Good Enough

Kiley sighed as she waited for Donatello to finish his latest project. The purple-masked turtle was currently absorbed in perfecting the patrol buggies. She had been told adamantly that they were not go-carts.

"Look, Donnie, it's getting late. I really need to head home." She said, trying to get the turtle's attention. He glanced up, not even bothering to remove his work goggles.

"Bye then." He replied distractedly. Kiley sighed and left the lab feeling defeated.

"He hates me." She sighed to Leo the next day.

"Donnie isn't really capable of hate." The turtle answered politely. Kiley groaned in frustration.

"What's up?" Raph strolled in, pretending like he hadn't been cooing over Spike in the kitchen as he had fed him.

"Kiley thinks that Donnie hates her." Leo stated bluntly. Kiley groaned again, burying her face in a couch pillow.

"Leo, boy, I think it's more complicated than that." Raph added dryly, causing Leo to adopt a confused expression.

"What do you mean?" The leader asked, just as Mikey decided to drop in from an above catwalk where he was eavesdropping.

"She looooooves him!" Mikey yelled, grinning as he landed between Leo and Kiley on the couch.

"This is why I talked to Leo!" She shouted at them, while Raph smirked and Mikey grinned.

"He would've caught on eventually. Every time someone says Donnie, you go all moony-eyed." Mikey said. As Kiley blushed, Mikey gave a satisfied nod.

"So what?" She snapped defensively, and the turtles gave her knowing looks. She dropped her head in her hands.

"He wouldn't notice me if I sang show tunes in front of him in my underwear." She muttered.

"Is that an option?" Raph smirked.

"Someone punch him for me." Kiley remarked, not looking up. Leo obliged and Raph retaliated, but upon seeing the continuing distress of their friend, they stopped.

"You really got it bad, huh?" The red-masked turtle questioned, not unkindly. Kiley met his eyes and nodded.

Kiley had not quiet met Donnie in the traditional way. When she had first moved to New York, she had been so desperate to make friends that she had latched onto the first group she had seen. These unsavory characters had dared her to go into the military junk yard, and she had obliged. She had easily scaled the fence, landing among the hunks of metal with a soft thump.

From there, her so-called friends had left her, but not without the parting gift of waking the guard dog…

"Um, guys?" Kiley called, wondering why the voices had stopped. Then she heard shouts in the distance to the left, before an angry bark had seemed to split the sky. Kiley's heart pattered with fear.

She took off running for the back, not caring where she ended up, just wanting away from the dog. It was at this point that the sky did split, thunder giving a warning crack before heavy rain poured down. Kiley now ran blindly as her strawberry-blond hair clung to her face, her feet slipping in the quickly forming mud.

Donnie was at the wall closest to the man-hole when the rain started. Of course, being a turtle, the rain didn't impede his movements. It provided a sense of urgency though, as he scrambled to save the salvaged circuitry and metal he was after. Throwing his bag over his shoulder, he headed to the fence to make his exit before he heard a warning howl through the night. He hastened, not eager to meet the dog again. He had learned that much since his first visit.

Kiley shuddered as the howl sounded. Her breathing became ragged as she hurried towards the chain-link boundary. She could hear the growling coming closer, and she attempted to increase her speed only to fall forward into the-fence! Thank God, she thought as her hands scrambled at the wet metal. She fell back as she lost her grip, her jeans becoming even more soaked and muddy.

Now she could see a tall figure to her left out of the corner of her eye. She figured he probably looked after the yard, and decided that he and his dog were not people she wanted to meet. Again she attempted the climb, meeting the same result. Soon, she could see the dog as it rounded a sharp corner. It stopped, foot in the air, giving a questioning sniff.

She wondered if the rain was enough to mask her scent. When the angry beast turned its eyes to her and let out a snarl, she figured that was a no.

Donnie threw the sack over before starting to climb. It was then that he noticed the dog approaching. He watched, wondering why the thing wasn't after him. Then he noticed a small form pressed against the fence, facing the hound.

