Chapter 6 - A Flood of Emotions

Raphael had awoken earlier then he had intended. His body had gotten into the habit during he and April's week of secret training sessions. And although they had decided to take a couple of days off, his body was still ready to go at the obnoxiously early hour.

He rolled over and looked at his bedside clock. it was funny, how after just a few days he had gotten used to getting up early to meet April. And what struck him as a surprise, was he had been looking forward to it. It was a completely new thing for him, to be around someone who was not a family member and he found that it was rather refreshing. He enjoyed April's company and was impressed by what a good student she had been. He and his brothers had their way of life written in stone over the past 15 years, and it was the first time he had gotten to feel like a teacher, it was fun and rewarding.

Sure, he may not have thought things through all the way, but April had just been so eager to learn, and hadn't backed down to anything he offered. He never once thought that it may have been too much. And he certainly had no idea that she was still nursing an injury.

He gave an audible sigh as the thoughts ran through his mind. He couldn't really blame Donatello for being upset with him.

Giving up the notion of falling back to sleep, he reluctantly showered and headed into the kitchen. The deep aroma of coffee wafted from the room, pulling him in like a tractor beam. He discovered his brother in purple had beat him to brewing the enticing liquid and found that the lure of the drink was stronger than his desire to avoid Donatello.

Donnie was pouring a mug as Raphael walked in, and he silently slid the mug across the counter to his brother and grabbed another mug from the cupboard for himself.

"You're up early." Donnie stated, while keeping his eyes trained on his cup.

Raph grunted an agreement into his mug as he took a large gulp of the scalding liquid. He knew that Donnie was still angry from the night before and he wanted a couple more minutes to judge just how angry he was.

However, it seemed, despite the early hour, that Donnie was ready to plow right into the discussion.

"So how long have you been carrying on these secret training sessions?" He asked, again without even looking in Raph's direction.

Raph was the type of guy that didn't really get the point of beating around the bush and figured it was best to just lay it all out when the time came.

"For the last 4 days or so, usually in the morning and sometimes, again at night."

Raph noticed the brief surprised look on Don's face, obviously not aware of how much had been secretly going on.

"So you thought that training with Master Splinter and then two more times a day with you was a good regimen for a beginner? A beginner who had just been beaten up by a Kunoichi?" He asked, his tone eerily calm.

"Look, I didn't know that she was injured." Raph waved a hand in the air as he talked. "You know how stubborn that girl is - she was determined to do something! And training was something I could do to help her."

Don's eyed were still on his mug and he silently took another sip without a response.

"I wasn't going to let her get hurt." Raph let out in a huff.

"Oh, so you were 100% certain that throwing her across that cement room wasn't going to lead to any harm?" Donnie's voice had raised, and he looked up and pointed an accusing finger at Raph, his drink now forgotten. "Cause you never get carried away, right Raph?!"

"What are you trying to say Don?! You really trying to say that I would hurt her?!"

"I know that you don't think things through and you take senseless risks!"

"Look-I know what I'm doing ok!? And you're not my mother, or her's for that matter, so stop trying to run our lives!"

Donnie's fists both came down on the counter top, the force causing his mug to shake.

Raph was surprised by his brother's outburst, it was unlike him to show so much anger. But the protectiveness was not new, Don had always looked out for all of them. Raph assumed it had a lot to do with him being forced into the role of family medic. He just wanted everyone to be safe and unharmed.

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, staring at each other with determination in their eyes.

"I want her to be safe too, ya know." Raph finally broke the barrier between them and he saw the anger leave his brother's eyes. "She was bound and determined to do something, and I figured if I was keeping her busy, she'd feel better. Ya know, get her mind off things."

Donnie's face relaxed and he looked back down at his coffee while he thought over things. He had to admit, that had April asked him to train, (which a small part of him was hurt that she didn't), he would have given in and done anything she wanted if it had cheered her up.

"And keep her from doing something else, possibly more risky." Donnie mumbled.

"Like I said; stubborn." Raph nodded in agreement.

Donnie looked up at his brother and a small smile crossed his face. Raph met his grin with his own. It was their silent way of affirming that everything was fine now, no officially apology necessary.

Donnie took another sip of his coffee and looked back up at Raph. "I guess April picked the right one to teach her, from what I saw, she's progressed further than I had expected."

Raph could detect a trace of hurt in his brother's voice, he knew that at least a small part of Donnie's anger had been simple jealousy that she had chosen him.

Raph gestured to his purple masked brother. "Well, she knows where to go for brains, all I've got to offer is the brawn."

A small smile crossed Donnie's face. The two sat in silence for a little while, both mulling over things in their heads as they let the warm caffeine wake them up.

"So have you finished the 'big surprise' yet?" Raph asked, happy for a chance to change the subject.

