They came at him, all at once. His body had been broken long ago. Even if it if had been just three days. He just wanted to go home, he didn't understand why his brothers weren't here yet. He wanted to be safe again, he wanted Donnie to treat his injuries and curl up in his bed. He wanted his brothers around him, he needed them around, but they weren't there.
The floor was cold, damp and he was shivering uncontrollably. His body was filled with bruises and at some places blood was still sticking to his green skin, his blood. His wrists were cuffed above his head and he was struggling with every breath. His wrist had been snapped the first night already and pain kept radiating from the broken bone while it hang in the air.
His lips were cracked and his throat was dry. He had been screaming too much over the last days and his voice was hoarse and raw, both from dehydration and from the screams. But nothing could prepare him from this. He had been alone for a few hours only, they weren't supposed to come yet, but they did. The door got thrown open and Shredder's henchman stormed in.
Dogpound snapped the chains holding his arms painfully above his head, and despite the utter fear that was now radiating through his body, he couldn't help but to feel an ounce of relieve. Numbness shot through his broken wrist, easing the pain slightly. He was forced onto his shell and his hands were pinned above his head, his legs received the same treatment, pinning them painfully against the cold floor.
The first hit landed on his plastron, immediately cracking a few ribs in the process. Mikey groaned and tried to wiggle free but more foot soldiers came in immediately afterwards and held him down. He could only scream while they continued to beat him. Breaking his jaw, dislocating his shoulders, cracking his ribs and snapping bones in half.
They did it for minutes but it felt like hours and the whole time a random soldier was recording everything what happened to him. He tried to shut his mouth, keep his raw scream to himself but every time another rib cracked, and more cuts marked his body he opened his mouth once again, another raw and painful scream escaping his mouth.
Tears were brimming in his eyes and a small puddle of blood was beneath him. It was warm, sticky and he shivered heavily. A snicker left Dogpound's beak and he sat down on top of Mikey's plastron. The small turtle groaned slightly and spit out a mouthful of blood that had formed in his mouth. His baby blue eyes darkened slightly and he narrowed his eyes, despite the pain he wouldn't give in so easily.
"Give me a break kid" Dogpound snickered as he saw the supposed glare of the beaten turtle beneath him. Mikey tried to remain strong, not wanting to satisfy them with his defeat, but he failed miserably as Dog pound pressed down harder on his broken ribs. The large paw of Dogpound grabbed Mikey's head, squeezing his cheeks so his mouth opened.
Mikey whimpered slightly and started to struggle again, wincing as his body protested heavily in pain. Neither of the men surrounding him paid attentions to the struggling and helpless teen beneath the giant mutant dog and just silently watched as Shredder walked over to the freckled turtle, Karai walking next to him and carrying a large bucket of blood, Michelangelo's blood.
"You're pathetic Michelangelo, and either way your father will perish. You are going to die tonight, and your pathetic excuse for a family will hear everything." Shredder threatened and grabbed the bucket from Karai's grasp. For a second Mikey's eyes met Karai's eyes, his eyes were pleading but the girl merely looked away, closing her eyes slightly.
A last whimper came from the freckled turtle before the bucket was slowly emptied inside of his mouth. The whimper quickly turned into choking sounds and the snickering of the henchman echoed through the cell. The turtle struggled and tried to spit the blood out but every time he succeeded in spitting out the blood more entered his mouth.
The thick blood pressed against the back of his throat, making it impossible for him to breath. He struggled, choked and his lungs burned for precious oxygen. He could feel the blood flowing into his lungs, filling his eyes and streaming down the side of his head, forming a large puddle. Karai refused to watch as her 'father' emptied the bucket of Mikey's own blood in his mouth. And then, after a few agonizing minutes it was over and Shredder snorted.
"Stockman, alter the tape so it looks like he drowned and send it to Hamato Yoshi" Shredder said calmly like nothing had happened and stood up, turning to a few foot soldiers. "Take his gear and sent it along the tape make sure you make it bloody. And you Michelangelo… I'll deal with you tonight" Shredder snorted, looking to the bloody turtle, and left the cell afterwards, not even wincing at the mess he had created.
Mikey whimpered and wanted nothing more than to curl up when Dogpound got off of his plastron but he was immediately attacked by the foot soldiers. Ripping off his mask, taking off his knee and elbow pads. The bandages around his fingers were taken off until he was completely naked apart from the blood splattered on his body and the tears streaming down his face.
