CHAPTER 2: CALLS
"Angelcakes!"
Mikey's loud exclamation echoes throughout the lair. He had been lounging in front of the television when his phone rang. With all brothers and Splinter currently within shouting distance, there is only one other person that could be on the line.
Leonardo and Donatello poke their heads out of the makeshift kitchen area where Leo had been helping Don connect the hot water. They see Mikey on the couch, feet propped up, one arm cradling his head, and the other keeping the phone tucked next to his head.
"I am doing nothing that could keep me away from listening to your sweet voice. I'm all yours, beautiful."
Leonardo glances back at Donatello who rolls his eyes. Leonardo approaches Michaelangelo who wiggles his eyebrows when he sees them. A clear sign of bragging.
"Sounds boring," Michaelangelo says in response to whatever it is April just said over the line.
"Does April need us?" Leonardo whisper-talks to Mikey.
Mikey frowns, shakes his head, and tries waving Leonardo and Donatello away. "A whole hour? Please, I could go all night long, babe."
Raphael comes into the room just in time to hear this phrase. He gives an incredulous look to his other two brothers. "The heck is he talkin' about?"
Leonardo tries again. "Mikey, what's going on?" April doesn't just call them, not unless she has something important to relay to them. She's only known them a couple weeks.
"Tell me about it." Mikey makes a break for it. He vaults over the back of the couch. Not surprisingly, Leonardo and Donatello run after him. Mikey makes a beeline for the hashi but steers away from it when Master Splinter blocks his entrance to it. He veers towards the tunnels with his brothers hot on his heels. It's Raphael, however, who catches him by grabbing the top of his shell and yanking him to a halt. He grabs the phone and brings it to his ear.
"Raph! Come on, give it back. She called me." Mikey's attempts at retrieving the phone are fruitless as Raphael keeps him in a headlock.
"April? What's going on?" Raphael remains quiet as he listens.
As much as Leonardo is desperate to have Raphael put it on speaker, he waits. He trusts Raphael to tell them what April says rather than Mikey's evasion attempts.
"Really?"
Really? Really what?
"Alright, cool. Glad it's all good on your end. Let us know if ya need anythin'…yeah…yeah, here he is. Later." Raphael hands the phone back to Michaelangelo who does the adult thing and sticks his tongue out at Raphael before bringing the phone back up.
"So sorry about that interruption, beautiful. Now, where were we?" Michaelangelo saunters away.
"What was all that about?" Donatello asks.
"Is she ok?" Leonardo asks.
"Yeah, she just—she was callin' 'cause she was bored." Raphael can't keep the disbelief from his voice.
"Bored?" Leonardo asks. "Did she want to come down and visit? Is she lonely?"
"Nah, she's drivin' back from one of her Channel 6 reportin' jobs. It's over an hour's drive, and she wanted to pass the time quicker."
"She called Mikey for that?"
Raphael shrugs one of his shoulders. "She called Mikey."
The three of them stand there in stunned silence.
"Well," Leonardo finally says, "he is the one who can talk the most out of all of us."
Raphael snorts. "It's getting' him to stop that's the hard part."
"I always thought him talking made time go slower, not faster," Donatello comments.
"Let's let him have this, guys," Leonardo says. "I'm glad she feels comfortable enough calling one of us for something like this."
That is enough for Raphael and Donatello. Everyone goes back to what they were doing before while Michaelangelo's enthusiastic voice echoes throughout the lair.
0o0o0o0o0o
Turns out, that was just the start. Three days later, while the four of them are working on modifications for the van, Donatello's headset buzzes. Everyone pauses what they're doing. Leonardo feels his fingers twitch in anticipation to grab his katanas for whatever mission April uncovered for them.
"April? What's up?"
The trill of April's words can be heard in the quiet as the other three brothers sit absolutely still, but none of them can make out the words of what she's saying.
It must not be of dire importance because Donatello rocks back until he's out of his crouching position and instead sits with his shell resting against the van. "Sounds great!—I mean, not great?...Yeah, totally annoying. Big bummer."
"What is it? What'd she say?" Mikey shows no shame in displaying the same actions his brothers did three days earlier when April called, and they tried to get him to explain.
"What am I…? Oh, just working on some van modifications. You don't want to hear—" Donatello pauses. The corners of his mouth twitch upward. "Yeah, sure. Of—Of course. Let's see. I was currently working on the manhole cover launcher."
"Donnie."
Leonardo's commanding voice makes Donatello flinch enough that he drops his wrench. "Uh, April, can you hang on a sec?...No, don't hang up! Just—thirty seconds. Give me thirty seconds." Donatello taps his headset and addresses the other three. "April's at a big fundraiser. She did her Channel 6 thing already and is now meandering. She doesn't have anyone she knows to talk to. She called to ask me to go in detail about what my latest project is. Mind if I chat with her instead? We can finish this later."
Leonardo nods. "Sure, I don't see why not. Let's leave him to it, guys."
"But we just got goin'!" Raphael protests.
"Another time," Leonardo says, more firmly this time.
"Don. Donnie. Hey, Donnie," Mikey pokes his brother, who has turned back to his current project with his hand hovering over his headset to reconnect to April.
"What, Mikey?"
"Tell her I said hi!"
"Fine, sure." Donnie taps his headset. "Mikey says hi." Donnie listens then turns to Michaelangelo. "April says hi."
Michaelangelo pumps his fist in the air. He holds up his hand in front of Raphael for a high five which he does not get.
Leonardo gestures for Michaelangelo and Raphael to follow him back to the lair to leave Donatello and April to talk.
It's then that Leonardo briefly wonders if April will ever call him.
O0o0o0o0o0o
April does not call him next. April calls Raphael two days after she called Donatello.
The brothers are in the middle of a rather intense gaming session. Names are being thrown around, their vocal volume is not being regulated, and they are blind to basically all else around them until Raphael jumps like something jabbed him in the side, making him crash his virtual car and curse rather loudly upon doing so.
Raphael grabs his phone, which was the source of his distraction, and answers it. "Do you realize what you just cost me, April?"
"Raphael! What if she's in trouble?" Leonardo barks at him.
"I am the king of everything!" Michealangelo shouts. He gets to his feet and points at each of his brothers. "You lose and you lose and you lose!"
"You hearin' this?" Raphael growls into the phone. "You did this." Then he's quiet for a second. His tone changes real quick when he says, "Nah, I didn't mean—don't hang up. I was just…" then he smirks, and his uncertainty vanishes. "Yeah, you're right about that. Did ya need somethin'? Leonardo's givin' me that look that says I gotta ask."
Leonardo's expression shapes into something akin to a scowl.
Raphael gives a short laugh. "She's fine," he says to Leonardo. "She's just callin' for kicks. She's puttin' away groceries."
"Oooh, did she get me anything?" Michaelangelo leans towards Raphael who places his hand directly on his brother's face and shoves him away.
Raphael heads for his weightroom. "Keep playin' without me," he calls over his shoulders.
