Chapter Text
Day 1
Mikey stood at the kitchen counter humming quietly along with an instrumental song playing from his t-phone. He was slicing strawberries when Leo entered. The leader was always the first one awake and the surprise was evident in his voice when he asked Mikey why he was already up and preparing breakfast. The rest of the family likely wouldn’t wake for at least another hour.
“Couldn’t sleep,” Mikey answered simply and didn’t look up from his task. “There’s water in the pot on the stove if you want tea.”
“Thanks.” Leo instead took a seat at the table. After a beat of silence, he broached, “Nightmares?”
“No. Just a lot on my mind.”
Leo hummed in understanding. They’d all been through a lot lately. “Do you want help with anything here?”
Mikey snorted a laugh. “You will be most helpful by not touching anything but the teapot, dude.”
“I’m sure I could do something simple like slicing up fruit or buttering toast,” Leo argued halfheartedly, his tone held a note of resigned amusement. This was a common disagreement they had, but the banter didn't hold any heat.
Mikey turned to him and arched an eye ridge.
“Shell, otōto, you look terrible!” Leo yelped. Mikey, who was startled by the (rather rude) exclamation, cut his finger with the paring knife he was using. “Did you sleep at all last night?”
Mikey cursed under his breath before sticking his bleeding finger into his mouth. Leo was already on his feet and limping toward him. Mike's answer was muffled around his finger, “I said I didn’t sleep.”
“Have you not slept for days?” Leo pulled Mikey’s finger out of his mouth to inspect the saliva-soaked digit. Thankfully, the cut was shallow and wouldn’t even require a bandaid.
Mikey didn’t answer, but he knew Leo could come to that conclusion just by looking at him. Without his orange mask, the dark circles stood out starkly beneath unusually dull blue eyes and Mikey's scales were ashy with an unhealthy pallor.
“It’s just been a rough week,” Mikey commented and turned away to hide from his oldest brother’s scrutiny.
“It has,” Leo agreed and leaned against the counter. “I feel so bad for April. Yesterday must have been so scary for her.”
Anger swelled beneath the smaller mutant’s plastron and he had to really focus on schooling his features so Leo wouldn’t notice his burgeoning ire. Of course, his brother felt bad for April. Of course, his brother only thought April was affected by the previous day even though Mikey was the one fending off panic attacks, interrogated within an inch of his life in the barn, attacked by the Kraang creature and then physically sick all night.
Of course, everyone would think ‘poor April.’
His temper deflated when he realized his anger wasn’t truly directed at April. He couldn't imagine the heartache he’d feel if he were reunited with Master Splinter and then his father turned out to be a monstrous Kraang hellbent on killing him. April didn’t deserve that. What she experienced was unfair.
What he experienced was unfair too.
Unaware of his brother’s inner turmoil, Leo placed a hand on Mikey’s shell and suggested, “Why don’t you try to get some sleep. You look like you could use it. Don’t worry about breakfast or training today.”
Mikey met Leo’s soft gaze and felt his heart breaking. Only sixteen hours ago those indigo eyes were filled with hatred. Hatred he never expected would be directed at him from Leo of all brothers. A knot tightened in Mikey’s throat and he didn’t trust himself to speak. He nodded and put down the knife. He doubted he’d get any rest.
Leo didn’t sense anything amiss when he turned to the stove to boil the water for tea. “My sleeping pills are in the nightstand if you want to take one. But only one pill, Mikey. Okay?”
Mikey froze, suddenly doused in cold shame, at the mention of Leo’s sleeping pills. He wouldn’t be so selfish this time. It didn’t even matter anyway. Nothing really did anymore now that his mind was made up. So, what if he couldn’t sleep? He’d get plenty of sleep in seven days. Eternal sleep. He could wait until then if necessary.
Mike placed the sliced strawberries into a bowl in the fridge. He muttered ‘thank you’ to Leo, grabbed his t-phone which was still playing relaxing Lo-Fi music and walked out of the kitchen without a backwards glance.
~~~
Mikey was surprised when he woke several hours later. He hadn’t expected to fall asleep, but perhaps he could only stare blankly at the ceiling for so long before his eyes refused to stay open. Thankfully, he did feel better after sleeping. The sadness and anger weren’t present. Instead, he felt light. Happy even.
When Mikey made his way to the first floor, he found Leo sitting on the couch watching a Space Heroes rerun. Mikey recognized this episode. It was Leo’s fifth favorite in season four. Realizing this was likely his best opportunity for their last one-on-one time, he grabbed an apple from the kitchen and then joined Leo on the couch.
“Can I watch with you?” Mikey asked as he tucked his legs beneath him. He highly doubted Leo would say ‘no.’ Leo always wanted to share his favorite show with anyone willing to watch with him.
“Yeah!” Leo briefly smiled at him then focused back on the TV. “You’re just in time for the best part!”
Mikey took a bite of his apple and focused on Leo’s profile instead. His brother thought every scene in this dumb show was ‘the best part’ and he was currently mouthing the lines Captain Ryan was speaking on screen. It was always endearing when Leo let himself exist as a kid and indulged in games and TV shows. Mikey loved to see Leo happy and as carefree as he would allow himself. Hopefully, Mike could avoid pissing Leo off this week and they could have this one last good memory together.
Leo would be an exceptional leader one day. There was no doubt in Mikey’s mind that he’d be even better than Captain Ryan. His brother already possessed the skills and experience of a great leader, but he would reach his full potential when Mikey removed himself from the team. Doing so would really let Leo shine. His plans would run smoother because he wouldn’t need to worry about someone giving away their position. That someone was always Mikey.
