Chapter 4: Mine
A/N: So here's the next chapter dealing with both Don and Casey and their musings over April. I thought this Taylor Swift song would be fitting for the two of them as it seems to work. Thanks to those who have read and reviewed thus far. I'm just glad I'm getting these chapters out fast enough for everyone.
Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot.
Don's eyes filled with anger as he saw April talking to Casey. For some reason, he just couldn't stomach the thought of them being together. Casey tended to be overly flirty with her, and it ticked him off. Didn't he know that Don liked her, too? Why couldn't he realize that this wasn't a one man show?
"So, Red, you up for a walk in the woods?" Casey asked her.
"Yeah, I think that would be a good idea," April said. "It'll be nice to get out for a little while. The only time we ever go outside is when we train."
"Great," Casey said enthusiastically. As he turned away from her, he pumped his fist in the air, and it made Donnie seethe.
"She's mine!" he wanted to snarl at Casey, but he knew that it wouldn't be fair to say that. After all, April wasn't his property and had every right to choose who she wanted to, but he still wished she'd come out and say that she chose him. He had dreams about it and really wished it could be so.
"Donnie, are you okay?" Leo asked him as he came limping past.
"I'm fine, Leo," answered Donnie.
"You don't look fine," commented Leo. "You want to talk about it?"
Normally, Don would have refused, but then he remembered that Leo had his own experiences with romance and having a crush on Karai. If anyone would be able to talk to him about this, it would be Leo. "Sure," he answered.
Leo led Don up to the room he shared with Raph. Raph and Mikey were outside sparring, so Don knew that they'd have some privacy for their talk.
"Okay, what's this about?" Leo asked as he sat down on his bed.
"I just saw Casey ask April to take a walk in the woods," replied Don. "April accepted and I just felt jealous about it all. I'm sick of all of this, Leo. I love April and really want to be with her. I just want to get a hold of Casey and tell him straight out that April's mine."
"But she's not yours, Donnie," Leo pointed out. "You don't own her."
Don sighed in frustration. "I know that, Leo, but I feel like she should choose me. After all, she saw me first and probably would have chosen me if Jones hadn't come along."
"You don't know that," Leo reminded him. "Maybe she would have found someone else at school she liked if she hadn't met Casey."
"It's not fair, Leo," pouted Don. "How did you feel after you found out Karai was Miwa? Did you still have those feelings for her, or were you able to bottle them up inside?"
Leo laughed. "Well, it's hard to not let go of those feelings altogether, but I know that I can't love her in the way I originally intended to. It's just not possible."
"Well, technically, we're not related to her," Don told him. "She's Splinter's biological daughter, but we're not her human brothers and weren't raised with her. Maybe it could work out."
Leo shook his head. "It doesn't matter whether we were raised with her or not. She's still Splinter's daughter and we're still his sons. It would be wrong."
"Does it hurt you knowing you can't have the romance you wanted with her?"
"At first, it did, but then I realized I can still love her as a brother and still have that comradeship with her. I just hope she's okay back in New York and nothing has happened to her."
"So what you're saying is that even if I can't love April romantically anymore, I can still be there for her as a friend?"
"That and possibly as a brother figure," Leo replied. "You know she thinks of us as her brothers. Maybe the whole thing is that she's tried to think of you as more, and she can't. If that's the case, then you need to let her go and be happy for her. If it's not, then you have to let time take its course and let April make the decision for herself. That's the best advice I can give you."
"Thanks, Leo," Don said gently. "You're really good at this stuff."
"Hey, that's what brothers are for, remember?"
Don laughed. "Yeah, that's true. How are you feeling?"
"The leg still hurts, but I guess I'll just have to deal with it until it heals on its own. I've tried waling without the cane, and that didn't work too well."
"Then I guess you'll just have to give it time."
Leo sighed in frustration. "I know, but the longer we stay here, the longer the Kraang have for taking over the city. We still have to make sure Sensei's okay and how we can take back the city. It just sucks that it all depends on my recovery. I'm doing the best I can, but it's really hard."
Don put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "I know it's hard, Leo, but you'll get through this. You have us to help you. Just take your time and let the wound heal. If you push too hard, you could limit your recovery time and set it back."
