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Then came the day he was invited to the estate of the Hamato Clan, and his entire life turned upside down.", "count": "16", "submission_left_submission_id": "2242488", "submission_left_file_name": "3260450_Sundayeyes_bell_flowers_9.doc", "submission_right_submission_id": "2242541", "submission_right_file_name": "3260550_Sundayeyes_bell_flowers_11.doc" } ], "description": "Michelangelo had never been known to stay in one place for very long. Taverns and street corners were his hearth and home, because roots can?t take hold if you just keep moving, and why would anyone want to sink into the ground so deep that you got stuck?\n\nThey were smart words to live by and had done a good job of keeping him happy enough. At least until the day he was invited to the sprawling estate of the Hamato Clan, and his entire life was turned upside down.\n\nAlternate Universe, AU\nPairings: Leonardo/Michelangelo, Raphael/Donatello\n\n~*~*~*~\n[url=https://inkbunny.net/s/2242488]<--- Chapter Nine[/url] __//__ [url=https://inkbunny.net/s/2242541]Chapter Eleven --->[/url]\n~*~*~*~", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Michelangelo had never been known to stay in one place for very long. Taverns and street corners were his hearth and home, because roots can?t take hold if you just keep moving, and why would anyone want to sink into the ground so deep that you got stuck?

They were smart words to live by and had done a good job of keeping him happy enough. At least until the day he was invited to the sprawling estate of the Hamato Clan, and his entire life was turned upside down.

Alternate Universe, AU
Pairings: Leonardo/Michelangelo, Raphael/Donatello

~*~*~*~
<--- Chapter Nine __//__ Chapter Eleven --->
~*~*~*~", "writing": "[center]~*~*~*~\n\nChapter Ten: Basket Case\n\n~*~*~*~[/center]\n\n\"What about... this one?'' Mikey asked, tracing a small scar on Leo's knee with his fingernail.\n\n\"Raphael.''\n\nMikey smirked, lightly running his hand further up Leo's thigh, \"And... this one?''\n\n\"Also, Raphael.'' Leo repeated, an amused grin pulling up the corners of his mouth.\n\nMikey laughed, puffing breath across the jade skin under his fingers, scooting up just a little farther to get a better look at a thicker scar near the junction of his legs. He looked up, finding Leo with his arm propped up behind his head, watching him intently.\n\n\"... this one?'' He whispered, pressing down on the spot with his thumb and biting his lip as he heard Leo's breath hitch.\n\n\"Fell out of a tree when I was seven, branch caught me on the way down.'' Leo managed to say, curling his fingers around the back of Mikey's head.\n\nMikey pulled up a little, his eyes widening, \"Yikes.''\n\n\"It was almost a very bad day.'' Leo said around a laugh.\n\n\"Mmmm'' Mikey hummed, dipping down to lick along the scar, pressing a light kiss onto the wet skin before abandoning Leo's legs for his plastron, moving upward, leaving teasing kisses on every line and pockmark he found, crawling up his body until Leo took hold of his head and pulled him the rest of the way, sealing their lips and rolling them so Leo was hovering over him again.\n\n\"What about you?'' He asked, trailing his hand down the length of Mikey's body. \"Tell me about your scars.''\n\n\"I don't know what you're talking about.'' Mikey said with feigned annoyance, reaching down to grab Leo's hand, bringing the questing digits to his mouth, \"I'm as pristine as a statue. All my scars are on the inside...''\n\nHe said it like a joke, because that's what he did when someone tried to push past his defenses. The playfulness with which he spoke was usually enough to deter anyone from questioning further, but even as he said it, he knew that he was already well over that line with Leo and that his deflections were pointless.\n\nAnd Leo, true to form, immediately heard the aside in his voice, his smile fading as he pinned Mikey with a sobering look, rubbing along his jaw with his thumb. \"Your life has been difficult, and I won't insult you by pretending like I understand what you've been through. But if you can find it in yourself to trust me, then I promise you I will do everything in my power to make sure you never feel like you are being used, or mistreated, ever again.''