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The good news was, Casey hadn’t been wrong about him.
Bad news was, Mikey couldn’t remember exactly what it was that Casey was so excited about.
The constant, pulsating slice of pain that bled through the side of his head was the only thing he could focus on. It fuelled the panic bubbling beneath his plastron the longer he stared at Leo’s splintered carapace, watching the cracks interweave and multiply in some twisted dance that vaguely reminded him of those bendy pencils he had in his room. Actually, he couldn’t remember if he still had them littered across his floor, or whether Leo had swiped them to decorate his own floor with them.
Wait, Leo.
Mikey’s vision flared as he snapped his eyes over to the bed his older brother was laying on, swathed in blankets with machines crammed around him. Even in his sleep, his beak was scrunched up in discomfort. The heart monitor next to him was beeping steadily, and Mikey watched infatuated as the neon line pranced and dipped in succession.
Weird. He couldn’t hear it over the rising crescendo of white noise that filtered through his tympanum.
Actually, why was Leo in the medical bed? More importantly, where was Donnie?
Why was he in the medical bay?
Mikey’s eyes traversed the walls of the infirmary, feeling unease pinch his arms viciously, before they landed on the familiar outline of a hunched silhouette sat on a chair, with their large tail nervously thumping against the bare floor. The glossy marbles inside his skull flitted upwards and caught sight of a bright red cloth wrapped around a green square.
Wait, that green square was Raph.
Where was Leo?
“Are you sure he’s fine, Donnie?”
Just as he was about to begin his search for the slider, the green square started speaking. Raph was speaking, and Mikey tried in vain to focus his vision on his hulking form. If the haze from his vision were to dispel, he’d see Raph pick and scratch nervously at his scales, peering at Donnie with wide, glossy eyes.
“Yes.” The softshell’s response was clipped, beak snapping shut so fast Mikey barely registered him speak.
“Nothing permanent, right? It was just his shell that was a problem?" Raph spoke from his corner, hands now clenched around one another with his claws digging into his skin. He was doing a bad job at concealing his concern, as Mikey noticed his good eye dart between the blue lump on the bed and Donnie.
Ah, there was Leo.
It looked as if he was torn between yanking them both in a hug and never letting them go or turning tail and running out of the makeshift medbay.
If it weren’t for Leo sprawled in bed hooked up to machines, Mikey thought he’d do the same.
Donnie sighed as he massaged his temple. Mikey’s eyes shut for a brief moment and suddenly, the blob of purple was sitting down next to Raph. The steady beeping of the monitor seemed to put both his oldest brothers on edge. "My answer hasn't changed the last five times you've asked this, Raph. He'll be fine."
The eldest frowned, and Mikey watched in real time as he gained another ridge to his Raph Chasm. He watched as he gently placed a hand on the softshell’s shoulder, before tearing it away like it burned at the warbled churr of pain that escaped him. He blinked and suddenly Donnie was pacing back and forth, eyes screwed shut and hands flapping rapidly. Raph had stood up now, hands lingering in the air as apologies bubbled out of him and his tail curled ruefully around his ankle.
Mikey’s eyes swivelled over to where Leo was.
Then, he heard a hushed voice whisper, “I can check Michael’s arms, don’t worry. You did a good job bandaging them, Don. Go rest up.”
A beat of silence.
“You sure? I think he’s just keeping vigil over him. After all, he did rip a hole in time and space to get him back.”
More silence, before Mikey realised that Donnie must’ve been speaking to Raph using sign language. It wasn’t often he went non-verbal, but something must’ve happened to make him switch to communicating with his hands. It couldn’t have been Raph touching his shoulder, right?
Or maybe…
“Mikey?”
The sparks seething beneath his skin erupted the moment Raph blanketed a giant hand over his own. Mikey slowly looked up and saw his oldest brother gazing at him in concern, before his good eye flitted over to Donnie, who stood right by his side.
“He wasn’t responding. You said it was just his hands that needed fixing, right?” Raph muttered gravely.
“Correct. But that does not explain why his pupils are so dilated.” Donnie signed, painted eyebrows furrowing in concentration with an innate need to fix this. He was reaching for the goggles perched atop his head, and Mikey swore he could see the concern that tinted his eyes dark.
Oh shit, he knew that look. He was worried and would stop at nothing until the problem was solved. Mikey wouldn’t have that, not when they needed to devote their attention on those who required immediate medical attention. He was fine, so what if he was spacing out and his arms felt as if they got doused in molten fire that threatened to engulf him with each passing second? He was the psychologist, the glue that held them together, their eternal sun. He could handle a few scuffs.
