how to get very good at juggling

🌻 chapter 5 🌻

Donnie is forced to wear pants, April gets a reminder, and Casey receives an unwelcome surprise.

"Okay, rule number 1: everyone's gotta wear pants," April said, pointing at the PowerPoint she had projected on the wall of Donnie's lab. Donnie audibly groaned, tilting his head back in anguish. "And no, Donnie, it doesn't count if you just wear an XXL hoodie," April continued, squashing the idea before it even came up. 

Everyone seemed to understand, so April moved on, tapping the yardstick she'd repurposed against the wall. Shelldon changed the slide for her. "Rule number 2: Keep the Hamato ninja destiny talk to a minimum. In a similar vein, rule number 3: No mystic powers. That means no portals, no teleporting, no levitation, no mystic tech, and no cloning yourself– especially to get the last serving, Raph." The snapper laughed embarrassedly, scratching his cheek with a claw. 

"I'm gonna talk to Drax before we head over with my parents, but rule number 4: Absolutely no talking about the whole 'super soldiers made to wipe out humanity' thing. Or wiping out humanity in general," April said. 

Leo raised his hand and she gestured to him with the yardstick. "Am I allowed to bring up Barry's other crimes? Namely dropping me off a building. Or not paying child support for fifteen years."

April scowled. "They know Barry mutated you guys and Splints, and that he had a redemption arc, but let's avoid specifics, thank you very much." Leo sighed dramatically, leaning back in his seat.

"And lastly, rule number 5: when in doubt, don't say it. Repeat after me: when in doubt–" April started, gesturing to the small crowd in front of her. 

"When in doubt, don't say it," everyone chorused back at her. 

"Alright, team. I'll be back here at 5pm sharp. Mikey, I'm gonna trust your judgment on any last minute decisions that need to be made. As a reminder, our cover story is that Casey is Cass' cousin from Nebraska. No bifurcated timeline talk until after they learn about mystics which will not be today," April said, the projector light that had been shining over her face shutting off. "Any questions? No? Alright then, break!"

Friday afternoon was well on its way, bringing hustle and bustle to the Hamato household. Maybe her parents had felt bad about the night before, because April hadn't been expecting to be able to pull off a sleepover. But when it was 9pm and Mikey was still behind schedule, he had begged April to stay the night, so she'd figured she'd give it a shot. To her surprise and Mikey's delight, her parents gave her permission to stay the night. 

Donnie ran off to set up his pyrotechnics display in the living room, Leo hobbling along behind him shouting out instructions. Mikey and Splinter disappeared back into the kitchen to put the finishing touches on Splinter's green bean casserole, while Raph and Shelldon ran around the lair on a cleaning frenzy. 

Casey was the only one who stayed in the lab, hovering by April's side. "What's up, did I forget something?" April asked, glancing down at the checklist she'd made on her phone. 

"No, it's just–" he started anxiously. He reached up to pull his mask over his face, his hand swiping at the air since he wasn't actually wearing it. "Solo missions are for emergencies only, Commander," he concluded, the layer of sternness added to his voice making it sound like he was repeating something he had heard often. 

April couldn't help but snort. "Sure, sure," she relented, tossing her arm around Casey's shoulders. 

To be fair, Casey was looking more or less like a normal teen nowadays. His hair was washed, tied back in a half-ponytail, and he was wearing a long-sleeved tee and torn jeans. His combat boots were still the ones he'd come from the future with, but they fit his grunge look well enough. The only oddity was the hockey stick strapped to his back, and it wasn't like April could fault him. Her baseball bat was almost always within arms reach nowadays, tucked in the drawstring bag she slung over her shoulders. 

They quickly completed the short walk through the access tunnels and the active subway station, popping back above ground by the O'Neil's apartment. April turned to look at Casey, watching the wonderment that passed over his face as he stared up at the sky. The sun was poking out from behind some clouds, and it looked like it might rain later, but Casey always looked at the sky like it was the best weather he'd ever seen. 

"C'mon, my place is this way," April said, looping her arm through Casey's. He let himself be tugged along, easily keeping pace with his gangly legs. "So this is my game plan: We go to Draxum's first, go over the rules with him. Emphasis on being chill with humanity. Then we go downstairs and get my parents. I gotta give them their rules too, which include…" She paused, shuffling through her jacket pocket with her free hand to grab her phone, pulling up her notes app. "Don't be weird about how big Raph is, don't be weird in general, if you wouldn't say it to Dale's parents, don't say it at all. Missing anything?" 

