Oh hello there;
So, I've definitely been bad about updating on here, and have been a naughty monkey about just copying & pasting my notes app writing into Ao3 because their format is easier. HOWEVER, someone once posted a review saying they really hoped I continue and that made my heart warm so I have to make sure you get these!
I'll probably be posting the new chapters relatively quickly, as well as posting my updates to the original chapters (as I changed around when I picked back up). I could tell you all about the hellscape bonkers life changes as is wont of a fanfic author, but I'll save that for chapter 10! Prepare yourself for butt talk.
The first time Raph noticed was completely at random. Dana had been forced to sideline herself from dancing and any major exercise for a few weeks thanks to a lovely hairline fracture in her toe. While she still needed to work and had a decent range of walking distance, the turtles found themselves up in the apartment more often as a way to relieve any stress that visiting may cause. So, it was not a surprise to see Dana's back facing their access window in her favorite sweats, but he was a little taken aback by the curve of filled out fabric he hadn't noticed before. Being very accustomed to an active lifestyle, it was unsurprising that his little blonde friend had a hard time with the idea that less movement meant she needed less calories; he knew all too well when she had griped about the "extra jiggles" she'd have to work off in order to get back into dance shape. The turtle realized rather slowly that he had spent longer than necessary dangling in the window with a bird's eye view of her perky cheeks, scrambling quickly in before announcing his presence. He wasn't quite so sure he understood her issue with the jiggles anymore as she spun around after giving him a greeting hug and her backside moved briefly of its own accord.
The second time he noticed was her own damn fault. He was waiting ever so patiently to take her down, having been cleared for dance but still monitored for healing, when he heard a high pitched wailing as her door creaked open."Fucking awesome; I've been working out like I'm competing and I still can't get my stupid jeans back on!" Ever the curious terrapin, Raph turned his body from its position on the couch to be greeted with Dana, hair tossed about and red in the face, with a pair of blue jeans hoisted up, the fly completely open exposing smooth skin. Did she just go commando in her je - he begged himself not to think of it, feeling the sweat gather on his brow ridge.
"Y'know, my mom always told me that once the stupid ass genetics kick in, you can never get rid of it and I honestly thought she was joking? What am I gonna do if I can't wear my favorite pants?!" Clearly not waiting for an answer, the girl turned on her heel and oh sweet god the way the denim hugged her made it look like a goddamn shelf unit. Raphael suddenly felt very uncomfortably warm, whipping around to face the tv and pleading for his brain to think of anything that was unsexy; old grandmas, the extra long hair that poked out of his dad's snout, Mikey. Having managed to cool his brain and hearing the door behind her dramatically heaved shut, he gave himself a moment to unpack the fact that he'd thought very explicit thoughts about his friend. Well, perhaps he'd already known that he found her attractive, but this instance allowed the first actively conscious thought; those views of smooth denim clad globes and gentle bare skin had seared themselves into his brain, and whether he liked it or not (he did) it would end up coming across his mind many nights after when he was in need of relief. Dana re-emerged a few moments later, grumbling hautily as she furiously texted on her phone, mercifully dressed.
The third time he noticed nearly broke him. There he was, surfing through the rooftops on a calm (boring) patrol when he felt his phone vibrate on his belt. Dana had texted him about rescuing her from a "personal emergency" and being a mildly traumatized 20 something superhero, he raced to access the familiar living room window, finding everything peaceful and in place as he peered inside. Confused, he cautiously opened the window before the damsel of the hour appeared in his vision; hair haphazardly thrown into a scrunchie, a rather stained old nirvana shirt and the tiniest pair of gym shorts he'd ever seen.
"Okay, when you say the word emergency you have to be more specific because I thought you were in danger!" He was not amused when her eyes rounded on him in a pathetic manner.
"But I AM in danger! I was supposed to have the apartment to myself, but Vern came knocking on the door looking for April for some investigative recon she asked for him to help with or something, but she must've lost track of time at Casey's and she's not answering her phone! I need SOMEONE here to make it less weird! He's just so-" whatever thought she had was cut off as the bathroom door clicked open, and out strode the topic of conversation, blissfully unaware of the giant turtle just leaning in through the window as he rounded toward the fridge.
"Now, I do believe I spied some tea in your fridge. Would my sweet D like some sweet te- oh, uh hey there big guy." Raph fought everything in him not to make the nastiest face he could muster at the unappealing nickname for the girl in front of him, as she unabashedly gagged silently to him. Putting on her best smile, she turned back toward the nuisance. Whatever bullshit excuse she was concocting for why he was here was lost on him as he glanced down to place his footing into the home and caught a full glance at just how short her bottoms were. Pulled all the way up, the hem of the shorts grazed right at the midway point of her ass and left a full view of the bottom half of her cheeks. A full curve at the bottom of each left a mild shadowing against the back of her thighs, she sported dimples on either cheek, neither in a symmetrical shape or area to each other and the roundness protruded ever so slightly outward to create a lovely little teardrop; not perfectly smooth, but dipping down into slightly smaller but plushy thighs. There was no denying the uncomfortable tightness he felt in his plastron as he felt his soul almost leave his body.