He couldn't make out much in the rain, just a girl with blondish hair in jeans and a leather jacket. Still, he could tell that she was frightened and that the dog was fast approaching her. He watched her fail to scale the fence and sighed before running over to help.

The dog stalked towards Kiley slowly, sensing that his prey was cornered. Again, she clawed at the fence, only to be met with sliced flesh and further mud on her clothes. She heard splashing ad turned, finding a tall figure standing next to her. His features were mostly obscured by the rain, but she didn't have much time to inspect him.

"Come on, give me your foot." He instructed, and she looked down to see him cupping his hands. Without looking back, she took the offered help and was soon hoisted over the fence. Her landing was somewhat painful, but at least it wasn't being mauled.

She glanced back worriedly, afraid for her savior. She didn't fret long as he splashed next to her. His cat-like landing soaked her even further, if that were possible.

"Thank you." She stammered, trying to see his face.

"No problem." He said. This close, she could make out his russet brown eyes, with a purple mask and green skin?

"What the-" She started, but was cut off by a hurried explanation from the turtle.

"Don'tscreampleaseImeanyounoharm." He cringed, waiting for her to say more.

"Uh, I mean…" Kiley trailed of, unsure of how to proceed. Then she sighed and decided to just go with it. He had just saved her, she really shouldn't be quick to judge.

"Do you know a place where I can get out of the rain?" She smiled weakly and he looked up at her in surprise.

"Yeah, just let me grab my bag." He said, gesturing behind him. He ran along the fence until he found a black duffel bag before making his way back to her.

He led her under a nearby awning. Through the dim glow of the street lamps, she could just make out his tall limbs, green skin, and large shell. She shot a sideways glance at the long stick strapped to it.

"You don't lure innocent girls in and attack them with that, do you? 'Cause I warn you, I am armed heavily with sarcasm." Kiley joked wryly, causing the turtle to look at her in confusion.

"That's your first question? You are talking to a giant mutant turtle, and that is your first question?" He stammered, and Kiley shrugged.

"You planning on using that thing or not?" She responded.

"No, I would never attack an innocent." He said, a bit affronted.

"Oh, look, I stumbled upon the only gentleman in New York. Call the press." Kiley said, feigning bewilderment. This made the turtle chuckle.

"I understand what you meant by the sarcasm now." He replied. Kiley laughed before a violent shudder coursed through her body. Her arms wrapped around herself and she stood shivering.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean to-I'm sorry, are you cold? Of course, sorry I'm being stupid, um do you want me to warm you up?" He asked awkwardly earning him a hard stare.

"No, not like that, I mean…Do you want to come to the lair and warm up?" He stammered and Kiley cocked an eyebrow.

"Your lair? You realize what that sounds like, right?" She questioned. The turtle fidgeted nervously before trying again.

"Look, you're cold and I know a place you can get warm. I'll take you home right afterwards, but right now you appear too cold to move much." He said quickly. Kiley gazed at him searchingly and nodded.

"So, may I ask your name?" She said quietly as the turtle led her through the sewers to his home.

"Donatello. But my brothers call me Donnie mostly." He answered shyly.

"Hi, Donnie. I'd like to thank you for saving me. My name's Kiley."

After that, Kiley had been introduced to each of the turtles and their sensei. They had explained that she could tell no one of their existence and she had readily agreed. She visited monthly at first, then her visits increased as she got closer and closer to the turtles. Especially Donatello.

When she hung out with Mikey, they mostly played video games and pranked his brothers. She was hopelessly bad at every game, until she had started looking up secret codes online. Then she failed less miserably.

With Leo, she watched him train and he even taught her to meditate. They would talk about the surface world and she would explain concepts that he didn't quite understand. She even managed to debate Space Heroes with him, because her father was a huge fan of the show and Captain Ryan.

She got Raph addicted to action movies. She had brought some of her old VHS tapes to the lair when she had determined that the turtles had gaps in their media knowledge. Raph particularly enjoyed Indiana Jones movies. He always cheered when faces melted.