And with that mission in mind, Mikey frowned and raised a shaky hand to point at Raph. “You’re scratchin’ your eye again.” He rasped out.
Donnie’s head whirled around to glare at the snapper, whose hand froze in the midst of its voyage to his swathed eye. He released a frustrated chirp as he signed furiously. “I told you to leave it alone! There’s nothing there anymore, I checked several times, remember? I swear, you’re worse than Leo.”
Mikey didn’t miss the way Donnie’s beak quivered and his signs faltered at the mention of his twin’s name, and he certainly noticed the blistering guilt that flashed across Raph’s face. He needed to book them an appointment with Dr. Feelings as soon as humanly possible. Turtle-y possible. Mutant turtle-y possible? Turtle–
“I just wanted to make sure! I’m fine, Don, I promise. It’s you and Mikey I’m worried about. We can discuss the whole eye situation later, when we–”
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing, Raph. You don’t get to deflect when we both know you’re crumbling under all this pressure! All this guilt you carry!”
“I told you before Donnie, everyone’s dependent on me! I have to look after all of you!”
“We look after each other! We’re brothers, in case you’ve forgotten. I swear, Raph, if I find out you’re hiding something from me I’ll weld you to the–”
Great. His attempt at pivoting their attention away from him led to them biting at each other’s throats. Some brother he was. If Leo were here he’d–
Wait, where was Leo?
Mikey almost gave himself whiplash with how fast he swivelled around in his chair, body lurching dangerously to one side before righting itself at the sight of Leo next to him. He was here, he was safe. He got him out.
Out of where?
He couldn’t remember. Why couldn’t he remember?
He was– his arms burned, his brothers were here, he must’ve– something must’ve happened. Mikey’s eyes slid over to where Leo’s carapace was tightly swaddled in bandages, where he could see the cracks despite the hooks tightly securing the sections in place. Oh shit. Leo’s shell was cracked. What happened? Why couldn’t he remember?
The memories he harnessed were all foggy, draped in a blurry haze of dull pigments, with echoes of grey, red, pink–
The pain ricocheted throughout his skull like a gunshot, pulsing in tandem with the agony gurgling underneath his bandaged arms. Mikey bit back a whimper, squeezing his eyes shut as everything was suddenly too much. The lights, the monotone beeping, his own laboured breaths.
He was so lost. And without his brothers unwavering guidance, he felt just like the little tot that used to cling to Raph’s spikey shell when venturing out into the dark sewers. How pathetic was that? He wasn’t a kid anymore, he could deal with his own problems just fine. Nobody had to know.
Right?
If he were to ask Raph that, he’d shake his head disapprovingly and immediately beg to differ. He saw Mikey hunched over Leo’s bed, gripping the blankets tightly despite the evident tremor that rocked through his hands. He was meant to protect his baby brother, protect them all and shield them from danger, but he had to go and get himself captured by the Krang. Though, that was mostly Leo’s fault. Raph felt a twinge of remorse bite him.
Because of the slider, he had gotten infected and could no longer be the pillar of stability his family depended on. He was ripped away from them, hissing and snarling, and forced to serve as the Krang’s pawn, tainting the resolute loyalty he always wore proudly. Because of his younger brother’s impulsive and reckless behaviour, his shell got pierced and he could no longer see out of his right eye.
But he made those sacrifices to protect Leo.
And yet, he couldn’t stop him from sealing himself away in that horrid wasteland, taking all the warmth and joy with him despite the supernova that shattered the evening sky.
Raphael failed his brothers. No matter what happened, he had to live with that for the rest of his life.
A polished sheet of purple metal bumped against his arm and dragged him out of his thoughts. He glanced down and saw Donnie with his arms wrapped around himself, looking forlornly towards Leo and Mikey. It seemed as if they were both thinking about what the Krang almost tore away from them.
It took a few seconds before the softshell unravelled his arms from their cocoon against his plastron and signed, “I need to check Angelo’s arms.” He jutted his chin towards Raph. “You’re due for a check-up too, Raphala.”
Before Raph could reply, Donnie turned towards the box turtle, who was still staring intensely at Leo's cot, stiff with fatigue. It was starting to alarm him; Mikey had never been this quiet, always bursting with energy that rivalled even Donnie’s most extravagant inventions.