There was a sense of relief that filled his lungs and settled in his limbs. Mikey smiled to himself and turned his attention to the show. He would miss watching cartoons with Leo.
He hoped someday Leo would be able to think back on these moments they spent together and remember Mikey fondly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 2
Mikey sat in the grass enjoying the sunshine warming his scales. His beloved chicken, Matilda, pecked at the ground nearby and provided a sense of comfort for the lonely turtle. He would miss her the most from his coop. He gently stroked her back and looked at the clouds drifting by. His one-on-one time with Leo had gone well yesterday. Now he just needed to figure out how to make a good final memory with Raph, Donnie, April, Casey and Ice Cream Kitty.
He was most worried about Donnie.
Raph had a short fuse, sure, but over the years Donnie’s patience for Mikey had worn very, very thin. Donnie often became annoyed just by Mikey’s presence, so the smallest mutant knew he wouldn’t get to spend quality time with Donnie like Leo allowed him yesterday. Maybe just a good passing interaction where he didn’t piss Donnie off would be best? Or maybe it would be kinder to Donnie to just leave him be… Maybe Mikey was being selfish by wanting one last good memory with the other half of the B-Team.
They had good childhood memories he could think about instead when the time came at the stream.
He was so lost in thought, he almost didn’t notice Raph walking past him. The sai wielder was stretching in a way Mikey recognized as his warm up before running the farmland perimeter. Raph was constantly trying to break his personal record.
“Raph!” Mikey shouted before his brain had a moment to even consider what his mouth was doing. “Wait up!”
Raph turned to look at Mikey with his usual indifference. “What?”
“Can I run with you?” Mikey scrambled to his feet.
He was expecting rejection.
“Sure.” Raph shrugged and then with a smirk, he added, “If you can keep up.”
Mikey let out a sigh of relief and smiled at his brother. Of course, Mikey could keep up. Everyone knew Mikey was the fastest of the four of them. That’s why he made the best bait! Well, and he was most expendable, but it was nice to focus on the positives.
He followed Raph away from the farmhouse and then matched his speed as they raced along the fence line. He could have easily left Raph in the dust, but it was better to match him or let him win, especially if he wanted to keep Raph happy. His hotheaded brother was a sore loser.
They ran in silence. Mikey reasoned it was hard to hold a conversation and run- even if they had done so countless times in New York City while racing the rooftops. Conversing was likely where he’d screw up and make Raph angry with him. So, silence was better.
It was okay.
Maybe this would be Mikey’s last run?
Immediately, his pace faltered and his eyes widened. Mikey slowed to a walk and Raph continued on. He either didn’t notice Mikey falling behind or he didn’t care. Likely the latter.
Mikey stopped completely and doubled over, placing his hands on his knees. He stared at the grass swaying gently in the soft breeze until his vision blurred. It wasn’t fair that he had to wait eighteen years before getting the opportunity to run through a field when the sun was up. He loved racing across rooftops, but the feel of his feet slapping the concrete was never going to be as enjoyable as the soft grass cushioning his steps.
This couldn’t be his last run.
He had five more days left.
He’d take a run each day to imprint this feeling in his mind.
“Mike,” Raph called from closer than Mikey was expecting.
Mikey scrubbed at his eyes and looked up to see Raph jogging back to him. A flicker of fear tore through the smaller turtle when he realized he’d ruined Raph’s record by making him double back. Mikey braced for yelling.
“You okay, little brother?” Raph’s voice was filled with concern and his eye ridges were knit together.
Mikey’s beak quirked in surprise and he tried to hide his sniffling behind a cough to clear his throat. “Yeah. I’m all good now.”
Raph hesitated, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “Are you okay about… ya’know? The thing with April’s mom being a Kraang was pretty fucked up. You were pretty sick afterwards.”
Mikey’s posture tensed and Raph’s eyes narrowed at the reaction. Mikey forced himself to relax. Now he knew his brothers acknowledged how sick he’d been and still not one of them bothered to check on him that night… He didn’t really know what to do with this information besides feel hurt. This confirmation was somehow a different kind of pain than he’d experienced that night after being so sick. Maybe part of him hoped his family didn’t realize how sick he’d been. He wanted to believe they would have sought him out if they’d known.
Wait, he didn’t want to spend this last one-on-one time with Raph being angry or sad.
It was over now. It was done.
It didn’t even matter anyway. Nothing really did anymore now that his mind was made up.
“All good, bro. Poor April though…”
Raph still didn’t look convinced, but he dropped the subject. He offered Mikey a fist bump and then they were off again. When they reached the end of their race ten minutes later, Raph checked the time and said he’d gotten close to beating his PR. He grinned at Mikey and Mikey smiled back, congratulating him.
Raph had a nice smile when he was feeling genuinely happy. It didn’t happen often enough, though, and Mikey regretted not being able to accomplish his self-appointed team role better.
Raph deserved to be happy. And he would be without Mikey pushing his buttons and getting on every last nerve. Raph was a glass half empty kind of guy, but Mikey still hoped that if he occasionally crossed Raph’s mind in the future, his brother would focus on some of their better memories instead of all the ways Mikey pissed him off.
As the two mutants jogged back to the farmhouse, Mikey promised himself he’d run the perimeter again tomorrow. Alone that time. Maybe after expending as much of his restless energy as possible, he’d lay down in the grass and just feel the wind and sun on his scales. Maybe he could even take a nap. It was peaceful out there.
He wanted his last week to be peaceful.