It went downhill right after they reached eleven.
When you lived in the sewers, there was a good chance that they would find small waterways. Despite that they were born swimmers, Master Splinter didn't allow four turtles to swim on their own until they were old enough to take care of one'self, remember the way home after resurfacing, and more importantly don't get sick. Although they were turtles and couldn't drown, human DNA kept them from staying underwater for too long. Swimming came naturally to them. They didn't need a teacher for this. Just jumped into the water and enjoyed the new world.
At the age of eleven, Donnie was smart enough to diverse the clean, clear water from the pipes to the small pool in the lair so they could swim every time they wanted. Raph named it a ninja secret passage because they could sneak out to the outside. Sometimes Splinter caught them, probably had something to do with a drip on the floor. But that didn't stop the curious mutant turtles to go out. It was the way out to his and Raph's secret playground too, where it connected to the tunnel close to the surface, full of 'treasures' in the eyes of kids.
It started when Raph called him out of boredom and nudged him to go to 'adventure' together. Normally, it was just a trip around the sewers like how they went to scavenge in group, but today was different. Raph told him that he discovered a new secret place where 'treasures' lied. Mikey nodded eagerly and followed Raph out of the lair. The area was full of dry trashes which was awesome since most of trashes were flushed down to the damp sewers and only a few were clean. They played for a long time until Raph realized they would get in trouble if Splinter couldn't find them in the lair so he had to drag Mikey back. His little brother was reluctant until he promised Mikey that he would take him here again.
The day of celebrating their mutation was near, and their secret place gave Mikey an idea. He could find some presents for everyone.
It was quiet evening when he slipped off the lair. Using his ninja skill (he could do it when he really wanted to), he was out in the sewers. He couldn't ask Raph to go with him because it was going to be a secret for everyone. And what would happen to a lone turtle in the sewers? Raph sneaked out most of the time and he was fine, so he would be fine too. Mikey planned to find some clean papers to draw a card for his family. The nice clean papers were rare items, and it would help lifting the mood in the lair. The atmosphere in his home was currently dull for his sense and he wanted to fix it with some nice presents. Plus, he was out only an hour. It shouldn't be a problem, right?
He was pretty proud of himself to come up with his own plan. Who said he was stupid? When he was sure no one was around, he dove into the pool. Remembering the direction, Mikey swam to the other side and got off the water to find their playground. Left, right, and right. There! He found their secret place again! Mikey grinned as he dug through the pile of trashes to find what he wanted. Someone threw away a box of crayons which was nice since he managed to grab some clean papers from the pile. and oh! He grinned when he dug some Space heroes collection cards. Leo's going to love this!
He didn't know how much time he spent there. When he thought he had enough papers, minus stained ones, he put them in his bag and ran to the lair full of hope. This will be the most awesome celebration ever.
Every plan had a flaw, of course.
His smile morphed into an 'O' shape when he bobbed his head out of water and gasped for breath and found Leo stood on the edge of the pool, frowning at him. His hands on hip like he was waiting for someone. Mikey gulped and offered him a sheepish grin.
"Umm, hey bro. Nice to see you out of the dojo early."
"I know Raph is bad influence for you."
Mikey cringed. "It's just a quick trip, big bro. No harm done."
That was a wrong answer. Because Leo suddenly exploded.
"No harm done? Mikey, you've been missing for hours! We're searching for you everywhere. You're not in the lair, and now Master Splinter is out in the sewer because he's worried that you're lost! What were you thinking? Going out alone without telling us is stupid! I can't believe you didn't tell me!"
Leo glared accusingly at him. It was what little brother got from the older brothers when he messed up. But something was different this time. It wasn't like Raph's heated gaze when he was mad or annoyed look from Donnie when he messed with his projects. Leo's eyes were different.
