A/N: This is set after The Subway. Essentially part two of Aprilangelo's romance. Mikey drops by April's apartment unexpectantly. The real seeds are planted here in April's mind and maybe her heart too.

Guest House

Saturday evening and April O'Neil was worn out…again. All week she had been going to interview after interview trying to land a job. She had a profile on Monster, CareerBuilder, and had even resorted to old school canvassing to find a reporting or journalism gig, but no luck so far. As she lounged on the couch she cursed those fluff news pieces. None of it was impressive on a resume, but that's all she could list for experience.

You could tell about the turtles

She pushed that thought away with disgust. It was true if she revealed what she knew, she would be an instant hit. Interviews of a different kind would abound, along with being paid for said interviews, but no. Absolutely not. It wasn't an option, she had sworn to herself, to them, and had even made Vern swear it too. Then her mind turned immediately to Michelangelo. She would never betray him, them like that. She settled even more into the couch. She was still in her jammies which was nothing more than a wife beater and some Mickey Mouse shorts, surrounded by snacks and fast food. She would have to do better than this for her diet. Just the other day she had to cover up the Mt. Everest of zits on her cheek. She knew it was the unhealthy diet she had taken up lately. Usually she ate fruit, nuts, and yogurt as her go-to snacks. Now it was fat burgers and pizza. She decided she would get right on it…..tomorrow.

April grabbed her cell phone and went through the contacts list. A movie buddy would be good about now, but after scrolling through, she tossed the phone down on the couch next to her. All the people in her list were either ex-coworkers or numbers to people she was trying to get info from on one story or another. Most of those numbers had blocked her anyway. Her life was a sad one indeed. She flipped through the channels until she ran into a horror channel. Good. Horror was her favorite genre to watch. As long as it wasn't too bad she could sit through just about any horror film. April stretched her sock covered feet out on the coffee table, cookies tucked securely next to her and a cold glass of milk in her hand. Perfect. Forever alone, but perfect. Just then she heard tapping. April sat up and looked around. She wasn't on the ground floor so no one could be throwing things at her window.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

She listened a little more closely. It wasn't coming from the door either. April rose to her feet and grabbed the nearest thing at hand for a weapon…her remote. Yeah April, whoever it is will be scared out of their wits by the remote. Good choice doofus.

Tap. Tap. Tap, tap, tap, tap.

More urgent now. She got to the front door and looked out the peephole just to be sure. No one. Then she turned to her bedroom. How could tapping be coming from the bed…..fire escape. Fire escape meant access to the bedroom window, which could only mean one thing. Turtles. Specifically of the mutant teenage ninja variety. April let out a sigh and went to the window. Sure enough there he was, staring at her with those big blue eyes. Quickly she opened the window not wanting anyone to chance a look at him. It wasn't exactly dark out, as a matter of fact it was very early evening and the sun was in the west, but not quite setting yet. Mikey eased his large frame through the window. It wasn't very often that they came to her place, but sometimes they did when they were heading home after what they called 'patrols'. Always made April think about security guards in the mall for some reason. They never came in the day like this though, so April thought maybe there was something very wrong going on. That feeling intensified when she realized Mikey was holding his arm and there was a bit of blood seeping between his large fingers.

"Hey dudette. Sorry to just drop in on you like this but I uh….." Mikey trailed off. He was going to say he needed a little help but was distracted completely by the very short shorts April was wearing. They were showing off her long toned legs, and oh my goodness was that….cleavage? Under a tank top? Ba-na-nas. Mikey shook his head and brought his gaze back to respectable eye-level. Before he could say anything more, she had already grabbed his free hand and was trying to pull him towards the bathroom. Concern was etched on her face. She was concerned? More importantly, she was touching him. SHE was touching HIM. Willingly. Bad day just got so much better it wasn't even funny. Stunned by all this he realized he wasn't allowing himself to really be pulled anywhere. There was no way she could push or pull him without him letting it happen, but he was temporarily rooted to the spot.

"Mikey you're hurt. I just wanna take a look and clean it up. It's okay Mikey, it's alright." She said soothingly. She had been trying to pull him with her, but he remained steadfast. She thought maybe he was uncomfortable being touched like that. She would learn Mikey always wanted to be touched. It was his brothers that were skittish about it. Lames the lot of them.

"Oh sorry," Mikey said, getting his shell in gear and following her. "It's not that bad, a flesh wound really but I didn't wanna go back to the lair hurt ya know? Then they'd think I couldn't make a simple run without a problem." He said, voice dropping a little at the end. April didn't notice that. He was glad she hadn't because he didn't wanna come off like a total baby.

The bathroom doorway was a tight fit and Mikey had to turn to the side to get his shell through. It was cramped as he tried to turn and sit on the top of the commode, opting for the edge of the tub instead. April had gotten some Band-Aids and a bit of hydrogen peroxide out along with some cotton balls. Mikey was staring at her dreamily, eyes going all half-lidded dopey grin getting in place. His girl was gonna make him all better.

