Author's Note: Whaaaaat another update so soon? :)

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Chapter Forty-Nine: Awakening


April blinked in the dark, wondering what had woken her, and slowly sat up, feeling groggy.

Oh. Yep. Definitely her bladder.

She yawned wide, and the oxygen boost brought the half-lit space into better focus, causing her to tense up. Then memory caught up, before her fledging ninja skills could kick in.

That was right. She was in the Lair. Earlier, she had eaten too much, played video games with Mikey for too long...and obviously crashed on the couch.

April slowly got up, her skin getting goosebumps as her bare feet hit the cool floor. Someone had tried to make her comfortable, tucking a pillow under her head, putting a blanket over her, and taking off her shoes. Maybe Mikey? Or Leo. Probably not Donatello…

April blinked, rubbing her face to wake up more, as she arrived at the bathroom. She had meant to hang out with Donnie tonight. She had shown up after dinner with a huge cake, which everyone had been happy to dig into, including Donnie. But then he'd been quick to excuse himself back to the lab, with Karai, as usual, following at his heels.

For once, April hadn't found the strength to follow them. She had just…needed a break.

A bitter feeling rose, and since she was alone, April didn't bother repressing it. It took a lot of effort, being so upbeat all the time! Especially when Karai pushed her way into every conversation, every…moment with Donnie...

April groaned, annoyed at that tired train of thought, and made her way to the sink to wash up. Her stromach didn't feel so great. Had she really eaten three slices of that stupid cake? She sighed as she washed her hands, then splashed some water in her face, as an afterthought. Maybe she should just go home now, even if it was...?

She dried her hands, and pulled out her phone to check. Ugh. Three twenty-three a.m.

April's mind drifted for a moment; she was floating just a little, still not fully awake. If she were home, she'd already be slumping back under the covers, after all. A wistful frown touched her face. If it were a month ago, she'd be walking down the hall to what used to be her bedroom…

April shook her head slightly, and focused back on the phone still in her hand. Her face softened, as she took in Donnie's smiling avatar - the default background she had somehow never gotten around to changing. This was a truly custom made phone, since Donnie couldn't resist making improvements, however subtle, to each phone he built. It was also one of the coolest presents she had ever received.

Donnie…

Always with a smile just for her. Donnie, who had such an endearing habit of calling her to share interesting things, always with a "Hey April!" to start the conversation. April had been tempted to roll her eyes at him sometimes, even though she actually loved it. He'd showered her with so much attention, shared so much of himself…and what he had to say had always been fascinating, now that she looked back.

He hadn't done all of the talking, not by a long shot. He had listened to her. Reassured her. Been her crying shoulder.

Donnie had become her…best friend.

April's lower lip wobbled, as she forced herself to pocket the T-phone. She…missed him. She missed it all. She thought they had made up, but...he didn't seem to have any extra time for her now, at least not…just for her, however available she made herself.

April sighed again, dashing at her eyes, and quietly opened the restroom door, making her way back toward the pit. She couldn't help tossing another uncharitable thought toward Karai, where she slept in her old bedroom. Seriously. How much time did she spend with Donnie? She lived here, for crying out loud! Did Karai have to hang around him every time she came to visit...?

April paused as a sliver of light caught her eye. The door to Donnie's lab was slightly open. She stared at it, her inner tirade against Karai forgotten.

Donnie…wasn't up right now, right? But then, it wouldn't be the first time. He'd had his eureka moment with retro-mutagen around three in morning, after all. When he was in the middle of something serious, he could go all night, unless Master Splinter got on his case.

April slowly walked over, coming to a stop in front of the door. Maybe she could just take a look, see if he was awake...

She pushed the door open just enough to scope out the lab, her heart picking up as she did. It felt like she was sneaking around, which she kind of was. Her wide-eyed stare went from the largest table, which was laid out with various metal pieces; parts to his latest project, whatever it was. Donnie still hadn't shared any details. The next table was the same, with a small open space for blueprints. Her gaze wandered to his desk...

April froze for a moment, then relaxed again. A soft smile touched her lips, and her hand went to her heart. Her smile lingered as she let herself fully into the lab, and started across the space, moving as silently as she could.

Donnie was here...and fast asleep. He'd obviously nodded off while working.

April stopped a few feet away, studying him. He was slumped over his desk, with one arm stretched out across it. His head rested sideways on the flat surface, while his other arm was curled up in his lap. April could hear a faint whispering snore, as he breathed in and out through slightly parted lips.

Hmph. She really should wake him up. That posture was not going to feel good in the morning. April reached out a hand, meaning to gently shake his shoulder, but paused at the last moment.

He was...kind of adorable, like this.

