CHAPTER 2
There was a loud chirping sound coming from the muddy jumpsuit that April had left on the floor last night. It had been going off for a solid hour but was muffled by the heap of yellow fabric. The combination of this and a sunbeam stretching through the window shades finally stirred April from her sleep. She groggily pried open her eyes and stretched. The first thing she noticed was how stiff her fingers felt and made sure to stretch them again, finding that it felt uncomfortable to stretch them too far apart from one another, almost sticky-

Then it hit her- she was late for work!

April leaped from the couch and stumbled around her messy apartment searching for anything she needed to get ready for work. She rushed into her bedroom and opened the closet door and ripped out a spare clean jumpsuit, one of the few unsoiled ones left. She tried not to think about how her body lightly jiggled now when she moved. She knew that there was no time to feel sorry for herself now otherwise she’d be late and lose her job!
She put her jumpsuit on like she always had before, one leg at a time, but noticed how the suit's elastic material felt a little tighter around her thighs. She pulled the outfit up to her waist and felt the the elastic band press into her softening hips. April powered through the humiliating reminder of her ice cream binge last night and pulled the zipper up past her concave tummy.
“Now, this is annoying...” April said out loud to herself as she tried to tuck and maneuver her larger breasts into the confines of the yellow jumpsuit. She had to use her hands to pick up and place each one behind the fabric and quickly zip, leaving a large chasm of cleavage. There was no time for her to even think about how much bigger her cleavage had gotten after around a year of turtle partying, which she'd slowly sunk into out of habit. She hopped on one foot as she tried to put on her boots while trying to make it to her front door. She had a harder than usual time getting her boots up and laced but finally accomplished the task. April went to grab her keys from the table and heard her stomach growl.
“Oh jeez, not now! I have to be on camera!” She complained with a groan, quickly walking over to the fridge. She swung the metal door open in a hurry and rolled her head back in frustration at her last culinary decision. There, in a half open and greasy box, was a cheese pizza. April knew it was inevitable and it was probably better than snacking at work. She snatches two slices of the pie and immediately starts shoving one into her mouth while walking out the door, forgetting to check the mirror before leaving.

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April slipped through Channel 6's double doors and rushed towards her office trying to avoid Vernon or Burne. She was already an hour late and while someone had probably already noticed she was missing it'd be better if she wasn't caught in the act. Her heart skipped a beat as she spotted Irma proverbially guarding her door. Just don't make eye contact, and she probably won't even try to-

“Hey, April! You missed out on some fun last ni-” April strode right by her into her office and shut the door behind her with a heavy sigh. Once inside, April let her white purse slide off her shoulder and fall to the floor. She went behind her desk and pulled out her office chair, slamming her butt down on it with a strained creaking sound that she'd never heard the chair make before in her life- another win for her self esteem. April held her face in her hands and tried to regain her composure from the past 12-some hours. She exhales and allows her newfound pudge free domain, her sucked-in gut flowing over her belt and giving her a mild muffin top. Though surprisingly, though her suit was tight, she felt less... Fat, somehow. Her belly didn't feel quite as jiggly, that was for sure. It was almost like-

There was a soft knock on the door and it slowly opened a moment later, Irma poking her head through the gap.

“Hey, April? You okay?” Irma asked, meekly. April removed her hands and gave Irma a good look for the first time today. A moment passes, and then April jumped out of her seat, the office chair flying back into the wall behind her and rattling.
“Ir-Irma! Your face! You have whiskers!” She stammered.

“Oh yeah! You like them?” Irma asks nonchalantly.

“Buh...what? I mean… What's going on?” April queries, her eyes wide and dumbstruck.

“Wow, you really have been spacing out at work, haven’t you? It’s Cosmutics! You’re covering the gala event tonight, remember?!” Irma shoots back in her nasally, nerdy, voice.

“What’s... 'Cosmutics?'” April asks.

“It’s this new beauty product…” Irma replies, picking up a sample from the gift basket that sat perched on the edge of April’s desk.
“See, it’s just like a perfume but it has little animal DNA mixed in. You can get thinner, or fuller hair, or a tight butt or something cute!” Irma explains pointing to her new whiskers. April picks up one of the vials and studies the label cautiously.

“Yeah, I don’t think this is for me. I've had my DNA messed with enough for one lifetime, thank you very much. I wouldn't recommend it." April says offering the gift basket to Irma.

