You can say a lot about Mikey, what he was like, how he acted, or how well he was adapting but one thing that was certainly true was the fact that he was damn silent, no denying that statement. I hadn't even heard him coming down the stairs and I don't even know how long he'd been standing there.
"Where's dad?" He whispers almost too quiet for us to hear, giving away that he was standing behind the couch. And by the reaction Don and Leo show, I conduct that they hadn't heard him either.
I turn around, putting an elbow on the seat of the couch to turn around and look at him, standing near the stairs that would lead to the second floor, looking very out of place. His hair was slightly wet and he was wearing a new set of clothes. A simple pair of sweatpants and a white t-shirt.
He still didn't look great, worse in fact.
"He didn't tell ya?" I ask with a frown on my face, why wouldn't dad tell him? Mikey slowly shakes his head but Don quickly jabs me in the stomach. "What?" I almost snap, turning towards my immediate younger brother.
"He doesn't need to know Raph" Don hisses under his breath but I scoff.
"Dad will be gone for the next two day, somethin' with his job" I say. To be fair, I wasn't lying, I just wasn't telling the entire truth. Lies of omission as Don would call it. And I felt bad, but we all decided it was better not to tell him the truth.
"Oh…" Mikey says, looking unsure at what to do. "I'm going…" he started but stopped himself, silently retreating towards the stairs again. Neither of us said anything, only watching Mikey drag himself up the stairs. His legs were starting to quiver under him but he kept walking until we heard the door in the hallway slam.
He was trying, trying to socialise with us but it was too obvious that he was struggling to do so.
"I thought you were going to tell him" Donnie says once the door was shut and we were sure he couldn't hear us.
"Of course not" I scoff, looking down at my hands. "But we need ta tell 'im" I point out and Leo frowns.
"Not yet" He says and I look at him. Not really agreeing or denying. "Telling him will only set him off. At least.. I think it will" He says, directing his gaze to me.
"I would" I reluctantly admits, neither of us comfortable with that statement, my past life. "Look we don't even know if they're gonna go after him. He sure wasn't the only one in that hellhole"
"But he was the only boy and besides, we can't rule it out" Don says, a concerned look on his face. I nod absently, feeling anger flaring up. Two days ago the boss of the brothel Mikey was rescued from would be transported to his definite prison, where he'd stay for the rest of his life. But something had gone wrong, and the man, Zucco, was freed.
They still didn't know who had successfully freed Zucco, or why it could've happened in the first place but ever since the police has been locating the ones rescued from the brothel, keeping them safe from a possible attack, including Mikey, who was now possibly in danger.
And if Zucco breaking free wasn't bad enough already, 2 others had been freed along with him. The moment the police had seen what had happened they doubled security but they weren't fast enough, or smart enough to keep a mole from infiltrating and freeing them. And right now they were on the loose again.
"Eventually he needs to know" Don points out, shifting slightly on the couch next to Leo, who nods absently. "His life could be in danger if they decide to go after him"
"But why the hell would they? People would .. well recognise 'im" I shudder at the thought, even imagining Mikey in that horrible place again gave me goose bumps all over my body. It was worse than every beating I had gone through at home. And I didn't even know what exactly had happened before he was forced to work in that brothel.
All I knew that he was loved by his adopted parents, and his mom eventually got sick. And that was the reason he ended up in there. But she didn't die because of the sickness, the real cause still unknown. And the rest also knew that piece of information.
"Maybe it has something to do with how he ended up there?" Don asks, looking at me but I shake my head.
"He told me nothin' more. I don't have a freakin' clue" I mutter, shaking my head.
"We just have to be sure that they can't get to him; someone has to stay with him" Leo says, silently taking on the big brother mantle again.
"Not too hard if he never leaves the house" Don says with a bitter undertone.
"He needs time" I mutter, bringing my knees up to my chest and focusing on the television in front of me again. The conversation immediately ending afterwards.
TMNT
Dad was still gone in the evening, and we had no clue how long it would take before he got back again. And to be honest, I didn't want to keep lying to Mikey. I know how shitty it feels when your new family keeps secrets from you, but right now it was for his own good, to keep him safe.
Pretty ironic since I had been so angry about those things many times.
Them keeping things from me about my previous family, things that would 'set me off', or something that would make me upset. They didn't want that, they only wanted to protect me, just like we were protecting Mikey right now. And yet I was so upset that they did, upset that they didn't tell me.
