Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mikey awoke blearily to the sound of music blaring from his T-phone, his eyelids feeling as if they were weighed down by a bunch of rocks. He groaned, stretching out his body as consciousness slowly worked its way into his brain.

Gods, he was sore.

Mikey was used to waking up with a tight neck here, or a tweaked shoulder there. It sort of came in the job description of being a mutant turtle ninja teenager who was training non stop, addicted to skateboarding and other extreme sports, and also found himself constantly saving the world; on the DL of course. But this was different. He really shouldn’t be feeling this sore.

After what happened with the Kraang, the turtles had been taking it easy. None of them came out of the battle unscathed. Heck, even after six months of recovery, neither Mikey nor his brothers were back to full strength.

Leo had been the worst, his injuries keeping him locked in the med bay for a good while. Raph and Donnie seemed to recover quicker than the other two, but between Raph losing vision in his right eye and Donnie’s damage to his soft shell, both of them still needed time to adjust. And Mikey?

Mikey gazed down at his trembling hands. They weren’t nearly as bad as they used to be. Initially, he could barely move his arms at all. The mystic energy he’d used to save Leo left his arms burned. Badly. But as the burns became scars, the tremors started. He just couldn’t hold them still. Mikey could still remember the sadness and frustration he felt as he tried to draw for the first time after the Kraang; unable to even hold a pencil.

He shook his head to clear some of the tired fogginess away, then slapped his cheeks a few times for good measure. With a big yawn, he grabbed his mask from the floor, giving it a few good shakes before tying it on. Jeez, even just putting his mask on felt like a huge effort. His arm muscles felt like he’d sumo wrestled Raph the night before, which he was very sure he did not do.

Alright Mikey, get your biz together boi. We got work to do.

Mikey hopped enthusiastically from his bed, ignoring the protest in his legs. They were just going to have to get over this soreness business. Mikey had places to be.

He strolled to the kitchen, humming a little ditty as he did so. He felt like making something nice for his brothers this morning. After all, as long as he’s up, he might as well make himself useful.

The kitchen lay sparkling before him, and he couldn’t help but grin. There were not many things in this life that Mikey cared to keep clean, but his kitchen was one of them. This was part of his art, and he’d be damned if one of his family members dishonored his art. He went to crack his knuckles before stopping himself, as it was probably not the best course of action for his still healing hands.

“Now, what to do, what to do.” Mikey said out loud, looking at what ingredients he had to work with. Not much, besides some old, ready-to-bake cinnamon rolls. “This is an insult to my art.” he scoffed, but began to prepare them anyway. Honestly, he didn’t feel like he had the brain power for a homemade breakfast this morning.

Mikey needed caffeine, asap, so he started brewing a pot of coffee. “Yes, sweet sweet bean juice. Brew for me.” He coaxed, watching as the coffee slowly began dripping into his mug.

“Am I interrupting your special time?” A monotone voice spoke from the door of the kitchen.

“Donnie!” Mikey exclaimed, grabbing a second mug from the cupboard. “You’re not supposed to be awake yet!” He switched Donnie’s mug out with his own, taking a sip of the extremely hot coffee.

“Why do you get to decide when I’m supposed to be awake or not?” Donnie asked tiredly, reaching for his mug. “And besides, you’re up too. Aren’t you more of a sleep until noon guy?”

Honestly, going back to sleep sounded pretty good to Mikey, his body begging him to be horizontal. However, his body was just going to have to deal. Mikey gestured to the oven. “I’m making breakfast! Cinnamon rolls. Not homemade, but you know, whatever.”

“Ready-to-bake cinnamon rolls? Isn’t that an insult to your craft?” Donnie asked, grabbing his mug and blowing on the steaming coffee.

“It is!” Mikey growled, crossing his arms with a pout. “Raph and Leo should know better. Ain’t no ready-to-bake cinnamon rolls are better than my homemade ones.”

“I’ll complain the whole time I’m eating them.” Donnie said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “Anyways, they should be up soon.”

“Really? I mean, I know I’m a sleep until noon guy, but Raph and Leo are like, sleep until two guys, ya know?”

“We’re starting training again today, remember?”

Ah. Shit.

“Ooooooo…” Mikey said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“You totally forgot, didn’t you?” Donnie said, setting his cup down with a sigh. “Angelo, we literally talked about this yesterday. I asked if your arms felt up to it, and you were all like ‘Yeah, of course Donnie! They feel great Donnie! I could beat up the Kraang a hundred times over Donnie!’. Any of this ringing a bell?”

“Hmmmm…” Mikey hummed thoughtfully, before shrugging. “Nope!”

Donnie let out another exasperated sigh. “You know what, that’s on me. We were playing pizza pong at the time, and I forget how very ‘one track mind’ you get during that game.”

Mikey took a final swig of his coffee before giving his legs a good stretch. “Oh well, pizza pong Mikey knew what he was talking about; I feel great! I could probably take on about a thousand foot clan soldiers right now.”

“Really?” Donnie and Mikey turned as their older brother Raph strolled into the kitchen, feigning a look of shock. “Then what’s the point of having your teammates around, little brother?”

Mikey skipped over and jumped up on Raph’s shell, using his spikes for leverage as he grabbed Raph's face. “Emotional support of course.”

“Don’t forget comedy relief.” Another voice chipped in as Leo walked into the kitchen, a large grin plastered on his face. “Oooo, do I smell cinnamon?”

“Mikey made breakfast.” Donnie said as the oven dinged. Mikey pulled out the abysmal cinnamon rolls and threw them on the stove with a huff. “And he’s upset that someone got store bought rolls instead of letting his ‘creative genius’ make his own. His words, not mine.”

“Those are literally your words! I never said that!” Mikey countered, before sniffing disdainfully at the steaming buns. “But yes, I could have totally done better.”

“We know you can, Mikey, but we’re still taking it easy, remember?” Raph said gently, grabbing Mikey by the shoulders. “Which means easy on the creative genius.”

“Right, right, fine.” Mikey groaned, throwing the weight of Raph’s massive arm off of him.

“Besides, we gotta be at our best today. Splinter’s going to put us through some training!” Raph said, his mouth widening into a snaggle toothed grin. “Which is going to feel so epic.”

“Hell yeah boy.” Leo said, doing some quick punches. “Just wait until I knock you into next week baby. You’ll never know what hit you!”

“Can we please practice restraint, dear brothers?” Donnie said, rolling his eyes. “The last thing I need to see is one of your sorry shells in my med bay, AGAIN. But yes, I am also excited about training. One can only work the mind so much before the body begs for attention.”

As the brother’s dug into the non-creative cinnamon rolls, Mikey couldn’t help but feel bad that he couldn’t share his sibling’s enthusiasm. He should really be excited about finally being able to train again after so many months. After all, this would be the first time since the Kraang that things might actually feel normal again. But as Mikey glanced at his trembling hands and felt the weight of his tired, sore body, he couldn’t help but feel a creeping sense of dread.

Please. Mikey thought to no one in particular. Just let things go back to normal.

Chapter Text

Things, of course, did not go according to plan.

For training, Splinter had them run through different drills to find which moves worked with their still healing bodies and which ones should be avoided for the time being. However, Mikey found he just couldn’t focus on training. With each rep, he felt as if he was moving through molasses, his movements slow and sloppy instead of sharp and directed. He kept losing track of what rep he was on, so he started just going until one of his brothers stopped. Not only that, but he kept zoning out into space, earning himself a scolding from Splinter.

“You must focus, Orange.” Splinter had said as Mikey once again missed a command from his sensei. “Now is not the time for meditation. An unfocused mind makes for a crappy ninja.”

Man, I would love to meditate in the comfort of my bed. Mikey’s brain thought mutinously before he shook his head with force. C’mon Mikey! Get your head in the game!

Soon enough, the turtles broke into teams and began working some one on one combat; Raph sparring with Donnie, and Mikey sparring with Leo. Once again, Mikey felt like he was trying to move a bunch of rocks in his heavy flesh bag of a body. Despite Leo’s slight limp in his leg from the fight with the Kraang, he was still able to move faster than Mikey, getting in a few good hits before coming back to a neutral position.

Mikey tried some razzmatazz and was surprised when it actually worked. He flipped around Leo’s side, and before Leo could turn and whack him with the butt of his Odachi, Mikey tripped him and forced him to the ground, pinning him on his back with his foot.

Mikey grinned down at his brother, waiting for some sarcastic complaint that Mikey was cheating, but felt the smile melt from his face as he met Leo’s eyes. Leo was shaking, his eyes wide as he began breathing rather quickly. Mikey immediately drew back, bile rising in his throat.

“Leo, I-”

He was cut off as his brother popped up, fulfilling his earlier plan of whacking Mikey in the head with his Odachi. Mickey let out a yelp and fell to the floor, freezing as Leo held his sword to his throat.

“Mikey Mikey Mikey” Leo said, smiling his usual cocky grin. “Never hesitate, my dear brother. Besides, did you really think you could beat Leonardo, the greatest ninja the world has ever seen?”

“You…” Mikey said, at an unusual loss of words. His heart felt as if he’d just chugged one of Donnie’s 25hr energy concoctions and his stomach felt like it was full of lead. He then balled up his fists, looking angrily up at his gloating brother. “You cheated!”

“Only a little. And to be fair, it’s not cheating if it works.” Leo replied, offering a hand to help Mikey up. Mikey glared at his brother, before accepting his hand. To his surprise, Leo’s hand was still shaking. As he climbed to his feet, he noticed Leo wouldn’t meet his eyes. He was still grinning, but there was something off about his smile. The feeling of dread returned. It looked to him like Leo was trying to play off his reaction to being pinned.

Mikey peeked over at Donnie and Raph, who were still locked in their mock battle, with Splinter watching closely. They must not have seen. Mikey grabbed Leo’s hand with his own.

“You ok?” He asked quietly, shooting a side glance at his older brother. It was hard to see him like this. Since the battle with the Kraang, Mikey had become increasingly aware of how fragile his brothers were. Since he was little, they were always his heroes. Heroes who could never get hurt, who would always be there when he needed them, and would have his back, no matter what. But now, after seeing Raph controlled by the Kraang, Donnie being mauled by the Technodrome, and almost losing Leo forever, Mikey felt helpless. He needed to protect them, but he just wasn’t strong enough. Even with his so-called “Mystic Powers,” which he hadn’t seen hide nor hair of in months, he’d barely been able to save Leo. He squeezed Leo’s hand tighter, and his brother took a deep breath before squeezing back.

“Yeah, yeah.” He said with a shaky voice, finally meeting Mikey’s eyes. “Sorry. Memories, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.” Mikey replied, letting go of Leo’s hand and giving him a soft punch on the shoulder. “But for the record, you’re still a stinky cheater.”

Leo let out a laugh, his body visibly relaxing, to Mikey’s relief. “Whatever. Maybe you’re just a sore loser.” Leo replied, flicking Mikey between his eyes.

“Boys!”

Mikey and Leo walked over and kneeled next to Donnie and Raph in front of Splinter. “You have all done well today! I think we can SLOWLY begin our real training again. BUT!” Splinter poked each of the turtle brothers in the head with his tail. “You will ONLY train during these training sessions so we can monitor your healing and not push too hard. You got that?”

“Got it.” The boys chorused before walking their separate ways.

Mikey flopped down in his bed, the tiredness in his body making its presence intensely known. The coffee he’d had this morning really didn’t help at all. And now, his muscles felt even more sore. He rolled onto the floor and did some quick stretches as soft rap music played from his T-phone.

This is ridiculous. He thought to himself, sliding into a split. I haven’t even done anything!

He groaned, rolling onto his back and gazing at the ceiling of his subway car. Paintings dating back to when he was just a small little turtle created an interesting mosaic through time. He loved picking out the different paintings and the memories associated with each one. He grinned softly to himself as he picked out the first one he ever made: A small self portrait of his family, each character with large, cartoonish smiling faces.

A feeling of longing welled up in his chest. It would be so nice to see his family like that again. Without any feelings of pain or fear. No evil mutants, no mystic armors, no crazy strong alien minecraft squids. Just happy to be together, and certain they’ll never be apart.

I got to get stronger. Mikey clenched his trembling hands into fists. I never want my family to be scared again.

Mikey hoisted himself back up onto his bed, letting out a sigh. Finally, he decided to give into his body's demands and closed his eyes, letting his mind drift softly into unconsciousness.

He dreamed he was fighting a giant pepperoni, which honestly, wasn’t that weird a dream for Mikey. He often dreamed of pepperoni.

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Mikey awoke the next day feeling even more sore that he was the day before. He let out a tired groan, slamming his T-phone a few times before the alarm finally turned off. He swung his legs off the side of his bed, taking a few steps over the mirror he’d haphazardly thrown his mask on the night before. He let out a yawn and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, before wincing at a sudden sharp pain.

Huh?

His eye hurt. Why did his eye hurt? Mikey leaned forward and took a peek at his face in the mirror before letting out a soft gasp. He reached up slowly, gently tracing the large purple bruise that surrounded his right eye, swelling it almost halfway shut. He stared at his face in shock.

How in the heck did I get a black eye?

Chapter Text

Mikey suddenly became painfully aware of the throbbing radiating from his eye.

Holy Hamato… He thought to himself as he continued to stare at the mysterious wound on his face. How did this even happen!?

No, no, alright. Take care of your eye first, figure out what happened later.

Mikey grabbed his mask, wincing as he tied it loosely around his head. It covered most of the bruise, but it was still painstakingly obvious that his eye was very swollen. Mikey scanned his room, letting out an audible “Aha!” as his eyes landed on a pair of Leo’s aviators sitting on his desk. He grabbed them and struck a few poses in the mirror. The glasses covered the swelling completely.

“Perfect.” Mikey grinned before checking the time on his T-phone. It was early enough that his brothers should still be asleep. He didn’t need them to start interrogating him about what happened before Mikey even knew himself. However, he kept the aviators on just on the off chance one of them happened to be out and about. Plus, they looked totally awesome on him. Mikey gave the mirror one last pose with a few finger guns before turning to leave.

Mikey slid the door to his room open, peeking in both directions before making a beeline for the medbay. He definitely needed some ice to bring this swelling down, and maybe some over the counter painkillers for good measure.

As he walked past the training room, he paused as he heard a noise. There was some slight shuffling coming from inside the room. Mikey hadn’t even thought to grab his nunchaku, so he grabbed a broom that was sitting haphazardly on the wall, soft-footing his way over to the entrance. Mikey peeked through a crack in the door and was surprised to see Raph, fully weaponed up in front of the redeemed paper Foot soldier he sometimes sparred with.

“No, Buddy, c’mon.” Raph whispered in a not so quiet voice. “You have to attack from my right side. That’s the side we’re working on, remember?”

“Buddy!” The soldier said, not trying to keep his voice quiet at all.

“Shhhhh! Keep it down! Do ya want Splinter to kick my tail into next week?” Raph said quickly, holding up a finger. “We hafta be quiet.”

“Yeah, it would sure be a shame if you were caught training when you’re not supposed to be.” Mikey said, forgetting all about being cautious and entering the room as he did, leaning up against the wall.

“Right, what Mikey said.” Raph said, smiling, before his face fell. “Wait.”

“Ooo, you’re in big trouble young man.” Mikey scolded. “Just what in the heck do you think you’re doing?”

The Foot soldier whispered,”Ooooh, buddy…” Before slipping quietly back into the closet where it usually stayed. Smart move, soldier.

“Mikey! It’s not what it looks like!” Raph said quickly. “Buddy and I were just - Wait, are you wearing Leo’s aviators?”

“Stop changing the subject, Raphael! You were training just now!” Mikey countered, half deflecting the attention off of him, half genuinely upset with his older brother. “Dad specifically said not to so we wouldn’t overdo it! Are you trying to put yourself back on bedrest?”

“No! I just, we were just, y’know, I was gonna-”

“Yeah, I’m going to stop you right there.” Mikey said, walking over to Raph and crossing his arms. “Seriously Raph, what were you thinking? We just BARELY got permission from Dad to start training again.”

“I know, I know.” Raph said, defeatedly sitting down on the floor. “It’s just…” Raph paused, rubbing his scarred eye and grimacing.

Mikey felt his anger melt at the sight of his older brother's sad look. He sat down next to Raph, setting a trembling hand on his older brother’s spiky knee. “Raph?” He asked softly.

“During training yesterday, Donnie kept sneaking up on my right side and landing hits that I shoulda been able to counter. But because I can’t see out of this stupid eye, I kept taking more and more hits and messing everything up. It’s a handicap I can’t afford.” Raph clenched his fists, staring forward as he continued. “As soon as any of Big Mama’s mutants or the Foot Clan lackeys find out about this weakness, they're gonna target it. Any good fighter would! And that makes me a liability to the team.”

Raph turned and looked at Mikey, desperate fires blazing behind his eyes. “Don’t cha see, Mikey? I NEED the extra training. I hafta work on fighting with this, this stupid eye of mine, or the whole team is gonna suffer because of me!”

“Raph…” Mikey said, standing up so he was looking down at his massive older brother and closing his eyes before channeling his super helpful therapist alter ego, Dr. Delicate Touch. “THAT IS SOME OF THE DUMBEST SHIT I’VE EVER HEARD!”

Raph looked dumbstruck, which motivated Mikey to continue. “Leo has a permanent limp because of the fight with the Kraang. Donnie’s soft shell is more vulnerable than ever, and I can’t even pour a glass of water without spilling it with these shaky ass hands. Does that make us liabilities to the team?”

“No! Of course not!” Raph countered, waving his hands wildly. “You guys are already working so hard to get stronger!”

“Yes, we are.” Mikey replied, poking his brother between the eyes. “And we’re doing it WITHOUT pushing ourselves past our limits.”

“But, Mikey-”

“Bup bup bup, silence big bro.” Mikey cut him off. “You’re being WAY too hard on yourself, as per usual. I guess some things never change.” Mikey gave his brother a reassuring grin before continuing. “You’re the strongest guy I know, Raph. Stronger than any of us could hope to be. If anyone can overcome this, it’s you. But!” Mikey stared at his brother through Leo’s awesome aviators and pointed an accusing finger at Raph’s face. “You’re going to do it the right way. Which means no sneaking around, no secret training, no pushing it. Right?”

Raph let out a chuckle before climbing to his feet, moving Mikey’s arm out of his way. “Right, right. You’re right.” Raph let out a big breath that he must not have realized he was holding. He smiled down at Mikey before lifting him up into a bone-crushing hug. “Thanks, little bro.”

“Raph…” Mikey wheezed, struggling against his brother’s giant arms. “Killing… Me…”

Raph dropped him, giving a huge snaggle-toothed grin. “Y’know, for being the youngest, Mikey, you’re pretty wise.”

“Exactly! That’s what I’ve been saying!” Mikey said haughtily, flashing a smile. “Besides, you’d be WAY more of a liability to the team on bedrest.”

“Aaaaand you always know just what to say.” Raph said in an annoyed voice, rolling his eyes. “Thank you.”

“No problem, R-dawg.” Mikey mimicked a fake salute before turning to leave. He’d totally forgotten he was supposed to be laying low until he took care of his swollen black eye.

“So, are we gonna talk about you wearing sunglasses indoors or…?” Raph started, but Mikey had already left the room, calling out a cheeky “Nope!” as he hoofed it to medbay.

Mikey grabbed an icepack and some ibuprofen, slipping them each under his arm as he snuck back to his room, locking the door behind him.

He removed his mask gingerly, laying back in his bed as he set the icepack on his throbbing eye, wincing slightly. Now that he had his ice and was back in the safety of his room, Mikey began contemplating what could have possibly caused him to get a black eye. Leo had smacked him pretty hard in training yesterday, but that was on his forehead, not his eye, so that was out.

Maybe I fell out of bed? Mikey wondered, but quickly shot the idea down.If that had happened, I probably would have woken up on the floor.

Mikey groaned. This was too much thinking. And there didn’t seem any possible way that this could have happened. Not that he could remember anyways.

Wait. Mikey thought, sitting up.I can’t remember it. So maybe, I wasn’t awake when it happened. Maybe… I was sleepwalking!

When Mikey was a kid, there were a few times he’d sleep walked to the kitchen or into his Dad and brother’s rooms, but, at least as far as he knew, he hadn’t done that in years.

However, this was the only possible lead he had in solving the mystery of the black eye, so Mikey decided to run with it. As he continued thinking about it, sleepwalking could also explain why he’d been waking up so tired the past few weeks. It was all coming together! Now, he just had to confirm his theory.

And that meant he had to talk to Donnie.

Chapter Text

Mikey lay in his bed for a good while before deciding to head to Donnie’s lab. As he let the ice pack work his magic, he contemplated more about the sleepwalking theory.

If this black eye was truly caused by me sleepwalking, what could I possibly have been doing? A bruise of this size suggests that I ran full speed into a pole! Or got punched by some sort of pro wrestler! Wouldn’t I have woken up? Mikey thought before removing the ice pack to peek at his eye again. It looked… better. Less swollen at least, but not enough that his family wouldn’t notice. His eyes drifted to the aviators sitting on his nightstand and broke into a grin. Guess he’ll have to continue “borrowing” Leo’s awesome glasses for the time being.

As Mikey prepared to visit Donnie, tying his mask back on slowly and covering the rest of his black eye with the aviators, another thought wormed its way into his brain, causing his spirits to take a dive.

Why now?

He hadn’t been sleepwalking for YEARS; as far as he knew at least. We just started healing from the Kraang. The last thing I need is some freaky sleepwalking junk messing up my vibes! Mikey paused, feeling that same sense of dread again, like ice flooding into his veins. What if this is BECAUSE of the Kraang? What if they messed with my mind? What if some creepy Kraang flesh juice crawled into my brain?! WHAT IF I’M SOME SORT OF KRAANG SLEEPER AGENT?!

…

Ok, maybe not.

Mikey slapped his cheeks lightly to clear his spiraling thoughts and took a deep breath. Ok, sleeper agent or not, this all depends on finding out if I’m actually sleepwalking. And that means I need Donnie.

For the second time of the day, Mikey snuck through the halls of the Bunker, donning Leo’s aviators with style. This time, however, he was pleased to hear Raph snoring as he walked past his room. Good on him.

By now, it was likely that Donnie might be awake, but that solely depended on if he was in his lab or not the night before. And judging by the lack of music from Donnie’s bedroom, that seemed to be the case. Mikey turned heel and headed to Donnie’s lab instead, keeping an eye out in case either of his other brothers had decided to do some illegal early morning training.

Mikey reached the entrance to Donnie’s lab with no issues, lifting the garage door up and sliding inside. The lab was beaming with purple light, a classic for Donnie tech. Soft video game music trilled from the speakers, creating an almost eerie atmosphere with the violet hue bouncing off the shiny metal structures of the lab. The usually tidy floor was littered with what looked like blueprints and spare chunks of metal. In the middle of the tornado of scientific debris sat Donnie, goggles down and soldering something that was giving off a soft glow.

It was clear Donnie had been here most if not all of last night. Mikey figured he must be working on some sort of new battle tech, as that was usually the reason for Donnie’s sleepless nights. He walked over, carefully tip-toeing through his brother’s scientific frenzy. He squatted down, peeking at one of the many blueprints. Whatever Donnie was working on must be complicated.

Mikey reached his brother, leaning forward to be in Donnie’s eyesight before giving a soft smile and wave. “Hey D-dawg!”

Donnie just hummed in acknowledgement, not looking up from his work.

I should probably wait until he’s done with whatever he’s doing. Mikey figured, heading over to sit in the corner of the lab. Mikey tended to hang here often enough that Donnie let him set up his own little area. It had a beanbag, a tv, and some art supplies in case he got bored. Despite Donnie’s insistence that he preferred working alone, Mikey was beginning to think he actually enjoyed having someone to explain all of his designs and scientific jargon to. Even though Mikey had no idea what Donnie was talking about most of the time, it was nice to hear how passionate his brother got. Besides, Donnie thinks best when he talks things through out loud, and Mikey enjoys listening, so it just kinda works.

Mikey flopped in the beanbag, letting out a huff. Hopefully, Donnie would be taking some sort of break soon. Otherwise it was going to be a very long day. Mikey’s mind began racing again.

Maybe I should just go up and ask if he’s busy? But he’s clearly busy, so I’ll probably just get yelled at. Plus I don’t want to disrupt his work; that usually ends in either him or myself blowing up in some sort of mystic fireball. Maybe if I like, shoot him a text? Wait, he probably won’t look at his phone. Plus, I’m right here, that’s dumb. Argh, but I NEED to ask him if he has a

“Mikey. You are thinking way too loud. It’s annoying.”

Mikey startled at his brother’s voice and looked up. Donnie was still hard at work on whatever trinket he was making, not even turning to speak. “Wha…” Mikey started, but Donnie interrupted.

“You’re biting your nails. Which means you’re clearly thinking hard about something. Which, kudos to you for thinking, but I’m trying not to lose my flow I’ve got going here aaaaaand… It’s gone. Nevermind.” Donnie let out a deep sigh, setting the soldering tool down and laying his head on his desk.

“Ah, geez, sorry Donnie.” Mikey said guiltily, rubbing the back of his neck. “I didn’t notice.”

Donnie didn’t move, his head remaining firmly planted on his desk. “It’s not entirely your fault, Mikey. I know better than to try to finish a project in one night. Even my brain hits burnout at some point.”

“This, thing you're making looks complicated.” Mikey said, walking over his brother and sitting on his desk.

“I’ll spare you the details for a later date.” Donnie replied, his voice tired. “In short, it’s blueprints for an updated battle shell. I’m going to need a better one.”

“I see.” Mikey said, not trying to push it further. Out of all the brothers, Donnie was the one who hardly ever talked about what happened to him with the Kraang. All they really knew was the damage the Technodrome caused to Donnie’s shell. But like most scars, Donnie’s trauma probably ran deeper than it appeared.

“Anyways, do you need something Mikey? Cause if not, I might go get some REM sleep before Dad has us run drills again.” Donnie said, finally looking up at his little brother. “Wait, are those Leo’s glasses?”

“Eh heh, yeah! Don’t they look epic?” Mikey said quickly, striking a pose before trying to deflect to a different subject. “Anyways, yeah, I actually do need something, if you don’t mind.”

“Alright, shoot.” Donnie said, appearing to only half-listen as he began tidying up his mess from the science frenzy.

Mikey took a deep breath before continuing. “I was wondering if, you maybe, I don’t know, had some sort of… camera lying around? Like, a video one?”

Donnie immediately stopped what he was doing, his attention now fully on Mikey. “A camera?”

Mikey knew this was going to be difficult. One of the only steadfast rules in their house was very simple and straightforward: No cameras allowed. Splinter said that having their existence documented on anything could be extremely dangerous. That meant no pictures, no videos, and to Donnie’s dismay, no security cameras. Despite having access to every CCTV camera in the subway and sewers, there were no actual cameras inside the bunker. Even the T-phones that Donnie made had their cameras disabled. If the wrong person got a hold of evidence they existed… It’d be devastating.

“What in Newton’s name do you need a camera for?” Donnie asked, looking confused. “Mikey, you know how dangerous -”

“Yes, I know, just, trust me on this, D!” Mikey pleaded, rubbing his hands together nervously. “It’s… important to me. And besides, it’ll only be for one night! And I’ll give it right back to you in the morning, I promise!”

“Mikey…” Donnie sighed, scratching his head and looking torn. “This is extremely reckless. Are you sure you know what you’re doing? Is it worth the risk?”

Mikey met his brother’s eyes, nodding enthusiastically. “It is.”

“Alright then.” Donnie said, turning and unlocking a drawer to his desk. “You have ONE NIGHT with it. I expect to see this returned to my lab first thing in the morning.” He removed what looked like a small, Donnie designed security camera. Donnie handed it over to Mikey, holding his gaze as he did. “And Mikey? Don’t tell anyone I gave you this, or I swear I will make you my test dummy for my new battle shell.”

“I swear it, D! Thanks, you’re awesome!” Mikey exclaimed, holding the camera delicately.

“I know that.” Donnie said in a monotone voice, turning back to his work. “Now away with you, loud creature. I have scientific genius to clean up.”

Mikey managed to get through the rest of the day without his brothers noticing his extremely noticeable black eye. He had a close call when Leo tried to steal his aviators back, but Mikey pulled some razzmatazz and managed to escape. As the day drew to a close and the turtles retired for the night, Mikey set up the camera in his room.

Alright you. He thought as he plugged the USB wire into his laptop. Time to help me solve this case.

Mikey saw himself appear on his laptop screen and he smiled. “Hey all! Welcome to the ‘Does Mikey Sleepwalk and Is He a Kraang Sleeper Agent’ video!” Mikey said in a silly voice before yawning. “Alright, let’s begin, cause I am DYING over here.”

The craziness of the day finally caught up with him, and Mikey crawled into bed a mentally and physically drained mess. As he began to drift off to sleep, he couldn’t help but think.

I hope I don’t do anything too embarrassing while I’m asleep. If I do, I’ll just have to “accidentally” destroy that camera instead of giving it back to Donnie!

Mikey let out a small chuckle, imagining Donnie as an old cartoon character with smoke coming out of his ears before giving in to the warm embrace of unconsciousness.

Chapter Text

Mikey blinked his eyes open blearily as his T-phone alarm sang him awake. He was beginning to hate that sound. He stretched his body, holding in a groan as his sore muscles began working again.

Wow. He felt like crap.

He really had to force himself to sit up in his bed, yawning deeply as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. To Mikey’s relief, his eye felt less sore than it had yesterday. Sometimes there were perks to being a mutant turtle with heightened healing abilities.

Mikey shuffled his heavy body over to his mirror, taking a peek. The swelling was almost non-existent, and the bruise had shrunk just enough that his mask would be able to cover it. Which was good, considering Leo would most likely steal his aviators back at some point today.

As Mikey tied his mask on, his eyes drifted down to the security camera sitting on his table. The camera!

Mikey had totally forgotten about the camera! With a sudden jolt of much needed adrenaline, Mikey grabbed the camera and laptop from his desk and jumped onto his bed. The camera was still rolling, so Mikey quickly stopped the video and rewinded to the beginning.

This is it. He thought to himself as he set the video to 4x speed and pressed play. Time to see if my unconscious self is getting up to no good, midnight shenanigans.

Mikey watched as his past self smiled goofily at the camera. Considering Mikey had never really seen himself on video before, it was super weird. He almost felt like he was doing something illegal, like spying. But on himself. Just… Weird.

Past Mikey climbed into bed, tossing and turning a bit before finally falling asleep. Mikey groaned, rolling his eyes.

“C’mon, let’s get to the good stuff! This guy is B to the O to the R-ing!” Mikey complained, fast-forwarding through the video more.

As the video stretched on, Mikey began feeling defeated. Maybe he was wrong about the whole sleepwalking thing. Which was good, in some ways. Mikey would rather he wasn’t doing random stuff in his sleep at night without his conscious permission. But this would mean he was back to square one on how he could have possibly gotten his black eye. Now, he would have to start all over again.

Just then, the video flashed with golden light. “Whoa whoa whoa, back it up man.” Mikey said, leaning in close to his laptop screen as he rewinded. He quickly set the video to normal speed and pressed play.

For a few minutes, there was nothing but a sleeping Mikey. But then, almost inhumanely fast, the sleeping Mikey sat up.

Mikey watched breathlessly as his past self opened his eyes and felt his stomach drop.

His eyes were glowing a bright golden hue.

“Oh no…”

Past Mikey climbed to his feet, his face expressionless as he faced the wall. Then, he stuck his trembling arms out in front of him, his index fingers pointing forward. More golden light began glowing from his fingertips and traveling up the scars on his arms. He traced a circle with his fingers, leaving trailing golden light in their stead. The circle filled with the swirling yellow glow, and almost like a flower blooming, a portal opened.

Mikey didn’t know how to react. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t even think. This was confirming his suspicions in the worst way. He could only watch helplessly as his past self began floating, yes, freaking FLOATING, and slowly entered the portal.

Mikey swallowed nervously, covering his mouth with a trembling hand as he fast forwarded the video again. After an hour or so of just the portal sparking ominously in his room, Mikey watched as his past self came floating back through. Past Mikey let his feet fall back onto the floor, turning to face the still swirling portal. He folded his hands like he was slowly caressing the golden light, and the portal began to shrink. It finally disappeared, and Past Mikey let his hands fall to his sides, the glowing scars fading to their normal hue.

Mikey then watched as the Mikey in the video turned towards the camera, his eyes still glowing and his face still completely blank. But Mikey felt frozen in place, as if his past self could actually see him through the lens. It was terrifying. Past Mikey finally turned away, laying back down in Mikey’s bed before closing his eyes. And that was it.

Mikey slowly closed the laptop, his breaths short and shallow as he began biting viciously at his nails. He pulled his legs to his chest, his eyes wide. He tried to think. His mind was swirling, but there were no thoughts there. Just fear. He tried to grasp on to any sort of thought, anything that could steady him though the whirlpool his mind was going down. Finally, a single thought rose above the waves.

What am I going to do?

Mikey paused, his mind slowing and his breaths becoming a bit more even. He rose to his feet, walking shakily towards the door.

“I… I got to tell them, I…” Mikey whispered, reaching for the doorknob. However, something caused him to pause, and he was pulled into a flashback from when he was a kid.

A young Mikey ran into Splinter’s room, slamming the door behind him. He marched towards Splinter, who looked up curiously from the tabloid he was reading. He clumsily made his way onto his Dad’s bed, sitting cross legged next to him with his face scrunched up and angry tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Orange? Um, what… Uh, can I help you?” Splinter said uncomfortably, softly patting Mikey’s head. He still wasn’t so good at this whole “Dad” thing.

“It’s Raph! And Leo, and Donnie, and… and… Ugh!” Mikey exclaimed in a squeaky voice, balling his little hands into fists. “I fell off my skateboard and scraped my knee, and I was just about to climb on and try again when they all grabbed me! They dragged me to the med bay and wouldn’t leave me alone until they wrapped up my stupid knee. And then!” Mikey stood up, turning to face his Dad. “And then they took my skateboard away! They said I couldn’t ride it until I was healed, cuz I would just get hurt again! It’s so stupid! I’m not a baby!”

Mikey was practically screaming at this point, kicking a pillow from Splinters bed. “It’s not fair!”

“Orange! Sit!” Splinter commanded, and Mikey was shocked into obedience, sitting down and staring up at his father. Splinter sighed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “Ehm, listen, I’m not great at this stuff but… I can try. Why don’t you take a few deep breaths first?”

Mikey complied, taking a few exaggerated breaths before looking back up at Splinter, no longer crying. “Good.” Splinter said, crossing his arms. “Now, tell me Orange, when you get hurt, and I’m not talking ‘scrape your knee hurt’ but actually hurt, what do you do?”

“Tell Raph.” Mikey said without hesitation. “That’s the rule.”

“Right, right, sure.” Splinter said. “And who made that rule?”

“Raph did.”

“Of course he did.” Splinter sighed. “So, you want your brothers to see you as an equal, instead of babying you, yes?”

“Yes! I’m not a baby! They just don’t get that!” Mikey pouted, picking at one of the stickers stuck haphazardly to his plastron.

“Well, perhaps, instead of running to them everytime something goes wrong, you need to face it yourself.” Splinter said slowly, like he was trying to choose his words carefully.

“Myself?” Mikey asked, confused. “But what if I need help?”

“Orange, if you want your brothers to trust that you can take care of yourself and not baby you, you must show them that you are strong.” Splinter explained. “Otherwise, they will keep trying to protect you, even if you don’t need their protection.” He suddenly became quiet, a grave look on his face. “And they might not always be there. Someday, you may be by yourself, and you’ll have to face these challenges alone.”

“Alone? But…” Mikey felt tears beginning to pop up again as he grabbed his Dad’s robe. “Where would they go? We’re always going to be together, right?”

Splinter gave his son a sad look, before turning away. “Things happen, little one. Think about what I said. You must be strong. Show them you are strong enough to protect yourself. Now go.” He pointed to the door, grabbing his magazine. “That’s enough of my glorious wisdom for today.”

Little Mikey hopped off Splinter’s bed, giving one last look at his father. He then turned towards the door, wiping the tears from his face and standing up straighter.

“I have to be strong.” He whispered as he left. “I have to be strong.”

Mikey was jerked back into the present day, and he took a step back from his door. He turned around and sat back on his bed, curling his legs up to his chest. As he sat, he thought about his brothers. He could see Leo’s terrified face staring up at him from when they were training, Raph’s anger and frustration about his eye, and Donnie’s tired eyes that seemed unable to meet his own. And at that moment, Mikey made a decision.

His brothers were still trying to heal. They needed time, and they needed things to be normal. And this… this sleep portalling that was happening to him was definitely not normal. They didn’t need this. Mikey couldn’t go running to them for help this time.

Mikey turned, grabbing the camera from his bed and holding it gingerly in his hand.

“I have to be strong.” He whispered to himself, closing his eyes tight before hurling the camera as hard as he could at the wall.

*CRACK*

…

“Donnie’s going to end me.”

Chapter Text

“You broke it?!”

Mikey shuffled his feet as Donnie looked dumbfounded at the shattered camera Mikey had just placed into his hands. After the destruction of said camera, Mikey left immediately to keep his promise to Donnie and return it asap. However, in his defense, Donnie did not specify it had to be in one piece.

“I’m so sorry Donnie!” Mikey started, mustering up the courage to say the lie he’d concocted on the way to Donnie’s lab. “I accidentally bumped it while it was sitting on my desk, and before I knew it, it was in pieces on the floor!”

Mikey absolutely HATED lying to his brothers. But if he couldn’t lie to Donnie about the camera, how could he possibly expect to lie to his whole family about his sleep portalling situation?

Donnie raised a skeptical brow. “It fell? You’re saying that my military grade, genius tech SHATTERED from falling on the floor?”

“Um, yes?” Mikey said slowly, fidgeting with his hands. “I bumped it pretty hard…”

“Right…” Donnie said, setting the camera’s remains down on the desk next to him and crossing his arms. “Whatever. As Dad would say, the only good camera is a broken camera. I knew there was about a 60% chance of you breaking it when I gave it to you anyways, so, I’m not completely surprised.”

“You know me so well.” Mikey smiled, ignoring the taunt and trying to calm his frantic heartbeat as Donnie sat down.

“Anyways, did you do what you needed to do? And need I remind you that ANY video footage of us is to be deleted post haste.”

Mikey swallowed down the taste of bile in his throat. Memories of his own glowing eyes and expressionless face flashed in his brain. He squeezed his hands together tightly, trying to keep a cheerful look.

“Actually, I never did it. I was going to use the camera to help me improve some of my skateboarding tricks, but I decided it wasn’t worth the risk.” The lie seemed to roll off his tongue like week old pizza, leaving a nasty taste in his mouth. “Besides, I’m already amazing at skateboarding; I don’t have to see myself skate to know that.”

Mikey couldn’t meet Donnie’s eyes, but he was urging the purple brother to believe his fib. The silence seemed to last for eons.

“You’re right. Recording yourself skateboarding is not only a danger to the family, but it’s also a waste of my technological abilities.” Donnie stated matter-of-factly, giving a haughty sniff.

“Aha, exactly! So I’m glad I didn’t go through with it!” Mikey let out a small chuckle before turning to leave. “Anyways, I gotta get some breakfast in me so… Later D!” He called behind him, walking stiffly towards the garage door. As soon as he was out of sight of his older brother, he let out a huge sigh of relief, clutching his plastron as if it would keep his heart from leaping outside of his body.

That could have gone better… Mikey thought as he began walking towards the kitchen. It’s not like I’m lying to him for nefarious purposes! This is for the good of the whole team! I’ll figure this out on my own, eventually, and hopefully, they’ll be none the wiser.”

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Donnie stared after his brother as he left before turning to look at the remains of the camera lying scattered on his desk. Something seemed… off about Michealangelo today. And the only distinguishing variable that might have something to do with it lay in pieces. He didn’t want to pry into his brother’s life, god knows he has Rafe and Leo for that, but something didn’t feel right about this whole situation. If he didn’t do anything about it, it was going to bug him all week. He pulled down his goggles, giving a thorough scan of the camera remains. After a minute, he grinned, cracking his knuckles loudly.

I can fix this.

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Mikey entered the kitchen and was relieved that neither of his other brothers were in there yet. He immediately started brewing some coffee for his fatigued mind. Clearly whatever his “Mystic Self” had done last night took a lot out of him. Once again, an image of his own bright, glowing eyes popped into his mind, and he visibly cringed, clutching his arms tightly.

For months, Mikey hadn’t seen or done anything mystic. Besides the remnants of mystic burns on his arms, whatever magic he had seemed to have vanished as soon as they pulled Leo through that portal. Heck, he had only used his Hamato powers once since then, and that was just him making sure they were still normal after the Kraang had deleted them.

But this… This portalling was something completely different. When he’d created the portal to save Leo, it almost killed him. If Donnie and Rafe hadn’t taken some of the blow, it would have burned him up completely. And even Casey said that in his Kraang-y future, Future Mystic Mikey had died making a portal. How the hell was he now able to make these portals in his sleep?

Mikey began shaking a bit, biting at his nails as his mind continued to spiral. As he stared blankly ahead, an even worse thought drifted into his mind.

Where was his Mystic Self going? That portal was open for over an hour; there’s no way he just went in there, did nothing, then came back! What if he was doing something bad without knowing it? Or what if he was conspiring with someone evil? Hell, what if something had come through the portal and attacked his brothers? What if it was another portal to the prison dimension?!

This is crazy! Mikey thought, staring with wide, unfocused eyes at the brewing coffee in front of him. What am I going to do? This is crazy, absolutely crazy, I can’t do this, I can’t-

“Ouch!”

Mikey was jerked out of his own head as he bit down a bit too hard on his fingernail. He winced as a bit of blood began welling up from his gnawed on skin. He walked quickly over to the sink and let the cold water wash over his finger. Once the bleeding seemed to cease, he walked back over the coffee machine, pouring himself a cup. Between the trembling of his arms and the shakiness he still had from before, it took all of his energy not to spill coffee everywhere. However, Mikey welcomed something else to focus on.

“Buenos días, hermano.” A voice called from the kitchen doorway, and Mikey turned to see Leo stroll in. He gave a smile before turning back to his coffee. He was scared to speak out of fear his voice would betray the chaos of his mind at the moment.

Leo flopped down on a chair, sliding his legs up on the table. “I can’t believe you and Donnie drink that nasty stuff.” He said, gesturing to the mug in Mikey’s hand. “It literally tastes like how the New York sidewalks smell. Blegh.”

Mikey let out a small chuckle, feeling his shoulders relax a bit as he listened to his brother ramble about how abysmal coffee was. Leave it to Leo; he always knew what to say.

“Anyways, you making breakfast, little bro?” Leo asked with a yawn.

“Oh! Uh, yes, um…” Mikey looked around for ingredients. Honestly, the thought of having food right now made him sick to his stomach. And lucky for him, there was hardly any food in sight. He desperately needed to go shopping. He grabbed a box of cereal and tossed it to Leo, who caught it with ease.

“I present to you a delectable blend of oats and other ingredients that are sure to please your picky palate.” Mikey mocked, doing his best Meat Sweats impression.

“Cereal, ay? So I take it we need to go shopping.” Leo groaned, pouring the cereal directly into his mouth. Without waiting to finish chewing, he continued. “I suppose we could just portal in and out, easy peasy.”

Suddenly jerked back into his earlier state of anxiety, Mikey began nervously rambling. “Portals? Who said anything about portals, heh heh? What’s wrong with just walking, ya know? Who needs portals?”

Leo cocked his head. “Since when do you not like portal travel? Just last week you begged me to portal you to the skatepark because walking is, in your words, ‘So last season.’”

Curse your laziness, past me! Mikey thought angrily as he tried desperately to change the subject.

“A-anyways, are we training again today?” Mikey deflected, taking a shaky sip of his coffee.

“Yeah, Dad said he’s going to run us through some drills. However, he’s putting a hold on one-on-one for a bit, as apparently Rafe and I are too ‘competitive’ and ‘are going to put ourselves in a stretcher’ like pft, does he even know me?” Leo complained, previous conversation forgotten. “But yeah, speaking of, I’m going to go watch some Jupiter Jim reruns before we have to be serious ninjas or whatever. Want to join?”

Usually, Mikey would jump at the chance. But today, he had work to do. A lot of work to do. “Uh, not today, I’ve got a project I’m working on, so I should probably get back to it.”

“Fair enough. Later Mikes.” Leo called as he left, giving a wave. Mikey watched him leave before leaning back on the kitchen counter.

“Ok, no more freaking out, Mikey. There’ll be time for freaking out later. Right now, I have to focus on coming up with a plan. There’s got to be a way to fix this.” Mikey clenched his hands into fists before turning and walking towards the kitchen door. “I can do this.”

