Thanks to BrightLotusMoon and Ryo Chan for there amazing feedback. I'm so happy you guys are enjoying this story, regardless if it's not as good as it could be in more capable hands,

This one is for you guys.

His cold wasn't going away.

In fact, it was slowly, ever so slowly getting worse.

Whenever he felt like he had a handle on it, it would just blind side him in a chain of sneezes, making his vision blur and then a fever appear out of no where. And Mikey did his best to not make it seem like it bothered him, because the last thing he needed was Raph teasing him or belittling him for 'milking it' too long, but it was hard.

God, it was difficult...

And he wasn't being subtle about it either, though not like he could anyway, one couldn't really hide a fit of sneezes, or a spell of dizziness, when someone has them at the most random of times.

Like when he sneezed into the popcorn bowl during movie night and got kernels everywhere. Or when they were all walking back home from their routine night of patrol and he was slammed from head to toe with a spell of vertigo.

He'd almost passed out if not for the wall he had leaned against, or when he was making dinner and he had to stifle a sneeze so bad that he accidentally cut himself on the knife he was using to chop the onions.

Meanwhile his brothers and father were oblivious to all of this, thank god. And if he had anything to say about it, they'd stay that way.

Or at least, that's what he thought.

But everything just boiled over when they were all started their daily training sessions, where Mikey's vision blackened and he felt like he was being swallowed up by an abyss of nothingness, only to wake a few seconds later with his brothers kneeling over him, while his head laid in his father's lap.

Splinter had cut training short and instructed the other three, that they would all be looking after him for the rest of the day.

The thought burned at him, he didn't have to be taken care of, he wasn't that same child that use to get sick. He was seventeen years old, and therefore he didn't need to be treated like a baby.

Not wanting to be a burden more then he already knew he was, he forced himself to his feet, gave them all a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "I'm fine, guys. I probably just need to eat something, didn't have breakfast this morning; low metabolism and all that, you know?"

He felt Leo stop him with a hand of his shoulder, "Mikey, hold on."

He watched Don move as well, gently grasping his wrist, Mikey could feel the concern practically dripping off of Donnie, "You shouldn't get up so quickly, Mike."

Then Raph, who walked up next to Leo, merely crossed his arm. The expression on his face was no longer concerned, but calm, a sure sign that he believed Mikey's story about skipping breakfast, "Nah, let him go, Leo. Goofball needs to learn to take better care of him." The comment wasn't even something overly insulting in any way because Mikey did have a bad habit of not taking care of himself, they all did really.

But still—

His eye twitched, his arm throbbed, but he hardly felt it as anger bubbled up within him.

He felt like he was suffocating, like they were all ganging up on him, and backing him into a corner, as the walls of the lair caved in on him. He wanted them to stop, to get away, to leave him alone.

Jaw clinched tight, he let out a snarled that almost sounded inhuman and yanked himself away from Leo and Donnie, whirling around so fast he swore would give someone whiplash and pushed them away. He watched as his brothers, all caught off guard by his sudden movement fell backwards, hitting the ground hard, getting tangled in each other's flailing limbs.

There was nothing but silence.

Mikey looked down at his brothers on the ground and then to his arms, still outstretched and stiff. It felt like he was standing there for decades, just staring at them as the anger vanished. Donnie and Leo were the first ones to look up at him, the look of confusion that passed over his brother's faces as they blinked at him was just enough to break Mikey from his stupor, guilt and bile bubbled in his chest, threatening to spill over.

He had merely wanted them to get away from him, because he felt like he couldn't breathe, it felt like he was losing his grip on the sanity that he was already desperately clinging to, but now?

Now he wanted to get away from them because—

Because what had he done?

Yes, it hadn't been that bad. He hadn't threatened them or punched them, but he still acted, still moved with the intent to hurt, to leave him alone. And that just wasn't him. That wasn't the Mikey everyone knows him for, not what he knew himself for. He was fun loving, all smiles and laughter, a jokster that loves pizza and comic books.

Not this—

God never this

And what was that snarl about? He sounded like a wild animal.

With speed that would impress the fastest of speedsters, Mikey ran out of the dojo before anyone could stop him. He heard Splinter and his brothers all out to him, but he paid them no mind as he ran out of the lair and into the sewers, as he blindly ran through the sewage water. His heart was beating a million miles a minute his breath hitches in his throat. He doesn't know where his legs are taking him until a few moments later he slams into something, stumbling backward he almost landed right on his shell but a large hand caught him, steadied him.

