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There it was again. A faint buzzing at the back of his skull. He must’ve done something wrong again. Mikey didn’t know when all this had started. He’d woken up one morning with it and it hadn’t gone away until after Splinter scolded him for something in the dojo- or, more specifically- when he’d smacked him on the head with his staff.
That had been years ago. Now he knew he just needed to be punished when it happened. Even just a smack did it, or a finger bend, but he preferred being pinned, even if it hurt more.
He slipped out of his room to go find his brothers. He checked all around the lair only to find a note on the TV saying they’d went on a mission without him.
Well, shit.
The buzzing grew worse, practically banging against his skull like an animal trying to escape. He wished his brothers were here. He didn’t want them to be mad, just to make him face the consequences of whatever he’s forgotten he did- or hasn’t done yet- and forgive him. He threw his head back and it smacked on the couch. Ow.
He did it again.
The buzzing dulled. He did it again.
It wasn’t enough, he needed someone else to do it. No one else was there. He kept doing it.
The turnstiles creaking snapped Mikey out of it and he squished his head against the couch, the pressure keeping most of the buzzing on the down-low for now.
April smiled at him, giving a small wave. He reciprocated, silently offering a spot on the couch.
He started talking- about what, he didn’t know. It went on for a couple minutes, April giving her two cents every once in a while, asking where the others were and why he wasn’t with them.
It made the buzzing worse.
He moved to sit up on the couch and that’s when it came back more, begging him to reach out to her, and he almost did, stopping himself by grabbing her bag instead and casually looking through it.
She said something, but he didn’t hear. He just needed to make her upset enough to hit him and let it go. He just needed everyone else to let it go and he’d be fine.
He found her T-phone and picked it up, dropping it and making it look like an accident.
It didn’t break, but it sounded like it might have. She reached down to grab it, saying something else- she was probably mad. Mikey didn’t know why he couldn’t convince himself that it was what he wanted- and sitting up roughly.
Mikey braced himself. Finally, someone would make it go away .
“Hey,” she called instead. “Mikey, are you even listening to me? I said be careful! Do you want me to tell Donnie you’re the reason he has to fix it?”
Mikey didn’t know if that scared him or not. He knew it should. He shook his head.
“Are you feeling okay?” April asked, looking into his eyes, her own filled with worry and love, like the big sister they never got. “You look a little out of it.”
She placed a hand on his forehead and the world came crashing down. He leant into the touch with a shaky sigh, closing his eyes and clinging to the small gesture like his life depended on it.
“I don’t think you have a fever,” she said, moving her hand away, seemingly oblivious to how he followed after it. “Well, I don’t know turtle biology that well, that’s a Donnie question, but I-”
Mikey wrapped his arms around her. He just wanted a hug, someone to be close.
April seemed surprised, chuckling a little and asking if he was okay. He answered with a mumble, nuzzling his beak into the crook of her neck, so she just hugged back.
When Mikey woke up, he hadn’t been moved. April was asleep, too, her head on his, and everything was the same apart from the note off the TV, suggesting that his brothers had come home.
Another noticeable thing was that the buzzing was gone. He didn’t understand- then again, when did he understand anything?- but he didn’t care. He hadn’t felt this loved and rested in a long time.