Afterglow - Chapter 24

Rated: T

The Eel and the Tunnel

Chapter Summary: April has to spend a few nights at the lair, much to Raphael's delight.

"...So...mind telling me why you're staying here again?" Raph asked smugly, lying back on his bed with his arms crossed comfortably underneath his head; foot wiggling as it dangled off the edge of the bed.

"Raph, for the thousandth time, I am not telling you again." April growled, giving him the stink eye as she none-too-gently unpacked her small suitcase.

"Aww, come on, it's funny." Raph replied with a smirk, poking her in the side with his toe which she quickly slapped away.

"Stop it! And no, it's not funny!" April shrilled, her cheeks a brilliant shade of red as she wiggled an accusing finger at the smirking terrapin.

"Now, let's see, from your ranting explanation earlier, when you and your dad went out to eat, he brought up a rather interesting conversation he had with the next door neighbor. Ya know, the one that has a thin wall between their living room and your bedroom and oh, the stories they told..." he recanted with a smug smirk and wiggling eyebrows; absolutely loving how his girlfriend's face flushed.

"Shut up!" April screeched, flinging a spare tennis shoe at his head and she inwardly cursed when he easily caught it and tossed it harmlessly onto the floor.

Damn his ninja skills...

Raphael couldn't help but guffaw at her outburst, head leaning back and laughing like it was the fucking funniest thing he'd ever seen in his life.

April had never been more jealous of Raphael and his brothers at this very moment - willing to give up anything to just curl up into a shell to hide from the outside world for the rest of her life. Everything inside of her was filled with the hot coals of embarrassment - recalling her adorably awkward father bringing up the dreaded conversation over lunch...

They were having such a great time at their traditional father/daughter Valentine's lunch - a tradition that started the year after her mother disappeared and continued til present day.

It was just a nice way to spend time together and get to talk... Little did April know it was about to be the most embarrassing moment of her life.

Kirby's face was a bit red when he suddenly mentioned Ms. Anderson next door, a widowed, lonely 60-something lady who made it her mission in life to stick her nose into other people's business, bringing up a conversation he had with her the previous afternoon. April was instantly intrigued, expecting some funny anecdote her dad was famous for, but to her surprise, he had a completely different idea in mind.

With a shrug of his thin shoulders and red cheeks that put his freckles in ridiculously high contrast, he calmly recounted a conversation that included words like "horror movie-style screaming" and a lot of "rhythmic" bangs against the wall. Over the course of said conversation, the ease of the lunch time faded into background noise and the easy smile on her face turned into a mouth agape in horror much like a fish gasping for air.

Suddenly, the night in question hit her like a ton of bricks; April's face proceeded to turn white when she realized it was the exact same day her and Raph basically had a fuck-fest when her father was called out of town for the night. Given her expression and the shock that came out of nowhere, there was no way she was going to talk her way out of this one...April was even too bewildered to even fathom the idea to dismiss the woman's story for the sheer fact she was an old lady probably just hearing things.

April was stone silent as Kirby finished his story, probably even more embarrassed than his daughter, which had to be quite a daunting feat.

With an out of character stutter, her father had kindly recommended maybe her and Raphael could be a little quieter during their 'intimate time'...for the neighbors' sake

Wishing for another Kraang invasion, April just stared into the shared blue eyes of her father in horror; praying for the earth to open up and swallow her whole just to get out of this uncomfortable conversation she had NEVER planned to have with her soft-spoken dad.

Kirby kept rambling, explaining to his silent daughter how he understood she was an adult and he approved of her and Raphael's relationship and whatever came with it, but the damage was already done. The lunch was blown and the two went home with way too many leftovers and nothing but awkward silence between them. As soon as April got home, she'd packed some clothes and headed to the lair without saying a word. Her biggest mistake was soon to some and that was telling her boyfriend the truth of what took place and instead of sympathizing with her traumatic afternoon, he fell on his ass and laughed.

She'd never been more tempted to strangle the life out of him...

