"You realize that you haven't moved in three hours?" Karai sarcastically asked Casey as she walked up behind him. He was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands and had been like that since he came to the lair right after school.

The reason? April had been asked to prom.

"Sorry" he muttered under his breath in sadness, feeling like she should say something to cheer him up Karai took a seat next to him.

"If it makes you feel any better i think Donnie's still in shock" she said remembering how upon hearing about this Donnie had frozen up before taking to his lab and was still yet to come out.

Casey chuckled just a tiny bit

"Not really but picturing his face again kind of does" Casey admitted, remembering how Donnie's eyes had been wide as saucers and how his mouth had just hung open because Casey hadn't been the one to ask her so Donnie couldn't even be mad at him.

"It's my fault. Prom's next week and i knew i should've asked her earlier" Casey berated himself and Karai looked at him sympathetically, she knew how much he liked April and felt bad that he had missed his chance.

"Well it's just one night, maybe things won't go anywhere after that" she said trying to cheer him up but he didn't give much of a response other than a nod, that is until he finally turned to face her a minute later.

"Hey do you want to go?" He asked and Karai cocked an eyebrow at him, nothing on his face nor in his voice indicated that he was joking.

"Are you kidding?" She asked him skeptically

"No i'm serious" he said sounding almost hurt that she could think he wasn't.

Karai thought about it for a minute. In Japan prom, or any type of school dance really, just doesn't exist and so she had never thought much about going to one, especially since even if they were a thing in Japan she still wouldn't have ever had a chance to go to one since she never went to school.

"Come on i'll buy you one of those flowers that you wear on your wrist, you can get out of the sewer for a night and we're still just friends. It'll be fun" He tried to convince her.

It was strange, Casey hadn't considered asking Karai to the prom before and certainly didn't have feelings for her, he didn't think, but once he had asked he found that for whatever reason he really wanted to go with her, maybe even more than he had wanted to go with April.

"Do they even let you bring someone from outside of school?" Karai asked before deciding on her answer.

"Yeah i just gotta ask the vice principal for permission, he says yes to everyone." Casey assured her.

"Ok, i'll go" Karai finally answered, an involuntary smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

Casey also smile and when he didn't even bother trying to hide it Karai ended up letting her own grin escape her control.

"Alright right!" Casey cheered which caused Karai to roll her eyes in amusement.

Karai ended up spending that Saturday dress shopping with April and her friend Irma. Now that in itself wasn't bad however April still couldn't believe that Casey had asked Karai to the prom and her initial reaction had been less than happy about it.

It wasn't that she was jealous or anything, after all she was going with James, a guy from her pre-calculous class, but it frustrated her that she had never realized Karai and Casey were that close.

"Hey i'm sorry if i seemed a little..weird, when you told me you were going with Casey. It just took me by surprise" April apologized as she and Karai scanned a rack containing prom dresses while Irma was off looking somewhere else.

"It's fine, i was caught off guard too when he asked me" Karai admitted

"Besides i'm pretty sure he only asked me because you already had a date and he felt bad for me" Karai continued

April didn't say anything at first, mostly because as much as she hated to admit it she felt that was probably true. Casey had told her two months ago that he wasn't going to the prom, which was why she said yes to James, so it did kind of annoy her that Casey had either lied to her or just changed his mind after James asked her.

"Casey's capable of feeling bad for people?" April joked but she did sort of mean it, never once had she ever really seen Casey feel bad for anyone.

"I think so" Karai said with a giggle and just then Irma returned with two different dresses which she wanted to try on.

Leo was in the kitchen rummaging through the fridge for some leftover pizza on Monday around two-thirty in the afternoon when April and Casey came into the lair and Casey made his way into the kitchen.

"Hey Leo, is Karai around?" He asked leaning on the table.

