Apologies for the extended wait since the last chapter. This one is extra long to help make up for it! Warning for major fluff ahead, and leaning towards more of a PG-13 rating than my previous chapters.

*** Chapter 13 - Dates and Revelations
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Don double checked the contents of his bag before loading it into the back of the ShellRaiser. He looked over the small pile in the back and went down his mental checklist to verify that he had collected everything. Today would be his first "date" type outing with April as his girlfriend, and he was determined to make sure it was as perfect as it could be. Especially considering their locale options were limited to the sewers of New York.

In a perfect world, he dreamed about wooing April with a romantic dinner at the finest restaurant in the city and a starlit stroll around the top of the Empire State building. But as fate would have it, taking her out in public was not an option for more reasons than one. To be honest, he was still a little worried about even leaving the lair with April, but it had been weeks since their run-in with Karai, and there had been not a peep on the security monitors.

Plus he and April were really looking forward to an afternoon away from everyone else. Having a secret relationship when you live with three snoopy brothers and your father was no easy task. Their options were limited, Donnie's bedroom felt too close to all the others and lacked privacy, plus the near fact that he typically never used it, made it a little too suspicious for the two of them to be going in there together. So they would sneak away for a kissing session here and there, tucked into the back of his lab or her bedroom late at night. But seeing as how April's room only had curtain for a door and Donnie's lab was practically the second living space, they were always a little jumpy about getting caught. So far, watching movies on April's tiny laptop was the closest they had come to what Donnie could call a date, and on more than one occasion, Mikey had ended up joining them halfway through, completely oblivious to the intrusion.

In order to get away for the day, Donatello had given his brothers a cover story of going out to get some algae samples for testing purposes with his mutagen experiments and they seemed to have bought it for the most part. And fortunately, they also declined joining them, which was ultimately Donnie's plan.

Looking down at the tattered picnic blanket sitting folded on top of the supply pile, Donnie decided that it wouldn't hurt to grab another blanket in case it wasn't quite enough padding for comfort. He dug around in the cupboards along the back wall of his lab before finding the faded grey wool blanket he had sought. Walking back over to the ShellRaiser, he was surprised to find his brother in blue sitting on the bumper.

"Oh hey Leo, what's up?" Donatello asked casually, as he moved past his brother to toss the second blanket on top of the other.

"What's the blanket for?" Leonardo asked, avoiding his brother's small talk.

"April's packing some lunch, so I figured it would be nice to have something to sit on, that's not, covered in grime." Don was proud of himself for sounding so casual about the situation.

"That sounds 'cozy.'" Leo commented in a deadpan voice, stressing the last word with one eye-ridge raised.

"Nothing says romantic like collecting sludge in the sewers." Donnie giggled, his nervous laugh even more convincing than he had intended.

"Is there anything going on with you two? Anything I should know about that could effect the team?" Leonardo stood up, to get closer to his brother's eye level, though still off by several inches.

"I like her Leo, that's not going to change anytime soon." Don started, figuring it was truthful enough for his conscious. "I'm looking forward to having a good excuse to hang out with her." Technically he avoided any false information, but he may have left out a couple bits.

Leo narrowed his eyes, he swore there was something different between the two, but he wasn't going to press it, if his brother wasn't ready. April had shown him the same courtesy when it came to talking about Karai, and he appreciated it.

"I'm still not certain that it's wise for April to leave the lair, OR for the two of you to travel alone." He voiced his concern.

"Look, April has been really good about being cooped up down here." Don spread his arms out gesturing to the room. "We're staying underground, and we aren't going near any of the areas where we've spotted trouble." Don leaned over and patted the giant rear tire of his beloved ShellRaiser. "We're traveling in an armored vehicle and I promise, I won't let her out of my sight."

Leo crossed his arms over his plastron. He had to admit, it did sound pretty safe, and he understood that April must be going a little stir-crazy. "All right." He agreed reluctantly. "You have your T-phone if you need us?"

Donnie smiled and nodded. "And we'll be home before dinner."

Just then April entered the lab, practically bouncing as she walked. She was wearing her father's large rain jacket and had her ginger hair tucked up into a bucket hat. She adjusted the large sack over her shoulder, and carried an old cooler that Leo assumed must be their lunch.

"Who's ready to scour the sewers?" She asked with her best faked-but-not-really-faked-excitement.

Leo smiled and patted April on the shoulder as she moved past him into the back of the old subway car and set down her stuff.

"You sure you don't want to join us?" She popped her head out to ask Leo, silently praying she wouldn't regret asking.

"Gee, you make it sound so enticing, but I think I'll pass."

"Well, we best get going then." Donnie commented.

"You two be safe." Leo waved as the large door clanged shut. He shook his head as he left the lab, wondering what exactly his brother had planned.

"So we're good to go then?" April asked excitedly, turning to look at her boyfriend as he flipped on a few monitors along the wall of the vehicle.

