Title: Snapshots (2k14)
Rating: K+
"Asha I swear on everything I love if you tell April about this I will personally rip you limb from limb," Mikey threatened.
"Ouch, now you just sound like a bad version of Raph," Asha said trying to take him seriously, but couldn't as long as he was gonna simultaneously give her baby eyes.
"I'm serious Asha she can't know," he pleaded. She knew how much this meant to him for her to keep the secret. She grabbed him in for a hug. Poor thing was shaking and nothing had even happened yet.
"It's okay Mikey. You can trust me, I know how to keep secrets. Now take this," Asha said patting his shell and handing him a small package. He took it with reverence like she was giving him a number one edition comic in mint condition.
"I also had your book bound, did Donnie give it to you already?" Asha asked him. He beamed at her.
"Yeah I got it, it's perfect too. You think she'll like all this? Like, you don't think she'll laugh at me or anything right?" Mikey asked and she could see he was actually concerned about it.
"She has never laughed at you Mikey, not when you were doing nice things and being a sweetie. She only laughs when you mean her to, trust that. She always speaks highly of you. April loves you more than anything Mikey, don't ever doubt that," Asha reassured him. It worked as he visibly relaxed standing at her door about to leave.
"Okay, thanks again Asha I really can't repay you for all this," Mikey said waggling the small package Asha had handed him.
"Now go, she'll be at the lair in like two hours man," Asha said shooing Mikey out of the door.
Mikey breathed in an out slowly. He had never taken meditation so seriously before but he needed it big time now. Master Splinter sat opposite his youngest, trying to set the pace for the meditation and breathing exercise, surprised to find that Mikey was actually trying to do it. After about twenty minutes of just breathing, they both opened their eyes.
"This is a serious thing Michelangelo, are you sure you want to do this?" Splinter asked. He was speaking in a calm manner, but even Mikey could see the fur standing on end. Splinter was worried about this move Mikey was gonna make.
"I've never been more sure about something sensei. I love April, and I don't see that changing anytime soon," Mikey said, taking a deep wavering breath afterwards.
"I agree Michelangelo. We all have seen your relationship blossom over the two years you have been together. You have my blessing my son, and my unwavering support," Splinter said as he smiled. Mikey jumped and almost knocked Splinter over with a crushing hug.
"Thanks dad," he said as he finally let his father go.
Mikey tried to be casual and cool. All that he had told April was that he'd made a special dinner just for the two of them. He had imagined doing this on a rooftop with a romantic view of the city, but they were still rebuilding after the whole Technodrome fiasco. Not to mention the weather had turned and it wouldn't be as comfortable. So he opted to have this romantic dinner in the place where he and April first consummated their relationship.
He owed this to her. She hadn't been complaining, but she had been sullen to a certain degree lately. They hadn't been doing much more than hanging around in the lair, or he was visiting her in her home. They loved each other, but it seemed that he needed to do more to prove it. He was going to make tonight perfect and something that she would never forget.
Mikey had picked her up and quite literally carried her to the place bridal style. He hadn't bothered to blindfold her, so when they got to the familiar cavernous spot where the large cistern was she got excited.
"Oh Mikey, I love this place. I never thought an area of the sewer system could be called beautiful but it has a mysterious, romantic quality that I like," she said as he put her down. She turned to him and swatted his plastron playfully.
"Look at you, trying to step your boyfriend game up," April said winking at him and causing him to blush and beam at her.
"Well I had to do something for my special angel cakes. I know I can't do what regular guys do for their girls, but I can do the best I can. I know lately I haven't been, but that's all gonna change tonight Angel," Mikey said drawing her in for a quick passionate kiss before showing her to the dinner area. He had set up a table and two chairs for the occasion. He didn't want it to have a picnic vibe.
He'd had Asha give him the recipe for pan seared scallop, with a pea puree, and scalloped potatoes with garlic. It was sort of out of his wheelhouse. Mikey was a whiz at Italian food, but needed help with something with a little more flair.
"You like it?" He asked her. April nodded with a mouthful of food.
