Work Text:
This wasn’t how you expected your day to go, not at all. This was supposed to be a fun little trip into the lower tunnels of the old subway stations to take some unique pictures for your newly renovated office. Raphael had caught wind of your plans for a subterranean venture when you were talking to Donnie about a possible light source and offered to be your escort.
You hadn’t even realized his intimidating presence loitering in the door way of Donnie’s lab before his booming voice interrupted your discussion. “It’s dangerous to go all the way down there by yourself. It’s a never ending maze and you could get lost forever if you don’t have someone who knows the layouts. I..um…I’ll take ya down.” The temperamental terrapin grumbled in the doorway spinning a single sai in his skilled fingers.
Donnie’s brown eyes looked to you and back to his hothead brother and agreed laughing under his breath like he knew something you didn’t. “He’s right Y/N, it’s better to go with someone just in case something happens. The boost I made to both your cells a few weeks ago should give you both service down there, as an extra precaution.”
If it had been any other of the brothers you would have protested, you weren’t a helpless little girl. You had lived in New York all your life and had spent most of your teenage years exploring the sewers. And funny enough that was how you met the turtles. You had been visiting your old hideout, a deserted pump station when you stumbled upon the four of them scavenging parts from the station for a new project for the genius. You had heard stories of four green monsters roaming the sewers but chalked it up to paranoid crack heads making up stories to get attention. But there they were, huge, muscular and fucking beautiful.
Your eyes had immediately trained in on the red brute, and found yourself a little awe struck by his impressive stature and piercing green eyes. You had been smitten with Raphael from that day but hadn’t been able to tell him, you just didn’t have the confidence to step out on that particular limb. Not yet at least. So when Raphael volunteered to escort you down to the abandoned station you were quick to agree with fake annoyance.
Both you and the brute were fitted with Donnie’s newest contraption, an LED light pack that illuminated everything around you for 200 feet. Nearly indestructible, charged from kinetic energy by the simple movement of footsteps and thankfully light as a feather. Don was excited that it was getting their first field test and demanded a full report when you got back.
You both had made it down a few levels and were admiring the architecture and snapping several shots of the abandoned structures when a rumble echoed below your feet. It was barely noticeable at first, just a small vibration that steadily grew. You looked over at Raphael and found the big mutant currently running his green fingers over a stone pillar seemly unaware of the tremor. Lifting your camera you took a quick shot of him catching his attention. His green eyes fixated on you and his lips curled into a shit eating grin.
“See somethin’ you like?” he growled softly just enough to reach your ears.
You were about to answer the loaded question when the ground at your feet started heaving and cracking making everything around you start to crumble and shift. Pillars slid from their bases shattering into pieces at your feet followed by large sections of ceiling giving way no longer supported by their supports. On instinct you dodged the falling debris as it came crashing down nearly crushing you beneath its weight. More and more of the crumbling structure began to fall and you tried to find Raphael through it all, searching for his emerald skin and red bandana.
“Raphael!” you screamed leaping out of the way of a large ancient light fixer as it came crashing down. Rolling away from the shattering glass you scrambled to your feet feeling a shard pierce the flesh of your thigh but ignored the pain for the preservation of you life. Just then you heard the deep voice of Raphael bellow out your name just in time for you to notice a gigantic section of the ceiling about to crush you.
A small chunk hit your shoulder first making you cry out and closed your eyes waiting for the end, for the unforgiving eternal darkness to claim you. You felt the hit, the force making the colors behind your eyes snap white for a second then bursting to a brilliant array of multi colors. Then you felt yourself slam to the ground, the back of your skull colliding with the hard ground and you started to cry out but stifled your response when you heard a loud grunt just above you.
Before you opened your eyes you felt dust and small pieces of debris fall to your cheeks but nothing big. Nothing that would crush you or break bones, just the pain from your thigh, shoulder and now the throbbing from the back of your skull.
Shaking the loose debris from your face you finally allowed your eyes to open and found the brute’s straining face just above yours. Then you suddenly became very aware of the dire situation you both were now in. Raphael and his shell were currently keeping several very large pieces of the cement ceiling from crushing you both. Each of his green hands was on either side of your face and the densely bunched muscles in his biceps and triceps were quivering from the strain of the immense weight he was supporting.
