Rating: T for occasional language. Also see other warnings.

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: Bradford has always blamed Michelangelo for his misfortunes and especially for his mutation so when he manages to capture the young ninja, he's going to make sure he knows exactly what it's like. 2k12 AU.

Warning: Warnings for physical and mental torture in this story abound, as well as for implied and highly disturbing situations. Trigger warnings may apply for some chapters. There will not however, be gruesome details. Some things are best left up to the imagination. Though honestly, if you've made it this far, the warnings should be well and truly known XD


T420000: Don't worry, just because they reach home this chapter doesn't mean this story is even close to done. I have LOTS more planned yet.

Guest: Yeah, he is :-)

Minnie1015: Yeah, that was a good move on April's part. Luckily(?) she'd been bruised during the attack on the sub when Mikey fell on her XD Correction, they are home now XD


How Much is that Turtle in the Window

ch 34

Mikey stared around him in wonder as his head cleared the hatch and he caught his first sight of home ground for the first time in about eleven months. Donnie and Casey grabbed him under his armpits, hauling him out as Leo and Raph boosted him from beneath the ladder and he tried unsuccessfully not to baulk at Casey's too-human touch. The relief he felt when Leo and Raph emerged from the Turtle Sub and took over supporting him from Donnie and Casey was palpable and he pressed close to his brothers for protection.

"Casey and I'll take Murakami-san home and I'll come back tomorrow if that's okay with Mikey," April offered, already taking the blind man by the arm and gently leading him towards the way out.

"Or," Murakami spoke up with a friendly smile, "I can send April-chan back here in a couple of hours with some pizza gyoza," he offered.

"That would be great, Murakami-san," Leo said in tired relief. "We don't exactly have much in the way of food down here right now."

"Nothing fresh at any rate, I am sure," the chef chuckled with a knowing tilt of his head given that they'd been away from home for months now.

"Nothing fresh that anyone would want to eat anyway," April corrected with a disgusted grimace and a sympathetic glance at Donnie.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Casey asked loudly.

"Oh trust me, Casey, you don't want to know," April replied with another grimace. Mikey's gaze flickered past Casey to her with a frown.

"You don't know the half of it," Donnie shuddered in sympathy, even though he was one of the ones who had been forced to eat such food for so many years.

"If I'm coming back today, I'll bring back a few groceries to tide you over until tomorrow too."

"Thanks, April," Leo smiled gratefully, "and thank you all for everything today. We mightn't have made it without you."

"I'm sure you guys would have found a way," April said brightly, giving a jaunty wave as they left.

"Hey, want some help bringing back stuff," Casey's fading voice asked as the three humans disappeared around the corner. Mikey shuddered at the thought of Casey returning.

"Don't worry, Mikey," Leo turned, smiling knowingly at him, "Raph'll message Casey in a bit and ask him to keep away for a few days to give you time to recover and get used to things again before meeting him properly."

Grateful, Mikey gave a blink of relief and helped by his brothers, began walking out of the dock and into the passage leading to their home.

As he walked, he twisted and turned his head, trying to take in everything. It all felt really familiar yet he remembered none of it.

"You doing okay, Mikey?"

Mikey turned and looked at Raph, giving him a small smile and blink. Yeah, he was. It just... it felt... weird. Good but weird but he felt really truly safe for the first time he could remember.

Suddenly, he stopped, staring ahead at an opening to another passage and Donnie grinned broadly.

"Our front door," Donnie exclaimed proudly

Suddenly, Mikey felt eager. He wanted inside so badly and he took a step forward, all but dragging his brothers behind him and they picked up the pace, turning into the passage and up the stairs.

Donnie rushed ahead, pausing at the threshold. Mikey watched as he reached up an arm and flicked a switch.

The lair came alive!

Lights flickered on, bathing everything in a warm, comforting glow. Arcade machines came to life, filling the air with dings, whistles and bright lights and Mikey gazed around in wonder, taking it all in, bathing in the soothing familiarity at last.

Leo and Raph helped him past the turnstiles and down the steps and he turned his head, seeing closed doors, open doors, passageways and more stairs - Donnie's lab, the kitchen, their bedrooms and dojo entryway.

Home.

He was actually really, truly home! A place he only dreamt about until now in barely recalled shadows.

