Rating: Overall story rated PG. Raph only almost swears.

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

Summary: Trapped in the wrong universe away from his family, Mikey must endure his sweet 16th alone. Or... does he? AOtGO one-shot 2k3/2k12 crossover.

A/N: While this story picks up after 'And One to Grow On' all you really need to know to read it is 2k12 Mikey is trapped in the 2k3 world and 2k3 Mikey is missing, presumed dead by his family.


Since the 2k12 series debuted on the 28th of September and it was their Mutation day so I have always headcannoned 28th of September as Mutation Day. I've wanted to write something for this anniversary for years and now that the first main story finished, it's time.


'AOtGO' – The Sixteenth

Date: 27th - 28th Sept

"Hey, April!"

April swung around, smiling brightly at the sight and sound of the cheerful, other-dimensional turtle. "Hi, Mikey!" she greeted warmly. She tried to peer past him. "Are any of the guys with you?"

"Nope!" Mikey shook his freckled head. "They're okay with me coming here on my own now," he explained, his heart fluttering with a faint anxiety that perhaps he wasn't actually welcome without them but he worked to dismiss the stupid feeling because April, like Casey, had welcomed him to this world with open arms from the very start. He'd been stuck here for close to a month and a half so far and things hadn't exactly gone smoothly at first. His other-dimensional family had offered to help him but him being here was hard on them all, considering how they'd tragically lost their own Michelangelo. Thankfully, they'd warmed up to him since and Raph and Leo, in particular, seemed happy to have him around.

April nodded seriously. "Are you here just to visit or do you need something?" she inquired curiously. "I'm just about to start cooking dinner if you wanted to help."

Mikey's ever-present smile grew exponentially at the invitation. "Sounds fun! What're we making?" he asked, bounding over energetically as he peered past her to look into the kitchen space, seeing ingredients and utensils spread all over the benchtop.

"Lasagne," April answered, laughing as Mikey's eyes grew wide as saucers.

"That's Italian like pizza, right?" he exclaimed excitedly. April had to smother a laugh as he wiggled in place slightly, like a cat about to pounce a bird or mouse.

"You're right in that it's Italian but it's nothing like pizza," April replied. "Then again, the pizza you're used to is nothing like the pizza from Italy, either."

"Oh!"

"If you can give me fifteen minutes, I'll duck down the corner store to pick up some extra ingredients so we can make enough for you to take some home."

"My other bros'll love that!" Mikey grinned eagerly.

"Can you put the meat and cheese back in the fridge until I get back and find another pan like the one I already have out but bigger?" April called over her shoulder as she walked to the door. She shrugged her coat on before snatching up her bag. "I won't be long!"

-:-

An hour later, the two dishes were in the oven baking and Mikey helping April clean up the kitchen.

"I uh... actually wanted to ask you something," Mikey finally spoke up slightly shyly. "Well, a couple of things actually, though you'll probably think it's stupid."

"Why would I think that?" April asked curiously, watching as the sink slowly filled with hot, sudsy water.

"Because it is," Mikey mumbled, unable to look at her all of a sudden.

April blinked and turned to regard the smaller, freckled mutant. "Is it important to you?"

"Yeah," Mikey admitted, sneaking a glance her way and relieved to see no sign of mocking in the older woman's contemplative gaze.

"Then it's not stupid," April declared kindly. "What do you want to ask?"

Mikey smiled. He could definitely get used to this dimension. A place where he felt valued and was never just dismissed because he thought differently to everyone else. Leonardo and Raphael hadn't even blinked when Donnie told them he believed Mikey had ADHD. Instead of making snide remarks or jabs like he expected from his brothers back home, they'd been nothing but supportive. Leo immediately wanting to help Mikey find the best method of meditation that suited his needs and both him and Raph showing patience and offering to help however they could. As much as he missed his brothers, he wished they could be a little more like this Leo and Raph.

And it wasn't that he wanted them to change or anything just... be a bit more considerate for his (and Donnie's) feelings and less blamey and judgemental.

"Well," Mikey began, fidgeting nervously with his elbow pad, "our Mutation Day is coming up and..."

"Mutation Day?" April interrupted uncertainly.

"Yeah, Mutation Day!" Mikey exclaimed. "Uh... you know, like a human's birthday?"

April nodded and turned the taps off.

"We don't know when we were hatched so we celebrate the day we all mutated and became a real family instead," Mikey explained more eagerly as he noticed his friend listening attentively. "Master Splinter tells us all about that day, we play games, hang out together, you know, just have fun and I make a worm and algae cake to celebrate!"

April blanched slightly at the description of the gross-sounding 'cake' and Mikey laughed.

"Yeah, I know but it wasn't that bad. We never had the stuff to make a real cake before or... or even real food so we were used to it, you know? Master Splinter only even let us go topside alone for the first time on our fifteenth Mutation Day and that was when we discovered pizza!"

