Chapter Text
The fortunate thing about New York City subways is that they weren’t as dirty or as graffiti covered as movies had led you to believe.
The unfortunate thing was, as someone who had never used train systems before, the system was still a bitch to comprehend.
Looking at your phone, you hurriedly jump off the train, going by the directions your phone had last given you before it lost service. You got off with dozens of other people, and all but you probably knew where they were going.
Probably know this system like the backs of their hands, you think bitterly to yourself. Your phone won’t connect to the map app you need, so you have to wait until you get upstairs and out of the stone surroundings. Once out in the open air, you try to step out of the way while your phone connects to a satellite, but somehow, these New Yorkers still manage to find you in their way and tell you in not so subtle ways, running into you and cursing at you. Even though you’ve already done your best to stay clear, you just glare back at them. Maybe you’re already turning into a native because they stop cursing at you and just move on.
That’s right, assholes. Fight me. And you bury your face into your phone again, turning it this way and that like a compass to figure out your map before heading away from the subway entrance.
Meanwhile, above ground and above the heads of the meager masses, four brothers were out and about enjoying their night’s freedoms. Four brothers who were stuck inside during daylight and during the night they emerged to patrol the city for any crime like the self-appointed guardians they were.
Their biggest enemy had been the gang leader Shredder, but he hadn’t been heard from after the so-called alien invasion. Unrelated gang activity had spiked for a while, but lately the city had been, one dare not think it but, quiet.
So these four brothers-who were also mutants, ninjas, and turtles-kept one eye peeled for any suspicious activity, while also enjoying some exercise and fresh air as they parkoured from building to building with whoops of joy and laughter.
In the lead with two katanas strapped to his back was Leonardo. While he enjoyed his exercise, he kept his head on a 360 swivel for any signs of illegal activity or danger, as well as his brothers behind him. In Leo’s wake, with a pack that looks like a radio jammer and legs for miles is Donatello. On the periphery is Michelangelo, tearing up the sides of the rooftops on his propelled skateboard.
Trailing behind, farther back to keep an eye on Mikey and by far the biggest turtle is Raphael. He won’t show it, but his little brother’s antics on that death trap make his heart race faster than this run and he swears if his brother falls and dies, he is going to bring him back to life just to kick his ass again-
Raph isn’t sure exactly what draws his eyes down. Was it a flashing cellphone screen? Was it a noise? Did some inner voice just tell him, quick look? He’ll never know or remember.
The red turtle comes to a screeching halt, or as best as he can with his bulk, his heels digging into the loose rocks of the building he’s on. In a few short seconds, his brothers are lost from sight as he leans over the thick cement railing and watches what’s below him unfold like some terrible B-movie.
Some girl with her phone held up close to her face is being trailed by some creep.
Is this girl stupid? Raph thinks to himself. Is she not from around here? What girl walks around New York City with their face attached to their phone after dark? Even Donnie keeps his on his arm and can tear himself away from his tech. At best, someone would be bumped around a crowd. At worst…well, it was happening right in front of his eyes.
The girl suddenly stops walking and looks left and right, as if she’s either finally realizing what she’s doing or she’s more lost than she thinks. The guy stops walking, too, quickly leaning against the building like he’s been there the whole time. The girl doesn’t even look behind her.
And then Raph watches with widening eyes as the situation actually gets worse.
The girl buries herself back into her phone and deliberately walks down the dead end alley.
“Stupid girl,” Raph growls to himself. If he had hair, he’d be pulling it out of his skull right now. He clenches his fists, wishing for the weight of his sai right about now. They’re at his side, but they won’t help him. He can’t just throw them at the guy; sure it’d save the girl, but then he’d have an angry Leo-not to mention a dead body-to deal with.
Raph starts to panic. He’s no Prince Charming; he can’t just swing in there and rescue the damsel in distress. He is far from any girl’s dream guy. She’d probably just scream and run, yelling about mutated turtle freaks.
He desperately looks around for his brothers. Leo would know what to do, how to handle this situation better and probably with more stealth than what Raph is thinking of on loop. But his brothers haven’t noticed his missing presence yet and are long gone. That’s what he gets for being rear man.
Sure enough, the creep follows the girl into the alley. She continues to look oblivious to the fact that there is a giant fence in front of her and has started fiddling with her phone, like she’s sending a text or doing a Google search.
The stalker slowly reaches for the girl’s purse strap just as she’s finally tucking that damn device into a side pocket.
Raph can’t take the suspense anymore and launches himself over the roof to stop this from happening in any way he can.
Except Raph shouldn’t have jumped so soon; if he’d blinked, he’d have missed it. In the time it takes him to land and roll into a shadowy area, the girl has whipped her purse around to knock her stalker in the side of his greasy head. The purse goes flying away as simultaneously she lands a side kick straight into his ribs. Pitching forward, the guy gets a mouthful of her knee and goes flying backwards and she ends in a practiced fighting pose.
The stalker is knocked out cold.
If only Raph could have admired the action from above, instead of midair. He could have appreciated the unexpected take down with an expert eye. He still wanted to take in what she had just accomplished, but instead he had to stay back so he wouldn’t be seen.
So much for being Prince Charming…
“That’s right, sucker! You thought I didn’t notice you following me, dumbass?” You taunt. “I got news for you, dude. I noticed you following me two trains ago! How do I know, you ask?”
She literally just asked an unconscious man what he asked, Raph thinks while trying not to laugh.
“Because I am so lost on those damn trains that no one else could be taking the same wrong trains as me and walking the same direction!” You crow at the stalker.