Leo nodded. "I know that, Donnie, and I'll do my best. So, is that all you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Yep, that's it," Don answered. "I'll take your advice and do my best, Leo, but it won't be easy."
"A lot of things aren't easy, Donnie, but as long as we do our best, we can get through it."
"Fair enough," Don said. He waved to Leo and headed back downstairs. As much as he knew Leo was right about all of this, he still couldn't help but feel that there was a chance for April to choose him. He just had to do something nice for her and give her a gift. After all, guys in movies did that all of the time, didn't they? With a smile on his face, he went to his lab in the barn and set to work. With any luck, April would be charmed by his gift and be sure to pick him. Casey couldn't do anything like this, and maybe April would see how much better off she was with him instead of Casey Jones.
22222
Casey Jones was the happiest guy alive right now as he strolled through the woods with April. He couldn't believe that she'd accepted his invitation for a walk and felt that maybe it meant something to her. Maybe she was finally going to give up on that mutant and finally choose him. It made sense in a way, right? After all, Donnie was a mutant freak and Casey Jones was the best hockey player and a human being like her. She just had to pick him!
"Casey, are you okay?" April asked him.
Casey nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, Red. Just thinkin' about stuff."
"What kind of stuff?"
"Just how nice it is up here and how nice it is that you accepted my invitation."
April smiled. "No problem, Jones," she said. "The woods are so much better in the daytime. I haven't really been back here that much."
"So is everything okay with you? I mean, how are you holdin' up?"
"I'm holding up as well as I can be. At least I have the guys and you to keep me grounded, and that means a lot to me. I know the guys have been through a lot, too, and it hurts them. I just hope that Master Splinter's okay and that we can get back to him."
"I'm sure he'll be fine, Red. He's a ninja master." He smiled a little as he made his way to the stream. He'd been planning this out for a little while and was surprised that it had worked.
April gasped as she saw a picnic blanket spread out along with a basket. "Casey, this is awesome!" she breathed. "How did you know I wanted to do this?"
"You talked about doin' this with your folks when you were here," Casey answered. "I figured it would be a good idea to do it again."
"Thanks, Casey. Maybe we should bring the guys out here. They'll love it."
"Nah, I kinda wanted to do this with you by myself. We don't get to spend a lot of time together, Red, and I miss that."
"I'm sorry, Casey, but I just can't leave the guys alone. They've been through so much, and they need me to be there for them."
Casey bristled at that. "This is about, Donnie, isn't it? I see the way he looks at you. You got it bad for him, don't you?"
April's eyes widened. "No, this has nothing to do with Donnie! I really want to be there for all of the guys."
Casey rolled his eyes. "Yeah right. The others can handle themselves just fine. Yeah, Leo's hurt, but he's doin' the best he can, and Mikey and Raph don't act like they're takin' this too hard either. This has to be about Donnie. You like him better than me, don't you?"
"I like you both equally," April told him. "I'm sorry I haven't been there for you as much as you wanted me to be, Casey, but the guys know what it's like to lose a loved one since they've lost Master Splinter for the time being."
"And I've lost my father and sister," Casey pointed out. "But despite that, you want to spend more time with Donnie than with me. You know you don't stand a chance with him. He's a mutant, April, and I'm a human. You know you'd be better off with me."
"Casey, please stop this," April begged. "It's not healthy for you to be so jealous of Donnie, especially considering what we've gone through. Can't you just put all of this aside and work together as a unit?"
Casey sighed. "I don't know if I want do to that, Red, but I'll do my best if you want me to."
"That's all I ask." She opened up the basket and took out the food that was inside it. Just as they were about to eat, they heard footsteps in the woods. April jumped up, sliding her tessen out of her pocket and flicking it open. Then she heard a voice say, "Do I smell food?" Her stance relaxed as she saw that it was Mikey.
"Mikey, what are you doin' here?" Casey asked.
"Well, I noticed a lot of food was gone, and I became curious. So I rounded up the guys and we decided to follow you two out here."
"How come you didn't tell us you were havin' a picnic, Jones?" Raph joked.