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Mikey’s brain was somewhere else. If his family members noticed, they didn’t mention anything, and that was fine by him. He was kinda fed up with lying to them already. To put it gently, it sucked. But, Mikey thought as he made his way to his room for the night. It’s for the good of everyone. I’m doing it for them.

Mikey had been busy concocting a plan to stop his mystic sleep portalling madness. And, after doing some hard thinking for a few hours, he’d finally had an idea that could work.

Mikey took a seat on his bed. Then, from his bag, he pulled out a pair of handcuffs. The turtles collected a lot of knick-knacks they found on the streets of New York City. Mikey smiled softly as he remembered the day they’d found this specific pair of handcuffs. Leo had found them, actually, and used them to fasten Donnie to a pipe in the Bunker. Donnie was there for HOURS before Rafe was able to make Leo give him the key. Mikey had kept Donnie company as Rafe chased Leo around the bunker. If he was remembering correctly, he’d brought down paper and arts supplies so he and Donnie could play pictionary. Good times…

Now, Mikey wished he had the company of his brother as he fastened the handcuffs around his ankle, making sure to clasp them tightly. He then fastened the other end around the frame of his bed. “Right, this should keep me from going anywhere.” Mikey said as he pulled on the cuffs. “No more midnight portals. This baby is staying right freaking here.” As he looked at his handcuffed leg, he couldn’t help but let out a slightly hysterical laugh. “Ha, it’s like I’m going to turn into a monster. Ha ha, ha…” He sniffled a bit, holding back tears. He then shook his head, taking a deep breath. It would be ok.

Mikey turned out his lights, then snuggled into his pillow. He hugged it tightly, like he was already starting to float away in golden mystic light. Despite his fear and uneasiness going into the night, his tiredness soon won him over, and he drifted off into a fitful sleep.

Chapter Text

Mikey dreamed that he was fighting a giant dinosaur.

It was some sort of cartoony looking triceratops, with exaggerated eyes and a goofy grin plastered on its face. Despite its looks, however, the dinosaur was proving to be quite the fighter.

Mikey was panting hard, but struck a dramatic pose as the dino prepared to charge him. “Time to send you back to the prehistoric era, you scaly turtle wannabe!” He called out defiantly.

The dino lowered its horn and gave one last silly grin, baring its blood soaked teeth as it replied in a sickly sweet voice, ”I’m going to gut you like a fucking pig.” Then, it charged.

Mikey braced for impact, holding his arms protectively in front of himself. Just as the horn was about to break every bone in his body, he jolted awake.

Mikey took a second to gain his bearings as he looked around his room. No creepy dinosaurs. Just his normal room, with its usual clutter. Mikey let out a sigh of relief.

He rolled over and looked at his clock. The alarm wasn’t set to go off for another twenty minutes. He groaned, stretching his arms and legs into the air. Still sore.

Out of the corner of his tired eyes, Mikey noticed something hanging from his leg. He sat up curiously, leaning in for a closer inspection.

It was a broken bit of the handcuffs.

Mikey inhaled sharply, his mind fully awake in an instant as he looked at the end of his bed frame. There lay the other half, dangling pathetically off the side of his bed. It was as if something had ripped them apart.

“Oh no, no no no SHIT!” Mikey cursed, remembering his plan from yesterday. It didn’t work. It couldn’t have worked. If the cuffs were broken, that could only mean one thing: His mystic self had broken them and portalled again last night.

Mikey suddenly became aware of a dull ache radiating from both of his forearms. He looked down at them and winced. Two identical purple bruises had formed, one on each forearm. He brushed his fingers on the right one softly. It was sore, but not terrible. He could manage. And lucky for him, his arm sleeves were long enough to cover them so he wouldn’t have to come up with another lie for his family. But if this mystic mumbo jumbo kept happening, who knows what kind of injuries he might come back with next? Maybe ones he wouldn’t be able to come up with lies for.

Mikey hissed with frustration, resting his head in his hands. His plan hadn’t worked. Now what?

“”Well, have you considered just telling your brothers?” A voice chimed from Mikey’s left. A little mini Mikey with a brown sweater and glasses sat on his shoulder, adjusting a name tag reading “Dr. Feelings.” Mikey wasn’t too surprised by his presence; he often looked to his own imagination to help him figure things out.

“Maybe… but they have so much going on. And besides, this is mystic stuff. They hardly know any more than I do about that junk!” Mikey replied, gesturing frantically with his hands.

“That’s true, but at least you wouldn’t have to be alone.” Dr. Feelings continued softly.

Mikey sighed. Maybe this figment of his imagination had a point. Mikey peeked over at his other shoulder. “Where’s the other guy?”

At that moment, another Mini Mikey appeared, this one just looking like plain ol’ Mikey, except for a name tag that read, “Dr. Delicate Touch.”

“Sorry I’m late.” he said, giving a cheeky grin. “I was having a therapy session with Inner Raph. Anyways…” He cleared his throat loudly before shouting, “HAVE YOU LOST YOUR SHELL?”

Mikey cringed at the volume. Dr. DT continued, “You NEED to do this yourself! They can’t help you this time! Are you a turtle, or are you a mouse?”

“Isn’t that kinda offensive to Master Splinter?” Mikey began pointedly, but was quickly cut off.

“Bup bup bup, the intricacies don’t matter. What matters is you letting your brothers heal while you figure this out. Everyone’s got issues, and a big part of solving those issues is working through them yourself. You’re a tough guy, Mikey! You can handle some mystic bullshit.”

“Um, I disagree.” Dr. Feelings chimed in, “This is totally hypocritical with Mikey’s world view.”

“You’re hypocritical, glasses!” Dr. DT shouted back, shaking a fist at the other.

“I know that comes from a place of hurt and you don’t actually mean it.”

“Alright, alright, enough!” Mikey finally said, shaking his head to clear away his arguing subconscious. “Geez, remind me to never leave those two alone in a room together.”

Mikey unlocked the cuff from his leg and his bed frame, holding each piece gently in his hands. Clearly, he was up against a strong adversary, which isn’t exactly something new to him. It was just new that this strong foe was himself. He threw the cuffs in the garbage and sat on his floor, lost in thought. C’mon Mikey, you can do this!

The next few days, Mikey tried multiple different methods to try and stop himself from sleep portalling. And night after night, he failed. The chains he had locked around his ankles to his bed? Broken. The ropes he used to tie his hands behind his back? Ripped apart. The mouse-traps he set up all over his floor? Swept out of the way. With each failure, he became more distraught.

After about five days of his plans falling through, Mikey gave up.

“This is impossible!” He shouted to no one, kicking an empty can across his room. “I’ll never make it stop.” His voice quivered as he held his arms tightly.

Suddenly, the Lair felt overwhelmingly small. It was as if the walls had suddenly shrunk, leaving Mikey feeling cramped and claustrophobic. He needed to get out and clear his head, right freaking now.

Mikey grabbed one of his many skateboards and made his way to the ladder leading out of the sewer. He was hoping his brothers would be off doing their own thing so he could just kind of sneak away, but fate had other plans.

“Heya Mikes! Where ya going?”

Raph was chilling with Leo and Donnie in the main room of the bunker. Leo and Donnie appeared to be arguing quietly about something, with Raph just hanging off to the side reading a Jupiter Jim comic. It was Raph who noticed the smaller turtle’s presence, despite him trying to soft foot his way over to the ladder.

“I’m just going to pop up to the surface and skate a bit, since the sun is going down.” Mikey said slowly, trying to keep his voice level.

“Oh sweet!” Raph said, climbing to his feet. “I’ll go grab my board and we can -”

“Um, actually Raph, I think I’m just going to go by myself today.” Mikey said, holding his board tightly, almost as an emotional crutch. “I think I just need some me time.”

Rafe looked a bit confused, and rightfully so. Out of all of the brothers, Mikey was the one least likely to go to the surface without a buddy. Usually, it was just a given that if he was heading up, he’d ask Rafe, Leo, or Donnie to join him. But, despite this being out of character for him, he desperately wanted some mindless skate time where he didn’t have to worry about accidentally spilling the beans about his mystic problems. And that meant he’d have to go alone.

“It’s not anything against you Rafe!” Mikey said quickly, his nerves getting the best of him. “I just really want to go myself so I can skate without having to think really and I -”

“Whoa, easy Mikey, I’m not mad!” Raph said, holding up his hands. “Rafe was just thrown off a bit, that’s all! We all need our alone time, right guys?” Rafe turned to garner support from his other two brothers, but they were still locked in their argument. He sighed, “Whatever.” He lumbered over to Mikey, lifting the small turtle up into a huge bear hug.

“Just be safe!” Rafe said cheerfully, setting Mikey back down. “And if any mutants try to give ya trouble, give ol’ Raph a call, and I’ll come sort ‘em out real quick!”

“Ha, thanks Raph.” Mikey said, forcing a smile up at his brother. He knew Rafe didn’t mean to treat him like he couldn’t handle a little mutant attack, but it still stung a bit. “I’ll be sure to.”

With that, Mikey turned tail and began climbing up the sewer ladder. Hopefully some skating could help him find some quiet relief from the loud, swirling mind of his.

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As Raph watched Mikey climb the ladder to the surface, he couldn’t help but feel like something was wrong. His big brother's senses were tingling, but he just didn’t know why. But something told him that maybe he should keep an eye on his little brother.

“Hey… We’re worried about him, right?” Raph asked, turning back to his other two brothers. To his dismay, their fight had escalated, and Donnie was now holding Leo upside down with one of his mechanical arms while Leo yelled at him with some colorful language.

Raph sighed, gazing one last time at the ladder before turning towards his fighting brothers. “Alright, you guys want to fight? Raph’ll give ya something to fight!”

Chapter Text

Mikey climbed to the surface world with ease, peeking in both directions before donning the orange sweatshirt and face mask he wore to try to blend in with humans. If anyone looked at him for longer than a second, they would notice his green tinted skin and strangely humped back, but this was New York City. No one ever paid attention to anyone for that long.

Mikey quickly scaled a nearby building and began making his way over to the skatepark he frequented. It was small and tucked away, which made it the perfect spot for a turtle who wanted to skate unbothered. Plus, with the sun setting fast, the darkness would help to hinder any unwanted attention.

Mikey gazed at the sunset as he jumped and flipped his way over buildings. It was stunning; the red, orange, and yellow hues combining into a collage with the puffy clouds lining the sky. Mikey couldn’t help but smile. One of the unfortunate aspects of living underground was that he didn’t get to see as many sunsets as he would have liked. They were always so beautiful.

Mikey reached the skatepark in no time, dropping down and scanning the area for any lingering humans. Lucky for him, it appeared that he had the glistening concrete all to himself.

Mikey pulled his board from where it was tied to his shell. Hopefully some skating would help clear his mind a bit. Besides cooking and creating art, it was the one thing he could do to relax. And gods, he needed to relax. Mikey shook his head to clear away any thoughts about portals, or mystic powers, or things he couldn’t control. He slid on his headphones, queuing up some of the chillest music he had. Then, he dropped in.

Mikey knew the layout of this skatepark by heart. He barely needed to look where he was going, as his body already knew what was ahead. He skated back and forth a few times to warm up his sore, fatigued muscles. Then, when he was content with the connection between his mind, his body, and his board, he started kicking it up a notch.

He started small, with a few tricks here and there, before trying more advanced moves. After landing a few of them, he finally felt like he could breathe. The night air was becoming chilled, which left him feeling exhilarated. He didn’t need to think about anything. His head was filled only with soft music and the terrain in front of him. This is exactly what he needed. He felt a smile grow on his face as he continued, his skating becoming faster and more intense.

As Mikey gained speed to try another double rotation, something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. A flicker of light. He turned curiously towards the source and was shocked to see two glowing, golden lights down the street from him.

“Wha?” He whispered, his eyes growing wide and his heart dropping into his stomach. With a lurch, he hit the edge of a beam, throwing him across the concrete. He scrambled quickly to his feet, turning back towards the lights as his breathing came out in short gasps. It couldn’t be mystic stuff, right? He was awake right now, he was awake!

The lights suddenly disappeared, revealing a car that had just parked in a lot down the street. Mikey clutched his plastron, staring at the car, then down at the ground as he tried to slow his breathing. It was just a car, Mikey! Just a stupid car!

Mikey stood frozen for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “It was just a car!” He exclaimed, giggling uncontrollably as he grabbed his board. “A car! Jeez, this is too much!”

Mikey climbed back to the top of the ramp, his heart still trying to beat its way out of his chest. He took a few deep breaths, still shaking a bit as he clutched his board tightly. Now that his adrenaline had receded a bit, he tried to find the focus he had from before. However, immediately when he dropped in, he found himself struggling.

It was almost as if his body forgot where to go. He felt unbalanced, as if each turn or crack in the concrete would send him flying. As the minutes passed, he felt himself growing more and more frustrated, which didn’t help his terrible boarding.

Why can’t I do this? He thought angrily as he biffed another board flip. This is easy stuff! I’ve been doing this crap for years; WHY CAN’T I DO THIS?

Mikey let out a frustrated growl and started building speed for a double rotation. “C’mon.” he spoke through gritted teeth. “C’mon!”

As he entered the air with his board, he immediately knew he messed up. He couldn’t have done a rotation if he tried. Instead, he tried to focus on landing on his board. But the board had other plans.

As he landed, the board went one way and Mikey went the other. Mikey landed hard on the concrete, letting out a groan as the harsh surface grated against his shell. He sat up slowly, checking himself over for any scrapes. Luckily, there were none. He was virtually undamaged, besides some new scratches on his shell.

His board however, did not come away unscathed. Mikey walked over to where the board had landed. Well, a piece of it at least. The other piece lay a few feet away.

“No man…” Mikey said softly, holding both pieces in his trembling hands. “My board…” Mikey felt tears threatening to make an appearance.

This is so stupid! He thought to himself, trying to stop the mutinous tears from falling. This was supposed to help me relax! This is like, the one thing I can do without thinking, without all this mystic bullshit, and I somehow found a way to screw it all up! It’s not fair!

Mikey was torn from his thoughts as he heard approaching voices. Humans. He quickly tucked the pieces of his board behind his shell and scaled the nearest fire escape, finding refuge on the roof of some random apartment building.

As Mikey began slowly making his way across the skyline of New York City, his headphones hanging limply around his neck, he heard a chime from his T-phone signaling a text message. A little picture of April popped up, with a title of “Sista from anotha mista.” The text read

Mikey! I need a frosting master for cupcakes XD. You want in?

Mikey sniffled, wiping the remnants of tears from his eyes before replying.

Uh, duh! Be there in five!

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Mikey reached April’s apartment building in no time, quietly climbing down the fire escape window and tapping a few times on the glass. From inside, he saw April peek out of her kitchen, spatula in hand, then jog over to open the window with a grin.

“Mikey! Thank goodness, you gotta help me with these cupcakes!” April exclaimed, immediately grabbing Mikey by his sweatshirt and pulling him inside.

“Ok ok jeez!” Mikey said quickly, letting out a laugh. “Can I at least wash my hands first?”

“Uh, you better, sewer boy.” April scolded, shaking her spatula at him. As Mikey followed her into the kitchen and over to the sink, April began pulling a platter of cupcakes from the oven. “Damn, you got here quick! When you said, ‘Be there in five’ I figured you were just saying it to be cool.”

“Ha, no.” Mikey replied with a smirk, drying his hands and climbing onto a stool by April’s counter. “I was nearby, actually, so I just popped over.”

“Oh! Where are your crazy brothers then? They can help with this too ya know!”

“Nah, it was just me.” Mikey said, grabbing a second spatula to mix the frosting with. Frosting… this was something he could do! He started scooping the frosting into a bag when he noticed April giving him a strange look.

“What?” He asked, dropping the spatula. “Do I have something on my face? Is it paint? Because if I’ve had paint on my face all day I swear -”

“No, it’s just, I never really see you on the surface without your brothers. You always have at least one of them with you.” April said, leaning onto the counter so she could give Mikey a stare down. “Is everything ok? Because if they’re giving you a hard time about something I can give them a good beating for ya.” April leaned back and started smacking her spatula against her hand like a baseball bat.

“No, I just -”

“Did y’all get in a fight?”

“No! Nothing like that!”

“You’re hiding something from me.” April leaned in close again, giving Mikey a glare that could melt steel. “You know I’m a reporter, right? I can tell when someone’s holding out on me.”

“It’s nothing, April, really.” Mikey said quickly, turning back to his task and swallowing the lump forming in his throat. “I just wanted some me time.”

“Oh! Well, why didn’t you just say so then?” April laughed, turning to grab the batch of now cooled cupcakes and place them in front of Mikey.

Mikey just chuckled softly. Great, now he was lying to April too. And his pseudo sister was basically like a bloodhound when it came to sniffing out information other people didn’t want her to know: Determined and willing to bite if needed. Mikey finished packing the frosting into his decorating bag and began frosting each cupcake. “So,” He asked, trying to divert the conversation from himself, “How’s the new job at that spa place going? Donnie and I insta-stalked it, and it seems pretty bougee.”

“Omg, Mikey, don’t even get me started on that place.” April sighed, placing a hand on her hip. “First of all, I got in trouble because my massages were ‘Too violent,’ and ‘left too many bruises’ like do you want to feel something or not? Make up your mind people!”

Mikey laughed, listening to April rant while frosting the first cupcake. He was struggling to hold his trembling hands steady.

“And then this girl Lacey I work with was all like ‘It’s all in the fingers April. Why don’t you come watch me do massages sometime so you can be better, like me?’ like girl ain’t nobody want yo crusty dusty acrylics scratching their back! Can you believe it?”

The frosting kept coming out crooked and uneven. C’mon, I can do this.

“But the job isn’t all bad I suppose. Spas mean rich people which means April is making the money, baby. My boss's birthday is tomorrow so I was like, Imma treat her right and make her cupcakes, because she has to deal with rich people bullshit all day, and boy I have no idea how she does it, cause I would’ve clocked someone by now.”

It’s not working. Why can’t I do this?

“Hey, Mikey?”

Mikey didn’t look up. He stared at the few cupcakes he’d frosted in the last five minutes blankly. Each one had a different amount of frosting, some with way too much and others with not enough. The smooth, even lines he was used to looked terrible, each one shakier than the next. His hands continued trembling as he slowly set the frosting bag down.

“Hey Mikey, it’s ok bud.” April said in a soft voice, coming around the counter to sit by him. She rested a hand on his shell. “They look fine man; they don’t have to be perfect. They’re just for my stupid coworkers.”

“I’m sorry April.” Mikey said, his voice thick. “I just can’t do it.”

“That’s fine, Mikey, seriously.” April spun him by his shoulders so he was facing her. “Look at me.”

Mikey did as he was told, lifting his baby blue eyes to meet her dark brown ones. She hummed thoughtfully before pushing him back, causing him to spin in his stool. “I got it!” She exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

“Huh? What?” Mikey said, trying hard to keep his eyes on April as he continued to spin.

“You need a spa day!” April said, making jazz hands as she did.

“A spa day?”

“You said you wanted ‘Me Time’ right? Well, what better way is there to do that than practicing some self care? You get to relax a bit, because boy honestly you are wound tighter than a rubber band ball, and I get to practice my spa stuff! We both win!” April grinned triumphantly, hands on her hips.

Once Mikey got over his shock, he stood up, fiddling with the strings on his sweatshirt. “Are you sure? Cause I can help you finish these cupcakes and then -”

“No sir, I’ve decided. We’re having a spa night.” April said, her decision clearly made. Mikey couldn’t help but smile. Despite April not being actually related to him and his brothers, she truly was like family. Her determined optimism was truly contagious, and maybe, it was just what Mikey needed to feel like himself again.

“Alright, you da boss, bossman, uh, woman!” Mikey said with a laugh, letting excitement course through his body. “So, uh… what do I do?”

“YOU go take a shower, sewer boy.” April commanded, shooing Mikey towards the bathroom and handing him a large towel. “I’ll take care of everything else.”

Mikey did as he was told. After stepping in the bathroom and closing the door, he glanced at his reflection in the mirror. And for the first time in days, his reflection had a genuine smile on its face.

Chapter Text

Mikey showered quickly, drying off and throwing his sweatshirt and gear back on. He had to admit, he already felt better. Actually, when was the last time he showered? Two days ago? Three? Geez, he really hoped he hadn’t been smelling like sewer and sweat for the past few days. He sighed, grabbing his towel and making his way back to the living room.

“Hey April, where do you want this towel… Whoa ho ho!” Mikey stood dumbfounded, gazing in awe at how April set up the room. Somehow, in the last ten minutes or so, she hung up a bunch of lights, laid out soft blankets and pillows, gathered an array of different bottles and packages that Mikey could only assume were certain spa things, and set up a bunch of speakers. Smoking incense made the room smell amazing, although it did cause Mikey to cough a bit. The sound of steel drums emanated softly from the speakers, and in the middle of it all sat April, striking the most Buddha pose she could.

“Dude, how did you even set this up so fast?” Mikey asked, his excitement growing as he sat down in front of April.

“I’m just good at what I do.” April shrugged. “Now, I hope you’re ready for the most relaxing night of your little turtle life, Mikey boi!”

“Yeah!” Mikey exclaimed, pumping his fists up and down. “Honestly, I’ve been wanting to go to a spa ever since Leo raved about the one in the mystic city! Let’s do it!”

“Yeah!” April said, jumping to her feet excitedly. “Ok first… We gotta take it down a few notches. This energy is way too much for our relaxing night.”

“Ohhh right right right, got it!” Mikey said, giving a thumbs up and a soft, “Let’s do it!”

April started by having Mikey lay on his stomach. Using a sweet smelling lotion, she gave each of his arms a massage before moving to his shoulders. It was a little difficult, considering he has a shell and all, but April still managed to do an AMAZING job. Mikey was practically falling asleep, his mind empty except for the sound of steel drums.

“Jeez, I don’t care what your weird coworker says. Your massages are the best.” Mikey said, letting his body fully relax. He let out a deep sigh, his sore muscles feeling better than they had in weeks.

“That’s what I’m saying!” April said with a pout, crossing her arms across her chest. “Stupid Lacey and her goddamn acrylics.”

Mikey sat up, stretching out his arms with a groan. “Ok, what next?” He asked eagerly.

“Now, we do facemasks!” April replied, matching his enthusiasm and grabbing a few packages that she tossed in Mikey's direction. Mikey caught them with ease before reading the labels on each of them.

“Lavender Clay Mask, Rose Petal Mud Mask… Wait, are we just putting a bunch of mud on our faces?” Mikey questioned, confused.

“Yes! It’s good for your skin! I think. I actually don’t know if it’s good for turtle skin. But honestly, probably.” April grabbed a pack from Mikey and ripped it open. “Now hold still.” It took a minute, as Mikey could not stop giggling at the fact that rich humans rub mud on their faces on purpose, but he was finally able to quell his laughter and let April apply the facemask.

After rubbing mud all over their faces, which Mikey found felt weird but kinda nice, April grabbed one of his scarred hands, looking at his fingernails with wide eyes.

“Damn Mikey, what the hell have you been doing to your nails?” She asked, her face an image of shock.

Honestly, she was right to ask. Mikey really had been biting them a lot recently, and they showed it. “Ah, right.” He let out a nervous laugh, pulling his hand back. “I guess I’ve been falling back into some bad habits recently, heh heh.” Embarrassment caused his face to flush.

April gave him an unreadable stare before turning to grab a basket full of an assortment of different tools. “No worries, little man. I got just the thing.” She dug around for a second before pulling out a long nail file. “Here, I’ll show you a little trick my dad taught me back when I was a kid.”

April began filing his nails, sculpting them so their sharp, jagged edges became smooth. “I used to bite my nails all the time too. But when it would start getting bad, my dad would have me sit down in our kitchen and he’d file them for me. When they’re smooth, they’re less likely to bug you, so you bite them less.”

Mikey watched as she worked, never feeling more grateful that he had such an amazing sister. When she finished smoothing out his nails, she grabbed a few different colored polishes. “Then, he’d paint my nails, ‘cause that shit tastes nasty.” She grinned evilly, holding up the array of paints. “So pick your poison.”

“April, have I ever told you how awesome you are?” Mikey laughed, grabbing a bright pink color.

“Why yes, Micheal, yes you have!” April replied, snatching the color from his hands and beginning to paint. It was slow going, as Mikey’s hands were constantly shaking, but April managed to paint them without too many mistakes. She even outlined a few with a bright blue, matching the paint job Mikey had done on his plastron. “And voila, complete! You are healed! I have healed you!”

“Wowwww.” Mikey said, gazing in awe at his newly pink fingernails as he held them in front of his face. “Oh mi gosh I love them so much. Oh mi gosh!” He began flapping his hands, his excitement spilling over. “Thank you thank you thank you!”

“Woah, watch the paint job!” April laughed, climbing to her feet. “I’m glad you like them! Now, wash off that face mask of yours, and we’ll conclude this relaxing spa night with one last thing.”

Mikey did as he was told, carefully washing off the mask so as to not mess up his amazing nails. Then, he rejoined April out in the living room, where she was laying on her back with her eyes closed. She had changed the music to a more ethereal sound, the music almost feeling like it was caressing Mikey’s brain.

Mikey laid down next to her, resting his head softly on a pillow. “So… what are we doing now?”

“Now, we meditate.” April replied with a smirk.

“Aw man, now you just sound like Dad.” Mikey complained, rolling his eyes.

“Hey, it’s good for you!” April laughed, punching Mikey’s shoulder softly. “Now shut up and close your eyes.”

“Hai, sensei.” Mikey replied sarcastically, earning himself another whack from April. “Alright alright, I’m on it!”

Mikey closed his eyes. He’d done mediation things with Splinter before, but he never really got it. Dad always said to clear his mind, and let everything flow through him, but Mikey always found it difficult to keep his mind empty. There was always too much going on. He’d mostly given up on trying to meditate after they defeated the Shredder, as it just didn’t seem like something he’d ever be able to do.

This time, however, he thought he’d give it a serious try. Tonight had been so nice; maybe he’d actually be able to clear his mind for once. He followed Splinter’s teachings, breathing deeply and allowing thoughts to simply pass through his awareness. The feeling of the blanket on his shell, the sound of the music in his ears, the smell of incense in his nose… All recognized, all let go. He was floating, floating…

Falling.

With a gasp, Mikey sat up, his heart beating rapidly. He wasn’t in April’s apartment anymore. He appeared to be sitting in a black void, stretching an unfathomable distance in each direction. He scrambled to his feet, the surface feeling like he was walking on ice with a bit of water laying on top. The ripples from his movement almost seemed to glow with bright light before fading away back into the darkness.

Oh shit… Am I…? Is this…? Mikey hardly knew what to think. His heartbeat slowed as he looked around, becoming aware of faint sounds and images flashing in the darkness.

Visions of himself growing up in the sewers, training with his brothers, fighting with mutants, all appearing around Mikey as he walked through the darkness. Strangely, Mikey didn’t feel at all scared anymore. The initial shock of not being where he was supposed to be wore off. Now, he almost felt like he was home.

This has got to be my mind! I finally did it! Mikey thought excitedly, running to look at different memories. Yeah! That’s when Leo and I found that Jupiter Jim comic in the storm drain! And that’s when Raph accidentally knocked out my tooth! And that’s when we all met Casey! And that… Mikey’s thoughts trailed off as he approached a memory that stood out. It was him, using his mystic powers to save Leo. He watched as his past self sobbed, holding his hands up desperately as if they could possibly bring his brother back. Then, they started glowing. Mikey watched the events unfold: As the golden cracks began burning his arms, as Donnie and Raph helped him pull Leo through, as they all collapsed on top of eachother in relief, tears streaming down their faces.

Mikey felt tears begin dripping down his face as well. He wasn’t even sure why. As he wiped them away, he noticed golden light flowing from the memory into the darkness. Mikey followed curiously, the voices from his memories fading as he walked further and further away.

Finally, the light seemed to stop, so Mikey did as well, peering out into the darkness. Then, just ahead, he could barely make out the shape of something in the void. He took a few steps forward, and the shape became clear. Mikey felt his blood run cold as he looked upon himself, sitting in an inky black cage.

The other him had his eyes closed, and he was sitting with his legs crossed, almost as if he was trying to do Splinter’s meditation. His face was unreadable as Mikey approached, like he was deep in thought.

Mikey swallowed the bile rising in his throat as he stood only a foot from the cage, staring down at himself. Then, he spoke.

“Um, hello?”

Immediately, the other him looked up, opening his eyes to reveal that bright, golden light the Mikey had grown to fear. Mikey yelped, falling backwards as he crawled back from the cage. The other Mikey stared at him, his face twisting with anger.

“You…” The other Mikey said, his voice seeming to reverberate through Mikey’s body. The other Mikey stood up almost inhumanly fast, grasping the bars of the cages tightly. Mikey wanted to scream, he wanted to run, he wanted to do anything but sit frozen in front of this raging version of himself. The other Mikey seemed to spark, golden lightning flickering out every which way as he threw his head up against the cage bars with a loud clang.

“LET ME OUT OF HERE!”

Mikey couldn’t breathe. He was choking, he was dying.

He was falling.

With a desperate gasp, Mikey sat up, finding himself back in April’s apartment. The music was still playing, but he could hardly hear it over the sound of his own heart.

What was that? He panicked, his breathing quick and shallow. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!

Chapter Text

Mikey clutched his chest, breathing hard as he tried to ground himself back into reality.

“What the hell, Mikey?! You scared the shit out of me!”

April was now sitting up next to him, leaning over to get a better look at him. Mikey quickly turned away, hoping April couldn’t see the absolute terror on his face. What the hell was that… that thing in his mind?! It sounded so angry… Why was it so angry at him?! It’s voice, it’s eyes, it’s ANGER… Whatever the thing was, it sounded like it absolutely hated him.

“Mikey? Hey, Mikey? What’s going on? What happened?!”

Mikey wanted to cry. He wanted to throw himself into April’s arms and sob until he couldn’t anymore. He wanted to tell her everything, and beg her to help him feel ok again. He just wanted to feel ok.

Instead, he shakily climbed to his feet, walking quickly over to April’s window. April followed behind, grabbing his shoulder.

“Hey, where you going?” She asked worriedly. “You’re scaring me, buddy.”

He swallowed the lump forming in his throat, trying to keep his voice level as he slid it open. “Aha, I totally forgot I had put cookies in the oven! They’re probably burning as we speak, so, I gotta go.” She wouldn’t buy it. Mikey knew she wouldn’t buy it, but at this point he didn’t care. He had to leave, before he broke down in front of her.

“Mikey…” April started, but Mikey cut her off, turning around and wrapping her in a huge hug. He squeezed her tight, desperate for a sense of comfort as his thoughts swirled out of control. April hesitated, then hugged him back, rubbing his shell softly. Mikey knew he was shaking, his body betraying him, but he wouldn’t let himself cry. He held April for a few moments longer before taking a deep breath and pulling away.

“Mikes, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but you can tell me.” April said softly, her eyes pleading as she grabbed his hand.

“Like I said, I’m fine April!” Mikey forced a smile, squeezing her hand as he did. “I just have to go get those cookies before they burn the lair down.” He looked at the ground, unable to meet his sister’s eyes. He needed to get home. “Thank you, for the spa night. It was amazing. We should… do it again sometime. With everyone.”

With that, Mikey let go of her hand, turning to hop out the window onto the fire escape. He gave a final wave, trying to ignore the look of hurt on April’s face as he climbed the building and began making his way back home. The tears flowed freely now, sparkling in the night as they fell. Mikey could hardly breathe. He needed to get home. He needed to be home.

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April watched Mikey leap away, a feeling of dread creeping into her. Mikey had lied. He looked her right in the eyes and lied to her face. She wasn’t mad at him, however. When Mikey had jolted up from their meditating, she’d never seen him look so scared. Something was wrong, very wrong, and Mikey wasn’t willing to tell her. And that scared her.

April grabbed her phone, bringing up Raph’s contact information. She was just about to press call when she paused, a thought surfacing in her worried mind. Maybe there was a reason Mikey was hiding… whatever this was about. It was obvious to her that he hadn’t told his brothers, as they would have told her asap, and he clearly did not want to tell April either. Maybe this was something he wanted to work through on his own.

But what if he’s in danger? April thought, clutching her phone tightly. She looked at Raph’s number again, then sighed, turning the phone off. I have to give him a chance. He decided not to tell us for a reason, and I trust him. I trust him enough to make his own decisions.

April slowly began cleaning up from the spa night, the music lulling her into a more calm, rational state. That being said, I’ll text him every day. If he gives me a single reason to believe he can’t do this himself, I’m telling Raph. Mikey’s strong, stronger than his brothers believe. He’ll be ok. She paused, looking over at the shakily frosted cupcakes. Her lips quivered, and despite herself, a few tears flowed down her cheeks. He’s going to be ok.

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Mikey reached the sewers quickly, slipping through the halls of the lair like a shadow. He didn’t want his brothers to see him like this. He could feel himself on the edge of a full on breakdown. He walked through the halls in a haze, like he could phase out of existence at any moment. The only thing grounding him was the frantic beating of his own heart.

Due to Mikey’s impeccable luck, he couldn’t get away that easily. As he rounded the corner heading to his room, he bumped into Leo, who was carrying a large stack of Lou Jitsu video tapes.

“Whoa, watch the merchandise, hermano.” Leo laughed, balancing the many tapes in his arms. “How was your skating escapade?”

Mikey knew he couldn’t say anything without crying, so he gave a weak thumbs up, not looking at Leo as he continued walking towards his room. “You ok, bud?” Leo called after him, but Mikey just waved slightly, stepping into the seclusion of his room and locking the door.

At the sound of the lock clicking and Mikey knowing for certain that he was totally alone, he lost it. His shaky legs collapsed, and he fell to his floor, letting out a sob that he’d been choking down since April’s apartment.

He curled into a tight ball, his muscles tense and his breathing coming out short and rapid. He clutched his head, as if his trembling hands could somehow stabilize and quiet the swirling of his mind.

It was just too much. The sleep portaling, the broken handcuffs, the mindscape, the other him, the lying… It was all just too much. He desperately wanted to feel the comfort of his brothers. To hear them tell him that it would be ok, that they would solve this, and that things would go back to normal.

Fuck, what even is normal? Mikey thought, squeezing his eyes shut. I’m just so scared. I’m so fucking scared. What’s happening to me?

Mikey wasn’t sure how long the attack lasted. It must have been a while, because when he finally felt his breathing slow and his muscles unclench, he felt stiff and sore. He pushed himself into a sitting position, leaning up against his bed for support. He grabbed some water, wetting his dry mouth and dehydrated body.

Mikey peered sadly at his nails, their polish scuffed and ruined from his clumsy journey back to the sewers. He curled his hands into fists, holding them tight to his plastron.

I have to do something. Mikey thought, now that his brain was working semi-normally again. I can’t go on like this. But I feel like I’ve exhausted my options at this point. This is all just so complicated! My poor brain hurts.

Mikey groaned, holding his legs to his chest and trying to think.

Suddenly, a thought popped into his head. He jumped to his feet, bumping his fist on his palm. “I’ve got it!” He said out loud, turning towards his bed. He grabbed his pillow, throwing it up in the air and doing a jump-kick to send it flying. It burst into a bunch of fabric and stuffing, floating down softly around him like snow. Mikey watched it, a crazed, desperate look in his eyes as he laughed out loud.

“I just won’t sleep!”

Chapter Text

“You do realize this is a terrible idea, right?”

Mikey was chugging the last bit of coffee he’d just made, cringing slightly at the bitter taste. Doctor Feelings sat on his shoulder, giving him a stern look through his glasses.

“Sleep deprivation will only increase your stress levels and cause more issues for you.” He continued, to which Mikey responded with a groan. He began searching through the cupboards, on a mission to find a certain beverage.

“For once, I’m with glasses.” Dr. Delicate Touch chimed in, appearing on Mikey’s other shoulder. He turned and knocked on Mikey’s skull comedically. “Is your head screwed on right? Cause you’re acting straight crazy yo.”

“Both of you, quiet!” Mikey said, continuing his search. “I know it’s not the best idea, but I’m out of options. I need time to think, and I need time to figure out a plan. I can’t do that if I know every night psycho mystic Mikey is portalling off to do who knows what in different dimensions!”

Mikey swung the last cupboard open with a thud, letting out a triumphant “Aha!” as he laid eyes on his prize. About a year ago, Donnie had developed an energy drink that Mikey deemed “Brain Juice” before Donnie changed the name to a more “sophisticated” label, “Donnie’s 25 Hour Energy Boost.” Donnie had hidden them away after a few sleepless nights led to him creating a bomb that almost blew up half of New York, but Mikey had seen him stash them in the kitchen late one night.

“Perfect!” Mikey exclaimed, almost falling backwards off the counter as he reached for the bottles. “With these, I won’t have to worry about getting tired! Besides, this is only a temporary thing. I’m sure I’ll figure something out before I get too sleep deprived!”

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.” Dr. Delicate Touch rolled his eyes. Mikey swatted him away, collecting the bottles from the shelf and lugging them to his room. He set them on his desk, pushing away the feeling of dread in his chest.

Alright. Time for Phase Two. Mikey thought, making his way over to Leo’s room. He knocked on the door rhythmically, and after hearing a cheerful “Come in!,” he entered.

Leo was sitting on his bed, reading a comic with one hand and spinning a pen with the other. Soft blue lights emanated from the walls, and lofi beats played gently from his speakers. He must have been getting ready for bed, as he was wearing a Jupiter Jim shirt and pajama pants, with his mask hanging haphazardly over the side of his nightstand.

“Yo, Mikey!” Leo said excitedly, setting the comic down and turning to face his younger brother. “I was actually going to come check on ya before you went to sleep! You kinda came home looking like someone popped your birthday balloon.” He chuckled, walking over to Mikey and throwing his arm around the smaller turtle’s shoulders. He took on a more serious tone as he squeezed his brother in a side hug. “You alright? Did something happen on the surface?”

“No, no!” Mikey quickly countered, slipping from his older brother’s grasp and putting on a smile. “I just accidentally broke my board so I was kinda upset, you know how it is.” Mikey let out a chuckle. “But it was whatever, I’ve got plenty of boards.”

Mikey climbed up onto Leo’s bed, standing so he could look down at the taller turtle. “I actually have a query for you, Leon.” He spoke in a joking tone, crossing his arms and shooting his brother a daring look. “You know how you’ve always wanted to do a horror binge night with me but I always turn you down cause I hate horror?”

“Uh, yeah?” Leo answered, his face clouded with confusion. “I’m sorry, does this have a point, Miguel?”

“Yes! How would you like to do a scary movie night tonight? All night?” Mikey questioned, trying not to let his nervousness show through.

Leo’s eyes brightened, before clouding over with confusion again. “Wait, are you serious? Mikey, you don’t have to watch horror if you don’t want -”

“I want to!” Mikey lied, cutting him off. “I think it’s about time, y’know? We’ve seen way scarier things than demons and such. I’m sure it’ll be fun!” Mikey felt like he was half convincing himself with his words. He hopped down from Leo’s bed, leaping over to jump on his brother’s back. “What do you say? We can bring blankets, I’ll make popcorn, it’ll be awesome!”

Leo’s eyes brightened once again and he smiled wide. “Yeah, it sounds amazing! I know just the movies we can watch too! Hold on, I’ll grab my movies, you go get that popcorn started!” He lifted Mikey off of him and began digging through a drawer under his bed. “This is going to be epic!”

“Yeah!” Mikey agreed, sneaking out to head to the kitchen. He sighed.

This was going to be terrible.

Mikey absolutely HATED horror. It always freaked him out, no matter what, and then he couldn’t sleep for days after. Which was exactly what he wanted. Mikey steadied his shaking body, steeling his eyes forward. It would be fine. He would scare himself into staying awake, and his brother would have the amazing night he’d been wanting, so it was a win-win situation. However, as he approached the kitchen, he couldn’t help but shiver as a chill traveled up his spine.

After he’d made a full bowl of popcorn, he went to join Leo in the living room. Leo had set up a ton of blankets and pillows on the floor, almost like it was a giant bed. There was a stack of about ten movies sitting next to him, and Mikey suppressed a whimper as he read a few of the titles.

“Hey Mikes!” Leo greeted him, patting the spot next to him. “Got a spot for you right here! And look, I brought Mr. Stuffin’s for you to hold!”

Mikey couldn’t help but laugh at this. Mr. Stuffin’s was a ragged old teddy bear that Mikey had found when they were little. It had been sitting under a city bench, its button eyes ripped out and stuffing spilling from multiple different stitches. Mikey had grabbed it and brought it home, sewing it back up with bits of fabric and patches he had collected over the years. He’d given it to Leo as a mutation day gift, and Leo had kept it on his nightstand ever since.

“Aw, thanks man.” Mikey said, setting the bowl of popcorn in front of his brother and hugging the bear to his chest.

Leo smiled back at him before shooting him a worried glance. “Are you sure you’re up for this, little bro? Cause seriously, if you don’t want to watch scary movies, we can watch something else. I just like watching shit with you, y’know?”

“No, it’s fine!” Mikey said, holding Mr. Stuffin’s with a death grip. “I’m so up for it! Just give me one moment!”

Mikey ran around the corner, pulling a 25 hour energy bottle from his shell. He swallowed down the apprehension he was feeling, unscrewed the lid, then quickly downed the bottle. Immediately, he almost gagged. The liquid was sickly sweet, with a nasty aftertaste. Mikey threw the bottle away, rolling his eyes. This is what happens when you try to drink something Donnie made. Bleh!

As he walked back, he could already feel adrenaline pumping through his veins. The world seemed to grow more crisp, the colors and images sharpening. He grew more aware of the environment sounds, such as the whirring of the AC and the buzzing coming from the TV. Woah, Donnie wasn’t kidding about the energy boost. Mikey thought as he sat down, stimming by rubbing his legs with his hands. He almost felt itchy from all the adrenaline, but he ignored it and turned to Leo, who was busy shoveling popcorn into his mouth. “Alright, I’m ready! Let’s do this!”

“Alright! Let’s do it!” Leo replied, smiling evilly as he grabbed the first movie. “This one is an easier one, ok? We’ll work our way up to the really scary ones!”

“Ha ha, yeah!” Mikey replied nervously as Leo set up the movie. “So excited!”

.
.
.

Leo fell asleep about halfway through the third movie.

As soon as Mikey noticed Leo snoring, he turned the movie off. He had barely watched any of the movies. Pretty much the whole time he had been hiding his head under a blanket, holding Mr. Stuffin’s like a lifeline. He was shaking, and whether it was from the movies or the adrenaline still pumping through his veins, he wasn’t sure. But the lair seemed a lot darker to him, with way too many places for monsters and demons to hide.

“Whoo, ok, get it together Mikey.” He whispered to himself, climbing to his feet. His legs were trembling, and he kept scanning the room for movement. “They’re just movies! And the lair’s safe; Donnie’s made sure of that.”

Mikey lifted up his sleeping older brother, carrying him softly to his room. After he’d set him in his bed and made sure he was all tucked in, he set Mr. Stuffin’s in Leo’s arms. Leo immediately grabbed the bear, hugging it tight and letting out a little happy chirrup. Mikey smiled. The only nice thing about watching the scary movies had been seeing his brother so happy. Mikey had no idea how horror movies could make Leo smile so much, but it was nice to see his brother having plain, stupid fun. He needed more of that.

Mikey turned off the lights, then made his way back to his room, clutching his shoulders tightly and glancing around nervously. The smallest noises kept making him jump, and he didn’t relax until he was safely in his room with the door closed.

“Whew, ok, we’re good.” Mikey reassured himself. He gazed at the pizza clock on his wall. It was around three in the morning. Mikey had been hoping that hanging with Leo would have kept him occupied for more of the night, but clearly his older brother was tired and needed sleep.

Mikey sat on the corner of his bed, bouncing his leg. He was jittery. The 25 hour energy drink was still coursing through his veins, and it was driving Mikey batty. It was quiet, much too quiet, but at the same time, it was too loud. The humming of the AC was worming into his head like a bug, and the silence of everything made Mikey feel as if he was completely alone. Mikey grabbed his headphones, quickly turning on some soft rap. It helped. He sighed, that problem solved, but his body still felt off. He needed to do something with his hands asap or he was going to explode. He gazed around his messy room, littered with colored pencils, half-empty spray paint cans, and abandoned drawings.

Mikey climbed to his feet and began picking up the papers scattered on his floor. This he could do. He could just clean and tidy stuff. Mikey shuffled the papers, stacking them neatly on his desk before reaching down to grab more. Hopefully, this would keep him occupied until the morning. See? He thought to no one in particular. I knew it would be fine. This’ll be easy. And as soon as I figure out what to do about the portalling and Mystic Mikey, I can sleep again. Everything will be fine.