The place they'd grown up in, played in and learnt in. The place they were brought up in and loved and protected by their father.

Their father...

Tears sprang to Mikey's eyes as he remembered Splinter hadn't come home with them because he'd died trying to protect him.

No longer feeling like he deserved the physical comfort of his brothers, Mikey pulled free of first Raph and then Leo, dropping to the ground, dragged by the ever-present weights on his hands.

"Hey, what's wrong, Mikey?"

Alarmed, his brothers crouched down around him in concern and Donnie reached out a comforting hand which Mikey dodged.

He didn't have any right to be comforted after what he cost them. He looked away from them, no longer able to meet their gazes.

"Talk to us," Raph demanded gruffly.

{Chichi's not here... b'cuz of me,} he finally tapped slowly, shoulders hunched and shaking.

He sensed Raph looking to Donnie for translation but Leo lifted his face up, turning it to look into his eyes. "Father did what he did to save all of us, not just you and even knowing the consequences, I know he'd do it all over again because he loved us that much. He wouldn't have regretted a thing. Do you understand that?"

'Yes,' but that didn't make it any better.

"I know that doesn't really make things feel any better," Leo offered quietly as if reading his mind, "but it's the truth and arguing against his decision wouldn't have helped and might have led to us being found."

'Yes,' Mikey blinked again. He knew that but it still hurt so much, knowing if he hadn't been so stupid as to be captured in the first place then they'd all have been safe at home and none of this would have happened.

"It's okay to be sad and angry over what they did to him and now we're home and safe at last, we can finally take time to mourn," Leo promised softly, his voice full of heartbreaking pain. "We can remember him as he was, not how he... he ended..."

... as a trophy to be hung on some monster's wall... Mikey didn't have to voice his thoughts to know his brothers were thinking that also, even as Raph and Donnie too, looked to Leo, their faces full of anguish.

"Donnie will get those shackles off you and we'll take a few days to recuperate, give you a chance to get used to things again and then we'll hold a memorial for father. Does that sound good?" Leo asked, looking from Mikey to Raph to Donnie and back. "I think it's something we all need."

"Yeah," Raph agreed gruffly as Donnie nodded numbly.

"It's going to be hard without him but we're all here now and we'll find a way, together," Leo promised firmly.

"Together," Donnie echoed, reaching a hand out and placing it atop Mikey's right paw as he met his gaze. Leo promptly followed suit.

Raph swallowed and refusing to look anyone in the eye, quickly thrust out his hand to add to the pile. "Together," he too muttered.

Despite his ingrained fear, Mikey managed to nod once to also echo the sentiment since he couldn't actually voice it the way his brothers could.

"Okay. Do you need or want anything first Mikey or would you prefer we go straight to my lab so I can finally get those things off you?" Donnie suddenly asked, straightening as their brothers removed their hands from the pile.

Words couldn't begin to describe just how much he wanted his paws gone and yet, Mikey was hit by a sudden dread as he remembered what was hidden beneath the black metal. He'd never even told Donnie what happened and even now he wasn't sure how to bring it up but he had to.

{Want off,} he tapped slowly as he stared morosely at the offending objects; if he never saw them again, it'd be too damn soon, {but...}

"But?" Donnie pressed gently, looking Mikey directly in the eyes again.

Shuddering, Mikey clenched his eyes closed, the mallet slamming down, again and again, the agonising pain exploding within each digit with every hit hammering into him, playing out in his mind once more. {I... they h...urt...} he finally tapped, falling still and unable to explain further as he shuddered in horror at the painful and terrifying memory.

"I know, buddy," Donnie said softly. "The kind of heat used in welding can cause horrific burns. I'm afraid your hands won't be pretty after what they did to you but at least you'll be able to start using them again. Unfortunately, it's going to take some time to get your dexterity and fine motor control back after so long of being unable to use them, though, but we'll work on it together. Okay?"

Mikey looked up at Donnie plaintively. It was more than that... He reached out to begin tapping again to explain better but Donnie spoke up again before he could.

"Do they hurt anymore?"

{No... not rly...} Mikey reluctantly admitted. Then hesitantly, he tried to softly tap again, attempting to explain. {B...}

"That's good," Donnie smiled, accidentally interrupting him yet again. Then he stood. "Now come on, let's go get those off before April returns with food."

