'Cause I'm Losing My Mind: Donatello
Donatello struggled to ignore the sounds of his newly returned brother taunting Michaelangelo yet again. Never mind the fact that Raphael was not being cruel as usual, and that Mikey didn't seem to be taking offense to his words. It was exasperating no matter how he looked at it. He attempted to shift all of his focus onto the computer he was rebuilding from scratch. The task of blocking out all obnoxious distractions was nowhere near being successful when Raphael's voice wafted under his door.
"C'mon, Mikey! I know you're not that much of a wimp!" The sai-carrying turtle's mocking cut its way into Donatello's silent mantra to ignore everything. The science-loving ninja slammed his door open and stalked over to Raphael.
"Back off now," he commanded through gritted teeth. Michaelangelo and Raphael stared at their brother in genuine confusion. "I have had enough of everyone always picking on him. Find someone else to bully around, Raph."
Raphael glared at Donatello, struggling to keep his flaring temper at bay. "I don't always pick on him. And he isn't a little kid. If he really wanted to he could probably do something about me teasing him." Raphael shrugged. "And if you actually cared what I say to him, then you would be out here with us instead of locked in your room playing Dr. Science all the time."
Michaelangelo attempted to interrupt the brewing confrontation. "Hey. C'mon guys, lighten up. I know Raph's a jerk…kinda hard to miss, ya know?" Raphael took a swing at his head, but cracked a smile as his brother blocked. "See? He's perfectly harmless!"
Donatello stepped away and headed for the ladder leading up to the sewers. He grabbed one of the perfected (and newly dubbed) Prodigious Turtle Boards; the others simply referred to the motor-powered skateboards as t-boards. He narrowly missed a collision with Leonardo once in the sewer mainstream.
"Where ya goin' Donnie?"
"Out." Donatello continued walking, leaving a baffled ninja to stare after his retreating form. He was almost to the crossroads when Michaelangelo caught up to him. "What do you want?" he demanded coldly and immediately regretted his harsh tone when he saw the pained look on Mikey's face. "Sorry."
"I was just worried about ya dude. Raph doesn't mean it. You know how he is. He'll be better when Sensei comes back. Thanks for sticking up for me though." Michaelangelo hugged his brother in the most masculine yet caring way he could manage.
"Yeah, of course. I guess I just need to get out for a bit. Staying inside all the time makes me feel kinda crazy."
"I thought that was caused by a birth defect," Michaelangelo teased. Donatello rolled his eyes.
"Clever. Eh, maybe I'll go visit April or search for Casey. I dunno."
"Well, April's off for the next few days, I think. She's good to talk to when she isn't all about the news reports." Michaelangelo shrugged.
"True. Well, I'll be back sometime in the near future." He set his skateboard down. "And start sticking up for yourself some. We all know you're faster than us, so if you piss 'em off you can always run." The turtle adjusted his purple bandana and was gone.
Mikey sighed. "Be safe Donnie. You better come back."
Donatello found the exit up to April's street after ten minutes of riding the t-board. "A new record," he announced proudly to the slimy mold on the wall. He climbed up to her apartment and entered through the kitchen window via the fire escape. He shook his head as he muttered, "She really needs to tighten up on security."
April let out a shriek as she came down the stairs to find someone wearing a floor-length tan trenchcoat standing in her kitchen. Donatello whipped around quickly. "April, it's me."
"Donnie." She dropped her arm to her side, draping the nunchaku she had been ready to throw at his head over the banister. Michaelangelo had left it under the futon. "Nice of you to drop in," she said sarcastically as she tried to calm her speedy pulse.
"You need to think about being more cautious," he commented, gesturing to the open window.
"Perhaps, but hopefully I won't be here much longer."
'You're leaving?" Donatello felt his stomach do a sickening flip. She patted his shoulder as she passed him on her way to the refrigerator.
"Yes, but don't look so alarmed! It's only a few blocks away. Townhouses seem to be more convenient for unexpected guests; a bit roomier." She poured herself a freshly brewed cup of iced tea. "So to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I just needed to get out. I've been spending too much time in my lab." He noted her weary smile. "Do you want me to go? You look exhausted."
"No. I've just had a rough couple of days. Lucky for you I stocked up on my frozen pizza supply." They sat down at the table. "So I hear you're working on a super computer or something."
Donatello smiled faintly. "Yeah, it's not anything too special. I'm just trying to make one that's faster with more hard drive space. Have you picked out a house yet?"
