Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT, though I really wish I did!
A/N: Hey guys! Just watched the new episode "The Creeping Doom" and I must say, it was an awesome episode. This is just something that popped into my mind during the show after Leo, Raph, and Mikey left Donnie behind in April and Splinter's care while they dealt with Creepweed on the surface.
Hope you enjoy!
April watched as the three brothers rushed off to save the city once again, a heavy weight settling onto her shoulders. She glanced up at Master Splinter, "Do you think your healing mantra can help Donnie?"
The rat observed his son, who was now counting the number of toes he had in bewilderment, and steeled his face. "It is highly doubtful," he said miserably.
"Hey April! I've got three toes!" Donatello chuckled, holding up his large green foot and pointing.
She grimaced, "Right… well, I guess we'll have to find another way."
Splinter nodded gravely, "I will prepare some home remedies," and headed towards the kitchen. "Do not let him out of your sight, April," he warned.
"No problem," she smiled sheepishly, having already lost track of him once.
A loud bang in the sunken living area brought back her attention and April hurried down the steps towards Donnie, who was sitting in a pile of old Space Heroes VHS tapes. "Ooh," he squealed in delight, pulling out the tape from one of the movies and wrapping it around himself.
"Oh no you don't!" April took the VHS from his grip and untangled him, "Leo will kill you for ruining his Space Heroes stuff. And me, for not preventing it…"
Donnie whined briefly about how it was 'so unfair' but was quickly distracted by the bright lights of Raphael's pinball machine across the room. Leaping to his feet, he left the disgruntled red head behind and made a dash for the arcade game.
"D-Donnie, wait!" she gasped, nearly tripping over the exposed film tape in effort to follow him. Hopefully he'd be able to fix it when he returned to normal.
If he returns to normal.
The thought gripped her chest like a chilling vise and she willed stubborn tears away. "No, Donnie will definitely return to normal. He has to."
"IT'S SO SPARKLY!" the purple-masked turtle screamed in amazement, causing April to cover her ears.
"Y-Yeah, sure is…" she winced.
Unaware of how to actually play the game, Donnie started pressing random buttons and giggled at each noise the machine made in return.
Rubbing her temples to soothe away an oncoming headache, April walked up behind the unnaturally dim-witted ninja, "Hey, Donnie. Wanna play a game?"
The mention of a new game perked Donatello's interests and he spun on his heel to face April, grinning stupidly.
"I'll take that as a yes," she said slowly, raising an eyebrow at the tongue poking out of his mouth.
"Well?" Donnie bounced on his toes, "What game, huh?"
She hadn't thought that far. April blanched, drawing a blank, and quickly scanned the area for inspiration, "Uh… ermm.. oh! Let's put together a puzzle!"
The idea excited Donatello and he took off towards the makeshift board game cabinet.
"At least he remembers where those are…" she muttered under her breath, following him.
Donnie held up one of Mikey's kitten puzzles in triumph, "I found one! April, look, I found it!"
"I see that," she nodded and offered a weak smile, noticing the mess he'd made of all the other games in the process, "set it on the floor and we'll play."
Adhering to her instructions for the first time that day, Donnie set the box of puzzle pieces on the ground and tipped it over, spilling the contents everywhere.
April crouched down and sat criss-cross in front of him, "Alrighty, now we need to-"
"I'm hungry," he said suddenly, standing back up and heading towards the kitchen.
The kunoichi blinked, then groaned in frustration, "You can't go in there, Donnie!" She jumped to her feet and ran to him, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him back, "Master Splinter is working on something important."
"Ooh, what is it?" he raised both eyebrows, now intrigued by the prospect of what Splinter was doing. Donnie took a step towards the kitchen, easily overpowering April's hold on him,
"Donnie," she hissed, pulling him back, "seriously! Knock it off!"
Donatello paused, reaching up and holding his head with one hand, "Ungh… my head."
Her heart lifted, "Donnie?" and she turned him towards her, searching his face for any signs of his true self, "Donatello?"
He looked into her eyes, seemingly confused at the situation.
"...Donnie?" she bit her lip, hopeful.
Recognition dawned on him and he grinned stupidly, "Wow, you're really pretty…" before chuckling in a way April knew did not belong to the real Donatello.
Her face fell and she smacked her forehead into his plastron out of irritation, "You've got to be kidding me…" Tears stung her eyes again and she suddenly punched her friend in the gut, sending him stumbling back a few steps.
