Hey everyone! Another TMNT fic is here! I spent a long time on this one, so read and tell me what you think.

People.

That was what Mikey loved most about his new life. Not the music, not the sunlight, not even the opportunities. No, it was the people who did all of those things. It was the people who made music and made opportunities.

People were all different. They looked different, they acted differently, and they had different interests. As long as you were human, you could be and do anything you wanted.

Mikey stared at himself in the mirror, eyeing his pale skin. He had rock hard abs from his workouts, as he hadn't let himself fall behind. He smiled a big grin and pulled his orange shirt over his head, running a hand through his blond hair. He had on skinny jeans that hugged his legs nicely, and dirty white sneakers that covered his now five-toed feet.

"Hey, baby…" Mikey turned around with a grin to see his girlfriend strutting over to him. "Good morning."

"Morning, lovely," Mikey murmured, wrapping his arms around her.

"I have work today," Scarlett sighed, closing her eyes while resting her head against Mikey's chest.

"So do I," Mikey said. "How 'bout you get ready and I'll have some coffee waiting for you?"

Scarlett kissed Mikey's lips. "Sounds great," she whispered. She let go of Mikey and Mikey left to go start breakfast. Soon, Scarlett left for her downtown modeling job, and Mikey poured himself a coffee before heading down to his car.

Mikey drove for ten minutes until he stopped at a small comic book shop that he and Ryan ran.

"Hey, Mike!" Ryan grinned, looking up from his magazine.

"Hey, Ryan," Mikey greeted his best friend. "Did the new arrivals come?"

"Yeah, they're in that box over there," Ryan pointed to a box in the corner.

"Thanks, man." Mikey picked up the box and set it on the counter, looking through the comics. The newest edition of Space Heroes caught his eye, and Mikey frowned as he thought of him.

"Hey Mikey, how're things with your new girl?" Mikey looked up, grateful for the distraction. He walked away from the box and lifted himself onto the counter where Ryan was.

"Awesome," Mikey answered.

"You guys gettin' a lotta action?" Ryan teased. Mikey rolled his eyes and punched the redhead's arm, but he couldn't deny it, and a smile crept onto Ryan's lips. "You are! Damn, Mike, Scar's a hottie. You scored yourself a good one."

"Shut up," Mikey blushed, jumping off of the counter to shift through comics. "Open the goddamn store and do your job."

Ryan laughed but did what Mikey asked and grabbed his keys, unlocking the door and turning the "open" sign on.

The day went by like normal, and it was ten when they closed the store up. Ryan gave one last goodbye before leaving, climbing into his car and driving off.

"Come by my place for a drink on Sunday," Mikey had suggested as his friend was leaving.

Now alone, Mikey gave a faint smile before looking through the newest arrivals. The shop was silent, and Mikey could hear his footsteps echoing against the walls. His phone rang, and Mikey pulled it out and pressed the green "answer" button without looking at the number.

"Hello?" Mikey answered when the line connected, grabbing his keys.

"Hello, little brother."

Mikey swore his heart stopped, and his eyes narrowed.

"How'd you find this number?" Mikey demanded, his eyes darting throughout the store.

"It wasn't hard, Mike, with someone like Donnie," the gruff voice answered, almost smugly. "We just had to find your Facebook page. Just sayin', the name Michael doesn't suit you."

"I happen to like it," Mikey scowled. "Where are you?"

"That's what I should be asking you, Mikey."

"I bet you're watching me right now," Mikey said with a snort. "I'm not dumb."

"On the contrary, little brother, we have no idea where you are. Yet. But you could save us the trouble and tell us."

"Never," Mikey hissed. "You'll have to drag me back, Raphael."

Raph chuckled from the other end.

"That's the plan, Mikey. C'mon, don't you miss us?"

Suddenly, what Raph was trying to do hit Mikey in the gut. They were trying to track his call. Mikey knew from years of watching Donnie do it that you needed five minutes to track a call, and Mikey was at around three minutes now.

"No."

Mikey took the phone and ended the call, throwing it against the wall, the phone breaking into millions of pieces, trying to ignore the weight of his lie. He looked at it for a couple of minutes before sighing. Looks like he needed a new phone.

Mikey locked up the store, climbing into his car and driving back to his apartment. The door was already unlocked, meaning Scarlett was home. Mikey opened the door and found Scarlett reading a book on the couch.

