Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.
Comments, thoughts and concrit are always welcome.
AOtGO – Aftermath
Ch 7
Date: 21th Sept
"Ah, who am I kidding? I just want to go home but I'll probably never even see it again..." Mikey muttered miserably, shifting to bury his face in his knees. "They're not even looking for me..." he trailed off, unwilling to vocalise the full truth even to himself because that would then make it all too real.
He had no idea how long he sat in the dark for but eventually realising he'd have no chance of sleeping again if he didn't at least get something to drink, Mikey made himself push away the warm, patchy quilt cover before sliding off the bed and padding slowly to the door. As he approached, his heart began pounding wildly within his chest and a sudden trepidation took hold. He froze with his hand on the handle, unable to bring himself to turn it. Though in his head he knew he was safe now, his heart didn't truly believe it and kept trying to tell him anything could be on the other side; or worse, that he'd open the door to discover himself waking up, having merely dreamt of his long-awaited rescue.
His instincts screamed incessantly at him to scurry back to the warmth and safety of the bed and bury himself under the covers to hide from the world. Instead though, knowing he never used to be like this and hating the feeling now, he forced his other hand to the handle and made himself turn it. Moments later, he stood on the other side, leaning against the door and panting heavily.
When his breathing finally began to calm, Mikey found his hands snaking their way up to his face, rubbing wearily at his eyes in disbelief. "I'm so messed up," he muttered despondently. "I wasn't this bad in there, so how the shell did this happen?" he whimpered. In his heart though, he knew. It had been slowly building up ever since that first awful day he found himself in captivity, with every torment, torture and humiliating moment he'd experienced through those long months. While there, it had been easy enough to put on a brave face and deny them the opportunity to let them see just how badly they were getting to him, but after everything, after so damned long, the dam walls had begun cracking.
And then there was that last week or so that felt more like a lifetime...
Mikey knew he'd finally lost all control at pretence by then, but at that point, it was impossible for him to voice his terror, impossible to lash out, and they'd known. They'd known it and taken great delight in rubbing it in at every moment that he no longer had any sort of control, even going so far as to point out that it would be this way for the rest of his long life, forcibly using his own voice to do it, and the worst thing was that there'd been absolutely nothing he could do to stop them.
The cracks in his mental walls had not only widened during that week, but they had crumbled as over and over he'd mentally screamed for help from brothers and a father that weren't coming.
That were never coming.
And now that he no longer needed to slip on and hide behind an emotional mask to avoid giving his tormentors satisfaction, there was no containing the damage wrought.
Sure, things weren't so bad when there was someone else around, but when he was alone, like right now... everything began to pour out.
With a barely suppressed whimper, Mikey stared longingly towards the nearby bedrooms, wishing with everything he had that it was his brothers behind those alien doors. He needed Donnie so badly right then, but to his dismay, that wasn't his Donnie. His Donnie was always so gentle and understanding, so rarely raising his voice in anger that it always took his family and friends by surprise when he actually did. This Donnie, from what little he'd seen so far, while he still had the innate kindness his own Donnie had, was irritable and prone to sudden bursts of anger, but worst of all... he didn't have that comforting camaraderie Mikey's true brother exuded. This Donnie... this Donnie wasn't his best friend, the person he was closest to in all the multiverse; the one he could talk to about anything and would do anything for, even if he would normally give him an obligatory song and dance about being asked to do it.
Leo was usually his second go to. Leo who looked out for everyone, even when they didn't want it or realise they needed it. Leo, who chased away the bad dreams with an unrivalled, heroic determination. Leo, who made you believe in yourself, even when no one else would or could, even when that someone was yourself... This world's Leo though, to Mikey, he felt like a lost kid trying to find his way in a suddenly new and dark world. He understood that that probably had a lot to do with the fact that their own brother was missing, but still... he simply didn't seem to have that warm, confidence inspiring quality his own Leonardo had through and through.
