TRIGGER WARNING: Mild mentions of self harm and use of alcohol.
SLAM.
"And stay there!"
Mikey slid down his door and listened as Raph, Don and Leo cursed him as they watched the breaking news on t.v.
The title of the story on the bottom of the screen read: Local Boy Tries To Take Own Life But Claims Turtle Saved Him! Mikey overheard the news anchors laugh at the 'ridiculous' story as they got further details, Mikey listened carefully as they spoke, "officials say the teen was heavily intoxicated and a local bystander is believed to have helped the boy, police are scanning tapes to see if they can find this mystery savior!"
Mikey smiled a bit at that, he had helped after all, 'guess it was worth all this then.'
His stomach dropped when he heard three pairs of footsteps coming towards his closed door, "guys...I-I know I messed up but he needed hel-"
"Mikey. Their going to see you on those tapes! Were you cautious at all last night?!" Leo screamed through the, thankfully, locked door.
"I mean...I was as quick as I could be! I couldn't hide because I...was carrying him on my shell."
Jeez...this just happened last night, how are they already reporting on it?!
Raph growled and facepalmed as he walked away from the door in disbelief, "what are we ganna do?! Clearly their going to see him!"
Don sighed but then gasped, "wait! Didn't they have a picture of the police station that's investigating?"
Mikey guessed Leo and Raph nodded at this as Don continued, "let's rewind the footage, maybe I can take a picture of the station then track it on my phone, if we can find it then I can scramble and erase their data base!"
"Great plan Donnie! I'll inform Master Splinter, get any equipment needed!"
Mikey smiled wide at this as he realized it was still daylight outside, he jumped up and quickly unlocked his door, "I'm coming too then!"
Taking once step forward Mike felt himself get shoved two steps back, "not a chance numbskull. You ruined this so now we gatta fix it, least you could do is just stay put."
"Why?! I can just be lookout! Come on plea-"
"He's gotta point Mikey, the less of a crew the better anyways!" Don added.
Mikey frowned, "So one turtle down is really ganna make that big of a difference? C'mon guys!"
Leo then stepped into the argument as he emerged from the dojo, "Mikey! Get down here, Master Splinter would like to see you, you are prohibited to go on this mission."
Raph snickered at Mikey as he trudged off towards the dojo to most likely receive a lecture.
As Mikey entered the dojo he heard Leo faintly as the three made their way out of the lair, "let's go guys Mikeys...ganna be grounded for a while I feel."
He frowned as he heard Raph snicker again and quickly made his way to where Master Splinter sat in the dojo.
"Michelangelo, please kneel my son."
Mikey gulped as he all but fell to his knees in front of Master Splinter.
"Leonardo has informed me that he saw you on the television, is this true?"
Mikey looked down now finding his hands more interesting then his father's cold disappointed eyes.
"Yes but Master I-"
"You have no excuse Michelangelo, you are a ninja and ninjas are hidden no matter what the situation."
Mikey frowned at this, "I saved someone Master Splinter!"
"You do this every night on patrol with your brothers yet the four of you have never been caught until now, can you explain why this distressed being was any different?"
Mikey was ready to spill all of what happened until a small voice came into his head, 'if you tell him what happened he will be disgusted that you saved a selfish being like that.'
Mikey flinched at this thought, it was true, Master Splinter had always told he and his brothers that the injury that you cause to someone else is bad but if you inflict pain on yourself it is even worse this included any sort of drinking or cutting of course.
Master Splinter thought anything that had to do with self inflicted harm was beyond disrespectful, something about respecting your body that you were given. Mikey also knew that if Master Splinter had mixed feelings about that topic then he would definitely hate the fact that he saved someone that almost ended themselves completely.
It was crazy that the kind and gentle Master Splinter had such little remorse for those types of people. But Mikey had to respect that, even if he completely disagreed. Thus at that moment he silently shook his head and shrugged, "h-he was no different Master, I just had my guard down I guess."
Splinter hummed at this, "I am disappointed that a skilled ninja like you was caught so easily by a bystander. Do you realize the unfortunate effect this all could have on this family?
Mikey nodded.
"Michelangelo, I want you to think of your own suitable punishment as you do two hundred flips. You are also grounded for three weeks."
