Cold Fire Rising

Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

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"So... are we ready for the actual stuff?" Michelangelo asked.

Leonardo shifted until he was sitting ramrod straight in his chair, hands folded in his lap. "I am ready, yup."

Mikey made a face. "Really, Leo? Slouch a little. You're making me nervous."

"He's right, Leo," said April, who had scooted her chair right next to the bed, was almost reclining, holding hands with Mikey, who was absently swinging his arm, and hers. "I'm going to start thinking of you as a drill sergeant or something."

Rolling his eyes, Leonardo slumped ever so slightly. "Better?"

Michelangelo held up his free hand and made a "come here" gesture. "Little more."

Leo scooted down a bit more. "This just feels uncomfortable."

"No, it doesn't," Mikey said cheerfully, "you're just not really used to it."

Leonardo wanted to sigh, but he realized that he actually was starting to feel relaxed and loose. "You have the oddest wisdom, Mikey," he said with an exhale.

"Yeah. I get that a lot." Grinning so broadly his eyes almost shut, Michelangelo sat up a little more, clearing his throat and lifting the hand that held April's. "Okay. First little thing."

Taking a breath, Michelangelo immediately reached for his uncertain nerves and soothed them. He could sense his brother's reluctance and his sister's excitement, but he himself had gotten a little nervous. He guessed the best thing was to just... get it right out there. He visualized his spinning ball of force, unlocked with the pentacle talisman and slowly pulled from him, letting the energy travel down his arm. After a moment, he felt April shiver.

"Whoa. Oh. Oh! Mikey? I didn't know how nervous you are," she said. "You project almost too much confidence."

He smiled at her. "So it worked? How did it feel?"

She tilted her head. "I...got a tingling feeling in my hand, and suddenly my mind was filled with a sense of anxiety that wasn't mine. I, um, I think you have a signature. There was this flash of orange light, while I was feeling the anxiety."

Leonardo said, "Huh," as Michelangelo said, "Ooh, that's interesting!"

"Mike," April nudged him gently, "stop hiding your real feelings so much; I know how it goes with comedic entertainers."

His mouth opened, closed opened again. A tiny huff escaped. Empathy! Gah! Splinter had always suspected he was an actual intuitive empath and Mikey would shrug it off until Sensei would bring up a character in his comic books who conveniently read people the way Mikey read his family. Now, he tugged lightly in an attempt to let go of April's hand. She refused.

"I mean it, Mikey," April said. "You like to hide behind jokes. And you play things up for effect. But I know you don't like it when we confront you about serious stuff."

Leonardo was watching them like a badminton spectator. He gripped his hands tightly in his lap.

With a long sigh, Michelangelo pouted. "Okay. You got me. I'm nervous and freaked out and kind of scared. I can feel things inside my brain, all heated up and tingling, and these headaches feel like a twisting muscle. And I just don't know what I'm supposed to do with it all."

"Well, isn't that what we are here for?" April asked gently, smiling.

Leonardo leaned forward, "Little brother, I can't promise anything. But I can assure you that I'll help you get back on your spiritual and metaphorical feet, as it were. I think we really need to get to the heart of his thing, though."