The small turtle scrambled backwards and curled into a ball, wheezing with every breath and crying his heart out. Blood was covering his whole upper body and you could barely see any of his usual green skin. He hadn't cried yet, he refused to give them that but now he couldn't contain himself. Karai watched him cry for a few seconds outside the locked cell before turning around and leaving the dungeons.
TMNT
Tears were pouring down his face, staining his brother's plastron. Wind was raging around him as they ran at top speed. Mikey was too afraid to look up, too afraid to make a sound. He could only hide his face in his brother's hold and cry, pray for it to be over soon. He wanted to go home, he wanted to be home right now. He needed his father, he needed his brothers, at home.
Raph's arms were tightly wrapped around his shivering and shuddering body and Mikey whimpered slightly. No matter how hard he tried it kept coming back. The way every punch hit his body, the searing pain of his broken bones, the blood that had choked him that night. Even if he didn't really died, he couldn't breathe at all, even swallowing some of his own blood in the process.
"Hold on little bro, we're almost there" Raph whispered softly in Mikey's ear as he stopped running. Vaguely Mikey could hear the manhole cover opening and he cried out softly as Raph shifted him a little bit. Raph shushed him slightly, trying to comfort him as he carefully placed Mikey on his feet. The freckled turtle whimpered and kept his face buried in Raph's hold.
"Hey now, yer safe but I can't carry you down. We won't fit through the hole" Raph said, trying to joke slightly but frowned when he noticed Mikey wasn't reacting at all. "C'mon Mikey, I know yer afraid, but we're almost home. Don't you wanna see dad?" Raph softly said as he pried Mikey from his hold carefully, looking into Mikey's eyes with curiosity and yet concern.
Tears were brimming in Mikey's baby blue eyes and he nervously looked around. April and Casey were watching the two brothers closely while Donnie was already down in the sewers but looking upwards with concern in his eyes, waiting for Mikey to come down as well. Leo jumping down seconds after Raph spoke to Mikey, finally having caught up to his brothers and friends.
Slowly Mikey nodded and clumsily untangled himself from Raph's hold. His legs felt weak. He wasn't tired and he wasn't in any serious pain but his legs were ready to give out any second now. He had barely walked in the last year, always carried or brought somewhere on the same operation table. A shudder went through Mikey's body but he pushed past the feeling. Taking a deep breath he slowly started to climb down.
It wasn't far down and he honestly couldn't remember how often he had gone down this hole but right now it felt so long. His arms were shaking and his legs were trembling from the strain. Suddenly another quiet cry escaped his throat as one of his hands slipped from the ladder, unable to hold his minimum amount of weight with a single hand he let go, falling down. But not even a second later he could feel two arms wrapping around him.
"Easy little brother" Donnie whispered in his ear as he carefully steadied his little brother. The fall hadn't been long. Barely two or three bars but Mikey was shaking in his hold, clinging to Donnie like his life depended on it. He squeezed his eyes shut, completely ignoring the splashing sound of his brothers and his human friends jumping down.
"Just a few more minutes, we're almost there" Donnie encouraged his only little brother and helped him on Raph's shell once again, it still being the best and fastest way to carry someone. "I'll run ahead and inform sensei" Donnie announced before running off towards the lair. They were in the sewers which meant they were finally safe. And Donnie being the fastest, apart from Mikey, took the opportunity to run home.
TMNT
"Master Splinter? Master Splinter?" The small concentration he still had was immediately snapped when the voice of his second youngest son rang through the lair. Yoshi snapped his eyes open and immediately hurried himself to his feet, running out of the dojo. His eyes scanned the lair and they widened slightly as he only saw his second youngest son standing in the middle of the lair.
"Donatello, what happened. Where are your brothers?" Splinter questioned, trying to keep his voice at a normal level. "Were you harmed on your way home?" Despite everything he had taught himself, and his sons, he couldn't remain calm. His sons were supposed to bring home his long lost son, the one he believed had perished. And now he could only see his second oldest son, no sign of his other sons, or even the humans that were supposed to come with them.
He had seen Michelangelo's condition. The once joyful son that was filled with life and energy was completely broken down. And much to his shame he detected huge scars on his son's body. The thing he had always feared, the thing he had wanted to protect his sons from had finally happened, he had been experimented on because of their different appearance.
