Author's Note: Hello everybody! Welcome back to TMNT 2k14! So I wanted to get some stuff out of the way before we get back into the swing of things. I can't believe how much you guys are enjoying the story so far :) I know I didn't put Donnie and Dani in the previous chapter, but fret not, I will have them in this chapter a bit more. I wanted to focus on the other three couples to get them where I wanted them to be before going back to them :) Now I hope to get some action coming up within the chapter or the next one. So, onward with the chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything of TMNT. All rights go to their creators. I only own my OCs.
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Danielle was in the lab with Donatello, her large t-shirt hanging over her and down to the tops of her knees; Danielle felt a little self conscious when she realized how short the shirt came to her. Danielle realized that her shirt was a light purple, and knew that was the color of Donatello's mask. She fiddled with the edge of the shirt, her shy smile tugging at the edges of her lips; her hair was a little disheveled, the brown strands sticking up slightly from the hours she was in bed and asleep in her fevered state. She was definitely feeling a lot better since sleeping off the fever and the chills; she never felt any better than that, and it was all because of Donatello's efforts.
"Alright, Danielle. I just want to do a quick overview of your vitals to make sure you aren't having anymore signs of the sickness." Donatello said as he came over with a couple of pills in one hand and a glass of water in the other hand. Danielle smiled as she gladly accepted the medicine and the water, quickly swallowing the pills and downing the water with ease. She pushed up her glasses to keep them from falling off, the thick black glasses round and large, highlighting her beautiful teal eyes to show off to the world; even without the make up that she normally wore to bring out her eyes, she was still a beauty.
Donatello pulled his goggles over his glasses, and read her vital signs: temperature was ninety nine point two degrees Fahrenheit, skin wasn't clammy or blotted, breathing was normal - she was better! He let out a sigh of relief, not knowing he was holding his breath for a long period of time. He was relieved that she was better; he wouldn't say it to her, but he was very relieved that she was alright. He pushed his goggles up to his forehead, and smiled at her, happy that she was much better than before.
"Well, temperature has dropped to a little above normal, perspiration minimum, zero red blotches around facial -" Donatello began to babble as he looked over Danielle, who placed her fingertips on his lips, silencing his technobabble with a smile on her face. Danielle giggled as she watched him blush at her action, and looked up at him while caressing his cheek carefully, afraid that she would break him.
"Donnie, I'm alright. I mean it. Thank you for everything. You didn't have to -" Danielle said as she tried to tell Donatello, but was cut off by him who gently grasped her shoulders, and set his gaze at her.
"Danielle. I wanted to because I felt that it was the right thing to do. Anyone in their right mind would've done the same thing. I just - well, I-I-I wanted to make sure, you - well ..." Donatello stuttered as he looked into her teal eyes, those very eyes that stared back at him with an admiration that border lined affection and love.
"Donnie -"
"Danielle, I, well - uhm, I just . . . I wish you didn't have to see me like this. I mean, maybe, well - if I was human, it would be a lot better between us." Donatello stuttered, blushing as he tried to form the right words to say to her.
"What do you mean?" Danielle asked as she placed her small hands on top of his larger ones, feeling the scaly skin beneath her soft flesh.
"I just wish that I was normal. That way, well, you wouldn't be trapped down here with a mutant. Maybe you could've had a prince charming to tend to your needs, cater to you on a daily basis and love you for yourself. And I - well, I can't have that." Donatello sadly said as he took note of her smaller hands on his large ones, and pulled his hands away from her shoulders. He knew he was different and abnormal, that was something he could never change; he only dreamed of having a normal life with his beautiful Danielle above. To be able to see her in the sunlight, to walk down the strip of coffee shops and busy streets, to explore the technology stores and electronics that have always dazzled his mind. But sadly, he couldn't; he was forced to remain below the city, to avoid being seen by anyone who thought of him as well as his family as monsters, freaks of nature, mutants. It hurt him to see her trapped down her with him, and he would give her up just so she could have a normal life.
"I'm just a mutant who doesn't deserve love." Donnie said as his eyes were cast to the floor, sadly expecting her to snap out of her haze, her trance that he had placed upon her.