Chapter Text

Mikey ended up cleaning almost the entirety of the Lair.

After he finished organizing his room, which included sorting through drawings, shelving multiple comic books, and having to drag who knows how many clothes out from under his bed, he moved on to the TV room. This eventually led to him tidying the kitchen, sweeping Donnie’s lab, and even deep cleaning the training room. It was a little difficult, as different scenes from the horror movies he’d barely watched kept popping into his head, causing him to be hyper aware of his surroundings. However, Mikey ignored his fears, trying to focus on cleaning instead. After a few long hours, he started to feel the caffeine wearing off and his cleaning energy waning.

Mikey finally slumped down in Splinter’s chair, his eyes heavy. He paused his music, still playing softly from his headphones, and glanced at the time. Six am. Mikey breathed a sigh of relief. He’d made it through the first night with no complications! However, he wasn’t out of the woods yet. He still hadn’t thought of anything to cease the sleep portalling activities.

Mikey rubbed his forehead tiredly before standing up and lumbering towards his newly cleaned room. He grabbed another energy drink off his desk and stared at it with a disgusted grimace. “Really Donnie.” He said resentfully, squeezing his eyes shut and downing the bottle, trying not to gag. “You couldn’t have tried at least a little to make this not taste like absolute death?”

He threw the bottle away before turning to glance at himself in the mirror. Dark circles were already making an appearance under his eyes, and the depressed look on his face made Mikey groan. He leaned towards the mirror, pointing an accusatory finger at himself.

“Get your shit together, Micheal. We got work to do, so brighten up, you wet rag!” He growled at his reflection. His reflection glared back at him, and he couldn’t help but picture it as his mystic self, staring at him with those glowing golden eyes. Mikey shook his head to clear his mind, then brought a smile to his face, posing with a few finger guns. “We got this!” He said cheerfully, trying to convince himself as he felt the adrenaline once again start pumping through his veins. Now he just looked insane.

“And I’m talking to myself. Not the greatest sign, I’ll be honest.” Mikey sighed, dropping the finger guns and rolling his eyes. Now that there was once again a large amount of caffeine coursing through his body, Mikey desperately needed to do something. He couldn’t just sit listening to his own quickening heartbeat. He could feel his blood pumping under his skin, and it was freaking him out. He began tapping on his arms nervously, biting his lip.

“Aha!” He said finally, grabbing his T-phone and making his way to the door. “I’ll make breakfast! No, I’ll make an AMAZING breakfast! It’ll be perfect!”

Mikey practically ran to the kitchen, his mind racing with ideas. Anything to keep his overly caffeinated body occupied. For the next hour or so, Mikey rushed around the kitchen like a wild breeze. By the time his brothers woke up and greeted him in the kitchen, they were surprised to see a full on feast laid before them.

“Holy crap, Mikes…” Leo finally said after a few seconds of astonished silence. “What is all this?”

“Ah! Leo, Donnie, Raph! You’re awake!” Mikey squealed gleefully, turning towards them with a crazed look in his eyes. “I made breakfast!”

“Uh, yeah, we see that.” Raph said suspiciously, taking in the plethora of food on the table. “What’s the occasion?”

“No occasion! Just wanted to cook!” Mikey said, grabbing Raph by the shoulders and making him sit. “Look look look! I made Raph shaped pancakes, with homemade strawberry jam and maple glazed bacon! AND I made whipped cream to top it with!”

“Wow, uh, thanks Mikey.” Raph said, gazing at his plate in awe. “When did you find the time to -”

“Leo!” Mikey quickly interrupted, rushing over to his blue brother and directing him to a different plate. “Blueberry pancakes with honey and cinnamon! I also fried up some eggs for ya!”

“Mikey…” Leo smiled nervously at his little brother’s energy. “This is great, but…”

“Oh, and I didn’t forget you, Donnie!” Mikey excitedly ran up to his last brother, a large glass in hand. “I know you’re not a fan of breakfast, so I made you a mixed berry smoothie, garnished with some mint! That way it’s not food, but it’ll still fill you up and -”

“Why?”

This time, Mikey was cut off. Donnie was giving him a stern look, his arms crossed across his plastron.

“Don’t get me wrong, this is really sweet and all.” Donnie continued, gently taking the smoothie from Mikey and setting it to the side. “But this seems overkill, Micheal. Like you’re trying to hide something.” Donnie’s eyes were sharp, and Mikey found it hard to maintain eye contact.

“Yeah, Mikes, this is amazing, really.” Raph chimed in, walking over to Donnie. “But seriously, what’s all this for? Did you break something? Cause if so, you should probably just say so -”

“No, it wasn’t that! I… uh…” Mikey was struggling to think of a lie to tell. He could feel the energy drink he’d downed earlier beginning to wear off, his mind becoming more foggy. He looked back and forth between his two concerned brothers, feeling as though he was shrinking under their gaze. It took a lot of effort not to just curl into his shell to escape their imploring eyes.

“Oh no, Mikes…” Leo finally said, walking over and grabbing Mikey’s shoulders. He gave Mikey a worried look. “It was the movies, wasn’t it? You probably didn’t get a wink of sleep last night, did you?”

“Movies? What movies?” Raph said, confused. Mikey breathed a sigh of relief as the attention was turned away from him.

“Mikey and I watched a bunch of horror movies last night, and I must have fallen asleep.” Leo groaned, rubbing his face. “I’m sorry Mikes, this is all my fault.”

“Why would you show Mikey horror movies? He hates scary stuff!” Raph argued as Mikey slowly snuck a few steps back.

“He wanted to watch them! I thought it would be fine!” Leo countered, turning to face the larger turtle.

As Raph and Leo continued to bicker back and forth, Mikey began slowly cleaning up from his cooking frenzy. He felt like crap. Not only was he tired again, he felt like someone had just punched him right in the heart. He had meant for this breakfast to be a nice thing; how did it all go so wrong? As he wiped the counter clean, he felt a hand on his shell.

“The smoothie’s really good.” Donnie’s voice said from his side. “Thank you.”

Mikey didn’t look at him, but he felt a little better. One of Donnie’s mechanical arms pet him softly on the head.

“Was it really the movies that kept you awake?” Donnie inquired. Mikey could feel his red eyes staring at him, and Mikey swallowed down his nervousness.

“Yeah, it was a stupid idea on my part.” Mikey replied, turning to clean some bowls. “I just wanted to do something nice for Leo.” It was bothering Mikey how good he was getting at lying to his brothers. It made him sick, like he’d eaten week old pizza that was slowly rotting in his stomach.

“Pft, there’s plenty of other ways to make that idiot happy.” Donnie grunted, rolling his eyes. “He’s a simple creature.”

“Ha, yeah.”

“Anyways.” Donnie turned to Raph and Leo, their argument still going. “If you two are done squabbling for the day, Micheal did make us a splendid meal. I suggest we partake before it becomes cold.”

“Oh, right!” Raph said quickly, walking over and giving Mikey a huge bear hug. “Thanks little bro! It looks amazing! As per usual! Just remember, taking it easy, right?”

“Right!” Mikey agreed, relieved that things seemed to have taken a turn for the better.

“Yeah, gracias hermano!” Leo agreed, stuffing a pancake in his mouth. “You da best!”

Mikey smiled, his brother’s excited energy filling him with joy. However, he could feel the heaviness of his limbs as his body began crashing, his eyes heavy.

“I’ll join you in just a sec!” Mikey said to his brothers, who were actively devouring the food he’d made. “I just gotta run to the bathroom!”

Mikey snuck away to his room, grabbing another energy drink and downing it quickly. He was breathing heavily, feeling his insides churn at the addition of the drink. This stuff truly was nasty.

Mikey swallowed the bile forming in his throat and gazed into his mirror. I can do this… He thought to himself, steeling his eyes forward and squaring his shoulders as he made his way back to the kitchen. As he walked, he could feel the energy drink working its twisted magic, the adrenaline making his skin crawl. I can do this… Can’t I?

Chapter Text

The day went by smoother than Mikey had expected.

The energy drinks were really doing their job to keep him awake and energized. And the tiredness? Okay, maybe it was a bit more than usual, but nothing Mikey couldn’t handle. Especially with the copious amount of caffeine in his body.

Mikey kept himself busy throughout the day. He got through doing drills with his brothers, which took a lot of effort on his part. He just couldn’t seem to concentrate through the fogginess in his mind. However, his brothers either didn’t seem to notice or didn’t care to bring it up, which was fine by him. At least Splinter was still holding out on doing anymore one-on-one training for the time being, or Mikey would really be in trouble. He and his brothers knew each other’s fighting styles inside-out, so it was obvious when one of them was having issues.

Mikey spent the rest of the day in the subway tunnels that branch out under New York City, doing some slightly illegal redecorating of the walls. Spray cans in hand and plenty of energy drinks stored in his bag, Mikey let his mind run wild as he painted the aesthetic, although slightly damp, brick walls. Out of all his go to things to do to relax, painting was his absolute favorite. And lucky for him, he was finally able to do something without worries of mystic bullshit hanging over his shoulder.

When he finished his painting, which for some reason turned into a mural of himself fighting Godzilla around the swirling moons of Jupiter, Mikey slowly made his way back to the lair. He was going through Donnies energy drinks faster than he would have liked, but it seemed the more he drank, the shorter the caffeine high lasted.

Mikey crawled into the sewer pipe that led back to the lair, his eyes heavy. Ugh, this sucks. He thought to himself. It’s only been a day… Why am I so tired? Mikey kicked a random soda can, listening to it reverberate off the sewer walls. Well, I honestly haven’t been getting good sleep for weeks now, so maybe I was already in the sleep deprived department. Laaaaame…

He eventually arrived back at the lair and stumbled into his room, quickly counting the remaining bottle’s of Donnie’s energy drinks. “Only 16?!” He exclaimed, anxiety beginning to cloud his already foggy mind. “That means I went through a third of them just today!”

Mikey flopped onto his newly cleaned bed, biting at his nails nervously. Ok, I can do this. If I play my cards right, I have maybe two more days left of energy drinks before I’m out. That means I need to start figuring out this mystic business, asap.

Mikey sat up, grabbing a bottle and drinking it quickly, no longer caring about the foul taste. “Maybe I’ll spend the night in Donnie’s lab.” Mikey mused, grabbing a few energy drinks and his drawing pad as the caffeine started moving throughout his body. “There might be some sort of sciencey solution to this! And besides, Donnie’s lab is the best place for someone who doesn’t want to sleep; those lights never turn off!”

After putting on his headphones and turning on some loud rap, Mikey made his way through the halls to the lab. Despite the recently drunk energy drink and the intense music blasting his brain, Mikey still felt tired. It was like his body was awake, god knows his heart was beating a thousand miles a minute, but his mind was exhausted.

He reached the lab and flopped down in his bean bag with a huff, letting his head loll back. Maybe… I could just shut my eyes for a moment. That couldn’t hurt, right? He thought tiredly, his eyes slowly blinking.

Just then, his purple clad brother appeared, standing over him with a scowl, causing Mikey to squeal and jump to his feet. Mikey yanked his headphones off quickly. “Donnie!” He squeaked, any trace of tiredness gone from his body as adrenaline coursed through his veins. “Oh mi gosh, you scared the shell off of me!”

“And yet your shell remains firmly attached.” Donnie droned, rolling his eyes. “Besides, you startled me! I was just sitting down to work a bit on my battle shell, and you walked right past me. Didn’t you see me at my desk?”

“Ehm, no?” Mikey replied, rubbing the back of his head. “With your purple mask, you kinda, I don’t know, blend in to the rest of the room?”

“You know what? I don’t know whether to take that as a jab or a compliment.” Donnie said with a sigh, “I do rock the purple aesthetic.” Donnie crossed his arms, giving Mikey an accusatory look. “However, that doesn’t explain why you’re in MY lab when you assumed I’d be asleep. What are you up to?”

“Oh, I was just coming here to think.” Mikey said quickly. It wasn’t exactly a lie. After all, he was trying to think of a solution to this mystic stuff. However, it’s true that he didn’t often come here without Donnie here as well. So, Mikey deflected. “Besides, I thought you might show up. You said you were going to tell me about your new battle shell, remember?”

“I said later, not now.” Donnie replied, walking over to his desk. “It’s not all planned out or anything, it’s just… Ideas. Nothing super interesting.”

“Oh! You’re coming up with ideas? I can help!” Mikey exclaimed, bouncing over to join Donnie. He hopped up on the desk, handing Donnie a notepad and pen. “C’mon, tell me about it! Let’s bounce some ideas back and forth!”

“Aren’t you tired, Angelo?” Donnie asked, “Weren’t you awake all last night?”

“Well, yes, but this won’t take forever!” Mikey replied, crossing his fingers that maybe this would indeed take up a good chunk of his sleepless night. “Lay it on me, science guy!”

Donnie sighed, but grinned despite himself as he pulled up some holographic blueprints. “Alright, so the main focus is offensive defense…”

The next few hours went by quickly. Donnie explained the mechanics of multiple ideas he’d already concocted for his new battle shell, including double layered defense, improved thrusters, a built in parachute, and a multi-tool extension. Mikey didn’t understand most of the actual science jargon, but he enjoyed his brother’s ideas. After everything with the Kraang, he wanted Donnie’s new shell to be able to protect him from anything. He would never forget the sound of Donnie’s old battle shell cracking on top of him as his older brother lay exposed to the Kraang.

“Wait wait wait!” Mikey exclaimed as he and Donnie were brainstorming new ideas. “What if you had some sort of button or something that caused your shell to emit an electric shock? That way, if someone was touching your shell or any part of it, you could shock them into next week!”

“Mikey, that’s brilliant!” Donnie said, an excited gleam in his eyes as he wrote in his notepad. “If I can somehow create an electric field confined to the surface of the shell and maintained through…”

As Donnie continued rambling, Mikey couldn’t help but yawn. He was due for another energy drink soon, as his body was beginning to feel like it weighed a million pounds. Donnie stopped what he was saying, glancing at the time on his T-phone.

“Three am?! Are you kidding me?” Donnie exclaimed, pinching the bridge of his skull. “Ugh, no wonder you’re so tired. You should go to bed now, Angelo.”

“What? But Donnie, we’re in a groove! We can’t stop now!” Mikey pleaded, desperate for distraction Donnie was supplying. “Besides, I’m not that tired, I can-”

“Mikey, this is not up for debate. If it was, I’d win anyways.” Donnie said haughtily, exiting out of his holograms and giving Mikey a pat on the shell. “You were super helpful, thank you. I have something else I need to work on right now, so you should go. I know it sounds hypocritical coming from me, the king of sleepless nights, but rest is important. You’ll never heal if you don’t sleep.”

Mikey sighed, finally giving in. “Fine, fine. Later Don. See ya in the morning.” As Mikey turned to leave, he suddenly turned back around, remembering why he came to the lab in the first place.

“Hey, Donnie?” He asked, knocking his knuckles together nervously. “I was watching a, uh, cartoon, where this person kept sleepwalking, and they were like, totally doing terrible stuff in their sleep. If something like that was real, how would someone stop it? I’m only asking because it freaked me out a bit, ha ha.”

Donnie turned around, pondering. “Well, if this was a real life thing and not some stupid cartoon, I would maybe say… Outside help? Typically therapy along with a strong support system helps with sleepwalking. And, if that didn’t work, you could always tie the person to their bed!” Donnie laughed. “What kind of cartoons are you watching?”

“Completely unrealistic ones.” Mikey answered, laughing nervously. “Alright, thanks Don. Night.”

“Night Mikey.”

Mikey left Donnie to work on whatever he was fixing and made his way back to his room, chugging an energy drink as he did. That was… unhelpful. He groaned, rubbing his forehead with frustration. Now he had to figure out something to kill the next few hours.

Eventually, Mikey decided to go on a walk. He skateboarded his way through the sewers over to Central Park. After donning his sweatshirt and facemask, he climbed up to the surface, bringing his board along with him. The park was mostly empty, save for a few people who, like him, probably couldn’t or wouldn’t sleep. He skated unbothered, taking in the art and trees blowing gently in the wind. It was truly beautiful. The city at night always seemed to calm him.

As he skated, he contemplated different ideas to stop his mystic self, but it was as if he brain didn’t even want to try and think anymore. Eventually, he just let his psyche run wild, zoning out as he boarded slowly around the park.

It wasn’t until the sun started peeking through the tall buildings of the city and people began milling about again that Mikey finally decided to head home.

Chapter Text

Things were starting to go downhill for Mikey. Fast.

As soon as he reached the lair, Mikey found himself struggling to remember what he was doing. He was standing in the kitchen for some reason, skateboard still in hand.

“Ugh…” He moaned, setting his skateboard off to the side and leaning on the counter. “What am I doing here? I thought I was going to my room…”

Mikey shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, but his brain remained as fuzzy as ever. He rolled his eyes, stumbling out of the kitchen towards his room. Despite his exhaustion, his eyes were nervously jerking back and forth. He kept thinking he was seeing his brothers lurking in the shadows of the hallway.

“Keep it together, Mikey.” He said through gritted teeth, rubbing his arms nervously. “You’re just a little tired and jumpy, no big deal.” However, Mikey could feel his anxiety growing, the pit that had made a home in his stomach for the past few weeks deepening.

Mikey reached his room, immediately downing an energy drink and pulling out his drawing pad. “Ok, ideas, ideas…” He mumbled, tapping his skull with his pencil. “I need ideas…”

The more he stared at the empty white sheet, the more frustration he felt. The whole reason he’d decided to attempt this sleepless saga was to give himself time to come up with a solution. And so far, he’d come up with squat. He tapped the pencil faster.

Why can’t I think of a single idea? I’ve had all this time, and I’ve done nothing! Can’t I do a single thing right? I’m such a waste of mutagen; a waste of oxygen. WHY CAN’T I DO THIS?!

The pencil snapped as Mikey gripped it, hard. He let out a hiss, throwing it across his room in anger. He grasped his head in his hands. He was so freaking tired. I just want to sleep. Please…

Just then, his alarm went off, causing Mikey to jump. He quickly grabbed his T-phone, turning it off and tossing it on his bed. Mikey took a deep breath, gripping the edge of his covers tightly. He then leapt to his feet, forcing a smile. No, no, this is fine. Mikey thought to himself, turning to pick up the broken pieces of pencil. He threw them away, then turned to his mirror. His reflection stared back at him, deep circles rimming his bloodshot eyes. He shifted his mask to cover the tinted skin, then posed. See? I’m fine, I can do this! I’m Michealangelo! I’m the funny, energetic turtle! I never get tired, never! And I still have plenty of time to figure this out! It’s fine, it’s all fine!

“I’m fine!” He exclaimed aloud, turning on his heels and walking towards his door.

Mikey marched out of his room, a determined look on his face. Today was going to be a good day. He’d get through training, then focus on brainstorming a cure for his sleep portalling. He had no choice. It had to happen today.

Mikey grabbed himself a granola bar and headed to the training room. For the first time ever, Mikey was the first turtle to arrive, and he arrived early. He slammed the door open with purpose, trying to channel what little energy the caffeine had given him. Splinter, who’d already been in there prepping for training, jumped at the sight of his youngest son.

“Ah! Orange! What are you doing here? I have not even set up the training dummies yet -”

“I can do that!” Mikey said, interrupting his father and grabbing a training dummy from his paws. “I’m feeling it today, Dad! This session is gonna be Mikey’s session, baby! Just you wait!”

“Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this excited about training.” Splinter said cautiously, but then grinned. “It’s nice to see you showing some passion for the finer arts of ninjutsu!”

“Oh yeah, I’m totally going to ninja the FUCK out of this training!” Mikey exclaimed, kicking the training dummy across the room. He decided to ignore how heavy his body felt.

“Language, Orange! Not in my dojo.” Splinter chastised, grabbing another training dummy and handing it to Mikey. Mikey simply looked at it, confused.

“Um, what am I doing with this?” He asked nervously, earning a scowl from Splinter.

“You said you’d help me set them up? Like, thirty seconds ago?” Splinter replied, tilting his head questioningly.

Mikey rubbed his forehead, trying to keep his anxiety from spiking again. Did he say that? He couldn’t remember… Everything just felt so fuzzy.

“Ugh, whatever, just set him over there.” Splinter directed, setting another dummy up. “And go sit and meditate or something. Your mind is unfocused. You cannot hope to have a good training session with your head in the clouds.”

“Right, meditate. Love doing that.” Mikey replied, trying not to think about his last meditation experience. Mikey sighed with relief as he saw Raph enter the dojo, followed by a yawning Leo and a tired looking Donnie.

“Ah, good! You’re awake!” Splinter said, walking to the front of the room. “Do some stretches to warm up, then grab your weapons. Today, we are shifting back to one-on-one training.”

Mikey felt his stomach drop. As his brothers let out a unanimous cheer, he couldn’t hide the panic on his face. No… no no no. This wasn’t how today was supposed to go!”

“Because Red and Blue can’t help but try to raise my blood pressure, I will be separating you two today. Blue, you can spar with Purple, and Red will be paired with Orange. You will watch each other spar, and then we will discuss strengths and weaknesses in your fighting.”

As Splinter continued to explain, Mikey swallowed down the bile forming in his throat. No, this’ll be fine. It has to be fine. I just have to get through this. I may be tired, but I can still fight! Mind over matter, Mikey!

“Orange!”

Mikey jumped as Splinter yelled his name. Judging by the glare the rat gave him, it appeared his name had been called a few times.

“If you are done staring at the floor, you can join your brother on the mat.” Splinter said with an annoyed flick of his ear.

“Hell yeah, baby!” Mikey forced his enthusiasm, jumping in front of Raph despite his body’s protests. “I hope you’re ready for this, Raphy boi, cause I’m about to infect you with some of the sickest moves this turtle has.” Mikey hardly even knew what he was saying at this point, but the taunt sounded good.

“Hah, you wish!” Raph laughed, falling into a fighting stance.

On Splinter’s word, Raph ran forward, a lot quicker than Mikey remembered. He barely rolled out of the way as Raph punched the air where Mikey had been standing. Raph turned back to him, a teasing glint in his green eyes. “Where’s those sick moves, Mikey boi?” Usually, Raph’s jabs would make Mikey laugh, but this time, it felt like a slap to the face. Mikey could already tell this fight wasn’t going to go as planned.

Raph dove into another attack, and this time Mikey was too slow as Raph clipped his shoulder, causing Mikey to fly to the other side of the mat. He climbed to his feet with a groan just in time to see a red blur heading his way. Mikey dodged again, totally on the defense as Raph barrelled past him, breathing heavy as he tried to think. But his mind just wasn’t working.

“Focus, Orange!” Splinter called, causing Mikey to flinch. Couldn’t he see that he was trying? Mikey growled, rushing towards Raph while spinning his nunchaku menacingly. He faked an attack on Raph’s left before ducking to his right side. However, Raph easily guessed his intention, turning his body to block the incoming hits.

Mikey drew back, his frustration growing. Why was he so slow? This was ridiculous! Usually his best bet in being on par with Raph’s strength was his own speed and agility, but he had none of that right now. For the life of him, he couldn’t remember a single fighting technique. Even moves he’d known for years escaped him, and he found himself growing more angry at himself by the second.

Raph charged again, this time directly aiming to take Mikey down. Mikey dove to the side, turning to trip Raph and use his own weight against him. But once again, he was too slow. Raph threw him to the mat, holding him down by his plastron.

“What’s goin’ on, Mikes?” Raph asked, a worried look on his face. “You ok?”

Raph’s sincerity seemed to anger Mikey more, as he let out a frustrated yell, kicking out with both legs causing the larger turtle to stumble back. Mikey ran at him blindly, preparing to leap on top of him. Suddenly, a tail wrapped around him and pulled him back, causing Mikey to fall out of bounds. The fight was over.

Mikey was on his knees, breathing hard as Splinter unwrapped his tail from the young turtle’s shell. Mikey couldn’t look him in the eyes. He could feel the disappointment radiating from the old rat.

Instead, he looked over at Raph, who had a shocked look on his face. Leo and Donnie had the same look: A mix of shock and worry.

“Orange, what is the meaning of this?” Splinter demanded. Mikey clenched his eyes shut, as if it would make the world disappear for a moment. But when he opened them, his father was still there, his face worried and questioning.

“It’s nothing, I’m fine.” Mikey through gritted teeth, pushing himself to his feet. “Just… tired, that’s all.”

“You are acting very strange. Are you sick?” Splinter inquired, reaching out to feel Mikey’s forehead. Without realizing what he was doing, Mikey slapped his hand away, hearing an audible gasp from his brothers.

“I said I’m fine!” Mikey growled, climbing to his feet. He needed to get away. He couldn’t stand it. All the kindness, the worry, the caring faces of his family. He didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve them. If they knew what was happening, that he was lying to all of them, they’d hate him. He had to get away.

Mikey stumbled to the door, unintentionally slamming it behind him. He’d apologize later. Right now, he needed to be alone. His brothers didn’t need this. They needed the fun, easy-going Mikey, and he just couldn’t be that right now. I’ll just stay in my room until I find a solution. They shouldn’t have to see me like this. They deserve better.

As he walked, he felt like crying. But he didn’t even think he deserved to do that.

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The rest of the Hamato family watched Mikey leave, speechless. The silence was finally broken by Splinter.

“Boys. I want an explanation. Now.” His voice was even, but worry clouded his face as he stared at the door the youngest had exited.

“I don’t know, pops!” Raph answered, nervously rubbing his fists together. “He’s been acting… weird recently. Raph’s been worried about him.”

“You guys have noticed that too?” Leo chimed in, slinging his Odachi over his shoulder. “I’m glad I’m not the only one.”

Donnie just stared at the floor, his gaze unreadable. Finally, he grabbed his tech-Bo and made his way to the exit.

“Keep training. I’m going to go talk to him. Maybe I can get some information.” He said, shooting a look over his shoulder. “I’ll update you if I learn anything.”

With that, Donnie strode determinedly towards Mikey’s room. He’d been worried about his little brother for weeks now, ever since the camera incident. He’d almost managed to fix the camera, and now, due to Mikey’s outburst, it was his top priority.

I’ve never seen Mikey act like that before. Donnie thought, nervously clenching his staff. He seemed so, lost.

He needed to figure out this mystery.

But first, he needed to have a little talk with his younger brother.

Chapter Text

Mikey burst into his room, still breathing hard. He sat on his bed, staring down at his floor and clutching the blankets tightly with his fists. Now that he’d gotten away from the worried faces of his family, he felt his anger ebbing away, being replaced with anxiety.

Shit… now they’re really going to know something’s up. I’m running out of time! Mikey thought nervously, biting at his nails. I have to figure this out, now!

Mikey reached over, grabbing an energy drink from his desk. I just need to wake up a bit more. It’ll be fine, everything will work out fine. Mikey lifted the bottle to his lips and began chugging it down.

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!”

Mikey practically spit half of the energy drink across his room. In his doorway stood a very pissed off looking Donnie. Oh shit… He’d forgot to close his door.

“Eep! Donnie! I, uh, this is, uh…” Mikey stumbled over his words, quickly throwing the half empty bottle he had into the trash.

“Have you been drinking these? Are you crazy?!” Donnie stomped into Mikey’s room, grabbing one of the energy drinks from his desk. “These things are dangerous, Mikey! I hid them for a reason! How did you even find them?!”

Mikey looked at his feet. “You hid them in the kitchen.” He said through clenched teeth. “That’s my domain, Donnie. Did you really think I didn’t know they were there?”

Donnie scowled, once again turning to the bottles. “How many of these have you drank? And for how long?” He asked, his voice devoid of emotion.

“Does it matter?” Mikey snapped. He wasn’t entirely sure why he was acting this way. He was just so… mad at himself. He was frustrated that he couldn’t keep up this facade, that he couldn’t hide his problems away, and that his family saw right through his walls. How was he supposed to be strong when he always acted so helpless?

“Yes, it matters!” Donnie practically snarled, causing Mikey to jump. Donnie shook his head, regaining his composure and bringing up a chart on his wrist. “This amount of caffeine is extremely unhealthy and can have dire consequences.” Donnie’s eyes widened, then narrowed as he glared at his brother. “You haven’t been sleeping at all, have you?”

Mikey didn’t answer, instead turning to look away.

“Hah! It all makes sense now!” Donnie began pacing back and forth. “You’re sleep deprived! That explains the mood swings, the irritability, everything!” Donnie paused, walking over to Mikey.

“Mikey, why? Why are you doing this?” Donnie asked quietly, a tender note creeping into his voice.

Mikey’s lip quivered, but he swallowed the knot in his throat. He wouldn’t cry. Not now. “It’s nothing, Donnie.” He lied, unable to make eye contact with his brother.

“Mikey, if there’s something troubling you, I need to know.” Donnie pushed.

Mikey didn’t answer.

Donnie sighed, standing up straight before walking back over to Mikey’s desk. “Fine. If you don’t want to answer now, that’s fine.” He glanced back at his brother, eyes narrowed. “I will find out, sooner or later. And that’s not a threat. It’s a promise.”

He grabbed the remaining bottles with his robot arms, stashing them in his battle shell. “In the meantime, I am confiscating these. You clearly can’t be trusted with them, so I’m going to incinerate the remaining few.”

“Wait!” Mikey called, realizing what was happening. “Don’t! It’s fine, really Don!” Mikey could already feel the tiredness creeping into his body. He needed that caffeine, or he was going to crash. Fast.

“No, Angelo.” Donnie replied, walking to Mikey’s door. “You clearly have no concern towards your own body nor your wellbeing. And I know how addicting these can be. I should have destroyed them a long time ago.”

Donnie turned to leave, but paused, resting his hand on Mikey’s doorframe. “I’ll be ready to listen, whenever you’re ready to talk. In the meantime, get some sleep. I mean it.”

With that, Donnie left, leaving Mikey alone with his thoughts.

“No…” Mikey whispered, staring in shock at his door. How did everything go wrong so quickly? Today was supposed to be the day he figured everything out! But now, he was left with no caffeine, a worried family, and no solution to his problem. Truly, how could it get any worse?

Mikey’s body was getting heavier by the second. Every movement seemed to take tremendous effort, even just blinking his eyes. Dammit Donnie… He thought tiredly, not even having the energy to be upset. You couldn’t have let me at least finish the one I had?

Mikey dragged his feet as he began walking towards the kitchen. If he couldn’t have the caffeine from the energy drinks, he could at least make himself some coffee. “Must… stay awake.” He mumbled, his mind becoming more and more fuzzy.

“Mikey?”

Mikey turned towards the voice. Raph was standing in the living room, concern prevalent on his face. Mikey felt his heart clench. He really owed his older brother an apology.

He walked into the room, rubbing his arms nervously. “Raph, hey, I’m so sorry for how I acted. I’m just tired, that’s all. I didn’t mean to lash out like that.”

“Hey, I’m not upset, man.” Raph said softly, sitting on the couch. He patted the space next to him, and Mikey sat down, hands on his knees. “I’m just worried, ya know? We all are.”

Mikey nodded. You wouldn’t have to be worried, if I wasn’t so weak.

“Did something happen?” Raph asked, wrapping his large arm around Mikey’s shell. Mikey leaned into his older brother, letting out a sigh. It felt just like when they were kids. Mikey thought back to the times where Leo and Donnie were arguing, which Mikey absolutely hated. He’d cover his ears, hoping that their hateful words would stop as soon as he couldn’t hear them. Raph would always be there, comforting him and telling him that everything would be ok; that’s just what brothers do. He was always a rock that Mikey could lean on.

But Mikey couldn’t let himself lean on him anymore.

Mikey’s image of Raph being immovable and unbreakable was shattered as soon as the Kraang took over his body. In that moment, he’d never felt so afraid that he’d lost his brother forever. Raph wasn’t this immortal being who could never be beat. He was just a kid, just like Mikey.

And Raph didn’t need any more burdens to carry.

Mikey stood up, walking away from his brother’s comfort. “Nothing happened. It was just those movies, remember?” Mikey lied, feeling Raph’s eyes boring into his shell. “I’m just a little sleepy, that’s all.”

Mikey heard Raph stand up and walk over to him. He turned to face him. “Raph, I’m sorry if I -”

Mikey was cut off as Raph hoisted him into the air as if he weighed nothing. Shocked into silence, Mikey let himself be carried back over to the couch, where Raph flopped down on his back, causing the couch to creak. Mikey was left laying on Raph’s massive chest.

“Raph, what are you doing?” Mikey asked, trying to push himself up. Raph simply draped one of his muscular arms over the smaller turtle, holding him down. “Ugh, Raph, you’re crushing me!”

“Remember when we were kids, Mikey?” Raph asked suddenly, causing Mikey to pause. “Whenever ya couldn’t sleep, you’d sneak into my room. And then we’d lay just like this. It always worked like a charm!” Raph laughed, and Mikey felt it reverberate through his whole body.

“But Raph, I can’t -” Mikey protested, but Raph didn’t budge.

“Shh, Mikey, just for a little while.” Raph said, closing his eyes. “Sleep.”

“Raph, no…” Mikey whispered, but he felt his eyes drooping, his body finally giving in. He could feel Raph breathing slowly, his big breaths lifting him like he was riding some waves. His hand gently rubbed Mikey’s shell, the movements soft and comforting. Raph’s heartbeat thundered in his chest, and Mikey found himself slowly slipping into unconsciousness.

No… I have to stay awake… Mikey thought blearily, but it was no use. Within just a few minutes, he fell fast asleep.

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When Mikey’s breaths noticeably slowed, Raph sat up slowly, holding the smaller turtle gently in his arms. He looked down at him, a soft smile on his face.

“Attaboy.” He said quietly, then stood up, lifting Mikey with him. He carried Mikey to his room, taking great care to avoid waking him. When he reached the bedroom, he nudged Mikey’s door open with his foot and walked inside. To his surprise, his feet touched the floor, not random paper drawings and colored pencils.

Woah… What happened in here? Raph looked around at Mikey’s clean and organized room with shock. Did Mikey… Clean? On purpose?

He set Mikey down in his bed, tucking him under his blanket. Mikey let out a deep sigh, immediately snuggling into his pillow. Raph smiled at him, but couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread as he glanced around at Mikey’s room.

I need to talk to Donnie about this. Something is very, very wrong.

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Meanwhile, Donnie had carried all of his 25-hour energy boosts to his lab. He was going to do exactly what he said he would do: Incinerate them.

When the process was done, the bottles disappearing and leaving only a bit of black dust behind, Donnie sat at his desk, pulling his latest project towards him.

The security camera that Mikey shattered was almost completely fixed. He immediately pulled down his goggles and got to work, finishing the last bits of wiring. After about twenty minutes, he grinned, pushing his goggles back on top of his head.

“Aha! I knew I could fix it!” Donnie exclaimed, quickly grabbing a cord to plug the camera into his main monitor. “I’m sorry Mikey, but you’ve left me no choice in the matter. Time to solve this mystery before it gets any more problematic.”

Donnie plugged in the camera, bringing up the single video that had miraculously survived the damage done to it. Donnie sat back in his chair and watched as it began.

“Hey all! Welcome to the ‘Does Mikey Sleepwalk and Is He a Kraang Sleeper Agent’ video!” The Mikey in the video joked, causing Donnie to raise an eyebrow. Sleepwalking?

Donnie watched as Mikey crawled into bed, then after a few minutes, he fell asleep.

“Wait, is this just a video of Mikey sleeping all night?” Donnie asked, checking the timestamp on the video. “Ok, we’re fast forwarding through this junk.”

Donnie put the video on 4x speed and kept watching, boredom creeping into his brain. “Did I really spend weeks fixing a camera with a video of Mikey sleeping on it?”

As Donnie continued to watch, he saw a golden light flash on screen. He quickly paused, then rewinded the video, confused. “What the…?”

Donnie played the video at regular speed. As a golden glow started emanating from the screen across the lab, Donnie’s eyes grew wider and wider, his heart dropping into his stomach.

“Oh no…”

Just then, a knock came from the lab door, and Raph peeked his head in, a worried look on his face. “Uh, Donnie? Did you know Mikey cleaned his room? Like, on purpose? I’m starting to think something really serious is going on with him.” When Donnie didn’t reply, Raph called again. “Donnie?”

“Go get Leo.” Donnie said, trying to keep panic out of his voice. “We have an emergency.”

Chapter Text

The three brothers were unable to tear their attention away from the screen as they watched the events of the video unfold.

The sparkling light from the moniter reflected in their wide, panicked eyes, as they watched their little brother stare at the camera, donning an emotionless face and glowing, golden eyes.

Donnie paused the video. He didn’t know what to say. The shock at what they’d just seen seemed to rob them all of their voices. Raph put a hand over his mouth, sitting back in Donnie’s chair. Leo stared up at the screen, as if he couldn’t possibly believe what he was seeing. Donnie immediately started pacing back and forth. If he didn’t move, he was really going to start to lose it.

Raph finally broke the silence, looking intently at Donnie. “How long ago did you say this video was taken?”

“A few weeks.” Donnie replied, continuing to pace. “He gave the camera back to me in pieces, which I thought was odd. My tech doesn’t just break. So I figured I’d fix it, but I never thought… I didn’t think…” Donnie trailed off, shaking his head and typing on his computer cuff.

“So in short, we have no idea how long he’s been doing this… Whatever this is.” Raph said worriedly.

“No, no we don’t.” Donnie replied, pulling up some graphs. “However, taking into account when he took the video, coupled with his behavior prior to and after the day the video was taken, I would say maybe a month? Or more?”

Raph seemed to consider this, his eyes pinching together.

“I knew something was going on with him.” Leo said softly, still staring up at the screen. “He’s been acting so off lately. It wasn’t like him.”

“This explains how tired he’s been too.” Raph agreed, rubbing the back of his head nervously. “That mystic stuff must take a lot out of him.”

“I also caught him drinking those energy drinks I created a while back.” Donnie said, holding his TechBo tightly. “I think he’s been awake for a few days at least, considering how many were missing.”

The brothers sat in silence for a moment, each thinking back on their different interactions with Mikey from the last few weeks. Leo finally let out a growl, slamming his hands down on Donnie’s desk and staring angrily up at the screen.

“Why didn’t he tell us? We’re his brothers! He should have come to us right away!” He exclaimed, balling his hands into fists.

“I… I don’t know.” Raph said, getting up to stand by his brother’s side. “But there’s no use in being mad at him.”

“I’m not mad at him!” Leo stated, turning to look at Raph. “I’m not, I’m just… Frustrated. What was he thinking?!” Leo stared down at his feet before continuing. “I’m mad at myself. I knew something was going on. I knew it, but I didn’t push it. I didn’t want to be this overbearing leader sort, but now look!” Leo gestured up to the screen. “He’s been doing this for weeks! I’m supposedly the leader of this team, but I’m also his older brother. Why didn’t I say anything?!”

“Hey, this is no time to get all self-deprecating on me!” Raph said, grabbing his brother’s shoulder firmly. “We all should have pushed the issue. This is on all of us, not just you.” Leo shrugged off Raph’s grip, but Raph continued. “Besides, Mikey clearly didn’t want any of us knowing what was going on. I mean, where the heck is he portalling off to anyways? It’s got to be dangerous, using his mystic powers like that!”

“I don’t think that’s what’s happening here.” Donnie butted in. “Judging by his mention of ‘sleepwalking,’ I wonder if this is something he’s not consciously doing. Like he’s sleepwalking, but instead of just walking around the lair or something, he’s using his mystic powers.”

“So, he’s sleep… portalling?” Raph asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“It appears that way.” Donnie agreed, clenching his jaw worriedly. “I also think he’s been attempting to figure out a way to cease whatever this sleep portalling is. And that’s what ultimately lead to him simply trying not to sleep. He must have been desperate.”

“Did you guys notice that he has a black eye in this video?” Leo pointed out, nervously tapping his fingers on the desk. “When did he get that? I didn’t see him with a black eye.”

“Me neither.” Raph said, confusion prevalent on his face. “But remember when he stole you aviators for a few days? Maybe he was hiding it.”

“What if he got it from wherever he’s portalling to?” Leo asked, fear inching its way into his voice. “He could be portalling anywhere! What if… What if it’s the prison dimension?”

“Not to sound incredibly bleak, but if it was the prison dimension, I don’t think he’d still be here.” Donnie said quietly.

“Well, wherever he’s going, it’s got to be dangerous. We have to talk to him.” Leo said, standing up straight and turning to Raph. “Raph, can you go get him? We need to figure this out.”

Raph’s face fell, twisting into a look of horror. His eyes widened with panic. “Oh no…”

“Oh no? Raph, what do you mean ‘oh no’?” Leo asked, feeling adrenaline seep through his veins like ice.

“He’s… he’s asleep.” Raph choked out. “He just… He looked so tired, so I helped him fall asleep. I just put him in his room before I came here. He’s asleep!”

Leo and Donnie’s faces matched Raph’s as the realization dawned on them. They needed to get to Mikey’s room. Now!

The three of them took off running through the lair towards Mikey’s bedroom, each thinking the exact same thing.

“We’re coming, Mikey! Just hold on!”

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Mikey was dreaming that he was fighting a gigantic cat.

However, this was no normal cat. The cat stood on two legs and was wearing clothes for some reason. It had two guns strapped to its belt, one of which was in the cat’s paws and currently shooting at Mikey.

“Woah, easy kitty!” Mikey shouted as he lept out of the way of another glowing bullet. “Can’t we just call this even and go our seperate ways?”

The cat hissed at him, leaping towards him with a snarl. Mikey dove out of the way as the cat went flying past, kicking the gun from its paws as he did. It skittered off to the side before explosing in a cloud of pink smoke.

“Hah! Not so tough now without your gun, ey pussycat?” Mikey taunted, spinning his nunchaku menacingly.

The cat simply growled, extending its claws. They looked metallic, and sharp. Very sharp. Mikey gulped, bracing himself. Something was nagging him. He felt like he shouldn’t be here. Something seemed… off.

The cat charged, claws flying. Mikey blocked the attack with his weapons, leaping up onto a higher ledge. Wait… where am I? He thought as he took in his surroundings. He was standing in a stone ravine, jagged rocks dotting the landscape. The sky seemed to glow green, with clouds of orange streaking across. He couldn’t see the sun. Where was the sun? His head felt fuzzy, like he’d just woken up from a long nap. How did I get here?

He didn’t notice the cat leap up at him, metal claws outstretched. At the last second, he saw the furious creature flying towards him. He stumbled back to avoid it, but it was too late. The cat’s claws sliced down his leg, causing him to cry out. He fell backwards off the ledge, bracing as the ground came rushing up at him.

When he was seconds away from impact, he woke up.

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Mikey sat up with a start, breathing heavily. He gazed around frantically, trying to gather his bearings. His room… he was in his room. It must have been a dream. He sighed, clutching his plastron. That’s right. I was with Raph. I must have fallen asleep, and he brought me here, and -

Mikey paused, his eyes widening. “Oh shit…” He said aloud, panic creeping into his voice. “I fell asleep!”

Just then, a searing pain shot through his leg, and Mikey stifled a cry. He looked down at his sheets and was horrified to see red blood seeping through them. Mikey quickly threw the sheets from his bed.

Just like in his dream, three sharp cuts ran down his thigh. They weren’t deep, thank goodness, but they hurt like crazy, blood oozing from them and running down his calf. Mikey winced, his situation becoming perfectly clear.

He’d sleep portalled. Again. Just like he thought he would. And whatever his mystic self did in that portal got him in trouble. Maybe with that cat guy. Mikey was starting to think these weird dreams he was having might have some meaning to them after all.

Alright Mikey, we can figure this out. He thought nervously, his stomach turning at the stench of his own blood. Maybe if I tie my leg up with the sheets and sneak into the medbay…

Just then, Mikey’s bedroom door flew open. Mikey jumped as his brother’s burst into his room, their faces each a picture of worry. They paused for a second, taking in the scene before them. Mikey could only imagine what it looked like: Their little brother, sitting in bed, surrounded by blood stained sheets, and with some nasty looking wounds on his leg.

“Mikey!” They shouted in unison, running towards him.

As his brothers rushed forward, panic in their eyes, Mikey strangely felt like a huge weight was being lifted from his shoulders.

Well, that’s it then. He thought, letting out a sigh and feeling relief flood his mind. The jig is up.

Chapter Text

Raph was the first one to reach Mikey’s side.

“Oh god, Mikey! Your leg! What happened?” He asked in a panicked voice, holding his hands near Mikey, but not close enough to touch him, like he was afraid he’d hurt him more.

“I’m fine, Raph, I’m fine!” Mikey consoled him quickly, pulling his leg back so Raph didn’t have to keep looking at it. “It just looks bad, I swear!”

