(n.) The inexplicable urge to push people away, even close friends who you really like.

He never looked directly at her. Never made eye contact the entire time Fae and Leo unraveled their story and Mikey interjected every so often. He remained standing (he wasn't about to make it seem like he was getting rudely comfortable) and stared down at his feet, only lifting his eyes for split seconds to catch another tiny glimpse.

Even so, Donatello was able to conclude that she had a quiet attractiveness.

She'd retracted her expressive words and faces, remaining stable and silent. It intrigued him, how fluidly she transferred from untamed exuberance to timid demureness. Vienna differed from the few other females Donnie had met before. There was no speck of adamant or rebelling nature, like what Karai possessed. Her eyes were secretive, but not conniving, unlike the smug gaze of a witch-girl gone back to Japan. Renet Tilley had enthusiasm that couldn't be reigned in, and this girl had effortlessly hidden her bubbliness away. The differences between Fae and Vienna were obvious - they were opposites, from their hair color to the way expressed themselves. Nor was she all that similar to April - Vienna's ability to switch demeanors was much smoother, more graceful. It would take days of enduring April's startling-yet-lovable fieriness before it subsided to tender sweetness.

He was doing it again. Retreating into his thoughts. Thoughts about April, particularly. There she was again, interrupting him with her eyes. Breaking his will with her smile.

"-and told me we needed to find you. So here we are." Donnie pulled himself out of his stupor in time to hear Fae wrap up her narrative.

"You've been through alot." Vienna's voice sounded for the first time in what had to be thirty minutes. "I'm sorry about your parents. I know my condolences won't do anything to ease your pain, but nonetheless..."

"Thank you." Fae smiled, allowing her platinum bangs to drape across her face for a moment to hide the tears twinkling in the corners of her eyes.

"So, here's what I'm getting from all of this," Vienna began to count out the facts on her fingers, "The Foot Clan is evil. You guys' sister, Karai, is being held captive, or is dead. We need to rescue her, pronto. This Ōkami Yamada gal gave you directions to fine me. Oh, and she's your master's half-sister? Crazy. I have these abilities to transform into some kind of animal - an animal that, as of yet, is unknown, and hasn't surfaced. You know I'm a... for lack of better wording, chosen one, because of Ōkami's message and my tattoo. You four brothers touched some green sludge, and now you're all trained in ninjutsu. You've spent your lives fighting alien brain blobs, galactic dinosaurs, and Foot ninjas. Shredder is the leader of this clan. And we still don't know who the other two - erm, Freeformers are. Also, Leo is completely off the market as of three months ago, due to Faline's smooth skills of flirtation."

She'd run out of fingers to count on.

"That's the gist of it," Leo affirmed, cheeks tinged with red at the last comment.

"I wouldn't say 'smooth skills of flirtation'. More like fate," Fae added.

Vienna glanced out the window, through her slightly translucent curtains at the rising moon. Her hands wandered to the ends of her hair, tugging at the strands nervously. She had lowlights, Donnie realized, as he watched her fiddle with her hair. They definitely weren't as prominent as April's saturated red locks, but he caught hints of auburn peeking out in the midst of her dark, straight, smooth—

"Don?"

"Hm?" He jolted once he realized Vienna was staring back at him.

"She asked you a question." Raph snickered, though his taunting laugh was muted, for fear of another verbal lashing from the girl with the glasses.

"Oh." Donnie cleared his throat, smiling bashfully at her. "I'm sorry, please repeat that."

She allowed herself a half-grin, seeming to know exactly what he'd been contemplating (though that was impossible, how could she be privy that?). "I asked why you were on the roof tonight in the first place."

I swear, it wasn't because I was stalking you, or prying into your personal pigeon-coop studio to snoop out clues. No, I was just seeking refuge from the terribly awkward situation that presented itself when the long-time girl of my dreams dropped by with her delinquent of a boyfriend, Donnie thought.

"I was only going out to get some fresh air, and happened upon you," he said instead.

"Ah." She didn't believe that, he could see it in her eyes. For a split second, her thoughts weren't indecipherable behind the enigmatic spheres of – he still couldn't tell what color they were. Dark brown in the center, fading into a hazel, then green, then blue, then gray. He could've sworn they'd been more brown-hued when he first met her, but perhaps the light had affected his accurate perception of her irises.