April glanced up at Mikey as she got her makeshift first aid stuff together and rolled her eyes. He was looking at her in a daze apparently. Although she'd rolled her eyes, she smiled too. He was looking so adorable right now.

"How did this happen, and what are you doing out by yourself in the daytime? I thought you guys only did your thing at night?" She asked dapping the cut gently. It was bleeder.

"Yeah well I convinced the guys to let me make a comic run." He said not thinking much of it until he noticed she was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. You big old baby, he thought.

"A comic run?" All sorts of thoughts rushed through her mind. He liked comics? Did he steal them or pay for them? If he paid for them where does he get money from? Does he steal money? All her questions must have been plastered on her face judging by his next statement.

"I sort of collect comics I guess you could say. I buy them, and we get money sometimes from people who leave it when they thank us for saving them. Sometimes we find money. You wouldn't believe how many people have gotta have holes in their pockets or something." Mikey hissed in a breath through his teeth as the cold hydrogen peroxide was doused over his wound. It fizzed a lot, so she doused it a couple more times until there was no more fizzing. April was relieved to find that it was just a flesh wound after all. It took a few of the large band aids to cover the cut, but when she was done it was a pretty neat job if she had to say so herself. She stood up straight and stretched arching her back a bit. The bathroom was really small and she was facing Mikey so when she arched her back, her breast came forward just inches from his face. As if in slow motion his eyes almost popped out of his head and his mouth gaped open. The image of her breasts threatening to reveal themselves from the top of her shirt was seared in his memory. Coming back to his senses he realized she had asked him a question that he didn't hear.

"Huh?"

"How did you get hurt? Someone attack you or something?" April said concern still in her voice. She began to put away all the 'medical gear'.

"Nah, it was much more stupid than that. Actually getting attacked would have been a much cooler explanation. Nope, just cut myself on a piece of rusty pipe on the side of a building. Rooftop hopping is dangerous business angel cakes." Mikey said flashing a warm smile. It was cute and inviting and April couldn't help but smile back.

"You're an excellent girlfriend April. Taking care of my battle scars and all that, couldn't ask for a better woman." Mikey said standing and taking up all the available space in that small room.

"Mikey, I am not your girlfriend," she said taking a playful swipe at his good arm. She was surprised to look up into a serious face.

"You just don't know you're my girl, but you are." April realized he was dead serious.

"What? Mikey please…" she didn't even know what she meant to say. She was taken aback by his forward nature.

"Please what? Every time I've said you were my girl you never denied it. So silence is agreement. You're my angel cakes, I'm your turtle man and all is right with the world love muffin." Mikey smiled amused at the look of consternation on April's face.

To her surprise he was actually right. Until just now, she had never actually refuted him when he called her his girl. Some of those instances there were more pressing matters to attend to than Mikey's crush but then what about the night he blew up Vern's car? When he was singing she was smiling about it, encouraging it she now understood. He had taken her politeness as the green light that she felt the same way he did. Oh no, she would have to undo this and fast. No way she was gonna have him get his hopes up, because then she'd have to dash them on the rocks of reality and there was nothing nice about that. She didn't like thinking about hurting his feelings.

"Mikey, Mikey we're not….together." April said bracing herself for a hurt look and hurt feelings to match, but Mikey just smiled and ushered her out of the bathroom following her.

"I know we're not together…..yet. But if I don't believe it I can't achieve it. Now, I smell burgers and fries, so I think you're holding out on a turtle brother dudette. Lead the way to the promised land angel."

April turned towards her bedroom.

"Whoa whoa, I was thinking about the food in the living room, but hey if this is the Promised Land I'm totally game babe." Mikey said teasing her and getting a little nervous. He expected his flirting to work but not this soon. He wasn't as ready as he thought he'd be.

"Hose down big boy, I'm just getting the remote. Plus you're just what 15-16 years old? Don't talk about what you're not ready to be about, you're just a kid Mikey." She said, surprised for the second time to turn and look into a somewhat serious expression on Mikey's face.

"I'm 16 yes, but I'm not a kid. I reached adulthood about six years ago. We just call ourselves teenagers because technically we are in our teens, but my brothers and I consider ourselves mature turtles."

"Okay okay sorry. You don't have to get all Donatello National Geographic on me, I was just kidding." April said holding her hands up in surrender and smirking. She hoped it would lighten up the mood again, and it did. That 1000 watt smile was back brighter than ever.

"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to get all serious. C'mon I'm hungry." He said stepping out of the bedroom and waiting for her to lead the way again. He hadn't meant to get serious, but he didn't want her thinking of him as a kid. He was a grown turtle and he wanted to prove that to her. He followed her to the living room keeping his eyes on the prize, which in this instance was her backside. It wasn't very big but it looked nice peeking out from under those Mickey Mouse shorts.

