Afterglow - Chapter 4

Rated: T

Through Sickness and Health

Chapter Summary: April's sick. Raph takes care of her. Need I say more?

"AHHH-CHOOOO!" April sneezed loudly, sniveling miserably as she stuffed and blew her tender nose into the tissue.

She was soooo fucking miserable.

April groaned, throwing the used tissue into the overflowing trash can near the couch she was resting on, before shivering deeper into the twenty blankets she was buried beneath.

This was hell on earth.

April was certain of it.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so ill that she was actually wishing for the comforting release of death.

Of course, her father would be out of town during her misery.

If she felt better, this of course would be the opportune time to have Raphael over to finally have sex considering their first and last time was nearly two weeks prior - because of course just days after making love for the first time she just had to get her period.

April was completely optimistic when it ended that she would finally get to call him over to do that glorious act again - that didn't happen. Instead, her dad showed up out of nowhere and said they'd postponed his meeting until next week, so those plans to call her terrapin boyfriend over for a nice weekend romp were completely shot.

The week had gone by pretty uneventfully but as soon as Friday approached, April was fully prepared to get everything in order for her and Raph to have the house to themselves. She stocked up on junk food he liked as well as a stack of DVD's - and caught up on some personal grooming he'd better damn appreciate. After a full day, she was completely exhausted from the preparation and she fell asleep before her dad left to the airport that night. A couple hours later, April woke up to an empty house as well as the most debilitating sore throat and headache she'd ever experienced in her life.

As much as she'd looked forward and prepared for this and as much as she may want him to come over, there was no way in hell she'd want Raph around when she looked like complete shit.

April never wanted him to see her this way.

Although desperately wanted to have sex with him again, she doubted she'd be able to even seduce him considering the copious amounts mucus and sweat pouring out of every single orifice wasn't at all considered attractive 'lover attributes.'

"Ugh..." April moaned while reaching for her tea, that had long since got cold, upon the coffee table. She closed her eyes against her scorching dry throat as she forcefully swallowed the honey infused tea, which she admitted did coat her throat nicely. Her bloodshot eyes groggily opened only to see the source of her recent thoughts standing near the couch, his bright green eyes looking into her bloodshot blue.

She did the only thing deathly ill people do when surprised/scared.

April flung her tea into the air before immediately began to hack up a lung.

Raphael didn't seem fazed by her reaction, instead, was by her side in seconds, patting her gingerly upon her heaving back.

"What the - (hack,hack) hell (cough) are you doing (extremely unattractive phlegm discharge) here!?" April coughed out rather pathetically into her fuzzy fleece blanket.

"I just wanted to see ya. Got a little worried since you haven't been answering your phone and never stopped by since yer dad went outta town." Raphael replied, concern lacing his normally stoic face as he made himself comfortable next to her.

"Well, I'm just peachy!" April mumbled, trying to hide her face into the blanket to cover up the fact she really needed a tissue.

"You've always been a lousy liar, O'Neil." Raphael sneered, handing her a bright blue box of lotion tissues he'd taken off the coffee table. "Why didn't you tell me ya were sick? I woulda been here takin' care of ya."

"I didn't want you to." April answered nasally while slowly lowered the blanket to look her boyfriend in the eyes.

"Why the hell not?!" Raph growled, his brow ridges furrowing, making the edges of his worn red mask crinkle.

"Oh, God, Raph! Look at me!" April groaned, blowing her nose delicately into the lotion tissue when all she wanted to do was blow it like a foghorn. "I'm sick and absolutely disgusting! I didn't want you to have to see me like this!"

Raphael shocked April, gently grabbing her arms and resting them atop his lap. April flinched, his eyes obviously roving over every inch of her sweaty flushed face, her bloodshot eyes and bright red nose, which at this point, mostly resembled Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.

"You're so fuckin' beautiful..." Raphael whispered, lifting a hand to cup her cheek.

April froze, her eyes trailing over his face for any form of deception but found none. She felt tears build up in her eyes when he smiled at her, his thumb brushing along her flushed cheek.