"Hey, baby," Mikey murmured as he sat on the couch, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his body.

"Hey," Scarlett sighed in content. "Rough day at work?"

"No, actually. Ryan's an idiot, but that's all…" Mikey and Scarlett both laughed, thinking of Ryan's antics. "My brothers found by number."

"Mikey, I told you to delete all that stuff off of your facebook," Scarlett scolded. "You're practically asking them to find you."

"I didn't think they'd realize that I changed my name," Mikey admitted. "But they did. I guess I underestimated Don. They tried to track my call, but I broke my phone before they could do it."

"So that's why you weren't answering my calls," Scarlett realized.

"Yeah," Mikey buried his face into Scarlett's soft, blonde locks.

"Why are you running from your family?" Scarlett asked out of the blue.

"It's… complicated," Mikey sighed. "They… they want to make me do something I don't want to do."

"Let me guess: you can't tell me," Scarlett looked at Mikey.

"Ding ding ding," Mikey nodded. "Sorry, baby. There's just a lot of shit going on right now. Trust me, I'm only doing to protect you."

"Alright…" Scarlett looked skeptical but didn't question him. "Hey, wanna watch The Notebook?"

"Seriously? We literally watched that movie last week," Mikey complained as Scarlett grabbed the remote.

"And you love it, Michael," Scarlett laughed.

The couple watched the movie, but as Mikey sat on the couch, his arm around Scarlett's shoulders, he just couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched.

The wind blew violently on the Dallas rooftops as the three shadows watched Michael and Scarlett through the window. Red growled before punching the ground.

"That piece of shit!" Red exclaimed.

Blue put a hand on Red's shoulder, bending down to look Red in the eyes.

"We must be patient," Blue said softly.

"I wouldn't call "hunting him down" patient," Purple muttered. He pulled out his shell-cell and dialed the familiar number. Blue and Red watched as Purple waited for the person to pick up.

"Hello?" A voice answered.

"April, Casey," Purple said. "We have eyes on him. Time for the next step."

Mikey sighed as he closed up the comic shop the next evening, glad it was Saturday and he could close up early. Ryan had left earlier for a date, leaving Mikey alone to finish everything off.

As Mikey locked the shop, he began to walk, as Scarlett had needed the car for an urgent work meeting. His phone rang, and this time Mikey looked at his phone to see a picture of Scarlett smiling.

"Hey babe," Mikey answered.

"Hey, Mike! Look, I'm calling because this guy at work came up to me and asked about you," Scarlett informed, sounding concerned.

"What was his name?" Mikey frowned.

"He said his name was Casey. He said he was your friend and he wanted to see you."

Mikey stopped dead in his tracks, the sinking feeling in his stomach back. Casey. Damn. Mikey wasn't sure how they had found him, but they did.

"Mikey, I didn't tell him anything," Scarlett reassured him. "I just said you were my boyfriend and I'd have to get back to him because I was busy at the time."

"Thanks," Mikey's voice was calm, but he was internally freaking out. He was suddenly aware of his surroundings, and one hand was hovering over a nunchuck that he kept hidden in his belt. "Listen, Scar, I've gotta go."

He hung up the phone with a quick goodbye and cautiously started to walk down the street. He couldn't see or hear anyone.

Suddenly, Mikey heard a thud, and he sidestepped just in time to see a shadow go flying past him. The shadow disappeared into the night, and Mikey got his Nunchucks out, getting into fighting stance.

They found him.

"Little brother, I don't want to fight you." The voice was calm and soft, and Mikey's eyes narrowed.

"Then don't," Mikey's voice cut through the night, not sure where he should be looking.

"Michelangelo…" The voice sighed. "Please. Stop running."

"I'll stop running when you stop following," Mikey growled.

"You shouldn't run from who you are," the voice said. "This is not who you are, Mikey."

A large shape emerged from the shadows, and Leonardo stepped out onto the street, his skin green and a shell on his back. Leo put away his swords as he slowly approached Mikey.

"It's who I want to be," Mikey retorted. "Nothing can change that." And with that Mikey darted past Leo and raced down the street, moving his legs as fast as he could. He always was the fastest of all his brothers. Mikey saw a splash of green and red move in front of his path, so Mikey threw himself forward into the air, jumping over his red-clad brother. He heard Raph curse as Mikey didn't falter, Mikey's eyes narrowing in determination as he ran.