"Not quite, but I showed it to her last night."

"Did she flip?"

"She was definitely surprised." Donnie smiled, the recollection of her hug and the peck on his cheek, rushing back into his memory. "Why don't you ask her yourself." He added, gesturing to the entry way.

Raph followed Don's eyeline to the doorway and both were caught off guard to see their youngest brother come bounding into the room.

"Hey guys!" Mikey announced happily, pouring his own mug of coffee and preceding to add at least 5 spoonfuls of sugar before taking a large gulp.

"Ack!" He made a disgusted face. "How do you guys drink this stuff?"

Both brothers were looking at him rather oddly, not quite sure what to think.

"Mikey?" Donnie spoke up and leaned across the counter towards his brother to verify what he was noticing. "Why do you smell like April?"

"Huh?" Mikey looked back from the cupboard he was scrounging for food in. "Oh- I used some of her shower stuff! Doesn't it smell great?"

Don rolled his eyes for not picking up on the obvious answer sooner.

"It's kinda girly for a dude." Raph commented with a smirk.

"Guys can smell like grapefruit!" The youngest shot back, but the other two were full on laughing at this point.

"What's so funny?" Leonardo asked as he entered the kitchen.

He was followed by April, who had freshly showered, wet hair pulled back in a knot and an angry glint in her eye. "ok, which one of you is using my bath products?"

Donnie and Raph lost it again, pointing towards the guilty subject.

"Mikey!" Her tone was exasperated, but not angry. "You don't even have any hair?! Why would you use my shampoo?" She shouted to be heard over the laughter.

"I dunno, I just…." He struggled for an acceptable answer, knowing there wasn't much he could say. "It just smells really good. I didn't even know there was soap like that!"

Mikey's guilty face and puppy dog eyes had already worn down any amount of anger that April had. "Just… knock it off ok? I have to make it last a while."

"Ok, I promise I won't use it again!" Mikey made a motion of crossing his heart.

April had to smile at his expression. She shook her head and made a playful punch to his arm, and stole his mug of coffee.

The three brothers were still laughing and carrying on with jokes about Mikey graduating to using April's makeup and wearing her clothes too.

April leaned against the counter beside Mikey and studied the freckled boy's face. She thought about what a good sport he was to take on the brunt of his brother's teasing.

"It does smell good though, doesn't it?" She leaned in close, so that only he could hear her.

His bright blue eyes lit up and he turned to smile at her. "I always thought you just smelled so good because you were a girl! I had no idea about your little secret!" He winked. The exaggerated gesture got her giggling too and soon the room was filled with hearty laughter that could be heard throughout the lair.

_

Donnie had been determined to finish setting up April's room so that she could move into it that day. And had already been hard at work all morning getting the wiring done.

When April had joined him after their morning session with Splinter (April practicing katas on the sidelines), the one thing he had left, was to install the sink in the corner of the room.

He had explained to her that while he couldn't really set up a separate bathroom, he did happen to have this random vanity and figured she'd enjoy at least having her own sink. She told him it wasn't necessary, but he insisted it was no big deal since they had easy access to the pipes.

Standing next the vanity, April chatted away about this and that and passed tools and parts to Donnie, who was currently wedged into the small cabinet the sink was placed in. She could barely make out a muffled grumbling as he struggled to make the mismatched parts fit.

"Can you hand me the wrench?" Donnie's hand appeared from the cabinet and April leaned over to drop the item into his palm.

She paused to smile at the sight. Donatello barely fit into the tight space, the convex curve of his shell was catching the upper lip of the cabinet, preventing him from moving in any further, no matter how he twisted himself. It reminded April of a kitten trying to squeeze into a small box.

"Do you see the flux?" His muffled voice asked from within.

April searched through the pile of parts and tools that were scattered on the floor around them and found the small container. She slid it in beside him and tapped his arm to let him know where it was.

"Thanks."

Already crouched down, she decided to use his red toolbox as a stool to have better access to the pile of supplies and make it easier to hand him things.

From her new angle, she could see him twisting and squirming in an attempt to change positions and heard a quiet Japanese curse word slip out. She smiled again watching his shell prevent him from moving where he wanted to be.

Never before had she found herself in a position to blatantly look at his shell and she took the opportunity to really appreciate it. She studied the crevices and patterns that swirled around like fingerprints. It was mesmerizing. How had she not noticed before now, how intricate and beautiful the pattern was?

Not really thinking, she reached out and slid her palm along the curve, letting her fingers fall into a ridge as she followed the path around his back.

Don's grumbling went silent and his body stiffened for half a second before jolting. A large thump emanated from under the sink.

"OW! Damnit!"

Her hand leapt back. "Oh Don! I'm sorry!"

