A/N: This takes place immediately after the end of the 2014 movie. This is April and Vern's ride home on the subway. This is the very beginning of Aprilangelo.
The Subway
He had just blown up Vern's car 'The Fenwick Express'. He had also made a complete fool of himself singing (badly) a song to her from the back of their van. Who knows where they got that van from, she'd have to ask Donnie about that later. Somehow it was all so cute and sort of endearing. Michelangelo was a sweetie pie, mutant or not. Obviously he liked her but she figured it was merely a teenager's infatuation with a girl. Not to mention this particular teen was cut off from society for the most part, and had never been in close proximity to a female that knew what he was. Suddenly there were fingers snapping in her face. Vern. She'd almost forgotten he was there.
"O'Neil, Earth to O'Neil," Vern said snapping his fingers to get her attention. Seemed like he was always having to do something to grab her attention. Couldn't seem to keep it trained on him though.
"Sorry Vern, I was just thinking that's all." April said giving him a small smile. He gave a quick grin, but otherwise seemed a bit worried. He shrugged, defeated.
"Yeah, I was thinking too. What the hell am I gonna say about this damn car?" Vern massaged his forehead. The question was aimed more to the universe than to her. April rubbed and patted his back in an effort to comfort him. Vern could be vain and egotistical, but he had also proven himself trustworthy and a good friend too. He was good at heart and meant well...most of the time. She just wished he'd stop trying to escape the friendzone. It was a prison from which there would be no release, not even probation for good behavior. She smiled at his back. Poor Vern, she would let him down as easy as possible when the time came. For now she would let it go. He wasn't hurting anything, and the attention was flattering if sometimes a tad annoying.
"It'll be okay Vern, we'll think of something." She said pausing to think of that something. She brightened a little as a plausible excuse came her.
"You were carjacked. You followed me on a lead to a bad neighborhood, and we got jacked. This is New York, stuff like that is always happening." April sat back in her seat confident in the solution. Vern was looking at her with a side eye.
"You're forgetting one very crucial detail O'Neil. Why would I be following you on a lead? You were fired remember?"
"Yeah, forgot about that actually." Her shoulders slumped a bit. She complained all the time about the fluff pieces she was always assigned to, but she missed it sorely now. The city was still reeling from the aftermath of the attack, and she couldn't cover it because she was no longer a reporter of any kind. Vern let out a big sigh and leaned back in his seat. April did the same. Vern chanced another glance at April. She was so pretty. He had thought so the moment they met, which was why he made such an effort to become her cameraman. There was no better way to get to know her and be around her than that. He dropped all kinds of hints. Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head, but she remained oblivious to them all. He could kind of understand where she was coming from. She had told him a while back that she was determined to climb the news ladder based on her skill, not on her looks. She would not have it be said about her that she screwed her way to the top, or relied on her looks in any way. He could respect the sentiment, but that pretty much ruined his chances with her.
He hoped against hope that after all they had been through together, that she would finally see him as more than a friend or worse, a mere coworker. Her neatly manicured nails drummed her thighs as she looked around the subway car. It wasn't quite crowded, but wasn't empty either. They were also nearing her stop. He wanted to grab her hand and hold it, no particular reason just doing what a couple would do but resisted the urge. They weren't a couple...yet. Before the Fenwick Express got utterly destroyed, he was going to make his boldest move ever and just ask her out already. Now he would have to find a better opportunity. At the moment he was cool with being next to her in a companionable relative silence.
When her stop came, they got up and headed off the train and out of the subway. She still had her bike but walked it since Vern had accompanied her home tonight.
"I still can hardly believe it." Vern said striking a conversation.
"Believe what?"
"The whole thing about the turtles. I'm still wrapping my mind around it. They seem so...human ya know?" He said shaking his head a little. In truth he sort of liked them, but in many ways he was a little nervous being in their presence. The biggest issue of course was just how large they were. Not even the height so much as the girth and proportions. April told him when she got up to the roof, they were basically holding up that tower by themselves. He shuddered a bit thinking about that.
"Yeah it's a lot to take in. I mean for years there have been big walking, talking turtles in the sewer that no one knew about. It's crazy. I agree with you though, there is something very human about them. At times I forget they're mutant turtles. They just seem like guys to me." April said. She was trying not to think about a certain young turtle.
"The one with the orange mask is so into you. That's so weird," Vern said with a chuckle.
"Imagine that, a turtle liking a girl. Gonna let him down easy or should I start printing up the wedding invites?" He teased, laughing and nudging her with his elbow. April joined him.
"Get the wedding invites together. I've got a gift registry lined up already, and my gown," April said giggling and making Vern almost double over with laughter.
"That gown's gonna have to be mighty sh-short," Vern was trying to talk between laughs and breathing.
"W-why?" April said, laughing in earnest and having to let the bike hold her up.
"Cause...you don't want it dragging in the sewer water." He could barely finish the sentence. April had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, sagging against the bike with tears in the corners of her eyes. She didn't know why the image was so funny but it was. Vern was bent over trying to get himself together, good hand on his knee. It had been a while since he had a good gut busting laugh.
After a short while they were okay enough to keep walking. They had gotten to her building.
"Well I've safely escorted a beautiful woman to her doorstep. That's like good deed number 375 for me this year alone." He said with a smile.
"Oh yeah? What were the other 374?" She asked looking up into his eyes. Maybe in another world it could have worked.
"You kidding me? Everything from the Sacks estate on down to almost losing an arm, all 374 deeds right there." He said reaching out to straighten her crooked collar, a finger briefly and lightly grazing just above her collarbone. She rolled her eyes playfully and smiled again, brilliant white teeth flashing.
"Well, I'm really tired so…." April said inching towards the door, keys already out and aimed at the lock.
"Yeah okay cool. See you later on I guess huh? Lunch maybe sometime this week or something?" Vern said, trying to make it sound like a friendly invite instead of a roundabout date.
"Maybe lunch I suppose Vern. G'night." April said, going inside and shutting the heavy front door. Vern stood there for a few moments watching her inside. He gave a small wave again and headed back towards the subway. It was time for him to turn it in too.
April walked inside her apartment, hanging her bike on its rack and throwing her jacket and helmet down wherever. She went into the kitchen and grabbed an apple from the small fruit basket on the counter. She looked over the few dishes in the sink, thought about washing them, and then instantly got lazy about it. Finishing the apple she peeled out of all her clothes to take a quick shower and jump into bed. She was bone tired. As she lay there she thought about Mikey and his brothers. What she had said to Vern was very true. She really did just think of them as guys. When she really thought about them she was amazed still. She hadn't completely gotten over it, but she was glad she wasn't afraid of them anymore. They were good….turtles? People? Dudes? Whatever. She just knew she liked them, and they had risked their lives for her also.
Finally she began to doze off with a tune playing in her head. Where had she just heard it? Oh, yeah Mikey. It was the song he was singing to her tonight. Her sleep fuzzy mind couldn't think of the name of the group who sang it, but she hummed it until she went to sleep with a little smile. Mikey. He was a sweetie pie.