"Do you want us to come too, Mikey?" Leo asked gently, still crouched to his eye level.

'No,' he blinked, padding after Donnie guiltily. If nothing else came out of this, at least he'd be able to walk again without being forced onto his hands and knees but still, he was terrified to finally see and know for certain what was beneath.

Minutes later, Donnie had helped him into a chair and had his paws resting on a metal lab table. Donnie flashed him an encouraging gap-toothed smile and turned away to get his equipment together. As he did, Mikey found himself staring at his left paw and swallowing uneasily. He really needed to tell Donnie now but it was so hard. Just thinking about what happened kept throwing him back to relive that awful moment and he really didn't want to live through that incredible pain yet again.

He couldn't... Just the thought alone terrified him.

Mikey began to shake. This was ridiculous! He couldn't do this to Donnie. He had to tell him! Now! Before his brother discovered it the hard way!

Forcing himself to take deep, slow breaths, Mikey worked desperately to calm himself. Then, once he felt ready, he turned to face Donnie only to see him standing over him, the Kraang tech scanner he'd built so long ago in hand. Mikey jumped as Donnie shot him another reassuring smile as he slowly began running the device over his left paw and then his right, watching the nearby computer screen intently as he did.

{Do...}

"Keep still, Mikey," Donnie admonished gently without turning to look at him. "I need accurate readings of the material depth and constitution if I want to cut those off without risking hurting you."

{B...}

"Mikey, please..." Donnie said, placing a hand on top of his left paw to hold it still and looking him in the eye. "It's very important."

So was this! Mikey glowered down at his covered paw helplessly. Donnie had been really great about making it a point to actually listen to him always since teaching him Morse Code but maybe... maybe now that they were off the ship, things would simply go back to normal and he'd be constantly ignored or pushed aside again since they were home and Donnie had his toys and research to keep him occupied again.

"Just be patient, okay? You can tell me when we're done. In fact, I'll even let you use my laptop to type what you want to say if you'd prefer." Donnie smiled, already turning around and picking up his custom-built laser. "Things will be a lot easier for you once those manacles are finally off."

Donnie set the laser in place on its mechanical arm, fiddling with the settings. His tongue stuck out slightly from between his teeth as he concentrated. Then, finally, "Okay, I'm ready. Mikey," Donnie said, fixing him with an intense stare that made Mikey want to squirm uncomfortably beneath it, "I'm dead serious here, you need to keep completely still and keep your hands as flat as possible. The last thing I want is to accidentally cut you while freeing you."

'Okay,' Mikey blinked miserably, doing as Donnie instructed. Then he froze, his thoughts racing, {Donnie,} he blinked laboriously moments later, {I ne...} He sighed in defeat and stopped, slumping in place... blinking in Morse wouldn't work if Donnie wasn't watching him. Instead, he was too busy concentrating as he activated the bright red laser beam and slowly began cutting through the top of the first paw. Little streams of smoke rose from where the light hit the metal and the metal glowed brightly on either side of the fine cut.

Mikey grit his teeth in frustration and sudden anger.

Damn her for taking his voice away! What right did she have to do that to him anyway, let alone everything else she did after!

And all supposedly in the name of Science but for the Foot!

It was so stupid! She could have learned so much more from him if she hadn't stripped him of his ability to speak! Sure, he wouldn't have been exactly cooperative considering they were the enemy but he'd always had a bad habit of saying far more than he meant to. Okay, he never would have said anything that endangered his family but... but he always had trouble holding back when it came to anything about himself!

"There!" Donnie pronounced proudly as he switched off the laser and moved it aside. "That's one done. You haven't been burnt by the laser or the heat, have you?"

'No,' Mikey blinked slowly, swallowing his anger back to answer as he continued staring down at his left paw, suddenly fearful again now that the anger was gone.

"Okay, good," Donnie said, sounding pleased. He turned away to snatch up a pair of fine-tipped tongs and carefully prised the top piece of metal off, exposing the scarred pale green hand beneath. The breath caught in Donnie's throat as he stared, beginning to shake in anger. Then he seemed to cast off the emotion and blank-faced, turned the laser to the other paw. "Remember, keep still," he stated tonelessly as he activated the laser once more.

'Yes,' Mikey blinked miserably as he stared down at his misshapen hand, not daring to lift it out of its former prison in case he moved and made things more difficult for his brother than they already were.