Donnie was different. She didn't always have to do anything with him, they could just enjoy companionable silence. She liked playing assistant, soon learning what every tool was called and where the technical turtle liked them to be put away. Still, it wasn't as if they never spoke; some nights she just asked Donnie endless questions, delving from one subject to the next. She liked learning from him and he liked explaining.

They could talk about anything, so much so that Donnie would go on and on about April. Kiley never said anything, but she noticed that these talks became increasingly harder to endure. Eventually, with a clatter of Donatello's screwdriver hitting the floor, she had realized that she cared for the turtle deeply.

So now she sat with the three other turtles, listening to Donnie work in the lab.

"I like him, okay? Doesn't change the fact that it's never going to work." Kiley huffed as she sat back, trying to burrow into the couch.

"Because he's a turtle?" Leo offered.

"Because he's an idiot." Raph answered.

"Hey." Kiley protested, causing Raph to snort.

"You did say that he wasn't capable of noticing you." The turtle added and Kiley glared before sighing.

"It's just that…he couldn't like me. He's into science, and I don't understand half the stuff he talks about. I have to keep asking him to explain."

"So? He likes having an audience." Leo interrupted.

"Fine. Then there's the part where I always drag him out of the lab to go do something fun, or relax, or to go to sleep if he's been up all night. He always looks so disappointed to leave." She stared down at her hands.

"He'd live in there if he could." Raph added, causing Mikey to laugh and Kiley to smile.

"Then, oh the best part, he's completely in love with someone else. How am I supposed to deal with that?" She whined, throwing her hands in the air dramatically. The three turtles exchanged looks before turning to their friend.

"Yeah, can't help you there." Raph responded.

"I'm sure things will get better." This was from Leo.

"You could always tell Donnie-" Mikey started, before Kiley silenced him with a glare.

"Tell Donnie what?" The tallest turtle asked as he wiped his hands on a rag, trying to get the worst of the grease off.

"Nothing." Mikey answered too quickly. Kiley resisted the urge to smack her forehead with her palm. Donnie glanced at the three of them suspiciously. Leo picked up a comic from the pile at his feet. Mikey grabbed a video game controller, coaxing Raph to join him. Kiley escaped to the dojo, hoping meditation might help her. It didn't when she heard Donnie follow her in.

"Okay, why are they all acting weird?" He questioned. She opened her eyes and craned her neck back to see his face.

"I can't talk to you when you're that high up." She replied, and Donnie sat next to her, looking expectant.

"I don't know what you mean." She said calmly.

"Well, considering Raph just beat Mikey during their game and Leo is trying to decipher a comic upside-down, something's up." He said and, despite herself, Kiley laughed.

"I asked for some advice is all. They must've been distracted." She answered, closing her eyes and attempting meditation again.

"Thank you for making that even more confusing." He joked. "But since I'm out of the lab for once, do you want to do something?"

Kiley's eyes snapped open and she nodded. Donnie grinned.

"Did you have anything in mind?" She asked curiously.

"We could visit the junk yard…" He trailed off, smirking a bit. Kiley couldn't help grinning at seeing the adorable gap in his teeth.

"No thank you. Anything but that."

"Scared you might meet another turtle?" He joked, poking her side. She giggled and the normally shy genius smiled mischievously.

"What was that?" He questioned.

"Nothing." Kiley said hurriedly, looking away from him. His grin widened.

"It seemed like something. Your nerves seem particularly sensitive right…here!" He punctuated his remark with severe tickling to her side. She giggled and tried to scoot away from him, but the turtle soon picked her up and pulled her back against his chest, ensnaring her.

"Donnie…stop…I…can't breathe." She wheezed through her laughter, tears coursing down her face. Donatello laughed and stood up, pulling her with him.

She turned to face him as she caught her breath, only to hold it as she noticed just how close they were. Her hands were on his plastron and his were on her waist.

She looked into his brown eyes. They were so unlike any others she had seen; they glimmered with intelligence and compassion and the cinnamon color looked fantastic against his mask.

