Chapter 4

I shot a quick text to Jackson letting him know I'd come over another night and threw on a pair of comfy pajama pants and a hoodie. My brush was still combing the tangles from my hair when I made my way back to the living room where the turtles were talking among themselves but quieted when I made my presence known."Don't stop gossiping on my account." "We don't gossip." Leo said chuckling. "We were just talking about doing something a little more fun than hanging out here for the night." My spirits lifted and I sat down next to Mikey, giving him a playful shove when he smiled at me."How about we grab some dinner?" My smile faltered and it was all I could do not to visibly sag with disappointment."And eat it on top of the AXA building!" Mikey finished excitedly, like he couldn't wait to erase the crestfallen look on my face.The excitement was back, that did sound a million times more fun than sitting around on the couch or even going to Jackson's dank little apartment."Hell yeah!" "I'd get dressed in something warm, it can get pretty cold up there." Donnie suggested nodding at my thin pajama pants. It hadn't escaped my notice that Raph was brooding over in the corner. "You think you can lighten up for a night, Raphie?" I asked purposefully using the nickname Mikey gave him. It had the desired effect and he visibly cringed."Climbing one of the tallest buildings in the city with her hanging on like a monkey is a good way to get her killed." He said not acknowledging I'd spoken. "Why don't you call Casey and tattle, He'll give you a gold star for being a good watchdog."This time his eyes did cut over to me, and they dared me to insinuate he was a lackey again. "If you're so worried about it, why don't you take her up?" Mikey said shrugging. "Yeah, so I can be the one that gets blamed when she free falls twenty stories? No." It seemed like he was genuinely worried I might fall to my death, and I felt myself soften a little."You wouldn't let me fall." He grunted but didn't argue. "It's settled, Raph will carry you up so we don't have to listen to him whine the whole time. Donnie and I will run back to the lair to grab a few things. Mikey, you go grab the pizza." Leo said doling out roles to each of his brothers.

::;