"Wow," April breathed, plunging her hands into the sudsy water. She began washing the utensils and bowls, handing them off to Mikey one at a time for him to dry as he talked. "So you really weren't kidding when you said all you ever ate before was worms and algae."

Agreeing, Mikey nodded seriously. "Yeah."

"No wonder you became obsessed with pizza," April observed dryly.

"Well, pizza's the best!" Mikey proclaimed happily as he dried the bowl he held. "But I do like other foods too, now I get to try them."

"That's good," April replied warmly, handing him a dripping wooden spoon once he put aside the bowl.

"Anyway, so I've never made a real cake before and was hoping you could help me?" he asked hopefully. "Just a small one, though. I can't be with my bros and father in person but I thought I could go to where my home is and spend the day there with them," he explained quietly, sobering as he reached the crux of the matter.

April stopped washing though her hands remained in the warm water and she turned her head to take him in again. "That sounds lonely," she observed quietly.

"Yeah," Mikey shrugged, "but I really want to be with them and this way I can at least be with them in spirit and... and hopefully they'll still celebrate too so we can kinda celebrate together even though we're not."

"I see," April murmured. "Look, obviously you can spend the day however you like and of course I'll help you but why not just drop by your home's location for a short while and then celebrate with the guys?"

"I don't want to hurt them again," Mikey answered in a small voice, his heart clenching painfully as he imagined the look in their eyes, the sad slouch in Don's shoulders as he made his excuses and retreated to his locked lab. He would have loved to share the day with them, regaling them with wild stories of his brothers' adventures against the Kraang and crazy mutants of his world. Defeating Shredder's goons with water balloons alone was a tale worth telling, as was Raph's hilarious reaction to Donnie's Spyroach.

April nodded, understanding. "When is it?"

Mikey blinked at her in confusion.

"Your Mutation Day," she prompted gently, returning her attention to the few remaining dishes needing washing.

"Oh! Tomorrow!" Mikey answered brightly.

"Then I just have two more questions. What flavour do you want to make and when do you want to make it?"

-:-

Mikey gazed around the dim would-be dojo sadly. He'd done his best to make the place festive with some homemade streamers made from loops of coloured paper, a small, battery-powered party light machine borrowed from April, a poster he'd made saying 'Happy Mutation Day' and a few scattered balloons in his brothers' colours. From his T-phone, music played loud and tinny. He'd brought the small chocolate cake decorated with vanilla frosting, coffee beans and icing sakura flowers that he'd made along with five paper plates. Four candles sat around a picnic blanket in a rough circle, maroon, blue, red and purple, representing his father and brothers. He didn't bring a candle for himself - he didn't need one as he was there – and he knelt in place, completing the circle. Taking out a borrowed lighter from the pouch on his belt, he leant forward to light each candle, smiling broadly as he imagined his father and each brother settling in place behind their candle.

Once everyone was in place, Mikey began regaling them with stories about this world, his adventures and their other-dimensional family. As he spoke, loudly and cheerfully – trying to make up for the otherwise deafening silence despite the boppy music – his smile grew larger, wider, faker. It grew until it hurt and even then, he pushed it wider, trying to convince himself as much as his family that he was okay because he was.

Finally, Mikey fell silent and unable to take any more of this farce, stifled a sniffle. "I-I'm sorry, Master Splinter, bros," he said looking around to each candle and working his imagination overtime to see them behind it watching him, "but I... I gotta go. They'll be worried about me if I stay much longer."

"What about the cake?" 'Raph' protested indignantly.

"R-right, bro!" he laughed nervously. After he'd made such a fuss about learning how to make one with April's help and getting the decorations just right, how could he forget about it now? "The cake."

He stifled another lonely sniffle before pulling out a kunai and hoping 'Master Splinter' wouldn't tell him off for using the weapon in such a way, cut the cake into five pieces, four of them much bigger than the fifth and pushed them carefully in front of each candle. Then he all but swallowed his piece whole, feeling too nauseous to bother trying to taste it. He stood

"I miss you guys so much," he choked out. Then, only stopping long enough to grab the borrowed party-light projector, fled, knowing the next time he came here that the remains of the cake would be long gone.

-:-

Bzzt!

Mikey jumped. He reached into his pouch to pull out the T-phone and blinked uncertainly at it.

'Are you alright? Where are you?'

Leo.

Mikey glanced at the time on top of the device. "Seven o'clock?" he yelped. He'd promised to be back around six; he'd been wandering aimlessly for far too long.

"Sorry, dude," he spoke as he typed. "I lost track of time." He looked around frantically, trying to work out where he was and to his relief, discovered he was fairly close to the lair. 'I'm like 10 min away, tops!' he sent. Then a moment later, quickly added. 'Brt!'

'Alright,' Leo sent back. 'But you didn't answer my question. Are you alright?'

Mikey stiffened. How the hell could he answer that without lying? He couldn't tell Leo the truth that, no, it was his Mutation Day and he felt sadder and lonelier today than he'd felt since coming here. He didn't know when their Mutation Day was either – he'd meant to ask April but had forgotten in his excitement – but he didn't want to make Leo, Raph and especially Donnie sadder all over again if it was the same date or even just reminded them of their lost brother.