It was the first time he saw it. And he couldn't... oh god he couldn't look at his brother in the eyes without being ashamed. Because for once in his life Leo looked like he was truly disappointed in him, like he didn't deserve to be a ninja or even a brother. Like a slap on his face with 'why can't you be good for once?'. Mikey couldn't stand it and he looked away with guilty. It was hurt to see that look in his brother's eyes, reducing him into a black sheep of family, little brother who couldn't do anything right, a failure.
His lips trembling, Leo's gaze softened when Mikey turned away abruptly. Leo sighed and calmed down a bit.
"Just tell me next time, all right?"
"'Kay..."
He couldn't stand the weight of guilty. Sure, he got a lecture from time to time but nothing equaled to the previous look from Leo. Still, he could always win fights with Leo by bursting into tears, but this time he didn't want to do that. What's the point anyways? The tears won't take the disappointment from Leo.
He made a beeline to his room, not caring when Raph called after him. Mikey knew it was only a matter of time that Leo would start an argument with hothead and he made sure he would stay away from them. Not now. He had his own problem. He quickly climbed on his bed and threw the bag away. For a few moments he thought if he gave Space Heroes cards to Leo now, he would be less angry. He quickly scrambled back to his knees and emptied the bag.
His plan had more than one flaw because he forgot that he carried papers. Papers and water didn't mix. They were all water-damaged. The deformed Captain Ryan which was Leo's favorite character was staring back at him. All cards were warped, adding wrinkles on his face. It looked like the captain was disappointed in him as well.
Feeling drained, he scraped them off his bed. He didn't need it anymore. He didn't care about it anymore.
He heard Leo and Raph having their usual argument again. Mikey thought he didn't want to see that look from Leo anymore. It hurt, so much. He wasn't the best student in the family, but he never disappointed anyone, right?
The papers were forgotten, and the gap between them slowly stretched out.
Mikey literally dragged Leo for fifteen minutes until he realized he had to stop the bleeding first.
Driven by the fear of Kraang zombies (he'll name them later), his mind focused on one thing: escape. At least they were safe from getting bitten. Mikey turned his head around and observed the surrounding for the first time. They were on the main road, behind him was the university, so he must keep forward. He couldn't drop Leo to treat his wound. They were out in open and no way he could defend them both from hunters or clickers.
What to do!? What to do next?
Fresh snow kept falling down. The cold probably froze his brain, he couldn't think of anything. Mikey tried to think but he was too panicked to think of anything useful. He saw the houses on the side of the road and debated whether he should go in. A small voice came from inside his head.
'Make sure all doors and windows are strong enough to protect us from intruders while we're resting at night.'
Mikey blinked. He remembered that words; Leo told him on the first day of their arrival. Of course, it was always Leo who found the shelter, foods, and water. Now he was on his own. He had to do this. Mikey shook his head and tried to concentrate again.
Right. I can find shelter for us.
He had to choose one of these houses, probably the nearest since Leo's weight grew heavier on him. Mikey kicked the door and scanned for clickers or hunters. The house was dead quiet. He glanced at the broken windows and quickly searched for the basement's door. Taking Leo to downstairs was far more difficult than he thought. He had to make it very, very slow since he didn't want to trip on something and fell off. There were many times he swayed back and forth but he steadied himself before going down again. He couldn't fail. If he fell, Leo probably died for real. His step was slow, and Leo was still bleeding. The trail of blood followed him every move.
"Hang on, bro." Mikey gritted his teeth as he finally reached the floor.
The basement had been ransacked like every other place in the city. There was a dirty mattress at the corner and few empty glass bottles, but the floor was mostly dusty with some trashes. Someone used to set this place to be their home. Mikey didn't have time to find other houses so he hoped the owner didn't come back so soon.