Leo closed the door to the refrigerator as he turned around

"Last i saw she was in the dojo with Raph, what's going on?" Leo responded, Casey and Karai aren't all that close and even though Leo knew he had asked her to the prom they all figured it was just because he didn't have a date and felt bad that she would never have a chance to go. But he never came looking for her when he stopped by the lair.

"Nothing, just gotta tell her that i got the ok from the vice principal for her to come to prom. She was bugging me about it yesterday" Casey answered, she hadn't really been bugging him about it so much as she had told him that if he put off asking permission until the day of and then couldn't get it she would kill him, he doubted she would've actually hurt him and a part of him doubted she would've actually cared but he had been surprisingly anxious himself in getting the permission so he took care of it as soon as he could.

Heading into the dojo Casey found Karai and Raph in the middle of a sparring match, which wasn't unusual. The two of them normally took to the dojo when one of them needed to punch out some anger and the punching dummy in the living room wasn't enough. It was funny to think about, Karai and Raph probably had the worst relationship at the time of her rescue and yet now they probably understood each other the best. She had only been here a little over a month and a half but Karai was the only member of the family who could handle Raph after he had been pushed over the edge while Raph was somehow the only one who could understand Karai's temper.

Watching the fight it was hard to tell exactly who had blown up but one thing which was clear was that Raph and Karai had been in here for a while. Both were looking visibly tired and stopped quickly when Casey entered, thankful that someone had come in and halted their fight.

"Got your prom ticket" Casey said with a grin as he dug the small piece of paper out of his pocket.

Walking away from Raph Karai took the ticket from Casey

"Thanks, how much do i owe you?" She asked him but he just shook his head and chuckled.

"You do know that the guy is supposed to pay right?" He sort of joked and Karai only rolled her eyes

"Yeah when it's a date" she argued but Casey shrugged

"Don't care, you had to spend money on a dress anyway" he argued and Karai looked at him annoyed, mostly because she couldn't argue that.

Raph watched the exchange in mild amusement as he placed his sais securely back onto his belt. The two humans talked like their plans for Friday night wasn't a date but deep down even they knew it was. Raph didn't know or care a lot about high school events but he knew that the prom was a night where if you went with someone, even if you were just friends, it was a date, and frankly the idea of his sister going on a date with his best friend was a little strange to Raph. Of course he knew that there was nothing between them, at least he didn't think. But it was still weird to watch them argue over the cost of prom ticket when before last Friday afternoon they had barely ever spoken to each other. Raph was snapped out of his thoughts when Casey tried to walk away from the argument, an amused smirk on his face, and Karai fallowed him to the doorway still trying to get him to let her pay him back for the ticket. Once Casey had left the dojo Karai groaned as she turned back to Raph.

"Is he always this impossible?" She asked, folding her arms in annoyance. Raph just chuckled.

"Hey, he's your boyfriend" Raph teased

"He is not my boyfriend" Karai defended, she should've known this would be a week of endless teasing from her brothers.

"Whatever you say" Raph continued to mock as he put his hands up, pretending to admit defeat.

Karai rolled her eyes "whatever" she muttered before turning and exiting the dojo.

To say that Karai was the only one being tormented by having an annoying conversation about Friday would be a lie, to say that Casey would trade tormentors with her in heartbeat however would not. Casey had walked back into the living room to find that Leo had since left the kitchen and was now leaning over Mikey's right shoulder as the youngest turtle focused all of his attention on the old arcade game.

"How'd it go?" Leo questioned, turning his attention to Casey as the hockey player took a seat on the couch.

"Fine" Casey answered with a shrug but when Leo joined him on the couch he knew what was coming.

"Listen…" Leo began awkwardly but trailed off, thankfully Casey knew what he was about to say.

"Leo chill, i care about Karai but we're just friends. You don't have to worry" He assured Leo who breathed a sigh of relief.

"I know it's just, the last time Karai agreed to go out with a guy he tried to hand her over to Shredder and she came home in tears. Obviously i know you're not going to do anything like that but at the same time i don't want her to get hurt again." Leo explained, embarrassed that he was even saying any of this.

