Mikey ran his hand along the smooth stone of the Palace Wall as he wandered the garden, hearing a bird chirp from a nearby tree, looking up at it, feeling a warm breeze drift by ge sighed.
Everything about this place seemed like a dream; the warm air of summer, the green grass beneath his feet, even the people. A mix of humans, turtles, and other mutants, everyone in this world was accepted, seemingly without question, even him.
Letting out a huff, Mikey sat down on a nearby bench, leaning over to rest his elbows on his knees, propping his chin up as he stared at the blades of grass dancing in the wind.
It was all too good to be real. However he couldn't stop thinking about what Donnie had told him the night before, that Leo needed him, if the giant turtle was ever to become king.
"Ya know, no pressure or anything," Mikey groaned, covering his face with his hands for a moment. "I just don't know why it has to be me, what makes me so special?" he asked, lowering his hands once more.
Movement by the far wall caught Mikey's attention, blinking curiously, he watched some kind of rodent lift its head up from the grass, before darting away, slipping through a crack in the wall.
Mikey sighed. "Sure wish Splinter was here to give me some cryptic advice." He stood up, striking a pose he thought his father would have taken, stroking an invisible beard. "One's special qualities can easily be seen, if you have a mirror," Mikey said, trying his best to sound like his father, though knew he was failing miserably. "Or something like that," he concluded.
Hearing a quiet chuckle Mikey whipped around, blushing brightly when he saw none other than Leonardo standing there.
"Do you often talk to yourself?" the prince asked, stepping further into the garden.
"Uh, no, not usually, heard my brother doing it once, he said it sometimes helps him get his thoughts in order," Mikey said, thinking about the numerous times he'd heard Donnie muttering to himself.
"I see," Leonardo smiled. "And, is it helping?"
"Nope, not one bit!" Mikey said with a grin, "maybe you need to be a smart person to hold a conversation with yourself," Mikey shrugged.
Leonardo frowned. "Why do you do that?" he questioned, coming around slowly sitting on the bench. The smaller turtle tilted his head in confusion.
"What? Talk to myself? This is the first time I've ever tried," Mikey said.
Leo shook his head. "No, degrade your intelligence," he clarified.
Mikey bit his lip and lowered his head, debating if he should tell Leo the truth about himself, wondering if the prince would give up on the whole idea of making Mikey his bride, if he knew how much of a screwup Mikey could be.
"Well," Mikey began, trying to find the right words that would make Leo understand. He lifted his gaze to look at the prince. And Leo, perfect prince Leo just sat there, simply waiting for Mikey to continue speaking, as if he truly wanted to hear what Mikey had to say.
"Well, I…" Mikey tried again, feeling flustered as Leo continued staring at him, waiting patiently for Mikey.
There was the sound of someone clearing their throat and Mikey nearly sagged in relief as Leo turned to see who was interrupting them.
"Excuse me, your highness," it was one of the palace guards, the man bowing at the waist. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was sent to tell you that the first carriages should be arriving shortly, and you are needed in the courtyard," the guard said, standing up straight.
Leo sighed, nodding his head. "Thank you, I will be there in a moment," he gestured with his hand, and Mikey frowned, watching the guard bow again while Leo turned back to face him.
"Carriages? What carriages?" Mikey asked, genuinely happy for the change in topic, at least for now. "Are you expecting someone?"
Leo smiled at him. "You could say that,"
"That's not exactly an answer," Mikey pointed out.
Leo sighed and nodded, "You're right, it's not, this is in fact, part of the reason I came searching for you," Leo said, gesturing for Mikey to sit with him on the bench.
Mikey looked at the empty spot on the bench, his brow furrowed as he slowly shuffled forward, taking the seat he'd had previously, turning and lifting his head to look at Leo.
When Mikey was seated, Leo began. "The carriages belong to the noble families, and guests that have been invited to the palace for a celebration."
"A party? I like parties," Mikey grinned, though it faded quickly as he realized Leo wasn't smiling.
"The ball is to celebrate our betrothal." Leonardo explained.
"Our…" Mikey trailed off, standing up abruptly walking away.