“I’m worried about him.” Raph muttered.
The heart monitor crooned soothingly.
“Me too.” Donnie whispered, smirking softly at the blinding grin he got in response, and gestured towards their little brother. “Also need to check his eyes.”
Raph nodded firmly, already walking over to Mikey, whose brows pinched together in confusion. Why was Donnie talking about his eyes? He could see perfectly fine! What about Leo? They still needed to figure out what villain injured his brother this badly. Pizza Supreme, his shell was broken! Mikey didn't care that he could still feel energy pulsing beneath his fractured skin, making the cuts flare brightly beneath his bandages. He was restless. He needed to do something, anything.
"Mikey?" Donnie's sharp voice cut through his thoughts. The box turtle could see his hands moving in his peripheral vision, "Are you with us?"
He blinked and his eyes slid upwards to scrutinise Raph's covered eye. "Yeah Dee, sure am. Can I ask you something?"
The softshell cast a worried glance towards Raph and began tapping away on the holographic screen that popped up from his wrist. He flattened his expression and finger spelled, "Go on."
"What happened to Raphie's eye?"
Silence.
Donnie's hand stopped moving and his eyes snapped onto him. Raph's entire body flinched and he let out a strangled gasp. They stared at him in bewilderment, before their faces twisted in distress. Mikey resisted the urge to tug at his bandages nervously. He… didn’t say anything bad, did he? From the way Raph was staring at him with one wide, fearful eye and hands shooting upwards to cover his beak, yeah, he must’ve said something awful.
So, naturally, he started rambling.
“Look– ‘m just asking. You… everything is kinda confusing and m’head hurts and Leo isn’t waking up and I’m scared somethin’ happened and I wasn’t there to help, y’know? And– Raph’s eye is freaking me out and I just– was it Hypno? No, no, that can’t be right, I– Why are you lookin’ at me like that?” Mikey stuttered.
Donnie’s eyebrows were so far up his forehead Mikey was starting to think they’d sail off into the ceiling. His eyes were darting between him and Raph, as if he was seeking the oldest’s guidance in what to do in this situation. But Donnie was the brains around the lair, he had the answers to everything, so why was he growing more panicked by the second?
“Okay.” Donnie stammered, mind blanking in his shock. “Okay. This is bad. Shit, what did Leo teach us during those first aid lessons he forced us to take?” Donnie’s fingers fumbled inputting the right letters in his haste to search up ways to fix whatever the hell was wrong with Mikey.
“I– Check for injuries?” Raph staggered over and tightly gripped his little brother’s shoulders, accidentally jostling him from his momentum since he had to make sure he could feel his warm scales beneath his hands because that’s a good sign, right?
“I already did that!” Donnie snapped, uttering a frustrated chirp.
“How are you feeling, big man? You said your head hurt, right? Where else does it hurt?” Raph spoke gently to him, putting on his big brother facade of saccharine reassurance that annoyed Mikey to no end.
“Jeez, Raph. You and Don are actin’ as if m’dying.” Mikey slurred, feebly attempting to shove his hands off. That action only resulted in the snapper gripping his shoulders tighter.
“Donnie!” Raph shouted in alarm. “He’s not dying, right?!”
“If he was he wouldn’t be conscious right now, dum dum!” Donnie grumbled, shuffling over to his computer to broaden his search. “Check his eyes!”
Raph gently tilted his head backwards, and Mikey winced as the bright lights from above immediately assaulted his vision and sparked the ringing to return. He felt as if he was floating, gliding through the air as wisps of smoke and static encircled him and– Oh, Raph looked terrified, his singular pupil blown wide and breath hitching.
That wasn’t good.
“Donnie– Donnie! I need you to come over here right now!” Raph barked out in a panic, gently cradling Mikey’s face in his hands. This was nice. He subconsciously leaned into the warmth that bloomed at the contact and let out a content chirp.
“What? What is it?” Donnie was by his side in seconds, staring intently at him before his eyes widened in realisation. “Oh. I see what the problem is now.”
“Then tell me!” Raph yelled, distraught eye locking onto Mikey, his baby brother. Oh Pizza Supreme, his baby brother was in pain. “His pupils are uneven and they’re shaking!”
“That’s because he’s concussed.” Donnie supplied helpfully, sprinting over to a large, silver machine and almost tripping over the wires and apparatus scattered across the floor. “I need to check whether his brain’s started bleeding inside his skull. Don’t move him! I’ll be right back!”