Donnie stood paralyzed off to the side, staring at Mikey’s leg in shock. Mikey felt shame well up inside him. This is all my fault. He thought guiltily, looking down at the floor.

“Mikey!”

Mikey turned towards Leo, who grabbed his shoulder, his face determined. “We’ll discuss the details of what happened later. Right now, we have to get you to the medbay. Can you walk?”

Mikey shifted his leg, grimacing as he swung it over the side of his bed. With Leo’s help, he stood up, leaning on his older brother for support. It hurt, but he’d manage. Besides, he didn’t need his brothers worrying anymore than they already were. He turned to Leo, smiling and giving a shaky thumbs up. “Feels great!”

Leo didn’t return his smile, instead steeling his eyes forward and helping Mikey limp towards the medbay, Raph and Donnie following close behind.

As they walked, Mikey felt about as small as he ever did. He’d really messed up. At the time, his plan made sense. His brothers were still healing from everything with the Kraang. He didn’t want to throw another burden onto their already weakened shoulders. He had just wanted to be strong, like they always seemed to be. But it all blew up in his face. Now, he was in this pitiful state, his brothers were upset with him, and to top it all, he still hadn’t figured any way to stop the sleep portalling. He had completely and utterly failed, on all accounts. Mikey wished he could just curl up in his shell until everything was ok again.

“Mikey? Hey, Mikey? You hanging in there, bud?”

Mikey was pulled from his thoughts by Raph, who was walking worriedly by his side. Mikey sighed, smiling up at his big brother. “Yeah, I’m ok Raph. I’m ok.”

They reached the medbay, and Leo gently helped Mikey sit down. Mikey tried not to grimace as pain shot up his leg, but he couldn’t help but let out a little whimper. This caused Leo to flinch, which sent another wave of guilt through Mikey.

“Leo, I’m -” Mikey started, but Leo shushed him.

“In a minute, Mikey. I need to be Doctor Leo right now. Donnie, grab me some alcohol and sutures, will you? I need to stitch these up.” Leo commanded, examining Mikey’s leg. “Mikey, I’m not going to lie to you. This is going to hurt like crazy. You going to be ok?”

Mikey swallowed, then nodded. “Do it, Leo.”

Leo was absolutely right. It was incredibly painful. By the time he was finished, Mikey was sweating like crazy, his jaw clenched tight and his breath coming out in short hisses. Raph was sitting next to him, his arm wrapped around Mikey’s shoulder in a comforting sort of way. Leo finally wrapped his leg with some bandages, and Mikey let out the breath he was holding. He reached over to the counter, grabbing a small band aid with a little cartoon cat on it and stuck it haphazardly onto his leg wrap.

“Heh, thanks Leo! Looks good as new!” Mikey joked, trying to lighten the heavy mood radiating from each of his brothers.

Raph, Leo, and Donnie exchanged looks before turning to look back at Mikey. He felt as if he was stuck under their worried gazes.

“Mikey…” Donnie finally spoke after being silent for the majority of the time in the medbay. “We saw the video.”

Mikey felt confusion flood his brain before he finally realized what Donnie meant. The video. The one of his mystic self portalling. Donnie must have fixed the camera and retrieved the video. And by the looks on Raph and Leo’s faces, Donnie must have shown them as well.

“Ah, yes, that.” Mikey said, unable to meet his brother’s gaze. “It’s… Bad, isn’t it?”

“Mikey, what were you thinking?” Raph questioned nervously, the volume of his voice peaking. “Why wouldn’t you tell us about something like that?”

“We’re your brothers, Mikey.” Leo chimed in, gesturing wildly with his hands. “We could have helped you! We could have prevented all of this!”

“I hate to say this, but Leo’s right.” Donnie agreed. “What could have possibly possessed you to believe this was something you could handle yourself? That was incredibly dangerous of you!”

“Portal traveling almost killed you last time!” Raph said, walking over to stand by Leo. “What if you had gotten even more hurt? What if you had…” Raph trailed off, the words seeming to get stuck in his throat.

“C’mon Mikey, talk to us! I need to know. Why, why didn’t you tell us?” Leo pleaded.

Mikey tried to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, weeks worth of pain and frustration spilled over, and tears began flowing from his eyes.

“I’m… I’m sorry.” He managed to choke out, his voice barely above a whisper. He tried to stop the tears from falling but was failing miserably.

He began to sob, unable to hold it in any longer. He clutched his shoulders tightly, looking up at his brothers through teary eyes. They crowded by him, eyes wide and worried. Between his sobs, he continued to try to speak.

“You guys have so much going on right now. You’re all trying to heal, and I just thought… I just didn’t want to add any more stress to your life! You guys needed things to be normal, and I thought I could fix this myself for once, instead of running to you like a scared kid. I didn’t want to lie to you. I just wanted to protect you!” Mikey’s body was shaking. He wasn’t holding anything back now. Everything was out in the open. Every bit of raw, ugly emotion he’d felt for the past few weeks on display for everyone to see.

Raph stepped forward, pulling Mikey in for a hug. Mikey gratefully accepted, clutching Raph’s shell tightly as he continued to sob. Leo hugged him too, along with Donnie, who gently rested a hand on Mikey’s shell.

“Mikey, you’re right.” Raph said softly, squeezing his brother tight. “We’re all trying to heal. But a wise fella once told me that we hafta to go about it the right way. Shouldering all of this by yourself is too much for any person, even us. Sometimes, ya need a little help. And that’s ok! Needing help doesn’t mean you’re weak; it means you’re strong enough to realize you can’t do it alone. We’re here for ya, buddy. Always.”

They stood like that for a while, letting Mikey calm down and take a few deep breaths, before slowly pulling away.

Mikey sniffled, looking down at his feet. “It looks like I really made a mess of things, huh?” He said shakily, wiping tears from his face and letting out a soft chuckle.

“No, Mikey. You didn’t.” Leo said softly, grabbing the younger turtle’s trembling hand. “Did you mess up? Yeah, sure. But who in this family hasn’t? If there’s anything our family is good at doing, it’s cleaning up our messes.”

“Yeah, tell that to the 500 oozesquitos still infesting the city.” Donnie said in a scathing voice, earning a glare from Leo. “What? I’m just trying to be accurate here! Sorry.”

“What Leo’s trying to say,” Raph interjected, resting a hand on Mikey’s head, “Is that there’s nothing on this earth that we can’t handle together. As a team!”

“As a family.” Leo added, grinning wide at his little brother.

Mikey almost started crying again, smiling up at his brothers. He leapt up, wrapping them all in a big hug and squeezing them tight. This time, they were all smiling and laughing. Except for Donnie, who gently unwrapped Leo’s arm from around his shoulders.

“Yes, yes, this is all sweet and all, very hallmark movie of us, but it still doesn’t excuse the fact that we have a big problem on our hands.” He said in a monotone voice, typing on his arm cuff.

“Donnie, can you choose a different word choice there, buddy?” Raph said quickly, shooting a glance at Mikey.

Donnie’s eyes drifted up, seeing who Raph was looking at, then widened, quickly backpedaling. “I mean, not problem, heh, of course. A big… Issue? Um, predicament? I’m doing my best here, someone please help.”

“It’s ok, Donnie, I’m not upset.” Mikey laughed, finding humor in his brother’s struggle. “You’re right. We kinda have a big problem.” Mikey looked down at his scarred hands, like at any moment they might start glowing. “I’ve been trying for weeks to stop this… Sleep portalling business, but nothing I did ever seemed to work.”

“Well, now you got us!” Leo said optimistically. “I think I speak for all of us when I say that even though we’re not the brightest turtles in New York -”

“He does not speak for all of us.” Donnie butted in with a narrow glare directed at Leo.

“- We can put our shells together and figure out almost anything!” Leo finished, poking Donnie on the head. “Right, smart guy?”

“Thanks for the compliment Leo, your sarcasm is always refreshing.” Donnie rolled his eyes before walking over to Mikey, grabbing a pair of crutches from the corner of the room on his way and handing them to him. “Here, these will help you get around for now. Let’s all head to my lab. I want to hear everything you know about this… situation, and everything you've tried so far.”

As all four turtles headed to Donnie’s lab, Mikey couldn’t help but smile. Despite his tiredness, the pain in his leg, and the looming dread still hanging over him, he felt better than he had in weeks. He had his brothers by his side. And for now, that’s all that mattered to him.

Chapter Text

When they reached Donnie’s lab, Mikey heard a little chime from his Tphone.

Mikey flopped down into his bean bag, avoiding landing on his injured leg, and looked down at his phone. April had sent him a text.

Hey Mikey! Just wanted to check on ya. You doing ok? I’ve been worried.

Mikey quickly texted her back, haphazardly throwing his crutches to the side.

Yeah, I’m good now. I’ll explain everything soon.

Mikey smiled. For the first time in a while, he wasn’t lying about feeling alright. He wasn’t alone anymore.

Donnie pulled over his writing board, grabbing a marker as he turned to look at Mikey.

“Alright Angelo.” He said as the brothers settled into different areas in the lab. “Tell us everything.”

And so, Mikey did. All the words he’d wanted to say to his brothers for weeks now spilled out. He told them about the black eye, the video, his multiple failed attempts to stop the portalling, his meditation episode at April’s, and his weird dreams that seemed to transfer over into real life. As he talked, Donnie made notes on his board, organizing Mikey’s word vomit the best he could. When Mikey was finally done, he leaned back in his chair with a huff.

“So yeah, I think that’s everything.” Mikey sighed, looking around at his brothers. They each looked deep in their own thoughts. Donnie stared at his notes, rubbing his chin, while Leo’s gaze was glued to the floor, his fingers tapping on the desk rhythmically. Raph’s face was scrunched up with worry as his leg bounced up and down, causing his entire body to shake with the force.

“Geez, Mikey.” Leo finally said, looking over at his little brother, regret clouding his eyes. “I can’t believe you were trying to deal with all this on your own. I’m… I’m so sorry I didn’t say anything. I should have… I just wish I’d…”

Leo trailed off, as if he couldn’t find the words to say what he wanted. Mikey just shook his head. He couldn’t let his brother blame himself for all of this.

“No, Leo, it’s my fault. I’m the one who lied about it and tried to keep it a secret. It just… made sense to me at the time.” Mikey laughed dryly. “But I can see now that it was pretty stupid of me to think I could solve this on my own.”

“It’s not stupid, Mikey.” Raph said, his leg still bouncing nervously. “Besides, none of that matters now. What’s done is done. I don’t want to hear any more negative talk out of either of ya, or imma slap the ya both upside the head. With love.” Raph crossed his arms, smiling at his brothers as they chuckled softly. “What matters is that we find a way to solve this portal business before anything else happens. You got anything, Donnie?”

The brothers turned their attention to Donnie, who was still staring at the notes he’d written on the board.

“Well,” Donnie started, “according to Mikey, this mystic entity -”

“I’ve been calling him ‘Mystic Mikey.’” Mikey interrupted.

“Yeah, ok, sure, ‘Mystic Mikey’ is very powerful, physically and mentally. Breaking through solid metal chains is no easy task, and we already know he’s been portalling frequently, something that almost destroyed Mikey when he attempted it, with no problem.”

Mikey glanced down at his scarred, trembling arms. He could remember watching as the golden light burned his skin, singed pieces of his flesh floating up into the air as he tried desperately to keep the portal open for his brother. He shivered, pushing the memory down as he tried to focus on Donnie’s voice.

“Clearly, restraining Mystic Mikey is out of the question. I doubt even I would be able to restrain his powers at this point. We also know that physical stimulation won’t work, as even while getting badly injured, he still seems to have control of Mikey’s body.” Donnie continued.

“Well, what about if we had something to stimulate his mind?” Leo asked. “Like, a really loud noise?”

Donnie considered this. “It’s simple, but maybe we need to keep things simple. Time is very much a factor here. The longer it takes for us to figure something out or even for me to build something, the higher chance there is that something may happen. So I say let’s try it.”

“Yeah!” Raph agreed in a hopeful voice. “We could fill Mikey’s room with speakers, the loudest we got, and play some loud music or something whenever Mystic Mikey shows up! That should snap him out of it!”

“Wait, so you’re all just going to stay up all night trying to stop Mystic Mikey?” Mikey asked worriedly, looking around at each of his brothers. “What about your own sleep? You can’t do that forever!”

“It won’t be forever, Mikes.” Raph answered, reaching over to rub Mikey’s head. “We just got to see if it will work. Besides, I’m not letting you sleep portal again. Not on my watch.” Raph cracked his knuckles menacingly.

“I would normally never say this, but I like Raph’s plan.” Donnie said, finally turning to look at his brothers. “Solving this is going to be about trial and error, and luckily Mikey has already ruled out some options for us. Therefore, Operation: Loud Noise is a go. Let’s move some of my speakers into Mikey’s room.”

Mikey sat in his room quietly as his brothers set up speakers, chewing nervously on his nails. He was glad his brothers were trying to help, but his mind was filled with dread. He couldn’t help but picture every scenario where this could go wrong. What if that plan doesn’t work? He had no idea what Mystic Mikey’s intentions were, but from the one interaction he’d had with him, he seemed to hate Mikey. What if he hated his family too? What if he hurt his brothers? Mikey wouldn’t be able to stop him. It could all go wrong so fast…

Are we doing the right thing? He thought. Maybe this is all a mistake. It’s too dangerous, it’s too -

“Mikey.”

Mikey jolted as he felt an arm wrap around his shoulder. It was Leo. Leo gently grabbed Mikey’s hand, stopping the nervous chewing. He pulled Mikey close as Raph and Donnie continued to set up the speakers. Neither of them had to say anything. The message was clear.

I’m here

“Alright, this should be enough.” Raph said, surveying the room. “Not even Pops could sleep through the noise these bad boys will make.”

“Oh shoot, Dad!” Mikey exclaimed, his heart pounding. “What are we going to tell Dad?”

“We’ll tell him the truth.” Donnie said flatly, finishing the wiring on the speakers. “Papa will want to know if one of his sons is in trouble. But that will be a tomorrow problem. Right now, let’s focus on trying to fix this mystic stuff.”

Mikey looked down at his feet. There was a huge pit in his stomach. Even with the reassuring presence of his brothers, he found it hard to think positively about any of this. His eyes were feeling heavy again as his body begged for sleep. But the feeling just made the pit grow deeper.

“Guys…” He said finally. “Are you sure about this? Maybe I could just stay awake a bit longer, and we can come up with a stronger plan. Something that couldn’t possibly go wrong.”

“Yeah, I’m going to stop ya there big man.” Raph said, squatting in front of Mikey so he could look the smaller turtle in the eyes. “You’re exhausted. Your eyebags have eyebags, and you’re literally falling asleep on your feet. You need to sleep, Mikes. I know it’s not the most ideal plan, but ya can’t go on like this.” Raph grabbed Mikey’s hands, cupping them in his significantly larger ones. “Trust us, Mikey. We’ll protect ya.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about.” Mikey said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. He looked up at his brothers. “What if he hurts you?”

“That won’t happen, Mikey.” Leo said quickly, punching Mikey softly in the shoulder. “Besides, we’re ninjas! We can handle ourselves.”

“I appreciate the sentiment.” Donnie said, climbing on the bed to sit on Mikey’s other side. “But we’ve fought mutants, mystics, and aliens from space, and we still survived. I think we can handle this. The odds are in our favor.”

“It’ll take a lot more than a little glowy light to get rid of us!” Raph said loudly, wrapping his brothers in a hug.

Mikey hugged them back, hoping their assurances were true. Despite his anxiety, he let out a yawn, causing his brothers to pull away.

“And that’s our cue.” Leo said, holding a fist in front of his plastron. “Operation: Solve Mikey’s Sleep Portalling with Big Loud Noise is a go!”

Mikey laughed at his brother’s optimism, crawling under his blankets.

“Get some sleep, Mikey. We’ll be here when you wake up.” Raph said softly, gently rubbing Mikey’s head before going to sit against the wall.

“Thank you, guys.” Mikey said tiredly, letting his body relax. “I love you.”

“Love you too, Angelo.” Donnie replied, leaning against the wall of Mikey’s room.

Mikey looked past him at the painting on his wall. The one of all his family smiling happily together. It’ll be like that again. He thought, closing his eyes. Just as soon as we figure this out.

“Let me know if you can’t fall asleep, Mikey.” Donnie said, tapping on his arm cuff. “Because I still have some of those tranquilizer darts in my lab…”

There was no reply. Mikey was already asleep.

Chapter Text

Raph took the first watch.

Maybe it was from living in the sewers all their lives, but the turtles could find a way to get comfortable almost anywhere. Donnie had flopped down in Mikey’s beanbag, gently clutching his techBo, while Leo had simply sat up against the wall, his arms crossed over his plastron as he snored lightly.

Raph, on the other hand, kept a watchful eye on Mikey, looking for any indication that his mystic self was about to make an appearance. But Mikey just continued to sleep, gripping his pillow tight as he breathed softly.

At around 2 am, Donnie’s timer went off, waking the purple turtle so he could take Raph’s place. Donnie blearily blinked the sleep from his eyes, stretching his arms as he stood up.

It took some convincing to relieve Raph from his watch. The older turtle was clearly exhausted, but he seemed determined to keep his one working eye trained on his sleeping brother. It finally took Donnie threatening him with tranquilizer darts for Raph to begrudgingly curl up on Mikey’s beanbag. Within a few minutes, he was snoring loudly alongside Leo.

Donnie smiled slightly before turning to look at Mikey. His little brother was sleeping soundly, looking more relaxed than Donnie had seen him in weeks. He walked over, sitting on the edge on Mikey’s bed and setting a hand on his shell.

His little brother had been struggling so much the past few weeks. Although he couldn’t express his thoughts as well as Leo could, Donnie pretty much felt the same as his twin about the whole situation. He thought back to Mikey’s tired eyes, his erratic behavior, and all the signs he’d given his brothers signaling that something was wrong. And Donnie, despite seeing each red flag as the weeks went on, didn’t say anything.

How could I be so stupid? Donnie thought angrily, tightly gripping his Bo. I’m supposed to be the smart one. But when it comes to stuff like this? How can I be so dumb?

Donnie could almost imagine what Mikey would say if he could hear what Donnie was thinking. You got a brain in that big ol forehead of yours?! Even smart guys can be dumb sometimes. If you were incredibly smart and perfect all the time, you wouldn’t be human! Well, turtle. Turtle mutant. Whatever!

Donnie chuckled softly. Mikey really was the glue that held this family together. Maybe that’s why it hurt so much to see him struggling. Despite him and his brothers being, admittedly, quite overbearing towards the younger turtle, they tended to overlook his feelings. Mikey was just such an emotional guy; it was easy to dismiss his exuberant expression of emotions as just him simply being Mikey. But clearly, even Mikey needed some support with sorting his feelings out.

Donnie sighed. This was all so complicated. But hopefully, they could solve this. He didn’t want to think about what might happen if they failed. He clenched his jaw, trying to keep his body from shaking. Despite his calm demeanor, he was terrified. There were so many variables that could go wrong. They were grossly unprepared to deal with whatever was happening with Mikey.

He turned back to his little brother, who had shifted, a smile crossing his face as he chirped softly. Donnie couldn’t imagine a life without Mikey’s constant light brightening his nihilistic views on everything. He would figure this out. He had to.

Suddenly, something changed. Donnie stood up quickly. Everything looked normal, but it was as if the vibe of the room shifted. If he’d had hair, it would have stood on end. He turned quickly to Mikey, whose face scrunched up in a grimace before becoming completely blank. Almost inhumanly fast, Mikey sat up, opening his eyes to reveal that glowing golden light.

Donnie shook the shock from his body and immediately ran over to Raph and Leo, who had not seemed to sense the sudden change in atmosphere.

“Guys, wake up! Now!” He shouted, kicking Leo softly, but not too softly, and jabbing Raph with his techBo.

“Where’s the fire!?” Leo exclaimed, jolting to his feet as he frantically scanned the room. His eyes landed on Mystic Mikey, who had made his way to a standing position, apparently unable to feel his still injured leg. “Oh fuck, Mikey?”

Raph clambered to his feet, his eyes wide as he looked at his little brother. The video didn’t do it justice. Mikey was just… standing there. His shoulders were slumped forward, his hands hanging limply at his side. His face was completely devoid of emotion, which sent shivers down Raph’s spine. He had to force himself not to take a step back. The… thing before him was just so uncharacteristically Mikey. His body language was lacking everything that made Mikey, well, Mikey. And it was thoroughly disturbing.

Raph shook his head, trying to focus as he turned quickly to Donnie. “Donnie! Quick, hit the thingy!”

“On it.” Donnie replied, pressing a few buttons on his arm cuff. “You guys might want to cover your ears.”

The brothers did as they were told as an ear piercing tone blared from the speakers. Even with their ears covered, they cringed at the loud noise. But Mystic Mikey did not seem fazed, instead just cocking his head slightly to the side before turning away.

“Donnie, it’s not working!” Leo shouted desperately over the noise. “Shut it down!”

Donnie did, plunging the room into silence. Mystic Mikey had turned his back to the three turtles, raising his arms in front of him. Just like in the video, the tips of his fingers began to glow, the light flowing up Mikey’s scars. In a moment, the situation became very clear. He was going to make a portal.

Raph quickly rushed forward, pulling his brother’s arms down and pinning them to his sides. “Hold on, let’s not do that.” He said, turning the younger turtle towards him. Mystic Mikey looked up at him, his face still completely blank. “C’mon Mikey!” Raph said loudly. “I know you’re in there! You need to wake up, buddy, c’mon!”

Mystic Mikey curled his hands slightly, and from the floor sprouted two matching chains made of golden light. They shot towards Raph, wrapping around his wrists and pulling him backwards towards the wall. In his confusion, Raph let go of Mikey’s arms as the chains curled tightly around him. Not tight enough to hurt him, but enough to keep the massive turtle from doing anything.

“Ah, what!? Mikey, stop!” Raph shouted, struggling against the chains to no avail.

“Mikey!” Leo shouted, rushing towards Mikey with Donnie at his side. Mystic Mikey gestured with his hands again, and two more sets of chains exploded from the ground, wrapping around the brothers and chaining them to the back wall.

With all three turtles secured, Mystic Mikey turned and resumed what he’d been doing. Raph, Leo, and Donnie shouted desperately as his glowing fingertips traced a golden circle, which then erupted into a swirling light.

“Mikey!” Donnie screamed, straining to reach his arm cuff to summon his tech. “I can’t… I can’t stop him!”

Raph struggled against the chains, but they didn’t seem to be made of any sort of tangible material. “Don’t do this to him!” He shouted at Mystic Mikey. “It’s too dangerous!”

“Please!” Leo begged, “You can’t do this. Mikey!”

Mystic Mikey turned his head slightly so that one golden eye was trained on the chained turtles. Then, he spoke.

“Stay there.” He said softly, his voice sounding like multiple Mikeys speaking at once. It shook the brothers to their core, shocking them into silence.

With that, he turned and walked into the portal, disappearing in a spark of golden light as his brothers screamed his name.

As soon as Mystic Mikey had entered the portal, the chains dissipated. Leo, Raph, and Donnie fell forward, quickly climbing to their feet. Donnie stared at the portal where his brother had just disappeared. His mystic powers must not be able to work through the portal. Fascinating.

“Quick, we have to go in after him!” Leo exclaimed, rushing forward with his swords, only to be stopped as Raph grabbed his arm.

“Wait, Leo! We have no idea what’s on the other side of that portal!” He said, his heart racing. “I want to rush in there as much as you do, but we need a plan!”

“Raph’s right,” Donnie chimed in, pacing back and forth as he tried to understand everything he’d just witnessed. “We are completely out of our depth here. We don’t even know if the air is breathable on the other side! Who knows what kind of interdimensional creatures might be there? We could be rushing to our deaths.”

“But Mikey’s already in there! We all saw what happened to him last time! We have to get in there now!” Leo shouted desperately.

The three turtles tried not to panic as the golden light reflected in their wide, frantic eyes. Finally, Donnie let out a growl, stalking towards the portal.

“Screw it. We don’t have time for this! This completely goes against any scientific reasoning, but if Mikey’s able to survive, we have to assume we will to. We have to get over there. Normally, I’d advise against reckless mystic portal travel, but we don’t have a choice here.” Donnie said, holding his techBo confidently.

“Yes! I love reckless portal travel!” Leo said, letting out a hysterical laugh as he turned to Raph. It was taking every ounce of strength he had to keep it together. “C’mon Raph, we have to get Mikey! Please!”

“Alright, alright!” Raph relented, his overbearing older brother instincts winning over any sort of logic he was trying to have. “No matter what’s in there, we will smash it to pieces. Mikey needs us. Let’s go!”

Raph charged forward, leaping into the portal, followed closely by Leo and Donnie. The entrance was missing a very trademark “Cowabunga.”

In a flash of golden light, they were gone, leaving only the eerie sparking portal in Mikey’s empty room.

Chapter Text

The turtles stumbled out of the portal onto a cobblestone road.

Immediately, they had their weapons poised, ready to attack anything that got between them and rescuing their brother.

Instead, they found themselves standing in what looked like a small, medieval village. They looked around, confusion present on each of their faces. The village was small in the sense that most of the houses were only as tall as Raph. Surrounding the village were large mountains dotted with what looked like giant mushrooms, seemingly covered by moss, with long vines hanging down and swinging in the wind. The sky was an eerie shade of green, with two bright lights that looked like suns illuminating the landscape. It was clear that they were far, far away from New York.

“Um, Donnie? Where’s Mikey? What’s going on here? Where are we?” Raph asked nervously, continuing to hold his fists up as he looked around.

“Uh, I don’t know, Raph.” Donnie said in exasperation. “This is my first time being IN A DIFFERENT DIMENSION.”

“Ha, it’s not my first time.” Leo grinned, holding up finger guns as he earned a withering look from both his brothers. “Too soon? Sorry, I joke when I’m terrified.”

“Anyways,” Donnie continued, surveying the horizon, “considering we can still breathe and didn’t explode or implode due to pressure, I would say we’re pretty lucky. And, as far as I can tell, no creepy interdimensional creatures yet, so we’re on a roll so far. But…” Donnie leaned down, examining a door on one of the skillfully crafted houses surrounding the turtles. “Clearly something had to have built these.”

Suddenly, the door cracked open, causing Donnie to jump and pull out his Bo defensively. The turtles watched as a small, furry creature stepped into their view. It stood about a foot tall and almost looked like an oversized hamster, with large black eyes and dappled green fur. It looked between the turtles, who stood frozen as they tried to figure out whether they needed to pet or kill this little thing. Then, it chirped, jumping up and down excitedly.

As if a signal was given, more creatures appeared from the houses, crowding around the turtles and making soft chirping noises.

“Uh, are these things going to eat us?” Leo asked nervously as one of the creatures began nuzzling his leg.

“I doubt it.” Donnie replied. “I think they’re… happy? Hold on. Let me see if the mystic translator I stole, ehm, installed into my goggles can recognize their language.”

“Ah! They’re climbing me!” Raph exclaimed, standing completely still as the creatures crawled up his large body, swinging from his spikes as if he was a playground.

“Aww, they like you!” Leo said teasingly, picking up the creature by his leg. “Oh my gosh they are so soft. What the heck.”

“Aha! They’re speaking a known language! God I love technology.” Donnie said excitedly, pulling his goggles over his eyes. “Ok, ok, they’re saying… Hm, ok they’re not really saying much, it’s all just broken words.”

“Well, can you do your best?” Raph asked, now looking like a fuzzy Christmas tree with all the creatures hanging from him.

“Right, right, ok, uh they’re saying the word ‘Kappa’ over and over, along with ‘savior’ and ‘hero’.”

“Are they talking about us?” Leo asked, still petting the small creature in his arms, which appeared to be purring softly.

“I don’t know. They are saying ‘Kappa,’ which would be a kinda fitting thing to call us, but I wonder if they’re talking about -”

“Mikey!”

Raph shouted suddenly, looking over Donnie and Leo’s shoulders towards the horizon. They quickly turned around just in time to see golden chains rising in the air above the mushroom forest, then shooting down at something out of view. There was a loud screech as the ground shook, almost throwing the turtles off balance, followed by a wave of purple flames burning through the sky.

The creatures seemed to panic, rushing away from the turtles back into their homes.

“They’re saying ‘danger,’ ‘beast’, and ‘the soul devourer,’ now, so I’m assuming that whatever that is, it’s really really bad.” Donnie said nervously, pulling the goggles off his eyes.

“And Mikey’s fighting it.” Raph added, his eyes wide as he stared at the charred remains of a mushroom in the distance. He shook his head, trying to summon his courage. “We need to get over there, now!”

“Alright, I know we’re sick of portal travel, but…” Leo swung his swords, slashing the air with blue light and creating his own portal. “Let’s move.”

The turtles rushed through, only to stop in their tracks as they gazed upon a horrific scene. They stepped onto the charred remains of foliage, the ground still warm from the flames that had incinerated it. The forest around them was burning, the flames licking hungrily at the fleshy vines hanging from the mushrooms. But that wasn’t what disturbed the turtles. No, their attention was drawn to the giant snake creature curled in front of them.

The snake had to at least be a football field long, with black, iridescent scales. It was coiled around itself, with only its head rearing up. Like a cobra, it had a flared hood, with bioluminescent blue light gleaming in an intricate design. Its slitted eyes were a deep purple, and trained upwards as it hissed loudly, revealing two incredibly large, incredibly sharp fangs.

That wasn’t the worst part, however. The worst part was that the creature’s full attention was trained on their little brother, who floated gently above a singed mushroom.

Suddenly, the snake slithered forward, moving considerably fast for such a large creature. It reared its head back, letting loose a stream of purple fire at Mikey. The turtles watched in horror as Mikey quickly dodged, landing on a different mushroom head. He motioned with his arms, circling around himself as he summoned more glowing golden chains. He thrust his hands forward, and the chains shot towards the snake, wrapping around his neck. Mikey then threw his arms downward, and the chains followed suit, pulling the snake to the ground. The creature writhed angrily, before rearing up and breaking the chains into small sparks as it hissed.

“So this is what Mystic Mikey has been doing?!” Leo finally said, unable to pry his eyes from the scene before him. “Playing vigilante across different dimensions? Fighting evil interdimensional creatures? Is he crazy?!”

“Leo, Mikey is crazy! You’re just learning that now?!” Donnie replied, trying to keep his shaky legs from giving out underneath him.

The snake struck at Mikey, with the young turtle just barely jumping out of the way as the snake took a chunk out of the mushroom he’d just been standing on.

“Doesn’t matter! We have to help him!” Raph said, summoning his sai as he looked desperately at his brother. “He can’t do this alone!”

“Right.” Leo said determinedly, holding up his swords. “Let’s save our little brother.”

“For the record, if I get charboiled by an interdimensional snake because of Mikey, I am going to kill him.” Donnie sarcastically, but readied his techBo, swallowing his fear as he stared up at the giant creature.

“Now!” Leo shouted, leading the attack. The three turtles charged forward, ready to fight like they never fought before. They all had one thought on their mind.

Save Mikey

The creature turned sharply towards the new attackers, it’s eyes narrowing with rage. Mystic Mikey looked at them, his face one of shock. But that face quickly shifted into anger as he stared down at his brothers.

The snake flared its hood, quickly striking down at the turtles. They readied their weapons, poised to take on the snake in its entirety. They jumped into the air to meet their foe, but were stopped suddenly as golden chains wrapped around them, pulling them out of harm's way and towards the sky. The snake struck the ground, hissing in pain as the turtles were pulled forcefully towards a very glowy, very pissed looking Mikey.

“Mikey! What the hell are you doing?” Leo shouted angrily, struggling against the chains. “Let us out of here!”

“No… no no no!” Mystic Mikey said, squeezing his fists tightly as sparks of golden light flitted around his body. “You’re not supposed to be here!”

“We’re trying to help, Mikey! You can’t do this alone!” Raph cried, desperately trying to reach his little brother. “Please, let us help you.”

“You’re going to kill him!” Donnie shouted, glaring daggers at whatever was possessing his brother’s body. “You realize that, right? You can’t be that stupid!”

“Please Mikey!” Leo begged. “We can take this guy! Together, right?”

Mystic Mikey looked at his brothers, then down at the snake that was readying itself for another strike. He looked… scared. Scared and desperate. Completely different from the unfeeling being he’d presented himself as before. He hurriedly turned towards his brothers, letting his face once again become emotionless and blank. He motioned with his finger, and the brothers watched as the portal from the town traveled quickly through the forest and appeared a ways behind them. The chains began pulling them back, and they began to struggle more against them.

“It’s too dangerous.” Mystic Mikey said as the turtles screamed for him to stop. “I have to protect you.”

“Mikey!” Raph screamed, a burst of strength allowing him to jerk an arm free from the chains. He reached desperately for his little brother, tears streaming from his eyes. “Please!”

“Go home.” Mikey said, throwing his arms forward. The chains jerked the brothers backwards. As they entered the portal, they saw three things happen.

First, Mystic Mikey was distracted. He was facing the portal, not the shadow sneaking up behind him.

Second, the shadow rose, revealing itself to be the snake creature, hood flared and fangs bared as it poised to strike.

And third, as they were pulled through the portal, the snake struck. Its head flew forward, with Mystic Mikey still having no idea it was there.

The last thing they saw was the creature's fangs sinking into Mikey’s shoulder as he let out a horrific scream. There was a flash of golden light, and they were swept back into Mikey’s room, the scream echoing in their ears.

Chapter Text

“Mikey!”

Raph screamed, rushing desperately back towards the portal. However, Leo and Donnie grabbed his arms, pulling him back.

“Wait, Raph, stop!” Leo spoke, his voice shaky. Raph turned angrily towards him, but stopped as he saw the horror on Leo’s face.

“It’s… It’s our fault. We distracted him. If we hadn’t been there, if we didn’t get in his way… Oh god it’s all our fault.” Leo said, dropping Raph’s arm and falling back to sit on Mikey’s bed. He grabbed the sheets tightly, as if they could somehow ground him.

“No it’s not!” Raph yelled quickly, his heart beating a thousand times faster than it normally would. “Look, it doesn’t matter. We have to get back in there! Mikey, he’s… We gotta…” Raph trailed off, almost hyperventilating as he played the scene of Mikey getting bit over and over in his mind.

“What are we going to do? We can’t rush in there all half-cocked again! We need a plan, something, anything!” Donnie said, pacing back and forth as he tried to keep his composure. He needed to think, but he just kept hearing Mikey’s pained scream blasting in his brain. He covered his ears, shaking his head to try and clear his mind, but it was swirling too much for him to even think. He looked desperately at his brothers. “What are we going to do?”

They sat in silence for a moment, the only sound being the slight whooshing and sparking of the portal. Finally, Raph stood up, a determined look on his face. “We’re going back in. We grab Mikey, then run back to the portal as fast as we can. No fighting, no nothing.”

“But you saw what Mystic Mikey can do!” Leo argued, gesturing with his sword. “What if he fights us on this? Then what? We can’t beat him! We might just make things worse than they already are.”

“We have to try!” Raph growled, turning back towards the portal. He couldn’t stop his body from shaking. “Please, Leo… We have to try.”

Leo walked up behind him, followed by Donnie. “I know…” He said softly, clenching his swords tight. “I know.”

Suddenly, the portal sparked brightly, causing the brothers to take a step back. From the golden light emerged Mystic Mikey. He stumbled forward, his face contorted with pain as he clutched his shoulder. Blood oozed from the wound, running down his limp arm and dripping onto the floor. The turtles stared at him in shock.

Mystic Mikey lifted his hands, which caused his face to become even more pained. He slowly cupped them inward, and the brothers watched as the portal shrunk before disappearing with a golden flash.

Mystic Mikey swayed, then fell forward into Raph’s arms. Raph caught him with ease, lifting the limp body to its knees.

“Mikey?! Oh god, Mikey! Wake up, buddy!” Raph said panickedly, softly tapping the smaller turtle’s face as Leo and Donnie looked on, their faces a mixture of shock and horror.

Mikey let out a groan, lifting his head and slowly blinking open his eyes. Despite everything that was happening, the brothers let out a sigh of relief when they saw his eyes were their usual baby blue color.

Mikey smiled softly up at his brothers. “Hey guys.” He said in a tired voice. “Did the plan work?” Then, his face changed drastically as he let out a gasp. He winced, grabbing his shoulder. He held up his hand, confusion clouding his face as he saw the sticky blood between his fingers. “Wha…? What happened to- Argh!”

Mikey doubled over in pain as Raph held him, slowly laying the shaking turtle on the ground. The three turtles crowded around their little brother, panic freezing them in place.

“Ah… Argh!” Mikey screamed, clutching his shoulders tightly. And just like that, the brothers were snapped out of their shock. Raph lifted Mikey into his arms, holding him tightly as Leo opened the door to Mikey’s room.

“Quick, we have to get him to the medbay!” Leo yelled, racing ahead as Raph and Donnie followed closely behind.

Raph looked down at Mikey. He was crying, his eyes squeezed shut. He finally opened them, looking up at Raph with panic. “Raph, it… My blood. It burns! My body’s on fire!” He said through clenched teeth before letting out another wail.

“Oh god, the snake…” Donnie said as they ran, his eyes widening. “I… I think the snake was venomous! Oh, this is bad. Really really bad.”

“Hold on, Mikey.” Raph said, quickening his pace while trying not to jostle the small turtle in his arms. “Just hold on!”

As they rushed past Splinter’s room, the old rat stood sleepily at his door. “Boys, why are we racing around the lair at four in the morning?” He raised his eyebrow curiously as he received no answer, the turtles running right past him. Then, he spotted Mikey’s bloody hand hanging limply from Raph’s arms. His heart dropped into his stomach as he watched his sons turn sharply into the medbay, the sound of his youngest’s scream echoing through the lair.

“Michealangelo…?” He said softly, then took off sprinting after them. His son… Something happened to his son!

Raph set Mikey down gently on a cot by the wall, the small turtle curling into himself as he continued to sob. Splinter ran in behind them, panting as he rushed to his son’s side. His eyes widened as he saw the amount of blood pooling from the turtle’s shoulder. Mikey was sweating, his breathing short and shallow as he glanced up at his father.

“Michealangelo…” Splinter said, his voice breaking as he reached out to grab his son’s hand.

“Dad, please, it hurts!” Mikey sobbed, squeezing the rat’s hand tight. “It burns…”

Splinter was jerked back to about seven months ago, when he was wrapping Mikey’s charred arms in this exact same spot. The turtle had been crying despite desperately trying to stay quiet as Splinter cleaned and dressed his wounds. Splinter clenched his jaw, looking up at Leo, who stood nervously by his side.

“Leonardo, what happened?” He asked, his voice even.

Leo was holding back tears as he turned to his father with a look of absolute despair. “He… He portalled somewhere, and he was bit by some sort of snake creature. I think it was venomous, and now he… I don’t know what to do!” He cried.

Splinter looked around at his sons. Each of them were frozen in their own fear as they stared at their little brother writhing in pain. He needed them to move. Now was not the time for a teaching moment. They needed to move. Now.

“Donatello!” Splinter called quickly, causing the purple clad turtle to shift his attention to the old rat. “I need you to start working on an antivenom, immediately!”

Donnie seemed to snap out of his shock and nodded, taking off running towards his lab to grab supplies. Splinter then turned to Raph, who was hyperventilating by Mikey’s side. “Raphael! I need cold towels and as much as you can grab from the freezer. We have to get his body temperature down!”

“But…” Raph started, hesitant to leave Mikey’s side.

“Now, Raphael! I need you!” Splinter commanded. Raph shook his head, clenching his jaw tight as he took off towards the kitchen.

Splinter grabbed Leo by the shoulder, forcing the turtle to look at him. “Leonardo, we have to stop this bleeding. The antivenom will mean nothing if he bleeds out before we can administer it.”

Leo nodded, rushing off to grab different supplies. Splinter turned to Mikey, who had stopped his screaming. He was now very pale, his breathing fast and labored as he cried. He was growing hotter by the second.

“Dad… I can’t move…” He whispered in a barely audible voice. Splinter squeezed his hand.

“Shh, my son…” He said, touching his forehead to Mikey’s. He could feel the heat radiating off the small turtle’s skin. “It will be alright. I’m here.”

Donnie came rushing back into the medbay carrying a large black contraption and setting it on the counter. As he booted it up, he rambled frantically. “I made this years ago, when I had that period where I was terrified that snakes were going to attack us. It was pretty stupid, as there are no venomous snakes in New York City, but hey, I guess it can finally be useful. I should be able to concoct some sort of antivenom, but without the snake’s actual venom, I can’t guarantee it will work. I’ll use what I have, but…” Donnie trailed off, typing frantically into the machine.

“You got this, Donnie.” Leo said quickly, laying a pile of medical supplies in front of Splinter. “You focus on the antivenom; we’ll patch up Mikey.”

As Leo and Splinter worked, Raph carried in an armful of different freezer items. It looked as if the large turtle had grabbed every single thing from the freezer. He began tucking them around Mikey, setting a frozen bag of pizza puffs on his scorching forehead. The room was incredibly quiet, save for Mikey’s labored breathing and soft moans.

Leo and Splinter were able to stop the bleeding from Mikey’s shoulder, wrapping it carefully with bandages. “You hanging in there, Mikes?” Leo asked, softly rubbing Mikey’s plastron.

Mikey’s eyes fluttered, closing for a moment. Then, his head craned backwards as he began to seize. Raph and Leo immediately grabbed his limbs, turning him to his side, while Splinter watched his head, trying to keep the small turtle from injuring himself.

“Donatello! The antivenom!” Splinter yelled as Donnie pulled a syringe filled with yellow liquid from his contraption.

“I’ve got it!” He shouted. He ran over to the arm Leo was holding still, carefully inserting the needle into Mikey’s vein and injecting the antivenom. The Hamato family watched closely as Mikey continued to seize.

“It’s not working!” Raph cried, his heart plummeting. Mikey’s eyes rolled up into his head as he lost consciousness.

Suddenly, his body stopped seizing. Then, he sat up. The brother’s took a step back in shock as Mikey opened his eyes to reveal a golden glow. Mystic Mikey’s face was twisted in pain, but he reached his arms forward. A golden spark appeared in front of him, and it grew into what almost looked like a lightning bolt. His scars began glowing, but it was different from the other times. This was similar to what happened when Mikey made the portal to save Leo. The smell of burning flesh filled the room as Mikey’s skin was singed with golden light. He slowly pulled his hands outward, straining as he appeared to force the light to grow. Unlike his other portals, this one wasn’t swirling with beautiful golden light. Instead, it appeared almost as if it was a tear in space itself, sparking and flashing like it was unstable.

“Fang…” Mystic Mikey whispered through clenched teeth, sweat dripping down his face.

“What?” Leo asked, his face a mixture of horror and confusion.

“Fang!” Mystic Mikey screamed, shooting a desperate look at his brothers.

And just like that, it clicked.

“The snake! He opened a portal to the snake!” Raph exclaimed, running through the portal before his brothers could stop him. He landed on scorched grass, back in the forest where Mystic Mikey and the snake creature had battled. Laying limply before him was the cold, dead body of the creature.

It looked as if the snake had been constricted, tight chainmarks crisscrossing the creature’s iridescent body. But Raph had no time to stare in awe at the power his brother held. He ran to the snake’s head and found himself face to face with one of its giant fangs.

Raph immediately began pulling at it, but it was firmly lodged in the snake’s dripping jaw. He let out a frustrated cry, tugging desperately as he began crying. “C’mon, c’mon!”

In a flash, Leo was at his side, out of breath from running after his big brother. “Raph, together!” He shouted, summoning his swords and jumping in the air. Raph summoned his avatar, holding the fang tight and pulling as Leo brought his swords slicing down on the base. With a sickening click, the fang broke off, purple venom leaking from the cavity.

Raph lifted the fang carefully as Leo portalled them directly to Mystic Mikey’s portal, both brothers rushing through.

Mystic Mikey immediately threw his hands down, the portal closing. He fell backwards, unconscious, the light from his arms fading as they revealed fresh burns.

“Quick, Donnie, the venom!” Leo shouted as Raph set the fang down on the ground. Donnie used his mechanical arms to take a sample of the liquid, running it over to his machine. The seconds seemed to last forever as Donnie typed into the contraption.

Mikey’s breathing became very faint, his body limp and unmoving. Leo held his wrist, his eyes wide with worry. “I can barely find a pulse.” He said, his voice breaking. “Oh god, Mikey…”

Donnie’s machine let out a ding, and Donnie quickly grabbed the syringe, rushing over to his unconscious brother. “Please, please work.” He whispered as he found Mikey’s vein, slowly injecting the antivenom. “Please.”

