Quite the Idiot

April/Donatello

Donnie gets angsty after April and Casey have had their first date.

Set in a future season after Casey has been around a while (and naturally puts the moves on April).

Donatello didn't know how he felt about Casey Jones. He'd had plenty of time to warm up to the guy, actually right this moment Casey was in there (their living room) with the other guys and April downing pizza and watching a movie while Don hid away in his laboratory. But all that warm up time hadn't helped much after April and Casey had bashfully admitted they were going on a date.

There was no doubting that Casey had his violence issues under control now and that he genuinely cared about April. It really was the best thing that they date... then Donatello could finally give up on those ridiculously unrealistic fantasies that April would see past the mutant thing and choose him instead. All four of them liked Casey enough, so he passed the test... and April only saw the four of them as brothers to her.

"Get lost?"

Donatello spun at the voice behind him. April. "Uhhh... lost?" He stuttered nervously, as if he was feeling guilt over his own thoughts.

"You were going to go get a drink. Did you forget?"

"Oh yeah. I mean, no. No, I didn't forget. I just had some blueprints in here that I wanted to give a check over..."

April couldn't decide if she was amused at his antics or nervous herself because of how different he was acting with her. She knew it was probably about Casey but what could she do? Casey was the one who'd asked her... and asked her... and asked her... so she shouldn't feel bad for eventually giving in once. She leaned against the wall and surveyed her mutant friend. Survellience which made Donatello even more uncomfortable.

"Movie over?" He asked.

"Nope, but I think Leo is the only one watching. The other three are having a can crunching competition."

"Oh," Don's mouth formed the 'O' slowly, knowingly. "I can see why you're here then."

"Need help?"

It was hard to require help when he was only here to get away from things and be alone with his own thoughts. He shook his head. "So how are things going with Casey?"

Of course, the inevitable question. "He's... Casey. Why?"

"Didn't you guys have that date?" He was trying to keep it as casual sounding as possible, like he just wanted to know and really didn't care.

"Oh yeah..."

April apparently wasn't giving out any details. "So now you two...?"

"Oh no, it was just one date. He'll have to do a lot better than that if he wants to win me over." She smirked at Donnie who looked relieved.

"So it was a bad date then?"

"It had its ups and downs. Find those blueprints yet?"

Donatello flung frantically around at that reminder and dug some out, thrusting them in the air to show her. "Right here. These are exactly what I needed!"

"Mmm hmmm..." She raised an eyebrow skeptically and walked over to the counter where he was leaning against and took the blueprint from him, rolling it out. "So this was what was more important than a movie with your friends..."

He cringed, caught in his lie. But what was he supposed to do? Tell her that he didn't like seeing both her and Casey in the same room anymore? That he kept trying to glimpse something in the way they treated each other to prove their relationship had changed? That it killed him inside to obsess over it like this? "It's not like that, April. I just didn't know if you and Casey were a couple now and..." He could have kicked himself, instead he just bit down on his own tongue.

April was already barely a step away from him, leaning on the counter beside him but she got closer, stepping out in front of him. He could have stopped breathing altogether. "Why would it matter if we were a couple?"

Oh oh. "It wouldn't," he choked out with considerable effort.

"Are you sure? Because you seemed pretty..." April trailed off as Donnie mustered up the courage to take her hands in his larger, mutated ones. She glanced up at him, surprise filling her features. Had he crossed the line? He could have meant it as their usual friendship touches... but she saw through it. Why it mattered if she was with Casey now. Why he felt like he had to hide out tonight particularly. Her eyes bore into his willing him to come clean, to just give her some indication that she had guessed correctly, that he really did want to be with her. He held her gaze, both still and silent for what felt like an eternity before he responded.

"I'm sure."

April felt deflated, disappointed that all her hopes that he'd say what was really on his mind had been dashed. Just say it! she willed him. But he wasn't going to. "So... it's okay if we do... I mean someday... if we do become a couple?" She asked, her throat dry and she didn't want to hear that it was okay. She wanted him to tell the truth. Her eyes closed as he answered, knowing what the answer would be.

"It's your life April." He released her hands. She opened her eyes again quite certain that none of the heartbreak was visible to him.

"And there's no one else, just by chance, that you think I should be with instead?"

She was putting him on the spot and he almost couldn't stand it. "Don't do this..." he warned her, an indent forming on his forehead.

"Do what?" She challenged him.

"Ask that. You know I don't have an answer for that. I'm not entitled to answer that."

"So you're perfectly happy for me to go off and date Casey?"

"I don't have to be happy about it, you do. You two were made for each other, so that's great." Made for each other because they both looked normal. Neither one was green. That's how it worked.

"Yeah, it's great..." Tears were about to fall and April was regretting coming to see Donatello in the first place. Why couldn't he just tell her that he was bothered by it? Why couldn't he just give her an opening? Maybe she would date Casey and one day when they got married Donnie could look back on it all and realize what an idiot he was. She spun on her heel and left.

It didn't take until they went off and got married that Donatello realized what an idiot he was. He realized that now. But what could he do about it? Instead of going after her he just turned and grabbed the blueprint and crumpled it in his hand. He was to blame for what happened next. He was to blame for her happy ending with Casey and for a smart guy, he really was quite the idiot.

Does it really need another chapter?