Apritello

Apritello is the het ship between Donatello and April O'Neil from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fandom.

Canon
April is the most common ally for the turtles across all continuities. Her relationship with Donnie varies from series to series, depending on both of their personalities and interests. In the original 87 cartoon series, they're friends but no closer than April is with any of the other turtles. This remains for all the of the movies, and the original Mirage comics. Although the Mirage continuity still has them team up due to them both being scientists. In the 2003 series, Donnie is the closest to April as they are both scientists and this is what causes them to be friends. April teaming up with Donnie the most often over any other turtle in the series, and April helping Donnie with the science side of the turtles missions. In the 2012 series, April is aged down to be a teenager rather than an adult. Something that extends to the Rise series. Donnie has a crush on April in the 2012 series, that is mostly played for comedy. It's never made clear if April feels the same way back. Rise Donnie and April are very close, April calling Donnie for all help with tech, and reassuring Donnie whenever he feels insecure over his place on the team.

2003=

Season 4
THE TROUBLE WITH AUGGIE

Donnie is looking over some maps when he gets a call from April. She asks him to come over since she needs his opinion on something and he does so. She show him how her computer has been acting weird, having a series of symbols appear on it, and Donnie says that there's something about them that's familiar. He runs it through a translation which comes out with O'Neil. She asks what else it says, and Donnie reads it aloud although there are parts missing. The message is signed by April's Uncle Auggie, and Donnie says that it sounds like he's in trouble. He says that the symbols are dimensional coordinates and April wants to use them to go after Auggie. Donnie refuses to let her go alone, and April takes him with as she sets the coordinates on the artifact and they disappear.

They arrive on an unknown planet, and Donnie immediately goes on the defense when a group of unknown aliens arrive. He says that they come in peace and the aliens welcome them. They then take them to see Auggie, who April is excited to see. She introduces him to Donnie, and Auggie asks how they got there. April and Donnie tell him that they got his distress signal, but Auggie says that things are perfectly fine. That the aliens, known as the Brotherhood, wish to give aid to earth. Donnie asks if he can take a look around and Auggie says that the Brotherhood won't mind. April tells him not to get into trouble and her reminds her that he's the sensible turtle.

Donnie finds out that the Brotherhood wants to eat humanity and runs to tell Auggie and April. April tells Auggie that if somethings going on, then Don is right. She'd stake her life on it. The leader then arrives and has his men attack them, Donnie going on the defensive and telling April to get Auggie out of there.

They're able to escape and find the remains of the previous society, but the Brotherhood catch up with them. They're cornered but Donnie sees an escape. He carries April bridal style to a lower platform, but when she tells Auggie to follow he gets captured. She starts to go after him, but Donnie holds her back. He says they won't hurt Auggie since they need him and that the two of them we'll be able to help him if they're alive.

They watch as the Brotherhood starts to create their invasion force and April asks what they're going to do. Donnie tells her not to worry as he has an idea. They then sneak into where the Brotherhood are keeping Auggie, and Donnie tells him how he plans to destroy the transporter. Auggie says he protected it against such attacks, and April gets an idea. She starts messing with it and Donnie asks what she's doing when they're teleported.

April sees a teleporter just where they left it and Donnie realizes that they're on the wasp world. She tells him to set the charges since this teleporter isn't protected, and he does so before they teleport through. They arrive back at earth and Donnie asks what April's plan was. She says that the Brotherhood will follow them assuming they lead to earth but because they destroyed the transport on the wasp world, they'll be stuck there.

At the beginning of the series, Donatello falls in love with April and considers her the most beautiful girl he has ever seen, although as Raph mentions she's the only girl he's seen. After that, she and her father are kidnapped by the Kraang, to which Donatello and her brothers go to the rescue, but only manage to rescue April.
 * -|2012=

During the season 1, April and Donatello form a strong friendship, although she seems to be totally unaware that he has romantic feelings for her.

In season 2, April and the turtles meet Casey Jones, whom Donatello soon hates because he considers him his rival for April's love. Throughout the season, Casey and Donatello constantly fight over April's love, much to her frustration.

In season 3, Donatello after suffering a bad experience with a big foot that was in love with him, he realizes how possessive and intense he has been with April and decides to give her up. But when he goes to tell her, she kisses him on the mouth, which implies that his crush is not as one-sided as he thought. Since then, April and Donatello have shared certain romantic moments but without actually having a serious relationship.

In the non-canon Ice Cream Kitty (Music Video), Donatello and April end up sharing a romantic kiss.

In ROTTMNT, Donatello is 14 and April is 16. Donnie has been both accurately portrayed and canonically confirmed as being Autistic. It is important to note that he is both touch-averse and expresses his emotions differently to a Neurotypical person.
 * -|ROTTMNT=

In the ROTTMNT intro, Donnie and April are driving the Turtle Tank together. April also uses his flying Battle Shell - April is not mentioned in the intro theme at all, and both of these are Donnie's inventions.

Through Seasons 1 and 2, April repeatedly requests Donnie's assistance, often with science-based problems. Donatello will rapidly turn up without the need for asking twice or asking anything in return. There are also events of him helping her before the beginning of the series. Donatello, normally touch-averse, repeatedly allows April to hitch rides on his flying Battle Shell. He avoids arguments by saying he doesn't remember things going wrong, but also points out when things might be partly April's fault.

Through the series, in group poses the animators usually position Donnie and April next to each other or close, even when it is not necessery.