\n\nMikey closed his eyes, unwilling to break the spell they were in with talk of heavy things, but Leo was so earnest with his request and he couldn't help but feel like he could unload everything that was inside of him as long as Leo kept looking at him like that. The thought was frightening and exhilarating all at once. All his hurts and wants and needs and fears, broken apart like a puzzle and laid bare for Leo to pick up each piece and put it all back in a way that would make them make sense.\n\n\"I don't know if you can. No one's ever tried before.'' He finally offered after taking a deep breath.\n\n\"I will try, and I won't give up. I promise.''\n\nLeo said it with so much conviction that Mikey shivered, tipping his head back with his eyes still closed, moaning softly when Leo bent to nibble at his collarbone. He savored it, the feel of Leo caressing his skin and tickling his sides with feather light touches. Becoming so lost in the sensation that it took a full minute before a steady swishing sound broke through the rush of blood in his ears. He cracked an eye open to look and saw the tip of the fishing rod bobbing up and down, the line taut in the water.\n\n\"The line has a bite.'' He murmured.\n\n\"Hmm?'' Leo breathed, lifting himself from Mikey's neck.\n\nMikey tipped his head toward the river, bringing their full attention back to the fact that they were supposed to be catching their breakfast. With a sharp intake of breath, Leo jumped up to grab at the pole and Mikey groaned from the loss of his heat.\n\nHe watched Leo fight with it, admiring the flex of his muscles as he pulled in the catch inch by inch. Finally, with a grunt of satisfaction, Leo hauled a struggling river trout the size of his own arm up onto the bank, immediately severing its head from its body with a knife he pulled from the basket of tackle.\n\nMikey quietly watched him from his spot on the grass, pondering just how important the eldest son had become to him in such a small amount of time.\n\nWhen Leo had whispered his tentative words of love, Mikey had smiled, but he hadn't said anything back. How could he when he had absolutely no idea what he was feeling? This was all so new, so foreign, so jumbled up inside his head, and he had no way of knowing what love was even supposed to feel like so how could he possibly know if he was feeling it?\n\nBut as he watched Leo work, he started to think that maybe he could imagine it. There was something so comforting about Leo's presence, something that he didn't know he had needed. All of his nervousness from before was completely gone, and while it still might take him a while to sort through his old habits, for the first time he was starting to see what his world might be like if he just surrendered to the pull and let Leo be a part of it.\n\nHe stood as Leo came back to him, settling into the comfortable space against his plastron, sighing as he was wrapped in the warmth of his arms.\n\n\"Do we have to go back now?'' Mikey asked with a resigned pout.\n\n\"Yes,'' Leo mumbled, his lips pressed into Mikey's forehead, \"Raph and Don are probably getting hungry.''\n\n\"I guess...'' Mikey said, rising on his toes to pull Leo into one last fervent kiss, feeling like he would never get tired of Leo's kisses, not even in a hundred years.\n\n~*~\n\nReturning to the cabin the first thing they found was Raphael seated on a log in front of the fire with Don standing between his legs, his arms wrapped around Raph's shoulders, their heads bent together as they whispered to each other. He was happy to see they were both smiling, and Mikey wondered if it was possible for the two of them to not be tooth achingly sweet every time they were within arm's reach of each other.\n\nLeo cleared his throat, \"Alright... you're not alone anymore.''\n\n\"And just where have the two of ya' been?'' Raph asked, eyeing them from over his shoulder with a sly smirk.\n\n\"Fishing.'' Leo answered shortly, holding up the fishing pole.\n\n\"Uh huh. Did ya' catch anything?'' Raph said skeptically, gently pushing Don back as he stood.\n\n\"As a matter of fact, we did.'' Mikey offered, opening the top flap of the basket to reveal their catch. He couldn't decide if Raph looked impressed or just surprised.\n\nAfter a beat Raph turned to Leo, \"We need to talk about what happens if we go back.''\n\nAs the four of them gathered around the fire, Don handed Mikey a small knife, pointing him toward a few root vegetables that needed chopping, while he started to prepare the fish. But the potatoes were ignored as Mikey watched him hack at the carcass of the poor creature for only a few seconds before jumping up and grabbing at the knife in Don's hands, shooing him away.