Dianne gasped as Donnie swung the both of them through the air with the assistance of his tech-bo. The two had a little bickering earlier, Donnie being adamant that Dianne refrain from using her portal for safety reasons. So now, the poor girl clung to him for dear life. Halfway through she wondered why he didn't use his jetpack. Donnie gave some pathetic excuse, in reality, he enjoyed having the girl in his arms. 

The purple ninja landed delicately on the glass roof of the Botanical Garden. The pair watched silently as a giant corpse flower mutant-man ushered his garden crew out, bidding good night to his precious plants before clicking the lights off. Donnie waited for the last of the humans below to shuffle out and once they were out of sight, a metal arm extended from his battle shell to cut a hole for him and Dianne to drop in.

"He plays classical music for his plants? That's some dedicated botanist." Dianne snickered and hummed to Paganini's La Campanella. Donnie shuffled closer, pulling lightly on her arm so she spun right into his plastron, "Careful, we don't want to trigger his security measures." Dianne looked confused, "Why would he have security measures for a botanical garden?"

"Eh, he's kind of crazy about this place, and plants. The last time we were here the Foot-clan messed up our night of fun and decided to summon the garden hoard." Donnie bent downwards to a control panel and yanked it open to fidget with the wires. "They waged war on my brothers and me and the Foot-clan. We went home covered in foul corpse flower juice." he continued and cringed at the memory. 

"What's the garden hoard?" Dianne asked innocently while watching Donnie with keen interest. "Yup! Didn't you see the garden security guards earlier? That my darling is the garden hoard."

Donnie fiddled with the last wire. He pointed at Dianne to watch the hall in front of them. Striking red lines appeared crisscrossing along the length of the hall. Laser lights. A few seconds later the lasers became disabled. The purple genius pumped his fist in celebration. "Damn..." Dianne whispered in an impressed tone. 

The purple genius sighed as the classical music faded to a timeless classic, Dream a Little Dream of Me by Ella Fitzgerald, "I know, right? The security feed is looped so they won't even know we're here!" he bounced on his heels like a child getting candy. Grabbing Dianne's hand, he leads her down the hallway. She blushed furiously though she did not complain. 

The couple walked slowly, both seeming to take in the scenery and the peace. Dianne was engrossed by the different plants in the garden. She fancied orchids mostly. Donnie smiled fondly at all the times he let her drag him to the different orchids so she could inspect them close. "Ouu, what's this one?", she pointed at a yellow orchid, banded with black striped. 

"That's a Brassia Orchid," he continued explaining, "Brassia orchids are distinguished by their spider-like sepals and interesting color patterns. These fragrant orchids boast numerous blooms with 8 to 12 flowers blooming from a single bulb. Brassia orchids love moisture and prefer bright, diffused light."

When he finished, he found Dianne staring at him. "Ah, shit! Sorry, Dianne. I didn't mean to ramble and bore you." 

She blinked twice and chuckled "Bore me? Donnie, I love you hear you explain these things." Donnie looked like he did not believe her so she gently rubbed his hand with her thumb. "I really do, Don." That was all he needed from her. Right after that, he found the courage to drag Dianne to the next exhibition of orchids, "These here are Encyclia orchids. Also known as 'cockleshell orchids,' they are recognized for their octopus-like shape and ability to bloom for several consecutive months. These orchids are not fragrant and bloom best when planted on an orchid mount that mimics how they naturally grow in the wild." 

Dianne saw Donnie's eyes sparkle with enthusiasm. He's so adorable, she thought to herself. They continued to go back and forth between different orchids. Discussing the different flower breeds, seasons, and colors. Dianne enjoyed all of it, especially the fact that none of them had released each other's hands. She noticed how her hands fit snugly in Donnie's. His hands were bigger, calloused by tiny nicks and scars, most likely from all the training, fighting, and inventing. Though his hands were made for hard and tough work, they were still gentle and kind. 

"Oh hey, look at these." Donnie cheered and dragged the girl to a corner. The small exhibition was decorated with a wall of moss. A tiny waterfall cascaded behind it, trickling down into a small pond below. On the wall, beautiful lilac-hued orchids bloomed. The warm lighting bounced off their delicate petals making the orchids seem like glowing neon plants. "Oh my. They are so pretty," Dianne reached a hand out to enjoy the softness of the petals. 

Donnie finally released her hand to carefully pluck one of the orchids. "Cattleya orchids. My favorite," his voice softened. "As one of the most popular orchids, cattleya orchids, also known as 'corsage orchids,' come in a variety of different colors due to hybridization. Many have freckles or streaks of contrasting colors, and they thrive best in warm climates with medium-bright light."

Donnie held the flower closer to the light and Dianne in closer to listen to what he wanted to say, "The first time I saw this orchid was surprisingly in the sewers. It was when Dad found our first home that I stumbled on this orchid." Dianne hummed. Donnie's features softened greatly, "I think this flower is the first non-harmful thing I ever came across. I didn't know anything this delicate could survive in a harsh place like the sewers."

Dianne gently leaned on Donnie's shoulders. When he didn't move her away, she fully hugged his arm, "Well, sometimes the most beautiful things can be found in the most unexpected places. When you find them there, it just lights up your life in unexpected ways," she whispered into the quiet between them. 

A fluttery feeling lit up within his stomach as fond and wanting feelings began to brew inside him. "Yeah..." just like you when you entered my life, he wanted to continue and admit it out loud but he never dared. So the turtle showed her instead by leaning his forehead on Dianne's. Their cheeks were blazing red. None of them moved away from each other. "Tell me more." Donnie agreed silently to Dianne, "I love this orchid because it made me love the color purple even more." 