“Wow! Thanks, Ape!” Irma says excitedly. “But I really think you should give them a try…”

"Thanks, but I can't remember the last time I went a full day without ending up with mutants. I just want to feel human for a little while, 'kay?" April explains.

“Um, what about this one…” Irma says trying to read the label. “It’s called ‘Light as a Feather’”.

There is an awkward beat between the two women. April looks away first and rights her chair, sitting upright back in it. Irma clears her throat.

“Yeah, I know, I know. I have put on a few. I’ll skip lunch.” She mutters, slightly embarrassed. April turns on her work computer's monitor and opens up her calendar to avoid lingering on the subject of her fuller frame.

“Oh no!” April cries out. “I completely forgot! I have that lunch date with Tucker from that computer dating thing!  We were supposed to go to that fancy place on 3rd today, too...!

“Well, don’t worry! I have your dress for the gala tonight already hanging up here! It’s really fetching. I think you should wear it to the date!” Irma says trying to help. “Whoa, too bad you don’t have time to fit in a manicure for those nails...” Irma blurts out without thinking.

April looks down at her usually delicate hands and studies them for the first time this morning, her eyes widening- Irma was right. They really were looking worse for wear- discolored and thick. Her fingernails needed more attention than a quick clip. April balled her hands up and hid them in her lap

“It’s gotta be my diet, right? I feel so… out of sorts.” April murmurs, trying to come with with a reason to why she had let her hygiene get so bad.

“I didn’t want to say anything, April, but I noticed as soon as you walked in- did you get a chance to take that shower last night?" Irma asked carefully, as if treading on eggshells.

“What? Yeah, why?” April asked worriedly. She turned her head from Irma and checked the compact mirror she kept in her desk. She caught her reflection and noticed how messy her hair looked.

“Well, here, try this” Irma said offering April a vial from her pocket.

“Irma, I told you, I don’t want to try that Cosmutics stuff-”

