First Date
Rated PG: Comedy/Romance
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Donatello/April O'Neil
Author's Note: I haven't felt very inspired in such a long time because of my lackluster to create a story. Well, one day, bored as usual, I stumbled upon TMNT 2012, and I fell in love with it.
Per-Summary: It's Valentine's Day and Donnie is sure that he can score a date with April…one way or another.
Summary: All Donnie ever wanted was for April to give him just a tiny bit of attention. Was that so wrong?
Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is owned by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, and Nickelodeon.
Critiques: They are allowed, but please keep it professional and respectful. I'm sorry in advance if my story does not appeal to your interest.
Special thanks and credit to Stormy for helping me edit!
"When you smile, I melt inside. I'm not worthy for a minute of your time. I really wish it was only me and you, I'm jealous of everybody in the room. I dread the thought of our very first kiss. A target that I'm probably gonna miss." – Blink 182
Deep in the heart of New York City, hidden amongst the depths of the abandoned, shadowy sewers, laid an elite team of ninjas: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – quiet bystanders by day, protectors of their city by night.
Even though they lived in the sewers, it wasn't necessarily disgusting. In fact, their home was rather clean, cleaner than all of New York's public restrooms! Leonardo and Raphael were busy playing video games in the 'living room', completely oblivious to what their other fellow brainy mutant was up to…something having to do with science right?
"If my calculations are accurate," Donnie fiddled with a scientific test tube, "which they are about 99.998 percent of the time..." He praised himself. Until recently, he had considered being an inventor or an engineer. But his interests as of late were leaning more towards chemistry.
He grabbed some samples of pheromones from the investigation at the lunatic scientist's office and began to experiment with them. The green mutant added a drop of water to the top-secret experiment. Without warning, a misty and alluring, luscious red cloud of smoke erupted from the vile, and slowly formed into the shape of a heart.
"Eureka!" He exclaimed ecstatically, simultaneously throwing his arms up in the air.
"Eur—what?" Michelangelo yielded back his skateboard, only a few feet away from his elder brother. He kicked up the skateboard and caught it with ease. The younger turtle eyed the strange looking red vile with interest gleaming in his blue eyes. "Ooooh, dude, what's that?"
"N-n-none of your concern!" Donnie stuttered. He frantically waved his large green hand over the conspicuous, heart shaped smoke until it dissipated into the air, and he carefully hid the test tube in his hands out of plain sight.
"Hmm," Before Mikey could weasel any more information out of him, the scent of pizza permeated his senses. He took a big whiff of the aroma and exhaled. "Pizza!" Saliva practically drooled from his chin, and he dropped the skateboard to ride as fast as he could toward the delicious, greasy food. In two seconds, Mikey had completely disregarded Donnie's suspicious test tube.
"Phew, excellent timing." He sighed with relief and scrambled off to his bedroom. He sat down on a working stool at his desk, where an enchanting picture frame of April listening to her iPod, as well as a red, heart-shaped box filled with delicious chocolates laid side by side. "I wasn't sure if it was scientifically possible!" This time, the mutant made sure his voice was an indistinct murmur. He held the vile up to the light, admiring his latest creation.
"I can do anything with this, maybe even get April—" His sentence got cut off.
"—I can't believe you would sink so low!" A faint whisper passed through his mind.
"What? I'm not!" Donnie protested.
"Yeah, stupefying a girl for your own personal gain. That isn't bad at all." It said sarcastically. "What's next, stealing computers?" His inner geeky conscious snorted.
"It's not like that…I just want her to notice me. Is that so wrong?" His shoulders slumped and his lips curved into a frown. Donnie's scarlet eyes examined the picture of April. "All of my perfectly calculated plans to get April to hang out have always somehow failed in the processes." Donatello released a deep sigh.
"Just prepare for the consequences." The empathic conscious retorted before vanishing from his mind.
Guilt washed over him like a tsunami. His conscious was correct; he had been wrong to even think of the idea in the first place. Donatello's shoulders slumped in defeat, and he placed the vile in an empty test tube rack. Ever since the turtle had heard of the strange holiday called Valentine's Day, it had become an obsession of his to find her the perfect gift. Thankfully, with the help of the blind chef, he had purchased her a box of chocolates.
"I'm just going to have to be brave and just ask her out!" The mutant turtle glanced up at the time and gasped. "I'd better wash up!" Donnie bolted off in a split second.
