I Can't Lose You Again

2

TW: Descriptions of the pov character being choked. This happens specifically in Mikey's nightmare which is a large block of italicized text. You can absolutely skip the nightmare and read the rest of the chapter just fine, so please do that if necessary!

Mikey woke up first, which wasn't a surprise. He never really slept well after a nightmare. Carefully, so as not to wake Leo up, Mikey sat up and grabbed his phone, opening up one of his many games. He stayed like that for an hour or so before Raph came into the room.

"Alright Mikey, your shift's over. Go get something to eat."

Mikey frowned. "And you're going to watch him?"

"For now, yeah."

"What happened to taking a break? I thought Dad was going to do it next." Mikey said, gearing up to break out his doctorates. (Was this a Dr. Delicate Touch situation, or was it more Dr. Feelings territory?)

"Well Dad said he needed to talk to Casey and April has a test today—"

"A test? Didn't we just go through the literal apocalypse?"

"I know, right? College professors scare me." Raph shook his head. "That's not the important thing here. I'm the only other one available to watch Leo. Plus, you need to eat." Raph looked at Mikey and gave him a soft, small smile.

Mikey glowered back, stomach growling at the prospect of food. "I hate that you have a point."

"I always do."

"Fine. But if you're still here once Dad frees up then I will drag you out myself."

"Noted, Michael." Raph rubbed Mikey's head.

There wasn't a lot in the kitchen, actually. They were supposed to go grocery shopping a while ago, but it kept getting pushed off. First, it was because Donnie had to hack into Splinter's bank account again since he forgot his pin, then it was training-turned-record-breaking, then it was the apocalypse. Maybe they should look into getting the groceries delivered. Mikey wrote that down on the grocery list before opening up the fridge. There were enough takeout boxes to feed a small army, a loaf of bread, eggs, yogurt, and a couple of other things small things, but nothing substantial.

"I swear if I wasn't here you guys wouldn't eat anything other than takeout," Mikey muttered under his breath. He loved his family, really, but none of them understood the importance of a balanced diet. Even Leo, for being the self-proclaimed "Team Medic", could barely explain what a healthy diet was.

Grabbing some bowls and pans, Mikey got started on breakfast. Eggs and toast would have to do today, though he added pancake supplies to the grocery list. They all deserved it after everything.

The eggs were almost finished when Donnie made an appearance. He trudged into the kitchen, two empty mugs in his hands.

"Good morning, Donald!" Mikey said while grabbing plates from the cabinet.

"Morning, Mikey," Donnie said with a yawn. He placed the mugs in the sink before grabbing another pair from the cabinets.

"Have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet, I wanted to finish—"

"It'll still be there when you get back Don."

"It will, but I'm so close to—"

"At least grab some toast for the road?" Mikey held out a platter with the entire bread loaf toasted and ready to eat. "C'mon, please Dee?"

"Sigh. I suppose I can spare a moment of my time." Donnie grabbed two slices from the platter and went to get a plate.