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It was a rough one, Donnie will admit that much. Admitting difficulty or defeat was far from his lexicon, but just for tonight he'd give in and agree.
He hates magic and he hates Hypno. This should've been an easy fight but nooo, some hippo mutant decided to spread his little magic dust and made the battleground way more complicated and anti-Laws of Science.
Despite the sheer confidence he felt in every swing of his techbo, parts of his body still ached as he dragged himself back to the lair. He'd be fine. His brothers too would manage, not without making a nuisance of themselves in Med-bay. They would have to wait however.
Right now, his VIP (very important patient) was currently getting her hands wrapped up in bandages after a thorough cleaning. In a rare move, Donnie was a lot more gentle with April's hands as he worked. They sat delicately in his palm, as if she would shatter if he dared to change his rhythm, as he wiped away the roses blood peeking through her cuts and injuries.
Between the grip of her baseball bat and rough tumbles she took tonight, April was worse for wear. She took a lot of rough tumbles, actually. Way more than usual and especially compared to them.
She's upset. April's an open book of a person and he's always found himself more in tune with her flicker of emotion that may cross her. Right now, he could tell she was upset. Her lip wobbled and she refused to look him in the eye. Their usual banter was non-existent as he worked and she...well he wasn't sure what she was doing, but he didn't like it at all.
Donnie was readying the second bandage when she suddenly clenched her fist tight like a flytrap. Donnie jumped at the sudden aggression. He looked at her for any answer to what *that* was. Instead, he received her misting eyes and a wobbly lip.
“I messed up,” she whispered. He had to strain to even hear her. He was ready to argue and heavily disagree with that assessment of tonight, but April continued, cutting him off.
“What am I even thinking? If I can’t even keep up with someone like Hypno, then how am I supposed to help you guys? Help anyone?"
Donnie tried to reassure her, "So you had a off night, it happens to everyone."
Still, April shook her head. Wobbly tears formed at the corner of her eyes, threatening to spill over. "What if it's not just tonight? What if every fight is like this and I end up screwing up everything? What if something bad happens to you cause I wasn't good enough?"
She continued her venting, refusing to let him get a word in. Donnie internally sighed. He knew her anxiety could get bad on some nights. Many times he'd hear his phone ringing near midnight to answer an April who just wanted to hear his voice. Of course he'd stay up, just for her. (Also she didn't need to know that he was already up working on the latest blueprint.)
Clearly tonight was one of those nights.
"Hey," April stopped her rambling with the soft press of his hand against her cheek, "Look at me, April, I'm not going anywhere and I want to fight with you by my side. You and me against the world, remember? Dorky pals forever?"
April was quiet. He could see in her eyes her mind was still running multiple miles a minute. She was an over-thinker just like him. Only problem was when he over-thought, he had April to snap him back. In a classic role-reversal, he will have to do the same.
His hand moved from her cheek to tilt her chin up. His eyes caught hers and she finally focused on him. Donnie leaned in and kissed her. It was sweet, a gentleness he reserved only for her. He could feel her eyes flutter close by the feeling of her eyelashes against him and the way she leaned in to their kiss.
When they broke apart, Donnie (smugly) grinned at her lovestruck expression and the blush running over cheeks. He always knew he got the Lou Jitsu charm, and he always loved proving it to April.
He also loved April, so there was that.
Donnie leaned in close again just a breath away from her lips, "And I hate to disappoint, fair April, but it's going to take a lot more than one off night to get rid of me."