Looking up he saw that he collided with Leatherhead.

"Michelangelo?" The larger mutant said with genuine surprise, "This is quite the surprise, what—" Leatherhead abruptly and now he's giving Mikey a look of concern. "My friend, what is wrong?"

All Mikey could do was stand there, as his eyes shifted from Leatherhead, down to his arms. The very arms he used to push his brothers, feeling as though he caused a rift between him and them. A gaping hole where there was no possible way of jumping to the other side where they were.

"I— I just..." He hadn't realized he was crying, until his vision blurred. "I..."

God, what was wrong with him?

He felt strong arms wrap around him and gently pulled him into a hug. It took everything Mikey had in him to not shatter right then and there.

Oh he cried, naturally, but he did not break, he just cracked a little, just enough to cling to Leatherhead. He feared if he were to completely fall apart, that he wouldn't be able to put himself back together again. So he cried for as long as he needed to, but never broke, never shattering, no matter how much he wanted to. And Leatherhead, bless him, held him through it all, even after the tears stopped and Mikey's eyes drooped shut.

When he woke, he at first didn't know where he was, sitting up he noticed a blanket draped over him. Mikey blinked a few times, rubbing at his eyes as they were now irritated and swollen from crying, then someone gently push down on his plastron.

It was Leo

Of course, it was Leo

For a moment, he felt fear raise in his chest, but then that evaporated when Leo spoke. "Easy, Mikey. You got a fever while you were here with Leatherhead, but it broke an hour ago, still Donnie said you still need to lay down." Leo's calming voice was enough to create a lump to form in his throat, his eyes stung.

God, how could he ever wanted Leo to leave him alone? His oldest brother had been gone for two months before and that had been painful enough, how could he have gotten so angry for no reason? "L-Leo..."

"Aw, Mikey." Then that same hand, softly touched his head, rubbing it gently. Leo pressed his forehead to his and smiled. "It's okay, little brother."

Leo's understanding gaze always made him feel so much worse, he clung to Leo's shoulders, shaking, "Leo..."

But Leo simply shushed him as he pulled away, still keeping his hand on Mikey's head as he turned and said, "Don? Raph? He's awake." In the split second it took Mikey to blink, Donnie and Raph were suddenly there, right next to Leo.

"How're you feeling, Mikey?" Donnie asked, while Raph stayed silent, which wasn't a surprise, really.

Hearing Don's voice laced with that same soothing tone as Leo's made his eyes well up again. God, what was wrong with him? He's hungry all the time, he's flip flopping between being so angry and crying seconds later? Last time he checked, only girls had to deal with these types of things, and he definitely wasn't a girl. "D-Donnie..." His breathe hitches, yet again. "I'm sorry! I don't know what's wrong with me, guys... I'm sorry."

Don reached forward and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. While Raph walked around the couch and grasped his shoulder, once again saying nothing. "It's okay, Mikey. There's nothing wrong with you. Well, not anything dangerous, Leatherhead explained it to us while you were sleeping."

Then Leatherhead stepped forward into his line of sight. "As I have explained to your brother, Michelangelo. And from what they have informed me when they arrived here, the hunger, your rage, and overactive emotional state, you appear to be going through the normal maturing stage of adolescence. Or in other words—"

"Puberty?" He finished incredulously, suddenly his sadness and guilt were now replaced by annoyance, he bolted up from where he sat, once again catching his brother's off guard. "I'm seventeen though, that doesn't even make any sense!"

"People maturing into adolescence technically has no age calculator. Everyone is different, and much more so in your case, since you happen to be a mutant turtle and not a human." Leatherhead explained calmly, as he adjusted the glass on his face.

That does make sense, but the annoyance was still boiling in his chest. All this time, this was the cause of everything, its stupid and ridiculous! "But still! Like really? Fucking puberty is why I'm acting like this?"

Leatherhead didn't seem at all bother by him swearing, not like Leo and Donnie were.

They're eyes bulged out and they looked shocked, and if Mikey wasn't already frustrated, he would have found that genuinely funny. Leatherhead continued, "That and the cold you have been apparently hiding is most likely a contributing factor."