"Mikey, wait," Leo pleaded.
Mikey rounded on him. "We're not… I never said… you can't just decide this for me!" Mikey snapped.
Leo stood up as well, holding his hands up as if he were trying to calm an angry or frightened animal. "The first I heard of this was today, when I went to see the king, I came to find you directly," Leo said. "I would not have kept something like this from you, and this isn't meant to force you into any sort of decision,"
Mikey crossed his arms, glaring at the prince, but decided to wait, and let him explain further.
"I've made no secret of my intentions from the start," Leo said. "From the moment you woke up and were healed from your injuries, I explained some of the situation to you, that Donnie and I used a summoning spell to bring you here, to be my bride."
Mikey nodded his head, he remembered that conversation fairly clearly. Or rather, he remembered the emotions he'd felt more than the conversation itself. There had been relief that he was still alive, and not in some weird heaven/afterlife, then panic that his brothers wouldn't know where he was, or how to find him, and anger that Leonardo had been selfish enough to rip someone from their reality, just to force them into a marriage with a frighteningly large version of that persons older sibling.
"I have done what I can to make sure you have your space," Leo continued, "and that you are comfortable, and let you come to your own decision about all this."
"Throwing a party to tell the whole country we're getting married isn't exactly letting me make up my own mind," Mikey pointed out flatly.
"You're right, and I am truly sorry about this," Leo said. "I have explained that this isn't my doing, but the king,"
"And you're the prince, or the king to be, or whatever, you can stop it… uh… can't you?" Mikey asked, wondering if he was making the assumption that Leo had any kind of power to stop something the king started.
"Things aren't exactly that simple, please, come sit, and let me explain some things that I should have told you about sooner," Leo gestured back towards the bench, and Mikey stared at it, brow furrowed as he debated just walking away. But Mikey knew what it felt like to have people not listen to you, and the way Leo was looking at him, Mikey knew that whatever Leo had to say to him was likely going to be important.
Letting out a defeated sigh, Mikey went back to the bench, sitting down, watching as the prince sat down next to him, giving him a grateful smile.
Leo shifted so he was facing Mikey more directly. "Our country is small, it is the strength of the king that protects us. Without it, darkness would soon spread over every kingdom, draining the life from everyone and everything,"
Mikey took in the seriousness of Leo's expression, his own softening. "Okay, that sounds kinda bad," he said, unsure of what else he could say, and wanting Leo to continue so he could decide if he should actually be upset with him or not.
Leo nodded his head once and continued. "It is very bad," the prince agreed. "Our current king is giving everything he has, and has been patient with me, but I fear his time is running short."
Mikey bit his lip, he certainly didn't like the sound of that. He lowered his head, staring at his lap for a long moment as he let the information sink in. "So, you want me to agree to be your bride, so that you can take over as king, before the current king…" he trailed off, unsure what happened to kings in this world when they passed the responsibility on to the next person.
"Mikey," Leo's larger hand covered his own, and Mikey lifted his head, locking eyes with Leo, the prince smiling at him. "Despite what is happening despite the upcoming celebration, the choice to be my bride, is still yours. I will call the whole thing off, if that is what you wish me to do,"
"But, wouldn't it just make things so much easier?" Mikey asked.
Leo sighed. "I would be lying if I said it wouldn't, but even summoning you here, it was never my intention to force you into this," Leo explained, and looked as if he wanted to say more, but decided against it.
The two of them sat in silence, a light breeze blowing over them, rustling the leaves above them, and Mikey tilted his head upwards, letting out a heavy sigh. "I'll…think about it." It was all Mikey could offer, not wanting to make promises without putting any proper thought into his situation.
"Thank you, Mikey," Leo slowly stood up. "I should also inform you, the king has also arranged for you to have a new wardrobe fitting," Leo said, placing a hand on Mikey's head, before it moved to cup his cheek. "So try not to spend too much more time out here," Leonardo said.
Mikey closed his eyes and leaned into the gentle touch, only opening his eyes again when he felt it slipping away. Clenching his hands in his lap in an attempt not to reach out to Leo and pull him back. Mikey quickly turned his attention elsewhere, letting the weight of everything Leo told him sink in. He had a lot to consider.
