Element Turtles

New Home and Splinters Advice

After meeting April, you and her hung out, becoming good friends. She told you all about her crazy adventures with the turtles, and took you shopping, even though you didn't want to (or you did, depends on your personality).
She didn't know about your living arrangements, as it didn't come up all too often. When she finally found out, she was shocked.

"You live here? All on your own?!" April questioned as she peered out your window, her face expressing concern.

"Yeah.. but Donnie made the T-shield to protect me." You point out, but April isn't convinced, scanning the room with a questioning look.

"Y/n, what if.. what if you lived with me?"

Your head snapped up and towards the red head.
"What?"

"Just hear me out," April sat next to you on your bed, "it's just me and my dad, we have a nice guestroom you'd sleep in. I'm sure my dad won't mind, and you'll be safer."

You furrowed your brow as you thought. It did seem like a good idea, and you probably would be safer with April and her dad.

"I guess, if your dad's alright with it, then I'd love to live with you."

April grinned and got out her T-Phone, texting her dad. He replied instantly, and April looked to you and nodded, smiling like an idiot. She helped you pack, and soon after, her dad arrived in his car, and you drove to your new home.

»»»

Later that day, you and April went down to the Lair to tell the boys the news.
When you stepped in the turtles home, you heard grunts coming from the Dojo. You went to investigate while April got a drink. The turtles were in the middle of a training session, Donnie and Mikey practicing light weapon sparring, Leo and Raph exercising extreme hand-to-hand combat. You walked over to Splinter unnoticed by the ninjas, and watched with their father. April entered moments later and joined you.

Donnie managed to knock Mikey's nunchucks out of his hands, and Mikey began to dodge Donnie's attacks, landing a few strikes to his plastron and shell. Donnie then knocked his younger brother down by sweeping his feet with his bo staff. Mikey got up and bowed, and Donnie waited for Leo and Raph to be finished.

Raph threw several different punches and strikes to Leo, who in return blocked and punched back. Leo landed a hard front kick to Raphaels plastron, sending him back by a few inches. Raph smirked and charged Leo, capturing him in a head lock. Leo tapped out, and bowed with Raph.

Now it was Raph vs. Donnie.

Donnie twirled his staff and Raph spun his sais, both glaring at each other. Donnie made the first move, striking for Raph's ribcage, but Raph quickly caught his bo staff with his sai and flipped it around in a weird position for Donatello. He pulled his bo back and made more strikes for his sides, front, feet, but Raph blocked and leaped out of the way. He caught Donnie's bo staff again and pulled it away from him, then lunged forward and pinned Donnie down, in an arm lock.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Let go!" Donnie ordered, and Raph chuckled, letting his brother go.

"I win. Haha!" Raph boasted, flexing his arms while doing so. You giggled, and Raph then noticed you.

"Y-Y/n! A-a, how long were you there?"

"Long enough to see you win. Good job Raph!" You praised, patting his shoulder before going to greet the others. No one noticed Raph blushing like a tomato, trying to get rid of that and the cheesy grin glued to his face as he watched you smile and chat with his brothers. No one, except Splinter.

"Love is a confusing thing, is it not?" Master Splinter remarks, standing next to his second oldest son. Raph jumps slightly, and scratches the back of his neck while staring at the ground, avoiding his father's gaze.

"L-love? I-I don't know what you're talking about." He lies miserably, and sighs, knowing that.
"I have no idea what to do. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to do anything. I-its like.."
Raph stares at his large green feet, his emerald eyes sad and confused.
"Master Splinter, what do I do?"

Splinter sighs, and places a furry hand on his sons shoulder.
"Be honest and honorable. Stay true to your beliefs, and to your heart." He answers, and Raph nods, not understand fully.

"I'll try."

»»»

Raph did his best to follow Splinters advice, to understand it, but it was a real brain teaser. So Raph fell back to his father's first advice: treat you, and his brothers, as he normally would.

Raph walked past Mikey, who was close to beating his high score on the pin ball machine, and flicked his head to distract him. Mikey groaned in defeat, all those hours put into beating his brothers scores had gone to waste. Raph snickered and headed for the couch, proceeding to tease Leo for his obsession with Space Heroes.

Then you walked past.

Raph immediately tensed up, frantically searching his mind for memories of how he acted around you. He remembered basically ignoring you when his brothers were present, then opening up to you when you and him were alone. But that was when you were little.

-Aw sewer apples,- Raph thought, -I have to figure out how to act around her. Unless.. maybe I could avoid her for the rest of my life! Ugh, that's a bit overdramatic..-

He snapped out of his thoughts when you sat next to him, with the sweetest, cutest smile Raph had ever seen.

-Shoot shoot shoot! Uh.. act natural.. don't creep her out.. dang it, she looks so pretty..-

"Uh, hey." Raph tried to put up his cocky bad-boy act, but for some reason, it was harder than usual to hide behind that fake mask.

"Hi Raphie." You greeted, glad that you remembered the nickname you called him. He began to blush when you called him that, and you worried you messed up something.

"I, um.. I'd rather you not call me that.. in front of my brothers.. if you don't mind." Raph felt his face grow warm, and for a split second, he felt like hiding in his shell. But only for a split second.

"Oh. Why not? I like to call you Raphie, Raphie." You smiled, and Raph gulped, sending back a smaller, meek smile.

"Just.. don't use it all the time, please?"
Raph mentally facepalmed.

-Look what this girl's doin' to ya Raph! Got ya beggin', might as well get on your knees, start the waterworks.-

Raph unknowingly looked ticked off, making you think he was annoyed at you.

"O-ok, I won't call you that all the time." You answered quickly, and Raph looked at you with a confused and relieved expression.

"Th-thanks."

-Oh for Pete's sake! Now you're stutterin'! What the heck is she doin' to ya?!-

Raph sighed in annoyance and stood, walking to the kitchen. You frowned in confusion, standing to follow him, when Mikey stopped you, pulling you into a long and extravagant story.
Raph glanced back and smiled as you laughed while Mikey spun his tale with large and dramatic gestures. When Raph caught himself smiling, he quickly dropped it and stormed off to the kitchen. He grabbed a cup of water and drank it, breathing in deeply after.
Then, he felt it.
Right when your laughter rang throughout the Lair, Raph felt his heart skip a beat. His chest felt compressed, the image of your face was stuck in his mind, and it infuriated him.
If this continued, he might grow soft.
Raph couldn't allow that.
He couldn't fall in love.
He would have to fight it.
The popular saying, -butterflies in his stomach,- came to him. All he could think was.

-Digest them.-

(Alright. This chapter is focused more on Raph. Actually, it's COMPLETELY focused on Raph. I'm not really going in order, so.. *shrug* I hope you like it!)