"Right Raph?" Of course his meat head brain would pick up at the sound of his name; he quickly picked his head up and tried to sputter out some sort of agreement to the object of his current self-destruction, but the warmth of his face and the seeming flapping of his jaw led to nothing. Dana turned over her shoulder and gave a rather annoyed and perplexed face, huffing and turning around to continue shooing Vern out the door.
"Okay, just let me try and give April a call and I'll get out of your hair, don't want to keep you from having fun tonight, gorgeous." Putting on the most unbearable smolder as the young woman pushed passed him toward the bathroom.
"Make it quick, Fenwick; Titanic is an immersive experience and I will not be constantly pausing." After the slam of the bathroom door, Vern pulled up April's number and prepared to dial, but not before noticing the enormous dumbstruck mutant at the edge of the living room.
"She's got one hell of a donk, huh?"
"Vern, if you don't call April right now, I'm gonna punch you!" The voice echoed from the bathroom tile as Vern pressed dial and sheepishly trotted himself out the door as April picked up frantically on the second ring.
Raph had to admit, he hadn't expected himself to be an ass man.
The fourth time he noticed, he just let himself enjoy. Raph opted to allow himself access to the spare room Dana was occupying on this particular night, hoping to speed the girl up in her preparations. When he agreed to take her for a ride out on the shell cycle at first, he hadn't expected how long he'd typically be waiting for her to get her hair just so to avoid "helmet hair" and after a particularly nasty sparring with his ever so perfect older brother, he wasn't in the mood to be stuck waiting much tonight. Ducking in through the smaller window, he rapped his knuckles on the wall, not seeing any sign of her.
"Oh shoot, hang on!" Her voice sputtered from the depths of her small closet and through the hanging fabrics she emerged, hair lightly frizzed up from its slicked ponytail and tank top stuck precariously to the toe of her shoe. But the biggest shock was her choice of clothing. Smooth black cotton draped just under her shoulders and angled downward to her sternum and highlighting the edges of her collarbones, full fitted sleeves tracing delicately muscular forearms and tucked tautly into a pair of tight black pants, clearly some sort of shiny material, traveling all the way down to her usual pair of disjointedly chunky combat boots.
"I'm so sorry I totally lost track of time! If you give me a second to change we can just run-"
"What's the get up for?" Raphael should have scolded himself for the boldness, but the air was feeling very heavy suddenly and he felt oddly like an out of place teen again. Dana's cheeks reddened as she glanced down toward her clunky feet, toeing off the discarded shirt stuck to one.
"Oh, well, my boss has been having me at rehearsals to start me on the music rotation; said I needed some nice blacks so that we look uniform with a little 'pizzazz'… uhh, do you think it looks too, like, Grease? I bought them separate and didn't even think about how silly they'd look together so I think I have to return them-"
"NO! Uh… no, it looks nice. Uh, yeah really nice…" The large terrapin was running out of thoughts to make her more comfortable, zeroing in on the way she'd begun to wring her hands. He could no longer tell if he was saying things for her benefit, or for the desperate attempt to be allowed to see her in this ensemble just a bit longer.
"Uh, I know that you have to probably, like, make sure it's moveable and comfy so why don't you just wear that? See if you feel okay in it?" those familiar doe eyes came shooting up to meet his, cracking the tiniest smile as she muttered a small "okay" and turned to close the closet. From this angle he could see a clear view of the way the seemingly new permanent appendage behind her filled out her clothes. He knew he should be ashamed to be ogling so plainly, but the ridiculous worry she had of looking bad, paired with a racing mind that he usually only had issues controlling in the privacy of his room with an old playboy stolen from a dumpster had him finding it hard to care. She wanted to feel good in her outfit, what's an awkward stare between friends? He heard her snort and was alerted to her turning fully toward him.
"Watcha staring at, perv?" She held that smirk that scrunched her nose and gave a twinkle to her eye, and he couldn't help cracking a wide smile and rolling his eyes.
"Listen, I'm a mutant, not a eunuch. Now, hurry up and tell me where I'm driving you to get us food so we can stop wasting time; I'm damn hungry." With careful grace dipping back out the window, hearing her shout about "whoever gets down first gets the extra dumpling!" And bolting to the front stairs, he chuckled, cause even though he'd always win, she'd still somehow end up with most of the extra dumpling. Later, when she was tucked tightly against his shell zooming for a good rooftop to eat and shoot the shit, he'd feel the thumping of his heart at the warmth on his back, and allow the foolish fantasies for the moment, until the bike stopped and he had to face a reality of impossibilities, complications, and clear rejection. Imagining a little couldn't hurt too much.