“No, it’s just regular perfume. You smell like a swamp, Ape."
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April tried to focus on her work, but it felt impossible. Her fingers ached, and no matter how much she cracked her knuckles and stretched her digits, she couldn't help but find her fingers simply didn't have the flexibility for typing, and they always seemed to be more comfortable left settled in pairs, like she was doing some kind of weird sci-fi hand gesture. She may have picked up a bit of flab, but the turtles always made certain her hands got a workout, that was for sure. Always climbing rusty ladders and being unwillingly tagged in for videogames- it was no wonder she had some minor arthritis. Even worse, her mind just kept wandering to all the different obligations in her life- the turtles, the date, the bills. She wanted nothing more than to just turn off her computer and leave Channel 6 for the weekend, get some free time and fresh air to herself, for once.
Eventually, noon rolled around as April watched the clock tick down. She pushed away from her desk and went to draw the blinds on the glass windows looking out over the bullpen. Irma gave her a quick thumbs up before disappearing behind the blinds.
April sucked in her firmly puffy stomach and pulled the zipper from the front of her jumpsuit. As soon as the zipper got to her waist she exhaled and relaxed, letting her stomach and chest flop into a more comfortable position. She traced her pudge with the tips of her fingers, and found that she felt a little... Dried out. Ugh, she definitely felt a little dehydrated, but there would be plenty of drinks at her date!
April took the dry cleaning bag off the coat rack and unveiled the bright yellow dress that Irma had cleaned for her big event tonight. She pulled the fabric from the neck back to check the dress size. Disappointed, she let out an exasperated sigh and let her bangs float from her forehead for a minute.
Once April had squeezed her body into the tight fitting gown, she went out to Irma to see what she thought. She was starting to feel pretty good about the dress until she saw Irma’s face.
With a large chunk of donut sticking out of her mouth, Irma’s eyes were widened with shock.
“April… I thought you were skipping lunch...?” Irma stuttered out.
“I did! What? Do I look like a sausage?!” April asked, craning her head over her shoulder and cupping her thicker parts in sudden, overwhelming distress. Irma quickly got up from her seat and rushed over to April’s side.
“No no no… it’s not that bad.” Irma said. The pair go into April’s office and Irma looks around for a solution. April closes the door behind them to escape from the embarrassment. She couldn't look that bad, could she?
Irma's expression lights up as she spots the coat rack and the solution to April’s problem.
“Okay, so, it’s digging into your back and shoulders a bit… so we just need to cover it up!” Irma said with a forced cheeriness. Irma pulls the thick, green, bomber jacket from the coat rack and throws it over April’s shoulders. April’s frown deepens at the realization that this is what she has been reduced to- and even the bomber jacket feels a little tight over her back.
“There! It looks... Stylish!” Irma said “...Are you really going to wear the sneakers, too?"
“I couldn’t even get the heels on. I think I might have told you the wrong size.” April explained.
“My bad, April. I’ll take them back. Don’t worry about it! Now get out there and get your man!” Irma encouraged April, hurrying her out the door.
Once April was at the elevator, the two friends waved to each other. With April finally off their floor, Irma let her breath out and breathed in the fresh air. April really did stink.
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A short time later, April arrived at the restaurant. Her cab driver had given her a few... Strange looks, but altogether, she was feeling pretty positive! Today was going to be the first day of the rest of her life. Of course, the dim romantic lighting of the restaurant serving to hide her current small hygienic failings was a nice little bonus. Her spirits lifted further when she saw that Tucker got a nice back booth for them to share. April gave him a little wave and walked across the restaurant to take her seat, her expression clenching slightly as she sank into her seat. These seats were much less comfortable than they appeared! It was like she was sitting directly on her spine without any cushioning, and when she leaned back to put a bit of weight on her back, it felt like she was lying back on a rock, feeling it digging into her shoulders.
“Hey Tucker, it’s so great to finally meet you! Sorry I’m late, work has been crazy lately with the Nn-" April stopped herself. Ugh, no. This was supposed to be a vacation from all the mutant weirdness! "Nnnnew prime time slot!" April rolled off her tongue, smiling awkwardly, acutely aware of what a great first impression that had left. Tucker barely raised his eyes from the wine menu.
With a sense of irritation, Tucker finally said “Uh-huh. Well, I thought when we agreed on 12:30, you would've been here around 12:30." April glanced into the multi-functioned Turtle communicator in her lap, Just past 1. Oof.
“Like I said, I'm sorry.” April replied, apologetically. Man, she knew she was super late and all, but she was sorry- did he have to be rude about it?
“Oh, it’s fine, I guess…” he trailed off. April gingerly plucked one of the rolls from the bread basket, nibbling politely on it at first- but before too long, she was hungrily munching on them, barely stopping to chug down some water between ravenous bites. Tucker finally pulled his attention from the wines and took a good long look at his date in-person for the first time.
The first thing he noticed was the woman's much larger form. This was not the svelte reporter from Channel 6 News that he had watched every night, he knew that much for sure. Her arms had noticeable musculature and thickness to them, her firm, wide waist was stretching the embarrassing yellow number she had on, and her shoulders looked weirdly broad for a supposedly petite woman like her. And by god, that schnoz- it was wide and round with similarly wide and round nostrils stretching across her face, larger than any nose he'd seen in his life. Tucker began to wonder if he'd been tricked. He was skeptical about all this new computer dating stuff. Looks were one thing too, like maybe she'd gotten some botched plastic surgery... But then she was even acting different, choking down her appetizer like she was dying of hunger and she was doing this thing where she was constantly standing up and shifting around in her seat like it was the most uncomfortable thing in the world, he thought he even saw her reach under her dress to fiddle with her underwear a few times like she didn't even care. The seat was comfortable to him, and it should have been considering the price they had to pay to get a reservation. Tucker was continuing to process all of this as she was ungracefully munching away at a second piece of bread when he noticed a pungent, sour smell wafting over from her direction. Alright, enough was enough.
"Uh, 'scuse me." Tucker put down the menu, tapping a finger on the table to get her attention. He looked, in a word, a little pissed.
“What?” April chirped, confused. She gave him a sweet smile- it was broad across her face, cheek to cheek.
“You are April O’Neil, correct? Channel 6 News? Always wears the Banana Jumpsuit?"
“Of course... Why?" She raised an eyebrow, not sure if she should be hurt.
Tucker leaned back in his seat. "Alright- honestly, you smell like a reptile house."
April squirmed a little. “Sorry, it might be the perfume my friend made me try out. Her taste can be a little…”
"No, I know perfume. That's not perfume. Whatever that is, that's all natural you."
“What?" April asked, with a look of confusion and disgust on her face. She squirmed once more, looking down and mumbling to herself.
"I don't know what this is, but you don't look anything like your pictures. At all." He added, not skipping a beat.
“Well jeez, Tucker, I’m -so- sorry to disappoint you." She jabbed back sarcastically, folding her arms with a huff- then squirming uncomfortably in her chair again.
“It's not just your nose and your face and your shoulders, and that smell, either- it's the way you're acting. Everything's different."
He continued. "Sorry, 'April,' but you're not as advertised. And take this as a warning, and not an insult...” Tucker stood up, pulling his napkin out of his lap.
April didn’t want to hear what was going to be slung at her next. She knew what was coming, and the anticipation alone felt terrible.
Tucker tossed the napkin onto the table and began to walk off, frankly quipping over his shoulder-
“But, you got fat.”
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“It’s all over...” April moaned to herself.