"I'm fine!" he laughed as he typed. God but that sounded fake even to him. He had ten minutes to get his happy face back together and be believable. They needed him to be happy almost as much as he needed to convince them he was happy. Mikey shook his head rapidly, trying to clear it. 'I just saw some...' he wracked his brain trying to think of something shiny enough to be believable, then deleted the last word, 'a flyer for a new kinda pizza floating down the sewer & tried to fish it out,' he picked out a pouty icon, 'It fell apart.' Once he pressed send, he stood still, holding his breath as he awaited Leo's response.

'Ok.'

Mikey could just imagine the bemused expression on Leo's face and he chuckled slightly to help steer his mood right.

'Just come home soon, ok? You know how Raph gets when he's hungry.'

Mikey grinned. It was small but at least it was real this time. 'You mean hangry, bruh,' he laughed. Then hit send and tore off down the passage heading for home without waiting for further reply.

Huffing slightly from his breakneck speed as he came into view of the hidden entrance to the lair, Mikey glanced at the time again, pleased he'd made the ten-minute journey in seven. Putting his phone away again, he took a moment to straighten himself, gathering his breath and his smile before keying in the entry code and slipping inside. There, he pulled up short at the sight of a displeased Splinter there to greet him.

Nervous, his smile widened slightly, "Um, heh... fancy meeting you here, Sensei."

Splinter's eye twitched. As did his whiskers.

Mikey gulped uncertainly, the already weak smile dropping from his face as Splinter turned and led the way inside.

"It seems we will have to have a conversation about the importance of being on time..."

"I'm sorry, Sensei!" Mikey burst out anxiously. "I lost track of time!"

"So I see," Splinter observed, an odd glint in his eye that Mikey might have mistaken for amusement any other time. "Please do not interrupt me."

Mikey wilted.

"Eh hem! As I was saying, a conversation about the importance of being on time to your own Mutation Day celebration."

Mikey stopped dead just before the threshold of the room at the end of the passageway. "My..."

"Surprise!"

Wide-eyed and shocked, Mikey looked up through the doorway and into the living room to see his other-dimensional brothers gathered. Leo wore a proud smile, Raph a pleased smirk and Donnie, a faint but genuine smile. Mikey's shocked gaze drifted to Splinter's to see the ancient rat wearing a knowing smile of his own as his shoulders shook slightly in barely hidden amusement.

He broke into a huge grin and he couldn't help but dash into the room to see decorations that put his earlier effort to shame. Whirling around, brightly coloured streamers and balloons hung everywhere; both around the edges of the room and through the centre. A banner hung on the wall with the photo of his family attached and Mikey's smile grew as a trio of sudden pops sounded and small streamers flew from party poppers in the brothers' hands to land on a suddenly laughing Michelangelo.

"How?" he cried in disbelief. "I never told you guys!"

"A not-so-little red-headed birdie told us," Raph smirked. 'Speakin' of, April and Casey'll be here a bit later, too."

"They're bringing the food and staying for a late-night movie night," Leo explained warmly.

"Movie night?" Mikey squeaked in awed delight. He couldn't help but bounce up and down excitedly. He'd been aching to ask about them doing one for a while now but the time never seemed right. "What're we watching?"

"Uh-uh!" Leo chided playfully, a gentle smile on his face and his finger waggling. "Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise would we, Mikey?"

Mikey felt as though he'd explode from curiosity as Raph snorted.

"Yeah, stop tryin' ta sound cool, Leo. Just admit we don't know either. Ape and Case are bringin' that down too."

"Oh," Mikey laughed. He looked around in awe again, already feeling far better than earlier that day.

"April and Casey couldn't come any earlier than about now so we asked if they could make it about eight-thirty instead," Donnie spoke up almost shyly. "We thought we could all hang out in the Bowl for a couple of hours first." He exchanged a pleased look with Raphael.

"Which is why we were hoping you'd be home earlier but it's okay," Leo reassured. "Well have less time there tonight but can still hang out there again later."

Raph nodded emphatically. "Yeah, Don an' I got more work to do there first anyway."

"Work?" Mikey blinked, looking from Raph to Donnie and back again. Then he suddenly remembered his broken skateboard. He'd borrowed Donnie's bike a few times and even tried Leo's scooter but if all of them were going this time, that meant someone would have to sit out as there wouldn't be enough toys for everyone and he wouldn't feel right borrowing someone else's wheels and making them sit out or using their dead brother's skateboard. Not only was it a little too small for his feet but he didn't want to upset Donnie, especially on a night he was happy to join them all. "Oh but..." He fell silent, unable to voice his thoughts but Donnie seemed to understand anyway.

"If you're worried because your skateboard broke, don't. I made you a new one," Donnie said kindly. "I know you said you didn't want the old one back but I hope you don't mind that I cannibalised the wheels from it. They were in such good condition that they looked almost brand new."

