Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep…

Mikey lazily rolled over onto his side, slapping out his limp hand. The wailing alarm clock abruptly ceased as his fingers pounded into the snooze button. Heaving out a lengthy sigh, the youngest turtle swung his legs over the side of the bed and reached his arms out wide. His routine morning stretches, though, were cut short as he shivered in the cool breeze of the lair.

Dang vent, Mikey grudgingly thought, listening to the faint wheezing and sputtering of the wore-down outlet that resided above his bed. It kinda reminded him of someone gently snoring, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. It often alarmed him in the middle of the night. Need to get D to fix that…

Juggling that thought around in his sleep-deprived head, Mikey stood with a little more jump in his step than usual. Although his limbs screamed with drowsiness and a hint of soreness accompanied it, the goofy turtle paid no attention to the sensation. Today was Monday, which meant –

"No training!" he happily breathed to himself. Rolling a few kinks out of his shoulder, Mikey strained his ears as he listened to the faint echoes of someone moving about the lair. The creaking of floorboards, the clanging of metal, and the gently murmuring voices made him smile. Mornings were always his favorite; it reminded him that a new page in his book had opened and was waiting to be written. Not to mention the fact that Raph was usually too tired to attack him for his silly mistakes.

A deliciously familiar aroma wafted into Mikey's nose and his mouth instantly watered in response. That was the third-best part of Mondays; Donnie always made killer pancakes.

Mikey began towards the bedroom door, making sure to slightly shorten his third stride. There was a crack in the concrete floor he had come to memorize – or rather his feet had memorized ever since he stubbed a particularly sensitive toe a few years back. Lightly trailing his fingertips over the general area where the doorknob should be, Mikey quickly located the circular metal and twisted it open.

"Mmm, D, it smells awesome in here!" the youngest praised as he turned the kitchen corner. His fingers, once again, skimmed the surface of the cool brick walls to direct his motions. Eventually his arm dropped back to his side as Mikey made his way in the direction of the kitchen table. When his outstretched hand felt the smooth surface of the wooden tabletop, he began to clumsily fumble around for a chair, smirking in confusion as he did so.

Seconds passed by, and soon enough, irritation flowered within him. It shouldn't be this hard; the chair should be a little to the left... right?

Finally, without question, a calloused hand landed on top of his wrist, gently guiding it to the right. The youngest's palm soon rested on a solid figure and Mikey pulled out the wooden chair, plopping into it.

"G'morning, Mike," Leonardo warmly greeted from somewhere beside him, the fingers leaving his wrist.

Mikey broke out into a bright, signature grin as he began to return the greeting, but his nose turned up at an odd scent. "Urgh, Leo, are you drinking tea again?" He sniffed the air once more and playfully stuck his tongue out. "That stuff's nasty!"

"Someone's a little ray of sunshine today," Donnie muttered playfully in the background. There was a loud shuffling noise, and Mikey soon felt his scientific brother's presence directly behind him. "I made sure to prepare your plate of pancakes first this time. I wouldn't want World War III breaking out again like yesterday."

"Hey!" Mikey defensively exclaimed even as he hungrily reached for his fork, which should be a little more upwards and to the left and… aha! Grasping the cold metal in his hand, the youngest continued with, "S'not my fault that you didn't make enough food for bothme and Raph. The dude could eat a mountain of pancakes and still only have his hunger meter halfway full."

Leo good-naturedly chuckled in amusement and Mikey shoved a forkful of the delectable fluffy food in his mouth. He always wondered what pancakes looked like. He had Donnie explain to him once, but that was a long time ago. Besides, it's not like he understood what he was talking about. What was the color 'golden'? What did 'fluffy' look like? What does 'thick' in 'thick syrup' appear to other people?

They're questions he always had, but answers he never received. And frankly, by this point, he had gotten used to the fact that he was always going to be in the dark- literally.

"So Leo," Donnie staarted, drifting into Mikey's thoughts. A scrape of wood against concrete announced he was now sitting at the table with his two brothers as well. "I saw a handful of Foot moving around today on the cameras I set up last patrol. Think it's anything?"

Mikey thoughtfully chewed and Leo replied, "Maybe. We can't jump to conclusions though. We'll go check it out tonight and see if there's any activity still occurring."

Wait- patrol?

At this, Mikey forced himself to swallow and- nearly choking on the barely chewed food- exclaimed, "Can I go this time Leo? Please?"

It was instinct for him to beg his older brother for the simple pleasure of going on patrol these days. He never realized how much he missed hopping around the rooftops of New York City like an eager bunny until one day, (more specifically four weeks ago,) Leo decided it was becoming too dangerous with the swelling amount of enemy activity. Hope was all Mikey had left whenever the mention of their daily patrol came up in their conversations.

His faith began to deteriorate, though, as it took five seconds too long for the leader to reply. Biting the inside of his cheek, Mikey directed his gaze to the general area in which Leonardo was sitting. He tried his best to wear his feelings of yearning/anguish on his face, although it was hard since he never had someone else to learn from. It was the simplest skills such as tying his mask, tightening his belt- or in this case- looking like a disheartened puppy that gave Mikey the most trouble. But he knew he must've been doing something right when finally, after several moments, Leo sighed.