But Casey understood, he has a sister himself and even though she's only nine he knows he would strangle anyone who ever tried to hurt her.

"She won't, and if it makes you feel any better i know for a fact that Matt won't be there" Casey said

"How?" Leo asked skeptically, of course if it was true then it did make him feel a lot better.

Casey grinned smugly "he was filling in for goal at practice the other day and i may have accidentally shot my puck at his face" Casey admitted and Leo couldn't help but smile at the picture.

"That's going to keep him away from prom?" The leader asked, he didn't see how that was going to stop the Foot spy from going to prom but nonetheless he was happy to hear Matt got what he deserved, no matter how mean that might sound.

"Should. He got a wicked black eye from the puck and a major concussion from the ice after the puck knocked him down, he's out of school for the rest of the week which means he can't go to any school events" Casey explained, a sly grin on his face.

Leo was happy to hear that, not just because he knew it meant that Karai would be safe from Matt, but because it proved to him that Casey was already watching out for her.

When prom night came around the girls all met at April's apartment to get ready.

"Can somebody please zip this stupid thing?" Irma asked after managing to get the zipper on the back of her dress up about halfway but couldn't get the rest.

Without a word Karai did as Irma asked and zipped her into the rest of her dress.

"Thanks" Irma said

"No problem" Karai responded, returning to the mirror to finish her make-up.

"So Karai have you ever met April's secret friends?" Irma questioned and April rolled her eyes, she knew Irma was onto her and it was mean to never give her an answer but truthfully she was more comfortable avoiding the truth than full on lying.

"Can't say that i have" Karai said with a shrug, of course she knew that was a lie but it was better than the truth.

"Well that makes two of us" Irma muttered.

"Are you ready to go Irma?" April asked noticing that Irma had already slipped into her shoes.

"Yup, what about you guys?" Irma questioned

"Almost, i just have to do April's make-up" Karai answered, she had been teaching April to do her own make-up and although April now knew how to do it she had asked Karai for help tonight because she was afraid of messing up.

Irma nodded, Karai had done her make-up as well.

"I think i heard the guys in the living room. I'll go tell them we're almost ready" Irma said before leaving the bedroom.

Casey was waiting for the girls in the living room of the O'Neil's apartment along with James, he was also still trying to put on his tie.

"Hey Irma, a little help please?" He asked when Irma walked in, rolling her eyes at his struggle.

"The great Casey Jones is asking for my help?" She mocked to which Casey grimaced and she giggled.

"Hold still" she said as she took hold of Casey's tie, undid the strange set of knots he had twisted it into, and tied it correctly.

"Thanks" Casey muttered in embarrassment

"You're welcome" Irma responded

"Irma, you look lovely" James said, Irma smiled at the compliment.

"Thank you" she said with a grin.

"Yeah nice dress" Casey muttered just to be polite.

Irma was one of the few girls who had gone for a shorter prom dress. It was a strapless black dress with a flared out, puffy skirt above her knees. The rhinestones one her dress made a V-shaped pattern on the front and came back down the sides. She also had black pumps for shoes with small rhinestones on the straps which were fastened across her ankles. Her short purple hair was up in a bun with a few pieces sticking out here and there, April's aunt had done the girls hair.

"Everyone ready?" April's voice asked as she and Karai walked into the living room.

April was wearing a long, flowing, yellow-orange colored dress that was fastened behind her neck. It was pinched in at her waist and looked nice with her white, sandal style heels. Her hair was curled and put into a half up, half down style. James thought she looked beautiful.

Karai's dress was strapless like Irma's but long like April's. It was a deep purple and the top had a swirling pattern of rhinestones on the right side. She wore plain black flats and her hair was down and hanging in curls around her face, James had to nudge Casey to stop him from staring.

Not even a second later April's dad rushed in with his camera and made all of the kids pose for a picture.