Minutes passed. Splinter and the turtles could only watch Mikey’s chest rise and fall slowly. As long as it was moving, as long as he was breathing, there was hope. He would be ok. He had to be ok.

After what felt like forever, there was a definite shift in Mikey’s appearance. His breathing became deeper and more even, and the color began returning to his face. Splinter could feel the heat from his skin beginning to ebb slowly. The Hamato family collectively breathed a deep sigh of relief. The antivenom had worked.

He was ok. Mikey would be ok.

Chapter Text

Leo and Splinter immediately got to work bandaging Mikey’s freshly burned arms.

Luckily, they weren’t burned nearly as badly as when he’d first created a portal. As they applied a salve and gingerly wrapped the bandages around his arms, Raph explained the situation to Splinter.

Splinter listened without a word, only nodding to show he was still listening as Raph rambled. When Raph had finished, Splinter pulled a chair over to Mikey’s cot, hopping up and scratching his chin thoughtfully.

“That’s… A lot to take in.” He said finally, his eyes wide with worry. He looked over at Mikey, who was sleeping soundly. “I knew Michealangelo was struggling with something, but I never thought…” Splinter trailed off, seemingly lost in thought.

“We tried to help him, but all we did was make things so much worse.” Leo muttered, anxiously tapping his fingers on the counter he was leaned up against.

“No, I will not have you boys blaming yourselves for this.” Splinter said firmly. “From what I heard, this was an accident. Accidents happen, and they’re nobody’s fault. If you hadn’t helped, it’s still very likely that this portalling would have led to something like this happening. Except you wouldn’t have been there to save him.” Splinter lay his hand softly on Mikey’s plastron. “Michealangelo is very lucky he has brothers like you.” He paused for a moment, then continued. “I am very proud of you. All of you.”

The turtles looked at their father in awe, shocked that those words had left his mouth. Splinter turned back to them with a sad smile on his face. “You are all too young to be dealing with this kind of pain. And I am much too old to suffer this much heartache. Your crazy escapades are giving me grey fur!” He joked, earning small smiles from his sons. “But you have all done so well. I’m not only proud of the ninjas you are, but the men you have become.”

Splinter looked at each of his sons in turn. They looked exhausted, physically and mentally. “Right,” He said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Your brother is stable for now, and he will most likely sleep until at least the morning. I will stay and keep an eye on Michealangelo. You three need to get some sleep.”

“But Pops!” Raph said quickly. “What if something happens? At least let me -”

“Absolutely not.” Splinter stated. “What, you think this old rat can’t handle it?”

“Well, no, but -”

“No buts!” Splinter commanded, pointing to the door of the medbay. “Go! I will see you all in the morning.”

With that, the turtles slowly left, casting nervous glances over their shells at their sleeping little brother as Splinter gently petted his head.

.
.
.

The brothers walked in silence, their footsteps each echoing through the halls of the lair. As they passed by the kitchen, a set of the footsteps stopped, causing the other two turtles to turn around.

Raph was standing frozen, looking with a gaunt face at the pristine kitchen before him. He could almost see Mikey flitting around from cupboard to cupboard, laughing while concocting some fancy meal for them all.

“Raph?” Leo questioned, pulling Raph back to reality.

“Heh, it’s weird.” Raph laughed softly, his big body shaking. “I can’t really move my legs right now. Ha, isn’t that wild?”

Raph laughed again as tears started welling up his eyes. The laughter turned into sobs, despite the larger turtle’s attempt to stop. He covered his face, angry and ashamed that he was breaking down like this in front of his little brothers.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I don’t know why… I’m sorry.” He said through sobs, wiping his tears away just for them to quickly be replaced by new ones. “I just… I thought we were going to lose him.”

Donnie and Leo walked slowly to their brother’s side. Leo wrapped his arms around the bigger turtle’s torso, hugging him tightly and holding Raph like he was the only thing grounding him. Despite himself, tears began to fall from Leo’s eyes as well as he buried his face in Raph’s plastron. Donnie pressed his forehead into Raph’s shell, a single tear trickling down his cheek. His lips quivered softly as he balled his hands up into fists.

“You know what, guys?” Leo said finally, letting out a sad chuckle. “I don’t really want to be alone right now.”

Raph and Donnie nodded, and Raph motioned for his brothers to follow him. They all piled into Raph’s room. Raph flopped down on his massive bed, laying on his stomach and hugging his pillow tight. Leo crawled in next to him, laying his head on Raph’s shoulder. Donnie climbed on top of Raph’s shell, curling up between the snapping turtle’s spikes.

None of them spoke. There was nothing they felt they could say anymore. Just being together helped them relax and feel at ease. But it was clear their turtle pile was missing someone. It was like a cold spot that you just can’t seem to make disappear.

They found comfort in each other’s warmth, and slowly but surely, their soft breathing lulled them all to sleep.

.
.
.

Splinter sat silently by his son, watching the rise and fall of his breathing. It was a constant reminder that indeed, his son was still alive. He would be ok.

Splinter thought back to the night following the defeat of the Kraang. He, April, and Casey had to rush around helping to patch up each of his sons. They were all in terrible shape, and Splinter had almost fallen to pieces when he’d seen them all stumble back into the lair.

Despite all the pain and despair present at the time, it was Mikey who brought positivity and light to his family. Mikey, who had nearly died, who couldn’t move his arms because they were so badly burned, raced around the lair like he was walking on air.

He helped when Donnie refused to let anyone touch his softshell. Mikey had brought down Donnie’s Rubix cube and used his feet of all things to scramble the puzzle. Then, he would pass it to Donnie, who would say nothing, but quickly solve the cube before passing it back. They continued to pass it back and forth while Casey and Splinter worked to patch up his damaged shell.

He helped when Raph had flashbacks about the Kraang’s control over him. He would sit and talk with the older turtle for hours about the craziest things, all to help Raph feel like he was in control again.

And it was Mikey who helped Leo work through his physical therapy. His constant positivity and playful banter with his brother helped distract the blue turtle from the frustration and pain he felt from his injured leg. Splinter saw all of this, incredibly proud of his youngest’s ability to bring his broken family back together.

“Oh, my son.” Splinter said softly, stroking Mikey’s head with his thumb. “Sometimes your light shines so bright, it is difficult to see the darkness that troubles you.” The old rat bit his lip, holding back tears. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

Splinter thought back to when he and the turtles had just been mutated. Mikey had been the fussiest out of all of the turtles. It was no fault of his own; Splinter had never raised children before. And Mikey had been so small…

Splinter had spent many sleepless nights comforting the small turtle, trying to help him sleep. Trying anything to help bring peace to Mikey’s fitful cries. He smiled as he remembered the one thing that always seemed to calm baby Mikey down.

Splinter leaned close to his sleeping son, holding his hand gently as he began to sing. His voice was raspy with age he didn’t used to have, but despite this, the well known tune came easily to him. The tears fell freely now as Splinter sang softly, hoping that through his consciousness, his son might find some peace.

You are my sunshine

My only sunshine

You make me happy

When skies are grey

You’ll never know, dear

How much I love you

Please don’t take

My sunshine

Away

Chapter Text

Mikey woke up with the strangest song stuck in his head.

He blinked his eyes tiredly, slowly allowing the world to come into focus. To his surprise, he appeared to be lying in the medbay. Huh… He thought, confusion clouding his mind. Why am I…

He started to push himself into a sitting position, then winced. His arms stung, and his shoulder ached like somebody had punched him. Multiple times. With brass knuckles. He let out a groan as he forced himself to sit up despite his body’s complaints.

There was an audible gasp as someone immediately began shining a bright light in his eyes, causing him to squint and hold up a shaky hand.

“Mikey! How are you feeling? Warm? Cold? Does anything hurt? Rate your pain on a scale of one to one hundred, with one being nothing and one hundred being you’re actively dying!” Mikey recognized Donnie’s frantic voice as he gazed at his purple clad brother through the shining light.

“Dee, you’re blinding me.” Mikey rasped, chuckling as he pushed the light from his face. “I feel… Fine? A little achy. Well, a lot achy. But not terrible.” Mikey gently rubbed the spots from his eyes, feeling a familiar burning pain in his hands and arms. He looked down. Similar to six months ago, they were wrapped with bandages up past his elbows. Not only that, but he also appeared to have bandages wrapped tightly around his aching shoulder. “Holy Hamato, I look like a shoddy mummy Halloween costume.” Mikey joked wryly as he turned back to Donnie, who sat stiffly by his side. “What happened?”

Donnie looked at the ground before replying. He was stimming with his hands, nervously rubbing them together on his lap. “Well… How much do you remember?”

Mikey thought for a moment. “I remember falling asleep… and waking up. You were all there, and then…” Mikey paused, setting a hand on his bandaged shoulder. “And then there was this excruciating, burning pain. Everything… gets a little fuzzy after that.”

Donnie began rubbing his hands faster, which Mikey took to not be a great sign.

“So I’m guessing the plan didn’t work then, huh?” Mikey said, a mixture of anxiety and dread making his stomach hurt. “What did I… He do? Did he… Did he hurt anyone?” Mikey asked, his voice breaking as he squeezed the edges of the cot.

“No. Well, kind of.” Donnie started, finally turning to look at his younger brother. “The sound cue didn’t work, and when we tried to stop him, he restrained us with these glowing golden chains.”

Donnie must have noticed the horror in Mikey’s eyes, so the purple turtle seemed to backtrack. “Not tightly! Just, to keep us out of the way, I think. I don’t think he wanted to hurt us.” Donnie pursed his lips, then continued. “It was almost like he was trying to protect us.”

“He portalled to this strange dimension, and we followed him. It turns out, he must be going to different dimensions to fight things he determines as evil. In this dimension, it was this giant, fire-breathing snake. He was protecting this town of creatures from its wrath.” Mikey listened with rapt attention as Donnie continued. “We tried to help, and he restrained us again, throwing us back through the portal. But when he was distracted, the snake…”

Donnie trailed off, but Mikey could put the pieces together, his shoulder seeming to throb more now that he knew what caused the injury.

“The snake was venomous. When Mystic Mikey portalled back, and you regained consciousness, we had to rush you to the medbay, and… You nearly died.” The words seemed to catch in Donnie’s throat. Mikey felt his blood run cold as the weight of what happened finally dawned on him.

“We almost lost you, but Mystic Mikey came back after you’d passed out from pain. He opened another portal so we could grab the snake’s fang for an antivenom. It burned your arms again, but if he hadn’t done it, you’d be dead.” Donnie was shaking at this point, his hands rubbing up and down his thighs.

Mikey swallowed down the fear and anxiety threatening to spill over in his mind. He slowly pushed himself forward so he was closer to his brother. He leaned over so he could look in Donnie’s slightly panicked eyes as the turtle continued to rock slightly in his chair.

“But I didn’t, right?” Mikey said softly, giving his brother a reassuring smile. “You guys saved me. I’m fine, Donnie. I’m ok.”

“You’re not supposed to be comforting me in this situation!” Donnie shouted with exasperation, gesturing wildly with his hands. “I’m supposed to be comforting you! This is ridiculous!”

The two turtles sat in silence for a moment while Donnie collected himself, taking a few deep breaths. “Sorry, sorry.” He said quickly, sitting up straighter in his chair. “It’s just… You know… Argh, why is this so hard!?”

Mikey laughed, earning a withering glare from his older brother. “Why are you laughing? This is a serious moment we’re having!”

Mikey blinked his eyes innocently before letting a devilish smile stretch across his face. “You do care, Donnie boy! Just wait till I tell Leo and Raph!” He said snarkily, lifting a shaking finger to poke Donnie’s forehead lightly.

Donnie rolled his eyes, pushing Mikey’s hand away. Then, he leaned into the smaller turtle, wrapping him in a gentle hug. Mikey was caught totally off guard. Donnie rarely if ever actually hugged anyone. He sat still for a moment, before softly hugging him back, the worries swarming like bees in his stomach calming at his brother's embrace.

Donnie turned his head towards Mikey’s ear and whispered softly, “Of course I care. You all mean the world to me. But if you tell Raph and Leo, I'll put nanobots in your bed.”

With that, the purple turtle leaned back, clearing his voice as MIkey stared at him with wide eyes. “Ehm, well, I suppose we should go let the others know you’re awake. It’s been two days, and I know they’ve been incredibly worried -”

“I’ve been asleep for two days?!” Mikey interrupted, jerking his hands up to his head and wincing as his injuries throbbed as a result.

“Well, yes. Not only did you sustain multiple injuries and narrowly escape death, but you were also still severely sleep deprived, so if you factor that in- Hey wait, where are you going?” Donnie asked as Mikey swung his legs over the side of the cot.

“I’ve gotta see everyone!” Mikey said, grabbing a pair of crutches from the side of the bed as he hopped down. Luckily, his leg injury seemed to have healed quite a bit in his two day hibernation, but it still ached a bit as he put weight on it. “They must be worried sick, and I have to apologize for everything…”

Donnie lept up to help Mikey with his crutches. “Alright! You can come too, but for Newton’s sake, can you please take it easy? Your body isn’t at full strength, and the last thing you need to do is damage it further!” Donnie paused for a second before continuing. “And you have nothing to apologize for. This was an accident. It’s no one’s fault.” He gave Mikey a slight smile. Mikey huffed, but returned Donnie’s smile. Donnie nodded approvingly before walking forward slowly keeping a steadying hand on the younger turtle. “Now c’mon. Raph is already going to chastise me for not calling him right away.”

The two turtles slowly made their way towards the main room of the lair. Mikey found it to be quite difficult to use crutches with the aching pain in his arms. He tried not to whimper as his shoulder continued to throb. Truthfully, he felt like absolute garbage. He wanted nothing more than to lay back down and let his body chill. But after hearing everything that happened, he desperately needed to see his family. He had to know they were ok. He stumbled a bit, catching himself before he ate shit on the floor. He hissed softly as a jolt of pain shot through his shoulder. Without saying anything, Donnie reached down to help support Mikey as they continued down the hallway.

They followed the sound of voices and found Raph, Leo, and Splinter wrapped up in a hushed conversation with April. Their faces were gaunt and serious as they spoke in low tones. Leo looked incredibly drained, leaning on his swords for support as he listened to Splinter talk. Raph yawned, and Mikey noticed dark circles under his eyes. His family looked exhausted, and he felt a deep guilt well up inside of him.

Raph spotted Mikey and Donnie out of the corner of his eye, and his face immediately brightened. “Mikey!”

The rest of the Hamato family turned towards him, and Mikey gave a little wave. He felt the sickening guilt melt away as looks of relief and joy appeared on his family’s faces. “What up, y’all?” He said cheerily, smiling wide. “What’s with the long faces?”

April rushed towards him, wrapping him in a firm, but gentle hug. “Mikey! Oh, buddy, I’ve been so worried about you!” She leaned back and gave him a scorching glare as she softly thumped him over the head. “If you ever try to lie to me again mister, I swear I will end you myself, you got that?” Mikey nodded quickly, and April smiled, wrapping him in another hug. “Oh gosh buddy, I’m just so glad you’re ok.”

Mikey laughed softly. “Of course I’m ok! A little mystic snake venom never hurt anybody!” He joked, hugging April back. “I may need a touch up on my nails, though. They’re a little worse for wear.”

“Honey, after this, you’re all getting a spa day.” April said with a huff, taking a step back. “Splinter filled me in on everything. I’d call you crazy, but I feel like it would be a moot point.”

“True that.” Leo chimed in, throwing his arm around Mikey’s shoulders, careful not to bump his sore one. He squeezed him softly, leaning close to Mikey’s face. “Good to see ya, Miguel. You gave us one heck of a scare.”

“I’ll say.” Raph chimed in, his face tinged with worry. “How ya feeling? Are ya sure you should be walking around?”

“I’m good, Raph!” Mikey said, winking at his big brother. Raph raised an eyebrow, and Mikey let out a sigh. Despite only having sight in one eye, he could swear Raph could see better than any of them. “A little shaken, yes. And sore. Ok, very sore. But I feel like a million bucks!” Mikey said quickly, giving a half-hearted thumbs up.

Raph shook his head. “Right, couch, now.” He commanded. Mikey obeyed, unable to hold back a smile at his brother’s overbearing tone. Usually, that sort of stuff would rub him the wrong way, but right now, it just made things feel normal again. And god, he needed that. Mikey flopped into the couch, letting out another deep sigh as he felt his body relax. Raph sat next to him, his body stiff, like he didn’t want to touch Mikey out of fear of hurting him.

Mikey rolled his eyes, snuggling into his big brother. “Heh, thanks Raph.” He said, listening to the older turtle’s loud heartbeat.

Raph smiled, softly wrapping his arm around Mikey’s shoulders. “I’m just happy you’re safe.” Raph said, giving his brother a little squeeze.

“Well, we’re not quite out of the woods yet.” Donnie jumped in, typing notes on his arm cuff. “We’re still nowhere in figuring out this sleep portalling mess. We’re basically back at square one.”

“Donnie, can we not have one minute to try and ignore that?” Raph said in a strained voice. “The guy just woke up.”

“No, he has a point, Raph.” Mikey said, feeling that familiar dread begin creeping back into his body. “This has escalated a lot. I’m…” Mikey swallowed his fear before continuing, looking up at his family and mustering as much honesty as he could. “I’m scared. I don’t want to die. And I don’t want any of you getting hurt because of me.” Mikey’s lip quivered. “I’m just so tired of all of this. I want it to stop.”

Leo came and sat on Mikey’s other side, setting a comforting hand on his leg. “We’ll figure it out, Mikey. Don’t lose hope yet.”

“Leonardo is correct.” Splinter said, walking over to stand in front of his son. “Do not give up just yet, Michelangelo. That light inside you is what makes you strong. You mustn't lose it.” Splinter lifted a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “Besides, I may have had an idea to help you.”

“You have a super secret mystical power that’s able to stop this?!” Mikey exclaimed.

“Heck no! I don’t know anything about that mystic mumbo jumbo. Way too many dead ancestors and weird magic.” Splinter said with a huff. “But I may have, regrettably, called someone who does.”

Suddenly, large purple and pink tendrils shot up through the floor of the lair. The turtles all jumped to their feet. Even Mikey, despite his body’s protests, held up his crutch like a weapon.

The tendrils unfurled and revealed a very disheveled, very angry looking sheep man, looking half awake with only a pair of boxers on. He glared down at the Hamato family with fires blazing in his eyes.

“Alright!” He growled, crossing his arms over his chest. “Where is Michealangelo?!”

Chapter Text

“Did you seriously just rip a hole in my floor?!”

Splinter angrily twitched his ears as he stared up at Draxum, a snarl forming on his lips. Mikey could almost see the fur bristling down his father’s back. Despite their shaky alliance with Draxum, which Mikey was very proud of, things were still kind of… difficult between his two Dads. And by difficult, he meant nearly unbearable.

“You said it was an emergency.” Draxum replied, sniffing haughtily as he glared down at Splinter. “Therefore, I calculated the quickest way to reach your, ehem, home. If you have a problem with my methods, perhaps you should have been more specific with your words.”

“Are you implying that the quickest way is burrowing through the ground like a worm?! I assumed that you knew how to use a door!” Splinter growled, crossing his arms over his chest as he stuck his pointy nose into the air. “But I suppose that would be giving you too much credit. And for god’s sake, can you please put some clothes on?! No one wants to see all that!” Mikey rolled his eyes at the irony, as Splinter had a nasty habit of waltzing around the lair wearing nothing but an old pair of tighty whiteys.

“I was in a hurry!” Draxum replied, his face flushing with… Embarrassment? Mikey almost began laughing out loud. Seeing Baron Draxum in his boxers had to be one of the craziest things he’s ever laid eyes on, and that’s coming from the guy who fights aliens and mutants on the daily.

Just then, Draxum’s two gargoyles came flying up through the hole he’d created in the floor. Huginn clumsily carried a large black and gold robe, which he immediately dropped on Draxum’s head.

“Sorry boss!” He called as Draxum hurriedly tied his robe on.

“Yeah, you were just too quick for us!” Muninn added, flapping above Draxum’s head. “You must have been really worried about that turtle kid.”

“I wasn’t worried!” Draxum refuted as he straightened out his robe. The two gargoyles landed on his shoulders, freezing in place. “I was concerned, that’s all. Now, where is Michealangelo?”

Mikey took a step forward, Leo and Raph following suit and standing near him protectively. He gave a little wave as he smiled up at Draxum. “Heya Drax! What’s up?”

Draxum frowned, gesturing with his hand. A small pink tendril hooked Mikey’s shell, lifting the small turtle into the air. Mikey let out a surprised yelp, but let his body hang loosely as he dangled from the tendril’s grasp.

“Hey!” Raph yelled, summoning his ninpo in the form of red fists. “Put him down, Draxie, or I’ll pound ya into a sheepskin rug!”

“Pfft, quiet, Red One.” Draxum said, rolling his eyes as he brought Mikey over to where he was standing. “If I wanted to hurt him, I would have done so already.”

Draxum had the pink tendril hold Mikey up in front of him so they were looking face to face. Mikey smiled, reaching out with his arms like he wasn’t hanging ten feet above the ground. “Draxum!” He exclaimed. “You are a sight for sore eyes! Did you miss me? I know you did! Admit it!”

Draxum scowled. “Michealangelo.” He said calmly, holding his hands in front of his face as if he was finding inner peace. He took a deep breath before loudly blurting out, ”YOU HAD A PROBLEM WITH YOUR MYSTIC POWERS AND YOU DIDN’T THINK TO CALL ME?! Did I mutate a pair of brain cells in that green head of yours, or are you just trying to die?!”

Mikey leaned back, Draxum’s loud voice making him flinch. He tapped his fingers together nervously. “Well, to be completely honest, I totally forgot you were like this crazy mystic powers guy. I’ve just gotten so used to you working at the school that I didn’t remember that you are also a fugitive scientist from the mystic city, heh heh.” Mikey shrugged as he let out a chuckle, causing Draxum to twitch his ears irritably.

“Whatever.” Draxum said, setting Mikey gently down on the floor. He then snapped his fingers, dissolving the remaining tendrils as he was lowered down next to Mikey. “I’m here because Lou Jitsu called me begging for help -”

“I WAS NOT BEGGING!” Splinter shouted back, walking up to stand in front of the yokai. Mikey rolled his eyes and backed off. He had learned quickly that just letting the two hash it out seemed to work better than him trying to play the middle man.

“Oh please.” Draxum said with a smirk. “When I heard the great Lou Jitsu asking for my mystic genius to help him, I knew I just had to come.”

“Are you sure you’re not a goat yokai? Because you really don’t know when to shut that flapping mouth of yours!”

“Fellas, please, can we focus on the task at hand here?!” Leo interjected, tapping his fingers on his sword in annoyance. “Jesus, you guys aren’t even married and I wish you’d get a divorce.”

Mikey laughed at the chorus of protests that sprung from his Dads. Draxum shook his head, recovering his usual poise.

“Right, yes. This is going to take a lot of explaining, considering you terrapins know nothing about the mystic arts.” He said, rubbing his chin. He turned to Donnie with a knowing look. “Purple one. You’ve got a lab, don’t you? May I use it for educational purposes? I lecture better in areas of high mental stimulus and metal to accentuate my voice.”

“It’s true, my lab does have wonderful acoustics.” Donnie said thoughtfully. “Uh, sure. Why not? Just, don’t touch anything. Looking at you, Leo.”

“Aw, c’mon Dontron. You know buttons are my jam!” Leo joked, wiggling his fingers in Donnie’s face. The purple turtle pushed him to the side.

“Right, this way.” He said, gesturing for the group to follow him.

Mikey readied his crutches, moving slowly behind the rest of the Hamato clan. Raph fell into step with him. Mikey noticed that Raph had been unusually quiet during most of the interaction with Draxum. He just seemed… Off.

“Raph?” He asked, shooting a quick look up at his older brother. “You ok?”

Raph chuckled wryly. “Heh, I should be asking you that, little bro.” He said, giving Mikey a worried look. “I still just don’t trust Draxum. I want to get this mystic stuff figured out as much as you do, but… I’m just worried he might not consider your safety to be a priority.” Raph rubbed his hands together nervously as he continued. “Draxum’s a mad scientist. I don’t want him to treat you like another one of his experiments.”

“I’ll be fine, Raph.” Mikey assured him, shoving his brother playfully. “You think too much! You’re going to give yourself an aneurysm. Besides,” Mikey braced himself on his crutches as he jabbed a thumb towards himself, “I can handle Baron Draxum. He’s just an old softie, you’ll see.”

Raph huffed with disbelief, but relented as the two brothers followed their family into Donnie’s lab. Draxum immediately grabbed one of Donnie’s old drawing boards and dragged it over to where they were all sitting.

“You know I have holograms that can draw that stuff for you, right?” Donnie said in a monotone voice as he watched Draxum fumble with an expo marker.

“Hah! Baron Draxum doesn’t need a computer to draw for him! I’m an amazing artist. Besides, I doubt your primitive machines would be able to convey the complexity of the subject I’m about to show you.” Draxum smirked as Donnie rolled his eyes with annoyance. “Right, now, Michelangelo. Listen up. I do not want to have to repeat myself.”

Mikey lowered himself slowly into his beanbag, trying not to wince as his shoulder twinged. He gave a quick thumbs up. “Ready Draxie boy! Enlighten me!”

Draxum cleared his throat loudly, earning another eye roll from Splinter as the rat mumbled profanities under his breath. Mikey chuckled as he heard April lean over to Leo and ask, “Should we be taking notes on this?”

“Alright, I should start this out by saying that I have already developed a device that will cease this unconscious sleep portalling for the time being.” Draxum said, causing an uproar from the Hamato family.

“Why didn’t you say that when you first got here, you old goat?!” Leo asked, jumping to his feet. “You are so freaking dramatic, and considering that’s coming from me, you should feel offended.”

“Quiet!” Draxum commanded, causing Leo to sit back down with a pout. “It is a TEMPORARY fix! This is not a long term solution.” The sheep man drew a quick sketch and a few different equations on the board. Mikey squinted critically at the shoddy drawing, trying to figure out what it could be. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed Donnie mumbling to himself as he read the formulas, his eyes widening.

“He’s developed a collar that stops mystic energy from interacting with the physical world.” He said with disbelief before he began frantically typing notes on his arm cuff. “I considered something similar after the Kraang blocked our powers, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it.”

“Tsk tsk tsk, you’ve got a lot to learn about the mystic arts, purple one. But you do show potential.” Draxum said with an approving nod. “Yes, this collar will block the connection between Mikey and his mystic powers, which will keep any more… Incidents from occurring.” Draxum peered at the small turtle, and Mikey could almost swear there was a flicker of worry and fear behind Draxum’s cold facade. But as quick as he saw it, Draxum turned back to his work.

“Wait, that’s great then!” Raph said, hope glimmering in his green eyes. “Why does this have to be a temporary thing? You’ve basically solved our entire problem!”

“Hardly.” Draxum said, looking grim. “Blocking the connection isn’t going to solve anything. It’s just going to push things off into the future. Eventually, Mikey’s powers will find a way around it, and then, there will be nothing that can stop them.”

Mikey felt his heart sink into his stomach as he stared wide-eyed up at Draxum. A hush fell over his family as the gravity of the situation seemed to sink in.

“In order to explain this, I have to give you all a quick run down on mystic energy, so bear with me here.” Draxum said as he cracked his knuckles.

“All yokai are born with innate mystic energy. Some are stronger than others, but it’s always there. I never imagined that my mutant creations would have inherited mystic energy from their mutation, but I’ve been proven time and time again that is indeed the case.” Draxum looked at each of the turtles individually. “You each have strong, innate energy, beyond what I ever could have comprehended. But Michealangelo seems to have been blessed with more than any of you.”

“I wouldn’t say blessed.” Mikey mumbled, but listened attentively as Draxum continued.

“Mystic energy is strongly intertwined with our own life force. As you learn, grow, and experience life, the mystic energy does so with you. It watches how you live your life and what you value above all else, then becomes what you need the most. For example,” Draxum summoned a single pink and purple tendril, holding it delicately in his palm. “I am a scientist/alchemist who specializes in biology based genetic modification. Therefore, my mystic powers presented themselves as parts of biology themselves.”

“Ew, those nasty things are alive?!” April asked, sticking her tongue out. “Gross. Cool, but gross.”

“I needed to protect myself from people who wanted to mess with my work, and I needed the extra appendages to help me with my experiments. For some reason, my interns kept quitting on me.” Draxum said, disintegrating the tendril in his hand.

“Maybe it was your charming personality.” Splinter said with a smirk, earning himself a glare from Draxum.

“Anyways.” Draxum continued. “For most yokai, this is what mystic energy is. It’s basically just something that helps them in their everyday life. But for us beings with stronger mystic energy, there becomes more of a connection between the mystic energy and our life force. And eventually, the energy almost adopts its own personality. In my case, my powers can be a bit… temperamental.” Draxum rubbed the back of his head, avoiding eye contact with the Hamato family. “When I, you know, stole the Dark Armor and had my life force drained, my mystic powers suffered as well. But not only were they not as strong, but they were also kind of upset with me. Therefore, they refused to work until I apologized.”

Draxum shook his head, then walked over to Mikey, squatting beside him and looking at the small turtle with an analytical stare. Mikey sat awkwardly, feeling like a bug under a microscope. “Um, Drax?”

“It’s quite extraordinary how strong of a connection there is between you and your mystic energy.” Draxum said finally, standing back up. “Even I have never seen nor heard of mystic energy being able to take over and control their host's body. Or even develop into a fully fledged, independently minded being. But somehow, it managed to do just that.”

Draxum walked back over to the drawing board, appearing to be thinking intently. “I have a theory as to what’s going on here.” He said, turning to address the group. He then turned specifically to talk to Mikey. “Michealangelo, I don’t know how or why this is happening, but I think your mystic energy is attempting to sever itself from you entirely.”

Mikey considered this for a moment. “Well, isn’t that kind of a good thing? I mean, I never really wanted or needed these powers in the first place. I’d rather have no powers than powers that constantly try to get me killed.”

“No, this is entirely a bad thing.” Draxum said, starting to pace. “The mystic energy and your life force are intertwined, remember? There simply cannot be one without the other. If you died, your mystic energy would die as well, and vice versa.”

Mikey swallowed down the bile in his throat. Draxum paused his pacing and rubbed his chin as he talked. “You and your mystic energy seem to be completely at odds with one another. I theorize that your mystic energy is actively trying to pull itself away from the deep connection it has with your life force. And you are clearly trying to do the same thing. But it’s like trying to keep two incredibly strong magnets apart. You and your mystic energy are both completely draining yourselves trying to pull away from one another.” Draxum turned to look Mikey in the eyes. “Your mystic energy is not only draining you physically, but it’s literally draining your lifeforce. If you continue like this, you will drain each other until there’s nothing left.”

Mikey was shaking at this point. His stomach was turning as he took in what Draxum was saying. He held his trembling hands in tight fists as he tried to keep his mind from spiraling. April crawled over to him, setting a comforting hand on his shell, which made him feel slightly better. He cleared his throat, looking back up at Draxum. “And if that happens?” He asked, his voice betraying the fear he felt.

Draxum looked down at the floor before turning back to Mikey. “You die. A very slow death, withering away until your body simply gives out. You’ve clearly already been feeling the effects. The tiredness, the achiness, all of that can be directly attributed to your life force being slowly leached away from you.”

“Argh!” Raph shouted suddenly in frustration. “Why would his powers do that? Don’t they realize that they’re killing them both?!”

“They’re not all-knowing Red One.” Draxum said, his voice low. “But who knows what his mystic energy is truly thinking.” Draxum shook his head again, taking on a more cheerful tone. “But, lucky for you, I might be able to help you remedy this!”

“H-how?” Mikey asked hopefully, slowly climbing to his feet.

“It won’t be easy.” Draxum said, crossing his arms over his chest. “But at this point, we have no other choice.” Mikey leaned forward in anticipation as Draxum continued.

“You’re going to have to confront the mystic energy within your mind.”

Chapter Text

“Wait… in my mind?”

Mikey blinked with confusion up at Draxum.

“Yes.” Draxum replied, leaning back against Donnie’s desk. “Somehow, you must journey into your own subconscious and convince your mystic energy to stop fighting against you.”

“Wait, are you talking about something similar to when we entered Splinter’s memories?” Leo questioned. “Because if so, are you crazy?! We nearly died because of Dad’s psycho subconscious!”

“I am literally standing right here!” Splinter growled, whacking his son lightly on his leg with his tail.

“Ha, no. If only it was that easy.” Draxum said, rubbing his forehead. “I was able to use a ritual to send you into Lou Jitsu’s memories. There’s no ritual to send someone into their own subconscious. And, it's an incredibly difficult feat. It took me years to master the meditative skills to reach the deep recesses of my complex mind -”

“Wait, is it like a weird empty space with your memories floating around?” Mikey asked, causing Draxum to turn towards him with a start.

“How did you…” Draxum said, his face a mixture of shock and awe.

“I’ve already been to that place!” Mikey replied. “When I was meditating at April’s apartment! That’s where I saw Mystic Mikey in a cage.”

“In a cage?! Wait, no, back up, you’ve already traveled to your subconscious?!” Draxum shouted before crossing his arms over his chest with a look of annoyance. “What am I saying, of course you have. Who needs years of mental training when you're just naturally gifted, hmph.”

“Wow, jealous much?” Splinter joked, smirking at Draxum and earning himself a withering glare from the sheep yokai.

“Woah, so when you freaked while meditating at my place… Wow. I am really good at my job.” April said, grinning as she poked at Mikey’s head.

“So, I have to just go back there and talk to him, right?” Mikey said, a shiver traveling up his spine as he remembered how pissed Mystic Mikey had been the last time they met face to face. “Um, have I mentioned that he doesn’t really like me?”

Draxum cleared his throat. “That’s the worrisome part of all of this. I know you said he’s in a cage, which I can’t even begin to try and unpack all that right now, but there is a slight possibility that he may reject you completely.” Draxum began pacing again as he continued. “If that happens, and he tries to hurt you… Well, you know what happened in Splinter’s mind. Those injuries transfer to the real world. And who knows what kind of power he has within your mind.” Draxum paused, looking over to Mikey. “It’s a risk, but it’s the only way I know of trying to fix this.”

Mikey sat quietly, unable to express the whirlwind of feelings swirling around his mind. On one hand, he could do nothing and slowly wither away until he died. Not the best option. But on the other hand, he could go and confront Mystic Mikey, who seemed to absolutely hate him and would most likely try to rip his shell off. Neither option seemed very appealing, but out of the two, he’d rather fight for his life than just give up.

Mikey felt sick. This was all a lot. It’s going to be ok. He assured himself, trying to believe it as he softly rubbed the bandages on his hands. It’ll all be ok.

“This is crazy.” Raph said, breaking the silence. Mikey turned to look up at his older brother, who had a look of panic and desperation on his face. “There’s gotta be some way we can help him! He shouldn’t have to face this all alone!”

“I already told you, this is the only way!” Draxum said, glaring at Raph. “You ought to have more faith in Michealangelo’s abilities.”

Raph growled, and Mikey worried for a moment his older brother might lunge at the yokai. “That’s not what I’m saying and you know it!”

Mikey stood up, swallowing his own fear and limping over to Raph, setting a comforting hand on his arm. “It’s alright, Raph.” The snapping turtle took a deep breath, turning to look at his younger brother. “I’m not alone. I’m never alone, remember?” Mikey smiled around at his family, his heart feeling like it would burst. “I can do this!”

Raph wrapped his arms around Mikey, careful to avoid his wounds. Mikey hugged the large turtle back, Raph’s body trembling against his own. “I have no doubt, little brother.” Raph whispered, holding Mikey close. “I just… I’m so tired of feeling like I’m about to lose you.”

Raph let go of the hug, and Mikey took a step back, keeping a hand on Raph’s arm. “Alright, Draxum.” Mikey said, steeling his eyes forward as he summoned as much courage as he could. “Let’s do this.”

“Right.” Draxum said, rubbing his hands together. “Purple one! You stay with me. I need your lab and your technological prowess to help me build this collar before the end of the day. The rest of you, shoo.”

Donnie looked shocked at the compliment from Draxum, shooting Mikey a conflicted look. Mikey just gave him a grin and a thumbs up. Donnie smiled softly back, then turned towards Draxum. “Ok, but my lab, my rules. Let’s start by making a succinct blueprint to use a base…”

Donnie’s voice trailed off as he and Draxum walked to the other side of the lab. Mikey grabbed his crutches. Despite his confident words, dread was eating him up inside. Confronting Mystic Mikey? He wanted to stay as far away from that guy as he could. He could still remember the burning pain in his arms, the smell of charred flesh, the unstable power that flowed from his body, down his veins and into his hands. It scared him then, and it terrified him now.

Now, there was a face behind the fear he felt. And it was his own. He pictured Mystic Mikey’s eyes, glowing and sparking with hatred as they glared at him. How was he possibly going to convince such a being to cooperate with him instead of trying to get them both killed?

Can I actually do this? Mikey thought, his heart pounding in his chest. The weight of everything felt like it was crushing the air from his lungs.

“Michealangelo?”

Mikey was pulled from his thoughts by Splinter, who was giving his son a concerned look. Mikey gave a gentle smile. It was kinda weird, his Dad being so worried. Despite Splinter becoming more supportive of his sons over the years, Mikey never considered him and his father to have the closest relationship. Mikey loved his Dad, of course, but there always seemed to be a distance that he was never able to cross. It never really bothered him, but seeing his Dad being so worried now felt entirely weird. He wasn’t upset by it; it just didn’t feel right.

“Heh…” Mikey chuckled uncomfortably. “I can’t remember the last time you called me by my name.” Splinter’s face seemed to fall, which felt like a punch in Mikey’s gut. He didn’t mean to hurt his Dad’s feelings, but he didn’t know what else to say. “Sorry, I just… Imma go get some food. Love ya, pops.” With that, Mikey turned around and walked over to Raph, who was talking quietly with Leo and April. He pushed down his guilt, focusing instead on the growling in his stomach. “Guys, I hate to interrupt, but I haven’t eaten in two days, and I need sustenance in the form of pizza, asap!”

Leo laughed, throwing an arm around Mikey. “Finally, a good idea! I’ll call Senor Hueso; he owes me for chasing a stray dog out of his store. I’ve never seen the old man’s bones rattle so loud!”

They all laughed, walking out of Donnie’s lab towards the kitchen. Mikey tried to share his brother’s good spirits, but he still couldn’t shake the ominous feeling in his gut. He looked back at his father, who’s face looked troubled as he walked over to stand by Draxum and Donnie.

“Y’know…” Mikey heard Raph speak up from behind him, looking out at Splinter. “Pops was by your side almost the entire time you were unconscious. He only left because Donnie and I forced him to.” Raph set a hand on Mikey’s shoulder, and Mikey couldn’t help but feel that his older brother knew exactly what was bothering him. “I know he hasn’t been the most… Present father for ya, but he loves you a lot. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the old rat so worried before.”

Mikey smiled, turning around and slowly crutching his way out of the lab as Raph followed. “C’mon Raph. I need the cheesy comfort of cheap pizza to soothe my aching bod.”

Chapter Text

Leo kept good on his promise and portalled over to Senor Hueso’s, setting two delicious smelling pizzas down on the kitchen counter.

“Leo’s cooking tonight boys!” He shouted, posing theatrically.

Mikey grinned up at his brother before grabbing a slice and immediately scarfing it down. The smell of the pizzas had reminded him just how starving he was. He wolfed another down as his family crowded around the table, each grabbing a slice.

Mikey closed his eyes, savoring the delicious mystic pizza. He could remember the first time he and his brothers had ever tried pizza. Splinter had been making a grocery run to the surface. According to him, a pizza delivery guy had accidentally crashed his bike into a curb, sending his pizzas flying. While the guy was dazed, Splinter grabbed a box, sneaking away into the sewers. That’s the story anyways. Leo still jokes that Splinter probably mugged the guy because he was desperate for something other than dollar store food.

The young turtles had never seen anything like it before. Before Splinter could even grab a single slice, Mikey and his brothers had ravaged the entire pizza, leaving only a few crumbs. But the old rat had just laughed. It was the first memory Mikey had of his father ever laughing. For Mikey, that was what inspired him to start learning how to cook. If food could taste that good and make his family happy, he had to know how to do it.

When I get all this mystic stuff figured out, I should host a pizza night, just like old times. Mikey thought, smiling softly. But as quick as it appeared, his good mood vanished. Well, if I can get it all figured out.

April must have noticed his mood turn sour, walking over and setting a hand on his shell. “Alright, Mikey,” She said cheerfully, and Mikey welcomed the distraction from his spiraling thoughts, “What cha wanna do now? We could watch some Jupiter Jim, or maybe paint a bit? What are ya feeling up to?”

Mikey suddenly became painfully aware of the state of his body. The adrenaline of waking up from his two day hibernation and everything that happened afterwards was wearing off. He could feel his shoulder throbbing, each heartbeat sending a dull ache through his arms. Coupled with the fatigue from his body healing, and from apparently his own mystic energy sucking his life force away, he felt about as heavy as a bag of bricks.

“Honestly April, I kinda feel… terrible.” He said with a chuckle, looking up into April's worried eyes.

Raph walked over, his face scrunched up with concern. “Your body is still healing. It’s only been a few days. But you don’t feel sick, right? No fever?” Raph reached a hand over to Mikey’s forehead, his palm cupping almost the entirety of Mikey’s head.

Mikey grabbed his large hand, shaking his head. “No, not sick. I’m good. I think I just want to be alone for a bit, if that’s alright.” He said quietly. “Today’s been… a lot. I just want to think for a while.”

“Sure Miguel, no worries.” Leo said, smiling at his brother. Mikey noticed that Leo’s smile looked a little strained, but as soon as he saw it, Leo turned away.

“Of course, Mikes.” Raph said, rubbing Mikey’s head. “Go relax, big man. Call us if ya need something.” Raph paused for a moment, then continued nervously. “And maybe try not to fall asleep or anything, heh.”

Mikey saluted his older brother, ignoring the stinging in his arm. “Yessir. Roger, that big bro. No mystic portalling.”

Mikey slowly crutched his way down the hallway towards his room. He needed a chance to think about everything Draxum had said, hopefully without sending himself into a whirlwind of anxiety. And man, did he want to sit down. With every step he could feel his injured body protesting the movement.

“Damn, you look like shit.”

Mikey rolled his eyes as he heard the little voice of Dr. Delicate Touch from his shoulder. “Well, I feel like shit, so… Yeah, that checks out.”

“Despite the state of your physical and mental wellbeing, I’m glad to see you’re finally taking care of yourself.” Dr. Feeling chimed in from his other shoulder. “You should be proud. These past few days haven’t been easy on you.”

“I’ll say.” Mikey mumbled, shooing the two apparitions away as he reached his bedroom. His head was becoming crowded with all of his alter-egos and mystic personalities. Mikey stood in the doorway for a moment as he glanced around. His room looked mildly normal. It was still uncharacteristically clean, but that wasn’t what unnerved him. His eyes traveled to his bed, which had been stripped of everything on it, leaving just the old mattress. It made sense, since his sheets had gotten all bloody, but it just looked so wrong.

The more Mikey stared, the more things popped out at him. The way his desk looked as if someone had violently swept everything off it, how Donnie’s speakers were still sitting haphazardly around the perimeter of the room, the cracks in his wall that definitely had not been there before. Then, Mikey noticed something near the foot of his bed. In an instant, he felt the air leave his lungs, his body freezing in place. His eyes widened as his breathing began to quicken. He couldn’t move. Despite his brother’s obvious attempt to try and clean up some of the mess in his room, they must have missed this little bit.

Blood. His blood. Dried and dark, splattered on the corner of his bed frame.

Memories quickly flashed before his eyes. The pain, the fear, that glowing golden light. It was blinding.

Mikey closed his eyes, backing away and breathing heavily. He felt sick, the pizza in his stomach threatening to reappear. He couldn’t go in there. He just couldn’t.

Easy, Mikes. He thought, trying to slow his breathing as he unsteadily walked away from the room. Easy. I’ll just go somewhere else. It’s fine. We’re fine.

Mikey took a few deep breaths, feeling the panic in his body slowly subside. His body felt incredibly shaky, which wasn’t the greatest for someone who’s trying to use crutches. He steadied himself, rubbing his head to try and clear his frenzied brain. “Well, that was… unexpected.” He said to no one in particular, his heart still beating incredibly fast. “Maybe I’ll have to talk to Raph about getting all of… that cleaned up.” He made his way towards the living room, hoping he might be able to flop down on the couch for the time being.

As Mikey approached, he recognized two figures standing inside. When he finally realized who it was, he stopped in his tracks, confusion clouding his brain. Is that Splinter and… Draxum? He quickly crouched down, backing up so he was out of their sight. It was just so strange… yet intriguing. His interest was peaked; he had to see what was going to happen. He leaned in close, trying to listen to their hushed conversation.

