Ninja Turtles 1. Injured

**A/N: I posted this months agp but deleted it 'cause I lost interest. Re-posting since I have some more additions to the series.**

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><p>April's training had ended more than seventy five minutes ago, when the guys had gone out for their usual nightly patrol. They still hadn't arrived back yet, which was strange; on a normal, uneventful evening it took less than forty five minutes for them to scope the area and arrive back home. She was starting to get worried, but Splinter didn't seem concerned, so she tried to put it out of her mind.<p>

Shifting position on the sofa, she flipped the page in her book, though she had stopped paying attention a while ago. Although Splinter had reassured her there was nothing to worry about, she couldn't help but feel that something was wrong.

Sighing, she closed her book and dropped it on the floor beside where she sat, closing her eyes for a brief moment. The longer she thought about it, the worse she would feel, but it wasn't that easy to ignore the worry.

Deciding it would be best to occupy her mind somehow she got up and padded into the small kitchen area. She had gone shopping for the guys not long ago, and was pretty sure she had all the ingredients she needed to make chocolate cupcakes. Mikey would like that, he had a major sweet tooth. Aside from pizza, chocolate was pretty much all he ate. Donnie, too, would hopefully enjoy them. She wasn't sure if Leo or Raph liked sweet food, but decided she would make cakes anyway.

She managed to find the ingredients (though they were low on sugar) and set them out on the table top. She was just measuring out the butter when she heard voices from the lair's entrance. They were talking in hushed tones, but there was the distinct Japanese accent of Splinter, and an angry hiss that sounded like Raph.

She was relieved they were back, but curious as to why they were speaking in such a way; was something wrong? Wiping her hands on her jeans shorts, she poked her head around the frame to look into the living room.

Raph and Leo stood in front of Master Splinter. Both teens had a few scrapes and bruises, but nothing to cause worry. Mikey and Donnie were only just visible from where she was standing, but something looked wrong. Donnie seemed to be leaning on Mikey for support, and when April moved closer to investigate, she realized with a jolt of shock that he was, in fact, barely able to stand. His right leg was badly bruised and he was standing awkwardly, as if it hurt to put weight on. Not only that, but he had a nasty looking cut on his forehead, which had almost stopped bleeding, but there was dark, half dried blood smeared across his temple and injured area.

"Oh my God, what happened!?" April rushed forward, almost bumping into Leo as she sprinted over to Donnie. She stopped just in front of him, giving him a once over. Although all four had injuries, Donnie's looked ten times worse. It was a wonder he had managed to get back to the lair! Now she understood why they were so late.

"Foot ninja." Raph supplied the answer with a scowl. "We were on our way back when they jumped us. Caught us off guard, otherwise we coulda taken 'em out no problem." he crossed his arms and glared at the space ahead of him.

April swallowed, nodding. "Mikey, could you get the first aid kit? I'll help Donnie to the sofa." Since it was their medical expert who was hurt, April felt the need to take care of it herself. This was Donnie. She couldn't stand to see him like this, and she knew it would only hurt him more if he tried to patch himself up.

Mikey nodded. Removing his brother's arm from around his shoulders, he waited until April had a good hold of him before letting go. He dashed off in the direction of Don's lab, where most of the medical related items were kept.

April wavered as Donnie leaned heavily on her. He was a good seven inches taller than she was, and at least sixty pounds heavier, probably more.

Raph moved forward to help, but Leo put his arm in front, holding him back. April could handle this. She was a lot more capable than his family seemed to give her credit for. Except maybe Donnie, he believed she could do anything.

The two slowly moved forwards and the redhead lowered the mutant gently onto the sofa, propping up his injured leg with a few cushions. She didn't know if it would do any good, but better safe than sorry.

Mikey arrived back a second later with the med kit, and put it down next to April. "Jeez Don, you really need to tidy the lab, I couldn't find anything!" It was obvious he was trying to lighten the mood, but it was also obvious it wasn't working.

Opening the med kit, she tried to ignore the hushed tones as Leo, Raph and Splinter spoke. The brothers were still telling Splinter what had happened.