\n\n\"Don, Donnie! Ok, look it's already dead! Here let me do this, you go... sit.''\n\nDon blinked at him before handing over the knife, but Mikey could see relief on his face and smiled at him as he went to sit near Raph, whose shoulders were shaking just a little with silent laughter. Don swatted at him in mock offense.\n\nMikey quickly cut up the vegetables and evenly portioned the fish, carefully deboning the four pieces as Raph leaned toward Leo.\n\n\"How much trouble was there after we left?''\n\nLeo shook his head, looking at Donatello with a small, proud smile, \"Not much. You really knocked the wind out of him Don. He made a lot of noise but was escorted out with hardly any fight.'' Mikey noted that Don looked decidedly pleased with himself at the compliment.\n\n\"What else? Tell me exactly what that letter from Hun said.'' Raph urged quietly.\n\n\"He demanded we deliver Donatello to him or he will issue the command for an attack on the estate.'' Leo answered with a tight expression, \"He also gave us the courtesy of four days to comply, but I'm sure his thugs have already instigated small skirmishes on the outlying fields. I have our men protecting the crops and livestock now.''\n\n\"He ain't gettin' anywhere near Don.'' Raph growled.\n\n\"Of course not.'' Leo reassured them both, as Don had gone a little pale. \"But you know we shouldn't underestimate him.''\n\n\"Yeah, he's slimier than a slug.'' Raph agreed.\n\nAs they talked Mikey worked on getting the root vegetables sizzling in a hot frying pan over the fire, seasoning them and carefully laying the pieces of fish on top, watching the flesh turn opaque. The food only took a few minutes to cook and soon he was scooping the meal out onto four plates, finishing it off by pouring a touch of wine from a skin that was lying nearby into the hot pan, waiting until it bubbled before stirring and spooning the sauce over the fish. He handed out the plates and they all dug in while Leo and Raph quietly continued to discuss Hun.\n\nMikey took a little pride in the fact that none of them seemed to find anything to criticize about the meal, they even praised him for it and the talk died down as they ate. He had always enjoyed cooking but never really got the chance to do it himself. Maybe that was something that could change now that he had ended up here, with Leo. Thoughts of the clan leader's son brought his head up and he found Leo was watching him from over his plate with a hungry smile that had nothing to do with the food and suddenly Mikey was tingling all over.\n\nFlushing and glancing away with a smug smirk he caught Don looking at them both, his eyes darting back and forth between them, an excited dawning realization pulling at the corners of his mouth. Mikey straightened with a breath and took his last bite, setting his plate aside.\n\nRaphael, his attention still on his brother and oblivious to the silent conversation dancing back and forth across the fire, set down his plate at the same time. \"Alright, so, what are ya' thinkin'? We sneak into his camp tonight? Cause a ruckus that might get him to reveal somethin' he don't want revealed?''\n\n\"I can do that.'' Mikey popped in, gathering the plates and stacking them on a crate, clarifying when the others just looked at him in confusion. \"Sneak into Hun's camp. I'm good at getting in and out of places without being seen.''\n\nLeo vehemently shook his head, \"No. It's far too dangerous, I won't risk...''\n\n\"Wait a minute, Leo,'' Raph cut in, \"He's got a point. He can blend in where we can't. It could be a lot easier for him...''\n\n\"No! That is not an option.'' Leo said, looking at Raph with a firm glare before turning to Mikey, \"You're not trained, and I would never consider sending anyone with no training into that viper pit.''\n\n\"But I do have training.'' Mikey insisted. \"I mean kind of. There was this group I ran with for a while a couple years ago. They had this stupid name... the foot... or something like that, I don't know, it was dumb, anyway that's not the point. They taught me all kinds of stuff about stealth and... how to... stay hidden... and...''\n\nMikey trailed off, noticing the stunned looks on all three of their faces. Swallowing and bringing his hands up in front of him as Raph's face colored with anger and he stood, pulling his weapons from his belt.