Tmnt X Readers And OCs

14.0 Raph x Den

SandraOsborne1

Next:Donnie x Peach

Later: 2.2 Tots!Tmnt x Older!Reader

Cave Me In

by Gallant, Tablo, and Eric Nam

Raphael was having a bad day. Like, a really terrible day. First, Leo and Raph got into an argument again over the smallest and dumbest thing possible. Then, once Raph stormed out of the lair and onto the surface, he realized he left his twin sai in the dojo. Now, Raphael was sulking around and beating up every trashcan and box that crossed his path. His guard was completely down because his only focus was on relieving his anger. That gave Tiger Claw the perfect opportunity to attack.

Tiger Claw jumped down from the rooftops, tackling Raphael to the ground. Raph groaned and rolled away from the evil mutant. His hands instantly reached for his weapons. He growled angrily at himself for not being prepared. He looked around for the closest weapon, grabbing a trashcan lid and a spare pipe that was lying around in the alley.

Tiger Claw unsheathed his sword. "What's wrong, Hamato Yoshi let his cub out without any weapons? He must truly be a pitiful sensei."

"Why don't you shut your mouth. You and I both know that Splinter can take down Shredder without thinking." Raph stepped forward.

The villain laughed to himself. "That may be true, but that doesn't mean that you'll put up a fight against me."

Raphael held his own the best he could without a weapon. Tiger Claw easily disarmed him and began to brutally attack him. The only thing that saved Raph's life that night was Den happening to walk by at the perfect moment. Unsheathing his sword, Den blocked Tiger Claw's strike and pushed him back. He took the extra moment to check for Raph's pulse. The mutated tiger rushed at Den, sword in the air. Den quickly retaliated, gaining the upper hand with his sword skills. He kicked Tiger Claw in the chest and swiped his blade against his face. Holding his fresh wound, Tiger Claw growled and backed away.

"If that idiot ever wakes up," He said angrily, "let him know the Foot clan is coming after him and his family. The Shredder will get his revenge."

Tiger Claw took off into the air with his jet pack and disappeared into the night sky. Den turned his attention back to the mutant turtle passed out behind him. After struggling for at least an hour, Den managed to lay Raphael down on his couch and tend to his wounds. Raph squirmed in his sleep as Den patched up his wounds and put a splint on his broken foot. 

Raph woke up and sat forward in his seat. His heart pounded against his chest as he checked his surroundings, expecting to be in Shredder's lair. He stood from the couch and began to explore the house he was in. A series of grunts and the sound of a blade cutting through the air caught Raph's attention. He followed the noises until he found Den practicing his swordsmanship.

"Impressive." Raph crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. "I'm assuming you're the one who either saved me or kidnapped me."

Den turned around to the sudden voice and smiled. "Kidnap? No way. If I were trying to kidnap you, I would've given up after the first five minutes of dragging your body around."

Raphael shrugged and limped into the room. "Thanks then, for saving me. I was dumb enough to leave my weapons at home. Of course I get attacked the one night that I do." He plopped down in a seat.

Den grabbed a rag to clean his sword with and moved closer to the side of the room where Raphael sat. "Things happen to everyone. You can't learn to win if you don't lose first."

Raphael nodded to himself and looked down at his busted foot. A silence passed through the room until he spoke up again. "So, what's your name?"

"Den. Yours?" He said as he sheathed his sword and placed it on top of a table.

Raph hesitated. He was always skeptical of others and struggled to trust them. The guy just saved his life, the least he could do was tell him his name. "Raphael, call me Raph. What made you want to help me? You help every giant freak you see in an alleyway?"

Den laughed and shook his head. "I help anyone who needs assistance. Plus, I know about the Foot's reputation. You know what they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Raph smiled to himself, remembering the time Mikey tried to say that same quote with his own spin on it. His smile instantly turned into a frown. His brothers were probably wondering where he was, or at least Splinter had yelled at them about not knowing where he was. He needed to get home.

"You hungry? I have some left over pizza in the kitchen if you want some." Den offered.

Okay, maybe he could stay long enough for one slice. "Shell yeah. I never turn down pizza." Raphael slowly stood up, making sure he didn't apply too much pressure to his injury, and made his way to the kitchen behind Den.

The two chatted as they enjoyed the rest of the leftover pizza. That's when Raph had an idea. "How would you like to patrol with me? You know, get some revenge on the Foot when I actually have my weapons on me."

Den tossed the empty pizza box into the trash. "You mean, like a sidekick?"

"You can call it that, yeah." 

"Sounds good to me. We can be the Batman and Robin of the Big Apple." He grinned as he finished his last slice.

Raph playfully rolled his eyes. "Let me see your phone. I'll put my number in and when this stupid foot gets better, I'll let you know when and where to meet me."

~~~~~

Five months have passed since Raph took Den under his wing. They were practically inseparable. They trained, patrolled, and even just hung out together. Raphael had introduced him to his family, who often invited Den on missions and family movie nights. 

One night in particular, the two crime fighters had found a swarm of Footbots trying to raid an old factory. Raph twirled his twin sai and motioned for Den to get ready to jump down. Once the coast was clear, the two heroes jumped down from their vantage point and began attacking the robotic Foot soldiers. 

They had learned how to fight together, moving fluidly past one another and switching sides. Raph would stab a pair of Footbots and take a knee, allowing Den to jump onto his shell and launch himself towards another set of robots. Den slashed through the small crowd as Raph took down a cluster of his own. 

Once the battle was over, Raph and Den sat on top of a rooftop enjoying a celebratory box of pizza. Den leaned his body against Raph's side and gazed upon the constantly moving city below them.

"Hey, Raph?" He asked.

In between bites, Raphael responded. "What's up?"

"We make a pretty good team, and I was kinda wondering if you'd... you know, like to be by my side forever." Den blushed and turned away.

Raph laughed. "Are you asking me out, Den?" Den struggled to find the words, becoming more flustered by the second. "If you were asking me out, I would definitely say yes."

"Really? It's that easy?" Den grinned.

Raph pulled him into a side hug with a huge smirk on his face. "You act like I'm a tough person to get through to."

Den rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Raphael."

They sat there, enjoying each other's company in a happy and peaceful silence. The silence was short-lived though, because soon after, the Purple Dragons began to cause chaos a few blocks down. Raph and Den looked at each other and nodded with mischievous grins at each other before preparing for another battle.