Danielle couldn't believe what she was hearing - he thought of himself as a freak and wanted her to be happy without him. Knowing that he was different from her didn't matter; what truly mattered to her was he was there for her when she needed him the most, even if she didn't know him at first. Her life had been turned around all because of him, and she never blamed him for any of it. Her eyes looked at him, studying his emotions that wrecked havoc on her brain; he was blaming himself for everything that happened to her, and none of it was his fault. If it weren't for him, she and her sisters would be dead. If it weren't for him, she and her sisters would have been captured by the Shredder or Hun. If it weren't for him, her heart wouldn't have opened up to those beautiful emotions she was feeling at the moment.
"Donatello, you're not just a mutant. You're smart, careful, tender, even a bit fanatic when it comes to electronics. If it wasn't for you and your brothers, we would've been dead or kidnapped by the Shredder or Hun. You took care of me when I was injured by the Foot in the subway; you took care of me when the Foot and the Purple Dragons were trying to get us. And . . . you took care of me just now when me and the other girls were stricken with that damn sickness. Donnie, you're no freak, no monster, no ugly demon. You're a special person, Donatello, and I wouldn't change that in my life. It doesn't matter to me if you're a giant mutant turtle, or if you were a human, you're still you." Danielle said as she looked at him, her hand reaching underneath to tilt his chin up to set their gazes together. She carefully wiped a stray tear that threatened to fall down his cheek, acknowledging the fact that appearances didn't matter to her at all.
"And besides, who would I be able to talk about the latest electronics that'll be coming out soon, and who'll be the one that I get to have that first cup of coffee with in the morning? I certainly can't have a good conversation like that with Eri or the other two girls like I do with you. You just get me, Donnie, and I get you. We just . . . mesh together, like two giant NASA computer towers . . . And I would rather be in love with a turtle who loves me and cherishes me than have no one at all." Danielle smiled and giggled as he adjusted his glasses that threatened to fall off his face.
For someone like him, Donatello felt that he didn't deserve such affection or any form of feeling from a human. He would've been used to them screaming in fear, calling him names such as 'freak', 'monster', 'mutant', but none of those fell from her lips. Only his name - his name only came from her beautiful, light pink lips. Full of promise, full of sunshine and laughter, full of . . . affection and love. He wanted nothing more than to hear his name from her lips, to see the brightness her eyes carried when she laughed and giggled around him, her smile to brighten and widen when she was around him in general. Dear encryptions, he had finally begun to understand, somewhat, the meaning of love and affection from another being. She was his, and whether she realized it yet or not, it didn't matter; Danielle was here, never ridiculing him, never disrespecting him in any way, shape or form. He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip, admiring the feel of her pillow like lips, the soft but slightly chapped skin causing a stir within his being. His eyes widened behind his tortoise shell glasses, hazel eyes boring into teal, his breath softly coming in pants.
"Danielle . . . I . . I ..." Donnie quietly said as he leaned closer to her, his eyes half closed as he cupped her cheek and pulled her closer.
Danielle looked at him, eyes half closed as she felt herself being pulled closer to him. Her slender arms went around his neck, minding of his technical equipment around his neck. Her body was on autopilot, sending signals of euphoria and slight pleasurable shivers into her veins and arteries; Danielle couldn't stop herself, even if she tried. Her breath began to come out in small pants, her breath ghosting in front of his face, the sweet smell of french vanilla mingled with the delicious smell of ground coffee. Their lips were so close, the sweet taste of them both mingling together and combining to create a sweet, succulent taste of coffee and french vanilla.
Her lips and his lips brushed up against one another, the smallest touch brought thousands of tiny vaults shooting through his spine, signals of pleasure and euphoria screaming through his veins. Donatello gasped softly, feeling the little jolts coursing through his body, the small electrical sparks that sent his neurological brain into overdrive mode, decompressing the locked file within his computer like brain; sexual stimuli, dopamine, testosterone and physiological responses began to build up inside his mind, hopefully trying to come up with some logical answer as to what he was feeling right now. But none of that mattered - she mattered, his Danielle and this sweet, innocent, prolonged moment that he had dreamed and fantasized about for eleven years. Danielle felt the same way; her lips pressed against his slightly large, chapped lips enticed little pulses of hot electricity throughout her body, sending those very jolts down to her loins. She had never felt any form of pleasure nor had any experience with it in person, but neither did Donatello; the fact that neither had felt this newly discovered pleasure and were willing to experience it with one another was unlike any form of scientific discovery they had ever encountered before. It made them both feel alive, and they wanted to feel that electrical current between them over and over again.
