Authoress' Notes: Okay, so this is one of the Kathy/Raph friendship fics from The Kathy Chronicles; unwittingly, I got the idea lodged in my head from chapter five of "Quality Time In 1990?"; if you've read it, you'll be able to pick out where I got it from. Please, Read, Review, and Enjoy!
Dedication: To all of my awesome reviewers; The Kathy Chronicles wouldn't have gotten this far without you! Thanks.
Summary: It was a dark and stormy night; Kathy was staying over at the Turtles after they had a movie marathon and she can't sleep. Rated "T" for vague insinuations and a few bad words. Kathy(OC).Raph friendship fic.
Disclaimer: Nope, I do not own the Turtles, Splinter, or any other affiliated characters; those rights belong to the mighty Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. I do, however, own Katherine Jones and anything else not recognizable or that is affiliated with The Kathy Chronicles with the exception mentioned above.
Quality Time Weathering The Storm
"Katherine, I love you; I really, truly do. I hope you know that," Donatello Hamato patiently told the eighteen year old girl next to him as he sat up in his bed, his three fingered hands trapping her small ones between them.
"Yes…" Katherine Jones, best known as Kathy, stated as she attempted to look innocent.
"It is with all the love I have for you that I ask you to please go sleep somewhere else, so I can get some sleep," Donnie told her, trying to phrase it so that she wouldn't be offended.
"Blame Casey," she said immediately.
"Blame Casey for your wandering hands that won't let me sleep?" He couldn't hide his amused curiosity, even as his eyes roamed her silhouetted figure in the dark of his room.
"Uh-huh; when I can't sleep, my hands become… jittery," she answered truthfully. "You know that."
"Yes, I do, Kath; but what has that got to do with you being extra jittery tonight?"
"That stupid "Resident Evil" movie that Casey and Mikey insisted we watch at the end of the marathon," Kathy explained.
"Okay…"
"So, does this mean I can stay?" She widened her eyes in hope.
"I have too much to do tomorrow, Beautiful; as much fun as you are, a Turtle has to say no sometime," he winced at how that sounded. "Kathy, I didn't -"
"No, I understand, Donatello," Kathy told him, not looking into his eyes, but at a spot over his shoulders. "If you need me, I'll be somewhere in the Lair; with that much rain, it wouldn't be good for me if I went home. I'd probably get swept into Neverland or something," feigning nonchalance, she grabbed the panties that were on the nightstand next to the bed and, with jerky movements, replaced them on herself.
"Katherine-" Donnie tried again, reaching out to her as she scuttled off of the bed, snatching her solid, knee-length red silk nightie off of the chair they'd discarded it onto and tossed it over her head before she nearly ran out of his room.
When she got out of his room, closing the door quickly but quietly behind her, she was faced with a dilemma: Where am I going to sleep?
Kathy gnawed her lower lip in thought, even as she stood in the hallway between his room and his Laboratory. "I'm sure he won't mind," she decided, heading to Mikey's room as she figured that he'd be up as well. Like her, after the movie Mikey had looked decidedly green around the gills. Although, he's always green around the gills… she snickered silently to herself before she let herself into his room. She groaned quietly when she peered through the darkness and saw him snuggled into his covers with his teddy cuddled up to his plastron, I could climb in with him, even though he's asleep. He sleeps like a rock. She reconsidered after a moment, On second thought, I'd probably wake up smothered under the covers again…
Leonardo's room's out; I'd probably wake up with a katana in my face. Splinter's out of the question, even with that extra futon in his room. Raph's in one of his moods again, so it'd be best not to disturb his beauty sleep… That leaves… "The couch," she sighed aloud, closing Mikey's door quietly.
"What 'bout the couch, Kath?" Kathy turned around so fast that she wobbled; she was saved from falling flat on her behind as the red bandanad turtle expertly caught her bridal style. "So, finally decided that yer fallin' fo' the right Turtle, Kathy?"
With a half-huff and a half-snort, she rolled her hazel eyes, "Conceited much?"
"Eh, I gotta try sometime, Kath," Raphael Hamato, commonly known as Raph, smirked. "'Sides, you know you ain't gonna find a better-lookin' Turtle anywhere around."
"I'll take your word for it," she said dryly. "Now, put me down, Nightwatcher." She muffled a squeak of pain when he dropped her in shock, "Hey, we've been through this! No more dropping me, Raphael!"
"What'd you call me, Kid?"
"I called you "Nightwatcher", you idiot," Kathy retorted, standing back up, unaided as she rubbed her now-sore direr. "I'm not stupid, you know; I'm well aware of what you and my Cousin do at night. So's April, and I'm fairly certain Donnie and Splinter have figured it out, too."
Raph let loose with a few colourfully chosen words before he narrowed his gaze, "You haven't run to Leo over this, have you?"
"If Leonardo isn't smart enough to put together the pieces himself, Raphael, then I'm not going to spell it out for him. Besides, I have a helluva lot more respect for you than that."
When he noticed her glare directed at him, he decided a subject change was in order, "So, why aren't you in Don's room doin' the naughty?"
