A knock on the door had Mikey pausing in his unpacking. "Come in," he pitched his voice to sound more feminine. It wasn't common for anyone to knock but with it so early in the morning it was wise to make sure that Mikey wasn't with a client.

Hun opened the door and stepped inside. Mikey pushed the box under the dresser and started to undress. It wouldn't be the first time Hun had come in for a quick morning romp. The large human had started to favor Mikey and since he worked for Oroku Saki, he got it for free. He just wasn't allowed to take time that could be sold to a client.

With a lecherous smile on his face, Hun undid his pants as he walked over to the bed and sat down. "If you insist…." Digging in his pants, Hun pulled out his penis. "Just a little something for this fine morning."

"Having a good day already?" Mikey smiled. He had to smile. "Let me make it even better for you." He dropped between Hun's parted legs and got to work, drawing a deep moan from the human.

"You are such a talented girl," Hun husked.

Mikey licked up Hun's growing length and looked up. "I had a great teacher."

While Mikey sucked, Hun's hands moved around his neck. The next thing he knew, Hun was fastening a thin chain behind his neck. Hun often gave Mikey small gifts.

Hun's chest heaved and his hand caressed the back of Mikey's head. "Good girl." He let out a deep grunt and finished inside of Mikey's mouth. Like he was trained to do, Mikey swallowed it all and continued to service Hun until he was completely finished.

Hun lifted Mikey's chin and smiled, "Pack your things."

Mikey's heart skipped. He was far from in love with Hun but if it meant a better life Mikey would happily spend the rest of his life with him. He tried to keep the tremble out of his voice when he spoke. "Why?"

"You're moving to a new location." Hun answered and Mikey felt his heart sink.

"A new location?" Mikey asked. "I'm not going with you?"

Hun chuckled, "No. Mister Oroku has acquired a new saloon and he has chosen you to work there. You know he's against interracial relationships." He ran his hand along Mikey's cheek. "We will have to make do with what have."

There was only one other saloon in town. Mikey had to take a few steading breaths to keep his composure. He knew better than to show anything but admiration, no matter how much his heart was breaking. He pushed down his sadness and looked up at Hun, "He's building a new one?"

"Mr. Oroku has acquired the turtle's saloon," Hun confirmed Mikey's fears.

"How?"

"The turtle lost it in a bet. He was drunk." Hun answered with a wide smile.

"Don wouldn't do that," Mikey blurted out in a moment of shock and paid for it with a hard shove that sent him to the floor. Lucky for him Hun was not allowed to hit his face. That didn't mean that he never had and Mikey knew that if Hun was angry enough, he would. So he covered his face with his arms, curling into a ball.

"Never question Master Oroku's word," Hun roared. There is was. There is a difference in the word 'Master' over 'Mister'. It showed how Hun truly saw his employer. He was loyal to a fault and would probably take his own life for the man he called 'Master'.

"I'm sorry," Mikey choked out past the lump in his throat and then quickly added. "I was surprised. I thought I knew Donatello better. I was wrong. If Mr. Oroku says that he got the saloon by winning a bet then it must be true. He would never lie."

"Look what you made me do. You shouldn't have blurted out like that." Hun dropped to his knees and caressed Mikey's shoulder. "Did I hurt you? Don't be scared. I'm not mad anymore." Hun helped Mikey to sit up. "My dear, Angelica, you're trembling." Wrapping is large arms around Mikey, Hun tried to comfort him but Mikey did not feel safe in his arms.

….

Michelangelo followed Hun through town, keeping his eyes cast down to avoid the looks he was getting from the town's people. They all knew what he did and even though a good deal of the men paid him a visit, they all turned their noses up at him. This was the reason Mikey liked to get his order form Don early in the morning, before too many people were out and about.

Angel walked next to him with her head held high. She didn't let them intimidate her and she called a few of them out as they passed. "I'll probably be seeing you tonight. Just make sure you remember that I'm at the new place." It was easier for her to be brave, she was human. If Mikey was a brazen as she was, he would be killed on the spot and no one would care.