Shell, right now, he would happily take Raph if he could. Raph was strong and reliable in a fight, always having the backs of his brothers and Mikey was always happy to be teamed with him, even if he always teased Raph mercilessly in the process. Raphael could be comforting in his own strange and rough, silent way, but he wasn't really someone Mikey liked to lean on emotionally. His hotheaded brother wasn't really great with words where feelings were concerned, though there were certainly times where that actually felt the most welcome, and in fact needed, option.
Mikey probably always enjoyed playing with Raph more than either of his other brothers, but not having deep, meaningful conversations with, or even simply hanging with. They had far too much of a teasing and taunting relationship between them for that. Raph always put up an impatient front, especially with him, yet Mikey knew it wasn't really like that between them, despite what anyone else observing them thought.
The Raphael that lived here though? Mikey sighed. Honestly, he wasn't really too sure what to make of him yet. This Raph was still definitely the type that liked to challenge, to buck the system and he didn't seem the sympathetic or approachable type, just like his own brother, but then again... even in the short time since Mikey met them, Raph had surprised him.
Mikey rubbed tiredly at his left eye. Despite the earlier offer from Splinter and then later Donnie reaching out to him in the lab, Mikey couldn't bring himself to go to either one. He shook his head in annoyance at his stupid neediness and pushed off the door, heading for the kitchen as he originally intended.
Walking through the dimly lit, creepily silent lair, Mikey felt his edginess rising and without realising, sidetracked to turn on the television as he passed, immediately feeling better with the muted sounds of people talking.
Mikey continued to the kitchen and searched the cupboards for a cup or glass, trying to take note of where everything was for next time. Finally, finding what he was looking for, he filled the cup with water from the tap, quickly draining it before refilling and drinking deeply again.
His thirst finally slaked, Mikey headed back to bed, only to stop at the edge of the pit on the way and stare down at the television as if mesmerised. For a moment, he tried to make himself return to bed but realistically, he knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep in that room anyway, so what was the point in returning?
Unconsciously stepping down into the pit, Mikey wandered closer to the TV as if in a dream. He missed television. He missed the sight and sound, the hours of entertainment, the window to the world above him. He missed how he could lose himself in whatever cartoon or movie he watched, or game he played. Right at that second, Mikey realised just how much he needed to immerse himself in something outside of himself and that television would be the perfect way to do that.
The program that was on didn't look very interesting, but... Mikey spotted some nearby stacked videotapes and crouched down to look at the labels. 'Super Robo Mecha Force Five' and...
Mikey smiled. That sounded exactly like his type of quality television. Deftly, he reached over and plucked a tape from the stack before injecting it into the VCR and hitting play.
Then he settled into the nearby beanbag, wriggling for maximum comfort, and eagerly began watching as the opening credits rolled.
-:-
With an ache in his heart, Leonardo stepped out of his room. He quietly closed the door behind him and stared forlornly at the door down the hall like he had every morning and night for just over a month now. There was another currently sleeping in his little brother's bed, Leo remembered, and though he didn't begrudge him for it, after all, he was only too glad to be able to help someone who so badly needed it, he bitterly wished it could have been his own little brother they brought home three nights ago.
After going about his early morning business, Leo headed for the kitchen for breakfast, but when he came to the end of the hallway, he stopped, hearing familiar music from the pit. Moving closer, Leo started when the tape suddenly stopped and automatically rewound. Silently, he stepped down into the pit, avoiding the sleeping turtle in the beanbag as he went to switch the television off. Stepping back from the telly, Leo turned around and jumped, seeing sky blue eyes staring intently at him from behind a frayed and dirty orange mask.
"Geez! I thought you were asleep, Mike!" Leo swore, trying to calm his pounding heart.
"I was, dude! At least until someone stomped down here like a herd of elephants," Mikey deadpanned with a drawn out yawn.
"I do not stomp like a herd of ele..." Leo retorted before trailing off as he noticed the corners of Mikey's mouth lift slightly in amusement.
"Sure, you don't, Leo," Mikey chuckled. "Seriously though, it was the tape stopping that woke me." He shrugged, giving Leo the impression that maybe he either hadn't actually slept at all or had only just finally fallen asleep.