They do just that. Doesn't mean Leonardo doesn't keep one ear trained on Raphael's voice. Unfortunately, with how loud Michaelangelo's being, Leonardo can't make out anything specifically.
O0o0o0o0o
Leonardo is on patrol when his phone rings. At first, he thinks one of his brothers has found something until he sees the caller ID. He stares at it for a brief moment, takes one calming breath, then answers the phone with all the calm that deep breath gave him.
"April?" he asks.
"Hey, Leonardo," April's voice rings in his ear.
"Are you—"
"I'm ok, I promise. Thanks for asking," April says quickly with a bit of a laugh to her tone. "Have to get that out of the way. I was calling to just say hi, but only if you're not busy."
"I'm patrolling," Leonardo says automatically.
"Oh, shoot. I'm sorry. I'll leave you to it. I can call another time."
"No!" Even Leonardo is surprised at how quickly and forcefully he says the word. He steadies himself again. "It's fine. It's been a quiet night."
"No Foot Clan activity?"
"None so far. Hasn't been since we took care of Shredder."
"He and the Foot Clan have been far too quiet. I don't like it," April says. "I've been keeping my eyes and ears open for any hint of activity, but there's nothing. You sure you haven't seen anything either?"
"Not a thing," Leonardo answers honestly. He doesn't like his own answer. Shredder escaped from custody soon after being arrested, but, much to everyone's surprise, there has been no retaliation. No activity. Nothing. Just the Foot Clan making one swift, successful escape attempt for him and that's it. It's like they vanished. Leo thinks they are waiting. Biding their time, planning an elaborate revenge and takeover plot to catch them off guard.
"I won't stop looking. I promise."
"We won't either," Leonardo promises right back. "At the very least, the patrols keep us busy. If we don't walk Michaelangelo every couple of days, we might all go crazy."
April laughs. Leonardo finds himself smiling as he settles on a rooftop. There's nothing special about the one he chooses. He sits near the edge and watches the world below. Not many people are out and about at this hour, at least in his district. One or two quickly walking to their destination with their heads down. Nothing unusual.
"Hey so, speaking of the lair," April says, "I was wondering if you guys were busy tomorrow."
"Busy?" Leonardo asks. What on earth would they be busy with? Well, besides patrolling, he supposes. Training perhaps.
"Yeah, I was going to ask if it's ok if I come down tomorrow. If I promise to bring pizza, does that sweeten the deal at all?"
"How many pizzas we talkin'?"
"Five. One for each of you and one for Splinter and myself."
"I think you're spoiling us, Miss O'Neal."
Again, April laughs. "I have to earn my keep somehow."
"Yeah, you can definitely come down. I'll let the guys know."
"Great! I've missed you all. I haven't been able to make it these past few weeks."
"We've noticed," Leonardo says. He wonders if that's too forward of him. It makes it seem like April should come down more. He doesn't want to force that on her.
"Sorry about that," April says before he can think of a way to clarify his statement. "After getting my job back, I feel like I've needed to put in a few more hours in order to prove myself again to my boss. I've mentioned her before. Bernadette Thompson? She still has an eye on me, expecting me to rant about vigilante heroes again."
"We wouldn't want that."
"Which means I have to prove I am the sane, lovely face of Channel 6 morning news. No snooping in on the stories of the other reporters, no asking for more difficult assignments, no skipping out on the grunt work that comes with the territory. Most nights this past month I haven't gotten home until seven."
"Not that I've ever had a job, but that sounds like a violation of some kind for them to keep you there so long. Even unofficially."
"You're right, but it's a necessary evil right now. I'm looking forward to the escape tomorrow night."
Leonardo stands and finds himself pacing across the roof. He takes out one of his katanas and idly spins it. The blade glints in the dull light coming up from the streetlights below. He should be on the move to finish scanning his territory, but…in a minute. April needs him first and his father's request is still fresh in his mind despite it being nearly three weeks now since their talk.
"I am counting on you, Leonardo, to keep everyone in check. To make sure April is comfortable and accepted shall be one of your top priorities going forward until she has fully integrated and no longer feels like an outsider amongst us."
"Just so you know, you're always welcome in the lair," Leonardo says. The grip on his weapon tightens until his knuckles crack. Why does he feel embarrassment crawl up the back of his neck? "You don't need to call and ask for permission or bribe us with pizza."
"I don't?"
"No, you don't. It's an open invitation. I—we all would like to have you around. We consider you a part of our family."
April is quiet. It's just long enough that Leonardo wonders… "April?"
"Yeah, no—yeah, I'm still here. I'm sorry. It's just—that's really nice to hear. Thank you."
Leonardo feels a frown sink into his face. "I'm sorry if you ever felt like you weren't welcome. You're family…right?"
"Family! Right."
Leonardo instantly feels the need to explain. "I mean—you used that word first when describing us."
"Yes! I did. Yes, I did. I guess, I was only thinking…I'm sorry, I'm making this awkward."
"No, no. It's alright. I'm not explaining myself clearly."
"No, it—" then April starts laughing in a way that sounds rather nervous, a contrast to her earlier laughter. "Oh boy, this is weird. Here, what I meant was, I do feel welcome, but I understand that I was not raised with you all. You and your brothers have your own way of doing things. I didn't want to come in and change things for you when you had to do a lot of changing already. Like, you have a new enemy to worry about. And you had to move into a new section of the sewers. Working on that has taken up most of your time. I didn't want you to have to worry about me in all that."
There's a moment of quiet, and Leonardo takes a breath to respond, though he's not sure exactly what to say, when April continues.
"But I miss you guys. I figured calling was an easier way to keep in touch."
Leonardo sheathes his blade. He once again goes to the edge of the rooftop. This time instead of looking down, he stares off in the direction he knows April's apartment is. The lights of the city buildings twinkle against the inky black of the night.
"In case my brothers weren't obvious enough, your calls have been enjoyed."
"I was hoping so." Leonardo hears shifting on April's end. "I still plan on making calls when I can't make visits. But tomorrow, plan on seeing me down there by six. Sound good?"
"Sounds great," Leonardo replies.
"Great! Here, I'll let you get back to patrolling. Thanks for chatting with me, Leonardo."
"Of course. Call anytime. And I mean it."
"I will. Thanks, Leo."
"Goodnight, April."
"Goodnight."
Leonardo pulls the phone down and looks at the "end call" screen. He tucks the phone back in his pocket and goes back to his patrol, feeling much lighter than when he started.
O0o0o0o0o0o
Turns out, April is very consistent with her calling order. When she wants to talk just for the sake of talking, she keeps the order of calling Michealangelo, Donatello, Raphael, then Leonardo. The only deviation comes when she has specific questions for a particular brother. It's another couple of weeks before Leonardo's turn comes up again.
This time, Leonardo is in the dojo, sitting in the middle of the floor, sharpening his blades. It's slow, steady work. When April calls, he's in a mood of serenity. When he answers, he finds out April is walking to the bodega near her apartment and wanted to know if Leo and his brothers had any favorite snack cakes. She figured Leonardo would know everyone's favorites, which he does, of course.
