Love struck TMNTxreader

It's about courage

The next day started early for me. I only ended up getting around 3 hours of sleep. But I couldn't tell. I was too excited to focus on how sleep deprived I was.

During my sleepless night I got to do a lot of thinking.

It seems like the boys are worried for my safety, they are worried that since I can't protect myself, I will get hurt. Well there is a very easy solution to this problem.
Learn self defence!

Duh.

I was currently in Café Verde with Penelope, both of us sipping on our drinks of choice.

"Hey, I was wondering if you could help me out with something," I asked when our other conversation died away.

"Sure huh, what's up?"

"You've been here a lot longer than I have, so I was wondering if you could help me find a place to learn self defence,"

Penelope looked kind of taken back but she nodded as if she understood.

"Self defence huh? Sure I know a few places. One's actually not far from here,"
She took a quick sip of her coffee before continuing. "How come you're suddenly into fighting?"

I can't tell her the whole truth so I'll just sum it up like usual.

"The boys I matched with are worried about my safety. I think that's why they are acting so overprotective,"

I took a sip of my drink and waited for her response.

"Ahh. I get it. If you know how to look after yourself then they can chill out,"

"Exactly!"

Penelope always seemed to know exactly what I meant. I'm so lucky to have met her.

"Well then, I think I know exactly the place," She took another sip of her coffee. "There is an old dojo run by someone called Chris Bradford. I heard that he is pretty good too," Taking another sip, she continued "I'm not actually sure if he is still around. Apparently no one has seen him for a while. Want me to send the address? I'de come with you but iv'e gotta run the shop,"

This sounds perfect. A dojo not far from here run by a real professional! I'm sure he can teach me a bunch of cool moves, then I can show the boys that they don't have to worry about me and act so defensive. 

"Thanks a lot P. You're such a big help,"

"Don't worry about it hun, what are friends for?"

She sent me the address and we finished our drinks, then I was on my way. This was strangely exciting. I can't wait to learn a few moves and show them off. Plus I'm sure it is great exercise, not that I am really a fan. I'm a couch potato most of the time.

My phone let out a small beep showing that I had reached my destination. I placed my phone inside my pocket and eagerly looked up, expecting to see a nicely built dojo. Instead I was greeted with a run down, abandoned looking, building. My face fell a little. Was I at the wrong place? Looking around, I noticed that every building on this street looked kinda the same. It sort of felt like a ghost town. A loud, low, grunt coming from the building in front on me made me jump and focus. Was the dojo still in use?

I slowly crept forward towards a sliding door. The glass had cracks and the door didn't move without a fight. As quietly as I could, I stepped inside and shut the door behind me. 

Another grunt along with a crash echoed through this seeming abandoned dojo. I began creeping closer, careful not to trip on anything. Looking up, I noticed most of the windows were bordered up or smashed. Maybe I shouldn't be here. 

The grunts and sounds of fists hitting something continued relentlessly. I stood in what seemed to be a small gym. There was old equipment laying all around the floor, some spiders had made it their home by encasing them in big white webs. Taking a big deep breath and considering all the consequences that might occur, I decided to speak.

"Hello? Mr Bradford?" I tried my best to sound strong.

The punching immediately stopped. There was a second of silence before booming footsteps took their place. Something huge was coming towards me. 

Crap crap crap!

They seemed to stop just behind a corner, out of sight. A low, grisly sounding voice soon spoke, sending shivers down my spine and leaving me paralysed in place. "How do you know my name?! Why are you here girl?"

I tired my best to stay courageous. I focused my eyes on that corner, trying the best I could to see who was scaring the crap out of me. 

"I was wondering if this dojo was still running? I was hoping you could teach me self defence," There was no doubt he could hear my shaking through my voice. I internally cringed at how it sounded. 

"Take a good look around, does it look like it is running?" He had venom laced all through his voice. "Now go away!" I jumped as he screamed at me from his hiding place. I could hear him beginning to walk away before he added "Before I make you," 

what do I do? I can't let him leave, Penelope said he was perfect. I need to get him to agree to train me so I can prove myself. This can't be over before it started. 

"Sir, please!" Suddenly, my courage wasn't fake. I took a step closer, I can't give up just yet. "I just want to show someone that I can look after myself," I called back after him while continuing to slowly move forward. 

"Did I ask why you're here? Do I seem like I care?! Get out!" He shouted back, anger clear in his voice. 

"Mr Bradford, please give me a chance! I promise I'm a fast learner and I'm dedicated! You won't regret it!"

I was now standing at the edge of the corner. My breathing was heavy. I didn't want to step any closer. I was scared, but I refuse to show it or let him hear it. He was silent for a second and I had begun wondering if he had left me, or if he was waiting for the right moment to attack me.

"You're determined girl, i'll give you that," He paused. Was he going to cave in? "If you really want me to train you, pass my test," His sentence ended with a cackle. What was he going to ask me to do? "In only one word, tell me why you want specifically  my help, and why the hell you won't leave me alone," 

I only get one word? Hundreds of words came to mind but I could only use one. I took a deep breath and thought. 

Suddenly there was only one word left. One word that summed up why I was here in the first place. One word that would determine if I pass. It was beyond risky to say it and I'm sure it's going to sounds like nonsense, but here it goes. 

"Turtles,"