“This better be good, rat.” Draxum said, annoyance in his voice. “You’re lucky I was able to step away for a minute. The purple one is more skilled than I imagined at technological design. Strange, considering he was raised by you.”

“Why you…” Splinter growled, but he seemed to collect himself, taking a deep breath. “Listen, I didn’t pull you away from your work just to argue. I… have a question. And I’d like an honest answer, ok? Can you do that?”

Draxum looked taken aback, but sat down on the couch. “I think I can manage.” He said as Spinter climbed up next to him. Mikey’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe it. His dads, having a civil conversation? Did he hit his head?

“Right.” Splinter said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “Listen, I’m not great at this sort of thing. But I need to know.” He turned to look Draxum in the eyes. “How likely is this plan of yours to work?”

Mikey felt a lump form in his throat as Draxum clenched his hands into fists. The sheep yokai looked deeply troubled.

“Please, Draxum.” Splinter said, urging him to answer. “I need to know.”

“I… I don’t know.” Draxum said finally, his face clouded with uncertainty. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. No one has. I can only theorize. I can’t give you the answer you’re looking for.”

Splinter looked down at his feet. Mikey could almost feel the despair radiating off his father. He clutched a shaky hand to his plastron, trying to calm his nerves. He perked up as Splinter began to speak again.

“You know, Michealangelo was always the smallest of all the turtles.” He said with a chuckle, looking up at the ceiling as he reminisced. “I was always so worried about him. I could never keep him warm, and he’d cry for hours. He’d always run to me for comfort, and I struggled to find ways to make him feel at ease.”

Draxum appeared to be listening intently, as was Mikey. His father didn’t talk much about the early days of their family, so it was always interesting to hear what his life was like before he gained consciousness.

“As the years went by,” Splinter continued, “Michealangelo seemed to need me less and less. Whereas his brothers always seemed to seek my wisdom and look to me for guidance, Michealangelo walked his own path. He was always naturally gifted with Ninjitsu, and he was able to understand complex situations better than anyone.” Mikey watched in awe, his heart nearly breaking, as his father let a tear slip down his fuzzy cheek. “I just… He’s always been so steadfast. I never worried about him, because I thought he’d always be fine. But he wasn’t, and I wasn’t there for him. And that’s something I can never fix.”

Splinter turned to look at Draxum, desperation in his eyes. “Please, Draxum. Please tell me my negligence didn’t cost my son his life.”

Mikey felt himself begin tearing up, shifting to try and enter the room. But before he could, he paused, watching as Draxum set a hand on his father’s shoulder.

“Lou…” He said, a note of tenderness in his voice that Mikey had never heard before. “This would have happened no matter what. It was inevitable. You cannot blame yourself.”

Draxum paused for a moment before continuing. “That day when my lab exploded, I had assumed the turtle’s had died. But they hadn’t. You raised them to be kind, to be free, and to protect those around them. And sure, you made mistakes. That’s what parents do. They couldn’t have asked for a better father. They had a father who was there for them, and that’s enough. If you have regrets, well, I am a perfect example of how you can rise from your past and become someone the people you care about can rely on.” The yokai pulled his hand back, smiling at Splinter. “Out of all the creatures of Earth, mystic or otherwise, who could have found and raised my creations, I’m glad it was you, Lou.”

Splinter sniffled, wiping the tears from his eyes. “That was incredibly cheesy, Draxum.” He joked, letting out a light chuckle.

“You wanted honest!” Draxum replied, looking embarrassed. “I mean, c’mon, if I had raised them, I probably would have trained them to be murderous assassins or something. What I’m trying to say is-”

“Yeah, I got it, don’t strain yourself.” Splinter said, hopping down from the couch. He paused for a moment. “Thank you, Draxum. You’re not all that bad.” Splinter crossed his arms over his chest, shooting a glance towards the yokai. “But I still don’t understand why you mutated me into a rat. A tiger would have been so much cooler.”

“Maybe mutations just reflect what’s inside.” Draxum taunted, earning himself a glare. Mikey pulled himself to his feet, slowly making his way into the living room before his dads started fighting again.

“Ah! Michelangelo!” Draxum said, giving the smaller turtle a pat on the head as he exited the way Mikey entered. “The purple one and I have nearly completed the mystic energy blocker. I’ll bring it out when it’s ready.” Mikey gave a wave as Draxum disappeared before turning to face Splinter, who looked nervously at his son.

Mikey wanted to throw himself in his fathers arms. He wanted to assure him that he knew he cared, and he never felt like Splinter wasn’t there for him. Instead, he gave his dad a big smile.

“Hey Dad!” He said in a cheerful voice. “Can you help me with something?”

Splinter immediately seemed to perk up, smiling as he quickly ran over to his son. Mikey had to hold back a chuckle at his father’s excitement. “Of course, Michealangelo! Lead the way!”

As Mikey slowly walked with Splinter towards his room, he felt a wave of warmth towards his father. Their relationship wasn’t perfect. But this was a start. And hopefully, Mikey would have more time to help himself, his father, and the rest of his family heal. Slowly, but surely.

Baby steps is all it takes.

Chapter Text

As Mikey rounded the corner leading to his room with Splinter by his side, he nearly ran into Leo, who was walking the other way.

Leo jumped, as if he’d been lost in his thoughts, before plastering on a huge grin. “Mikey! Dad! Holy Hamato, you scared the stripes off me!”

“Perhaps you should try to be more aware of your surroundings, Leonardo!” Splinter chastised, crossing his arms over his chest. “Didn’t I teach you anything about being a great ninja?”

Mikey chuckled before once again noticing something a bit off about his brother. The slider’s smile seemed forced, and he was tapping rhythmically on his legs, as if something was troubling him. Mikey narrowed his eyes, giving his brother suspicious glare. “What’s up, Leon?” He questioned sternly, leaning forward on his crutches as Leo attempted to avoid eye contact.

“Oh, I was just… y’know. Checking to see if you were doing alright. Which it looks like you are, heh.” Leo said, stumbling a bit over his words. Mikey narrowed his eyes more, and Leo immediately deflected. “Anyways, what are you guys doing? I thought you were going to rest, Mikes.”

Mikey huffed. He knew exactly what Leo was doing, but there wasn’t much he could do about it now. He would interrogate his brother for answers later. “I was going to rest, but I needed some help with something quick, so I grabbed Dad.” He said, jabbing a thumb towards Splinter.

“Oh, help with what?” Leo asked, tilting his head in curiosity before taking on a more arrogant tone. “I can help too, if you want. You might need my amazing expertise.”

“Pft, sure Leo.” Mikey said, rolling his eyes jokingly and crutching towards his room. “I was just going to ask if you guys would… uh…”

Mikey paused as he reached his doorway, once again faced with memories from a few days ago. He felt his heart drop into his stomach as his chest seemed to clench up, chasing the air from his lungs. He swallowed, trying to keep it together as he turned away from his room to face Leo and Splinter.

“I was just hoping you guys could help me, uh, tidy up a bit?” Mikey said, attempting to keep his voice steady. His brother and Dad seemed a bit confused, so he took a deep breath before continuing. “My uh, my desk, is all destroyed, and Donnie’s speakers are still in here. I still need to grab my bedsheets and, uh, there’s just… some blood. On my floor. And it’s kinda freaking me out, heh.” Mikey could feel Leo and Splinter’s eyes on him as he stared at the floor, his body trembling slightly. “I just… I can’t…” He felt his voice trail off, words escaping him as Leo grabbed his shoulders.

“Hey, Mikes, relax man. It’s alright.” Leo said quickly, shifting his head so he could look Mikey in the eyes. “I’m so sorry, it was late when we cleaned, and we’ve all been kind of out of it. I’m sorry bud.” Leo pulled him in for a hug, which Mikey gladly accepted.

Splinter grabbed Mikey’s hand, causing the small turtle to look at him. “We can take care of this, my son.” He said calmly, giving Mikey’s hand a squeeze.

“S-sorry. It’s silly.” Mikey whispered, taking a step back. “It’s just a little too much right now.”

“I understand.” Splinter said, giving Mikey a comforting smile. “Why don’t you go make sure Draxum hasn’t created a bomb in Purple’s lab? It’ll put my old mind at ease. We’ll get this cleaned up in the meantime.”

Mikey nodded. “Thanks guys.” He said gratefully, turning to walk towards Donnie’s lab. Geez… He thought tiredly as his body began aching again. How pathetic. I can’t even clean up my own mess. Mikey shook his head, trying to chase his negative thoughts away. No, quit that. It’s not pathetic to ask for help. You know that. He huffed, annoyed that his stupid brain was thinking such things. If any of his brothers had said something like that, he would have slapped them upside the head. Out of love, of course.

I just need to focus on getting better. He thought, approaching Donnie’s lab. The faster I heal physically, the faster I can heal mentally. And mystically, I guess. Huh, I’m kinda a mess on all fronts right now. Mikey chuckled wryly, slowly entering Donnie’s lab. Honestly, he was surprised he was still standing at this point. His body felt like it would give out at any moment.

Unfortunately, it was clear he wouldn’t be able to rest anytime soon. As he made his way inside Donnie’s lab, he was greeted by the angry voices of Raph and Draxum, who stood face to face next to Donnie, who was delicately holding the device Draxum had drawn on the board earlier.

“I told you, sheepman. You’re not putting that thing on Mikey without running more tests.” Raph growled, his eyes narrowed as he glared at Draxum.

“More tests?!” Draxum shook his head in exasperation. “There are no more tests I could possibly run! This isn’t some rinky-dink iphone or something; it’s a specially programmed mystic blocker! We need to see if it works or not.”

“And if it doesn’t?” Raph questioned, crossing his spiky arms. “What if it hurts him? It could backfire, or like, shock him, or something; did ya even think about that? Or what if you made it specifically to hurt him? It’s not like you haven’t tried something like that before. Mikey may trust you, Draxum, but I don’t. Not by a long shot.”

“Did the purple one inherit all of the brains in this family?!” Draxum said, massaging his forehead in irritation. “Your stupidity is giving me a headache. What reason would I have to harm Michealangelo? And just what do you think I’d be trying to do? Make a shock collar and train him like a dog? What kind of edgy bastard do you take me for?!”

“Both of you, quiet!” Donnie shouted, glaring at the fighting pair. “Raph, I know you don’t trust Draxum, but I also helped make this. I know how it works. And I know it should work. We just need to see how it affects Mikey so we can tweak it if needed. Ok?”

Raph huffed, turning away and spotting Mikey out of the corner of his eye. The younger turtle had just been listening by the entrance, too tired to interject. “Mikey! How long have you -” Raph started, but Mikey immediately held up a hand, gesturing that he be quiet.

“Hold on. Before we start anything,” Mikey said, slowly making his way over to his beanbag. “I need to sit down. My body feels like an unsteady Jenga tower.” He leaned back, falling backwards into the beanbag. He let out a sigh, feeling his muscles relax. After a moment, Mikey sat up a bit, looking at his quiet family. “Alright y’all, let’s get this testing over with.”

“Wait, but Mikey-” Raph started nervously before shaking his head slightly to gather himself. “Are ya sure?”

“I’m not.” Mikey said, his heart beating rapidly at the anticipation of what might happen once that collar was around his neck. “But what choice do I have?”

Donnie walked over, device in hand and a worried look on his face. “The collar should be perfectly safe. I ran it through every algorithmic scenario I saw no problems. But I can’t lie to you, Angelo. I can’t tell you it won’t hurt, or tell you exactly what it’ll feel like. We’ve only seen something similar with the Kraang, and well, you know how that went.”

“It should be fine.” Draxum said, joining Donnie. “If there is pain, it’ll be brief and temporary. Probably. Actually, it’s probably better if you’re sitting down for this.” Draxum pursed his lips tightly before continuing. “And if anything feels off, and I mean anything, you tell us right away, and I will remove the device. Got it?”

Mikey nodded, swallowing down the anxiety forming a lump in his throat. Raph sat next to him, giving Mikey a comforting smile. Despite the large turtle’s attempt to appear as a confident older brother, Mikey could see his shoulders shaking and the strain as he tried to remain positive. “It’ll be alright, Mikes. This will help give you more time to heal up before you try and talk to your mystic self. It’ll all be fine.”

Mikey smiled back. It sounded like Raph was trying to convince himself. Donnie stepped forward, fastening the collar around Mikey’s neck. It wasn’t huge, so it wasn’t uncomfortable. The cool metal felt strange against his skin, causing him to shiver a bit.

“Ugh, c’mon.”

Mikey shifted his gaze over to Donnie, seeing the turtle’s face scrunched up in frustration. Mikey could feel his brother’s hands shaking, which was making attaching the collar difficult. He set a comforting hand on his brother’s shoulder, and Donnie took a deep breath. His hands stopped shaking long enough to fasten the collar with a click.

The purple clad turtle pulled back a bit, looking Mikey in the eyes. The nervousness in Donnie’s eyes seemed to reflect his own. “Alright. You ready? I’m going to turn it on now.”

“Hell yeah, bro. Let’s light this bad boy!” Mikey exclaimed, albeit a bit shakily. He tried to control his nerves as Donnie slowly reached forward, pressing a button on the side. The collar powered on with a little chime, glowing a soft purple.

It was quiet.

Incredibly quiet.

Mikey froze in place, unable to move. His body felt dull. It was as if someone had turned off the background music in his head. Like every function in his body muted for just a moment, the silence unbearably loud. He didn’t know how else to describe it. It was just so quiet, all except for a slight ringing in his ears.

Something was missing. He didn’t know exactly how he felt at this very moment, but the one thing that was clear to him was that he was missing something. Something incredibly important.

The next moment, he felt his body being shaken, and he tried to clear the fuzziness in his head. The image of Raph’s worried face came into focus, and Mikey snapped back into reality.

“Mikey?! C’mon man, say something!” Raph said frantically as Mikey grabbed his hands that were gripped tightly on the smaller turtle’s shoulders.

“Easy, Raph. I’m alright.” Mikey said, his head becoming more and more clear as time passed. “I was just disoriented for a second.”

“Are you feeling ok?” Donnie questioned, leaning in worriedly. “No pain? No headache?”

“No… I just…” Mikey said slowly, trying to form how he felt into words. Everything seemed slurred, like his mind was working at half speed. “I just feel… Empty. It feels like something is missing. I don’t like it, heh, but it doesn’t hurt or anything. It’s just really really weird.”

“Weird…” Donnie said quietly, leaning back against his desk and rubbing his chin in concentration.

Draxum approached, looking Mikey up and down. “You seem to be in ok shape. It’s clear the initial shock to the system can be quite overwhelming. I’ll make note of that.” Draxum crouched next to Mikey. “I’m going to turn it back off now, ok? Be ready for the same disorientation.”

Mikey nodded, leaning forward so Draxum could reach the device. “Alright. Hit me.” Draxum reached forward, hitting the button again, and the collar powered down.

This time, Mikey felt like he was struck by lightning. Electricity seemed to jolt back into his body, causing him to immediately cry out in surprise and curl in on himself. It didn’t hurt. It almost felt like the pins and needles he’d get in his legs after drawing for too long. But it was a hundred times more powerful, and zipped through him all at once. However, once the zaps subsided, he felt so much better. The noise was back.

“Ho man, that was crazy.” Mikey said, glancing around at his family’s terrified faces. “I’m good though, I’m good. Back to regular ol’ Mikey, ha ha… Let’s not do that any more than we have to.”

“Damn right.” Raph laughed hysterically, gripping his plastron tight. “I’m going to have a freakin’ heart attack.”

“Well, at least we know it works.” Draxum said, softly setting the device back on Donnie’s desk. “This will buy us some time. We’ll test it for real tonight, when you fall asleep. It would be wise for us to take turns keeping an eye on Michealangelo for this first night, just in case. The collar is programmed to set off an alarm if any mystic energy is detected, but it would be better if someone was there anyways.”

“Sounds good to me.” Mikey said excitedly. For once, everything seemed to be coming together. He still felt apprehensive about the next few days, but at least now it seemed like they had a solid plan.

Mikey held a fist to his chest. Despite his feelings towards his mystic energy, when that collar was on, he felt entirely lost without them.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so alone. He thought, his mind racing. Whether I like it or not, my mystic energy is a part of me. I have to fix this; for both of our sakes.

Chapter Text

As soon as he finished chatting with Draxum, Donnie, and Raph, Leo showed up and whisked Mikey away to change his bandages.

Mikey sat impatiently on the cot in the medbay, swinging his legs slightly as Leo quietly unwrapped his arms. He was glad to see that the burns were already scabbing over, the new burns criss-crossing over old scars. Thank goodness for rapid mutant healing He thought as he lightly traced the jagged scabbed lines on his trembling arms. Otherwise, these would have taken annoyingly long to heal.

His shoulder, on the other hand, still looked pretty bad. Mikey cringed slightly as Leo massaged an antibiotic cream into the bite. The area was bruised, painting Mikey’s skin a deep purple, and the gash the snake’s fang had left was shoddily stitched together. Leo expertly began wrapping his shoulder up, and Mikey could take the silence no longer.

“They’re looking good, right?” Mikey asked as Leo finished his shoulder wrap.

“Yeah, actually.” Leo replied, gingerly touching Mikey’s scabbed hands. “Your shoulder is coming along nicely, and your leg is almost completely healed. The burns weren’t nearly as bad this time, and I expect they’ll heal up just fine.”

“So we don’t have to wrap my arms up again?” Mikey asked hopefully. He was absolutely sick of the constricting bandages constantly on his arms. He’d had enough of that earlier this year.

“Hah, don’t play innocent with me, Micheal.” Leo laughed wryly, grabbing another roll of bandages. “We both know you can’t leave your scabs alone. And god knows you don’t need anymore scars on your arms. The wraps stay on, hermano.”

Mikey groaned, leaning up against the wall as he obediently stretched his arms towards his brother. Once wrapped, Leo began busily putting the supplies away.

Mikey wasn’t sure why, but there was a certain tension in the room. He watched as his brother worked, the turtle’s movement stiff and methodical, like he was on auto-pilot. Mikey cocked his head to the side. Leo had seemed off ever since Mikey woke up, and it was driving Mikey crazy not knowing why.

“So uh,” Mikey said softly, attempting to start a conversation, “Where did April run off to?”

“She went back topside.” Leo answered, not looking up from what he was doing. “She has a test tomorrow that she has to study for. But she said she’d come back after it was over.”

“Oh, cool, cool.” Mikey replied, fidgeting restlessly with his hands. He tried to think of something else to chat about. He figured if he could get his brother talking, maybe the intensity in the room would lighten a bit. “So, if my leg’s all healed, do I still need to use the crutches? Cause they kinda hurt to use, not gonna lie.”

Leo paused for a moment before answering. “Uh, yeah. Should be fine. Just no jumping around or anything. You know the drill.” He threw the extra bandage rolls in the cupboard, slamming the door closed and causing Mikey to flinch at the noise.

Mikey picked nervously at his bandages. His brother was acting so distant; he didn’t know how to reach him when he was like this. Is he worrying about something? He thought anxiously. Maybe I should just ask him? Ugh, I don’t want to pry. But something is definitely bothering him. Did something happen while I was asleep?

“Mikey!”

Mikey jumped at Leo’s voice, turning quickly to look at the slider.

“Leave those bandages alone, dammit. I don’t want to rewrap them.” He chastised bluntly, continuing to pack up the last of the medical supplies.

Mikey tensed, Leo’s words icy sharp against his mind. Was Leo… mad at him? His heart seemed to drop, his mind swirling with anxious thoughts as he tried to think. What did he do? Why was Leo upset with him? Did he do something wrong? No… No, I couldn’t have, Mikey thought, trying to reason his way through the whirlwind of anxiety, Right? But he’s acting so off… I have to know. I have to know if I did something.

“Hey, Leo…” He asked softly. “Did I… Did I do something wrong?”

Leo stopped what he was doing, turning around with a look of confusion on his face. “What? No! No, you haven’t done anything wrong.” He said quickly, walking over to Mikey.

“Oh, sorry, heh.” Mikey said, relief flooding his brain as he continued. “I just… You seemed upset, and I thought maybe it had something to do with me.”

“No, nothing like that.” Leo said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m just… It’s been a crazy few days. I’m just a little tired and distracted right now. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Mikey smiled, hopping down from the cot. “Pft, worry? Me? I never worry.” Mikey said jokingly, stretching out his legs. “Thanks for the patch job, Dr. Leo.” Mikey said, bowing comedically. “What do I owe ya?”

Leo chuckled at Mikey’s antics, putting a hand on his hip. “Yeah, that’s gonna cost you an arm and a leg buddy.”

“Ah, you drive a hard bargain.” Mikey answered, straightening up and reaching out a hand. “Alright Doc, hand me that saw.”

“Just get out of here and go get some rest.” Leo ordered lightheartedly, making a shooing motion with his hands. “You’re clearly running on crackhead fumes at this point, and I don’t want to have to look at my shitty bandage job any longer than I have to.”

“Righto.” Mikey answered, turning to leave. “Don’t have to ask me twice. Night, Leo.” Mikey gave a little wave. Despite their banter, Mikey still felt something was off about Leo. His body just seemed so tense, and his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. He’d have to talk to him tomorrow to make sure he was actually ok. But for right now, Mikey desperately needed to sleep.

He walked past the kitchen, where Donnie, Raph, and Draxum sat around the table while Splinter poured them all some tea. He made his way over to Raph, laying dramatically over his older brother’s shell.

“Ooooo tea. Gimme some of that leaf juice.” He said, reaching for a cup. Splinter raised an eyebrow at Mikey’s command, but smiled as he poured some tea into a cup and pushed it over. Raph carefully passed it to him, and Mikey stood up, breathing in the soft, leafy smell of the tea. He took a sip, the warm drink making him feel even more tired. He felt himself sway a bit, but immediately jolted back up before he fell.

“Heh, I take it that you need some sleep.” Draxum said with a chuckle. Mikey nodded. The entirely of the day was weighing on him like a bag of bricks. “Right then, I’ll go grab the collar.” Draxum stood up with his tea and strolled towards Donnie’s lab.

Raph stood up, downing the last of his tea. “I can take first watch tonight.” He volunteered, patting Mikey’s shell.

“It’s weird that people watching me sleep has become such a normal thing.” Mikey said with a soft laugh.

“Let’s not pretend anything that happens in this family is normal.” Donnie replied, finishing up typing something on his arm cuff. “I programmed the collar so that if it detects mystic energy, it will set off an alarm directly from the collar and also on my arm cuff, so I will also be alerted to any mystic shenanigans that may happen during the night. If everything goes right, maybe we’ll all get an actual night of sleep.”

“Ha, that’s not a real thing.” Mikey said sarcastically, to which Raph gave him a soft smack on the head.

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Raph said as Draxum returned with the collar.

The yokai gently clasped the metal device around Mikey’s neck, giving the turtle a brief nod before activating the mystic blocker. This time, Mikey knew what to expect.

He swayed as the wave of silence washed over him once again, his body almost completely numb. The feelings of overwhelming loss and the sense that something was missing disoriented him for a moment, but was quickly pulled back to reality by Raph’s voice.

“You with us, Mikes?” The large turtle asked nervously, helping to support Mikey from the side.

“Yeah, yeah.” Mikey said slowly, blinking to try and clear the spots in his vision. “I hate this.”

“I know.” Raph answered, guiding Mikey down the hallway towards his room. “But it’s only temporary.”

“Mhm…” Was all Mikey could say. With the mystic blocker on, his head felt even more fuzzy than it normally did. Everything felt slow and blurred, and he missed his mystic energy like a phantom limb. He thought back to one of Splinter’s hallmark sayings: You never know what you’ll miss until it’s gone. Damn, I gotta start paying attention more to Dad’s lessons.

Mikey was happy to see his room looking normal again. No empty bed, no destroyed desk, and no blood splattered on his floor. He would have to thank Leo and Splinter tomorrow. As Raph helped him towards his bed, he stopped for a moment. “Wait wait, hold on.”

Mikey grabbed the old drawings on his desk that he had neatly stacked during his manic caffeinated cleaning and threw them in the air, watching as they fell slowly to the floor. Then, he grabbed an old pop can full of colored pencils and dumped them on the floor as well.

“Now it feels like home.” He said, smiling up at Raph. The older turtle just laughed.

“You’re crazy.” He said, sitting down in Mikey’s bean bag with a huff. “Go to sleep before you make any more messes. I got your back.”

“Thanks Raph.” Mikey replied as he crawled under his freshly washed blankets. “Have I told you how much I love you?”

“Yes, now go to bed before I smother you with that pillow.” Raph ordered with a snaggle-toothed grin.

Mikey slowly closed his eyes, letting his tiredness wash over him. Despite being absolutely exhausted, he felt extremely on edge. His mind was screaming for his mystic energy, and his body just felt wrong. He clutched his pillow tight, trying to just focus on falling asleep. And slowly but surely, he drifted into unconsciousness.

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Raph watched Mikey sleep for a few hours, struggling to keep his own eyes open. His body was desperately asking for sleep, but he refused to give in to his exhaustion. He had to know this collar would work before he’d feel any sort of relief. He didn’t want to think about what would happen if it didn’t.

It was quiet for a long time, with only the sound of Mikey’s pizza clock ticking breaking the silence. Raph found himself nodding off for brief periods of time before jolting back awake to check on Mikey. But the small turtle was sleeping soundly.

As Raph was nodding off again, he was awoken suddenly by a change in the room. It felt like the moment right before a lightning strick, like the air was charged with energy. Then, a harsh beeping noise emitted from Mikey’s collar, causing Raph to stand up and rush to his brother’s side.

Mikey’s body seemed to stiffen, like all of his muscles contracted at the same time. His eyes fluttered for a moment before remaining half open, glowing with a soft golden hue.

Shit… Raph thought, ready to restrain his brother at a moment's notice. But to his surprise, Mikey didn’t move. His body remained tense, and the only part of him that seemed to move was his eyelids slowly blinking.

Then, Mikey’s jaw moved slightly, and he began to speak.

“Can’t… move…”

Raph felt his adrenaline fade, and he sat down next to Mikey. Or Mystic Mikey, he supposed. He set a hand on the small turtle’s chest. Even though this mystic being was doing terrible things, Raph couldn’t hate him. He was a part of Mikey. And he almost felt bad for it.

“Raph…?”

Raph jumped at the sound of his name, turning to look Mystic Mikey in the eyes. His face had shifted into a look of confusion and fear. Raph nearly felt his heart break. He’d seen that look on Mikey’s face enough for an entire lifetime.

“I’m sorry.” He said quietly, gripping the side of Mikey’s mattress.

“Raph… Why…?”

Raph tried to keep his body from shaking. It hurt to see his brother like this. Or a part of his brother like this. But he swallowed the lump in his throat, looking Mystic Mikey in the eyes. “Because you’re killing him. You know that, right?”

Mystic Mikey just seemed to sigh, his eyes fluttering shut once again. After a few minutes, Mikey’s body completely relaxed, and he looked sound asleep again.

Raph checked his T-phone. There was a message from Donnie that read: I saw the alarm go off. Do you need help?

Raph slumped back into Mikey’s beanbag, shooting a text back.

The mystic energy was blocked. He’ll be fine for tonight. Talk more in the morning.

With that, Raph let out a large yawn and let himself slowly drift into a fitful sleep, Mystic Mikey's voice stuck in his head.

Chapter Text

Mikey was dreaming. At least, he thought he was.

He was walking in the dark black void of his subconscious, with golden light leading him off into the distance. There were no memories this time, nor ripples below his feet. It didn’t even feel like he was walking.

It’s like I’m not really here. He thought as he was whisked forward at unnatural speed. Why am I seeing all of this?

He grew nervous as it became clear where this dream was taking him. Up ahead appeared an inky black cage, and Mikey didn’t need to guess what he’d see inside. He slowly approached the cage, becoming aware of a soft metallic noise emanating from inside.

Mikey peered through the bars, his eyes resting upon Mystic Mikey, who sat leaning against the edge of the cage. His eyes were closed with his face screwed up in a grimace. He was hitting the back of his head lightly against the bars, which explained the strange noise Mikey had been hearing.

Mikey thought about saying something, but found that he couldn’t speak. It was truly as if he wasn’t there. However, he didn’t feel scared. For some reason, he felt like he was supposed to be here.

Just then, he was pulled out of his thoughts as the metallic noise stopped. Mystic MIkey stood up, his shoulders shaking and his hands balled into fists. His eyes opened, glowing brightly as he let out a growl. Mikey worried for a moment that Mystic Mikey had sensed him, but either the being didn’t see him or didn’t care.

Mystic Mikey charged forward suddenly, ramming the side of the cage with his shoulder. He hissed with pain as he was jolted back, the cage remaining firmly intact. He let out another frustrated growl, charging once again. Over and over, again and again, slamming into the bars of the cage.

Mikey wanted to cry out to him, to tell him to stop. Despite his complicated feelings towards Mystic Mikey, he couldn’t watch this. It hurt. It hurt seeing a part of himself in so much pain. He wanted him to stop. He had to stop.

Mystic Mikey finally fell to his knees, panting as he tried to catch his breath. Mikey desperately tried to move forward, to call out, to do anything. He had to help him. He needed him.

Suddenly, Mystic Mikey began to glow, bright golden light emanating out from his chest and lighting up the cage. Mikey watched in awe as he reared back with a guttural scream, golden chains bursting from him in different directions. They collided with the bars of the cage, causing sparks of golden light to burst around the small turtle.

When the brightness subsided, the cage remained undamaged, and Mystic Mikey’s chains lay in piles around his knees. He looked out into the distance, his face a mixture of anger and desperation. Mikey watched as he shakily climbed to his feet, shuffling slowly over to the bars of the cages as the chains began to dissipate into the darkness.

He wrapped his hands around the metal bars, gripping them tightly. His mouth curled up in a snarl as he gazed out into void, his eyes flashing with golden sparks. He took a deep breath before screaming into the quiet.

“COWARD!”

With that, Mikey finally felt himself move. The floor beneath him began sucking his consciousness downwards. He flailed desperately, still unable to speak as the blackness welled up around him. With a final choking breath, he was pulled underneath, the last bit of Mystic Mikey’s light being drowned with darkness.

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Mikey awoke with a gasp, something he was getting tired of doing. Immediately he reached up to his neck, feeling for the collar. He found the switch with ease, powering the device off.

He sat up with a jolt as energy rushed through him, causing his body to tingle. As the feeling subsided, he let out a sigh of relief. He felt whole again.

Well, there’s no way I’m going to get any sleep after that nightmare. He thought, letting out a soft huff of annoyance. As he sat, listening to Raph’s soft snores, he thought about what he’d seen. He pictured Mystic Mikey, sitting alone in his cage with nothing but his thoughts, and felt a wave of empathy towards the being. He knew what it was like to be alone.

Remember, Mikey, he’s literally killing you. Mikey thought as he stood up, stretching his legs. He needed a walk. His thoughts were too jumbled to try and sift through in the quiet of his room.

Mikey walked slowly over to Raph, who was still sleeping soundly, curled up in Mikey’s beanbag. The small turtle smiled at his older brother, grabbing a blanket and throwing it over his massive body. Then, he quickly made a note and taped it in front of Raph’s face, saying: Not mystic portalling, just went for a walk to clear my head. Be back soon :D Love, Mikey.

With that, Mikey made his way out of his room, closing the door softly behind him. He walked down the hallway, humming softly to himself as he did so. He used to hate walking around the lair at night; the atmosphere and darkness of the sewers always seemed to make him feel on edge. But now, he felt at ease as he made his way through the halls. I wonder when that changed… He thought wistfully as he walked into the living room.

He was pulled from his thoughts as he spotted movement from the other side of the room. He immediately narrowed his eyes, dropping into a crouch as he hid just behind the entrance. He peeked around nervously, ready to attack if he needed to. Luckily, his eyes met with the figure of Leo, pacing near the entrance to the rest of the sewers.

Mikey relaxed, feeling his rapidly beating heart begin to slow. He was just about to call out to his brother, but something held him back. Leo looked deep in thought, his jaw clenched tight as he paced. Mikey watched as the older turtle paused, letting out a deep sigh. Then, he turned and walked into the sewers, his footsteps echoing down the tunnel.

Mikey cocked his head curiously, checking the time on his T-phone. Three am. Where was his brother heading at this time? He weighed his options, then slowly made his way over to the tunnel his brother had just disappeared into. Maybe wherever Leo was heading was the reason he’d been acting so off the past couple of days. Mikey’s curiosity got the best of him, and he climbed into the tunnel, following the sound of Leo’s footsteps and making sure to muffle his own.

Mikey followed Leo for what felt like forever, the twists and turns of the sewers leaving him feeling lost. However, Leo seemed to know exactly where he was going, his steady footsteps never faltering as he made his way through the dark tunnels. Finally, Mikey spotted a gleam of moonlight on the sketchy water in the sewer, and watched as his brother climbed a short ladder out onto the surface.

Mikey waited a moment, then slowly climbed up after him. He winced as he reached his arm above his head, his right shoulder protesting the movement, but the ladder was short, so he pressed on.

He gently moved the manhole cover to the side, peeking both ways to make sure there were no humans milling about before climbing up onto the street. He appeared to be by some sort of pier, the ocean stretching out in front of him. He gazed around and saw Leo making his way down to the water, and Mikey followed quickly behind. He felt a jolt of anxiety as he spotted a human milling about by the wooden docks, right where his brother was headed.

Leo walked confidently, not appearing to be concerned by the presence of the person. Mikey watched dumbstruck as Leo actually waved at the guy, giving a smile.

“Heya Sam! How ya doin’, amigo?” He said loudly, causing the person to turn towards him. The guy seemed older, with a large beard and warm clothes wrapped around him. There was a tent nearby, which Mikey guessed was where the fellow lived. Mikey prepared for the man to yell or chase Leo off, but instead the man smiled, his face lighting up at the site of the turtle.

“Turtle Man! Beautiful night, ain’t it? You can almost imagine the stars through all this smog!” The guy laughed, his voice cracking with age. Leo laughed along with him, and Mikey let his guard down. He seemed like this guy and his brother were friends.

“I’ve been doing alright, Turtle Man. The shelter down the street has been quite the lifesaver. Thanks for the tip.” The man said, taking a seat on an old lawn chair. “You going out on the pier?”

“Yep. You got lookout, old man? Or is your eyesight as bad as your hearing?” Leo joked as he walked down towards the ocean.

“Bah, I wish my eyesight was worse. Then I wouldn’t hafta look at your stupid mug.” The man clapped back. “No one will bother you on my watch, kid. You have a good night.”

“Thanks Sam.” Leo replied, walking out onto the pier reaching into the water and disappearing behind some docked boats.

Mikey took this as his cue, sneaking forward towards his brother. He kept a watchful eye on Sam, who had closed his eyes and appeared to be sleeping. He moved forward quickly, wondering what the heck his brother was doing out on some random pier.

“I hear ya, y’know.”

Mikey jumped at the voice, freezing as the old man turned to look at him. “Hm, youse another one of those turtle men? I thought Turtle Man was the only one!” Sam said, laughing as he leaned forward in his seat.

“Uh, yep.” Mikey said, trying to calm his nerves. If this guy was ok with Leo, he’d probably be ok with him as well. “Just checking on my brother.”

“Your brother, eh?” Sam said, looking thoughtful. “That’s probably a good idea. Turtle Man only comes around here when he needs to think. Clears the mind, y’know? The waves.” Sam shooed Mikey with his hand, leaning back in his chair. “Go. I’m sure Turtle Man won’t mind. And I’ll make sure no one comes sniffin’ about. Ain’t no one gets by ol’ Sammy boi.”

“Hah, thanks man.” Mikey said with a smile, following the path Leo had taken. He liked Sam. The old man seemed like he had a lot of stories. He’d have to ask Leo if he’d heard any.

Mikey turned a corner on the old wooden dock and spotted Leo sitting on the edge. He’d taken his leg wraps off and was letting his feet dangle into the water. He leaned back on his hands, his eyes closed.

Mikey walked up behind him, his feet creaking on the old wood. “Wow, you must really be out of it for me to be able to sneak up behind you. Usually, you’d spot me from a mile away.”

Leo startled for a moment, peeking behind him. “Mikey? What are you doing here? Why are you awake?”

“I could ask you the same question.” Mikey replied, sitting down next to his older brother. He pulled off his leg wraps as well, letting his feet dip into the cold water. “I couldn’t sleep. Needed some fresh air. How about you?”

Leo looked down at the water, his eyes troubled. “Yeah, me too.”

“I’m sorry I followed you.” Mikey said, nervously fidgeting with his hands. “I’ve just been worried about you, and when I saw you leave… I don’t know.”

“You’ve been worried about me?” Leo asked with a laugh. “Brother, your own mystic energy is trying to kill you. Why the hell would you be worried about me?”

“I don’t know! You just… haven’t seemed right, since I woke up.” Mikey replied, splashing his feet gently in the water. “I’ve just been worried that it has something to do with me.”

Leo paused, staring out across the waves. “I’ve just been… thinking.” He said finally, his voice soft.

“Thinking? That’s not good.” Mikey said with a chuckle.

“Oh, shut up.” Leo said, shoving Mikey jokingly. He then took a more serious tone, one Mikey didn’t commonly see his brother use. “I’ve just been thinking a lot about you, and everything that’s happened with your mystic powers and…” Leo let his words trail off, clenching his jaw tight.

“Leo…” Mikey said, turning his head so he could look the slider in the eyes. “What’s going on?”

“It’s stupid, really.” Leo said with a wry chuckle, cupping his hand over his forehead. “It’s like, really really stupid.”

Mikey didn’t say anything, just staring at Leo until his brother glanced sideways to look at him. “Aw, c’mon, don’t look at me like that.” Leo said, using his hand to cover Mikey’s eyes. Mikey just pulled his hand down, opening his eyes wider as Leo laughed. “Stop it! It’s creepy! You’re a creepy little dude!”

“Tell me…” Mikey whispered, opening his eyes as wide as he could before Leo pushed him away.

“Alright alright!” He said, giggling. “Just stop with the eyes. You’re freaking me out.”

Mikey sat back as Leo once again looked towards the horizon, his face growing grim. “I’ve just been thinking… Your mystic powers appeared when you were saving me from the prison dimension, right?”

“Yeah?” Mikey replied, wondering where his brother was going with this.

Leo pursed his lips, then continued. “I just… All of this has happened to you because of your mystic powers awakening. I mean, they’re the reason you got so hurt in the first place. And then this whole mystic portalling thing, the insomnia, the snake, everything… It’s all because of your powers.”

“And I just thought… I can’t help but feel like if you’d never awoken them in the first place, then none of this would have ever happened.” Leo turned to Mikey, his shoulders shaking. “That if you hadn’t saved me back then, you wouldn’t be in so much danger now.”

Mikey’s eyes widened as the realization of what Leo was saying dawned on him, his heart feeling as if it was in his throat.

“Heh, how selfish can I be?” Leo laughed, his voice shaking. “I can’t believe I somehow twisted this to be all about me. How terrible is that?” Leo held a tight fist to his plastron as he continued. “But I can’t help it. I’m a selfish, arrogant person. And it’s killing me that I might have been the reason all of this happened to you.”

A tear trailed down Leo’s face, and he quickly wiped it away. “I”m sorry, Mikey. Like I said, it’s stupid. You shouldn’t have to worry about me.”

Mikey leaned forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Leo. After a moment, he felt Leo’s arms close around him as well. He wished he could take his brother’s pain away. He yearned for the time when he and Leo were naive and carefree, worrying only about when the next Jupiter Jim movie would be released or what prank they should pull on their brothers. Before the Foot, before Shredder, before the Kraang. Before the world became a darker place, and their lights began to flicker. The best he could do was hold his brother tight, and hope his message got through.

“It’s not your fault.” Mikey whispered finally, burying his face in Leo’s chest.

“I know.” Leo replied, tears falling onto Mikey’s shoulder. “I just can’t help it.”

“I will never regret saving you.” Mikey said, his eyes tearing up as well. “And I would rather suffer a thousand lifetimes of pain than spend one without you. Without any of you.”

Mikey wasn’t sure how long they sat together on that pier. But by the time the sun began to paint the sky pink, his tail had gone numb from sitting on the hard wooden surface.

Leo stood up, stretching his legs and reaching down a hand to help Mikey up, which Mikey accepted gratefully.

“C’mon. We better get you back before the family goes all Defcon One on us.” Leo said, pulling on his leg wraps.

“Heh, yeah.” Mikey replied, doing the same.

As they walked back to the entrance to the sewer, Leo waved at Sam, who was eating a sandwich in front of his tent. “You look happier, Turtle Man!” the old man called, giving a thumbs up. “Good job, Turtle Brother!”

“I like Sam.” Mikey said, smiling at the man as Leo pulled open the sewer cover.

“He’s a good man.” Leo replied, beginning to climb down the ladder. “I met him the first time I came out to the pier. He thought I was an alien at first, but then we got to talking, and we just ended up becoming buddies. I’ll introduce you for real sometime.”

“I’d like that.” Mikey said, waving to Sam before crawling in after Leo. “I’m sure we could all share some crazy stories.”

As the two turtles walked back, Leo turned to Mikey, a look of gratitude on his face. “Hey,” He said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Thank you for listening. I’m sorry my head gets all weird sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” Mikey replied with a laugh. “Dude, when people look up weird in the dictionary, they see our family plastered right up front.” Mikey paused for a moment before grabbing his brother’s hand and giving it a squeeze. “I’m glad you were able to talk to me. I know what it's like to feel alone with feeling too big for yourself to handle. I’ll always be here, whether you like it or not. Like a fungus!”

“A fungus?” Leo laughed, “What does that even mean?”

“Get it? Cause I’m a ‘fungi’!” Mikey replied, poking his brother in the shoulder.

“Hey, I’m the pun guy here. You trying to steal my role?”

“I don’t know. You’ve been slacking lately.”

“Oh I’ll show you slacking!”

With that, the turtles made their way back home, their laughs echoing through the sewers.

Chapter Text

Mikey was so unbelievably BORED.

After returning from his escapade with Leo, they both got chewed out by Splinter. Mikey was sentenced to house arrest, with little to no activity to allow time for his arms to heal. He wanted to protest, but truthfully, his arm had become very sore from climbing the ladder down by the pier, so he begrudgingly agreed.

Raph had explained what happened the night prior to Mikey following Leo. The fact that Mystic Mikey was still able to breach his subconscious even with the mystic blocker on disturbed Mikey, but it disturbed Draxum even more. The yokai holed up in Donnie’s lab, trying to determine what kind of time frame they had with the mystic blocker. From the look on Draxum’s face before he left, Mikey could guess that it didn’t look good.

However, the device was working for now. The turtles took turns over the next few days sleeping in Mikey’s room to keep an eye on him and monitor any mystic activity. Luckily, it seemed that there were only a few instances where the collar’s alarm was activated. Each time, Mikey’s body would stiffen for several minutes before returning back to a restful state. Mikey had no recollection of this happening, but that didn’t surprise him. He was just glad to be getting some sleep for the first time in months.

But as the days wore on, he found himself absolutely overcome by boredom. He knew his body needed rest, but he felt completely on edge. It was just a matter of time before Mystic Mikey found a way to bypass the device, and sitting around waiting for it to happen was going to drive Mikey absolutely crazy. He needed a distraction.

He tried to binge watch some old Lou Jitsu movies, but he was too antsy to sit through them. He needed something to channel all this nervous energy into, but all of his favorite distractions were off the table. Drawing and cooking involved too much arm work, and skateboarding was an absolute no go. So, Mikey was resigned to bugging his brothers.

He sat in on one of Raph’s training sessions with the remade paper foot ninja, announcing the snapping turtle’s moves in an exaggerated voice. “Raph rushes to the right, going for a classic slash and dash, but he is blocked by the foot ninja! He quickly tries to parry with his sai and aim for the ninja’s weak arm, a risky move on Raph’s end, and oh, the foot ninja counters it! Aw folks, it’s not looking good for ol’ Raphy boy. His head’s just not in the game today.”

“Hey Mikes, why don’t you go see what Donnie’s doin’?” Raph said, panting hard as he turned towards Mikey with a tired smile. “You’re givin’ away all my attack strategies.”

“Oh! Right, right!” Mikey replied sheepishly, slinking out of the room. “My bad.”

He barged into Donnie’s room, where the purple turtle was busily typing on his laptop. “Donnie! What cha writing?” He asked as he jumped on his brother’s bed, nearly knocking the laptop out of Donnie’s hands.

“Hello to you too, Angelo.” Donnie said in a disgruntled voice, re-situating the computer on his lap. “I’m just typing up some code.”