Just when Mikey thought he had finally lost them, he saw a bo staff thrown in front of his feet. He dodged it, leaping over the staff with ease. Once again, cursing. Mikey tore down the street, darting between cars so he could get out of their line of sight. He blended into the shadows, waiting until he was sure he was gone.

Mikey jogged the rest of the way back to his apartment, drenched in sweat as he came through the door. Sluggishly, he climbed the stairs to his room, unlocking the door and entering. Scarlett wasn't home, but that was to be expected on a Thursday night. Mikey kicked off his shoes and flipped the TV on.

Two hours later, and Scarlett wasn't home. Mikey had tried calling her phone, but no answer. A sickening feeling was stirring in his gut, and Mikey knew something was wrong.

A knock sounded at the door, and Mikey grabbed his nunchucks, ready to strike. He slowly twisted the doorknob and answered the door.

"Mikey!" Mikey didn't get any less suspicious as he saw the familiar red headed woman standing in front of him.

"April, go away," Mikey hissed. April looked hurt but stood her ground.

"Mikey, let me talk to you," April begged. "Please!"

"I have to find my girlfriend," Mikey said. "Just go away."

"Listen- if you let me talk to you I'll have your brothers and Casey find her," April bargained. Mikey was suspicious, and he almost said no, but his worry for Scarlett won out and he silently opened the door wider, allowing for April to step into the apartment.

"You have a nice place," April murmured, looking around.

"Thanks," Mikey said awkwardly. "Scar does most of the decorating. Would you like tea or water?"

"Water is fine, thank you," April smiled, sitting down at the kitchen table. She was quiet as Mikey fixed two glasses of water, and Mikey had no intentions on saying anything. What would he say? He hadn't seen April in two years.

"We've missed you…" April broke the silence. "But it doesn't seem like you've missed us."

"I… I have," Mikey admitted after hesitating. He set the two glasses of water on the table, sitting down across from April. "It would be a lie if I said otherwise."

"You're different," April observed. "More-"

"Grown up?" Mikey glanced up at April with a smile one his face. When she nodded, he looked away. "Yeah well, entering the human world really helped me become who I needed to be."

"I wish Donnie had never discovered that retro-mutagen," April said darkly. "It caused so many problems."

"I'm the problem?" Mikey snapped. "I'm the one who couldn't handle being a freak and ran off. It was never a problem for the others. They were eager to turn back into turtles. But I… I couldn't. I still can't. Now they're trying to take me back, but I'm happy, April! I'm happier than I've ever been! I own a comic shop with my best friend, I can go to clubs, I can walk in daylight without being afraid that someone's going to dissect me. I have a girlfriend."

"I understand," April nodded after listening to Mikey's rant.

"Do you really?" Mikey glared at her, running a hand through his blonde locks.

"Well… maybe not as well, but I sort of get it. You want to be human so you can do the things you want to do, and I think that's fair." April took a sip of her water, but her eyes didn't leave Mikey's. "Your brothers obviously don't see it that way."
"Obviously." Mikey looked away from April's knowing eyes.

"Mikey, I want to help you," April dropped the ball. "Your brothers do too, but we can't do that if you continue to run like this."

"Why can't you guys just leave me alone?!" Mikey cried suddenly. "Just forget I ever existed!"
"I'm sorry, Mikey," April shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid we can't do that."

Mikey just looked at her, staring until she was forced to look away.

"Then I'm afraid I can't stop running," Mikey said coldly. He stood up, pushing his chair up. "Now if you don't mind, I have to find my girlfriend."

As if on cue, his phone rang, and the picture of a smiling Scarlett showed up.

"Thank God," Mikey breathed in relief, grabbing the phone and answering it.

"Mikey!" Scarlett's voice sobbed on the other end.

"Scar, where are you?" Mikey had already grabbed his keys, ready to run out the door.

"These guys- they're- they're chasing me! I need help! They're gonna kill me!"

"Hold on!" Mikey grabbed his shoes. "Lead them towards the apartment. I'll meet you."

"Hurry!" Scarlett whispered before hanging up. Mikey put his phone in his pocket before reaching for his nunchucks… and realized Leo had taken them earlier.

"Damn it," Mikey hissed, grabbing his hair.

"What's happening?" April watched Mikey with wide eyes.

"Scar's in trouble, and I don't have my 'chucks," Mikey answered. "I'll have to pull a Raphie and take a kitchen knife."

Mikey grabbed a knife and put it in his belt.