"They were," Mikey admitted quietly. A couple of weeks before he found himself in this dimension, he'd completely shredded the old wheels and April had bought him new ones as a surprise. He'd wasted no time in getting his Donnie to help him fix them to his board.

"It seemed a waste not to use them but if it's a problem, I'll get new wheels for next time. Oh! And since the board itself is new, it's blank." A small smile teased Donnie's face as he spoke. "You'll have to decorate it yourself. We have paints and lacquer to seal it with in the garage."

"R-really?" Mikey perked up in budding excitement. It took everything he had not to rush forward and hug Donnie there and then. Instead, he settled for bouncing excitedly on the spot. His old deck, and those of his brothers, were hand-me-downs their father found scavenging when they were younger. Therefore, they'd already been decorated. To get to design and paint it himself! Oh! He had so many ideas!

"Really," Donnie confirmed, pleased.

"Come on! Let's go before we run outta time an' Case an' Ape get here!" Raph growled impatiently. He shoved his way past Leo to Mikey, grabbing his shoulders and whirling him around before pushing him back down the passage. "You comin'?" he threw over his shoulder at his lagging brothers.

Leo and Donnie exchanged wearily patient looks before following a laughing Michelangelo and pushy Raphael out the lair.

-:-

The first thing Mikey noticed when Raph turned on the power was strings of brightly coloured and blinking party lights strung on the walls around the room. The second thing he noticed was, "A jump!" he cried in delight as he whirled around to face the older mutant he normally came here with. "Raphie! There's a jump, now!"

Raph grunted in mock annoyance. "Actually, brat, there's two," he growled smugly, pointing across the opposite side of the underground chamber.

Mikey's eyes felt like they were about to pop out as he gazed upon the delicious sight.

"Donnie and Raph spent most of today working on building those," Leo said with a proud look at each of his brothers.

Donnie shrugged nonchalantly. "We would have liked to do more but we didn't have enough notice. Our wheels are all over there." Donatello motioned to a new storage pen off to the side. "We still plan on doing more to the place to make it more challenging and we'd like your input."

"Mine? Mikey squeaked in disbelief. He stared gaping at the older turtle. No one had ever asked for his input before.

"Of course," Donnie smiled warmly. "This place is for all of us and that includes you, Michelangelo. Therefore, you should have a say in what we build here too. However, that can wait for another day. For now, I suggest we play until we have to return home."

-:-

"Donnie! Donnie! Donnie! That wheelie was so awesome!" Mikey laughed excitedly as the four turtles headed home. "You have to teach me how to do it, dude!"

Pleased by the praise and blushing, Donnie smiled shyly. "It's easy enough. I can teach you next time if you like."

"Please!" Mikey begged. As he practically skipped, he was so keyed up, he looked over his shoulder at Donnie, happy to see the other turtle genuinely seemed to be relaxed and happy for a change. The ever-present sadness in his eyes and posture appeared to have receded for a time and he only hoped it would last. "Do you know how to do flips with your bike, too? I tried to do it but messed it up and Raphie wouldn't let me try again."

"When on earth did you... never mind, don't answer that," Donnie groaned. "That was how you hit your head a few weeks ago, wasn't it?" he asked, shooting an unimpressed look Raphael's way.

"I thought we agreed not to tell Don," Raph grumbled, annoyed.

"I didn't tell him!" Mikey protested, his eyes wide and flickering uncertainly between Raph, Donnie and Leo. "It's not my fault Donnie worked it out! You know he's scary smart!"

Raph groaned again and Donnie shook his head in a combination of exasperation and amusement.

"I'll teach you, Michelangelo, but only when I think you're ready and you are not to attempt it again without me there," Donnie warned. "You'll also be wearing a helmet when you do try. Deal?"

Mikey nodded eagerly.

"Already made 'im promise about the helmet," Raph muttered. Donnie shot him another unimpressed look and Leo's eyes were closed as he pinched the bridge of his beak as if he had the beginnings of a headache.

Just then, they reached the door to home and Raph keyed in the code, ushering everyone inside ahead of him.

"Guys? Is that you?" a distant voice called.

"Yes, we're back, April!" Leo called back, picking up the pace. Mikey likewise moved faster to keep up.

"About time you came back," April admonished good-naturedly. "The food's getting cold."

"An I'm starvin'!" Casey groused, coming up behind his girlfriend and leaning on her shoulder. April promptly ducked and slipped to the side, easily dislodging him and causing him to stumble. Raph snickered loudly. "April!" Casey whined. He straightened himself as she smiled sweetly up at him.

"Yeah, you deserved that, bonehead!" Raph snorted in delight.

Mikey sniffed the air cautiously. The tantalising scents on the air weren't anything he recognised and he felt a little disappointed it wasn't pizza since it was pizza night but also excited to try yet another new food. Before coming to this world, going a day without pizza seemed like a crime, now though, Leo had put his foot down about pizza every day and he was forced to try new things and he loved it! He beamed hopefully up at April, "What'd you bring?"