"You must be a pretty light sleeper then," Leo said, giving their guest the benefit of the doubt. "Wish I could say the same about any of my brothers."
And there it was, that ever so slight wince as he inadvertently reminded Michelangelo he wasn't where he belonged.
Mikey shrugged again and struggled to get up from the beanbag. "Never used to be a light sleeper. With Raph's chainsaw snoring, I'd never get any sleep if I was. Heh! Actually, my Leo is forever lecturing all of us about our sleeping habits," he added with a chuckle of amusement that didn't quite reach his eyes. "So uh, how the shell do you get out of this thing anyway?"
Leo laughed and thrust out a hand, helping the other turtle from the beanbag. "I dunno, you just get used to it, I guess. Haven't you ever sat in a beanbag before?"
Shaking his head, Mikey grumbled. "Great... If it wasn't so comfy, I'd swear to never sit in the evil thing again!"
"Join me for breakfast?" Leo offered, still smiling. "We have training in a little over an hour."
For a second, the expression on Mikey's face seemed to close off, but when his stomach rumbled a moment later, he nodded reluctantly. "You're not cooking, are you?" he asked warily as if trying to cover whatever was bothering him.
Leonardo spluttered for a moment, then began walking to the kitchen as Mikey followed. "Contrary to what April and the others said last night, I can cook! As long as it's simple things like toast and ramen."
"Uh huh. My Leo has an unhealthy relationship with toasters. Like the kind that leads to screaming, violent divorces in the human world, or crimes of passion."
"One time!" Leonardo burst out indignantly, remembering the incident a few months prior. He felt his shame creeping up his face for all to see and forced himself to breathe. Then calm again, he offered, "There's still some pancake mix left from last night, or there's toast and cereal." He frowned slightly at the briefly disturbed look crossing Mikey's face at the mere mention of pancakes.
"Toast sounds good! Need me to make it?" Mikey teased, obviously pretending nothing was wrong. Leo frowned again, hoping this wasn't going to prove to be a habit of the other turtle's like it was with his own missing brother.
"I can handle making some toast! Really!" Leo insisted too quickly, trying to cover up his suspicions.
Mikey laughed as he sat down at the table, watching Leo pull a loaf of bread from the freezer.
The blue banded turtle tossed two slices into the old toaster, turning up the knob to full since the bread was frozen, before going to the fridge for butter and jams. "So, I saw you were watching 'Space Heroes'. Are you a Spacenik too?"
"What's a spacenik?" Mikey asked, staring at him with curious, wide eyes.
"That's what they call fans of 'Space Heroes'," Leo replied, realising that answered his question.
"Oh! So, like a Trekkie, then?" Mikey realised with a jolt. He shook his head. "Nuh. I've never seen or heard of it before last night. I just watched it 'cause it was there. It looks like a really bad 'Star Trek' knock off to me." Mikey grinned happily, remembering vividly the shoddy animation, plot lines and over the top characters with terrible morals.
Leo shot Mikey a hurt look. "What do you mean, 'really bad'? 'Space Heroes' is a classic!" he insisted loudly. "How do you not like it?"
"Heh! I never said I didn't like it, dude. It's like classic B-grade sci-fi, and I love that stuff. They're hilarious!" Mikey explained, his bright grin growing wider. "They totally need to MST3K that show. It'd be a hoot!"
"It is not B-grade sci-fi!" Leo protested indignantly.
"You're so right, Leo. It's closer to Z-grade," Raph immediately mocked as he entered the kitchen. Then he sniffed suspiciously. "Uh... what's burning? Leo, are you trying to cook again?"
Leo's eyes went wide. "The toast!" He whirled about, flipping the switch on the toaster and ejecting the blackened slices of bread from the appliance. Catching them before they hit the floor, Leo stared down at them in dismay before reluctantly walking to the bin and dropping them in.
Mikey stared wide-eyed, feeling his stomach churn in horror. He hadn't even smelt it! "What are you doing, dude?" he cried, trying to cover up his fear. "You can't just waste food like that!"
