Okay, so if you caught the last chapter 19 before I deleted it to post this one, the beginning is pretty much the same up until April gets a call from Donnie. I thought I took it a little to far with the drama it was a bit out of place and random... I've got something else dramatic planned anyway. I hope you enjoy this one! It's my longest chapter yet!

The next morning, Baxium awoke right before the sun began to rise over the buildings. Mira was curled up under his arm sleeping soundly. He watched her sleep for a moment, her calm breathing relaxing him and her warmth drawing him closer to her. He shifted slightly so he could hold her closer without moving her and she stirred lightly. Her eyes opened and lazily closed again as she drifted back off into sleep.

He smiled and closed his eyes once more.

Mira woke up under Baxium's arm. He was gently snoring next to her and she found it difficult to feel at peace given the previous night's conversation. Though she knew he said it was fine, she still felt like she had disappointed him and was a shitty girlfriend. If he was clearly wanting something from her, why couldn't she just give it to him?

She curled up under his arm in a self-conscious bubble. She wanted to go home so she wouldn't have to face him again. Why did he have to bring it up? Why couldn't she just be a normal kind of girl? Someone who could make him happy like he wanted? Was he happy with her now?

So many thoughts and questions filled her head- none of them pleasant.

Beside her, Baxium was slowly stirring from his sleep, his arm squeezing her to make sure she was still there next to him. With a hum, he woke up and smiled at her. With her back to him, he thought she was still asleep. He gently nuzzled her and stayed lying next to her, enjoying her company as the room lit up from the sunrise. The city was wide awake, but they weren't moving anytime soon.

/

Outside the old O'Neil Technology building, large trucks were gathered and being loaded with equipment. The building was being cleared out all Saturday and Sunday while the new building was being prepped for move in.

Donnie was making sure the equipment being moved out was well taken care of as April ran through her list of things to be done. She had an assistant working with her at the old building who copied down all the things that needed to be done so April could get things ready at the new building.

"Thanks, Min," April said after gathering her things. "I've got to meet Casey at the new location and make sure everything's ready for move in."

"You got it Mrs. O'Neil," Min replied. Min stood at about the same height as April, with jet black hair that framed her face and big, serious eyes. Min was of the planet D'Hoonib- one that the turtles knew well. April knew that she could count on her to get things done.

"Mrs. O'Neil, you sure you don't need someone to go with ya?" One of her employees asked.

She gave him a wave and continued on her way. "Thanks, I think I can manage the drive there. Let Donnie know I left when you see him."

He gave her a nod and left downstairs as she walked out to her car. April walked outside with her head held high as she prepared to leave this side of Brooklyn for good. She gave one last glance at the graffitied and ruined wall of her building's south side and pulled out of the parking lot with a terrible feeling in her chest. Suddenly, she heard a loud pop that could have been her tire, but she didn't want to risk getting back out of her car.

As she continued to drive away, nothing felt out of the ordinary and she drove just fine. When she glanced in her rearview mirror she saw three Grinkels watching her drive away. Her heart raced but she continued driving, not stopping for anything.

The Grinkels were a more aggressive population that made a home in Brooklyn, claiming several neighborhoods as "their territory" that O'Neil Tech just happened to move into. They felt entitled to the land they lived on due to how they lived on their own planet. Unfortunately, they were forced out by Rogue Federation that didn't want to take part in the intergalactic alliance. As the Rogue Federation spread its influence, more aliens sought refuge on Earth- whether they wanted to or not.

The resulting culture shock on all ends was practically ignored by local law enforcement unless serious crimes were being committed- property destruction not among those crimes. April didn't want the police to be involved if it meant someone had been attacked or killed, so she found a suitable building in Queens that would hopefully be better for her employees, even if they had a longer commute.

/

As Baxium made breakfast, Mira lay in his bed staring at her phone. Ashley was on her way to work and let her know that she was going to go out that night with Mikey. Mira wanted to be happy for her, and through text she did tease her, but she still couldn't get out of her own head about her conversation with Baxium. He still thought she was asleep.

She gave a heavy sigh, turning off her phone and curling back up in bed. She really wished he hadn't ever brought it up.

The smell of cooking breakfast food made her stomach grumble. It was enough to inspire her to get out of bed and say good morning to him at least. She wasn't expecting him to seem so happy to see her as he gave her a hug and a good morning Triceraton kiss. He was almost finished with breakfast and wanted her to eat with him if she didn't have any plans.