April turned her attention back to Mikey, her smile turning warm. "Well, why don't we go to the kitchen and find out?" she teased.

Mikey's gaze wandered over everyone calculatingly, then, "Last one there hatched from a rotten egg!" he yelled, pushing off Raph and somersaulting over Leo.

Raph growled playfully and gave chase as Donnie and Leo exchanged bemused looks. Then they too shoved each other and took off, leaving April and Casey behind.

"Good thing we're not counted in that, right babe?"

"Speak for yourself, Casey Jones," April retorted with a small smirk as she suddenly pushed him away and gave chase after the turtles.

Mikey laughed brightly as he and Raph fought to get through the kitchen door first. In the end, Raph's superior strength enabled him the win but Mikey slipped through straight after, Leo and Donnie close behind. He stopped short as he took in Splinter, already seated at the table with eyebrow quirked in amusement over their exuberance, happy to see his sons full of life again. The lair had been far too quiet for far too long now and only recently with the advent of Michelangelo moving in with them had it begun feeling like a home again.

Mikey's gaze fell away from the wizened master. Like the living room, the kitchen too was decorated. He took in the gaily decorated sight in awe, then turned to Leo, eyes alight with delight.

"Wow, Leo! You really did an amazing job!" he exclaimed happily.

Leo straightened, pleased, as April came in behind them casting an amused look of victory at a moaning Casey over her shoulder.

"How did you know it was me?" Leo asked curiously but before Mikey could answer, added. "Was it because you knew Don and Raph were busy working on the surprise at the bowl?"

"Nuh, dude!" Mikey laughed. He hadn't even considered that. His grin turned mischievous. "It's because everything's placed oh-so-perfectly," he teased. "All sym... metrical like," he explained, stumbling a little over the word.

Leo stiffened indignantly, "Wow, ouch," he said flatly as Raph guffawed and Donnie chuckled, a hand over his mouth and shoulders shaking. Even April, Casey and Splinter shared giggles or amused looks at Leo's expense.

"Got ya pegged there, Mister Perfectionist," Raph mocked.

"Oh shut up!" Leo retorted good-naturedly.

"Perhaps we should be seated before the food becomes cold?" Splinter spoke up diplomatically.

Mikey nodded eagerly and rushed for the table! "Ooh!" he cooed in wonder at the sight of foods he'd only ever seen on TV before. Spread across the table were platters of tacos and burritos, containers of nachos and salsas and several other dishes he didn't have names for but it all looked amazing and smelt better and he found himself salivating at the smell. "I wanna try everything!" he declared enthusiastically. "What's that?" he asked, pointing at the nearest bowl. "And that! Oh! What's that one?"

April laughed and exchanged a look with Donnie as she began patiently answering every question.

-:-

"Ugh!" Mikey groaned painfully about an hour later as he eyed the leftovers April and Leo were wrapping and putting away in the fridge. He could easily go for more but... "I'm stuffed but it was all so good," he moaned. Even better had been the warm conversion and light-hearted banter. It was amazing how different things were here compared to back home. Here, the teasing was just that. Teasing. Without the harsher barbs and mocking tones or jeers at someone else's expense. No one dished out what they themselves couldn't take and if they noticed someone hurt by anything, they backed off and even apologised if they were actually upset by something.

Mikey had been here about a month and a half now and yeah, it'd been rough in the beginning but he understood. This version of his family had been hurting. Badly. They still were in fact and probably always would be but they were finally healing and looking to each other for support again and he felt wanted more and more each day. Something he hadn't truly felt at home in a long time except for fleeting moments here and there. It troubled him, in a way. He really, truly wanted to go home and he missed his family - his brothers and father and April - fiercely but... a part of him knew that if he never found a way back that he'd be okay. That he could find happiness with this family so similar yet so different to his own. Thankfully though, it didn't matter because he knew they could get him home given time but the longer he was here, the harder it would be to leave again.

"So was it worth missing pizza night?" Leo teased, a knowing look in his eye as he scraped the remains of one bowl into another.

"N-no! Nothing's worth missing pizza night!" Mikey protested half-heartedly. "But it was still good!" He eyed off a nearby bowl half-filled with something he couldn't remember the name of and pouted. He wanted more but for the first time ever... he stretched his arm out weakly for the bowl, then dropped it melodramatically. "I can't eat another bite!" he half-wailed.

Casey gasped in horror, his eyes bugging out. "Alright! Who are you and what've you done with Mikey?"

Mikey laughed self-consciously.

"That's a shame," April said sympathetically.

Mikey eyed her suspiciously.

"At least there'll be more dessert for the rest of us," Raph grunted. Mikey sat up straight as Raph thumbed in his direction. "I'll have his share!"

"Not a chance," Leo said smoothly.

"Too late, I called dibs!"

"I'll wrestle ya both for it!" Casey interjected, an almost manic grin on his face.

