Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT 2012.
Rated for angst, violence and character death. (I REALLY GOTTA STOP KILLING DONNIE! )
First attempt at romance. May cause tear-jerking, heart-clenching reactions. You have been warned. (Seriously, it happened to me when I read it o.O )
I was the man who never lied
I never lied until today
But I just couldn't break your heart
Like you did mine yesterday
I was the man who never lied…
He remembered her.
In the midst of the bitter battle against a group of Foot ninja, in the whirlwind of flashing blades and death blows, in the flurry of moving and attacking, Donatello couldn't help but remember that one person who made him laugh louder than usual, made him stutter in nervousness despite his intellect, made his heart flutter and do somersaults and beat like a drum in his chest.
He slashed down an enemy with his naginata. It had become a difficult brawl due to the enormous number of Foot ninja he and his brothers had encountered on their evening run and the turtles were shell-to-shell with each other, panting and facing the menacing sea of black before them.
Yet Donatello still remembered April.
He recalled that first encounter with her, when she had practically screamed in his face. After rescuing her from the Kraang, she had become a faithful friend, a reliable ally and, to him, a love interest of some sorts. She was beautiful, cheery, strong-willed, levelheaded and witty. Now that he thought of it, she was pretty much like a combination of the four turtles' most prominent natures, blended together and poured into a female human mold.
But there were times when she had been on his nerves. A well-known example was of the time when all five of them were hunting the pigeon-man who had been chasing April. She and Donatello had a particular argument concerning the correct way of how the "bait" should act. She had forgotten about that since that day, but his brothers haven't and a week had passed by with them teasing and jeering at him before it eventually became old and tiring.
His heart had fractured a little because of their argument, but it was nothing compared to a more recent incident.
It was yesterday when April had bounded into the lair, giggling and a goofy expression slapped on her face. She had greeted them in a disturbingly delightful manner and when the teenaged mutants felt worry and concern for her well-being, they had asked her what was going on.
"I'm going on a date this Saturday!" She had squealed, throwing her arms into the air. "It's with this jock from my school. His name is Chad and boy, he's such hunk!"
Donatello remembered how his brothers had looked at him afterwards, unease crystal clear in their eyes. They knew about his hidden feelings for her and of the gravity her news was to him. Nonetheless, he donned a masquerade and had smiled at her the most honest smile he could muster.
"That's great, April! I'm happy for you," had been his reply, his voice slightly cracking from the pressure. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a project to finish."
He had retreated to his room calmly yet hastily and closed the door as quietly as he could. And once bathed in utter darkness, he let his emotions take the best of him and he had broken down completely, crumpling to the floor like a ragdoll. His heart had shattered into countless tiny pieces that night as he screamed his grief, thankful that the walls and door of his room were soundproof. An hour later, he had emerged from the confines of his quarters to bid April goodnight and goodbye, a new purple bandanna mask around his red and puffy eyes, replacing its tear-streaked predecessor.
His brothers had been wise to not talk about it while he was near. They knew it would break his already broken heart further and, as they feared, beyond repair. They had voiced their concern for him, but he kept quiet and unresponsive. He had sworn to himself before that he would never lie to his loved ones and thus knew that responding to them with something contradictory to his inner feelings would be an act of falsification. So he had kept his mouth shut and firm, never giving away what he truly felt.
And then earlier, before he and his brothers had gone into their nightly patrol around New York, April had been there in the lair, no longer giggling and giddy about her upcoming date with Chad. Just before they were leaving, she had come up to him and embraced him, catching him and his brothers off-guard and astonished at her sudden action.
"Promise me you'll come back safe, okay?" She had whispered into his ear, her usually resonant voice laced strangely with worry.
He had gently pried her arms from around his neck and gazed into her eyes with all sincerity, ignoring the sharp pang that had struck his heart at the sight of her sky blue orbs.
"Yeah…I promise."