Finding his way home for one. He hadn't put nearly as much time and energy into finding an answer to that as he likely should have; partly because he knew it would likely call for Donnie and Leo's help to open another portal to send him home, and he figured they'd be fairly reluctant to help him, since they'd gone through all that trouble to bring him here in the first place.
However, even without their help, there was still a chance his brothers would come looking for him, in a week, month, or even a year, they'd always come for him, it was how his family worked. Then again, he could just as easily spend his whole life waiting for them, the whole time dooming this world to death and darkness on a 'maybe'.
"This totally sucks," he groaned, placing his head in his hands.
"Okay, just have to think this through…" he told himself.
He knew he wanted to help the prince, though he was just as determined not to fall in love with this Leo, not because he didn't like him, but he couldn't help but feel if he allowed that to happen, he'd always have a lingering guilt that he simply upgraded to a better model, and Mikey refused to replace his brother like that, even if his Leo would never return his feelings.
Lifting his head, Mikey stared up into the tree when he heard the sound of birds, the wind rustled the tree again, the sunlight flickering through the leaves, and Mikey felt a rush of determination flood through him. He felt as if he were at least part way to making a decision, which was a step further than he had been an hour ago.
"Right," he said to himself, "I just have to not fall in love with Leo."
-x
The room was busy as servants came and went, bringing in various items as Ezra, the seamstress, ordered things to be brought to her. Meanwhile Mikey was standing on a tall stool, looking at himself in the mirror.
Mikey frowned at his reflection, reaching down he pulled at the fabric of the tunic he was wearing, trying to pull it a fraction lower on his body. It was a little strange to him, for someone who had spent their whole life running around naked, he felt oddly exposed with how short this article of clothing was.
"Stop tugging at it," Ezra scolded, smacking his hand away from the hem once more, before the lizard knelt down and started adding some final touches to the edging on the tunic.
Mikey huffed, watching the large lizard work for a moment, doing his best not to fidget as he'd done yesterday while getting measurements taken.
"Please tell me you're adding more fabric to this," Mikey said, shivering as he felt unfamiliar hands behind him as one of the servants in the room started adding other features to his person, like painted markings, and jewelry.
"If I did that, you'd just look like a pumpkin," Ezra scoffed.
"Well, I figured it worked for Cinderella," Mikey joked, and Ezra looked up at him in confusion.
"Who?" she queried, and Mikey sighed.
"No one, it's a character in a children's story," he sighed,
"It was supposed to be a joke," he explained. It wasn't the first time one had gone over someone's head, and he doubted it would be the last, but it did make it difficult to use humor to ease the nervous tension. "More funny if I don't have to explain the punchline though."
Ezra turned her attention back to what she was doing, "I suppose that's true for most jokes,"
"Turn this way, please," One of the servants said.
Sighing, Mikey did as he was asked. "Close your eyes." The servants requested and Mikey hesitated, looking at them in confusion, looking at the small box they held up. "Color, for your eyes," the servant explained.
Nodding once, Mikey closed his eyes, and attempted not to flinch or laugh as he felt the soft bristles of a brush trace the outline of his eyelids.
As that was happening, Mikey felt something cool wrap around his wrist, then something else on his ankle. Eyes snapping open, Mikey looked down quickly, ignoring the exasperated sigh from the person who had been applying his makeup.
"What…" Mikey blinked at the metal bands on his wrist and ankle.
"The jewelry compliments the outfit," A new voice said from the doorway, and Mikey turned his head up quickly, seeing an unfamiliar turtle standing there dressed in a pale blue dress, long and flowing, it looked elegant, but still managed to show off quite a bit of skin.
"Is he nearly ready?" the turtle asked.
"Yes, milady," the servants said in unison.
Ezra stood up as well, bowing to the turtle. "I've just put the finishing touches," she said.
"Lovely work as usual, Ezra," the turtle said, smiling softly. "I can help him from here, you may leave," she said.
Mikey watched in surprise and mild confusion as everyone hurried from the room, heads down, giving this turtle nervous glances as they passed her.