“Oooooo sweet!” Mikey said, leaning in as Donnie typed, his eyes blurring at the amount of letters and numbers on the screen. “That looks… Interesting.”

“I assure you, it’s not.” Donnie said, continuing to type.

Mikey sat in silence for a few seconds, tapping rhythmically on his legs. He whistled a little tune, then leaned in close to Donnie again. “What’s it for?” He asked, earning a sigh from the purple turtle.

“Mikey, I promise you, nothing I could say about this code would be of any interest to you.” Donnie said, rubbing his forehead. “It’s just annoyingly complicated.”

“Mmmm.” Mikey hummed, leaning up against Donnie’s wall. He began tapping his legs again, unable to sit still. He noticed Donnie’s eye beginning to twitch irritably and took that as his cue to leave. “Ehm, right, see ya Don.”

Mikey walked towards his room, fidgeting restlessly with his hands. He knew he was being a bit much right now, but he couldn’t help it. I can’t just sit here! He thought, letting out a groan as he looked up at the ceiling, clutching his head with his hands. My freaking body will explode!

He walked by Leo’s door, spotting his brother reading a comic book as soft music played in the background. Despite himself, Mikey quickly ran inside, jumping onto Leo’s bed. “Leo! Leon! The L-dawg! What up?” He said excitedly.

“Oh, s’up Mikey.” Leo said, acknowledging the smaller turtle. “Just reading a bit.”

“Sweet!” Mikey replied, kneeling next to his brother as the turtle continued to read. He stared at the title page of the comic book, admiring the art. His eyes flicked up to his brother. Should I ask him to go do something with me? Ugh, but he seems busy… Maybe I should just let him be. But god, I’m so bored…

After a moment, Leo looked up again, his eyes questioning. “Um, do you need something?”

“What? Oh, no.” Mikey replied with a chuckle. “I’m just hanging.”

“You’re staring at me.”

“Oh, heh, my bad.” Mikey sat back, purposely looking away from Leo as the turtle went back to reading. After a few moments of agonizing silence, he leaned back towards his brother. “Did you know that if you’re looking at something, your brain knows exactly what it feels like to lick it?”

“Alright.” Leo said with a huff, setting his comic book on his nightstand and climbing to his feet. “C’mon.” The blue turtle reached over, picking Mikey up easily by the top of his shell. Mikey was surprised, but just accepted it, hanging limp as Leo carried him towards the living room. “Raph, Donnie, living room, ASAP.” Leo called, setting Mikey down on the couch.

Raph and Donnie quickly appeared, with looks of confusion on their faces. Mikey shuffled his feet sheepishly. Crap, I pissed them all off. He thought, staring at the floor.

Leo rubbed his forehead in exasperation, gesturing towards Mikey. “Can we please find Mikey something to do before he drives us up a wall? The poor guy’s bored as hell, and it’s going to be all of our problem if we don’t do something about it.”

And that’s how Mikey ended up playing cards with Donnie.

Mikey stared at his cards, sticking his tongue out in concentration as he looked at his hand. After a moment, he slapped the cards down on the table, a triumphant look on his face. “Hah! King me!” He said with a grin, crossing his arms over his chest.

Donnie looked at his cards in shock. “What the… How are you winning right now?! Do you even know what game we’re playing?!”

“Uh, Blackjack?” Mikey said, shrugging his shoulders. Donnie groaned, dropping his cards on the table and leaning back in his chair. Mikey laughed, collecting the cards up in his hands. However, he paused as he heard footsteps approaching the entrance to the living room.

Draxum walked in, followed closely by Splinter. They each had grim looks on their faces. Mikey slowly set the cards down and exchanged a worried look with Donnie. Mikey quickly swallowed down the dread forming in his throat, forcing a smile to his face. “Hey, Dads. What’s goin’ on?”

Draxum cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ve run the numbers, and… Well, uh… The device…” The yokai seemed to be struggling to get the words out.

Splinter stepped forward, his eyes clouded with worry. “The device is failing. Your mystic energy is actively fighting to bypass the mystic blocker, and Draxum reckons that it’s only got about a day left before it fails completely.”

“I wanted you to have longer to heal before confronting your mystic energy.” Draxum said, unable to meet Mikey’s eyes. “But we’re out of time. You will have to confront him tomorrow, or there’ll be no stopping him anymore. And if that happens…” Draxum finally looked at Mikey, his face pained.

“Right.” Mikey said, fear creeping into his body. He hated waiting around for something to happen but… Now that it was happening, it seemed way too fast. He was scared. He wasn’t ready. He wasn’t strong enough. Mikey gripped his arms tightly, unable to keep his body from shaking as his mind continued to spiral.

“We’ll all be there for you, Michelangelo.” Splinter said, walking over and setting a comforting hand on Mikey’s shell. “Draxum and I will coach you through it. You are strong, my son. You can do this.”

Mikey smiled shakily, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest. He wanted to believe his father. He really did. But there was a pit in his stomach as he looked up at his family, trying to keep his voice even. “Alright. When do we begin?”

Chapter Text

The next day came way too quickly for Mikey’s liking.

When Donnie shook him awake that morning, Mikey groaned, pulling the blanket over his head and rolling over. The warmth and darkness of his bed was too comfortable to leave.

“C’mon, Angelo.” Donnie said, his voice strained. “Dad said we had to report to the training room right away.”

Mikey desperately wanted to stay curled up in his bed. Getting up meant he’d have to face the cold hard reality of today, and he just wasn’t ready. But regardless, he had no choice. Today, he’d have to confront his mystic self, and hope he came out alive.

Mikey pushed himself into a sitting position, giving Donnie a shaky smile as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Ugh, I know we’re on a time frame, but did we really have to wake up at 8am? I mean, it’s not like my mystic energy is going to grow legs and walk away.” He joked nervously.

“I’m… not really in the mood for jokes right now.” Donnie said slowly, clutching his shoulders tight. “Sorry.”

Mikey nodded, walking over to his brother and bumping the turtle’s arm lightly with his own. “Right.” He said, grabbing his mask. “Let’s just go.”

He followed Donnie out of his room, meeting up with Raph and Leo as they walked. There was a somber mood present in his brothers, each of them seemingly deep in thought. Mikey looked at them in turn, their faces saying what words were unable to. The quietness as they made their way down the hallway only caused Mikey’s anxiety to grow.

As they approached the training room, Donnie and Leo entered quickly, meeting up with Draxum and Splinter who sat talking quietly in the middle of the room. Leo threw an arm around Donnie’s shoulder, seeming to be providing comfort for his twin as they walked.

Mikey paused at the entrance, his legs shaking as much as his injured arms. This was it. When he stepped into this room, there was no turning back. He felt frozen as the seconds seemed to stretch out into minutes. His chest felt tight, his heart beating loudly.

He wanted to run away, but he knew it was impossible. There’s no way to run from yourself.

I don’t know if I can do this. He thought panickedly, clutching his hands to his plastron as he looked down at the floor. What if I fail? I can’t, I can’t fail. I have to do this. I don’t want my family to hurt anymore. I want to be strong, so they don’t have to worry about me. But what if I’m not strong enough? The world seemed to be shifting under Mikey’s feet. He almost felt like he was about to pass out.

“Mikey.”

Mikey felt a large hand set on his shoulder, giving him something to focus on and stabilize him back into reality. Mikey cleared his throat, still staring down at the floor as he spoke. “S-sorry Raph.” He said quietly, unable to turn and look at his older brother. “I uh, just needed a moment. I’m ready, I’m ready, just gotta walk through the door, heh heh.”

Raph tightened his grip on Mikey’s shoulder, causing Mikey to glance up at Raph’s face, his green eyes serious. “It’s ok to be scared, y’know.” Raph said gently, his words echoing through Mikey’s mind.

Mikey nodded, his lip quivering. He turned, leaning into Raph’s plastron as the snapping turtle wrapped his large arms around his body. “Raph, I’m really fucking scared.” He sobbed quietly, unable to stop the tears from falling as he held his brother.

“Me too, Mikey.” Raph said, holding him closer. “Me too. But I’ve never let that stop me before. And I know you won’t let it stop you now.” Mikey sniffled, taking a deep shaky breath as he pulled away from Raph. “There ya go. Nothing to it.” Raph said, rubbing Mikey’s head softly. “Now,” He continued, cracking his knuckles with a devilish grin, “You gotta go give your mystic self hell.”

Mikey laughed a bit, holding his hands in fists in front of him. “Right!” He agreed, letting stubborn determination fill his body. He was finally able to move, spinning on his heels as he walked a lot more confidently into the training room. Although he couldn’t shake the pit in his stomach, nor the fear threatening to overtake his mind, he was able to move. He wasn’t frozen anymore, and for now, that was enough.

He sat cross-legged in front of his Dad’s, his hands propped up on his knees. Donnie and Leo stood off to his right, while Raph walked over to his left, crossing his arms over his plastron as he looked at Draxum and Splinter with a proud grin on his face.

Mikey took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he felt his chest fill with air, and letting his body relax as he let the breath go. He looked up at Splinter and Draxum in turn, his eyes sparking with determination. “Alright.” He said, his voice steady. “I’m ready.”

Splinter leaned forward, grabbing his son’s hands. “You can do this, my son. We will be here the entire time. If things start to look like they’re going south, we will wake you from your meditative state. But I’m sure it won’t come to that.” Splinter said with a forced smile, seemingly trying to convince himself.

“Remember this, Michelangelo.” Draxum said, his voice serious. “The subconscious can be a dangerous place. It’s very easy to become lost in the memories of your past. Try to focus on your mystic energy, and your subconscious will lead you there. When you reach him, you must convince him to stop fighting you.” Draxum paused for a moment, reaching a shaky hand forward and resting it on top of both Splinter and Mikey’s hands. “And please, be careful, my creation. Make him listen, just like you did for me.”

“Awww, Draxie…” Mikey said in a high-pitched voice.

“Ugh, whatever.” Draxum said, pulling his hand back and rolling his eyes. “I think I need to wash my hands. I’m pretty sure rats carry the plague.”

“You disgust me.” Splinter growled, giving Draxum a side eye as he pulled his hands back as well.

Leo stepped forward, wrapping Mikey in a tight hug. “Be safe, Mikey. No hero stuff. If things start to look bad, get the heck out of there. We’ll figure something else out, ok?”

Mikey nodded into Leo’s shoulder. Donnie kneeled by Mikey’s side, leaning forward and softly setting his forehead against the smaller turtle’s head. “We’ll be here when you come back.” He mumbled softly, his breath warm against Mikey’s neck.

“You’ve got this, Mikes.” Raph said, wrapping all of his brothers in his massive arms. “We believe in you.”

“I love you guys.” Mikey said, smiling as soft tears trickled down his cheek. “I’m ready.”

His family pulled away, sitting in a semi-circle around Mikey as he lay his hands on his legs. Mikey took one last look at them all, his heart warming. He was so lucky to have his family; to have people he loved and who loved him. He wouldn’t let Mystic Mikey take that away from him.

Mikey closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and allowing his body to relax. He breathed in, and out again, letting the air move across his lungs and throughout his body. He could hear the sound of his family’s breathing, the subtle dripping of water in the sewers, and the cars rumbling above. He could feel the vibrations of the city deep in his chest, like the bass at a rap concert. He acknowledged each feeling, letting them flow over him and allowing himself to let them go. Feelings of fear, anxiety, worry, love, pride, hope, determination, flowing over his mind like water and disappearing into nothingness. The feeling of his body on the training mat, the soft breeze on his arms, the beating of his heart, acknowledged, and let go.

Flowing.

Floating.

Falling.

.
.
.

Mikey opened his eyes to an endless black void.

He was alone.

Chapter Text

Mikey blinked his eyes a few times, struggling to get his bearings.

It was a little difficult, considering he was surrounded by all black. However, once he stood up, he saw ripples of light traveling horizontally across the landscape, making it easier for him to tell just how vast his subconscious was.

“Whew, ok.” He said, chuckling nervously to himself. “I’m here. Now I just need to find Mystic Mikey.” Mikey looked around, a bit confused. “Draxum said my subconscious would lead me there… But where are all the memories?”

He began walking, not sure exactly where he was going. “Last time, the memories just kinda appeared.” He said to no one in particular, attempting to retrace his steps from last time to try and reach his mystic self. “There were some memories from my childhood floating about…”

As he said that, the darkness in front of him began to shift. He paused, watching in awe as different memories of his childhood began to appear, the sounds of laughing and banter overlapping in his mind. The memories seemed to fade in and out as Mikey walked through them, the images reflecting in his wide eyes. He couldn’t help but smile as younger versions of him and his brothers flashed before him, their faces innocent and full of joy. The figures ran by him, and Mikey let out a laugh as he dodged them, watching them race off into the darkness.

“We were so happy…” Mikey whispered, his heart aching with nostalgia. He wanted to lay down and relive these moments again and again. But in the back of his mind, there was a nagging feeling that he couldn’t.

Almost as if he’d been slapped, Mikey snapped out of his stupor, rubbing his forehead. “Oh jeez, Draxie was right. It is easy to get lost here.” Mikey said, prying his eyes away from the happy memories. “I gotta focus. Gotta focus on the task at hand. You can do this, Mikey.”

There was a chorus of voices behind him. Different memories of his family saying the exact same words to him: You can do it, Mikey! As if they’d been summoned.

Mikey felt as if a lightbulb flicked on in his brain. He turned back towards the memories triumphantly. “Aha! I get it now! It’s my mind! I can control the memories I want to see! Which means all I have to do is ask for it to show me mystic stuff, and I’ll find my way to Mystic Mikey!” Mikey pointed towards the images before him with a cheeky grin. “Alright me, show me all the memories of my mystic mumbo jumbo!”

The memories in front of him swirled, surrounding him on all sides. Images of him and his brothers discovering the gateway to the mystic city, his different run-ins with Big Mama and her yokai, the many nights spent in Run of the Mill Pizza, his fights with his mystic kusari-fundō, and so many more, the sounds creating a crescendo in his mind.

Mikey cringed at the noise, covering his ears. “Ah, no no! Just my mystic stuff!” He shouted, peeking an eye open as the memories swirled once again. This time, there were less images, with more memories of him training his ninpo weapons and strengthening his connection to the Hamato clan. However, there were still too many, and he didn’t see any pertaining to Mystic Mikey.

“Ok, ok.” He sighed, shooing the different memories away. “I’ll be specific. Show me memories of my mystic energy.”

The memories twisted around each other, forming into a whirlwind of golden light before scattering around Mikey. Mikey looked around at each of the memories, grimacing. It was almost like reopening a raw wound, the images sharp and painful. From the fear he had the first time he saw Mystic Mikey appear in the video to his many sleepless nights, the memories flitted around him, making him feel incredibly small.

As Mikey looked around, confusion started to creep into his brain. He walked up to a specific memory, cocking his head slightly. He didn’t recognize the scenery. It looked entirely odd. Actually, it almost looked unearthly. There were large mushrooms sprouting out of a mountainous landscape, the sky a strange shade of green with… Was that two suns?

He watched in astonishment as a giant black snake creature reared up in front of him. It hissed, and he could almost feel the hot, poisonous breath washing over his body. This wasn’t his memory. It was Mystic Mikey’s.

“Holy Hamato…” He whispered before turning away, rubbing his shoulder nervously. “Well, I don’t have to watch the rest of that to know how it ends.” He grumbled miserably, walking back through the memories.

Mikey slowed as he approached a memory that he had seen before. It was the same one he’d seen at April’s apartment; the one of him rescuing Leo from the Prison Dimension. The memory was as clear as ever. Mikey could almost feel the desperation radiating from the image and smell the charring of his own burning flesh. Golden light flowed from the bottom of the image, leading off into the darkness of his subconscious.

“Perfect!” Mikey exclaimed in a too cheery voice. He was trying to swallow down the growing anxiety in his chest. “A nice golden path that definitely isn’t leading me towards a psycho version of myself.”

“Are you sure you’re not the psycho?”

Mikey turned sharply as a voice chimed in from his side. He was surprised to see his alter ego Dr. Delicate Touch giving him a look of disdain. “I mean, you are the one here talking to yourself.”

“How are you…?” Mikey questioned, bewildered.

“We are part of your subconscious too, you know.” Another voice spoke up, and Mikey turned to see Dr. Feelings standing on his other side, adjusting his glasses. “It seems fitting that this is where we’d reside.”

“Are you… going to join me?” Mikey asked, slightly hoping that he didn’t have to approach his mystic self completely alone.

“Uh, well…” Dr. Feelings began, looking uncomfortable.

“Fuck no.” Dr. Delicate Touch said loudly, crossing his arms over his chest. “If you think I’m going near that guy without a taser and/or full battle armor, then you really are crazy.”

“Ahem,” Dr. Feelings interrupted, giving the other turtle a harsh look. “What I’m sure my associate is trying to say is that your mystic self doesn’t really like you, and therefore, really doesn’t like us. So no, I believe accompanying you would be… counterproductive.”

“He scares the shit out of us.” Dr. Delicate Touch said with a shiver.

“Yes, that too.” Dr. Feelings agreed. “We just came to say good luck. Remember, in order to make him listen, you have to listen as well.”

Mikey gave his alter ego a dumbfounded glare. “What does that even mean?” He asked blankly.

“Who knows. Anyways, bye buddy! Try not to die! It’s counterproductive to living!” Dr. Delicate Touch said with a wink before disappearing, along with Dr. Feelings.

Mikey just stood for a moment, utterly thrown off by the interaction he’d just had. “Huh.” He said finally, shaking his head. “At least they’re finally getting along. Kind of.”

Mikey began following the golden trail of light leading him off into the distance. As he walked, he let his mind wander, which was a bit strange to think about, considering he was literally wandering through his mind.

“I can’t believe sorting through my memories was like doing a google search.” He said out loud with a laugh. “Donnie would be impressed.”

Upon speaking his brother's name, different memories flashed around him, each containing the older softshell turtle. Mikey smiled as he walked through them. There were memories of him and Donnie working together to fix Leo’s Lou Jitsu figurine they broke while trying to learn a new skateboard trick, of Donnie calling Mikey frantically when a curious kid April had followed the purple-clad turtle into the sewers, and of many nights spent together shooting the shit in Donnie’s lab.

However, Mikey paused for a moment as he heard his voice emulate from one of the memories.

“Heya Don!” His memory self said, bursting into Donnie’s room with a cheery voice. “I brought ya some dinner! It’s pizza!”

Mikey felt his heart drop. He didn’t like this memory. This had happened about a week after the incident with the Kraang. Leo was still in critical condition in the medbay, and Donnie had been completely nonverbal and withdrawn, holing up in his lab. Mikey had been trying desperately to cheer Donnie up, but nothing seemed to break Donnie from the funk he was in.

Donnie signed quickly to Mikey Just set it on the desk. before turning back to whatever he was working on.

Memory Mikey did as he was told, setting the plate near multiple other uneaten plates of food he had set there days before. “Heh, Donnie? You gonna come out anytime soon? Leo’s been asking to see you.”

Donnie said nothing, just signing again Just set it on the desk. It was clear his brother wasn’t listening.

Memory Mikey reached forward, setting a bandaged hand softly on Donnie’s shell. “Donnie?”

The softshell turned incredibly fast, pushing back from Mikey and falling onto the ground. “DON’T TOUCH ME!” He screamed, his voice hoarse from nonuse.

Memory Mikey immediately pulled back, his eyes wide with fear. “Donnie! I’m sorry, I…”

Donnie had a panicked look on his face, hyperventilating as he began rocking back and forth on the floor. “Don’t touch me, don’t touch me, don’t touch me…” He mumbled over and over again, hugging his legs tight to his plastron.

Mikey had sat with him for hours that night, slowly talking to him without making any move to touch him. It broke his heart to see his usually level headed, arrogant brother completely undone at the seams. Donnie never talked much about his experience on the Technodrome, but the effects it had on him lasted for months.

Mikey felt himself being pulled from the path, his heart aching. He wanted to be there for Donnie, like he was that night. But instead he shook his head, turning from the painful memory and continuing to follow the golden light. “It’s just a memory. I have to stay focused. I have to stay on the path.”

Another memory popped up on his side, of the turtles when they were much younger. Raph was leading them through the sewers, following a white line drawn out by Splinter.

“Remember guys, stay on the path.” Raph said in a commanding voice. “Dad made it so we wouldn’t get lost down here while ‘sploring. So if ya ever feel lost, just look for the white line, ok?”

“But what if we want to explore somewhere else?” Young Leo had asked with a rebellious glint in his blue eyes.

“Yeah, it’s not technically exploring if you have a set path already.” Donnie chimed in with a knowing voice, adjusting his glasses. “That would make it a ‘journey’.”

“Dad said stay on the path!” Raph growled, crossing his hands over his chest. “And I’m the leader, so I says we stay on the path!”

“Hah, Daddy’s boy!” Leo yelled, sticking out his tongue at the red turtle. “If I was leader, I’d take us real exploring!”

“Why don’t we just draw a white line too?” Young Mikey finally piped up. His brothers turned towards him with looks of confusion. “We can go exploring and draw the line behind us, and that way when we wanna go home, we just have to follow it back!”

“Wow, Mikey said something smart.” Donnie had said, a look of awe on his face. “That’s gotta be a first.”

“Shut up! I’m smart!” Young Mikey shouted, stomping his foot. “You guys just never listen!”

“Whatever, last one to the lair is a slice of mushroom pizza!” Leo yelled, taking off down the tunnel. Mikey smiled as the memory faded, the sounds of laughter and playful banter becoming more and more quiet.

He slapped his cheeks a few times, facing his eyes straight forward as he began to run. “Alright, I gotta move!” He said, racing after the golden light. “I keep getting swept up in the past; I don’t have time for this!”

Mikey ran and ran, his feet sending out ripples of bright light. The golden trail was getting brighter, bright enough that Mikey found himself squinting. He tried to keep his mind blank, to avoid any other memories popping up. He focused instead on the sound of his footsteps, slapping faster and faster against the surface.

Suddenly, he screeched to a stop, nearly falling on his face. The golden light swirled around an inky black cage before disappearing, leaving Mikey in darkness. He blinked to clear the spots from his eyes, then walked forward, fear bubbling in his stomach.

Before him sat Mystic Mikey, his eyes closed as he sat cross-legged on the floor of the cage. Mikey swallowed the lump in his throat, sitting down in the same fashion. It was almost as if he was looking in a mirror.

Mikey could feel his body shaking. This was it. There was no going back now. He summoned every bit of courage he had in his body, using it to form words and keep them from catching in his throat.

“Hey.” He said softly, his fear threatening to spill over as he locked eyes on his mystic self.

“We need to talk.”

Chapter Text

Mystic Mikey opened his eyes, narrowing them as he glared at Mikey.

He stood up, lunging forward and grabbing the bars of the cage as the golden light in his eyes sparked menacingly. “Let me out of here this instant.” He hissed, his voice sounding like multiple Mikey’s talking at once.

Mikey shook his head slowly, climbing to his feet as well. “Not until we talk.” He replied, trying to keep his voice steady.

“Hah!” Mystic Mikey exclaimed wryly, crossing his arms over his plastron. “And what makes you think I would want to talk to you?”

Mikey felt a flash of irritation, clutching his hands into fists. “Because if we don’t come to some sort of agreement, we’re going to destroy each other!” He yelled, feeling some of his frustration from the situation spill over.

Mystic Mikey just scoffed, and Mikey felt his anger ebb. He took a deep breath, then spoke again.

“Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot here.” He began, taking a softer tone. “I’m Mikey. I’m your… Life force? The guy whose mind you inhabit? Honestly, I’m not really sure what I am to you, hah.” He chuckled nervously as Mystic Mikey continued to glare daggers at him. “Do you have a name?”

“Of course I have a name.” Mystic Mikey replied with a sneer. Mikey waited for him to continue, but his mystic counterpart remained silent.

“Right… Um, what is your name?” Mikey prompted, feeling like he was trying to pull answers out of a jar of molasses.

Mystic Mikey purposely turned so he was looking away from Mikey, sitting down once again and remaining completely quiet.

“Fine, don’t tell me.” Mikey said with a huff. He thought for a moment. “I’ve been calling you ‘Mystic Mikey’, but it’ll be super weird to call you that to your face.” He snapped his fingers, a grin forming on his face. “I got it! Can I call you M.M.?” He asked excitedly.

“No.” Mystic Mikey growled, still refusing to turn and look at Mikey.

Mikey glared at the figure in front of him with annoyance. “Are you going to tell me your name?”

… Silence.

“Then I’m calling you M.M.” Mikey said triumphantly, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Ugh, you’re so annoying.” M.M. groaned, holding his hands to his forehead like he was getting a headache.

“Yeah, I’ve been told that before.” Mikey laughed, sitting down once again by the cage. “So… Can we talk now?”

“We’ve already been talking.” M.M. replied sarcastically, turning to give Mikey a disdainful side-eye. “But no. I’ve not talking to you until you let me out of this fucking cage.” M.M.’s voice became more of a hiss as he talked, golden sparks once again appearing around him.

“Um, I’m pretty sure if there weren't metal bars between us, you’d try to, uh, unalive me.” Mikey said nervously, his fear beginning to creep back into his body.

M.M. just shrugged, turning away once again. “Well, I guess you don’t really want to talk then. Good chat. Now fuck off.”

Mikey swallowed the lump forming in his throat, climbing to his feet once again and walking slowly around the cage. If he was going to get anywhere with this guy, he had to show that he wasn’t afraid of him. Which was going to take some pretty damn good acting on Mikey’s part, considering his heart was beating a million times a minute.

“Ok, well, there’s gotta be some sort of door, or key or something.” Mikey said half to himself, examining the cage.

“You don’t know how to open it?!” M.M. growled, standing up quickly and stomping over to where Mikey was standing.

“Hey, I’m working on it!” Mikey countered. “There’s no door or anything on this stupid thing!”

“Idiot!” M.M. said as he once again grabbed the bars of the cage. “You trapped me in here; you gotta know how to get me out!”

“What?” Mikey said in confusion. “I didn’t trap you in here!”

“Oh-ho yes you did.” M.M. replied visciously, gritting his teeth. “After I was awoken. After I saw you trying desperately to save Leo and stepped in to help. After I opened the portal to pull our brother to safety and closed the Kraang inside. After you reunited happily with our family. After all of that, after everything I did for you, you locked me away!” M.M.’s voice rose to a scream as he slammed his fists into the cage bars.

Despite himself, Mikey took a step back from his glowing self, his eyes wide with fear as he clutched his plastron with a shaky hand.

M.M. laughed quietly, his eyes flashing as he stared at the small turtle. “Do I scare you, Mikey?” He taunted, a malicious grin on his face. Mikey couldn’t speak. He could feel his chest heaving rapidly as he breathed in and out. M.M. leaned back, his face turning into one of disappointment. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” M.M. turned away again, sitting down in the middle of the cage.

Mikey could feel his entire body shaking. He had locked Mystic Mikey away? But why? Because you’re scared. He thought, his lip quivering. You’re not strong enough to face him.

Mikey felt despair washing over him. He was failing. He was failing his brothers, his family. He was failing himself. Mikey looked at the figure sitting in front of him, trying to keep his mind from completely spiraling. M.M. had his shoulders hunched, his breathing seeming a bit quick and irregular. With a start, Mikey realized his mystic counterpart was shaking.

Mikey felt his feet move without even thinking. He reached the cage in a few steps, leaning over and gripping the bottom rung of the inky black metal. With a grunt, he tried lifting it. The cage didn’t budge.

“What are you doing?” M.M. asked quietly, continuing to face away from Mikey.

“Don’t you want to get out of here?” Mikey replied, struggling once again to lift the cage.

M.M. finally turned towards him, a look of shock and disbelief clear on his face. “Well?” Mikey asked with a huff, shooting a look at M.M. “Aren’t you going to help me?”

M.M. still looked stunned as he climbed to his feet. “I uh… I didn’t think you’d actually try to free me.” He said softly, cocking his head to the side. “Aren’t you worried I’m going to attack you as soon as this cage is gone?”

“I guess that’s just a risk I’m willing to take.” Mikey said through gritted teeth as he lifted again. “Now help me! This thing is freakin’ heavy!”

M.M. hesitated for a moment, then walked to the other side of the cage, reaching down and grabbing the bottom rung opposite of Mikey’s.

“Aren’t you able to just, idk, slip out of here?” Mikey asked as he quickly caught his breath.

“Only when you’re unconscious.” M.M. replied, staring at the ground. “I fought to break free from here ever since I was imprisoned. After a few months, I found that while you were unconscious, I could ever so slightly bend the bars. And then your body was mine to control.”

“Heh heh, right.” Mikey chuckled nervously. “We’re going to discuss that whole, uh… situation. But let’s get you out of here first.” Mikey leaned down, grabbing the bottom rung once again. “You ready?” He questioned, earning a nod from M.M. “Ok, three, two, one… LIFT!”

The two turtles struggled for several seconds, one lifting from the inside and one lifting from the outside. The cage seemed to shift slightly, but not nearly enough.

“This is impossible.” M.M. growled, his eyes narrowed. “I’ve been trying to get out of here for months. I never got anywhere with it.”

“You didn’t have me.” Mikey replied, trying to summon his optimism. “C’mon, let’s try again.”

M.M. rolled his eyes, but reached down again. On the count of three, the turtles let out identical groans as they lifted. “C’mon, M.M.! Lift!” Mikey shouted, lifting with everything he had. “Give it all you got! We can do this!”

M.M. let out a frustrated yell. Mikey watched in awe as golden chains shot from his body straight up to the ceiling, appearing to push along with his mystic counterpart.

The cage slowly but surely began to lift off the ground, globs of black liquid dripping from it. “Yes!” Mikey said breathlessly, squeezing his eyes shut with effort. “Keep going! We have to keep going!”

The two turtles strained against the weight of the cage as it raised higher and higher off the ground. When it was as high as they could get it, Mikey peeked one of his eyes open. “Now M.M.! Get out of there!”

M.M. had a desperate look on his face, but quicker than Mikey could follow, the golden-eyed turtle slid out from within the cage, his chains disappearing in a burst of golden sparks. Mikey immediately let go of the cage, expecting it to slam down on the ground. Instead, the cage seemed to melt, the bars becoming soft and liquidy as they fell into the ground. Within seconds, the entire cage had dissipated, leaving two hyperventilating turtles in its wake.

Mikey let out a triumphant shout, pumping his fists in the air. “Hah hah! Yeah boy! We did it, M.M.! You’re free! We did it!”

“We…?”

Mikey looked up slowly to see his mystic counterpart standing over him, his eyes flashing with golden light as chains reared up from behind him like snakes. “I wouldn’t say ‘We’.”

In a flash, Mikey felt his excitement change to terror as the golden chains flew towards his face, the bright light reflecting in his wide eyes.

Chapter Text

Raph was pacing back and forth nervously, his footsteps echoing through the quiet room.

He shot a quick glance over to his brothers, who were each trying to calm their nerves in their own way.

Donnie had hooked up multiple clamps and stickers to Mikey’s still body, several wires feeding information into a small, hand-held device. The purple-clad turtle wasn’t saying anything, but Raph could tell from his occasional grimaces that Mikey’s readings were not exactly amazing.

Leo was sitting cross-legged on the floor, his chin resting on his hands. His good leg bounced up and down as he kept his eyes trained on Mikey, as if scanning for any indication that something wasn’t right. Raph wasn’t even sure the slider was blinking. The sound of the clock ticking on the wall was worming its way into his head, and with every step he took, he felt himself becoming more and more tense.

“Argh…” He groaned finally, massaging his head gently before throwing his hands up in exasperation. “It’s been hours! Are we sure he's doing ok?”

“Correction, it’s been an hour.” April chimed in from where she was leaning against the wall. She had shown up a few minutes after Mikey had entered his meditative state, forcing homemade baked goods on the anxious Hamato family. “I’m sure stuff like this takes time, Raph. Give him a chance. And will you stop pacing?! You’re going to wear a path on the floor!” She said affectionately, clearly trying to lighten the dismal mood. But Raph could see how she was nervously rubbing her arms, her calm facade not fooling anybody.

Raph rolled his eyes, sitting down in a chair near the wall. Despite himself, he began bouncing his leg nervously, the force shaking his entire body. He glanced at his younger brother worriedly. He didn’t like seeing Mikey sitting still. It wasn’t Mikey. It was like seeing a dark, empty shopping mall: Completely unnerving.

“I’m just saying, it feels like this is taking forever.” Raph said, barely above a whisper. “What if something went wrong?”

“I’ve been keeping track of Mikey’s heart rate, along with his brainwave activity and cortisol levels.” Donnie said quickly, not lifting his eyes from his device. “Besides the occasional jumps in BPM and incredibly increased brain activity, I’d say he’s safe.” Donnie paused for a moment before adding, “For now.”, tapping his fingers steadily on his leg.

“Geez, poor Mikey looks like he’s being tested on by a mad scientist.” Leo said, attempting a poor excuse for a joke.

“Data collection calms me; you know this. Everybody knows this!” Donnie said grumpily, clearly not in the mood for Leo’s nervous humor.

“I’m just saying,” Leo continued, his leg beginning to bounce faster and faster. “If you were looking for a lab rat, I think you picked the wrong Hamato, amigo.” Leo shot a pointed look at Splinter, who narrowed his eyes in irritation. “I mean, c’mon, the joke practically writes itself.”

“Leo, chill.” Raph said, giving his brother a pointed look. He knew Leo had a tendency to hide his nervousness behind his jokes. Now just didn’t seem like the best time for Leo’s jabs.

“Ha, right, right, sorry.” Leo replied, rubbing his neck as he glanced at Mikey. “It’s just… It is taking a long time. Isn’t there any way to check up on him?”

“Unfortunately, no.” Draxum finally piped up from where he kneeled next to Splinter. “But I’m on the train of thought that no news is good news. We just have to give him time.”

“Patience is a virtue, my sons.” Splinter added, crossing his arms. “No matter how annoying it is.”

“Besides, Mikey’s got this in the bag!” April exclaimed optimistically, holding a fist in front of her. “I mean, the guy was able to convince Baron Draxum to stop being such a dickhead. He can totally do it again.”

Their conversation was interrupted abruptly by a set of quick beeps coming from Donnie’s device. The softshell’s eyes flicked across the screen frantically as the rest of the Hamato clan turned their eyes towards him.

“Donnie? Beeping? Beeping sounds bad. That’s bad, right?” Leo said quickly, climbing to his feet and rushing to Donnie’s side.

“Not necessarily.” Donnie replied, his voice a bit shaky. “His heart rate just increased substantially, that’s all. That may not mean anything. I mean, when is heart rate important, ha ha, it’s probably just a fluke or something.”

Raph looked over to Mikey, who was still sitting very still. Then, his face moved, ever so slightly, curling into a small grimace. Raph watched in horror as red marks curled around the smaller turtle’s arms, the imprints looking like exact replicas of Mystic Mikey’s chains. Mikey let out a soft whimper before his face once again became blank.

“Guys!” Raph shouted, trying to keep the panic out of his voice as he got his brother’s attention. “He’s hurting him. Mystic Mikey is attacking him!”

The twins leapt to their feet, rushing to Raph’s side. They watched with matching fear in their eyes as the redness faded, leaving behind dark purple bruises in the shape of metal chains.

“We have to wake him up.” Leo said quietly, as if he couldn’t summon the strength to speak loudly. “He could die in there. We have to get him out of there!”

“No!”

The brothers took a step back as Baron Draxum appeared suddenly, standing defensively between the three turtles and their little brother. His eyes looked panicked, but his voice came out steady. “We cannot wake Michealangelo just yet. He has yet to make peace with his mystic energy! If we stop him now, he may never be able to do it again!”

“Have you lost your fucking mind?!” Leo shouted, seemingly finally finding his voice. “I’m not leaving my little brother to get beat up in his own head!”

“You don’t understand!” Draxum yelled back, his eyes pleading. “I’m not trying to trick you, I swear. I care for Michealangelo as well! But I can’t let you stop this. You could ruin everything!”

“Draxum, I am only going to ask you nicely once.” Raph spoke, his voice scarily calm. “Out of our way.”

Draxum pursed his lips, then narrowed his eyes at the turtles, lifting his hands as he was going to summon his tendrils at any moment. “I can’t do that. I have to do what’s best for Michealangelo.”

Raph jerked his arms, summoning his sai. “That’s the wrong answer.” He growled, baring his sharp teeth. Leo stood next to him, his eyes flashing dangerously as he summoned his katanas. Donnie twirled his TechBo threateningly, a mystic rocket appearing on the end of it as the three of them prepared to fight.

“Stop!”

The turtles paused as Splinter scurried next to Draxum. The old rat held his hands up, his eyes glaring at each of his sons in turn. “Put your weapons down! Now!” He commanded as the brothers, and Draxum, stared at him in shock.

“You may not trust Draxum, and maybe you don’t even trust me, but you must trust your brother.” Splinter stated bluntly, his gaze becoming softer. “We knew that this would be difficult. But Michealangelo is strong. He has tried time and time again to earn your respect and your trust. To prove he is strong enough to stand beside you three, not behind you. You may not believe it, and he may not believe it himself, but I am asking you to trust in his abilities. Trust in his strength, his empathy. Trust that he will do everything he can to return safely to us.”

Raph felt the anger inside him fade, replaced by despair as he looked past his Dads to his younger brother. Mikey… He thought, dropping his hands to his sides as his sai’s disappeared. “I trust you…” He whispered after a moment, not even sure who he was talking to.

Leo and Donnie followed suit, sheathing their weapons. Draxum turned to Splinter, his face a mix of shock and gratitude. “Lou…” He said, breathing heavily. “Thank you, for having my back.”

Splinter didn’t look at the yokai, his face twisted with worry. “I have put my trust in you. If anything happens to my son, I will kill you myself.”

The Hamato family all turned their eyes to Mikey, watching as more and more bruises began appearing on his body.

C’mon, Mikey. Raph thought, sitting in front of his little brother and hoping the young turtle could somehow hear his thoughts. You have to beat him. Please. Make him listen. I believe in you.

Chapter Text

Mikey leapt out of the way as another pair of chains whizzed by him, missing him by only an inch.

He landed clumsily, taking a moment to gather his bearings. His arms throbbed painfully from where M.M.’s chains had wrapped around them. He looked up at his foe, who was levitating about five feet off the ground, another set of chains rearing up behind him as he prepared another strike.

“C’mon man!” Mikey whined, ready to dodge at a moment’s notice. “Can’t we talk about this? I don’t want to fight you! I’m a pacifist! Well, most of the time.”

“Too bad.” M.M. replied, his eyes flashing with rage as he flung his hands forward. The golden chains shot towards Mikey, sparking with light as they charged towards his face. Mikey rolled out of the way just in time, the chains close enough that he could feel the energy radiating from them.

Mikey was breathing heavily, his muscles shaking. This was nothing like fighting in the city. He had no weapons, no buildings or anything to use for movement, and no means of escape. This was truly a one on one battle, and the odds were completely stacked against him.

How the hell am I supposed to reason with this guy? Mikey thought as he stared up at his mystic counterpart. He’s so pissed at me. He’s never going to listen.

“What do you want?!” Mikey finally shouted, standing up and holding his hands out from his body. “Do you want an apology? Cause I’m sorry, ok? I didn’t know I had locked you away, I swear. I understand you’re angry; you have every right to be. And I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

M.M.’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not good enough.” He growled, and Mikey felt his heart drop into his stomach. M.M. circled his arms around in front of him, chains appearing behind him like the hours on a clock. He then pushed his hands forward, letting out a guttural cry as the chains shot forward, whipping every which way as they flew towards Mikey.

Mikey jumped into the air, twisting his body to avoid the multiple glowing chains as they zipped by him. He dodged nearly every one. Nearly.

A single chain whipped him across the cheek, causing Mikey to bite his tongue and let out a small yelp. As the metallic taste of his own blood filled his mouth, he just about gagged. He spit out a glob of blood and saliva onto the inky black floor, wiping his mouth gently. He then softly caressed his cheek, already feeling a bruise forming.

He looked up, seeing M.M. float down before delicately letting his feet touch the floor, bolts of golden lightning flickering behind him like a thunderstorm. His mouth was curled into a snarl, and his hands were clenched into tight fists. He stalked towards Mikey slowly, like a hunter to its prey.

“What do you want from me?” Mikey choked out, his eyes pleading. “Please, just tell me what you want me to do.”

“I want you…” M.M. started, summoning two chains in his hands, as if he was holding whips. “... to GO AWAY!”

M.M. lifted his arms, striking them down with the chains in tow. The cracked a little too close to Mikey for his liking, causing him to jump to his feet and take a few steps back.

“I’m going to destroy you.” M.M. said in a low voice, his eyes sparking menacingly. “I’m going to destroy you and take your place. I will be a better brother than you ever were. I can protect this family!”

M.M. struck again with the whips, causing Mikey to retreat further as his mind swirled dangerously. “What the hell are you talking about?!” Mikey shouted as he prepared for M.M.’s next attack.

“Look at you!” M.M. screamed. “You’re pathetic! Running from me like the coward you are! You don’t have the strength to face me, to protect your brothers, to do anything! You’re weak!”

“That’s not true!” Mikey countered, feeling a mix of anger and fear well up inside him.

“I’m more powerful than you’ll ever be!” M.M. continued, a large grin forming on his face. “I portalled away every night to train in other dimensions! I stopped threats before they even became threatening!”

“You nearly killed us!”

“Who cares?!” M.M. shouted hysterically, letting out a laugh. “I became stronger. I’m willing to risk anything, to risk everything, to protect our family.” M.M.’s face curled into a sneer as he glared down at Mikey. “And I don’t think you’re willing to do the same.”

“This isn’t right!” Mikey pleaded, hoping he could somehow get through to his mystic counterpart.

“It doesn’t matter what you think!” M.M. growled, swirling his chain whips threateningly. “You’re a goner anyways. You should be thankful! I’ll be a better brother than you ever were. I’ll be someone they can trust to have their back, someone they can rely on, someone who’ll make sure they’ll never be hurt again. Something you could never be.”

Mikey felt tears begin running down his cheeks. There was a dark part inside of him screaming that M.M. was right. That Mikey was weak. No matter how hard he tried to pretend to be something he wasn’t, he would always be the same. Maybe M.M. should take his place. It’s pointless to pretend he could ever protect his brothers, protect his family. His family deserved a brother they could depend on, who they could trust with their whole heart. And he just wasn’t strong enough.

Mikey felt himself sinking in despair, his legs giving out as he fell to his knees. He could hear M.M. approaching him, but he couldn’t move. He was stuck. This is it. He thought, seeing the flicker of M.M.’s chains out of the corner of his eye. I was never strong enough to do this. Maybe this is for the best.

I trust you…

Mikey perked up, listening intently. There was a voice. He heard a voice, from somewhere in his mind. What…?

C’mon, Mikey…

There it was again. Mikey’s eyes widened as he recognized the voice. Raph…?

You have to beat him. Please. Make him listen. I believe in you…

Mikey held back a sob. His brother. He could hear him.

C’mon, hermano, c’mon! Come back to us. I can’t… We can’t do this without you!

Leo’s voice! Mikey felt his body stop shaking, his breathing becoming more steady.

You can do this, Angelo. If anyone’s stubborn enough to do this, you are. Please, please…

Donnie. His brothers… They were waiting for him. They believed in him. They needed him, just like Mikey needed them. He couldn’t give up now. Mikey felt a surge of strength. He took a deep breath, letting his fear, his doubts, everything flow out of him as he exhaled.

“My brothers do trust me.” He whispered, shifting his eyes upwards.

“What?” M.M. said, his eyes narrowed.

“I may never be as powerful as you, but there’s no way I’m letting you take my place.” Mikey replied calmly, climbing to his feet. “Sorry man, whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me. We’re going to protect our family together. And probably work on your anger issues. Cause holy shit dude, if anyone needs to take a chill pill, it’s you.”

M.M. growled, rage twisting his face. “Argh, do you ever stop talking?! Just fucking die already!” He swung his whips, the chains snapping down on the ground as Mikey gracefully dodged.

“You can’t kill me!” Mikey yelled as he prepared to leap again.

“The hell I can’t!” M.M. replied, striking once again. This time, Mikey jumped forward, landing close enough to M.M. that the whips would be useless. The mystic entity hissed, the chains dissipating as he planned his next move.

“No, I mean, you literally can’t kill me!” Mikey continued. “We’re connected! If I die, you die too. I thought you knew that! I thought the whole ‘I’m going to destroy you’ thing meant you were going to destroy me enough mentally that I’d never recover.”

“What? No, just, shut up! What a pathetic plea for your life!” M.M. said, striking out randomly with different chains, which Mikey masterfully dodged.

