A/N: Hello and Happy New Year! I want to say that I appreciate all of the comments and followers.
Welcome to Teen-Angst Town!
…
Chapter 7-Dojo Mojo
…
"I can't believe you talked me into this." April says as she watches Mona lay on another coat of green nail polish on her left hand. With her right hand, April lifts it to her mouth to stifle a yawn.
"Careful you don't ruin your nails!" Mona says to her. "There. See? It's cute."
April lifts up her hands and scrutinizes over the olive green lacquer. "The application looks nice, but it's never been me, you know? And why do you even have green nail polish?"
"I used it for Halloween once. I was a witch."
"I bet you were." April grins. "Hey, why didn't you paint my index fingers?"
"Because, you're getting an accent color!" Mona is beside herself with glee. She couldn't believe her eyes when she discovered the four bags of stuff the Turtles left at her bedroom door earlier this morning. She woke up April, who had been sleeping in the hammock. Mona was rummaging through the bags, making noises, happy to have some of her things again. They brought her hair dryer and combs, her pink scarves collection, her giant pillow, and other little things that make her smile. And when she saw that they even brought her manicure set, she thought it a grand idea to show some thanks to April by giving her a mini makeover. April had just rolled out of bed, and when she came back from the bathroom, Mona had her bottles of polish up and ready for her. Mona had sat April at the edge of the bed, telling her that it's never too early to look your best.
"So, which color should I use as an accent? You seem to have all the colors." April says.
Mona grins. "I don't know, blue would go well with your eyes, red with your hair… but I think PURPLE would look the best on you."
"What about gold?" April asks her. "Or black?"
"No, no, purple is the one. Hold out your hand."
April reluctantly obeys. She looks at the smirk on Mona's lips as the plum-colored paint glides onto her slender digit. April blinks and pulls her hand away. "I think I should pick a different color. What about white?"
Mona ignores here and keeps her finger steady. "So, what's up with you and Donnie?"
"That question came out of nowhere." April says, but then looks at the purple nail polish on her pointer finger and it all makes sense. "I want a different color."
"Don't try to dodge my question."
"You're rather pushy this morning."
"It's a gift, now spill it. You and Donnie got a thing going?" Mona says as she lightly blows on the newly painted nail and moves to her other hand.
April sighs and gives an irritated look at the nosy, mutant teen. "Nothing is going on. Donnie and I are friends, really, good friends."
"He has a major crush on you." Mona says bluntly.
"I know." April says a matter-of-factly.
"Well... you're probably driving him crazy. What're you going to do about it?"
"There is nothing to do about it, especially right now."
"What does that even mean!" Mona throws her hands up at April's stubbornness. She returns to her manicuring, picking up a clear topcoat. "What if I told you that I or even Irma had the hots for Donnie? Would you do something about it then?"
April looks at her with shock. She had already ridden the emotional rollercoaster when Kala was here. She will not do it again! "Mona, for one, I bet you like yourself too much to worry about anyone else right now. And Irma doesn't even know..."
"Hey!" Mona puts up a hand and cuts her off quickly. "I'm not entirely shallow! I've been a mutant lizard for almost a month now and it has really humbled me!" She clutches and hand to her chest, trying to look hurt by April's accusation. "I see something happening between you and Donnie and I just want to help. You've both helped me so much."
"I don't need a matchmaker, Mona." April rolls her eyes.
"Of course you do. Give me one reason why you two shouldn't date."
"There are a handful of reasons." April shakes her head.
"Huh." Mona raises a brow. She sets April's left hand on top of the dresser and picks up her right. "I can't say I would give the Turtles a second look if I was still Lisa Kingsley... but now that I know them, I can appreciate their individual characters; there is something very appealing about him..."
"Him?" April questions her.
"I, I meant THEM." Mona clears her throat. "Come on, April. What is it that you can't get passed; the green, mutant turtle part, or the dangerous, teenage ninja gig?"
"What?" April raises her voice.
"I understand we all have standards and convictions. I guess you can't see yourself dating Donnie cause he's not human like you... too bad."
"I never said that!" April yells a bit too loudly. Boy, if her hands weren't wet with pretty paint, she'd strangle her. April drops her tense shoulders, thinking that Mona couldn't be more wrong about her last comment. After all, April is only half-human herself. "Mona, I'm only going to say this once, not because you deserve an explanation, but so you never have the need to annoy me with this subject again... We're in the middle of a war between the Purple Dragons gang, an evil, Japanese syndicate known as the Foot, and a hostile race of inter-dimensional aliens trying to take over New York!"