Casey hummed in thought, peering at her phone screen. "I'm gonna be honest, April, I'm not entirely sure what the big deal about this dinner is. Like, okay, yokai and humans don't mix yet. But these are your parents we're talking about, right? I never met them, but Commander O'Neil spoke of them fondly, and I mean, do you think they won't like the Hamatos? If they're anything like you, I'm not sure how much there is to worry about." 

"I dunno, it's just hard," April sighed, locking her phone screen and shoving it back in her pocket. "It's a big change, and change is scary." 

"Yeah, it is," Casey agreed, for a second sounding far older than he looked. April glanced up at his face, just in time to see it brighten a bit in the same exact way Mikey's did when he was trying to make her feel better. "It's scary, but you're not facing it alone. We're all here to support you." It was painfully obvious who raised Casey sometimes. 

"Thanks, man," April relented, smiling at Casey. "I'm glad you came with." 

Casey's smile widened from comforting to shit-eating. "Yeah, I know," he responded smugly, in a way that was all Leo. April cackled, shoving her elbow against his side. Casey was right though, he was an excellent distraction from all of April’s anxieties. By the time they got to her apartment building, she had almost forgotten what they’d come for in the first place. 

The two of them hiked up the stairs to the fifth floor where Draxum lived, Casey taking two steps at a time, pausing at the landings for April to catch up. The building was too old for an elevator, and the landlords were too cheap to install one. April had lived here her whole life, though, so the building was home despite its many (many) flaws. Once they got to the fifth floor, April led Casey down the hall, stopping in front of Draxum’s apartment and rapping sharply on the door. 

There was the sound of rustling and then a large clatter, immediately followed up by what was probably cursing. After a few more beats, Draxum opened the door, looking down at April and Casey. "O'Neil, you are early. It's not 4:30 yet," he grumbled, stepping aside regardless to let them in. 

"To be on-time is to be late, Barry," April chided, stepping into the apartment. It was bizarre to see a place with the exact layout of her own home, only furnished like an alien using r/malelivingspace as their only guide to how humans lived. 

"Yes, yes, I've heard your nonsensical sayings before," Draxum responded, closing the door behind them. "I understand there's a presentation involved here?" 

April nodded, gesturing to the couch. "Go ahead and get comfy. Because if you fuck this up for me, my baseball bat is gonna have a date with your face." Draxum rolled his eyes, but sat down on the couch anyway. 

Casey sat on the other side of the couch from him, still not quite used to Draxum's overall demeanor. Apparently, Draxum had been around while Casey was still very young, but not long enough that Casey had any memories of him outside of the smell of wet wool. 

April sat down between the two of them, sliding her backpack off her shoulders and fishing out her laptop. She set it down on the coffee table, sitting on the edge of the couch as she clicked through her files to open up her Draxum-specific version of her presentation. It included all the same points: the mandatory pants dress code, no Hamato ninja destiny talk, no mystic powers, no mention of destroying humanity, and when in doubt, don't say it. There was a special emphasis on items three and four, though, including a list of banned phrases. 

"No saying fool humans, lesser species, villains of prophecy, murderous barbarians, or any variation thereof. If you wouldn't say it to your coworkers, don't say it to my parents. No mention of the Dark Armor or any other plans to destroy humanity. Do not bring up the Foot Clan. Do not bring up anything about time-travel or bifurcated timelines," April listed off, tapping her finger against her knee. "Again, my baseball bat, your face. Mikey will not be able to save you." 

Draxum scoffed, "I will not need saving by Michelangelo. It is insulting that you think I cannot follow these rules for a single evening. And threats of violence? Very barbaric." 

April grit her teeth. She opened her mouth to snap back at him and maybe punch him in the face while she was at it, but Casey beat her to it. "Says the guy who threw Master Leonardo off a roof," he jeered, placing a hand on April's arm. 

The tension broke immediately as Draxum spluttered, eventually giving up on words and letting out a huff. He turned his face away from the two humans. "I have apologized for that," he muttered eventually. 

"We'll quit bringing it up when it quits being relevant," April responded, nudging Draxum with her shoulder in an attempt to be lighthearted. She closed her laptop, shoving it back into her backpack. "C'mon, let's go downstairs. I've got one more talk to give, and then we can head on over to the lair." 

