Disclaimer: TMNT are not mine. They belong to Nick.

A/N: This takes place during the Turtles Forever movie...so it's a mix of 2003 and 1987. To differentiate between the two Michelangelo's, 2003 Mike will be called Mikey. 1987 Mike will be called Michelangelo (since they didn't go by nicknames on that show anyways).

003. Dark

Being a ninja, Mikey was at home in the dark. From a young age, he had been taught to be at one with the shadows; to wrap himself in their protective depths and use them as a blanket of stealth.

But on this night, the dark felt suddenly awkward and cumbersome. As exhausted as he was, sleep eluded him, no matter how many pizzas he counted in his mind.

Mikey was still having trouble grasping the fact that his current bunkmate for the night was a mutant turtle...who wasn't one of his brothers...and strangely bore the same name as himself.

I'm sharing my room with myself...but he's not myself...but in a way he is myself...Mikey pondered to himself. Awww...this is all so weird, it's making my head hurt! He grasped the sides of his head and shook it back and forth in disbelief.

The rustling of the sheets from across the room alerted Mikey to the fact that Michelangelo was having just as much difficulty sleeping as he was.

Turning in the direction of his dimensional doppleganger Mikey asked, "You ok over there...uh...Michelangelo?"

There was a pause for a few moments followed by more shuffling in the sheets before the subdued response came, "Of course, dude, totally bodacious." The distant tone was completely at odds with the spoken words.

He even speaks like me...Mikey shivered. The darkness of his room pressed upon him like Raphael's weights in the dojo.

"It's just that…" Michelangelo spoke again after many dragging moments of silence passed between the two. "It's not that my bros and I aren't thankful that you dudes are letting us crash here while we figure out this whole bogus situation...and your pad is definitely righteous…" he trailed off, mulling over his words. "I just miss home...and my own bed...and my comics...and my pizzas…"

"You...you like comics?" Mikey felt himself brighten a little.

"Do I?" Michelangelo replied, his previously despondent tone growing more confident. "Dude, I am the master of comics! I own every single issue of Bugman, including all the variant covers, and they are all in mint condition!"

"That's awesome! I collect comics too! Silver Sentry, Justice Force…"

"I knew you were a cool dude…" Mikey could hear the smile in Michelangelo's voice. "My bros don't like comics much. The didn't even believe me at first when I told them that Bugman was real and I teamed up with him…"

"...And mine didn't believe that I had teamed up with Silver Sentry until they saw it on the news…"

"They just don't take me seriously sometimes!" the orange masked duo complained in unison.

They both chuckled, the tension in the darkness of Mikey's bedroom lifting. Mikey found himself able to focus on the sliver of light that filtered in under his door.

"You like to skateboard, Michelangelo?

"You could bet your shell on it, dude!"

There was no hiding the excitement in Mikey's tone. "Tomorrow...we are totally going to shred some pipes!"

"Cowabunga! That's mondo tubular, dude! And I'll teach you how to cook a mean jellybean and artichoke pizza…"

Cowabunga… Mikey smirked as the word echoed playfully in his mind. How many times had Raph warned him to never "cowabunga"?

"And I'll introduce you to my kitty, Klunk!"

"Cats are great, dude...I just can't have one since Master Splinter doesn't dig'm...it's like the one thing he's afraid of."

Mikey snickered. "I suppose a mutant rat not liking cats makes sense…" he said thoughtfully.

The more they spoke, the more Mikey realized they had in common. Suddenly, the the similarities between him and Michelangelo didn't seem so daunting...and the dark not so uncomfortable.

Maybe I'll have to add an initialed belt buckle to my Turtle Titan outfit...was Mikey's last thought before he drifted off into a peaceful slumber. Cowabunga...