"So, you're the new bride to be," she said, stepping further into the room, walking over and looking at some of the jewelry that had been left in the box.
"My names Mikey, and I'm no one's bride," he said, feeling on edge.
"Oh, are you not?" she picked up one of the gold necklaces, turning to face Mikey. "That's a relief, here I was thinking the prince had truly lost his mind,"
"Who are you?" Mikey demanded, stepping down off the stool he'd been on, however, as he did, he realized just how tall this woman was, as he came to just below her shoulder.
"My name is unimportant," she said dismissively. "I however, would truly like to know more about you, Mikey, from the land of nowhere, or so I've been told, a mysterious figure that suddenly appears in the most important Kingdom in the world, and just happens to catch the eye of the handsome, highly sought after, Prince," she stepped around Mikey as she spoke, slowly circling him.
Mikey watched her closely, keeping his guard up, turning to face her again and smiled at her. He could tell she didn't like him, though didn't sense any potential pending attack.
"I can't help it if I'm just too adorable to pass up," Mikey grinned at her, watching as her hand tightened around the necklace she was still holding, he'd struck a nerve.
"Also," Mikey continued, ignoring the voice that told him it might be wiser to stop while he was ahead, but he'd never listened to that voice before, he wasn't going to make a habit of it now. "I can't be from nowhere. Everyone has to come from somewhere, my, somewhere just isn't a place you'd be familiar with," he shrugged.
"Try me, I've been from one end of this continent to the other," she hissed.
"Lady, I'm not from this continent, I'm-"
"Everything okay in here?" Donatello interrupted, and Mikey looked round as the mage stepped into the room.
"Yes," the woman answered before Mikey had a chance to. "Yes, of course, I was just giving… Mikey, here, some help with his outfit, he was unsure what jewelry would look best," the woman said, lying so easily, Mikey suspected it might even be second nature to her.
"I see," Donnie said, eyeing her, before looking at Mikey.
Mikey knew Donnie was waiting for him to confirm or deny what this unknown woman was really up to. But he simply grinned, turning his attention back to her, not saying a word he went to the jewelry box, pulling out another gold necklace, this one a bit thicker, and more like a gold collar.
"Your choice is nice, but I still like this one," he said, holding it up.
"Very well." She smiled sweetly at him, stepping next to him, she leaned down to drop the necklace back into the box. "Just be careful, such a cheap accessory is bound to rust and be thrown away," she said, turning and walking from the room.
Mikey watched her leave, waiting a moment to make sure she was properly gone before visibly relaxing, feeling his shoulders sag as the tension he was unaware of left him.
"Are you alright, Mikey?" Donnie asked.
Mikey lifted his gaze, managing a weak smile and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, but who the hell even was that?" Mikey demanded.
"Venus De Milo," Donnie said, "she is the daughter of a nobleman, their family have been loyal to the Palace for generations."
"Okay, and she hates me because…?" Mikey asked.
"She and Leonardo have a… complicated history together," Donnie explained. "But she is Leonard's oldest, and closest friend, it was long believed that she would one day marry the Prince, and I believe they were even engaged at one point, that that may also just be rumor, it's difficult to say as neither of them have confirmed or denied it."
Mikey's face fell, "then I showed up," he guessed.
"Your appearance has nothing to do with them," Donnie assured him. "Their romance was short lived, and over before the Prince even hired me to summon you here," Donnie explained. "I cannot say why she would hold any animosity towards you, as it was my understanding that they parted ways on mutual terms."
Mikey sighed, shaking his head, it didn't matter if what Donnie said was true or not, it still came down to the same thing, Venus cared about Leo, and saw Mikey as a threat.
"I'm sure Leonardo will be more than happy to explain all of this to you, if you ask him," Donnie said. "And speaking of the prince, he sent me here to escort you."
Mikey rolled his eyes. "Escort me? He does know I know the way, right?"
Donnie smiled. "I believe he is more worried about you getting distracted along the way, as there are far more people in the Palace than usual," Donnie explained, gesturing Mikey through the door first.
Sighing, Mikey took a step, then paused, looking down at the necklace he was still holding and shrugged, slipping it on before heading out the door.