"Just one more thing," He commented, and when April turned around, he met her inquisitive look with a kiss on the lips. It had been at least a couple of days since they had had a decent moment alone and April was amazed at how much she had been aching to kiss him properly during that time. She wrapped her arms up around his neck, and deepened the kiss, parting her lips to allow him entrance.

Her eyes drifting open as she stepped back from his embrace, "Did you say just ONE?" She asked coyly.

"Oh, I plan on kissing you as many times as I can this afternoon, Miss O'Neil." He smiled, proud of his improving flirtatious talk.

April's own smile beamed and she reached up to pull off the ridiculous hat she was wearing. Her trademark pony tail was absent, and the hair that had been tucked up into the hat tumbled down loosely, in a wave of curled ends. Don's eye ridges popped up in a pleasant surprise.

"I wanted to look nice for our first real date." She said smiling.

"Well, you've succeeded." He managed to gasp. She knew he had a weakness for her silky strands, and he was absolutely fine with her taking advantage of that.

"Shall we?" She asked, gesturing Donnie towards the driver's seat.

"Um yeah, let's go." He managed to mumble, his throat suddenly feeling dry and his pulse racing at the prospect of being alone with his girlfriend, the woman of his dreams, without any worry of interruption. He sat down and started the engine, thankful for the task of driving to keep his mind occupied for a bit.

Don had mapped out several subway lines that ran unused or abandoned beneath the city. Over the years, he had cleared debris and altered a few paths to ensure that there was at least a few different routes for them to get around without having to go above ground. He knew that this particular line went on for a good 50 miles or so to the NorthEast and he had been down it enough times to have found a decent place to take April that was just far enough away that they'd have to drive a bit to get there, but also not too far, so that his brothers couldn't reach them if absolutely necessary.

He had been driving in relative silence for the last 20 minutes or so, humming along to the music playing through the radio speakers. Being an old subway car, the ShellRaiser was decently large for a vehicle, and he wasn't entirely sure what April was up to in the rear of the car.

Just then, he jolted in his seat, as her touch on the back of his neck startled him out of his thoughts.

"Sorry." She giggled, leaning down to kiss the side of his neck.

"I love your apologies." He teased, leaning to one side to allow her better access to the tender area beneath his jawline she was currently caressing with her lips.

"So are we actually going anywhere specific, or are you just seeing how far away you can get?" She asked playfully, as she stepped out from behind him and sat in the passenger seat across the way.

"There's a spot I want to take you–" Don caught a glimpse of her in his peripheral and had to turn to get a better look. Gone was the dumpy oversized jacket, and she was now clad in a simple strappy summer dress. White with large black flowers cascading along the hem that fell just above her knee.

Don had stared so long at her attire, that he caught himself swerving a little off course, and blushed a bit when he over-corrected, causing the two of them to whip back in their seats a little. "Sorry." He mumbled under his breath.

"I know, I know, it's totally over the top." Her cheeks flushed, knowing that her costume change had caught his eye. "But you know, my cousin's wedding that I missed last weekend? This was the dress my aunt bought me for the occasion, and it's been staring at me sadly from the back of my closet. It just felt like a perfect date outfit."

"I wasn't going to complain." Donnie smiled, forcing himself to keep his eyes on the road. "You look amazing."

"Well, thanks. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I feel kinda silly… maybe I'll go put my jeans back on…"

"Please don't feel silly. I like that you dressed up for me." Donnie spoke quietly.

"Oh, you think this was for you?" April teased, before catching his glance with a wink.

Donnie giggled. "We're here actually." He slowed down to park the large vehicle. "So see, no time to change anyway." He returned his own wink back to her.

"So, where did you bring me?" She asked, looking out the dirty windshield, seeing only darkness beyond the headlights.

"Let me go prep a couple things." He answered cryptically. "Stay put, I'll be right back."

April watched curiously as Donnie opened the hatch above them and moved the pile of supplies up through it. Lastly, he grabbed the cooler of lunch and slipped out the opening as well, closing it behind him.

She looked around the dimly lit vehicle, the monitors all buzzing and giving off just enough light to feel claustrophobic. She smoothed down the front of her dress, and again, felt a little silly for her last minute wardrobe choice. Too late now, she chided herself.

Her mind wandered wondering what on earth Donnie had planned for them and knowing that she was just excited to be alone with him for a while. Their brief moments of stolen kisses and meaningful looks was getting to be not enough. She was surprised at how natural it was to be with the half-human boy and at how deeply she was quickly falling for him. He was still nervous about their relationship progressing too far and that she might still freak out, but she knew she absolutely accepted who he was and if she didn't know better, she'd think it was turning into something more.

She glanced at the roof above her, hearing Donnie shift around. "What's that boy up to?" She wondered aloud.

Just then, the back door opened, startling her and causing her to jump a little.

"Ok, you ready?" He grinned.

"Absolutely." She replied, feeling silly he had to ask. She had been ready since he had first brought up the idea last week.

"Do you mind closing your eyes? It's a surprise." He touched the tips of his pointer fingers together in his nervous habit.

