You Were Always | Raphael Hamato
Pairing: Raphael Hamato x Reader Summary: Your date ended horribly. You walked home alone in the rain, sobbing, with a red mark on your arm and a story to keep from your green best friends (because they brutalize bad people, plus you were just embarrassed of your judgment.) Big Red, however, was tired of being your best friend -- and was waiting to tell you that. Themes & Warnings: protective!Raph, emotional love confessions in the rain, mentions of violence and possible carrying out of violence, swearing, slight fluff, comfort, Raph being angry bc he's always angry.
Having mutant turtle best friends was not how you thought your twenties would go. Not that you weren't thankful.
You just thought you'd be hanging out with your girls, going to bars, meeting dudes and finding your calling while studying in college. You thought it would be full of mini skirts, glitter, vodka and dreams. You were wrong. Completely wrong. Instead, you were walking home drunk from a bar alone, fell down an open manhole cover, and were caught by strong, green arms.
You screamed for a second. Passed out. When you woke up, you were on an old tattered couch with a giant rat staring at you, then looking at the four hulking turtle-human men in disdain.
That was how you met your boys.
It didn't take you long to love them. You loved Leo's courage, his leadership, his perfect advice every time you asked for it. He was more mature than most people you knew, though he hadn't experienced a full life that was similar to yours. You loved Donnie's intelligence, his excitement about his hobbies, how gentle he was, and how eager he was to teach you about things you'd never heard about. You loved Mikey's carefree spirit, the way he could always lift you up when you were feeling down, and his spectacular sense of humor. And most of all, you loved Raph.
You always attracted a bad boy. Always, always. Though it wasn't romantic, it was natural for you to spend the most time with the most rough-around-the-edges motherfucker there was. It was just how your life went. When you met Raph, he was tough to crack at first. He was a little grumpy about a new human joining their lives, adding to the chaos that April O'Neil originally brought -- but he warmed up to you until he was ultimately the closest to you out of the four.
At first, he didn’t speak to you much. Just kind of grunted when you came by. Didn’t laugh at your jokes. Barely made eye contact.
But you noticed the small things. Like how he always checked the tunnels before you left. How he stood between you and the sketchier parts of the lair. How he walked you out even when you said you didn’t need an escort.
You started staying longer when he was around. He started lingering in the doorway when you visited.
Eventually, that turned into regular late-night talks, usually on the couch, or while he bench pressed literal cars in the corner of the dojo. You’d sit with your legs crisscrossed, talking about dumb things: your classes, your horrible job, your wild roommates. He’d grunt or smirk, occasionally tossing in a sarcastic comment that made you snort into your soda. Sometimes he’d say something unexpectedly thoughtful, and it’d stick with you for days.
What no one told you about Raph was that he listened. He remembered everything -- the names of your old pets, the fact that your mom was sick, your weird favorite candy that no one else liked. He noticed when you wore makeup to hide stress, or when your laugh didn’t sound quite right.
When you got sick, he brought you soup and didn’t make eye contact the entire time. When you got dumped, he punched the punching bag until his knuckles bled and didn’t say why. When you succeeded, a passing grade, a new job, a clean day, he acted like it was your world championship.
And you?
You kept him soft.
You gave him space to breathe. Let him be quiet when he needed to be. Made him laugh when he didn’t want to. You saw past the temper and the walls and the scowl and found the stubbornly loyal, deeply sensitive, fiercely protective man underneath.
You made him feel safe.
It was always you and Raph -- shoulder to shoulder, sarcasm for armor, both pretending it wasn’t more.
Even if everyone else already knew it was.
The day you came into the lair talking about some date, Raph surprisingly held his tornado of anger, disgust, and jealousy inward. You never even noticed it. He wasn't sure how he'd managed to hide everything he was feeling -- maybe through the "keep calm" tactics that you'd taught him one day -- but he did it successfully. It wasn't like you'd never gone on a date before. You'd even gone on multiple dates with one chump, calling him your boyfriend before you eventually got tired of him questioning where you went every Friday night (movie night with the boys.)
