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Mikey clutched his pillow over his head, trying to drown out the hard voices that spoke outside his room. Tears pricked at his eyes, threatening to fall. His entire body shook, giving off the impression that the terrapin was cold and in need of a blanket. Donnie and Raph continued to yell, their words jumbled and nearly blurred as Mikey began to hear ringing. How long have his brothers been yelling..?
The orange clad has lost count of how many times Donnie and Raph had screamed at each other, keeping Mikey and Splinter up into the late hours of the night.
Mikey whimpered, his legs itching to rest inside his shell. Their voices were fueled by exhaustion and the deep sadness that was held within their hearts. He wondered if their throats hurt yet since they'd been at it for what felt like hours. He prayed that his elder brothers would just stop and try to calm their emotions. A part of the terrapin knew it was useless to hope for such a thing- especially since their actions and feelings were driven by the loss of the missing brother.
Leonardo had not made it out of the prison dimension.
Mikey was not able to open a portal like he had so desperately tried to do. His efforts were in vain as nothing happened. He lost his brother.
The slider had started to haunt his dreams mere days after the invasion, watching from afar as the orange clad ran through the darkness, sobbing and crying for anyone to come and wake him- to comfort and hold him. No one ever came, allowing him to huddle in a ball, surrounded by black and silence. Mikey could feel a gaze on him every time he managed to sleep. A rather familiar pair of eyes that were outlined in a pale gray. The box turtle had tried several times to reach out to the figure but it only seemed to back away with every step he took.
As the days turning into weeks passed, Mikey slowly started to see more details when it came to the watcher of his dark dreams. After the eyes came the neck, then the shoulders and arms. A plastron-like shape followed shortly after, forming into a pair of legs and feet that resembled a specific turtle figure.
Mikey was only sure that it was Leo once the stripes became visible, running down the blank orbs and scales.
The terrapin cried out when he saw the body once again as he slept, his legs already running at full speed as he ran across the depths of the blackness, arms outstretched and tears falling from his eyes.
But as always, the shadow refused to let him touch it, making him chase until he finally slipped and woke up, tears running down his cheeks.
Mikey knew it was Leo. He just didn't know why his big brother kept his distance when he was right there!
The spotted terrapin jumped once more when he heard a harsh bang, eyes opening wide as he turned to his curtains. There was silence. Not a single sound was echoed throughout the lair, making Mikey shake. Worry edged him to stumble off of his makeshift bed, his knees nearly buckling at the weight of his body. His hands shook uncontrollably as he grasped the fabric, hesitantly pulling it away so that he could see outside.
Raph and Donnie stood there, staring at each other, chests heaving and teeth clenched. Next to them stood the smashed television they had found a while ago, the screen shattered into many little pieces. The softshell turtle had tears pricking his orbs, his body trembling with pure adrenaline and anger. The eldest hugged shakely, his mystic fists falling into nonexistent particles. Mikey stared, horrified at how his brothers could continue to fight each other like this.
Hadn't they all suffered enough already?
Mikey gulped, his lips parted with involuntary trembles. A single whimper escaped his throat, catching the attention of the other two turtles in the room.
They looked truly petrified once they finally noticed their little brother who had been listening to their constant yelling for who knows how long.
"Mikey.." Raph started, taking a single step forward, Donnie's face contorted into guilt and realization. The boy stepped back, gripping his arms tightly, his nails digging into the flesh.
"Fighting won't bring Leo back.." was all he said before turning and swiping his curtain back, his legs breaking out beneath him, causing him to land on his knees and hands. A broken sob fell from his lips, his hands cradling his head. Tears fell from his eyes onto the floor, soaking his cheeks and the dirty ground with a salty taste. Everything felt fuzzy, his skull starting to spin. His gaze was blurry and wet. It was hard to see.
There was a gentle knock on the wall outside, causing the male to whimper, curling up into a ball like in his dreams, eyes shut tightly. "Mikey..? Can I come in..?" Raph asked, his tone gentle and soothing to his nonexistent ears. Mikey hesitated but let out a weak sound, allowing the snapper to approach and pick him up. He barely felt his eldest brother lay him down, covering him up with a thin blanket. Everything was still fuzzy, exhaustion having been gnawing at his insides for hours. He felt Raph giving his aching head a small kiss, muttering an apology before he sank outside, leaving the turtle on his own to walk into the darkness of his dreams once again.
Mikey peeled his tired eyes open, prepared to see his black surroundings as usual.