Donnie was staring as well. He looked into her sea-green eyes, the ones he had never quite figured out. They seemed to change color based on Kiley's mood; sometimes grey or blue, sometimes sort-of brown, but most of the time the oceanic green that he enjoyed. He wondered when he had started to look forward to those green eyes more than April's blue ones.

"Donnie- Oh sorry." Leo attempted to walk away awkwardly, but Kiley sprung away from Donatello and caught up to the leader.

"Um, can you take me home, Leo? I have a ton of chemistry homework left to do." She said to Leo hurriedly.

"Yeah, sure." He said, still dazed by the sight of Kiley in Donnie's arms.

"I could help you, if you want." Donnie offered meekly, but Kiley mumbled an excuse about needing her computer to do it and fled the dojo. Leo turned to Donnie questioningly.

"Did I interrupt something?"

Had Leo interrupted something? This thought coursed through Donnie's brain for the rest of the night. He had always been sure of his feelings for April, but he had really enjoyed holding Kiley. Not to mention making her laugh, and those eyes…

Donnie blinked, realization creeping in. He liked Kiley as more than a friend. He liked the way she smiled, or asked him questions, or shared her secret cheat codes with him. He liked it when she dragged him away from the lab to be with her, or when she cooked him breakfast after he pulled an all-nighter. He liked her laugh and her soft blond hair and those little freckles across her nose. It occurred to him that what he felt for Kiley was stronger than his previous feelings for April.

But how can she love a freak, he wondered.

How could I ever be good enough? This thought assaulted Kiley's mind repeatedly. Donnie was smart, and when you got to know him he could be really funny. He got so excited about things too, it was terribly cute. And then there were the times he had helped her study or the creations he made her in his lab.

She fiddled with the pendent on her necklace. The turtle had attempted to blow glass as an experiment and had made her a necklace for her birthday when he had become skilled enough. She remembered that day very clearly. Donnie had swept her hair aside and delicately clasped the chain around her neck. She had thanked him profusely before hugging him goodbye. She recalled how big his gap-toothed smile had been after she had let go.

Now Donnie was frustrated as he paced around his lab anxiously. There had to be something he could do. So many possibilities to map out, so he began a new flow chart for Kiley just as Raphael walked in.

"What are you doing?" His brother asked groggily.

"Thinking." He replied curtly, going back to his work.

"Can you think when it isn't three in the morning? Some of us enjoy sleep." The red-masked turtle muttered, drowsiness giving way to his usual irritation. Then he noticed Donnie's chart.

"Plan K, huh?" He smirked, causing his brother to blush. "I'm going to assume that you don't mean the Krang?"

"Um, I meant…the…" Donnie dropped his gaze from his brother's, embarrassed. Raph just continued smirking.

"It's not that hard, genius." He said exiting the lab. "She already likes you!"

"She already…Wait, Raph! What do you mean?" But Raph had already retreated to his room, laughing.

The next morning, Kiley went into the lair. It was oddly quiet, meaning that the turtles weren't awake yet. She peeked into the lab to find that Donnie was asleep in his chair with his head resting on the desk. She smiled before going to fix breakfast.

Donnie awoke to the smell of something delicious. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and made his way into the kitchen. He found Kiley standing over the stove, humming as she worked. Donatello gave an experimental sniff as he approached.

"Look who's up." Kiley smiled at him, and he grinned back.

"Did I ever mention I love your cooking?" He said dreamily. Kiley giggled.

"You could stand to mention it more." She said as she heaped a plate full of bacon and French toast in front of him.

"Mmm." They didn't speak for a few minutes as they ate. The others were uncharacteristically absent from breakfast, making Kiley wonder.

"Kiley, what did you ask the guys about yesterday?" Donnie started, making Kiley nearly choke on her orange juice.

"You said you asked them for advice. You know you can always come to me, don't you?" Donnie continued, and Kiley saw the hurt on his face. She sighed.

"I didn't want to bother you. You were busy in the lab, and I knew it was important." She answered, attempting to evade the question.

