"It's my birthday-It's my birthday!"
Victoria seemed ecstatic as she practically danced into the lair, a jean purse over her shoulder that probably held only her phone, a Juke, her DS, and her house keys.
Mikey didn't understand why she was dancing around, but it usually meant something good, so he joined in.
After a moment, she stopped.
"…You don't know why I'm dancing, do you?"
"NO…Should I?"
"It would be nice if you did…"
"Why? What is it?"
"Well…It's my birthday-It's my birthday!"
Mikey grinned.
"OH…Congrats, Tori! How old are you this fine day in the sewers?"
"Sixteen!"
"AWESOME!"
"I KNOW!"
"What are ya two doin'?"
Both paused mid-dance, looking up at Raph, who looked back at them as if they were crazy.
"Hi, Raph!" Victoria greeted, smile unperturbed by Raph's annoyed look at her enthusiasm.
Normally, she wasn't this upbeat on a normal day, and seemed eager enough to banter with him.
They often whined about their older brothers, and Leo never seemed to catch them at it.
Seeing her this happy, with no obvious reason, (since she hadn't admitted her dog was house-trained or that she finally finished a story), was a bit unnerving.
Were her and Mikey planning a prank of epic proportions?
Now THAT would be scary…
"Guess what today is!"
He quirked an eye-ridge…
"Sunday?"
"Well, yeah…But that's not what's special about today!"
"What is?"
"It's my birthday!"
"OH…I knew that…"
"SURE you did…"
"Don't tell me you two forgot her BIRTHDAY…" Leo voiced, coming into view…
"NO…" Both younger brothers stated as one, causing Victoria to roll her eyes.
"Is Tori here?"
Don came up, a package hidden in his arms.
"Yep."
"Hey, Donnie."
"Hey, Tori…I got this for you."
Seeming a bit embarrassed, she gingerly took the gift and pulled off the paper covering it.
"Oh, Donnie…You shouldn't have…"
It was a laptop, the screen made to act as a TV when the screen was twisted to cover the keyboard.
It was sleek and a shined red, her favorite color.
"I remember you saying your other one was too old…And this one has better internet access…"
A smile covered her face, genuine and happy, and she hugged him as tight as she could manage, what with his gift in her other hand.
"Thanks, Donnie. It's the best gift I've ever gotten."
Don gave a shy smile in return, hugging her back, when he realized his brothers were watching them with a critical eye…
Mikey was even mouthing the 'K-I-S-S-I-N-G' song and dancing around…
'Uh oh…'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They were at April and Casey's to help celebrate Victoria's birthday.
Everyone was actually watching a marathon of her favorite movies just for the occasion, and were on 'The Cat Returns' when Mikey made a signal to his two eldest brothers.
They'd already watched a couple movies, like 'Howl's Moving Castle' and 'Iron Man', so Victoria was comfortable on the couch.
She was leaning on the arm, shivering a bit from the cold but not complaining.
Don was on the other end, with his brothers between the pair, when the three suddenly moved.
Don blinked at them in mild confusion, when Raph forcefully pushed him into the seat beside her.
Sensing the heat, she shifted to lean against him as his brothers moved back onto the couch so he couldn't escape.
'The sneaks…'
Still, he didn't complain, and the movie went along until he heard a clicking sound.
Tori was too absorbed in the film to notice, so he turned his head to see Mikey.
"Go for it, dude!" Mikey whispered.
A confused look prompted Raph to try and explain.
"Just go on, Don. It ain't like she'd mind."
Understanding, and the purple-masked turtle shook his head as his cheeks burned.
Tori looked up before both brothers could try and persuade him.
"It's, uh…really nice out tonight…Who wants to see the stars?"
"I bet Don would." Leo assured.
"Really?"
Don was about to say a few choice words to his eldest brother, but Tori looked really hopeful…
"Alright…"
As the two headed to the door to head up the stairs to the roof, Don glared mildly at his brothers as they high-threed each other.
'Sneaky jerks…'
It was cool outside, with a brisk wind and shining stars.
The moon was even fully out, giving a light barely enough to block out the streetlamps below.
Settling on the ledge, they watched the sparkling velvet sky until Don's attention wavered.
Of course, the only reason for that was because she was leaning on his arm, her hand almost holding his own…
"Tori?"
"Hm?"
She looked up as if coming out of a daydream, but her focus sharpened.
"…What would you say if I…um…said I liked you?"
"Well…"
She started, looking a bit unsure.
"Isn't that a good thing? I mean, we're friend, aren't we?"
"What if I said that I liked you…MORE than a friend…"
Though she'd admitted not knowing a thing about flirting, or being flirted with, it seemed she was getting a grip on it.
Truthfully, he had no idea how he was supposed to say this, but he ought to before his brothers found a way to tell her for him.
Now THAT wouldn't go well…
"…Well, then I'd say that I like you the same…"
His eyes snapped up to her face, and she had a smile on her face.
"Is this hypothetical, or reality?"
"…Reality…"
Hesitant, nervous, she slowly straightened her back, their lips almost touching…
The kiss was short, chaste and sweet, and faint cheers from behind caught their attention.
Mikey was waving around banners that read 'V+D', and everyone else seemed content to clap and give 'fake' advice.
"Grab 'er butt! Women like that!"
SMACK!!!
"CASEY!!!"
"OW!!! Sorry, babe…"
Tori blushed, but still held Don's hand tight…
'Like she'll never let me go…'