even take a full second and she was ready to blow our brains out! It made me wonder how easy it was for the elentials to catch her the first time.
With a squeak, Donatello (he's the only one who fully realizes the damage that thing can do, I suppose) hopped in front of us, waving his hands with his palms up. "Wait, wait, wait! Peace! We come in peace! Please! PEACE!" We all kinda grinned nervously, presenting our palms in what we hoped was a non-threatening gesture.
She cocked her head and grinned at us. Standing up in one fluid motion she swung the heavy firearm on an index finger so that it was resting on her back. Cocking her head again she walked up to us, her hips swaying seductively, looking sexydespite her bedraggled manner. "Hey, Raphie boy! Happy to see you back from the land of the dead!" She grinned and poked my stomach. "Wow. You're pretty tight. You due right now, right?"
Furiously I slapped her hand away. There was only one girl allowed to touch me and she wasn't it. I said nothing to her, just glared. I even felt the kid in my stomach kick hard at my skin. I admit I kinda jumped at the unfamiliar sensation. She found this hilarious. Then, discreetly she leaned to one side,moving her free hand to the side. For a moment I wondered what in the world she was doing, then I heard Donny yelp. When I looked over I couldn't help but grin. He was rubbing his bottom, his cheeks so red he must've been gloweing. It wasn't hard to figure out what happened. Mikey snickered beside me and leaned in to my ear. "She's been hitting on him majorly ever since we got here! I'm surprised he hasn't gotten laid yet!" I guffawed muffled laughter. I could just imagine her chasing him around, like a lover's game of hide and seek, Donny running like a frightened rabbit. Seems like she likes the quiet, shy types!
Leo heard Mikey's comment and slapped him on the back of the head. He rubbed it with a protesting "OW! What'd you do that for?"
Heartfelt spoke before he could answer. "Enough of that, I need your help. Daddy is kinda, um, trapped. I can't help him on my own and Vivid, well, she can't do any lifting right now." For a moment I had to process who 'Daddy' was, then I remembered; oh yeah. Amuke. I still couldn't imagine him pregnant or giving birth.
Did he have a man-gina?
"You and you, come with me please! Then we can get out of here." She pointed to Don and Leo. Mikey pouted for not being chosen. He'll get over it, he sure brightened when he saw Heartfelt reaching to give Don another pinch. By now Don must have a butt-pinch-radar or something because he expertly dodged her seeking hand then scampered ahead on his tip toes with his hands clasped over his rear for extra protection. This was great.
Amuke really was stuck. Somewhere during the battle, he fell and something fell on him. When I say something fell on him, I mean a hunk of machinery so huge that it would kill one of us fell on him! You could only see his head and his hands. His feet and tail were sticking out from the back. Suffice it to say, he probably had at least a few broken ribs. This must've been one hell of a fight, I'm sorry that I missed it! He obviously wasnt' happy about his situation, his tail was thwapping hard against the floor in irritation when he saw the help crew approaching. His teeth were gritted either in annoyance or pain, I couldn't tell which.
It was obvious why she didn't choose me for assistance, consedering my, uh, condition...shut up! I decided that I might as well take advantage of this freedom.
I immediately went off in search of Vivid.
I found her on the other side of the destroyed lab. She had just finished retrieving her weapon, a small but extremely powerful plasma handgun. She was exactly how I remembered. Her dazzling flourescent red hair shimmered despite the braid that it was in. Her milky skin looked just as pure as ever, flowing down to her perfectly proportioned body; just perfect for me.When she turned slightly my way Igot a funny feeling in my chest when I saw those sky blue eyes, those perfect orbs. The moment that I reached her I just couldn't help myself.
Grabbing her before she had a chance to realize that I was there I pulled her into a kiss. It was a blessed moment. Of course because I cought her by surprise she resisted at first, but immediately she realized who it was kissing her and pulled herself closer to me. I was in heaven. Our kiss deepened. I could feel her hands on me. Then they slid over to my stomach and suddenly she pulled away from me, breaking the kiss.
I looked at her in surprise, then I saw her smile and I smiled back. "I missed you." was all I could say. Man! How sappy is that!
