Chapter Text
It wasn’t often that the brave team of mystic ninja heroes took a break. Between fighting earthly antagonists in the city, stopping alien forces from invading the earth, and enduring the treacherous task of growing up, there was little downtime to spare.
However, after a particularly relentless spring—with villains antagonizing the ordinary citizens of New York City almost every day—Splinter and Draxum decided that their boys needed a break, desperately. Once they made their decision, it was final. No ifs, no buts, no coconuts.
No one was complaining though.
However, Donnie would like to keep the coconuts, especially if they’re filled with a delicious pina colada drink, thank you very much.
After some planning, the Hamato family decided to vacation at a Yokai-friendly beach resort on the California coast. Once Leo confirmed the resort didn’t have any discriminatory hair policies, Draxum booked the fanciest suite they had to offer, using a few connections and cashing in on some IOUs. When the day finally arrived, all nine family members—the four brothers, April, Splinter, Draxum, Cassandra, and Casey Jr.—packed their bags and used the Hidden City’s portals to travel to the West Coast in ten seconds flat for two weeks of relaxation time.
It’s Friday, about a week into their vacation, and the family decides to spend their afternoon on the beach. After gathering all their equipment, Leo uses his katanas to portal them directly to the shore—this is a vacation, after all; why should they walk if they don’t have to? Once there, they claim one of the largest bonfire pits at the beach, eager to begin their beach festivities.
Splinter takes the largest, comfiest beach chairs provided by the resort and, with Raph’s help, sits underneath an umbrella with a delicious margarita. Despite being given the option, Splinter didn’t want to spend the day lounging in the high-class resort room; relaxing with a cool, tasty drink at the beach is an opportunity he will not pass on.
When Mikey heard the resort had bonfires, he was determined to try one of Meat Sweats' famous bonfire cookout meals—one of his non-cannibalistic recipes before his mutation, of course. Mikey has all the ingredients needed for the meal after dragging Draxum out the day prior to pick them up. Mikey starts setting up his coolers and cooking equipment; it’s showtime!
Leo and Cass are prepping for a volleyball tournament—yesterday, they saw a championship on the TV, and they’re now determined to see who’s better at the game. Of course, this contest cannot be done alone. No, the tournament had teams of two facing off, and they must replicate that arrangement for accuracy. They manage to drag Raph and Casey Jr. respectfully into the contest. Raph barely finishes setting up the umbrella for Pops when Leo grabs his arm and drags him toward the net. But he doesn’t get far before he’s stopped by Casey Jr.
“Are you sure you don’t wanna put on some sunscreen, Leo? The sun’s still out, you could get a sunburn.” Casey Jr. asks as he hastily finishes putting sunscreen on, nodding to the large bottle stuck in the sand.
“You’re just trying to throw me off and ruin my mad spiking skills.” Leo throws the ball back and forth between his three-fingered hands. “Besides, I don’t need sunscreen!”
“What do you mean you ‘don’t need sunscreen?’” April inquires as she helps rub some specialized sunscreen on Donnie’s softshell, “Don’t be stupid. Put some on before you change colors.”
Leo tucks the volleyball underneath his arm. “April, it’s the afternoon! The sun will be setting soon. How can I get a sunburn when the day’s almost over?” Leo then points a finger at Casey Jr. “You’re just not ready for the absolute smackdown that Raph and I will be throwing down on you and Cass. You’re not getting these hands slippery.”
“Oh hell no!” Cass jumps in from seemingly nowhere to shove Leo’s shoulder. “You’re going down, my blue-shelled friend! I will crush you underneath my foot like I crush my enemies!” She looks to Raph. “Sorry that you’re on the losing side. I love you, but I will not be going on easy on you.”
Raph chuckles, “As long as everyone has a good time, Raph’s ok with losing.”
Leo pouts briefly at Raph before dragging all three toward the net, determined to start the competition and prove he’s the best.
“I don’t know what will be worse: Leo losing to Cassandra and moping the rest of the vacation, or the exfoliating sunburn he will get.” Donnie muses, a muted churr emanating from his plastron as April finishes coating his shell.
“Well, he’ll learn that his actions have dire consequences later.” April snaps the sunscreen bottle’s lid closed and stuffs it back into her bag. “Alright, you’re all done. Time to get this beach party started!”
Donnie quirks an eyebrow. “Don’t you need sunscreen? Were you not just chastising Leo for the same crime?”
“Cass and I put on sunscreen back at the hotel, that way Cass could wash her hands afterward and not worry ‘bout slippery fingers during the volleyball smackdown.” April wiggles her fingers in front of Donnie before posturing a hand on her hip and turning to Mikey. “Need any help, Mikey? You got quite the set-up goin’ there.”
