Author's Notes: An April chapter this time around. Fluffiness ahead, enjoy it while it last as angst will be here before you know it :0)
Chapter 2
"So, I'm going to pick her up at eight," Mikey says for at least the tenth time in the past hour as he darts and weaves throughout the kitchen. "It should take us about a half an hour to get back here, so if you could turn the oven off at like, umm, 8:20…"
"8:20, you got it," I reply with a confident nod. "You can count on me," I add when he starts wringing his hands in the apron tied around his waist.
"Good, thanks," he mumbles, rolling his teeth over his bottom lip. "I really appreciate it, April. I just…I want things to be perfect tonight."
I try not to squeal and grin at the absolute adorableness of the situation and instead offer another nod in solidarity. "And they will be. You have nothing to worry about."
He bites his lip and bobs up and down on the balls of his feet. The nervous energy is coming off him in waves, making it near impossible for him to stand still for more than a few seconds at a time. He's already wiping down the table again and straightening the place settings once more even though they couldn't be any straighter. It's endearing and adorable and makes my heart feel warm and heavy with pride. My little brother is all grown up. Part of me wants to hide him away and keep him young and innocent forever. The other part sees the way his eyes light up when he talks about her and it makes me want to shove them together like I'm playing house and have them live happily ever after forever and ever.
"Right, yeah, I'm not worried," he replies with a shaky grin and an even less convincing laugh. "I just want everything to be perfect."
"Something smells good," Donnie says from the doorway, taking in a deep breath as he crosses the kitchen.
He's fresh from the shower and I can smell the light tang of soap clinging to the deeper scent of warmed skin when he leans over to kiss my cheek. His arm lingers around me and I lean ever-so-slightly into the half-embrace. I reach up and take hold of his arm so he can't pull away. We haven't been able to spend much time together lately and I'm not about to let go when he's actually at my side.
"Mikey is making lasagna," I say, puffing up with a proud grin. "And garlic bread."
"Everyone likes lasagna, right?" Mikey replies, flailing in an attempt to reach the knot at the back of his shell. "I mean, I guess some people might not, but…"
"She'll love it, Mikey," I assure him as I slide from my stool to help him with the apron straps.
I carefully fold the red-sauce-splattered garment and hang it on the oven door. "You should probably get going," I add with a little nod up towards the clock.
His eyes widen into perfect circles and he takes in a sharp breath, holding it in his puffed out cheeks. "Yes, I should," he says, his eyes narrowing as if he's preparing for a particularly serious mission.
He squares his shoulders and ducks his head before darting from the kitchen with a few, quick strides. I laugh only when I'm certain he is out of earshot and clutch my hands in front of my chest.
"That is just the cutest thing I think I have ever seen," I say in an excited whimper.
I twirl to face Donnie who is currently leaning on the counter and trying with very little success to reach and scratch a spot towards the center of his shell. I watch him twist and shimmy for a few more seconds and instantly rethink my earlier statement about cuteness. I scoot over towards him and run my knuckles over the offending spot on his carapace. He goes straight in an instant and the initial little surprised yelp quickly turns into a happy sigh when I continue my work along his shutes.
"Better?" I ask.
"Mmm, much," he murmurs, leaning forward and giving a slow wiggle of his hips I'm certain he isn't aware of doing.
I smirk and run my knuckles along the dips and grooves, moving in a circular pattern. "Were you training with Raph again?"
"Uh huh," he mumbles, letting out another sigh that is dangerously close to a moan.
I trail one hand up from his elbow to shoulder, pausing to trace the curve of his bicep. "Well, as long as you don't plan on getting all huge and boxy," I say with a dismissive and teasing sigh. "I like you long and lean."
The comment is met with a snort of a laugh as he hides his face in his arms. I feel the blush burn from under my collar up to the tips of my ears. "That's…not what I meant," I gasp, punching him in the shoulder. "You sir, have a dirty mind."
He chuckles in reply and gives a wiggle of his hips. I roll my eyes and give his shell another once over with my knuckles before playfully smacking the side of his thigh. The resulting surprised yelp makes me smirk and I move over to the oven to check on Mikey's lasagna. Donnie sighs and when he straightens up he's wearing a little smile and sleepy-looking eyes. I know he's been training harder than usual lately, putting in extra hours with Raph lifting weights. He looks exhausted and I decide it is my goal for the evening to make sure he goes to bed at a reasonable time; even if that means cutting my visit short.
"How do you think tonight will go?" I ask, glancing inside the oven window before turning the heat off. "Mikey seems nervous."
"I know, it's weird," he replies, reaching over my shoulder to lift up the corner of the cloth covering the garlic bread. He frowns when I swat his hand away. "It'll be fine though. Tia is nice. I think you'll like her."
I stick my butt out to push him away from another attempt to steal a slice of bread. "Stop it!" I insist, unable to keep a laugh at bay. "That's for dinner."
"But I'm hungry now," he whines.
"Then grab some crackers or something! This is for dinner."
I see the smirk start before it even reaches his mouth. It grows from an evil glint in his eyes that wrecks any chance he has of a believable poker face. I dart to the left and let out a triumphant whoop as I successfully block him. He's not about to give up. His long arms are a serious advantage, but I'm quick and he's sleepy and I'm not above playing dirty if I have to. I snag the basket of bread and climb up onto the counter before he has the time to stop me. I dance out of his reach and shimmy my hips in a taunting wiggle.