Whether or not Donnie meant that in positive manner was lost to him. Mikey watched Raph turn three shades paler and utter a strangled, “What?”
A hand popped out from the hoard of flickering engines and hardware, finger spelling a sharp, “Give me a minute!"
“Mikey doesn’t have a minute!” Raph hissed loudly, tension coiling around his shoulders and tail lashing around anxiously. Mikey whined in pain as the pandemonium within his head multiplied. Raph’s expression crumpled. “Crap, I’m sorry Angelo, you’re okay, shh, Raph’s gotcha. You’re safe.”
But he wasn’t. His arms hurt, his head was killing him, something was up with Raph’s eye and–
Mikey’s own eyes widened.
Where’s Leo?
“You’re okay. You’re okay. Raphie’s here.” Raph whispered soothingly, stomach churning with guilt as he watched his baby brother squirm miserably. He gently drew him into his scarred arms and tucked his head against his plastron, churring softly. The brisk action made fireworks burst inside Mikey’s head and he gasped out in pain, writhing in his hold.
Leo– He needed to get to Leo–
“Hey, hey, easy–”
“Leo,” Mikey rasped out, lungs burning for air as he rammed his hands against Raph’s biceps, sending a crackle of agony up his muscles as the cuts splintered open again, staining his bandages a dark crimson. “where’s– Leo, I can’t– Leo?”
Raph immediately slackened his grasp on him, ensuring he didn’t tumble out, and twisted his body so he could see Leo sleeping peacefully in his cot. “He’s alright! He’s home, we’re all safe. You got him out, remember?” He reassured him.
The box turtle relaxed, a brief respite, before his body tensed and his head whirled to the side. “Donnie? Where’s Dee? Where–” Mikey’s pupils had dilated even more, darting around in a frenzy as he teetered to the side. He reminded Raph of those cats with wobbly cat syndrome, except the condition they were dealing with was urgent, serious. Donnie said his brain could be bleeding.
“He’s fine! He’s right here, don’t worry.” Raph churred deeply again, trying his best to calm Mikey down, but the youngest’s strained breathing had quickened the longer he couldn’t spot Donnie, and Raph cursed internally as he watched him dissolve into a panic attack.
“Raph– Raph, please, where’s Dee?” Mikey peered up at him with tears shimmering in his eyes, and Raph’s heart split in two.
Pull yourself together. Raph berated himself, before gathering him up in his arms and shielding his eyes with a hand. He remembered Leo telling him once that bright lights weren’t good for patients with concussions. “I’m going to get him right now, okay little man? Breathe.”
He gingerly lowered Mikey on the medical cot parallel to Leo, feeling his heart clench painfully at the hiccuping gasps that slipped from his beak, intermingling with the harrowing chirps he let out. Raph replied back with a rumbling churr of his own as he took his bandaged hand and positioned it directly in the centre of his chest. Mikey’s eyes locked onto the gnarly crack that ran from the edges of his plastron and frowned unevenly.
“Mikey, I need you to breath with me, alright?” Raph gently squeezed his trembling hand and inhaled deeply. “Remember what Leo said, breath in for four seconds, hold for seven, out for eight.” He needed to check where Donnie had run off to, because it had been way too long and he wasn’t sure if his heart could deal with two injured younger brothers. Leo almost dying in the Prison Dimension would haunt him for years to come.
“Okay.” Mikey sniffled and tried inhaling and exhaling as steadily as he could. “Dee’s okay, right?” He knew his big brother wouldn’t dream of lying to him, yet the tendrils of anxiety dug deep into his subconscious, insisting that something was wrong. Donnie was missing, he was meant to be right here alongside them, alongside his twin–
He took another deep breath, feeling his ninpō gradually calm down like snowflakes flowing through the air. He was okay. He was safe.
Mikey opened his eyes and saw Raph’s bandaged eye. The snapper offered him a relieved grin, one that proudly displayed his snaggletooth.
His mouth opened before he could stop it. “What happened to your eye?”
Raph’s face crumpled in dismay, and before he could dwell on the suffocating sensation of failure, a purple blur came barrelling towards them.