April nodded. "Yeah. We're sorting out the details next Friday. It has three bedrooms, a loft, kitchen, dining room, living room…and a huge basement with a smaller adjoining room. Here, let me get the floorplan." She retrieved it from her purse and laid it before him.
"I think I'll convert the smaller room to another bedroom. Much more space than I'm used to having. You guys can move some stuff into the basement for training or whatever. And you'll each have a room, although you'll have to sort out who sleeps where."
"You'll do that for us?" Donatello stared at her in bemusement.
"What else would I do with so much space? I figure all of you should have somewhere safe to escape to when needed and I…I get lonely sometimes." Her eyes followed the turtle as he pulled out her checkerboard and set it up.
"Smoke before fire," he commented as he turned the board so that the black pieces faced her. Three moves later the ninja broke the silence. "We really appreciate everything you do for us. Seriously. It's a real comfort to know that we have a second home. Especially right now."
April moved a checker piece thoughtfully. "Don't be silly. You guys always welcome me when I drop by uninvited. You're my best friends."
Donatello caught her eye. "Do you still have that farm house that we went to forever and a half ago?" His companion nodded in affirmation. "Do you think you could drive me out there and pick me up in three or four days? I know it's a lot to ask."
"Would you mind having some company? You're not the only one that needs a vacation."
"Sure. Besides, you own it. I think it would be almost 'the more the merrier,' but I'd rather not be around the others." He studied the board. "King me." She did so.
"Two conditions: you inform them that you're going out of town, and you keep the townhouse a secret." April grinned suddenly, making a seven-moved jump that reduced her component to three pieces. He could beat her, he saw, but decided to let her win just this once.
"I give up. You win." Donatello pulled out his turtle com and glanced at April's cell phone disdainfully. "What I wouldn't give to be able to fix your com."
"Tell me about it. They're pretty nifty and so much less expensive." April sighed. "You're going to fix it, right?"
"Eventually. I have to get better equipment. Aside from that, Raph loves having the ability to insult people from miles away." April laughed as he paged Michaelangelo.
"Hey Mikey, I'm going out of town for a few days." He tried to angle the com so that Michaelangelo couldn't see where he was.
"Everything okay, bro? You're not, like, freakin' out or anything, right?" April clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from snickering at his tone. Donatello shot her a warning glance.
"Nothing's wrong, I just need to think. And you guys all disappeared. It's my turn."
"We're just worried about you. And Raph says he's sorry for always being a stubborn jackass and picking on his innocent little brother and always making you mad and he loves you with all his little heart and so—"
"I ought to pummel you!" Raphael shouted in the background as he threw something at his brother's head, but Donatello couldn't tell what the object was.
"Heh, my bad. But yeah. No harm, no foul, and all that. We'll see ya later." They disconnected.
"Happy now?" Donatello asked as April let her amusement be known verbally. She hit his shell lightly.
"Chill out. That's why you came here, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so." He glanced at her as she put a hand on the back of his neck. "I'm just tired."
"Take a nap then."
"Sounds good."
He awoke groggily after a six-hour siesta and attempted to recall how he came to be in April's apartment. He succeeded. "Oh. Damn," he muttered and made his way downstairs. He spied a suitcase and a duffel bag by the front door and found April in her bedroom. She had the contents of her purse spilled out across her bed, double checking that she had everything. "I guess we're leaving in the morning?" he asked with arms crossed, leaning against the door frame.
"Are you kidding? We're out of here tonight. There's no way I want to deal with weekend traffic. Besides…I need a real vacation, and soon." Though her voice was cheerful, Donatello caught a slightly bitter undertone.
"I thought you were planning on taking a few days off last week."
"Well, I've technically been off for the past three weeks, but it didn't quite work out. I had to pretend to investigate Mikey's handiwork at the office, then they asked me to check out an antique car show for an editorial and start an article about night life in Central Park." Not completely untrue, she decided as Donatello frowned in thought. She shoved everything back in her purse and slung it over her shoulder. "Ready to get out of here?"
"Definitely."
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The ride was uneventful. The occupants of the news van let out a collective sigh of relief at the sight of the farm house Casey Jones had so eloquently described as 'the farm that time forgot.'
Donatello grabbed April's suitcase as she juggled keys, purse and duffel bag. She thanked him as she unlocked the door. "Ah, home away from home," she murmured and deposited her purse in the left bedroom. Donatello set her suitcase beside it and followed the reporter to the kitchen.
She hefted the duffel bag onto the table and unzipped it, pulling out a bottle of sweet-tasting wine. Reaching in a second time produced two plastic wineglasses. She poured them each a glass after uncorking the bottle and pushed one across the table to her companion.