"C'mon." Raph said after a moment of silence, standing to his feet. He lifted the blanket off her softly and motioned for her to lay down. She did what she was instructed and held her breath when he lay the blanket over her before lowering himself to his knees near the couch. He rested his elbows upon the soft leather and smiled at her, brushing a strand of sweat-soaked hair away from her forehead. "You need to rest... When you wake up, I'll make you some soup, alright?"

"Really?" April asked weakly.

"Yeah. Gotta take care of mah girl." he replied, leaning over and kissing her warm forehead with amazing tenderness.

"Okay... Raph?"

"Yeah?"

"...Just promise me one thing." April replied after he pulled away to look at her again.

"...and what is that?" Raph asked with a smile.

"Please don't break anything this time." She answered with heavily lidded eyes, a cheeky smile on her face, before falling into a deep NyQuil-induced slumber.

...April woke up a few hours later to a bowl of warm minestrone and Raph's cocky smirk.

"What did you do?" the redhead asked raspily, immediately fearing the worst.

"I didn't burn down yer apartment down if that's what yer wonderin'." Raph smiled, proffering a spoon of the soup to her mouth.

"What did you put in it?" she asked, her eyes wide and staring at the proffered soup to see if there were anything strange about the liquid.

"Aw, ya flatter me, O'Neil, but sadly, I didn't make it. Ya had a few cans in yer pantry." he replied, slightly alleviating April's worries of picturing Raph making homemade soup in her kitchen. "... Although, ya may need a new can opener. Yer lucky I brought my sais with me cause that thing ya call a can opener is piece of crap. Barely made a dent in it. Ooh! But I learned ya don't need a stove to cook soup! Ya can use the microwave!"

April smiled and shook her head, thanking her lucky stars that she didn't wake up to a smoldering crater that once had been her apartment. Looking down at the preoffered spoon in the terrapin's giant three-fingered hand brought a warmth to fill her chest that she hoped wasn't a sign of bronchitis.

Lifting her eyes to his, she knew it was more than that.

Instead of freaking out like a lot of guys would do at the first sign of sickness - he was here - taking care of her even if she didn't ask him to. He seemed to have no qualms about catching her cold or even seeming to care that she was the least attractive she'd ever been in her life in these moments. He touched her, kissed her and called her beautiful and meant every word...

"Thanks, Raph. For everything..." April whispered, reaching over to touch his shoulder, running her hand in gentle circles upon his deltoid.

"Yer welcome. Now, here comes the airplane!" the red-banded turtle said in a sing-song voice, bringing the spoon closer to her mouth.

Humoring him by opening her mouth while rolling her blue eyes by doing so, she quickly drained the bowl of its contents. Lying back on the couch after her stomach was pleasantly warm and full, she closed her eyes and listened as Raph washed her used dishes.

Returning back to the couch to make sure there were no more dishes, he noticed she'd again fallen asleep. Raphael smiled warmly at the sight. While she may not look her best right now, she was still easily the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Leaning down to adjust the blanket over her, he couldn't help but glance again at her peaceful face. Her cheeks weren't as red and placing the back of his hand against her forehead told him her fever was nearly gone. Smiling at that result, he lowered further sit gently upon the edge of the couch.

As he ran a gentle hand upon her side, he couldn't help but look upon her. Their time together thus far had changed him in ways he'd never know. If you told him two years ago that he'd be in a relationship with a human woman and taking care of her while she was sick, he would've punched them in the face and told 'em they were freaking nuts. But now...things had changed. He had changed and so had she. While their relationship was hard at times to even get to this point, he wouldn't have changed a thing about it. As of now, there was no where else he'd rather be than right here by her side even though he'd never say that mushy comment to her face.

Raphael leaned down , feeling the brush of her bangs against his face, as he kissed her smooth cheek. Pulling back, he chuckled hearing her sigh in her sleep before melting further into her pile of pillows and blankets. He stood to his feet, picking up the rest of the dirty dishes on the coffee table. After gathering the few ceramic cups in his hand, he looked back once more at her sleeping face before heading back to the kitchen to finish his task.