Danielle wrapped her arms around Donatello's neck, minding his headset as best as she could while pulling him in close to her. Her legs parted, allowing him to step in between them and be that much closer; one arm wrapped around her body, the other gripping the edge of the table, Donnie felt like he was in heaven as he tilted his head slightly at an angle to get a better taste of her sweet, succulent lips. They tentatively kissed again, this time feeling what a true lover's kiss felt like - warm heaven meeting electrical currents of neurological brain waves. A meeting of two computers talking silently to one another, a silent but comfortable and secret message that only passionate lovers could decode to each other- ; their bodies on autopilot, minds driven by pure, unadultered passion, both Danielle and Donatello finally got that first kiss. The kiss began to take over, tasting and feeling one another in a whole new way; Danielle gasped softly as her mouth opened wider, and Donnie took this as an opportunity to try a little something. His instincts kicked in and he carefully allowed his tingue to enter her mouth, and he groaned at the taste and feel of her tongue and mouth. She was delicious, a delicacy that was so rare that only he was allowed to dine on her exotic and earthy taste. Almost a caramel taste with a very small hint of coffee - black coffee, which was his preferable flavor for his coffee in the morning. their tongues shyly playing with each other, lightly teasing at first then unhindered and uncontrolled tasting in a tamed matter, grasping and holding onto each other for dear life. Donnie tightened the grip of his arm around her body, but still being careful not to crush any bones within her; his large fingers teasing a trail up her spine, leaving an invisible trail of warmth through the fabric of her t-shirt, shooting electric jolts and teasing passion in their wake.
Donatello was the first to break the kiss, gasping for air as he lightly laid his forehead against hers while pulling off his goggles and setting them beside her on the table. Both panted for air, shy but goofy smiles adorned their faces as they let the realization hit them like a bunch of bricks - they finally found what real love felt like. A true, passionate first kiss - one that was indescribable and unpredictable that no amount of science, computers or mathematical equations could calculate or dissect what this feeling was growing between them.
"Wow." Danielle whispered as she finally caught her breath and breathed normally for the first time in minutes. Even though she seemed content and calm on the outside, her heart hammered so hard against her rib cage that she felt the muscle would burst out of her.
"Yeah." Donnie said as he opened his eyes to stare into her glazed teal eyes, not caring what the repercussions were at this time and moment.
"So, um . . . d-d-did you like t-that?" Danielle stuttered as she began to straighten her hair as best as she could with her fingers, fidgeting in her spot before looking at Donnie, who just smiled and gazed at her.
Donatello said nothing as he leaned forward while cupping her cheek to give her a chaste kiss on the lips again, loving the feel of hers against his. The love that he felt for her was definitely solidified and confirmed as he knew that she loved him in return. There actually was hope for him; there was hope that you could love someone who was different than you, no matter the appearances nor the way they were brought up - he loved her, a beast had finally found and earned the love from his beauty. A rose that he would never bruise, never pluck the petals from for its beauty lit up the room - his Danielle was that rose, and he had learned to let the cold metal around his heart give way to let her in.
"Need you ask?" Donnie asked as he smiled at her while tenderly caressing her cheek, enjoying the feel of her soft skin quietly. Their moment of solitude and comfortable quiet was, unfortunately, interrupted and in a very noisily matter nonetheless.
"DAMNIT, DUDE! Tell me I am the master cook and you won't get hurt!" Erica yelled as Danielle jumped and wrapped her arms around Donatello, her eyes almost the size of saucer plates as the sounds from the kitchen echoed into the lab.
"NEVER! I'm the better chef, dudette! I won't surrender!" Michelangelo yelled back as Donatello held Danielle tight to his chest with eyes wide behind his glasses as he overheard the crashes and clatters going on in the kitchen area.
"Sounds like another kitchen food fight." Donnie said as he turned to Danielle, who had cheeks tinted pink from the close proximity between them, despite what transpired between them moments ago.
"Wanna go check it out?" Danielle asked as she was set down and smoothed out her shirt at the bottom to keep it from riding up her thighs.
"Eh, why not?" Donnie said as he shrugged his shoulders and led Dani out of the lab and into the kitchen while holding onto her hand in his, his smile never leaving his face.