"April, I'm leaving, and I think you should too," Mikey said sharply, heading towards the door. "Tell my brothers I'll never come back- not willingly, at least."

With that Mikey ran out the front door, taking the stairs two at a time and running out of the complex. He started to run, listening out for screams and shouts.

"Scarlett?!" Mikey called, praying for an answer.

Maybe if Scarlett hadn't been in such deep trouble, and maybe if Mikey hadn't been preoccupied with something as big as this, Mikey might've seen April dart out of the apartment complex behind him and cross the street to where four figures stood in the shadows, but Mikey saw no such thing and was unaware of the figures approaching him.

"Mikey!" Mikey heard Scarlett's scream. "Help!" Mikey took off running towards the scream and came up to a group of men who had cornered Scarlett in an alley. Mikey pulled the knife out and was prepared to lunge when the leader of the men held a gun to Scarlett's temple.

"Shut it, missy," The leader snarled. Scarlett's eyes closed and her sobbing was reduced to whimpers as she accepted her fate.

Mikey growled, attracting the attention of the thugs.

"Get the hell away from her," Mikey held the knife, ready to fight for their lives.

"Aw, how cute. Your little boy toy is here to save the day," the leader smirked. He retracted the gun from Scarlett's temple and pointed it at Mikey. "Say goodbye, sweetheart."

"No!" Scarlett screamed, but the gun had already gone off. Mikey was in a panic, frozen in place. Time seemed to slow down as the bullet went whizzing towards Mikey… and deflected by a pair of swords.

"Wha-?" Mikey's eyes widened as he saw Leo standing in front of him, his swords drawn. A moment passed, and then Leo leaped into the fight, taking thugs down with the help of Raph, Donnie, and Casey. Mikey joined them, and with the five of them fighting the fight was over quickly.

"Dirty thugs," Casey muttered in disgust as he nudged one with his foot.

"Mikey!" Mikey's gaze swept over the motionless bodies and fell on Scarlett, who had slid down to the ground in shock. She was shaking, numb with shock as she stared at Mikey's giant, mutant brothers.

"Scarlett!" Mikey rushed over to her, stepping over bodies and running past Donnie to where she sat. He kneeled down in front of her and hugged her, holding her as she cried. "Shhh… it's okay, love. I've gotcha. You're okay, you're okay…" Mikey whispered into her ear, letting her get the fear out of her system. Mikey could feel eyes burn

"Who's that?" Scarlett asked, pushing her sweaty blonde hair out of her face and pointing at Raph.

"You know those brother's I was telling you about?" Mikey kept his arms around her waist.

"The one's who're chasing you? Wait… your brothers are giant turtles?" Scarlett's face scrunched up in confusion.

"You see now why I couldn't tell you?" Mikey chuckled.

"Yeah, I do…" Scarlett gave a small smile. "Wait… if they're your brothers, why aren't you a… mutant turtle?"

"He's supposed to be a turtle," Leo interjected, putting his swords away. "He's been running for years now."

"Why is he supposed to be anything?" Scarlett's smile fell. "Mikey should be able to be who he wants to be."

"Scarlett, drop it," Mikey whispered.

"No! I will not let you take my boyfriend away from me," Scarlett glared at Mikey's brothers.

Mikey stood up, running a hand through his blond hair. The hair Scarlett loved to play with when they couldn't sleep. The hair that made Mikey human.

"Casey, April, take Scarlett home," Mikey sighed. "I want to talk to my brothers."

"What? Michael Hamato, no way!" Scarlett protested as Casey pulled her to her feet. "I will not go home without you!"

"Don't worry, baby," Mikey gave her a kiss on the forehead before stepping back. "I'll come home. I promise."

Scarlett was pulled along with April and Casey, but her eyes didn't leave Mikey's.

"I love you," Scarlett said softly.

"I love you too," Mikey smiled, leaning up against the alley wall, his arms crossed. However, as soon as Scarlett was gone the smile was gone too, replaced with anger and frustration.

"She's right, you know," Mikey glared at them. "I should be able to be whoever I want to be."

"Mikey, you shouldn't have to change for others to like you!" Leo exclaimed. "Already you've changed so much. It's like we don't even know you!"

"That's because you don't know me," Mikey said coldly. "I've grown up. I've seen so little of the world, but I've seen so much more than you guys have. I'm not forced to live underground or in the shadows."