Now that she actually had the med kit, it occurred to April that she had absolutely no idea what to do. Biting her lip, she looked at Donnie, and their eyes locked.

"Really April, I'm fine. Let me do it." Donnie sat up a little and leaned forward to pick up the first aid kit, only to hiss in pain and flop back onto the sofa.

Gasping, April immediately moved forward, her fingers hovering over the cut on Don's forehead. "No way, I'm going to fix you up. Don't move." she instructed.

Kneeling in front of the sofa, April picked up a cloth. She hadn't noticed until now, but someone had set a bowl of warm water beside the med kit. Glancing up, she saw Splinter smile before ushering his three uninjured children from the room.

The teen dunked the cloth in the water before squeezing it until it was just damp. Smiling in what she hoped was a reassuring way, she dabbed it gently over the cut, cleaning away the dried blood. She felt Donnie's forehead crease into a frown under her fingers, but he refrained from showing signs of pain.

Once the blood was cleaned, she carefully dabbed on some anti-septic to reduce the chance of infection, before covering the wound with gauze. She wasn't sure she was doing it right, but Donnie hadn't said anything, which she took as a good sign.

April was satisfied that she had done all she could with his head, but his ankle was a whole different story. It was swollen, and a lot of his lower leg was bruised. "Is it sprained?"

"I think so." Donnie replied. His voice was strained, and he was clearly in pain.

April blew a strand of orangey red hair from her eyes and glanced up at Donnie.

"Just bandage it; that's all you can do for now. I would do it myself, but I think you would probably yell at me." Donnie gave a half smile.

April returned it half-heartedly, taking out the bandages and cutting off a large portion. She wrapped it around his ankle and part of his leg, biting her lip worriedly when he groaned in pain.

"I think I'm done." April said, closing the med kit. "Sorry I didn't do much." She looked up at Donnie to see him smiling. A proper one this time.

"No, you were great. Thank you." Donnie replied. He really was grateful for April's help. She didn't have to do all this for him, but she had, without seeming to even think about it.

"You're welcome. I'm going to go check on the others; I'll be right back." April replied, leaning forward to give Donnie a quick kiss on the cheek.

Donnie blushed faintly, feeling a wide grin spread across his face. He watched as April entered Master Splinter's dojo. If getting hurt meant he got to be treated like this by April, maybe it wasn't so bad after all.


	2. Sunset

April sat on the small balcony outside her bedroom window. She could hear her aunt on the phone a few doors down, her loud laughter carrying throughout the whole flat. And that was why April was still awake. It was hard to sleep when your aunt was constantly breaking the silence with her high pitched giggles.

There was a slight breeze, which made April shiver. She should probably go inside. Or at least get a jumper, but she couldn't bring herself to move. She kept thinking - maybe wishing was a better word - that one of the guys would come visit her. Of course it was unlikely - they had their patrol, and it had probably never even occurred to them to visit her.

Still, April felt compelled to stay outside. Maybe they would visit, and if they did she wanted to be outside to see them. They might think she was asleep if she went inside and she would miss her chance to see them.

The young woman wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her shoulders to keep warm. Blue eyes wandered, but nothing caught her eyes. Just another quiet evening.

There was another, stronger breeze, and April shuddered again. That was it, she needed a jumper. She hopped off the balcony wall and went inside. Her yellow and orange jumper was hung on the wardrobe door and she threw it on, zipping it right up. She then returned to her spot outside.

Something was different. She couldn't identify what was wrong, but she felt different. She felt as if she was being watched.

She looked up, and stifled a gasp.

"Donnie!" she squeaked out. She felt a wave of relief when she realized who it was. "Why are you hanging from the upper balcony?"

The turtle shrugged awkwardly, giving her a lopsided smile. It showed off his gap tooth and April thought it was adorable. "I don't know. Element of surprise?"

Once a ninja, always a ninja, April thought with amusement. Even so, he had nearly given her a heart attack. "Come down, I'm sure it isn't comfy."

There was a light 'thump' as Donatello landed lightly beside her. He sat on the balcony with her, hunched over slightly. He was close to April, unusually so. It made him feel awkward and nervous but there wasn't much room to move.

April turned to look at him, messy red hair falling in her face with the movement. "Any reason you came?" She was extremely glad he had, especially since she had just been thinking about it. But it was unusual. She usually had to go to them. Not the other way around. It was a pleasant surprise.

Donnie shook his head, cheeks heating up slightly. "Just thought I'd come say hi. I haven't seen you in a while."

April smiled. The thought that he had come all the way over to her home just to 'say hi' made her heart jump. It was really sweet of him.

A pink-orange glow slowly formed, basking Donnie and April in it's light. Sunset. April automatically turned to look, her smile widening. She loved sunsets; they were gorgeous.

Donnie did the same, seeming utterly entranced.

The sun cast a bright glow as it lowered itself below the horizon. The sky turned a million shades of orange, yellow and red, beautifully blended together in a way April could only describe as magical. Then the colour dimmed and the sky darkened, before the two teenagers were left in utter blackness.

"Wow," Donnie breathed. "I've never seen a sunset before."

April gave him an incredulous look. "Never?"

Clearing his throat, Donnie waved his hands in the air. "I-I mean I've seen sunsets. On TV, and on the computer. But never in real life. We usually only go up top when it's already dark."

April smiled and shook her head. "That's so weird. You've never seen a sunset." She considered it for a moment. "Well, you can stop by any time to watch it with me. In fact, I'm going to insist you do."


	3. Obvious

Donnie had been adding the final touches to a new invention for a full three hours straight. It wasn't unusual for him to spend so long in there, but when he did it never ceased to worry everyone. After all, who in their right mind stayed in a crummy old lab when there was food?

Mikey had tried to coax him out with pizza and his favourite soda, but it had been no use. The older turtle had simply ignored him when the orange banded brother had opened the soda in front of him and threatened to drink the last one.

Leo had then told him they were going on patrol later, and if he wanted to go he would need something to eat for the energy. Donnie didn't care - he wasn't interested in patrol anyway, when his invention was so close to completion. After ten minutes of pointless persuasion, Leo had left, slightly annoyed and tired of his wasted efforts.

And then even Raph had tried. He wasn't good with words and had told Donnie if he didn't get his butt out now he would pick him up and carry him into the sitting area. This had enticed a reaction, but one that made it clear he would not let Raph do such a thing. He had simply told him, rather cooly, to 'please leave so he could finish in peace.' and then proceeded to look pointedly from Raph to the door.

It was quite clear he wasn't going to let anyone distract him from his work. That is, until April showed up.

She poked her head round the door, then slowly approached her friend. When she received no comment asking her to leave, she sat down beside him. There was a brief moment of silence before she spoke.

"Nearly done, huh?"

Donnie gave a brisk nod, looking up briefly before focusing back on the piece of machinery in his hands.

"Then I'm sure it can wait a little while, right? You're not gonna be able to do much on an empty stomach." April raised on hand and placed it gently on his shoulder.

The turtle looked up, a light blush spreading across his cheeks. "I really would like to get this completed by the end of the day," he replied, but continued to look at April, his invention placed in his lap instead of in his hands.

"Well I'm going to have to leave soon, and I haven't seen you much. You can stop for a while to chat, right?" She gave him a hopeful look.

After a moment, he nodded, smiling slightly. "You have a point. We haven't seen each other much this week. I guess it can wait an hour or so."

April grinned. "Great! Now come on, let's get something to eat." She took his large hands in her own as they stood up, and she walked with him to the sitting area, oblivious to his deep blush.

A few feet away, Mikey and Leo grinned at each other.

"I knew it!" the blue masked one exclaimed. "If anyone can convince Don to do something, it's April."

Mikey nodded enthusiastically. "Uh huh. He'd do anything for her. I mean, I thought he was gonna rip Raph's head off when he spoke, but with April he was all nice and shy-guy." He laughed lightly. 


	4. Seeking Peace

The lair was complete chaos. Even though it was late, no one was even nearly ready to sleep. Raph and Leo were arguing so loudly it could be heard from the dojo, and it seriously seemed as if someone was going to get hurt. It had been going for more than ten minutes and showed no signs of stopping.

Mikey's way of dealing with it was to have the sound from his X-Box pumping out at almost full volume, only intensifying the noise to try and block out the yelling.

To say Donnie was getting a headache was an understatement. Usually he could work through noise and disruptions, but this was ridiculous. Not even closing the metal door to the lab cut out the racket entirely.

He had two choices; stay here and put up with it, or go somewhere else. Of course, that somewhere else meant April's. He wasn't exactly able to go into town, was he?

He stepped out of the lair, wincing when the loud music from Mikey's room reached his ears. It was almost deafening. It was probably audible up top, which would be pretty strange for the humans.

That settled it, he was definitely leaving.

As he walked past the arguing brothers, which he had to do to reach the lair's entrance, Leo turned to look at him. "What are you doing?" he questioned with a stern, slightly suspicious look on his face.

"I'm going to see April," Donnie replied simply, walking by. He didn't want to get on Leo's bad side any day, but especially not when he was like this. He would rather avoid a lecture, thank you.

"You're not supposed to go up top on your own," Leo told him, frowning. "Not unless it's patrol, which it isn't."

Donnie sighed inwardly. "I'll only be a while."

"Just let him go, Leo," Raph butted in with a growl. "It's none of your business what he does." And then the arguing started all over again.

Donnie hopped over the turnstiles, then made his way down the empty tunnel, gratefully leaving the lair behind. It was much more peaceful, even if the tunnel was a little echoey.

The nearest manhole lead to a side street a few blocks from April's place. The young mutant could easily reach it by hopping from roof to roof, and they were high enough that he wouldn't be seen. He climbed out, carefully replacing the cover over the hole before moving off. The tallest building had a sturdy drain pipe which he used to climb up, landing noiselessly on the flat roof.

Ten minutes later he arrived at April's. Her room had a large balcony with a sliding glass door.

Looking in, he could see April sitting at her desk, not facing him. She had her head lowered, thick strands of orange-red hair falling onto the wooden surface. He couldn't see what she was doing, but she had a look of concentration on her pretty features.

The door was locked, and even if it wasn't, he didn't want to intrude, so he knocked lightly on the glass to catch her attention.

Surprised, April jerked up straight, her eyes going straight to the balcony. She relaxed when she realized who it was, a cheerful smile spreading across her face. She got up from her seat and walked over, giving him a wave.

Donnie waved back, and when the door opened he climbed off his position on the balcony railing to go in. It was much warmer inside, and the single desk lamp cast a dim yellowish glow. It highlighted April's features, making her eyes glisten and her smile seem that little bit brighter.

Realizing he had been staring, Donnie hastily looked away, blushing fiercely. He was sure she must have noticed, but when he looked over to her she was oblivious. Or maybe she was just pretending to be, to avoid embarrassing him, or herself.

"So what are you doing here so late?" April asked. "Not that I'm complaining, but you never come over after ten." The girl flopped down on her bed with a sigh, rubbing her right shoulder.

"Oh nothing, just felt like coming over to see you," he lied, not wanting her to worry. It would all be over by the time he got back. Raph and Leo would probably act like nothing had happened. Then he noticed her discomfort. "What's wrong with your shoulder?" he asked, concerned.

"I've just had so much homework over the last month. I'm not used to writing so much, or carrying such a heavy bag," the redhead replied with a shrug. It was the end of the school year, and she was always loaded with work at the start of a holiday. The opposite of the way most schools worked, apparently.

"I could give you a massage?" he offered. He then immediately thought of how... intimate... that sounded, and felt like an idiot. She wasn't going to want him getting his hands all over her, even if it was all innocent in nature.

"Sure. I could actually do with that," April said casually. She didn't see a problem with it.

"Really?" The mutant couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. "I mean, uh, okay." He really wanted to slap himself. Why did he always have to make a fool of himself around April?

April nodded, patting the space on the bed beside her, offering him a seat. Donnie hesitantly sat down beside her, feeling quite out of his comfort zone.

Brushing her hair from her shoulder, he noticed how smooth her skin was. It was so different to his own - while hers was soft and unblemished, his was thick, rough and laced with marks from fighting. With his hand by her shoulder, it was painfully obvious how different they were. Not just due to colour but even the flesh and skin itself. Sometimes he really hated being reminded how different he was. It reminded him that there was no way he would ever stand a chance with her.

"You okay?"

Donnie blinked, coming back to reality with a sudden jolt. April had turned to face him, a small frown gracing her features.

"Uh, yeah. Fine. Of course." Donnie cleared his throat and shook his head. He was trying to hard to be convincing, he knew.

"Right," April sighed. "So why did you come here? I get the feeling there's more to it than just popping in to say hello."

She had seen right through him. April seemed to have a talent for that. She always could tell when he was lying. "Raph and Leo are arguing again. It just gets kind of difficult sometimes."

"Well, I'm sure everything will be fine when you get back," April reassured with a smile. "You know them. Next time they start getting cranky, just come here. And bring Mikey. We don't want him getting left, do we?"

Donnie smiled gratefully, nodding. "You sure you don't mind?"

April laughed lightly. "Of course not! I love your company, and Mikey's. You're always welcome to stop by, whatever the reason."

"Thanks April, that means a lot to me."


	5. Acceptance

"April's coming over tonight," Donnie grinned widely, inching closer to a large blank board, "And I'd really like us to spend some time together. So, to maximise my chances of success, I made a flow chart," he flipped the board around, revealing a detailed flow chart written in several different colours.

"What even is that?" Raph asked, studying the chart.

"Just something to help me with April. It has almost every possibility of what she might say, and what I should do in those circumstances," he replied cheerily. "For instance, if she needs to do homework, I can offer to help. Or if she would like to train, I can offer to spar with her. Or, if she would rather just relax I'll-"

"Woah woah woah! Donnie, don't you think that's a bit, I dunno, creepy?" Leo interrupted, looking at his brother with a mix of horror and disbelief.

He simply shook his head. "Of course not. Why would it be?"

"Leo kinda has a point. It's like you're tryin' ta keep tabs on her or somethin'," Raph piped up, his expression matching Leo's. "Just let April do what she wants, jeez."

Even Mikey seemed to think it was strange, as he was staring intently at the flow chart with a confused look. "Hey Donnie, you've thought of everything! That's weird. Can't you, you know, wait until she's here and just see what happens."

Donnie's eyes narrowed slightly, and he folded his arms. "But then how will I know what to do? If I don't plan, then I'm not going to have the correct response to anything April says." He tapped the board. "But with this, I'll know exactly what she's going to say, and how I should react."

The blue banded turtle sighed, shaking his head. "Donnie, seriously, just forget the chart. It's borderline stalking. Forcing her to spend time with you like this is not the way to go." He gestured to the chart, jabbing a thumb towards it. "If April wants to spend time with you, she will. But give her a choice."

"Yeah, this is like, really unfair to April. You need to relax and act more... natural."

This time, the glare was more focused towards Mikey. "But with this chart, there's no way for me to say the wrong thing. She'll have to like me."

And that was the root of the problem. "She already does, Don. Just not like that. And she doesn't have to anything." Leo sighed again, this time more loudly. "Just accept the fact that she wants to be friends, and nothing else. And maybe if you stopped being so creepy with her, she would like you more." He was being overly blunt, he knew, but it was the only way for his brother to see sense.

"How do you know? Maybe-"

Raph clapped a hand on Donnie's shoulder, shaking his head. "She doesn't like you. You're just gonna have to get over it. Quicker ya accept it, the quicker ya can focus on bein' her friend, you know? Actually bein' there for her instead of doin' crazy stuff like this." Another nod towards the chart.

But..." Donnie sighed. Maybe his brothers were right. April was out of his league. It was better to stop fawning over her now, rather than letting his crush get out of hand. "I guess. Sorry guys, but I thought this was a brilliant idea." He broke away from Raph, eyes downcast. "So what should I do with the chart?"

"Get rid of it, in case April sees."


	6. Guilt

"I didn't catch her. I should have caught her before she fell into the mutagen, but I didn't!" Donnie sat with his head in his hands, and although he wasn't crying, he was visibly shaking. "I'm the worst friend ever."

Slowly, Leo wrapped an arm around his brother, pulling him in for a half-hug. "It's okay, Don. There was no way you could have got there in time. And April's immune, remember? She's alright."

Donnie groaned, burying his face deeper into his hands. "But what if she wasn't immune? She would have mutated! Her entire life would have been ruined, an-and I wouldn't have had enough retro-mutagen to save her." Her entire future down the drain, because he was too slow to help her.

Leo sensed that words of reassurance weren't going to help. He removed his arm from around Donnie and sat back, thinking about what to say next.

"She doesn't blame you, you know. April understands that none of us were close enough to get to her in time." He paused, wondering if Donnie was even listening. It all seemed to be falling on deaf ears. "And if she had mutated, I know you would have done everything you could to return her to normal." But she hadn't mutated, so why was Donnie so torn up?

A beat of silence, before Donnie replied. "Thanks, Leo. I just... I just feel like I've done more harm than good, you know? Sometimes I think April would have been better off if she had never met us." The thought twisted his insides.

"Don't be stupid. April's a great friend, and I know she loves spending time with us. Why would she still hang out with us if she didn't want to?" Leo got to his feet, smiling reassuringly. "Come on. You've been avoiding April all week. She told me she thinks you're angry with her. Time to let her know you're not."


	7. Rain

Donnie sat on the sofa between Mikey and Leo, the three of them watching TV. Raph was who knows where, probably hanging out with Casey somewhere.

Donnie was the first to see her, and he jumped to his feet. "April, what happened? You're drenched!"

"I know," April groaned, moving wet hair from her eyes. "I got caught in the rain, and I don't have keys to the house. No one else is home."

"I'll grab a towel," Leo went off to the bathroom. April would need spare clothes, too. They probably wouldn't fit, considering they were used to disguise him and his brothers when they went up top. Better than staying cold and wet, though.

"I'll make you a hot drink. You're gonna catch a cold," Donnie quickly retreated into the kitchen, where he began rummaging around for a clean mug.

When Leo came back, he was holding a clean towel, a pair of jeans and a huge hoodie that could easily have fitted a grown adult.

"Thanks," April supressed a yawn as she trudged to the bathroom, leaving a small trail of water behind her.

Mikey supressed a giggle, then cleared his throat. "I like your new look, April," he commented innocently. Leo swatted him away, giving him a stern look. The youngest turtle just grinned and got to his feet, removing himself from the room before Leo could tell him off.

Donnie came back with a mug of steaming coffee, made just how April liked it. He raised a brow-ridge at her new attire, but was sensible enough not to say anything.

"Hey, I got you a drink," he handed her the mug and flopped down on the sofa.

She said her thanks and took a sip, not bothering to test how hot it was. It scalded the roof of her mouth, and she winced. At least it would warm her up.

Collapsing onto the sofa beside Donnie, April sighed. "I'm an idiot. If you guys didn't live so close, I'd be screwed."

"Good thing we do, then," Donnie replied with a smile.

April set her mug down on the table and pulled her knees up onto the sofa. She leaned her head against Donnie's shoulder and closed her eyes. She looked ready to fall asleep.

He froze, the unexpected gesture taking him completely by surprise. But there was nothing behind it, and he knew that. After a moment he relaxed, adjusting his position to make it more comfortable for April.

He glanced down at her to speak, only to notice the even, shallow breaths. 

April was asleep.


End file.

Ninja Turtles, Friendship, Romance