"I don't know, Mikey. What if there really is something going on? We don't need anyone to get hurt."

"Who says I'll get hurt?" the orange clad turtle reasoned. "Come on, Leo! I haven't been topside in forever dude! A turtle can only do so much when they're stuck in some mucky sewers."

"Technically," Donnie began, and Mikey's shoulders instinctively slouched in response, "we've spent fifteen years down in these 'mucky sewers', so what's a few more days?"

"'Cause a few more days will turn into a few more weeks and then a few more months…" Mikey drifted off, tapping his fork dishearteningly against the side of the table. He of all people knew it was hard to get their stubborn leader to agree to something Leo already had his mind set on.

So why does it still hurt so much?

Leo looked over his baby brother's slouched figure with remorse, an all-too-familiar pang of guilt clawing at his stomach.

"I'm sorry Mike, I just don't want to put you in harm's way," he tried to soothe. "It's nothing personal."

Yeah, right.

"I know," Mikey reluctantly sighed, his own hunger meter suddenly reaching 100%. He pushed away the plate and could almost feel the disapproving frown on Donnie's face boring into the side of his head. Somewhere deep inside of him, Mikey knew that the frown's roots came from concern, yet the negative energy associated with it twisted his gut.

"Whoa," Raphael remarked as he strolled into the kitchen, every step laced with lingering grogginess. He saw the deep sulk pulling at the edges of Mikey's mouth as he maneuvered his way over to the table. "Why's the clown sad?"

Immediately, Mikey felt Leo shift next to him. It was a subtle difference in the air, but the youngest knew that his brother was in motion, even if small. It's a skill he was forced to learn since he 'had a disability', as Splinter would put it.

His assumption of movement was made clear as Raph suddenly stopped talking. Mikey inwardly groaned. Of course Leo would shut the hothead up; the eldest was constantly patrolling each and every sentence that was thrown in Mikey's direction just to make sure it wasn't offensive in any way. Mikey thought it was ridiculous but hey, if it makes Leo feel better then so be it. Who's Mikey to tell him to stop being so considerate- even though it did come off as mother hen-ish?

Raphael cleared his throat as he attempted to change the direction of the conversation.

"Anyways, you forgot your mask again," he stated as he came up beside Mikey. The youngest felt a soft fabric touch the skin surrounding his eyes as Raph secured the knot behind his head.

"Thanks," he murmured warmly. Raph gave him a comforting pat on the back before grabbing the large heap of pancakes Donnie handed over.

o-o-o

To the left.

Relying on his instincts and muscle memory alone, Mikey swiftly avoided the blow targeting his head. The barely distinguishable vibrations in the nearby air (and the lack of sudden pain he was expecting) wordlessly told the orange-banded turtle the incoming attack was unsuccessful, thankfully. As soon as he was even on his feet again, Mikey strained his advanced defensive senses. The air shifted slightly.

Duck.

More of a response than a reaction, he nimbly lowered his head as the bo staff cut through the air. Knowing that the ever-thinking Donnie was most likely planning his next attack, Mikey saw his golden opportunity and advanced. The soft creaking of the floorboards indicated that his intellect brother was to the… right and about… three steps forward. That was all the information he needed.

Mikey grinned as he swung out his left fist. As expected, Donnie avoided the blow as he swiftly danced away to the right. However, Mikey's second fist was there first. And so was his leg.

Blinking in surprise, Donnie barely had time to register what was happening before a balled fist came in contact with his jaw, followed by a merciless roundhouse kick to the chest. He flew backwards and groaned as his tail hit the wooden floors of the dojo. Shaking his head free of the stars, Don grasped his bo staff even tighter as Mikey began towards him again. The clouded, baby blue eyes were fixed above Donnie yet the genius turtle got a disturbing impression that Mikey knew exactly what he was doing. Unless…

Just as his goofy younger brother was within two feet of him, Don pounced to his feet and promptly yet silently dove over his sparring partner. It wasn't a move the ninja team practiced often, and Donnie had decided that this was the perfect opportunity to try it out without too dire of consequences.

The top of his head lightly skimmed over the top of Mikey's as he did a brief flip. The waves of confusion emancipating from his baby brother was almost overwhelming, and for a second, Don almost felt guilty for throwing his brother into this situation. But his head was cleared as soon as his feet touched the ground with scarcely practiced accuracy, and Donnie swung his weapon to Mikey's feet.

A bell of victory seemed to chime in the back of Donnie's head as the youngest went down hard, landing heavily onto his shell. It might seem wrong to feel so accomplished, but the resident genius simply could not get it out of his mind that his 'disabled' brother had come close to beating him in a simple spar. That would have been an unbelievable upset.

"Aw man," Mikey grumbled as Donnie grabbed his hand and helped him up. "I was so close this time!" He rubbed the back of his head which had slammed against the floor when he fell, and painfully winced. "Not cool, D."

Don shrugged and sympathetically smiled at his brother in reassurance. "It's okay, Mikey. You'll get it next time."

Sure I will.