She didn’t go back to work after that terrible experience. Instead she opted to just walk around the city, feeling sorry for herself. It was a hazy, warm night and the air was thick with moisture that she could feel clinging to her skin, which felt nicer than she cared to admit. She knew everyone at her office would be looking for her, prepping her to cover the gala at Cosmutics tonight, but she didn’t care. April knew all it would take was one look at her and Vernon would be covering the event and she would get bumped down to field reporting permanently. April didn’t have to catch her reflection in a mirror- she knew she looked like a trainwreck. She felt absolutely ridiculous in the sizes-too-small yellow dress. She had worked so hard on herself and her career but just knew in the pit of her stomach it was over. Burne said as much would happen if she were ever late again, anyways.

Before long, she found herself back in her own neighborhood standing in front of the takeout window of small pizza place. It was the only thing that sounded good to her at the moment, she didn't care that the thought of pizza had driven her to nausea last night. April ordered one large cheese pizza for herself, but didn’t even make it home with it. Instead, she found a bench on the sidewalk, opened the box, and devoured one slice after another. She squirmed once more- it felt about as good as the restaurant seating, aching tailbone and rock-hard on her back and all. she really couldn't wait to get home, to her own bed and out of this tight, straining dress.

Her mind raced with stress as she tried to decide what her next move was going to be. She thought about how, even if she could, she probably wouldn't even want to go back to Channel 6. Did she really want to work for a company that relied on her to be a perfect ten at all times? Did she want to work for a boss like Burne? Her only real friend there was Irma and she knew she couldn’t stand another day working with Vern. She'd worked hard to get to the top at Channel 6, but there was a part of her wondering if it was worth it to keep trying after today. It was endless stress to look and act her best daily in front of millions... Maybe it would be nice to go underground- at least for a little while.

She felt like her dating life was probably over, as well. Tucker was her last attempt at trying to land a ‘normal guy’. It was Irma’s idea to try online dating anyways. April thought about how, every time she thought she found someone that could turn into a relationship, they turned out to be mad scientists, vigilantes, or just plain jerks.
“Heheh, it’s like the only guys I can ever stand to be around are the Turtles...” she giggled to herself, squirming a bit in her seat again.
She thinks back to her date with Tucker and what she ever saw in him. He was too… clean cut. Too stuffy. Too normal? For all his slick looks, she didn't even find him all that attractive in person. Funny, because she remembered thinking he was a slam dunk from the first pictures she saw of him...

“Maybe I’ll just start over somewhere else. I wonder what Miami is like…”

April adjusted herself on the bench again and leaned forward as she dug into her eighth slice of cheese pizza. Her back felt stiff and sore as she rolled her shoulders. The smell of the pizza close to her face reminded her of the Turtles. No matter how badly she screwed up, those guys always had her back. They always wanted to hang out with her too, like she was the coolest person they knew. Really, they were probably the best friends she'd ever had!

“I can’t believe I just shut them out like that... I should stop in and see what’s going on. Maybe I could pass my resume off to Splinter since I’ll be job hunting, soon!” She joked to no one.

April looked into the pizza box and all that was left was a greasy stain in the middle of the cardboard. She stood up, rolled her hands over her stomach to smooth out the fabric bunching up over her tummy and stretched. She wasn't jiggling nearly as much as she remembered she had earlier this morning. She still had a bit of a slight paunch, but it looked less like it was flabby, so there was one small point for her self-esteem.

“Ouch!”

Before she could mull it over, April felt a tight, constricting feeling coming from her feet. She sat back down on the bench and struggled to get her sneakers off, grunting and grumbling- the friction felt much tighter against her skin, and something about the texture just didn't feel... Right. Finally, with a pop, April pulled off her shoes, her mouth going agape as she watches as her socks immediately burst and she sees her freed feet-

Green and rough, with two wide, fatty, thick-nailed toes at the end.