Donnie walked next to him, and Mikey could tell that the larger turtle was taking shorter steps so that Mikey didn't have trouble keeping up, which Mikey was very grateful for.
As they neared the throne room, Mikey could hear the sound of people talking mixed with gentle strumming of music. Ahead of them, the double doors were open, a guard posted on either side of the doorway; just inside the room Mikey could see more people than he had honestly anticipated.
Unconsciously he shifted closer to Donnie, going as far as to take his hand, only to be pulled to a stop. Lifting his head to stare up at the mage, to find Donnie looking back at him with a worried expression.
"Are you alright?" The mage asked.
Mikey nodded his head, though that didn't seem to be enough for the taller turtle who kept looking at him, obviously waiting for some sort of answer.
Swallowing hard, Mikey turned his attention back to the room full of people. "Yeah," he said, his throat feeling a bit tight, he cleared it and tried again. "Yeah I'm okay, just never actually been around so many people at once before is all," he explained.
Though Mikey wasn't being entirely truthful, he'd been surrounded by foot soldiers before, and Kraang, and footbots, and likely half a dozen other creatures wanting to remove him from his shell. However, he suspected at least the majority of these people wouldn't look at him and immediately contemplate his murder.
A gentle nudge to his shell had Mikey stumbling forward, catching his balance with practiced ease, he turned his head to glare at Donnie, the mage simply smiled at him and gestured him forward. Standing up right, Mikey took a deep breath and turned to face forward again, he walked further into the room, glancing around quickly, trying to take in everything at once.
It was only a short way into the room itself when Mikey realized that he couldn't see anyone properly, as even the shortest person he saw was still a full head taller than he was. Turning around to see if Donnie was still by the door, hoping to have some help in locating Leo, only to find the space where Donnie had been before was empty.
Huffing he turned back around, trying to think of a way to find the prince that didn't involve climbing on top of the buffet table.
"Hi there, you lost, little one?" said a silky voice that sent unpleasant shivers down Mikey's shell, he turned around finding the owner of the voice leaning down uncomfortably close.
The red slitted eyes, and shimmering scaled skin reminded Mikey of a snake. The resemblance only became more prominent when a forked tongue flicked out.
Mikey forced a smile, taking a step back. "No, not lost, just looking for Leo," he said, glancing around to try and find a quick exit, one that wouldn't require him turning his back to this person.
"First name basis with the prince?" The snake asked, looking surprised as his eyes raked over Mikey head to toe, and Mikey resisted the urge to pull at the hem of his tunic again. "Don't tell me you must be his mysterious bride," the snake chuckled, standing up straight. "I can see why the prince would keep such a delicious morsel to himself," his forked tongue flicked out again.
"He's not keeping me to himself," Mikey protested.
"Is he not?" the snake's smile widened. "We'll, why don't you come sit with me then, and we can become better acquainted," already reaching a hand out, clearly not intending to give Mikey much choice in the matter.
Mikey backed away, ready to make a quick retreat into the crowd, when a large hand was suddenly on his shoulder. Tilting his head back, his first thought being that this snake had a friend with him, only to visibly relax when he saw the familiar handsome face of Leo.
"Ayame," Leo greeted, his voice had a colder edge to it than usual, even if his expression didn't change from it's normal welcoming smile. "Still haven't changed, I see," Leo said.
"You know me," the snake, Ayame, said with a shrug, seemingly unphased by Leo. "I can't help but gravitate to the prettiest thing in the room,"
Mikey felt himself being pulled closer to Leo, he couldn't help but smile, though the smile faded quickly as he looked back at Ayame, seeing the snake eyeing him up and down again, and Mikey pressed back against Leo.
"Yes, well I would appreciate it if you found recruits for your business elsewhere," Leo said flatly.
Mikey opened his mouth to ask what business the snake man had, but snapped his mouth shut when the hand on his shoulder squeezed gently, before steering him away, and Mikey decided that maybe he didn't actually want to know what Ayame did for a living.