"Does this mean we are going to be graced with another visit?" Leonardo asks, thankful for his practiced calm which keeps the subtle anticipation out of his voice.
"Absolutely! Tomorrow night, I'll invade."
"We're free tonight," Leonardo says. He tells himself he's not hopeful.
"I would but—"
See? That's why he keeps his expectations where they are. Low.
"—I've got a bit of a headache."
Leonardo instantly shifts gears. Some of his calm dissipates. "You ok? Do you need anything? I'm sure Donnie probably has something to help. I can bring it over."
April gives a bit of a laugh. "See, that's what I like about you, Leo. You're always quick to offer help, and the first to ask if I'm ok. Thank you for caring, but I'll be fine. It was just a long day. I took a couple aspirin and am waiting for it to kick in. I figured a bit of fresh air would do me some good."
"If you're sure."
"I am. Thanks again, though."
Leonardo can hear the ding that comes with a store door opening.
"So I'll see you tomorrow night?"
"I'll warn the others."
"Wow, thanks. Yeah, everyone better beware when big, scary April makes her way over."
April said that in just a way he wasn't quite sure if she was fully joking or not. "I didn't mean—"
"Leo, I know. I'm glad you can tease."
Leonardo snorts "Living with my family? It's a second language. Our third is sarcasm."
Another April laugh, and another small victory Leo feels that he tucks away. "I'll remember that. Alright, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Leo."
"Goodbye, April."
O0o0o0o0o0o
The calls come more frequently as April, despite claiming she does feel welcome, gets to feel more comfortable with them. Even if she has visited twice in the week, she still makes calls. Leonardo is finding it easier to talk to her as well. Much like everything else in his life, it comes with practice.
So one night when he's once again on the phone with her, he feels bolder in asking questions that previously he felt were too prying. Questions like—"You don't really sound like you like your job. Why do you stick with it?"
"Besides the money for my apartment, food, and basic necessities?"
"Well, I'm more curious about how you got into it in the first place, if you even wanted it."
"You're not the first person to ask how a twenty-three year old, fresh out of college, landed such a coveted spot." April sighs. "You already know how badly I want to be an investigative reporter. I've wanted that for years, and it's still the long-term plan."
"You do have a nose for stories and an unrelenting stubbornness for pursuit," Leonardo says, remembering her tailing them despite the possible danger.
"Why thank you. The thing is, the pieces just fell into place for me. Sheer dumb luck. I got the internship when I was twenty-two at Channel 6 straight out of college. Then my current position opened up two months later when the person who usually did it decided to quit unexpectedly. She was a real diva, apparently. There was a scramble for someone to fill in because their backup was in the hospital after a car accident. They grabbed me and put me in the hot seat to see if I would sink or swim. I swam, much to my relief."
"I'm sure you did great."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence. I certainly didn't feel it in the moment. Felt like I was shaking the whole time. Bernadette came up to me afterwards and said—I still remember her exact words—she said, 'You're lucky, kid. Turns out you have the chops for television along with the face for it. Not many people do.' That is a high compliment coming from her."
"Does that mean you stay with it because you feel lucky to have it?"
"I figured it was a foot in the door." It's almost as if Leonardo can hear April shrug with the tone of her voice. "I was getting paid to be in a real newsroom! It may not be exactly what I was hoping for, but I knew I would have to start at the bottom and work my way up. But I accidentally put myself in a corner."
"How so?"
"You've seen the stories I cover. Fluff. Absolutely nothing of substance. I don't 'report', I am the conduit between the person I'm interviewing and the camera, nothing more. A pretty face for them to talk to. Because of that, people don't take me seriously. I guess that's why I pushed so hard when I found the connection between the Foot Clan and you. I had a real story! Something of substance people could take me seriously for."
Leonardo can feel April's disappointment. "I wish I could give you a story you can actually tell."
"It's alright. This job still gets me plenty of connections. I meet prominent people in the city which helps. There are perks too. Because they see me only as a pretty face, people let their guard down when talking to me. If I play my cards right, I can get more information out of someone just from them telling me themselves rather than digging into their background."
"Sounds like a dangerous superpower."
"I promise, fearless leader, to use it only for good."
Leonardo groans. "Not you too."
"What?"
"That stupid nickname Raph gave me."
"You don't like it?"
"Not the way he says it."
April laughs. "Got it. I'll drop the nickname."
"Thank you."
0o0o0o0o0o0o
The next conversation, the topic of family comes up. April asked about what it was like growing up with three brothers. After Leonardo regales her with a few horrific and hilarious stories in equal measure, he asks her about her family, realizing he doesn't know much beyond the loss of her father, Kirby O'Neal.
April lets out a long breath that's not quite a sigh. Leonardo is fixing himself a cup of tea. Strangely, that release of air mixes well with the sound of the boiling water being poured into his cup.
"There's not much to tell," April says. There's a brief pause, and Leonardo wonders if he's crossed an invisible line by asking.
"You don't have to talk about it."
"No, it's fine. Really. Um…I'll start here. After my dad died, I was raised by my grandparents on my mother's side. My paternal grandparents passed away before I was born. And the grandparents that raised me died pretty close together. My grandmother passed away in my first year of college, then my grandfather said he might die of a broken heart. Must have known something I didn't because he was gone a year later."
"April, I'm…I'm so sorry. How long ago—?"
"It's been a couple years now, I'm ok. Thank you, though." April gives a small huff as if to brush away a thought. "I used what little inheritance there was to help get me through college. My great aunt insisted on giving most of her share for my schooling too since she doesn't have any kids of her own. 'We do family together,' is what she said. She lives in the city here and runs an antique shop. I have dinner with her once a month."
"That must be nice."
"It is."
While April was talking, Donnie walks into the kitchen area and blindly goes for the coffee pot. He pours the now cold beverage without blinking or even looking at the coffee mug.
"Going to pull an all-nighter again, Don?" Leonardo asks.
"Hng." Donatello walks out without a coherent word or sparing a glance in Leonardo's direction.
"What's he working on?" April asks.
"Last I heard, he was trying to find a bug with our surveillance system. It's been acting up, like, flashing in and out randomly, and Donnie's been going crazy trying to fix it."
"Poor Donnie," April coos. "Make sure he gets some sleep tonight, ok?"
"Don't worry, I'll drag him out of the lab before midnight. He's no good in training tomorrow if he can't stand."
"Has that happened before?"
"More than I'd like."
April hums. "You're a good brother, looking out for him."
"Well, it's my job as the oldest. Comes with the territory."
April doesn't reply to that. There's actually a long stretch of quiet. At first, Leonardo takes advantage of the pause to take a drink of his tea only to realize April isn't going to say anything more.
"Are you…Should we call it a night, April? You must be tired," Leonardo says. Glancing at the clock, it only says eight thirty-two. Fairly early yet. But April has still been having later workdays. She's got to be tired. Talking to him probably isn't a great way to unwind.
"What? Oh, no. I'm sorry, Leo. I was just thinking."