He swiftly and smoothly retracted himself from the tight space and sat awkwardly on the hard cement ground, rubbing the bump at the back of his head.

"I'm sorry!" She repeated. "I was just noticing your shell- I shouldn't have touched it."

He glanced over at her feeling a little embarrassed. "You just startled me is all."

"I honestly didn't even realize that you could feel that." She admitted, a guilty blush on her cheeks.

"Oh." He paused for a moment. "It's not as sensitive as skin, but yeah, I can still feel things. From what I've gathered, it's similar to how a human might feel something through their fingernails. Though a little more so for us mutated turtles."

April smiled at his description. It was so very Donnie to expand a simple answer with accurate details.

He turned to climb back into the cabinet when she spoke again.

"I had never noticed how beautiful it was. Your shell."

"Really?" He asked, a furious blush tinting his cheeks.

"And I'm sorry, I shouldn't have invaded your personal space like that."

He shrugged. "It's ok. I understand that I'm different. You were just curious." He smiled to show that he wasn't upset. "It's the scientist in you."

"Maybe a little bit." She admitted.

"Well, anything you want to know—you can always ask me." He offered. And immediately a small part of him panicked, thinking of all the potentially embarrassing non-human type things she could bring up.

"Same goes for me." She offered back, though judging by his face, she could see that he was unclear as to what she meant. "You know - if there's anything you want to learn from me, ask away!"

"Oh!" He said, a little surprised. That had not been what he was thinking.

"In fact," She added. "Why don't you ask me something right now?"

"Oh, I don't know…" He muttered as hundreds of possibilities ran through his mind.

"C'mon Don, there's nothing you want to know about being all human? Something about girls? Surely there's something I could teach you." She teased as she waggled her eyebrows.

He adjusted his uncomfortable seat on the cement as he thought a moment, tapping his chin in an exaggerated gesture of deep thought. "Hmmmmmmm!" He proclaimed loudly.

April gave a look of indignation. "Fine, you brat. I guess the mighty genius knows all." She crossed her arms and pretended to be offended, though her grin betrayed her.

"I gotta give you a hard time when the moment presents itself." He teased back.

She rolled her eyes, still smiling.

"What's it like having hair?" He asked. His tone genuine and curious as he settled on what felt like a safe topic.

April narrowed her eyes at him, looking to see if he was being serious. He simply raised his brow as if to say, 'go on'.

"Well… I mean, I've always had it." She was already chiding herself for her lackluster answer. "It's nice I guess. Another way to be unique and express your own style. But it can be a pain to take care of too. Mine is fine and oily, so I have to wash it every day and my bangs grow so fast, I finally just started trimming them myself…" She trailed off, feeling like she was rambling. And then she was hit with a brilliant idea.

"Here." She reached up and pulled the headband off her head and tugged the elastic free from its bind around her pony tail.

Don watched in awe as her beautiful ginger tendrils cascaded down to land across her shoulders.

"You should touch it. It's only fair." She nodded as she spoke.

"That's ok." Donnie said nervously. It seemed like such an intimate gesture. But his own inner scientist was a little more curious and he gave in with her prodding.

Slowly, he reached and picked up a small gathering on her shoulder and ever so delicately slid it between his fingertips, relishing the silky softness.

"You can't feel this, right?" He asked, now in full learning mode.

"No, not the actual hair, but I can feel where it connects to my scalp. It hurts if it get pulled."

"It's so soft." He muttered quietly, almost to himself. "I've never seen you wear it down, why not?"

"I don't know. It's just easier to pull it back I guess. Plus it keeps it out of my face."

He nodded to her answer.

He raised his left hand to the other side of her face, mirroring the position of his right hand, and slowly ran his thick fingers through the strands, starting from just behind her ears, all the way down along her neck. An involuntarily shiver ran up April's spine from the pleasant sensation.

Noticing the reaction, Don's eyes grew wide and he paused in his movement, his hands resting on either shoulder.

April opened her own eyes, not even realizing when she had closed them. They were sitting face to face, her on the make-shift stool and Donnie up on his knees. She couldn't remember when he had gotten so close. A warmness flooded her cheeks when she realized what an intimate position they were in.

If I barely move forward, I could kiss him. The thought registered in her mind and it shocked her. Wait–did she want to kiss him? Did she have feelings for the boy she had come to think of as her best friend? What did it mean?

Donnie was still frozen in place, his chocolate-brown eyes looking right into her ocean blues. He had merely been examining her hair, as she had suggested, he hadn't meant to get so close. The look he had seen on her face as he had watched her shiver; it had been pleasure. It was a look he had never thought he'd have a chance to illicit. And seeing it had ignited a burning desire to do it again. A surprisingly intense desire that coursed through his body, starting at his core.

