Ch.6 The Date Part 2; Past Pains
Raph and Leo bought some food at the convenient store. They bought some bread, sandwich essentials, and packaged desserts.
After they bought their food, they made their way to the park to eat. They decided to eat under a tree secluded area. Not Leo and April's secret place, but it was pretty close by. Leo was having a very nice time with Raph. They were laughing making jokes, Raph flirts with Leo a little bit and Leo blushes a bit as well. Leo was having the most fun he has ever had in a good while.
"Ya serious?!" Raph asked with a smile trying to stop his laughing.
"I'm so serious! When it was my turn in the martial arts tournament and this giant rhino guy named Rocksteady comes out and starts yelling 'I'm gonna bust ya up, ya puny turtle!'" Leo said with a smile and laugh as he tried to sound like the rhino guy he fought.
"Anyway, I was trying my hardest not to laugh while the whole crowd was watching me and most of them were laughing at my opponent by the way…Anyway when the referee gave the go, he starts charging me and I just waited there, and right when he gets pretty close to me, I move to my left and he fall's right out of the ring and I was named the winner." Leo said as he laughed thinking about that moment.
Raph fell to ground laughing so hard he had tears running down his cheeks as he gripped both his sides from laughing.
"Oh shit! That was the funniest damn thing I've ever heard! Sigh…That's pretty cool ya do martial arts. I do it a bit myself to ya know." Raph said after he finally calmed down.
Leo's eyes widened and the he smiled.
"Really?! That's cool! I've never met another Turtle that does martial arts. It's actually nice to know I'm not the only one." Leo said as he lay down beside Raph to look at the clouds.
"Yeah…I think it's pretty cool to Leo…Ya havin' a good time?"
"Yeah…I'm having a lot a fun. I don't remember the last time I even had so much fun…or even smiled this much." Leo said not noticing Raph frowning at that.
"Well…Ya can bet yer pretty head yer gonna have fun with me." Raph said with a serious voice that made Leo look at him.
Leo just looked into Raph's bright green eyes that made his heartbeat faster than ever. Sometimes it scared him to feel so attracted to the dark skin turtle that he just met yesterday.
Leo looked away from him to look at the sky again not noticing Raph getting closer to him.
"Leo…" Raph said softly making Leo look at him and he noticed that Raph has gotten closer and he blushed bright red.
"I didn't mean ta make ya uncomfortable or…anythin'…I just want ta get ta know ya more. I want ta know what that bastard did ta ya so I can be better…" Raph said as he rubbed Leo's cheek softly.
Leo just looked at him for a minute and looked down at the grass for a little bit…took a deep breath and look at Raph again.
"Ricky was…very cruel to me. At first when we started dating he was wonderful. He was sweet, caring, took me out on dates, and helped me out when I needed him. But…everything changed around the 6 mouth of our relationship…" Leo said as he began to tell his story…
*Flashback*
*"Where the FUCK is he?!" Ricky yelled pushing in the Hamato's Door in making April and Leo jumped out of their couch.
Leo made April get be-hide him when Ricky came in the living room.
"WHY HAVEN'T YOU'VE BEEN ANSWERING MY CALLS YOU UNGRATFUL BITCH!" Ricky yelled which made Leo and April shiver. Leo became braver when he noticed his sister was scared.
They hoped their dad will come in soon. He had to work overtime again and right now it's 9:30 p.m.
"I told you I was busy! I have to take care of April and my father, you know that Ricky!" Leo yelled making sure April stayed safe.
"Well to fucking bad! You need to make a decision right now! It's me or your stupid sister and dad!" Ricky yelled crossing his arms across his chest.
Leo just looked at Ricky like he's stupid.
"Pfft…well to bad Ricky…Because I chose my family! You should know that I would pick my family over you!" Leo yelled back outraged by Ricky's question.
"Well, I'm the fucking best damn thing that's ever happened to you! And with this money I got, you and I are leaving and I forbid you from seeing them again!" Ricky yelled as he grabbed Leo's arm which made him wince in pain from his grip.
"Get your hands off my brother!" April yelled as she hit him weakly.
"Get off me ya stupid bitch!" Ricky yelled slapping her so hard she fell to the ground.