"Dessert?" Mikey squeaked in half-panic, gazing wild-eyed around the table.

"Gentlemen and Casey, perhaps we should settle this fair and square with a game of Jan-ken-pon," Donnie piped up a little too seriously. "Winner gets Michelangelo's share."

"No way!" Raph spat with a glare at his two brothers. "You an' Leo cheat!"

"How dare you!" Leo gasped, obviously trying not to laugh. "There's no honour in cheating!"

"How can you cheat at Jan-ken-pon?" Donnie demanded.

"Dunno," Raph growled, "but since you an' Leo always win, you obviously found a way! Just like when ya play cards!"

"Counting cards is not cheating," Donnie retorted indignantly. "It's not my fault I have a good memory."

Mikey whipped his head from one brother to the next in horror. They couldn't be serious! "Nooo... I'll have my share," he whined desperately.

"I thought you couldn't eat another bite, my student," Splinter asked, that amused glint back in his warm gaze.

"Yeah but..." his eyes flickered from side to side again, "there's always room for dessert," he pouted. "It slides into the gaps."

"Hmm... are you sure that is wise?" Splinter asked cautiously. "What if you pop?"

"I won't!" Mikey yelped. Then sat back in shock and pouting as everyone laughed at him. Raph reached over, rubbing the top of his head roughly and Mikey tried to wriggle away unsuccessfully.

"Alright, if you think you can fit it in," April teased as she finished putting away the last of the leftovers. She made her way to the oven to check on it, having already turned it on before starting to help clean up the leftovers.

"Is there anything else I can do to help?" Leo asked. Donnie and Raph shot him horrified looks even as April nodded.

"You can get the ice cream out," she replied, moving to the cupboard to pull out the bowls. For the next few minutes, she and Leo worked to scoop vanilla ice cream into large, wide bowls, quickly emptying the half-gallon tub.

As they worked, Mikey sat up straight, eyes narrowed and zeroed in on the oven. His pizza senses were tingling. "I wanted to try mixing ice cream and pizza before but my bros and April refused to try it," he mused, thinking of the p-shake incident. That had definitely been a mistake but one he'd had to try or his curiosity would've never left him alone.

April cast him a smile as the oven finally dinged. Picking up oven gloves, she opened the door and took out something that looked a lot like pizza. "What kind of pizza was it?"

Mikey blinked as he tried to remember. "Um... I think it was a seafood pizza. It was one we had a couple of leftover slices of."

"Perhaps there is good reason they declined your offer, Michelangelo," Splinter observed dryly. "Some... variations most definitely do not work together."

"Yeah, it was pretty gross," Mikey cackled, watching as April started slicing the strange-looking, folded-over pizza she'd pulled from the oven.

"Wait! You actually tried it?" Casey grimaced in disgust.

"Well, yeah! I couldn't let perfectly good pizza and ice cream go to waste, dude," Mikey gaped in disbelief. Like seriously? Who did Casey think he was?

"Indeed," Splinter muttered, sounding vaguely ill. "It is not good to waste food. Especially when it is hard to come by."

"If you can still call it food at that point," Casey shot back. "Sounds worse than a sardine milkshake!"

"Well, I guarantee it won't go to waste tonight," April promised as she dished up the last slice. She nodded to Leo who picked up several of the large, flattened bowls to help hand them out.

Moments later, Mikey gazed down at the odd-looking concoction in front of him and took a deep, appreciative breath. It smelt divine! He took another breath, savouring the scent and tried picking it apart. "Is that... banana I can smell?" he asked in awe. "And chocolate and... caramel?"

"Banoffee dessert pizza," April replied proudly. "Casey and I once went to a restaurant that served something similar. It was so good I decided to try making it myself."

Mikey cut into his slice with his spoon, scooping up a liberal amount of ice cream to go with it and took a bite. The flavour! His eyes lit up in delight as for the second time in his life it felt like his taste buds were exploding in joy! It was like nothing he'd ever tried before and it was amazing! He grinned up at April happily. "You have to show me how to make this!" he exclaimed before shovelling another amazing spoonful into his mouth.

-:-

After dessert, everyone relocated to the family room and Mikey gazed about at the decorations again, smiling particularly at the banner with the group photo of his family attached. They weren't here, of course, but the inclusion of the photo made it feel like a part of them was and it made him feel much better. Leo really was the best for finding a way to include them.

"The brat's on my team!" Raph suddenly proclaimed, grabbing his shoulders and steering him to the couch on the left where Raph had first come to him three weeks ago when he'd been hurting so badly. Mikey twisted his head to look back at Raph in confusion.

"Team?" he echoed. "I thought we were watching movies?"

"We are. Later," Raph grinned all sharklike. "First we're playin' games though and we're gonna pound Leo's ar... uh shell," he corrected quickly at a warning look from Splinter.

Splinter shook his head with a resigned sigh.

"Since you claimed Mikey, then I get Don," Leo stated firmly, arms crossed as he stared down Raph.

