Workshopping

1. Aftermath

(I know nothing abt baking please don't come at me :])

Mikey's POV.

"RAPH!"
I keep running towards my brothers. Raph was possessed by the Kraang and now has Leo in a chokehold. The color is draining from his face, his eyes are rolling to the back of his head.
"RAPH, STOP, PLEASE!"
Leo looks at me, his skin pale. His eyes are dull, life slowly draining from them. He gives me a small smile as his eyes start to close...

I wake up in a cold sweat. I look around my room. It's pitch dark, 'cuz the night light went out in the storm last night. I feel around for the flashlight on my nightstand and click it on. I check my phone and find it's 2:15 in the morning. 'Third night in a row,' I think to myself.

I grab my headphones, slip out of bed, and point the light towards my door. It's open just a bit, because it self-locks when closed. I start towards the entrance and open the door that leads to the upstairs hall. There's a slight breeze out in the open, and the soft pattering of the rain on the ceiling is soothing. I walk down the stairs toward the kitchen, careful not to make noise.
Once I get into the kitchen, I balance the flashlight on the counter.

I put on my headphones and turn on some music. I open the cabinets and grab out a bowl, flour, baking soda, sugar, vanilla extract, and other baking material. I can't see well in the dim lighting, but I can just make out the measuring cups and my spatula. Opening the fridge, I find the eggs.

Setting everything down, I reflect on the past few months. Casey Jones Jr, then the Kraang invasion. Mystic powers disappeared. Leo got the key to the gateway, but Raph sacrificed himself to save Leo, resulting in his capture. Raph was corrupted by the Kraang. Donnie hacked into the Kraang ship, but he was exposed, and torn from the control panel later.

Leo fought Raph while Donnie and I were stuck in the air. Raph almost killed Leo, but Raph broke free. Mystic powers regained. The Kraang regained the key and started bringing the Technodrome through the Prison Dimension. We fought the Kraang, I threw a whole building. Leo sacrificed himself to keep the Kraang in the Prison Dimension when the portal was closed. We all thought he was dead.

I opened a portal with my 'mystic hands'. Raph and Donnie helped. We pulled Leo out of the gateway and locked the Kraang in. The battle was over, everything was okay.
Except they weren't.
Soon April and Splinter come in a van. The pain just set in for Leo, so he's screaming when we try to get him in the van. Casey Jr. arrives to help. We try everything to keep Leo awake, but we fail eventually and he slips into a coma about an hour later.

We drive home and put him in the med bay to patch him up. After everyone's wounds are attended to, Donnie retreats to his lab to 'get some work done'. April and Casey go to the surface to help rebuild. Dad leaves to rest in his room. Raph and I sleep in the common room for comfort. My hands started shaking the following week because of the portal, so did Raph's, but only for a day or two.

Back to the present; Donnie only leaves his lab to eat, sleep, or use the bathroom, and doesn't talk to anyone.

April is swamped with college, but she comes around once a month, Casey comes over once or twice a week to say hi, but other than that, he's topside with his mom or trying to adjust to non-apocalyptic life. Splinter has become distant again, and doesn't leave his room much. Raph is exhausted because of his worsening night terrors, but he leaves his room occasionally and hangs out with me. Leo is still comatose.

Then there's me. I pour flour and baking soda into the bowl. I have pretty bad nightmares, but not as bad as Raph's. Sugar, three drops of vanilla extract. My hands have been shaking for around two months, so I can't cook or draw or do anything with my hands like I used to.

It sucks. This whole situation sucks. I'm alone for hours on end every day. I crack the eggs into the bowl. No one to talk to, nothing to do. It's quiet and lonely. I'm stressed, scared that things might not ever get better. I start to mix the ingredients.

It's like nobody cares anymore, and I can't do anything to fix it, to fix them. I notice I've been mixing quite aggressively, and my face has contorted to one of deep thought or concern.

Some of the batter spattered on my plastron, so I put my bowl down and grab a towel to wipe it off. The mix is done, so I pour it into the cake pan. I stick the pan into the oven. I know it'll be awhile, so I set a twenty minute timer on my phone, grab my flashlight off the counter, and leave the kitchen. I walk into the common room and collapse on the huge armchair in the middle of the room.

The music becomes ambient as I stare up at the ceiling boredly. I start to close my eyes as exhaustion overcomes me. Besides, the alarm will wake me up anyway.