A/N: here's the second of four one-shots, written to celebrate me hitting Chapter Twenty with my on-going TMNT fanfic, Mysteries of High School: Sophomore Year. 2012 MikeyxAngel, set BEFORE Battle For New York. This is closer to my interpretation of 2012!Angel, the design being inspired by ActionKiddy's adorable design of her as well as the IDW design
I honestly have no idea who's going to turn out to be Casey's sister, but I'm hoping it's Angel, so… yeah
Casey's Sister
It was Mikey's turn to go out and look for survivors. He wouldn't mind, except he was going out on his own to search for humans who might've managed to hide from the Kraang for all this time. Mikey was a social creature at heart anyway, but being alone in New York now was the worst. Maybe because he was totally alone.
Sure, before the invasion, he would've loved the chance to get out onto street-level and just wonder around without having to worry about letting humans see him. But he was thinking about the daytime, and unless it was severely overcast, it was only really safe for he and the others to come out at night. Then there was the risk of the Kraang, or Shredder and his goonos, catching them.
Besides, the whole city felt abandoned. Mikey'd had a peak into a couple of homes, and apart from the occasional starving or dead goldfish, there was nothing. It was like everybody had just got up and left, like in an apocalypse movie, or those documentaries Donnie and Raph sometimes liked to watch about nuclear disasters.
April and Casey were the only real humans, outside of television and the dude from the convenience store up by the farmhouse, who he'd seen in months… probably because they were.
Shell, this sucked. But it was Mikey's turn to look for anybody who hadn't been mutated and sent to Dimension X, so he had to be out here. Even though it would make more sense for April or Casey to go, because they were at least human and wouldn't freak anyone out… but then again, Michelangelo and his bros were full-on ninjas so they probably stood a better chance if they got attacked.
He could only go a few blocks away and make a quick check, because if they were out too long there was the risk of the Kraang catching them, but just as he was coming up to the last corner he had to check, Mikey heard signs of like. Non-Kraang life, too, which was even better. It couldn't be the Foot, because they were too stealthy, but it sounded bigger than an animal, and he knew it wasn't Kraang because they wouldn't go around lifting the lids off trashcans; they'd be knocking them over as they marched past.
Okay. So it wasn't Kraang in the alley just a few feet ahead, meaning Mikey didn't have to run for it. But it did mean there was at least one human in that alley, in which case Mikey would probably scare the shell outta them and they would run for it.
On the other hand, chances were it was a human, and he could really use some company. New York City was freaking creepy when it was all empty like this.
"Uh… hello?" he called out. The noises stopped and a voice came from a short ways down the alley, which Mikey slowly approached the entrance to.
"Who's there? Who is it?" the voice was rough, and it sounded like it was coming from a girl who was around his age. It sounded like she hadn't used her voice in a while, but at the same time her voice was harsh, trying to intimidate him. "I swear if you're one of those alien brain things –"
"I'm not!" Mikey promised. "Swear. And you're not either, right?"
"Hell no." The girl's footsteps were getting closer, but they sounded irregular. Like maybe she was hurt. When she spoke again, they were just around the corner from one another. "You're – another survivor? Are there others with you?"
"Sure are, back at our hideout. My family and a couple of friends. Are there any others with you?"
"Nuh-uh. Just me. Why?"
"Just… don't freak out, okay?"
"Don't freak out. What d'you –"
The girl rounded the corner and froze. Not that Mikey could blame her or anything… but at least she didn't pass out or scream or run or something; that was a bonus. Especially cos she was cute.
The girl looked like she could be a survivor in one of those dystopian future movies. She was mixed-race with long black hair and her bangs dyed purple; her hair was dirty and she'd pulled it into an untidy ponytail. Her skin was darkened with dirt from sleeping rough, and her clothes – faded jeans, a dark tank top and a green sleeveless hoodie – were dirty and torn and covered in spots of what Mikey hoped wasn't blood.