His eyes were scrunched closed as he concentrated on keeping you both alive, keeping his body from coming down on you suffocating you both. It was then you realized just how strong Raph was, and you were immediately thankful he had followed you down, because if he didn’t you would be dead.
Thankfully Donnie’s lights had seemed to take the abuse of the collapse and kept you both from the darkness; you don’t what you would have done if you were down there in the pitch black, trapped.
“R-raph…”
His green eyes shot open and huffed a heavy breath from his efforts and tried his best to smile. “Are y-ya hurt?”
“I h-have a cut on my leg, my shoulder hurts and I knocked the back of my head pretty good. But other than that I think I’m good…..well as much as one can be in this situation. Are you…are you ok?”
Another grunt as the debris on top of him shifted and he lowered towards you an inch. “I’m peachy; I think I cracked my shell though…..look y/n I need you to pull out my phone and hit the emergency button. It’s in my left pocket. We’re gonna need help, I don’t know how long I can hold this?”
Another shift and the closer he came. You could feel his labored breathing fan across your face, if the situation wasn’t so dire you would have been happy to be this close to his handsome face. Inching down his large frame the best you could in the cramped quarters you found the pocket and sunk your hand it searching for the device. Your fingers quickly found the phone but also managed to knock against something hanging between his legs soft and heavy.
You heard his breath catch and you swore under your breath quickly pulling the phone out and pressed the button. After a few agonizing seconds the phone rage and Leo’s concerned voice boomed through the speakers.
“Raph! Are you ok? What happened?”
“Fearless, w-we may need some assistance. There must have been an earth quake below us and made the room collapse on us.” You could hear the stress in his voice, Raph was struggling.
“Y/N? Is she ok?”
“Yeah Leo, we’re both ok for now. Can..um…you guys hurry? Raph doesn’t look so good.” You cut in hoping to hurry them.
Raphael hissed and shook his head, “I’m fine, just get your asses down here.”
“We’re on our way, hold on you two.” Leo called before the phone went dead leaving you both alone again.
The surrounding area was quiet now besides a few pieces falling into the destroyed space that was once a train station from the aftermath. Hopefully the worst was over. If one more heavy piece fell on his shell you’d both be done for.
You put the phone away in your pocket and looked up to find Raphael staring at you. His green eyes were wide and his breathing was coming quicker than before. Something cracked and moved and Raph grunted again collapsing further down.
“You saved me.” You suddenly said reaching up to touch his face that was so close you could have leaned up and kissed those lips you had craved ever since you had met the mutant.
“I ah, I couldn’t stand the thought of ya dyin.” His voice was low and shaky like he was unsure of himself.
You didn’t know if these moments were going to be your last, it would be a shame if you didn’t tell him how you felt and you both died not knowing. Both your hands grabbed a hold of his arms hoping to give him your strength to keep his firm. You pressed to try and assist with the weight knowing it was futile but you hated sitting there doing nothing while he bore the whole load by himself.
“Raph.” You started looking up into his face; you could see sweat beading on his forehead. “I know this might be the most appropriate time for this but then again it might be the perfect time. I don’t wanna die not knowing what it feels like…..” you trailed off suddenly feeling a little self conscious.
“You wanna know what, what feels like?” he urged licking his dry lips.
God you felt stupid, just go for it, “If this is the end and the guys can’t get down here in time, I don’t wanna die not knowing what it felt like to kiss you.”
Again his breath caught and his fierce eyes focused down on you, “Ya wanna kiss me? How long have you wanted to do that?”
Slowly your right hand left his arm and pressed softly on his scared plastron, “Since the first day I met you.”
“W-why….fuck….” he collapsed further down and his mouth was inched from yours and his plastron was brushing against your stomach now. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” there was a hint of panic now in his voice.
“I was scared.”
“And you’re not scared now?”
You lifted your head a little to brush your lips against his, “I’m terrified Raphael. I don’t wanna die. But these could be our last moments and I don’t want to waste them worrying about what could have been. I’m going to kiss you now.” You took a deep breath and captured his lips moaning softly when he returned the kiss with vigor immediately pressing his tongue into your mouth.