"Ahh—awmf!" Michelangelo strolled by, chewing the extra cheesy pizza. His sapphire eyes lingered on the open doorway to Donatello's room. Something interesting caught his attention. His tongue ran over his lips, licking the grease of his pizza as he tiptoed over to his brother's room. "Ooooh. Chocolate!" Mikey grinned sheepishly. "Donnie won't mind if I take a sample." The turtle convinced himself and opened the lid in attempt to grab some chocolate.
However, in his attempt to open the box, he knocked over the test tube rack, spilling the crimson liquid all over the chocolates. The green turtle's eyes dilated as he began to panic. "Gaaaah! Oh-no-oh-no! Donnie is gonna kill me!" He fumbled around for some tissue and used it to absorb the liquid. He squeezed the tissue, releasing what was left of the fluid back into the vile. "There, good as new!" Mikey said nervously before darting off.
"Hey guys," A girl with fiery auburn hair and lovely lapis eyes entered the abandoned subway. It was none other than their first human friend, April O'Neil. The human female walked towards the living room and sat down on the comfy couch. She opened up her laptop and her fingers typed rapidly on the keys.
"Guys, I think I have a lead on The Kraang stitch."
"Just a second April, I'm kicking Leo's shell!" Raphael, the hot headed turtle said presumptuously.
"Arghhh—!" Leonardo skillfully tapped the buttons, smashing down the last one and effectively destroying Raph's player. "Ahaha, Yeeess!" I finally beat you!" He exclaimed enthusiastically, jumping up from his seat to do his own victory dance.
"Come on! One more round!" He demanded through clenched teeth.
"You're on!" Leo cracked his knuckles.
Donnie rubbed a fresh, warm towel over his wet head while he walked back towards his room. The green turtle could hear the familiar sounds of arguing coming from his brothers, as well as a familiar female voice. "She's here!" He tossed the towel and grabbed the box of chocolates, disregarding the half empty vile.
"Come on guys, we-" April's sentence was cut off when she was approached by Donatello, who awkwardly handed her a heart shaped box.
"H-ha-happy Valentine's Day, April!" Donnie said bashfully, his face turning a deeper shade of red with each passing second.
"Ermm—y-you shouldn't have." April blurted, trying to sound genuinely delighted. However, it completely slipped her mind. "But, um…I didn't have time to get anything for you guys. I don't think I deserve it." Her sapphire eyes fell to her feet shamefully.
"Kissy, kissy!" Mikey teased, swinging on the tire swing and reading his comic book.
Donatello gritted his teeth in exasperation, showing off that famous gap, and glared at his younger turtle brother. "I-It's not like that, I just value April's friendship!" If it was even possible, Donatello's inflamed face turned a brighter shade of red.
"Just think of it as a thank-you gift." Donnie said, trying to keep his voice calm.
"Oh—well thank you." She smiled sincerely. April opened the lid and popped one of the chocolates in her mouth. "Mmm, this is really good!" She popped a few more in her mouth and her sapphire eyes glanced back to her laptop. "Anyways, here is the info I found." The redhead said in between bites.
"Ahem. April?" The geeky mutant cleared his throat.
"What is it?"
"H-h-how would you feel…if we h-hung out sometime?" He momentarily ceased. His throat felt unexplainably thick and dry as he swallowed. "Perhaps, a study s-session?" His enormous green palms became sweaty, and his heart practically pounded out of his chest in anticipation.
"Donnie," She deliberated on how to let him down gently. "Maybe we should postpo—" April's aquamarine eyes caught the mutant turtle's gaze. Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat, and her eyes seemed clouded. What was happening was beyond her comprehension, but she didn't care. It was as if she was suddenly relieved of all stress and finding Donnie's gap almost irresistible? The fiery ginger always cared about him, now it felt like an attraction…and she liked it.
"Sure, why not?" She announced.
Donatello's whole exterior brighten, he was just that exuberant.
The room became awkwardly silent. All the turtles, expect Donnie, had convinced themselves that April wasn't interested in him in that way.
"Why is everyone staring at me?" She asked, bewildered. "So, what did you have in mind?" She tried to change the perplexing atmosphere.
"Actually, I…" Donnie paused. "I don't know, I never dreamed that I would get this far." He let out a nervously laugh.
That only caused her smile to widen. Good, she preferred to choose how they would spend their outing. April put the laptop aside and stood up, meeting his gaze. "Alright, I have a place in mind," She glanced at her watch. "But we'd better hurry." She darted off to the entrance.