"This is excellent Mikey. I've never had scallops before, could never afford it since they only served it in the hoity-toity restaurants," April said, taking another big bite of food. She looked up to see him looking at her. It was unusual that he wasn't also stuffing his face to capacity.
"Did hell freeze over or something?" April joked. He laughed nervously and took another tentative bite. He had a fork in one hand, and the other was fiddling with something under the table.
"What? Why?" Mikey asked startled out of the daze he was drifting off into.
"You're not eating Michelangelo. You're either sick or hell froze over," she joked again, this time getting another nervous laugh and a shy rub on the back of his head.
"Well, uh, I…I got something. It's just a small thing, nothing major. It's okay if you don't like it or whatever, I just thought that…maybe…" Mikey was sputtering.
"Just give it to me Mikey," April said reaching across the table and laying her small hand over his. He was shaking a little. From underneath the table he brought out a beautifully bound book with large pages. It had a simple bow on the front and the title read: 'Snapshots' by Mikey
April smiled and opened it, then flipped through it. Every page was an expertly rendered drawing from him. The first was the picture he'd drawn of her that day he had come to her house with a cut on his arm. She'd seen the picture in his room and it astonished her then how professional it was. April turned the page and saw a rendering of himself standing by her window about to leave, and her grasping his arm. This was the night she went to dinner with Vern, and Mikey had been sore about it. When she turned the page to look at the third drawing, she clasped a hand over her mouth and looked at him over it, eyes wide and shiny with emotion. He had depicted the time he'd held her in his arms after a very hard week for her. She remembered just lying in his arms needing to be held and he was more than happy to do that. As April flipped through she realized that Michelangelo had depicted every important milestone in their relationship. Most was from his memory as he hadn't been carrying around a pencil or paper at those times. It was beyond superb and it was better than an expensive gift of any kind.
There was another perfect duplication of the city's skyline from their view on one of their many date nights on a rooftop. He had drawn them from behind as if from a third person point of view. She went to the next page where it read STOP in bright red lettering. She looked up at Mikey with a quizzical expression.
"I was wondering, uh, if you were sure," Mikey said looking uncharacteristically bashful.
"Sure of what Mikey?" She asked genuinely curious.
"I dunno. Just I don't want you to wake up one morning next to me and think, damn what has my life boiled down to that I'm dating a mutant turtle when I could have any man I wanted. I don't want you to wake up and realize that we're a mistake. I wanna know if you're sure about….us," he said and she knew that one of her sarcastic replies would hurt now rather than offer some levity to the situation. April knew she needed to reassure him one more time.
"I've never been so sure about anything else in my life Michelangelo. I love you, and that's not going to change," April said as she once more grasped his hand in her own and rubbed it gently. Mikey relaxed and smiled his 1000 watts at her. He nodded and gestured for her to continue reading his book.
Just when she thought the gift couldn't get much better, she turned the page to find a short note from everyone. His brothers, master Splinter, Asha, they had all written something.
"Mikey" April whispered as a tear finally fell, her hand once again clasped loosely over her mouth.
"You like it?" He whispered back matching her tone, his eyes shining. He was happy as long as she was happy.
April could only nod, not trusting herself to speak as she read the heartfelt notes.
From the moment master Splinter explained how you had effected the direction of our lives, I have had such a respect for you, our Hogosha. You've made Mikey happy, and best of all you've made him tolerable. You are a welcomed addition to our family, and you always will be. –Leo
It read in Leo's neat letter block. Just under it scrawled in a handwriting a doctor would be proud of was Donnie's contribution.
You brought us hope that someone could love us, and you still give us that hope. You and Mikey became living proof of a thing I had long since lost hope for, and I thank you for that. I thank you for being who you are, as you've brought happiness to all of us. -Donnie
I didn't bow that day when we first brought you to the lair because I didn't know you and wasn't sure if I liked you or not. It's different now though. You're my little sister and nobody better lay a hand on your red little head including Mikey. If he tries something stupid just let me know and I'll smack him good for ya. –Raph
April giggled at that and she could almost hear Raph saying those words in his gruff, gravelly voice.