However, he was met with a pair of circles staring right into his, unblinking and unmoving. He blinked several times, raising a brow before his orbs doubled in size. He brought a shaky hand up, carefully grazing the cheek of the figure, a shiver going down his spine at the coldness that he was greeted with. The shadow seemed to chuckle at the touch, raising its own hand and doing the same action, its scales colder than ice. Mikey found himself not minding as he grazed the white stripes over the eyes, his lips wobbly. His throat felt tight and hot, his breathing becoming hitched and overcome with a feeling that gripped his heart. "Leo..?" he muttered, the name sounding desperate on his tongue.
The shadow grinned, its hands grabbing Mikey's, hurrying to stand and twirl the box turtle in its arms. Mikey yelped in surprise, seeming to alert the slider, its movements pausing and staring at him with what he guessed was worry. He stared back, his orbs feeling wet and blurred as he wrapped his arms around the black and gray terrapin, burying his head into the plastron. He felt a ghost-like embrace wrap around his shell, pulling him closer.
"M.. Mikey?" a familiar voice called, making the said boy look up. The other turtle watched him, its lips tugging upwards in a proud grin. His own lips fell into a relieved expression, his round cheeks having been slowly rained on. He gripped the figure's arms, biting at his lower beak, almost scared to speak or move.
"Yeah?" he asked, cringing at his voice crack. The other seemed happy once he responded, cradling him as close as possible. Low churrs and purrs vibrated from its chest, automatically bringing the smaller of the two a form of comfort. The slider carefully sat Mikey back down, head tilted. The Leo-like shadow raised its hands, thumbs carefully and gently brushing away his tears. Mikey sniffed at the affection, laughing lightly. "I'm just dreaming. You're not- really here.." he muttered, his smile falling short and eyes casting down to his lap. It watched his saddened expression for a few moments, cupping his cheeks with a soft grasp. It leaned closer, grazing its cheek against his.
"What's wrong, Mikey?" Leo's voice asked, cradling the terrapin's face in its hands. The box turtle hesitated, finding himself resting his head on the figure's plastron again, feeling a pale hand run up and down his shell.
He sighed, deciding to give in to his brother's appearance.
"Donnie and Raph-.. No one is the same without you, Leo.. They argue- they fight- all the time and tonight they actually broke something.. I know they're just upset- I am too. Leo- we all miss you.. I-it's not the same.." Mikey shook, wrapping his arms around the ghost-like shadow that quietly seemed to shush him, holding him close.
"I'm sorry I left you guys.. I didn't want to, but I had to. If I could, I would go back to you and everyone else. But Mikey.. I'm not even there anymore.. I can only come to see you like this, and I was finally able to do this because I ran out of time.."
Mikey froze at those words.
Leo had died a painful death in the prison dimension.
All because Mikey couldn't open a portal to save his big brother who had so selflessly sacrificed his own young life.
The spotted turtle cried out, clinging onto Leo's spirit, his tears falling like a waterfall onto crashing rocks beneath. The slider let his little brother sob into him, his eyes shutting with a pain that haunted his mere existence. He knew that, without him, his family was incomplete and aches every day. Leo used to believe that he only needed them and that they would be okay without him.
But as he held his little brother close, he realized that they needed him too.
Despite that, the spirit did not regret his decision. He saved his family from living out a cruel world filled with nothing but death and bloodshed. He would do it all over again in a heartbeat if it meant he would keep everyone safe away from the same fate he endured.
Leo wouldn't ever be able to forgive himself if any of his dear brothers, father, or April suffered his pain.
Looking down at Mikey now, he couldn't forget that he was simply a spirit of the once slider that gave his own life for others. He knew that Mikey would have to wake up sooner or later, having to face reality once more. Leo wished he could follow him, but he could not. He was to stay as an invisible energy that roamed the world silently.
For now, Leo would comfort his baby brother until he was forced to open his eyes. He would enjoy the time they had together for just a bit longer.
"Mikey.." it whispered, gaining the boy's attention. It tried to wipe away the wetness that coated his cheeks, touching its beak to his forehead. "I love you.. I'll always be here for you whenever you close your eyes, okay?" Mikey stared up at it, shaking his head and trying his best to stop the tears that continued to threaten to fall.
"Please don't leave me, Leo.. I'm not ready yet.." he pleaded, his dream grip tightening on the shadow desperately. The slider sighed lightly, letting the terrapin rest against his plastron, keeping his arms around him tightly.
"I won't ever leave you, Mikey.."
Leonardo knew that his brothers wouldn't truly heal from his death, but he hoped that they could bring it themselves to do their best so that they could live a happy, safe life.