"April, seriously... Come on, it's not that bad. If you think about it, it's freakin' hilarious." Raph chuckled, poking her back with an extended toe, which was ignored til he began tickling her which incited the reaction he was hoping for.

April slapped his foot away and started another rant, "Would you be so kind to tell me what the hell is so funny, Raphael?! The fact that my dad knows we're having wild sex when he's away or that the rest of the 5th floor does too?!"

"Don't forget the apartment below us - I'm surprised we haven't fell through their ceiling yet." the terrapin replied smugly.

"...Oh, my God! You are unbelievable!"

"I know...you've told me before..." he replied, completely ignoring how her fists shook and the vein popped on her forehead; instead, giving her a devious smirk complete with wiggling brows and her face flushed at his sheer audacity.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"April, seriously, I think you're overreacting." Raph said while sitting up; trying to be a bit more placating once he seen how actually angry his girlfriend was quickly becoming.

"Oh really?! So, you'd be all find and dandy if Splinter found out about our sex life and your brothers did too?!" April shrilled.

"I don't see why not considering they already know."

"...WHAT?!" April screamed, and if Raphael didn't know April's face could get any redder, he was proved wrong.

"Yeah, even if I hadn't already told them, they sure as hell would have figured it out by how you've been screaming just now."

"B-But, w-w-when?! H-How!? WHAT!?"

"Well, Leo caught us in the act, Mikey asked, and Donnie...figured it out. It was only Splinter that I had a full on discussion with; he sat me down and gave me 'the talk' - at 18 years old mind you - which strongly implies he knew I'd be needing it sooner or later. I mean, damn it, April, we've been together nearly two years - it's nothing to be ashamed of."

April's face and countenance fell which the ease of which he said it. With a sigh of resignation, the redhead plopped next to Raphael on the bed and rested her head on his shoulder. The terrapin was more than happy to put an arm around her and pull her closer.

"It's still freakin' embarrassing...I mean, my dad still looks at me like I'm his innocent little girl, and now for him to know for sure that I'm grown-up and having relations...Ugh... It's just weird..."

"April. You're 19 and in college. Not to mention, you helped saved the world along with us countless times; I'm sure he knew you grew-up a long time ago."

"I know that...It's just..."

"You love me, right?"

"I guess...even if I was strongly questioning it a couple minutes ago." April replied, flashing him a smirk and jabbing him in his side.

"Fair enough." he chuckled, bopping his forehead against hers lightly. "That being said, we love each other and we care about each other - and your dad approves of us - he told you that."

"...Yes?"

"Then that means we're having sex just for the hell of it. It's just another way we show our love. That should be enough for him...and for you."

"Yeah, I guess... Ugh, this is even worse than when Leo walked in on us." April sighed dejectedly, hiding her face in her hands.

"Hey, hey..." Raph muttered, gingerly pulling her hand away to reveal her wide eyes and red cheeks. "You got over that and you'll get over this too, alright? It'll take a bit of time, but it'll be fine. I promise. Believe me, it wasn't easy getting over Splinter explaining, as he called it, 'The Eel and the Tunnel' - but I got over it even if I couldn't look him in the eye for two months afterward. Heh. It's embarrassing, but you get over it."

That seemed to do the trick and April cracked a smile, nestling her head upon his shoulder with a chuckle. "I suppose your right." the redhead sighed, enjoying the sensation of her boyfriend's hand rubbing languid circles on her shoulder-blade.

"You still want to stay here or go talk to your dad?" Raph asked after a couple comfortably silent minutes.

"I still think I'll stay here a few days... I'll text him later though." April admitted with a shrug.

"Sounds good."

"So. The 'Eel and the Tunnel', huh?" April asked curiously after a moment; trying to picture Splinter sitting across from Raphael and her normally stoic boyfriend having his father explaining sex to him.

"Shut up. I don't wanna talk about it." Raph grumbled and April laughed at the horrified and slightly nauseous look that flashed across his face.