Finally, within a few minutes, it was done and Donnie once more lifted off the top panel, exposing the bony damaged flesh beneath and Mikey finally lifted both hands free. They were unrecognisable. Yes, they still had two rather large fingers and a thumb but both were paler than he remembered - he wasn't sure if that was because they'd been sealed away for so long or because of how much sun he'd had while with the Foot - and extremely crooked with sharp bends that didn't belong on fingers or backs of hands. Mikey swallowed painfully and tried to flex his fingers, wincing in pain as the bones refused to straighten, grinding within the scarred flesh. They were also covered in numerous healed burns, most notably around the top where the 'lid' to his paws had been welded.

Donnie slowly reached out and took one hand, twisting and turning it as he studied it, his face unreadable. That is, unreadable to anyone but Mikey. He recognised the uncharacteristic fury that burned bright in Donnie's eyes, the slight stiffness of his jaw as his brother fought to keep some semblance of control. "What happened, Mikey?" Donnie asked in a dull voice, still with his eyes fixed on the hand held tenderly within his grasp.

Mikey tugged his hand out of Donnie's grip and pulled it close to his plastron as he stared up at his brother with fearful eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Donnie asked, his voice still flat.

He tried! More than once! Mikey hunched in on himself, still staring up at Donnie fearfully.

"Who did this to you, Mikey?" Donnie continued questioning, his voice becoming suddenly sharp and his words fast. "Was it Dogpound?"

Mikey flinched, his breathing becoming fast and shallow and his heartbeat beginning to race in terror at the mention of his greatest tormentor's name.

"When did he do this, Michelangelo? The bones look like they never had treatment!" he snapped furiously, pacing back and forth and glaring in his direction. "Why bother breaking your hands if they were getting sealed inside those... those monstrous manacles?" Donnie finally yelled furiously. "God! What if they became infected because they weren't treated?"

Mikey heard a rush of footsteps but as focused as he was on his ranting brother, he couldn't turn to see who came running.

"Donnie, what's wrong?" Leo asked coolly, calmly and Donnie whirled on him.

"I can't fix this, Leo!" Donnie exploded in a fury that had Mikey desperate to scamper for safety. "I'm not a surgeon! I've never had medical training beyond advanced first-aid and even that's mostly self-taught!"

"Calm down and tell us what happened," Leo repeated, resisting the urge to turn and look at Mikey for himself, scared of what he might see.

"Uh... Leo," Raph ventured with an uncomfortable swallow as he pulled one of Mikey's hands away from where they were shielded protectively against his plastron. "I think you need to see this."

Before Leo could turn, however, Donnie grit his teeth and snapped. "Dogpound broke his hands!"

"Wh-what?" Leo asked faintly, horrified by the thought.

"They're a mess! That monster broke his hands and then sealed them in those damn manacles without even having the bones set first!"

Leo whirled to see for himself in dismay, only to see Mikey huddled in the chair, eyes clenched tight and clearly terrified right now. His eyes drifted down, taking in the appearance of his hands for himself and he felt sick.

"I-I could try to fix them but it would require breaking them again," Donnie stuttered unhappily, "but as I said, I'm not a surgeon! They could regain some functionality but will never be what they were."

"I'm sure you'd do your best, Donnie," Leo said smoothly, "and any gain would be better than this..."

Donnie nodded numbly, his sudden burst of anger spent, leaving exhaustion in its place.

"... but ultimately, it has to be Mikey's choice, when he's ready for you to do it."

"I know..." Donnie moaned, "and I'd need some time to prepare first anyway... to study... before even attempting but..." he fell backwards to sit on the table and looked up at Leo with haunted eyes, "I'd have to hurt Mikey again to do it... and he's already been hurt enough in the last year. I don't... I... I-I can't..."

With Donnie's volatile side dampening at last, Mikey managed to open his eyes to see Raph still holding his hand in front of him and watching their brothers carefully. He shifted slightly to peek past Raph and saw the absolute desolation filling Donnie's face.

"It's not fair, Donnie," Leo agreed quietly "but you're the only chance he has."

Mikey tugged his hand free from Raph, startling him and feeling bad for it, reached forward to knock awkwardly on the table. {I trust u, D.}

Donnie paled further and whipped his head toward Mikey. "Why didn't you tell me what happened?" he asked again, his voice broken.

