A feeling of intense pleasure or joy.

✮

Time for patrol comes along again. Donatello and Sarina fret over the mutagen sample, discussing possible outcomes with a speed that is far too much for any of the others to comprehend.

"I mean...they're a gang," Sarina says.

"Would they try to mutate their own members in order to get stronger?" Donatello wonders.

"Not sure. We need to be as accurate as possible if we are going to get the conclusion that we desire, but for that, we will need more qualitative and quantitative data. Figure out some numbers, trace it back to when all this started, and figure out their inner motives for launching this string of robberies. It's all we can do to test any theories, so—" She stops talking when she notices that her boyfriend's expression is borderline dreamy as he watches her. "What?"

"I love it when you talk smart with me," he admits. She laughs and leans up to kiss his cheek.

Raphael rolls his eyes and snaps his fingers. "Hello? Patrol?" he snaps. "As in...going and beating up thugs? Remember that?"

Leonardo sighs. "We're not being interrogators, Raph. We have to play the investigators."

"Yeah, and once we're done investigating, then we'll interrogate." He grins and lands a solid punch to his own palm.

Michelangelo perks up. "Ooo! We should wear long coats and speak in British accents and turns our collars up to look cool!" he exclaims. "Like Sherlock!"

"How do you even know about Sherlock?" Destiny asks, arching an eyebrow.

Michelangelo grins and holds his phone up. "Annalise made a video about it, duh."

"Of course she did," Destiny says with a chuckle.

"Can we get going?" Raphael asks, starting to fidget. "I already texted Casey and he's on his way."

Leonardo turns to face his brother. "Since when did I say Casey could come?"

"You didn't. I invited him."

"Raph, as your leader, I say—"

"That's great! Casey can help us fight," Destiny says as she sidles up next to Leonardo and loops her arm around his. "Come on, the night's being wasted."

She drags Leonardo away despite the ticked looks that he's sending over his shoulder. Donatello, Sarina, and Michelangelo bring up the middle as they follow the pair out, leaving Raphael at the back. He glances at his phone and bites his lip, itching to talk to Casey and reveal the real reason he called him.

It can't come soon enough.

----------

The first good thing to happen is that Leonardo splits everyone into teams to scout a wider area once they get to the surface. The second is that Raphael gets Casey on his team. Good, Raphael thinks. The fewer people around, the better.

Besides, Casey already knows about Taylor. That saves Raphael the trouble of explaining everything.

Casey is chipper tonight, a spring in his step and a fire in his eyes. Raphael watches for a minute or two before breaking the silence surrounding them. "What's got you in such a good mood?" he asks.

"I passed a mega-important science test today and..." Casey grins a little wider. "I got to take April out on a date after school. It's a good day, my dude."

"Oh."

"We went to this arcade and bought as many tokens as we could with our pocket change. I beat her at air hockey but she schooled me in Dance Dance Revolution. That girl can move. Did you know she could move her feet like that? 'Cause I sure didn't. Man, I'm so lucky to have her. She's—"

"So, Casey, actually—" Raphael clears his throat, making his friend slow down to walk at his side. "I wanted to ask you...about Taylor. You said you know her, so..."

Casey pouts a little in thought. "Not very well, it was mostly a school thing. But she didn't come to Roosevelt after grade eight so I haven't seen much of her."

"Right, but...um..." He rubs the back of his neck. "I mean, what's she like?"

Casey shrugs and adjusts the strap on his glove. "She likes rock music, punk music, basically any kind of music if she likes the lyrics. She's really creative and maybe a little emo, but I remember that she was, like, one of the cutest girls in the school. She was the one that got all the special Valentine's Day cards." He laughs. "I don't know. I told you, we didn't really talk except when we walked home together, and that was a long time ago. People change."

Raphael nods. "I just wondered, since..." He smiles nervously. "I saw her again."

"Seriously?" Casey's face splits into a teasing grin. "Did you talk to her, though?"

"Yeah, and she was..." He blinks a little. "Sort of...awesome, like, she spoke so smoothly and she was so quick-witted, then she moved really close to me and touched my chest and just—" His hand travels to the chip, his expression dazed.

"Dude, calm down. You're turning red," Casey teases.

Raphael gulps and tries to force his cheeks to turn green again. "Come on, man! I'm just trying to release some thoughts here!"

"You're releasing a lot more than thoughts, Raph." He smirks. When he gets an icy glare, he laughs and backs off a bit, shoving his hands in his pockets. "So she wasn't scared of you?"

The turtle shrugs. "She just said that she'd seen other mutants...but she said she liked weird, she liked excitement." He can't stop his face from growing hopeful. "Do...do you think she'd want to see me again?"

Casey shrugs. "Casey Jones isn't the guy to talk to about girls...I just try pick up lines and wait to see if I get slapped or not."

"You've got a girlfriend."

"Yeah, but that took a while and honestly, I'm still shocked that I got one. I'm smooth and attractive but when it comes to committing? I don't know, it's harder to pin one down."

"Huh...good point."

They hop across another gap and Raphael reaches into his belt, pulling out the sunglasses and turning them over and over in his hands. He can see the reflection of his eyes in the smooth black surface, reminding him of her.