April's eyes traveled down, taking in his outstretched arm. None of the turtles had what could remotely be considered flab, but Donnie was slenderer than the others, a little more stretched out. Not quite lanky, either, but his frame was undeniably slimmer. His arms had the chiseled look that could only be achieved from hours of intense physical training every day, for years.

April's thoughts soured. Of course, the only reason she could even see his arm was because that stupid shirt he always wore had ridden up to his shoulder.

Her mind immediately shied away from why he wore it. It was painful to think about. More than painful. Horrifying. April didn't cry easily, but tears had become her companion on more than one night, recently, as she tried not to think about that ugly grey shirt and what it hid.

It…looked so strange on him. April had thought more than once that Donnie ought to have pants to go with it, since it felt weird to see what was traditionally the top half of an outfit without a match. Her gaze wandered further, noting how the shirt conformed around Donnie's form, disguising him in a way that had her thinking about his body, and how different it was from her own.

Wanna feel?

April snorted quietly at the memory. Had he really said that to her? He'd been flexing his bicep, just like any teenage boy trying to get a girl's attention. It seemed so long ago, now.

She never had taken him up on the offer.

April's hand was still stretched out to wake him, but it seemed natural to let it rest gently on his arm, instead. Her expression softened into a smile, as she glanced up to his relaxed, sleeping face.

He wasn't human. But he...was sort of handsome, in his own way.

Still thinking back to his silly offer from a year back, April let her thumb ever so gently rub back and forth on his bicep, as nostalgia took her. She sparred with the turtles sometimes, and Donnie had carried her before - they all had, at some point or another. She knew how strong they were, and could remember the feel of their shells, especially Mikey's and Donnie's, since they had shared the most hugs with her.

But she had never really...done this before. Not while paying attention. She shifted her hand slightly, taking in how Donnie's skin felt. She put a hand to her own arm, to compare. Huh...her skin gave in way more. She might be a kunoichi in training, but his arm was like a rock, compared to hers. And she had tiny hairs, even if they were almost invisible, which gave her arm a sort of really subtle fuzzy feel that his skin didn't have. April found herself marveling at how much smoother his skin really was…

Her gaze wandered back up to Donnie's face, studying that more closely, too. His eyes were so big, when they were open. And so expressive. She'd never had trouble reading him, before. Right after his escape from the Foot, he had been clinging to a thin veneer of normalcy, with barely controlled terror just under the surface. Now that fear seemed to be gone, replaced by a smooth, relaxed calm, but April was left guessing at his thoughts. Donnie was friendly toward her again, but it wasn't remotely the same. She sighed, frowning sadly, and once again forced away all the worries about why he'd changed.

April tilted her head to the side a little, to match the angle of his face better, taking comfort in how relaxed he looked. She missed the time in the lab with just the two of them, when Donnie was in the middle of something he loved, talking a mile a minute, explaining what he was doing out loud, even if she only got bits and pieces of it, here and there.

Donatello exuded an energy when he was like that. As if his genius was a form of magnetism, an intangible flame of brilliance that April could somehow sense.

He had been like a warming fire to her. Comforting, safe, soothing...

She smiled softly. If he were human, his mouth would be too wide. But it seemed to work, when she took all of his features together. He was proportioned kind of like one of those Japanese dolls that had the huge eyes, and a mouth, but no nose. He wasn't human, but...

April reaffirmed her earlier thought. He…was sort of handsome.

After the rooftop conversation with Raphael, April had struggled with a sense of shame. At first, she thought it was because she was human; a member of the race who had hurt Donnie just for being different. But, that wasn't it at all. It was really because, when she first met him, she hadn't seen Donatello at all. All she had seen was a…mutant. Someone so deeply different that he frightened her.

April still felt a little ashamed. But as she studied him now, something else replaced that feeling, growing as the moment stretched. It was a sense of fascination, framed by a question that wouldn't go away…

Had she ever really looked, and seen him, any time in the last year...?

April found she couldn't look away, now. It felt as though the moment was stretching out, as her mind whispered to her, showing her all the little things she had never noticed before…

She slowly brought her hand up to Donatello's face, hovering on the edge of contact, as she took in the contrast between his green skin, and her pale, earth-toned fingers. His skin was subtly mottled, its ivy color overlayed in areas with olive toned spots, almost like freckles.

April's lips parted slightly, as her eyes focused on his mouth again. Were Donnie's lips soft, or rough...? Her hand reached further, as if it had a mind of its own, and she ran the tip of her index finger along his lower lip, barely ghosting over it, holding her breath. It was smooth, soft, warm...

His breath hitched slightly.

April leaped back, staring with wide eyes, her heart racing in her chest. Donnie's brow furrowed. His hand on the table slowly flexed, curling into a fist. His breathing was speeding up, as if he was dreaming, or waking up...

April sprinted out of the lab as fast as her legs could carry her.


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AN: Oh, April, how the tables have turned.