"Here's to vacationing on the farm that time forgot," she proposed as a toast and held her glass out. Donatello knocked his glass against hers lightly. She gulped the liquid down quickly, tilting her head back. The turtle watched the undulations of her throat and looked at his own wine cautiously.
"Are you sure I can drink this?"
April appraised him in a clinical manner as she replenished her wine supply. "You're partly human," she said at last. "You'll probably be affected the same as me: inevitable stupidity and you'll think you finally understand how the world works. If anything bad happens to you I'll call someone immediately. I think you'll be okay, Donnie. Let loose, huh?" She grabbed the bottle and a bag of M&Ms and led him to the front porch.
They got situated on the cushioned bench swing hanging from the rafters and Donatello took his first experimental sip of wine. He found the flavor to his liking and drained the glass, holding it out silently for a refill. "Thanks for bringing me here," he said as April savored the taste of alcoholic goodness and topped him off.
"But of course," she replied. "I'm glad to see you. I guess you're stressed about Splinter being gone, huh?"
"How'd you know?" It was quiet as they began to rock gently. After a few moments he sipped at his second glass and waited patiently for her explanation.
Her head tilted to one side as she smiled. "Why else would you come to visit me all by your lonesome? You guys have always visited in pairs at least. Also, Mikey let it slip that Splinter was away and everyone has been a bit uptight." They lapsed back into silence as the nightlife provided an ample soundtrack.
Once April had finished off the last of the wine, she left to retrieve a bag of Doritos and soda. She tossed the bag of chips to Donatello. He caught it with slight difficulty. He supposed the alcohol was beginning to take effect. Two glasses of wine had given him a fuzzy feeling on the inside, which was not unpleasant, but he preferred to keep his wits about him. He opened the bag of Doritos and balanced it on his lap, enjoying the taste of "Spicy Nacho".
He decided the alcohol was also affecting April when she fell off of the porch swing, the result of trying to reach the cans of soda she had placed by her feet. Giggling, she held a can up to the turtle. As he accepted her offering, something in his mind clicked. "You know, Leo went to a car show last week." He paused, taking a good-sized gulp of the bubbly liquid. "Did you see him there?"
"Donnie, you're supposed to sip it, not chug it," she scolded sweetly as she did the same. "I have a confession to make, I suppose."
He turned his head to look at her. "And that would be…"
"Well, for one thing I'm quite tipsy." She swallowed the rest of the soda still lingering in her glass and accepted the turtle's hand so that she could rejoin him on the swing. "And for a second thing, the reason I haven't had a great vacation is because your brothers have all come to me with their problems…separately…and I've been trying to be of some comfort so that you don't kill each other before Splinter returns."
Donatello experienced a bout of jealousy that came upon him unexpectedly. "So the only reason you're being nice is to keep me sane? Do you care about me at all?" he demanded, his tone hurt.
April rested her head on his knee. "You can be really stupid sometimes. No offense," she added quickly. "Of course I care about you. I wouldn't have brought you out here if I was only trying to get you to deal with your problems and leave me alone."
"I'm sorry, April. I didn't mean to accuse you of being insensitive. I'm just running out of ideas of ways to distract myself from the drama," he said and shook his head. "I'm starting to get a slight headache. I didn't think wine would be so strong. I only had two glasses!"
"This stuff is imported from Italy, dude, and it was way expensive. It better be potent for what I paid," she grumbled. "Besides, you've never had alcohol before. Now I feel like a bad influence."
He grinned at her. "You? Never."
She sat up and poked him in the arm. "Ha ha. I just thought it might help you relax enough to talk openly."
"It did help me relax. Thank you." He offered her his hand as he stood up. "Maybe I'll confide in you later. I have to collect my thoughts. Where can I sleep?"
She led him inside and opened the door to a guest room. "My neighbor comes over once a week to air the rooms out and do some general maintenance, so the sheets are clean. There are extra pillows in the closet." She gave him a hug and a kiss on one cheek. She smelled faintly of citrus and it made Donatello smile. "Good night."
"Good night."
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April stretched languidly on the porch swing as she watched the sun make its appearance over the top of the barn roof. It was a beautiful morning and she felt a slight pang of regret that she hardly ever had the chance to witness nature in this way.
Donatello cleared his voice from behind her, ruining the peaceful scene by accidentally causing her to let out a shriek. Luckily she didn't spill her coffee. "My bad," he said sheepishly, placing a hand behind his head. She glared at him halfheartedly before pulling on his belt so that he had no choice but to sit beside her. "Morning."