"Care to share?" Again, Leonardo won't push. As much as he's liked getting to hear about April's life, he won't ever force her to share what she doesn't want to.
"It's only—you had said—I was thinking…" Another long pause.
"I'm listening," Leonardo says gently.
April huffs. "I have an uncle. My dad's older brother. They had a falling out when I was pretty young. I haven't seen him or even talked to him in years. Talking about family just now, and you with Donatello, I don't know. I got to thinking about him."
"I see." Leonardo feels out of his depth. How does he respond to this? It's his own fault for asking more personal questions. "Do you—?"
"You know what, I think you're right. I'm kind of tired. I think I'll go to bed. Thanks for talking, Leonardo."
"Of course. Goodnight, April."
"Night."
The connection ends abruptly, and Leonardo blinks at the screen, wondering.
O0o0o0o0o0o
Two days later, with no one having heard from April at all, Leonardo wonders if he should text her or call her or even go visit her and offer his apologies for making her uncomfortable.
Leonardo is worrying. This in itself is not unusual. He always has an undercurrent of worry in most things both as a leader and as a brother. It helps him to see perspectives and outcomes. Only recently has the general worry amped up. After the adrenaline rush that was defeating Shredder, Leonardo's worry has dimmed again. It has dimmed even further after realizing April for-sure would keep their secret. Now he just has a general worry for her safety.
But currently?
He pried. He shouldn't have pried. He didn't mean to make her relive a stressful memory. He's in his hammock, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep while stewing in these thoughts. Michaelangelo's snoring echoes in the room. Raphael shifts and grunts. Donatello is out cold. His body is still catching up on sleep after his all-nighters.
Leonardo reaches for his phone. He'll just send a quick text, he decides, something that April will wake up to and decide whether or not she wants to respond to.
He opens the chat screen. His fingers hover over the keyboard.
And he stalls.
What does he say? Does he apologize for prying? Ask if she needs to talk? Ask if she never wants to talk to him again? Ask if she needs space? What's the protocol for this?
Suddenly, the screen changes and April's name appears in bold letters on his screen. Thankfully, he has his phone on vibrate for the night, so his brother's don't wake. Their snores make Leo certain of that.
With all the skills his father has taught him, Leonardo soundlessly makes his way out of his bed and out of the room. He makes his way to the far end of the lair, just outside the main entrance even to be sure his voice is not going to be overheard. All this within the span of ten seconds. Quickly, he answers the call.
"April?"
"Leo?" April sound surprised to hear his voice. "I didn't think you'd be awake."
"I am," is his brilliant reply. "I was just…I was awake. I saw you call. Are you ok?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm ok. Thanks. I…Do you have time to talk? It's late, I know. I can call tomorrow too. You know what, nevermind. I'll call tomorrow."
"April," is all Leonardo says, and it's enough.
"I just—" April takes a big breath. "I called my uncle."
"You did?"
"Yeah. We…We had a good talk. See, the reason I hung up to abruptly the other day was because of the reason for the falling out with my father. He didn't like the company my father was working for, said they were bad news. An evil overarching corporation and all that. My father didn't believe it which means I didn't either. They fought about it almost every time they got together. I wasn't there when it came to a head, but I remember not seeing my uncle anymore. My father wouldn't say what happened. His only answer was that my uncle was busy."
April is rambling. This is a tendency she is well aware of. It gets bad when she is especially invested in something. Leonardo is getting more information than he thought he would, but he appreciates not being in the dark about this anymore. "Wow, that's—"
"That's not the worst of it," April says. "At dad's funeral, my uncle got into a shouting match with my grandfather after my uncle said it was my dad's own fault."
Leonardo flinches.
"I hadn't even thought about my Uncle David until you asked about my family the other day." April has a worried edge to her voice that Leonardo feels responsible for. He wishes he could think of a way to resolve that worry for her. "He was right about Sacks, of course, but I had a hard time forgiving him for the comment at the funeral. But…I mean, what you said about Donatello being your responsibility, you being the oldest, Uncle David was doing his best too, wasn't he? He went about it wrong, but he was trying to protect my dad."
As April explained, Splinter came to stand beside Leonardo. Leo gives him a helpless look. Thankfully, Splinter does not seem to need anything from Leonardo. He simply stands there and allows Leonardo to speak to April.
April continues. "I called you because…honestly, I don't really know. I think I wanted to say thank you."
"Why are you thanking me?" Leonardo asks, honestly baffled.
"You helped start the reconciliation with my uncle. You're a great example of what a caring brother should be. I don't know, I wanted to tell you that."
Leonardo is speechless. "I…" He looks up at Splinter who, by the twitch of his ears and the nod of his head, has heard everything. Leonardo is hoping for guidance in what to say, but Splinter gives no further reactions.
"I don't mean to embarrass you," April says quickly. "And I'm really sorry for keeping you up. Thank you for listening."
"Anytime, April. I'm…I'm here for you if you need me."
Leonardo likes to think April's smiling when she says. "I know that now. And I appreciate it. Thank you, Leonardo."
"You're welcome."
"I'll let you get to sleep. No need to be tired for training, right?"
"Ha. Right."
"Goodnight, Leonardo," April says quietly.
"Goodnight, April," Leonardo says equally as quiet.
Leonardo brings the phone down to his lap, presses the "end call" button, then looks to Master Splinter. Splinter reaches out and places a hand on Leonardo's shoulder, only possible because Leonardo is sitting, and smiles.
"I am proud of you, my son. You are doing exactly as I asked and succeeding wonderfully."
"Thank you, father."
"Now, off to bed. There will still be training tomorrow."
"Yes, sensei."
O0o0o0o0o0o
The twitch in Splinter's whiskers is bad. Like, bad bad. His displeasure at what he sees before him is intense, but only the slight movement expresses this. Michaelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello stand in a line, fidgeting, and waiting for the decision for their punishment.
"It appears you four do not have respect for the hard work you yourselves put into our home," Master Splinter says, eyeing the rubble beneath the new crack in the wall. He moves to lightly kick the remains of the broken couch April had found for them at a secondhand store. "Or April's kindness at finding us nice things. I would say a reminder of discipline is needed."
"Please don't say the hashi, please don't say the hashi, please don't say the hashi—" Mikey chants quietly. It echoes the thoughts of his brothers.
"Tomorrow's movie marathon is cancelled, and, because of this, April will not be permitted to visit. And there will be no pizza for supper. Tomorrow will be a training day followed by two hours in the hashi."
There is a deafening moment of stunned silence before Michaelangelo's long, pain-filled whine. "Whaaaaaat?"
"Master Splinter, can't we just do our training and hashi time now?" Donatello, ever the problem solver, quickly offers an alternative. "We can even go longer if you think it necessary."
"This is the worst day ever!" Michaelangelo complains overtop his brother.
"Yeah, yeah," Raphael jumps in with Donnie. "We can handle it. We've stayed up all night before." When he gets no change in Splinter's hard look. He turns to Leonardo. "Say somethin'! Fix this. We didn't mean ta do this!"