"Ugh! Again with the aliens!" Mona shuts her eyes.
"Yes!" April affirms. "The same aliens who took my mother away from me, who kidnapped my father multiple times, and who also made the mutagen that turned you into a lizard."
"Half-lizard." Mona interjects.
"Are you even listening!" April stares into Mona's eyes. "This is why I can't do it! Being selfish by giving into my feelings, while all of this mayhem is going on, might hurt Donnie more in the future... I can't do that to him... I won't."
"Sounds like you're scared." Mona adds while twisting the caps back on her polish.
"Maybe." April looks away. "But, I'd rather focus on becoming as strong as I can be, so I can fight alongside him and my friends, so we can win this war and save New York as soon as possible... So I can finally give in."
Mona stays silent a moment, thinking about how grown-up April is acting. She is so boring! Why can't she let go and have fun with Donnie? "You're done."
April fans out her fingers. She never understood why women did this, but now, it feels kind of nice, even if it is girly. And the purple polish doesn't bother her too much. Still, she hopes that a certain turtle doesn't get the wrong idea.
"April, I see where you're coming from, I do... but I think you're super wrong. You can't always wait for what you want just because it'll be easier to have later! Example, I love clothes. My favorite designer, Zera Fang; her spring line, perfection! There was the most gorgeous dress; a rose-pink, silk, tea-length, spaghetti strapped gown, with delicate embroidery. Now, I could have waited for the local boutique to have it in stock. I could have waited for the $2,300 gown to go on sale. NO WAY! I had to have it immediately! If I had waited for a bargain, it would have been too late. And then I'd be stuck trying to find something from last season, and that would have been super embarrassing!"
Mona pauses, smiling happily at the memory of that dress.
April brings her back. "So, I'm guessing you got the dress and you lived happily ever after?"
Mona blinks. "Well... no." Mona falls back onto the mattress and looks over at April. "The dress was delivered last week at my house, streamed and tailored and ready for next month's spring dance."
"Oh... I'm sorry, Mona." April says softly.
"Don't be. It's in one of the bags the boys brought back! I don't know when or where I'm going to wear it, but it still feels good to have it! My point is, I got the dress I wanted. I wasn't afraid that something would happen and I couldn't wear it... get it?"
April looks at her strangely, but smiles. "Yeah."
Mona nods and gets up. "I'm going to go start my day. You have to stay here and let your nails dry, should probably take a couple hours in this damp place."
"A couple of hours? What the heck do I do until then?" April says.
Mona digs her hand into one of her bags and pulls out a magazine. "Here, read this. It's my favorite issue."
April reads aloud one of the articles. "'How To Wear Pink All Year Round'… wonderful."
"I'll be back later. And think about what I said. Enjoy!" Mona takes her towel, hair dryer and comb and goes to the bathroom.
April takes one more look at the magazine before placing it over her face. She decides that she doesn't want to think about anything right now and soon drifts back to sleep.
…
Hours later, Raphael is found walking up and down the hall passed the girls' guestroom. Every time he is about to knock, he changes his mind and goes to the other end of the hall. He feels that it's time to talk to her, but he's trying to figure out his angle. In his mind, after what he and his brothers did for her last night by 'going on a shopping spree in her old house', she owes him a big thank you. And if she doesn't say 'thank you', he'll have to make her feel guilty about it. Either way, he would have confronted her, that's points for him. He doesn't even want her to be here!
He stops when he reaches the opposite end of the hall. He looks out into the large living area. This is his home, the only one he's ever known. Where would he and his brothers go if it were taken from them? "Certainly not a brownstone in Brooklyn." He mumbles. He sighs and wipes a palm over his face. He looks up quickly, glad that no one is around to see him feeling bad for her. "Fine!"
Raphael turns around and marches back down the hall. He plants himself in front of the door and knocks. If she has to stay here, and they have to interact, she's going to have to do so on his terms.
The door opens.
He poses, nonchalantly leaning his hand on the doorframe, with a 'no nonsense' expression on his face. "We need to talk, Missy." He surprisingly looks down at a head of messy, red hair and a not-so-amused look on her face.
"About what? And who are you calling Missy?" April grumbles, just awaking from her midday nap.