They walked into the living room and Mikey attacked the fries first. He plopped down on the couch as though he belonged there, sitting very close to her without touching. He placed a large arm behind her on the couch and smiled broadly at her, mouth full of fries. She tried not to check him out on the sly but failed. She had to admit, turtle or not he was built. He was by no means the largest of his brothers, but that didn't diminish the fact that he obviously spent a good chunk of his time hitting a weight room. Not to mention his little swim pants or biker pants or whatever they were, were looking nice over thighs that were more than solid. To her surprise he smelled really good. A little sweaty from the days earlier exertions, but not stinking at all. He was pleasant to be around, and as the hours ticked on she was more comfortable. Indeed she had a hard time remembering he was a reptile. She was reminded when he moved and his large shell came into view, informing his every movement.

Time ticked by as they watched B-movie horrors, and ate all manner of unhealthy food. If she didn't learn anything else she found out Mikey was very talkative. He could also dance rather well she had to admit. Even at one point twerking to a rap song that a neighbor was playing loudly. She laughed until her sides hurt at the sight, and laughed even harder at the revelation that it was Leo that taught him how to do it. Every time she tried to picture the calm and serious Leonardo dancing at all, she broke out into fits of giggles.

"So Leo can dance huh? Hard to envision." she said trying to hold back another giggle attack.

"Oh yeah he can dance almost as good as me. Everytime we have a dance contest we're the last two standing. Donnie couldn't dance his way out of a wet paper bag with a hole in it. Raph only does krump dancing. It fits him because it looks angry but he can't do anything else." Mikey said smiling thinking about all the crazy stuff they did together. It was cool to have someone to tell it to. Plus he liked being the one to make April laugh. The sound was literally like music to his ears. It was a high pitched sound that was always punctuated by her clapping her hands then covering her beautiful small mouth. He was determined to kiss that mouth one day if it killed him. It might kill him too, go right ahead and die of happiness. He could make peace with that.

"Want some more soda or some juice?" April asked him getting up and heading towards the kitchen.

"Yes please my little angel cakes Mickey Mouse booty," he cooed watching her blush and grinning from ear to ear about it.

April got out a couple sodas then looked out the window. She knew time was going by, but it was full on dark now and when she looked over at the kitchen clock it was close to 10 pm. Damn. Time flies when you're having fun. Coming back into the living room she took yet another opportunity to check him out while his head was buried in that comic book. He was just huge. The height wasn't an issue so much as his proportions. The shell was an entity of its own. His face was very wide and so was his mouth. Easily it was two of her mouths put together. His hands and feet were also huge but none of it seemed out of place or to not actually fit him. It made her mind wander. What else was disproportionately big? Get a grip April.

"I'd like the Sprite angel," Mikey said grinning up at her. OMG he caught me looking…again! He grabbed the can out of her hand, set it on the table then leaned back on the couch. He put his hand behind his head and scooted his bottom half towards the edge of the couch, even spreading his legs a bit. He was giving her a better view. Real smooth April.

"Yeah, sure okay, sorry Mikey," she said surprised to find she was flustered now. Great. As she tried to get back to her seat on the couch, she tripped on his feet and almost spilled a little of her drink on him.

"Sorry, damn," she couldn't seem to get it together.

Spill some on him so you can wipe it off

April blushed a deep crimson at everything that transpired over the last ten seconds, including that last thought. Why was she letting this non-human boy get her so riled up? Then again, he had made a point about not actually being a boy hadn't he? She looked at him again to find a very self-satisfied grin on his face. She knew exactly how to wipe it off.

"You've been hanging out quite a while Mikey, sure your brothers and father aren't gonna be worried?" She asked feigning nonchalance. She knew he'd forgotten all about the time as she had, but she didn't have anyone waiting on her to get home though. She waited patiently for the impending freak out.

"Nah, I'm good angel cakes, it's not even all…that….late," Mikey trailed off as he looked outside to see full blown nighttime, city lights ablaze.

"Oh shit!" He yelled, jumping to his feet and getting his stuff together, then clasping both hands to his mouth like a little kid.

"Sorry April," he said through his hands.

"Don't worry about it, you're good." April said, biting back laughter. He was in so much trouble.

Mikey moved like lightning. Quickly he made it to the bedroom window. April opened it for him letting him ease his frame back out of it onto the fire escape.

"You gonna be alright Mikey?" She asked, actually a tad bit worried. She knew his brothers wouldn't hurt him too bad or anything, but she knew he was still in hot water. Might have to take a trip to that Ha'shi place he seemed to dread so much.

"Yeah I'm good. I can handle those guys. Throw a little Mikey charm at 'em, have 'em eating out of the palm of my hand," he said, confidence a little shaky on it.

"Somehow I doubt that will be the case."

"True dat."

"Beating?"

"Beating."

"Tell them you were with me?"

"Mucho beating, but worth it."

April smiled.

"Look at you all worried about your man and whatnot."

"Mikey, you're not my…"

"Love you angel cakes bye!" He said cutting her off. He kissed his finger and put it to her lips as he said it, effectively shushing her and finding a clever way to touch her mouth in the process. Before she could speak again he had shimmied up the escape and over the rooftop. He was gone.

She lingered in the window a little longer, already missing him. April got back inside and closed and locked the window behind him. She went back into the living room surveying the tremendous mess they had made. She gathered the empty snack packages and started straightening up. Movie night had turned out pretty good. Maybe she didn't have to be so forever alone after all.