April you have been a ray of sunshine for this family since before we could articulate the thoughts into words. I have thanked you before and I will thank you again now, for being who you are to us and to my son. You make an old rat happy for his sons. I long feared that they would not find companionship outside one another, but you came along and proved me wrong and for that I shall be forever grateful. I know my son is a handful, but he loves you so much and I know that you love him as well, and I love you as if you were my own daughter. –Splinter
April in the time since I've gotten here, you and I have become so close and I'm very grateful. You took me in and accepted me just as well as the brothers, and I came to view you as my sister. I've only ever said that about one other person and that's Max, so I don't say that lightly. We're part of something special with these guys, and you were the one that helped me understand that. Take care of each other April, although I know you will. –Asha
With tears in her eyes that fell to stain the pages of this special book, April turned the page again to find it blank except for wording at the top of it that said: Place Best Memory Here. Slowly she lowered the book only to find that Mikey had silently crossed over to her and was now kneeling with a very small black box in his very large hands.
She dropped the book from her shaking hands as she raised them both to her mouth, the tears flowing more freely. She had told him that she was completely sure of them as a couple, and now was the true test of that conviction.
"I know it's probably against the law what I'm asking you, but I want you to know that I'm almost nineteen so I'm totally not jailbait anymore," he said as he watched her smile through her tears. She was so beautiful that it threatened to overwhelm him.
"Somehow I don't think your age is what the law would be worried about Mikey," April managed surprised that she could speak. Her hands were still shaking, and her heart was going a million miles a minute.
"Hehe, yeah I guess not," he said. Then he sobered up and looked into her eyes intently, rooting her to the spot and making her almost forget to breathe.
"April I know it's so different being with me and all, and I know there's not a whole lot that's normal with us but I love you Angel Cakes. I love you so much that it's hard sometimes, to put it into words. You make me so happy, really more than happy I just don't know a better word for it," he laughed slightly before continuing.
"I just wanna always be happy with you. The only way I know how to do that is ask if you wanna be happy with me always. April, will you marry me and make me the happiest turtle ever in the history of turtles?" Mikey asked presenting her with the most unique ring she had ever seen. It was positively exquisite.
He paused waiting on her answer, all the while becoming nervous that she would say no.
"Yes," it came out as a barely whispered croak. She cleared her throat and spoke with more authority the next time around.
"Yes Mikey, of course I'll marry you," she said. He slid the ring on her finger as she knelt down in front of him wrapping her arms around his neck and crying tears of joy.
She knew he loved her, but thought that a day like this was somewhere in their distant future if it ever happened. She had taken many of her preconceived notions about relationships and one by one thrown them out of the window after she settled in with Mikey. The word traditional simply didn't describe them in any way, and she thought something like a 'marriage' just simply wasn't part of this equation.
She felt his hot tears fall on her shoulders and back as she slowly released him. He helped her back into her seat. April picked the book up that had fallen to the floor, and placed it in her lap. She stared at the ring he'd put on her finger. It was a wire wrapped ring with beautiful gemstones of orange and blue. The wire wrapping was white gold and April had never seen a ring like it before. She wanted to ask but thought it would be tacky, so she was glad when he offered up an explanation.
"Asha. I asked her about it and she said she found a woman who made handmade jewelry. I don't know how she got your ring size, but it's perfect and looks so pretty on you angel," he said as she recalled Asha's sneaky self, sizing her fingers on the sly on one of their sleepovers. I'm gonna get her for that, April thought to herself with a smile on her face. She'd been smiling so hard that her cheeks were starting to hurt.
April looked across the table at her fiancé who now looked visibly relaxed and content. She got up and crossed over to him and parked herself in his ample lap. His arms circled her waist loosely as they shared a long loving kiss that held the promise of later passion.
"I love you Michelangelo," she whispered between kisses.
"Ditto," he whispered back as they continued to kiss.
He stood with her in his arms. She hadn't noticed that just around the corner he had made a makeshift bedding complete with pillows and very comfy, warm looking blankets. This would be a night to remember indeed.