"You think a little counter can stop me?" he asks, puffing up his chest and laughing maniacally. "I scale buildings!"
"Talk is cheap," I reply with another wiggle. "Seems your still down there and the bread and I are safe as houses."
He grabs my ankles and wraps around my calves to lift me off the counter. I squeal and clutch the basket to my chest, not wanting to drop a single piece of bread. I thwap the top of his head with my free hand but it's futile and only elicits an evil cackle in response. Wiggling and thrashing proves just as useless. Another undignified shriek escapes my mouth when he nuzzles up the bottom of my shirt to blow a raspberry on the ticklish skin of my stomach.
"Ah! S-stop!" I plead, struggling to catch my breath through my laughter as he renews his assault.
I don't know what's gotten into him. Donnie certainly isn't dour or overly serious, but the last few months have been a struggle and moments of unabashed silliness have been few and far between. I don't know what has brought this on. I'm not about to discourage it. I lean away from him, arching my back to reach for the counter before dropping the bread basket onto its surface. He tries to snag a slice and I take the moment of distraction to pull his mask up and over his head. I grip it tightly in my hand and wave it around like a flag.
"Hey!" he cries, attempting to keep his grip on my legs while reaching up for his mask at the same time.
I slip from his grasp for one, pulse-pounding second and I take in a sharp breath when he catches me around the waist before my feet hit the ground. He chuckles, the sound reverberating through his chest and crinkling the corners of his eyes. I long for those rare moments when I can see him all of him. I know his mask, just like with his brothers, is an inseparable part of who he is; the thin pieces of material chosen by Master Splinter for reasons beyond my comprehension. It is such a rare thing to see him without it I try to memorize each and every centimeter that is normally hidden from view.
"Hey," I whisper back, reaching up to wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down for a kiss.
"Did you turn the oven off?!"
Mikey's shrill voice makes me jolt forward, smacking my forehead against Donnie's. I barely have time to register that my feet have hit the ground as a green and orange blur pushes me aside to frantically investigate the oven. I rub my head and pout in his general direction.
"Yes," I say, sure that I'll have a welt in the middle of forehead come morning.
Somehow Mikey is already wearing oven mitts and pulling the pan of lasagna out for closer inspection. I try not to take his mistrust personal, he's nervous. Of course he's nervous. How could I forget?! I twirl around, knocking into Donnie's shoulder but paying him no mind. Tia is standing in the doorway to the kitchen, gripping the strap on her backpack as though it were a lifeline. I'm not sure what I expected her to look like. I suppose I didn't have any idea, really. Mikey never did go into specifics and trying to get any information out of Donatello was like pulling teeth. She's short, probably struggling to get over five foot, with curly black hair and big brown eyes.
"You must be Tia!" I say excitedly, clearing my throat and trying to regain a tone of voice that won't make a dog wince. "I'm April," I introduce myself and grab her hand as she continues to stand and stare much like a deer in the headlights. "It's so nice to finally meet you."
She seems to snap out of her haze and shakes my hand. "Oh, you uh…you're Donnie's girlfriend, right?" she asks.
I can practically feel the heat of Donnie's blush behind me. "Yes," I say with a smile a blush of my own burning across my cheeks at the small word.
"Michelangelo, are you going to introduce me to your friend?"
We all straighten up instinctively at the sound of Master Splinter's voice, even Tia stands a little taller. Mikey pries off his oven mitts and barrels over to stand beside Splinter in the doorway. He bows and sweeps his arm towards Tia.
"Sensei, this is Tia. Tia, this is my father."
He looks between the two of them with the big, hopeful eyes of a cartoon woodland creature. Tia shifts her backpack onto her other shoulder and holds out a tentative hand. To her credit she doesn't stare too much. Splinter bows and gently shakes her extended hand.
"Welcome to our home, Ms. Fienstein."
"Thank you for having me Mr. Hamato," she replies with an awkward little bow of her own. Her eyes go wide and she pulls her bag to the front to search through the center pocket. "My grandfather helped me pick this out," she says, pulling a wrap hunk of cheese from the bag. "He said it's a really good kind."
Master Splinter's nose twitches and a tiny smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. "Thank you, that is very thoughtful," he says, taking the offered cheese with another bow.
A weight seems to lift from Mikey's shoulder at the small exchange and by the time Sensei leaves us to our dinner Mikey is grinning and bouncing around like his usual carefree self. Tia helps him serve up the lasagna and I can't help but smirk when I hear him whisper to her about not having to call Sensei mister. Dinner is a lighthearted and undeniably delicious affair. It takes a while for Tia to come out of her shell, but by the time dessert roles around she's joking with Mikey and eagerly helping him pick out a movie from the boys' sizable collection. She's sweet and quick to laugh and I can see why Mikey likes her.
I scooch over on the couch as Donnie presses up against me. He blinks and tries to stifle a yawn with little success. I snag a pillow and rest it across my lap. I give a small tug on his shoulder. He doesn't take much convincing and is soon spread out across the couch. His eyes drift closed and his breath evens out, whistling quietly through the gap in his teeth. I lean over to give him a quick kiss on the tip of his nose, not wanting to wake him up, but unable to resist. I let him sleep through the entire movie, if there's anyone who has earned a good night's rest it's him.