\n\n\"Whoa! Whoa! Ok, what did I say?'' He squeaked, taking a step back.\n\n\"Raphael.'' Came Leo's quiet warning but the second son seemed not to hear.\n\n\"Ya' ran with The Foot Clan?'' Raph growled darkly, his knuckles whitening around the hilts of the steel in his hands.\n\n\"I g... guess, I mean...'' Mikey stumbled over the words, wide-eyed and confused.\n\n\"What did I tell ya', Leo?! What did I say?!'' Raphael snarled, stepping toward Mikey with a dangerous glint in his eyes.\n\nEverything happened in a blink, Raph lunged forward with Don shooting up to grab at his arm, pleading with him to leave Mikey alone. Leo jumped up after his brother to stop his advance. Mikey darted backward to escape him, tripping over the log behind him and falling flat on his shell, scrambling back on his rear to keep distance between himself and the rampaging second son.\n\nLuckily, between Leo and Don, they were able to hold Raph back, if only barely.\n\n\"Raph, stop! I'm sure there's a simple... just let him talk...'' Don continued to plead with his mate, tugging on his arm, trying to turn his attention away from Mikey.\n\nLeo looked down sharply, straining against his brother, \"Explain yourself, Michelangelo. Quickly!''\n\n\"I don't... I just...,'' Mikey stammered, terrified by the look of murder in Raph's eyes. \"I was in a real rough patch, you know? And they took me in for a couple of months, until it all turned sour, and I haven't seen or heard from any of them in years! I swear!... I promise...''\n\nLeo stared at him carefully, his eyes level and clear, even as Raph jerked and jostled him. After a second, he gave Mikey a decided nod and turned to his brother, firmly pushing against his arm, \"Raphael, I believe him. Stand down.''\n\n\"Of course, ya' do!'' Raph barked, twisting in the hands holding him, \"Now that you're screwin' him you'll believe anything he says!''\n\n\"Oh for... really Raph?'' Don said in exasperation, stepping back as Leonardo shouted, \"Raphael! That is enough!'' shoving his brother, hard, and Raph stumbled back, gnashing his teeth, pointing at Mikey with his weapon.\n\n\"They sent him here, Leo! To get close to ya'! Havin' someone on the inside that's sharin' your bed is like their dream come true!''\n\nRaph leaned forward like he was going to make another run at Mikey and Leo stepped between them, opening his mouth to spit back a fiery retort. But before he could speak, Donatello grabbed Raphael's arm and pulled, turning him to the side, and smacked him hard across the face, the crack of it echoing off the cabin.\n\nSilence fell heavy around them. Don stood with his fists clenched and feet wide as Raph blinked and shook his head, \"What the hell, Don?!'' he rumbled, staring down at his mate with a frown of stunned disbelief. But Don held his ground, glaring up at him.\n\n\"Calm down. If Mikey were working for the Foot do you really think he would have just blurted it out like that?'' Don's voice was quiet but there was no denying the veracity of the anger flushing his cheeks. \"You are such a hypocrite sometimes, jumping to conclusions. Is this how you really want to do this? Again? Do I need to remind you about the day we met, when you appeared out of nothing and yanked me off that garden wall by my ankle so fast I almost split my head open on the brick on my way down! We can lay it all out right here! Tell them why you did that. Tell them what you thought [i]I[/i] was.''\n\n\"Don... come on, I... I didn't think ya' were...'' Raph mumbled, his shoulders sagging and his anger fading to shame so quickly Mikey blinked.\n\n\"You thought I was a spy, just like your accusing Mikey of being now.'' Don pointed out harshly.\n\n\"No... I didn't, just...'' Raph was looking at his feet, fully humbled now, but Don didn't let up.\n\n\"Yes, you did. I was sitting there, minding my own business, and then there you were, lashing out, calling me every name under the sun, accusing me of so many things I couldn't even try to keep up. You had that weapon, right there,'' Don pointed at the steel in Raph's fingers and Raph jerked his arm back, trying to hide it behind his shell. \"pressed so tightly to my throat it drew blood and I thought my shell was going to crack from the weight of your knee on my chest.''\n\nRaph shrunk before their very eyes, guilt blooming red across his face, like he was trying to pull himself all the way into his shell to escape Don's wrath.