The three of them trekked down the stairs, April unlocking the door to her apartment and letting the other two inside. "Mo-om, I'm back!" she called, kicking her shoes off onto the mat by the door and gesturing for Casey to do the same. Draxum stared down at his hooves, awkwardly wiping them on the welcome mat before stepping into the apartment. "I've got Casey and Drax!" 

It took a few seconds for April's mom to stick her head out of the spare room that was currently serving as her office. She did a double take looking at Draxum, but managed to push a smile onto her face all the same. "Hi, I'm August," she said, approaching Draxum and holding her hand out for him to shake. 

He stared at it for a second too long, before realizing there was an action required on his part. "Right. Hello, August. My name is Baron Draxum," he said, giving her hand a single, firm shake before letting it go. 

The smile on April's mom's face became just a little more unnerved. She turned to Casey, holding her hand out to him as well. "So you must be Casey then!" 

Casey was staring at her wide-eyed. April nudged him with her elbow and he jolted, reaching out to shake August's hand. "Uh, yes, ma'am, my name's Casey Jones." April's mother seemed to sense the tension in the air, and she let go of Casey's hand. 

"Right, well, Kirby should be home soon, and then we can all head over to the Hamatos. Can I get you guys anything in the meantime? A drink?" she said, stepping into their living room and gesturing for everyone to make themselves comfortable. Draxum sat awkwardly on the end of the couch, holding his hands in his lap. 

"Water would be great, Momma, thanks," April said, and Casey nodded in agreement. The instant April's mother turned into the kitchen, Casey let out the breath he'd seemingly been holding since they walked in. 

"Has anyone ever told you you look like your mom?" he said weakly, giving April a tired smile before rubbing his face with his palms. 

April's heart stopped for a second. She'd always heard more that she looked like her father, but personally she thought she was a healthy mix of her parents. She'd never even considered that Commander O'Neil looked like her mother. "Oh, jeez, Casey, I'm sorry, I didn't even think about it," she murmured, placing a hand on his arm. 

"I'm okay, I'm okay," he mumbled back. "I didn't think of it either. I mean it's not a carbon copy or anything, you were just…same silhouette. Caught me off guard." He took his hands away from his face, looking back at April and giving her a reassuring smile. "All good now." 

April's mother came back with glasses of water for Casey and Draxum, and the four of them sat in the living room, making what April had to assume was the world's most awkward small talk until April's father came home from work. To his credit, he only stood in the doorway, staring wide-eyed at the sheepman sitting on his couch for a few very, very long seconds. 

"...Right! It's Friday," April's dad laughed awkwardly as soon as he recovered, dropping his work bag on the floor. "I hope I didn't make you all wait too long." 

"Nope! All good! You gotta come in and sit down though, Dad, 'cuz I've gotta go over some rules with you guys," April said, jumping to her feet and pulling open her laptop to set it up to project onto the TV screen. 

"Rules?" April's father repeated, taking off his shoes before walking in to take April's seat on the couch between Casey and August. 

"Nothing too intense, sir, it's more like reminders than anything," Casey said, sounding awfully confident for someone who had not actually seen April's slideshow. Draxum grumbled something under his breath, probably about how his rules presentation hadn't sounded like reminders, but quickly shut up at the scathing look April threw at him. 

Suddenly, everyone was staring at April, waiting for her to say something. She was already past the point of no return, Barry was literally sitting on her living room couch. There was no way she could take a step back, no way to sweep all this under the rug. Why was it that at every step of the way, it never stopped being difficult? Would it never get easier, joining both halves of her family? She held her laptop tighter, her vision tunneling in on the slideshow she had pulled up on the screen and her heart pounding against her rib cage. This moment, this terror and anxiety, it was going to last forever. 

Anatawa hitorijanai.  

She looked back up, looking at her family sitting on the couch in front of her, waiting patiently. Barry's eyebrows were furrowed with concern, though he carefully wiped his expression blank the instant he noticed her looking. Her parents were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, her mother murmuring something to her father. Casey was giving her a small thumbs up, and when he noticed she was looking at him, he mouthed, "You can do it." 

Behind all of them, though, was Karai. Her spectral figure bathed the room in a soft green light, though nobody besides April seemed to notice. Anatawa hitorijanai, her voice repeated in April's head, though her lips didn't shift from the small smile gracing them. You are not alone, April. Trust in your family. Your whole family. They trust in you.  