"Ashley's working most of the day, so no. I don't really have anything planned."

"Great, then we can just have a lazy Saturday in- if that's okay with you." His smile and the look on his face made Mira feel conflicted. On one hand, she was so in love with him that his smile only pulled her in deeper, but on the other hand she still felt embarrassed about the night before. She wanted to apologize to him, even, for being broken and shy. But something told her he wouldn't have any of it anyway. She knew he'd tell her there really wasn't anything to apologize for, but it didn't stop her from feeling like there was.

She continued to fight off the lingering negative feelings even as they ate together and curled up on the couch. Baxium could tell that something was wrong, but after the disaster of the night before he wasn't sure if he should bring it up. He had already ruined her mood once that he didn't really want to do it again, but he hated leaving everything up to interpretation. The whole reason he brought it up was to avoid future awkwardness, but instead he just made things worse.

I guess dating humans is a little more trouble than I thought it was, he thought. He watched her as she sat in his arm, thinking hard to herself. I really hope I didn't ruin anything between us... Ryan said I shouldn't be so forward but I didn't listen to him...

He pulled her in close and let her head rest under his chin so there was no eye contact as he spoke. "I hope you're not feeling bad about yesterday," he said softly. "I didn't mean anything by it, really. I'm fine no matter how you feel, but I just wanted to know. I just hate not knowing what you're thinking... but I'm glad that I know now. And I hope you aren't feeling too weird by it."

Mira didn't know what to say. Was this just normal communication between two people in a relationship? She wasn't used to communicating in such an up front manner. Most of the conversations she was used to were rooted in heavy passive aggressiveness. How could he stand just being so up front about his feelings? The mere thought of it made her uncomfortable.

"Anyway, that's the last I'm gonna say about any of it until you bring it up, okay?"

Mira stayed still. She might have nodded, but she couldn't be sure. At least the rest of their afternoon wouldn't be so awkward.

/

Casey was waiting for her with bated breath in front of the new building, when she pulled in he was finally able to relax and went to greet her as soon as she parked.

"I really wish you had someone come with ya, I'm sure Donnie would've been happy to bring you here," he said.

"Donnie has important things to do Casey, everyone does. They wanted us out of there so we're leaving- why would they try anything?" she replied with a sigh.

Casey put his hands on her shoulders and looked in her eyes. "April, I love you babe and I'm worried about you. You got this whole company on your shoulders and ain't even lettin anyone help you. You got a lotta changes happenin right now and you gotta let me help you out more."

She gave him a smile, grateful he was so worried about her, but certain that it was unnecessary. "Thanks, Casey. I appreciate your help already but maybe I could use a little more..."

She felt the first round of nausea hit her for the day and tried to shake it off.

"Let's go inside and figure out all the arrangements."

"Good idea," she said with a smile, allowing him to walk with his arm around her as they entered the new building. In many ways it was better than the old one- particularly the large space for testing their prototypes.

As they exited the elevator and walked to what would soon be her office, her phone rang. It was Donnie. "Are you there?" he asked, referring to her arrival.

"Yes, Casey's here too, we're about to set up in my office and get to work."

Casey unlocked the door as they continued their conversation. "Oh good, I just wanted to check up on you. We're about done here, too. We'll get most of the trucks packed up before the night's over."

April smiled and set her case down on the desk. "Glad to hear everything's on track. Keep it up, Donnie."

"Will do, see ya tomorrow."

As she hung up, April relayed her happiness to Casey. "Everything's on schedule thanks to Donnie," she said with a smile. "I don't know what I'd do without him. Or you," she added as he walked closer to her and put his arms around her waist.

"You gotta give yourself more credit," Casey said as their foreheads touched. "You're the brains of this whole operation."

She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You keep me sane."

Casey picked her up and set her down on her new desk. "Whattaya say we commemorate your achievement before we get to work, huh?"

He smirked as he leaned in and she gently pushed him away. "Casey, not a good time or place," she said with an embarrassed laugh.

Casey gestured to the rest of the room and building. "April, there's no one else here! We'll never be alone in this building after tonight, and you could use some stress relief..."

April allowed him to come back in for some kissed as she looked out of her windows. "Well... I guess you have a point. But I'm already pregnant," she reminded him.

"And we don't have much longer before we can't do anything," he replied.

April smiled at him as he moved back in and she met him with a kiss. "Alright, you got me."

