A/N: I took a different approach on this chapter, pushing myself out of my box. Majority, if not all of this will be in Raphael POV. Enjoy!

This girl is driving him crazy. Raph jumped back down towards the truck, watching her white curtains sway in the wind. Frustrated that he had to let her go, even if it was only for a few hours.

"Let's go lover boy," Mikey said as soon as he shut the back door to the truck.

"Shut up Mike," He groaned, plopping down across from him in the back.

"Raph, did she like your gift?" Donnie chipped in, as he turned right out of the alley, headed towards the garage before we went on patrol. Christmas was a huge holiday when it came to thieves.

"Said she loved it." He fidgeted with his sais, maneuvering them in and out of his grip.

"AWW!" Mikey bellowed, clutching his cheeks with his damn anime girl eyes.

"Shut it numb-nuts before I shut it for ya," he growled. This always happened every time he came back from being around Cass. He guessed it's what he deserves for being an ass the majority of the time.

"Are you going to ask Sensei about training Cassidy, Raphael?" Leo questioned.

"Yeah, tomorra'." Raph half whispered as he adjusted the wrapping on his sai. He felt his anger building. Why did Leo even ask that? Raph wondered if Leo wanted to take on the responsibility of training Cassidy. Fuck that! He growled.

"What's it matter to ya fearless?"

"Just simply asking Raphael." Leo put his hands up as if to surrender. He obviously didn't want to start nothin' before they went on patrol. This is going to be a long night.

They got back to the lair at 5am. Donnie made a cup of coffee and headed back to his lab, Mikey fell on the couch with a huff. Probably deciding if he'll play video games or pass out. Leo headed back towards the dojo, most likely to meditate on the events of tonight's patrol. All in all it was uneventful, only stopping two separate cases of teens breaking and entering. Scared them off pretty good, it'll make them think twice next time. This has been the calmest Christmas Day in years.

Stripping his weapons, padding and his mask, he finally stood underneath the hot water; washing away the grime his mind began to wander.

Cassidy.

She was…perfect. His mind replayed the events from yesterday and this morning. They openly joke, she willingly touched him countless times. He's never been one for being touched. But when Cassidy does…He doesn't want her to stop. It was easy with her. That thought scared the shit out of him.

"Argh!" He grunted, slamming his arm against the tiled wall. What the hell was he thinking! Ain't no way a girl like her could see him other than anything then a friend. Shit, that felt like a damn stretch and he wouldn't believe he would ever be friends with a beautiful girl (besides April) if he wasn't already living it. But…The thought of wanting to be more was impossible. No matter how kind she was, how thoughtful, how sassy, how incredibly sexy she was. He did give himself props for how he handled Cassidy winning Twister. He knew that she could cause trouble but he didn't realize he'd be in her line of sight. Damn him and his competitive spirit but he couldn't call it quits unless she won fair and square. Not that he would ever admit that out loud. Her lithe body, that perfectly round ass, her long neck, soft curves; her femininity was too much to handle. And what the hell was he thinking when he said, 'ain't nothin' soft about me,'? Evidently he wasn't, and he wasn't expecting her to retaliate in the way that she did. He's never seen her, or felt her, be that bold before. He was thankful that his family was around at that moment; he had control, but she tested it every time they were alone. Were they something? Were they headed towards something? He can't fuck up whatever this is. The warm water did little to relax his tense shoulders, his neck going tight, his jaw clenched tightly. He was remembering every moment, every glance, every touch with Cassidy and it was fogging up his brain. He felt a deep throb in his tail as he grunted out a moan. Hating to result to this, but knowing he needed to release the tension. His mind fluttered through every instance that they touched, every instance that he thought they were about to kiss...He was so certain that they were about to kiss last night after he was given the hoodie. He's seen enough romantic movies with Mike yo get the gist of when a kiss was about to happen. Sure, he's never experienced a real kiss, but he felt that could change. He especially felt the unyielding need to grab her and kiss her senseless under that mistletoe but he would remain a gentleman. His father raised a gentleman. But, the matter of him being a six foot five ninja, talking turtle was a hurdle that would never be jumped over.

The throbbing only intensified as thoughts drifted darker. His forehead pressed against the cold tile, the only feeling keeping him on earth. His mind foggy, he allowed his control to slip, thoughts of Cassidy's lithe form flitted across his closed eyes.

Upon exiting the showers, he threw his padding in the laundry before moving forward towards his room. He stopped in front of the door, he saw the candle light glow from Dad's room. Fuck it. He headed straight for the door.

"Enter my son." Master Splinter sat in the middle of his tatami mat, posed in a meditation position. "How can I help you Raphael?"

"Sensei...Dad...uh...I gotta ask you a question." Ralph said as he sat upon his knees, his feet tucked underneath him as he bowed his head towards his father. He looked up, his dad was looking at him with dark, wise eyes. Ralph swallowed, now or never.