"We are safe, I'll tell you what happened tomorrow but Mikey will be here any second now. I ran ahead" Donnie swiftly explained, easing his father slightly. Splinter closed his eyes for a second, trying to calm himself down. He trusted his son, they were safe. Nobody had harmed his sons while they journeyed to their lair and yet he sensed that something had happened. Slowly Splinter opened his eyes again, ready to praise his son when his eyes landed on the figure slowly walking into the lair.
His breath hitched in his chest as his second oldest son Raphael walked into the lair, a pale and small figure on his shell. Michelangelo's face was buried into the crook of Raph's neck and even from this distance Splinter could see the tremor in his youngest son's body. Raph's gaze softened slightly as he saw his father standing next to his immediate younger brother and walked over to them.
"My son" Splinter breathed out, unable to say anything else as he stared at his youngest son. Mikey slowly lifted his face from Raph's neck and caught his father's eyes. Tears appeared in Mikey's immediately afterwards and Raph carefully helped Mikey to his feet again. The freckled turtle stumbled slightly but took a few shaky steps before falling into his father's arms, burying his face into his kimoto.
Splinter softly crouched down and wrapped his arms around his son's shell, bringing him as close as possible. Mikey merely whimpered at the motion but kept his face buried in the soft and warm clothes of his father, staining it with his tears. His hands were reaching for his father's kimoto, his knuckles turning white from the strain while his brothers, April and Casey were watching from a distance as father reunited with son once again.
"It is already Michelangelo, I'm here my son. Hush" Yoshi shushed his youngest son, trying to calm him down and stroking the back of his head to assure him. Slowly tears started to appear in his eyes and even he was unable to hold them, eventually letting them fall freely. He couldn't believe it, after a whole year of missing his youngest son he was finally back in his arms again. Yoshi bowed his head and tightened his grip on his youngest son, continuing to cry.
TMNT
Eventually they had both stopped crying but neither was ready to part. Mikey was leaning his forehead against his father's chest with his eyes open but he wasn't looking at all. His eyelids were slowly dropping from time to time and it was obvious he was starting to get really tired, it was after midnight after all, they were supposed to be sleeping already.
"Master Splinter?" Leo softly called out and placed a soft hand on his father's shoulder. "I think we should all head to bed, Mikey seems pretty tired" He added in a low voice. Yoshi softly uncurled himself from his hold and looked down at his youngest son, who was indeed close to falling asleep. With the back of his hand he quickly wiped away the remaining tears and used his thumbs to do the same by Michelangelo.
"I am sorry my sons, we should indeed head to bed. April and Casey, you are welcome to stay as long as you want, that is the least we can do for brining Michelangelo back" He said, still a bit dazed from his outburst. "Michelangelo, do you want any of your brothers to stay with you for tonight?" He asked, looking over to his youngest son and squeezing his shoulders slightly.
Mikey didn't looked up however and just nodded tiredly. He didn't have any energy anymore. He just wanted to go to sleep right now and forget about everything happening around him, but he too knew he would never forget what had happened the last year, and neither would his brothers or family. Neither of them would forget the sadness they had felt when their youngest brother and son 'died'.
"Ya can sleep in my bed, like we did when we we're younger, ya remember that right?" Raph said as he offered Mikey a hand. The freckled turtle softly extended his hand and with the help of his older brother he was hauled to his feet, still lightly unsteady on his feet and Raph was forced to support him so he wouldn't fall down again.
"If you're thinking we're leaving you two alone you are definitely wrong" Donnie snorted but he was clearly joking and eventually a small smile made its way over his face. For a whole year they couldn't see their youngest brother, for a full year they had missed him at nights, or when they did something together, as brothers. And right now none of them were willing to leave Mikey alone. Leo nodded and walked over to the rest of his brothers.
"Donnie's right, we're not leaving you any time soon baby bro" Leo smiled and placed a comforting hand on Mikey's shoulder. "I'll get any extra mattress to sleep on, doubt we'll still fit in one bed" Leo announced and walked off towards his own room to get the mattress from his bed. Donnie rolled his eyes slightly before walking towards Raph's room. Raph and Mikey just behind him.