"Master Splinter—" Leonardo tries.
"Enough."
Silence once again. Master Splinter looks to Leonardo. "You will call April and tell her the plans are cancelled. The rest of you will begin cleaning up. Now."
Cleaning commences with grumbles and groans and muttered angry phrases. Leonardo has his phone in hand. He moves to open messaging, but Splinter stops him.
"I said you will call her. Explain the situation. We do not want to be rude and simply uninvite her. This is a matter of family honor."
"Yes, father." Even Leonardo can't keep the reluctance from his voice. The absolute last thing he possibly wants to do in this moment is call April and tell her she can't come over tomorrow because he and his brothers are basically grounded. Leonardo thought they were past this, older and more mature than this, but apparently not. Their reason for getting in trouble was rather childish in hindsight. Wrestling for the remote? Ridiculous. It got out of hand too fast for Leonardo to see the oncoming consequences and stop them.
He understands Master Splinter's punishment too. April is a treat for all of them. Everyone loves having her around, and the movie marathon had been anticipated for weeks. But now? Cancelled. Postponed until Master Splinter believes they have learned their lesson.
Leonardo listens to the ring as he watches Mikey and Donnie organizing the pieces of the couch, analyzing if it can be salvaged. Leonardo turns away and walks to the kitchen, not wanting the embarrassing conversation to be witnessed by his brothers.
He hears the phone being picked up, but, surprisingly, no answer from April herself. What Leo does hear is a whole lot of noise in the background. Loud music and voices while giggling can be heard closer to the phone.
"April?" Leonardo ventures.
"No, but I can talk to you instead. Who might you be?"
Not April. Not April. Not April! A plethora of alarm bells are going off in Leonardo's head while his entire body freezes, coiled and ready to act as soon as his mind can grasp the situation and know what to do.
"Where is April?" Leonardo says. He does all he can to make his voice calm despite the rising panic as his mind suggests all the possible dangers April is in. Kidnapped. Tortured. Held for ransom by the Foot Clan. Lost. Injured. Dead.
"He sounds cute," a different voice says. It's quieter than the first, suggesting it is further away from the phone.
"Wanna tell us your name, cutie?" the first voice asks. The tone dips down in a way Leonardo can't quite understand. It doesn't sound like a threat, but he isn't sure.
"Where is April?" Leonardo repeats his question, only this time with a bit of bite to his voice. "Is she alright?"
"April! Your friend is no fun!"
Very faintly, Leonardo hears an answering "What?".
"Your friend who called. He won't play along."
"Who is it? I thought you said you weren't dating anyone."
"Yeah, why is his name 'Best of Blue' in your contacts?"
"What?! Give me the phone! Trish, give me the phone." April's voice. Definitely April's voice. Closer this time. Leonardo doesn't allow that to be a comfort to him yet, though. Not until he gets the all clear from April herself that everything is ok.
"Is he a coworker?"
"Trish, I swear."
The voices talk over one another, and then there's more music and background voices until a door is heard opening and the background music is replaced with the nightly sounds of New York. Much more familiar.
Leonardo still does not relax.
"Leo, I am so sorry," April starts. "So, so sorry. I'm out with some friends, and I forgot the first rule of hanging out with Trish. Never leave your phone alone with her."
"Are you alright?" Leonardo says, needing to hear her say it.
"I am completely fine, I promise. I went to grab the next round and left my phone at the table. Apparently, Trish took that as an invitation to answer it," April mutters darkly. "I'm really sorry. Maybe I can get Donnie to update my phone again. Do the thumbprint thing for answering calls, not just unlocking."
"Might be a good idea. I'll mention it to him." It's only now that Leonardo allows his muscles to uncoil. Bit by bit, he forces himself to calm back down from the adrenaline rush that demanded action. No action is needed. April is fine. All is fine. "I take it you're having a fun night out, then?"
April lets out a big breath. "Yeah, I am, but it's a lot, honestly. One of my college roommates is in town. We decided to get a few other friends together and go out. I wanted to grab dinner and then all go back to my place and reminisce over a bottle of wine. They wanted to go bar-hopping. I was outvoted."
"Sorry to hear that."
"Not as sorry as I am. Oh well. It's been alright. I haven't had a night out like this in a while so it's nice, in a way. I'm more looking forward to tomorrow, though. Much more my speed."
Leonardo winces. He almost forgot the reason for his call in his initial panic. "About tomorrow. That's the reason I'm calling. We…the movie marathon's been cancelled."
"What?" April sounds a lot more disappointed than Leonardo thought she would which makes this all the worse.
"Master Splinter says we have to train instead."
"Why? Let me talk to him. I'll see if I can reason with him."
"April—"
"You guys can train any day. I can't always get a Saturday free. He'll see reason, I'm sure."
"April, that's not—"
"Please, Leo? Let me talk to him. I can—"
Her pleading is making this worse. "April, no. Listen. We're being punished."
April finally stops when she hears this. "Punished? What for?"
Leonardo closes his eyes. Like ripping off a bandage, Leonardo just has to say it. "We broke the couch."
"The couch?"
"And the wall. There was a bit of a…struggle. Things got out of hand. Stuff got broken."
April is quiet. It's in this pause that Leonardo hears the background music come back slightly with a voice calling to April to "get your butt back in here!".
"In a minute! Almost done," April calls back before once again addressing Leonardo. "Well, that sucks."
"Yep," is all Leo can say. He just has to get passed the embarrassment and it will be fine. Just fine. She won't see them as childish and stupid. Nope. She can see past this. Right? Right.
"I'm being punished too then. No fair."
Leonardo lets out one short, humorless laugh. "Trust me, you don't want to be down here when Splinter is angry. You're probably saving yourself from secondhand punishment."
"Can we reschedule? I'm not banned from the lair, am I?"
"We will definitely reschedule," Leonardo promises, glad to hear she's overlooking the embarrassing part of all this—the reason for the struggle. If he can help it, he won't tell her this was all over a remote. "And you are definitely not banned. I don't think Splinter would do that to himself, let alone us."
"Oh good. I was worried a minute there. Life without you guys would be the worst."
"You've known us three months," Leonardo can't help but say. They can't have made that much of an impression on April. She has all the benefits of the surface—entertainment, friends, a job, a life. Why is she so disappointed to be banned from the lair for a single night when she has other options? They're five mutant freaks who hang out in the sewers, for crying out loud.
"And I want to keep knowing you all the rest of my life," April says with finality. "You're stuck with me, Leonardo." April gives a nervous laugh. "That is if you guys still want to weak little human tagging along at your heels."
Leonardo smiles. This conversation is going much better than he anticipated. "Looks like we're all stuck with each other then, Miss O'Neal."
"Excellent!" April says. "Then you'll let me know the minute you guys are free for another movie marathon? Next available spot in my schedule too, let's take it."
"I promise."
"Thank you." April heaves a big sigh. "I guess I have to get back."
"At least try to have fun."
