TMNT Oneshots

Am I Useless?

I ship Mikey and Donnie pale if you can't tell.
—
Mikey stood leaning against Donnie in silence, listening to his brothers argue over his head as he stared at the ground in his swimming vision. He felt sick to his stomach as waves of pain made his knees shake. His plastron burned, and a sharp, throbbing pain emanated from his elbow. He cradled the joint in his other hand, holding it loose but still in an attempt to keep from causing more pain.
He wasn't sure, but he believed he screwed up another mission. It wasn't his fault this time- Leo had been the one to suggest they split up, and Mikey had happened to run into a swarm of Kraang he couldn't handle by himself. There had simply been too many, and after getting shot and then thrown into a wall, he had been in too much pain to move, much less fight.
"We have to get back in there and take out the generator!" Raph insisted angrily.
"We can't go back there now! We have to wait for a tactical time to strike," Leo retorted.
"Oh, here we go again, with your tactful retreat shtick, Leo. Get it through your shell- it doesn't! Work!"
"That doesn't matter, we can't go back in if they're on high patrol!"
"We don't even have all our assets at high functionality," Donnie interjected, adjusting his grip on Miley's shoulders. Mikey shifted his hold on his arm, and didn't look up from the floor, not even when the silence stretched on uncomfortably.
"Well, maybe, we leave him here, and take care of the generator just the three of us," Raph reasoned.
"What kind of an idea is that?!" Leo cried incredulously.
"A better one than your own!" Raph retorted.
An unidentifiable feeling welled up in Mikey's chest and crawled up his throat. He only realized it was a sob when it was too late, and his body jerked forward as he squeezed his eyes shut.
The arguing fell silent and he could feel his brothers' eyes on him, but he couldn't do anything about it. He sank to his knees, sobbing and gripping his elbow painfully tight, trying to ground himself.
"I-I'm Sorry.... I-I'm So So Sorry..." Mikey gasped, shaking. "I didn't m-mean to... to mess everything up again..."
"No no no," Donnie urged, crouching down beside him. "You didn't mess anything up Mikey-"
"Yes he did," Raph growled. "Because of him, we can't take out the generator!"
Mikey turned and pressed against Donnie, shaking and focusing on his breathing and trying to shut out his brother's words- hateful or otherwise. He didn't want to hear it.
Donnie rubbed Mikey's trembling shell and looked up at Leo. "We have to go back. I'm not okay with leaving him up here alone like this, and you and Raph can't go alone."
Leo nodded. "I agree."
"This is stupid!" Raph roared, but Leo silenced him with a glare.
Donnie picked Mikey up carefully, and Mikey hiccuped himself into silence as he pressed against his older brother and said nothing. He avoided the concerned looks Leo gave him, or the enraged looks Raph shot him. He ignored everything, except the sick feeling in his stomach and the pain in his arm.

Donnie sat with him for a long time in the lab. Donnie talked to himself a lot- about the right things to use to treat a burn, or the hairline fracture in Mikey's arm, or quiet reassurances as he put the arm in a sling and Mikey tensed.
Mikey stared at the floor, swinging his legs as Donnie trailed off into silence, looking over his laptop.
"... Donnie."
"Hm?" The purple banded turtle looked over at the younger.
"... am i useless?"
"What?!" Donnie turned to Mikey suddenly, but Mikey wouldn't look at him.
"Do you think I'm useless. On missions, and stuff."
"No, Mikey, of course not!" He moved over and kneeled in front of him so Mikey could look at him. "What in the world is making you think that?"
"I screwed up the mission, Don." His voice sounded strained. "I got hurt, and we couldn't finish."
"It was stupid of Leo to have us split up," Donnie stated. "It wasn't your fault you got hurt." He looked at him disbelievingly, and Donnie patted his knee. "Just trust me, Mikey. None of this was your fault. You were merely a victim."
"If you're sure..." Mikey murmured.
"I'm positive." He patted Mikey's shoulder as he stood up. "Don't worry about it so much."
Mikey reached out with his one good arm and hugged him suddenly. Donnie blinked before smiling warmly and hugging him back.