"It was burnt, Mike," Leo replied flatly. "I'll just toast more."
"You coulda just scraped off the burnt bits!" Mikey protested faintly, a lifetime of struggling for food and supplies screaming at him just how wrong simply tossing it was. He couldn't believe these guys didn't remember how hard things could be prior to befriending humans.
Raph pulled a disgusted face. "It's fine. We'll just give Murakami-san money to get us more on grocery day," he shrugged. Then he turned to Leo, smirking. "And now we're all reminded of just one reason Leo's not supposed to cook!"
"Funny, Raph," Leo scowled in displeasure. "You aren't much better yourself."
"None of us are," Donnie spoke up tiredly as he walked into the room yawning. He glanced over to Mikey in concern. "How did you sleep last night?"
"Fine," Mikey muttered, avoiding Donnie's eyes as he stood and headed for the fridge.
"He didn't," Leo immediately corrected. "He sat in front of the TV all night instead."
"Hey, you got enough eggs in here," Mikey interrupted as if Leo never ratted him out. "How about I make scrambled eggs for you guys?" he offered, pawing through the rest of the fridge and pulling out a few ingredients.
Leo quickly exchanged worried looks with his brothers. They'd had fried eggs plenty of times before, but never scrambled. "Uh, if you're sure you're up to it, Mike."
Mikey smiled broadly. "I love cooking almost as much as I love eating!" he exclaimed. "Shell yeah I'm up to it!"
-:-
Soon Mikey had made enough scrambled eggs with cheese, mushrooms and olives folded in to feed the entire household, and he watched pleased as everyone, including Splinter, ate with gusto, obviously pleasantly surprised by the dish he'd made. It had been so long since he'd felt useful, needed even, and the moment wasn't lost on Mikey as he watched while picking at his own food.
"You are not eating," Splinter observed after a while, concern filling his furry features. "Are you not hungry, Michelangelo?"
"Huh? Oh... not as much as I thought I was," Mikey reluctantly admitted with a smile. "But it's so much fun watching you guys."
"We are amusing you somehow?"
Mikey shook his head wildly. "Nope! I just like watching others eat my cooking. I missed this."
"I see," Splinter said, flicking his ears lightly. He noticed his sons exchanging wary glances. "If you enjoy cooking so much, you are more than welcome to continue to do so; please," he emphasised, earning a faint laugh.
"However, you should eat before your own breakfast becomes cold."
Mikey nodded and tried to dig in, but he just couldn't find the enthusiasm. From their expressions, everyone else was obviously enjoying their food, but he... Just like with the pancakes last night, it simply didn't taste right. After finishing a little less than half his plate, Mikey couldn't face eating any more and pushed it away.
"Michelangelo?"
"It's been a while since I ate so much in one sitting," Mikey quickly offered by way of explanation, unable to bring himself to admit the truth. They all had problems of their own and the last thing he wanted was to add to them. "Do you have any cling wrap?" he asked, planning to put the remains in the fridge for later.
"We do. In the bottom drawer on the left," Splinter replied, motioning towards it.
"Or, unless you want it later," Raph began, almost shyly, "I'll finish it."
Mikey glanced at Raph in surprise. Normally it should have been himself devouring everything in sight and he wasn't used to a Raph that did. Shell, the last time his own Raph had tried, it was in competition with Mikey just to spite him, and he'd had made himself sick after. Mikey nodded and slid the plate across the table to the green-eyed version of his hotheaded brother and rubbed lightly at his eye. "Sure, knock yourself out, bro."
Once Raph finished eating, he suddenly spoke up, "Hey, we gotta keep him," he exclaimed, motioning towards a shocked Mikey thoughtlessly. "His cooking's freaking awesome!"
Leo and Donnie looked aghast.
"What... what about our Mikey?" Donnie spluttered, his sudden anger making him almost incoherent.
"We're still going to find him! We can live with two of them!" Raph retorted hotly, then froze, horror taking over his features as he realised what he'd just said. "Wait! What am I saying? I sound insane!"