"You clean up nice Jones" Karai teased as she stood next to Casey for the picture

"I could say the same for you" Casey said back but he did mean it, he really did think she looked beautiful.

The five teenagers arrived at the prom and almost immediately Irma abandoned them. She didn't have a date but she is in one of those 'it's complicated' relationships with some guy from the yearbook committee who also didn't have a date so she went off to talk to him.

"Hey guys" Casey's friend Victor from the hockey team said as he approached the group with his girlfriend.

"Sup Victor" Casey said, glad to see another one of his friends so quickly.

"Not much" Victor responded before noticing Karai

"You, don't tell me your name. I've seen you at the games, Casey's mentioned you. Katie?" Victor guessed as he tried to remember her name.

"Karai, close" she answered and Victor nodded before introducing himself.

As Casey talked with his friend and April and James disappeared off somewhere else Karai couldn't help but wonder why she had agreed to this. She didn't know anyone here aside from April and Casey. She couldn't go off and talk to anyone and during this conversation she was just standing there trying to figure out what the hockey terms Casey and Victor were using meant.

"So where do you go to school?" A voice asked, snapping Karai back to reality. It took her a second to realized that the voice had been Victor's girlfriend, and that she was talking to her.

"I'm homeschooled actually" Karai answered, embarrassed that she had been so zoned out.

"Wow, that's so cool" the girl responded but Karai merely shrugged

"No?" The girl asked, still with an overly happy smile on her face.

"I guess but it's my dad teaching me and my four younger brothers so it gets pretty noisy" Karai said and the girls face turned from that of slight fascination to astonishment.

"Wow i bet" she said and that was when a voice could be heard from halfway across the gym.

"Lacy!" The voice called and the girl turned around

"I've got to go but it was nice meeting you!" Lacy exclaimed before pulling her boyfriend off in the direction the voice had come from.

About fifteen minutes later the DJ played the first slow song of the night so of course all of the couples were out on the dance floor. Casey wasn't one for dancing and he didn't think Karai was either, but he hadn't missed it when she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye when the song began.

"Hey, want to dance?" He asked her, she looked at him curiously. Almost the exact same expression she had given when he first asked her to the prom but this time just a little bit softer.

"Sure" she answered so the two made their way to the edge of the dance floor.

Secretly Casey didn't know if he had wanted her to say yes or no. He almost wished she had said no because of how awkward he was afraid of it being but something inside of him really had wanted her to say yes and was happy she did. To the surprise of both of them it wasn't as awkward as they had feared. The instant Karai wrapped her arms around Casey's neck and he placed his hands on her waist, all of that nervousness just disappeared from them both. So much in fact that less than halfway through the song Karai found herself placing her head on Casey's shoulder. If Casey was surprised at all by this he didn't show it, instead he wrapped his arms around her lower back to hold her closer. It wasn't until the song ended and another upbeat song began to play did they pull apart and fully process what the two of them must have looked like dancing that way, a real couple.

An hour later and Casey was still thinking about the slow dance. He sat alone at a table taking a break from dancing to the fast paced music and he could see where Karai, April and Irma were on the dance floor. He couldn't help but smirk at seeing Karai, she didn't really know how to dance and was just sort of tapping her toes. It was strange to think about, ever since she moved into the lair he had seen her as a villain turned hero, as an enemy they could now trust. But watching her now he didn't see that. Instead what he saw was a seventeen year old girl, a seventeen year old girl who had never had much of a social life and now wanted nothing more than to have a little fun.

She's beautiful too

Casey snapped himself out of his thoughts when that crossed his mind, where had that come from? He did think that Karai was pretty, he had thought that since the day he met her. But he had never expanded on that thought to any degree. Despite not knowing the origins of the thought, or rather not wanting to admit to knowing them, he had to agree with it. Karai was beautiful. Her hair was losing it's curl by this point in the night and was now hanging around her face in a wavy mess, yet it somehow it still looked like she had meant for it to be that way. Her smile may have been small but even from halfway across the room Casey could see that her golden eyes were still bright with life.