God he tasted good, like sweat and leather wrapped in spices. His broad tongue swirled against yours making you wonder how he got so good at this. How many people had he kissed? Quit thinking about that now you idiot. Abandoning his chest and arm you cupped his cheeks slanting your mouth allowing your mouths to move smoother with each other. Why did it have to be like this? Why couldn’t you be in your apartment right now lying down on your bed with his weight pressing you blissfully down in to the mattress instead of inches from crushing you?
A snap was heard followed by a grinding sound and your mouths broke free gasping for breath. His eyes widened as if knowing what was coming and he braced the best he could. Another piece collided with the back of his shell and he yelped in pain closing the last empty space between your bodies. His golden plastron pressed down expelling the remaining air from your lungs.
From the newly added weight his face was now buried in your neck and Raphael could hear you start to gasp for air, he was suffocating you. He tried to push himself up, tried to give you the space you needed for your lungs to expand to get the oxygen you required. But it was no use, he was pinned and the last remaining strength he had was keeping the horrid weight from crushing your bones.
You couldn’t breathe and all the weight that was on your chest wouldn’t allow you any leeway to the air you desperately needed. You were going to die here but at least you were in his arms.
“Raphael!” you could hear them in the distance, they were coming.
“L-LEO! Over here quick!” Raphael tried to scream but it only came out in a muffled cry and his plastron was beginning to concave in on itself.
“The signal is coming from over here!” you heard Donnie calling, but it was like he was getting farther away. All the sounds felt like they were getting father away. God you needed air, you didn’t want to die. The darkness was creeping around your vision pulling you towards oblivion. You brain was reacting to the lack of oxygen and was shutting down, you were dying.
Slowly your fingers slid over his cheeks memorizing how he felt, the soft ridges of his scales and the scar across his lip, the lips you had just got to kiss. His breath was hot against your ear coming in shallower now; the pressure was affecting his ability to breath now too.
Raphael could feel your fingers glide across his skin, feeling, touching. Then they slowed and stopped halting their exploration falling from their perch on his face. “Y/N?” he gasped the best he could. “Y/N they’re almost here, hold on!” But you were no longer struggling against him; your chest was still now, unmoving. “No! NO!”
Suddenly everything on top of him began to shift and lift alleviating the pressure and Raphael sucked in dusty but much needed air into his burning lungs. The final piece lifted and three pairs of strong hands lifted him up and onto his feet allowing him to see your lifeless form lying on the cold ground.
Raphael lunged forward out of his brothers grasp and lifted your limp body into his arms and away from your makeshift tomb. Setting you down quickly he started chest compressions and CPR frantically trying to breath the life back into you.
Seconds turned into minutes and nothing happened. Your body shifted listlessly below his hands as his three brothers watched anxiously over his shoulder.
“Come on Y/N, wake up! Please I need you to wake up! Fuck!” he continued his compressions and Donnie’s hand rested on his shoulder.
“She’s gone Raph; if you keep going you’re going to crush her rib cage.”
“No Donnie, I’m not giving up! We just….. I got to…..finally got to kiss her. I’ve wanted to do that since we saw her staring wide eyed at us over a year ago. I wanna…..I wanna do it again.” Raphael leaned down again blowing air into your lungs and finally crumbled under the emotional stress and stopped, leaving his lips covering yours. He pressed his lips one more time to yours kissing you, savoring how you tasted one more time.
Then without warning your lips responded and your hands lifted encircling his neck pulling him down so you could kiss him deeper, to tasted him better. A shuttering cry left him as he realized you were alive and plunged his tongue into your mouth in pure relief.
With a pop he pulled free of you looking down at your smiling face. “You’re alive!”
Allowing him to pull you up into a sitting position you coughed, “I had to give Donnie a report on how his lights fared in their first field test. Plus how could I disappoint you if you wanted another kiss?”
Raphael growled and closed the distance covering your mouth with his again.
Donnie looked back and forth to Mikey and Leo and returned his eyes back to you and Raphael, “So how did they do?”