"April! I…"
She blinks the sleep from her eyes and looks at her shaken friend. She smiles. "I'm guessing you weren't expecting me."
"No, I mean…"
April's smile grows. "So, is Missy the nickname you gave Mona?"
"Cut it out, April. I don't call her nothin'."
"Oh, my bad… anyway, Mona's not here."
"OK." And he quickly walks away.
"Wait!" April calls and catches up to him. "Why did you want to talk to her?"
Raph stops and looks over at April, not at all hiding his aggravation. "Like you don't know. You saw all those bags! She had us packin' up her stuff and hauling it here like we're her freakin' errand boys!"
"Come on, Raph. It wasn't that bad. It was four bags, and you had the T-Copter. It's not like you had to carry them back on your shells."
"That ain't the point. I can't have her thinkin' she can command us to do any dumb thing that comes to that pretty little head of hers!"
April stays quiet a beat too long at the word 'pretty'. She can't stop smiling. "You know it's not like that. It would have been too dangerous for her to go out, with or without you. Gosh, does it kill you that much to do something nice for someone?"
"Not just someone. Her! She ain't got me fooled. She ain't using me! Last night, it was special delivery. What's next? She'll want us to paint her room pink and have us runnin' around in aprons!"
April laughs out loud. "Where do you come up with this stuff?"
Raphael growls out his frustration. He goes to sit on the lip of the diving pool. He'd be fine if his bad mood sends April away. But there is something comforting about her taking a seat right beside him.
"What's really going on, Raph?" April asks him quietly.
"I saw where she came from. Last night, while we were in her house… I never seen anything like it. Movies and TV don't compare. Her house was amazing. I could only imagine living there, sleepin' in those soft beds, and watchin' my favorite shows on those huge TVs and…" He shakes his head. "She was like a princess, and now all she has is this." He waves a hand around his home. "I ain't jealous or nothin', it's just comin' from a place like that, she must be so miserable…"
April is amazed at his words. In some small way, Raph is trying to say that he feels sorry for Mona. "So, why have you been so hard on her?"
"Cause she's a brat!"
"Yes, I agree, but I think she's slowly getting out of that. We just need to give her a chance." She looks over at the grimace on his face. He's definitely conflicted by something. "I was at her house, only once. It was the day she had mutated and all she wanted to do was to go home and get help from her parents. We all know how that turned out… what I'm saying is that someone can have a lot of money and have a lot of things, but never have good friends, a loving family, and a sense of belonging. You have that, Raph. I don't think anyone is going to tease you for sharing just a little bit of the great things you have."
"Hmph…" Raph hums in thought. You're right but… is it bad that I don't want to share anything with her, because all she'll do is throw it away in the end?"
"What do you mean?" April asks him.
"Nothin'." Raphael stands. "OK, I'll be nice to her, but I think we need to lay down a few rules for your friend if she's gonna keep stayin' here. I don't want her givin' me anymore shoppin' lists." Raphael smirks.
"Rules huh, I'm curious to see how that works out... And stop calling her my friend." April pouts.
"Ha." Raphael laughs as they head towards the kitchen. "Judgin' by your new nails, I'd say you're besties."
"Don't go there, Missy." April giggles.
They walk back through the living area and past the dojo doors. Raphael freezes at the sound of grunting and hard breathing coming from inside.
April runs into his shell. "Why did you stop?"
"Shh! Listen." Raphael hisses.
April looks at him strangely but stretches an ear to the dojo. And she hears them; two voices on the other side of the door.
…
"Are you warmed up, Mona?" Donatello asks her.
"I'm really hot!" Mona groans.
"You look hot… come here and sit. I want to show you something."
April and Raphael hear the shuffling of feet. Something rustles about.
"Wow, Donnie, it's so big!" Mona awes.
"You think so?" Donnie says with pride.
"Yeah! Do your brothers have ones as big as yours?"
"Not even close."
…
"What in the…" Raphael whispers from behind the door.
April just stands there, breathless.
…
"Impressive… can I touch it?" Mona asks casually.
"Sure, I don't see why not." Donnie says.
…
Raphael and April mouth the word "WHAT?" They look at each other, daring the other to open the door and see what's really going on… but neither can move.
…
"I've never touched one before… Oh, Donnie, it's so hard! Can I hold it?" Mona says.
"Be my guest." Donnie chuckles.
"Oh, my, it's heavy. Much heavier than it looks. Let's see…"
"Whoa, careful! Don't swing it around like that."