I sigh silently, putting away my plate on the counter in the kitchen before walking towards the couch. It was dark already, and the living room was lit with artificial light, curtains drawn in front of the windows for a sense of privacy.
"Whatcha watching?" I ask, careful to keep my voice down so I wouldn't scare him. The blond looks up for a second, keeping a watchful eye on me as I sit down next to him. Then he shrugs, repositioning himself so he his legs were next to him on the couch. Still it surprised me how Mikey could practically make himself comfortable in every position.
I look at him from the corner of my eyes, but the only thing he's focused on is the television in front of us, and his hands that were constantly rubbing his head.
"Have you tried an aspirin?" I ask.
"A what?" He asks with a confused look on his face.
"An Aspirin. To help with yer headache" I say and realisation slowly dawns down on him.
"Oh.. those" He says before shaking his head lightly. "Not yet"
"Could've asked me before I sat down" I joke but obviously Mikey doesn't catch onto the joke so I just stand up, walking over to the kitchen to grab the first aid kit. There were numerous packages in there so I just grab the first aspirin I could find and walked back with the pill and a glass of water.
"Here" I say gently, handing him the glass and the pill. He looks at it with uncertainty, rolling the pill in his hand. "It'll help ya. Just take it, trust me" I encourage him and only then does he put the pill in his mouth before quickly taking a sip and swallowing it in one go. I take the glass from him and hand him a blanket.
He looks slightly surprised at the gesture but eventually wraps the blanket around himself after I motion him to do so.
"I'm sorry about a few days ago" Mikey suddenly mentions as I sit down next to him again.
"About?" I ask, truly confused.
"I made you tell me about your parents.. " He whispers and suddenly I understand where this is going. I shake my head and let out a soft laugh.
"Only you would feel bad" I mutter before turning to the blond. "Mikey, if I wouldn't've wanted to tell ya, no way in hell would I have told ya. I wanted to tell you"
Mikey frowns, looking away from me again. "I forced you, I yelled at you"
"Mikey, ya deserve ta know. I was just being a hypocritical idiot but i'm glad ya trusted me enough to tell, and I trusted you enough to tell ya about my family"
"I didn't tell you about my traumas" Mikey whispers and I blink for a second.
"Because you just escaped them, I had five years ta get over 'em. It's okay ya didn't tell me, ya told me enough already" And I meant it, of course I wanted to know more, of course I wanted to know how he ended up in that brothel. But I perfectly understood that he wasn't ready to tell us yet.
"... I'm sorry" He mutters again and roll my eyes with a playful smile.
"Shush and watch the movie" I laugh gently, effectively shushing him. I smile silently at the little victory, but also at the playful banter that he had silently accepted. Because even despite his sweaty hair and his sickly complexion, he was smiling slightly. Or rather failing at hiding that he was smiling.
Minutes went by, and both of us sat in silence, neither of us feeling awkward. I knew dad still wasn't home and Leo and Don were upstairs working on some project for school.
I almost jumped when something suddenly hit my shoulder, and I looked down to see Mikey's head laying on my shoulder, only for him to immediately jerk up, completely startled and looking at me with wide and glazed over eyes, the fever still working its magic.
"It's okay bonehead" I snicker with a twinge of worry, trying to coax him onto my shoulder again, because he needed his sleep judging by the bags that were under his eyes and from experience I knew how fast someone would fall asleep like that but he shakes his head, pushing my arms away.
"Ican't go t' sleep" He says, slurring the words slightly as fatigue was getting to him.
"I know why ya don't want ta sleep but ya need it" I say gently, reaching out again. "I won't leave ya, I'll wake ya up when you get a nightmare. Kay?"
He stares at me for a moment, clearly debating on what to do but eventually he relaxes on my shoulder again, wiggling slightly until he was comfortable. I snicker slightly and lean back slightly, making myself comfortable as well. Because I knew that I'd probably be sitting here for a long time.
TMNT
"You owe me" Leo said as he descended down the stairs, I groan softly, careful not to wake Mikey up and I look backwards to see Don and Leo coming down the stairs, grinning at us.
"Don't tell me you…. never mind" I state dryly, rolling my eyes as Donnie hands his money over to Leo. They both smirk and I shake my head. "You guys are horrible" I mutter.
