Before: A TMNT Fan-Fiction (Part One- Edited Edition)

Chapter Six

He didn't understand it.

Embarrassment was something the ninja turtle rarely ever felt, considering his 'no-shits-to-give attitude' when the moments called for it as well as the fact that almost no act could top Mikey's own embarrassing incidents. Though he did get a little red on the rare occasion of anyone hearing him talk to Spike, his own pet turtle he'd rescued from the sewers ages ago. But that didn't count, at least not to Raphael.

With the youngest of the teenagers having a vice-grip on the role of 'stupidest mutant in the lair', Raph almost never felt any sort of remorse for the little things he did or said that might not have been the nicest to the people around him. He couldn't help it, that was just how he was on the outside to shield his secretly ultra-soft interior. It'd been a tactic he'd used for years, and it'd worked throughout its use.

But this time, something was off. Something was clawing at his mind, strangling his trachea as he tried to breathe and squeezing his lungs with every shallow inhale and exhale. It felt as if someone had punched their fist straight through his body, penetrating his plastron and diving into his flesh before gripping onto his stomach, tightening more and more as the worry and humiliation began to set in.

What he once could brush off and forget about had developed into a sudden fear and a constant nuisance as the teenage mutant tried to sleep. He tossed back and forth beneath his sheets restlessly, rolling to lay on one side of his body before turning to the other side, then trying to fall asleep on his back after attempting to doze off on his stomach.

"Uh...why would I need to worry?"

Really, Raph? He thought to himself before literally face-palming, his eyes closed and his face scrunched up in distaste. That was the best you had? She kinda-sorta said something in reference to the obvious crush your brother has on her and your go-to response was the most asshole-esque thing you could've possibly come up with?

From where he was reviewing the short conversation in his head, his fear and insecurities were going off like red lights. Did she think he was being cocky? Like he thought she saw Donnie as some sort of competition against him and was somewhat insulted by her assuring him that there was no contest? Or did she think he meant Donnie wasn't competition because he didn't like her?

Wait, did he like her?

The thought caught him like a deer in headlights and he sat straight up in bed, staring blankly at the opposite wall of his room where Spike slept in a box filled with blankets.

Did Raph actually like this girl? Like...like-like Echo?

She was definitely cool in his eyes, kind, caring, generous, and she really knew how to rock the leather-look without even trying. Plus, if the group-talk was any indication, she thought his smart-ass remarks and sarcastic expressions were funny. Not many people he knew- which were only his brothers and his sensei- found Raph's words to be anything but a small personality quirk. It was hard to wrap his mind around, but Echo believed the exact opposite and it made him feel a little more secure about himself.

Though it was never something he'd admit out loud, not when he wielded his tough-guy persona like a shield at all times possible. That night had been the first night in a long time that he'd actually felt somewhat comfortable being himself without subconsciously worrying if what he said was actually more annoying or stupid than funny. It was the small affirmation on Echo's part that brought him that warm, happy feeling.

And what had he done when she wanted to talk to him alone? When she wanted to thank him personally for taking part in her rescue? Acted like a jerk, despite that not being his intention in the long run.