I'm so late. What is this.
I'M SO SORRY. I'll make up for it with a long chapter.
I'm hoping to settle into a normal schedule this year.
Merry Late Christmas and Happy Late Year to all of you!
And get ready for a chapter full of feels.
...
~New York City~
The four ninjas leaped through the night. From building to building they soared.
"If I were a secret villain lair…where would I be?" Mikey asked as the brothers came to a halt.
Donnie eyed the wide city, "It could be anywhere. We need some way to track down the people who took Dr. O'Neil."
"And how do you suppose we do that?" Raph rolled his eyes.
"I'll-We'll…" Donnie looked at his brothers, "I'll find a way."
Leo sighed in defeat, "We should probably head home. Splinter will probably worry if we're not back soon."
"If by worry you mean freak out, yeah. He needs to chill about us being out here!" Said Mikey.
"Let's just go," the eldest rolled his eyes.
~Sewers~
"April!" the brothers chimed as their friend entered the cave.
"What are you dressed up for?" Donnie put an arm around his girlfriend. The girl was indeed dressed fancily; a dark purple skirt complimented her white preppy shirt. A headband the same shade as her skirt rested in her hair.
April raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend's question. "What do you mean?"
"I thought our date wasn't until next Friday?"
The redhead took a step away, breaking their embrace. "I can't believe you forgot!"
"Forgot what?"
April didn't answer. She didn't need to. Raphael answered for her.
On his way out he gave her a sincere look. "Happy birthday, Ape." April gave him a small smile and nodded.
Upon realizing his mistake, Donnie grabbed the girl's hand. "April, I'm so sorr-"
"No need." She whispered as she turned around, walking as far away as she could get.
She trudged through the sewers, getting angrier with every step.
"Don't tell me you're going to spend your birthday alone just because your boyfriend is a douc-"
"Language, Raph." April sighed. She looked up where the hotheaded brother was crawling around the sewer pipe.
"Hey," he dropped down next to her. "You wanna go somewhere?"
The question caught her off guard, "What do you mean?"
"I'm not going to let my idiot brother ruin this day for you. Have you ever been bowling?"
"Are you feeling alright, Raphael?"
"Am I ever?"
She sighed in defeat. "I haven't been bowling in a really long time."
"Good," Raph held up a wallet, "'Cuz Donnie's payin'!"
April smiled as her friend led her through the sewers and city to a small building.
"Bobby's Bowling?" the redhead raised an eyebrow suspiciously at him.
Raphael shrugged, "It's a long story."
"Good, you can tell me over dinner."
Neither knew how much fun they could actually have bowling. Raphael turned out to be much more skilled then the clumsy April, but he also had much more power on the bowling ball.
Because he could be a gentleman if he wanted to, he let April win the game. She loved every second of it.
Afterwards April demanded they go to Burger King so she could acquire a crown. Raph paid for their dinner with his money, not Donatello's.
"Raph?"
"Princess April the Third?"
She smiled at the title. "You know you have quite the soft side."
He turned slightly red. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Whatever, Sir Raphael."
"Hmph?"
"Well every princess needs a knight… So I guess you'll do for now."
"Hah," Raph sarcastically laughed. "Not good enough for you?"
April's smile slowly disappeared. "I guess I already have a knight." She stirred her straw around in her Coke.
"He's crazy about you, you know that right?"
April looked up to meet Raphael's eyes. Everything she couldn't say out loud, she said in her eyes. The boy understood it all.
"You need to tell him you're unhappy." Raphael scowled.
The teenage girl ran her hand through her hair. "He's just so caught up on working on all his inventions and training and what ever else Donatello does, that he forgets about me."
Raph growled under his breath, his brother didn't deserve the girl in front of him.
The redhead was now quiet. Raphael was too angry to say anything.
"April? What the heck are you doin' here?" a teenager with a thick accent came up behind Raph. The ninja's head popped up, he recognized that voice.
"Casey?..." April awkwardly smiled. The boy pulled a chair over to their table and set it backwards.
"Who's this?" Casey looked Raph up and down. Raph glared.
"This is Raphael. He's Donnie's brother. Raphael, do you know Casey? He's a friend from school." April introduced. Casey rolled his eyes at Donnie's name. Raph just kept glaring at him.
"Ever played golf or baseball?" Raph growled.
"A few times." Casey raised an eyebrow.
"New York is a dangerous place to be out in at night." Raphael said, pretty sure he had matched the voice to the right person.
Casey stared into Raph's eyes and thought hard. He stoof up and pointed to Raphael "You! I know you! I'm gonna-"
"Casey?" April stood and put and arm over her chest to hold him back from lunging at her friend.
"Why you hangin' out with a punk like this, Ape?" Casey grumbled.
Raphael glared at Casey's nickname for his redhead friend. Only he could call her that. "Watch it or I'll mess you up again."
"Raphael, we should go." April shot him a worried and at the same time frustrated look.
Raph and Casey just glared daggers at each other before the hotheaded Hamato pulled away. "Fine" he growled low.
"Go back to the hole you came from," Casey said under his breath so only Raph could hear.
"Alley on Thirty-Second. Twelve." Raph muttered in his ear he pushed passed him.
"What was that?" April threw her hands up as they walked back to her apartment.
Raphael didn't respond he just growled.
"Coughit'smybirthdaycough" She nudged him with her elbow.
The Hamato boy looked at her and tried to keep a straight face. But her smile was contagious. That was one of the unique things about April. Only she could make Raphael smile when he went into his rage mode.
April loved his smile. It was one of her favorite things about him. It was so rare, that when he actually did smile, it was special. And when it was her that made him smile, she felt giddy.