Because I wanted it to be just me and April, Casey wanted to say. Why was it that the Turtles always had to ruin things? His eyes landed on Donnie who looked just as shocked to see April sitting on a blanket with him. Good. Maybe it would help Don get a clue who April really belonged with.
"Can we join you?" Leo asked politely.
Casey wanted them to go away, but he knew if he said anything like that, April would get upset. "Sure, go ahead," he said waving them toward the blanket.
"Sweet!" Mikey yelled as he flung himself down. "I've always wanted to have a picnic."
"Leo, do you need any help?" April asked gently.
"Nah, I got it, though I may need help getting up after we're done," Leo joked.
Casey sighed as Don sat down next to April on her other side. Casey wanted to tell him to buzz off, but he had a feeling Don wouldn't take the hint. So he resigned himself to having a picnic with April and the Turtles. Sure, he liked the guys well enough, but he really wanted some time with April to himself. He vowed that one of these days he'd get that alone time and that Donnie wouldn't be able to stop it even if he wanted to. It was time for that mutant to back off and realize that Casey Jones was the real suitor of April O'Neil.
22222
Don smiled in euphoric bliss after April left. She'd kissed him! She'd really and truly kissed him on the lips! That could only mean one thing: She'd chosen him over Casey. That had to be it, right? If that was the case, then Leo's advice had worked. He wanted to tell Leo about this and thank him, but he wasn't sure how Leo would take it. He knew Leo would be discreet about it and not tell his brothers, but at the same time, Don kind of wanted to keep this to himself for now. He wanted to be sure it was real and not just some dream he'd cooked up.
He picked up the wood April had chopped and took it into the house, setting it down beside the fireplace. He saw Leo on the couch watching TV and smiled.
"Hey, Donnie, is everything okay?" Leo asked him.
"Everything's great, Leo," Don answered. Humming a tune, Don went back to the barn to look at the music box again only to discover that it wasn't there. He went back to the house and sneaked to the room April had claimed after they'd arrived. And as he looked, he saw the music box sitting on her nightstand. Yes, that had to mean something, though he didn't know what. He hurried out before anyone could catch him and felt real joy. She obviously liked him better, and as much as he wanted to rub that in Casey's face, he knew it wasn't a good idea. April had to make her decision just as Leo said, so it was up to her to let Casey down herself. With that last thought in his head, Don went down and watched television with Leo, happy that things were finally looking up.
22222
Casey wasn't in a good mood as he saw April come in from chopping wood. Her cheeks were flushed and she didn't even have any wood with her, which seemed odd. Casey looked out the window and saw Donnie by the woodpile, an expression of disbelief on his face. Something had happened between them, and it made Casey mad. What was April thinking? How could she go and do something so stupid? He saw April come out of the bathroom and decided it was time to get some answers. He was sick of being pushed around.
He strode over and blocked the stairs as she came down. She looked a little confused and wasn't sure what was going on.
"Casey, let me get by," she said.
"We need to talk, Red," he said. "I saw you out there with Donnie, and I want to know what happened out there."
"Nothing happened," she replied. "We just talked a little bit and that was it."
Casey rolled his eyes. "Red, stop playin' me for a fool. I know what I saw. Donnie looked shell shocked out there, and that can't be form just talkin' to you. So out with it."
April sighed, knowing that she couldn't keep the truth from Casey. "Okay, I'll tell you, but you can't tell the others about this, and you can't confront Donnie with it, either. If I find out you did, I swear you will regret it for the rest of your life. Is that clear, Casey Jones?"
Casey really didn't know if he'd be able to keep his promise, but if it meant getting information out of April, he'd do whatever it took. "Sure, I promise," he said.
"I kissed Donnie," she answered.
"You've kissed him before, so I don't see why it would be anythin' new."
"No, Casey, I kissed him on the lips."
Casey's mouth fell open. "You kissed him on the lips? Why would you do that?"
April shrugged. "I just wanted to see what it would be like. What's wrong with that?"
"Red, he's a freakin' mutant! You don't go around kissin' mutants! It's not natural for people like us!"