"Rule number 1!" April began, projecting the presentation up onto the living room's TV screen. Karai's smile widened and she disappeared from view, though April could still feel her presence in the room, large and comforting. "You gotta be chill. No weird invasive mutant questions. If you've got a burning question that needs answered, you can ask me afterwards and I'll answer it for you or tell you off depending. Same vein, rule number 2 is: be chill about Raph specifically. He's a big guy, sure, but he's nine months younger than me and also an actual teddy bear, and if he thinks you guys are scared of him, he will get upset." She clicked through a few photos of Raph and herself together for scale, specifically having chosen the photos where Raph was the cutest. 

There was the one Mikey had taken the Christmas before last, of Raph holding April up so she could get the star on the absolutely massive Christmas tree that Leo and Donnie had stolen gotten set up in the atrium of the old lair. There was one of the family photos Splinter had taken a few years ago, with Leo and Mikey both perched on Raph's shell. He had April and Donnie each tucked under his arms. They'd been fighting about something, though April couldn't remember what about now. Donnie was baring his teeth at April, and she was kicking and flailing her limbs in an attempt to get a grip on Donnie, blurring the image. The other three were grinning at the camera. April's favorite, though, was the selfie that they had taken together on Raph's birthday the month previous, when she brought him to Build-A-Bear. Raph was crouched down beside her, his arm wrapped around her. They each held their matching teddy bears in one hand, while April had reached out with her other hand to take the selfie. 

April's parents cooed at the appropriate spots, Draxum looked bored out of his skull, and Casey looked a little suspiciously glassy-eyed. "Final reminder, if you wouldn't say it to Dale or his parents, don't say it at all," April concluded, exiting out of the presentation. "Any questions?" 

Her father shifted a bit where he was sitting on the couch, glancing nervously at Draxum before turning his eyes back to April. "So…why are they not wearing clothes?" he asked. 

Casey choked. "That's what I said!" he exclaimed, his voice stuck between a cough and a laugh. April bit down on her bottom lip, trying to stop herself from laughing as well. There probably wasn't anything like getting dropped twenty odd years in the past and realizing that most of your parental figures had spent their teens as partial nudists, though that was an added layer of comedy that she would not be explaining to her parents tonight. 

"I told them they had to wear pants tonight," April said, though that didn't really answer her father's question. "But, uh… They were originally turtles, not humans, and turtles don't wear clothes. That's what Splints told me as a kid. But Raph's shell tears through fabric, so he goes through clothes like they're one-time-use, Donnie is super picky about fabric and pretty much only wears expensive things, Mikey's shell shape makes a lot of stuff that's not hoodies fit really awkward, and uh…Leo's a degenerate." 

Casey snorted, still laughing hysterically.

"It is not yokai standard to run around in the nude," Draxum added. "I have been attempting to get them into clothes since re-entering their lives, but teenage boys are…difficult. It is a work in progress." 

Casey started to quiet down, rubbing the tears from his eyes. April pushed her glasses up her face a little bit to rub her eyes as well, though more so to stave off the headache that was surely incoming. "Alright. Any other questions? Nope? Alright, let's get out of here." 

April and Casey lead the way through the access tunnels, followed by April's parents, with Draxum bringing up the rear. April's father had gotten Draxum started on the alchemy behind merging turtle DNA with human, so most of the trip was filled with the sheep yokai explaining the process behind it in complicated words that only he understood. April's dad was very good at listening and at least seeming like he understood things, though, so Draxum seemed to show no signs of stopping. It was fine by April, the sounds of infodumping were probably preferable to awkward silence. 

They were a few minutes away from the lair when Casey leaned over to her. "...Did Donnie turn off the security system?" he asked nervously, the question sending a bolt of fear down April's spine. 

The two of them came to a very abrupt halt, the trio of adults nearly running into them. "Uh…one second, I gotta make sure they're all good to go!" April said, definitely not sounding nervous at all, no siree. She pulled out her phone, finding Donnie's contact and pressing the call button. 

"Dee! We're just about there," she said once he picked up. 

"Oh, excellent," Donnie's voice came from the other end, sounding a bit distant. He probably had her on speaker. "Leo and I are just putting the finishing touches on the pyrotechnics. I believe Papa and Angelo are setting the table as we speak." 

"Good, good," April said, glancing back toward her parents, before angling her body away from them. "...Did you turn off the security system?" she muttered into the phone. 

There was an abrupt clatter, the sounds of both Leo and Donnie shouting, and then a very tense moment of silence. "Did you just almost blow yourself up?" she asked, feeling her face involuntarily scrunching up. Casey looked very pale beside her. 