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Vern crawled out of the kitchen and dashed into the dojo where April came with Leonardo and Lauren were exiting the dojo. The man looked like he saw a ghost, judging by the scared look on his face and the heavy panting he breathed through his lungs.
"Vern, what's the matter?" April asked as she looked worried at her coworker.
"They're - going - at - each - other -" Vern gasped each word out as he tried to breathe in a decent amount of air into his lungs.
"Who?" Lauren asked, dreading the answer that might come out.
"The - orange - turtle and - Eri -" Vern gasped the words while holding onto his chest, almost as if he were having a heart attack.
"Oh, not again. Come on, we better make sure they don't destroy the kitchen. Leonarodo groaned as he and Lauren made their way into the direction of the kitchen, Vern and April hot behind their trail.
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Michelangelo was covered in flour as he ducked from a flying pizza pan coming at him. He and Erica have been going at each other to see who was the better chef of their families for the last five minutes, and already, the kitchen looked like a battlefield with the food and other inanimate objects being flung and tossed at one another. Mikey didn't mean to start the fight, but it was too damn funny to see Eri have a little fit about who is the better chef. His little dudette was a little spitfire, and he was the fuel that added to the fire; the chaos that had ensued between them was the result of the food being flung and shot at. This was indeed an interesting game between the two ninjas.
"Come on, dudette. Just admit it that I'm the better pizza maker and we'll call it a night." Michelangelo said as he wiped the flour off of his face while dodging a carton of milk that was meant to hit his head. Eri was so angry at him for the fact that he might be better than her, but it was all for fun; he didn't mean to hurt her feelings, but it was in the heat of the moment, and he was the master of pranks and jokes. He might've taken it a little too far with her, and he had no idea how to fix it. Luckily, Vern had escaped the kitchen before the chaos became too much for him to handle, and now Mikey had no idea how to handle the war between him and Eri.
"Hell no, dude! I'm the better pizza maker! Now give up!" Erica yelled as she grabbed the opened container of applesauce from the refrigerator and tossed it at Mikey, who grabbed the pizza pan, and used it as a shield to protect himself from the applesauce.
"Come on, dudette. You gotta do better than that." Mikey chided as he grabbed a bag of grapes and hurled them at her, wanting to see what more she could do.
Eri grabbed a heavy bag of potatoes and threw them at Mikey, who bounced them off the pizza pan and hit the wall with a thud. Mikey saw a box of cereal, and tossed it at Eri from behind the turned up table, not taking into consideration that she was grabbing the Hawaiian pizza out of the hot oven. As Eri turned around, the box of cereal came at her, and she quickly kicked it away while still holding the tray with two pot holders. Unfortunately, her reflexes were just a tad slow for her to catch on, and like watching a scene in slow motion, a second box of cereal hit her in the head, and her hands let go of the hot pan. The pizza fell to the floor, the pan creating a thunderous clang as it collided with the concrete floor. Both Eri and Mikey stopped and looked at the pizza, not realizing that their dinner was ruined, and all because of their stupid little food fight.
"I'm sorry . . . I-I'm sorry." Eri began to stutter as shakily began to pick up the ruined pizza, not minding that it was extremely hot from the pan residing underneath it. She grabbed a piece of it, but only felt hot fire course through her fingers as she threw it down just as quickly while blowing on her now burnt fingers.
"ERICA! Are you okay?!" Mikey yelled, freaking out as he ran and jumped over to her, sinking to his knees to make sure she wasn't severely hurt. He grabbed her hand, and overlooked it to make sure that she wasn't too badly burned by the ruined pizza, which laid in between them in a hot, gooey mess of melted cheese and soiled pineapples.
Eri nodded her head quietly as little twin trails of tears ran down her flour caked cheeks, watching as Michelangelo inspect her hand and fingers for any signs of burns. His large green fingers ran over her skin, careful to make sure that he wouldn't damage her any further; Mikey felt sorry for her as well as himself, never meaning to get her hurt by their little game of food fighting.