April laughs. "I'll try. And hey, good luck with tomorrow's training."
"Yeah, that will—wait!"
"What?!" April matches Leonardo's panic.
"What did your friend mean when she said 'Best of Blue'?"
"Ah, that…" In the quiet, Leonardo can picture April biting her lower lip like she does when thinking. "I may or may not have nicknames for each of you in my phone instead of your real names."
"Is that so?" Leonardo leans back against the tabletop. He is intrigued by this bit of information. "And I'm blue for my mask. Very original."
"Of course not. It's for the color of your eyes," April says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.
"My—what?"
"And don't even bother asking what I have for your brothers. You'll never know."
"April—"
"Bye, Leo!"
The call ends. Leonardo realizes he's grinning at his phone. She never ceases to surprise him.
Half an hour later, Leonardo is helping Donatello fill in the crack in the wall while Raphael tries not to kill Michaelangelo for continuing to "test" the couch that has been half-fixed. They might have to get another. Yet another favor to ask of April.
Leonardo had a hard enough time telling her they broke the couch she found for them. It feels like a lot to ask her to go out of her way to find yet another one. Sometimes it seems as if they ask too much of their surface connection.
Vern isn't a big help, him being the "Falcon" and all has only fueled his ego. He doesn't keep in contact except through April. It's harder for him to get past the "giant mutant turtle" part of all this. April says he's still afraid they're going to randomly crush him if he gets on their bad side. They wouldn't do that, of course, no matter how much Raphael threatened to when they first heard how much he's thrown himself into the Hero of New York role. To be fair, Vern has seen what they can do. It's a terrifying sight.
April, on the other hand, has embraced the reunion with her friends from her childhood, no matter how much things have changed. She was first to call them family. She does her best to consistently visit and is almost never empty-handed when she does.
After relocating, the turtles found they could only salvage about half of what they have accumulated over the years. And, without being asked, April took it upon herself to keep her eye out for things they need. A new couch, a toaster, pillows, first-aid supplies, and so on. That doesn't even count all the times she has gotten food for them. And the brothers can eat, so it can't be cheap, all she's doing for them.
Scavenging was commonplace growing up in the sewers. Hoping for someone's half-empty takeout bag to drop close by a storm drain for them to grab and share was a daily occurrence. Sure, they've gotten better at scraping together each penny they find to buy actual food, but this sudden rich diet provided by their hogosha is more than they thought possible.
Leonardo can't help but feel guilty. Once, he tried broaching the subject, but April waved him off, saying it's the least she can do for her family and the saviors of New York. He got a sinking feeling that he wouldn't like the answer if she answered honestly how much she was spending on them, but she wouldn't budge. And Leo didn't want to really hear the answer anyway. He's just going to have to trust that she knows her limits.
Leonardo's phone vibrates. He glances around but doesn't see Master Splinter. He wonders if answering calls is allowed during punishment, or if the official punishment doesn't start until tomorrow. Risking it, he sits back on his feet and pulls out his phone.
"Hi, Apr—"
"Leo, I need you. There are some guys following us. They've been following us for a few blocks now. I don't really know what they're trying to do but—"
Leonardo is already on his feet in a dead sprint for the exit. "April's in trouble!" he calls back to his brothers who immediately follow, hot on his heels. He shouts the details to his brothers as April relays them.
After leaving the third bar, April and her friends had been wandering down the street to the next one. That was when April first noticed a group of four men making eyes at them. No big deal, at first. What alerted April was that they were still there after they left the fourth bar and followed them at a distance, turning when they turned, keeping the same pace.
April convinced her friends to stop inside a convenience store for midnight snacks. She's trying to keep them busy here until the guys arrive to make sure nothing actually happens, or to intervene if something does.
Leonardo listens as April offers to call a cab and finish the evening at her place. But the night is young, April! There's one more bar just down that way. Why don't we stop there, three more shots, then call it a night. Don't be such a party-pooper, April!
Listening to this, Leonardo has a sneaking suspicion April is quite a bit more sober than they are.
They reach the convenience store just as April and her friends exit the front door. April is easy to spot in her yellow dress, walking slightly behind her friends, being a sort of barrier to the four men who lounge on a nearby stoop.
From the rooftops, four pairs of eyes watch as the men follow. When the girls turn the corner, two of the men separate to head down an alley that would put them ahead and able to cut off the girls.
They never emerge from the alley.
Two down, two to go.
April shuffles the girls into what she hopes is the final bar. Leonardo watches the door while keeping the phone to his ear. Behind him, Raphael waits in the alley while Donatello and Michealangelo sit at the other possible routes the thugs could take.
"Leonardo?"
"Almost done," Leonardo says.
The other two men have noticed their plan fail and head down the alley to see what happened to their companions only to be met with a more than formidable opponent.
Leonardo grins. "Mission accomplished. They won't be a problem for you anymore."
April's laugh is more of a huff of nervous energy. "I have to hand it to you guys, you work quickly."
"What can I say? We're efficient."
"Ice cream at my place later," April says. "Splinter didn't ban you from my place did he?"
"No, not technically. It's implied—"
"I can work with a technicality. If he's angry, I'll take the blame. But you four better be there in an hour. Promise?"
There's certainly no getting out of this. "We'll be there."
"Great! See you all soon."
Leonardo keeps his place settled on the rooftop opposite the bar's entrance. He feels rather than sees his brothers return.
Michealangelo takes a deep breath and exhales just as loudly. "Breathe it in, fellas. Freedom we won't get at all tomorrow. It smells so sweet. I'll miss it." He wipes away an imaginary tear.
"We could take our time getting back…" Donatello lets the implication sit in the air, and Leonardo can feel his eyes boring into the back of his head. He knows Donatello is waiting for permission to do just that.
Leonardo decides keeping his brothers in suspense would be cruel. "April invited us over for ice cream after she gets her friends home."
"She did?!" Michealangelo does a standing backflip. "Dudes! Did she say what kind she has? Nevermind, I'll take anything if it means staying out of the lair."
"Great, ya set him off." Raphael shifts to crouch beside the eldest. "Hey, leader-boy. There's somethin' you auta' know."
Leonardo finally moves his gaze away from the entrance while still keeping it in his peripheral. "What is it?"
"All four guys had some kinda tattoo. A purple dragon or somethin' close to that. Dunno. Might be a new group we gotta look out for."
Leonardo nods. "We'll watch for that in our patrols and take note of how many we see."
"Even if it's just vanilla—well, maybe not just vanilla. You think she has chocolate syrup?"
Nobody responds to Mikey.
Donatello, having overheard his elder brothers, pipes up. "Now that you mention it, I saw a couple guys with those tattoos about two weeks ago. They didn't actually do anything, but I didn't follow them either."
Leonardo catalogues this information as well. "Where did you see them?"
"Just outside of downtown."
"Do you think it's chocolate? I hope it's chocolate."
"Hopefully, it's nothing," Leonardo says. "But we can't be too careful. Keep note of everything they do when any of you encounter them."