"Absolutely not," Donnie lied. There was another pause, before April heard Donnie's pre-recorded voice, presumably from his arm brace: "Security system disengaged." 

"Anyway, you're good to approach. We'll see you in a few," he said, not even giving April time to respond before hanging up the phone. 

April and Casey took a moment to stare at each other. "How many times did he accidentally sic the security system on somebody?" she asked weakly. 

Casey seemed to pick up on the strongly implied future Donatello, because he laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh…you know. Often enough. Can never be too careful." He turned back to the rest of the group, giving them a double thumbs up. "Anyway! They're all ready for us! Let's keep going." 

The two of them led the rest of the group to the hidden door Donnie had devised to ward off any particularly nosy MTA employees. April rested her hand over the opening mechanism, gritting her teeth before pushing open the hidden door. Casey took the lead, guiding her parents and Draxum inside. 

April stepped in behind them, letting the door close behind her and realizing that the entire living room was dark. The instant the door clicked shut, Leo's voice came from off to the side in a harsh whisper, "Now!" That was the only warning they got before the area where the sofa had been earlier that day lit up in a dazzling array of color. Flames burst up from the floor, stretching up to the tall ceiling. Through the flickering light of the fire, April could see Casey's face from where he'd thrown his arm in front of her parents to stop them, but by the awed and excited look in his eyes, he'd definitely been expecting this. What a bastard, not giving her forewarning. 

Sparklers in red, purple, blue and orange fizzled in front of the shrinking columns of flame, winking in and out of existence to form different shapes. The very final display of light was a set of green sparklers that Donnie had somehow rigged to spell out "WELCOME O'NEILS". The letters hung in the air, before the entire display fizzled away, leaving the lair in the dark again. There was a moment of silence, before Casey whistled, clapping his hands together. Draxum began politely clapping as well, and the lights turned on and all four Hamato boys plus Shelldon stood where the fireworks display had been, posing dramatically. Or well, everyone was posing dramatically except Leo, who was being held by Raph and hadn't seemed to figure out how to pose dramatically with three out of four limbs broken. 

"Yes, yes, you are all very talented boys," Splinter said, which was immediately followed by all four of the boys giggling to themselves. April whipped her head around to see him and Cassandra sitting together on the couch, which had been pushed back against the far wall. He hopped off the couch, walking over to April's wide-eyed parents and holding out a hand to them. "It is so nice to finally be able to meet you!" 

April's dad was the first to recover, and he reached out, shaking Splinter's hand. "Ah, yes, likewise. I'm Kirby, and I guess you and August have already spoken over the phone a bit," he said, gesturing back to April's mom. 

"Casey!" Cassandra shouted far too loudly for the room they were in. Casey ducked his head, quickly scampering over to Cassandra's side on the couch. "You must hear of the tomfoolery the blue one is insisting upon!" It warmed April's heart a bit to see the two of them. Casey was still a bit awkward around Cassandra, but that was pretty understandable. They were both trying, though, and God knew they both needed more people in their lives. Cassandra liked the Hamatos, but she tended to hold herself at a distance from them, even if Raph was doing good work at breaking down her walls. 

"Boys!" Splinter barked suddenly, drawing April's attention back to the conversation immediately in front of her. "Line up! Introduce yourselves!" 

They all scampered up into a line behind Splinter, Raph still holding Leo in one arm. They were all wearing neat little sweater-vests and khaki pants, and had somehow rigged it so Raph's shell wasn't even poking through the fabric. They each said their names as they went down the line, starting with Raph and ending with Mikey, who simply grinned cheekily and said, "They already know me." 

"Rub it in, why don'tcha?" Leo grumbled. 

Donnie stepped forward, wringing his hands together. "So…" he started, looking at April's parents, his gaze briefly flickering over to April. "Out of ten, with one being like watching paint dry and ten being absolutely mind-blowing, how would you rate the pyrotechnics? Any criticisms? Improvements for next time?" he asked, pushing his sleeve up and starting to type something into his arm brace, though his fingers paused as he waited for a response from April's parents.

"It was spectacular," April's mom said after a moment, very obviously trying to figure out what response Donnie was looking for and needing a moment to actually come up with the words. 

"Even cooler than when I saw Bon Jovi in concert," April's dad chimed in. Donnie's eyes lit up and he started hurriedly typing into his arm brace. 