“He's actually really nice,” you said, sucking the last few drops of a smoothie Mikey had made through a straw noisily. “He does concrete construction or whatever. He helped with the new sidewalk outside my university.”
The boys listened. Donnie sat on a stool, staring down at some little gadget he was working on, making noises of acknowledgement to show he was listening. Mikey did dishes, occasionally stopping to look at you. Leo sat politely, eyes on you.
And Raph? Raph stood next to you, arms crossed solidly, wishing he could run away and beat the shit out of something.
“Well, angelcakes, he sounds like a nice one.” Mikey commented, grinning. “But remember Mikey's rules for date safety! Never--”
You rolled your eyes.
“Never leave your drink uncovered, never--” You attempted to finish.
“--go anywhere alone, and if he orders milk on a first date, run,” Mikey finished, snapping a soapy finger toward you like a coach on game day.
You snorted. “He ordered beer last time, so I think we’re in the clear.”
“Still kinda weird,” Donnie mumbled, not looking up from his work.
“Beer’s weird?” you asked, lifting a brow.
“No,” Donnie said, adjusting a dial, “him.”
That earned a laugh from Mikey and even the smallest twitch of a smile from Leo.
But Raph? Raph didn’t smile. He didn’t speak.
He just stood there beside you, hulking and silent, jaw tight, arms crossed so hard his biceps flexed like steel cables under his skin.
You never noticed the tension, not really. You never noticed how his eyes flicked to your exposed collarbone, still dotted with the leftover shimmer of whatever perfume you wore. You never noticed how he inhaled, just once, like he could smell him on you. How he fought the urge to throw that smoothie cup across the room.
You never noticed because Raph didn’t let it show.
It wasn’t the first time you’d mentioned some dude. You’d brought up a few before. Guys who left you unsatisfied, frustrated, confused. He’d always been there after. Quietly listening. Driving you home. Standing behind you in line at the bodega, just in case the ex showed up and needed reminding. He made a public appearance a lot now, since Donnie had invented the projection watches -- they gave the boys human bodies, human personas for when they had to go up top and not raise hell. For when they needed to be up there for regular, human business.
This time was different.
This guy was new. He was “nice.” He had a job that involved strength. You smiled when you talked about him.
You stopped by again before you went on tonight's date. Your outfit would've made Raph blush if he wasn't so fucking pissed. You had a short, black dress on, just long enough to keep it classy but with enough leg showing to make you look sexy. Your hair was curled and tucked into a bun, ringlets falling in front of your face. Your makeup wasn't dramatic, it accentuated your naturally beautiful face. You wore heels, but they still didn't touch Raphael's height at all. After all, the man was like six foot seven.
You twirled in front of the boys, smiling brightly.
“How do I look? Is there something I'm missing?”
You were standing in front of him, spinning like some perfect little fever dream, the soft lighting of the lair catching the shimmer on your legs and the curve of your smile, asking him -- the guy currently gripping the edge of the counter so hard it might crack -- if you were missing something.
Yeah. You were missing something. Him.
He didn't say it. He couldn’t say it. Not with Leo watching you like a protective big brother. Not with Donnie adjusting his glasses and muttering something about “statistical likelihood of safety.” Not with Mikey wolf-whistling in the background like he was front row at a runway show.
“Daaaamn, baddie,” Mikey grinned, dramatically fanning himself with a pizza box. “You look like heartbreak in heels. Don’t kill the guy. Unless he deserves it.”
“I won’t,” you giggled, smoothing the sides of your dress. “He’s just taking me to dinner. Somewhere nice.”
“Nice how?” Leo asked cautiously.
You shrugged. “Little Italian place near the East River. It’s casual. Wine, candles… pasta, hopefully.”
Donnie didn’t look up. “Call me if anything seems off.”
“You’ll know before I do,” you said, tapping your phone. “I’m sharing my location with you already.”
“Smart girl,” Leo said with a nod.
Then your eyes flicked to Raph, still standing frozen by the fridge, knuckles white where they wrapped around the counter. You smiled at him -- warm and sweet, like you always did -- and tilted your head.
“Well? You didn’t say anything. I look okay?”
His throat was dry. His jaw clenched. He couldn’t look at your legs again, not when you were dressed like that for someone who wasn’t him.