Angel was chosen to go with Mikey because they worked well as a team. Angel was able to get a beautiful sound out of an old violin and she played while Mikey sang. They were a good duet. April called them her angelic pair.

They walked into the saloon and saw Donny cleaning up. His eyes were blank as he turned a table upright. April was sitting nearby, prattling away the things Donny would need to know for working under Oroku Saki.

"Are you listening?" April asked.

"I hear every word," Donny mumbled, picking up a broken glass. He glanced up and for a moment his eyes locked with Mikey's. Mikey had never seen someone so broken before and he worked with whores. The higher you rise the harder you fall, Mikey thought to himself and Don had fallen hard.

Hun pushed another glass of a table as they passed and it shattered on the ground. Don straightened and glared at Hun. "As is required of me, due to my new employment, I am going to make a detailed list of everything that has been broken. Mr. Oroku wants to know where all the money goes. That was not my glass you broke but Mr. Oroku's. And I'll make sure he knows it."

"Are you threatening me?" Hun growled, turning to face Donny.

"Just letting you know," Donny answered flatly. He looked apathetic over how angry Hun was becoming. Hun could beat him to death or walk away, Don wouldn't care.

Mikey knew Saki was lying about how he got the saloon from Don. He had to have stolen it somehow and paid people to say that they witnessed Donny drunkenly gambling the saloon away. Don was too smart to do something so stupid. The saloon was his pride and joy. Mikey felt hallow inside just thinking about how Don must have been feeling.

Hun led them upstairs and to the two back rooms. "You each get one room. If the other rooms are full and there are travelers in need of a place to stay, you will give your rooms up and sleep in the kitchen." It wasn't a new rule. Mikey and Angel had spent plenty of nights on the kitchen floor at the old place.

"I'll take this one," Angel said and walked into one of the rooms. She whistled as soon as she stepped inside. "This is nice. A lot better than Mr. Oroku's place."

"Watch yourself," Hun warned.

"Yeah. Yeah," Angel waved him off and started to set up her new room.

Hun turned to Mikey, "Do you wanna break in your new bed?"

Despite the overwhelming urge to cry, Mikey put on his best smile, "Of course."

….

After Hun left, Mikey stayed in his room and just let himself cry. He did it silently. No one was supposed to hear him cry. It was something he did often enough and he had more than enough reasons to do it. For the first time, he wasn't only crying for himself. He felt bad for Donny and the tribe. They were no better than slaves now and Oroku Saki owned them.

He couldn't allow himself too much time to cry. He didn't want to be puffy faced and red eyed when he sang. He needed to get his room and himself ready for work. There would be a few people in the saloon for lunch but business wouldn't pick up until near sundown when the travelers start looking for a place to sleep.

Sitting up on his bed, Mikey took a few deep breaths to settle himself. He waited for his breathing to smooth out before he got up and put his dress back on. He then unpacked, placing his few meager possessions around the room. He hid the rest under the dresser for safe keeping.

Once he was done, he ventured out of his room and down to the dining and entertainment area. Mikey had never seen the inside of the saloon before and took the chance to take a look around. There was a spot by the fireplace where the buskers used to perform but no stage for entertaining. The soft intimate place by the fire would do nicely so long as the patrons behaved themselves.

There were a few people sitting alone at tables drinking beer, all of them unmarried men who don't have anyone to cook for them and lacked the ability to cook for themselves. Angel emerged from what Mikey believed to be the kitchen carrying a tray with food on it. She moved about the room, placing bowls of stew and bread down in front of each of the guests.

Donatello stood behind the bar, a blank expression on his face while he wiped glasses. The shelves behind him were full of different goods from the tribe, ranging from food to medicine to pots and even some cloth. All the items the tribe had to sell were available through the saloon. The whole village must have been proud of Don. He must be dreading them finding out what had happened.