She wore combat boots that were caked in mud, her right eyebrow was pierced and her brown eyes were wide with shock. There were striped fingerless gloves on both her hands, a spiked bracelet on her right wrist and a purple-ish elbow pad on her left elbow. She was wielding a pair of tonfa.
The girl only looked surprised to see Mikey for a second; then her face hardened, her muscles tensed and she frowned and said, "You're a mutant."
"Yeah, I am. And you're a human."
"Did those alien brain things mutate you like they did to the other humans? How come you're not wherever they took the others? Wait – how do I know you're not workin' for them?"
Oh, great – note the sarcasm. The first survivor since the invasion and she was cute as shell, but she was suspicious of Mikey. Well… at least she wasn't scared. So that was a good thing, right?
"Sort of, but not on purpose and it's a long story," he said in answer to the first question. "Me and my friends went into hiding out-of-state when the Kraang invaded. And dontcha think if I was workin' for the Kraang, I'd talk like they do?"
"Not everyone who works for those whatever-you-called-'em talks like they do."
"Okay, fair point. But I haven't shot at you, right?"
The girl seemed to agree with that, but she kept a tight grip on her weapons. "I'm Angel," she said.
"My name's Michelangelo… but all my friends call me Mikey." Mikey held his hand out for Angel to shake. She hesitated for a second before passing one of her tonfa into the other hand so she could shake hands with him. Mikey felt a weird tingly feeling go through his chest and the place where their hands touched. He couldn't put a name to it, but it was… pleasant. His hands were so much bigger than hers.
Taking her hand back, Angel said, "Are the other survivors mutants too?"
Mikey shook his head. "My bros and my dad are, but the other two are human friends. How come you stayed in New York?"
"I'm looking for someone," Angel shrugged. "My brother."
"Oh… well, you can come back to our hideout if you want. Then we can all help you look for your bro."
Angel smiled a little and that weird tingly feeling came back, faintly, to Mikey's chest. "Alright," she said, "that sounds good."
They began to walk back to the pizzeria Mikey and the others were using as a hideout when he noticed Angel was limping, like he thought she might've been in the alley. "You okay, Angel?"
"Huh?" Angel followed Mikey's gaze to her right foot. "Oh, that. It's nothin', I just twisted my ankle a couple nights back. I'm fine, just… slower than usual."
"Want me to help? Get us there faster?" Mikey blurted out; then his hands slammed over his mouth and his face heated up. He wasn't totally sure why. He was the one who always blurted out dumb stuff, after all, but for some reason –
"Okay."
– ooor Angel could totally agree to it. Sure. Awesome. Mikey picked her up in the same bridal-carry he'd seen people do on TV or in the movies. She flailed a bit in surprise before throwing her arms around his neck to keep herself steady.
"Wha– hey! Mikey, what the heck!?" she exclaimed in surprise. Mikey tried not to grin to himself too much. He'd said, hadn't he, that all his friends called him Mikey. So that meant Angel wanted to be his friend, right?
Or it could be that it was just easier to remember than his full name, but Mikey decidedly ignored that.
"If you got a bad ankle," he pointed out, "you shouldn't put too much weight on it. 'sides, I'm faster."
"I guess – but it's not like I can't walk."
Mikey ignored that statement. He was enjoying himself too much. Angel didn't make any further protests and underneath the smells of grime and sweat and dirt and other things indicating she hadn't showered in a while, at such close proximity, Mikey could smell her own scent. It was sweet and subtly feminine, with an undertone of something a bit like fresh earth.
It didn't take him long to reach the hideout.
"You holed up in a pizzeria?" Angel asked as Mikey set her back on the ground and she released her grip on him.
"Sure did," he said proudly; it had been his idea, and so far it had worked pretty good as a hideout. And as an added bonus: free pizza. "We got food inside, if you're hungry."
"Starving. Thanks."