"Wha'? Why'd you hit me?" he tilted his head, not even physically wounded.
"Because you're not you!" she yelled, "Wake up, Donnie!"
The turtle giggled uncharacteristically, "I am awake, silly!"
April wiped warm tears from her eyes and pushed him again, "No! You're not Donatello - you're some… some... " the words wouldn't come and she stood there, face flushed and frustrated, staring at the ground.
Donnie took a step back, surprised, and then grabbed his head with both hands this time. "AUGH!" he wailed, dropping to his knees.
Her head whipped up and she took a step towards him, "Donnie, are you okay?"
He curled in on himself, shaking his head violently and groaning loudly in pain.
"MASTER SPLINTER!" April ran to Donnie's side, crouching down with him, "HELP!"
It didn't take long for their sensei to rush out of the kitchen and drop to the other side of Donnie. "What has happened?" he asked, wrapping one arm around his son's shell.
"I don't- I-" April's words were all over the place, "It just happened! I got mad at him and it happened!"
Donnie let out another terrible, anguished cry, and tightened the grip on the sides of his head.
Master Splinter took Donnie's arm and draped it across his shoulders, prompting his son to stand up, "Help me guide him to the couch. Hurry!"
The kunoichi nodded, following Splinter's motions, and soon the two were settling Donnie onto the couch cushions. He thrashed about weakly, tears running from his eyes, until the wails became less and less.
"Splinter, is he…" April covered her mouth and stared at the limp form of her best friend.
Sniffing worriedly, Splinter took Donnie's pulse and sighed in relief, "He is alive."
"Thank goodness," she knelt down by his side and took one large, green hand into her own delicate owns.
"I am going to finish the remedies," Splinter stepped backwards, "call for me if anything happens. Hopefully one of these will work."
April nodded and rested her chin on the top of Donnie's hand, looking at his sleeping face. The distant sound of utensils against porcelain signalled Splinter's return to the kitchen. "Donnie," April reached up with one hand and caressed the side of his face, "I am so sorry this happened to you."
Donnie slept peacefully, his lips parted slightly to reveal his gap tooth.
She smiled sadly at him and tightened her grip on his hand, "And I'm sorry I yelled at you. This isn't your fault."
A small whistle-like snore emitted from the purple-masked turtle.
Her face fell, slowly, into a frown. She knitted her eyebrows together and bit her lip, squeezing his hand tighter. Tears welled in her eyes once more, but this time, she let them fall freely. "Please be okay," April sat beside him now, leaning in and resting her head on his plastron, "I can't lose my best friend."
The kunoichi lay there, tears running down her face, against his plastron as the sound of his snoring lulled her into tranquility. He was still Donnie, right now, in this moment; there were no goofy, stupid grins or incoherent babbling of the dimwitted version of him. Just the feel of his body under hers and the sound of his sleeping.
A few minutes ticked by before she felt the hand intertwined with hers twitch. April shot up and looked down at him, "Donnie?"
Opening his dark brown eyes, Donatello let out a low moan of pain and reached up to his head with both hands again.
"Oh no," she breathed, "Donnie, what's happening?"
The terrapin didn't reply for a short moment, absently running his palms over his closed-lidded eyes and squinting at the dim lights around them. "What," Donnie looked at her, "happened?"
He sounded normal! April's chest swelled with emotion her lips broke into a huge, toothy smile, "Donnie? Are you… okay?" she asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, just a major headache," he winced as memories started flowing back to him. "Whoa, did I…"
"Lose your smarts?"
Chuckling half-heartedly, Donnie nodded, "Yeah."
His eyes, although squinty, were bright with the intelligence he possessed before the accident and her best friend no longer seemed so far away. April couldn't contain herself any longer and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling their bodies close.
"April, wha-" Donnie's eyes widened and a massive blush lit up his cheeks.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" she breathed, burying her face in his neck, "I thought I lost you."
Donatello blinked, "R-Really?"
April nodded against his skin.
"W-Well, I… um…" Donnie hesitantly wrapped his arms around her waist and returned the embrace, "I'm here now."
"I know," she sounded relieved - suddenly, she stopped and pulled away. "Your brothers! They're fighting the Creep and Snakeweed up top!" April unwrapped her arms from around his neck and stood as he released her, albeit reluctantly, "They can't beat them without you, Don."
"Right," Donatello nodded and stood, focusing on the crisis at hand, now.
April grinned confidently, "To the lab?"
He nodded, returning the smile, "To the lab."
R/R? (: