Ninja Turtles 1. Chapter 1

A/N I started writing for the characters 3 years deep into their relationship. I think they deserve a beginning. Donatello & my OC are 26 years old in this story.

I've been listening to a lot of music while I write and I find it helps to set the tone of my chapters, so I'll be listing a song with each one. Listen or don't. It's up to you.

Also Feedback is much appreciated. I cant get better if I don't know what I'm doing wrong. ;D

* * *

Song: Alkaline Trio: Love Love Kiss Kiss

October 31st 2009

It was Halloween and Donatello's heart just wasn't in it. It was the one night he could go streetside without worrying about much and as far as he was concerned no fucks were given. He was still reeling from his breakup with Julie, although if he was honest with himself he saw it coming. It was another chapter from a book that repeated the same old story. Turtle saves girl; girl is grateful; fuck like crazy for a few months; shine falls off the apple; someone gets hurt. It seemed like every time he or one of his brothers got a girlfriend this was pretty much the case. The girl is always appreciative of her knight in shining armor, but once the reality of the situation sets in they lose interest. In rare cases one of them would do the heartbreaking, usually this was Raph when the girl got too clingy. How that jackass even managed to charm his way into their pants was beyond his brother's comprehension.

This time it was Donatello who got his heart broken. He really thought Julie was the one. She was a biochemist they saved from a burning lab after a foot attack. She was totally into the "ninja thing" and went so far as to train with them, clean cut, preppy, not a wild bone in her body. Predictable. Safe. Which is why it came as a surprise when she broke up with him. She just couldn't see herself married to a turtle. She wanted the white picket fence with 2.5 kids & an SUV, and "sorry Donnie, you just can't give it to me." Well Shit.

Michelangelo was bouncing off the walls getting ready for some party or something later that evening talking about some video game girlfriend he made plans to meet up with. Raph was knocking back a few beers. He was going, and I quote you "Trollin' for Bitches" and he was preparing by "Pre-gaming it" whatever the hell any of that meant, and even Leo was starting to get excited. Donatello wanted them all to die in a fire. He went back to his laptop looking for something to get him out of the lair. He browsed movie theater times **_8:00PM GHOSTBUSTERS/GREMLINS SPECIAL SCREENING: THEMED COSTUMES GET IN FREE _** Bingo. It was 3:30pm now. He looked at some of the spare parts in his workshop. He could throw together a replica proton pack & ecto goggles in that amount of time. He had a couple of spare mechanic's suits for when he worked on their van & bikes. And he already owned knee & shoulder pads. Awesome. Something to keep his mind off things for a while and a free double feature? Yes please.

"Hey Mikey!"

"Yeah Bro?"

"Do me a solid, as you say, and paint the Ghostbuster logo & a name patch on this for me real quick?"

"You got it, dude. Which one do you want to be?"

"I dunno. Surprise me I guess?"

"Definitely Egon."

* * *

Four hours & Fifteen minutes later he was in line at the theater. Tons of couples, with matching costumes, holding hands. UGH. The Ecto goggles hid most of his face and most of his disdain. The rest of his costume also came out great. The jumpsuit covered his more reptilian features nicely & Mikey did a good job on the logo. He went a bit overboard and made a neutrino wand and a PKE meter while he was at it, which he rigged to react to EMF readings. When he got home he would add lights & sounds and sell them on some fan site. Or maybe save them. He hadn't decided yet and was pondering his options when he walked into a girl in the lobby sporting a pair of latex terror dog horns & red gatekeeper nightgown, toting an oversized bag that was clearly hiding food.

"The Hell?! Watch it jerk!"

"I'd apologize, but you were just kind of a bitch."

She squinted at the reply, and also to get a better look at his stupid face in the dim lighting. "You didn't need to dye your skin green for this you know, creepy ass weirdo."

"It was from a different costume earlier. And what about you? you don't need all that food for this" he said both eying her up and down and motioning at her obnoxiously large purse.

"Touché. Whatever guy, I'm not selling a kidney for some skittles, so survival of the fittest and all that. And fuck you because I think you just called me fat. I gotta go, the good seats are going fast." And with that she spun around and headed towards the theater.

An usher checking tickets stopped her before she entered "Miss I'm going to have to check your bag" damn it.

"Ummmm Uhhhh HAHAHA I have some embarrassing stuff in there… so… HAHA… you can't look!"

"Miss, please, I need to see" Donnie stepped up to the guy, pulled him aside and whispered something in his ear. "Oh, sorry to have bothered you Miss, please enjoy the show."

The girl blinked "Oh. Great. Thank you!" She & Donatello rushed passed the usher.

"Just what did you tell him anyway?"

"I just said you kept your colostomy supplies in there."

She stopped dead in her tracks and turned five shades of red before she roared "YOU DID WHAT?! YOU FUCKING JERK!"

"You're Welcome." he said with a cocky tone. With a salute and a nod Donatello left her standing in the aisle as he took his seat in the back of the theater.

* * *

The first movie had just started and everyone had settled in. Donatello was able to snag a seat in the last, and the girl from earlier was stuck sitting next to him in the right. He had taken the proton pack off and set in in the seat next to him so he would be more comfortable, and by the time the girl had gotten over her embarrassment and looked for a seat all but the very first rows were taken. She made him put his pack in front of his legs. It wasn't revenge exactly, but she supposed it would do.

**_"A full torso apparition! And it's real!"_** Ray whispered on screen.

*Chkssshhhh* "Oh man I love this scene! Eeeeeeee!" The girl slurped a bit of her drink.

"Is that Beer?" Donnie whispered with venom "What the hell? You snuck beer in?! And I helped you?!"

"It's not beer in the strictest sense. It's PBR." The guy sitting to the left of Donnie heard this and reached over to him to give the girl a fist bump.

"I can't believe you!"

"Shut up and have one. You're missing the scary part." She shoved her open beer into Donnie's hand and grabbed two more out of her purse keeping one and tossing the other to the guy who had fist bumped her a second ago. "Share and Share alike!" she whispered to them both earning a grin and some sour patch kids from the guy on the left.

**_"ready?... ready?... GET HER!"_** everyone in the theater screamed in pretend surprise, Laughing and shrieking, except for a couple a few rows down who were making out.

The girl pointed at them "Look at those assholes. IF YOU WANT TO SUCK FACE, GET A ROOM!" Immediately other moviegoers started to toss popcorn at them. The couple broke it off and sheepishly slunk down in their seats.

Donatello shrugged, thinking _Maybe she's not so bad,_ and took a sip of the beer. It was pretty terrible, but from what Raph had told him about it, it was to be expected. He relaxed his shoulders, sat back and decided to make the best of a bad situation. The next three and a half hours went by pretty quickly. He had exchanged some pretty witty banter with the mystery girl. At intermission everyone had gotten up to use the rest rooms, exchange seats & stretch their legs. It might have been the beer or her bag full of beer and candy but he decided that they would stick together for the second half of the evening.

* * *

The Antiques store owner had collected Gizmo and was walking away in the snow when both Donatello and the girl decided enough was enough. He looked over at her, stretched his arms & stood/swayed.

"Well, it was fun. Hey! What are you doing?" He knew he was light headed from all two of the beers he drank, but he could swear she was going for his belt. He looked down and the girl was unclipping the PKE meter from his costume.

"Oh, I want to borrow this to show some friends. I'll give it back. Or are you afraid I'll steal it?" She said with a raised eyebrow.

His head was too foggy to respond with anything but some stuttering noises.

"Ugh. Lightweight. Here's my number." She took a sharpie out of her bag and wrote her name and cell phone number on the sleeve of his jumpsuit. " Here. Now you can call me and we'll make arrangements for me to give this back. Well, catch you later _Egon_."

"What? My name's not Ego-Oh yeah" he looked down at the painted-on Spengler patch on the jumpsuit, Then to the writing on his sleeve, and back up. She was gone before he could say goodbye.

He looked back down at his sleeve.

_Mizu Edwards XOXO_

_ 212-555-4358_

"I think she just give me a fake name..."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Hey all, well this took me a while. I've been a bit busy and haven't been able to sit and write. This seems a bit disjointed, but it gets us from A to B.

I own nothing TMNT except for my OCs.

* * *

"Hello, you've reached Mizu with Macklin, Haverford, & Swanson Accounting Services, Leave a message after the tone"

"Hi, Um, This is Donatello, we met at the movies the other night and you borrowed my PKE prop? I was hoping we could meet up somewhere and I could get that back, I have an interested buyer. My number is 212-555-7412. Thanks"

"This is Donatello's phone, Please leave a message."

"Hi Donatello, It's Mizu, PHONE TAG YOU'RE IT!"

"Mizu, It's Donatello. That was cute, but I really need my PKE meter back. I could really use the money."

"Donatello, Mizu. PHONE-TAG-YOU'RE-IT-AGAIN"

Donatello sighed in frustration as he called this Mizu person for what felt like the one thousandth time. He was able to sell most of his costume or trade it online but he had someone who was willing to give him $500 for the PKE meter. Apparently rigging it to react to EMF was a pretty novel idea. He was thinking about how to improve on the design as the phone was ringing and got lost in thought.

"Hey stranger, you rang?"

"Oh, uh yeah hi. It's Donnie I was wondering if we could meet up so I could get my prop back?"

"I heard. You have a buyer huh?" there was a hint of mischief in her voice. He didn't like it.

"Yeah. He wants me to ship out before the end of the week. He needs it for a parade or something."

"Hmmm. I see. Ok, meet me at the dog park in an hour. I'll text you the address. BYE!"

Shit. Donnie looked at his watch, it was only 3pm and sunset wasn't until 4:50. After half an hour of waffling on going to meet this girl in daylight he finally decided "_fuck it_". The sun would be setting shortly after and it was a dog park, which meant there were going to be trees, right? And it wasn't like he didn't know how to get around in the daytime in the city by now. He'd been sneaking out for quite some time, especially in the fall & winter. He would just lock his lab door and Leo thought he was working on some invention or something. Donatello always thought it was odd that for such an alert guy his brother could be so easily duped.

He sighed and pulled a storage bin out from under his bed. He pulled out a grey ribbed tank top, a purple & grey zip up hoodie, a black scarf, a dark grey winter knit cadet style hat, and some regular fit jeans, and some classic black vans slip ons, and his backpack. He shoved his t-phone, collapsible staff, and wallet in the bag. He procured the keys to a motorcycle from a false-bottom drawer in his desk. He thought for a second, grabbed a $20 bill and put it in the backpack as well_. Maybe she'll want a coffee?.. Wait, what? You're just going to go get your prop and head home, bitch can get her own coffee. _Donatello continued to chastise himself as he got dressed, and admired his handiwork in his mirror. Other than the awkward fit of the jeans, he looked pretty good. Pretty human. He put on his hat and his black peacoat, untucked his sweatshirt hood and pulled it up over the scarf & hat; put on his backpack, and grabbed his mp3 player and the keys to his bike off his desk. With a quick punch of the keypad his lab was locked and he was out the proverbial front door and his brothers were none the wiser, and he was off to where he kept his motorcycle stashed.

* * *

Mizu had hung up the phone, and dialed her boss' extension. She gave some excuse about a family emergency, and assured her that she was done with her critical work for the day before tearing out of the building like a bat out of hell. She practically ran the few blocks to her apartment and shucked off her uncomfortable work clothing for her much preferred stretchy skinny jeans, a black racer back tank top and her favorite oversized burgundy sweater with a Marilyn style neck that folded down over her shoulders. She wrapped a black and white striped infinity scarf around her neck and threw on her black bearpaw boots over her naked feet. They were new, and she had decided it would be criminal to not let her tootsies revel in the feel of the soft lining of the boots after being locked away in dress flats all day. She tousled some vanilla scented talc in her hair to give it a bit of volume and combat the stench of toner that seemed to cling to it after a day at the office. She looked in the mirror and nodded in quick approval. She threw her keys, wallet, and phone along with Donatello's prop into a black canvas hobo style bag, ran out of the apartment, and slammed the door behind her. She was halfway down the hallway before she stopped dead in her tracks.

"SHIT! I am the worst person on the face of the planet. I forgot the dog."

She mumbled all the way back to her apartment's door and there he was, all 135lbs of him. Elric, a beautiful 1.5 year old black great dane, sat looking at the front door with the saddest most confused look on his still puppy-ish face. He put his ears back and lowered his head and wagged his tail, and she swore she saw him stick out his lower lip in a pout.

"Mommy is SO SORRY my sweetest boy! Did she forget you? I know, I'm terrible. I'll make it up to you. How would you like to go to the park?" She hadn't so much had uttered the P-word before Elric tilted his head to the side, jumped up and ran to the front door. Mizu was able to wrangle him into his blue collar and fastened his leash, grabbed his dog park bag, shouldering it over her own, and out the door they went. Elric pranced and jumped around her all the way down the hall and didn't stop until he got to the park.

* * *

Donatello was about 15 minutes late as he parked his bike at the curb next to the dog park. Thankfully, it was starting to get dark out, but not as dark as he would have liked. He slowly walked thru the park and spotted Mizu standing near a bench with some sort of long curved blue contraption in her hand. He adjusted the scarf over his face and lowered the brim of his hat and pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt. He saw the bags on the bench and she clearly had her eye on something else. He could just ninja his way over, steal back his prop and be on his way… He was stealthily making his way over and was just behind the bench when a soul shattering noise made him look up just in time to see a giant black monster rush him and hip check him on his ass.

Mizu just stood there eyes wide and face frozen in shock, as Elric started to rub a drool covered large sized tennis ball all over Donatello's head. Only when she heard him yell "CALL HIM OFF!" did she start to laugh, almost maniacally.

"Elric, off. Leave it! Donatello? Is that you? Jesus you scared the living crap out of me. You really are a creep you know, dressed like that and sneaking around."

"I wasn't sneaking around… Ugh! Stop, here, here… gimme that…" He was still on the ground getting introduced to Elric's tennis ball. Donnie wrenched the ball out of the dog's mouth, not noticing in the confusion that Elric had taken his glove in the process, and Donatello threw the ball an impressive distance.

"Wow… That's a pretty good toss. I need to use the launcher to get distance like that. Here…" She offered her hand to help Donatello up off the grass. He took it and after he was up and wiping the grass off his jeans he looked up at her. She had a puzzled look on her face and he could tell she wanted to ask something.

"Yes?"

"I didn't notice the other night at the theater, but you only have three fingers?"

He stood there shocked_. Shitshitshitshitshit think of something think think…_

"Well… You aren't Japanese." _A comeback? Really? What am I in 3__rd__ grade?_

Mizu squinted her eyes at him like the time at the theater and raised an eyebrow "And your skin is still green?..."

Donatello's eyes widened. _FuckfuckfuckfuckfuckFUCK!_

They both just stood there in awkward silence for a minute before he felt Mizu push something into his hand. It was a smallish silver plastic bag with bones all over it.

"Elric is pooping. Be a gent and take care of it for me. I'm getting a latte. You want one too." It was more of a statement than a question, and before he could answer she had turned and headed to the coffee vendor. Suddenly she yelled over her shoulder "AND TAKE OFF ALL THOSE SCARVES AND HATS AND SHIT YOU ASSHAT! IT'S COLD BUT IT'S NOT _THAT_ COLD!"

He nodded and turned to look at the dog, who was indeed taking a poop. So. Much. Poop. He sighed in defeat, put the bag over his hand and swallowed back the urge to wretch.

It was going to be a long evening.


	3. Chapter 2b

Donatello sipped the last of his latte in an odd but contented silence as Mizu launched Elric's tennis ball for him one last time. Her brow was furrowed and she seemed to still be processing the information he had just given her. Sewer dwelling turtle mutants. New York just got stranger and stranger…

"You know, you never said why"

She looked at him quizzically "Why what?"

"Why your name is Mizu but you aren't Japanese. You aren't even Asian as far as I can tell."

Mizu rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, that… My parents were huge Carl Douglas fans..."

"Carl who?"

"He sang that disco song… _Everybody was kung fu fighting dededededede de de de_…"

"_Those cats were fast as lightening, It was a little bit frightening_…" Donatello finished the chorus with a bit of a smirk as Mizu stood smiling and biting the lid of her coffee cup. He had a surprisingly pleasant voice.

"So you know the words but you didn't know who sang the song?"

"My brother Mikey works out to that song every once in a while, he thinks it's hilarious. Even less often I'll sometimes catch my father listening to it. I never really cared to look up the performer though. And that still doesn't explain why they named you Mizu"

"My parents just liked Asian culture. It was weird. I guess my caucasian parents gave me a japanese name for the same reason your japanese father named you after an italian artist."

"Touché."

Mizu started gathering up Elric's toys and her bags.

"So, I hate to be 'that guy' but did you bring my PKE prop? I need to mail it out like yesterday."

Her eyes lit up at mention at the prop. She got a devilish look on her face. "Ah, yes. Your PKE meter. It seems to me that I have something you want, and you are now at my mercy."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I'll give you back your PKE meter, but you have to give me something in return."

"Wow, ok, I had no idea this would turn into an extortion racket. I'll just build another one." He started to pick his jacket up off the bench and leave.

"Wait! Wait…. I just meant we should hang out again sometime… Don't leave angry."

Donnie put his coat back down and smirked "I can't believe you fell for that. You don't have siblings do you?"

"Did anyone ever tell you're kind of a jerk?"

"I owed you for writing on the sleeve of my costume. It never washed out."

"Well it's a good thing we have these then." She had procured a pen from her bag and wrote down something on the paper coffee cup sleeve, and handed it to Donatello. "Meet me at this address on Thursday night at 8pm. Come on Elric, wanna go home get some dinner?" Elric heard his name and the word dinner and came trotting over. He walked around Donatello and nudged his hand with his nose for a pat and then leaned against him.

"No, he won't be joining us tonight, you goofy dog." She looked at Donatello and handed him the PKE meter "Well, I had fun. See you Thursday. And you're going to want to wear something similar you what you have on tonight, but you know, with like 20 less layers."

…

Donatello got home a little after 8pm that night humming _kung fu fighting_. He thought he had successfully made it back unnoticed, but was unaware of the elderly mammal peering around the corner of the kitchen area, smiling slightly as he inhaled the steam from his oolong tea. He was the one who taught them how to be stealthy, after all.


	4. Chapter 4

He had managed to make it out of the lair without being seen again. Raph was working on a motorcycle rebuild, and Mikey was engrossed in his new dragon age videogame. April had just dropped it off yesterday and he hadn't put it down since. Leo & Splinter were meditating. The elderly patriarch didn't have much in the way of energy for training anymore, so he was focusing on spending one-on-one time with each of his sons. His ear gave a twitch as he heard Donatello pad out of the lair. _I might be old but I'm not deaf my son_ he thought to himself as a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

The walk to where Donatello kept his motorcycle was about half a mile from the lair. He didn't know why he kept his bike a secret from his family, but he liked knowing there were parts of his life he could keep secret from his family. Their social lives were pretty limited, and they really got way to into each other's business, especially his it seemed. It had gotten out of control over the past 5 years, and that's when he started keeping secrets. The bike, the clothing, sneaking out. His mind started to wander to how he used to sneak out to spend time with Julie when they first started dating.

_Ugh, why are you thinking about that harpy right now? You're about to go on a date with Mizu. - It's not a date. We hardly even know each other. - Yeah, ok, sure. It isn't a date. - shut up._

He finally arrived at his hidden "garage" which was just an abandoned utility room in the subway near a maintenance ramp. He adjusted his scarf and hat, hopped on his bike and revved the engine. _It's not a date._ And with that he was off to the address on the cup holder.

….

"I can't believe you rode that thing here? Aren't you freezing? Why did you wear all those layers again? Where is your helmet?"

Donatello pulled up to the curb at the address Mizu had written down, which he could only guess was her apartment building. Depending on your tastes it was either vintage or run down. He immediately became flustered, but not by the onslaught of questions. Mizu looked positively adorable. Until tonight Donatello never really thought about her looks, but he had only met her twice before and one of those times she had horns. Tonight she was wearing a light grey double breasted wool coat with a flared bottom, covering most of a violet t-shirt dress with octopus tentacles screen-printed in black up the side. The dress stopped just above the knee and was being worn over black leggings, with her black bearpaw boots & she had on a furry white husky spirit hood, with her hands in the mittens. Donnie looked her up and down with his mouth slightly agape.

"What? What are you looking at?"

"Oh, um, you look very nice. You dress well for your size." Ohhhhhhh no.

She had been walking over to the bike but stopped dead in her tracks. She raised both of her eyebrows but aside from that her face held no expression "I do what for my what now?" and pressed her lips together waiting for an answer.

Donatello just stated at her, mortified that he had said something like that. Sure she wasn't exactly skinny, but…. She was still pretty, and she had been nice to him up until then…

"I…. I only meant, I was trying to compliment, oh man…"

"I'll tell you what Donatello. Because you are some sort of weird shut-in who clearly lacks social grace, and mostly because I've already paid for a portion of tonight's outing, I am going to choose to ignore what you said. I'll advise you to choose your words from now on or I will shuck you from you shell like an oyster on the half. Do. I. Make. My. Self. Clear?" She emphasized the last words by poking him in the shoulder with each one.

Donatello gulped. "Crystal."

"Good." Mizu smiled to ease the tension. "Now lets get going, here's the address." She hopped on to the back of his bike and off they went.

…

Donatello stopped his bike in front of the building.

"Karaoke? Really? Just how am I supposed to participate Mizu?"

"Will you relax, this place had karaoke rooms, and I suspect you have some serious singing chops. I reserved us a small room for 2 hours, so just pull your scarf up over your face until we're in the room. We'll have it all to ourselves. Of course, since you are rolling in the dough after selling the prop I so generously gave back to you, drinks are on you tonight, Sir." She hopped off the bike and skipped through the entrance as Donatello took a minute to admire her advanced planning.

….

They both had a blast singing and talking and as she had expected Donatello could actually sing. They ran through a few classics and some silly songs, and rounded out the night with kung fu fighting. Mizu had had a couple of cocktails and had goaded Donatello into joining her in a round of sake bombs and before they knew it their two hours were up.

"I…I'll meet you by th' bike" He gave Mizu his wallet so she could pay their tab, pulled his scarf up over his face, and walked outside as composed as he could.

"Kay" She had a pretty good buzz on and skipped over to the bar to pay the tab, and left a generous tip for the bartender and housekeeping, then followed him outside, swaying a little, her furry winter hat slightly askew.

She reached him over at his bike and he took her by the hand and into a surprisingly graceful spin and pulled her in close and they started dancing / stumbling while Donatello sang something that had a latin flare to it. He tripped backwards on a divet in the sidewalk and Mizu tried to steady him by grabbing at his scarf and they both fell in a heap on the sidewalk. They started laughing.

"I ham entirely too bussd to drive us anyplace"

"hehehe Y-you are shhhuch a hehe cheap date Donateloh" She was caught up in a fit of drunken giggles

He pulled her in closer smiled at her "Soh this is a date then?" he said with lidded eyes as he wrapped his an arm around the small of her back and put a hand under her chin to tilt her face up to his.

"Now I never saimmmmmmmph" Donatello cut Mizu off the best way he knew how in that moment. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips to hers. To say she was caught off guard was an understatement. She was in shocked and felt light headed partially from the alcohol but mostly because he felt amazing. Her face was slightly numb from the drinks and the cold but his lips were so warm and soft. He brushed the tip of his tongue against her bottom lip and she moaned softly. Donatello seized the opportunity and deepened the kiss, and she practically melted into his hands, kissing him back in their sake fueled haze on the sidewalk.

"Woah" was all she could utter when they both came up for air.

"Yeah. Woah."

"Ohkay, I dunno what tha was about an we'll figger it out later but we need food. stat. Folloh me, I know where we can get tater tot nachos" She offered him her hand yet again to help him up.

"you… are brilliant"


	5. Chapter 5

A/N So I've read and reread the chapters before this and I think I hate them, except for the first one. I'll likely rewrite them but I'm at a loss for what to do with them, which is probably why they were so bad in the first place. I'm just going to press forward with the story and when I go back I'll let everyone know. I promise to it will be better from here on out.

Thanks and enjoy!

* * *

Donatello woke up at 10:27 the next morning to the smell of coffee in unfamiliar surroundings as a heavy blanket of confusion fell over him. In a panic he realized that he couldn't move his legs, they felt numb and weighted down. In a struggle to sit up he fell off where he was sleeping and hit his head. He winced and slowly opened his eyes to see a huge black nose and two brown eyes staring directly into his. He was wedged between a couch and a coffee table, with Elric standing over him, sniffing his face. Suddenly the night came rushing back, and he groaned rubbing the back of his head partially because he remembered what happened and partially because he was hung over.

After the karaoke bar, he and Mizu had stumbled their way to a dark little dive bar with an all-night kitchen where she ordered them a plate of loaded tater tots and more beer. They talked for what seemed like forever about the scientific predictions of star trek, string theory, and at some point Mizu vowed to buy a ukulele. At last call Donatello made the terrible decision to drive her home on his motorcycle. Something about a gyroscopic modification he had made keeping them safe, and Mizu was too far gone to be a champion for reason. By the grace of goodness they both made it safely to her apartment. She invited him up and they spent the night drinking more beer and arguing about which was better: angler fish or soldier ants. At some point Donatello fell asleep or passed out (it depends on who you asked) on her couch, and she stumbled into her own bed. Elric, not one to make concessions for strangers, slept half on the couch and half on Donatello's legs. How dare that strange green man sleep on _his_ couch.

Donnie managed to stand up and make his way over to the small kitchen where he saw a pot of coffee missing half its contents, a clean but empty mug that had been left out on the counter for him, and a note.

_"Hey Killer,_

_I had to go to work, but you can hang out if you want. The coffee was fresh as of 8:45am. I'll be out of work and back home by six. We need to have a little chat._

_Mizu."_

He read the note again as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Chat about what?... He took a sip of coffee and almost choked on it as the memory came flooding back. Ohhhhh god, oh no… no no no … He had kissed her? She kissed him?… there was definite kissing that happened. He leaned on the counter and struggled with that little discovery. He fucking kissed her. A new friendship, and he had probably doomed it to failure because of a drunken night of wanton abandon. The walls of Mizu's small apartment started to close in on him. He had to get out of there, clear his head & sort through some things. He turned off the coffee pot, refreshed the water in Elric's bowl, and gathered his coat. He snatched his keys & the pen off the counter and wrote a quick reply on the same piece of paper.

_"I've gone to check in with my family. I'll be back at 8_

_Donnie"_

* * *

"Son, when you are done trying to sneak past me I would like to have a talk with you."

Donatello stopped dead in his tracks. He had stored his bike away and was trying to get back into the lair and to his room without being seen, but he should have known better than to try to get past Splinter unnoticed. Twenty plus years of parenting four boys had made it impossible to pull one over on him.

"get in line" Donnie muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing Sensei. I'll be right out"

"Hmmm. That's what I thought" Splinter sipped his tea, a rooibos blend April had given him as a gift. He was just finishing making a second pot as Donnie joined him at the kitchen table. They both sat in silence as Master Splinter prepared them both a mug of the amber liquid, and cleared his throat to speak.

"Donatello,"

"I'm sorry for staying out overnight and worrying you father" Donnie blurted out his apology and hung his head in shame.

"Donatello, you are a grown, albeit young man. It is no longer my place tell you to when or where to be. I can only hope you respect your brothers and I enough to make smart decisions and stay safe. But that is not what I wanted to talk to you about. I have been very worried about you as of late."

Donnie thought about his less than safe decision to drive drunk and sunk even lower in his chair "Worried?"

"Yes. You've seemed withdrawn as of late, especially after your relationship with Miss Julie ended less than ideally. Is there anything you wish to talk to me about?"

"Oh, yeah, that. I guess that whole situation just brought some harsh truths to my attention. I'm ok though, Dad. Really, you don't have to worry."

Splinter seemed less than convinced, but he let it go. "If you need to talk I'm always here, my son. Now, tell me about this new lady friend and her dog."

Donatello stared at his father like a child with his hand in a cookie jar. "How did you? How can you?"

"It amazes me how often my sons forget I am a rat. I can smell them both on you, and…" *sniff sniff* "beer, sake, and…" *sniff* french fried potato tots, I believe you call them?"

His son sat there slack jawed gripping his mug while Splinter took a sip of his tea, smirking in his fatherly superiority. Yes, they were grown men, but it never hurt to remind them just who the father was from time to time. "It seems you had quite the night. Come now, tell me about it so this old man can live vicariously."

"I met her at the movies a couple of weeks ago, her name is Mizu and she has a great dane named Elric. She's JUST a friend."

Splinter smiled at his son's insistence of a platonic status and even more at the idea of his son meeting someone in a way that a normal young man would meet a girl instead of the usually violent and turbulent way his sons met ladies. Something about it settled well with his soul.

"And where did you two kids go last night?"

Donatello related the details of his evening leaving out the part about driving drunk and kissing Mizu. He didn't want to disappoint or worry his father further. He was supposed to be the logical & level headed turtle, after all.

"It sounds like you two had a very nice time. It's good to see you making new friends my son. And with such a nice Japanese girl."

"She's not Japanese Dad"

"She's not? But… her name?" Donnie chuckled at his dad's confusion and related the tale, and enjoyed the time he was spending bonding with his father. He made a mental note to do it more often.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N Hey all, work has me running ragged! Sorry for the slow updates. I'm going to try to post something once every few days. Anywho, enjoy and let me know what you think :)

* * *

Mizu got home a few minutes before 6pm and was a little annoyed to see that Donatello wasn't there. And that he had left the apartment kind of a mess. She worked hard all day to bring home the bacon; he could at least clean up the blankets and bottles from last night. She raised an eyebrow at the fact she even had that thought and she shooed Elric from the blanket/couch cushion pile he had made while left to his own devices.

"Come on handsome, let's get you outside & then you can eat have some dindin." She couldn't tell if Elric was more excited at the prospect of peeing or dinner, but both had to happen, so they made their way outside & she pondered the previous night's events and made a mental list of questions to ask Donatello when he came back later.

An hour and a half later she had the dog fed, her apartment clean, couch reassembled & dinner in the oven. A roast chicken w/ potatoes. She changed into some comfy clothing & started to make a salad. She made a little extra incase Donatello would want something to eat, but otherwise she could take it to work. Elric stood watching her shred a carrot with burning intent, his nose practically pressed against the edge of the grater. She giggled as she finally gave in and gave him half of the carrot. "You are the most tenacious creature I know" She jumped with a start when a knock came from her window & Elric started to bark like crazy. She shushed the dog & made her way to the window. Donatello was standing on her fire escape looking positively… miserable? No, that wasn't it. She couldn't quite put her finger on his expression, but he looked troubled.

"You're early. Did you smell the food in the oven and come running or something?"

Donatello sheepishly looked down at his sneakers and said nothing.

"Get inside already, I'm not going to bite, and I'm not heating the outdoors, oh god I sound like my mother. It's begun…" The melodramatic foreboding tone she took and the Elric's "pet me! pet me!" antics managed to drag a laugh from Donatello, but then he sighed and things got silently awkward again.

"Well, clearly, we have a few things to talk about, and since you're busy doing your very best impression of a quahog, I'll go first."

"A Quahog?"

"Yeah, because you're clamming up. Beeerherherrrrr" She grinned at her own pun

"That was truly awful."

"Mmmmm maybe so, but made you say something, so I win. Want something to drink? I have diet soda or water"

"Water?"

"Good choice." She poured them both a glass of water and headed over to the couch and motioned for him to sit as well. "So, last night was fun, but it can't happen again"

"Because I can't give you what you need? A life?"

"A-what-now?... What are you talking about?"

"Mizu, I can't offer you a future. I'm too different. I can't give you a house or kids or cars… we can't be together."

Mizu just stared with her mouth agape for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter "ppppFFFFFFFT HAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAA YOU THOUGHT?! HAHAHAAAAAA… KIDS?! HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAA HOUSES?! HEHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE MY SIDES! HAHAHAAAAA" Eventually the laughter got to the point where she couldn't even make a noise or even move and she had tears streaming down her cheeks. She was clutching her stomach and had fallen to her side in the couch cushions. Donatello was pissed.

"I don't see what's so funny?! I'm being serious here."

After a bit Mizu managed to compose herself enough to finally look him in the eyes without cracking up all over again. "Oh man, Donnie you are too serious for your own good, besides hehe I wasn't talking about 'us' "

"You've lost me" Donatello looked utterly confused.

"I was talking about riding your bike back here drunk. It can't happen again. That was some seriously 3rd grade decision making on our parts."

"So you weren't talking about, you know, being together?..."

"Whoa now, let's slow this train down a bit. Donnie I like you. You're one of the most unique people I've ever met, but"

"But I'm a mutant?"

"BUT we've just met and don't really know each other. The kiss was nice & I like flirting with you, but I'm not willing to jump into anything serious just yet with a guy I barely know. Let's just take it slow and see where things take us."

"So… you're not saying no to dating?"

Mizu raised an eyebrow at him "I'm changing the subject. How did you manage to get trashed off of one sake bomb?"

Donnie was taken a bit aback at the sudden avoidance of the subject but answered her anyway "I'm part reptile. My blood runs a bit cooler, and in the winter alcohol effects me a bit more than it might a human. Also, I don't drink much."

"No kidding."

"What?"

"Nothing, do you like salad?"

Donatello narrowed his eyes "Are you asking because I'm a turtle?"

"Relax Farrakhan, I just meant do you want some with your dinner? You like chicken right?"

"oh… yeah. So I'm invited for dinner?"

"You kind of invited yourself, jerk. Dinner is usually at Eight, but yeah, you're invited"

"Good, because I'm starving."

"And hung over. You still look like hell. And for the record, now that we are sober and have our wits about us, angler fish are made out of nightmares and the tears of orphan babies. They are far FAR superior to soldier ants."


	7. Chapter 7

a/n Ok, it's taking a while for them to get together, but these two are emotionally distant assholes.

* * *

Donnie & Mizu's relationship continued to grow over the next few weeks. They went to a few places where Mizu thought they could keep a low profile, but otherwise just hung out at her apartment. Occasionally she was able to talk Donatello into a drink or two and it always resulted in drunken making out. Otherwise they kept the relationship as platonic as possible, much to Donatello's confusion. He was definitely feeling something, and if PBR had any say in things so was she, but he didn't push the issue. She had been invited to join Donatello & his family up at the farm house with April & Casey, but she had made plans with her own family, and she was nervous. She had never met any of them before & Christmas? That was far too intense for a first time meeting with his family, mutants or no. She politely declined, but Donatello could sense there was something else lingering in her tone. They spent the morning before he left texting.

_D: Are you sure everything is ok? Did I upset you?_

_M: I don't know, I've got a bad case of green static cling…_

_D: Shit, I blew it. Did I blow it?_

_M: Donnie, has anyone ever told you you are kind of needy? :P_

_D: Yes. Lots. Mostly you._

_M: We're good ok. My family wants to see me and it's been like a year._

_D: You're sure that's why you didn't want to come?_

_M: OH MY GOD DONNIE!_

_D: What?!_

_M: Ok, I'm going now, I've got a long drive ahead of me and so do you. We'll hang out when you get back. Tell your bros & dad I said Happy Festivus._

_D: Festivus?_

_M: I'll explain later. Try not to make out with any girls under mistletoe xoxo_

"Jesus Christ. Why the hell does she do that?" Donnie didn't even realize he had said that out loud when Raph grabbed his phone.

"Do what bro? When we gonna meet dis broad anyways?"

"Send mixed signals, and I invited her to the farmhouse Christmas but she said no. Give my phone back."

"Ya know, for such a brainiac you are such a moron sometimes. Ya axed her to da family holiday shindig? Dumbass. You two even dating? HA! She called ya 'Static Cling?!' I think I like dis broad. If you don't make a move I just might. She ain't ugly is she?"

"She's not and don't you fucking dare. I don't see how our relationship status is any of your business, Raph."

"It ain't. But it ain't a great time for any chick to meet da family, especially if you twos ain't serious. Trust me on dis bro."

Donatello mulled Raphael's advice before his brother spoke back up. "Leo sent me in here ta fetch you. We're ready ta go. Also bro, you gotta play dis one cool. Invite her to the new year's bash. But wait a few days for her ta stop bein' pissed at ya."

* * *

The holiday came & went, and Mizu managed to drag Elric out of her parents' house and back home.

"It's a grandmother's prerogative to spoil her grand-dog… If you had kids I wouldn't have to spoil the dog you know. Any prospects…"

"Actually, maybe…" She wound up telling her mom a bit about Donatello leaving out certain sewery mutant parts. "We met at the movies Mom. He's very smart, and works in a lab. We're taking it slow and seeing where it goes." Hey, sometimes you just have to quell the beast, right?

"Oh, a scientist?! I'm so glad for you honey! Just don't scare him off, ok?"

"Wow… um ok mom. Can you stop feeding Elric sugar cookies now? I'd like to be able take some of those home, you know" Her calm exterior hid the fact that underneath her mind was spinning. Did she actually think of Donatello as boyfriend material? He was nice, and cute for a green guy. She definitely thought he was attractive, and smart. Suddenly she was faced with having to confront her growing feelings for her unconventional friend, and if that kept up she'd have to have "the talk" with him. A prospect that she didn't exactly want to think about at the moment.

"Hey, Dad? Can you make us some hot buttered rum?!"

* * *

She got home the morning after Christmas, and spent the day mentally unwinding & snuggling with Elric while watching . Say what you want about her parents but her step-dad was pretty cool and had scrounged up some of the 80's episodes on dvd for her Christmas present, as well as the first four seasons of Doctors Nine & Ten. Her mother didn't understand their mutual love of the show but it gave them something to bond over. Mizu decided to make a weekend of it and continued her marathon into Sunday. She didn't even notice how much time had passed until she heard a knock at her window. Elric leapt off the couch trampling her legs in the process.

Donatello heard the barking and yelling from inside the apartment and smiled. He liked that she had Elric there to watch over her, even if they did butt heads a bit.

"Hey Mizu, Can I come in?"

"Of course, next time just text me a heads up and come on in. I'll keep the window unlocked if I'm home."

Donnie ducked inside and was pleasantly startled when he heard that last part. "Oh, um thanks… I did try to text you though, but you didn't answer."

"Oh, jeez, I must have forgotten to charge my phone. I've been caught up in a Dr. Who veg-a-thon. Care to join me?"

"That sounds suspiciously like a trap…"

"Hahaha I promise it's not. It's a British science fiction show, Make yourself comfy. I have some hot cider on the stove, want some? Don't worry, it's virginal."

"Yeah, actually that sounds great"

She grinned and waved her mug in his face "Good, get me one too while you're up."

"I knew it was a trap."

Mizu settled back into her nest on the couch secretly grateful she had bothered to shower earlier that day. She was pulling up the first episode with the Ninth Doctor when Donatello came back out of the kitchen with the mugs.

"Here you go" He handed her mug back full of steaming apple cider. "Hey Mizu, I have something I want to ask you…"

"Mmmm?" she said taking a sip of the hot beverage while clutching her mug with both hands.

"I was wondering if you would like to come to my family's New Year / birthday bash?"

Mizu stopped mid sip. "Mmmm Your what now? Who's birthday?"

"All of ours, except for my father's. We don't know when we were born, or perhaps hatched is more accurate? Anyway, we don't like celebrating our mutation and aren't quite sure what day that happened either, so we have decided as a family that we would celebrate our birthdays on New Year's Day…"

"Are you inviting me to your birthday party?" Mizu asked with a slightly amused tone. "You're adorable."

"So… will you go?"

"Yeah ok." She made a mental note to ask him about gift ideas later. He was easy, but she had never met his brother before.

"Really?! You aren't just putting me on?" He couldn't believe his brother was right.

"Yeah, really I'll go. Now, can we please watch the dvd? It's been a really long week."

"That rough at your family's huh?"

"Sort of. Just mom being a typical mom, I don't really want to talk about it." Mizu sighed hit play on the remote as Donatello took her mug away from her and put it down on the coffee table next to his, and laid down wedged behind her pulled her close making her lay down in front of him.

"What are you doing?"

"Seizing the moment. It isn't every day Elric isn't monopolizing your sofa. Now shut up, you made me miss the beginning." Mizu detected the hint of a smirk in his voice as he pulled the blanket up over them and draped an arm around her middle and nuzzled the bottom half of his face into the nape of her neck and breathed in the scent of her vanilla shampoo.

"You're lucky I'm too tired to fight off your advances Don-Juan."

"What advances? I'm just trying to get warm and watch tv with my friend."

"Oh, you're good… a little too good…"

"Shush. British antics. Banter later." Mizu conceded and propped her head up at a better angle with a throw pillow. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. He was surprisingly comfortable to lay against and god he smelled delicious… spicy, and clean. A classic but comforting no-nonsense kind of guy-smell. She had never noticed it before & they had never been this close before, unless they were tipsy and kissing… And dryer sheets. His sweatshirt smelled like dryer sheets. Mizu decided that she could have "the talk" with Donnie after his party, but for now she would enjoy her time with him. She sighed contentedly and sleepily enjoyed the warmth of the situation and wondered how he did his laundry living in a sewer and all. It wasn't long until sleep came and took them both.


	8. Chapter 8

Over the next few days Mizu was filled with anxiety at the thought of going underground, literally, to meet Donatello's family. The plan was for her & Elric to head over at Noonish and plan to stay overnight in the guest room. She had picked out a few small birthday gifts for Donnie's brothers and she picked up some cupcakes from a local bakery, a mix of their favorite flavors. (some info she had pulled out of Donatello, who insisted that they did not need presents or cupcakes). Lastly, she had a friend at work pick out a small but nice bottle of sake for their father. New Year's morning her stomach was doing flip flops. Donatello was a few minutes early picking her up, as usual.

"Oh my god, are you ok? You look pale." Donatello hopped through the window and practically ran to her side. He checked her temperature by pressing the back of his hand to her forehead.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine. I'm just nervous about meeting your dad… I get anxious about meeting parents for time. Me and parental units usually don't splice"

"You'll get along with him just fine. He's actually pretty cool when he isn't making us do Katas or chores. Just remember he's a giant rat. And try not to faint."

"I don't care what he looks like, Donnie. I'm sure he's a great dad. I just usually manage to say the wrong thing. Parents think I'm a bad influence. I can't believe we're in our mid 20's and having this conversation…"

"I know. It's weird. Is Elric ready to go? I borrowed Casey's van. It's the black one parked in the alley."

"Yeah we're ready. Can you take this bag? NO PEEKING!"

"Ok, ok. No peeking. I'll meet you down there"

Mizu turned to Elric as she shouldered his park bag, which had overnight supplies in it. "I can't believe they invited you too buddy. Come on, ready to go on an adventure? Wanna go for a ride?" With that his ears perked up and he pranced in front of the door to her apartment. He rarely went for car rides, as Mizu only occasionally rented a car when she had to go visit her parents. To say he was excited was an understatement, until he saw the van… Apparently a black van with no windows wasn't his idea of a ride, and he firmly planted his butt to the ground. Donatello helped her coax the giant dog into the back of the van with a piece of beef jerky that Casey had left floating around the front seat and they were off.

Mizu's mind raced with ideas of what his home might look like, but she was utterly unprepared for what she was met with. After Donnie parked the van in what looked to be an abandoned warehouse, they took an elevator down a few stories and when the doors opened her jaw dropped. The elevator opened up to a large open well lit space.

The living area had comfortable, worn in, eclectic but clean furnishings and an entertainment center to kill for. The corner kitchen was also completely open with a mix of fully restored vintage & restaurant appliances, double wall ovens and a large island counter with a built in cook top. & bar height stools.

Two humans who she guessed were April & Casey and two more turtles were milling around the counters. There was a long dining table set up in the middle of the kitchen and living space for the occasion with some appetizers & beverages. There was another turtle sitting on the couch reading a book, next to whom she assumed was Donatello's father who was watching a movie that looked to be _Seven Years In Tibet_.

A small wide flight of stairs to the left lead up to what looked like a dojo and gym. There was a staircase to the right that lead up to a second story and Donnie answered her before she could ask. "Those lead to the bedrooms and the bathroom, but there is a small bathroom off of the kitchen, and another one in my father's room just off the dojo"

Mizu just stood there in wide eyed wonder as Elric rushed past and yanked his leash out of her hand in the process. There was people to greet & food to be had. Mizu was shocked out of her daze

"Elric! Bad Boy! Get back here"

"He'll be fine. My Brothers & Casey will keep him occupied. If they can wrench him away from April that is…" And it was true. Elric, ever the ladies' man was heavily leaning against April who was busy fawning all over him. "Let's go meet my dad. He likes to be on a first name basis with my friends so you can call him Splinter, but Sensei is also good."

The two made their way to the wrap around sofa where Splinter was sitting. He had his seat reclined and was sipping a cup of tea from which he look up when Donatello made the introduction.

"Sensei, this is my friend Mizu; Mizu, this is my Father & Sensei, Splinter."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Sir. You have a lovely home." She extended her hand for a handshake, but as she did she caught the edge of one of her tattoos extending out from under her cuff, and yanked her sleeve down further before re-offering her hand to him. She blushed wildly. Splinter took her hand and the warmth that had radiated from the heat of the mug helped to take the chill out of her fingers.

"It is lovely to meet you Mizu. Why did you hide your tattoo from me?"

Mizu flustered and then her shoulders fell, as she gave in. "I… um… I just want to make a good impression. My friends' parents are usually unimpressed with my artwork."

Splinter just smiled at her with a glint of humor in his eyes "I wasn't always old or a rat you know, and under this fur there might be a tattoo or two that not even my sons know about. Maybe sometime we'll share stories." Mizu giggled as Leonardo looked up from his book at what his father said in complete and utter disbelief. Splinter just continued on. "The one sitting next to me is my eldest son Leonardo. Son, you may pick your jaw up off the floor now." Leo snapped his mouth closed, but was still in too much shock to say hi. "Donatello will introduce you to my other sons. Forgive me if I don't get up, but I'm rather comfortable I'm afraid. We'll catch up later."

Mizu smiled wide as a sense of relief washed over her "It was a pleasure to meet you Sir. You too Leonardo." She gave them a small wave as Donatello ushered her into the kitchen / dining area. As they walked away she could hear Leo ask his father if he really had a tattoo. She giggled at that & snagged a chip and some dip and a bottle of water as they passed the table. She was munching on her snack as Donatello made introductions.

"Everyone, This is Mizu. Mizu, Everyone"

Mizu hurriedly finished chewing "MMM, Hi 'Everyone' You can call me Mizzy. It looks like you're all getting on pretty well with my handsome man. His name is Elric. Don't let him scam you out of too much people food." She turned to Donatello "Speaking of, names would have been awesome, jerkface." Donatello just shrugged.

Raph and Casey snorted back their laughter as Mikey spoke up "I'm Michelangelo, or Mikey. Those two assclowns are my bro Raph & our friend Casey. And this dudette is April. Her and Casey are engaged." April waved and said hello as Mizu Looked around the room and committed the names to memory. April & Casey were easy to remember, being the only humans, but Donnie's brothers were another matter.

"Come on, we'll put your stuff in the guest room, and I'm going to go change into some comfy clothing." He walked over to the bags and got most of them. Mizu picked up Elric's bag and Donnie led her up the stairs. When they got to the guest room & put the bags down he turned to her.

"Ok, you look like you need some help telling my brothers apart. Leo, the guy on the couch has on a blue t-shirt, Raph has on that red sleeveless button up flannel, and Mikey was in the orange tank top. When we were kids our father assigned us fighting colors to represent our personalities but I secretly think it was so he could tell us apart at a glance." A grin spread across his face at the memory of the "color ceremony" his father held for them. "My color is purple. We'll always have them on in some form, so that's how you can keep us straight."

"So THAT'S why you wear purple all the time?! I thought you were just really into Prince…"

Donnie raised an eyebrow. "Hah! No, but Little Red Corvette is a great song." He broke out into falsetto and took Mizu into a spin "Little Red Corvette! You were driving it much too fast…"

"Hahaha! Ok, ok… We should get back down stairs. Let me just kick off my shoes. Oh, shit… I forgot bowls for Elric. Can I borrow some?"

"Ok. I'll help you find something when we get back downstairs, but I'll show you where the bathroom is and my room first. I wanted to change into something a little more loungey anyway."

He led her down the hall and pointed out the restroom, which was quite large with several shower toilet stalls. Perfect to accommodate four guys. His room was at the end of the hall. He opened the door for her and she stepped inside into a slightly disheveled but comfortable room with a full size bed in the corner, a dresser and a bookshelf, but the most impressive thing in the room was his computer set up. The monitor was a large flat screen TV that Donatello had customized and wall mounted, along with the sound system, and the computer tower was hidden in a cabinet of his desk. Really the only thing that gave the TV away as being a computer was the screen saver currently displayed & the wireless keyboard and mouse on the desk. Donnie smirked when Mizu accidentally let a "wow" of approval escape her lips.

"Like it? I built it myself. This is just my personal computer. I use it mostly for entertainment & what-not. My 'work' computer is in my lab." Donnie started rummaging for his flannel PJ pants and purple zip up hoodie.

"Oh yeah! Where is your lab?! I really wanted to see that. What the fuck Donnie?!" Mizu turned bright red and spun around. Donatello had found the clothing he was looking for and dropped trou shamelessly in front of Mizu.

"Relax. I'm a _turtle_. There's nothing for you to see unless I want you to see it. In the summer we don't really even wear clothing. Besides, you never struck me as the shy type. My pants are on now, you can turn around." Mizu turned around just in time to watch him pull a black ribbed tank top over his head, the neck of which came down just below his collar bone. She could make out the front part of his shell underneath the tank top, which was only serving to emphasize his chest & abs. The muscles in his arms flexed under his green skin as he reached for & pulled on his hoodie.

"And to answer your question, my lab is on the top floor of the warehouse above us. Better ventilation."

She took a step forward and pressed her hand to the front of his sweatshirt, just above his stomach. "Beach Sand." She said dreamily.

"Excuse me?" Donatello was utterly confused.

"The front part of your shell… It's almost the color of wet sand. Right where the water meets the beach."

Donatello Put one of his hands over hers and used his other arm to pull her closer. He leaned down and so they were cheek to cheek and he softly said into her ear "Plastron." With that the spell was broken and Mizu pulled away a bit.

"Plast-what?" With that question Donatello smiled half-heartedly.

"Plastron. The front part of my shell is called a plastron. Come on kiddo the others are waiting for us."

"Hmmm I guess you're right. I have to put Elric's food in the fridge anyway."

He held her hand as he led her out of his room and down the hall. He let go of it so she could hold the railing to the stairway. They made it back down stairs in time to see Mikey about to feed Elric a slice of anchovy pizza. "The Hell?! PLEASE DON'T FEED HIM THAT! He'll have diarrhea for a week!"


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: **LEMON**. You've been warned. This is my first attempt at lemon. You've been warned again. Don't say I didn't tell you, cause I did. xoxo

* * *

The birthday party was unspeakably fun. Michelangelo had made tons of family style Italian dishes, on top of insane amounts of baked goods, appetizers, and the craft beers Casey had provided for the later part of the evening. There was dancing, laughing. Casey & Raph held their bi-monthly arm wrestling contest, complete with macho male posturing, Hulk Hogan impressions & trash talk. Mikey & Mizu played dragon age for a bit. They both agreed that the Mage's tower was a giant pain in the ass.

Earlier in the day the boys exchanged / received presents. Mizu had gotten them gift cards. Mikey got one to the DC comics webstore, Raph got one to a sports nutrition store, and Leo got one to a bookseller.

"I know it's not much" she had said "But next year we'll know each other better."

She presented her gift of nigori sake to splinter.

"Thank you so much for inviting me into your home. It means a lot."

"It's a happy occasion to start the new year by welcoming a new friend. Shall we toast?" With that Splinter moved faster than he had all night and procured a sake set. Huh. So that's where they got it. Mizu thought to herself as Splinter poured eight cups of the sake.

"Look at that. Just enough for all of us." He handed out the sake cups and they drank a toast to health, friends, & family. "KANPAI!"

The evening progressed & Splinter retired a little earlier than the rest of them, true to his early to bed, early to rise philosophy with Elric in tow. The dog had taken quite a shine to the old ninja master and refused to leave his side for the better part of the day. "I'll send him out in a bit so you can take him out, but for now the company would be nice." With that the two furriest mammals left the room.

The party continued with short breaks to take Elric out & tuck him into the guest room. Raph, Casey, & April had a few too many & eventually passed out in a pile of limbs on the living area sofa. Leo, Mikey, Donnie & Mizu had their fair share to drink, but had stopped a while ago, and were sobering up.

Mizu waggled her eyebrows at Mikey & grinned "Hey, you think all three of them have something going on?"

Mikey laughed so hard he snorted the last of his beer out of his nose all over Leo, and the three of them collapsed in a fit of laughter on the kitchen floor. Donatello was caught off guard by the accusation but eventually joined in the giggle fit. "It certainly would explain a lot."

"Ok dudes, on that note, I'm out. Night bro. Night Mizzy. Waffles for breakfast."

"I'll help. I have to get up early to walk Elric anyway."

"You got it dudette."

"Me too guys, bed time. Training tomorrow morning after breakfast, Donatello. Mizu, it was a pleasure." And with that Mizu and Donatello were alone.

"So, Can I see it?" Mizu had a mischievous smile on her face.

Donnie gulped. "See what, exactly?"

"Your lab. What did you think I meant?"

"OH! Oh, yeah, sure come on." He grabbed her hand and took her to the elevator. He didn't let go until the elevator car reached the top floor of the warehouse. "A while back Mikey & Raph & I combined our savings along with some of the money I *ahem* borrowed from the foot clan after we pretty much kicked their collective asses, and bought the warehouse and the parking garage underneath. It's technically in April's name, but now we don't have to worry about moving from place to place. My brothers, Casey & I have been able to fix up our living quarters, and Raph & Casey have opened up a garage on the first level, with some pretty steady clients. I give them a hand when I can. Well, this is my lab."

The elevator doors opened to another wide open space on the top floor of the warehouse. The city lights were shining in through the many windows, and the rest of the room was somewhat lit by the sheer amount of computer screens everywhere. There was an engineering station with computer parts strewn about, a chemistry station with insane amounts of laboratory glass and an emergency shower, And various other stations whose purposes Mizu couldn't identify. There was a ton of large equipment & devices, and a small lounge area with a pull-out sofa that had been recently deployed, TV & kitchenette.

"Wow Donnie, this is AMAZING! You're all Young Frankenstein up in here!"

"Thanks? Please just try not to touch anything…"

Mizu picked up an empty beaker out of a cabinet. "What are you afraid I'm going to break something? WHOOPS!" She faked a drop and Donatello's eyes almost fell out of his head. She laughed "Just Kidding."

Donatello narrowed his eyes, leaned his face in close to hers and was trying to grab the beaker from her. "Why the fuck do you tease me like that?"

He was standing so close to her and all she could think about was how good he smelled. Mizu licked her bottom lip as she kept her arm outstretched and the beaker just out of his reach "Me? Tease you? You mean like this?" and she ghosted her mouth across his, lightly touching his upper lip with her tongue. Donatello moaned tried to deepen the kiss but she pulled back every time, with an evil smile on her face & a giggle. A growl rumbled low in Donatello's chest and he lost control. He moved so fast she barely had time to register the fact that he had grabbed the beaker and threw it aside, shattering it, and lifted her up on to the counter and crushed her lips with his. He moved one hand on the small of her back and the other moved her knee to the side so he could stand more comfortably in front of her. She let out a muffled gasp as he moved his hand up her leg with his thumb trailing along her inner thigh before moving to the side of her waist. His tongue entered her mouth and eagerly explored every inch. The two vied for dominance as they kissed and pawed at each other's clothing. Donatello broke the kiss and trailed his mouth along the side of Mizu's neck while she tugged at the zipper of his sweatshirt. Once he was free of it he continued to let his hands explore her, and was rewarded with a moan when his hand reached her chest. In moments her shirt was pulled up and over her head & tossed to the ground. The air felt cool on her skin and she started to shiver. Before she could do anything else Donatello was back on her neck but didn't take long to start trailing his tongue across her collarbone and trailed kisses down her sternum as he expertly liberated her of her bra. She leaned back to give him better access and gasped and bucked against him when his mouth reached her breast. He teased her nipple with her tongue and she dug her nails into his forearms as she moaned.

"Jesus fuck, Donnie…"

"We'll get there. Don't rush me."

She pulled his tank top up over his head, discarding it with the other articles of clothing, and he continued to kiss her passionately as he lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her over to the pull out bed. She could feel his hardened length rub against her as he carried her over and she shook with excitement & dread.

He sat her down on the edge of the bed, kneeled down in front of her and was about to free her from her pants when Mizu put her hand on his…

"Donnie… Stop…"

"What? Mizu, please no. I want this… I want you…"

"But you need to know… Before we ruin everything, I don't want you to be mad at me… shit..."

Donatello was worried now. He could see the fear in her face. "What could I possibly get mad about? Tell me…"

She looked him dead in the eyes. "A relationship with me is a dead end Donnie. I'm not having kids. Ever. and once we take this step we can never go back to being 'just friends.' You need to know that and we need to stop this if you think you'll ever want that from me."

Donatello sighed with relief and in one swift motion removed her pajama bottoms and underwear. "Believe me, that is not an issue. Now shut up." In a second he was next to her in the bed & He put his mouth on hers and that was that. Her hands flew to the knot of the draw string in his flannel pants and she dipped her fingers below the waist band. _Holy Fucking Jackpot_ was all she could think to herself. He was huge. Really huge, and not unlike a human. She tugged his waistband down far enough to expose him and wrapped her hand around his length. Donatello groaned in approval as she worked her hand up and down his shaft, stopping only when she felt him slide his finger inside of her. She half gasped, half cried out. "Oh, god. Fucking god. Don't stop" He could feel her tightening around his finger and she was so wet. What was left of Donatello's self control snapped and he kicked off his flannel pants and positioned himself above Mizu and she felt him pressing at her entrance.

"Mizu, I need you" was all he said before taking her in one thrust, burying himself almost to the hilt. She yelled out in a weird combination of pleasure and pain. She had never been so full before. Donatello snapped out of his lust fueled haze and looked into her eyes "Oh no… Did I hurt you?"

She gave herself a moment to adjust and then rocked underneath him making him groan "Did I fucking tell you to stop?" And she pulled his face toward hers for a kiss. It didn't take him long to get the picture and he started moving again. Slowly at first, then faster. Mizu's cheeks flushed as she cried out underneath him, and Donnie couldn't help but think of how beautiful she looked in that moment, heaving bare chest, eyes rolled back, pouting lips, and she was so tight. She squeezed around him as she neared her peak and it was all over for both of them. He felt himself go over the edge and his vision went white as he climaxed inside her. Their cries echoed off the warehouse walls.

They held still for a moment, panting before Donatello collapsed exhausted at her side. He pulled her back close against his chest, pulled the comforter up over them and nuzzled is face in her hair as she reached up and rubbed the side of his face. Vanilla, she always smelled like vanilla. He sighed contentedly and they both drifted off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N A heartfelt thanks to my lovely reviewers JustMe, Krikanalo & Katya44 for the kind words & feedback! I'll def work on not rushing things in the future :D

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Donatello rolled lazily on to his side and sleepily reached out for a body that wasn't there. His semiconscious brain began a slow whirring of the gears, as he felt around for Mizu, remembering they were up in his lab. Or at least he was. Had he dreamt the whole thing? No, no way. If he dreamt it he would have lasted longer than... he shook that embarrassing thought from his mind as he wiped the sleep out of his eyes, stretched and sat up. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light but he could see mizu's silhouette. She was standing in front of eastern floor to ceiling windows with a mug of coffee watching the sun rise, wrapped up in one of his spare lab coats, one arm crossed under her chest to keep it closed, lost in her thoughts.

Donnie got up and crossed the room with all the grace and silence of a ninja, and came up behind her. He wrapped one arm around her middle at the same time as grabbing the coffee mug she startled in surprise. He laughed gently as he took a sip of the warm caffeinated beverage, handed it back over her shoulder & rested his chin on her head. They stood there for a moment looking wistfully out over the city.

"You're kind of a sneaky bastard. You know that right?"

"How did you sleep?"

"Alright I guess, but I have to get downstairs to let Elric out soon."

"Nope, I texted Mikey a minute ago. He said he would walk him. See, there they are." Donatello pointed to a grassy area just below where they were.

"What?!" Mizu quickly grabbed the hem of the lab coat she was wearing and rolled to the right and ran backward a few steps.

"Relax. Tinted glass, we can see out but nobody can see in. He didn't see us."

"Did you tell him? About?" She motioned between them.

"About last night? No. I just said we wound up passing out up here, and we would be down in a bit. He does have an… active imagination though, so prepare for some questions. Lots and lots of questions." Donnie rolled his eyes at that last thought. "And speaking of last night…" He trailed a finger down her neck and slid the lapel of the lab coat off of her shoulders and started to lightly kiss towards her earlobe "I think you should give me a do-over. I can do much… much… better."

Mizu snorted back incredulous laughter "Pfffff You want a Mulligan?! For serious?" She could barely control the giggles "Absolutely not…. mmmm… Not right now. Ok… maybe in a bit, STOP THAT. Besides Don-Juan we need to talk about this. Us."

"What about us?"

"Twenty Million and One Miles." She said matter of factly.

"okaaaay?…." Donatello looked positively puzzled.

"Mars is forty million miles away"

"Actually Mars and Earth are on elliptical orbits and both travel at different speeds so their distance from each other varies depending on"

Mizu cut him off "DONNIE! Jeez, literal much? For our purposes, it's forty million, and we're at mile number twenty million and one. There's no going back."

Donnie's eyes flashed with recognition as it dawned on him. "The point of no return."

"Yeah. Pretty much. Look, Donatello, I like you. A lot, but do you remember anything about what I was trying to tell you last night?"

"Look, if this is about you not being able to have kids"

"Oh I can have them. I just don't want them. Not now, not ever."

Oh, um. Ok…?"

"Ohhhhhh man. Fuck. I never thought shit would go this far… This is so awkward. Ok, here it is, all out on the table" Mizu sucked in a deep breath and looked Donatello square in the eyes. "I really like you I would like to give us a serious try and see where this goes but I don't ever want children so if that is something you would ever want from me now or a million years from now we should probably save ourselves the time and a mountain of heartache and forget this whole thing even happened and never speak of it again."

Donatello stood there, utterly astonished that anyone aside from mikey could say that much that fast in one breath. "So, you will never want kids? A family? Your children growing and play dates and all that? Don't you think you might change your mind?" he asked her skeptically.

Mizu bristled and immediately went on the defensive "Who the fuck are you? My mother? Why the shit does everybody think I'll change my freaking mind? I. Don't. Like. Kids. I. Don't. Want. One. E-V-E-R."

Slowly, a large grin spread across Donatello's face until he could no longer contain his elation "BEST! DAY! EVER!" He picked Mizu up and swung her around in a circle before drawing her into a passionate kiss. She melted like butter in July, her knees went weak and Donatello had to hold her up to keep from falling. When they finally came up for air she searched his face

"That was not the reaction I was expecting…"

"Mizu, in case you haven't been paying attention, I'm a giant walking talking turtle mutant who lives off the grid in a renovated parking garage, using the sewers to get around & I spend my spare time doing dangerous experiments, hopping dimensions, & fighting crime."

"No, I'm pretty sure I noticed all of that earlier?" She wasn't quite sure she phrased that like a question

"Did ever tell you why my last relationship ended?"

"Well, no. Usually I ask, then you ignore me and suggest a round of appletinis, which is the girlyest fucking drink on the planet by the way. Eventually you cry about being different, and then we end up drunk making out before fighting over something ridiculous, like how amazing it would be if William Schatner did a cover of Return Of The Mack"

Donatello raised his finger and opened his mouth to answer, and then shut it again, before actually answering. "No. That would be the worst ever. I did a mathematical proof proving the world would actually end if William Shatner ever sang that song. Never suggest it again lest he hear of it."

"Sometimes you just have to cross the streams."

"No. Never. My math was sound. And appletinis are delicious. But that other stuff about me being different, she was right. She left because I can't give her, or any woman for that matter, a normal life. I technically don't exist, so I'm not climbing a corporate ladder anytime soon, I can't buy a car, get a mortgage, and I'm not human. It's genetically impossible for me to have a child with a human woman."

"Well she sounds like the biggest cunt in vagina town if you ask me." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Excuse me?"

"And I am not her Donnie. I don't want any of that. Well, a car would be nice, but I'm perfectly capable of getting one of those on my own. There is more to life than spitting out carbon copies like a baby factory. I want to travel, have a career, drink beer & have wild sex, spend my money on stupid shit, and not have to worry about not screwing up a life that didn't ask to be brought into the world in the first place. I'm in this amusement park to go on the roller coasters, not wipe ass in the kiddy area."

"And you don't care that I'm different? And that I can't give you a normal life?"

"When did I ever say I wanted a normal life?"

"Hm. I guess you didn't. Actually, the last time I brought it up you laughed in my face…" He couldn't hide the smirk on his face

"Yeah I sure did. And you don't care that I don't want children and the whole nine?"

He stopped to think for a second "It's actually ideal. I get it, I think. But it still doesn't explain why you've been skirting the issue this entire time…"

"I guess… It's just… Every time I bring this up I wind up getting dropped like a hot rock. People think it's weird. I guess I just wanted you to stick around a little longer" She stuck out her bottom lip in a fake pout "because you're interesting."

"I'm interesting? How so?"

Mizu stood on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around donatello's neck "Fishing for compliments? So that's how it's going to be? Fine, well, that ninja thing is pretty rad, and"

"SHIT!" Donatello's hands flew to Mizu's face and he kissed her forehead "I completely forgot about training… And you're probably hungry. Scratch that, you are hungry. I'm hungry…" He started scrambling around the lab hunting down his clothing "We have to get back down stairs."

Mizu just shrugged and picked the coffee mug up off the counter and took a sip "Ugh. Cold. Can your brother make coffee?"

"Who Mikey?" he said over his shoulder "Oh, he can make a coffee that will end all other coffees for you, come on get dressed. Besides, you did promise to help him make waffles."

"I suppose I did. You win. Where are my pants?"


	11. Chapter 11

A/N Sorry for the slow update! I had some other stories that I had to get out of my brain first!

A special thanks to SleepingSeeker, Krikanalo, & Justme for the reviews & support.

A special SPECIAL thanks to my beta/writing buddy Katya44

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"Oh my god… It's True…

Everyone looked up from their breakfast and directly at Mizu, who was standing in front of the coffee station Mikey had set up for the morning.

"This coffee is made out of the tears of baby unicorns & mana. I must know your secret, archmage!"

"That's privileged information dudette. Need to know basis only" He said with a grin.

"So, that's how it is? I guess I'll just have to torture the info out of you. How do you feel about being strapped down and forced to watch the stink fest that is 1990's Navy SEALs, ON REPEAT?!"

Mikey's eyes widened in in horror and he held up his arms in a defensive position "No… You.. you wouldn't dare?!"

"Oh, I would totally dare, now spill! Or you'll have to answer to my friend Mr. Sheen" Her face contorted into an evil grin.

"NEVAAAAAAR! Do your worst, woman." Mizu and Mikey began half-heartedly chasing each other around the kitchen island giggling and throwing pieces of breakfast sausage at each other. Mikey got a little too enthusiastic about the food fight and a sausage patty whizzed over Mizu and headed for the livingroom until Master Splinter, with his back turned, snatched it out of the air like an errant fly, sighing before taking a bite. Elric happily volunteered to pick up the other pieces.

"It's the French press." Leo grumbled.

"Jeez bro, way to spoil the fun, dude."

"Just making sure you and your new partner in crime don't get out of hand." He lowered his head and stared into his mug of tea, looking a little green around the gills.

Mizu looked around the lair and realized just about all in attendance were hung over. Splinter had even postponed the training session for the day, suggesting he too had imbibed a bit too much. Normally, he wasn't so easy on his sons when they were so afflicted. She felt like an ass for making so much noise.

"Sorry Leo. We'll keep it down." She wished Donnie would finish up with his shower. She didn't handle awkward moments like this well.

"Good. See that ya twerps do just dat." Raph spat earning an appreciative glance from April. He and Casey shuffled their way toward the pile of waffles on the counter, looking for seconds, as well as the bottle of Tylenol. Casey poured coffee into his, April's and Raph's mugs before he quipped something at Raph about him liking his coffee like he liked his men. Mizu & Mikey looked at each other and snorted back the laughter, especially after the polyamorous accusation from last night. She thought she saw Leo crack a smile too but she couldn't be sure.

Mikey and Mizu took a seat at the kitchen island and discussed video game strategy for the rest of the morning.

* * *

A few hours & several DVR'd soap opera episodes later, hangovers subsided and Splinter suggested a round of training.

"Miss Edwards, Casey and April will also be sparring with us. You and Elric are welcome to observe, and if you like you can participate after the more complicated drills."

"Thank you Sir, but I think I'll clean up the kitchen first while you all do what you have to and then join you?"

"That is a wonderful offer, but you're our guest…"

"It's the least I can do. You've been awesome and welcoming, and I won't take no for an answer."

"If you insist. Donatello, show Mizu where we keep the cleaning supplies, then join us in the dojo."

"Also, I think Elric should probably hang out out here while you guys practice. He tends to get a bit over-enthusiastic when people are jumping around, and I don't know how he would handle sparring. He might think you're fighting for real and get upset."

Splinter paused at the thought of a 140lb dog disrupting his training session and nodded in agreement. "I think you are perhaps right." He turned to the dog and gave him a scratch under his chin "We can snuggle later inu-chan, yes, you like scratches." Elric yawned in approval and Splinter waved everyone on up the small set of stairs to the dojo & slid the screens closed once everyone was inside.

Mizu had already made her way over to the disaster area that was the kitchen and was picking at the bowl of fruit salad. "Melon is higly underrated."

Donatello nodded in agreement as he pulled Mizu close and ran his hands up her back "I think my dad likes your dog." He said in between kissing her neck.

"Oh really? What was your first clue? And knock that off, I'm too grown up for hickeys… Ok, seriously, stop. I already pissed off your brother this morning with the impromptu food fight, the last thing I need is for someone to catch us making out in the wide open" She popped a piece of pineapple into Donatello's mouth to keep him occupied.

He chewed the fruit and swallowed "Leo & my dad have them in their clutches. Nobody gets out of that room once practice starts." He fed her a red grape

"Nobody? You're sure?" She said with a smirk, popping another piece of fruit in his mouth.

"Nope. Nobody."

"Well then, where were we?" She tugged on the tails of his mask he had put on for practice and brought her mouth to his for a kiss. Their lips overlapped and Donnie nipped playfully at her lower lip as he leaned against the counter and pulled her hips towards him, making her lean into him. She let out an appreciative hum as she pulled away from the kiss and opened her eyes, still leaning against Donatello.

"Yum. Pineapple-y. I'd love to continue this but you have brothers to beat up and I have things to clean. Where do you keep the dishwasher soap?"

"Under the sink. And I can beat them up any time. I'd rather stay out here and help you clean." He furrowed his brow and stuck his bottom lip out in a fake pout. Mizu snapped her teeth at his lip pretending to try to bite it.

"If by 'help me clean' you mean 'get in my pants' that will just have to wait sir, go, before your brother gets mad at me again" She began to playfully shove him towards the dojo, and he pretended to stumble toward it.

"Ok, ok. I just forgot one thing"

"What?"

"This!" He swung around faster than Mizu could register and slung her over his shoulder and carried her into the living room while she tried to stifle her laughter. He flopped her down on the couch and practically belly flopped on top of her. The mild danger of the situation had them both laughing wildly. Before she knew it his mouth was on hers again and his hand had found its way up her shirt. Somehow, someway, she found the willpower to put a stop to it.

"OHMYGOD You're SO EVIL! And if you don't get in that gym right now I'm telling on you."

"Alright" He kissed her cheek quickly as they both stood. Mizu was adjusting her clothing but had bumped into Donatello who had stopped dead in his tracks. April was standing just outside of the door to the gym. Thankfully she had closed the door, but she had seen enough. Mizu stood there wide eyed like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

April & Donnie blurted out at the same time "Um, uh… Hey April. I was just heading in." / "I need to use the bathroom." April hastily walked toward the staircase, up to the larger bathroom. Donatello's eyes followed her and then fell to Mizu, who was panicking.

"Fuck. Mizzy, I have to get in there…"

"You can't leave me out here with her!" Mizu hissed "SHE SAW US!"

"So?"

"So? SO?! So she's your oldest friend AND A GIRL! And nobody in your family knows we've gone past just friends!"

"It's just April… Look… we can talk about this in a couple of hours, but I really have to go." He gave her an apologetic smile and jogged up the stairs to the gym, and was gone. A few seconds later Mizu heard footsteps on the stairs and she ran / dove for cover behind the kitchen island. Elric thought it was a game and trounced over to her, wagging his tail, going into play bows and making play noises.

"Shhhhhhhh, stop it. Down boy. Down. Jerk dog! I'm trying to hide." Eventually she worked up the nerve to peer over the top of the kitchen island. April was sitting on a stool on the opposite side, picking at the leftover fruit salad.

"Hi."

"oh… hey."

"When you're done hiding and you start picking up I'd appreciate if you could set some of this fruit salad aside for me."

"Ok, sure."

"And we're definitely going to have a little chat later." She added coolly as she hopped off the stool and headed back into the gym.

Mizu looked at Elric, pat him on the head and said "Well handsome, it was nice knowing you. Now, help mommy and eat that piece of sausage you missed earlier."


End file.

Ninja Turtles, Drama, Romance