Conflict. She had so much conflict inside. Donatello was her boyfriend, and yes she did still have feelings for him. But Raphael was so much more…better to her. He respected her opinion and knew her. He just knew her.
Casey was an idiot most of time, she was quite aware that he was whole hearted in love with her. She didn't return the feeling.
A loud noise quite like a gunshot made her jump. Her thoughts drizzled away like rain on a window. Raph was standing close enough to feel her twitch. He smirked.
"You okay?"
"It's late. I don't like being out here late."
"But you normally leave the lair about this time."
"I'm terrified when I walk home."
Raph looked at her in the eye. "I'll walk you home from no on, would you be okay with that?"
She nodded and smiled.
"Raph," April poked his stomach.
He raised an eyebrow, "Hm?"
"Your soft side is showing."
"Oh shut up."
She laughed and grabbed onto his arm, unsure why. It just felt right in the moment. She leaned onto him.
He put an arm around her. Wait. What. What was he doing. His brain wasn't working anymore. It was April. She made his brain fuzzy. He wanted to tell her to stop; he wasn't some soft and sappy guy. He was a fighter. He was a strong fighter.
But her.
Oh her.
He loved her.
He would do anything for her.
He loved her.
~O'Neil Apartment, New York (If you haven't noticed, all these places are in New York)~
"Raphael Hamato!" April dropped her arm and turned to look at the teenager.
"What?" Raph curiously asked.
"You forgot to tell me about why you know about that odd bowling alley we went to."
Her friend smirked and shook his head. "It's late now, I'll tell you another day."
She rolled her eyes, "Fine. Hey if you were to pick, who would you say you're closest with in your family?"
"You're stalling."
"Answer."
He rubbed the back of his head, "uhhh…Mikey. No dobut."
"I thought it'd be Leo."
"Leo and I are really close too. It's a tie between the two of them."
"No Donnie?"
"I never was as good as friends with him as the other two. We're still close, of course. But it'd either be Leo or Mikey. No go to bed."
April whimpered, "I just realized something."
"And that is?"
"Dad's not home."
Raph sighed, "C'mon." he turned around.
"What?"
"You can stay with us."
She smiled, "You're the best, Raphael Hamato."
"Can you tell Leo that?"
She laughed.
~Lair~
"Raph, April. Happy Birthday April!" Leo greeted as the two entered.
"Hey man, April's staying here tonight." Raph turned to leave.
"Cool with me, where you headed?"
"Pft." Was all he said as he left.
April shrugged. He was probably going to think somewhere.
"April, you want to take my room? I'll sleep on the couch."
"Are you sure?"
Leonardo nodded, "Sure, let me go get a few things and it's yours."
"You're the best, Leo."
"Can you tell that to Raph?"
April started laughing uncontrollably. He smiled and left.
"April…?" Donnie came from the stairway.
April sighed and looked at him sadly.
"Just say it," he said.
"Say what?"
"That I'm a terrible guy and we're over."
April looked away, pushing tears away. "Donnie… You're not a terrible guy. It's just that you put yourself into your work too much. Or maybe we just don't work. Maybe we're just too different of people to-"
"And you and Raph work perfectly."
"What?"
Donatello stepped closer, "I tried to follow you, but I saw he got there first."
April couldn't hold it in; she released a tear.
"Donnie…"
"Did you have fun? Did he treat you better? Do you love him now? Is it perfect with him because he remembers your birthday and Donatello is too involved with trying to keep us alive that he doesn't?"
"I don't… Donnie calm down. You're not acting like yourself." She was now full on crying.
"I don't know what to do, April."
"I needed someone there for me, and Raph was the first person who came."
Donnie closed his eyes, he needed to calm his self.
"I really do like you Donnie. But I think we just need to… We need to break up." She spit the words out like acid.
Donnie looked into her eyes, "Is that what you want?"
"No, but its all we can do right now," she wiped her eyes on her sleeve.
"Then that's it, I guess." Donnie sighed.
"Donatello, I'm still going to be your friend no matter how mad you are at me."
"I'm not mad, April."
"Then can we please be friends?" her eyes pleaded.
Donatello was frustrated. His girlfriend goes out with his brother. His own brother. Then shatters him own heart and now wants to be friends? This was no sitcom. Problems couldn't be solved in the time span of thirty minutes.
"I don't know." He shrugged.
"I'm sorry I went behind your back with Raph, Donnie. It meant nothing and we're just friends. We always will be, I promise." April started crying again.
Donatello hated watching her cry, he felt like a monster. So he did the only thing he knew to do. He wrapped his arm around her in a hug. "I'll always forgive you April. I'm sorry I over reacted. I'm sorry I forgot your birthday, it was a stupid thing to do. I'm stupid."
"You acted as any normal person would. You're not stupid Donnie. We all mess up."
They were quiet for a minute.
"April?"
"Yes?"
"I love you."
She tried to smile up at him through the tears. He leaned down and kissed her, and she somehow found herself kissing him back.
At this time Raphael snuck in, trying not to have anyone noticed his fresh scars.
He froze right before turning to his room.
April.
Donnie.
Leo came in and was about to call April that the room was ready. He saw too.
"Raph…I'm sorry," he put a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Don't be. She chose him." He turned around and slammed his door shut.
…
ASADFGHJKL;' I WANT TO KEEP WRITING SOOOO BADLY.
But I was scared it'd be way too long. Holy cow.
Yes, the fight scene will be in the next chapter. I also encourage you to go read another RaphxApril fic I wrote, 'Love Song Requiem' to understand more of the next chapter.
To those who have read it, Yes. That scene is coming. Mwaha.
So while writing the break up scene I was just like… so many feels. WHY DIDN'T THEY BREAK UP?! You might ask.
Because. Raph hasn't given up yet, so expect that.
Wooh.
Review please?