Mikeys eyes widened, "three we-"
Master Splinters glare shut Mikey up quickly, "yes Master."
He then got up, bowed, and went to the main part of the dojo to the nearest stable wall and began his flips.
A suitable punishment...how about...eh I dunno! Jeez...two hundred flips and grounded for THREE weeks. Just for seeing a shadow of me on the news? Ugh...what the shell...and I have to think of a suitable punishment? I don't know! Maybe...ugh...I probably have an idea he would agree to...doing Leo, Don and Raphs chores for a week.
Mikey shivered at the thought, four highly athletic teenage mutated ninja turtles and a mutated rat, it was amazing how cluttered the place got when any of his brothers or himself fell behind on their chores. He ran through the chores list in his head.
Leo: Dojo (Mopping the sweaty floor, cleaning the weapons rack and all the ancient relics along the walls and polishing the ancient wood floor Master Splinter had managed to apply to the room.
Raph: Bathroom (scrubbing the tub/shower, toilet, sink, mirror, faucets, and the light fixtures.)
Mikey flinched at the thought of the bathroom duty, five mutants could really do some disgusting damage to one bathroom. He shook his head at the thought and continued to think.
Don: Lab and Living Room (sterilizing beds, medical equipment, door knobs and washing the make shift hospital sheets and pillow covers, also the pesky scrubbing of the walls and mopping the floor. Then the living room where dusting, vacuming and simple clean up took place.
Mikeys job was the kitchen where he mopped, washed dishes and also cooked. He sighed, this was all going to need to be done every single day for a whole week but he could handle it!
As Mikey finished his flips and thoughts he took a huge gulp of air and cleared all signs of sweat off of himself. He then kneeled in front of Master Splinter once more and spoke, "I think I have thought of a suitable punishment for my irresponsible actions."
Mikey choked down the words, he hated that he had actually done something so good that turned out to amount to a big punishment.
"And that is, my son?"
"I have thought on the subject of doing all of my brothers chores for the next week."
"Hmm.."
Hmm? Hmm?! Really?! That's not good enough?! What the shell...
"I feel that if you did all the chores of your brothers in addition with your own for the weeks you are grounded will teach you a well needed lesson."
Mikeys clenched his fist on his lap, "yes Master, I believe that will surely set me straight."
Master Splinter nodded and then excused Mikey to leave, as Mikey left he saw what time it was and decided to get to work on supper.
Jeez already eight thirty?! I was in there forever! Oh well I guess...apparently I deserved that. Don't think about it Mikey, as long as you don't think about it, it will go by faster.
Clearly trying to push the rage filled thoughts out of his mind Mikey decided on making tonight soup night, he picked this due to it being pretty rainy out, or what he assumed was a rainy night, he could hear the news from where he was at the stove and the reporters were speaking about a lot of storms moving through the area.
He sighed angrily as he stirred the content of potato soup in the pan directly in front of him, he then began to cut up potato cubes into the soup.
As he was completing this he grumbled as three pairs of footsteps entered the kitchen.
Great just what I need...just stay calm Mikey, stay calm, you got this.
"Well, well! What little Mikeys punishment?" Raph smirked.
"None of your business."
"Aww come on Mikey! We just want to know, you owe me that much! I had to go and fix your mess ya know..." Don said matter of factly.
Raph chimed in quick with a slight glare, "Dons gatta point ya know, it was raining the whole mini mission. Thank shell we got your stupid shell covered, if anything we kinda deserve an apology."
Leo put a hand on Raphs shoulder as he saw Mikeys shoulders shake, they were all behind him so they could see his face but Leo knew they had struck a nerve, he also knew that they needed to back off. Quickly.
"SHUT UP."
Too late for that thought.
Mikey whipped around from the now boiling soup and set his hand on the handle of the stove close to the pot the soup boiled slightly in; he burned each of the three turtles right in front of him with his glare.
"You don't know what happened. You may have seen shit on the news but that's not the whole story so just get off my shell ok?!
Yea ok I got exposed but I saved a kids life! I know we save people all the time but I saved his life in a different way that night, I actually gave a damn! If it were any of you I can't say he would have gotten the same help! So just shut up! You guys...you guys never questioned me, Don a little of course but when I was accused you just assumed I messed up.