In mid thought he stopped himself again.

She's the guy's sister he reminded himself.

Even if i were to get over April, and i'm not saying that i have, i could never start liking by best friend's sister! He silently scolded himself but whether he would accept it or not, Casey knew that was exactly what was happening.

He only hoped it wouldn't last.

"I can't believe i'm saying this but that was actually fun" Karai admitted as she and Casey walked through the dark tunnels of the sewers after the prom. One good thing about having gone to the dance as Casey's date was that he could actually walk her home afterwards, anyone else would've just had to walk her to April's.

"Yeah, especially when Mr. Miller slipped and landed in the punch bowl" Casey laughed, remembering how his physics teacher who was chaperoning the dance had made such a scene that the DJ actually stopped playing just so every could figure out what was going on.

"Yeah, thanks again for bringing me" Karai said and Casey grinned.

"No problem, besides i didn't know you could dance" Casey almost teased and Karai shot him an amused look.

"If whatever i was doing resembled dancing to you then you might need your eyes checked" she joked

"I don't know, you did alright dancing with me" Casey said and Karai was quiet.

Unconsciously they both began walking at a slower rate, neither of them knowing what to say.

"Sorry i didn't mean it like that" Casey said

"Mean it like what?" Karai questioned but didn't give him a chance to answer.

"You said what happened, simple as that" she finished but Casey only looked at her, by now they were only a few feet from the lair and so Casey stopped walking.

"Karai you know what i meant" he said causing her to stop.

"Look i don't want to get between you and April" she said but when she tried to continue walking Casey gently grabbed her wrist.

"There's nothing to get between" he assured her.

He let go of her wrist but she didn't move and neither did he.

"Look i understand if you want to just be friends but i'm telling you now that I'm over April" Casey said but when Karai finally met his gaze she looked like she didn't believe it.

"Casey anybody can look pretty at prom-" Karai began but Casey cut her off, knowing what she was about to accuse him of.

"No it's not just tonight" he blurted out, Karai stared at him dumbfounded.

"It's been all week. Since about ten seconds before i asked you i thought that maybe going with you to the prom would be fun and i know that the whole week was awkward and we kept saying that it was just one night but the closer we came to tonight the more i didn't want to have tomorrow come, and i still don't" Casey admitted. Karai still didn't say anything, she didn't know what to say. A part of her really did feel the same way but another part of her reminded her that there is something else which she doesn't know how to do, beyond family she doesn't know how to love.

"Like i said i understand if you want to stay just friends-" Casey repeated but this time he was the one who was cut off.

"It's not that" Karai said shaking her head.

"It's just that when it comes to being anything… beyond friends… i don't know what that's like" she confessed but Casey only smiled and offered her his hand.

"Then it's up to you, do you want to find out?" He asked.

Karai hesitated for a moment, this was a strange feeling to her. Her heart felt light and heavy at the same time, she was filled with a mix of anxiousness and fear and wondered how on earth her skin could feel so hot when the sewers were so cold. Thankfully one rational part of her mind was still functioning, most of her mind had gone blank with surprise by now. That one working piece of her mind warned her that she would regret it if she let this chance go, if she didn't act on her feelings. So she slipped her hand inside of Casey's and before she knew it she had stood up on her toes to kiss him.

Whoa long chapter! I did not think that the Casey and Karai chapter was gonna go this long but when i tried to make it shorter it just felt way to rushed. I just want to say thank you to everyone whose been reading and for all the great reviews, it makes me so happy to see people enjoying what i write! Hope you all loved the one shots and thank you to the guest user who requested a Mikey and Karai themed one shot, i had been thinking about turning this into a series but the request is what convinced me to do it! Thanks again to everyone reading and hope you enjoyed!