TMNT 2012 - Boyfriend Scenarios

Hanging Out: Raphael

Midtown Comics Grand Central is much warmer inside, and you let out a slow breath, releasing the biting cold out of your lungs. It doesn't take long for your body to switch from shivering to nearly sweating, and you regret wearing nothing but a tight tank top underneath the sweater; if you take it off, no doubt you'd be approached by some creep or another. The likelihood of enjoying yourself after having to deal with that sort of situation is slim to none.

A little huff over your shoulder reminds you that you have Raphael with you. You have a hunch that he wouldn't simply allow you to get harassed; he'd definitely step up and say something. Then again, he still is a stranger to you; for all you know, he would just stand by and do nothing. You're still clutching his sleeve.

With your cheeks heating up (you blame it on the sudden warmth), you release your turtle friend (are you friends?) and unzip the fleece jacket. Trying to pretend that you're not looking around for prying eyes, you shrug it off, draping the soft bundle of fabric over one arm. It's not a terribly revealing top or anything; it's just something simple that you found on your desk chair this morning. You hadn't expected to enter a building with the heater blasting. Still, you can't help feeling a little.. exposed.

Clearing your throat to push down the feeling, you turn your attention to Raphael, who seems to have been staring at you. His thumbs are hooked in his pockets, his head is held high, but his electric green eyes are looking down at you. Panic momentarily makes your heart flutter; is Raphael actually one of the creeps you should be avoiding??

But instead of continuing to stare, the turtle's gaze flicks away when you look up, and he even seems to take a respectful half-step back. You smile softly at his reaction, glad that he won't be disappointing you. You hope you haven't embarrassed him like you did the other night.

Clearing your throat patiently, - if not a bit awkwardly - you glance about the store; you're not much of a comic reader yourself, but you have, of course, seen lots of movies. Wonder Woman, Batman, and Justice League movies are some of your favorites. The action and detail put into the films is nothing short of inspiring, and you tend to incorporate that sort of adrenaline into some of your writing. As far as the original comics behind each movie, however.. you're lost.

"So..." you smile softly, meeting Raphael's gaze, "you read a lot of comics?"

The question is basic, and the antithesis of the sorts of conversations that you hope to have with people, but you have to start somewhere. You remind yourself again that Raphael is still a stranger, and that you may have to tread through some small talk and ice breakers if you're to get to know him.

The red-banded turtle raises a brow at you, appearing slightly perplexed. "You don't?"

Your cheeks heat up at his retaliation; you were the one who had suggested spending time here, to both Brooke and Raphael. You're embarrassed to admit that you've only chosen this place for it's aesthetic, which fits into the mind of one of the characters you've begun developing. You've come here for the same reason you walked into a gym earlier this week and a boardwalk the month before; for research.

You have to clear your throat a little to keep your mind from wandering much further, smiling sheepishly into Raphael's quizzical gaze. "Well.. I don't really know the origins of a lot of the characters," you respond honestly. "I know the universes and some of the characters' present stories, because of movies, but that's about where my knowledge ends."

Your turtle friend (yeah, you could maybe say that) widens his eyes in disbelief, leaning closer to you like you're suddenly not real and he has to examine you. "Not even Batman??"

Rolling your eyes, and smiling to show him you're joking, you scoff softly. "Okay, Batman's an easy one."

He narrows his eyes at you, causing a giggle to escape you. You wonder if his glares are meant to be more intimidating than they are. Shoving his hands into his jacket pockets, he leans back on his heels, looking down his nose to study you. You grin softly back at him; something about his antics are radiating an air of playfulness that you deeply appreciate.

"What about Hellraiser?" He inquires after a moment, his eyes playfully suspicious. Your mind goes blank (you've never heard that name), and you blink at him.

"Who?"

"What??" Raphael nearly shouts, but not in an angry way; just in a sort of "you've got to be joking" kind of way. It makes you jump nonetheless, and you blush when the red-clad turtle's expression shifts from incredulous to amused. He seems to enjoy flustering you, which you've drawn from his playful and blunt flirting, and the way he grins with straight teeth when you blush.

Why does it matter?? You scold yourself, pressing your lips together contemplatively. Raphael is still staring at you like you've grown a second head, even with a grin of his face. His expression makes you giggle again.

"Okay, you know what?" With a mischievous glint in his emerald eyes, he encloses his large green hand around yours, pulling you past a few shelves of comics. Why is his touch resulting in the heat on your cheeks? "How much time do you have?" Raphael asks, seeming uncharacteristically excited. No, not excited.. passionate. It radiates from him, and you realize that it must be the reason he holds his head up so high; he isn't arrogant, he's simply proud of his passions. Whatever they are, besides "Hellraiser". You smile.

"Forty-five minutes," you tell him, even though you're not entirely sure that's true; a lot of time has passed since leaving the salad shop.

"Perfect," Raphael smirks a little, and you realize he's dragged you to a shelf littered with comics titled "Hellraiser". They're all over the smaller shelf, and you find yourself wondering how often he's actually in here.

"Okay, so first you should know about the movies..."

For fifteen minutes, your new turtle friend (you can definitely call him that) explains the world of Hellraiser to you; it's dark and grim and supernatural and everything you can hope for in horror! Like many comic-book series, Hellraiser's story sparks inspiration within you, and you feel the need to drag out the journal you've stored in your small backpack. After the first couple of minutes, you almost start taking notes. Raphael is infinitely passionate about Hellraiser's development as a franchise, and you learn that he loves movies; not because he's told you so, but because of the tangents he goes off on explaining the details of a film. You smile and you nod and you laugh, but you're mainly focused on the turtle himself; his presence shakes your core in the best way possible, and you're still not sure how to deal with it. You are, however, beginning to get used to it.

A loud chime causes you to jump, and Raphael abruptly stops talking. You pull your phone from your back pocket; it's a panicked "where are you" text from Brooke, proclaiming that the movie starts in ten minutes. She's like a human alarm clock sometimes; it's like your entire encounter with Raphael was being timed, and Brooke was the "end session" buzzer.

Ignoring your suddenly prominent disappointment, you offer Raphael a small smile. "I have to go," you tell him, reaching into your bag and pulling out your small journal; it's littered with notes and short stories, things to look back on later and things to reference now. Hiding your blush by looking down, you jot your number on a blank page, and rip it from the binding spiral, trying not to flinch; you hate ripping pages from notebooks.

Meeting his quizzical gaze, you pass Raphael the paper. "Here. Now we could meet up sometime and you can tell me more about Hellraiser." You smile. "It was nice hanging out, Raphael."

Seemingly a mixture of perplexed and astonished, Raphael is silent for a moment. You wonder if you've broken him.

"Raph," he mumbles, tucking the paper carefully into his jacket pocket. Clearing his throat, he meets your eyes. "You can call me Raph."

Grinning, you nod, slipping your jacket back on and giving him a tiny wave. "See you later, Raph!" You call as you slip out the door, puling your jacket tighter around you as a cold gust of wind passes over you. Still, the grin sticks, and you start toward the bus stop Brooke told you to meet her at.

Your phone chimes again, and you surprise yourself with the speed you possess when checking it. It's a number that you don't recognize, with one word on the screen: "Raphael".

Grin widening, you open the message and type out: I'm putting your contact name as Tip Guy.

He responds quickly with a rolling-eye emoji, and you laugh, smiling warmly at the screen. You aren't entirely sure what Raph's doing to you, but you aren't ready to give it up either. You can't wait to see what the future holds, and hope to high heaven that this connection you're starting to feel isn't just temporary.