"Way to make me feel like a consolation prize," Donnie said dryly.

Leo fixed Donnie with a look. "You know I didn't mean it that way. You and Mikey are the only ones who can draw," April coughed meaningfully and Leo hastily added, "well. If the both of you were on the one team, it'd be too powerful."

Mollified, Donnie nodded in agreement.

"You draw, Donnie?" Mikey asked curiously, bouncing lightly on the spot.

"Not artistically," Donnie admitted with a shrug. "My efforts are more technical. Blueprints, plans, the occasional sketch of specimens for science."

"Point is, he draws well," Raph growled lightly.

Donnie smiled shyly.

"Cool!" Mikey beamed at Donnie. "But what're we playing that drawing's important?"

"Pictionary," April answered. "We thought we'd play a few rounds of that before the movie. Also, Casey and I can only stay for one movie but we brought down several for the rest of you to watch after we leave."

"So what'd you bring down?" Mikey asked eagerly. The best thing about this dimension was all the movies and TV shows he'd never seen. Some were similar to what he'd seen back home but many were wildly different and he loved it! He wondered if he'd be able to convince Donnie to load up a hard drive with a bunch of stuff for him to take home for his brothers when the time eventually came.

"A couple of classics and some newer."

"Ape wouldn't let me bring down 'Nightmare on Elm Street' though," Casey groused, joining Mikey and Raph by the chosen couch and unofficially declaring which team he was on.

"Good!" Leo grimaced.

Raph glanced at Mikey. "Pretty sure the brat likes horror though, right, brat?"

"Yeah, horror's my jam, bruh!"

"It's R-rated. He's only just turned 16," April said flatly.

"What does that matter?" Mikey blinked, looking around the room in confusion.

"You're underage!"

"So?" Mikey, Raph and Casey echoed.

"You should see some of the movies I've seen back home," Mikey added. "Anyway, it can't be worse than Squirrelanoids, giant murderous spy roaches with grudges against psychopathetic turtles or mutant parasitic zombie wasps and those are all real life!"

"And what are those?" Casey asked curiously.

Mikey's grin returned, this time accompanied by a wicked glint in his eye. He side-eyed Raph as he opened his mouth to explain.

"Nope! Don't wanna know!" Raph growled, glaring daggers at Casey as he shoved a hand over the top of Mikey's mouth to shut him up. Mikey wiggled out from his grasp.

"Haha, yeah, those stories are better kept for Halloween, anyway," Mikey cackled in glee. With those tales up his sleeve, he'd tell the scariest stories for sure! "Remind me to tell you guys then!" He laughed again at Raph's groan and swear-muttering.

"Right, well, I'm still not supplying you with R-rated material," April said firmly. "Now, back to the game." She levelled her gaze on Casey warningly, "You're with Don and Leo. I cannot think of anything worse than you and Raph colluding together!"

"What's colluding?" Mikey whispered up at Raph.

Casey went to argue but with one look at April, he deflated and slunk across to the other couch where Leo and Donnie waited while Raph snickered into Mikey's earslit, "So whipped!"

Laughing, Mikey mimicked the sound of a whip then eeped as April's sharp gaze trained on them. He and Raph snickered more as soon as she turned away again.

"What about you, Master Splinter?" Leo asked politely. "Whose team do you want to be on?"

Splinter regarded both teams carefully, then joined Mikey, Raph and April to Leo's disappointment and Mikey's utter delight.

-:-

"Mikey, Raph, can you two get a couple of blankets to spread on the floor?" Leo asked after one of the most fun games Mikey had ever played. Everyone had gotten right into it and he hadn't laughed so hard or much in his life. The competition between Leo and Casey and Raph and April, in particular, was highly entertaining. He'd never realised just how April, any April, could be so competitive, especially against Casey. However, she proved to be easily on par with his Leo and Raph, minus the bad temper. In fact, they were all so loud he was surprised Splinter hadn't cracked but Splinter had joined right in with a glint in his eye showing how much he not only wanted to win but was enjoying it. Splinter may not have been loud like the rest of them but his voice, as always, cut through the noise and commanded attention whenever he desired it.

Leo and Raph (and Casey) had even tried to turn Pictionary into a batsu game with what Mikey was certain would've been an awful fate for the losers. April, however, put her foot down hard. Not because she was against it in general but because it was, as April pointed out, a celebration. Instead, she suggested the winning team choose the movies that night. Then she fought extra hard to make sure they won. Even playing in such a way as to distract Casey and Donnie both – Mikey loved that aspect and joined right on in. Unfortunately, their distractions didn't work on Leo so, at one point, Mikey threw a smoke bomb. Splinter then took the rest away from him for the night and then Leo worked to distract him in ways he'd never have thought Leo capable of.

It'd been so much fun!

"Sure!" Mikey agreed easily, bouncing lightly to his feet. He looked over at Raph with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Are there spares somewhere or do we just take them from the beds?"

A smirk lit Raph's face as he side-eyed Leo, "We'll rip 'em from Leo's bed."