"I'm sorry, Eri. I didn't mean to get you hurt, I just wanted to have a little fun, that's all. I'm so sorry, little dudette, I don't want you to hate me." Michelangelo apologized as he took her hand carefully in his and cupped it to his cheek while nuzzling it in affection and apology, but that wasn't what caught her in shock - was he purring? Or churring? Whatever it was, it made her even more shocked by him. Erica looked stunned as she watched him, her turtle dude, all sad, nuzzling her and silently asking for her forgiveness while giving her pleading puppy eyes. Eri smiled, despite her tears coming down her cheeks, and scooted herself closer to him, her smile not leaving her face. She took his face in both her hands while minding her one injured hand, and cupped his cheeks, sending little jolts of euphoria throughout his body. Her four caked skin, pieces of fruit and melted cheese stuck to the strands of her strawberry blonde hair, melted chocolate plastered over her shoulders and collarbone as well as parts of her cheeks, which Mikey wiped away with his thumb and licked it off clean.
"Mikey, I'm okay. Just a little sore, but I'm good. There's no reason to worry, dude, because I was worried that I might've hit you with the potatoes." Eri said as she smiled and wiped away the cheese away from his cheek, tossing it to the floor without a care as she stared into his baby blue eyes that almost glowed behind his orange mask.
Almost on instinct, Erica leaned up and let her hands go behind his head, tentative to reach for the knot that tied his mask around his eyes. He nodded mutely as she began to work at the knot of his mask, feeling the rough strands slowly give way from the knot. She loosened the strands behind his head, and slowly slid the material from his eyes and down to let the loose material hang around his neck. She looked in awe as she took in his appearance: his light green skin adorned freckles along his cheeks, which was a trait that attracted to her. His light blue eyes seemed to be brighter without the silly mask, but it was what made him who he was, and she wouldn't trade him for anything in the world.
"Mikey . . ." Eri whispered as she ran her fingers along his cheeks, smiling as she took him for who and what he was.
She felt a little braver as she leaned up on her knees, her heart beating loudly against her ribs like a tidal wave that demanded to be challenged by a surfer; she closed her honey eyes in hopes that she wouldn't be pushed away by her dude. Michelangelo wrapped a muscled arm around her back and pulled her closer to him, his shell tightening so bad that he felt he would explode from the inside. Erica pressed her lips to his and let herself melt into the warm embrace that Michelangelo offered her. He stilled beneath her lips, his mind turned to mush as he came to realize that Eri had accepted him, loved him for who he was. Mikey was happy - his chest ready to burst with joy and glee as he returned the kiss, holding Eri closer to his chest, not wanting to let this moment be ruined. The kiss was slow, almost a kiss of apology - Eri wasn't one to complain because she was happily accepting his apology.
Michelangelo hummed in his throat as he wrapped his other arm around her body, and pulling her as humanly close as possible while their kiss deepened. Erica wrapped her arms around his neck, letting her instincts take over for a change. He was happy, truly happy - always the bubbly one of the four brothers, Mikey always felt that he would someday find that special someone who would accept him for who and what he was, and not ridicule him or make fun of him for whatever reason. He knew the world could be a cruel world, but he was nonetheless happy; his little dudette was happy with him, not caring that he was a mutant turtle who lived a very sheltered life, despite the items he and his brothers have collected from the surface world for years. Their moment, although was an eternity to the two of them, was a few seconds and interrupted by a loud, booming voice that echoed throughout the kitchen.
"MIKEY! What did you do to the kitchen?!" Leonardo yelled as he stood there with Lauren, April, Vern and Donatello, who had Danielle stand next to him while surveying the damage around the kitchen.
"Um, we had a little food fight." Eri said sheepishly as she untangled herself from Michelangelo's arms and ran her hand through her flour caked hair.
"A little? It looked like Hiroshima exploded in here." April said as she looked at the amount of food that was spoiled and trashed throughout the kitchen.
"And we accidentally ruined dinner in the process." Mikey pitched in, smiling as if everything was okay.
"Well then, who wants take out?" Lauren said as she looked at everyone else then back at Leo, who sighed heavily and let his head sink heavily into his hand, not believing what had happened within a course of a few minutes.
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Author's Note: Hi guys! I'm sorry that this chapter isn't as long as the other ones, but due to me being sick within the last week as well as working so much, I haven't had much time to put my story ahead :( I figured that it's been a while since I've updated this baby, so I feel ashamed that I've neglected my baby. But I figured I would try to get back into the swing of things hopefully soon. Reviews are welcomed and I'll see you in the next chapter :)