Author's note: A short Mikey chapter for you, full of feels and brother times. Enjoy!

Also, thank you everyone who commented on the last chapter, I was a bit nervous it was too sweet, but I'm glad people seemed to enjoy it. :0)

Chapter 20

Michelangelo

"All right, so you have your T-Phone and I left a glass of water on the nightstand if you get thirsty," I say, tapping my finger on my chin in thought. "I could get you an extra blanket if you want. Are you cold?"

He shakes his head and grips the edge of the quilt already covering his bed. "No…no I'm not cold," he says quietly.

He fidgets, grimacing at the small movement. He stares up at the ceiling with his mouth pressed into a line that crinkles at the edges. It's the look he gets when he's upset. I thought things were going to be all right. When he hobbled into the kitchen with a grin, followed by April with suspiciously damp hair; I thought he was going to be fine. They held hands under the table and he actually ate some food without arguing about it. But, April is gone now and so is the grin. He's not ready to talk about whatever they did to him. I won't force him. He'll talk when he's ready. It still hurts though, to watch him suffer. I want to help. I want to make everything all right and I want to chase away that haunted look in his eyes. If it was me he would fix things. He would know what to do.

"All right," I murmur, my hand resting on the doorframe. "Do you want the door opened or closed?"

He fidgets again and his brow creases in thought. "Oh…uh, I don't know, um open, I guess. Yeah…don't close it," he says.

A slow swallow follows his words making him wince in pain. My chest tightens and I push back the urge to cry. Crying won't help anything. It'll only make things worse. I tighten my grip on the doorframe and clear my throat. I don't speak until I'm certain my voice won't waver.

"Donnie?"

"Y-yeah, Mikey?" he says and I have to strain my ears to hear the quiet reply.

"Uh, would it be all right if I stayed here for a while?" I ask, leaning forward. "I won't make any noise, I promise. I just…I'd like to stay for a bit, if that's okay."

I need to make him think this is for me, because I know he doesn't want to be alone, but he'll never say it. He doesn't have to. I've known him my whole life, I know when he's hurting. He's too proud to ask for help. I'll give it anyway. We're a team. That's what brothers do. There's a tiny sniffle and the slightest of nods and I feel the weight in my chest lift. I keep the door open a crack and pad across the room to the bed.

"Scoot over," I say quietly, climbing up to sit beside him.

The mattress groans and the blankets ruffle as he inches over to make room. I sit with my back against the headboard and my legs stretched out in front of me. I'm about to say good night or make a joke, something, anything, to chase away the uneasy quiet. I don't get the chance. He rolls onto his side and wraps his arms around me, burying his face into the crook of my arm. My chest tightens again when I feel the warmth of his tears against my skin. I take in a breath and rest my hand atop his head. My throat closes and I can't fight back the sting in my eyes.

"It's all right," I murmur, sniffling back the worst of my tears. "You're all right. You're home…you're safe now. We're not going to let anything hurt you."

He nuzzles further into my shoulder and his breath comes out in painful sobs. I rest my chin a top his head and continue to assure him that he's safe, the words like a mantra in one of Master Splinter's meditation exercises. I don't know how long we cling to each other. It feels like an eternity, my heart breaking just a little bit more with each sob, but eventually his breathing evens out. He sniffles and runs a hand under his nose with a grimace that is more than a little embarrassed.

"I…I'm sorry," he whimpers around another sniffle.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," I reply instantly.

He nods and doesn't argue with me, for which I'm grateful. We fall into another stretch of silence. His tears have dried but he hasn't moved from my side, still clinging to me as if I'm the only thing keeping him grounded. I hate seeing him like this. I hate that someone brought him this low. He doesn't deserve it. He sighs and turns his eyes down, pulling up the quilt to fumble with the frayed edges.

"April…April said…she said she loves me."

I blink and crane my neck to try and force his gaze. "That's…that's great, Donnie," I say with a tiny smile. "Isn't it?" I add when he refuses to look at me.