A lady walked into the saloon, saw Mikey and Angel and paused for a moment. Her gaze lifted to Don and she walked past the eating men to get to the bar. She looked distraught, like she had spent the past few days crying. Donatello acknowledged her with a slight nod, "Good afternoon."

With a sniffle that told Mikey that she was fighting off a new wave of tears the woman nodded. "I was wondering if you still had that camera and some film."

Don nodded, "I do."

"My daughter…," the woman choked out then had to take a few steading breaths before she could continue. "My daughter died yesterday and I would like a picture of her before we bury her."

"Alright." Donny put his things away. "I will get what I need and come out to your place. Have her dressed in what you want her to wear and do her hair. I will take care of the rest."

"Thank you," the woman managed a smile. She placed a necklace on the bar. "This is all I have to pay for it. Will it be enough?"

Donny lifted the necklace and turned it over in his hands. "It will be. Go home and get yourself and your family dressed nice as well. We'll go ahead and make it a family portrait."

The woman nodded, "Thank you again."

Don walked over to Angel and Mikey. "Do you two think that you can run the saloon for a few hours while I take the picture?"

"Yeah, sure," Angel nodded. "We can take care of it."

"Good," Don sighed then headed for the back room. He came back out carrying a large box and then left.

Business was steady and Mikey and Angel were able to handle it. Donatello had a lot of things already prepared for them so there was little that they had to do beyond serving the people. The sun was just starting to set when Donatello returned. He lugged the large box into the back room and then headed into the kitchen.

As Mikey watched Donny move from one room to the other a man reached up and grabbed his butt. "So this place has whores now."

Mikey wasn't startled by the sudden hand groping his backside. It's not like it hadn't happened every night for the past few years. He simply looked over his shoulder at the man. "Yeah. You interested?"

"Absolutely" the man said with a lecherous smile.

"Then you can have me," Mikey smiled. He pointed over at Don as he came out of the kitchen to take his place behind the bar. "You have to pay him first and then I will take you to my room."

The man pulled out his gun and, keeping it under the table, pointed it at Mikey. "I'm not paying, especially not for a native."

Mikey felt his heart leap into his throat. "Okay," he whispered. "We can go upstairs now."

….

Despite the rough start, the night went well for Michelangelo. He had learned early on to suppress his pain when someone hurt him. When the man with the gun left Mikey cleaned himself off, headed back downstairs and sang while Angel played. They both spent more time upstairs than they did in front of the fire. Being upstairs brought in more money.

By the end of the night, Mikey gave up his room to a patron and headed down to the kitchen to sleep. The floor wasn't a comfortable place to sleep but at least the fire would keep him warm. He opened the door and found Donny making the breakfast pastries for the morning. A pot of oats was already on the fire as well.

Mikey looked around the kitchen, "Is there anything left?"

Don pointed to the large pot "I haven't cleaned it out yet and there is some bread over there."

Mikey rushed over and grabbed the drying bread then headed over to the pot. There was some stew left on the bottom. Dipping his bread in to soak up some of the moisture, Mikey got to work finishing off what was left. It was cold but it tasted a lot better than the stuff served at Saki's place.

While Mikey ate, Don continued to work. By the time Mikey had finished what was in the pot, Don was ready to clean it. Don pumped some water into it and then rolled it over to heat up by the fire.

"I thought you were going to clean it," Mikey said.

"The stuff comes off easier if I boil water in it first." Don said and then opened the oven to check his pastries.

"I think I'll make a trip to see April tomorrow and tell her that trick," Mikey said. "The cook spends a lot of time cleaning the pots. Sometimes he just leaves the gunk in them."

"And that is why the food there isn't any good," Don replied then changed the subject. "I saw you head upstairs with a guy who didn't pay. You know only Saki's employees get your services for free."

"Yeah," Mikey twisted his hands together. "The guy had a gun."