April just shook her head at him, as though she wouldn't do anything he asked… he was clearly unaware of how badly she had it for him. She closed her eyes and stood smiling, reaching out one hand tentatively, wondering if he was going to lead her. But she let out a little yelp when he swiftly scooped her up in his arms. She wrapped her hands around his neck, and he adjusted to hold her with one arm under her knees, so the other was free to climb. With her eyes held tightly shut, April felt the two of them exit the stale air of the ShellRaiser for the warm muggy humidity of this section of sewers. Grateful, she noticed right away the lack of stench she had sadly grown somewhat accustomed to, and was instead replaced with a salty smell, almost like the ocean.

Donnie's movement shifted, and she could tell he had effortlessly climbed up onto the top of the subway car. It was definitely not the first time, he had moved around acrobatically with her in his arms, but she was still impressed every time at how it never appeared to hinder his movement in any way.

He lowered her to the ground, and she could feel the uneven surface of the ShellRaiser's roof under her feet, and a softness that she assumed was a blanket. She unlaced her fingers from behind his neck, and he guided her to sit down, her eyes still closed, as he found a spot beside her.

"Ok. You can open your eyes now." He spoke softly, but with excitement in his voice.

Blinking a couple times to adjust to the dimly lit space, April glanced beside her to Donatello's nervous look, hoping she approved. Around him, he had unpacked the cooler and set up a picnic area. She noted a small, solitary daisy sitting in a chipped bud vase at the center of the place setting, she reached out to touch it delicately, a smile on her lips at how cute it was that he had tried so hard to make their afternoon romantic. A light caught her eyes and she looked out over the tunnel they were parked in and gasped at what she saw.

About ten yards from where they sat perched atop the ShellRaiser, there was what appeared to be a small pool of water collecting along the back of the tunnel wall. While collected water wasn't really anything surprising in the sewers, the soft blue light illuminating the small pond was.

April squinted and leaned forward to adjust her eyes and get a better look at the sparkling water. It appeared to have some kind of mysterious current that was causing the glowing blue edges to randomly detach and float away into the darkness.

"It's some kind of bioluminescent algae?" April muttered, surprised herself at what she was seeing.

Donnie beamed, not at all surprised that she knew exactly what it was. He nodded at her comment before adding, "It's a unique species of phytoplankton."

"I didn't think you could find them around here?" She responded, her eyes still glued to the beautiful sparkling waves.

"No, they shouldn't be here. This pool of water has a high level of salinity, so it's mixing with ocean water somewhere along the way. And I've run a few tests on them, and they appear to be a local algae that's come into contact with a diluted amount of mutagen." His words were soft and echoed through the cavernous space as he explained more about the new species in great detail.

April turned to look him in the eye. "I thought the algae was just a cover story to sneak away for the day?"

"It is." He shrugged. "I've already run just about every test on it that I can think of, but it's beautiful none-the-less." Looking back at April, watching the shimmering blue lights reflected in her eyes.

"It is beautiful. Thanks for bringing me here." She leaned forward and placed a peck on his lips before chuckling a little to herself.

"What?" He asked, wondering where the onset of laughter came from.

"I just… I would have been happy to go anywhere today. Seriously, you could have taken me to a waste treatment plant and I would have been happy. Just getting out of the lair, and being alone with you feels amazing. I never expected you to find such a perfect spot."

"Well, I'm glad you like it." Donnie said, before handing her a bottle of water. "And I've saved the treatment plant for next time."

April laughed out, thankful she hand't actually gotten any water in her mouth yet, or she would have surely spit it all over.

The couple sat and ate their lunch that April had packed for them, watching the glowing organism sparkle as it floated across the soft current. They chatted about unimportant things, trying their best to keep each other smiling. Donnie was in the middle of telling April about Mikey's latest prank on their hot headed brother.

"Wait- when was this?" April asked astounded, before bringing her chopsticks back up to her lips to slurp up the last of her noodles.

"It was just last night!" Donnie exclaimed.

"How on Earth did I miss the beat down that surely followed?" She laughed a bit, shaking her head at the thought. "And why does Mikey insist on provoking him?"

"Nah, he puts up a show, but Raph doesn't really mind it that much." Don rolled his eyes as he explained. "They've always been close, and teasing is just one of the ways they hang out together."

The mention of Mikey reminded her of something. April set down her empty tupperware bowl and leaned across Donatello's lap to dig down to the bottom of the cooler that sat on his other side.

Don sat up a little straighter as her body reached out across him. He lifted his bowl a little higher, so as not to spill any on her back. She shifted a little to get a better reach into the cooler, causing her hair to roll off one shoulder and trickle down, tickling Don's thigh in the process. He could feel his cheeks burn.

Finding what she had been hunting for, April righted herself, a triumphant grin on her face as she held a small box.

"And what was that all about?" Donnie asked, reaching over to stack his own empty bowl into hers, and placing them both back into the cooler.

"You reminded me; Mikey helped me with dessert!" She slowly opened the lid to reveal a small assortment of mini cupcakes.