"Morning yourself. Have you been having a good time?"
"Yeah. I can hardly believe that we've been here three days already. I needed this."
"You and me both." She leaned against his shoulder. "You're not mad about me spending time with the others, are you?" She broached the subject that had not been spoken of since their first night.
It was quiet as he contemplated her question. "No," he said finally. "I was a bit jealous, I'll admit. But you don't belong to any of us so it wouldn't be fair of me to be angry at you. Besides, one would think you were a Zen master or something, the way you managed to calm us all down." They shared a good-natured laugh at the thought.
"I'm glad. It was nice spending alone time with each of you. That's hardly ever happened before." She glanced over at her companion. "Splinter should be coming back day after tomorrow, if I know my dates. Think you can last until then?"
He smirked and ruffled her hair. "Of course. I'm a ninja." They laughed again.
"I think we should do this more often. You guys hanging out with me alone," she mused quietly.
"Yeah." He put an arm around her as they watched the air seemingly come alive with insects awakened by the morning heat. "I think it's safe to assume we'd all like that." They exchanged a glance.
"Are you sure you're okay though?"
"No. I need more personal space. I think this is one of the first times we have gone away from each other without it being necessary because of a mission."
"I don't think it's healthy to be around people all the time," she mused. "I'm not a psychiatrist or anything, but I think it's important for you to be able to get away for some peace and quiet."
"I've broached the subject with Master Splinter before, and the others as well," he confessed. "I mean, Raph goes out all the time in the city alone, and Leo and Mikey have done it before too. For some reason, I'm the only one that hasn't left until now. They seem to think that the only interests I have are reading, training and inventing things." The turtle sighed and rubbed his head.
"Have you thought about building a moped for yourself?" April asked and he turned his head to give her a confused stare. "You should think about it. One that can handle going over sixty miles an hour and can hold a duffel bag or suitcase without a problem. What do you think?"
"Whatever for?"
She reached into her front pocket and pulled out a key attached to a multi-tool keychain. "This is for you." He hesitated to reach for it and she shoved it into his hand, curling his fingers around it. "It's a spare key to the farmhouse. If you ever need a place to go, feel free to use it."
"April, I –" he began to protest, but she laid a finger against his mouth.
"There are several conditions. One, you call me and let me know that you're leaving. I won't tell the others where you're going, but I think it's important for someone to know where you are. Two, you have to call my neighbor and let him know that he doesn't need to come out here. Three, clean up after yourself and just do some general maintenance." She paused to look at him. "Okay?"
He nodded, not trusting his voice. "How can I ever thank me enough?" She grinned.
"You can start by making me breakfast."
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After the dishes were washed, dried and put in their proper places, Donatello glanced at the clock and sighed. "I guess it's time, isn't it?"
"Yeah." April unfolded herself from her curled position on an overstuffed armchair. "Time to go back."
"I've learned at least one lesson from this experience," Donatello announced as they situated themselves in the van.
"And that is?" The reporter dreaded asking the question, but the endless curiosity made her do it.
"The easiest way to your heart is through your stomach," he teased. She reached out to smack him as she started the van.
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"Long time, no see," Leonardo commented as his brother lurched wearily into their den. "Have fun while you were out of town?"
"Definitely," he replied. "How have things been?"
"The usual. Not much to report. We dealt with a mugging, but that's about the only exciting thing that's happened. It's a wonder we haven't gone insane with boredom yet."
Donatello laughed and patted his brother's shell as he went in search of Raphael. He stopped to greet Michaelangelo during his quest and quickly attempted an escape, as said brother was hyped up on caffeine and sugar.
Raphael was in the training room, taking his pent-up energy out on a stuffed doll that Donatello felt sorry for. "Hey," he said. Raphael paused and looked over at the doorway.
"Hey yourself."
"My bad about what happened before," Donatello began, but Raphael threw a wooden sai his way; an effective, if eccentric, way to get the nerd to shut up.
"Enough already. Sheesh. You're forgiven. Now get over here so I can kick your ass in a round of sparring," Raphael said. Donatello grinned and did as he was told.
It seemed things were finally going back to normal.
If you couldn't tell, I have reposted this chapter. I reread it and decided it just had to go. Hope y'all don't mind...
I'd like to make a special 'Thank you' to those that offered words of support; you guys are one of the only reasons I kept trying at this, the others being it was something trying madly to escape my mind and be put on one form of paper or another, and I got tired of attempting to keep it locked up.