/fav tv show, fav animal, fav movie and genre, beer, snack food, candy, ice cream flavor, season,

"Hey Baxi," Mira asked, cuddling with him on his couch.

"Hm?"

"When's your birthday?"

"My birthday? May 30th. When's yours?"

"Not 'til September... Aw, wait I missed your birthday!" she complained, turning her body more so she was looking at him better.

He gave her a smile and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it, I'll have another one."

"What about your favorite color?" she continued to question.

"Are you just trying to find out all my favorites all in one night?" he asked amusedly. Mira just nodded, staring at him with big curious eyes.

"Well, my favorite color is yellow, and I like all kinds of music, long walks in the park, and a delicious meal with mostly meat in the main dish," he said as he looked at her. "What about you?"

"Well," Mira started without skipping a beat. "My favorite color is purple, I like any music with the like techno noise in it, I guess you'd call it EDM or happy hardcore. But I also still listen to some of the shitty high school music I liked when I was in high school, and my favorite food is fusilli." She finished with a nod and Baxium gave her a questioning look.

"What's fusilli?"

"Well, the fusilli my Nonna makes. It's handmade pasta that's like a firm, satisfyingly chewy, but not overly chewy noodle that's like almost 3 inches long, and it's not just rolled out but you twist it too so that it's got like a little line. It's good."

Baxium smiled as he watched and listened to her explain fusilli. She talked with her hands, a habit she blamed on her Italian background. "I'd love to try some," he said with a nod. "It sounds really good the way you describe it."

Mira smiled and continued to think about all the questions she wanted to ask him. She had so much she wanted to know about him that it was hard to think of what to ask first. "Okay, what's your favorite season?"

Baxium had to think about that one for a moment. They continued to go back and fourth with their questions as the day went on. Before they knew it, Ryan came home for the first time since Mira had been there. She had no idea what to expect when she saw Ryan for the first time, but another human being wasn't something she really considered.

"Oh, Ryan! Welcome back," Baxium greeted, his arm still around Mira as Ryan removed his shoes. "Mira's here!"

Ryan looked back at him curiously. "Oh yeah?" He smiled when Mira peeked her head out, he was surprised to see how small she was compared to Baxium. "Hi Mira, nice to meet you finally."

He walked over to the couch to extend his hand to her. He had very dark hair with a burgundy tint and was a very tall man, even for a human. Mira shook his large hand and returned his smile. Maybe the apartment was just full of big, soft boys.

"How is your grandmother?" Baxium asked.

"She's doing alright," he said with a sigh. "Gettin up there, but she's still cooking and overly concerned with us, so I think she's good."

"That's good to hear. How about Angel?"

Ryan smirked and gave a little shake of his head. "Same as always, tryin' to take over the world."

They shared a short laugh as Mira watched, not knowing who any of the people they were talking about were. "Angel's my sister," Ryan explained. "She's out of the apartment like I am, but we go see our grandma regularly. She raised us since we were young."

"Oh," Mira replied thoughtfully.

"Well, don't mind me. I've got a little bit of paperwork to finish before Monday so I'll probably be in my room or at the table."

"Okay," Baxium and Mira replied before cuddling back up together on the couch. Though she felt a little awkward, Ryan's genuine warmth helped relieve some of it. She didn't feel incredibly awkward being so close to Bax while Ryan was home, and Bax definitely wasn't feeling awkward as he held her close and leaned toward her.

/

Ashley hurried home from the seafood restaurant she worked at, smelling like various typed of fish and fried foods. She'd be home by 4pm and barely have time to shower and get ready for the date she agreed to go on with Mikey. As the time crunch started to get to her, she began to wonder why she agreed to go out with him right after she finished a shift at work.

She ran up the stairs and into the apartment, immediately feeding the cat before stripping down and jumping into the shower. She felt an unnecessary amount of stress trying to get ready for a very low-pressure date. All he had suggested was grabbing a bite to eat and going for a walk.

After a few repetitive self-assurances, Ashley finally decided to just put on a big sweater, leggings, and fixed her hair into an updo. She took a breath and assured herself that whether the date went well or not, she wouldn't care. It was just one guy, one really confident and cute guy with a great sense of humor who lived right above her.

"Fuck this guy," she grumbled to herself, though she knew she didn't mean it. It was only 4:45 and Mikey wouldn't knock on her door for another hour.

"Stressed out for nothing, as usual," she said to herself before plopping onto the couch and taking a deep breath. "I hate dating."