“Raph! Good news! Mikey’s brain isn’t bleeding!” Donnie signed rapidly, smiling and looking as if he was five seconds away from prancing around the medbay in delight. “I ran a CT scan on the lifeforms inside the lab – that’s us by the way – and came to the conclusion that it’s merely a very bad, no good concussion. Which, I am sure Angelo will recover from in at least five weeks–”
“How did you– Five weeks?!” Raph spluttered out incredulously, to which Donnie held out a wagging finger to him.
“Yes yes, but considering we are mutant turtles chemically enhanced by Draxum, I estimate that he shall be fully healed in a week or two.” Donnie smirked triumphantly and peeked an eye open to look at his stunned expression. “Please, save the applause for later.”
Raph let out a shuddering laugh that almost morphed into a sob. Donnie must’ve noticed, as his smirk slipped into something less refined. “He’ll be fine. I promise. At least I can now confidently say we have all survived the Invasion, rejoiced laugh. Want me to ask April to throw a party?”
“Pizza supreme Dee, get over here.” Raph chuckled wetly, ignoring the stray tear that slipped down his face. He hoisted his arm upwards, as if waiting for Donnie to barrel right into him and fit snugly into his embrace.
The softshell perked up significantly. No one was able to resist Raph’s hugs, not even Donnie with his emotionally unavailable bad boy image. Even when the ferocious arguments Leo had with him reached their climax, the slider would seek out Raph in the early hours of the night when his insomnia would endlessly plague him.
Just as Donnie was about to hurl himself into the snapper, Mikey wrenched himself upright from the bed he was slouched in, eyes wide and unseeing.
“Angie?” Donnie whispered, redirecting his collision course to instead stop on the opposite side of his bed, mirroring Raph’s tense posture.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
Donnie's eyes darted over to study Raph's expression, but he could only detect unadulterated terror in his healthy eye. Shit.
"Donnie, what's wrong with him?" Raph asked, voice trembling.
"I–" Donnie stammered, uncertainty leaking into his voice. This wasn’t meant to happen. "I don't–"
Mikey let out a sudden whine, hands fumbling to grip Raph's tightly. He was shivering violently, body curling in on itself, before his eyes snapped over to Donnie.
"Dee, where's Leo? I don't... I don’ feel s’good." He slurred and let out a shrill chirp, one that was echoed by both his brothers in frantic succession, trying to coax him away from his fears and into their net of safety.
Donnie swallowed thickly and fumbled to heave his goggles over his eyes. Warnings and red screens swamped his vision as he tried desperately to reign them in. Elevated heart rate. High body temperature. Intense shivering. Slurred speech. The list was interminable.
Mikey was getting worse.
"Mike– Hey, easy little brother, Leo's safe, everyone's okay I promise–" Raph rattled on flimsy reassurances that fell on deaf ears. Mikey's breathing spiked and his eyes glazed over as he sluggishly struck Raph's chest over and over again to try shove him back–
Donnie's eyes widened. "Raph! Move!" He yelled. Raph's worried eye shot towards him and he signed furiously, "He's going to–"
Too late. Raph barely managed to avoid getting puked on as Mikey lurched to the side and emptied the contents of his stomach onto the floor. Donnie failed to suppress a gag and turned away.
Raph cursed, whirling around to Donnie and barking out an instruction or... something. The meaning was lost to Mikey. He could hear his heartbeat thundering in his tympanum. His arms hurt. His vision swam as he stared at the pool of vomit and spit that was tinged a concerning reddish colour. He coughed and coughed and–
Oh God, he was going to die.
"–ikey! Calm– everything's–"
His vision was sparking like a frenzied power box. Static engulfed the edges as he slumped back against the mound of pillows and blankets like a star going supernova.
"Mikey! No, no! Stay awake!"
Someone was shaking him. He didn't know where Leo was, but the gashes on his arms whispered reassuringly to him that he was safe. Their existence was the reason he still had all three of his brothers. They were safe.
"Angelo! Angelo please!"
Mikey's eyes fluttered shut and he hummed in relief. Darkness blanketed his vision.
That was the only confirmation he needed.
It wasn't the first time Mikey greeted consciousness with a pounding headache, but unease stirred within his gut and told him that something bad must’ve happened to make him feel like this.
Something that he didn't remember. So he was off to a great start.
That was until reality steadily unfurled itself from its tight grasp on his mind and blessed Mikey's ears with–
"Have you lost your shell?!"
Wait. Was that Leo?
Mikey blearily wrenched open an eye before immediately screwing it shut at the flurry of lights pecking his vision. He let out a shaky groan and the background noise ceased like a rubber band snapping.
