Chapter Text
April sits on the couch, enjoying a book and a cup of warm coffee as the boys are off doing their own things. She looks outside at the snow-covered porch of the house. The group has decided they’d spend Christmas there for another year simply because it was nice, comforting. And it was safe for the boys. They could roam around and not care about getting caught. Except for the hunters but they know when to hide. If someone went and told April a few years back she’ll meet a group of actual mutant turtles, care for them as her own and make sure they’re always safe she would have laughed. She huffs out a quiet chuckle, feeling happy she did meet them. Her life got twice as interesting after that.
A gentle stomp breaks her out of her thoughts, notifying her it’s Raphael. She turns her attention to the mutant, who wears a frown on his face. “Raph? Why aren’t you outside with your brothers?” she asks, setting down her book and mug.
Raphael stomps again, balling his hands into fists, compete with a quiet grunt. April rises an eyebrow.
“Hon, do you want to tell me what’s wrong? I can’t understand the stomping and grunting..” she says with a quiet, awkward laugh. She can usually tell what Raphael wants without him using words to ask for it, but this was quite new to her, and April feels a little lost on what to do. Eventually Raphael mumbles something out and April must lean forward to hear a fraction of the word. Raphael, now frustrated stomps again, a little harder this time. Maybe if she tries guessing…
“Do you want to talk?” she asks, Raphael shakes his head still refusing to talk “But you feel upset?” he nods, maybe he just wants a hug?
“Do you want a hug?”
“Cuddles.” Raphael mumbles, barely above a whisper, April almost doesn’t get it but she does. And the confused frown is replaced with a gentle smile and pats her lap “Come here then baby” she says, Raphael doesn’t hesitate for a single moment to plop face down into the couch, head in her lap and hand tapping her arm.
“Shell rubs for you m’lord?” she teases, fingers already tracing the markings on his shell, Raphael tucks his arm behind her to hug her. April drags her fingers over the young mutant’s head and like on cue he follows her movement by rising his head. The action makes April giggle to herself “Are you sure there’s not even a little bit of cat genes in you?” she asks, jokingly scratching Raphael’s chin and causing him to let out a snort-giggle and shake his head “Stop April!” he whines, a pout forms on his face as he does. April can’t help herself but laugh yet again, Raphael is actually pouting because she tickled him. She resumes rubbing his shell, and the boy’s head immediately falls back down. As it does, she takes the tail ends of his mask and starts to braid them.
“Hey April?”
“Yes Raphie?”
“I’ll get you for that Raphie later. But…ergh…thank you” he says, embarrassment clear in his voice, which April finds rather endearing.
She’s used to the turtles coming to her asking for shell rubs or cuddles or if they could simply lean on her as she reads or watches TV or whatever she does while sitting down. What she isn’t used to is Raphael being embarrassed to thank her for the favor or embarrassed to ask for the cuddles. It shows her a new side of the turtle, it shows her the other side of the steel walls he built to protect himself and his heart. It isn’t the first time she sees this side of him, but every time she does it somehow becomes softer. The gentleness grows more evident every time Raphael lowers his walls and lets his guard down around her. And April can’t help but feel loved, accepted by the turtle. In a way, she felt trusted, and honored to be trusted this way.
“Thank me for what? I’m just doing my best to make you feel better from whatever upsets you honey. You don’t need to thank me at all, ever. I love you boys and I’d feel horrible if I didn’t try to help you get over it.” Says April in the softest tone she can muster as she finds a pin in her pocket to put it on the mask-braid in place of a hair tie.
Raphael quiets down, he moves to sit up and hug April, arms wrapped around her shoulders and head buried in her neck. She happily returns the hug, turning her head to kiss Raphael’s temple “I love you too ace” she says, letting him get comfortable in her arms as she grabs her book again and starts reading.
“Whatcha readin’?” He asks, she feels him turning his head to look at the pages.
“It’s a psychological thriller, very dark but quite interesting.” She says, flipping the page, Raphael gives her an acknowledging hum. April assumes he’s reading with her, trying to get more context himself on the plot. However, a light snore tells her otherwise. She looks down on the sleeping boy and leaves another kiss on the top of his head and lets him nap in her arms.