"You love us" Don whispers next to me, a smile on his face.
"Well I'm starting to question that" I snort, watching as Leo walks towards us with a blanket in his hands, walking to the front of the couch and wrapping it around Mikey's sleeping body.
"I'm just glad he's finally asleep" Leo says, pushing the blond hair out of Mikey's face. "He's warm" Leo states as he places his hand on top of Mikey's forehead, frowning slightly.
"The sickness is probably getting to him. He was too stressed and had too little sleep, his body is at its end" Don informs, his smile off his face as he looks at his immediate younger brother.
Leo sighs, wiping away the sweat on Mikey's forehead with his sleeve. "He still has to know" Leo points out and I nod, I didn't like it, not one bit. But I knew we had to tell him soon. He had the right to know that police couldn't do their job for shit and let his captors loose. Possibly endangering Mikey's already fucked up life.
"Let's get you two to Dad's room, from the looks I think he'll be out for a while" Leo says and motions for me to stand up. I sigh, carefully taking my arm back and standing up but being careful to keep Mikey upright. I slid an arm under his knees and one under his back, easily hosting him up.
I stagger slightly, but not because he's heavy, it's the lightness that puts me off balance.
Don looks at me with a puzzled look but I just shake my head, walking over to dad's room. As always, his room is organised and clean so I had no problem walking over to the bed. I turn left, carefully placing Mikey onto the bed and I turn to Leo.
"I promised I'd stay.. for nightmares and stuff" I whisper and Leo nods in understanding.
"Figured as much" He assures and wishes me goodnight before leaving the room. I sigh, climbing on top of the bed and pulling the covers over the both of us. I lay awake for some time, watching as Mikey continuously, and slowly, shuffles closer to me in his sleep.
I sigh, wrapping my arm around the blonde and letting him use me as a human pillow. And it isn't long before I feel my eyelids drop as well.
TMNT
"No nightmares huh?" I ask, handing Mikey a cup of tea, who gratefully accepted the cup but his mouth stays sealed for a moment. The blond casts his eyes downwards at the question and I frown, waiting for him to say something.
"Nothing bad" He mutters and I can immediately feel my heart sink at the mention. They were still there, he still had them. But really, what was I expecting? Me sleeping next to him would cure him immediately? I scoff at myself, of course it wouldn't go like that.
"Drink up, I'll get you some medicine" I say instead and Mikey shudders in his blanket, cringing into himself. I sigh, walking over to the kitchen to grab some medicine. "Anything?" I ask as I saw Leo standing there, leaning against the counter with a cup of tea in his hands with a troubled look on his face.
He looks at me, a sad look appearing in his eyes. "They were spotted near the border to our state, but police lost them."
"How far?" I ask, reaching for the medicine kit in the meantime.
"225 kilometres from here, near Binghamton." (140 miles) Leo says, taking a sip from his drink.
"They better catch those bastards quick, I don't like lying to 'im" I growl, crossing my arms over each other and Leo nods with a sad expression on his face.
"How's he doing by the way?" Leo asks, changing the topic. I shift, closing the medicine kit.
"I'm not sure if he's even worse. He was stressin' too much these last few weeks, years maybe." I add and Leo nods with a knowing look. "At least now his body's gettin' some rest"
"You good looking after him alone? I promised Karai I'd help her study for the Math test tomorrow. But I can cancel if you need help" Leo suddenly asks and I roll my eyes.
"He's sick, not dyin', we'll be okay" I assure him and he gives me a grateful smile. "Have fun with yer girlfriend" I added with a smirk and Leo stuck out his tongue for good measure, knowing it wouldn't be wise to react verbally in the first place. Speaking from previous experiences.
I snicker, shaking my head as I walk back to the couch, medicine in my hand.
"Yer definitely gettin' worse" I mutter, giving him the medicine and walking to the front of the couch. I slowly reach for his face and he doesn't even react, watching me with tired eyes as I push his sweaty bangs from his face. "Definitely burning up" I mutter, handing him the glass of water that was behind me on the table while simultaneously taking his tea.
Mikey mutely took the glass and propped the pills in his mouth before he swallowed them with a gulp of water. Just as I took the glass from him he started coughing violently, doubling over and turning red as no air was getting into his lungs.