As they walked, Mikey couldn't help but notice how the people in the room simply moved aside before Leo even got close to them, making it a lot easier for them to navigate through the crowd. Mikey took advantage of this, glancing around, trying to see how the throne room had been decorated for the party, only to give up when he realized he still couldn't see past the people in the room. So instead, he looked ahead of them, his eyes settling on a small set of stairs leading up to a raised platform to a set of two large ornate chairs, and one smaller.
Unsurprisingly, Leo took one of the thrones, and Mikey moved to take the seat next to him, assuming the smaller of the three chairs was meant for him, however Leo apparently had other ideas, as Mikey was suddenly grabbed around the waist, and lifted onto Leo's lap.
"What's the big idea!" Mikey yelped, whipping his head around to glare at Leo.
"Where are you going?" Leo asked.
"I was going to sit!" he said, blushing brightly, wiggling.
"My lap is far more comfortable than that seat will be, I assure you," Leo chuckled.
Mikey didn't doubt that, though still felt as if he should protest, however, as he wiggled around, he heard someone nearby giggle, lifting his head towards the source of the sound, he saw a small group of three or so guests talking, one of them trying to subtly gesture in his direction, followed by another giggle.
Huffing in annoyance, Mikey decided not to cause more of a scene than he already was simply by sitting on Leo's lap.
Mikey shifted himself once more, pulled his feet up onto the chair, using his elevated position to get a proper look at the room, and its occupants. He didn't see Donnie anywhere which was a shame, since he was probably the only other person that Mikey would have recognized.
However, as he scanned more of the crowd, he did spot one other semi familiar face, Venus. He was curious about her, and her actual connection to Leo, though he didn't know if now was the right time to bring up something like that. Then again, if the amount of TV he'd watched at home had taught him anything, it was that there was never a good time to bring up potential ex girlfriends.
"You look stunning tonight," Leo said, interrupting Mikey's thoughts.
Mikey turned his head, blinking at Leo's sudden compliment. "Uh, thanks?" he glanced down at his outfit, shifting once more on Leo's lap, before the prince held him by the waist, holding him still.
"I am sorry we have not been able to speak since yesterday afternoon," Leo said.
Mikey shrugged."You're busy," he dismissed, though he did still want to talk to Leo about the whole being betrothed thing. The information dump Leo had left him with yesterday had been enough to convince him that marrying Leo was in fact the right thing to do. Even if he couldn't love the prince, Mikey had felt that this was a job only he could do, due to lack of options in this world. However, as Mikey focused on the female turtle making her way across the room towards them, he was now curious just how limited Leo's options were.
"My prince," Venus greeted, bowing low, and Leo chuckled.
"Ve, you don't need to do that and you know it, quit putting on a show," Leo said. As he spoke, there was a fondness and humor in his voice that Mikey was sure he'd never heard before. Tilting his head up to look at the prince, then back towards Venus, his brow furrowed as his curiosity about their past grew.
"Venus, this is Mikey," Leo introduced.
"I had the pleasure of meeting your little bride earlier this evening," Venus smiled, Mikey had half expected her to lie about their encounter, so was genuinely surprised when she admitted it so easily.
"I hope you didn't give him a hard time," Leo said.
She laughed, smiling sweetly and it made Mikey squirm uncomfortably. "I was on my best behavior," she said. "Isn't that right, Mikey?" she asked, her eyes fixed on him now.
Mikey shrank back from the look she gave him, something about it was making his insides squirm, the longer he stared at her, the worse he felt, until shadows started appearing near the edges of his vision.
"Mikey?" Leo's voice snapped Mikey out of the near trance he'd been in, the smaller turtle looking at Venus, then turning to look at Leo. "Are you-" the prince started, but Mikey didn't give him time to finish talking as he suddenly pushed himself from Leo's lap, shouting "Drinks!" and running off without another word. He pushed through the crowd, the further he got away from Venus, the better he was feeling.
Taking a deep breath, Mikey weaved himself between the guests, until he found himself a clear space by a wall cose to the entrance, next to a table of wine glasses. Grabbing one for himself, Mikey breathed deeply. Sipping at the liquid in the cup, he looked back towards the throne, seeing Leo was still talking to Venus.