"Sorry."
"It's OK. Just be gentle. Now let me show you where to put your hands."
"Like this?"
"Not too close to the base, yes, right there. Now, go up and down, up and down."
"It this good, Donnie?"
"Yes, that's perfect."
…
Raphael is slack jawed and April's eyes bulge, her hands covering her mouth.
…
"Up and down, up and down… Donnie, my hands are getting tired already! How do you handle this big thing so well?" Mona huffs.
"It's easy for me. I do this everyday." Donnie says.
Wow, you must love it."
"I do, and with a little practice you could be good at it too."
"I would need a LOT of practice. Maybe I'd be better with something smaller. What about Leo's?"
"Naw, he's smaller, but it would take you a long time to get the hang of it."
"Oh, what about Mikey's?"
"Maybe, but be careful it doesn't fly in your face."
She laughs. "OK, what about Raph's?"
"His is the smallest. You'd probably handle it well, but I advise you to use protection with that thing."
…
Raphael's face turns red as he starts a banter of curses, that April quickly muffles, placing her hands over his mouth and pushing him back with all her might, that he not storm into the dojo.
…
"Ha, ha, you're just saying that because you think yours is the best." Mona says.
"I know it is. Now grab it and try again." Donnie instructs her.
"Ok."
"Good, good."
"Ugh, sorry, Donnie. This is not very fulfilling for me."
"Hey, what are you doing?" He laughs.
"Look at me! I'm riding it, Donnie!" Mona squeals.
"Don't fall off!"
…
April growls. "That's it!" She pushes the door open, prepared to see the worst, Raphael right behind her, his nostrils flaring.
"April, Raph!" Donnie looks at them with surprise.
April and Raphael cool their fury quickly as they see Mona riding Donatello's bo staff like a broom, galloping childishly around the dojo.
Mona stops and looks over at the two. "Oh, hey, April…" She looks at Raphael but says nothing to him.
Raphael looks at her and then glares at his brother. "So, what's goin' on in here, Don?"
"I was just introducing Mona to my weapon. She said she wanted to learn, but wasn't quite sure what to choose."
"Yeah." Mona says as she hands Donatello back his staff. "The bo is too heavy, the katana too difficult, the nunchaku too awkward… but the sais might be good for me. I may need to put corks on the tips so I don't hurt myself." Mona asks Raphael coolly. "What do you think about teaching me?"
Raphael grunts and looks away from her. "I don't think about it a all."
"Oh, well, maybe some other time." Mona wipes her brow and walks out the door. "I need some water."
As Donatello spins his staff and secures it to his back, Raphael and April expel a loud, relieving sigh. They look at each other a moment and realize they both are happy for the same exact reason. This makes them blush and look away, very sure that they had shared too much of their secret feelings, silently promising to never tease the other with what they thought had just happened.
"April, if you have some time, you want to grab your Trig book and go over your study guide?" Donnie asks her.
"Sure, let me get my things." April says. She nudges Raphael on her way out. "Go talk to her now."
"Aight." Raphael groans. He looks back and meets Donnie in the eye. "I'm watchin' you."
"What I do?" Donnie is super confused.
…
Raphael sees Mona dragging one of her bags into the kitchen. He stops at the archway and watches her open the bag and pull out random food items. She places two boxes of cereal on top of the fridge, a large jar of chunky peanut butter on the rack, and lifts out two six packs of soda. She tries to open the fridge but is having trouble. Raphael walks over and grabs one of the soda packs.
She looks over at him, not sure of what to do or say.
He looks down at the soda. "Dr. Pop."
"Yeah." She opens the fridge and puts the cans inside. "It's my favorite. The maid kept it stocked in the pantry for me all of the time. I put them on the list… for you." Mona takes the other pack of soda from his hands and sits it in the fridge. She takes out a bottle of water for herself and a can for him. "It's not much, but I thought it could be a small peace offering between us." She hands him the can and smiles.
"Uh… thanks." He says. WAIT! How did this get turned around? She's supposed to be thanking me! Raphael clears his throat and aloofly hooks his thumb into his belt. "Yeah, well, I guess you're happy about us getting' your other things. You know, ME and my brothers, haulin' them from your house… and bringin' them all the way back here."
"Yes." Mona says as she empties a box of breakfast bars in the basket on the table. "Tell Leo I said thanks again, if you see him before I do."