Now that I was dressed in jeans with leggings underneath, a long sleeve under my hoodie and a jacket we were ready to head out. Donnie tossed me a beanie from my room as he passed by and said something about my hair still being damp. He too was like a mother hen, but I put it on anyway not wanting to give them any reason to bail on our plans. "Ready?" I asked buzzing with excitement. "You guys go straight there, we'll catch up." Leo said nodding to me as he and his brothers slipped out the window. I followed behind them up the fire escape and onto the apartment building's roof. The wind whipped around us gently and I was glad I had so many layers on. "Don't miss us too much." Mikey said, winking before taking off in the opposite direction of Donnie and Leo. There was very few times Raph and I had been left alone, and an awkward tension filled the air. "You waiting for an invitation? Come here." He ordered gruffly nodding at me to close the distance between us. Come here. Something in the way he said that made my stomach do a little flip. His jaw clenched as I moved close enough that he could pick me up. "I don't bite." I teased trying to ease the tension. When my hands slid over his shoulders and clasped behind his neck, I noticed the muscle in his neck jumped.Was he uncomfortable? Was he pissed that he was being dragged into doing this? What was I talking about? Of course he was. His arm went under my legs, scooping me up and took off without a word. A cross between a giggle and a cry of fright came out when he leapt across the gap between the next building. It felt like flying and a wild smile crept onto my lips as he maneuvered around the city, carrying me like the extra weight was hardly noticeable. When I glanced up at him I noticed he was smirking."Wow, are you actually enjoying yourself?" I asked noticing that he had something like dark freckles across his cheeks. Any hint of joy was wiped from his face and he frowned."Maybe it's just funny watching you squeal like a little girl." It was my turn to frown and I made sure not to make any noise from then on, even when he launched onto the side of a building and grabbed onto a fire escape to keep from falling to the ground below. He scaled to the top and stopped when he came to the other side. "Here we are." He said nodding to the impossibly large building towering above us. My neck craned up to see the top and I felt fear drown some of my excitement. "If you're too scared.." He said trailing off, but his lips twitched up in a smirk and I knew that even if I had to close my eyes the entire time, I would make it to the top if it meant wiping that smug look off his face."It's not even that high." I said trying to cloak my voice in nonchalance. He shifted his grip on me and the arm that was under my legs left its position and wrapped tightly around my waist locking me in an iron grip that pulled me so close to his chest I could feel the warmth radiating off him. My cheeks flushed and I avoided his eyes, hoping he didn't notice. Instinctively I leaned my head back, hoping to avoid brushing my face against his shoulder. "You need to hang on tight. Don't let go, don't screw around." He ordered growing serious. "Yes sir." I mumbled under my breath. The low dry chuckle he gave rumbled in his chest. Without giving me any warning, he backed up a few paces and launched from his spot. We soared through the air and I squeezed my eyes shut trying not to scream. I didn't open my eyes until I felt him start scaling the building. He was moving fast and we were almost halfway to the top when I looked down. I couldn't help the squeak that left my lips and tightened my grip around him bringing me closer. Personal space be damned, I was almost buried in his neck as I tried to calm my racing nerves."Easy." He grunted as I almost choked him. "I got ya." The way his voice softened from its usual growl did something to my nerves. Instead of calming me, it seemed to only excite them. His arm tightened protectively around me and I felt his fingers splayed across my stomach. I snuck a glance up at him and a zing ricocheted down my spine, making me tense against him. His face was concentrated, the muscles in his shoulders rippling as he climbed. He mistook my tension as more fear and his fingers splayed wider to hold me better. I could feel each individual one even through my layers and suddenly I wished we were at the top so I could put some distance between us.When he made it to the top and stepped away from the edge, I let go of him and all but shoved out of his arms. I'd known Raph for a few months now, but I'd never had any reaction to him before.. to any of them. Especially not the toe-curling kind. I looked anywhere but him. "That wasn't so bad." I said, chuckling and trying to brush off the warmth that still lingered from his closeness. "It's even more fun to go down." He joked with a knowing smirk. I took a few tentative steps to the edge and gazed down, the cars looked like ants from up here. "Have you guys ever fallen?" I asked leaning over to get a better look at the sides, trying to imagine what they'd grab onto to save themselves. He reached out and took hold of the back of my jacket pulling me away from the edge. "Not from this high up, we weren't allowed to go this high until Splinter could be sure we knew what we were doing." I was surprised to hear him talk about his father. None of them did, he passed away a few years ago in his sleep, but I knew firsthand how much that pain lingered. "I'm surprised that stopped you. I heard that you were quite the rule breaker." I said glancing at him. He shrugged."I was young and stupid. Kinda like you." And just like that, he was back to his antagonizing self.He was only five years older than I was, but you'd think he considered himself ten. "Oh please. Save your speech for someone else. I get enough of that crap from Casey." All previous feelings of civility burned to ash in my chest."You should listen to him. He's worried about you." I wished his brothers would hurry up and get here so this conversation would end and Raphael and I would have a buffer between us again. "Your tough girl act doesn't fool him, and it doesn't fool me." My eyebrows shot up at his boldness."Excuse me?" The anger dripped from my words but he didn't have the decency to look abashed by his forward comment."I don't need advice from some hotheaded, shut-in. You've got no room to talk to me about acts." I snapped. "I'm probably the one person who should be giving you advice, besides Casey." "You're the last person that should be giving me advice Raphael. Butt out." I could see him clenching his jaw, I'd ticked him off. Good. "Hey party people!" Mikey cheered as he launched up onto the rooftop with a pizza bag. He took one look at his brother and me and frowned."Can't you guys ever get along?" He whined."I guess not." I said throwing Raph a look. "You wanna take me down when it's time to head home?" I asked not wanting to be that close to Raphael ever again. Mikey threw Raph a questioning look but told me he would. Donnie and Leo showed up not long after with a few blankets and a large speaker. "I'm starving! Let's eat." Donnie said dropping the blankets and making a grab for the pizza in his brother's hand.