He nods, but his bottom lip trembles until he bites down on it. "Y-yes…yes, it's," he sighs and the force of it moves his entire body. "I've waited…I've wanted this, I've wanted her for…for so long and she…she finally said it, Mikey and I didn't…she said it first, all on her own and I should be…I should be happy, I am happy. I just…" he trails off. He swallows and closes his eyes, his grip tightening. "I don't want to think about what happened in that place and I…I can't, I can't get away from it. I know I'm safe here, but I can't…I'm sc-scared and it's…she's still hurting me, Mikey. She's tarnishing something that should be…that's wonderful and I…" he trails off again and buries his face once more.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" I ask quietly.

I want to take away some of the burden. I want to carry it for him. I want to fix things. I can't do any of that and it hurts, but I can be there for him. I can do that. He shakes his head no and nuzzles just a bit closer. I squeeze his arm and close my eyes before any more tears get the chance to fall. I have to be strong.

"All right," I say, opening my eyes. "But, if you ever want to, if you need to, you can tell me. I'll listen."

He sniffles and sighs. "Thanks, Mikey."

"No problem, D," I say and offer a smile I hope is comforting. "We're a team, right?"

He nods and tries his best to smile back in reply. I appreciate the effort. I reach down and pull the blanket up to cover his shoulders.

"Try to get some sleep," I say, keeping my voice calm and steady. "I'll stay up and keep watch if you want. All night if I have to. You're safe, I promise."

He sighs and this time his shoulders relax. He's exhausted both mentally and physically and even Donnie can't stay awake forever. His eyes close and he shifts to find a more comfortable position. I lean back against the headboard and listen to his breath even out in time with the ticking of the wall clock. I'm humming before I realize I'm doing it, the gentle sound warm and comforting in the dark room. Donnie shifts and asks around a yawn.

"Is that the Jurassic Park theme?"

"No…of course not," I reply, waiting a few seconds before making a chortled raptor noise.

He lets out a tiny, snort of a laugh and it makes a grin spread instantly across my face. I look up at the sound of the door creaking open. Raph stands on the threshold, blocking most of the light from the hallway. He leans heavily on the doorframe and even in the dim light I can see the pained grimace on his face. He should be in bed. He's still hurt, no matter what he says. I'm not about to tell him that. He wouldn't listen anyway. He'll learn when he pulls his stitches again. I sigh and wave him over. He stares at me for a long moment and I think he's going to walk away, but he proves me wrong.

"You should be sleeping," he grumbles, dropping onto the bed with even less grace than usual.

"Look who's talking," Donnie mumbles, but his voice is already starting to sound far away and he fights back another yawn.

Raph grumbles something about being fine, but the argument loses some of its steam when lying down causes him to bite back a whimper. He carefully moves onto his side and drapes an arm over Donnie's shell. We used to sleep like this all the time when we were younger; a pile of limbs and shells. Back then it was often a thing of necessity; a way to keep warm during the winter or a way to stay safe before we found the lair. I think it's like that tonight; a necessity. I only wish Leo was here too.

"Glad you're home, Brainiac," Raph mutters in his best attempt at being sincere.

"Me too," Donnie replies and nothing else needs to be said.

I keep my word and stay awake long after the two of them have drifted off to sleep. Sometime after the clock passes midnight Leo checks in on us. I give him a wordless smile when he silently crosses the space from the door. He sits in the chair beside the bed and rests on hand on my shoulder. He nods and I know he's offering to take up the watch. I yawn and flash an appreciative smile, snuggling down under the covers and trying with limited success to block out Raph's snoring.

I wake with a start, surprised that I fell asleep so quickly. I shimmy, turning my head, pinned under Donnie's arm and Leo's shell on either side. I blink back the fuzziness of sleep, trying to catch a glimpse of the clock. My gaze settles instead on the stoic form of Master Splinter sitting in the chair beside the bed. His whiskers twitch when he catches me watching him. I smile sheepishly. His head lowers in a nod and I let my head fall back against the pillow, nuzzling into the soft, warmth of our make-shift nest. He'll watch over us. He won't let anything bad happen. My eyes drift closed again with a content sigh knowing that we're all home safe.