"Leo?" Raph breathes through his teeth.
"Yeah…" She looks at him, a bit confused. "He offered to bring my things here. It's not like I ordered you guys to go play fetch like you're my men servants or something."
Ah nuts, he thinks to himself. "Nah, course not…" Raphael backs away, rubbing the side of his neck.
She squints her eyes at him and crosses her arms. "That's exactly what you thought, isn't it?"
"What? No!" Raphael says it but isn't very convincing.
"I bet you came in here, thinking all high and mighty, and wanted me to thank you… all they while you probably didn't even want to help me… you think that lowly of me." Mona walks away from him, her tail flicking in annoyance.
"Wait, wait!" He calls to her and she stops without turning around. "Mona… I'm sorry… OK?"
"What did you say? I couldn't quite hear you over your snarling."
"Well, maybe if you turn around and look at the person who's talkin' to you…" Raph says with dwindling patience.
Mona spins on her heel and looks at him, angry that her stubborn tears start to well up in her eyes.
Oh great, I've made her cry, the big baby. "Mona…" He stops short when a tear rolls down her cheek and he looses all hope of laying his rage on her… for now. "I'm sorry. I guess I was wrong… about you."
She looks at him struggling. She shrugs and smiles, thinking that this must have been very hard for him, and takes it as a small victory. "I accept your apology."
He sighs. "Good."
She pokes her lip at him.
"I mean… you wanna come watch some TV or somethin'?" Raphael asks.
"Sure."
The two green teens stroll into the sunken living area. Mona sits on the couch first so that Raphael can sit a comfortable, touchless distance away from her. He picks up the controller and turns the TV on.
…
Meanwhile, in the lab, Donatello is meticulously adjusting and readjusting his lamp to the perfect brightness, not too romantically dim and not too bright and casual. He sweeps his hand over his desk once more, assuring that all the paper scraps and eraser debris are removed from the work area. He leans to his right and looks at the stool he'd set up for April. He moves it closer to him, imagining her sitting there and brushing elbows with him. He shakes his head and pushes the stool away.
I'm being silly again. This is a study session, not a date. I'm more like her buddy than her boyfriend. He looks at the stool again, and moves it tad closer to him.
Then, he moves it away again. He starts pushing it back and forth, making it legs scrape across the stone floor.
At the door, April pauses, holding her book and notebook in her hands, watching Donatello make DJ rhythms with a stool. She walks up behind him, trying to hide her smile. "Nice beat, Donnie."
He jumps and turns around. "April! I was just s-setting up."
"I see." She sits down on the stool and sets her things on the table. "So, you're smart AND musically talented." She teases.
"Come on." Donnie opens her Trig book and flips through it quickly, trying to distract her from his blush. "So, is there anything in particular that you'd like to go over?"
"Um…" April opens her notebook. "There are few on page 293 I'm not understanding. Math is like a foreign language to me sometimes."
"Don't worry, with a little practice, I'm sure you'll get it… now, which problems were giving you trouble?"
"Hmm." April leans in closer and points. "This one, this one and… these two. I guess I'm using the wrong method. What do you think?"
Surprisingly, it isn't how close she is or the lavender smell of her hair. No, it is the pretty, purple polish her petite finger is pattered with that makes his temperature rise and his throat tighten. When? Why? How? These are the minuscule questions making his head dizzy. When did April get her nails done? Why, oh, why did she pick THAT color? And HOW is Donatello supposed to concentrate with such a subtle, playful, enticing gesture winking at him only a hand's reach away?
"Donnie?" April asks.
"Yes! I uh, I know how to do math! P-please hand me that polish, err, PENCIL." Donnie says.
"OK?" April reaches over and grabs a pencil from is jar of random utensils. She hands it to him. "Are you alright?"
"Sure, I'm finger. I mean FINE!"
April tilts her head and suddenly realizes why he's acting so goofy when she sees him twitch as she taps her hands on the table. She smiles. "I see you've noticed my new manicure."
"Oh, what? Yeah, yeah, they're really nice." He says quickly.
"Listen, Donnie. Mona wanted to show her appreciation by painting my nails. She literally dragged me out of bed and picked the colors for me. It made her feel better to do it, so I let her, even if it's not me." She shrugs.
Donatello nods and looks back at the Trig book. He should have known as much. He's been a victim of how pushy Mona can be. "Right, well, let's get to work then."
