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For as long as he could remember, Leo had been like a brother to him. Despite the constant arguments and clashes, Raph would always see him that way. But something had shifted recently, and it was hard to ignore.
Leonardo got a girlfriend - one who was human.
The only thing protecting Leo’s new girlfriend was his fierce loyalty to his brothers. Raph made it known that he did not like humans. They were lousy, selfish bastards with the only thing going for them was that it was fun to beat the snot out of them -especially the foot clan. But now that Leo was in a serious relationship with one of them, the lair was no longer a safe haven from humanity. The distinct scent of her daisy shampoo permeated the entire place, making Raph’s stomach turn every time he caught a whiff of that sickly shit.
It started with Leo, all doe-eyed and mushy. It made Raph sick watching his leader act like those stupid love-struck high school kids over some weirdo who just stumbled into their lives after getting lost in the sewers looking for cryptids. Leo deserved better than that at the very least!
Even if he is a dope.
As time went by, his brothers grew more attached to her - this broad . He noticed how they all would go out of their way to impress her. Despite the fact that she was technically Leo’s girl, Mikey couldn’t resist flirting with her, even if it was just for laughs. But something told him he wouldn’t rest until he got a gate with her too. Donnie enjoyed having another person to outsmart. Even Master Splinter seemed to enjoy her company, inviting her to watch his soaps and have tea with whenever she came over.
Raph, with every mutated molecule in his body, he wasn’t going to be swayed. It took more than shiny hair, glossy lips and eyes he could drown in to get under his skin. He was a hard shell to crack and he sure as shit wasn’t gonna get soft over this chick!
None of them saw that Raph saw - a human girl who could easily walk away and get them found by the foot clan -or even the media- if she ever got bored of them. They were blinded by their infatuation and nothing Raph could say could get them to see that.
Raph fidgeted in his seat, trying to focus on the action movie that was playing on the screen but everytime, his gaze would wander over to Leo… And his girlfriend. Not even movie night was sacred in this family. She was practically sitting in his lap. Her hair brushed against his chin as they whispered and laughed together. The only thing more obnoxious than the excessive explosions was them. Raph felt like gagging. He quickly turned back to the screen, trying to tune them out when the shoot-out scene but out of the corner of his eye, he could still see them. He saw her gazing adoringly at Leo, her cute smile made it nearly impossible to hold his popcorn pizza down.
“I think I’m gonna puke,” Raph said to himself. The closer Leo and his girlfriend snuggled closer, the further his eyes rolled back in his skull.
“Dude. Shut it,” Donnie annoyedly shushed his older brother.
Raph stormed off, making a beeline to anywhere that wasn’t there . He needed to blow off steam, he needed to punch something -his punching bag. He started to beat it up like it was personal, trying to release as much anger through his knuckles as possible. But no matter how hard he hit the bag, or how loud he yelled, he didn’t feel any better. In fact, he only felt worse.
“What the shell’s your problem ,Raph?” Leo asked, annoyed.
Raph stopped mid-punch. “My problem?” he scoffed. “You and that damn human girl are my problem! Can’t you sees you as a plaything!?”
“She loves me, Raphael. And I love her,” Leo’s expression hardened, “We are happy and I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
“You’re a goddamn mutant turtle, Leo!” Raph exclaimed, “It ain’t natural!”
“Love knows no boundaries,” He said calmly.
“There ain’t no love! You are just infatuated with her because she’s the only girl you’ve ever met!”
“You know what, Raph? You’re just jealous,” Leo said, getting fed up with his brother’s attitude.
“I’m not jealous!” Raph denied, his voice echoed off the concrete walls.
“Yes you are!” Leo persisted, “You just can’t stand that I found someone who accepts me, accepts all of us for who we are while you push everyone away with your tough guy act. Because you can’t accept anything being your fault because you can’t handle problems you can’t punch away.”
“I’M NOT JEALOUS!” was the only thing Raph could say. His voice was loud and harsh, his resentment bordering on hate. Leo and Raph stood in silence for moments that felt like years. The tension was thick and weighed on them but they didn’t dare to show weakness.
Then Raphael pushed past his older brother, muttering “Going for a ride,” as he slammed the door behind him.