"Do I need to send Don with you to keep an eye on you?" Leo threatened.

Donnie shook his head, a small smile on his face as he stood and started heading out. "No can do, Leo. I'm gathering the cushions from the Zen Room so we don't have to strip the couches."

Leo sighed in resignation as even Donnie plotted against him. "Casey, can you get the sodas while I make the popcorn?"

Mikey stopped dead on the stairs, one foot raised as he twisted to shoot Leo a look of terror.

"Sure, Leo," Casey replied, pushing up from the couch as if nothing was wrong.

Mikey gave a deliberately startled look at Raph. "Is it safe?" he whispered loudly.

"Is what safe?"

"You know," he mock-whispered, "Leo cooking!"

"It's microwave popcorn!" Leo burst out, exasperated.

"If anyone can fu... ah screw it up it's Leo," Raph snorted. "He's burnt it before. Don't ask me how."

"Don't worry, I'll go and help him," April offered in an almost too-kind voice.

"Thank you for your confidence in me," Leo retorted with a flat look at April.

"Oh, Leo, sweetie, you know I love you very much but you know you can't cook," she smiled sweetly as she reached his side. Taking his arm, she steered him towards the kitchen as Splinter sighed in relief and seemed to mutter up a prayer of thanks to the heavens.

A short time later, the room was set with soft, thick blankets across the ground with the thin but comfortable sitting cushions to lean on and the lights dimmed. Casey had brought out everyone's drinks including iced tea for Splinter and Mikey could smell the popcorn, hot and buttery and his stomach grumbled.

Raph shot Mikey a disturbed look. "How the shell can you still be hungry?"

Mikey grinned sheepishly at his other-dimensional brother. "I'm a growing turtle," he boasted proudly.

"Yeah, well, at this rate, you'll be growin' out rather than up," Raph grumbled as Leo and April reappeared with the first bowls of popcorn.

"Leave him alone," April chided gently, passing deep bowls around. "It's his Mutation Day."

Leo chuckled and turned back after emptying his own hands. "I'll be right back. We couldn't quite carry everything at once," he explained. "Have you guys decided on a movie yet?"

"'Ghost Busters'," April said firmly with a smile to Mikey. "It's a classic and you said you hadn't seen it before."

Mikey nodded quickly. There was so much he still had to see and experience and he could hardly wait.

"I'll cue it up then," Donnie offered. He glanced back to Mikey and Raph as he crossed the room. "Did you decide what we're watching after that?"

Mikey grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl nestled between him and Raph and stuffed it in his mouth as he flipped through the disc covers in front of him.

"Save it for the movie, brat," Raph groused, eyeing what looked to be a rather small bowl considering Mikey and his appetite.

Mikey stuck his tongue out, laughing at the look on Raph's face as he caught sight of bits of half-chewed popcorn and Splinter sighed in dismay behind them. "Teenagers," he muttered despondently to April. She let out an amused sound at the frequently occurring complaint.

As he flipped through, one cover, in particular, stuck out and Mikey's gaze zeroed in on it. He'd seen a few odd episodes of something with the same characters on TV before and loved it but this one had a different name and the characters looked younger. "This one!" he exclaimed, pulling it out and sliding it across the floor towards Donnie.

Donnie picked it up and regarded it and then Mikey. "This is the first in a series. Are you sure you want this one?"

Mikey nodded and opened his mouth to reply when he heard a strange crackling from the doorway. He turned to look, as did everyone else. There stood Leo smiling smugly as he held a large cake in his hands, topped with brightly lit candles and a sparkler shaped into a number sixteen. Mikey scrambled upright in happy shock as everyone started singing.

"Happy Mutation Day to you~"

-:-

Hours later as Donnie plugged in a fifth disc, Mikey looked up from where he was sandwiched between Leo and Raph with a happy smile. The night had been amazing and far more than he could've ever hoped or expected.

True to their word, April and Casey had left after 'Ghostbusters', citing human responsibilities and Splinter had stayed for 'How to Train Your Dragon' before retiring to meditate, stopping only long enough to rest his hand on Mikey's head, wishing him a happy sixteenth once more and proclaiming there to be no training the next day so they could stay up as long as they wanted. After that, Mikey, Raph, Leo and Donnie had watched the second and third 'Dragon' movies.

As Donnie loaded up the next disc, this time Raph's choice, Mikey's contented smile grew. He looked from one brother to the next and spoke up shyly. "You know, I wasn't going to tell you this dudes, but earlier today sucked. I missed my family so much and felt so alone even though I'm not but you guys really turned it around and this became one of the best days ever! Being stuck so far from home totally blows chunks but I'm glad I'm here because you guys are totally awesome!

"Thank you for making it special."

-:-


Batsu game – a punishment game – basically a bet where the loser/s suffer a punishment of some sort, often embarrassing.

If there's anything in particular you'd like to see on either side of the AOtGO series, shoot me a request. I can't promise anything but I'll certainly consider it :-)