"Leo!" That was Raph. "Don’t wake him up. He needs the rest."
A scoff. "I'd know, because it was me who had to made sure there was no intracranial haemorrhaging. Jeez, hermanos, you're lucky it was his retrograde memory that was an issue. If it was his anterograde then, shit. It wouldn't have been pleasant."
"Language, Leo." Raph chastised, though it lacked the bite his usual reprimands held.
A prolonged sigh. "Sorry. Just– you couldn't have gotten Casey or April to help with administering the IV line?"
Something shuffled. "We could have. Though, we were having some difficulty dealing with the situation considering our baby brother had just thrown up blood on the floor. And passed out. Did I mention he passed out?" That was unmistakeably Donnie. He could hear the sarcasm dripping from his words.
"Tell me you at least cleaned it up."
"I'm not an animal. I had Raph deal with the vomit."
"You’re insufferable, Dee. Remind me to kick your ass after my leg heals."
"Threat dismissed. My ass is made out of titanium so have fun breaking your other leg too, Nardo."
Mikey couldn't suppress the giggle that bubbled out of his wilted throat. The unexpected screech of chairs grinding across the floor scratched against his ears uncomfortably, before he heard several feet scurry towards him.
"Mikey? Are you awake?"
He drawled out a hum. "M'head hurts."
He could hear someone inhale sharply before Leo's unwavering voice rang out. "That's to be expected. You wiped out big time, Angelo. Didn't we tell you not to mess around with gravity?"
Mikey cracked open an eye and glared indignantly at him, grumbling. "Weren’t my fault. Didn' see the huge floatin' rock behind me."
Leo's voice seemed more buoyant, as if he was grinning wildly. "Oh yeah? And do you remember how exactly that happened?"
How could he not? They almost killed his brother. Mikey felt the familiar tendrils of abhorrence wreathe around his chest and he hissed despite the fatigue weighing his body down. "Krang."
It was silent for a moment, before Leo choked out a strangled laugh of delight. "Yeah, that's right bud. It was the Krang."
Mikey finally managed to peel open his eyes and grimaced at the onslaught of brightness. A few seconds later the lights dimmed and the blobs of colour in front of him began resembling each of his older brothers.
Raph looked as if he was one mushy word away from bursting into tears with a huge grin gracing his beak. Leo and Donnie were wearing twin expressions of relief, looking thoroughly exhausted. Though, the slider was using Donnie as a makeshift crutch, arm looped around his shoulders and depositing his weight on the leg not encased in a cast. Actually, almost every part of Leo’s body was swaddled in bandages. Mikey narrowed his eyes as he took in their dishevelled appearances.
"Have any of you been sleepin' whilst I was out?"
The twins' heads snapped to the side to suddenly inspect the wallpaper flaking off the walls. Donnie even began counting each pattern under his breath. Raph at least had the decency to look sheepish.
Pizza Supreme, Mikey’s brothers were idiots. He could spot the dark bags under their eyes from miles away. "You're all getting a group therapy session from Dr. Feelings. No buts." He declared brazenly, before shakily lifting a bandaged arm to point at Donnie threateningly. “I’m looking at you Dee. You won’t escape me this time. Nuh uh.”
Leo snickered, earning himself a death glare from the softshell. "Already making appointments after sleeping off a concussion? Does going on vacation not sound promising, hm, doctor?"
"It'll be Dr. Delicate Touch if you're not careful, Leon."
Leo's smug face fell and he gulped. "Duly noted."
Serves him right. The sinking feeling in Mikey’s gut had abated the moment all his brothers were in his field of view. They were safe. He successfully yanked Leo out of the Prison Dimension, teeth clenched and arms crackling as a result of his sheer tenacity. He’d have to thank Casey later by making him his favourite food, because he seriously was the best mystic warrior to ever exist!
He dug his hands into the blankets, pushing himself up, and was cheerfully greeted with a flash of white hot pain that raked through his arms like he was touching scorching hot metal.
Okay. Maybe he inflated his ego a bit too much.
Mikey let out a strangled gasp as his arms crumpled and he would’ve teetered off the bed, were it not for the flurry of hands that shot out to steady him. "I'm fine. 'm okay." He muttered on reflex, flinching as he experimentally flexed his hands and failed to even clench them. They granted him one pitiful twitch before all the firepower he had drained from him and he dumped them in his lap. He scowled.
Of course, his brothers noticed his disappointment.