\n\n\"You never told me about that.'' Leo chimed in softly, more stunned than hurt.\n\n\"Of course, we didn't.'' Don continued, keeping his eyes on Raph, \"Because it was just a moment, and everything else that happened on that day drowned it out. But that's the point, isn't it? You always act before you think, Raphael. Fists instead of words.''\n\nAn angry Donatello was a sight to behold and even Mikey quailed at the daggers in his eyes. They were all leaning back from him as he lectured, his shoulders shaking with the force of his emotion, and it only took another second for Raphael to deflate completely, so despondent at the fury and disappointment on his mate's face that Mikey thought he might fall to his knees.\n\nDon's face softened, almost imperceptibly, and he stepped in close to his mate, speaking low and intimate but still loud enough for everyone to hear, \"You've created this image of some kind of berserk beast that you use to intimidate others and you wrap yourself in it, hide behind it. But I see you. I have always seen you. Even in that moment when it looked like you were going to kill me... I wasn't scared because I knew you were better than that. I looked into your eyes and I knew that wasn't who you were. You are a strong, capable leader and I have spent so much energy trying to make you see that people don't need to be afraid of you for them to respect you. I had thought that maybe I succeeded. But now here you are, posturing, threatening to kill Michelangelo instead of giving him the chance to explain himself. Scaring him because you can't control yourself!''\n\n\"I know... you're right, you're always right... I don't think, I just react...'' He looked up sheepishly, tentatively, into Don's eyes, \"You've always been the only one that could talk me down. And ya' know I'll never forgive myself for scarin' ya' like that. I don't... I don't know why I... I don't deserve ya'...''\n\nDon shook his head, taking a deep breath before closing the space between them, taking Raph's face in his hands and smiling softly. \"Stop it. You're always so dramatic. I forgave you for that day because I know you are good, because this passion in you that fuels your fire can be used for so many good things. But you need to learn to control your temper...''\n\n\"I'll do better...'' Raph answered, miserably. \"I'll keep tryin'...''\n\nDon leaned in and kissed him, chaste but steadfast, Raph clutching Don to him like someone desperate and scared. Don rubbed Raph's shoulders and his shell to soothe away the fear.\n\nMichelangelo was awestruck. Donatello had stood up in challenge to his mate and won, and Don had done it in his defense. No one had ever bothered to do anything like that for him before. It was the most humbling and powerful thing Mikey had ever seen. Releasing the breath he had been holding he looked over at Leo and saw the eldest watching the two with relief. But his eyes were shining and for a split-second Mikey might have wondered if Leo could be jealous of Don's ability to get through to his brother when he could not. But even as he thought it, he knew that wasn't the dynamic these three shared. Leo was so grateful for Don, Mikey could see it in his eyes, he could see it overshadowing a deeply haunted stare that clearly showed how much he worried about what Raph might be if Don had never come into his life.\n\nAnd after this Mikey could see why that would make him so afraid.\n\nLeo moved to him and helped him to his feet, looking deeply into his eyes, and Mikey looked away, a grimace twisting his features, \"Leo, I...''\n\nLeo cut him off by placing a hand on his shoulder, speaking softly, \"It's alright. The Foot Clan and the Hamato Clan have been at war for over a century now, and they're constantly sending spies and assassins to try and wipe us out. Raphael... overreacted, but his concern is valid. Tell me everything about your time with them, Mikey. Help me understand.''\n\nMikey had never said it all out loud before. He was embarrassed and angry, mostly with himself. He had called them his friends and they had betrayed him. It was one of the darkest moments of his life. His heart was pounding in his chest and he brought his hands up to rub at his face, groaning into his palms, plopping down on a nearby log because he didn't think his legs would support him.\n\nLeonardo sat down close to him, holding his hand, and Mikey sucked in the strength he was offering into his every pore.