Leatherhead adjusted his glasses against his snout. "When others are ill, they tend to be more emotional then they usually are, which your brothers have informed me that you are more so then normal." Mikey turned his gaze towards his brothers, only Raph was brave enough to smile at him. "And in your case, going through adolescences and being sick is a bad combination. But not an uncommon one. You simply just need to let your illness run it's coarse, which unfortunately has yet to happen. But once it does that should take care of half of your affliction. The other will sort itself out eventually as well with time."

Don sat down next to him and gently place an arm around his shoulder, "See Mikey? You're fine."

Raph let out a chuckle, and gently gave Mikey a noogie. "Ya knucklehead, yer maturin'. About time too."

Leo moved and sat on the arm of the couch, reaching forward he place his hand on Mikey's arm, "We've all been there, Mikey. You're gonna be fine." With all three of his brother reassuring him that it was nothing, that he was gonna be okay, how could he not believe it himself?

Inhaling a deep breathe, Mikey sighed. Feeling relieved and still relatively frustrated, he smiled.

"Okay."

It seemed that Leatherhead had been correct when he said that his cold had yet to run it's coarse. He had been right, just like Donnie always was.

Mikey had felt fine the entire morning; he ate a normal sized meal, his fuse wasn't as short as it had been before and he didn't feel like he was going to break down at the smallest inconvenience.

it didn't seem like much, but compared to how he had been this was a major improvement.

But when they started on their way out topside in their way from a suspected mutant sighting at the Power Plant, that was when Mikey started to have that same familiar sensation of body aches, of those familiar chain of intense sneezes, but also now on top of all that, nausea was now present as well.

Which Mikey found ironic, because he usually had a iron stomach, almost always immune to the trails and troubles of overeating and indigestion but during those rare times where he was either sick or stressed out, his stomach flat out turns against him, turning that once iron stomach into a ticking time bomb. It's mostly why he's been skipping meals lately, always finding an excuse to not eat, "Oh I ate while I was cooking", because the thought of eating anything made his stomach churn, but he never actually vomited.

Until everything came to a head when he barfed in the BattleShell.

Or more so, next to the BattleShell.

He barely had time to tell Donnie to pull over and throw the door open, before it all came out in a heap of body shakes and dry heaves. His body was trembling so much that he almost fell face first into the substance if Leo hadn't caught him by the shoulders and pulled him back. Donnie turned the engine off and his brothers all crowded around him. But Mikey could hardly hear what they were saying, he felt so dizzy and disoriented, lost in a sea of his own sickness as his body felt like it was on fire with the intense heat of his fever.

He closed his eyes, and moaned miserably.

God, he hated this, hated being sick. It was the absolute worst and it always seemed to hit him harder then the rest of his brothers. Distantly, he felt a hand on his forehead, and travel down his shoulder, then he heard Leo's voice softly speak, "Easy, Mikey. We're taking you to April's so she can look after you."

He wanted to complain, wanted to say he was fine, but even he knew there was no faking this. Besides, he was in to much pain to even think about lying.

The ride over there was long enough for the dizzy spell he was under to fade slightly. He blinked and saw Donnie in front of him, his brother gently grabbed his arms and pulled him to his feet while Don carried him out of the BattleShell, while Leo and Raph kept watch. "Can you handle the stairs, Mike?" His brother asked, his voice having a soothing tone as he held Mikey and supported all of his weight.

"Don't...really have a choice, huh?" Mikey murmured with a nod, slowly the ascended the stairs, their oldest brothers following close behind them. By the time, they reached the top of the stairs, Mikey was panting and sweaty mess. "Ugh, this sucks, Donnie..."

In response, his brother gave him a reassuring squeeze around his shoulders, "I know, Mikey."

Leo wasted no time in knocking on April's door. Their friend was surprise at their unexpected visit. But seemed happy to see them regardless as if it seemed that they interrupted something with her and Casey. "Sorry, April. But we were on our way to a possible mutant outbreak at the power plant and well..." Leo paused as he turned to look at Mikey, who was pale and sweating.

"Woah, Mike! What happened?" The concern was clear on her face as she stepped out of the way to let them all inside her place.

Mikey, still leaning on Donnie for support, practically gasped out his reply, "It's my— stupid cold. I haven't been able to shake the damn thing."

This is the worst cold he's ever had, and he's had some pretty bad cold throughout his life.

