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The turtles have known you for quite some time now. They saved you a year ago, but you didn’t run like all the others. You weren’t scared; just curious. And even though they should’ve left you alone, beg you to keep their secret, they welcomed your open mind. They already had human friends - April and Casey; in retrospect, you’re pretty sure they paved the way for you.
It was difficult at first - two worlds collided. You lived in a neat apartment while your new friends had to hide in the sewers. But that didn’t stop you in the slightest. You saw the kindness behind their eyes, and stench or mud was not nearly enough to make you regret your weekly visits. Honestly, you got used to it, and the four brothers always tried to improve their domicile. They got a living room with a television, and each one had a separate room by now. You helped them on a regular basis to keep everything as clean as possible. They were young adults after all and their minds were often occupied with other more interesting things.
You got along with each one of them, but who occupied your mind the most, was no other than the red-clad turtle with the short temper. You didn’t know what it was exactly that was so alluring to you, but you didn’t care anyway. It didn’t matter to you. You liked him a lot and you two grew closer to each other over the last couple of months.
You told him stories while he exercised. Every time you visited, you brought food for everyone. But in the end, you always sat beside Raphael and chatted with him about various things. It all seemed so natural. So why should you bother with the whys and wherefores? You were happy and you hoped he enjoyed your company, too.
Today was one of those days where you visited the scaly brothers and their calm father again. You bought three pizzas, all with massive amounts of cheese on it, and after everyone had their fill, you retreated to the couch in the middle of their ‘living room’. You were way too stuffed to go to your own place right now. And if you were honest, you didn’t want to, either. It was way more pleasant to watch a certain turtle lift some weights in the corner. How could that man be up and about after such an amount of cheese? You tried to watch him without anybody noticing, but as soon as he got up from his bench, you tried to occupy yourself with something else, desperate not to seem suspicious. You took the remote control of the TV and searched for something decent to watch, all the while internally begging for your blush to go away.
After a while, you felt the cushions next to you shift.
You looked up and were greeted by a slightly smiling Raphael.
“Hey.”, he said. “What are ya watching?"
You shrugged. "Nothing in particular. No good movies tonight. But feel free to join me. We can complain together.”
You winked at him, received a deep chuckle that got right under your skin, and together you began to rant about bad actors and even worse plots.
Throughout the movie, you two shifted more and more on the couch until he sat in the middle of it, with you cuddled up at his side. His heart pounded inside his chest and he was pretty nervous you would notice it. He liked you. A lot. But he also knew it would never work out between the two of you. You were a beautiful woman and he was - well … no need to finish that thought.
He knew you cared about him, his brothers and their master. But there was no chance you could feel … more. He was sure of it. He wasn’t meant to experience that. He was comfortable with every sign of friendly affection from you. He couldn’t ask for more.
You grew quiet over time and he noticed your even breathing. Did you fall asleep? He was so much taller than you and it was impossible for him to see your face without moving his upper body. He didn’t want to wake you.
He carefully looked around making sure you two were alone in the room, before lifting his arm and putting it very slowly around you. He didn’t pull you into a hug - it would be way too obvious and there was a chance you weren’t sleeping at all. You didn’t pull away though and Raphael began to relax. He sighed deeply, not really paying attention to the movie anymore. You were warm and soft against his rough scaly skin. He would like to touch you, to draw trails on your arm with his fingertips. If he was honest with himself he would like to know how your skin would feel against his lips. Your scent made him dizzy, made him want to bury his face in your neck, to memorize your smell when he would lie in his bed all by himself, thinking about your gorgeous smile.
The red-clad turtle looked down as he heard you snoring faintly. He couldn’t help but smile. The pizza and the movie knocked you out cold.
He looked around again, utterly afraid of being watched, of being laughed at by his brothers, and after he made sure you were still alone, he lowered his lips to the top of your head. The kiss was fleeting, barely more than a whisper across your silky tresses as not to wake you, but he closed his eyes and enjoyed every moment of it. You smelled divine for him.
Suddenly he noticed how you shifted. He held his breath, but instead of waking up and running away like he thought you would, you seemed to press yourself even more against him, seeking his warm body and holding onto it, without waking from your slumber. At ease again, he regained his posture and tugged you a bit more against his side before continuing to stare at the television, not really paying attention to that horrible blockbuster.
He held you in his arm, making sure you wouldn’t be disturbed and noticed how his own eyes grew heavy. It was rare, but today he felt content.
He couldn’t ask for more.
But he wanted to.