Putting Leo on the mattress, he took Leo's backpack off and searched for the first aid box they found on the first day. Unlike his own backpack, Leo chose items inside carefully since they had to travel for a long time and could only carry a few things. Water bottle, maps, some dried foods, anything that was useful. Mikey opened the box and found the same needle that Leo used on him once, a roll of bandage that had probably been used a few times, cotton pads that he hoped nothing grows on them, and a thread that was long enough to stitch the wound. He glanced at his big brother's side, trying to remember how to stop bleeding. Usually, he was a backup when someone got hurt but he had seen Donnie treating the wounds so many times. He just had to stitch it as fast as possible…
Blood soaked through the pads in instant. Mikey was hoping Leo would groan in pain the moment he touched his wound but Leo didn't make any sound. He was just lying still which made Mikey even more panicked. He quickly grabbed needle, almost pierced through his own finger, and settled to stitch the wound. But he found that his own hands were shaking badly. At this rate, he probably added a second hole on Leo's side rather than treating the first one.
"Okay, okay, it's cool, dude. I saw Donnie used it on turtles more than hundred times. I'm totally expert now." Mikey sighed loudly, then he looked at Leo. "If it hurts, just tell me okay?"
He found the talking helps him better than anything. It helped to remind him that Leo was only unconscious, not dead. He tried not to think Leo was dead. Even if he didn't flinch when Mikey took a wrong aim to pierce his skin and was a little bit pale, he was still breathing. The blood was still warm. So he kept talking.
"Man, it's like we're taking a turn to get a stitch. And you know, I'm not a fan of needles. But maybe this curve needle doesn't hurt much. I'm glad you take it along. Who knows I'll have to use it on you." Mikey mumbled the last part when he concentrated on the suture. Mikey swallowed a lump in his throat. He tried not to remember how it felt the moment he pierced under the skin. He knew it hurt like his skin was burning. Maybe he was exaggerated but it hurt anyway.
The main obscure wasn't the blood, it was his own hands. They were shaking for ten minutes now. Mikey looked down at his hands and sighed. "Relax, dude. I'm as chilled as ice. Umm, I'm not shaking at all. Stop it, stupid hands."
He was ready to talk to anything in the room to make him calm down, even if it was his own hands. He even considered glaring at them until they stopped but it may take a long time so Mikey clenched and released them a few times until they stopped. Pushing everything aside, he had to finish this.
He cleared his throat (Donnie did it when he focused on something so he copied him) and looked down at Leo. He felt nauseated all of sudden and wanted to run off, or wake up if he was still dreaming. But he couldn't. Because he knew Leo only had him and him alone. He had to focus on the moment, as much to hold on to his sanity. He carefully put Leo's hand on his lap.
"Don't be afraid. Right. You're not afraid of needle right? Fearless Leader has nothing to fear! But, well, uh, you know, I held on you when you sewed me, so I'll be generous and let you hold on me. It's only fair. Not that I'm afraid or something, I'm totally cool..."
His right hand started shaking again. Damn. He didn't have time for this. Mikey bit his bottom lip and continued anyway. The stitch wasn't pretty like the one Leo did for him, but at least he didn't have to worry about the blood loss. He bandaged the wound quickly and sighed. Then he moved to clean Leo's head wound. He repeated the same process and didn't stop talking at all.
"See? You're in the good hand. I promise I'll do it as fast as I can. Just like you promised me last time. It'll be fine. Leo'll be fine..."
I'll be fine.
The whole monolog was for himself. It was the way he pretended that he wasn't afraid. Leo would live. Yes, nothing could stop him from living. He was in a coma before and he was fine, so this time he would be fine too.
But what if he's unconscious for three months again?
Mikey shuddered at that thought, making his hand slipped. A tiny drop of blood appeared on Leo's skin.
"Oh shell, so much blood..." He used the soaking pads on Leo's head before start stitching again. The wound on Leo's head was small and not too deep; it would heal within a few days. Mikey looked relieved when he finished, then he used their precious water to wash his skin. When he was done, he rushed off to find some towels or blankets in the houses for Leo. It was getting cold outside and inside the house so he had to keep Leo warm.
"There. Easy, right?" He sat beside his brother and tried not to look at his hands. The green skin on his hands covered in red. Leo's blood. All Leo's blood. He knew it would turn sticky but at the limited resource, he didn't want to waste their water.