"I was talking with Cass last night and... I'd like to teach her some self defense techniques. She been workin' crazy hours and I want her to be able to protect herself in case of an emergency." He ruffed out quickly, not stopping to take a breath, his head cast down watching his fingers flex against his bent knees.

Silence settled, flames dancing along the walls. Raph's heart was beating quickly, sweat was forming along his eye ridge above his eyes. He knew his father could sense his hesitancy, Raph has never been one to ask permission. He's always been one that seeked forgiveness instead of permission. But he wanted to do this right. He wanted to do right by Cassidy, give her the best opportunities he could.

"Raphael, my son. Miss Cassidy means a great deal to you."

"Hai Sensei, she is a good friend."

"Is that all she is - a good friend?" Raph's head snapped up at that. How could he know? Rachael felt as if his heart was about to jump out of his chest, his gut dropped and he felt like he solidified into stone.

"She...Cassidy is..." Raph slammed his fist against his thigh, gritting his teeth as shook his head.

"It is alright my son, I know you care a great deal, and you want what is best for her. I think it would be a great lesson in patience and balance. I believe training Miss Cassidy would be in the best interest for the both of you."

Raph lifted his head and resembled the look of a goldfish. Shocked that he was approved to teach Cass. His mood drastically changed in a matter of seconds, and his father witnessed a genuine smile spread across his features. Raphael was excited to get started. Bowing, he thanked his father and bid him goodnight.

Walking back into his room, glancing at the clock, he saw that it was nearly seven in the morning. Cass would be up soon. He sent her a quick text letting her know that they can begin training.

Cass: yay! When can we start?

Raph: What's your schedule like?

Cass: I can be free after work. Then weekends because I am usually with you anyway. That good?"

His phone lit up with Cassidy's reply. He wasn't quite sure why, but when she only mentioned being with him on the weekends instead of his family brought a sense of pride in his chest.

Raph: We'll start this upcoming Monday, give you the weekend to prepare.

Cass: Prepare?

Raph: Drink lots of water.

Cass: Yes Sensei

Raph: Don't push it doll

He could imagine her giggling to herself. The thought alone brought a smile to his face.

After sending that last text, Raph wondered what she thought of the nicknames he used. Did she mind, he never thought to ask. Since realizing his feelings for her, he's been overthinking every scenario. He didn't want to fuck anything up.

He finally laid in bed, willing for sleep to take over as he stared into the darkness above his bed. He lifted his hand up, not able to make the outline of his three fingered hand in the dark, he began to wonder what it'd be like to have five fingers. What it'd be like to hold Cassidy's hand. Were his hands too rough and calloused for her small, soft hands? Shaking out his hand in the dark, he snapped out of his reverie. He needed to sleep. He laid in bed, staring at the pitch black ceiling. After laying there for what seemed like an eternity, sleep finally overtook him. It was the most restless sleep that he has gotten in the past few months.

The next morning, Raphael woke up around noon. He stretched and for once, didn't feel the tension of a restless sleep. He felt lite. His phone dinged beside him, glancing down, a smile spread across his face.

Cass: Hey Red, Ape wanted to know if we were still on for New Years?

Raph: Got beer?

Cass: Not until after you all get back from patrol.

Raph: *Eye roll emoji & winky-face, tongue out emoji*

Cass: Don't fret big boy. April got ya faves all set. They'll be there when you get back.

Raph: They betta!

I'll check with Leo.

At that, Raph walked out into the lair, only seeing Donnie in the kitchen making yet another pot of coffee, looking dead to the world. Mikey was nowhere to be seen and he assumed Leo was already in the dojo.

"Yo Fearless, Cass wanted to know if we were still down for New Years."

"After patrol. Yes." Was all he said as he sat in meditation mode, eye closed, breath even, sitting butterfly.

"K"

Turning back to his phone, Raph replied:

Raph: Still on

Cass: I can't wait to see Mikey drunk

Raph: Gotta wait until after Dad's asleep.

Cass: April said that he may stay at her place for the night. So he can ring in the new year with peace and quiet.

Raph: Nice. No supervision.

Cass: No regrets. Gtg, work :P

Raph: See ya

Throwing himself onto the couch, still holding onto his phone and looking through the messages between him and Cass. Casual. But, he couldn't help but feel a certain way about how she said 'No regrets.' He could take that in so many directions, his head was flooding with all sorts of possibilities. Both G and M rated. He was beginning to feel his shell tightening and he needed a distraction. He went to his bench, shoving his headphones over his head as Five Finger Death Punch thundered into his on the weight, he lifted. He focused on the bar above his head, but as he brought the bar to his chest, he saw the newest addition that adorned the ceiling above the weight bench. A scantily clad, skinny blonde beach babe knelt on a sandy beach, knees spread, hands grasping her chest and covering her core. Definitely a poster from Mikey's collection. Rolling his eyes, he continued to lift, not minding the distraction from his earlier occupant. But, as seconds rolled by, his eyes went blurry, feeling a light burn, the beach babe started to morph into a petite, curvy brunette. He couldn't get the image of Cass in a bikini out of his mind. Maybe one day he'd see her in one. He's seen April in one, they all have, but it wasn't the same. Yes, April was attractive, hell that was an understatement. But with Cassidy…she was different. Imagining her kneeling like that below him, her puppy dog eyes gazing up from between his thighs, her tongue licking her lips as she squeezes her breasts between her arms, her ass and thighs rubbing together as if she was wagging a tail. A tail. Hmm…like a black tail with…

BANG!CLANG!