\n\nHe was going to need it.\n\n\"It was... really cold that winter.'' Mikey began slowly, \"There was so much ice and snow, even along the coast, and people weren't leaving their homes so there wasn't really anyone around to listen to me play. Coin was really scarce... and I was hungry. So... I hit this noble's house. Just for something small, that I could sell... so I could eat.''\n\nHe stared, open and honest, into Leo's face, desperately trying to convey that he was only a thief out of necessity, because of circumstance... most of the time anyway. Hoping beyond hope that he would accept his explanation and not judge him for it. When Leo squeezed his fingers, communicating that he understood, Mikey sighed with relief.\n\n\"When I came out of the house, they were waiting for me. I thought they would turn me over to the guard, but they just asked me if I needed a place to sleep. So, I went with them, because anything was better than the frozen alley I was squatting in.'' He shuddered, still able to feel the heavy icy frost that sunk all the way into his bones.\n\n\"There was this village that they had taken over, more ruins than anything else, burnt almost to the ground by some raid or something. But there was this huge barn that was untouched, and they had turned it into a kind of boarding house, lots of cots and people like me, just looking for a place to get out of the cold.''\n\nMikey paused, looking down with a grimace, \"They never said anything about who they were or why they were letting us all stay there without asking for coin or labor. I guess... in hindsight... that should have made me question it but, it was just so nice, you know, to be in a place where I was welcome, where nothing was expected of me. I spent the rest of the winter there. It was paradise, compared to how I had been living before.''\n\nGlancing up he found Don observing him with a look filled with so much sympathy that Mikey instantly knew he completely understood, and he hated what might have happened to his friend that made it so he could empathize on something like this. Mikey wanted to ask him what that thing was, but at the same time he wasn't sure he ever wanted to find out. Raphael was still wrapped around him, his head down, eyes locked on Don's profile. But he was listening, Mikey could tell the second son was hanging on his every word.\n\n\"One morning this carriage arrived, it was ornate and rich, like one of yours.'' He explained, looking back into Leo's eyes, \"This woman climbed out of it, I thought at first she must be a noble, but she didn't act like one, it was kind of weird, but she was real nice, pretty, wanted to talk about the house I hit and asked about how I learned to sneak around like that so quickly and so quietly. I just told her it was something I did, I never really thought about it, and that seemed to catch her interest. After that she kind of took me under her wing. At first, she only came every once in a while, but soon enough she was there every day, talking to me, teaching me, she said I had a real talent for it.''\n\n\"What was her name?'' Leonardo asked quietly.\n\n\"Karai.'' He responded without hesitation, feeling like Leo already knew the answer and just wanted to hear Mikey say it. He caught the movement of Raph's head turning out of the corner of his eye and saw him exchange a look with Leo that said they knew exactly who she was.\n\n\"Go on.'' Leo said before Mikey could question them about it.\n\n\"I learned a lot from her. I got real good at sneaking around, not being heard or seen. I can pick a lock in under three seconds.'' He said with prideful tilt of his head, encouraged when Leo smiled in response.\n\nBut the feeling didn't last long as he swallowed and started into the next part of his story, \"So one night she puts me in the carriage and we end up at this nobles house, real rich, it was someone important. Then she turned to me and asked if I wanted to be a part of her family.''\n\n\"It was an initiation. She was recruiting you.'' Leo explained.\n\n\"Yeah... I guess I see that now.'' Mikey admitted, \"But she never came out and said it like that! Their name... The Foot... I'd only heard it a few times back at the barn, whispered in the corners, like it was some big secret. I didn't know what it meant!'' He turned on the log, grasping Leo's hand in both of his, begging with his eyes for Leo to really hear him.