“I’m telling the truth!” Mikey insisted as he flipped away from another chain. “If you kill me, you’ll die! Just like if I tried to kill you, I’d die too. We’re connected, man! This disconnect we’ve had, it’s been killing us! And it will kill us! Unless we come to some sort of compromise.”

“You’re lying!” M.M. screamed, rushing towards Mikey. Three golden chains appeared on his fist as he drew back, striking at Mikey’s head. Mikey dodged, grabbing M.M.’s arm and throwing the being away from him.

“I swear to you, I’m not!” Mikey said as he watched M.M., who was breathing heavily. “You have to know this!”

M.M. just yelled, “Liar!”

Suddenly, a thought popped into Mikey’s head. Well, more of a question than a thought.

“Why did you save me from the snake?” He asked slowly, his eyes imploring.

M.M. looked taken aback. “What?” He said, his golden eyes wide.

“Back when you sleep portalled to that weird dimension, with the large black snake.” Mikey explained, able to hear his fast beating heart. “The snake bit me, it poisoned me. I was bleeding out, and if the blood loss hadn’t killed me, the venom would have. You could have let me die, right then and there. It would have been easy for you, right? But you saved me. Why?”

“I… I don’t know.” M.M. said softly, looking troubled.

“Why did you save me?” Mikey repeated, walking forward towards his mystic counterpart. “Deep down, you knew, didn’t you? You knew if I died, you would too.”

“No, stop it!” M.M. yelled, clutching his head. “It’s not true!”

“C’mon man. Think back. You know it’s true.” Mikey pressed, continuing to walk forward.

“Shut up! Just shut up!” M.M. cried, his legs seeming to give out as he fell to his knees. “I don’t believe you!”

Mikey kneeled in front of M.M., his eyes soft. “Y’know, you were right. I was really scared of you. I was scared of your power, I was scared of getting hurt again, and most of all…” Mikey looked at his hands, watching them tremble. “...I was scared that even with your power, I would never be strong enough to protect the people I love.”

Mikey looked back up at M.M., his mystic counterpart shaking as he held his hands over his eyes. “But I’m not scared of you anymore. You’re a part of me. You’ve always been a part of me. You’re part of my anger, my frustration, my desperation to prove myself.” Mikey paused for a moment, then continued. “But you’re also a part of my love for my family, and my fear of losing them.”

Mikey held a fist to his chest, staring desperately at his mystic self, begging him to listen. “You don’t have to be afraid anymore. You don’t have to be alone anymore. We can do this. Together. Just like we were always meant to do.”

M.M. began shaking even more, and Mikey felt his heart nearly break as his mystic counterpart let out sob. Mikey watched in stunned awe as the being began to shimmer, his body shifting like he was taking on a different form. M.M. seemed to shrink, becoming much smaller. In just a few moments, Mikey found himself staring dumbstruck at a younger version of himself.

The young M.M. looked up, and Mikey was surprised to see that his eyes were no longer glowing with golden light. Instead, they looked just like Mikey’s eyes, save for the irises being a bright yellow gold. Tears flowed down his face, the small turtle hiccupping as he continued to sob and desperately wiped the tears away.

“I just wanted to protect my family.” M.M. wailed, the tears flowing faster.

Mikey reached forward, his arms wrapping around M.M.’s shaking body. He pulled his mystic self close, letting M.M. bury his face in Mikey’s shoulder. Mikey felt a few tears run down his face as well, but strangely, he wasn’t sad. He was happy. He was so, so happy. He smiled softly, holding his younger self close as the small turtle sobbed loudly.

“I know.” He said quietly, stroking the back of M.M.’s shell comfortingly. “I know.”

Mikey hardly even noticed the golden light emanating from both of their bodies, becoming more and more bright with each passing second. M.M. held him tight, his tiny fists clutching Mikey’s plastron.

“I’m sorry!” He managed to choke out between sobs.

“I’m sorry too.” Mikey replied, squeezing M.M. tightly.

The golden light grew even brighter, blinding even. But Mikey didn’t care. He held M.M. close, whispering in his ear.

“I love you.”

Chapter Text

Raph watched Leo gently dab the blood leaking slowly from Mikey’s mouth, his eyes wide with worry.

Over the past few minutes, Mikey had begun looking more and more beat up. He wanted to rush forward and shake his brother awake, to pull him away from this pain he was enduring, locked in his own mind. But he held himself back, clutching his arms so tightly that his claws began to break the skin.

Raph gritted his teeth as Leo took a step back, holding the bloody rag limply in his hands. The room was quiet. No one spoke. They simply watched Mikey, each seemingly lost in their own thoughts.

I don’t know how much longer of this I can take. Raph thought, his body shaking with apprehension. He looked his little brother up and down, scanning for any new wounds that might have appeared. However, it seemed that the injuries had paused for the moment, which gave Raph little relief. That could either be really good, or really bad. And Raph didn’t want to dwell too much on it.

Suddenly, a soft sound interrupted the silence of the room. Raph’s eyes immediately flicked up to Mikey’s face. The small turtle was crying, the tears flowing out of his still closed eyes. But to Raph’s surprise, Mikey was also smiling, the corners of his mouth turning upwards ever so slightly.

“Mikes?” Raph whispered, taking a few steps forward to kneel in front of his little brother. Leo, Donnie, and April huddled close to him as Splinter and Draxum looked on with worried faces. “You there, buddy?”

Raph froze as he felt the air begin to prickle with energy. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his brother’s eyes widen, and he knew they could feel it too. He watched as April lifted her arms, alarm present on her face as her hair stood on end, goosebumps dotting her skin.

“What’s happening?” April asked, her voice uncharacteristically shaky. “What is this?”

Mikey’s eyes shot open suddenly, glowing with bright golden light. The Hamato family fell back, watching helplessly as Mikey began floating, his body rising into the air as golden sparks flickered around him.

“Mikey!” Leo yelled desperately, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears.

“What’s happening, Draxum?” Donnie questioned, his eyes flashing. “Are his mystic powers in control? Are we… Are we losing him? What do we do?”

Draxum opened his mouth, then closed it, his eyes wide with fear. “I don’t know.” He said finally, his voice incredibly small. “I don’t know.”

Then, as suddenly as it had started, the glowing stopped. Mikey’s eyes closed, and his body seemed to go limp. Raph finally felt his body move as he rushed forward, catching the small turtle as he plummeted towards the ground. He held his brother softly, as if he were made of porcelain. Mikey didn’t seem injured, and he breathed steadily, the thumping of his heart slow compared to Raph’s. He was alive, physically at least. But who knows what had just happened in his mind.

The rest of the Hamato family gathered around him. Raph’s arms were shaking, and he felt a deep pit in his stomach as he turned towards his dads. “Do you think he’s ok?” He asked, unable to keep the pain from crawling up his throat and into his words. “Please, tell me he’s going to be ok.”

“I don’t know, my son.” Splinter replied quietly, setting a paw on Mikey’s plastron. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Raph turned back to Mikey, tears threatening to make an appearance. Leo and Donnie sat close to him, their warmth helping to keep him grounded. They would just have to wait.

So they waited.

.
.
.

Mikey sat shell to shell with his mystic self. After the golden light had faded, he’d held M.M. until the small turtle was able to collect himself, the mystic counterpart turning away to pull his legs to his chest and hold them tight.

They sat like that for a while, waiting for each other to break the silence. And finally, M.M. did.

“So what happens now?” He asked, not turning to look at Mikey. Mikey noted that M.M.’s voice no longer sounded like several Mikeys. Just one.

“I don’t know.” Mikey replied after a moment, fidgeting with his hands. “I came here to try and reason with you, to try and keep us from constantly pulling away from one another.”

“Hmm.” M.M. hummed softly, blinking his eyes slowly.

“I guess… Well…” Mikey said, turning towards his mystic self and locking eyes with him. “Did I succeed? Do you still hate me?”

“I never hated you.” M.M. replied, loosening his grip on his knees. “I was just so angry. I still am.” M.M. paused a moment before continuing. “I really wanted to hate you. I was so alone, for so long, all because of you. All I had was my anger. And my fear.” M.M. sighed, looking down at his feet. “But I never hated you. And I think I understand you.”

Mikey leaned forward quickly. “I understand you too! And when I apologized earlier, I meant it. I am so unbelievably sorry. But I promise, you’ll never have to be alone again.” Mikey stood up, reaching out a hand to his mystic self. “We’re a team now. We’re family. We’ll be strong, together! You and me, baby!”

M.M. chuckled softly, grabbing Mikey’s hand and climbing to his feet. “Y’know, your encouraging speeches are really cheesy. It’s sad, really.”

Mikey feigned offense. “What? I can’t believe you’d say that! I’m being genuine here, you little twerp!”

M.M. chuckled again, louder this time. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking Mikey up and down. “Sorry about, um, all that.” He said, gesturing to the bruises dotting Mikey’s body.

“Meh.” Mikey shrugged. “We both know I’ve had worse. I think you were pulling your punches a little bit, bud.”

“Hah, there is some truth to that!” M.M. laughed. “If I had been really serious, you definitely would have been dead!”

“Ha ha…” Mikey chuckled nervously, trying not to think about how fucked he would have been if M.M. had really wanted to kill him. “You’re a scary little dude, M.M.”

M.M. shuffled his feet before mumbling. “That’s not my name.” Mikey stepped closer, leaning down to look at the small turtle face to face with wide eyes. M.M. pushed him back a bit, smiling. “Alright, alright.”

He took a deep breath, then continued. “When I was portalling to different dimensions, I became sort of well known. Word got around that a turtle mutant was appearing and defeating evil across several dimensions, and I sorta kinda got a nickname. And I liked it, a lot.”

“Oh mi gosh, oh mi gosh, you have a superhero name?! Tell me tell me tell me! I’m dying over here!” Mikey exclaimed excitedly.

“I’m getting there!” M.M. retorted, unable to keep a smile from his face. Then, the smile grew bigger as he looked up at Mikey, pride shining in his eyes. “My name is Kappa.”

Mikey held his hands over his mouth, letting out a squeal. “Kappa! That’s so cool!” He reached down, grabbing his mystic self and swinging him around. “Kappa, Kappa, Kappa!” He chanted, watching the small turtle laugh as his body was flung through the air. “I love it!”

He set Kappa down, drawing back a bit. His mystic counterpart seemed to pause, then leaned forward, hugging Mikey tightly. Mikey was surprised for a moment, but then wrapped his arms around the small turtle, feeling prickles of energy across his skin.

“Thank you, Mikey.” Kappa said softly, before pulling back and smiling.

Mikey grinned back before clapping his hands together. “Alright! I probably need to get back. You know our family. They’re probably worried out of their minds.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Kappa said, his face twisting with guilt. “Can you… Can you tell them I’m sorry? I never meant to… I just wanted to…”

“Kappa, you have nothing to apologize for.” Mikey said, setting a hand on the turtle’s shoulder. “They’ll understand. They’re kinda cool like that, y’know?”

Kappa chuckled. “Yeah. They are pretty awesome.”

Mikey nodded, then put his hands on his hips, looking around at the empty void of his subconscious. “Now, I’m going to be honest with you; I have no idea how to get out of here.”

Kappa got a devious glint in his eyes, and he smirked slightly as he crossed his arms over his plastron. “Oh, that’s the easy part, man. I can help you with that.”

“Really?” Mikey asked nervously, his alarm-o-meter going off at the devilish look on Kappa’s face. “How so?”

“You might want to brace yourself.” Kappa replied before leaning back, drawing a leg up to his chest, and kicking out at Mikey as hard as he could.

Mikey felt the impact on his plastron, his body shooting backwards incredibly fast as if he were tied to the back of a jet engine. He stifled a yelp, watching the figure of Kappa grow smaller and smaller, waving at him softly as he laughed.

Wait, could he have done that the whole time? Mikey thought as he felt himself being pulled faster and faster. He rolled his eyes and smiled, waving even though the image of Kappa was long gone. Goodbye, Kappa. See you soon.

With that, the pulling seemed to stop suddenly, leaving Mikey floating midair. Wait, not floating. Falling.

He could hear murmurs around him, and feel the warmth of someone holding him. He was back. He was home. With his heart full of joy, he opened his eyes, looking up at the worried faces of his family.

“Hey guys.” He said with a smile, his voice hoarse. “I’m home.”

Chapter Text

“Mikey!”

Mikey laughed as his family held him close, relief apparent in their faces. He winced a bit at their tight grip on his body.

Gods, he was sore.

He’d felt alright in his subconscious, but now that he was back in his own tired, battered body, he was really feeling the beating Kappa had given him. “Guys, beat up turtle here. My poor bruises.” He chuckled quietly, his voice cracking a bit.

“Ah! Sorry Mikes!” Raph replied quickly, loosening his grip. The older turtle pulled back a bit, looking Mikey in the eyes with a face a mix of worry and pure jubilation. “You were gone for such a long time, and we were just so worried, and… and… uh…” Raph squinted his good eye, tilting his head in confusion.

“God, Mikes, that was the longest two hours I’ve ever experienced- whoa ho ho!” Leo trailed off in shock, covering his mouth with his hand. “Eeo boy…”

“What?!” Mikey exclaimed panickedly, suddenly on alert. “What’s wrong?”

Donnie leaned in, looking him up and down in an analytic sort of way. He blinked a few times incredulously. Then, he reached behind him, pulling the mirror he used to draw on his eyebrows from his Battle Shell. “Yeah, I’m not even going to try and come up with a scientific reason for that.” He said in a monotone voice as he handed the mirror to Mikey.

Mikey grabbed the mirror quickly, immediately turning it towards his face. His heart was threatening to pound out of his chest as he scanned for anything off. But besides a massive bruise on his cheek, he looked fine. Just normal Mikey. However, after a moment, he paused, his eyes widening. Oh yeah, there was something a little off.

His eyes… Well, eye singular. His right one looked just like it always did, a light baby blue, with a touch of navy around the pupil. But his left one looked just like Kappa’s. His iris had changed to a striking yellow gold. He brought a shaky hand to his bruised cheek, touching it softly. Then, he smiled. Cool… He thought, his face shining with excitement. So freakin’ cool!

“Is that uh, is that a good sign?” Raph interjected, his eyes clouded with nervousness. “Did you find a compromise?”

Mikey looked up at his brothers. Behind them stood a see-through image of Kappa, back to his usual doppelganger form. Kappa winked at him before making a silly face and using his fingers to give Raph bunny ears. His left eye was a bright blue.

Mikey smiled, nodding. “Yeah.” He said with pride, watching as Kappa laughed, disappearing back into nothingness. “Yeah, I think we did.”

“Ok, tell me everything.” Donnie said quickly, pushing Raph and Leo out of the way as he leaned forward, already furiously writing in a notepad. “What was the mindscape like? How about the confrontation? I want step by step details; don’t leave anything out!”

“Whoa, pump the brakes on the interrogation, hermano.” Leo said, shoving Donnie back with a scornful look. “I need to do a full medical eval before anything else-”

“Did you beat his glowy butt?!” April interrupted, grabbing Mikey’s hands with sparkling eyes. “I’ll bet the fight was super cinematic!”

“Guys, guys, maybe we can give Mikey like, three seconds to just chill?” Raph said in a quiet, yet commanding tone.

Mikey laughed at his sibling’s frenzy. But he grew quiet as he saw Splinter and Draxum walk towards him. Splinter’s eyes shone with pride as he kneeled in front of Mikey. Then, tears began flowing down the old rat’s face. He leaned forward, wrapping Mikey in a gentle hug and crying softly.

“Michealangelo.” He said, his voice cracking with relief. “I knew you could do it. I’m so proud of you, my son.” Mikey hugged his father back, a single tear tracking down his face. After a moment, Splinter leaned back, bringing a not-so-light fist down on Mikey’s forehead. “But jeez, did you have to take so long?! Are you trying to give your father a heart attack?”

“My bad.” Mikey replied as Draxum stepped forward.

“Pft, I knew you were fully capable of doing this.” The goat man said, sniffing haughtily as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I wasn’t worried for a second.”

“Are you… crying?” Leo asked with a smirk, looking pointedly at the old yokai, whose bottom lip had begun to tremble.

“No! Baron Draxum does not cry!” Draxum replied shakily, blinking his eyes furiously. “I am simply relieved that Michealangelo has returned safely, that is all.”

“Awwww, Draxie…” Mikey cooed, his eyes sparkling.

“Easy, you old softy.” Splinter said in a gentle voice, patting Draxum on the side. “We’re all relieved.” He turned back towards Mikey, his face twisting to a look of concern. “So what of your ‘mystic energy’? No more sleep portalling? No more near-death experiences?”

“His name is Kappa.” Mikey said, looking out across his family. “We both messed up, and we both hurt each other.” He explained, a small smile on his face. “But we also both found a way to talk, and a way to heal as well. He and I, we’re not that different.” Mikey held a hand to his plastron, as if he could feel Kappa within him. “Deep down, I think we were both just scared of losing you guys. Of being alone.” He squeezed the hand into a fist, grinning as he looked triumphantly at his family. “But we’re never alone.”

“Damn right!” Raph said, pumping an excited fist in the air.

“I’ll tell you guys everything.” Mikey said, shooting a look at Donnie and forcing his sore body to his feet. “But first, imma need some food, stat. Something worthy of my new status of a great and powerful mystic warrior.”

“So… Pizza?” Leo said with a grin.

“Pizza.” Mikey nodded.

.
.
.

“Alright, let’s go over this one more time.”

Mikey held his body still. It had been about a week since his mindscape adventure. Since then, he’d been training with Kappa on how to properly create portals. Apparently, there was an actual method to making them, not just desperate flailing of the hands. Who would have known?

“Remember.” Kappa said, sitting comfortably on Mikey’s bed. It was still a little jarring, seeing a mirror image of himself appearing at random to make fun of him or provide input on a situation. But considering he had other aspects of his mind who did the same, it wasn’t too difficult to get used to. “The dimensional universe is like a wrinkly old shirt. It has folds and waves, and some areas are more worn and thinner than others. You need to feel for those areas. Feel for the folds, for the thinnest paths between realities.”

Mikey closed his eyes, walking slowly around his room. He took about three steps before slamming his knee into the side of his desk. “Owwww….” He hissed, rubbing his knee.

“You can keep your eyes open, brainiac.” Kappa scolded, rolling his eyes.

“But I can’t concentrate with my eyes open!” Mikey complained. “And you could have warned me, you know.”

Kappa shrugged. “I suppose. But what would I do without a little entertainment.” Mikey glared at him, letting out an annoyed huff. “Alright, fine. I will warn you if you’re about to run into something. Now focus.”

Mikey smiled, closing his eyes again. He reached out his hands, feeling the air softly. Feel for the folds… He thought, taking a few steps forward. All I feel is jack and squat.

No, c’mon Mikey, focus. He took a deep breath, reaching out a bit further. Suddenly, he felt something.

“Kappa…” He started, but was immediately interrupted.

“Yes, there!” Kappa exclaimed. “Don’t lose that focus! Follow it!”

Mikey did as he was told, feeling in front of him. It was weird. He could tell he was sensing something, but it wasn’t like he was touching something solid. It felt more like he was touching something… warm. Hot even. He followed the feeling until finally, he felt another source of heat, pulsating under his hands.

“I think I found it!” Mikey said excitedly, opening his eyes. He was standing in the same spot in his room that Kappa had used when he had done his midnight portalling.

“Yes! Perfect!” Kappa said, jumping up and standing next to him. “See, this spot is a weak spot in our dimension, which makes it so much easier to open a portal.”

“So when we opened the portal to save Leo…”

“Yeah, that was not a weak spot at all. We basically had to rip a hole through our dimension and force a pathway to the prison dimension. It’s no wonder your body couldn’t handle it.” Kappa said empathetically. “Which is kinda my fault. I forced all of that energy through you without thinking about the physical consequences.” Kappa shook his head. “But now, I can give you proper training on how to do it, so hopefully, no more burns.”

“Probably a good thing.” Mikey replied with a laugh.

“Alright, now, to create the portal, you have to trace a circle somewhere.” Kappa continued, walking around Mikey. “It doesn’t matter where. You could trace it with your feet for all I care. But the circles help channel your mystic powers, keeping them from exploding out of you.”

Mikey gulped. “That can happen?”

“Yeah, and it’s incredibly gruesome.” Kappa replied nonchalantly. He noticed the look on Mikey’s face and cleared his throat. “Ehem, but, that’s why we’re learning the technique! So, trace a circle.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Mikey said, stretching his arms in front of him. Kappa did the same. In unison, they traced circles in front of them, Mikey’s scars and fingertips beginning to glow. The glow left a trail of golden light in the air.

“Yes! Ok, now,” Kappa said, giving Mikey an excited look. “Imagine slowly pulling the fabric apart. Don’t force it.”

Mikey stuck out his tongue in concentration, staring at the center of the circle. After a few seconds, a tiny little orb of golden light appeared, swirling gently. “Aha, I did it!” Mikey yelled, pumping his fists in the air. Immediately, the golden light fizzled out, and the glow on his body faded. “Aaaand I lost it. But I did it! Did you see that?! Ha ha!”

Kappa nodded in approval. “Nice work, Mikes.”

“So do I get to learn how to summon those awesome chains now?!” Mikey asked, his eyes sparkling.

Kappa just laughed. “One thing at a time. There’s no rush. We got all the time in the world.”

Mikey pouted, but smiled. “Alright, alright.”

“Mikey!”

Mikey and Kappa turned to the door, listening as Raph yelled from the kitchen.

“Leo set the mac and cheese on fire!” Raph called in a panicked voice.

“How do you just forget the water!? What kind of idiot forgets the water?!” He heard Donnie chastise loudly.

“I was stressed!” Leo replied in a high-pitched whine.

Mikey and Kappa exchanged looks before laughing. “Damn, they’re dumb as fuck, aren’t they?” Kappa said, wiping tears from his eyes as he continued to giggle.

“That’s why they’re perfect.” Mikey replied, shaking his head. Kappa laughed one more time before throwing up a peace sign, disappearing into thin air.

Mikey walked towards his door, pausing for a moment to look back in his room. He gazed at the painting of his family he’d made when he was young, before shifting his eyes to a new painting. It was still in the works, but he had started it the day after he’d made things right with Kappa.

The painting was shaky, with drips and splatters of paint in random spots. But it was his family, his whole family. In all of their beauty. He included everything. Every scar, every imperfection, immortalized on the wall. Leo, Donnie, Raph, April. Splinter and Draxum. Casey Jr. and Cassandra. Even Gram Gram, floating in the background with a smile.

And him.

In the middle of the painting, he drew himself, a silhouette of Kappa behind him. His family. Mikey smiled softly, his mind full of nostalgia. Things would never go back to the way they used to be. Things would never be “normal.” But maybe, that was ok. Who wanted things to be normal anyways? Where was the fun in that?

“THE FIRE IS TARGETING ME! I FEEL VERY TARGETED!” Leo screamed from the kitchen, causing Mikey to jolt out of his thoughts.

“Ah! I’m coming Leo!” Mikey called, sprinting out of his room and towards the kitchen. As he ran, he found himself laughing. Kappa phased into existence, running alongside him with a grin.

Pft, screw normal. He thought, rounding the corner and taking in the havoc unfolding before him. This was way more interesting.

Chapter Text

Raph was the second turtle brother to make contact with his mystic energy.

Following the events that happened with Mikey, Draxum became a bit more involved in the Hamato household. Part of this involvement included him beginning to teach the turtles how to connect with and properly use their mystic powers.

They started with meditation. Although Splinter had versed the brothers in the proper techniques, they had never actually tried to reach their subconscious. For about thirty minutes a day, Draxum would coach them through trying to find the source of their mystic energy, with Mikey providing some tips on the side of course. It wasn’t exactly said out loud, but everyone was trying to avoid going through what Mikey did by hopefully having a good relationship with their inner selves.

Raph especially was dead set on reaching his mystic energy. Even outside of Draxum’s meditation training, he began trying to reach his mystic self on his own. He wasn’t sure why exactly he was so desperate to make the connection, but he just felt it was extremely important.

Multiple times, Raph felt like he was right on the cusp of reaching his subconscious. He would be deep in a trance, feeling like his body was falling, before jolting awake in a panic. Draxum said this was normal, but it still didn’t stop Raph from feeling frustrated. Each failure felt like a thorn in his side: Not devastating, but really annoying.

Finally, one day, as Raph was sitting in his room doing his brief morning meditation session, it happened. He was falling, but this time, he didn’t panic. He let himself fall. And when he blinked his eyes open, he was somewhere completely new.

Raph sat stiffly as he took in his dark surroundings, energy radiating from his body across the surface like scarlet ripples in water. He shifted his weight, touching a finger to the cold floor and watching as more glowing waves flowed from him out into the black abyss.

“Woah…” Raph said out loud, his eyes sparkling with wonder. “It’s just like Mikey said!” Raph shot to his feet, excitedly pumping his fists in the air. “I did it! Ha ha! Suck on that, Leo! Whoot whoot!”

Raph’s celebration was cut short as crimson light swirled around him, like a whirlwind of red. Then, images started appearing. No, not images… Raph thought as he looked around. Memories.

Raph walked through the memories, listening as soft noises emanated from them. There was one of him and Leo lugging an old pinball machine they found behind an arcade back to the lair, and of them sparring on top of one of the many skyscrapers of New York City. In fact, all of the memories he saw had Leo in them.

“Must be ‘cause I said his name.” Raph said to no one in particular. “Mikey said the memories were like a google search. That makes it easy on ‘ol Raphie boy.”

Raph hummed thoughtfully before speaking again. “Alright brain, show me my mystic energy.” He commanded, watching as the scarlet light swirled around him once again. He was bombarded by a chorus of sounds as memories began popping up around him. When they first found their mystic weapons, fighting mutants around New York, battling Shredder, and of course, their desperate fight against the Kraang.

Raph watched as the giant construct of his mystic energy wrapped his arms around Donnie and Mikey, saving them from crashing into the streets of Staten Island. Another memory showed him using his mystic energy to reach into the prison dimension, pulling Leo out a split second before the Kraang grabbed him. Raph rubbed his arms absently, thinking about what might have happened if he hadn’t had his mystic powers at that time. He owed a lot to his mystic energy acting on instinct. He would have to thank him, once he found him that is.

“Alright, focus Raph.” Raph said, shaking his head. “Mikey said that the memories would lead me to my mystic energy.” He scratched his head in confusion. “But none of these memories are leaking that red light stuff.”

Raph continued walking through his memories, trying not to be distracted by the past. But it was hard. Images of him and his brothers raced around him, almost causing him to trip. He couldn’t help but chuckle, watching them disappear into the distance.

Suddenly, another image walked by him. Raph shivered, almost like he could feel the presence of something else. He turned around quickly, squinting his eyes as a glowing rat tail disappeared behind another memory.

“Dad…?” Raph called, walking forward to see where the image had gone. But when he turned around the edge of the memory, he found himself face to face with himself. Well, not himself exactly.

Raph jumped, letting out a startled yelp. Before him stood a construct of himself, glowing with crimson light. It looked exactly like one of the duplicates he could make to distract enemies during a fight.

“Oh, uh, excuse me, um, me.” Raph said, rubbing his head nervously. “I’m looking for my mystic energy. Are you… him?”

The construct tilted its head, its face completely blank. Then, it closed its eyes, fading out of existence.

“Ah no, wait!” Raph called, looking around. “C’mon man…”

Then, Raph spotted the construct reappear, several feet in front of him. The construct tilted his head again, as if waiting for something.

Raph walked towards it, the sounds of the memories fading into silence. As he approached the construct, it disappeared again, reappearing another several feet away.

“You… want me to follow you?” Raph asked, his footsteps sending ripples a light out across the surface of his subconscious.

The construct said nothing, instead repeating its previous actions, distancing itself from Raph. It tilted its head, blinking its eyes slowly.

“Imma take that as a yes.” Raph said, picking up his pace to a slight jog. “Lead the way, me.”

Raph followed the construct for a while. Everything was quiet, save for the sound of his feet hitting the surface and the heaviness of his own breathing. He wasn’t even sure how long he chased the construct, but time seemed to move very, very slowly.

“Are we… almost there?” Raph huffed, panting as he ran. “I don’t think I can conjure up an inhaler in this place.”

Raph stopped suddenly as the construct appeared right in front of him, the large turtle nearly tripping over himself, literally. He took a few steps back, catching his breath before looking back up at the glowing image of himself.

“Can a guy get a warnin’ next time?” He asked breathily. The construct didn’t reply, only blinking before turning slowly to look off into the distance. Raph followed his gaze, his eyes widening slightly as he saw something moving out in the darkness of his subconscious.

“Wait, is that…?” Raph turned to look back up at the construct, but it had disappeared, leaving Raph alone in the void. “Hah, right.” He said, standing up straight as he began walking towards whatever the construct had led him too. “I’ll just walk in blindly. I’m sure that’s fine.”

As he approached, it became clear what he was looking at. It was him. Well, something that looked like him at least. But it wasn’t like the construct, made out of light and devoid of anything substantial. This genuinely looked just like him, down to the scars on his face. The other him appeared to be training, with multiple ninja dummies set up around him, a bench and some weights off to the side, and a punching bag in the center. He was beating the crap out of the bag, flickers of red light bursting out from his hands with each punch.

That must be him. Raph thought, swallowing down the nervousness forming a lump in his throat. My mystic energy.

Raph took a few steps closer, close enough to see the sweat on the other him’s face. With a start, he noticed his mystic self did have a distinct difference in how he looked. Where Raph’s eyes were a soft green, his mystic energy appeared to have irises of pure crimson, like two drops of blood on a white canvas. Raph shuddered, but clenched his jaw, clearing his throat to try and get the other him’s attention.

“Ehm, ‘scuse me?” Raph said gently, trying not to startle his mystic self. But his mystic energy didn’t seem to notice, instead continuing to beat feverishly on the punching bag.

“Hey, hello?” Raph asked again, this time a bit louder. Still no response. Raph’s eye twitched irritably before shouting. “HEY!”

This time, his mystic energy seemed to hear him, pulling back from the punching bag and blinking his eyes in confusion. Then, he held up his fists, a snarl forming on his face.

“What the… Who are you?” His mystic self asked, eyes flashing with red light. “What are you doing here?”

Raph was completely thrown off for a moment. Out of all the scenarios he’d played through in his head, he never considered that his mystic energy might not know who he was. “What do you mean who am I? I’m Raph!” He answered quickly, putting up his hands defensively. “Your, uh, life force?”

“Raph? Hm… Raph, Raph…” His mystic self seemed to consider this for a moment, holding a hand up to his chin. Then, he snapped, as if the name suddenly clicked. “Ohhh, Raph! Ok, cool, cool.” Then he turned right back to his punching bag, beginning the beating again without another word.

“Wait… Hey! I need to talk to you!” Raph said, jogging up beside his mystic self.

“Can’t.” Mystic Raph replied, not taking his eyes off his task. “Training. Too busy.”

Raph blinked a few times in bewilderment. “Training? Training for what?” He asked in confusion.

Mystic Raph seemed to pause for a moment, like he didn’t know what to say. Then, he shook his head, resuming his punching. “Doesn’t matter. Just trainin’.” He said finally.

“Right.” Raph said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, I just wanted to talk with ya. Considering you’re my mystic energy and all.”

Mystic Raph didn’t acknowledge him, instead just replying, “Who are you again?”

“I’m Raph!” Raph exclaimed in exasperation. How the heck was he supposed to talk with this guy? He watched his mystic energy work, the red light sparking from his fists like static electricity. Maybe some small talk to start.

“So uh, you got a name?” Raph asked casually, trying to keep his voice from betraying his nervousness.

Mystic Raph ceased his punching, blinking a few times. “A name?” Um…” He thought for a moment, his eyes moving back and forth. “I guess I never really thought about it before.” He replied, turning towards Raph. “I didn’t know I needed one.”

“Well, ya don’t need one.” Raph stated, crossing his arms across his plastron. “But it’s kinda nice, y’know? Having something to call yourself.”

“Yeah… Yeah!” His mystic counterpart said excitedly, his eyes sparkling. “So I can give myself a name? Any name I want?”

“Uh, yeah!” Raph replied, thrown off a bit by his mystic self’s excitement, but happy to play into it. “Anything! Just, find something that feels right!”

“Ok!” Mystic Raph said, turning to the side as he thought. Raph chuckled a bit. It was kinda cute, seeing his mystic self so thrilled about something as trivial as a name. I wonder why he never thought of one before. Raph thought curiously, but was pulled from his pondering by Mystic Raph shouting, “I got it!”

“Alright, lay it on me!” Raph said with a grin. He couldn’t help but share in his mystic self’s electrifying energy; it was contagious.

“Your name is Raph, right?” Mystic Raph asked, causing Raph to feel a flash of irritation.

“For the umpteenth time, yes.” He said through gritted teeth, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

“Right! So you can call me Wrath.” His mystic self replied with a look of pride on his face. “That way, it’s similar to Raph, but a lot cooler.”

“Wrath…” Raph echoed with uncertainty. The name reminded him of a fiery hot anger that he tried hard to forget. But he forced a smile, giving a gentle nod. “I like it.”

Wrath’s eyes shone with glee, giving a toothy smile as he held his fists up to his chest excitedly. Then, like someone flipped a switch, his face fell. He took a few steps away from Raph, his eyes narrowing angrily. “You’re distracting me.” He said coldly, turning to a training dummy and beginning to run through some drills. “I told you, I’m training. Quit bothering me.”

The sudden shift in energy surprised Raph. He felt nervousness beginning to surface again, but he tried to ignore it, walking over to where Wrath was working. “Uh, sorry Wrath. I just wanted to get to know ya better, that’s all.”

Wrath just grunted, refusing to look at Raph. For a moment, Raph thought maybe that was it. I mean, it seems like he’s doing just fine here. Raph considered, looking around at the training equipment. And he said he doesn’t want to be bothered. Maybe I’m making things worse just by being here. He turned back to Wrath, looking his mystic self up and down.

Wrath was training feverishly, his drills sharp and calculated. Sweat dripped from his body, dripping onto the surface of the mindscape and causing ripples of red light to emanate outwards. But despite the rigor in which Wrath conducted his movements, Raph thought his mystic self looked tired. If one looked closely, they could see the shakiness in the large turtle’s body in between his movements, and hear the heaviness of his breaths. Raph noticed dark circles underneath Wrath’s eyes. How had he not noticed them before?

Ok, maybe things aren’t ok. Raph concluded, thinking hard about the situation. But how am I supposed to talk with this guy? He clearly doesn’t want me here, and he seems dead set on this training. Raph thought for a moment. Then, an idea came to him. He walked over to the training dummy that Wrath was beating on, grabbing its synthetic shoulders and holding it steady.

“Hey.” He asked aloud, a devious grin on his face. “Why don’t you train against somebody your own size?” He taunted slyly, hoping his mystic self would take the bait. “I think this training session’s a little unfair, don’t you?”

Wrath considered this for a moment, looking Raph up and down. Then, the same grin spread across his face as he cracked his knuckles in anticipation. “You make a good point.” He replied, eyes sparkling with crimson light. “You may be just what I need to take my skills to the next level.”

Wrath swung his arm away from his body, and Raph watched in amazement as the equipment set up around them disappeared into nothingness. “Alright, other me.” Wrath said arrogantly, dropping into a fighting stance. “No funny business. Just a regular, one-on-one sparring practice.”

“Exactly.” Raph replied, dropping into an identical stance. “Just you and me.”

The two turtles didn’t even need a countdown. It was like they knew when the other was ready to start. In a flash, they charged each other, their faces matching images of determined glee.

Wrath immediately for Raph’s throat, punching with precision that Splinter would approve of. However, knowing that was his go to first move, Raph immediately slapped his clenched fist to the side, swinging his body around and preparing for the next attack.

At first, Raph found it difficult to stay on par with what his mystic counterpart dished out. It was like Wrath knew exactly what strategy Raph was planning to use, which made perfect sense. But Raph quickly adapted. This was his plan, after all. He and Wrath would be the same, both in skill and brute strength. They’d be locked in a ninjutsu standstill, neither one being able to get the upper hand. He wasn’t fighting to beat his mystic counterpart. No, this was a distraction. Something he could use to talk to him.

Wrath charged in for another blow, which Raph skillfully countered, sidestepping in a way much more akin to Leo’s defense. “So uh, what are you training for again? Seems like you’re running yourself a bit thin.” He asked as Wrath blew past him.

“Thin? Hah!” Wrath laughed, his eyes flashing. “Wrath never gets tired. And he never quits.” This time, Raph charged him. Wrath blocked his attack easily, which Raph expected.

“Are ya sure?” He questioned, the two turtles pushing against each other. “‘Cause from where I’m standing, you’ve got eyebags for days. Overtraining is not the way to improve y’know.”

Wrath growled, shoving Raph away. “What do you know?” He said angrily. “Aren’t we trainin’ here? Be quiet!”

“I’m just sayin’” Raph started, ducking as Wrath swung and missed clocking him across the cheek. “If you’re gonna train, ya gotta do it the right way. Otherwise there’s no point.”

“You don’t know anything.” Wrath hissed, his eyes flashing completely red for a moment. “Just shut up and fight!”

“C’mon man, this isn’t healthy!” Raph urged, watching as Wrath dropped into another, albeit shaky, attack stance. He knew he was pissing his mystic self off, but he couldn’t help it. Something inside him was screaming that this had to happen. That he had to help Wrath, he just had to. “I mean, what are you trying to prove? Who are you tryin’ to impress? There’s no one here but me!”

“I told you to SHUT UP!” Wrath screamed, his eyes glowing with crimson light. Raph was reminded briefly of Mikey in his “Mystic Mikey” form, but he wasn’t given much time to think as Wrath charged forward.

Around his mystic counterpart appeared small, glowing shields that looked exactly like his shell. Raph steeled himself, catching Wrath's fists with his own. As he pushed his mystic self back, he tried an attack from the side, but was immediately blocked by the tiny shields.

“Hey, that’s cheating!” He yelled, but Wrath either didn’t hear him or didn’t care. His mystic counterpart let out a sound that he could only describe as a guttural roar, charging forward again.

No longer were Wrath’s attacks smooth and precise. Now, they were clumsy, brutish. It was as if he’d forgotten any ninjutsu he’d ever known. He was attacking simply with brute force. Which made things really easy on Raph.

Raph caught his counterpart’s arms, holding him in place as the large turtle struggled against him. Wrath let out a rage-filled snarl, his eyes flashing dangerously.

Suddenly, a large red shell shield appeared between the two turtles, forcing Raph to take a step back. But with a start, he found another shield pushing him from behind. Wrath was holding his hands up, folding them like he was crushing something in his palms. Raph tried to move, but three more shields appeared around him: One flanking him on each side, and one pushing down from above.

Before he could react, Raph was trapped in a slowly shrinking box of scarlet light.

“Hey, hold on!” Raph yelled, beginning to panic as the spiked shields closed in. He hated feeling boxed in, feeling trapped, having no means of escape. But Wrath ignored him, an angry growl emanating from him.

Raph was forced to his knees as he pushed desperately against the shields, his eyes darting around frantically to try and find any way to escape this. His breaths came out in short gasps as his heart threatened to pound out of his chest. The spikes from the shell shields began poking into his skin, and Raph really began to panic. Was Wrath actually going to kill him?

“Wrath!” He screamed. “Please!”

Finally, Wrath seemed to hear him. He blinked his eyes a few times, as if he suddenly realized what was happening. As he took in the situation, he let out a gasp, pulling his hands back with a look of fear. To Raph’s relief, the shell shields disappeared, and Raph took a much needed breath.

He looked up at Wrath, who had a look of horror on his face. The large turtle was shaking, breathing heavily as his eyes faded from their glowing state back to normal. Then, Wrath’s entire body shimmered, seeming to shrink before Raph’s eyes. With a start, Raph realized he was looking at a younger version of himself. Just like what happened to Mikey.

Raph slowly climbed to his feet, taking a step towards his mystic self. Wrath took a shaky step back, the look of panic still present on his face. “Stop!” The little Raph squeaked, holding his hands up. “I’m… I’m sorry, I don’t want to hurt ya.” Wrath crouched down, wrapping his arms around his knees as he stared wide eyed at the ground. He began to mumble over and over, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

“Easy buddy.” Raph said softly, like he was talking to an injured animal. “It’s fine. I’m fine, see? We’re good.”

Wrath stopped his mumbling, but continued to breathe fast, his eyes trained downwards. Raph took a few steps forward, cautiously as not to scare his younger self. Then, he crouched down in front of him, leaning down to try and meet his eyes.

“You gonna tell me what this is all about?” He questioned, trying to channel Mikey’s Dr. Feeling’s voice.

Wrath seemed to take a deep breath, his eyes losing their scared look and instead becoming incredibly sad. He still didn’t look at Raph, but he began to speak.

“Do you know why Master Splinter didn’t make us leader?”

Raph was taken aback. Sure, this was a question he asked himself often, but he tried not to think too hard about it. Raph wasn’t sure what to say, so he just continued to listen.

“We trained the hardest.” Wrath continued. “We were the most dedicated, the most responsible. We gave everything to the team. We did everything he asked, without question. And still, he didn’t make us leader. Do you know why that is?”

Raph just shook his head.

“It’s because, at the end of the day, no matter what we did.” Wrath said, his eyes narrowing. “We were never good enough.”

Raph sat down, a lump forming in his throat. It was like all of his darkest thoughts, his biggest insecurities, were sitting right in front of him, with his own face. It was weird, hearing his deepest thoughts told to him. But he kept listening.

“We’re too impulsive, too brash, and most of all,” Wrath said, curling his hands into fists. “Too emotional to be a good leader. No matter what we do, that will never change.”

Wrath looked up at Raph, angry tears forming in his eyes. “I’m training so I can be better. I have to reach that place where I’ll finally be good enough for him. I can’t stop. Don’t you understand?” Wrath let out a sad chuckle as he let the tears fall down his cheek. He looked down again, his small shoulders shaking.

“Why were we never good enough for him?”

Raph scooted forward a bit, wrapping his arm around his mystic self’s shoulders. Wrath sat still for a moment, then leaned into Raph, letting the older turtles squeeze his shoulders. They sat there for a while, just letting everything settle and watching the scarlet ripples from their bodies travel out into the void.

Finally, Wrath sniffled a bit, reaching up to wipe his eyes. “I’m sorry I got angry.” He said in a small voice. “I didn’t mean it.”

“No need to apologize.” Raph replied, reminiscing a bit. “I used to get angry a lot too. Well, I still do.” He chuckled. “Thanks for not squishing me though.”

Raph was silent for a moment, then continued. “It doesn’t matter if we’re leader or not.” He said, not only telling Wrath, but reminding himself. “It does matter if we’re good enough for Splinter, or anyone else for that matter.” He looked down at Wrath, locking green eyes with red. “What matters is if we’re good enough for ourselves.”

“That’s… stupid.” Wrath said, causing Raph to laugh.

“Hey, I’m not the speeches guy, ok?” He said, giving Wrath a noogie. “What I’m sayin’ is, stop worrying so much about everyone else, alright? Just, focus on being the best you can be. Safely. No obsessive training, got it?”

“Sure sure, whatever.” Wrath replied, pushing Raph’s arm off his shoulders and standing up, a soft smile on his face. “Well, you got what you wanted, didn’t you?”

Raph blinked a few times, confused. “Uh, what?”

“You wanted to talk to me. And we talked. I think it’s time that you went back to your life now.”

“I just wanted to make sure you were ok.” Raph said seriously, looking imploringly into Wrath’s eyes. “Are you ok?”

Wrath turned away, smiling once again. “I am now.”

“So we’re cool then?” Raph said, rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle. “You’re not going to like, take over my body or anything like that?”

“What? No!” Wrath said, shimmering as his form shifted back into regular old Raph. “That sounds way complicated.”

“Alright, good!” Raph replied, letting out a sigh of relief. Then he turned again to Wrath. “Could ya teach me that shield trick though? That might come in handy someday.”

“Hah, yeah, someday.” Wrath replied, walking up to Raph and setting a hand on his shoulder. “And Raph? Thanks. I think I just kinda had to hear myself say everything out loud, y’know?”

“Yeah, I know.” Raph replied, smiling.

Wrath smiled back, before touching a hand to Raph’s plastron. “Bye bye, Raph.” He said cheekily, before pushing abruptly against Raph’s chest.

Raph managed to choke out, “Wait, what?” Before he was sent flying backward into the void, watching the image of Wrath fade out of existence. In moments, he woke up with a start, laying in his bedroom.

He sat up quickly, touching his hand softly to the spot Wrath had pushed him. Weirdly, he still felt as if something was there. I’ll see ya again, Wrath. He thought with a toothy grin, pushing himself to his feet to go and tell his family about his experience.

Someday.