"Do you do a lot of…indoor fireworks?" April's mom asked, unknowing of the monster she'd just released. 

Donnie's gaze shot back to their faces, and he rocked back on his heels in excitement. "Not a whole lot of pyrotechnics, honestly, my big focus is on robotics and programming. I mean, you saw Shelldon, he's my son! Most of my recent projects have just been improving our home security system, but I've been trying to have fun with it, y'know? Get a little creative. Involve some lasers and bio-sensors, oh and speaking of! After dinner, you guys need to come with me to the lab, so I can add you. The lasers are set to non-lethal for all humans, but it still wouldn't be fun to get hit with one." 

"Guys, guys, guys, we gotta go eat!" Mikey interrupted, launching himself at Donnie only to get pushed off by a metal arm extending it out of his battleshell. "The food'll get cold!" He started trying to usher everyone into the kitchen, and April saw him reach for where his nunchucks were usually stored, probably trying to lasso everyone together on impulse. 

"Wash your hands first!" Splinter said, shooing the teens all in the direction of the bathroom. "Especially you, Purple! You're all ashy!" 

"Am not!" Donnie protested, but that didn't stop him from sprinting off toward the bathroom. All the other boys followed after, plus both Caseys, scrambling down the hall, leapfrogging over each other in an attempt to be first in line. 

"Teenagers, so rambunctious," Splinter huffed, looking at April's parents before noticing that April was still standing alongside them. "That means you too, April. Go on now, chop chop." 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it," April laughed, following behind the rest of the gaggle of teenagers at a much calmer pace. 

Dinner itself was a surprisingly calm event. Draxum and Splinter were civil to each other, both sitting on either side of Mikey. April had intended to sit between her parents, but when Donnie snagged one of the seats next to her, she didn't have the heart to tell him to move, so her father ended up between her mother and Leo. All four of the boys spent most of dinner vying for her parents' attention, with both of the Caseys watching their back and forth like it was a spectator sport. To be fair, if April was in their position, she'd probably be doing the same, but it was her parents that the boys were hamming it up for. She didn't think she'd be able to relax until the whole event was over and she got her parents back home. 

Her parents were both good sports about the boys' excitement, though. April's mother and Mikey had a nice back and forth about dinner and what all had gone into the preparation. When she asked for his miso soup recipe, there was a second where April thought Mikey was going to cry. He'd started to get up to grab some paper to write it down right there and then (or rather, dictate it to Casey), but Splinter put a paw on top of his head, pushing him back down into his seat. Raph shyly mentioned that he and April had made the dinner rolls, and he immediately got drawn into the food conversation as well. 

Leo learned that April's father was also a Jupiter Jim fan ("April, how could you keep this from me?!") and almost immediately the two of them were knee-deep in a conversation about the implication of Jupiter Jim: Planet of the Sharks on the overall timeline continuity, as well as the message that it had about ethical frameworks. Which honestly, good for them, because Leo had been on about that movie for months now, and April could only have a conversation about how under-utilized Red Fox was in that movie so many times, even if it was true. 

For the most part Donnie stayed in the same conversation circle as April. "U OK?" he tapped out in Morse code as Casey started bringing out the strawberry sorbet per Mikey's instruction. 

"ALL GOOD," April responded in kind, her hand hesitating for a second before she continued. Out of the corner of her eye, April saw Leo craning his head around her parents, trying to get a look at their faces. She forgot sometimes that he'd picked up Morse code too. The three of them had used it together as kids, but her and Donnie were the only ones who used it with any sort of regularity, Leo preferring to stick to sign language. "NERVOUS," April tapped out, before slinging her arm around Donnie, watching as Casey and Mikey brought in the last of the sorbet dishes. "I'm glad this is happening, though," she finished out loud, her voice soft under the general din of conversation. 

"I am, too," Donnie agreed, affectionately bonking his head against hers. 

Dessert went off without a hitch. The strawberry sorbet was excellent, not that April had ever expected anything less from Mikey. He preened under the attention. Being honest, it was nice to see him so upbeat and sure of himself. Obviously everyone was feeling the emotional toll from the invasion, but Mikey's slow recovery was taxing his mood, even if he didn't want anyone else to notice. It was easy to get her parents to compliment all the boys, they really only needed the slightest of pushes, gently pointing out the turtles' accomplishments and talents. Many things could be said about her parents, but they'd always been vocally proud of April, and she was glad to know that was being applied to her brothers as well. 