\n\n\"It's alright, Mikey.'' Leo reassured him, \"Tell me what happened next.''\n\nMikey nodded and took a breath, \"So, she told me to enter the house and make sure it was empty, then unlock the side door for her so we could... you know, you know why we were there...'' He deferred, not feeling the need to say it out loud. \"So, in I went. Cased the house and opened the door, took less than five minutes. She seemed impressed, and a part of me was glad because I think I wanted to impress her.''\n\nMikey looked down at where Leo's fingers were curled around his, hoping he couldn't feel how much his hands were starting to shake. \"She told me to grab anything I liked, and then she disappeared upstairs. That's when I started to suspect that we might have been there for more than just the noble's antiques. And sure enough, when she reappeared, she was holding this huge dusty old book in her arms, but before she could say anything the front door banged open and there was the noble, drunk and wide-eyed. We all just stared at each other for what felt like forever, then he turned and shouted for his guard. I had barely moved when Karai stopped in my path, she had this hard look on her face, I wanted to ask what she was doing, but she just smirked and shrugged and said, 'Sorry, kid'... and she hit me... real hard. I remember skidding across the tile, right up against the noble's feet.''\n\nMikey was starting to shake all over now, the memory of that night as clear in his mind as Leo's face was in front of him. The feelings of confusion and shock and betrayal washing over him with full force. Leo scooted closer to him on the log, so close Mikey could feel his warmth, and held his hands tighter.\n\n\"Then she was gone, and the guard had me.'' He continued, barely louder than a whisper, \"They locked me up and the next day the noble came to look at me, he didn't say a word, he just stared. I don't know what he saw, but for some reason he chose not to have me killed. He sent me to the village square, and I spent a week in the stocks. When he finally released me, he just told me to never show my face in that village again and let me go.''\n\nTears shimmered in his eyes, but Mikey refused to let them fall. That week had been torture, he had been starving, and frozen, and so terribly alone. The villagers would sneer as they walked past him, if they acknowledged him at all. Some even threw things, rotten vegetables and small stones that left welts all over his shivering body.\n\nRationally he knew that he had been the scapegoat, there to take the fall if the job went south. But even still, as each day passed with agonizing slowness, as he hung there, the wood pressing into his wrists and his neck, choking him, allowing only just enough air to reach his lungs so that he didn't suffocate, a small part of him continued to desperately hope that his 'friends' would come for him, that they wouldn't abandon him to his humiliation.\n\nBut no one had come, and Mikey had felt the crushing weight of what it truly meant to be worthless. No one cared enough to look for him, to wonder where he was, to help him when he needed them the most. He was unimportant, unloved... nothing.\n\nWhen he spoke again, the words clawed their way out of his throat feeling like sandpaper, \"Like an idiot, I went back to the barn, but they stopped me at the edge of the property and told me I wasn't welcome there anymore. They brought me my case and my pack and told me to never come back... and I didn't.''\n\nJust like that it was done, and Mikey slumped, exhausted, wanting to curl into a ball and sleep for years and years. Re-living, re-feeling everything that had happened had drained the happiness right out of his body.\n\nLeo tucked his fingers under Mikey's chin and tipped his face up, forcing him to look into his perfect hazel eyes, and Mikey wondered how they could have been so blissfully lost in each other only a short time earlier, it seemed like so long ago. Mikey sniffed and tried to look away, the feelings were too much, reminding him of how empty he was most of the time, whispering in his ear that he wasn't worthy of someone like Leonardo, he didn't deserve to bask in his glow.\n\nLeo frowned, \"Mikey, look at me. None of that was your fault. The Foot take what they want without any regard for who they hurt along the way. They are clever and devious, especially Karai, and the second you were no longer useful to them they would have killed you. That noble saved your life in more ways than one that night.''