Chapter 10 - Post-Traumatic Confessions

It took longer than usual to get back to the lair, winding around some old paths and back-tracking a couple of times, but fortunately they met no signs of being followed. Having just run into to Karai down in the sewers, near their home, they couldn't risk taking any chances.

The path they took was treacherous and the boys were moving swiftly. April quickly understood why Don had suggested she ride on his back. In one place the boys ended up swinging by pipes above them to avoid the knee-deep sewage below (and apparently a couple of booby-traps rigged many years earlier).

April had to tighten her grip in fear of sliding down or falling off. She slung an arm around Donnie's neck and did her best to wrap her legs around his wide shell, finally settling for catching her boots in a crevice on each side.

"Are you ok?" He asked her as she wiggled around finding her footing.

"I'm fine, are you ok? I'm not hurting you am I?"

Don had to suppress a chuckle. Her slight weight was barely noticeable. And if he was being honest, the feeling of her pressed against the back of him and her warm breath on his neck was actually quite pleasant. He was still getting used to April being so close and under different circumstances, he's pretty sure he'd find it arousing.

"No. You're fine." Was his simple reply.

At last they had made it back to the lair, arriving just after Leonardo and Michelangelo who had taken a route above ground.

Don insisted on cleaning April's minor cuts right away, going on about how easily they can get infected and how she hadn't built up their immunities from living in the sewers. Instead of arguing, they all followed Donnie straight into his lab, where April sat on the end of the med-cot while Donnie ran some iodine soaked cotton balls across the dried cut at her jaw line.

Leonardo was in true leader mode and began setting some rules about limiting their contact with Murakami. After their run-ins with Karai near his shop, both above and below ground, it was becoming clear it was unsafe. This was followed by groans from Mikey who had just been getting used to the fresh foods.

April reached over to grab Mikey's arm and delivered a knowing look. He quit complaining, but it was evident it still annoyed him.

What April had seen was the hurt hiding behind Leonardo's eyes. The eldest brother had somewhat confided in her (in so many words) that he still had feelings for the female foot soldier, but that he was well aware he could not pursue her. She could tell that he had been hopeful when he'd suggested that Karai help them team up against the Kraang, and saddened, when instead she reminded him of the betrayal she still felt.

"Well thank you everyone, for coming to rescue me." April chimed in, popping up onto her feet. She wanted to move past this terrible outcome of their afternoon.

"Of course April! You're one of us now!" Mikey gave her a giant hug, gaining a sideways glare from Donatello, wondering how he managed to sneak them in so casually. "You were awesome today! I had no idea you had gotten so good."

"Yeah, you'd almost think you'd been doing some extra training on the side." Leo glanced over at Raphael.

The red banded turtle outright ignored his brother's look and opened up his hand to show something to the crowd surrounding the girl. "You even managed to get your first battle prize."

The four bent over and looked down into Raphael's giant hand to make out the small silver object he was holding.

"Is that Karai's earring?!" Mikey shouted. "Sweeeet! Serves that jerk right!" He laughed.

April noticed Leo silently turn away and leave the room, the others completely oblivious to his reaction.

"All this talk about Murakami reminds me that I'm starving. Anybody else want to eat?" Mikey suggested. Don gave a slight eye roll at his brother's never-ending appetite, but Raph nodded that he would join him as Mike headed out in search of food.

Raphael stepped over closer to April, "Good work today, Red. Nobody gets to kick your butt, but me." His words were playful, but April could see the look in his eyes; relief that she was all right. He awkwardly patted her on the shoulder and as he turned to walk away, he added, "I'm going to go hang your prize on the wall in our training room!"

Donnie stood next to April with a slightly disgusted look on his face as he watched his red clad brother leave the room, emptying it out to only the two of them.

"He always gets me the nicest things." April said in a loving voice, managing to get a good chuckle out of the tall turtle next to her.

A moment later, the laughter faded and the mood in the room turned serious. Donnie turned to the young woman beside him. "You really were great out there today." His eyes dropped to the ground and he added quietly. "I'm sorry I put you in danger, I shouldn't have let you out of my sight."

Before he even had the chance to wonder about her response, April crashed into him, wrapping her arms around, as best she could. Don responded, returning her hug and wrapping his own lanky arms around her.

She pressed her face into the front of his chest, the smooth surface of his plastron cool against her cheek.