"Last I checked, Raph was a mutant, and you spend time with him," April retorted.
"That's different," Casey protested. "Raph and I are buds. It's not like I'm kissin' him on the lips like that."
April smiled slyly. "I don't know, but I think there could be more going on there than meets the eye," she teased.
"This ain't a joke, Red. Raph and I are friends and that's it. But what you did with Donnie's just wrong. It won't work out, and you don't deserve him. Raph told me about some of the things Don's done in order to win you over. He even made a damn flow chart tryin' to find ways to spend time with you. Now why would you want to be with someone who's stalkin' you like that?"
April laughed. "I think you have it all wrong, Casey," she said gently. "Don wasn't stalking me. He was trying to get up the courage to spend time with me because of how he felt."
"So it doesn't bother you that he made a flow chart?"
"Not at all. That's just how Donnie is. In fact, I kind of did the same thing he did, but I just wrote out the scenarios on paper of how we could get together and hang out. I love the other Turtles, too, but Donnie and I just have a special connection together, and I don't think I can ignore that anymore. The thing with Bigfoot really made me realize that I was avoiding Donnie because of the whole mutant thing at first. But now that I've seen how it could work out, I really think it's time that I gave him a real chance."
"So where does that leave us?" Casey asked.
"You're a good friend, Casey Jones, but that's all I see you as," she said gently. "That doesn't mean I think less of you because I don't. You've been there for me all along, and I'll never forget that. I can't love you in a romantic sense because I don't feel that way for you. You're kind of like the brother who gets on my nerves sometimes but still has the heart of gold."
Casey laughed. "I thought that would have been Mikey," he joked.
April laughed back. "Yeah, but Mikey's still got that charm about him. You still need to work on that. So are you okay with this?"
Casey sighed. "I have to admit that I don't like it, but I guess I'll have to deal with it. At the end of the day, if Donnie makes you happy, then that's all that matters." Then he face became serious. "But if he hurts you in any way, he'll have to answer to me."
"I think he knows that, Casey, and he'll also have to answer to his brothers," she replied. "But thanks for finally understanding how I feel."
"No problem, Red," Casey said giving her a squeeze. "That's what friends are for."
Casey knew it wasn't going to be easy to accept that she'd chosen Donnie, but he had to do his best. And at the end of the day, Don was a good friend and easy to get along with when they weren't fighting for April's affection. Maybe it was time to put it all to rest and just enjoy the fact that he had her for a friend. At least it was something, and having her as a friend was better than not having her at all. He let April by and made his way out to the barn to talk to Donnie.
"Hey, Don, you need help with anythin'?" he asked.
"Nope, I'm good, but thanks for asking," Don answered. He turned and saw the look on Casey's face. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just want you to know that we're cool, man. I know you like April, and I don't want to stand in the way of that. So do we have a truce?"
Don smiled. "Yeah, we sure do. Thanks, Casey. That means a lot to me."
"Well, I will say that you are a worthy opponent."
"I don't see you as an opponent, Casey. I see you as my friend, and I hope we can still be that way."
"We can, Don." He held out his fist and Don bumped it with his own. Then Casey waved and went back to the house, happy for the first time in days. Things hadn't gone the way he'd planned, but he was learning that life was like that at times. As long as he had friends he could count on, that's all that mattered. He knew that one day he'd find the right girl for him and that he had to let April go. It was the right thing to do, and Casey was proud that he'd finally come to this realization. It would all work out in the end for all of them, and that was all that mattered.
A/N: So that's the end of this chapter. I want to make it clear that I don't hate Casey Jones at all. He's a great character and I love him in this incarnation, but I do feel that at times he comes off as arrogant and cocky, so I wanted to convey that here. I don't know if Don and April are going to be the end game for this series, but I decided to make it that way in this story since I'm a huge fan of Apriltello and just feel it's cute. And as for Leo and Karai, I do ship them, but I feel that even though they aren't related as biological brother and sister, I do feel that they are still related since Splinter sees the Turtles as his sons and Karai as his biological daughter. You can disagree with me if you want, but that's how I kind of see it for this show. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day. And just for the record, it's snowing here. I am so not ready for this!