"I missed you too." My heart leapt at the sound of her voice. I didn't realize how much I missed it!
Her gaze lowered as a smile blossomed beautifully on her face. "I see that that baby is making himself seen."
I nodded towards her. Her left arm was in a sling, the part being supported by the cloth lookedsomewhat lumpier than it should."And I can see why your sister said that you couldn't help. Are you all right?"
She nodded and for the first time I noticed small tears glistening in her eyes. She was beautiful. "Yes, just a break. It's nothing. I'm glad to see that you're up, I really did miss you." She stepped forward and put her warm palm on my belly. There was a strange look in her eyes. "You're tight, you must be due soon."
Finally I couldn't take it. I know that I normally avoid talking about my feelings normally but I just couldn't stand it any more right now. "Vivid," I scooped up her hand and held it cupped in mine. I held it close to my chest. "Vivid," I repeated "I know that you havent' known me for a while, and I know that this, this...feeling is kinda sudden. I...I want to ask you..." I took a breath, it was somewhat ragged. I looked at her with earnest eyes, she stared straight back into mine, giving me all her attention.
Damn!
I mean...damn! Girls, this is harder than you think. "You remember that time by the riverbed?" Recognition sparked in her eyes and she nodded, her cheeks blushing rosily. I grinned. "Well, you see, back then you told me that you loved me." she opened her mouth to speak but I shook my head, interrupting her. "Listen. You told me that you loved me and I believed you, every word. The only problem is, that, well, that I didn't make my feelings for you known right there, and I know that I should have."
She looked at me curiously. For some reason it was really hard to read her eyes. My mind was going crazy. Who'd of thought that Raphael would be saying this stuff! "Why? Why didn't you?" She asked.
My mouth worked for a full second before my voice managed to fight it's way out of my throat. "I...I don't know! Because I'm a guy! Because I'm Raphael the ninja turtle and I..." I lowered my voice slightly, looking deep into her eyes, "I'm not used to doing stuff like that. It...it's really hard for me. I...I don't really know why. It just is."
I felt her palm on my cheek. She stepped closer. I could smell her breath. It was sweet. "What is it that you feel, Makkame?"
My voice choked and for the first time since I can remember tears threatened to burn my eyes. "I...I love you Vivid. I've always loved you, and I always will. I've done everything that I can for you and will from now on, whatever it takes to make you happy. Because when you're happy, well, then...I feel happy." I took another rugged breath. Here it comes. "Please, Vivid, will you be happy with me? Please?"
Tears were already spilling from her eyes. If not for her broken arm I think that she would be hugging me right now. Instead she cupped her face with her free hand in that way that women do, sniffing through the tears. "Oh, Makkame, I imagined you saying that for so long, I just couldn't give up on you! I love you too, more than anything or anyone in the entire galaxy! Oh, I love you too..."
Her voice choked and for one horrid moment I thought that she didn't understand the question. Then again, elentials don't do stuff like that around here. I'll be forced to take the more direct approach. Damn! I didn't know that this would make you feel so weak, your knees and elbows shaking like they couldn't support your weight. It was like torture and bliss all in the same moment.
Finally she realized the question in there but I was right in her not understanding. Her tears slowed for a breif second and she looked at me plaintively, curiously, questioningly. Well, there was one way to ask her that wouldn't have any confusion.
Slowly I followed the flow of gravity and came down to one knee, claspin her hand in mine. Immediately she realized what I was doing and gasped, pulling slightly on her hand in surprise. Through her gasps I could see her face light up in joy and laughter spill from her lips. I couldn't help but grin at her happiness as I said:
"Vivid, will you marry me?"
A/N: How's that for an ending, eh? That was hard as heck to write! I always imagined Raph's romantic side as this kinda cute, bumbling, stumbling half of him, though once he's sure of himself I'm sure that he can melt quite a few hearts! Well, people's, you know the drill. Let me know what you think, any suggestions, questions and whatnot. Especially now, because I'm at a sort of dilemma here. I know what I want to do with the other chapters but not quite how to do it. (This is the first chapter that I had to make myself start writing) So any suggestions or wishes would be more than welcome.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Remember, if you Read it, Review it!
Toodles!