But she didn't think of him that way, did she? He had always thought she had transitioned into hanging around a group of mutated turtles, rather smoothly. But she had never given any indication that she had returned his fastly growing crush. Up until the other day in the bathroom, he would have guessed that she was creeped out by his non-human traits, but surprisingly, she hadn't seem phased in the least. And her curiosity today, the gentle ministrations of her fingers along his shell… what had that meant? Surely it was a sign that she was becoming more comfortable around him.

He studied her face again, her cheeks were flushed and her bright pink lips were ever so slightly parted. If he didn't know better…

"Don?" She asked quietly, breaking him from his daze.

"Yes?" He whispered.

A gentle smile played on her lips and immediately his brain was screaming at him to kiss her. Kiss her now before the moment was lost.

He slowly started to lean forward, inching his way towards her, gauging to see how she would react. To his delight, her eyes fluttered shut.

Before he could make contact, a hissing sound broke him from his concentration. He turned towards the sound and from his peripheral could see April also turn towards the strange noise coming from under the vanity.

"What is that?" She asked.

"Oh crap!" He exclaimed, suddenly putting together exactly what it was. "Water pressure!" He muttered as he dove into the pile of tools surrounding them. "Where's the wrench?!"

Internally, he scolded himself as the newly added part gave into the pressure behind it, and snapped out-of-place, causing a wide stream of water to spray out into the room.

April let out a small scream as the ice-cold spray hit the side of them.

Scrambling, Donnie found what he was looking for and dove into the small cabinet and quickly secured the loosened piece back into place and opened the valve above it to relieve the pressure.

He slid back out, landing in a sizable puddle surrounding a dripping April, her hair was soaked on one side and clinging to her neck. Nothing like a literal splash of cold water to the face to kill the mood.

She looked at him, the wetness making his smooth scale-like skin glisten, and started giggling.

He joined her laughter.

He wiped some of the drops off his face with the back of his hand as he attempted to apologize between giggles. "Sorry, I had no intention of leaving that seal like that for long... it wasn't supposed to hold back the water pressure like that."

"Guess you got a little distracted, huh?" She teased.

"If I remember right, YOU were the one doing the distracting." He teased back.

This only caused her fit of giggles to increase. And he had to laugh along with her.

After a few moments, he was able to pull himself together and stood up. His sopping wet knee pads making an odd squishing sound as he moved. He extended his hand to April and helped pull her up onto her feet as he glanced around the room.

"I hope nothing was ruined." He wondered aloud, but luckily the sink was on the far wall and if anything important had been hit, it was only with a light mist.

"it's just water." April brushed her hand through the air in front of her, as if to dismiss the worry.

"Well, here's the true test." Donnie announced as he turned back towards the faucet knobs and turned them one at a time. He smiled to himself, proud to find them both working perfectly, and no extra water leaking out anywhere. "I do believe your room is now finished."

April grinned from ear to ear, "It's perfect."

"Except for this mess." Donnie said as he leaned down to start collecting his tools out of the puddle. "Let me go lay these out to dry, and then I'll find a mop and some towels.

"Ok" April replied, as she bent down to help him collect the objects into his tool box and bucket.

Their fingers brushed against each other as they both reached for the same scrap piece of pipe and both recoiled.

April turned away to hide her blush. "So… I bet you're excited to get your room back to yourself."

"Nah, I bet you slept there more this past week, then I have in the last month."

"I'll come collect the rest of my stuff later today." She said, her eyes still trained on the ground as the last few things were tossed into the bin.

"It's no rush." He replied.

He scooped up the tool box and bucket of parts and glanced at the redhead, who was attempting to comb through her wet strands of hair with her fingers.

The memory of his own hands making the same motion just earlier flooded his mind. He tried his best to act cool and collected, but his heart was hammering inside his chest. Had that whole moment really happened, or had he let his imagination get away from himself, it felt so surreal.

He swallowed in an attempt to keep his voice from cracking. "Well, I'll go find that mop." And he quickly exited, trying to hide the red burning at his cheeks.

Alone now in her room, April plopped down onto her bed, not really caring about the wet seat of her pants. She thought back to the look on Donnie's face just before the pipe had burst. Was he going to kiss me?

And then the thought that surprised her the most, is that she had really wanted him to.

End chapter 6 - A Flood of Emotions

A/N
Sorry this one took awhile! I have a good excuse though, I started this fic as an extra thing to do after I got laid off earlier this year, and found myself with more spare time then I was used to. And between this chapter and the last, I've started a new job! Hurray! In fact, now I'm so busy I don't really have any extra time. But my muse won't let me drop this. :)

And, if you have any desire, I also couldn't help myself and I illustrated a little scene from Chapter 4, you can see it here: art/Adorable-Big-Brown-Eyes-390843343

Reviews are greatly appreciated and encourages me to keep up! Thanks for reading!