You looked like temptation itself. You looked like his worst mistake waiting to happen. You looked like everything he couldn’t have.
So he gave a grunt. “Yeah. S’fine.”
“Just fine?” you teased.
He forced himself to look at your face. Just your face.
“You look great,” he muttered.
You beamed, completely unaware of the furnace behind his eyes. “Thank you, Raphie.”
Then you stepped close, too close, and reached up to fix the collar of his tank top with that same tenderness you always had. Your perfume hit him like a punch to the gut.
“You’re always honest with me,” you said softly. “That’s what I like about you.”
His jaw ticked. “Don’t like lyin’.”
You smiled. “I’ll be back late. Don’t wait up.”
Then you turned, heels tapping across the cement floor, and disappeared into the tunnels with a quick wave goodbye.
And Raphael?
Raphael stood there silently, watching the spot where you’d been, breathing slow through his nose like if he didn’t, something in him might snap.
Because it should’ve been him.
Taking you to dinner. Making you laugh over wine and pasta. Driving you home with your heels dangling from your hand, your lips gloss-smeared and smiling just for him.
Instead, he was stuck underground. Fuming. Wishing he'd just said it.
Wishing he’d told you the truth the moment you walked in, all sparkling eyes and lip gloss:
You didn’t look perfect.
You looked like his.
He groaned, wiping his huge hand across his forehead in frustration. Leo watched him carefully, pursing his lips. Donnie said nothing, as usual, and Mikey sensed the tension, tucking himself back into his corner where he was eating his pizza and playing his video games.
“She's your best friend. You should have just been honest,” Leo hummed carefully, as if not to set off the beast. “The truth'll come out one way or another.”
Raphael didn’t answer right away. He just stood there, still leaning against the counter, still seething under the surface like a volcano that had been too quiet for too long.
His hand dropped from his forehead, falling heavy against the edge of the counter with a dull thud. His jaw flexed. Once. Twice.
“Yeah,” he muttered finally, voice low and full of gravel. “Well. Too late now, ain’t it?”
Leo tilted his head, arms crossed, giving him that look. The big brother one. The patient, steady stare that somehow made Raph feel like he was still twelve and throwing punches in the dojo.
“It’s not too late unless you decide it is,” Leo said, voice calm, but firm.
Donnie didn't glance up from the device in his hand, but his voice carried from behind his glasses.
“She trusts you more than anyone. Statistically, emotional vulnerability paired with long-standing companionship has a higher chance of success than new--”
“Donnie, if you don't--” Raph snarled.
Donnie blinked. “Right. Not helping.”
Raph turned away from all of them. Walked a few paces across the lair like he might burn the energy off if he just moved enough. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, and his shell shifted with the tightness of his shoulders.
“She looked happy,” he said finally, bitter. “Talkin’ about him. Smilin’. Gettin’ all dressed up. Like he’s doin’ somethin’ for her that I can’t.”
Leo raised a brow. “Or maybe she was just excited someone finally asked. Doesn’t mean she picked him over you, Raph.”
“She did.”
“No,” Mikey chimed in from his corner without looking up. “She just doesn’t know you’re an option.”
That stopped Raph cold.
He stared across the lair, frozen in place, the words echoing in his skull.
She just doesn’t know you’re an option.
Because he’d never said it. Never given her the chance to choose him. Just stood beside her like a shadow while she cried over losers, complained about red flags, rolled her eyes at controlling texts and kissed cheeks that weren’t his.
He groaned again, dragging a hand down his face.
“What am I s’posed to do, huh? Run outta the shadows and confess like some kinda Hallmark hero? ‘Hey, surprise, I’ve been in love with you for years. Wanna ditch the dude who has fuckin' concrete all over his clothes and smells like Axe body spray?’”
Leo snorted. “Better than sulking in the sewers and letting someone else make her miserable.”
Mikey finally paused his game and looked over, eyes more serious than usual. “She’s not the kind of girl you can replace, bro. You know that.”
And Raphael did know that.