"APRIL! YOU SICK BASTARD!" Leo yelled actually surprising Ricky. Before Ricky could say anything Leo punched him in the face that made him fall down.
"You can say whatever you want about me, you can hit me, lower my self-esteem…but you don't EVER lay a hand on my little sister or family! You done it this time…I'm calling the police on your ass for assaulting my sister and for damaging my front door. And also…we're through." Leo said through clenched teeth.
Ricky just looked at Leo like he had two heads and started laughing.
"Yeah whatever ya say. I always get what I want. Next time I'll hit your sister a little bit har-" Ricky didn't finish when Leo kicked Ricky's face in which made him cry out in pain.
"You will not get that second chance! I'm gonna make sure you don't step a foot closer to me, or my family! April call the police…he's going to jail for a long time…." Leo said not looking at April but keeping his eyes on Ricky.
"With pleasure…and dad's gonna be here soon…" April said with a sneer on her face as she walked to get the phone to call the police and her dad.
"You're gonna regret this…" Ricky said looking at Leo with a death glare.
"You can't scare me anymore Ricky…So you might as well save your breathe for the judge because April and I are going to be witnesses. Not just for this…but for the other times you hit me." Leo said crossing his arms showing no fear, and is sticking up for himself for the first time.
Ricky didn't say a word and the police and Splinter came home. Leo told the officer that Ricky forced his way in, struck his sister, and even added the times when Ricky hit him in the past. Splinter was outraged and made charges against him for hurting his children.*
*End of Flashback*
Raph was shaking with anger. He wanted to find the bastard that hurt Leo and April. Raph took a deep breath trying to calm his anger.
"So…you can see why I'm hesitant to get another boyfriend…He didn't use to hit me ya'know…first it was mental abuse. Always saying something to hurt my feelings and make me not like myself. Now that I think about it…I can't believe…I took all that but…I did…" Leo said with a sad smile on his face that broke Raph's heart.
"Leo I…I'm so sorry ya went through that…yer a great person and don't deserve that." Raph said as he rubbed Leo's shoulders gently which made Leo smile a little.
"Thanks Raph…I…I really enjoyed this…You're a lot different than I thought you'd be and…I'm sorry for judging you." Leo said in soft voice that made Raph smile.
"Ay it's cool. Ya ain't the only one that thought I was bad news. Whatever happened ta that prick Ricky?"
"Oh he got arrested. April and I pressed charges against him, plus a restraining order on him. He isn't allowed anywhere near us when he gets out."
"How long he got?"
"He got 6 years. But now it's 4 years unless he got out on good behavior which I HIGHLY doubt it but yeah…Raph…can I ask you a question?" Leo asked with a hesitant voice.
"What's that?"
"Please don't get mad when I ask you…I just wanted to know you more and if…if we're going to keep going on dates and…may actually go out…I want to know you as well…" Leo asked looking at Raph in the eye and Raph's eyes widened and he smiled at him.
"Yeah go ahead…I won't get mad at'cha. I mean I'm a gang leader…my past ain't pretty so…yeah…but I'm happy yer givin' me a chance. So…ask yer question."
"I'm glad because I have many…D-Did you ever go to jail and what for if you did?"
Raph sighed to himself, looked at the grass and he looked back at Leo and looked him in the eye.
"Yeah…Yeah I've been ta jail. The reason was…gettin' into a fight with some Foot scum. They were…cornering these two kids…the kids were around April and Donnie's age. They were trying to get the kids ta join their gang…but when they said no…The Foot attacked them…I told my men to stop them and thankfully…we did and no one died that night. My charges weren't that bad, just public fighting, so I didn't stay in the slammer long; just fer a view hours and did some community services." Raph said with a smile on his face.
"You…You really hate The Foot gang…don't you Raph?"
"Pfft…ya have no idea…They…They killed my sister. She was only 12 years old…She was just a kid…" Raph said trying to keep his tears in.
Leo just looked at Raph and he could feel his pain. It's the same pain he had when he lost his mother to The Foot. Leo slowly came closer to Raph and he hugged him which surprised Raph.
Since Raph's taller than Leo, Leo rests his head on his chest and brought his hands around Raph's waist to hug him better.
