Their First

Her first was Donatello.

She'd never in her life met anyone as brilliant as the young turtle, not even in her days at university. April realized fairly quickly that even the great Baxter Stockman, whom she'd idolized and had at one time crushed on, couldn't come close to matching Don's intellect. He truly was a genius and an unassuming one at that.

Drawn to his company, April often invited him to her apartment where they would talk for hours or work on esoteric mathematical formulas on her computer late into the night. He was forever repairing things though she rarely asked him to; it was as though Don had an itch he couldn't scratch and the endless tinkering was his only way of relieving it.

One night she'd caught him staring at her mouth as she read something to him from a book she'd gotten at the library. At first she thought nothing of it, but when it became noticeable she'd stopped talking and frowned.

Don seemed not at all embarrassed at having been caught; instead his expression was both curious and whimsical. He'd calmly asked if he could touch her lips; his tone no different from any of the other times when his curiosity got the better of him about something.

April had of course said yes and Don unhesitatingly placed a finger on her bottom lip. He'd pressed down lightly then lifted his finger, studying the way her lip sprang up afterwards. Don had quickly repeated the maneuver several times in a row, the action tickling her lip and making her laugh.

He'd immediately asked if her mouth was very sensitive and she'd told him that it was. Somehow that had led to their first kiss. It was sloppy and awkward because he hadn't known what to do, but his enthusiasm was contagious and April had allowed him to try again.

Their kiss progressed to more aggressive touching and they wound up having sex on April's couch. Don's curiosity carried over into that most intimate of acts; with April naked beneath him, Don took the time to examine every inch of her, though his complete arousal was obvious.

The prolonged touching and probing had April squirming and moaning for him to get on with it and by the time he entered her, she was extremely wet. It turned out to be a good thing though because he was so much larger than any man she'd ever bedded.

His size somewhat made up for his lack of skill and April came to understand that he would never be a great partner; his focus was too often on other things. They didn't have sex every time they got together; they both enjoyed each other enough without that. When Donatello needed something physical from her, she gladly gave of herself. Their closeness was based on their mental compatibility anyway; the sex was something extra just for him.

Raphael came to her next.

They weren't as close as she and Don; Raph was gruff and touchy and often impatient. He was Casey's best friend because they were so much alike and Raph often said things that rubbed her the wrong way.

But he was also extremely protective of his family and as far as he was concerned, she was a part of it. She knew that Raph did not give his trust easily and April was proud that he trusted her implicitly.

When April needed something, Raph was more often than not the first to step up. She'd lost track of the number of times he was there to help her move things in her store or in her apartment; the nature of her work made for an ever revolving inventory. He grumbled and groaned while she ordered him about, but they both knew he loved the idea of being needed.

Whenever she knew that Raph would be stopping by April baked a cake. The red banded turtle had a sweet tooth and it was her way of saying thanks. It was while they shared the treat that they would talk; he was much too self-conscious to open up in any other setting. The intimacy of her kitchen table and the process of eating was a setting that put him at ease.

His interests surprised April when she finally got Raph to the point where he would have meaningful discussions with her. He liked to read and enjoyed science fiction. He liked sculptures better than paintings; frequently visiting the various sights in New York that showcased sculpted art.

Of course he had a fondness for anything that moved fast, especially motorcycles. 'Big boy's toys' he called them, much to her amusement. There were a number of times when they talked politics and the judicial system and April discovered that Raph was an agile debater, soundly trouncing her arguments with both facts and philosophy.

Then came the one night when Raph joined her at the table but simply poked at his large slice of cake, staring at the prongs of the fork as they pierced the crumbling desert. He wasn't angry about anything; April would have known that as soon as he'd arrived. Nor was he morose because although his moods could shift quickly, they never did so without a reason.

If April had to put a name to it she would have said that Raph had gone suddenly shy. Whatever was on his mind, April knew it was best not to let him brood, so she'd simply asked him what was wrong.

In a head on battle or a fight with his brothers Raph was aggressive and belligerent, but in other personal interactions he was bravado and bluster. He thought showing the emotions that lay so close to the surface was a sign of weakness, but to April it was his greatest strength.

Raph had resisted her attempts to learn what was bothering him for just a few minutes when her persistence had finally paid off. Looking very much the shy teenager that he was, Raph had asked her what it was like to make love to someone.

She would have been less astonished if he'd brashly asked about sex, but he said 'make love' with a kind of reverence that April found endearing. Perhaps it was his timidity and the longing in his voice, or possibly her experiences with Donatello, but without hesitation April had leaned forward and kissed him.

April took him to her bed that night. Once more he surprised her with his reserve, treating her as though she were made of porcelain. He was an older woman's dream; a young lover willing to be trained, eager to please and full of vigor.

As with Don, the relationship April had with Raphael did not change overly much after they'd had sex. From time to time they enjoyed each other but Raph and she knew that it was a matter of convenience and entertainment, nothing more.

The third brother to need her was Leonardo.

Always so stoic, he took his position as leader of the small clan very seriously. At times much too seriously, in April's opinion.

While she watched him develop into the great leader he would become, April also watched as he began to distance himself from his brothers. The carefree boyish charm that he had exuded when they first met was slowly replaced by a somber intensity that worried April.

As his own worst critic there was no place for Leo to turn for solace from his guilt and his doubts. Master Splinter reminded him ceaselessly of his duties, offering advice but unable to ease the weight of the burden that Leo had himself chose to bear.

Leo could not talk to his brothers about the shadows that cavorted in the dark corners of his mind. He held to the belief that a leader did not show weakness to his team. Mikey exhibited great wisdom when he instinctively guessed at the load his brother carried, though there was nothing that he could offer the elder turtle other than to tell the others to give Leo space.