/

Mikey walked home with a bit more of a skip in his step, feeling much less stressed about the date than Ashley was. He hadn't had recent experience with dating, but he knew the basics and was confident in his ability to charm just about anyone. He'd knock on her door, compliment her appearance, then walk her down to his favorite pizza place where they'd grab a cheap but delicious slice and eat while walking down to the nearby park. It wasn't a very big park, but it was still just the right amount of romantic for a first date with a timid lady.

With a big grin on his face, he knocked on the door to her apartment. He was dressed in his favorite basketball shorts and shirt, the more comfortable items of clothing he owned.

Inside, Ashley frantically put on her shoes and turned off all the lights she had on. "I'm coming!" She took a deep breath after grabbing her keys and opened the door after calming down. Her cheeks were already flushed with the mere thought of going on a date. It didn't help that Mikey was already smiling when he saw her.

"Hey Ashley, lookin good."

"Oh, thanks. You too," she said with a shy smile. "Where are we going?" she asked while closing the door.

"Just to one of my favorite pizza joints. One dollar slices," he said enticingly.

"Ooh, cheap date," she replied with a smile.

"Well, you know. Low key really."

Ashley shook her hand as they left the building. "I didn't mean anything by it! I live for one dollar pizza." Great, she thought. Insult him with the first thing you say.

He just smiled and continued to lead her to the pizza place. "Who doesn't?"

She smiled shyly and followed beside him, thoughts racing through her head about what he was thinking and generally taking things too far in her head- as she does.

Despite her mind working against her, she was determined not to ruin the date with awkwardness or running her mouth. Mikey was a chill guy, he made her laugh, and if she remembered right, he was a good kisser.

"I'm glad we got to go out," he said as they walked with their pizza. "I was sorta hoping I'd get to know you a little better."

He just kept saying things Ashley didn't know how to reply to. His words were so genuine and kind that they caught her off guard. "Well, here we are!" she said with a smile, stepping a little closer to him.

The sun began to set as they entered the park, pizzas almost gone, talking about whatever came to mind.

/

"Alright, I think that does it for most of the planning," April said as she closed her laptop. Casey had dozed off in a chair in the corner but awoke at the sound of her laptop clicking shut.

"You're done?" he asked as he rubbed his eyes and stood up.

She turned to him and smiled. "Yeah, I'm done for the night. Gotta be back tomorrow morning though," she said. She looked up as Casey came to her.

"Good, so we can get home now," he said.

She stood up with a smile, taking his hand. "Yes, we can go home now."

They shared a kiss before packing up her things and heading out of the building. When they got home they'd unwind in bed together, thinking about their futures and all the plans they had yet to make.

As Casey and April wound down, Baxium carried Mira back home on his shoulders. Though she felt a little ridiculous, there weren't many people out around the neighborhood to see her sitting on the shoulders of an almost 8-foot tall Triceraton.

When they arrived at her apartment, Baxium lowered her down and gave her a gentle kiss to the forehead.

"Have a good night, love," he said as he held her hand.

"You too," she replied. Though part of her wanted him to come back inside with her, she knew it would still be a little too awkward for her to handle. "Text me when you're home safe."

"As always," he gave her another kiss before slowly turning around and walking home. She watched his massive form stroll down the sidewalk for a moment before she went inside to join Ashley in their bedtime routines.

"So how was your date?" Mira asked with a sly grin.

Ashley's nostrils flared as she hid her reddened face. "Fine, nothing special."

"Uh huh," Mira replied with a knowing look.

"Really! It was nothing. We had pizza and a walk and then we came back and that's it. The end."

"Wow, that sounds really cute," she said.

Ashley just brushed her off. "We probably won't even go out again."

"Why not?"

Ashley just shrugged. "I dunno, he's probably not interested after that."

"Did something happen?"

"No," Ashley began. "I just... I dunno. It's weird. Maybe it's just cuz I've never actually gone out with someone in a while."

Mira gave her a reassuring look. "Well, just don't sabotage yourself like you always do."

"Easier said than done," Ashley replied with a roll of her eyes. "Anyway, how was your night?"

Mira gave her practically the same treatment she had just received. "It was fine..."

In their typical fashion they continued to doubt themselves while encouraging the other. It barely helped either one, but they at least went to bed considering the other might be right about giving their respective love interests a shot without being so hard on themselves.

What a long ass chapter... I'm glad it's done!