"I…I lost someone I loved as well…I lost my m-mother to The Foot gang…" Leo said as his voice quivered and he tried not to cry.
Raph's eyes widened. Donnie told him that April and Leo lost someone they loved…but he never thought it was their mother.
Raph wrapped his arms around Leo and held him tight against his chest as he laid his head on top of Leo's head.
"Can…Can you tell me why they killed your sister…what was her name and what was she like?" Leo asked quietly rubbing his head into Raph's chest.
Raph smiled sadly at Leo and held him tighter.
"Sure…her name was Mona Lisa…She was adopted just like yer sister was. When our parents died I took care of her and Donnie. She was a beautiful female lizard and loved science. She and Donnie used ta hang out and do some crazy science mumble jumbo. They used ta gang up on me tryin' ta show me their new invention they made together. I didn't understand a word but…I loved being around them…What I wouldn't give ta hear her voice again…and tell me about her new invention…" Raph had to stop for a bit because he was about to cry.
Leo just hugged him tighter and waited for him to continue.
"It's okay Raph…take your time…I understand completely."
"Sigh, ahem! Anyway…she was a great person…and the reason why…those bastards killed my sister…was because she wouldn't go out with one of them."
Leo moved his head from Raph's chest to look at him.
"What? H-How old was the boy that wanted to be with your sister?"
Raph growled thinking about the man that wanted his sister.
"The motherfucker was 18…when I found out…Oh! Man was I pissed off at the fucker! I'm proud of her though…She set that bastard straight when he tried to hit on her. One day…when Mona Lisa was late, I went out ta look fer her…I didn't have ta look far because she was down an alleyway with three guys surrounded her. One was the fucker that was trying ta get with her. They had knifes…guns…my sister was crying…I didn't care about myself because I rushed into them and beat their asses. I was able to knock the two guys out and I went to the fucker that was after my sista…I beat his ass till he was black and blue. I'll never forget what my sister said that night…She said…'You're my hero Raphie! I have a new nickname fer ya…Nightwatcher. Yer my knight big brother.'" Raph said as tears fell down his face which broke Leo's heart.
Leo wiped away the tears as he waited for Raph to finish.
"I just smiled at her…tellin' her that…big brother will always have yer back…I thought we were gonna be fine. I was gonna take her home and make her favorite food…but the bastard that wanted her…was able to move a little bit and he got ta his gun…I saw movement and right when I was about to block his path…he fired the gun…and he shot my sister in the chest area…My world collapsed around me…I ran over to my sister ta try ta stop the bleeding. There was so much blood that my white tank-top was nearly covered in her blood. Then…the fucker started laughing! He was LAUGHING…at my sister as she was dying! All I wanted…was ta go over there and knock'em out…but all I could care about was my sister. Donnie found us and he called 911. I was still putting pressure on her chest trying to keep the blood in. My sister…must of known that…she wasn't gonna make it…so she told me she loved me and Donnie and to not blame myself…and ta be happy…right when the police and ambulance came…she died in my arms…I screamed to the sky, yellin'. I was yellin' 'It should of been me! Take me instead!' But…I was still there…and Mona Lisa was dead…The fucker was about to be attend by the ambulance but I stopped them. I told the police that asshole killed my sister and those fuckers were surrounding her threating her. I even added the extra bonus that he tried to get her while she was 12 and he was 18. That fucker got 25 years to life in prison for first degree murder, and he was also sentenced to death…He's still alive today…but I know he'll get what's coming ta him…"
Leo just looked at Raph with sadness in his eyes and he began to cry as well. He never knew that this Turtle in front of him was hurt so badly…just like he was…
"Raph…I'm so, so sorry…I shouldn't of made you tell me this story…I'm so sorry Raphie…"Leo whispered and Raph just hugged him tighter.
"No…don't'cha apologize. I needed ta get it off my chest. Thank ya fer listening Leo. I needed that. I bet Mona Lisa and April would of been good friends." Raph said with a little smile with dried tears on his cheeks.
"Yeah…I believe they would…Since you were kind enough to tell me about your sister…I'll tell you the story…about my mother." Leo said moving away from Raph's hug but Raph kept his hands on Leo's shoulders.