Casey and April were already gone, both really tired from tonight and Master Splinter had already disappeared into the dojo. His room being located just behind the dojo where they always trained. Both Donnie and Raph could feel how nervous Mikey was by walking through lair. He hasn't been home for a full year. His room was neatly ordered and boxes full of his stuff were stacked, his bed still unmade so he was unable to sleep in that room, not like they were going to leave Mikey alone right now.
Raph led Mikey into his room and the freckled turtle cautiously looked around. It was roughly the same as he remembered. His older brother still had the drum set in his room, but it had been pushed back a bit, making more room for other things, or in Raph's case, for nothing. Mikey slowly looked to the right and saw that one of the two lockers he always used for storing weapons had been removed. And the photo that Raph always had on the locker, the one with his brothers on it, was now gone.
Slowly Mikey trailed towards the rest of the room. The dark posters Raph always had on his wall were still there but a few were taken away. His bed was still the same, he had the same covers and the same bed they would often sleep in when one would get scared. The only noticeable difference was what was on top of the bed. Mikey had expected Spike to be there, like he always was but instead he was greeted with emptiness.
"Come on bro, let's get ya to bed" Raph called out as he noticed Mikey was examining his room with confusion and yet curiosity. He knew his room got a few both minor and major changes but Mikey needed his sleep right now, and it would be much to tell right now. And he didn't want to bother little brother with the loss of his pet turtle Spike, or their decision to remove any photos of him, healing Mikey was their top priority right now.
Mikey nodded slightly and allowed his older brother to guide him to Raph's bed. The red banded turtle swiftly removed his knee and elbow pads along with his mask, placing them aside. Raph climbed into the bed first, moving until he hit the wall next to him and held up the blanket so Mikey could get under it. Mikey climbed under the covers as well and snuggled close to his older brother.
The purple banded turtle was closely watching his two brother, waiting for Leo to get back with an extra mattress because there was no one to fit 4 turtles on Raph's bed, not anymore at least when he suddenly smirked slightly and laid down on Raph's bed, next to Mikey and Raph. It was a little bit crowded, but they managed, and Donnie grinned at his oldest brother when he finally came into the room.
"Oh I see, you're going to let me sleep alone on the ground?" Leo called out as he walked in with a spare mattress but there was a joking undertone in his voice. He quickly threw down the mattress on the ground, right next to Raph's bed, along with his blanket and pillow. The same smirk as Donnie wore made its way onto Leo's face as he pushed Donnie closer to Mikey and lay down next to his second youngest brother, his plastron into Donnie's shell and holding onto his younger brother.
"Aw Leo, your shell's too fat!" Donnie whined and turned around clumsily. Raph had his arms around Mikey and the freckled turtle was watching the two brothers struggle with sheer curiosity. And at the same time his eyes held some of the joy that had been gone for months. Donnie and Leo wrestled for a few seconds before Donnie gave Leo a hard push, sending him over the edge of the bed.
"Ah!" Leo cried and wrapped his arms around Donnie, pulling him alone and they both went down on the spare mattress Leo had just brought in. "If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me Don" Leo said before they both started to laugh. While Raph's been had been the perfect size for them to sleep on while they were toddlers, right now it was way too small to share it with four large turtle teenagers.
Donnie laughed along with Leo as he tried several times to get back onto Raph's bed but every time he tried he was pulled back by Leo. Raph snickered at the display, every time Donnie tried to crawl onto the bed again, and his face was briefly shown he was pulled down again. And the three brothers were laughing so hard they were unable to say anything about the soft giggles that were now coming from their baby brother but none was about to complain.
Leo and Donnie continued to struggle for a few more seconds and they eventually both gave up. Still laughing slightly but both lying still on the mattress on the ground and none planning on moving any time soon. Leo swiftly pulled the blanket over both of them and allowed Donnie to snuggle close to him while both laughing a bit. Mikey curled into Raph's hold with a small smile on his face.
"It's good to hear ya laughin' again baby bro" Raph whispered and pressed a small kiss to Mikey's forehead and wished his brothers goodnight. Soon he could hear the soft snores coming from both Leo and Donnie, having fallen asleep really quickly but Raph stayed awake for a little more, waiting until Mikey fell asleep as well. The turtle in his hold had his eyes closed and slowly his breathing labored, and only when Raph was sure all three of his brothers were asleep he allowed himself to fall asleep too.