"Raph, this is honestly amazing! You are incredible! You got mad knitting skills!"
Raphael sits on the couch, needle in hand and basket of yarn in the other. He looks at her unsurely. "You really like it? 'Cause I couldn't decide whether to make yours with something regular or..."
"Hon, this is perfect. Probably your best work yet."
April stands in front of a mirror, twisting her self side to side so she can get the best look at her friend's artistic creation. It's not new for Raphael to knit her a gift. He always knits for the family during the holidays, ranging from scarves to sweaters, and once he even did gloves. It's basically a tradition at this point. He's practiced knitting for years, and developed a mastery April hasn't seen anyone else accomplish. Factory made Christmas sweaters have nothing on Raph's sheer talent, and April is in awe every time he makes something for her.
The sweater he so kindly made this year has Mayhem on it. Mayhem in antlers. It's green and yellow, her two favorite colors, and April doesn't think she's ever going to take it off. The sweater's design is the cutest thing she's ever seen, and is further proof of her friend's growing talent.
"Can I see it on you now, April?" Mikey asks from the other room. He'd been waiting with Donatello and Leonardo, while April and Raph were discussing how much she loves the gift.
April grins, looking to Raph for the okay. When Raph nods, she tells Mikey to come on in, and that she can't wait to see theirs. In comes her three other besties, each wearing the individual sweaters Raph knitted for them.
Mikey's has an adorable baby reindeer on it. Leo's has a skateboard that got caught in a wreath. Donnie's got a big atom in the center, with several different colors wrapping around to be lights. They're all amazing, and wow is she even more impressed.
"Mayhem!" Mikey shouts, rushing over to see the work of art up close. "I only got to see it as a work in progress. Raph," he says, turning to his big brother. "You did amazing. On all of ours."
"Mine is a bit itchy," Donnie announces, so Leo swats him on the side. "But still, yes. Amazing."
"Thanks guys, I'm so glad you like 'em."
"Obviously we love them," April clarifies, slipping over to sit by her talented friend. She leans into his side, basically giving out a one armed hug. "This is all I'm gonna be wearin' this winter."
Leo frowns. "Uhh, I hope you're kidding. 'Cause you kinda gotta have pants and shoes on too, because, y'know, human lifestyle requires it."
Donnie swats at his side now, and April throws a pillow at him.
"...It's not that I'm against sledding, sledding itself is obviously fine and a very enjoyable activity, I was however very occupied with something in the lab, but then Raph just snatched me away and here we are-"
"Donnie," April says, voice on the edge of dramatics. "Can we please just sled? You love sledding."
"Oh." Don blinks and snaps himself out of his series of complains. He looks down at the bottom of the hill, watches Mikey crash into Leo, and immediately after sees Raph rush to check on them both. "I suppose, if we must."
"We must, thank you."
April scoots their sled closer to the edge of the hill, tilting it over the big drop. It's red and white like a candy cane. April's dad bought it for her when she was a mere five years old, a long time before she met the turtles and her life changed for the better. Her sled was doomed to the storage shed in her early teen years, but then one day several years ago Mikey spoke of sledding and she made the connection that she still has a sled.
You get a discount on a couple more, and bam. Sledding repeats itself as one of her favorite holiday activities, even more so now that she can share it with her best friends.
They head out of the city to a big patch of field every year. In other words, an empty and abandoned park that even thrill-looking high schoolers wouldn't explore, thanks to the mountains of snow that pile up in the season.
April and her friends don't need to look for thrills, they find adventure enough as is. This is more of a low-key trip. Worst that comes these days is the freezing temperature. They can handle snow with no more than a couple complaints from the ever dramatic Leonardo. Wrapped up in thick jackets and scarves, they're more than prepared.
"Whatever it is you're working on is gonna have nothing compared to this ride, you'll see!" April brags. "Your tech bo's ready, right?"
Before he can fully answer, she pushes their shared sled forward and they drop down. Donnie muffles a shriek of surprise, but April is loud and cheers the entire way. Nevertheless, she feels him relaxing at the steep of the hill, and within seconds, he's got a grip on his bo and is activating it. It takes no more than a second after that for the tech bo to work April's favorite feature and jet them even further faster, with flames and wind shooting out from the back of the weapon.
By the time they skid to a stop far out from the rest of the group, everybody is applauding and running to keep up to greet them.
Donnie gets off quick, dodging impressed remarks with no more than a simple thank you im great. April sees the grin on his face though and she grins back, just as big if not bigger.
"We going again, sled buddy? Admit you love it!" April taunts, nudging his shoulder.
Donnie readjusts his tech bo so it won't start up again at the bottom of the hill, and replies, "...yeah, that was enjoyable, I'll admit."
April stifles a chuckle, because it's the same discussion every year. Donnie being wary of sledding and convinced there's much better things to do, but then wanting to do it again and again. If last year and the year before are anything to go by, it'll get to the point where he'll being begging her to ride again within thirty minutes.
She has a snowball stuck in her jacket, freezing her skin and wetting her clothes.
She has a snowball stuck in her jacket, chilling her to the bone even more than the frosty winter air can.
She has a freakin' snowball stuck in her jacket.
"Leo- Leo I'm gonna kill you," April scolds, struggling to free the trapped snowball from herself. She squirms around, tries to readjust her zipped up jacket but to no avail. Leo just sits there in the snow, laughing at her attempts like they're the funniest thing he's ever watched.