Mikey looked down, ashamed.

"Was that what you were trying to tell us out there when you said he hurt your hands?" Leo asked gently, coming over and crouching in front of Mikey to look up at him.

'Yes,' Mikey admitted with a slow blink.

"It must have been difficult to even try to tell us..."

Mikey blinked again, still too ashamed to look up and meet anyone's eye despite Leo trying so hard.

"... and then we misunderstood." Leo sighed despondently as he stood upright again. "This is why it's so important that you stop using chatspeak and shortcutting your words and sentences. We thought you meant they hurt now, not that they were hurt."

Mikey sank lower into the chair.

"Yeah, I don't think now is the best time for a lecture, Leo," Raph cut in in annoyance.

"I'm not lecturing and it needs to be said," Leo protested indignantly. "If he'd used proper English, fully formed sentences, we would have known before Donnie removed those manacles and avoided the nasty surprise."

"Maybe you're right and especially so in this case as it would have avoided a lot of confusion and misunderstanding," Raph said, his voice filled with a tinge of heat, "but Morse Code is hard, Leo! Mikey's pretty good at it now, better than either of us but tapping out every letter of every word? Fuck, I don't even know how he manages to keep track of where he is in a sentence! Maybe that shortcutting you keep complaining about is the only way he can keep track of what he's trying to say and yes, I know I'm really bad at translating it but even I can tell he's really improved at it and is doing it far less than he used to!"

"Then there's the fact that his spelling is atrocious to begin with," Donnie tacked on with a small smile at Mikey, "so I understand why he does it and normally..." he sighed miserably, turning back to Leo, "I listen properly and question for better clarity if I'm unsure. I jumped to conclusions this time because I was tired and just wanted to help him before collapsing into bed." Donnie looked over at Mikey again and seeing him looking so downcast, slipped off the table and walked over, crouching in front of him. "When you were trying to say something when I was setting up, you were trying to tell me again then, weren't you?"

'Yes,' Mikey blinked again. He reached out a hand and then hesitated, a chill running through him as he saw it again - he'd always known it would be bad but he hadn't been quite prepared to face the actual reality of it considering he never believed he'd be rescued and freed in the first place.

"And then I wouldn't listen..."

'Yes,' Mikey replied miserably again.

Donnie bit his lip and hesitantly reached out for one of Mikey's hands, "Can you move your fingers at all?" he asked gently.

Mikey shifted his gaze to his fingers and squinting at them in concentration, tried to unfurl them. They didn't budge so he tried again, gasping as sharp pain shot through his fingers at the strain he was putting on them.

"Okay, that's enough, Mikey, you can stop trying now," Donnie said in disappointment.

'No!' he blinked stubbornly. He couldn't give up now because he knew he could move them! There hadn't been much space in those damned paws but he'd often flexed or clenched them before so he could do it now too!

"Mikey, enough!" Donnie repeated sternly in an authoritative voice Mikey couldn't help but respond to.

He looked up to his brother fearfully, tears he refused to shed prickling the corners of his eyes in frustration. 'I can do it!' he spat mentally. Despite the order, he couldn't give up now! He couldn't! Mikey looked back down at his hand and lifted the second one to join it, concentrating on trying to unclench both sets of fingers as his brothers looked worriedly on.

"You okay there, Mike?" Raph suddenly asked gruffly, "It's just you look a little constipated or something."

Mikey's hands dropped to his lap and he stared up at Raph incredulously.

"Really, Raph?" Leo asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "You had to go there?"

"Well, you saw his face!" Raph protested loudly, whirling on Leo. "What else was I supposed to think?"

"Anything but that!" Leo exploded. "Seriously?"

"Raph..." Donnie shook his head tiredly. "if you aren't going to be helpful you can leave my lab. Now."

"Pft! I was being helpful," Raph snorted, motioning towards Mikey who sat shaking in the chair, the edges of his mouth curled up in silent laughter he was desperately trying to contain.

Mikey reached up a clenched hand to wipe at the tears of laughter and Donnie suddenly snatched at his hand, turning it over again as Mikey abruptly stopped laughing and stared at him in confusion.