"Anyway," Fae drawled, dragging out the word to make up for the gauche lull in the conversation, "We need to know if we can have your support."

"Do I have a choice?" she asked, laughing without humor, "If I don't comply, I'll at some point get these shape-shifting abilities and have no one to turn to for insight. And your clan is in danger, and so is Karai. So yeah, sure. You have my complete support. I'll join this bunch of odd outcasts and put myself in mortal danger." She sounded melancholy, until her lips split into another smile. "Sounds like a good adventure. Haven't had one of those in... well, ever."

"Sweet!" Mikey exclaimed, engulfing her in a bear hug that momentarily hid the small girl from view, "Now you can come over and eat pizza and train and play videog—"

Her hand over his mouth cut him off, sealing his lips and reminding him to stay quiet, though she whispered merrily, "I'm not much of a gamer girl, but pizza sounds great."

The youngest of the brothers hummed with happiness, pulling back with a thumbs-up and then bouncing on his haunches with a child-like beam.

Everyone in the room froze again when something on the other side of the bedroom door cried out. Donnie was back underneath the bed in an instant, feeling more and more like a knock-off Boogie Man by the second.

Nice going, Mike, Donnie thought in disgruntlement.

"Hey, where...?" Vienna's confused voice called for a moment, before her feet came into view, padding over to the door. He could picture her with an ear pressed against the wood, listening intently, though he couldn't see anything above her knees.

Donnie heard the door open and close softly.

"The coast is clear, guys."

"But... wasn't there someone outside the—ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod it's so cute!" came the sound of Mikey's voice.

"Michelangelo!" Leo's reprimanding voice hissed in warning, "Keep it down!"

Donnie grunted to himself, twisting and flailing as he found himself once again stuck. Damn it, why did he always choose this hiding spot?

"Oh no... Leo, get it away," Fae squeaked.

"Where did that thing come from?" Raph asked.

Donnie finally managed to poke his head out, frowning. "What's going on?"

In answer, a small fur ball pranced up to him and gave him a big, sloppy, wet kiss.

"She's so tiny!" Mikey fanboyed, kneeling and beckoning for the dog to come near, scooping her up and nuzzling her little black nose with his.

"Keep it down," Leo warned, gathering Fae up into his arms comfortingly. Her eyes were watering.

"Fae, are you alright?" Vienna whispered worriedly, once again bending to help Donnie up, her lips puckered in a suppressed smile when she spotted the dog slobber smeared across his face.

"I...I'm allergic," she sniffled, sneezing abruptly and muffling the noise directly in Leo's shoulder. Leo, true to form, stayed composed and chivalrous, remaining silent while she sniveled before gently taking her hand and guiding her to the window for some fresh air.

"How could anyone not want to be around the cutest thing on Earth?" Mikey asked, ruffling the dog's fur and cooing to her affectionately, "Well, second cutest. Ice Cream Kitty is a tough competitor to beat."

"You know, when the cutest thing on Earth also makes you sneeze your brains out, you tend to think of that cuteness as more of... an annoyance," Donnie explained.

His brother and Vienna gasped simultaneously.

"Artemis is not annoying," she pouted, "She's a well-behaved little pup. Aren't you, girl?"

In response, Artemis panted and wagged her tail, squirming away from Mikey to nestle into the brunette's arms. Vienna kissed the top of the canine's head, before looking up at Donatello in a bit of contemplation. "You're still covered in saliva. Here, I'll get something for you to wipe it off with."

"No, that's not necessary," he evaded, rubbing his arm over his face and stepping back. As much as he wanted to observe how different she was, he also wanted to leave. Her witty charm was off-putting. Somehow, it made her more intimidating to him, rather than more approachable.

"You've got something else on your mind." Vienna speculated, nodding and letting the canine scamper across the room to sniff at Raph's feet. "I think you've had enough social interaction for one night. We all have."

It was scary, how intuitive she was. And that just made him more uncomfortable, knowing he couldn't hide anything.

"Well, as much as I'd love to watch Fae's brains turn to snot," Raph jutted a thumb toward the girl at the window now consumed with nasal congestion, "I think it's time to go."