“And honestly, sir,” Raph can tell from his vantage point that there is so much dripping sarcasm in that sir, the guy may need a mop later, “I’d rather take you out myself than let some poor other girl who doesn’t know how to defend herself deal with you. Now why don’t you just take a load off while I call the cops to pick up your sorry ass.”
You reach for your purse under your arm, but remember you used it to take him out. Crap, where did you end up tossing it?
Raph knits his brows together, wondering why she doesn’t just walk away. He looks down at his feet.
Oh crap.
“Fuck this shit, I am from the West Coast, we don’t have any train or subway systems or anything. Just buses that arrive maybe every half hour,” you talk to yourself as you look. “Fuck this train system, though. Red lines, yellow lines, green lines, wrong passes, gates beeping angrily at me…”
You hear a noise, like someone clearing their throat, which makes you whip around, thinking that you didn’t hit that creepy stalker hard enough in the head. But you’re only too happy to give him a repeat performance of his beating.
Wait…has someone else has been in this alley the whole time? Oh shit, did they hear you muttering about the trains?
“Uh…here,” they say, holding out your purse for you. You notice the arm is big and muscular and start to panic if you’ll have to take out someone much bigger than Stalker Dude.
As a girl, you’re a bit…okay a lot suspicious. You eye your purse in their hand and up to the figure that stays in the shadows a couple of times each before darting forward to grab your purse before they can grab you. You keep your eyes on them as they just as quickly withdraw their arm back into the shadows and don’t make another move.
Eyes narrowing suspiciously, you check the zippers on your purse. They don’t look like they were messed with. Just in case, you quickly unzip it and check your wallet. You don’t carry cash, but your debit card and driver’s license are still there.
“Oh…thanks,” you say, looking up at them.
Their weight seems to move, like they’re shrugging. “No, uh…no problem.”
With the worst timing ever, the first car you two have seen all night drives by and the headlights illuminate the whole alley.
And your eyes widen as you look up and up at the person…or thing that just handed you your purse.
You suddenly flash back to being a small child and watching Beauty and the Beast over and over and that scene where Belle finally sees the Beast for the first time, how he’s terrifying, tall, and has sharp pointy teeth flashes behind your eyes.
Except despite his appearance, a logical part of you rationalizes as you step back in fear, remember he wasn’t evil?
That’s true, you reply to yourself. Whatever this is didn’t help me with the stalker, though.
You took that creep out in three seconds. When would he have helped?
When he…handed me my purse back, with my cellphone, you realize.
Raph’s hands went up defensively when he saw you start to panic when you got that accidental look at him.
“No no no no no,” he starts to say. “Don’t freak out. I’m not gonna hurt you, I promise.”
But his argument dies at the ‘no’s’ when he sees the panic simply disappear from your eyes.
“Thanks,” you say again. “Um…do you have a name?”
“Uh…” Raph’s eyes dart around again. He won’t admit it, but when he starts to panic, he likes to look to what his brothers are doing. But they still aren’t around.
Of course, as he panics, he sees their movement up on the roof where he just was half a minute ago.
Donnie looks down and immediately notices the girl.
“Oh man. Raph’s blown our cover. He’s been seen.” They’d arrived just in time to see the head lights illuminate the alley.
“Are we gonna have to kill her?” Mikey asks wide eyed to Leo.
“What?! What is with you and Raph wanting to kill people that see us?” Leo asks. “Are we going to have to kill the entire police force next? Or April? Or Casey?” He whispers harshly.
He signals down to his brother, a thumb across the throat followed by him thumbing into the distance, adding to the ‘get out of there’ gesture with his head as Mikey and Donnie continue to panic about another human knowing their secret.
“Uh…Raph. Raphael.” He finally answers you. You notice him staring at a roof a lot and you turn to look. Three more turtle brothers duck down, unseen by you.
“Raphael, huh? Like the Renaissance artist-”
He clears his throat and his arms swing awkwardly. “Uh…yeah?”
He looks up to his brothers again and now they’re all trying to signal him to just get the fuck outta there. Mikey’s jumping from foot to foot and pointing with both hands, Donnie can’t seem to rationalize the problem fast enough, and Leo is just glaring down at him with his arms crossed in his typical Disappointed Eldest Brother look.
“-Or like the archangel?” You continue.
You can see him freeze and his head whips around to fully look at you.
Did she really just…?
Dear god, girl, are you flirting with a Beast? Have you lost your mind?
I’ve been talking to myself for the past…ten…years or so, so probably, yeah.
“I get the feeling that you have somewhere to go,” you say when you see his eyes flick skyward again. “But thanks,” you reiterate like a broken record, lifting your purse up slightly to indicate what you’re thanking him for. You reach into the tiny side pocket to get your phone. “I imagine you’d want to get out of here before I call the cops on that guy anyway.”
“Yeah, that would…yeah.” He shuffles around you, heading for the fire escape behind you. He can flip and climb up to the roof with the metal bars of the walkway.
But before he spirits away, he passes by the stalker you beat up earlier, who has clearly woken up and is trying to sit up. Raph gives him one departing punch to knock him back out again.
You flinch at the sound of his fist hitting flesh, then smile to yourself. See? He was looking out for you, like a guardian angel. You’re just no damsel in distress who needed help in this case.
He flips up the fire escape like some kind of ninja. As he leaps away and you dial 9-1-1, you swear you hear more voices as four turtle brothers leave the scene as fast as they can.
“Raph, did you just talk to a girl that wasn’t April?”
“Shut up, numbnuts!”
As your phone rings, you smile. “Hope to see you around…Raphael.”