It didn't help the stress of his position to be continuously butting heads with Raphael and Leo would not speak to Donatello of his qualms. Don had his own set of challenges when it came to supporting their family and Leo would never add to that.

In his darkest moods, Leo allowed only April a glimpse of the demons haunting him. She offered the nurturing comfort that was the embodiment of her gender and Leo seized upon it like a life raft floating on stormy seas.

April had proven not only her loyalty to the small Hamato clan but her devotion as well. She had placed herself between an injured Leonardo and a rampaging Hun, risking her own life to save the young turtle's. Even in his semi-conscious state it was something that Leo had seen and would never forget.

Leo had come to her apartment late one night, fresh from a battle with the Foot clan. They had outnumbered the small band of mutant ninja's and Leo had been forced to call for a retreat, something he abhorred.

He'd arrived unannounced, waking her from a deep sleep by rapping on her window. Leo had been seeking refuge from Raph's badgering and from the ghosts of his own self-doubt, longing for a peaceful shelter in which to meditate.

For once April did not allow him to bury his problems internally. With the quiet and gentle insistence she often employed when trying to encourage him to bare his soul, she'd forced Leo to release some of the darkness that threatened to swallow him whole.

The anguish that welled up from within him, hidden and suppressed, was a powerful force and painful to witness. April wondered if anyone in Leo's family had even an inkling of what Leo kept bottled up inside of him.

Wrapping her arms around his shaking body, April attempted to soothe away the ravages of his confessions. Somehow their mouth's met during that embrace and Leo clung to her, pouring such intensity into their kiss that April nearly swooned.

Leo's love making carried that same focus; his eyes fierce as he looked down at her and his expression alone almost enough to bring April to completion. There was no part of her body that Leo did not ravage, using her as a way to find his own balance. She offered this to him willingly, along with anything else that Leo might desire from their coupling.

In his darkest hours Leo frequently sought to mitigate his anxieties in April's bed. It was her gift to his sanity and there were never any regrets.

Michelangelo was the last.

Of the four of them, it surprised April to find that Mikey was the most unreadable. On the surface he seemed to be exactly what he presented to those who knew him; easygoing, cocky, mischievous, and fun loving.

It was during times of adversity that his character shown. The bantering, the quips, the flashy movements were a part of his style and Mikey was no less dangerous because of his seeming light-heartedness. In fact, it was partly due to his mannerisms that people didn't take him seriously and that was usually their biggest, and last, mistake.

He could be serious when necessary; he could be frightened and worried just like any of them, but Mikey was the most resilient of the group. When April asked him once how he could always find a silver lining in a dark cloud, he'd told her he found it because his family needed for him to.

His insight was amazing and just a little scary. Mikey seemingly magical ability to understand his brother's feelings and provide for their needs was an almost supernatural gift. It was all the more amazing because he never appeared to work at it; the empathy in him spoke volumes of the bond he shared with his siblings.

It was a long time before April discovered that it was Mikey who had engineered her relationship with Casey. She'd always thought it was happenstance that the turtles had brought the big man to her new shop, or that it was Raph or Leo who egged Casey into pursuing her. All along it had been Mikey's fine hand stirring the pot.

Before she'd ever found that out, April had learned something else about the fast talking, conniving youngest turtle. He was the one who had planted the seed inside his brother's minds that perhaps April could provide them with a link to their humanity.

April was never sure if the intended consequences of his manipulations were that they wind up in a physical relationship with her. Mikey never brought it up and neither did April. She had her suspicions though.

Mikey dreamed big and his many interests coupled with his enthusiasm often drove him from the lair and to her home. April was the only one to support his dream of becoming the Turtle Titan, even helping him create a costume for his new persona. He often ventured out on his own to chase some dream and many times his perseverance paid off. Sharing his ambitions with April became a habit.

A late night escapade brought Mikey to her apartment with tales of heroics that were most likely embellished by his enthusiasm. Tired from a long day in her store, April sat on her couch wearing nothing but a robe, trying to hide her frequent yawns as she listened to his story.

April didn't even realize he'd stopped talking until he was kneeling in front of her, concern in his blue eyes. She could only smile when after explaining that she'd been about to go to bed, Mikey had insisted on her doing so immediately.

He'd been about to leave after walking her to her bedroom when on some impulse April had reached for him. There had been something in the way he'd talked about experiencing everything that had made her remember that there were certain aspects of life he might never know.

Here again Mikey had surprised her with his flawless instincts and uncanny insight. From the moment their lips had touched, the youngest turtle became the most incredible lover April had ever had.

Everything he did brought her to ever greater heights of ecstasy; his touch at once velvet and steel. He pleased her several times over, his energy boundless, and when they were finally done April had fallen into an exhausted and completely sated sleep.

There were no ramifications from their coupling just as there were none from the physical joy she shared with his brothers. Sometimes when they were together and were both in the mood, they fell into her bed and explored an intimacy that was to both of them fulfilling.

Casey Jones did not know about April's sometimes liaisons with the turtles. She didn't lie about it; he simply never asked.

April did not speak to any of the turtles about her interludes with the others and she was certain they also kept the information to themselves. There was no doubt in April's mind that they had guessed; too often there was a knowing look shared between them when her attentions focused on one or the other.

Although she knew that Casey and Raph were extremely close, she was sure that the red banded turtle kept their secret. Life was difficult enough for them and they understood that finding someone to share a physical relationship with was next to impossible. They each held onto the tenuous thread of fulfillment that sex with April gave them.

For all four of the mutant brothers, April was their first. Most probably she would remain their only.

Never in a thousand lifetimes would April deny them this; such was her devotion. She wasn't in love with them, but she loved them just the same. April thought of herself as their step-sister with benefits.

It was her contribution to her family, a job she thoroughly and happily embraced.

End