"Okay," Donnie breathed excitedly, "you do have some movement. You can clench your fingers, just not open them. Yes, that makes sense! Especially since you've been forced to walk on them in that position all this time!" Donnie stood and began pacing around his lab again as his thoughts raced. Finally, he stopped in front of Mikey again. "At least now we know you should be able to grip things. I'm not sure how well but it's something and I'm sure it can be built on!"

Mikey canted his head at his older brother, perplexed and Donnie smiled warmly at him.

"It means you should at least be able to eat with only a little bit of aide," he pointed out, "and you'll be able to type what you want to say to us."

Now Mikey's expression shifted to disbelief again as he stared back down at his mangled hands. How? He couldn't even straighten his fingers so how was he supposed to use a keyboard?

"I can give you a stylus and you can hold that to type with. Same as for a fork and probably a few other things too. It won't be for long though."

Wondering what his brother meant, Mikey shifted his gaze back to him.

"If you'll let me, I'll try to undo some of the damage. As I said earlier, it means I'll have to rebreak the bones to set them properly though. And unfortunately, it's unlikely you'll ever regain the motion you used to have but it should be better than this at any rate," he explained. Then, uncertainly, he said again, "That is if you'll let me."

'Yes,' Mikey blinked, trying to contain his excitement. Anything would be better than this! Though even this was heaps better than still being trapped inside those heavy, awkward paws!

"Great!" Donnie beamed ecstatically. "Give me a few days first though, alright? I need time to study what to do and to prepare and we all need some time to rest and recover after the last eleven months. In the meantime, Leo and Raph will continue to help you with your rehabilitation and..."

"Hey, guys! I'm back with the food!" a voice called from outside of the lab.

"R-right!' Donnie suddenly stuttered, his train of thought derailed. "First we'll go eat though and then bed. Uh... Do you remember enough of the lair to get by or do you need us to show you around?"

Mikey reached over to the table and twisted his hand upside down, marvelling at the fact that he could do that now, {I r'membr e'nuff,} he knocked slowly. {Not all but basic layout.}

"Okay," Donnie blinked, "That's good, that's something and I'm sure the rest will come back soon."

{Hai,} Mikey replied, rapping his knuckles again on the table.

"Guys?" April called again as she poked her head into the lab, gazing wide-eyed at the brothers surrounding Mikey.

"We're coming, April," Raph replied, pivoting on the spot. "Meet you in the pit in a few, okay?"

"Sure," she smiled brightly. "I'll get the chopsticks ready. I've already unloaded the milk and stuff into the fridge."

"Okay, thanks," Leo said gratefully. "Can you get a fork for Mikey, though? It's going to be a while before he can use chopsticks again."

"Of course!" April replied, her head immediately disappearing from view as she headed off to get things ready.

"He can use a fork, right, Donnie?"

"He should be able to with some practice and patience," Donnie conceded. He took a deep breath to steady himself and turned back to Mikey, regarding him. "I still need to cut that collar off too but it's up to you whether I do it now or after dinner."

Mikey reached up his hands, touching them to the collar and feeling around it, shuddering at the feel of the cold rough metal against his actual bare hands; it was something he'd never felt, despite wearing it so much longer than he'd worn the paws. He was really hungry but, {Now,} he tapped firmly once he'd lowered a hand to rap against the table.

"Right!" Donnie replied in relief, already whirling around to get the laser ready again. "I need you to lay on the table on your plastron and like before, keep extremely still. Even more so than last time considering the collar is directly pressing against your neck. Okay?"

'Yes,' Mikey blinked, looking down as he placed his palms on the arms of the chair and worked to push himself to his feet. Raph and Leo immediately rushed in, taking his arms to help him up and onto the table and Mikey's face hardened at his newfound freedom being ripped from him so soon. He knew he wouldn't be able to walk on his own yet but he wanted to at least try standing without help.

"Are you okay to see April again?" Donnie suddenly asked and Mikey whipped his head to look at his brother, startled and confused by the strange question.

'Yes,' he blinked, perplexed. By the time they reached base he felt comfortable enough around her, even safe considering how hard she'd worked to help him on the Turtle Sub. Leo and Raph helped him onto the table and Mikey took the chance to tap out, {Y?}

"Uh... just you seemed scared of her earlier," Donnie replied, colouring in embarrassment.

Well, to be fair he was a bit at first before being reminded how nice she was. Casey on the other hand... Mikey scowled. Now him he didn't like or trust.