He knew it every time she laughed so hard she wheezed. Every time she fell asleep on the couch beside him, legs draped over his lap. Every time she saw him, really saw him, through the walls and the anger and the scars. She was his best friend. His anchor. The only soft place in a world that never gave him one. And he was gonna lose her to some prick in a hard hat who didn’t even deserve to breathe the same air as her.
Hours passed. No calls, no texts. But Raph had decided. No matter what happened, he had to tell the truth. He had to come out and say it before he fuckin' exploded.
You finally sent a text, telling them you were going home, the date had gone "fine."
He was going to tell you. Tonight. When you got home from your date. Then, you could tell him whether you wanted the concrete brained little shit -- or whether you wanted someone who'd actually love you. Who loved you. Now. Always. Since he'd let you break into his walls, touch the parts of him that had never had a hand on them.
He threw a hoodie on, grabbing his phone, and moved to leave. Twisting his watch, he became a vision of himself, not quite Raph, but Raph enough.
Still tall. Still hulking with muscle. A buzz cut with a red bandana covering it, tattoos all over his skin, the same intimidating green eyes. He was hot actually, which you'd admitted when you first saw the projection. All of them were. Raph, though.. It truly did him justice.
Although secretly, you'd always thought Raph was hot. Projection or not. It was what originally drew you into him.
Raph heard Leo's voice from the corner of the lair, the dojo.
“Good luck.”
The rain was the first thing he noticed. He welcomed it, letting it pour down onto him in calming waves. He walked to your house, opting not to take the shell-raiser. After all, if things went badly, he'd probably find some dirty criminal to pummel.
He reached your apartment, sitting on your front steps under the overhanging roof. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it, puffing on it slowly as he waited for you to approach.
What would he even say? What would he do if you told him to fuck off? He didn't let the nerves dissuade him. It needed to be said, bad results or not.
It was about five more minutes before he saw your silhouette in the rain. You were small, far smaller than him, of course. He knew it was you by the way you walked. You were walking, walking, walking, he was waiting to see your face through the waves of water. When he finally did, his eyebrows furrowed.
Mascara stained your cheeks. Crying. You were crying.
You walked awkwardly, the closer you got. Your hand clutched your arm.
Then, your e/c eyes lifted. You saw him.
Quickly, you wiped your face with one arm, acting like nothing had ever happened. Then, the hand quickly came back down to cover your arm -- Raph wasn't close enough to see what you were covering. You reached Raph, looking at him in confusion.
“Raph? What are you doing here in the rain--”
He didn’t answer at first.
His eyes were locked on you, all of you. The ruined makeup. The limp in your walk. The tight grip you had on your arm, like you were trying to hold yourself together.
You were hurting. That much was obvious. And trying to hide it from him.
From him.
He stepped forward without thinking, eyes narrowing. His jaw clenched, and his voice dropped low, rough.
“What happened.”
You blinked, caught off guard by the edge in his tone.
“Nothing,” you said quickly. Too quickly. “I’m fine. Really.”
“You’re not fine,” he said, stepping in closer. His eyes dropped to your arm, the one you were still guarding like a shield. “What’s under your hand?”
“Raph, it’s nothing, I swear--”
He was in front of you now, towering over you, not in a way that scared you, never in a way that scared you, but in a way that said he knew. That he wouldn’t let it slide.
“Move your hand.”
You hesitated. Looked up at him.
He wasn’t yelling. He wasn’t huffing and puffing, or pacing, or growling with his fists balled up like he usually did when something pissed him off.
No. He was quiet.
And that was worse.
“No. Raph, please, I am perfectly--”
“Move your fuckin' hand, shorty, now.”
“Raph.”
His voice cracked through the rain like thunder.
“You want me to move it?”
It wasn’t a threat. It wasn’t violence. It was a promise, for your own good. A promise that you'd heard before. He'd make shit happen.
You flinched, not because you were scared, but because you knew what was coming. You knew once he saw it, really saw it, there’d be no stuffing the rage back into the bottle. You hesitated just a second longer.
And then you moved your hand.
Raph’s eyes dropped immediately.
Silence.
The bruise was ugly. Purple and red, already deepening, shaped like thick fingers curled into the soft skin of your arm. It told a story you hadn’t even finished living yet.
