"Donnie...you can put me down."

"Nope."

"Come on, Donnie. This is embarrassing."

"Don't care."

"This isn't fair."

"You have no right to declare what is and isn't fair."

April O'Neil struggled in Donatello's grasp, but she knew it was no use. The mutant had her over his shoulder and pinned her legs to his plastron so she couldn't make a run for it. The teenager sighed and rested her elbow on his shell and cheek against her hand.

"Donnie, let me go. I can walk."

"Nope. You had your chance."

"Donnie, I'm not a little kid. You don't have to babysit me."

The mutant ninja stopped in his tracks. April immediately regretted uttering her last sentence. She could feel the anger rising from him without having to see his face. And April had never seen Donatello mad. Well, at least not at her.

Donatello roughly grabbed April and held her in front of him, her feet lightly dangling above the cement of a building's roof. All of his features were twisted into a deep frown, his eyes ablaze with anger. Even his skin had turned a light red and April, for the first time ever, was afraid of the young man she called her best friend.

"April, what you did tonight was stupid."

"I had to find my dad, Donnie."

"I get that but you should have told us. We could have helped you. Did you even begin to think that maybe the Kraang were setting you up? That maybe you could have been hurt? Or taken away? Or worse?"

April looked away from Donatello. He was right. She was lucky he had saved her in a nick of time when a Kraang had started firing lasers at her. If Donatello hadn't been there to rescue her...

Donatello set her down and turned his back to her. "I was so scared when I went to your room to check up on you and all I found was the note. I was angry when the Kraang tried to hurt you. I was upset you wouldn't tell me your plan."

He turned around to face her. April gasped. Donatello's anger had disappeared and replaced with another intense emotion that April couldn't read. But it made her regret she even considered doing anything without consoling him first.

April watched as Donatello swallowed a lump in his throat. "I was scared and upset. But now, I'm just hurt. April, do you see any of my brothers out here tonight? No. Just me. I came because I cared. I came because you mean something to me."

Donatello took a step towards her. April took a step back and raised her hand as though to stop him. The mutant just took her wrist in his palm and stepped closer.

"April, I care about you so much it hurts. And I feel betrayed that you thought you couldn't get me to help you with this. I want you to be happy. I want you to have your dad back, but I don't want to lose you in the process. That's why I'm like this. I'm so angry that the Kraang would do this to you. To me...If I hadn't been there, April, you'd be dead. Do you understand that? Dead. D.E.A.D. Dead."

April looked away, tears in her eyes. She'd never seen Donatello like that before. It broke her heart. She never realized he really felt that way. She really had been careless, and it could have hurt more than just her dad. It could also have hurt her mutant friends...

"And if I lost you...I don't know what I'd do, April. You're my best friend. My everything. I promised I'd get your dad back, and I will. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but I will. Even if it means risking my own life. I'd do anything to see you happy, April, and I never want to lose you. I don't know what I'd do-"

Donatello choked on a sob and April snapped her head to look at him. The mutant let her go and turned around. He held his hand to his mouth and began to walk away from her.

"Donnie...wait!"

April begged her legs to move and ran after him, her hand outstretched. Donatello stopped in his tracks and April stood behind him. She could see his shoulders lightly shake and she stared in disbelief.

"Donnie?" She rested her hand on his arm and gently turned him around to look at her. Tears streamed down his face, dampening his mask and his eyes were blood shot. April couldn't help but gasp.

"Shh..Donnie...it's okay...I'm so sorry, Donnie. I'm so sorry. I had no idea. I was stupid. So, so stupid...I should have gone to you right away. I was stubborn and foolish and I hope you can forgive me."

Now it was her turn to choke up. April looked up at him and he just stared at her. The red head stepped closer to him and leaned up. She wrapped her arms round his neck and buried her head into his skin. She lightly rubbed his shell and the skin on the back of his neck where she could reach.

She could feel Donatello sob beneath her, his body trembling with worry. His arms snaked around her and held her tightly to him. Her feet were lifted off of the ground and Donatello buried his face into her neck.

Donatello collapsed to the ground, April falling into the safety of his lap. He held her close, letting the tears flow from his eyes, his face twisted in pain. April held him as he held her, and she could feel the emotions she wasn't able to fully understand before.

He was in pain. Not physically, but he was in pain. Did she really do this to him? April rested her head into the crook of his neck and let him hold her. She could feel his relief for knowing she was still alive but the fear that he could have lost her, the hatred he had for the Kraang, and the love he had for her. It was funny how she had been blind to that the whole time and whole heartedly regretted ever making Donatello go through that. If she had died, what would he have done?

April closed her eyes and let the safety of his strong arms cradle her. His misery filled her ears, bringing tears to her own eyes. At that moment, April knew that she'd never be reckless like that again, despite how stubborn she was. She never wanted Donatello to go through the terror he must have felt that night. And as much as she wanted to have her dad back, she knew it wasn't worth getting killed over or upsetting the ninja that cared about her more than his own life. Her dad could wait.