An yea maybe if I told Don the truth then I wouldn't have been punished as bad but honestly, why can't you guys look a little deeper?!"
Leo took a cautious step forward, never had any of them heard Mikey cuss, not once in any of their lives had they heard Mikey ever cuss. "Mikey...we're sorry we didn't look into the situation more but-"
"Shut up."
"Excuse me?"
"I said shut up. I don't care what you have to say, I...I hate you guys."
That moment stood still, each turtle soaked up the tension, their faces scrunched in confusion and anger. The soup on the stove finally boiled over its barrier landing on Mikeys exposed hand, the reaction was immediate.
Mikey gasped and held his hand in pain as the soup burned it, Don rushed forward but Mikey put his good hand out, "j-just get away, in fact let me do the honors."
Off Mikey ran to his room, he slammed the door shut and locked it tight, he then slid down the door and covered his face. Rage seeped off of him as he heard Master Splinters distressed voice questioning the others in the kitchen.
He didn't know how long he stayed leaned against the door when he finally woke up, Mike opened his sleepy eyes and looked around, he quietly rose and went to his clock to check the time.
1am. Great. I'm getting out of here.
Mikey opened his door quietly as he looked around outside of it, he was very surprised to see that everyone was asleep, Why didn't they try to at least talk to me? Egh. Why do I care. Time to make a break for it.
Just like that, Mikey was gone. Down the sewer pipe and up the man hole as fast as he could possibly ever go, his hand was on fire but then again that was probably the only thing keeping him the slightest bit level headed even now.
He barely remembered anything of the short argument from hours ago, three words were etched onto his mind, I hate you.
I. Hate. You.
Why did I say that?
I. Hate. You.
I said it to all of them!
I. Hate. You.
I didn't even mean it!
Mikey fell to his knees, he ended up running to the roof it all started on, the roof on the east end. The roof that almost took a kids life. The kids life that he saved, that he was now basically in trouble for.
Hah...ironic...
He fell on his side in a haze of angst of all the events that he had gone through the past few days.
Fright, pity, empathy, pride, anger, rage, desperation, sadness.
Mikey looked directly in front of him to the little shack then over to the left slightly, his stomach dropped, the bottles, the boxes, they were all still there.
He got up, not feeling his legs as they carried him over to the three bottles and boxes.
One bottle was over flown with rain water, the other had been cracked most likely when Mikey tried to save the kid but one was sealed and full, brand new. He stuffed the mysterious boxes in his belt carefully and picked up the closed glass bottle.
It looked to be a pretty strong alcoholic content percentage and Mikey knew better, he knew what a disgrace this was but as he took the first sip out of the oversized bottle that tiny thought along with his rage went away completely leaving him at the mercy of the drink in his hand.
Mikey coughed as he took another gulp of the burned sweet taste of vodka. Smirnoff. Whipped cream flavor. Mikey loved the taste, he loved the way it was sweet yet still burned.
He looked at the clear bottle as he sat it by his side, half was gone. Mikey smiled to himself as he looked off, he felt amazing, so light and happy! Nothing in the world mattered, a thought made it through his drunken fogged mind though, hide the evidence.
Mikey quickly got up to his feet, then fell, then back up, then down again. Finally he decided to just crawl, he crawled over to the old shack and placed the bottle carefully inside the seemingly abandoned small building.
Mikey grinned, "that'll be jus fine!"
He looked up at the cloudy sky as it began to sprinkle, "better...get to the sewers! No rain there!" Mikey only made it a few feet when he swayed to far over mid crawl and fell back onto his shell. He laughed as he swayed on the back of his shell from left to right. "I'm on a roller coaster!"
He swayed even more as he laughed, "wow...t-the skys crying, I...wanna cry with it but I'm on the roller coaster!" Mikey all but shouted to himself, he swayed just far enough to his left to land back on his side.
"Oh...I crashed...I-I crashed..." He slurred that phrase a few more times as he teared up, "how could I crash?" His foggy mind didn't allow him to react too quickly at that moment as a hand landed on his shoulder.
Mikey looked up stunned as his mind took a minute to realize who the being standing above him was.
Sorry if the triggers start to get annoying it's just something I'd rather have on every chapter just to be safe! Hope you enjoyed and continue to enjoy!