"You can't watch-out for me all the time Don." Her voice was a little muffled against him.

"I know." He responded softly, laying his cheek onto the top of her head. "But I can't help my desire to protect you."

"That's why I knew that you would be there. It gave me the courage I needed to fend her off... You're my hero."

April stepped back from the hug, Don immediately missing her contact. Reaching down, she took the edge of either of his large hands in hers and looked up into his warm brown eyes.

Donnie swallowed out of nervousness. April was standing so close to him that he could still feel the body-heat radiating off of her skin. Her slender fingers grasped the side of his hands and he looked up to find her staring into his eyes.

April's tone became serious. "You've always been my hero."

"And I always will be." It came out as barely a whisper.

Before she had a chance to second guess herself, April stood up on her tiptoes, and very slowly leaned in to place a soft kiss right at the corner of his mouth.

Don's eyes shot to the size of pie pans and he froze in place, unable to move or react. April's lips were so soft and she was so delicate and gentle. The elation of her simple touch made him feel dizzy and light-headed.

April leaned back on her heels, to get a better look at his reaction. When she saw the startled look, she worried she had done something wrong.

"I'm sorry… I thought… did you not want me to do that?" She asked timidly.

"Wha…?" Don barely managed to choke out. "No... I mean, yes! I very much wanted that." He finally tumbled out.

April breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you sure, because you look really uncomfortable?"

"More like, completely unprepared." He admitted.

April had to grin, realizing she was not completely surprised by his reaction.

"I've had a few things brought to my attention recently that have gotten me thinking." She explained, her voice soft, but unafraid.

Don felt like time was standing still, the air in the room had stopped moving and the constant whir of servers and computer parts faded away. The entire world had simplified down to himself and the woman standing in front of him.

He could not take his eyes off of her. Her beautiful ginger hair had become loosened from her pony tail in the fight and a few extra strands hung, framing her face. The spattering of freckles stood out against the faint blush tinting her cheeks. And her blue eyes seemed to pick up the small amount of light in the cavernous room and they sparkled like precious gem stones.

Her hands were still holding his, as best as her slender digits could. Her fingertips moved slightly, brushing along the loosened weave of his wraps. The feather-like touch seemed to travel up his arms like bolts of lightning.

"What have you been thinking about?" He finally managed to ask, softening his voice to match her own.

"Just how lucky I am, to have met you."

"I'm pretty sure I'm the lucky one in that department." He added quietly. She acknowledged him with a soft smile, but continued her explanation.

"And how important you are to me." She paused and looked up to lock eyes with the tall turtle standing in front of her. Her hands still holding his, she gave a small squeeze.

April could feel her heart pounding furiously in her chest and that sensation of warmth had again flooded her body. This was it. This was her moment to lay it all out there. No turning back now.

"And... that I really care about you. In a more than just-friends kind of a way." Her explanation felt lack-luster, she wasn't really sure how to voice the immense feelings she had for this man, but she knew that she wasn't really ready to define them either. She hoped that she had at least gotten her point across.

The words left April's mouth and for a split second Donnie was quite certain his brain had exploded. There was no way the words he had just heard could possibly be correct. "You…? me…. ? Really?" It was one of the first times that Donatello truly found himself unable to form a sentence.

April's grin spread across her features into a wide smile as she nodded her head at his attempt to communicate.

"Yes. … and I think you like me to."

Donatello's first thought was that 'like' was such an understatement, it was almost laughable. And while he prided himself on accuracy, he dare not correct her. Instead he nodded silently, his eyes never leaving hers. He was so nervous he'd say something wrong to ruin this moment and felt petrified with fright.

April could see how frazzled the young man was; Don had never been one to keep his cool around her. She thought of the perfect distraction. "So do you feel better prepared now?" She asked, raising one eyebrow mischievously.

"Prepared…? For what?" Don had completely lost the meaning.

"For this, silly." April tugged down on his arms, causing him to lean forward just enough, for her to reach up on her tip toes and meet his lips full-on with her own.

His skin was surprisingly soft. It was smooth and slick too, but much softer than she'd imagined. His mouth was much wider than hers and she could feel it stretching into a grin as her soft lips danced across them.