"I can't believe it actually worked!" He said enthusiastically.
"What worked?" Leo questioned suspiciously.
"That she would fall for my charm. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date!" Donatello said proudly.
Leonardo's fell back to April's laptop…
"April, I don't think we should be here." Donnie whispered nervously.
"Relax, it's dark and no one will see us."
"I can't relax, just the thought of someone spotting me—!" He said hysterically.
April silenced him by covering his mouth with her hand. Donnie's cheeks turned two shades redder.
"You're fine," April grinned whimsically. She turned her attention back to the outdoor, enormous screenplay. "Why do you think I picked a drive-in movie? I knew it would be dark and open for an easy escape." The auburn haired girl grabbed a mouthful of buttery popcorn and munched away.
That did the trick; his shoulders began to relax and his breathing became regular again. "She always knows what's best." He thought.
They sat together, under a twinkling, crystal clear sky, on a field located further away from the actual drive-in movie. However, they could still see and hear it clearly. He glanced at April, and then back at the movie. This repeated itself for a while. Donatello couldn't concentrate on the movie. Was this what a date felt like? Other than his heart hammering loudly, it felt unbelievably enchanting.
"Popcorn?" She tilted the bag over to him.
"Eh?" He stared at the popcorn with uncertainly.
"Weren't you the one who said, 'sometimes something that doesn't seem good can actually make good food?'" She quoted him.
He frowned, defeated by his own words, and shoved some popcorn in his mouth. The buttery, salty taste was magnificent, and the crunchy texture was a bonus! Donnie attempted to get a second helping, but his large, green hand collided with her smaller, softer one. Instantly, a faint, pink blush formed on his cheeks.
They exchanged smiles.
Donatello laughed nervously before drawing his hand back and attempting to concentrate on the movie. The wind picked up slightly, and he realized that it felt like his entire body was pouring sweat. He could smell the faint scent of fish lingering on his skin. This clearly embarrassed him. He curled up his knees and stayed still, wondering if his scent would offend her. How keen was a human's sense of smell?
As the gentle breeze carried on, her fragrance permeated his nostrils. It was a distinctive essence of soap and wildflowers, which happened to perfectly match her personality. "She smells divine." A smell he could never grow tired of.
"You know, I thought this movie would have better 3D effects." April smirked at him.
All Donnie could do was nod in agreement, and flash his winning, famous, gapped smile. Truly, he wasn't paying a wink of attention. He was sitting next to a beautiful girl. Could you blame him?
Suddenly, Raphael smashed through the screen and continued to skid across the ground. His shell crashed into a car, completely denting the exterior and shattering the windows. Shards of glass scattered throughout the area. Several large, robotic aliens stepped forth, crushing the torn screen as they walked. Frightened screams of terror erupted from the crowd. Some of them ran out of their cars, while others drove away.
April instinctively clung to Donatello in terror, her arms wrapping around his shoulders tightly. "What was that?!" she exclaimed.
"That's Raph!" Donnie exclaimed. He gently disentangled himself from April and leapt from the ground. He slid his wooden staff out from the holster, twirling it in his green fingers. "April, you have to hide."
"But I can help!" April insisted.
"No, the best thing you can do is stay safe. If anything happened to you I wouldn't know what to do with myself." His voice was strong and stern.
She frowned, but obliged reluctantly, turning to run. Just as she was almost out of plain sight, she stopped and turned back to watch the fight. The mutant penetrated through the robotic crowd, his defensive fighting style consisting of mixed martial arts. He looked so masculine and courageous facing all of the Cranes alone, just to keep his brother out of harm's way.
From the day her father was stolen away, April had been under a tremendous amount of stress. It was thanks to Donatello and his fellow turtle brothers that had helped her through the rough time. Today, it felt like all the stress has vanished completely, and she felt like she could finally enjoy being a teenager and have fun, even if it had only lasted for a short time.
For that, she was thankful…
Sometime after midnight, Donatello darted stealthily over New York's skyscrapers, his feet pounding on the rooftops as he easily leapt from building to building. He flipped in midair, landing on his feet perfectly. The green mutant lifted up the sewer plate and entered his home, sliding the sewer plate back in place.