“You could help with the bonfire!” Mikey says as he skewers some chicken and vegetables for roasting. “There should be a couple of logs near one of the coolers, prechopped and ready to go. All you need to do is arrange the firewood and use the kindling to get a fire going.”
“Sounds easy enough.” April turns to her purple-clad boyfriend. “Care to help, or are ya’ just going to watch your brother n’ girlfriend do all the work?”
“Scoff, as if I would leave my beloved brother and partner to slave away without my help, especially considering my intellect and expansive knowledge in pyrotechnics.” Donnie places a hand on his chest and puffs his chest a bit.
“Donnie, do you even know how to start a bonfire?” Mikey inquires as he sets the last chicken skewer down on a metal rack next to him.
“No, but it can’t be any different than the explosives I detonate regularly! I am more than capable of starting a wood fire in a sandpit.” Donnie confidently reassures his brother as he gets up to retrieve the wood.
Turns out, starting a bonfire and detonating explosives require two different skill sets, though Donnie will never admit it. Mikey and April had to stop him from starting a blazing inferno multiple times—yes, Donnie, there is something as much as too much kindling—but after some trial and error, a decent fire is going in the pit. The firewood is burning, beautifully crackling, and turning into smoldering coal–perfect for cooking.
It’s not as dramatic as Donnie wanted it to be, something which is evident as his lips tug into a frown.
Mikey leans towards April and whispers. “Maybe Donnie could use some waves? I think I have everything handled from here.”
“You sure?” April looks around at the various prepped food trays surrounding them. “Looks like you got a lot going on.”
“Draxum’s going to help me! He should be on his way back by now.” Mikey places a hand over his eyes for shade and looks toward the streets. “Yeah, I see him! So you and Donnie are free to take a dip.”
“Damn, didn’t even realize Draxum left.” April squints where Mikey’s looking and vaguely sees Draxum’s goat form in the distance. “Welp, guess I’ll drag my grumpy partner to the shoreline. Just have someone holler for us with the grub’s ready!”
“Sure thing!”
April walks over to her softshell boyfriend whose arms are folded across his chest. “Come on Don, let’s reward ourselves and take a dip. Leave your flip flops behind so we don’t lose them.”
Donnie grumbles, and April doesn’t quite make out what he’s saying.
“Pardon? Can’t hear ya’ Don.”
“I can’t remove my flops, the sand’s too hot.” He whines, looking at his feet. “I refuse to take off the one thing protecting the bottom of my precious feet.”
April quirks an eyebrow at her boyfriend's theatrics. “Then take them off once we get to the shore?”
“Scandalized gasp, and potentially have someone rob me of these premium sandals?!” Donnie unwraps one of his crossed arms and gestures downward. “These are made with the utmost comfort and quality in mind. They have the perfect arch support and a contoured footbed to fit even feet like mine. They cost a pretty penny, and I will not let some marauder steal my kicks.”
April rolls her eyes, pursing her lips as she tries to figure out how to drag her theatre-kid of a partner to the ocean. A few seconds pass before a rather devious idea seizes her mind, and a sinister smirk spreads across her face.
“Well, I guess there’s only one way to solve this hiccup,” April walks up and invades Donnie’s space, lifting a hand to tilt his face towards her.
He blushes. “O-oh?”
“Yup, there are two steps to solve your problem. First, a kiss.” April presses her lips to Donnie’s, and his stance relaxes slightly.
He kisses back, albeit a bit unsure. “Ok, and the second step?”
“A tackle!”
Donnie has no time to respond as April shoves him into the sand. After some roughhousing, she yeets his sandals off his feet—she’s not sure where they land, though Splinter’s cursing indicates the projectiles almost hit him—and then she sprints to the shore.
“Race ya!” April hollers over her shoulder as she books it across the sand.
Donnie screams after her, but she doesn’t hear him over her raucous laughter. She’s determined to make it into the water before her boyfriend catches up with her.
Within the minute April’s made it to the shore, and she slows down as she enters the water. The foam wraps around her ankles and calves as she wades deeper. The Pacific Ocean is a bit cooler than the Atlantic, which is a welcoming relief from the boiling heat.
The water’s lapping at her hips when she sees a wave fast approaching. April figures she’s deep enough, so once the wave’s almost upon her she ducks into the water. The rolling water pushes across her back, tugging her backward slightly. However, she makes it to the other side of the wave, breaking the surface and wiping the salty water from her face.
That felt fantastic.
She hears a splash behind her, and she barely has time to turn around before the towering stature of her boyfriend emerges from the shallow depths.