At some point, Donatello's brain registered that this was his first kiss, but for once he was listening to his heart instead. It felt as though it had been jump-started and was beating so furiously it was going to pound straight out of his chest. He was afraid to move, afraid that somehow if they broke contact, it would all end and he'd realize that this was just a dream. But then, he felt April move her hands up to lay them against his plastron, her gentle touch calming him. He placed his hands on her shoulders and allowed himself to lean into her touch even more. A gentle sigh escaped her and the deliciously sweet sound made the blood tingle in his extremities.

Despite how it felt, the kiss was short and gentle, both feeling nervous and a little shy. They broke apart and he bent forward to rest his forehead on hers, his large hands still holding her upper arms and shoulders. They stood like this for a minute or two, allowing their heavy breathing to abate while relishing the closeness.

"Even in my wildest dreams, I never could have thought kissing you would be so amazing." He muttered, half aloud and half to himself. "I think I'm a little light-headed."
He could hear April let out a soft giggle at his comment, but neither budged from their spot.

"Too bad it took this long for one of us to make a move." April teased.

"I thought my feelings were unrequited." Don spoke softly, almost afraid to say it.

"It took me a little while to figure mine out." April leaned back and reached up to stroke his cheek. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"It was definitely worth it." Donatello smiled, leaning into her touch.

"Hey Donnie can–" A third voice broke into the room and startled to two teens.

They spun towards the sound to see a surprised Leonardo to have found them in such an intimate position.

"Oh. I'm… I'm sorry." He turned on his heels and quickly left the lab.

"I seriously need to start locking that door." Don quipped as he watched his brother depart, upset that he had managed to kill the mood.

"Poor guy, I feel bad." April remarked, stepping back from Donnie's arms and leaning against the counter.

"You feel bad? He walked in on us." Don seemed confused by her statement.

"He's hurting." She said softly, her gaze unfocused to something on the ground.

"What do you mean?" Don asked.

"Didn't you see how he reacted to Karai today?"

"What? No way. He told us there was nothing going on with her, and I believe him." Don shook his head, the very thought of it was too preposterous.

"Oh I don't think that there's anything going on." She clarified. "But you can't always help who you fall for."

Her words were just meant as an explanation and she hadn't intended them to parallel the two of them in any way, but Don could only think of how many times he tried to look at April as only a friend. To not ache for her to return his feelings. He nodded silently, suddenly feeling very sad for his eldest brother.

April's mind seemed to shift back to their previous topic and she reached up to place one hand on Don's plastron. "We should keep this," She made a small gesture with her eyes to indicate themselves. "between us for now."

The thought of not shouting his happiness from the rooftops threw him off for a second and he could only manage to voice this thought in two words. "Why exactly?"

"Well, I don't want to rub anything in Leo's face." She listed, and Don had to nod in agreement. "And also, your brothers are going to torment us relentlessly. And I for one, wouldn't mind putting that off for a little while."

Don's eye-ridge perked up with understanding. "You are correct. I completely agree."

She bounced up on her tip-toes again to place a soft peck on his lips. "C'mon, let's go eat."

Don stood with a stupid grin on his face as he watched the girl of his dreams head for the door. If he had ever thought it possible, it certainly wouldn't have happened like this. But honestly he didn't really care. She said she liked him and while he knew his feelings ran so much deeper, he'd take anything. The very thought that someone as amazing as her could care for a mutated freak like himself was the very best thing he had ever learned.

He wanted to question her and find out exactly what this all meant. Were they dating now? Was she his girlfriend? It was a scenario he had never found himself in before and he felt completely lost without any answers. But for the first time, he was at ease with the unknown, because he knew that he'd get to figure it all out with April by his side.

"Are you coming?" She asked from the doorway, a cheerful small radiating across her features.

I'd follow you anywhere. Was the answer that sprang to his mind, but aloud, he simply said, "Absolutely."

End Chapter 10 - Post-Traumatic Confessions

A/N - It's not over yet! I just couldn't keep you all waiting on this part any longer! So...(hides under a blanket)... what did you think? I know it wasn't all fireworks and passionate kissing as they fall back into bed together, but I was trying to be realistic. They're teenagers, both a little shy, one with no experience to social interaction, and they are both nervous knowing that they will have a few more hurdles than the average couple... I hope it wasn't too lack-luster because of it.

I'm dying to know what you thought! Pretty Please leave a comment! I'm already working on chapter 11!