April had been waiting impatiently for Donatello and his brothers. She finally spotted Donnie, making his appearance amongst the shadows. "I see you finally decided to come back." Something in her tone didn't sound like April…
"Hehe, it seems I managed to beat my brothers." The mutant laughed, oblivious.
"Well, I'm glad someone finds this hilarious! I stayed out past my curfew, just because I was worried!"
"April, is something the matter?" Donnie frowned. It had never occurred to him before, but she usually stayed out passed her curfew without mentioning anything about it.
"As a matter of fact, yes. You could have called!" she retorted.
"Sorry, but I was too busy trying to not get killed and save my brothers!" Donnie's voice was tingling with annoyance. Man, they sounded like an old married couple, and not in a good way. What was going on with her? She was normal just a few hours ago…
The green turtle glanced over to the open doorway of his room, where he noticed the glistening, oddly familiar, yet nearly empty tube. "Oh no!" He thought. That would explain everything, why April agreed to go out and why she was acting like a crazy girl! It deeply disturbed him, knowing it wasn't her that agreed, but his own creation that had made it happen. "This is all my fault. I have to correct my errors."
Now, how could he put it gently? "April, I think you need to relax." Donatello said calmly.
"I'M COMPLETELY CALM!" April exclaimed, her eye muscle twitching a couple of times.
That hadn't worked at all!
"Now what, genius?" His conscious taunted.
"I'm thinking!" Donnie rubbed his chin, contemplating his next action…and hers too. "I'm sorry, April. I should have called, but the good thing is that we won and we're all safe now!" He beamed proudly, revealing his infamous gap. "Genius, Donnie, Genius."
The fiery haired girl sighed heavily, sitting down on the couch. The mutant turtle accompanied her. "I'm sorry too. I-I don't know what came over me."
The turtle cringed and shook his head. "Really, it's fine…"
"Good. Now that that's over with, how about a goodnight kiss?" April gazed at him with a dazzling smile.
"K-k-kiss?!" Donatello stuttered as his cheeks burned crimson. It was his dream toget a kiss from his dream girl, but not like this. Not when she wasn't herself. It would be so wrong if he had taken advantage of something as precious as that. He wasn't ready for this. In his calculations, it would have been their 3rd date, where they would start holding hands and their 10th date or so, before he'd have the courage to do something as bold as a kiss!
He scooted to the far end of the couch, his shell bumping against the armrest as she scooted closer to him. April closed her eyes and leaned in…
The mutant couldn't help but stare at her lips, almost mesmerized by them. How soft and full they were, and so pink. Was that pink, glossy lipstick he saw? His lips quivered uncontrollably. He was only willing to accept the kiss if it meant having his April back.
A small part of him secretly wished that he could have kissed her, and that part of him weighed heavily on his conscious, like the pressure of a thousand pounds threatening to crush his body. With every passing second, his entire body quivered. He closed his eyes, preparing for something he wasn't ready for…
The next thing he noticed was a heavy weight pressing against his shell. "Eh?" He opened his crimson eyes slowly, staring at the angel sleeping in his arms. He sighed in relief and rested his forehead against hers. Donnie smiled ear to ear, never in his wildest dreams has he been grateful that this night ended...
April awoke from her long slumber, rubbing her closed eyelids. When she opened her sapphire eyes, she found that she wasn't in her room, which meant that she must have slept over at a friend's house. The auburn haired girl sat up and noticed a blanket fall from her chest to her lap. She figured they had allowed her to spend the night.
"A-April?" Donnie stuttered, approaching her hesitantly. But he shook off his feelings of tentativeness, instinctively coming to her aid. He crossed his arms and looked down at her worriedly. "How are you feeling?"
"A little light headed, but I'm alright."
The turtle smiled weakly and sat down next to her, again hesitating to touch her shoulder. He needed to tell her the truth. Hopefully she would be as understanding as he prayed. "Look, about last—" He got cut off by her.
"—You would not believe the craziest dream I had!" She interrupted him, completely oblivious to what had transpired last night.
"I'm sorry—"He was again cut off.
"Why are you sorry? It was a weird dream, I'll admit that."
"She's convinced that our date was a dream? I guess maybe it is better that way." Donnie agreed to let it slide and he let out an awkward chuckle. "A bad dream you say? I guess you normally don't dream like that." His lips curved into a frown.
"It wasn't a bad dream. Honestly, it was really nice." Not that she would ever admit that she had dreamt of Donnie taking her out on a date!
At that instant, his cheeks burned tinkle-me-pink.