"OK." April says. She listens to him explain the first math problem. She ticks her own pencil back and forth, listening to his voice, as if someone just took the wind out of his sails. She had to tell him the truth. She didn't want him thinking she painted her nails green and purple for any particular reason. And now, he seems rather mopey, all because April didn't pick the color. But so what?
April puts down her pencil and stares at Donatello until he notices her. He stops talking and returns her gaze.
She doesn't know what to say. Well, she does, but is afraid to say it.
"It looks good on you." He says without hesitation. "That color looks very good on you."
She looks away and stares at her notebook. "It's your color." As soon as she says it, she wishes she hadn't. What in the world is she trying to gain from this conversation? She should have scraped the polish off along the walls before she walked in here. That way, none of this rambling would be happening. And now, they both have to pay for her being a fool and opening her heart up just a little bit. She's going to hurt him by letting him down softly, making a joke of things and swiftly sweep this uncomfortable incident under the rug. She's going to hurt herself, by once again suppressing natural feelings because of an unnatural environment.
But she says it. Plainly. I am wearing your color. It feels good, even daring, that she hints about liking that she is wearing it, as if a part of her belongs to him, even if it is two painted fingernails. A part of her is ruled by him, is his possession. This thought warms and terrifies her. If her thoughts have become this lofty, what on earth must Donatello be thinking?
She is going to hurt him. She's never going to forgive herself. She turns to face him and opens her mouth, but he speaks first.
"That darn Mona, causing trouble even when she's not around." He says kindly. "Now, let's get back to work."
Donatello continues to write out the steps to the math problem.
April feels even worse. How could he? How could he take on the brunt of the pain and disregard the whole thing, just so I didn't have to soften the blow for him? She shakes her head and beats a fist on the table. He looks over at her with a start.
"I didn't choose." April says.
"What?" He asks.
She looks at him. "I didn't choose… I wanted something else at first. But, someone else made the choice for me… it doesn't mean I'm not happy about it…" She pats her painted hand over his a few times, but doesn't keep it there. "And now that I have it, I rather like it."
Donatello could have leapt for joy over her 'double-meaning' words, but he knows better that he should keep his cool. It took a lot for her to say that much, to assure him that nothing needs to change yet, especially because of nail polish. At that moment, he promises, that no matter how long it takes, he will be patient and go by her pace. He believes that one day they'll both be able to tell each other how they truly feel.
For now, they'll stick to math problems. "Good, like I said before, it looks nice on you. Wear it if you want. And if you don't, that's OK too. It's just paint… I'm glad you and Mona are getting along. It's good to see that you're both friends now."
April smirks and astutely copies the directions in her notebook. "Thank you. I think I'll keep it for a while." They look at each other and smile. April rolls her eyes and looks back at her notebook. "I wish you guys would stop calling her my friend."
He chuckles softly and goes back into tutor mode.
April secretly takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. This is the second time today she had to breathe a sigh of relief because of Donatello. Perhaps Mona was right. Perhaps it is better to not to wait. Waiting is driving her crazy.
…
Back in the living area, things are still awkward.
Raphael and Mona sit silently at opposite ends of the couch. Mona twists and untwists the cap on her empty water bottle as she watches Raphael flip though channels.
I want to say something! What do I say? I don't want to sound stupid! "So, what do you like to watch? The news? The sports channel?" Mona finally asks him.
"Eh, you know, never anything good on the news." He says blandly. Realizing that she may have been trying to start a conversation, he feels he should elaborate. "I like to watch the talk shows where no one talks, but just fights, or really bad horror movies that come on late at night after we come back from patrol." Raph says as he flips slowly through their limited collection of channels. If she sees something she likes, she better pipe up and say so.
"I never watched much TV. I've been more of a MeTube online watcher."
"I heard of that. I don't go online that much. Only Donnie has a computer."
"Can't you go online on your cell phone?"
"No, but Donnie says he's workin' on that."
"Oh."
"Uh, what do you watch on MeTube or whatever?"
"There are a lot of cat videos." This is bad, Mona thinks. We don't watch the same things. What can we possibly talk about? Mona coyly rakes her eyes over at Raphael. He's slouched in his spot, looking ever so comfortable. His eyes flicker with the images on the screen and his sais shiny menacingly from his belt. He looks so cool and so dangerous, like a sleeping tiger. "So, you and your brothers fight crime?"
"Yeah, when we ain't pickin' up you dry-cleanin'." He grins at her.