"Yum!" Donatello reached out to grab one from the offered box, but April pulled it back right as he went to grab the closest one.

"Fair warning, Mikey did the frosting and toppings, and he matches flavors on cupcakes the same way he tops pizza." She stuck out her tongue to emphasize the grossness.

Donnie shrugged and still grabbed the initial one he had reached for.

"Wait, I'm serious." She giggled, grabbing his arm to halt him. "That one looks like it has jalapeños and fish crackers on it! Don't you want to at least pick one of the less offensive ones?"

"Nah. It's still a cupcake." Donnie smiled, before unwrapping the dainty treat and popping the whole thing in his mouth, jalapeños and everything.

April picked up another from the box, that appeared to have some kind of gummy candy and diced pickles decorating it in the form of a smiley face. "Yick." She muttered as she peeled off the smile of pickle pieces. "You're crazy." She stated to the boy beside her.

"Nah. Growing up the way we did, there wasn't always a lot of options, so I learned to take what I can get." He licked the dollop of pink frosting off his finger.

"I get that, but just now you had choices." She teased, biting into her own cupcake, her cheeks twinging at the sour salty flavor left behind.

He shook his head with a smile, picking up the next cupcake in the box, and popping it right in his mouth without even inspecting it.

Finishing their dessert, the two packed away the lunch supplies. They sat side by side, atop of the picnic blanket, covering the roof of the transformed subway car. Donnie's legs were crossed in front of him, as he leaned back on his lanky arms to get comfortable. He watched April out of the corner of his eye as she shifted closer to him, tucking her legs to the side to keep her dress in place. He briefly wondered what he was supposed to do next. He had never been on a real date before, eating kind of seemed like the main event.

He glanced down as April leaned her head against his shoulder. She appeared to be watching the glowing water again. It was almost hypnotic the way the blue light danced across the tunnel, reflecting around the room like stars.

"So, did you want to head back soon?" Donnie asked, feeling a little nervous for some reason.

April looked up at him, her pupils so wide in the dark space, that he could hardly see her own brilliant blue color. "Do we have to?" April asked.

"Well, I told Leo that we'd be home before dinner, so we've still got some time. I just… I guess this was really all I had planned." He added the last part with a bit of guilt in his voice.

"Oh." April said, casting her eyes downward for a brief second. Then she looked back up at him, a mischievous grin on her face. "I just figured we'd make out for a while."

She watched as Donnie's eyes lit up, it amazed her that after all this time, he could still be so shy around her.

"That sounds like a great plan, actually." He smiled and leaned over to meet her lips as she tipped her chin up to meet him.

She pecked him softly before pulling back, "You sound surprised by that." She teased.

"I'm telling you, it's still like I'm living in a dream." He reminded her again, referencing the fact that her wanting to kiss him will never quite feel real.

"Well let's see how good we can make this dream." She spoke in a low seductive tone. She grabbed either side of his face and leaned back, pulling him down with her. His lips meeting hers as they fell back softly onto the thick blanket. He smoothly repositioned his body to lay along side her, maximizing the amount of surface area between them that would meet. One of her bare legs moved up to wrap around his calf, and the feeling of her smooth skin along his sent a jolt through him.

April wasn't sure what she was doing, or how far she was willing to push things, but she did know that she had been craving his touch and hadn't been able to keep her mind off the ideas of what she could do with him once they were alone. She felt Donnie shift and realized he had already managed to press his entire body down the length of her own. Her shoes had been kicked off and forgotten long ago, and she ran her bare foot up the front of his, before wrapping her leg around his calf, pulling him even more flush against her, all the while deepening their kiss.

Their kissing quickly turned feverish. Their hands were roaming up and down each others sides, caressing every inch they could reach. April swept her long delicate fingers down the back of Donnie's neck, teasing the sensitive place where his spine ran just beneath his shell. She felt the small shiver that he was never able to contain when she visited her favorite spot.

Don's hands slid up her sides and through her hair, relishing the silken strands hanging loose for him to enjoy. A gentle rumbling moan escaped his lips, a sound that he didn't even realize he could make, as he moved from her lips to her jawline. She arched her back and tipped her head to allow him better access to the sensitive side of her neck. Trailing kisses, he made his way down her neckline, kissing the crevice where her shoulders met her clavicle and paused to take a delicate lick of her heated skin.

He had meant it when he said he was happy about her clothing change. April was petite and she typically wore clothes that hugged her frame nicely, but it was not often that he got to see so much of her skin, and he was not at all surprised at just how enticing he found it. He leaned back on one elbow and took in her beauty. Her eyes were still closed and she let out a little moan from his loss of contact.

She slowly cracked her eyes open to look up at his lust filled ones staring down at her. He was openly admiring her uncovered skin, softly caressing her shoulder with his large fingers. Before she could think twice about it, April reached up to grasp the black straps of her cotton dress and slid them down her shoulder, slipping her arms out from beneath them and revealing her bare chest. She watched Donatello's eyes as he followed the fabric that she moved down at a tantalizingly slow pace. He clearly seemed surprised by her lack of undergarment and his mouth gaped open as he looked down at her naked breasts.

