The Disposable, Hated, Forgotten

Mikey

Mikey simply couldn't rest after everything that happened this morning when they got to the infirmary. Don, April, and Casey all passed out as soon as they got there. Leo stayed up for a bit, but wouldn't talk to Mikey then he eventually dozed off. Mikey knew there was something off with his oldest brother, but he wasn't sure what and Leo did not want to talk about it. Mikey was left there with Will and Nico, and though he knew Leo wouldn't be thrilled about Mikey talking with them without learning more about the situation, Mikey was incredibly bored. Plus, Will pulled out a pack of playing cards making it all the more enticing.

They started playing Spoons, but Will and Nico soon found out that their reflexes simply couldn't match Mikey's honed ninja skills when it came to snatching up the cards. So, instead they settled into a game of War, which was slow paced enough to allow conversation. Nico and Will seemed like complete opposites. Will was easy going and fun to talk with. Nico, well he didn't talk much...or at all unless necessary. He kinda reminded Mikey of Raph, but less angry and more brooding. Will kept bugging Nico to talk, so Nico quickly lost his patients and blurted a question to keep Will quiet.

"So whose oldest between the six of you?" He asked.

"Well, Casey and April are nineteen, but I don't know which is older. Me and my bros are eighteen, Leo is oldest, Raph second, then Donnie, them me!" Mikey replied happily.

"Figures Leo is oldest," Will remarked. "He certainly acts the part. Worrying about the family, being the responsible one."

"Leo wasn't always so... serious." Mikey replied, his smile slowly melting. "He hasn't been the same since Sensei was killed. Ever since then, Leo has had to be responsible for the family because he's the oldest and the team leader. I don't think any of them know how much I know about Leo's mental state, the burden strains him a lot. He still has lots of sleepless nights and terrible nightmares about the night Father died. Meditating does help him, but not nearly enough."

A tense moment of silence fell between them and it was obvious that Will and Nico were both resisting the urge to glance at a sleeping Leo.

"Um, I don't mean to pry," Will finally said, "but what is your relationship with your family?"

"Huh?" Mikey asked confused by the sudden question.

"So, I understand you and the other turtles are brothers," Will said placing down a card in sync with Mikey and Nico, "but who is this Hamato Yoshi? Donnie described him as your father, but I guess I don't quite understand the 'Sensei' part of it."

"Heh, we call him Master Splinter," as Mikey explained his face seemed to lighten a bit. "He was our father, he raised us, but he is also our Ninjutsu teacher. When he was around, we called him Sensei most of the time because it was a traditional sign of respect. Now Leo is Sensei, he is in charge of training and advancing our skills, so it is easier to call Splinter our Dad now."

Mikey stared at the cards on the table and his mind raced to try and change the subject, put the focus back on Nico and Will. He cleared his voice to try and alleviate some of the tension.

"So, uh, you guys seem really close," Mikey said quickly, "how long have you guys been friends?"

A wide, mischievous grin spread across Will's features and Nico started to sink in his chair.

"We've known each other since we started coming to camp," Will replied. Nico slipped out of his chair and tried to hide under the table. "About a year ago is when we started to date."

Nico covered his face with his hands and groaned at Will. It took a minute for the information to set in, but then Mikey broke out into a huge grin.