"Completely certifiable."
-:-
Soon after breakfast ended and was cleaned up, the family of mutants and Mikey headed for the dojo. Everyone but Mikey automatically fell into familiar positions while he himself stood awkwardly nearby, looking lost as he wondered what was expected of him. He knew every teacher expected different things, and then there was the fact that he didn't really have a place in this class yet.
Splinter canted his head slightly at Michelangelo, taking in his uncertain appearance. Finally, he gave a nod and turned to his oldest. "Leonardo, please help Michelangelo out with some spare pads and wrappings."
Mikey glanced down at himself in something akin to embarrassment. All he had left was his mask and belt, and even those were in terrible shape, roughly knotted together in places they had previously torn to hold them together.
Leonardo stood and bowed quickly, before going to Mikey and taking him by the right arm. "Come on, Mike, you can use some of my spare gear," he murmured kindly.
Swallowing, Mikey nodded wordlessly and allowed Leo to lead him to his room. He waited, fidgeting in the doorway as Leo dug about for spare knee and elbow pads, and clean wrappings.
"Master Splinter has some spare cloth to make new masks from and we can make you a new belt later. I don't think ours would fit you." Leo looked critically at the barely held together remnants of Mikey's shredded belt. "How can you stand having the belt tails hang like that, anyway? Isn't it dangerous?"
"I don't need a new belt or mask," he protested faintly, knowing full well he did. "Mine are still fine!"
"One good tug in a fight or a sparring match and those will come apart faster than you can blink," Leo pointed out bluntly.
Mikey really didn't want to admit it, but he knew Leo was speaking the truth, especially about his belt. He blinked back the tears that threatened, telling himself off silently for being so pathetic about his stupid belt. However, for so long, that stupid belt, along with his mask and the remains of his 'chucks, were all he had left tying him to home.
"If you're so dead set on keeping on your mask," Leo continued, suppressing a sigh at the look on Mikey's face, "then Master Splinter or Donnie can probably sew it back together properly, but a good strong belt is far too important to take a risk on," he offered as he handed over the wrappings and went to help him with them.
"I can sew it myself!" Mikey replied, shorter than he liked. "I'm not an invalid!" As he spoke, he pulled away from Leo to wrap the bandages around his own feet and ankles without help, only feeling slightly bad as he saw the faintly hurt look cross Leo's young looking face.
Leo nodded contritely. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to suggest you were. It's just that Master Splinter and Donnie are the only ones who're actually good at sewing, so I thought maybe, it would be the same in your world. Heck, while Raph does a pretty secure job since he always needs to repair the punching bags after half destroying them, it's always really rough looking."
Mikey shook his head. He knew that Leo hadn't meant it that way and wasn't sure exactly why he'd snapped. All he knew was that he hated feeling so needy and defensive over a couple of stupid scraps of cloth. He reached out, taking the pads Leo offered. "Do you..." he swallowed, feeling ungrateful, "have any pads smaller than these? They're way too huge, dude. They'll get in the way."
Leo gazed at him uncertainly before answering. "No. This style is all we've ever had."
Mikey nodded and put them on; he'd suspected as much. He'd just make his own when the opportunity arose. In the meantime, he'd just have to get used to these.
"Aren't you going to wrap your knees and elbows first?"
Mikey shot Leo a puzzled look, noticing for the first time how the other turtle had extra wrappings underneath his pads, and in other places, like his wrists and fingers. It looked way too restrictive, the way a sprained ankle or wrist did. "Nuh, pass."
"The extra support comes in handy," Leo began and it was all Mikey could do not to snap again. He really didn't need to be lectured right now.
"Leo," he began gently, interrupting the younger turtle, "I'm fine, promise. Let's go." He turned sharply on his heels and headed back for the dojo where the other three waited patiently for them.
'Yep, definitely gotta make my own pads,' Mikey thought as he bowed in at the edge of the mats. He felt uncomfortably aware of the extreme bulkiness of his borrowed gear, especially after so long without wearing anything.
