The rat is the cleanest one.
Disclaimer: I am borrowing the turtles and Splinter, April and Casey for the purpose of fan fiction. I do not plan to gain anything from this – except getting this story off my chest. Also this is a line from TMNT 2: Secret of the Ooze.
April woke up to the sound of someone singing in the shower. It was until that moment that she had remembered where she was. After having a bunch of foot ninjas trashing her new apartment, she didn't feel safe there anymore. So while she was looking for a new place to live, she had gone to a place she did feel safe. There was the option of moving in with Casey Jones – but after seeing the state of his loggings – the sewer looked more liveable.
Besides, she couldn't be any safer under the same roof as her five ninja friends, even if they were not human. These five consisted of four human sized turtles and a rat, also the size of a small human. To anyone who saw these creatures would be frightened, but to April, she knew that while they were around, New York was a safer place.
Her thoughts were interrupted again by the singing which sounded like it was coming from the shower.
"One is the loneliness number that you ever seen, two", Sang the young male.
"Can it Mikey or I'll come in and rip your tonsils out!" Raphael stomped off to the kitchen, suddenly noticing April on the couch.
"Um... hey you want come coffee?" The turtle who wore red asked the lady on the couch.
"Thank you, Raph." April was surprised at how Raphael, who was quick to loose his temper, was always making sure April felt right at home. Perhaps, April thought, he's really a kind hearted young man; I mean turtle, deep inside that shell of his.
"No problem," Raph said to her, before turning and yelling another threat to the American Idol wanter-be. "Mike shut it!"
April could smell the coffee brewing as another turtle, this time in purple pass by her.
"Morning April," as the turtle, still tinkering with some wires walked past.
Just then Mikey walked out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist, he saw April and grinned and walked up to Donnie who was busy tinkering.
"And I will always love you……" Mikey sang off-key into poor Don's ear, causing Donnie to jump and drop his object.
"Go and annoy someone else, someone who isn't busy?" The older turtle told his brother.
Mikey thought for a moment, then looked to April.
"You busy?" He asked the young news reporter.
April just looked at him, wondering what to say, while Don gave her a warning look.
"Is the bathroom free?" She asked, just as Leo walked past and locked himself in there.
Mikey looked to where Leo had shut the door and back at April, "Don't look it."
"Coffee!"
"I'm just going to get some coffee, you want some Mikey?" April said, as Raphael came in with a cup.
"Mike stop annoying our guest. Master Splinter told you about that last night." Raphael said, as he gave April a cup and sat down with his.
"Did he?" April was surprised. "He's not been annoying me."
Mikey poked his tongue out at his brother in red.
"He annoys everyone who lives with him!" Donnie said, as he too got his coffee from the kitchen.
April just giggled, poor Mikey, he was an attention seeker.
"Hey what's so funny?" Mikey put his hands on his hips.
"Mikey go put some clothes on will you, April don't want to be blinded!" Leonardo came out of the bathroom.
"I got a towel on!" Mikey protested.
"No you don't! Close your eyes everyone!" As Raphael whisked the towel from Mikey's waist, much to Mikey's embarrassment.
Three turtles laughed, as Mikey ran to his room. April just rolled her eyes at their antics.
"Just ask well there's nothing to see, hey April!" Donnie laughed as Mikey ran past him.
"You guys are mean!" April teased.
"Who us, never," Raph said.
"He always walks around with just a towel on," Leo informed April, as he came to join the group in the room.
"Typical male! No matter what the species you're all the same," April told her friends. They looked confused at her.
"You guys are more human than you realise. Guys are so strange – but I must admit you guys provide a place more liveable than most human males would ever do."
"Yeah we're not slobs like Casey!" Donnie said.
"You leave Casey alone, he said he can't clean up cos of his busted knee," Raphael felt it necessary to defend his friend.
"But he can come bust some skulls with you guys?" April found this amusing.
"She's got a point you know," Donnie agreed.
"Yeah, yeah." Raph mumbled.
"Would you like the shower first April?" Donnie asked, as he was the only one left to shower.
"If that's alright with you. Thanks Donnie," April got up and padded over and gave Donnie a peck on the cheek. The other two made funny noises, to which April turned around and pointed at them in a warning manner.
"Leave him alone, he's a gentleman, letting a lady go first." April went into the bathroom.
"Think she fancies you Don. Mind you don't tell Casey – he's obsessed with her." Raphael said, just as Mikey returned.
"What's happening?" He acted like nothing had happened before, but he did sit away from Raphael.
"Breakfast." The other three replied.
Later that day, while the turtles were in the dojo practicing with Master Splinter, April took the time to look around the lair. She had never seen inside the turtles or Master Splinter's rooms before. She often wondered what secrets lay inside her mutated friends' rooms.
April could hear Mikey and Raph sparing, as she peeked into what she believed was Mikey's room. This was where the youngest turtle retreated when his brothers got too heavy on him and it was also where Mikey hide when he was in trouble.
She saw empty pizza boxes and packets of pretzels lying around, plus various comic books, just lying around. She noticed that Mikey had his sketches around the wall and also some old toys lying around also. Mikey must play with them when he gets sent to his room, thought April.
April turned to the room next door, which had a warning sign on the door "Enter if you dare". Under on the same sign was written in red pen, "Mikey, get lost!"
April laughed; this was definitely the red turtle's room. April pushed the door slightly ajar and saw what looked like a mass of broken objects lying around the room, a broken chair and even what looked like a broke lamp, which still flickered with light. April assumed Donnie had fixed this lamp to the best of his ability for it to still be working.
April then turned to the only room without a door; instead there was plastic hanging down, which April just pulled to one side to peek inside. The amount of old computer and radio parts confirmed this as the turtle obsessed with the sciences. There was also piles of old science journals on a shelf, with half nearly falling out from the amount of them.
"Leo must be the cleanest one," April said, as she opened the door.
Inside there was old books on Japan and books with such titles as "How to master your inner being" and other books along the same line.
They were not on the shelf, but rather on the small table which looked to be the oldest turtle's bedside table.
She saw his bed was not made and scraps of paper where he must have written down notes from the books he had been reading, all over the bed.
April quickly closed the door. There was one room she just had to peek in, before the boys came out of the dojo. As uneasy as she felt peeking into the old ninja master's bedroom, she was overcome with curiosity, as she opened the door to find a perfectly spotless room. There were flowers on the plants in the mini green house, and everything was in its rightful place. She couldn't believe it – who'd have thought it.
"I can't believe the rat is the cleanest one!" She said, as she quickly closed the door, hearing the turtles coming out of the dojo.