Gargoyles X TMNT: Shadows of New York

Big City Lights

Raphael massaged his broken foot as he sat on top of the red brick apartment building's rooftop, his good leg dangled over the edge. He grit his teeth. God dammit, walking all that way hurt like hell. The improvised crutch he'd found, a rotting piece of a 2-by-4, didn't last terribly long. It got him up here, but he'd long since thrown the moldering pieces over the ledge and into the garbage can in the alley.

All he was doing now was waiting, and rehearsing what he'd say to his brothers. Casey hadn't been answering his text messages, so it wasn't like he had anywhere else to put his thoughts. He'd had plenty of time to think it over.

Be standoffish and curt, give no answers or explanation at all? No, that would only piss them off more. If he tried brushing them off and moving on without an explanation, it would just rile them up. Especially Leo.

Maybe he could use misdirection, detail the fight he and Casey had been in. It was a gamble. On the one hand, they may be more interested in the new monster-of-the-week than his attempt at a night solo. But they weren't stupid. Dr. Feelings would see right through that one. Mikey was gullible in everything, except when it came to what his brothers were thinking.

It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. He just wanted one night.

The tails of his mask tickled his neck as they shifted in the wind. He looked out over the skyline of the city. He took a deep breath in, and let it out slowly. Between the hole in the dusty horizon and the wire brace holding half his brother's shell together, it felt like everything he loved was being torn apart at the seams. And everywhere he looked, at home or up top, it reminded him of how the world was going to shell.

Both New York and his family were barely holding it together. He didn't want to admit that it made him feel very afraid. But could he ever show it? No. No, he could not.

In the traffic, he saw a small white Volkswagen minibus turn the corner, signal, and turn into the alley below him. His phone vibrated in his coat pocket. Struggling with his fat thumbs, he typed a reply to the message he received. Ugh, Leo was using two word messages. He really was in for it. Gritting his teeth and screwing up his courage, he made his one-legged way down the fire escape.

He jumped down into the alley, and instead of landing on his feet, he opted for a safety roll. Even without his foot making direct contact with the ground, the pain made him instantly regret the leap. The doors of the van opened. He didn't consciously remember grabbing his sai when he saw them, until Leo spoke up.

"Put the salad tongs away, Raph. It's us."

Mikey popped his head out of the van door, that ugly fake beard hardly doing anything to mask his big, goofy smile. "Dude, did you break your toe again? That's gotta be, like, the third time you've done that."

He had to admit, the disguises were getting better. "Yeah, you should'a seen the other guy." He retorted. Raph straightened up, twirling the sai in one hand before holstering it again. "Took you clowns long enough. It was gettin' cold out here."

"You could have just texted us and asked us where we parked the van, shell-for-brains." Leo snapped.

"You know that thing Casey's really, really good at?"

Leo closed his eyes. He rubbed his eyelids with two of his three fingers. He exhaled a long breath through his nostrils. "He got into a fight?"

"He got into a fight."

"Typical." Leo growled.

Raphael shrugged. "Hey, it worked. He wouldn't've found me otherwise."

Don spoke up, stepping out of the van. He arched his back, popping the plates of his shell like a human would pop the vertebrae of their spine. "Speaking of, where is Casey?"