Suddenly he couldn't take it anymore. A few hours ago they were still fine walking in the city, joking about going to university like normal teenagers. But now Leo was hurt, dying possibly. He burst into tears and curled himself on the floor. Why was there so much blood? Why did his hands never stop shaking? He also felt relieved that he could perform the suture for the first time. He should be proud of himself. But was it okay? Did he do something wrong? Because Leo didn't wake up at all. What if he did something wrong? Leo would die, and it was all on him.
I hate Kraang! I hate Kraang! I hate Kraang!
Then he heard a magical sound from Leo, a groan, but his eyes were still closed. But that was enough for him to stop crying. Mikey wiped his damp face with his bloody hands, smearing blood all over his face which probably was the horror sight and he would have a nightmare about it. But the basement didn't have a mirror so he couldn't see the reflection of himself.
"Leo?"
Leo's eyes were closed, which was again good thing because Mikey wouldn't know what to do if Leo saw blood all over his face. But Mikey wanted him to wake up. To tell him what to do. At Least he thought Leo's gain some color back. Mikey sighed, gaining a little composure he had.
"We don't actually have blood bank right now, and if we have, I don't know how to give it to you. I mean, this is the end of the world. We're lucky to have first aid, but you'll need more than a stitch. Let's see..."
Mikey thought about his big brother back on Earth, recalling what Donnie usually did what he got the cut.
I stop the bleeding. Is it enough? It probably is enough. But Donnie always injects me with some med liquid after that. I only know it hurts terribly like burning skin; it must be some kind of antibiotics…
There was no time for sitting around and crying. Mikey harshly wiped his tears again. With new determination, he had to save his brother.
There're so many things to do. I have to find medicines, foods, water. Yeah, I used all water to clean his wound. And need some clothes. It's getting cold. I need to find some human clothes and sew up a cloak… Oh god, we don't have IV. How can I feed him? I have to wake him up at some point. So many things to do…
He was torn between two choices. If he wanted to help his brother, he had to leave Leo. But he didn't want to. Mikey clenched his fist on his lap, glaring stubbornly at them to make them stop shaking.
"I-I have to find a hospital. You need antibiotics. It must be a super healing booster since Donnie injected it every time I got a cut, so it must be important. But, uh, honestly, I don't wanna leave you. We're two turtles short so if I go, who'll look after you? And I, eh, I don't really know where the hospital is and even if I find it I don't think there'll be antibiotics lying around because, you know, meanie people everywhere. This dimension is in chaos. And I don't wanna… leave your side too. Just in case you want to go to toilet..."
That was a lame excuse and he knew it. It wasn't like Leo would get up to smack his head if he told the most stupid joke. Mikey rubbed his brother's hand, warming it a bit.
"You gotta-" Mikey sniffed. "You gotta say something, dude."
He couldn't fail this. His brother's life was on his hand. He didn't want to disappoint him again. The burden of the unwanted leader fell on him. It depended on him and only him to keep both of them alive. Even if he messed up, he just wanted to see Leo opened his eyes again. Disappointed or not, he just didn't care anymore.
"Leo..." Mikey's fingers trailed on his plastron. "Please wake up."
His brother remained still, only his chest rose and fell as he breathed.
There was a tale that Master Splinter told him a long time ago about how ninja trained on the snowed mountain. When they needed water, they dug snow into a bucket and stamped their feet repeatedly on it until snow melt. Splinter said it was for training one's body and mind. But Mikey thought it sounded exhausting, they had to waste too much energy just to get water. But here, he began to think it made sense since he needed water so much and he didn't want to wander in the wood to find the stream. He remembered they had to keep Leo hydrated when he was in the coma. Here, he didn't have warm water with a nice bathtub so he had to put many blankets on him to keep him warm. Thin fabric provided a little comfort in the cold weather.