"Really, I'm fine," Faline insisted, smiling weakly despite the angry hives breaking out on her chest.

"Really, you're not." Leo frowned in the way of a concerned caretaker, brushing her hair behind her ear to prevent her from gluing it to her face with the tears from her puffy eyes.

"I can put her out," Vienna offered, "I didn't think she'd cause this much commotion."

"Don't take the adorableness away! I can't be relied on to supply the cuteness alone!" Mikey begged, his puppy-dog eyes identical to those of Artemis.

"No, we should get back to the lair, April," Donnie said, rubbing the back of his neck and trying to hide the small smile that threatened to appear when the dog bounded up to his feet and stared up with reverence at him. "I'm sure we'll see each other soon."

"Leo," Raph barked to his eldest brother, making the leader turn from his love with a look of irritation. "What's the plan with Ms. Sarcasm Queen?"

Rather than taking offense to it as many others would've (if he'd called April something like that, Raph's shell would be pummeled five feet into the concrete by now), Vienna giggled. "Now that's more like it! Addressing me by my formal name. I didn't know you possessed any level of class, Raphael."

Mikey guffawed, while the red-banded turtle looked at her with a baffled and slightly annoyed face.

"We need to figure out a plan to rescue Karai, first and foremost. The bit about my training to become a Freeformer will come later. Next is the priority of finding this Ōkami Yamada. I suggest we meet in a place where we can more accurately get an inside eye on Shredder's headquarters, and then go from there to figuring out how to bust her out."

Leo had frozen, his mouth still partially open as if he were about to speak, as he stared at Vienna, who had risen and now held a confident stance, arms crossed, feet slightly apart, eyes stone.

He quickly clamped his lips shut. "Uh, yeah. That sounds good."

"Great! Name a time and a place. After 3:45, because my mom's ordered me to practice all day until then," she rolled her eyes a bit, "and definitely not anytime before 5 in the morning. Unless you wanna see my unsightly bedhead."

"Me armor, you could never look unsightly," Mikey attempted in a suave voice.

"It's 'mi amor'," Donnie corrected out of habit, shutting his trap when Vienna's attention shifted back to him. Artemis was now pawing softly at his leg, begging for affection. He reluctantly bent down to give the dog a pat on the head, then squeaked as she leapt forward and covered him in giddy licks again.

"She likes you," Vienna stated with a smile. "She'll only gives kisses if she's warmed up to someone."

"Lucky me," he muttered, face dripping with canine drool.

"Anywho," Vienna addressed Leo again, "You got the details figured out?"

The leader had been ready for her sudden drift back to him. "5 o'clock. Meet us at the manhole cover in the second alley on the right on the corner of Delancey and Clinton."

"A nineteen minute walk. I can make that," Vienna affirmed.

"What are you, a walking GPS?" Raph taunted, walking toward the window and slipping out into the night.

"It's across the street from an awesome gelato shop I happen to frequent. Delizioso!"

Donatello appreciated her proper pronunciation.

"Alright. It's settled then." Fae sniffled, flashing a forced smile. "See you tomorrow."

Vienna nodded. "Sorry about the dog, doll."

"Don't be," she called, scratching at her hives and climbing out of the room, followed closely by Leo, who swept her up in his arms. This time Donnie couldn't avert his eyes as his eldest brother pressed a tender kiss to her lips, despite her allergies. Faline grinned, cuddling close to him as they leapt off into the night.

"Until tomorrow, my love," Mikey bent low in a feigned bow of chivalry, taking her hand and kissing it.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Romeo," she countered with a smirk, watching him climb out after the others.

Donnie noticed too late he was the only one left in the room with Vienna. He backed toward the window slowly, words evading him for a good few seconds.

"Well... goodnight," he finally uttered, turning quickly to leave, cursing his inadequacy when it came to conversation. He thought, after three years of meeting new creatures and people, he'd have been able to talk to a girl without bumbling like a complete idiot. Another item to add to the long, growing list of things he needed to fix.

"Donnie, wait." Vienna shushed her dog, who'd begun whining and scampering after the scientist in his attempt to leave. "I need to talk to you."