Don looked up at Mikey, "He forced you?"

Mikey shrugged and started to toy with his new necklace, "He wasn't rough. He just didn't want to pay. It's not the first time it's happened. We're told not to fight. It's better than being shot."

"Where did you get that?" Don asked pointing to the necklace.

"Hun," Mikey answered. "He gives me gifts every so often."

"Is he interested in you," Don asked and Mikey could tell that he was doing his best to not show his disgust.

"Not enough," Mikey said. "He's not married and he only comes to me but… he won't go against Mr. Oroku's wishes. He's not willing to fight for me."

"Do you love him?"

Mikey shook his head, "No. But I would be willing to pretend that I did for the rest of my life if it meant that he would take me away from all of this."

"He would kill you the second he found out that you were a male," Don pointed out.

Mikey let out a soft chuckle, "I know. It's a risk I take every day."

"Why?"

"I don't know." Mikey felt his eyes swell with tears. "It's my life. It's just the way it is. I have nowhere else to go, no one willing to stand up for me, no one who cares. I could be killed tomorrow and no one would mourn my death."

Don mumbled something Mikey couldn't make out and then turned to pull the pastries out of the oven. "I don't know how I'm going to tell the tribe." Don placed the pastries on the counter to cool and then put in the second batch. "The only reason they agreed to get an official deed to the land was because I told them to. I told them it would be safer that way, that the government would see that they owned the land and wouldn't take it from them. They trusted me and I have failed them."

"It will be okay," Mikey tried to soothe even he knew it was a lie. "I know you didn't gamble it way. You don't drink. Saki's lying. The tribe will believe you too."

Closing his eyes, Don let out a staggering sigh, "I will tell them in the morning when I go to get my supplies." He straightened up and looked at Mikey. "Go ahead and go to bed. I don't need your help in the kitchen. I'm almost done."

A sad smile crossed Mikey's lips. "I'm sleeping in the kitchen tonight."

"I'm almost done," Don repeated as he checked the pastries. "These things don't take that long to bake. Once these are done I will clean out the pot and then we can go to bed."

"Okay," Mikey nodded and started to look around the room for a good spot to sleep. "Do you mind if I use a bag of flour for a pillow?"

Don pulled the pastries out of the oven. "When I said that we can go to bed, I meant that you can sleep in with me."

"You don't have to do that," Mikey argued. "You don't owe me anything."

"I want to," Don said. "I don't want to be alone tonight and you need a break. You've gone through enough today."

"Okay," Mikey said and genuinely smiled. "I promise you, I'm clean. I always clean up before bed."

"I'm not looking for sex," Donny covered the pastries.

"I know," Mikey said in a small voice.

"I probably won't need your help with sex anymore either," Donny choked out. "When Venus finds out what had happened, she's not going to want me."

Mikey helped him move the pot away from the fire. More water was added to it and then Don got to work scrubbing it out. The crud on the inside was easily removed and the pot was set to dry.

It had been a long time since Mikey had felt nervous over sharing a bed with someone. He told himself that he shouldn't let himself get emotionally attached to Don. He knew that there was no way Don would ever return those feelings.

Mikey followed Don to his room and then started to undress. He noticed that Donny would occasionally look over at him. Mikey's face flushed and he was grateful that the room was dark. "It's not comfortable to sleep in the dress," Mikey explained.

"I… understand," Donny stammered as he nodded. "That makes sense. I… I take off my close to sleep too."

Mikey crawled up into the bed and Don soon followed. After some sifting to find a comfortable position, they settled on facing each other with Mikey curled against Don. "If Venus De Milo is in any way smart, she would still choose you as a mate," Mikey said.

Don shifted and placed his arm over Mikey, "I would mourn you."

"You don't like me," Mikey whispered.

"I don't want to," Don admitted. "But I can't help it. I don't want you to die, Mikey."

Mikey nuzzled against Donny. "You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that."