Especially one certain red-eared slider.
“Wh– Nardo!” Donnie exclaimed in surprise as his twin hauled himself off his shoulder and limped towards the vacant seat next to the box turtle’s bed. He flopped onto it unceremoniously and sent him a solemn look, beak curving into a grimace that was mirrored by the other two.
Shit. Shit. Mikey knew that look. It was the same look Leo wielded whenever he was in medic-mode, primed to dish out some seriously gnarly news, like he was about to tell him he had permanent nerve damage and would never be able to draw again.
Oh.
His eyes widened. Oh, that’s probably what he was going to tell him.
“Angelo… Look, I wanted to say– Woah! Angie?!” Leo spluttered as Mikey promptly burst into tears.
“Why has he started crying. Leon, I swear–”
“Leo! What did you do?!” Raph scrambled to reach Mikey’s side, almost toppling over a stationary Donnie in his haste as he gently began brushing away the tears that streamed down his face. He tucked him against his chest and chirped soothingly as he hiccuped and sobbed.
“He didn’t do nothing.” Mikey sniffled, quivering arms folding closer to his body. “I just–” His eyes shone dangerously and he could tell he had unintentionally kicked their big brother instincts into overdrive. “You were gonna tell me that my hands are ruined forever, right?” Leo cowered away as he turned his distressed gaze onto him. “That I’ll never be able to draw ever again, right?”
His big brother’s guilt-ridden look softened immensely and he reached over to drape a hand over his. Mikey’s fingers twitched, managing a light squeeze. “No, little brother. That wasn’t what I was going to say.” Leo avoided his eyes as he glanced away and scrunched up his beak bitterly. “I was going to tell you that I never want you to do something like that ever again.”
What? Mikey frowned and was ready to retort when Donnie pitched in, “I agree. What you did was borderline suicidal, Mikey. You knew you weren’t going to make it, yet you did it anyway and, thank Newton, survived.”
Damn. Looks like he’d been caught. The box turtle struggled to come up with a viable excuse that could mitigate the damage done, but his mind was still hazy from all the painkillers swirling around in his system. Screw Leo for being such a good medic.
“Mikey…” He had never heard Raph sound so scared.
“I just had to get him back, okay? No matter the cost.” Mikey declared firmly, ignoring his throbbing arms. “You all would’ve done the same thing, don’t try to deny it. I was the only one who could get him back with my mystic powers, and... if it meant sacrificing myself to get Leo back, I’d do it all over again without hesitation.”
He felt Raph cradle him tighter against his plastron, burying his beak in the back of his neck and releasing a choked chirp. Donnie looked haunted, as if his world was crumbling once again before his very eyes. Leo just wouldn’t stop staring at him with darkened eyes and mouth slightly ajar in disbelief. Mikey got the distinct feeling that beneath that carefully constructed facade, he was seconds away from shattering like one of Pop’s old ceramic pots.
It was silent for a few seconds, save for Raph’s shaky breathing, before Donnie humourlessly stated, “I think it’s time we all apply for therapy.”
Leo snorted out an unsteady laugh, letting the tears building up slip. He rubbed them away and arched a brow at the softshell. “It took us nearly dying to figure that one out?”
Donnie rolled his eyes as he dragged over a chair and plonked down next to his twin. Leo almost immediately leaned his entire weight against him, exhaustion evident in his hunched posture. Donnie wordlessly wrapped an arm around him. “Scoff. Apparently so, as Angelo previously stated, we all suck at self preservation.”
“Understatement of the century, Dee.” Mikey quipped, struggling to keep his eyes open as sleep weighed his mind down, ready to join Leo in his imminent slumber. It wasn’t his fault Raph was a living radiator and churring occasionally. Cherished memories flashed through his mind, where he was curled up inside his shell atop Raph’s carapace. They were all bundled together in a turtle pile, letting his resounding warbles lull them to sleep.
“Go to sleep, Mikey. We’ll be here when you wake up, I promise.” Raph rumbled comfortingly. “We’re finally home, big man. We made it.”
Mikey let out a happy trill as his eyes slipped shut, nuzzling closer to the snapper. Leo squeezed his hand gently, rubbing small circles into his scales. Donnie chirped and dimmed the lights further. Darkness blanketed his vision.
His brothers were here alongside him, and nothing could ever break them apart. That was the only confirmation he needed, and Mikey let himself drift off to sleep surrounded by warmth that didn’t burn his skin.