"Argh!"

He hadn't realized that he let his hands slip and the weights clanged against the metal of the fixed bar height. Dumping half of the weights off the bar to clang against the floor, one of his 45lbs plates split in half due to the impact.

"Raph" He heard Leo growl from below.

"Got it Fearless." He growled back. He wasn't about to start anything, especially when it was his own damn fault for losing control. This girl has his head all messed up and he was seriously debating if teaching her self defense was going to actually be in his best interest. Grunting he snatched the poster off the ceiling, ripping it to shreds before tossing it to the lair below. He sat on the bench, hands clasped over his knees, shaking his head in a feeble attempt to shake the vivid images of Cassidy out of his mind. He needed to get his shit together. He decided then that he needed to plan exactly how he was going to teach her self-defense. He started to think back on the small regimes they had as kids. He'd talk to Splinter to modify them to better suit her. He didn't want to scare her off by being too intense too quickly, but also wanted to prove to her that it isn't something to mess around with. Self-defense and training was serious, to him and his brothers, it was a lifestyle. Knowing how to handle yourself and be prepared for any situation was their lifeline. They knew nothing else.

"AWWWW! Babygiiirrrrrllll! NOOOOOO!" Mikey bellowed from the den.

Raph shook his head and walked to the metal rail at the opening of the weight room to peer down at Mikey.

"No distractions in the weight room Mikey."

"But BRITTANY!? How could you! She was a GODDESS! You wouldn't treat a goddess like this!" Mikey looked so comical, his whimpering as he held the pieces of 'Brittany' in his hands, the rest of the poster scattered around him. He fisted the pieces into the sky as he whined out another "NOOO!"

"You got a whole collection Mike. Get a new Brittany." Raphael rolled his eyes before pushing off the metal rail, heading down towards the den.

"You don't get it DUDE! I saved her from the smelly dumpster behind the adult video store on Adams Street!"

"Yo, that's sick Mike" Raph said, not wanting to visualize what else could be found in those dumpsters.

"Whatever Raph…you suck." Mikey pouted as he collected all the pieces and trudged back up towards his room. Raph could only assume that he was going to try to save her by taping her back together.

The hours ticked by and Raph was getting restless. He tried working on Stella but he broke a part that he needed to weld but Donnie was using the welder to fix pieces of the nunchucks that Mikey broke off again. He was headed to go ask Don if he needed any help when his cell dinged in his belt.

Cass: Hey Big Daddy *winky face emoji*

He blanched. A cold sweat broke over his forehead and his overstimulated feelings from earlier hit him in full force. Taking Mikey's words, he could feel his shell tightening. His toothpick fell limp between his lips.

Cass: Wanna spar?

Was the next text sent and was accompanied with a gif of a cat spinning nunchucks in its hands. Raph spit a laugh, twisting his pick between his teeth, contemplating how to respond. His green color coming back to his cheeks.

Raph: Babygirl, you wouldn't last

His thumbs have never texted a message quicker. His heart was pounding in his chest, but it wasn't entirely unwelcome.

Cass: Bet I'd win Big boy *smirk emoji*

Raph: Doubtful

Cass: I won Twister didn't I?

Raph gulped, he still felt the sweat beading on his forehead, his mask was beginning to feel extremely claustrophobic, and he couldn't shake the feeling of Cassidy beneath him. He needed to change the subject.

Raph: Aren't you at work?

Cass: Lunch break & board

Raph: Eat?

Cass: Had a burger and some fries. Have you ate?

Raph realized that he didn't even eat breakfast and hadn't realized his stomach was growling until that moment.

Raph: Ya

Cass: Liar

Raph bulked, how the hell does she know?

Raph: Truther

Cass: What ya have?

Raph: food

Cass: Smart ass. Admit it, I'm right

Raph: Never.

Cass: What ya doin Red? Entertain me

Raph: Workin' long & hard on Stella

Cass: Oooh making' me jealous

As if Raphael thought. He appreciated the joking but deep down, it hurt. All this casual flirting and joking between them was giving him false hope. Sometimes he wished that she'd flat out tell him, 'Ew, no Raph, we're friends. That's it.' Like why the hell would a beautiful girl like her ever be with a mutant freak of nature like him? Impossible.

Cass: Gotta go Red, boss needs me

Raph: *thumbs up emoji*

That was all he could manage. He hasn't seen her in hours and he couldn't keep his mind off her. The inner turmoil was creating chaos, forcing his inner hatred of himself to rise. Anger building. He hated this, but he loved it. Wait.

Love?

Aww fuuck.