She chuckled softly when she saw him avert his eyes to look back up into hers, as though verifying permission. She reached out taking his free arm and pulled his hand down to lay atop of her small peaks. This seemed to be more than enough of an invitation for Donatello because after one delicate roll of his hands, he ducked down to replace them with his lips. Lapping and kissing at the soft flesh.

April didn't have much experience with kissing boys. A few awkward french kisses here and there and a none-too-enjoyable groping session, locked in a closet while partaking in her 7 minutes of "heaven". From her brief foray into sexual acts, she hadn't really appreciated why people liked it so much. But from the very first time she had kissed Donatello, she could see that being emotionally involved had a big impact. Her feelings for him ran so strong, that just being with him, carried a feeling of elation. Whenever they had managed to find time alone, they seemed to be drawn to each other like magnets. And now, feeling confident enough to expose herself, and excited for every new touch and sensation, April truly understood.

Donnie's eager lips continued their gentle attack on her breasts. She arched her back up to allow herself to get closer and moaned as the satisfying feeling washed over her. Her hands roamed across the back of his shell and down to his sides, enticingly tracing every curve and groove. She used her leg, still hooked around his own as leverage to pull herself up tighter against him, her pelvis slightly grinding up into his and was quickly rewarded with that same low moan he had released earlier.

"April!" He gasped into her chest, somewhat surprised at her forwardness as she pressed herself against him.

"Donatello!" She managed to squeak out before his mouth met hers again in a passionate attack. His hand taking over the task his lips had been preforming a moment ago.

After awhile, he broke from her mouth to place another couple of delicate kisses to her neck and jawline, and then lowered his forehead down to settle into the nook of her neck. His breathing was heavy and he took a moment to steady it.

April wasn't sure why Donnie had stopped his ministrations, but she took the break to steady her heavy breath as well. Un-looping her ankle from behind his, she lay back flat on the blanket, feeling the cooler air surrounding them creeping over her.

"Donnie? Is everything ok?" She asked quietly, running one hand lazily down the back of his head.

"Absolutely." He spoke into her shoulder. "I just, I dunno… I thought maybe we should cool off a second." His words trailed off, unsure of why he was saying the things he was.

"That got pretty hot, pretty fast." April replied, thankful that he had stated what she was also thinking.

"It's not that I didn't like it." Donnie put up a mild protest.

"I know, silly." She giggled. She laid her head back and looked up at the dark tunnel ceiling above her, flecks of blue light still slowly moving around. "It was a good place to stop, I don't think I'm quite ready for more than that."

Don responded with a gentle kiss to her cheek. She knew he wasn't ready either, but also knew it was hard for him to admit. He snuggled into her side, enjoying the warmth her body was giving off. April could hear his breathing had switched to soft and rhythmic.

"Do you think we're compatible?" April blurted out, unsure of how exactly to ask what she was wondering.

She could feel Donnie shift a little and he rolled back to join her in her view of the ceiling. "Well, I guess I thought we were. We seem to have a lot of things in common and - "

"Donnie," She cut him off. "I wasn't asking if you thought we got along. We clearly do." She had a hint of teasing in her voice. "I meant…" She really didn't know how to ask this question, but also really wanted to know the answer. "… Do you think we're… sexually compatible?"

Don let out a nervous cough, definitely not expecting that to be her question. "You're wondering if we're able to have sex?" The words left his mouth and it still dumbfounded him that they were even discussing this. April was actually willing to at least consider sex with him? The turtle-human hybrid freak of nature? It was more than he could have ever possibly hoped for.

"I mean, I know we have a few physical differences," She continued. "and I was just wondering if… if we could go about the… traditional methods or if we were going to have to be more creative in that area?"

"Oh." Donnie stated. He was always surprised by how blunt she could be, but he also loved that he didn't have to wonder what she was thinking all the time.

"It's ok if we aren't." April quickly spoke up, worried that it might be a sensitive subject. "We're clearly still attracted to each other." She paused. "And I'm not really ready for that step yet, but I was just wondering…"

Don cleared his throat, "I'm not quite ready yet either, but to answer your question… Between us, we definitely have parts A and parts B, and while I'm a little different from the norm, they should still…" He coughed again. "…fit together." Donatello could literally feel the burn on his cheeks, almost positive that was the single most embarrassing thing he's ever said aloud.

April couldn't contain it any longer, the moment had gotten so awkward it had become ridiculous. She let out a giggle and Donnie burst out giggling with her.

April covered her face with her hands. "I am so sorry I asked that." She sputtered between giggles.

"That's ok. At least it's out there now. Any more embarrassing questions while we're at it?" He kept laughing, but stilled when he realized there was something else on her mind. "April, just ask me. There's no going back now."

"Well…" She started, knowing this one was even worse than the last. "It's just that you basically walk around without any clothes on…" She dropped off, not knowing how to finish her sentence, and hoping he could piece together where she was going with it.