"You are never a bother. Even when you put itching powder on the inside of my goggles." He joked, and Kiley laughed.

"To be fair, that was Mikey. I just took the blame so you wouldn't ground him from the T-pod." She explained.

"But I ended up banning you from the lab for a week." Donnie looked shocked and Kiley looked down at her plate.

"Yeah, that sucked royally. Raph threatened to throw me from a rooftop if I didn't stop bugging him with how much I missed-" Kiley stopped herself just in time. Donnie noticed the pause.

"Missed what? Me?" He laughed a bit, but was surprised when Kiley had the courage to nod.

"You missed me." He stated, and again he saw Kiley nod.

"I had better go. When the guys wake up, tell them I hid the rest of the breakfast in the oven in case Mikey got here first." She got up and took her dishes to the sink. When she turned around, she found herself pressed up against Donatello.

"Donnie, I've got to go…" She hesitated as she saw the hurt look cross his face.

"Why do you want to avoid me, Kiley? Am I that hard to be around? I know I'm not fun like Mikey or cool like Leo and Raph but I have some redeeming qualities." He spoke softly, not meeting her eyes.

"Donatello, you are perfect. Don't let anyone tell you that you aren't funny or amazing or the best all-around guy to be with, because they'd be wrong."

"Best guy to be with?" He questioned, looking at her carefully.

"I said best guy to be friends with. That is definitely what I said, absolutely." Kiley stammered, cursing herself for letting her secret out so easily.

"You are a terrible liar, Kiley Daniels." The turtle chuckled, before moving forward to press his lips to hers. Kiley was shocked by the turtle's bold move, but she decided that she was very glad for it. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she stood on her tiptoes to reach better.

His lips were cool and soft and playful, she soon discovered. She met back with equal fervor, only breaking away when they heard a meaningful eh-hem from behind. The two turned to see Raphael smirking in the kitchen doorway.

"I'm glad I haven't eaten yet, otherwise I might puke right now. Nerd boy, really?" He teased as he waltzed in. Donnie stammered incoherently and Kiley blushed.

"You won't get to eat if you don't promise to be nice." She warned, causing the red-masked turtle to put his hands up in a placating gesture.

"No need to be drastic. Now, where's the food, lovebirds?" He searched the kitchen eagerly.

"Oven." Kiley pointed, and as the turtle bent over she swiped at his neck with a dishtowel. With a crack, a red mark appeared on the turtle's skin. Raphael jumped, hitting his head on the top of the oven as well. Kiley figured her joking revenge had backfired.

"Now I really do have to go." Kiley glanced fearfully to Donnie. "Walk me home?"

"It might be in our best interest to run." Donnie replied as Raphael extracted himself from the kitchen appliance. The two took off, passing a drowsy Leo and a questioning Mikey, before they heard Raph bellow as he pursued.

"So, science whiz, how long before he catches us?" Kiley panted as they ran. Donatello thought for a second before smiling.

"Based on the math, he won't if I carry you."

"And you call me a bad liar." She grinned as she called him out on his excuse to hold her in his arms.

"It's a plausible theory." He countered, making Kiley laugh.

"Let's test it then." She said and she immediately felt herself being lifted from the ground into a bridal carry. Donnie easily picked up speed enough to outdistance his brother.

Kiley relaxed against the turtle's plastron, smiling happily. Especially when Donnie stopped long enough to lean down to plant a kiss on her lips.

"When do you think we can head back to the lair?" She asked as he set her down carefully.

"On average, it takes him ten minutes." Donnie answered. Then he looked at her hopefully.

"Does this mean that you, um, like me?"

"No, Donatello, I incurred the wrath of Raph because I enjoy near death experiences." She replied.

"Oh the sarcasm, how it burns." He dramatically clutched at his heart and she giggled.

"Isn't this cute?" Said a voice from just ahead of them in the tunnel. The two exchanged fearful glances.

"How are we on that timer?" Kiley asked, and Donnie didn't bother to answer as he swept her into his arms and took off running again, smiling despite the ever approaching Raphael.