"Is she done yet?" Michealangelo asks. He's practically bouncing on his toes. "I could use that ice cream now. My blood sugar is running low. Donnie could tell you that."
"Your blood sugar is fine."
"See? He knows I'm in need!"
Movement. Leonardo turns to see April and her two friends stumble out of the bar—more the others than April herself. April manages to hail a taxi as she glances around her. Leonardo gives her props for continuing to be aware of her surroundings despite him giving the word that the danger has passed. Can never be too careful.
Then, for a moment, she glances up at the rooftops, and Leonardo could swear he sees recognition in her eyes despite their staying mostly out of sight of the casual glance. Then she opens the cab door and all three ladies stumble inside.
The four ninjas easily make it to April's apartment before she does. They do not have two drunk friends to drop off nor are they constrained by traffic. They enter quietly through the window and close the curtains behind them before turning on the lights. Mikey quickly makes himself comfortable on the couch and immediately takes control of the remote. Raphael plucks it from him and changes the channel from cartoons to sports much to Michealangelo's disappointment who immediately begins to protest and reach for the remote.
"None of that!" Leonardo says quickly. "There will be no fighting over the TV. We will not break April's couch."
"We ain't gonna break it," Raph grouches.
Leonardo doesn't quite believe that. "We are guests. We will treat her things with respect. That means you too, Donatello!"
Donatello immediately stops fiddling with the cappuccino machine. "I wasn't going to take it apart! I was just looking."
Leonardo pinches the bridge of his nose and fights the urge to sigh. He hopes April will get here soon. Babysitting his brothers in a place as delicate as this is a headache in and of itself.
His hopes are granted when April walks in fifteen minutes later. The second she's through the door, she throws herself at Leonardo, who is closest, and wraps her arms around him as best she can to give him a big hug. Leonardo's heightened senses immediately pick up the history of where she's been tonight. Alcohol, sweat, the outside air of New York—all the smells linger on her, and underneath it is that flowery smell she always naturally carries with her.
"Thank you so much," she says. "I really owe you guys."
Leonardo barely managed to gain the courage to pat her back before she pulls away. She gives him a huge smile before going to Donatello who is next closest. She goes through all four brothers before making her way to the kitchen and opens the freezer. And when she asks, Raphael gives her the details of the takedown.
"I haven't heard anything about guys with dragon tattoos that color," April muses after hearing the brothers' perspective of the night. "I'll keep my eyes and ears open for that down at the station. Now, chocolate or cookie dough?"
"Both!" Michealangelo exclaims. He stands just behind April, bouncing on his toes.
"How was your night, April?" Donnie asks.
"It started out ok," April says with a shrug. "Chocolate or cookie dough?"
"Cookie dough, please," Donatello says politely.
April nods and continues scooping. "I would have had more fun if we had stopped after two bars. I kept offering to get the shots so I could tell the bartender to make one of the shots water and the other two vodka because I didn't want to get black-out drunk."
"Smart you didn't after what happened," Leonardo says. April looks over her shoulders and smiles at him again. He grins back. "Chocolate for me, thank you."
"You got it. Raphael?"
"Chocolate."
April finishes scooping, and everyone makes their way to the living room. April gets stuffed between Michealangelo and Donatello on the couch while Raphael takes the lounge chair. Leonardo, nobly, takes a seat on the floor.
They spend about a half hour chatting in good humor. Leonardo then notices April's subtle shivering. She's still dressed in her evening ware—a silky, short yellow dress with no jacket or shawl for covering. Despite it being a warm, late-summer night, the ice cream is doing a good job of cooling her down. Leo reaches for a blanket sitting nearby in a basket filled with them in the corner. April gratefully takes it and tucks it around herself.
Leonardo next notices April's eyes droop after another quarter of an hour of chatting. He takes the initiative and stands, declaring it's time they headed back home.
It's yet another fifteen minutes of cajoling Michealangelo (who is no doubt stalling their departure) as he laments to April about unfair treatment. Her patience with Michealangelo astounds Leonardo as he gathers up the discarded bowls and brings them to the kitchen. He sets them in the sink.
Beside the sink sits a stack of mail. Two letters on top of a bundle of newspapers. Leonardo wouldn't have thought anything of it, but he saw red lettering sticking out underneath the first envelope. Glancing back, he sees April and his brothers occupied. He then shifts, acting as if he's just turning around, and subtly shifts the top envelope so he can clearly see the red lettering on the second one.
PAST DUE glares back at him.
Leonardo feels his stomach drop. He looks to April who still has the blanket. She has draped it around her shoulders. It makes her look even smaller than she already is. She is replying to something Donatello asked her. Leonardo watches her closely. She appears sleepy, but she doesn't look one bit sad or guilty or angry or…trapped. If she's hiding any of those feelings, she is hiding them well.
Then she's unplugging the cappuccino machine and dumping it into Donatello's eager arms.
Leonardo's stomach drops.
"Are—Are you sure?" Donatello asks despite every syllable he speaks dripping with hope that she is sure.
April waves her hand dismissively. "Completely. I'd rather have the counter space."
Leonardo steps forward and places a hand on Donatello's shoulders. "April, we can't accept this."
Donatello's face falls. "We can't?"
"We can't," Leonardo says firmly.
"Why not?" April asks.
Looking at her, Leonardo realizes April is a more formidable opponent. Convincing her will be more difficult than convincing his brother who has come to learn to trust his brother's judgement implicitly.
"We don't need it," Leonardo says.
"Maybe you don't," Donatello mutters. "My caffeine addiction says otherwise."
April snorts. "Who needs a cappuccino machine? I won it in a raffle at the station's Christmas party last year and have only used it twice. I have a regular coffee pot over there that gets more action than this thing."
Leonardo ignores Michealangelo's muttered dirty joke.
"It's too much," Leo tries again.
"Oh, I don't know, a cappuccino machine in exchange for the safety of me and my friends tonight seems like a fair trade to me."
"You know you don't need to give us things for us to—"
"I want to."
"Just let Donnie take the damn thing," Raphael juts in. "Can we go now? Night ain't gettin' any younger and we need sleep before tomorrow's torture."
Leonardo realizes he's lost this battle. He drops the argument. "Fine."
Donatello's wide grin is matched by April's. She continues the goodbyes as the four brothers shuffle out the window and into the night.
As he leaps across rooftops, Leonardo begins calculating when he can tactfully broach the topic of finances with April.
O0o0o0o0o
The opportunity comes two weeks later while Leonardo is patrolling. It's not really him finding the opportunity but rather the opportunity being forced upon him when April calls.
"Did I do something to offend you?" April asks.
"What?"
"You're angry with me—I think."
Leonardo has to hand it to her; the bluntness certainly doesn't leave room for misunderstanding. "I'm not angry with you."
"Could have fooled me," April says.
"I mean it," Leonardo says, and he does mean it. He isn't angry. He's…well, he's worried. He worries, it's what he does. Sometimes his worrying spills over into his expressions. Raphael always told him if he weaponized his silent disapproval, they could win any fight they come across.