It took Donnie a fraction of a second to figure out what she was thinking. "And you're wondering where I keep my 'part B'?" Donnie finished for her.

April could feel her cheeks burn with embarrassment, all she could manage to do was nod from behind her hands.

"Well, we're turtles. We keep our delicate parts up inside our shells." Don was trying his best to stay in his 'those are just the facts' mode to help prevent himself from dying of embarrassment.

April nodded to his answer. "Someday, when we're ready, I'd like to learn more about you." April emphasized the last part and the meaning was not lost on Donnie.

"Well, before we have to go back, I'm actually curious about learning a little more about you." Donnie leaned up on one elbow to look down at her.

"What do you want to know?" April asked, willing and ready to tell him anything he wanted.

"I want to discover a few more ways to make you moan."

He lowered his face down into her valley and went to work kissing along her peaks.

The couple had enjoyed their make-out session a while longer and Donnie had concluded which spot was the perfect spot to draw an enticing moan from her. But eventually their time came to an end and just as they were starting to think about heading back, Leo had called to check in on them. April helped Donatello pack their things back into the vehicle and as Donnie ran out to actually collect a few samples to bring back (to keep their cover), April quickly changed back into her jeans and t-shirt, tucking her dress into the large knapsack she'd brought and running her hands through her hair to pull it up into a messy ponytail.

Don stepped back into the ShellRaiser and caught sight of April's altered attire. He made a sort of sad-pouty face to tease her.

"You knew I was going to have to put a shirt back on eventually." She threw at him.

Don laughed giving her a quick kiss before moving to the front to start up the engine.

They did technically arrive at dinner time, but the three brother's had already inhaled their pizza and were waiting impatiently for the missing brother to go on patrol. Donnie quickly helped April pull all of their gear out of the back of the van and pile it up in the middle of the lab. And then darted off to the kitchen, to grab a couple slices to-go.

The three brothers had been waiting in the lab and were eager to get going. Leo stopped en route to the ShellRaiser and approached April, who had begun to start putting away some of their supplies.

"So… how was the algae hunting?" Leo asked April, clearly still suspicious of their motives.

"Pretty good." She answered him. And leaned down to snap open the case that Donatello had placed all the samples in and pulled out a few of the vials filled with water and tiny glowing blue organisms.

"Whoah!" Mikey exclaimed, his face suddenly between her and Leo, eyes glued to the vial. "What the heck are those?"

"A new species of phytoplankton," She explained loosely for Mikey. "They've come in contact with diluted mutagen, which is how they are surviving down here."

"They're so pretty!" Mikey added, clasping his hands together and following it with an, "Awwwwww".

Leo's brow, which had been scrunched up in disbelief, leaned around his youngest brother to inspect the vial she still held before them. He reached out and tapped the glass, watching the small blue light swim around.

"Huh. What does he want it for?" Leo asked, still skeptical of Donatello.

"No idea. He just said he wanted to run tests on them." April stated with a smile on her face. Proud of herself for keeping up their cover story.

"'Bout time." They heard Raphael grumble, as Donatello had returned with his dinner. "Let's get the hell outta here."

Mikey bounded away towards Raph, to climb aboard the ShellRaiser. Leo narrowed his eyes again at April before straightening up, apparently satisfied with how she had held up to his scrutiny. "See you in a bit April." He commented, before following his youngest brother.

Donnie stopped near April and gestured to the pile of supplies. "Don't worry about all of this, I'll take care of it when we get back."

"I'll put away what I can, but I know how you like to keep everything organized and I'm not sure where some of this belongs." She smiled up at him and then nodded her head in the direction of the ShellRaiser. A subtle reminder that his brothers no doubt had their snouts up against the glass watching the two of them.

Donatello took a quick step back, so as to gently remind himself not to kiss her in front of the prying eyes. "Thanks April! I had fun today." He winked, so that only she could see.

"Me too. Be careful out there." She waved goodbye as he headed to join the others.

For the brief seconds the subway doors parted, April could just barely make out Mikey's light-hearted teasing, in the form of kiss-ey noises. And Donnie protesting to leave him alone, as Leo laughed heartedly.

She continued to wave as they peeled out of the lab/garage area. And breathed a heavy sigh of relief, it seems as though their secret was still intact. Leo was getting suspicious, and really, it had been a few weeks since the last mention of Karai. Perhaps it was about time to tell the others. April smiled to herself and decided to ask Donnie what he thought about it later.

April's evening went just about the same as most evenings while the boys were on patrol; rummaging for non-pizza food (and wondering again how they could stomach to eat it that often), cleaning up her dishes, and finding a relaxing distraction so as not to worry about the boys. Tonight, she had the extra task of sneaking her 'date' dress back into the depths of her closet. Not that it was much effort, seeing intimate; the how Master Splinter typically used the quiet time while the boys were out to meditate. But something about it made her feel like she'd really gotten away with something.