"Leo…you don't hafta tell me cause I told ya my story…ya know that right?" Raph asked with a worried voice that made Leo smile. Leo never met anyone other than his family that worried about him.
"I know Raph…but I need to get this off my chest as well."
Raph nodded at him and waited for Leo to tell him his story.
"I was 7 years old and April was 4. Me and her were inseparable as kids and mother just loved playing with us. April even got mother to play Prince and Princesses with us one time and she was the Queen. Sometimes April even made me the Princess." Leo said with a grimaced voice that made Raph laugh.
"Oh I don't know…ya could of been pretty cute." Raph said in his ear that made Leo blush and shiver.
"Oh shut up! You sound like my mother…she said I looked cute as a princess. I was so mad and embarrassed when those two made me do that but I had fun with them. My mother always had a smile on her face…she always knew what to say to me when I was feeling down…or sad, and she always helped me when I needed her the most…I was a mama's boy…still am." Leo said with a small smile as he cried a little bit and Raph rubbed his shoulder softly.
"Nothin' wrong with being a mama's boy. Take yer time…" Raph said as he rubbed his shoulder again.
"Sigh…Anyway…We were going to move to another side of town. To a better neighborhood. What I didn't know was the reason why when I was younger but I do now…the reason why we were going to move…was because the Foot were always hassling my parents for protection money because we used to live on their turf as they call it. Father always paid them because we still didn't have enough to get out of town. But one day he was able to raise enough for us to move…But…the Foot came and demanded extra money and my father said no and slammed the door in their face. After he did that my parents rushed us to get packed and ready to move and I remember being so excited about moving to a new place and April was excited as well. We were just about to leave…when our door burst opened and some Foot gang came in started shooting. I hugged April tightly…we were both so scared, and was wondering who they were. Father made me, April, and mother hid be-hide our couch and father went ahead to stop them. Father was able to defend himself and us and I thought we were gonna be safe…but…one of The Foot's got past him and he was just about to shot me and April. They figured hurt the kids and get them to pay. But…right before he shot the gun at me and April…mother jumped in front of us and too the bullet…" Leo voice cracked at the end and Raph just hugged him closer.
Leo began to cry into Raph's chest. Leo calmed down a little bit and began to continue with his story.
"I screamed 'Mommy!' and went to her. She was shot in the stomach. The man that shot my mother…was about to shoot me…but at that moment…I didn't care. I just wanted to make sure my mom was okay. But before the man could shot, my dad punched him so hard he was knocked out. When dad saw mom…he called 911. Me and dad kept pressure on her stomach and April was crying but trying her best to help…It felt like forever when the ambulance got there. She stayed alive for a good while…but not long…We got to see her before she died. She told me…'Be brave my little Leo…be strong and protect your baby sister. You gotta be a big boy now for mommy.' I cried…and I asked my mom, 'Mommy why are you saying these things.' She just smiled at me and rubbed my cheek softly…she said 'Mommy has to go away now sweetheart…' I cried even harder when she said that. I told her not to go but she gave me a sad smile and said she wish she didn't have to…She told me…to be happy and to protect April…In her last breathe…she told me she loved me and was proud of me. And that if I ever needed her…talk to her even if I can't see her…she'll listen…No matter what…Then…her heart stopped beating…and she was gone…." Leo said as he broke down and began to cry harder.
Raph just hugged him tighter to his chest feeling his pain.
"I…I've never told anyone that…*sob* e-everytime I-I wanted t-to talk about it to R-Ricky…he just tells me to shut up and g-g-get over it. *Sob* I thought I moved on but…I still feel the pain as if it was the same day I lost her…*sob*…I miss her…so much..!" Leo nearly yelled hugging Raph tighter and he hugged back.
"Shh…Shh…I'm here…it's gonna be okay…I promise…We'll both get through this…Ya wanna know why Leo…"
Leo moved his head from Raph's chest and just looked at him.
"*Sob* Why?"
Raph gave Leo a smile.
"Because we'll face our pain…together…"
They both lost someone thay loved and treasured from The Foot. They live different lives, have different names, aren't a like at all. But the one thing that Raphael Ray and Leonardo Hamato shared the most…was their Pain…