"You're horrible," April tells him. "Despicable. You always do this when I'm not looking."
"Well yeah, duh. Can't do it while you're paying attention, that would ruin the surprise element. Obviously."
"Surprise eleme—I hope you know you're not getting away with that this year!"
Leo grins lazily, arms stretched behind himself as he leans on a snow-covered slide. Snowball fights are some of the best things in the world, and he is the champion. April can try to disagree, but Leo knows. He beat her last year and the year before and again the year before that. At this point, it's practically tradition that he defeats the human girl in a snowball fight.
"April, you know we all love you. You also know I am the snowball fight champion, so trying to best me is pretty much pointless." He declares.
"Oh is it now?" April quirks an eyebrow.
"Mmhm."
April O'Neil stands back in front of him. Hands on her hips with a determined grin on her lips. Changing it to a smirk, she forgoes her attempts to free herself from the trapped snowball. Instead, April crouches down in the snow and gets Leo to watch as she scoops some out and rolls it up. "Oh, okay. Well then, what's this?"
"That there is a snowball. Any other questions for your champion?"
"You know, I could just lift this up with my hand and toss it at you."
"I'm not afraid of your snowballs."
"Get him guys." April beckons. Just in time for Leo to realize what's happened, he's covered in all directions. Raph and Donnie cackling and exchanging high fives in the brief period between throwing one after the other.
When Leo tries to block a snowball on one side, the other side hits, and, before he knows it, April and Mikey have slid up behind him and are piling cold snow against his neck and head.
"Tricked—I was tricked," Leo says through his struggles. "You can't gang up on the best!"
"It's called a team effort," Mikey states, with a quick high five to April. "You lost the snowball fight this year, bro!"
Next year April'll make sure Leo remembers this too, because snowball fights are just another name for war after all.
"We've basically hit the jackpot on hot chocolate this year. My dad saw some flavoring stuff on sale, so we got mint, french vanilla, peppermint, gingerbread, lemongrass—"
"—what's lemongrass supposed to be? I never heard of it," Mikey comments.
April frowns, no clue either. But she lifts the container up and reads what she sees. "It has white chocolate in it, so that's good at least." Mikey hums in agreement. "The picture makes it look yellow."
"Yellow? Ew. Who would want yellow hot chocolate?"
"Apparently people who like lemongrass," April replies easily. "God, my dad just buys anything."
"I dare you to try it," Mikey counters. He sits on her counter, legs swinging back and forth while he assists in the hot chocolate making. His brothers are all waiting by the couch, April refusing to allow anyone but the youngest to help after what happened last time.
New York gets cold sometimes. They all like hot chocolate, so making it is a common occurrence. Especially during the holidays, where they make a point to watch Christmas movies and drink the chocolaty stuff at least a couple times. But last year, when she accepted the full group's help in making the drinks, several things caught fire. To this day, April still cannot understand how they started a fire while making hot chocolate. Hot chocolate, one of the world's easiest to make drinks.
Mikey's always been a good cook though. He can handle the harder tasks that involve literally anything in the kitchen, so April lets him stay.
"I'll try it if you try it," she agrees. And Mikey nods, so they get started.
By the time it's ready, Mikey is back standing the floor, bouncing up and down. April was right, it is yellow. But the white chocolate almost makes it look good, and it looks even better when April sprays in some whip cream.
"Ready?" She asks. Mikey grins and he nods, and on the count of three they pour the drinks into their mouths.
April slams hers back down on the counter first, wiping her mouth while Mikey keeps going. She watches, wide eyed, as he downs the entire drink before her eyes.
"You like it?" She questions, once he's done and able to talk. Mikey places the cup beside hers, heaving in a big breath as he finishes.
"Not at all."
April is about to ask why did you drink it all then, when the chorus of voices come from the other room.
"Why are you guys taking foreverrrrr?" "I'm going to pick the movie if you don't hurry, I already have several options lined up." "You two alive in there?"
April turns to Mikey with wide eyes, because they have yet to get started on the actual edible hot chocolate.
The holiday season is April's favorite time of the year, and as she sits, journaling secretly in math class, she thinks of all the things she does with those closest to her.
She has a happy family, human and mutant. She gets to do a whole lot of things others don't get to, and she gets to do it all with her best friends no less.
April O'Neil smiles, as she thinks of all the joy winter break will soon gonna bring. And all the other holiday traditions her friends and her have yet to partake in. Maybe another snowball fight will happen, that'll be fun. Just to show Leo who's boss one more time, so his hopes don't peak for a victory next year.
Wow, she loves Christmas. Wow she loves her friends even more.
April looks down at the knitted sweater she's wearing, picture of her cat dog thing clear on it. And she doesn't even care that the people in this school think she's weird, not when she has others to be weird with. People who get her, and who make her holiday the best it possibly could be.
Secretly taking out her phone, she texts Donnie and asks if the whole group is up for a candy cane eating contest later today.
A/N: i hope that no matter what you celebrate, you have a good time.
merry christmas & happy holidays! and no offense to people who like lemongrass hot chocolate. it might be the best thing ever, i don't know, i've never tried it. i just know that sometimes it's yellow and thats a little strange haha