His brow furrowed the longer he watched them, he couldn't hear what they were saying, but they laughed easily, and looked genuinely comfortable in each other's company.
Mikey was almost surprised when he felt a pang of jealousy in his chest, shaking his head, berating himself for feeling anything, it didn't matter who Leo talked to, or was comfortable around, because Mikey didn't love him. If Leo and his old friend got along as well as they appeared to, Mikey didn't see why he was even needed at all, in fact, as Mikey scanned the room, he could see several people that had more potential on looks alone to be Leo's bride.
Mikey knew he should be relieved at that realization, it meant he could put all his focus on trying to get home to his brothers, like he should have been doing all along, and not worry about the state of the kingdom.
"A young face such as yours should not look so troubled," The old wise voice had Mikey's head snapping up, his eyes widening at someone who was obviously this worlds Splinter, he looked different, he was tall, and had a strange aura around him, but it was definitely him.
"Splinter…" Mikey said, then blushed as he realized Splinter might not know who he was. "I'm-"
"I am aware of who you are, young bride," Splinter smiled at him. "Now, why are you standing over here alone, looking as if you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders?"
Mikey shrugged. "No reason…" he lied, knowing Splinter could see right through it, sighing he looked down at the glass he was holding. He felt as if Splinter's statement wasn't far off, it sure felt like he had a world of problems, and didn't even know where to begin to untangle them.
"Perhaps you would like to take a walk with me, and I can help you with some of that?" Splinter offered.
Mikey hesitated for a moment, glancing back towards the throne where Leo was still talking to Venus, the two of them laughing about something, Mikey quickly looked away, nodding his head. "Yeah, I'd like that," he said.
Setting his drink aside, Mikey followed Splinter, the rat leading him away from the chattering guests and the music. Even if this old rat wasn't his father, Mikey felt like he might at least have some good advice, and even if he didn't, maybe letting Leo and Venus spend time together wouldn't be such a bad idea. She would be a better choice for Leo after all.
Walking in silence next to the rat, Mikey kept his focus mostly on the floor in front of them, though he did keep stealing glances at Splinter, waiting to see if he was going to say something, though after a few long moments of nothing but silence, Mikey surmised that the rat was waiting for him to start the conversation.
"Um…" Mikey said, biting his lip as his only thought was to break the awkward silence between them, but he wasn't sure where to even begin.
"How did you know who I was?" Mikey finally asked, looking up at Splinter.
"There is very little that goes unnoticed by me in this kingdom," Splinter answered, glancing down at Mikey with a small smile, and somehow, Mikey wasn't very surprised by the answer.
"So then, you know Leo, and that he summoned me here?" Mikey asked and Splinter nodded his head.
"I am aware of Leonardo's actions, though I was against them initially, they seem to have worked out for the best," Splinter said.
Mikey let out small huff. "Not so sure about that," muttered, not fully intending the comment to be heard by Splinter, but this rat's hearing seemed to be as good, if not better, than the Splinter Mikey knew.
"Oh? What is it you disagree with?" Splinter asked.
Mikey shrugged, looking around as they walked. "Everything?" he offered, though knew that wasn't much of an answer. "It's just, ever since I got here, it's kinda been one thing after another, and I guess… it would have been nice if someone had asked me at all if this was what I wanted," Mikey admitted.
Splinter hummed, nodding his head in understanding. "I see," He said, "if there was something about your situation that you could change, what would it be?" Splinter asked.
Mikey opened his mouth to answer, then snapped it shut, it was a question that he would have expected to have a quick answer for, however not that it had been asked, he wasn't sure if he would change anything.
The obvious answer was that he would change the fact that his brothers weren't here with him, however, if they were here, they would have spent the whole time trying to find a way home, and Mikey would never have gotten to know Donnie, and likely wouldn't even be in the situation of having to choose if he wanted to marry Leo or not. In fact, he wouldn't have been able to even consider that kind of relationship with anyone here.
"I honestly don't know," Mikey admitted, stopping mid step, he turned and looked out the window.