April, Raph, and the Caseys were on clean-up duty, since Leo wasn't really able to be much help, Donnie had long-term exemption from dish duty, and Mikey had done almost all the cooking anyway. Between the four of them, the process went pretty quickly, with Raph and Cassandra carting in all the dishes from the table, Casey washing, and April drying. At some point, Mikey, Leo, and Draxum all relocated to the living room, Draxum having moved the furniture back to its appropriate position. Donnie disappeared off to his lab with April's parents in tow, presumably adding them to the security system and also showing off whatever impressive machine he was currently working on. 

As the four finished up dish duty, though, April's parents came back into the kitchen, sitting down next to Splinter. "Red," Splinter started. "Will you go join your brothers in the living room? Make sure Baron Draxum doesn't do anything morally suspect." 

Raph looked between Splinter, April, and Casey, seeming to realize what was about to happen around the same time April did. A pit formed in her stomach. "Uh, okay, Pops," he said, patting April and Casey on the shoulder before he headed out into the living room. 

If she was honest, April had kind of forgotten about the whole pretense for this dinner. The event was so stressful on its own conceptually, she hadn't even stopped to think about the whole "hey Casey, maybe you should move in with the O'Neils'" thing. She and the Caseys all stood there awkwardly, until Splinter sighed, gesturing to the table in front of him. "Alright, you three, sit down. We need to have a talk." 

April and Cassandra sat down, Casey sliding into the seat between them. April reached under the table, grabbing Casey's hand and giving it a squeeze. He squeezed back, though neither of them let go afterwards. 

"Casey, I want you to hear us out," Splinter started. "I think it may be best if you move in with the O'Neils for a little bit." Casey's spine went ramrod straight, and he stopped breathing. The look on his face could only be described as betrayal, plain and simple. 

"You don't have to," April cut in, eager to make things right, and squeezing his hand again. She could practically hear the thoughts running through his head. Leo was right, this kid did have abandonment issues out the wazoo, not that she could blame him for it. "You don't have to. It's just an option." 

Splinter looked a little uncomfortable, glancing at April. "It's an option we'd like you to consider, though. You're…human, Casey. You have the opportunity to live in the world in a way that my boys and I cannot give you. You'd always be welcome here, and you'd always be a Hamato, just like April. But you could go to school, make friends, travel…" he trailed off before concluding, "Be normal." 

Casey had started breathing again, though in a stuttering and halting fashion. "B-But, I… Master Splinter…" His eyes flicked to April's parents, before looking back at Splinter. "I'm not normal. You know that. I'm not normal, I can't be normal." 

Something about the way he said it struck a chord in April's heart, and she felt tears prickle in her own eyes. Before she could say anything, though, Cassandra cut in. "Of course you're not normal," she said sternly, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "Do you think April or I are normal? No! But there's a whole world out there, Junior, and you and I? We're going to make our mark on it. But you've gotta live in it first." 

Casey shakily inhaled, his watery eyes focused on Cassandra. "Anatawa hitorijanai," April murmured, and Casey broke. He let out a whimper, leaning forward into Cassandra's shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him, rubbing his back and shooting April a smile over his shoulder. That initial sound was the only one he made though, only the shaking of his shoulders indicated that he was crying at all. 

They all gave Casey a minute to recover. April's mother was the first to break the silence. "April's father and I talked about it. We thought, maybe you move in for four months, and then re-evaluate. If you want to move back in with the Hamatos at the end of that, that'll be fine. If you want to stay with us, that's fine too." 

"You'd have your own bedroom," April's father added, though there was no way he could've known how much that would impact things. Had Casey even had his own room before? He was currently sleeping on a cot they'd set up in Mikey's room. He didn't seem to have much of a concept of personal property. 

Casey's fingers tightened their grip on Cassandra's shirt, and she let out a soft hum before looking up at the others. "He will consider the offer elsewhere," she decided, scooping Casey up in her arms before standing up herself. Casey made a surprised, indignant noise, but ultimately let the action happen, and the two of them left the room and headed elsewhere in the lair. Probably Mikey's room, if April had to guess. 

"C-Cassandra!" Splinter started, but April reached across the table, grabbing his shoulder before he could follow them out. 

"Splints, let them go, alright. We had our Hamato family meeting, they gotta have their Jones family meeting," April said, and Splinter relaxed ever so slightly, though his tail still flicked with agitation and anxiety behind him. All they could do now was wait.