Really, you shouldn't talk to me. I'm sure whatever you are about to ask can be answered by Leo or Raph or Fae or Mikey or anyone but me. So just save your questions for later, because if you ask them to me I'm 99.9% certain I'm going to fall back under your emotional microscope, and I really don't need that again.

"Yeah, sure." He stopped in his tracks, turning to face her with a false smile.

"Oooh," came the sound of Mikey and Raph's teasing about his staying behind, followed by a series of kiss-y noises and girly squeals, and then a harsh reprimand by Fae.

He rolled his eyes at their antics. "Sorry about them. They're immature."

She didn't react. Not a single lift of a brow, tilt of the lips, or twitch of an eye. She simply stepped forward, wrapping her arms as far around his waist as she could, and leaned her chin on his shoulder, pulling him close. He stood stalk-still, unable to understand this odd action, until the realization came crashing down on him.

She was hugging him.

Alright, a girl is hugging you. Options:

Shove her off with a girlish scream (no.)

Hug her back (are you INSANE, Donatello?!)

Do nothing (possibly.)

Ask what said hug is being given for, with perhaps a small pat on the back (best option, but would it be too-?)

"Well, I guess what Meles said about my hugs isn't true." Vienna pulled back, gaining respectful distance.

Option #3 it is, then. Any other choice had been overruled by his dawdling.

"Usually they have more effect," she explained further. Recognizing his discomfort, she shoved her hands in her pockets and glanced away from him.

"No," Donnie said after a while, "It was a good hug. Um... thanks."

"Don't mention it," she brushed off, "I can't repay you for bringing me back from the roof any other way. I can't give you much monetary reward. Do you want money? I think I have some fives-"

"No, that's alright," he smiled, then closed his lips tightly, remembering his unsightly front teeth.

Vienna reached forward, startling him when she attempted to restore his grin by pressing at the corners of his mouth. "You should smile more, Donnie. You've got dimples that look really nice when you do."

For a moment, nothing. Just him staring at her in befuddlement, her hands still trying to coax his lips upwards.

"Why did you want me to stay?"

She tugged at her prominent bottom lip, taking off her glasses to inspect them for smudges, actually seeming... hesitant?

She had long eyelashes, and winged liner that could carry her away. A small, dark freckle identical to that of Marilyn Monroe. A tiny scar that was revealed in the soft light, running from the bridge of her nose to near her left nostril. He wondered where it had come from.

"I want you to know that she's not the world."

That caught him off guard.

"I'm sorry, who?" Donnie asked.

She replaced her glasses and looked up at him, contemplative, studying, and he thought this was what people must feel like when he analyzed them. Exposed.

"April. She's not the world."

He almost stumbled in shock. "How... how do you know about... who told you... why are you -?"

"You called me April earlier."

Had he really?

"I know you're not the type to forget names easily. You were thinking about someone else, juxtaposing, right? Trying to figure out what makes girls tick? How to win her back," she said with conviction, "and I see the look in your eyes. Eyes should light up. And yours don't. At least, not anymore."

Alert! Too observant! Exit the area quickly!

"I really should go-"

"Donnie, listen to me."

He sighed, his eyes going anywhere but to her.

"She broke your heart." It wasn't a question. It was a blatant statement.

His answering grunt of frustration was proof enough.

"Look, I don't know what happened. But just because this... April, doesn't return whatever feelings you have for her, doesn't mean there's not someone else out there," she promised.

"Someone out there," he repeated, smiling like that was some terrible joke, "Like there's so many new fish in the sea for - no. I'm not defending myself to you. Just... stay out of my business."

"Ouch. The good ol' 'push them away so they don't notice your feelings' act." Vienna crossed her arms. "I have to say Donnie, I'm surprised. That seems like something Raph would do, but not a smart guy like you."

"You don't know anything about me," Donnie countered.

"You're right. I don't. But I've got good instincts. And my gut tells me you haven't smiled... really smiled... in a long time."

"Look, Vienna," Donatello tried to digress, "You shouldn't make assumptions about someone you just met."

"So if I was saying this to you as an experienced friend, you would actually listen to my advice and let it go?" She raised her brow dubiously.

"That... wasn't my point," he tried to argue, "My point is, I don't know anything about you, and you don't see me making elaborate accusations about you-"

"Fine, you want to draw conclusions, but you don't have the information. Is that what you're saying? You want an exchange of assumptions. Excellent. You need to know me to make your conclusions?"