"The prince… Leo, he made it sound like he really needed me, that being his bride was something only I could do, it made me feel…" Mikey shook his head, it had made him feel wanted, special even, despite his hesitation, and how unsure about staying here he actually was, it had felt nice to be needed, especially by Leo.
"Has something happened to make you think otherwise?" Splinter asked.
Lowering his head, Mikey gripped the fabric of his tunic in his hands, fidgeting with the hem that Ezra had spent most of the early evening trying to perfect.
"I hadn't realized there were so many people here," Mikey said, walking over to the window to look out into the garden below, "I knew this was supposed to be a kingdom, but I've not even left the palace since I got here, and now tonight, seeing all those people, and seeing Leo with that lady turtle… I just don't understand why I'm even needed here at all, when there's so many others more suited to being his bride than I am."
A soft hand was placed on his head, it felt so comforting and familiar, and it made Mikey feel more homesick than he'd felt in a while. "In my experience, no one is ever unneeded," Splinter said. "If Leonardo says he needs you, then it is the truth,"
"What if it's all just a mistake?" Mikey asked, looking up at the rat.
"There are no mistakes, young bride, simply life experience," he said, his hand slipping away from Mikey.
Mikey stared up at Splinter, feeling as if a weight in his chest had been lifted, he couldn't say his thoughts were any clearer than before, but he felt as if something has shifted inside him, in a positive way.
"Now, I believe Leonardo has come looking for you," Splinter said.
"Huh?" Mikey blinked, turning his head, looking down the hall to see Leo walking down the hall towards them, his stride quick, though not quite running.
"Your majesty," Leo said as he reached them, kneeling in front of Splinter for a brief moment before standing quickly once more. "I was unaware you were joining us for the party this evening," he said.
"It wasn't my intention," Splinter chuckled. "However, as I was feeling much better, I decided it was high time that I met this bride of yours,"
Mikey stared from Splinter to Leo then back again. "Wait, you're the king?" he exclaimed,
Splinter looked at him with amusement, and Leo simply chuckled, wrapping his arms around Mikey and pulling him close.
"We should return to the party, before we're missed," Leo said. Splinter nodded his head in agreement.
"Hang on! I have questions!" Mikey insisted, looking back at Splinter. However Leo suddenly bent further, wrapping his arms around Mikey's waist, he easily lifted the smaller turtle from the floor. The squeak was involuntary, as was the reflex to wrap his arms around Leo's neck.
"Thank you for walking with me, young bride, and I look forward to speaking to you again soon," Splinter said. Mikey wasn't given a chance to reply, or ask any of his questions as Leo turned and carried him back down the hall towards the party.
As they entered the room once more, Mikey could feel more people staring at him, and he clung to Leo tighter as they made their way through the crowd of parting people, back towards the throne. However, as they got closer Mikey started wiggling. He wasn't in the mood to sit down and be gawked at.
"Put me down," Mikey demanded. "If I'm going to be at this party, I want to have some fun," he insisted as Leo set him back on his feet.
"Alright," Leo agreed easily. "Perhaps you would accompany me in a dance then?" he asked, Mikey looked at the people dancing, and frowned, he didn't know this dance, it seemed very formal, and uniformed. "I can show you the steps," Leo assured him.
Mikey still debated for a moment longer, remembering what Splinter said to him in the hallway, about life experiences, smiling up at Leo, Mikey shrugged. "Sure, why not," he took Leo's head, practically dragging him towards the dance floor.
When Mikey stopped in the middle of the floor, he turned to face Leo, looking up at him, and was once again taken aback by the expression Leo was giving him, the same one he'd given him that night in Donnie's library, and in the garden yesterday afternoon, the look that made Mikey's heart skip a beat, and his breath catch in his throat.
As Leo placed a hand on Mikey's shoulder, his other gently taking Mikey's smaller one, Mikey decided that just for tonight, maybe he would allow himself to fall in love, just a little, with the prince, that if he were to wake up and find that this was all just a dream, at least it would have been a good one.
TBC
I have a lot of TMNT stories, however as most of them are NSFW, they can not be posted on this site. ALL my stories can be found on Archive of Our Own. All you need to do is search for the following. /users/DarkxKitsune