"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to go sleep somewhere else in the Lair," she half-lied; she went scarlet when he wordlessly eyed her up and down and she remembered that she'd been so upset that she'd forgotten her dressing gown in her boyfriend's room. It wasn't on the bed… oh, right; Donnie tossed it somewhere towards his computer…
"C'mon, Kath, quit tryin' t'lie. Both you an' I know that you couldn' lie yer way outta a paper bag," Raph drawled knowingly.
"Why did I have to be cursed with horrible lying skills?" Kathy wondered to herself. "Why couldn't I be gifted like Mikey this morning with that awesome shaving cream prank?"
"So, that was Mikey," he growled, turning around and making his way to his youngest brother's room.
"Oh no, Mikey'll kill me!" She muttered, racing after the ill-tempered Turtle and clamping onto his arm, "Raph, come on; let's go to the kitchen. I need some cocoa," she pleaded, knowing how he had a soft spot for her, although he'd never admit it.
"What is with you and cocoa?" Raph stared the inch or so down at her incredulously.
"Don't. Dis. The. Cocoa," she stated seriously, bravely, or stupidly depending on your perspective, poking his arm with each word. "Otherwise, I'll sic Zombie-Casey on you."
"Morbid much, eh, Kat?" He allowed himself to be dragged by the arm into the kitchen where she clattered around, getting everything she'd need to make hot cocoa as she put on the kettle to boil.
"Blame that stupid "Resident Evil" movie Mikey and Casey insisted we watch and then made me stay by promising that it "wasn't that gory or violent". Not gory and violent, my ass."
"Ah, nightmare, then?"
"Of Casey being a zombie and coming into my room while I'm asleep before he eats my brains," she shivered, causing him to look at her worriedly; the Lair could get drafty at times and he was sure that her being there in her little nightie was just asking for trouble in the form of getting a cold.
"And, when yer hands started roamin', Donnie kicked ya out," Raph guessed correctly; her start confirmed it and he was suddenly thankful that the kettle hadn't finished boiling otherwise she'd had scalded herself painfully. "He's just had a bad few days, Kathy; things'll be back t'normal sooner than ya think."
"It just seems, sometimes, like I'm the only one trying to make this all work," Kathy admitted, not looking her friend in the eye as the kettle whistled and she expertly poured the boiling water into the cups that each had a certain amount of cocoa powder; as she was stirring it, one of her hands snatched a little bottle from the counter-top and with an eyedropper added a few drops of whatever was in the bottle to each cup before she added a bit of milk. She silently handed the usually temperamental Turtle one of the cups.
Knowing that she would blow up at him if he started prodding, Raph silently took a sip of his cocoa before giving it an incredulous look. "What the fu- er, shell did ya put in it, Kathy?"
"Like it?" She gave him a small smile when he nodded and explained, "Mikey was complaining earlier this week that my cocoa needs a new kick to it; Casey suggested something alcohol-related - I think it was Kailua or something like that - and I got the idea of adding some flavour extracts to it. This one in particular is orange extract."
They sat in a comfortable silence for a bit, drinking their mutual cocoas, before Raph ventured, "Kath?" When she hummed in question, he continued, "Look, I know that yer hurt by what Donnie did, but didja wonder why?"
"Well, yeah, of course, but…" She sighed, swirling the remnants of her cocoa in her mug, "It's just - Donnie's been so close-mouthed about something for the past month and it's like whatever I do, he won't budge on whatever it is. I know he hasn't been sleeping through the night most of the time, either; I lost count how many times I've woken up and he's in his Lab, tinkering with something, or on his computer. Do you know?"
He nodded, "Yeah, I do. 'Member a few weeks ago, when we met up with Karai and she taunted him 'bout how he'd never be able to provide for you if you two were ever to Mate or, as a Human, Marry?" Kathy nodded, confused as to the direction the conversation was taking. "He took that seriously."
"What?! But, why would he need -"
"I know we ain' in the Eighteenth Century no more, Kat, but that don' mean that Donnie wants to be one o' those slackers who ain' got no job or education to speak of. A few weeks ago he signed up for an online college and righ' now, he's trying to do several Degrees at once an' at an increased pace," Raph finished, watching his friend closely; Kathy looked ashamed.
"I didn't know, Raph…"
"'Course not, Kath," he awkwardly took her hands in his own. "Donnie didn't want you to know 'cause he wants it t'be a surprise when he Graduates an' he knows you'd force him to slow down." He squeezed her hands softly, "I know that you may think that it's 'cause of you, but Donnie wants to be able to say that he's something. That he's legitimately got the brains and has something to show for it."
"But we know he's smart! Why would he feel like he needs t'prove hemself?" Kathy's Southern accent, that was mostly faded in her casual speech due to her being in New York for nearly a year, came out full-force as she got upset at herself for not noticing.
"Breathe, b'fore you faint from lack of oxygen, or something', Kat," he instructed. "And, maybe, that's somethin' you aughtta ask him yerself."
She did as told and took several deep breathes, "Thanks… for letting me know about what's the what, Raphie." She smiled at Raph after a few minutes silence, "And, now that I know, I can do something about it."