"Ha, ha." She says. "I'm really interested. You guys go out almost every night."
"We have to. There's a lot of scumbags we gotta clean off the streets."
"I bet it's fun."
Raphael turns to look at her. "Fun? I think it's a hoot! But I thought someone like you would think it's stupid and dangerous."
Mona looks back at him and is struck by how intense his green eyes are, like he can see right through here. But no, he's as dense as any boy his age. "Someone like me?"
"Yeah." He shrugs. "Never thought you'd wanna get your hands dirty."
"Just because I've never picked up a sword and beat up bank robbers doesn't mean I don't think it's cool." She looks away from his gaze and back at the TV. "I'm glad that there's someone who's willing and MORE than able to fight back."
"More than able?" Raph asks. Her inflection on the word makes him curious.
"Raph, have you seen yourself lately?" She looks back at him, unable to hide the awestruck look on her face. "You're built like a god!"
Raphael's finger ceases it's mindless clicking through channels. His hand grows ever tense around the remote, making the cheap plastic crack under the pressure. He already knows he looks awesome, but to have another person acknowledge it, a girl even… a cute girl, makes him feel overwhelmingly unprepared to respond to such a compliment. At least, not in the way he would have liked to. Instead, he glosses over her words with a quick jumble of words and a slight subject change.
"IdoALOTofPUSHUPS. SOOO… is that why you were in the dojo with Donnie?"
"Yes, I feel that, as long as I'm here, I should make the best of it and seize every opportunity." She answers him normally, as if he didn't just ignore her blatantly, flattering remark. Mona looks back at the TV, amused that his finger is now flipping through the channels like lightening. She wonders, at that moment, why she couldn't contain herself and had let her secret thoughts fly out of her mouth. In her short time here, she has mentally and physically compartmentalized the Turtles. She thinks they are all great in their own ways, but physically, Leo is handsome, Mikey is cute as a button, Donnie is adorkable, and Raphael is… making her feel things she has never explored within herself before. She smiles to herself, knowing it best to drop it. She doesn't want him to feel uncomfortable. "I've got to learn my body, and I think training would help. I want to learn how to protect myself. If I ever run into trouble, I want to be able to keep myself safe."
"But…" It doesn't sit well with Raphael to think that Mona would ever be put in that type of danger. "It can get rough out there. It would best if trouble never finds ya."
"Well, if it does, can I count on you to protect me?" She looks over at him with her big, brown eyes.
"I…"
"Of course not! Next year, I'm going to be 18, a real adult. I have to stop depending on people at some point in my life, right?" She looks at him sadly.
Raphael quickly turns back to the TV and sets the remote down. A part of him wants to tell her that she doesn't have to be alone anymore, that he and his brothers will be here for her, but saying that would leave him open for rejection and he can't have that. Another part of him wants her get stronger, become more confident and be cured of her mutation, so she can get the heck out his home. He stays silent.
"I do miss them…" Mona finally says. "Thinking back, they never really listened to me. Just as long as I did well in school and stayed pretty, they left me alone and gave me anything I wanted… except their time." Mona watches her tail tick back and forth by her feet, happy that she's gaining more control over the extra appendage, becoming less saddened by the fact that she actually has one. "I guess I've survived on my own for a while now and didn't realize it."
I should say it now! Mona, you don't have to be alone anymore! Say it, you scardy-cat! Raphael purses his lips and stares at the TV.
"Do you think I'm stupid for missing people who don't even want me?" Mona asks him.
"Nah, it ain't stupid." He glances at her quickly, then back at the TV. "They're the ones dumb enough to kick you out of their lives."
"Lucky for you, huh?" She says.
"Yeah… I'm mean no!"
Mona giggles and looks at the TV. "How about we pop in a movie?"
"Sure." He says.
This is good, Mona thinks as she scrolls through the multiple boxes of videotapes. If I can warm up to Raphael, that means I am becoming friends with everyone! This place might not be so bad after all.
This is terrible! Raphael thinks as he watches Mona go through the boxes of videotapes. If she starts hangin' around me, I'm think Ima go crazy. My stomach hurts and I'm afraid to know why.
…
A/N: OH BOY! A lot of stuff has gone down. Raph and Mona are finally talking. Donnie and April are talking too, but the mind drama is FOR REAL. Sometimes, it's just hard to say what's really on your heart. More foolery to come! Adventure is coming too! Stay tuned!