"Mikey?" Leo asked, noticing his expression and Mikey cleared it fast.

{Not scared of A now,} Mikey tapped quickly, staring again at his scarred hand as he did.

"So you remember her now?" Leo asked gently.

Mikey shrugged. It would take a little more time exposed to her than that but she felt safe and familiar, much like his brothers did when he first saw them again back in his kennel all those weeks ago.

"Partly?" Leo prompted after a few seconds.

{Hai,} Mikey tapped, wriggling in place to get as flat and comfortable as he could on the cold metal table. He didn't like the way it reminded him far too much of the table in the vet surgery, even without restraints. {D, pls hurry. Need off,} he tapped, unsure if he was talking about the collar or the table itself.

"Okay," Donnie chuckled, "well keep still and stop talking then."

Leo and Raph exchanged sober looks.

"Guys?" April called again, a hint of worry in her voice.

"Coming!" Leo called, turning his head to the door. Then he turned back to Raph and Mikey, "I'll go out and give April a quick update while Donnie finishes up here. Raph, keep Mikey still and focused on you."

Raph gave Leo an odd look but nodded nonetheless. He then moved in front of Mikey, crouching down and taking his hands as Leo headed out and Mikey tried to watch.

"Uh uh, eyes on me," Raph snorted, tugging insistently on his hands.

"It's imperative you keep completely still, Mikey. In fact, don't even breathe for the next couple of minutes," Donnie spoke up in a tone that said he was concentrating intensely.

Mikey took a deep breath and meeting Raph's gaze, held still while Donnie worked. Suddenly, the metal ensconcing his neck begin to heat up and he flinched in rapidly growing terror. He squeezed his eyes tightly closed and whimpering silently, fought desperately not to tremble or roll off the table and run away.

"Mikey! Keep still," Donnie reminded sharply, "The laser could cut you like a hot knife through butter if you move and severely injure or outright kill you!"

He tried to focus on both his brother's voice and Raph's firm yet gentle grip squeezing his hands comfortingly but it wasn't enough to keep the memories from flooding his consciousness.

Gasping and heaving against the pain, he watched in disbelief as Haruto lowered the welding rod and began to seal the two pieces together. The rising heat rapidly spread through the metal, burning the already swelling flesh beneath it.

"Stop! Please," he begged frantically, "it hurts!" he gasped, the breath harsh in his otherwise silent throat.

"Mikey?"

{The dog seems to think it's human or something,} Haruto observed as he slowly worked the electrode along, creating a solid seam between the two pieces of metal.

"Keep him still, Raph!"

"What d'ya think I'm trying to do!"

His brothers!

"You gotta stop, Don, I can't keep him still and it's hurting him!"

He wanted his brothers to come save him but it was impossible. He was so far from home they'd never be able to find him. It wouldn't be safe for them to! He suddenly felt a hand against his collar and tears of pain and terror filled his eyes as the chain connected to it was abruptly twisted, making it even more difficult to breathe past the incredible pain in his hand.

"It's not that hot, it shouldn't be hurting him!"

"Well, I don't know what I can tell you other than it obviously is or he wouldn't be begging for it to stop!"

"What?"

[Or something,] Bradford agreed. "If Spot keeps up this inappropriate behaviour as if he was an actual person instead of some mixed breed mongrel, he'll be handed over for research much sooner than he thinks."

The words somehow reached Mikey through the haze and he tried desperately to stop trying to speak. Not that it was a problem much longer as the heat against his flesh reached new heights and he found himself screaming soundlessly once more.

"He was actually talking a moment ago, Donnie, or trying to anyway. He was begging for it to stop and that it hurt. Then he just stopped like he'd realised what he was doing and would get into trouble and began screaming instead."

Suddenly there were hands on the sides of his face and he pulled away, sobbing in terror. He was sorry! So sorry! He wouldn't talk again just please, please don't hurt him anymore.

"Actually, I don't think he's here anymore. He seems to be trapped in another flashback."

"Fuck..."

"Yes... Mikey, open your eyes and look at us, you're safe at home in my lab."

No! Nonononono! Why couldn't they just leave him alone! Why'd they always have to mess with his mind and hopes like this? He just wanted it to be over! It was too much and he couldn't handle it anymore.

-:-


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