He didn’t speak.
Didn’t breathe.
Didn’t blink.
Just stared.
Then his chest rose -- slow, steady, dangerous.
His jaw flexed, his nostrils flared, and his eyes, those sharp green eyes, burned.
“Motherfucker,” he muttered, voice low and venomous.
You reached for him. “Raphael--”
You couldn't quite get him in your grip, just the fabric of his sweatshirt in a small hand. It was wet, soaked with rain, but you managed to keep your grip. He turned towards you, lip almost curled into a snarl. Anger heated the air up -- could've boiled the rain.
“You said the date was fine. Fuckin' fine. Look at your--” he cut himself off, taking a breath and looking up at the sky. “You lied to me. Why would you lie to save that waste of space?” He hissed, turning completely towards you.
You flinched, not from fear, never from him, but from the sheer weight of his rage.
The rain kept falling, soaking through your clothes, matting your hair to your face, but none of it mattered. Not with Raphael standing in front of you like a storm barely restrained, fists clenched, shoulders squared, breathing like he’d just fought ten men and still wasn’t done.
“I wasn’t protecting him,” you said quickly, gripping tighter to his hoodie. “I was protecting you.”
That stopped him.
His jaw twitched. His eyes snapped to yours, sharp as glass and just as fragile beneath the surface.
“I knew what you’d do, Raph,” you whispered, voice trembling. “And I didn’t want to lose you to a cell or a manhunt or -- or something worse. I didn’t want to see you destroy yourself for me.”
He looked at you for a moment.. Then laughed. Bitterly.
“Don't worry about it. Ain't no motherfucker on this earth that's gonna touch you and walk away fine. Whether you feel bad or not,” he said. He towered over you, trying to force his green eyes away from the nasty injury on your arm. “I'd burn this city down for you if ya asked me to. I'm gonna kill this fuckin' guy.”
Your breath caught in your throat. Not because you didn’t believe him, no, you absolutely believed him, but because you could feel it. You could feel the truth in his voice, in every clenched muscle, in the way his words shook with restraint.
“Raph--”
“I mean it,” he snapped, stepping closer, close enough that you could feel the heat rolling off his chest. His projection shimmered faintly in the rain, struggling to keep up with the fury boiling just beneath his skin. “I don’t care if I gotta rip the fuckin’ streets up brick by brick, he’s gonna learn.”
You reached for him again, laying your hand gently against the front of his soaked hoodie. His heart was hammering underneath, furious, panicked, wild.
“I’m okay now,” you whispered. “I’m with you.”
He shook his head.
“Not good enough,” he growled. “You should never have to feel scared. Not when you got me. Not when you been right here in front of me this whole time and I’ve been too chickenshit to say what I really feel.”
You swallowed hard. “And what’s that?”
His jaw flexed again, rain trailing down his face like it was trying to cool him off. He took a breath, deep and shaky, and looked down at you like you were the only thing tethering him to the earth.
“Shoulda been me.”
“W-What?”
He looked down at you still, his hand traveling down to pull your wet strap back up over your shoulder.
“Shoulda been me. Takin' you out, now that we can go up top,” he said, his voice gravelly. “Shoulda been me walkin' you home. Kissin' you at your front door step. Shoulda been me you were gettin' all pretty for.”
You stared, eyes wide and glassy.
“You were walkin’ around in that dress, hair done up all nice…smilin’ about some guy who didn’t even deserve a hello from you,” he muttered, eyes locked on yours, voice just shy of breaking. “And I stood there like a fuckin’ idiot, pretendin’ it didn’t kill me.”
His hand slid up, gently brushing your cheek with his thumb, rainwater tracing the movement.
“I ain’t ever felt more useless than watchin’ you leave tonight, knowin’ I wasn’t the one takin’ you out. Knowin’ I let someone else touch you ‘cause I was too much of a coward to say somethin’. And now,” he hissed, “I gotta kill the stupid fucker. Cuz he laid his hands on the girl I love.”
You didn’t even flinch at the words, the girl I love, but your breath caught like a rope had cinched around your chest and pulled tight.