Mikey tapped out the secret knock on the door, which he insisted on using even if he was the only one using it, and shortly after April opened the door. She was about halfway through greeting Mikey when she spotted Angel.
"You found someone?" she exclaimed. "I didn't think there were any humans left!" Then she turned to Angel and said, "C'mon inside, we'll get you something to eat. I'm April."
Angel introduced herself to April, who ushered her inside. Mikey followed them, shutting the door, and April introduced Angel to Splinter, Donnie, Leo, Raph and –
"Casey!"
"Angel?"
Casey took a running jump over the couch, nearly kicking Raph and Donnie in the head (they had been playing videogames on Don's laptop) and threw himself at Angel, and the two of them hugged fiercely. Mikey felt something unpleasant – jealousy, maybe – settle in the pit of his stomach at the sight and realised he was beginning to understand how Donnie must feel sometimes. How come Casey got to hug Angel? Mikey was the one who'd carried her all the way here!
On the other hand, Mikey was the one who'd carried her all the way here. The one who'd found her. It wasn't much, but it eased the jealousy or whatever it was.
"Wait," April said, "you two know each other?"
"Sure," Casey said, letting go of Angel but keeping a hand on her shoulder. "Angel's my little sister. Adopted, y'know? Our dads were friends and when her mom was in a car accident, her dad couldn't cope, so… we ended up adopting her."
It sounded like there was more to it than that, but nobody tried to push the subject. Maybe they didn't want to know.
"I twisted my ankle," Angel said, breaking through the awkward silence. "Any a' you guys know how to fix it?"
"I'll take a look at it," Donnie said. "I've got a First Aid kit in the kitchen."
"I'll go with," Mikey said, suspiciously quickly. "Y'know, help out."
Donnie gave Mikey a weird look – he'd never offered to go with and help out before – then shrugged it off and went through into the kitchen, where he instructed Angel to hop onto the counter, remove her shoe and roll up the leg of her jeans so he could get a better look at her ankle.
"It doesn't look too bad," he said. "Mostly swollen. I can wrap your ankle up, and we'll get you an ice pack. Keep it rested and keep it elevated, okay? Best to stay here until further notice, and try not to walk around too much."
Angel nodded semi-absently. "Rest, ice, elevation. Check."
Donnie wrapped up Angel's foot and Mikey got her a bag of ice. When he was done, Donnie went into the other room to let Casey know his little sis was okay, just tired and dirty.
"So… you guys are Casey's mystery friends?" Angel asked, smirking, as she extended her leg across the counter and held the ice bag on it. "The ones he spends all his time with and won't tell me about?"
"Yeah, I guess. And you're Casey's sister."
"Yeah."
There was a short pause in the conversation before Mikey said, "He was worried about you."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, when the invasion started he went looking for you and your – his dad. I think he was real scared when he couldn't find you guys."
Angel snorted. "Casey, scared. There's a new one." Another pause, and then Angel said, almost absent-mindedly, "I knew Casey hung out with some weird people, but you guys are off the charts… not that it's a bad thing. It's kinda cool, y'know?"
"Heh. Guess so."
Mikey was about to try and think of something else to say to Angel when Casey came in.
"You okay, Angel? Don says you've got a twisted ankle."
"I said I've got a twisted ankle," Angel pointed out. "And I'm fine, okay?" Angel rolled her eyes. Mikey couldn't help but think he knew that feeling. His big brothers made a big fuss over him when he got hurt, too… sometimes. Angel let out a grunt, and Mikey gave an exclamation of protest, when Casey suddenly smacked Angel in the arm. "The heck was that for!?" she shouted, moving to smack him back. Casey dodged her attack.
"Where were you? I looked everywhere for you an' dad when the Kraang started mutating people."
Oh shell. Mikey had seen Casey annoyed before, and he'd seen Casey mad before, but now he was sort of a cross between All The Above and Legitimately Angry. He hadn't seen that in a while, and even Raph thought Casey was too short-tempered. It was a worrying thought. But apparently Angel could handle it, cos she wasn't looking too thrilled either.