"Indeed," a deeper voice agreed, making Donnie and Mikey straighten up in automatic respect. Mikey felt his father approaching them and slightly bowed in response as Splinter stopped in front of him. "You have been working hard, Michelangelo. However you must remember that your enemy will not stay down after they have merely fallen. You must be prepared for the unexpected. We shall work on that next training session. For today, though, we are done."

"Hai, Sensei," Mikey acknowledged, a flitter of disappointment rushing through him. He should've known that. He should've seen Donnie's little surprise attack coming before the scientist even attempted it. He should've known.

Donnie brushed lightly against Mikey's shoulder as he made his way out of the training room, beginning to babble about his most recent project that was still yet to be completed. Mikey had no doubt in his mind that the Mad Scientist was making a beeline straight for his reclusive, depressing, and cluttered lab. Again.

As that thought tumbled in his mind something warm then touched his arm, snagging him back to reality, and Mikey soon recognized it as a hand.

"You comin' Mike? Thought you'd be the first one to leave training," Raph teased from beside him.

Mikey rolled out his exhausted shoulders and tried his best smile. "Yeah. Do you know if we have any pizza left?"

Raph blew of huff of laughter and Mikey heard his voice getting farther and farther away as the hothead began towards the dojo exit. "Dunno. Probably. I'll go see." And with that, he left.

Mikey started after him, his hand searching for a wall to grasp onto, but a soft, motionless presence behind him made him stop a few feet short of the dojo doors.

"Leo, aren't you hungry?" he asked, his hand finally locating a firm wall. A sense of relief flooded through him at his discovery before he playfully quipped, "I don't think anyone's gonna bring you pizza if you stay meditating in here all day again."

Mikey heard Leo let out a breath of slight amusement before sobering quickly, as if he shouldn't have laughed in the first place.

"I'll, uh, come out later," he said with a smile that went unseen. "I need to talk to Master Splinter for a second is all."

It wasn't the monotone, straight-to-the-point way that the words were uttered in that peaked his curiosity; rather it was the uncertain, thoughtful tone that Leo had desperately yet futilely tried to hide that instantly told Mikey something was up. Leo rarely ever had to have a private "chat" with their father, and when he did, big news was usually announced to the rest of the family afterwards. Mikey nearly shivered at the memory of Leo announcing that pizza was no longer going to be a daily meal.

Red warning flags flew wildly in the back of Mikey's head, but he managed to simply nod and say, "Okay," before resting his palm flat against his guiding wall. Drumming his fingers as he hummed, Mikey trailed them to the dojo exit and quietly slipped out. Then, as soon as he located the handles and slid the doors shut, he frowned and rested his ear against them.

A few silent seconds went by, and Mikey was practically on his toes as the anticipation filled him. He beginning to doubt if anyone was still in the dojo before Splinter softly asked, "Is there something the matter, Leonardo?"

Mikey heard the faint creaking of floorboards and promptly concluded that Leo was sitting down at their Master's feet, as per usual whenever in the presence of their Sensei. The sound of his leader sighing soon followed the gentle squeaking of wood as Leo finally murmured, "Well, yes. It's more of a question though."

"And what would this question be?"

"I'm wondering if-…" He paused, swallowing. "Do you think Mikey should-… should come with us? I know this isn't the first time I've had this problem, but now I'm starting to have some... doubts. Maybe it would be best if Mikey just stayed down here tonight."

The last sentence was more of a question than a suggestion. In the nail-biting silence that followed, Mikey nearly fell through the paper-lined door as he waited for his father's response. He knew the next sentence would determine his freedom; he could practically feel the burning hope gnawing away at his bones. Mikey would give anything just to go on the surface again.

Why doesn't anyone else understand that?

"I do not believe that is my decision to make," Splinter said after ten agonizing seconds too long. Mikey's confusion at the words was cleared up as his sensei continued, "As leader, you should do what you believe is right, not what others tell you or ask of you."

"But Master Splinter, Mikey… he's just…"

Mikey felt his eyes narrow in newfound suspicion. He's just what?

Leo sighed in a lost sort of way. "I don't know how to explain it, but he's just difficult, Sensei. Difficult for me to understand, I mean."

There was a pause, before:

"I know this is a hard decision to make, but you cannot rely on others to carry the weight of the decisions you are bound to make. However, I will provide you with this piece of advice; although your brother may have a disadvantage when it comes to his ninjitsu skills, Michelangelo still has desires that need to be met. The question is whether or not his wishes are worth his safety when situations become difficult."

"Y-Yes, I am aware of that, Master."

Leo went eerily silent after that, and Mikey suddenly felt a bubble of anger burst somewhere in his gut. Of course Leo will think that he should stay home. Why had he even bothered to go to their Sensei for advice? The Fearless Leader is so stubborn and narrow-minded that he won't even consider to take Mikey's feelings into consideration either.

And by this point, Mikey was tired of it.

So why am I still putting up with it?

With that self-defeating thought twisting and turning in his mind, Mikey pulled away from the door and trailed his fingers across the walls until he reluctantly reached the kitchen. Even the smell of baking pizza didn't lift his spirits in the slightest.

A/N

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