The rain still fell in steady sheets, soaking you both to the bone, but neither of you noticed. Not really. Not with the confession hanging in the air between you, burning hotter than the storm around you.
“Raph…” your voice was soft. Barely a whisper. “Please.”
His gaze flickered, wild for a second, like he’d just realized he’d said it out loud. Like the truth had broken out of him without permission. But once it was out, he didn’t backpedal. He didn’t retreat.
He stepped in even closer, your bodies almost touching, his massive frame shielding you from the worst of the wind.
“I love you,” he said, voice low and rough, thick with emotion. “I love you. You think I’ve been watchin’ you all this time just to be your backup plan? Some guy you crash on when the rest of the world sucks?”
“No,” you breathed, shaking your head quickly. “No, I never thought that.”
“I been in love with you since the second you looked at me like I wasn’t just a monster. Since you laughed at my dumb jokes, shared your food, yelled at me when I got too hot-headed. You see me, and it scared the shit outta me.”
A warm tear ran down your face. His thumb caught that too.
“You're too good for this world. Too good for me. Too good for him. And even though you ain't mine, I'll happily shit-stomp any man that crosses you.”
You let out a soft, broken sound, somewhere between a laugh and a sob, as your hand reached up to cup his face, rough jaw and all.
“But I am yours,” you whispered. “I’ve been yours, Raph. This whole time. Was just too stupid to see it.”
His breath hitched, just for a second, and his hands flexed on your waist, like he couldn’t believe he was actually hearing the words. Like maybe the rain had messed with his head, or the universe was playing some cruel joke.
But your eyes were honest. Open. No walls, no filters, no fear. Just you, standing there in the storm, bruised and soaked and choosing him.
“You’re-- you wanna be?” he asked, voice cracking, like a kid afraid to hope.
You nodded, fingers curling at the back of his neck, drawing him closer. “Yes. I was just too scared to ruin us by saying it. I didn't want to lose you, Raphael. You're all I have. The only thing worth it.”
A beat of silence passed, thick, electric, before he pressed his forehead to yours with a low, aching groan.
“You’re gonna kill me,” he breathed, voice hoarse, reverent. “You’re gonna fuckin’ kill me.”
And then he kissed you.
Hard. Fierce. Real.
He kissed you like he’d been holding back for years, because he had. His hands tangled in your hair, one arm wrapping around your lower back, lifting you off the pavement like your feet didn’t deserve to be on the same ground as the man who hurt you. His lips were warm despite the cold, pressed firm and sure to yours like he had no plans of letting you forget how long he’d loved you from the sidelines.
When he pulled back, you were both breathless. His voice was low and shaky when he said:
“If you’re mine… then you don’t ever gotta deal with this shit again. No more cheap dates, no more fake shit, no more bruises you try to hide.”
You swallowed, tears welling fresh again.
“Okay.”
“I mean it,” he said. “I’ll keep you safe. I’ll keep you loved. Proper. The way you always shoulda been.”
You rested your head on his chest, listening to the steady, thundering beat of his heart under soaked fabric.
“I know,” you whispered.
And he just held you tighter.
Because you were his.
And now, finally, he was yours too.
BONUS:
However, your date, though you thought Raph forgot about him.. did not escape retribution.
A couple nights after the incident, your date, Todd, stood alone. He was sweeping the new concrete, cleaning up after a week of work, headphones dangling from his ears. He hummed a tune, staring down at the pavement, admiring his work.
Didn't even notice the two hulking shadows approaching from behind him -- 'til his headphones were ripped right out.
“What the--”
He turned, startled, just in time to see something big and orange spin toward him. Todd took a full-on roundhouse kick to the chest from Michelangelo and went flying into a pile of sandbags like a cartoon.
“Yikes, bro,” Mikey said, cracking his knuckles. “You can put your hands on women but you can't take a hit yourself? Bummer.”
Raph stepped forward, massive arms crossed, that black hoodie of his soaked from rain and rage. “So you’re Todd, huh?”
Todd wheezed, struggling to sit up. “W-What the hell?! Who the hell are you?!”