Dianne laughed softly, her eyes glancing at Donnie's happy face. "I really hated my purple stripes when I was younger. Dad kept calling me purple and I figured he was teasing. After I asked him, I found out that he wasn't doing it to spite me. Dad said the color purple complimented me and gave me individuality."

Raising the flower towards Dianne, he turned the flower so that all the petals caught the display lights. "You see how the color intensifies under the light?" he asked her in a quiet voice. Dianne hummed, pressing herself closer. "I saw this exact sight when I first laid eyes on this orchid and I understood why my father spoke highly of this color. It glows and magnifies everything around it. Giving individuality and uniqueness and compliments everything around it. Ever since then, I found my love for all things purple."

Dianne giggled as her fingers pinched his purple hoodie, "I can tell. For what it's worth, you wear purple like a king." Donnie laughed airily and mumbled a shy thank you. Taking Dianne's hands in his once again, he turned to face her. "Another reason why I love this flower is that orchids are commonly associated with mature charm, thoughtfulness, refinement, love, and beauty. All of which are you, Dianne." The hand with the flower reaches up to the side of her head and he tucks the orchid between Dianne's ear. 

The girl is stunned into silence as the turtle leans down and bravely kisses the top of her head. Donatello cheekily grins at her, fully aware of the effect he had on her. This is a good sign, he concluded. That Lou Jitsu book of flirting techniques really does work. He made a mental note to thank his Dad later. 

Donnie continued his administration by raising Dianne's hands upwards and then planting a feathery kiss on her knuckles which made her jaw drop. Donnie sighed and pushed her mouth close by pushing her chin upwards with his fingers, letting them linger there for a while, "Now darling, let's go find out Wolfsbane."

---

 It didn't take too long for the two to find the herbal exhibition. Dianne took the lead and began searching among the different herbs. Finally, she stumbled across a glass-covered mini garden. "Poisonous plant. Do not touch with bare hands." Donnie stepped closer, seeing the sign she read. "Good thing I always come prepared," metal claws extended from the battle shell, and Donnie remotely extracted several stems of wolfsbane from the roots, then he put them into a conical flask and sealed the opening with a cork." He made sure to close the mini-garden properly.

Another metal claw emerged with a spray of disinfectant and sprayed the flask clean of any wolfsbane poison. Once he deemed it safe, Donnie handed Dianne the flask. She bobbed a curtsy to him, "Why, thank you, kind sir. I'll be sure to see this beautiful specimen reach proper hands safely."

"For you, anything darling." Donnie cocked a brow and played along. He remembered Lou Jitsu's flirting technique number 5: when you see your shot with the girl take it. So his confidence soared, "But... before we return to our humble abode, shall this wonderful belle allow this gentleman a celebratory dance?"

Dianne bit her lip and giddily chuckled at Donatello's suaveness. Placing the flask down, Dianne reached out for his waiting hand, "Oh, Donnie... Yes, you may have this dance."

Smiling a lovesick smile, Donnie whisked the girl close to him. Dianne squealed, one hand bracing on his chest, the other firm in his hand. Dianne couldn't help smiling more when Donnie winked at her, "Thank you, dearest." Up ahead, the night sky cleared to reveal billions of glowing stars that glittered down into the herbal garden. The pale moonlight rained down on them like a spotlight as the darkness of the herbal garden made the pair the center of all attention.

"Stars, shining bright above you... Night breezes seem to whisper, I love you,"

Donnie gently led Dianne into a sway. Rocking on his heels as he brought the girl to rest against him. She shivered and tucked her face into his plastron. 

"Birds singing in the sycamore tree...Dream a little dream of me...."

The music resonated deep in their hearts as it brought the two souls together in harmony and sync. Seeing Dianne in such peace let him lean his head on hers, untangling his hand from hers to fully envelop her into a hug.

"Say 'Night-ie night' and kiss me...Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me"

Dianne soaked up the warmth Donnie offered, feeling safe and secure there. Donnie heard her sweet voice sing. She had a voice of an angel. He swooned and churred. 

"While I'm alone and blue as can be"

The purple genius joined her, not missing a beat.

Hearts beating as one, Mr. Hamato and Ms. Rosetta sang to their soul's contents. Their eyes met, showing one another an unspoken feeling as they sang to each other their thoughts.

"Dream a little dream of me".

---

Back at the lair, Donatello walked Dianne right up to her room. The girl leaned against the doorframe, "Thanks, for tonight." 

"Nah, don't worry about it. The mission was a success" 

Dianne shook her head laughing, "Yes. Yes, it was but I really wanted to thank you for everything else, tonight." It took a while for Donnie to register what she said. "Oh...OH... you mean...everything else."

Dianne watched as the turtle became a shy mess, cheeks red and all. "Mhmm. I have to admit, it felt amazing."

Donnie chuckled unbelievably, "Even the orchid rambles?"

"Yes, Donnie," she sweetly replied.

"and the dance?" 

Donnie then watched in shock as the girl before he pressed a kiss to his ruby-red cheek. "Especially the dance, and the flower." Dianne's sparkling eyes made Donnie's heart thump rapidly, in every good way. The orchid tucked in her hair only brought her encapturing eyes out even more. 

"Haha..." the turtle melted. 

Dianne shook her head with adoration, "I'll keep the orchid right by my bed stand. Good night, Donnie."

The door to Dianne's room closed, leaving a love-sick turtle behind. He pressed his hand to his cheek where she just kissed him and stood there feeling Cupid's arrow of love pierce his heart "Good night, Dianne."