In Season 1 War And Pizza Donnie rushes to help April fix Albearto - his brothers voice a desire for pizza, even though no pizza was mentioned, while Donnie gets straight to work, upgrading several times to impress April. He is hugely dismayed when Albearto breaks down. When Cherri Tomato bounces on him in the ensuing fight he says "You're so cute but so mean! Why do I always go for your type?!" before zapping her. Eventually, he distracts Albearto while April knocks him down from behind.

In Hypno Part Deux April discovers Donnie installed a malware-blocker on her phone without asking, to protect her. While April is angry at first, wanting to be one of the 'cool kids', it turns out that the blocked program is a villain's hypnotising app.

In The Purple Jacket April asks for Donnie's help with checking some of her coding homework. He goes to the school in the middle of the day, disguised only in his hoodie. He spots an exclusive tech club known as the Purple Dragons, led by a tech-smart girl called Kendra. When he expresses interest in the club, April sourly tells him that they are "stuck-up jerks who think they're better than everybody else", and he doesn't have to prove himself to them, but Donnie still joins. When the Purple Dragons turn on Donnie, and April promptly helps him, she tells him that she warned him they were bad news, while Donnie points out that she gave her opinion of them being stuck-up jerks, and not knowing they were criminals. At the end of the episode when they have succeeded together, gathering up Donnie's tech April tells him "I say yes to you way too often".

In Operation Normal Donnie works with Leo to try to give April her desired 'Normal Day'. It is not their fault in any way that this is a failure. Donnie protects April from the Foot throughout. At the end, April decides that "For me, weird is normal".

In Snow Day Donnie and April (and April's pet Mayhem) are up against Raph, Leo and Mikey in a snowball fight over which movie is better.

In season 2 Donnie Vs Witchtown Donatello spends all day trying to prove to April that science is better than magic. Unfortunately his tech-bo is broken when April gets her Mystic bat, and he stares morosely at it. The tech-bo is the only invention of Donnie's that he created purely for his own use. Finally, Donatello admits that he fears April and his brothers only care about him for his prowess with science, beliving his intellect is the only thing about him with any value. This comes with a powerful implication that rather than to show off, when Donatello uses science for others - and he uses science a LOT in ROTTMNT - he is giving gifts, seeking acceptance and love. April is shocked, and instantly tells Donnie that she (not 'we' or 'they') cares about him for who he is, not just what he can do for her, and that tech and magic are better together "Just like us". The two use magic and tech together to save the day.

In E-Turtle Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind April wipes only Donnie's face as he and his brothers struggle in the search for Splinter's memories. When the team mission is successful and everybody cheers, Donnie and April hug - twice.

In Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie, Donnie is 16 and April is 18. Through the movie, a Future Leo's most treasured posession is a photograph of his entire family which appears clearly several times. In this photo, a smiling Donnie has his arm around a smiling, centered April's shoulders. Near the end of the movie a second, near-identical photo is taken with Casey Jones Jr. in it. While the other turtles move slightly, Donatello is in almost exactly the same position, his arm still around the smiling, centered April, and between her and Casey Jr. At the end it is discovered that Casey Jr is the son of the terrifyingly angry Cassandra Jones, debunking fan-theories of any serious homosexual relationship between Cassandra and April (and begging the question of who would dare to be Casey's dad!). At the VERY end, April rests her elbow on Donatello's shoulder and leans towards him, meaning she's leaning slightly away from Casey Jr. on her other side, while the entire team look across New York City, victorious.

Moments
The Trouble With Auggie
 * April gives Donnie a hug.
 * April asks what happened to Donnie's leg, and Donnie says it was a "bug bite".
 * Donnie waves April goodbye when the turtles sneak out of her place.
 * Donnie comments to April that the planet is amazing.
 * Donnie smiles at April hugging her uncle.

Fanon
Apriltello is one of the more popular TMNT pairings. While initially it started off rather small, it gained a following starting in the 2003 series. Many liking the two together due them both being scientists and Donnie being the closest among the turtles to April for this reason. Some interpreted their relationship as Donnie having a crush on April. Rumors that this was going to be canon but got shut down by Peter Laird, also added fuel to the ship.

In the 2012 series, despite the fact that Donatello's attraction for April was initially only played for comic effects, this ship was not long in sailed. In season 2, the ship started to lose followers due to the introduction of Casey Jones. Casey is most often April's main love interest in TMNT, and many were not interested in a Love Triangle. The increasingly possessive and jealous attitude of Donatello to the point of stalker, and many fans considered that April was taking advantage of Donatello's feelings. Even so, the 2012 version has managed to maintain a certain level of popularity.

In the ROTTMNT series, Donatello is confirmed to be on the Autistic Spectrum, and many Autistic fans have commented that his interactions with April are comparable to having deep feelings and sometimes even Autistic flirting (which is radically different to Neurotypical flirting). While it is most commonly accepted as a close friendship, fans have also pointed out that they are 14 and 16 years old during the series and characters shouldn't have to border on stalking, becoming comically non-verbal, or creepy gifts of music boxes to show the audience they care deeply. It is also pointed out that there was a third season intended, during which they would have been 16 and 18.

On AO3, Apritello is the most written ship for April and the second most written for Donnie. It is also the fourth most written ship in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 1987) tags and the second most written in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012) tag and the most written in the tag.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Donatello/April (Ninja Turtles) tag on FanFiction.Net
 * Donatello/April (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) tag on FanFiction.Net
 * Donatello/April (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) tag on FanFiction.Net

FAN ART

TUMBLR

Variations

 * Capritello refers to the ship between Casey Jones, April and Donnie