Mikey grinned wide. “Let’s just say we’re the after-party to that date you fumbled so bad.”
Todd blinked, confused, then scowled. “This is about that chick? She said it was fine. What, you two her brothers or somethin’?”
Raph’s jaw ticked. “Somethin’.”
Then he grabbed Todd by the collar and lifted him off the ground like a rag doll. “She said it was fine,” he repeated mockingly, eyes narrowing. “Right after she came home cryin’ with a bruise in the exact shape of your grubby little hand. Sound fuckin’ familiar?”
Todd squirmed. “I-I didn’t mean--she was getting mouthy, I just--”
That was all he got out before Raph slammed him into a cement pillar, holding him there like a schoolyard bully from hell.
“I should break every bone in your slimy little body,” Raph growled. “But I promised her I wouldn’t kill you.”
Todd whimpered. “Then what--what are you gonna do?!”
Mikey stepped up beside Raph with a sweet, sunny grin… and a bright pink backpack.
“Oh, we’re gonna teach you, bro.”
Cut to:
Todd, thirty minutes later, is tied up Spider-Man style with neon pink jump rope, suspended upside down from the scaffolding. Mikey had drawn flowers and hearts all over his face in washable marker. His pants were missing (they were now duct-taped to the top of a flagpole nearby), and his shirt had been swapped with a hot-pink crop top that read: “I Cry When Girls Yell.”
A chalk sign was propped up beneath him. It read:
“Hi, I’m Todd. I’m a big, dumb, concrete-throwing jerk who hits girls. My biceps are fake. Don’t be like me. This could happen to you.”
“Next time,” Raph said, crouching down beside him, voice calm but terrifying, “you keep your hands to yourself. Or I’ll let Mikey use the glitter glue.”
Todd whimpered, nodding frantically, tears dripping down his inverted face.
“Glitter. Never comes out,” Mikey added with a wink.
With that, the brothers disappeared into the night, high-fiving as they vanished into the shadows.
Lesson taught. Message delivered.
And Todd? He never went near another woman without a very polite tone -- and two feet of personal space.
You, however, saw it in the news the next day.
The headline read:
“Masked Vigilantes Hijack Construction Site to Publicly Shame Harasser -- Chalk Sign Warns: ‘Don’t Be Like Me. This Could Happen to You.’”
You groaned, rolling your eyes.
“Raphael Hamato! Come here! Now!”
You heard the unmistakable sound of his boots thudding down the stairs before Raph appeared at the entrance to your room, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised, a smirk twitching at the corner of his mouth.
“Yeah, baby?” Raph said, leaning against the doorframe, all casual confidence. His smirk widened as he took in your unimpressed expression. “You, uh… saw the news, huh?”
You held up the newspaper, shaking it at him. “This was your idea of ‘handling it quietly’?!”
Raph shrugged, pushing off the doorframe and sauntering into the room. “Eh, we didn’t kill him. That counts as quiet for me.”
You groaned again, tossing the paper onto the bed. “Raph, you literally left a chalk sign. And Mikey drew on his face.”
“Yeah, and?” Raph flopped onto the bed beside you, stretching out like a smug cat. “Dude’s lucky that’s all we did. You shoulda seen the other ideas Mikey had-- we didn't even use the glitter.”
You shot him a glare, but the corner of your mouth twitched. “You’re impossible.”
Raph grinned, reaching out to tug you closer. “Nah, just thorough.” He pressed a kiss to your temple, voice dropping into that low, dangerous tone that still sent shivers down your spine. “And now everyone knows what happens when some punk puts his hands on you. He ever comes near you again, they ain't gonna find his body.”
You huffed, but you couldn’t fight the warmth spreading in your chest. “...You’re ridiculous.”
“Yeah,” Raph agreed, unrepentant. “But I gotta make sure my girl's taken care of.”
You sighed, finally letting yourself smile as you leaned into him. “...Thanks, Raph.”
He squeezed you tighter, pressing another kiss to your bare shoulder, just above the strap of your tanktop. “Anytime, shorty.”
(And if, later that night, you may have doodled a little heart next to the newspaper clipping before tucking it into your desk drawer? Well. That was your business.)