Splinter nodded, acknowledging their presence as his gaze roved over Mikey with what Mikey thought to be faint disapproval.
"Please join us. Take a place beside Donatello," Splinter spoke as Leonardo automatically went and knelt beside Raphael at the start of the line.
Mikey nodded and quickly rushed over, "Yes, Sensei!"
The lesson started with everyone bowing in, followed by a few minutes of breathing exercises. Mikey blinked, surprised to find that it wasn't full on meditation like it would have been back home, however, he didn't complain. Despite how much meditation had helped him to cope not so long ago, he'd always disliked it, finding it far too boring and hard to focus on.
Soon after, they moved on to stretching and warming up with light kata. The first eleven patterns Mikey knew, and though he was out of practice at performing them properly, due to a lack of space in which to move around in during his captivity, he quickly regained his confidence with the familiar moves. However, soon after, the family began practising kata that Mikey was either unfamiliar with, or, in some cases, mostly knew but deviated from what he expected in small ways. This eventually prompted Splinter to ask Leonardo to step off to the side with him, while Splinter continued to put the other two through their paces while watching him from the corner of his eye.
Through all this, intense frustration seethed within Mikey. This stuff was child's play, should have been child's play! However, he didn't know these patterns while everyone else did and it rankled him, making him feel completely inadequate.
"It's okay, Mike," Leo spoke softly, noticing Mikey's anxiety. "We're from different realities, so there's bound to be differences in our styles. Especially since we have different teachers."
Mikey nodded curtly; he knew that. That didn't however, change how he felt though, especially given that after only an hour of training he was beginning to tire.
Leo paused thoughtfully. "Why don't we take a small break from this one and you can show me one of your kata instead?" he suggested after a moment.
Mikey shot Leo a grateful look. "Will Master Splinter be okay with that though?" he asked doubtfully.
"Probably not if we linger too long, but I'm sure he'll be fine with it for a short while," Leo chuckled. "Besides, I know he's just as curious about what you know as I am."
Mikey smiled and launched off into one of his favourite kata, taking it slower than normal due to being so out of practice. Within moments, he was lost in the flow and grace of the movements.
Leo's eyes widened and he broke into a genuine smile. "That's beautiful," he breathed. "Will you teach that to me later?"
Grinning and feeling a lot better about himself, Mikey started over. "Sure, bro. Just say when."
-:-
A short time later, Splinter called for a five-minute water break, then sent a clearly exhausted Mikey to sit on the sidelines, watching while his sons sparred for the next hour.
Grateful for the chance to rest, Mikey curiously watched the other three take turns sparring, first one on one and then two on one, taking in exactly what each was capable of.
All were extremely skilled, he noticed, but the balance between the brothers seemed uneven. Raph acted way cockier than he should, almost as if used to always winning, and Leo, while more highly skilled than his cocky brother, seemed unable to counter Raph's sheer physical strength; usually, at least. Mikey's smile broadened as he finally watched Leo thoroughly trounce Raph during their last match-up. Donnie though... Mikey winced sympathetically. While he too was obviously skilled, he appeared to have little to no confidence when going up against either brother.
Mikey knew that Donnie's mind was his true strength, just as it was back home, but that didn't mean he shouldn't be a skilled ninja. Far from it, in fact. His mind should have only enhanced his physical prowess, giving him ways to stand against his stronger and more skilled brothers, putting them on fairly even footing, especially given the length advantage of his weapon and the speed with which he wielded it.
The problem was, as far as Mikey could tell, that it seemed as though he'd actually given up before he'd even started.
Mikey's mouth curved down sadly. That probably explained a lot of the irritable nature of this Donnie. That, or vice versa. Mikey shook his head, suddenly aching to join in for a round, yet knowing he wasn't ready yet.
"Yame!" Splinter finally commanded, bringing the sparring session to a halt. Mikey watched as the other three turtles bowed respectfully to one another and then Splinter, before taking off for another much-needed water break. Splinter turned to face him.
"Are you feeling up to joining in again?" Splinter asked in concern as he stopped in front of him.