Tonight, however, that promise is to be broken. It came in the form of five Foot ninja who had him separated from his brothers. They then ganged up on him, beating and slashing at him mercilessly with their weapons. He heard Leonardo shout his name, but he was too dizzy and tired to determine where his eldest brother was to cry out for help. Pain, white hot and unforgiving, surged throughout his battered frame as one of his oppressors cut diagonally at his plastron, top left to bottom right. Blood spurted from the lengthy gash like some sick crimson geyser and he screamed at the top his voice. He stood shakily on his feet as his body continued to leak vital fluid, the drip-drop of his blood dribbling to the ground reaching his ears. At the moment, he was exhausted to the bone and miserable that it had to end this way.
But he wasn't going down without a fight.
Blindly, Donatello lashed out, successfully decapitating two of his enemies with his naginata's blade. He quickly spun around to strike at the sudden presence behind him, the blade of his weapon thrusting clean through the Foot ninja like a hot knife through butter. Sensing the impending attack from behind, he pulled his naginata abruptly out his dead oppressor, the butt end of his weapon smashing straight into the incoming enemy's skull. The fifth Foot was to his right and with lightning speed, sliced him vertically in half, his valiant war cry booming throughout the battlefield and into the hearts of his shocked brothers and of the remaining Foot. And now, with the deed done, he dropped his weapon and fell to his knees, looking up at the starry night sky with unshed tears in his glassy, burgundy eyes. A cool breeze blew and he whispered to it his sin and regret.
"I'm sorry, April…I lied."
/
It was in the air, in the atmosphere around her. Anxiously, April simply waited, sitting on the couch and dismissing the uneasiness nipping at the back of her mind as she listened for her friends' footsteps.
Dread and fear filled her mind when the thumping of three, not four, pairs of feet reached her ears. And in came the turtles, looking grief-stricken and shaken down to the core. It was Raphael who walked in first, he himself crying as he tried to hush down a hysterical Michelangelo who clung to him tenaciously like a koala to a eucalyptus tree. Close behind was Leonardo, head bent down and in his arms…in his arms…
Now in tears, April vacated the couch. Trembling, the leader of teenaged mutants carefully placed his brother's body on the piece of furniture and went to fetch his adoptive father, stumbling in the process. The other two turtles had recoiled into the bathroom to wash themselves of the blood and sweat and dirt staining their skins and shells, their sobs echoing throughout the lair.
April wanted to flee to the nearest trash bin and retch out her dinner, all out of sheer sorrow and unbearable pressure. Instead, she dropped to her knees by the couch and drank in how pale he was from the blood loss, how crimson the cuts and gashes tainting his physique were, how still and silent he lay there, his chest not even heaving up and down.
"You promised…you'd…come back…safe…" She managed to eek out.
Weeping wretchedly, April bent down and pressed a kiss on unresponsive lips. She then set her forehead on his cold one, her tears raining down on his cheeks.
"I…love you…Donatello…"
But it was all too late.
I was the man who never lied
I never lied until today
But I just couldn't break your heart
Like you did mine yesterday
I was the man who never lied…
A/N
I cried as I typed this fic down. Then I cried some more when I read through this.
Inspired by Maroon 5's song of the same name. The italicized parts are from the song's chorus. I recommend you to go check it out if you haven't heard it yet. I was practically hooked when I listened to it and no thanks to my imaginative mind, I have created an AprilTello story where my fave turtle dies by my hands yet again.
And that would piss off Leo, Raph, Mikey and Master Splinter. Thank goodness that they're just fictional characters! If they were real, I would surely be on the run from them for killing Donnie several times over in my Fanfics! DDDDX
And for those who are waiting for Good Ol' Days, wish me luck on my battle against the inevitable Writer's Block!
I could imagine Donnie singing this song, or any other Maroon 5 song, for that matter. He could also man the keys while Leo's on lead guitar and/or bass, Raph on drums and Mikey on a portable DJ set. Oooh, sounds like another idea for a songfic! :D
Hey, anyone out there maybe make a drawing for this fic and perhaps even for Good Ol' Days? Pretty please? I'll use them as covers for my fics. Just PM me about it afterwards. I'd really appreciate it. ;)