"No, that's not what I mean-"

"Here, here's a few starters. I'm a Scorpio. I know every line to every Disney movie out there. I'm from Cannon Beach, Oregon, population 1,694. 1,691 as of three months ago. I play piano, and am waiting on a scholarship to Juliard. My real dream is visual art. Music is great and all, but you'll see more of my soul in sketches than in sheets of notes. And despite what you think, I understand how it feels to not be able to have someone you love."

He could've easily played into her game. Her small scrap of a biography had given him enough to write an encyclopedia. She was passionate but reserved, bubbly as a barrier to prevent being hurt, seemingly constantly trapped by a fear of the future - at least that's what he'd heard about Scorpios (he wasn't all that into astrology). She's a child at heart, if she'd taken enough time to memorize every lyric of every Disney script. From a small town, considerably smaller than New York, only feeding into her hare-brained wonder at the bright lights and bustling streets. It was only her mother, her sister, and her. Where her father was, he had no idea yet. If she was shooting for a scholarship at the most prestigious performing arts school in the country, she must be talented. And if she was holding back a true love for something else... well, that just backed his theory about being trapped.

But he couldn't play into her game.

"That still doesn't give me a fraction of an idea what you're like," Donnie lied.

"Well, we've got tomorrow," Vienna said, "What do you say to getting to know each other better? Then we can make more accurate assumptions about each other together."

He huffed, knowing she wouldn't let up until he agreed. "Fine."

"Wonderful." She held out her hand to shake. "It's a deal, then."

His lips twitched as he took her hand, his green fingers engulfing her tiny hand. She really was small. Tall, but skinny as a string bean. And even with her height he was still a good four inches taller.

"You know I meant what I said before," she muttered, not letting go of his hand just yet. "Just because she has your heart doesn't mean she has your entire life. Don't learn that the hard way."

"Sure thing." He took his hand away quickly, aware of her trailing after him as he headed to the window. Donnie faintly heard the conversations of his brothers and Fae a few roofs down. Good, now they could pester him with questions he'd never answer the entire way home.

"Have a good night." He threw out the pleasantry as a last-minute attempt at chivalry, a half-assed try.

"You too." Vienna flung her hands out to grip at the edges of her windows, about to draw them closed. But she paused, tilting her head to look at him with intrigue. "Your name's Donnie."

"Yes. I... thought we'd already established that."

"No, I know," she affirmed, "But... your brothers all have names of some great art pioneers. Da Vinci, Sanzio da Urbino, Buonarroti Simoni. All from the Renaissance. And... you're just Donnie?"

Just Donnie. Yep. That about sums up my entire existence.

"It's short. For Donatello."

"Donatello," she repeated, testing out the name on her tongue, deciding she liked its flavor. "Well, it seems your namesake and I share a common surname."

"Ah, yes," he recalled, thinking back to the framed award in her pigeon coop studio. "Vienna Bardi. I suppose so."

A small yip from the floor made him jump. Artemis shot up on her hind legs, smiling a canine grin. Donnie allowed another half-beam, reaching over to pat the dog's head again.

Vienna kept her eyes on him as he did. When he'd decided the pooch had had enough affection, he drew back.

He'd already said goodnight. There was nothing else to do. And she was still staring at him. With reluctance, he turned to leave.

"Donatello."

"Hm?" He glanced over his shoulder, startled again by those enigmatic eyes.

Vienna looked out over the city, as if she were talking to the skyline, not to him. "A handsome name for a handsome guy."

She seemed to register his presence, but remained stoic, making sure he knew he was talking about him. And then, without another word, she closed the window.

Vienna Bardi.

The name echoed in his head, reverberating off Donnie's hippocampus. He repeated it over and over, somehow afraid her name would become as irretrievable to him as her eye color.

Vienna Bardi.

"Make more accurate assumptions of each other together."

He rubbed the back of his neck, gazing out at the buildings that sprawled out for miles.

A handsome name for a handsome guy.

She was worming her way into his brain. And stubbornly, he shoved the thought of her aside.

No getting attached. No forming bonds.

No getting hurt again.