Mikey nodded eagerly, jumping to his feet. "Yeah, Grandpa Sensei! I'm getting really bored just sitting here watching," he admitted with a chuckle. "Who do I get to fight with first?"
Splinter gave him an exasperated, yet knowing look. "You will not be sparring, not for a number of days, probably a week or two at least, Michelangelo."
Mikey was unable to hide his hurt expression. Sure, he knew better than anyone he wasn't ready, but still, he was itching to try, at least for one round.
"We will finish off with weapons practice," Splinter said with a nod, just as the other three returned to the dojo.
Splinter turned away and headed to his customary position at the front of the class as Mikey reluctantly walked after him, joining his other-dimensional brothers. The words, 'weapons practice' echoed ominously through his mind.
His weapons were broken. They had been since the day he found himself in that awful place, but that hadn't stopped him from using them the other night, or months ago before he'd been recaptured for that matter. Still, an overwhelming feeling of sadness and helplessness at the state of his babies tore through his heart and soul and he swallowed. Audibly.
Beside him, Donatello heard and turned his head to Mikey in concern. Suddenly realising, he looked up at Splinter. "Shitsureishimasu, Master Splinter," he bowed. Then turning back to Mikey, he gently asked, "May I see your weapons for a moment, Mike?"
Mikey blinked as the words seeped in, not understanding the question at first. Then he nodded numbly, slowly handing over one-half of a broken and cracked nunchaku to the other turtle.
Donnie took it carefully, noting how reluctant Mikey was in letting go. "How did your nunchaku get in such a bad state?" he asked quietly.
Mikey shrugged helplessly. "Dunno. When I found myself in that... that place... they were just like that. Actually, they've gotten worse since but... the chains were missing and the places where they'd been repaired before... weren't anymore." He was hyper aware of four sets of eyes fixed on him, and he squirmed over the unwanted scrutiny.
"That's when I also found the rest of my gear was also broken or just... gone..."
"Including your belt and mask?" Leo asked softly.
Mikey nodded. Certain they were judging him for not looking after his only things better, he refused to meet anyone's eyes. "Anything metal or plastic was gone. My picks, shuko spikes, smoke pellets, my Shell-Cell... even my pads... The elastic was just... gone... like it disintegrated or something."
"But you still had the pads themselves?" Donnie asked. When Mikey nodded numbly again, Donnie continued. "What are your pads made of and where are they now?"
"Leather..." Mikey muttered. "Dunno. Anything that wasn't tied to me just... whenever they took me out for... whenever they took me out, anything left behind was gone when I.. when they put me back."
"Hmm..." Donnie mused thoughtfully. "So basically anything inorganic was removed from your person when they captured you?"
Mikey stared blankly at Donnie but eventually nodded. "Yeah, I guess."
"Intriguing. Well, I really want to talk about this more at a better time," Donnie said, aware of Splinter's sharp gaze, "but either way, you can't continue using these, Mike."
It was as though Donatello's declaration slammed into him and Mikey's head shot up in panic. "What are you saying, Don?"
"I'm saying your nunchaku are irreparable and too dangerous to keep using. They are only good for the bin now," Donnie explained bluntly, not seeming to notice or care how insensitive he sounded.
"No! No way!" Mikey blurted loudly, the words escaping him as he snatched the piece of his nunchaku back from Donnie's hand. "I know better than anyone the condition they're in but I can still use them and I have been! All this time!" he spat hotly.
"Mikey..."
Mikey shook his head violently, taking a step back and clutching protectively at the ruined wood. "You saw me use them the other night when we were waiting for Leo and Raph to come back," he pleaded to Donnie. "And I sure as shell got a few good hits on them before following you guys through the portal!
"You can't take what's left of my 'chucks away from me," Mikey continued, his voice frantically rising with every word. "You can't make me and I won't let you!"
-:-
*Shitsureishimasu – Please excuse me.
* If you ever see my stories posted anywhere other than under the name Zelgadis55 at Deviant Art, FFNet, AO3 or Live Journal, then they have been stolen. Please report them.