Multifandom X Reader Stories

Not Cool Raph (Raphael TMNT)

You'd been hanging around the lair with April and her friend, just like you had countless times before. But tonight, something was off. April's friend had been throwing flirty glances Raphael's way all night, batting her eyelashes, laughing at everything he said, even when it wasn't remotely funny. Normally, you'd have brushed it off. Raphael was your best friend, and you'd been through so much together that nothing should have fazed you.

But this—this was different. And what made it worse was how Raph was leaning into it.

He sat across the room, the usual cocky smirk plastered across his face as April's friend draped herself over him, her hands brushing his arm, her voice soft and sweet. You could feel your blood boiling, your fingers curling into fists at your sides. But you didn't say anything. You couldn't. It felt too close to your heart.

You weren't sure what hurt more—her obvious attempt to get his attention or the fact that Raphael wasn't pulling away.

He'd been watching you the whole time, sneaking glances out of the corner of his eye, waiting. Waiting for you to explode, to fire back some snarky comment or tell him off the way you usually would. He always loved getting you worked up, teasing you until you were red in the face. And usually, you gave him what he wanted. You were a hothead, after all, just like him.

But not tonight.

Something inside you shifted as you watched him flirt back. Instead of anger, a hollow feeling settled in your chest, like all the fight had drained out of you. Maybe... maybe this was what he wanted. Maybe this girl was who he liked after all. Maybe it was better to just let him have it.

Without saying a word, you stood up quietly and slipped out of the lair while everyone was distracted, hoping no one would notice your departure. You felt the familiar weight of tears threatening to fall, but you swallowed them down as you made your way home.

Back in the lair, Raph chuckled at something the girl said, glancing over to where you had been sitting. But you weren't there. His brow furrowed as he scanned the room, searching for you.

"Yo, where'd she go?" he asked, frowning.

Donatello, who had been watching the scene with growing disapproval, looked up from his project. "She left a while ago," he said, his voice tinged with disappointment.

Raph's heart sank, and he could feel his brothers' eyes on him—silent, but judging.

"What? She didn't say anything," Raph muttered, trying to shake the uneasy feeling creeping over him.

Mikey sighed, shaking his head. "Bro, you were too busy flirting with April's friend to notice."

"Not cool, Raph," Leonardo added, crossing his arms.

Raph's jaw tightened. He hadn't meant to upset you. Sure, he was trying to get a rise out of you, like always, but this wasn't how it was supposed to go. He didn't actually care about April's friend. He cared about you.

He stood abruptly, ignoring the way his brothers exchanged disappointed looks, and headed for the surface.

When Raphael arrived at your place, it was dark, save for the soft glow of the TV flickering through your living room window. He climbed silently up to your window, his heart pounding as he caught sight of you inside, curled up on the couch, sniffling softly. You hadn't even changed out of your clothes from earlier, just wrapped yourself in a blanket, tears streaking your cheeks.

The sight made his stomach twist with guilt. This wasn't what he'd wanted. He had just been messing around, but it was clear he'd hurt you far deeper than he realized.

He knocked softly on the window, watching as you jolted slightly, wiping at your eyes before you saw him. For a moment, you hesitated, but then you stood up and unlocked the window, letting him climb in.

Neither of you said anything at first. The silence was thick, awkward. Raphael's large frame loomed in your small living room, but he seemed smaller somehow, like he didn't know how to approach this.

Finally, you spoke, your voice shaky. "Why'd you do it, Raph?"

He winced at the question, but you deserved an answer. "I... I wasn't trying to hurt you," he started, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just... I dunno. I was being stupid. You always get fired up, and I thought... I thought if I messed with you a little, you'd get mad. And I kinda love it when you get mad at me."

You sniffled, sitting back down on the couch, your arms wrapped tightly around yourself. "You wanted me to get mad?"

"Yeah, but not like this," he muttered, finally sitting beside you. "I wasn't thinkin'. I thought maybe if I got you riled up, you'd show you cared, you know?"

Your heart ached at his words. He was trying to get a reaction, trying to test you, and in doing so, he'd hurt you more than you could have imagined. "So, what? You were flirting with her just to see if I'd get jealous?"

Raph sighed, slouching forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "Yeah, I guess. I didn't even care about her, I swear. I just—" He trailed off, glancing at you. "You're the one I care about."

His words hung in the air between you, and you stared at him in disbelief, the anger and sadness you'd been holding onto slowly melting away. "Then why didn't you just say that?"

Raphael chuckled bitterly, shaking his head. "Because I'm an idiot. I thought you'd never go for a guy like me unless I pushed you. But I see now I messed up."

You wiped at your face, feeling some of the tension in your chest loosen. "Raph... you don't have to mess with me to get me to notice you. I already do."

He blinked, surprised. "You do?"

You nodded, giving him a small smile. "Yeah. I care about you too, you big dummy."

For the first time that night, Raph's usual confident smirk returned, though it was softer, more genuine. "So... we good?"

You sighed, leaning your head against his shoulder. "We're good. Just... don't pull something like that again, okay?"

"Never," he promised, his voice low and sincere. "I'm sorry."

And for the first time that night, you believed him.