The thought of finding medicine kept nagging on the back of his head but he couldn't leave Leo. He must choose to leave Leo to find medicine or to see him slowly slipping away... But what if his big brother woke up and found no one? Shell, he should pay attention when Master Splinter taught them about herbs. Only Leo learned how to make herbs. But it wasn't like he could find wild plants out there. A few hours had passed and outside was full of snow.
He found the idea of crying like a bipolar was enticing but he couldn't lose himself. Not right now. He probably cried later when Leo woke up.
The sun was going down, leaving the world into the darkness again. On the second floor, he found a stack of colored paper in the old bedroom. Must be the girl's room since the torn wallpaper was in striped pink. He also found a full set of color pen but the ink was dry years ago. But luck was on his side, there was a crayon box in the drawer. He quickly grabbed items and ran back to the basement.
This was going to be the solution. He couldn't leave Leo alone without leaving a note on where he went, so he would make the note! That way Leo could keep track of him. Mikey stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth and grabbed the crayon to write the first note.
His stomach growled as he missed lunch and breakfast. Mikey frowned. For several months they had little to eat but his stomach demanded the same amount of food like he was in the lair. Great. He was going insane but his body didn't change a bit. He needed to find some foods soon. He glanced at Leo. His brother didn't eat or drink for a day so he had to wake him up at some point or think of something...
He was about to continue scribbling when he heard Leo's voice.
"Mikey..."
Hearing his name, Mikey's heart leaped and quickly scrambled to Leo's side.
"Leo!" He rubbed some dried blood on his cheeks, hoping he looked decent. "How are you?"
Leo barely opened his eyes. He blinked a few times until his dizziness disappeared, but he didn't answer.
"Leo…?" Mikey tried again. It was like Leo wasn't fully awake yet. His mouth was moving but no sound came out. Mikey leaned closer and touched the side of Leo's face, encouraging him to speak.
"You...okay?" Leo finally rasped.
Mikey gave him the best smile. "I'm perfectly fine, bro. We're in the house near the university. No clickers or Kraang zombies follow us here so it's probably safe. Do you want some water? I save some for you… and, uh, how are you? It's kinda important because I want to know if I have to find the hospital to medicines. Do you think there'll be some left for us? I mean, people here steal everything they can..."
His voice trailed off as Leo closed his eyes.
"Bro…?"
Leo probably heard only the first sentence and slipped back to unconsciousness again. Mikey sighed, leaning back as he sat beside the mattress. He sat there and stared at Leo for a long time in hope of his big brother woke up again. Taking care of someone was definitely wearisome. The things Leo did to him looked so easy until their roles were switched.
His hands were shaking again.
I can't do this.
Help me...
But all he could mutter was,
"I miss you."
It was his turn to close his eyes, snuggling close to Leo as much as possible.
Author's note: I rewrite this chapter many times and I'm still not satisfied…sorry.
I've decided that the next chapter will be M rating. the whole idea about winter doesn't go well with just T rating so...sorry. There'll be 2-3 chapters in M rating and things will be back to normal, hopefully.
Off topic (obviously), I've seen the new ss5 episodes and I have to say, I take all my complaints back. Turtles actually become teenagers. Mikey is actually smart in his own way. Leo's adapting to become sensei(?). Donnie has anger issue lol. The only one that I don't see much is Raph which is a shame since I kinda like him. So far ss5 is great! AND I'M OVERWHELMED BY LEO/MIKEY MOMENTS AHHH SO MANY I LOVE YOU! Thanks for focusing on them. I really like them and you write them well, script writer. I hope you keep it up. This is as good as the first season!
Space heroes is kind of creepy, though...
Replies: Guest (Mar 29) - I'm just writing how I interpret him. I really like him 2003 ver. and a few episodes in 2012 s1. He's dependable in some situation and can remain funny. This is just... how I see him, I guess.
Guest (Apr 4) - Aww thank you so much! I'll try to stick with monthly update but we'll see... new chapter is up and I hope you enjoy it!