"Then what's wrong?" April pressed. "Because you hardly said a word to me when I came around last week, and you kept eyeing me like you're expecting something from me. Something bad, I think. Are you sure there's nothing?"
"April…"
"You told me you'd be there for me," April says. Her earnestness makes Leonardo feel worse as he hears the worry in her own voice. He wonders if his worry is infectious. "I just…I feel like I've jeopardized that without realizing it. Have I? Is this—this isn't about the cappuccino machine, is it? Did I undermine your authority or something?"
"April—"
"I honestly don't use it! Is there a reason Donatello shouldn't have it? Did I miss a silent signal somewhere?"
"April—"
"Maybe we should develop a code for things like that."
"I saw the past due notice!" Leonardo did not mean for that to sound as harsh as it does, but without his permission, his Authority Tone comes out. As he speaks, he gestures to the empty rooftop as if she's there in front of him. "It was on the counter that night we came over for ice cream. It confirmed my suspicions."
"What suspicions?" April asks, voice surprisingly neutral.
"That you're spending too much money on us!" Leonardo checks his raised voice but continues with the same insistence. "You get us takeout every week. You got us a couch, a toaster, first-aid supplies, groceries, pillows, blankets, and now a cappuccino machine. It's like you're trying to buy your way into our affections when you don't need to! You're already a part of the family, you shouldn't put your finances in jeopardy because of us. We care too much to allow that. You need to take care of yourself too."
Silence.
Long, painful silence.
Leonardo calms his breathing and waits.
And waits.
"Ap—"
"You still think I'm trying to bribe you all?"
Both yes and no seem like the wrong answers to that question so Leonardo doesn't give either one. "Not bribe, necessarily."
"I thought family took care of each other."
"We do. That's why I want you to take care of yourself too and not waste your money on us."
"You guys are able to give me protection. You four come at my beck and call, and I'm not supposed to see that as you trying to keep me in your lives by offering your services?"
"It's not the same."
"Isn't it?" April's tone is still surprisingly calm, though Leonardo recognizes the firm undertone he has used countless times himself. "I give you guys stuff because I want to. Because it makes me happy and you happy—at least I thought. You know why I really give you things, why I'm happy to pick up takeout and make calls and spend as much time as possible with all of you? Because I haven't had a family connection like this in years! Because when I'm with you guys, I feel—"
The catch in April's voice has Leonardo feeling very, very small.
"Because I feel loved," April says quietly. "And I want to show you and your brothers how much I love you too. It comes in the form of gifts. I know that isn't everyone's love language, but it's mine, and it makes me happy to do it. It's for me as much as for you."
Leonardo stares at his feet. He knows he should apologize, but he waits, just in case April has more to say. He wants to apologize fully for everything she addresses.
Sure enough, she does continue. "That notice you saw? It was for my internet. My card the payments automatically get charged to was compromised, and I had to get a new one. I forgot to switch over the information so I missed a payment. I called the company and got everything sorted. I'm not broke, Leonardo. I spend within my budget."
April sighs. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound mad. I'm not mad. I'm…I understand where you're coming from. I do. If I'm being honest, I thought you guys would be offended by the gifts because most of the stuff I brought was secondhand. I felt bad I couldn't give you all new things. When I gave Donatello the cappuccino machine, I was ecstatic that I could give him something almost new."
"He's used it a lot since it's found its new home," Leonardo admits. "He loves it."
April sniffs in a way that suggests she's past her tears. "Good. I'm happy to hear it."
"April, I'm…" Leonardo sighs. "I'm sorry. I didn't consider that perspective for the situation."
"Oh, Leo. I'm honestly just glad you're not mad at me. I really thought I did something wrong to make you hate me."
"I don't hate you, April," Leonardo reassures. "I won't ever hate you."
"That's good," April says. "Friends again?"
"We never stopped being friends."
"That makes me happy to hear. Thank you. Promise to talk to me next time something like this is on your mind?"
"You have my word."
"Good." A pause. "Hey, are you patrolling tonight?"
"I was until this short break."
"Any men with purple dragon tattoos?"
The shift in conversation is a welcome one. The two fall into an easy discussion of speculation and theories. Michealangelo saw a guy with such a tattoo go into a seedy bar earlier tonight, but he's been there ever since. No other activity. Five minutes of conversation like this passes before the two say their goodbyes.
When Leonardo hangs up, he stares down at his phone before glancing east.
Before he can talk himself out of it, he's at April's apartment window. He had to avoid Raphael who was assigned this section of the city tonight. No need to have him see his brother and start asking probing questions. Leonardo would rather not explain his earlier misunderstanding with April.
Leonardo gently raps on the windowpane. There's a light on inside, but with the curtains closed, he cannot tell if April is in the room or if she's in bed already. He is debating whether or not to leave when the curtain is pulled back to reveal April in all her bedtime glory. Her eyes look aware enough which tells Leonardo he thankfully hasn't woken her, but she's in an old t-shirt and pajama shorts, hair pulled back in a messy bun—all clear indications of bedtime preparations.
April opens the window. "Leo? What are you doing here?"
Leonardo opens his mouth, and nothing comes out. No words of explanation. Instead of words, he reaches down in order to grab what he brought. He holds up a small, yellow flower, one he searched for in four separate rooftop gardens. Most blossoms are shriveling up in the early fall days. The first freeze happened not too long ago, and most flowers succumbed to the change. Not this one.
"Language of love," Leonardo says, holding the flower out to her. "And an apology."
April's flabbergasted expression shifts to one of grateful joy as she takes the small flower. Her eyes turn watery. "You didn't have to."
"I did," Leonardo says. "I most definitely did. And thank you, April, for everything you've given to my family."
Suddenly, April lunges forward, wrapping her arms around Leonardo's neck. She's only able to because he is crouching on her fire escape. She hangs halfway out the window with her weight mostly on Leonardo's shoulders, but he barely notices the extra strain. He hesitantly places one of his hands on her back. That April flowery smell invades his senses once again. It's a rather calming smell, yet Leo finds his heartbeat speeding up.
"And thank you, Leo, for letting me be a part of the family," April says quietly. She pulls back and gives Leonardo a kiss on the cheek before fully bringing herself back into her apartment. She leans on the windowsill as she gently tucks the flower behind her ear. "How do I look?"
Leonardo cannot stop what he says next, not even if he wanted to. "Beautiful."
April rests her chin in her hand. "Just what I was hoping to hear. Do you want to come inside for a while? I can make some tea, or even some coffee to help keep you awake tonight."
Temptation. Temptation on a scale Leonardo has never experienced before. He uses all the training he possesses to say, "I can't. The city won't patrol itself. Maybe another time?"
"I'm counting on it," April says. "Stay safe, ok?"
This request sends something warm through Leonardo's chest. "I promise. Have a good night, April."
"You too, Leonardo."
Leonardo backs up to let April close the window, which she does with one last smile directed at him before closing the curtains. Leonardo waits another minute or so until the light within is turned off. Only then does he leave.