"Where d'you think? I was hiding out, I'm not totally stupid! And where were you? I spent more than three months tryin' to find you, ya' big dummy!"
"We went somewhere safe, duh! That's why I was looking for you when we got invaded! I was gonna take you with us!"
"Yeah, well I survived just fine on my own, didn't I?"
"Just fine? You got a twisted ankle and look like you've been dragged backwards through a hedge!"
Woah. Yikes. If this escalated any further, Mikey was starting to think he might have to intervene. Especially if Angel's fights with Casey were gonna turn out to be like Raph's fights with Casey, cos if that was the case, they'd be attacking each other any minute now.
And Mikey was willing to bet that wouldn't do her ankle any good.
"Hey, I'm here now, aren't I? Lucky Mikey found me before it got too bad." Angel shot Mikey a smile which for some reason made him blush and smile back. Casey looked between the two and his eyes widened, jaw setting and mouth becoming a thin line.
"Wait." There was an edge of realisation in Casey's voice that made Mikey really uncomfortable. "Wait a second. Oh my God. You –"
"Casey. Out." Angel had that tone Donnie sometimes used to order people out of his lab. Raph used the same tone sometimes to kick Mikey and the others out of his room.
"No, hang on a –"
"Go." And there was the word-and-tone combo every sibling ever has used at some point in their life. The one thing that can't be argued with. Even by the infamous Casey Jones, apparently. Casey gave Angel an awkward look and made a hasty exit, looking like he had some gossip to deliver to the others.
"You two always fight like that?" Mikey asked, choosing to ignore Casey's weird expression.
Angel shrugged. "Eh. Sometimes. Big brothers. Bet you know how it is." She rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, try havin three of 'em."
"Oh. Ouch."
"So… uh, you said you were hungry, right?" Without waiting for an answer, Mikey started to flit about the kitchen so he could find something faster to make than a pizza.
"Sure. I've been eating scraps, canned food and potato chips for months now. Had to break into apartments to get most of it."
"Didn't that alert the Kraang? You breakin' into peoples' apartments?"
"Nah, it's not like I went round smashing windows. I taught myself to pick locks a while back. It's slower, but I didn't get caught, so…"
"Dude, that's so cool! You can pick locks? Wow, I wish I could do that…"
Angel smiled again. Mikey's admiration was so obvious it had made her blush a bit. Aww, she looked so cute. She had a real pretty smile, too. And she wasn't missing any teeth like Casey – but then again, she didn't play hockey and run around getting in fights with the Purple Dragons.
"By the way," Angel said, "I didn't really thank you for findin' me out there. Not that I can't take care a' myself, but I still appreciate it, y'know? And it made my search for Casey easier. So thanks."
"Heh, no problem, Angel. You holdin' up okay? I found a microwave burger that hasn't gone off."
"Sounds better than what I've been eating. Any fries to go with that?"
"Should be… need any help getting off that counter?"
"No, but I'd appreciate it."
Withholding a grin, Mikey crossed the room in less than a second and helped Angel off the counter. She leaned against it to eat, and they chatted for a bit, and then he helped her into the other room. She was pretty wiped out now, maybe because she knew she didn't have to worry about getting caught and could relax, or maybe because the adrenaline rush was gone.
Casey helped Angel into one of the spare beds they had around the room and Mikey found a blanket they could roll up to keep her foot elevated. She totally crashed after that. When she fell asleep, Casey punched Mikey lightly in the arm.
"Thanks for bringin' her back, man. I appreciate it."
Then he went back to the others. Less than a minute later, Raph squatted down next to Mikey and said, "Is it true you have a crush on her?"
In the space of about two seconds, Mikey wondered if it was true, decided the answer was yes, wondered how Raph had found out and, connecting the dots, launched himself across the room to where the others sat half-interested and half-laughing.
"Casey!"