“April O’Neil, your cruelty knows no bounds!” Donnie exclaims as he starts splashing at her. “Even the indisputable fact that I am your loving, intelligent boyfriend doesn’t stop you from committing atrocities against me.”
“Oh, stop you drama queen!” April lifts one hand to shield her eyes while her other hand attempts to splash back. “You would’ve continued mopin’ if I didn’t intervene.”
“Scoff, I was not moping.” Donnie briefly stops splashing her to gesture towards the shore. “I was languishing the loss of what would have been a raging inferno that would have put all bonfires on the beach to shame!”
“It’s the same thing, Donnie! Moping and languishing are syn-oh shit.”
April doesn’t get to finish her sentence. In the time it took for Donnie to emerge and start this petty argument with her, a wave had swelled in power and started hurtling towards the shore. She spots it out of the corner of her eye at the last second, and she barely has the time to suck in a breath before the wave crashes into her side. She’s knocked over and sent a few feet toward the shore before she manages to regain control of her body.
Once she regains her sense of up and down, April stands up and starts spitting salt water out of her mouth. She wipes the water out of her face as she hears Donnie approach her.
“April! April are you ok?”
April feels a featherlight touch on her shoulder, and she looks up to see Donnie’s face—drawn-on eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed.
“Yeah! Yeah, I’m fine, just getting the salty taste out of my mouth.” April spits behind her and grimaces at the lingering taste in her mouth. “I think we should save the argument for later. The ocean is a cruel mistress, and I’d rather not be caught off-guard again.”
“No, no you were right.” Donnie takes her hands into his as he watches the ocean for encroaching waves. “I was… moping when I should be enjoying my vacation at this superb beach resort with my family. With you.”
April turns back to face Donnie, and a soft smile spreads across her face. “Well, glad you’re finally getting with the program. How about we enjoy the cool water and dip under some waves for a bit?”
Donnie offers a smile back. “For you, anything.”
Once April’s gained most of her bearings—thankfully the ocean did not send any large, powerful waves their way as she recovered—they wade deeper and start to enjoy the refreshing relief from the boiling hot sun. April stands waist-deep in the ocean; the water is only up to Donnie’s thighs.
“Have you ever tried to jump over a wave?” April asks.
“No, usually I try to dive under them or just ride the wave until it loses momentum,” Donnie admits, “How does one ‘jump’ over a wave?”
“Well, I guess you’re not totally jumping over the wave. But for weaker waves, you jump back first into the wave and kick your legs up.”
“Contemplative hum, interesting. Can I request a demonstration?”
“Of course!” April spots the perfect wave approaching. “And I can show you right now.”
April keeps her eye on the wave as the water starts to pull her towards it, and she vaguely notices as Donnie takes a few steps back to watch her. Once the wave reaches her, she twirls around and kicks off the bottom of the sand, letting her back crash into the wave. The momentum of the wave pushes her forward slightly, but she manages to clear the wave. Once the water settles, April finds her footing back on the sandy bottom below.
“Bravo, April.” There’s a cheerful smile across his face as he wades to stand alongside her. “While I don’t think ‘jumping over a wave’ quite describes the maneuver that you pulled off, that did appear to be quite fun.”
“Give it a try! I ain’t stopping ya.”
They continue to wade in the water, monitoring the waves so that one doesn’t take them by surprise. After a minute, April spots a wave they can both jump over.
“How about that one?” April points toward it. “Think you can handle that one?”
“Yes, the wave doesn’t look too terrible!”
“Alright, on the count of three,” April commands, “One. Two. Three! Now!”
Together, the couple jumps over the wave.
As soon as Donnie finds his footing, he exclaims. “Holy shit, that was exhilarating!”
“Knew you’d enjoy it!” April stands back up and positions her hands on her hips.
“Are there any other tricks you’d like to share?” Donnie asks as he watches the ocean for approaching waves.
April brings a hand to the back of her neck. “Uh, that’s kind of it. There isn’t much you can do with waves. You either jump over ‘em, dive under ‘em, or ride ‘em to shore. Or surf, but we don’t have boards. Anything else might get you wrecked by mother nature.” She turns and looks out towards the horizon. “We could go out deeper and float in the water if you wanna. At that point, the waves won’t be breaking, and we’ll just be riding the rise and fall of the water.”
“We’ll play it by ear. After all, this is our vacation.” Donnie states. “We can do whatever we want.”
April smirks, “Do you mean we’ll just… go with the flow? ”
Donnie groans, “Dear Galileo, you can be just as bad as Leo sometimes.”
April cackles.
They spend the rest of their time out in the water jumping over small waves, diving under the bigger ones, floating, and just enjoying themselves the rest of the afternoon.