Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Please Speak Mikey

Chapter 2

A few hours had passed since their littlest brother dashed towards his chamber. Raph ignored the situation, believing Mikey would return to being his usual self, and would bounce back and play his usual pranks. But Leo kept on hesitating, walking from the lower level towards Mikey's room, wanting to knock and see if he was alright. This was the third time his hand lingered on the door, never actually touching the rough metal.

After a conversation with his Sensei, he left Mikey to his own devices.

Despite the tightness in his chest, telling his something was amiss, Leo turned and walked away with a sigh. If only the oldest followed his instinct, he would have seen the little turtle weeping.

Mikey remained in the pitch-black darkness, the only source of glow underneath the entrance. The dark circles surrounding his blue eyes, indicating the lack of sleep looked like bruises, and his thoughts whirred like a tape recorder rewinding back repeatedly. The youngest was hungry and thirsty, but the very idea of facing his brothers and the unwanted memories clouding his thoughts still remained, and he forced himself to stay put. He didn't want to be chastised by Raphael, nor see Leonardo's face dissatisfied by his hindrance to focus or have Donatello treat him coldly for causing physical damage for his lack of concentration again.

He wondered if Donnie was awake and would want to see him.

"Probably not, why would he want to see someone who unintentionally, caused an injury?"

Mikey smiled bitterly, bringing his legs closer and wrapping them around his arms. "Not the first time my brothers got inflicted with bruises because of me. It seems I'm only good for causing trouble. I just wished they could see my point of view sometimes. What's that saying, 'You shouldn't judge people by the cover'?"

Mikey wondered if he really was a black sheep in the family; the notion made him sink lower into his mattress. The dark thoughts began to spread like a virus throughout him, attacking the positive aspect of his brain. Leo was the courageous leader who was brave, seriously strong and overprotective of three little brothers. Raph was the muscle man who had frequent outbursts, who always acted before thinking, ready to take charge rather than display emotional affection. But his heart was always on his sleeve or, in his case, his plastron. And then you had Donnie, the smartest, most creative turtle who could fix anything, and was a part-time doctor due to their violent debacles with New York's never-ending crime, coming from just about every alien, human and mutant on the planet.

"They all have roles to play, responsible ones to keep the family secure, and I keep on demolishing all their hard work."

He placed his head between his arms, letting out a small sob.

"I don't play stunts for my own amusement, as the baby brother it is my duty to help my siblings remember that they can have fun and let their guard down once in a while. To protect them from extreme situations by lifting their spirits to shield them from the darkness, bringing light and helping to keep a buoyant attitude at all times. That is my position, my responsibility".

The sob turned into waterworks. Mikey rotated on his stomach, drowning the sorrows on his pillow. "How can I maintain happiness when they don't want it anymore? What do I do now? They already said I can't keep my mouth shut, and it's obvious they see me as someone who is an inconvenience, someone who is expendable. I can never be what they want me to be."

The teen grabbed his chest, the sharp pain of despair as the waterfall changed to snivels. The dullness in the blue eyes remained as the negative voices still floated around his head. The recurring episode of Raph's voice telling him to keep quiet, that his voice made him sick, left Mikey with no option.

"Don't worry Raph, Leo, Donnie and Sensei. If it means to prevent any more causalities then I'll do my job. Your happiness comes first; you guys mean everything to me. So you will get your wish."