To show shyness, embarrassment, or shame by becoming red in the face.

⑊

Raphael heads towards the ice rink, his eyes narrowed slightly as he runs. He told his family that he was going out with Casey for the evening, something they bought faster than Michelangelo can down a pepperoni and peanut butter pizza.

When he gets to the rink, he finds that the front door has been unlocked and propped open with a chunk of loose concrete. There's a sign on the glass stating that the rink will remain closed after certain hours and Raphael smirks when he remembers that Casey and April are the reason behind the rule. He opens the door, throws the chunk of concrete as far away as he can, and lets the door close behind him as he disappears into the arena.

The sounds of soft music reaches him, guiding him to the rink with a small smile on his face. He shoves open another large door and enters a large, chilly room filled with bleachers and the infamous ice ring. Taylor sits right in the front row, guitar in her lap, fingers dancing.

"But if you like causing trouble up in hotel rooms,
And if you like having secret little rendezvous,
If you like to do the things you know that we shouldn't do,
Baby, I'm perfect.
Baby, I'm perfect for you."

She tickles the strings and flips her hair a bit as her laugh echoes in the cool air.

"And if you like midnight driving with the windows down,
And if you like going places we can't even pronounce,
If you like to do whatever you've been dreaming about,
Baby, you're perfect.
Baby, you're perfect.
So let's start right now."

"Is that One Direction?" he calls.

Taylor nearly jumps out of her skin as she leaps to her feet and spins around, guitar aimed like a baseball bat. Her cheeks turn pink and she lowers the instrument, a pout forming on her lips as she scuffs her boot against the ground.

"No," she answers.

He flashes a cheeky grin and saunters closer. "Are you sure? Because my sisters like them and I'm sure I've heard—"

"Bien vale!" She rolls her eyes. "It's catchy. Shut up." When his laughter rings in the air, her blush disappears and she finds herself smiling as she tucks her guitar away. "Anyway, you ready to ice slide?"

He shrugs. "As I'll ever be, little miss rockstar."

She dashes over to the boards and hurdles herself over, a grin on her face as she plants her feet on the smooth ice. Raphael trails after her, eyeing the rink with wary eyes.

"Ever done this before, Raph?" she asks as she turns back to face him, hands resting on the boards.

He shakes his head and stares down at the skate-scuffed mats beneath his feet. "No, I've just seen Casey do it."

"This'll be fun then because I'm super unbalanced," she says. She pushes her foot off the ice and slides a bit, making her giggle.

He snorts and hops over the boards, perching on them for a second. "You? Unbalanced?" He drops to the other side. "That's hard to believe."

"If the ground is solid and not slippery, I'm all good," she points out, turning around and flashing a smile.

Raphael returns the gesture, but it fades swiftly when he looks down at the ice again. It's cool against his feet and his hands hold tight to the boards, keeping him planted. If he lets go, he could embarrass himself, but on the other hand, he could be afraid of nothing and kill it out there. He imagines Taylor's impressed look and his decision is made.

He looks back at the girl waiting so patiently for him and gulps, wishing for a moment that he had Michelangelo's love of skating. He flashes a nervous smile and pushes off the wall, chest puffed.

Immediately, he wobbles more than a bowl of jello in an earthquake.

"Oh shell, oh shell, oh shell," he panics, trying to find any traction on the sleek surface.

Taylor edges towards him, arms held out and fingers spread wide as if the stance will help her keep her balance. Her shoes have grips on them, helping her stay upright, but Raphael isn't nearly as lucky.

"Stay calm, you're doing great!" she encourages.

"I don't feel great!" he retorts.

She reaches out to grab him, but his foot slips out from under him and he tries to snatch her hand as he falls, but it only pulls her down and they both hit the ice hard. He slides a bit and she lays on her stomach, eyes squeezed shut as she groans.

"Ay-ay-ay," she mutters, gripping her head as she props her elbow against the ice.

"Shell, I'm sorry, Tay," Raphael says, already trying to crawl towards her. As he moves, his hand slips and he drops onto his stomach, chin hitting the ice and making him wince and breathe a few curses.

She gets up and meets him the rest of the way as he rolls back onto his shell. She gazes down at him, head tilting. He pouts up at her, making her eyes sparkle, and she reaches her hands out. He huffs and takes them. Together, he gets pulled back into a seated position.

She doesn't take her eyes off of him. "Let's try to stand up. Don't let go."

"Okay..."

He keeps his word as they both bring themselves back to their feet. He nearly falls yet again, but this time in a desperate attempt not to fall, he flings his arms around her middle and she wraps her arms around his neck without a second thought. Their eyes meet and their noses touch, breath mingling in the inches between their mouths.

"Mm," she hums, wiggling her eyebrows. "At least buy me dinner first, Raphie."

He sputters as his eyes go wide. "What? No! I didn't mean to..." He sighs and shuts his eyes. "Damn."

She leaves a lingering kiss at the corner of his mouth, dragging her fingernails against his shell and making him gasp. "You're adorable," she purrs.

He shudders, his head drooping so that it rests against her shoulder. He can't help but notice that she smells good, like coconut and the ocean. He's never been to the ocean but he knows now that the breeze must smell like her hair.

She trails her hand down his arm, tilting her lips to his ear. "We can just keep holding on to each other. If we fall, we fall together, sí?"

He loves that idea. Any reason for him to keep her close is fine by him. "Yeah...yeah, totally."

"So cute, Raphie," she coos, sliding back as her hands fall to his, tugging him along after her. "Mi linda tortuga."

He snorts at that, but then he slips and holds her hands tighter. They move around the rink at a careful pace, getting the hang of it little by little. He comes to enjoy the soothing rhythm, the smell of the cold in the air, the feeling of her hands in his fitted so tightly together. She likes it too, the slightly rough feeling of his palms comforting against her own.

"Listen, Raph," she says after a while. "I want to be honest with you."

He arches an eye-ridge as they clear the curve of the rink. "Okay, what does that mean?" he wonders.

"I..." She gulps, her gaze gaining distance as she shivers. "I just wanted to admit something."

His breath catches in his throat and worries bubble in his chest, but he still nods. She pulls herself closer to him, their bodies touching as her arms surround his neck yet again. He purses his lips and glances at her mouth for just a second before resting his hands on her hips. Their eyes stay locked.

"I knew you were there that first night," she says, her voice softer than he's ever heard it. "I was supposed to distract you from what the other Dragons were doing...and it worked. In fact, that was the only thing I was supposed to be doing by having these...meetings."

He can't get himself to speak. She looks down, her arms slipping from around his neck and resting on his broad shoulders. She runs her fingers over the crack in his plastron, his electric green eyes fixated on her every movement.

"It's my job, okay? I do what I have to do to get money, to live..." Her jaw clenches, her entire body tensing against his. "It's the only thing I can do, and if I don't listen to Hun..." Her eyes narrow and she stares at the definition on his neck. "It won't be pretty."

Raphael gently lifts her face back up. "So, tell me, do you know what Mutacorp is planning?"

She doesn't answer for a moment, her heart pounding far too fast for her liking. "They're digging into Kraang research about mutants, but...I don't know what their plan is," she whispers.

She looks him dead in the eye as she pulls away from him. As soon as she's gone, all he wants is to bring her back into his arms, to feel her warmth, but he resists and keeps his brave face.

"Be careful, Raphael," she warns.

He only nods.