Slipping into some comfy pajamas, April's mind was still running wild with the memories of her afternoon shared with Donatello. The chilled smoothness of his semi-reptilian skin caressing her own. The way his large fingers had fondled her so delicately, and managed to indeed find all the places that made her gasp in delight. She shook her head when she realized how warm and flustered she felt just remembering what they had been doing. And the fact that she now had affirmation from Donnie that he believed they could be intimate; the excitement that the anticipation brought made her cheeks warm all over again. It had been totally worth the near-fatal humiliation to have obtained that knowledge.

Trying to get her mind off those things, she had settled down to read and was surprised when she had gotten sucked into her current plot and breezed through the last few chapters. Of course the one she was reading was the 2nd book in a series and she knew for sure that Raphael had the following book stowed away. Glancing up at the clock in her room, she figured the boys wouldn't be back for at least another 20 min. She decided that she could justify sneaking into his room to grab it, because it also gave her a chance to return an armful of books she'd already finished to his stash. Having been meaning to bring them by for a while now, there was always some snooping brother around and she had sworn that she'd keep Raph's love of novels a secret.

April, her arms full of books, dashed quietly down the hallway towards the boy's rooms. None of the bedrooms had real doors with real frames and therefor they all fortunately remained unlocked. She stopped to verify that the halls were still silent before ducking into Raphael's darkened room. She moved slowly across the dark and unfamiliar space, with an intention to turn on the standing light near the "closet," so she'd have a chance to free up her hands.

As she neared the corner of the room, she paused sensing something, her heart raced briefly wondering if she was not the first intruder. Hearing a soft crunch, she realized that it was just Spike munching on some leaves in his terrarium. She was about to let out a sigh of relief when she was grasped from behind. A large hand covered her mouth before she had even attempted to scream, her arms immediately reached up to free herself, books flying out in all directions. Her trained reflexes were still not fast enough to stop the leg that kicked behind her ankle, knocking her back onto the bed. The attacker shifted and a light was clicked on. She took advantage of the moment, the attacker had let go with one arm to reach for the lamp, and before she could adjust to the dim light filling the room, she reacted.

Grasping out, she felt one of the hardback books beside her on the bed, grabbing it by one end she wielded it like a weapon and swung up making contact with her attacker's head. Successfully knocking him to the side she managed to free a leg and knee him in the stomach, before flipping up off the mattress and landing on her attacker, book raised to swing down again, but her slim wrist was caught before she could budge.

"April?" A hoarse voiced asked.

April blinked, allowing her eyes to adjust to the faintly illuminated space. And that was when she saw the flash of red. She was currently crouched over, straddling his waist, with her book wielding hand held firmly in place above her by his strong grip. A very angry and confused Raphael looked up at her.

"Raph?" She mimicked, also wondering how the situation had come to pass.

"What in the hell are you doing?!" He all but growled at her.

"I was returning books!" She protested. "Why– why are you hiding in your room with the lights out? I thought you were still out on patrol?"

"First of all, it's my room Red, I can have the lights off if I want!"

April frowned down at him, her bangs hanging in her eyes, clearly not satisfied with his answer.

"I took the Stealth Bike and beat the others back, I walked in just before you." He definitely growled that time. "What the hell made you think you were welcome in here?"

"I was trying to bring some books back without the watchful eyes of your brothers around!" She shouted back at him, irritated that he clearly wasn't seeing that she had good intentions.

Raph stilled at her answer. It made sense, and seeing the books scattered across the floor he knew it was true. He noted the one she had clocked him with still held tight in her hand. He then realized that he was grasping said arm and gently released it. She lowered her arm, letting the book drop onto the blanket beside him. It was then that he also realized that the woman he had been reluctantly fantasizing about was currently straddling him, on his own bed.

He took in a breath and for not the first time that night his nostrils were hit with a distinct mixture of scents. April was just as much wrapped in his brother's scent as he had been in hers. It was the very reason he had taken off early in the stealth bike. Having been paired off with his brother in purple, his mind could not ignore the fact that Donatello was practically engulfed in April's scent, and his mind couldn't stop imaging all the ways it could have come to be.

"You wanna' get offa' me?" He grumbled out, knowing that was the very last thing he actually wanted her to do.

April seemed to take in their position for the first time and quickly scampered off of him and was up standing next to the bed in a flash. "Are you ok?" She asked, as he stood up next to her, fingering the spot where the book had connected.

"It's nothin'" He grumbled.

"Your first instinct is to attack someone entering your room?" She asked in an accusatory tone, becoming upset for how he was behaving.

"I do when they don't belong here!" He snapped back and she turned to glare.

"Look, I expect the heavy footsteps of my brothers, so a female trespasser was unexpected."

"You LIVE with a FEMALE!" She shouted back at him. She had been there for over a month now making his excuse seem flimsy. "What, you thought Karai had nothing better to do, but to break into YOUR room?!"

Raph fumed at the remark. "I clearly wasn't using all of my senses, or should have been able to smell Donnie all over you from a mile away! Collecting algae my ass, I can guess what you two were up to today!"