He felt Don rubbed his arm soothingly. "Like Leatherhead said, it has to get worse before it gets better." That did little to lighten his mood, but he appreciated Donnie's attempt to soothe him, with the only way he knows how, being logical.

"Fucking great."

Right now, he was split between feeling miserable and frustrated. Raph then came up behind him, and rubbed the back of his head. "April, can you keep an eye on Mikey for us?" He asked rather calmly as Mikey let out a loud sneeze that made his shoulders tremble and his head ache.

April agreed to letting Mikey stay, and his brother's left with Leo giving him a little wave and a smile, "Take it easy, little bro." And then they were gone, leaving Mikey behind with Casey and April.

And they took pretty good care of him, they made sure he stayed hydrated, feed him broth —or at least tried too, his stomach wasn't having it— place cloths on his forehead in an attempt to bring down his fever. And even though Mikey still felt so awful, and just really wanted his brothers, he appreciated the care they were giving him. If their relationship ever went any further, Mikey could see them being amazing parents.

Then at the most abrupt time the power went out.

Of course, it goes out.

Just they're luck.

And about three seconds later, the cut on his arm just started to burn. It hit him so hard and so suddenly that he doubled over, he cried out in agony and clutched at it, putting pressure it because he thought it was help lessen the pain, but it didn't go away. It felt like someone was physically sawing off his arm with thousand degree hacksaw. Like someone was taking a scolding hot knife and repeatedly branding him it with over and over again.

He barely managed to tell April what's wrong before he is enveloped into another cocoon of agony.

Then April left to go check on Casey, fear overtook him, as he silently begged, pleaded to not be left alone, please don't leave... I'm scared please... Then as tears sprang to his his eyes, Mikey looked at his arm, and...

It started to move, almost like there was something, several somethings crawling inside his skin, all traveling in in different directions throughout his appendage, it was like he was being invaded by an army of bugs, taken over by a colony of parasites eating away through his very muscles and tissue. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was happening to him, he was transforming, mutating, just like the creatures they've been fighting.

The thought alone, made bile raise to his throat and he fell to his knees, dry heaving.

Please

No

No no no...

PLEASE

His heart was pounding a mile a minute, he felt like he was being dragged down to the deepest cave that he would never be able to climb out of. A sob tore itself from his throat, his heart ached, desperately wanting his brothers. If they were here by his side they'd know what to do, they always knew what to do. They were always there for him, and he there for them.

Balanced, like everything should be.

Donnie

Leo

Raph

"Help me, please... please." He whimpered out fearfully

Would they worry for him? Would they try to find him? Would they go through hell and back to find him?

Abruptly, the pain increased ten fold, his vision blackened and he saw nothing but red, there was nothing Mikey could register but there sheer amount of torment he was feeling, and as Mikey watched in horror as everything from his arms to his plastron doubled in size. Fresh tears sprung to his eyes and grew with every agonizing inch, getting taller and bigger with every second that ticked by.

He was utterly helpless, he could do nothing but witness it all unfold around him, watch as his mind slowly began to fade, almost as if something else was taking over, something that was more primal and dangerous.

With the last bits of his sanity left, he realized... that Leatherhead was wrong. This wasn't him going through puberty, this wasn't just a simple cold.

And what terrified him the most, was that Donnie had been wrong too. That cut had been something to worry about.

And he wasn't fine at all...

A little background here; when I started this story I knew from the get go I didn't want to just copy and paste everything that happened in the episodes leading to Donnie's mutation to happen to in Mikey's mutation. Somethings are the same but others are different and also other things are added. With Don, his progression into his second mutant form seemed to be gentle? If that makes any sense, meaning that nothing really happening other then everyone thinking it was just a cold.

But with Mikey, I wanted to add something else. So I added increased anger episodes, his eating habit sky rocketed and he's more emotional then everyone is use to seeing. But in doing so I knew I needed to have the character try and explain why this was happening to Mikey without them immediately figuring out that the cut on Mikey's arm, therefore I added the quickest one I could think of, puberty. I may not be a male but I do know in a woman's perspective that puberty can suck. Therefore since it's frustrating for females I have to assume it also sucks for males too. It maybe lame and inaccurate but its there.

Anyway, food for thought? Feedback is always welcome and appreciated in reviews if anyone has the time, and I'll see you all soon