"Este hola! If it isn't the vigilantes themselves."

The boys jolt to a stop and spin around to find Taylor standing a little ways away from them. She flashes a grin and a quick peace sign, then adjusts the guitar on her shoulder.

"Hola, Raphael. Hola, Casey," she greets.

Raphael doesn't answer for a moment, jarred. She isn't wearing sunglasses and he can see that her irises are blood red, making her look rather haunting yet alluring all the same. Raphael bites his lip and yet again wishes that she didn't draw him in so easily.

"Hey! Uh, hola!" Casey calls. "Didn't expect you to be up here, girl."

She saunters closer with a lazy shrug. "Well, it's my thing to wander around on rooftops in the dead of night, so..." She clicks her tongue and flutters her eyelashes as she gazes at Raphael. "Miss me, Raphael?"

Raphael's body shudders at the rolling sound of his name on her tongue. Casey snickers and points to his cheeks, making Raphael force his mouth shut and don a more stone-faced expression.

"Maybe," he finds himself saying despite his subconscious begging him to play it cool.

"Aw, that's cute," she purrs. "What're you up to?"

"Crime fighting!" Casey answers, whipping his hockey stick out with a flourish. He narrows his eyes and grins. "Goongala..."

Raphael rolls his eyes. Taylor laughs.

"Ah," she says with a thoughtful nod. "I hear there's lots of crime in the city nowadays."

Raphael perks up, moving closer to her, and her unnatural eyes meet his. He nearly freezes, but just for a second. "Do you know about the Purple Dragons?" he asks.

Her expression shifts for a fraction of a second, eyes narrowing. "Sí, I know of them."

"Okay, do you know anything that could help us stop them?" he presses.

Once again, she's silent for a moment. "Perhaps."

Before he can interrogate her further, their phones go off. Casey answers his first. "You have reached Casey Jones," he says.

"Casey, you and Raph need to get your butts over here. The Dragons pulled another bank heist and we're losing the counter-attack," Destiny says, tone hitched with urgency. "Hurry!"

She hangs up and Casey looks to Raphael and Taylor. "We've gotta go. They need our help," he says, shoving his phone in his pocket.

"You go on ahead. I'll catch up," Raphael says.

The hockey player hesitates, then nods and skates away, leaving the two teenagers alone. Raphael turns back to Taylor to find that her eyes are already on him.

"Is something about me distracting you, Raphael?" she murmurs.

"Your eyes," he answers. "Those aren't real."

"Oh, do you like them?" she asks. "I got them the other day and wanted to give them a try." She gestures to her face, fingertips resting on her cheekbones. "Nice, aren't they?"

He smirks a little. "So what's their natural colour?"

She presses a finger to his plastron. "That...is for me to know, and you to find out."

He looks over his shoulder, watching for Casey, and Taylor glances to his belt. She narrows her eyes, one eyebrow arching as she leans a little closer, then Raphael turns around and she flashes a smile.

"So? What do you know about the PDs?" he asks.

She keeps her smile. "I know a lot of secrets about this city. You must know a few too, what with being one and all."

He shrugs. "I've got some stored away."

She steps to his side and bumps her shoulder to his. "You seem to like seeing me as much as I like seeing you," she says. "How about we make this a regular thing?"

He arches an eye-ridge. "Maybe you're right."

She laughs softly, almost a giggle but more mature. "We've got stories to tell. I don't have anyone to talk to, and hey, maybe you're lonely too. Maybe you've got some dreams and ambitions that need some sharing." She tilts her head as she swings around, their chests parallel to one another again. He finds his breath hitching again, his heartbeat starting to pound against his ribs. "You said it yourself that I'm weird...and I think all of us weirdos should stick together, sí?"

He smiles a little as he nods, looking down at her. "Alright, little miss rockstar, I'll meet up with you again. Maybe I'll find out what your real eyes look like too."

He earns yet another laugh. "You're still funny, Raphael. That's why I like you." She drags her pointer finger under his chin for a split second, almost a flick, and she leans in close to his neck. "And...I want to leave a little something to make you think of me until we meet again."

He starts to ask what it is when he feels her lips against his neck. He quivers, his teeth gritting as she sucks just enough to make him feel the pressure. His body explodes with heat, his heart about to fly out of his chest, and she pulls away. He stares at her, eyes wide, mouth ajar, and she wanders away from him, swaying her hips as she goes. He can't get himself to move.

"Buenas noches, weirdo," she calls, turning back to flash a peace sign and wink.

He closes his mouth and forces himself to blink. "Yeah, whatever you say, Tay," he breathes.

She disappears off the roof and Raphael feels his knees knock together. His hand flies to his neck, prodding the spot with a dumbfounded expression on his face. He wonders if it was a dream, but how could it? It felt real.

He shakes his head and turns around, hurrying off in the direction Casey was headed. His phone rings not a moment later and he answers it, putting it to his ear as he runs.

"Raph, they got away," Leonardo says, tone strained. "Donnie's hurt. Can you meet us halfway?"

Raphael nods. "Yeah, I'll get there. How bad is it?"

"Head injury. Sarina says it's nothing fatal. She's a little panicked."

Raphael picks up the speed. He doesn't even notice that the sunglasses in his belt are gone.