April paused, mouth still agape from the shouted words that hung forgotten. "What?" She asked, a deep anger in her tone.

"C'mon, it's not like I didn't already assume that's what you two were going off for today. Make-out session with your boy-toy."

"That wasn't… we're not…" April wasn't sure why she was trying to deny it, Raphael had told her about his brother's feelings for her, and had helped to set their relationship in motion, she had assumed he knew enough and was ok with it.

"Please April," He scoffed. "Don't bother, I've seen it."

"What are you, spying on us?" She threw back. Between the remarks on scents and this, she was suddenly feeling violated.

"Not on purpose, you guys just suck at sneaking around." He barked. "And now you come back from an afternoon alone, your hair all prettied up and your scents all over each other..." He sort of trailed off, as though he had suddenly lost steam.

April stood for a moment in the dim room, angry and not really sure what to do next. She thought Raphael had been ok with the idea. Why had he even told her about Donnie's feelings if he hadn't at least assumed this could have been an outcome? Is this why had he been so grumpy around her lately? He didn't approve of the two of them together.

"I thought you would be happy for us." She finally protested back to him. "We're friends, or at least I thought we were. But I'm not good enough for Donnie, is that it?" She jumped to first reasonable conclusion she could muster.

"That's what you think?" Raphael asked softly, all anger having faded.

"I don't know what the hell to think." She all but spat back.

They faced off silently, April glaring at the turtle in red across from her, waiting for him to explain himself.

"You know, Donnie and I… we've never really had anything in common." Raph broke the silence, his voice calm and collected. "He saw a problem as a series of questions that he could find answers for with science. Where I just saw problems as walls to knock down."

April was taken aback by the random change in the conversation. "O…. Kay…." She replied, not really understanding where his answer was coming from.

"And I've never been jealous of anything Donnie had. Never." He paused to lock eyes with her. "Until you."

"What?" She tried to ask, but the breath seemed to leave her without any sound. Her heart seemed to leap up into her throat, constricting it from working properly. Had he just said what she thought?

"I've seen the way you look at him when you think no one else is watching. You really do accept us for what we are." He turned away from her again to look across the room. "Not only did he manage to find someone, but he found the best one out there."

"Wait, what are you trying to say?" April knew the answer, but she was afraid of jumping to the conclusion.

Raphael paused and blew out a breath. He turned his attention back to April with a look in his eyes and a tilt of his head. He was plainly expressing that she should know what he was saying.

"You… you have feelings for me?" She managed to whisper.

"I… I didn't mean to." He quickly answered, looking away embarrassed. "I just… it's nothing. I know that there's something going on between you and Donnie and I would NEVER come between that. It's just, I have never really spent that much time around someone like you. A girl who's not only beautiful, but can really kick some ass." He chuckled a little to himself.

April felt herself blush as she silently waited for him to continue.

"I was afraid someone would realize, so I was trying my best to act the opposite, and I've been coming across as a jerk. I'm sorry for that."

"Raph… I… I had no idea." She wasn't sure what to say, she was truly shocked beyond words.

"You weren't supposed to."

Again, they found themselves standing across from each other in the silent room, wondering what to say next.

"I'm going to go see if the others are back yet, Leo's going to be pissed that I left on my own." Raph said matter of factly. And he walked past her towards the door.

"Raph, wait. I…" April stuttered, not really sure what she could possibly say, but not wanting to leave things the way they were.

"April, it's fine. It's just a stupid crush. You're the only girl I really know. I'll get over it." And with that, he slipped back out into the hallway, leaving April behind to contemplate things on her own.

There was one small comment Raphael had made that stood out from everything else that had just transpired. It was the thing that he and Donatello really did have in common, she WAS the ONLY girl they really knew. And somehow this realization haunted her more than anything else he had said. April fled back to her own room, not wanting to run into anyone else on her way back, the books lying forgotten on the cold cement floor.
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***** End chapter 13 - Dates and Revelations

A/N - Hahaha oh dear. I always tell myself I'll probably get better traffic if I post chapters over the weekend, but that's when I have time to finish them and I'm certainly not going to wait another week to finally post! So hopefully this proved to be some nice reading for your Monday. :)

Tell me what you think! Was the make-out session ok? Not steamy enough? Was the conversation afterwards too embarrassing? I wanted this to be somewhat realistic, and knowing that Donnie has zero experience and assuming April's is limited, I wanted them to be shy and a little nervous. And I think it's totally plausible that April would wonder whether or not they could actually be together - I mean they are freaking turtles and she's a human! They very clearly have some physical differences.

Oh and Raph, poor poor Raph. I considered splitting this and putting his section into the next chapter, but it felt like it helped balance out the toothache sweetness of the first half. What's going to happen now that HIS secret is out? Stayed tuned to find out! Until next time!

And thank you to all of my followers! I live off of your favorites and reviews! Thanks for sticking with me! I don't really have any spare time to be writing, but I'm just loving this so much I can't stop. I can't guarantee that I'll post any faster, but I will finish this eventually!