Leo seemed at a loss for words, but Raph stepped in.

"So are you tellin' me that your whole life before you became human was complete shit? That you never loved us or our home?"

"Never say I never loved you all!" Mikey shouted. Leo and Donnie flinched. Mikey's voice dropped, and Leo could finally get a glimpse of the little brother they had years ago. "I did. I still do bros. Trust me, I didn't want to leave! Not without you guys, anyways. Over the past two years, I couldn't just forget. I miss Leo's lectures and Raph's smart aleck comments, and Donnie's rambling about shit I can't understand. I miss Sensei, I miss Klunk, I miss the lair, and I miss April and Casey. I miss everything. I miss you."

"Then why didn't you stay, Mikey?" Donnie's eyes were welling up with tears.

"Because I knew no matter what, you would never accept my decision to stay human," Mikey whispered. "And I was right."

All four brothers fell silent, none of them knowing what they should say. Mikey shuffled his feet as Raph looked away, while Donnie looked at the ground. Leo just looked at Mikey as if he was studying a book.

"Master Splinter… Master Splinter always tried to tell us that this was you," Leo swallowed thickly, finally speaking up. "That we should let you be who you wanted to be, and not restrict you to who you should be. We never listened. We wanted to bring you home, wanted to do what we thought was best for you. We were so caught up in what we wanted you to be, that we never considered what you wanted to be."

"No, you didn't," Mikey shook his head in agreement. "Always listen to Splinter, Leo." Mikey winked, a sliver of his old self seeping through his smile.

"That's rich comin' from you, Mike," Raph snorted.

"You've built up a life, Mikey," Leo continued. "It was wrong to try and tear you away from it. I think seeing your… girlfriend helped me realize that. We should never have intruded, and I'm sorry for that." Donnie nodded in agreement, but Raph didn't say a thing.

"You're not intruding," Mikey murmured. "It was just… I saw you as a threat when you found me. Sure, I was mad, but you're still my family, and I'll never forget that."

"Are we still a threat?" Leo raised an eye ridge.

"A little bit," Mikey replied honestly. "But it doesn't have to be like this. Go home, bros. Live life. Don't chase me around; it's not healthy."

"So this is it?" Leo choked up, rubbing his eyes. "Is this the last time we'll see you?"

Mikey laughed at his brother's words.

"Not if you don't want it to be," Mikey smiled at his brothers. "I could use a trip to New York. Maybe I'll stop by if you'll let me."

Raph made a noise and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around his human brother. Leo and Donnie followed suit, and soon they were a pile of brothers, teary eyed and grinning.

"That lair will always be your home, Michelangelo," Leo whispered. "And we'll always be there, ready for you to come back home."

"Even if it's to get eggs," Donnie chuckled.

They stood up after a few minutes, the three turtles facing their brother.

"Have a safe trip back," Mikey smiled.

"We'll do our best," Leo promised. "By the way, here. I took these, and you must want them back." Leo held out Mikey's nunchucks, and Mikey took them gratefully.

"Thank's, Leo," Mikey said softly.

"Thank you, Mikey," Leo gave his brother one last pat on the head before disappearing into the shadows, Donnie and Raph following their leader. Mikey left the alleyway giving a stirring thug one last kick before leaving, and as he walked down the street, he realized this was the first time in years that he truly felt free. He walked back to his complex, entering his apartment to see April and Casey gone, April's water still sitting on the table. Scarlett was sitting at the table now, and she stood so she could hug Mikey, just holding each other until both were reassured that other wasn't leaving.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," Scarlett ordered as she sat back down at the table. Mikey started to make hot chocolate, and while he was doing that, he started to talk. He told her about his younger years, and about each of his brothers. He told her about his Sensei, and ninjutsu, and the retro-mutagen. They talked for hours, Mikey spilling everything to the one girl he was content to spend forever with.

"Hey, Scarlett," Mikey said towards the end of his story. "What would you think about making a little getaway to New York?"

"As if that's even a question," Scarlett rolled her eyes. "I've been trying to convince you for months to go to New York."

"It's a plan," Mikey grinned, taking her hand into his own, pale, five fingered hand.

Later the next day, the couple would start planning for a trip to New York, but for the moment, Mikey was content with curling up with Scarlett in their bed, falling asleep to the rhythmic sound of her breathing.

Mikey was who he wanted to be.

Thanks for reading! Leave a review if you'd like! :)