"Don' do nothin' I wouldn' do, Kiddo," Raph winced when her hand automatically came up and smacked his arm for the much-hated nickname. "C'mon, you wanna watch some late-night cartoons or somethin'?"
"Would you help me pullout the sleeper on the couch, Raph?" Kathy yawned an hour later, stretching, "I think I'll be able to sleep, now."
"Mikey busted the sleeper last week, remember? Donnie hasn't been able t'get to it yet," Raph reminded her.
"Guess I'm sleeping without the pullout, then," she sighed, stretching out on the couch, cuddling a corner of the blanket she'd taken from the extra linen they had.
There was a moment of silence before Raph blurted, "Why don't ya sleep in my room, Kathy?"
"Who are you and what've you done with my best friend?" Kathy eyed him suspiciously, even as another yawn escaped which caused said best friend to smirk.
"I ain' offerin' again, Girly," he mock-warned, a knowing look in his dark eyes. "Either ya can sleep on the couch an' wake up with a sore back an' hafta deal with yer boyfriend bein' all guilty fer a week, or ya can sleep in my hammock with me an' save us all the trouble."
"When you put it that way, I can't refuse," she accepted his offered hand and, together, they walked up the stairs to his room. "You sure that thing will hold both of us?" She sceptically eyed the large hammock that served as her friend's bed.
Raph shot a look out into the hallway both ways before he muttered, "Ya better not tell anyone, 'specially not that hard-headed Cousin of yers, but Mikey still comes in some nights when the weather's bad or we'd been in a bad fight with Shredder, the Foot, or the Purple Dragons; if it can handle two Turtles, it can handle me and ya, since ya weigh next t'nothin'."
"Aw, that's just so sweet, Raphie," Kathy cooed; she was tired, but not tired enough to let a rare opportunity to tease her red-clad companion pass her by.
"Shut it, 'fore I shut it fer ya, Kat," he scowled down at her before he made his way soundlessly to his bed and got under the covers. "Ya comin' or not, Kathy?" He flipped the covers open for her invitingly.
Without another word, she carefully got onto the hammock; she lost her balance and fell on top of him when it swung suddenly. "Well… this is awkward," she looked up at him.
"Please tell me yer wearin' panties," his voice was strangled when she wriggled a bit to get off of him, settling with an amused huff with her back to him.
"Of course I'm wearing panties, you nut," she rolled her eyes affectionately. "I'm no whore, you know."
"Yeah; I know," she felt his smirk when he pressed a kiss to the back of her head. "Go to sleep, Kat; I'll beat the crap outta yer Cousin if he comes in here to eat yer brains, alrigh'? Oof," he puffed when her elbow nailed him on the plastron.
"Jerk," she murmured, huddling under the covers and drifting off to sleep to the sound and feel of his breathing.
When Mikey woke up the next morning, he headed to his temperamental brother's room with the intent to wake him up with a ill-thought out prank; when he opened the door, he was met with a sight he never thought he'd see and he rushed to his genius brother's room in search of a camera.
"Mmm, Mikey, what the shell are you doing?" Donnie had had a hard time sleeping after his girlfriend left, imagining many different scenarios.
"I need a camera, Bro; preferably digital, so that Raph won't be able to destroy the evidence," his hyper-active orange-clad brother snickered.
"The evidence of what?"
"That's he's exactly as cuddly as a teddy bear," Mikey chuckled evilly.
"Huh?" Donnie wasn't able to catch on and his sleep-muddled mind couldn't put the pieces together right away.
"Come on, Don; you won't believe it, 'til you see it," his younger brother coerced, having found what he wanted and he bounced out of the cluttered room with his confused brother following.
When Donnie reached his immediate older brother's room, Mikey was furiously clicking away from several angles; the picture he was taking were of a soundly-sleeping Kathy with her back to a just as soundly-sleeping bandana-less Raph who was spooned around her back with his arm protectively around her waist while she used his other arm as a pillow. "Mikey…"
"Yeah, Bro?" Mikey paused in his picture-taking and looked over at his brother.
"Can you take one from a direct ninety degree angle, for me?" Donnie now had a smile on his face, "I'm sure Father would like a copy for the family album."
Fin.
Authoress' Notes: When I wrote this, I had one word going through my head: adorable. Raphael, as everyone should know, is by far my favourite Turtle and, as such, I couldn't resist this one-shot that's based around a comment Kathy (my OC, not randomlass) made in Chapter Five of "Quality Time in 1990?". If you've read that story, you should be able to tell where I got the idea for this one from.
Sorry this took so long, but Life's been throwing everything it can at me, all at once and it took a while to sort through that. So, my apologies. Hopefully, this makes up for the long wait, and I actually have Chapter Six of QTi1990 mostly typed up already, so I'm hoping to have that up within the week or so.
I hope everyone enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please Read and Review; the more reviews an Author/ess receives on a story, the more and quicker s/he is spurred to write. I accept all reviews: Comment, Compliment, and Criticism (preferably Constructive Criticism); I accept Flames, but nothing with swearing in it, since the Default Profanity Filter is on my reviews.
Cowabunga,
Laura a.k.a. uncutetomboy