"Easy Mikey.. yer gonna be okay" I whisper with some worry in my voice, sitting down next to him and rubbing circles on his back. The coughing continued for a while but eventually he stopped, heaving and struggling to get enough oxygen in before he slumped against me, completely exhausted.
He sniffles slightly, trying to hide the pathetic sound but failing to do so. I decide not to comment on it.
"Mom always wrapped me in a warm blanket and pushed the couch in front of the fireplace when I got sick" Mikey mutters after a long silence, not moving from his spot, still comfortable leaning against my side. "She'd stay with me the whole day till I got better" I frown slightly in surprise, not sure how to respond.
"Well, we don't have a fireplace here" I eventually respond and Mikey snickers slightly next to me, and I beam at his laugh. Not the dry laugh or the sarcastic laugh he mostly had. Not to mention the fake smile he often put up. This laugh was genuine.
"The first time I got sick here I tried to hide it, that's what I always did" I start and I swallow thickly, why was this so hard? I told everyone already, everyone except Mikey. So why was it so hard? Mikey shifts slightly against my side but stays in his place for the most part. I wrap an arm around him and he sighs happily.
"They eventually found out when I puked during dinner… and when I had a panic attack right after"
"Why?" Mikey asks, innocent blue eyes looking up to me. I glance back at them, our eyes connecting for a few seconds, his blue eyes blazing with a clear message. 'I want to know but you don't have to tell me'. But I wanted to tell.
"I had only been with 'em for 4 months… at my previous home I'd get punished for doin' shit like this. Bein' sick meant I couldn't do their dirty work, and puking meant a smelly room, and more work for them, since I was too sick to do it myself" Not like they'd do it themselves, sick or not, it was my mess to clean.
"I'm sorry" Mikey murmurs, wincing at my statement.
"S'okay, here it wasn't like that. Dad took care of me while Don and Leo cleaned up the kitchen. The rest of the day I was overwhelmed by cuddles and hugs" I say, faking a grimace but Mikey smiled silently before he coughs slightly again.
"But you loved them" A sudden voice said out of the blue, the only warning I had before arms wrapped around me, I yelp, twisting before looking at the dark brown eyes of my little brother.
"Dork" I snort, pushing Donnie away with my free hand.
"You love me" Don snickers in Japanese and Mikey uncomfortably untangles himself from our hug, shuffling to the side of the couch slightly. Don seems to notice and looks at me for a moment, realisation and regret clearly in his eyes.
Slowly he reaches out for the boy, putting a hand on his shoulder, Mikey flinches harshly but doesn't pull away. Before Don could say something however, the doorbell rang. I frown, but secretly grateful for the interruption and I stand up. I give Don a small glance before I walk to the hall.
I shiver slightly at the change of atmosphere but I walk over to the door, unlocking it and opening it. I frown however when no one was to be seen.
"Hello?" I question hesitantly but the only answer was a package that was in front of the door. 'For Mikey' Was written on the little note. I frown, picking it up and closing the door again after inspecting the hall one last time.
"Mikey?" I call out hesitantly, putting the door on a lock again before walking into the living room again. Mikey was carefully standing up, swaying on his feet and face as pale as if he'd seen a ghost, sweat still on his forehead. He eyes at me warily, and then at the package I was holding.
"What's…." He starts but trails off. We meet up halfway in the living room, all three of us stopping.
"I don't know, someone left it" I frown, shaking my head and Don walks up to me, taking the package from me and shaking it gently.
"It's light" He states and carefully lowers it, reaching for the lid. Mikey shuffles a bit closer to me, staring at the box with the blanket still tightly wrapped around him. Then slowly Don opens the box…
.. and the next moment Mikey had turned around, doubling over as his stomach retracts and forces up all the bile that was present in his body. Vomit covered the ground and with trembling knees he falls to the ground, retching once more as he has fallen in his own bile. Neither of us were fast enough to stop him, prevent him from falling.
And we were still shocked, confused as to why he reacted this badly to the content of the box.
As I sat there on my knees, arms wrapped tightly around my baby brother while he cried hysterically with snot and bile covering him, I looked at my immediate younger brother who was still looking at the box in astonishment.
Hay on the bottom of the box and a blood-covered, dead mouse on top of it.
TMNT
Just to get things cleared up for myself I roughly designed the house they're living in. I uploaded it on my google drive account, the link is in my Bio. You can check it out or leave it up to your own imagination!