Coming Home

Starting to Mend

Mikey knew that things had changed while he was gone. He was not so dull that he couldn't anticipate some sort of effect from his disappearance. But nothing brought his attention to the change as painfully as the morning routine.

His eyes still closed, Mikey breathed in the smell of the crisp air - the brick walls, combined with the room being underground, made it have a slight chill, which was only enhanced by the fall air leaking in through the grates. It also smelled a little musty from disuse. He rolled over and pulled the blanket back over his shoulders, trying to huddle into himself. For a moment he could almost pretend like it was any other morning and Leo would be here to yell at him that training was starting and he overslept. For a few minutes he just laid in bed and silently wondered if anyone would come to wake him up. Finally he dared to peek open his eyes and glance at the clock. It was already eight, so if Leo was going to drag him out of his room he would have done it an hour ago.

Something in him felt disappointed. Well, they were probably letting him sleep in since he had come home late last night. With a huge sigh, Mikey rolled out of bed, in the process disturbing Klunk, who had been curled up by his feet during the night. The orange tabby blinked open her eyes, looking around for the source of her unpleasant awakening.

"Good morning sweetie," Mikey cooed, scratching her under the chin. "Today's the big day! I've got so much to start catching up on." Klunk meowed in agreement and purred to express her pleasure with the attention. Mikey gave Klunk one more smooch on the head before he bounded out of his room.

"Good morning!" Mikey said cheerfully as he stepped into the kitchen. A quick glance around and Mikey could see that there were only two turtles present in the kitchen. Raphael sat at the counter, fiddling on his T-phone while he absentmindedly ate a bowl of cereal. Donatello was picking at a waffle that had long since gotten cold. Mikey's smile faltered a bit.

"Oh, hey," Raph said, looking up at Mikey. "Didn't think you'd be up for another hour or two. You usually sleep in till noon if we let you." He shut off his T-phone and set it down on the counter.

"Where's everyone else?" Mikey asked, leaning back to peer around out in the main area. The lair was eerily quiet and solemn - but he supposed it was still somewhat early.

"Sensei's still asleep. Leo's where he always is," Raph shrugged, taking in another mouthful of the cereal. "The dojo."

"Oh," Mikey said, the disappointment clear in his eyes. "So, uh, how are you Don?" Donnie just shrugged halfheartedly, poking at his waffle with a fork.

"Working on anything big?" Mikey tempted him. Donnie always liked to talk about his projects. Mikey was sure he wouldn't resist the opportunity to brag about his latest invention. Instead however, Donatello once again shrugged, leaving Mikey in utter shock. Donnie didn't want to talk about his projects?

Still feeling uneasy, Mikey went over the the freezer and popped it open in search of some frozen waffles. In lieu of that, he found a somewhat displeased blob of a cat, who reached up her paws to block out the light suddenly streaming in. Mikey's face split open into a huge grin and he threw open his arms.

"Ice Cream Kitty!" he cried out. The cat appeared to be in shock for a moment, before she suddenly leapt out of the freezer and landed right on Mikey's chest with a splat. Her frantic meows filled the air as she climbed across his shoulders and on top of his head and groomed him incessantly. All the while Mikey was laughing and stroking her. Mikey finally pulled her off his head and held her in front of him, then leaned forward and nuzzled her.

"Mmmhm!" he said, squeezing her tightly. "Oh man, I missed you so much my precious baby!"

"Oh, she won't be happy when she finds out about her new competition," Raphael commented with a slight smirk. "I can't wait to see your two cats duking it out." Even Donnie couldn't help but smirk a little at the thought.