\n\nMikey scowled, struggling to see how there was anything good in what that man had done to him, but Leo didn't give him a chance to respond, tugging at his chin to make sure he had Mikey's full attention, \"I know that you have been used and scorned by so many of the people in your life, and I can see that you carefully protect yourself because of it. I want to change that. Tell me what you need, tell me what I can do to prove to you that I value you, that you are more than...''\n\nA shadow fell over them, cutting Leo off mid word, and Mikey looked up to find Raphael blocking the sun. Raph stared down at him for a beat then held out his hand and Mikey looked at it warily. Out of the corner of his eye Mikey could see Leo, sitting rigid, watching them both.\n\nHe didn't know what Raph was doing, but at this point he didn't have much left to lose, so Mikey swallowed and reached out, tentatively taking the offered hand, letting the second son pull him to his feet. Raph eyed him with a grave expression, twisting their hands up until they were clasped between them, palms pressed together, squeezing his fingers tightly.\n\nWhen Raph finally spoke, his voice was low and uncomfortable, but sincere. \"I lose my head sometimes. My brother's been tryin' to beat that outta me for years now, but I'm as stubborn as an ox and... maybe just as dumb. Ya' didn't deserve to have me accuse ya' of all that without cause. And... I guess if ya' were gonna do anything then ya' would have done it by now, so... if Leo trusts ya'... then so do I.''\n\nMikey released his breath, looking down at their joined hands. Was Raphael actually apologizing? And if he was, then was he offering what Mikey thought he was offering? Could he dare to believe that he had earned the privilege? Looking to the side with doubt, he saw Don standing close and caught his eye. His friend simply offered an encouraging nod.\n\nHe swallowed, realizing that he would never know for sure unless he took the risk to find out. And what was life without a little risk.\n\nWith a lopsided grin he shook his head, \"No worries, I get it. I have a hard time trusting people too.''\n\nSomething flashed behind Raph's eyes, a truth that maybe he didn't want to admit to, but Mikey understood. Protecting the people he loved was Raph's sole purpose, he would die for them, and more than anything Mikey wanted the second son to believe that he was not a threat. He raised his chin, his face open and honest, determined to prove his worth, and Raph studied him, holding him frozen with his piercing golden gaze.\n\nMikey saw the moment it happened, the instant change that settled on Raphael's face. His head tilted just slightly, his eyes narrowing no more than a flicker, then... he smiled, so subtly it was an almost invisible twitch at the corners of his mouth. With a short nod he released Mikey's hand, plodding back over to the log he had been sitting on with relaxed shoulders, the tension disappearing from the air around them in his wake.\n\nThat was it, Mikey realized with a jolt. It couldn't possibly be that simple could it? Smiling through a shaky release of breath, he blinked away the itchy sting of tears in his eyes, looking up to find Donnie gracing him with the warmest, most welcoming smile he had ever seen. He had passed the test, their initiation. Raphael had accepted him and now he was a part of them, a part of their... family.\n\nThen Leo was there, grasping his shoulders, turning him around, cradling his head in his hands with his thumbs grazing light touches across his cheeks. Mikey gripped his forearms, awareness of everything surrounding them fading into the background, basking in Leo's brilliance.\n\n\"You never need to be alone again.'' Leo soothed, claiming his lips with a simple but possessive kiss. Mikey melted against him, smiling with relief, not even caring that Raph and Don were right there watching. He wanted them to see, he wanted the whole world to see, he wanted to shout it from the cliff's edge so everyone would know.\n\nFinally, for the first time in his entire life, he had a place he could call home, a place where he was wanted, and he was going to hold onto it with every last breath in his body.\n\nMikey was flushed and warm by the time Leo finally broke their kiss, a small radiant smile lighting his face. Mikey glanced over to see that Donnie had moved to sit next to Raph, pressed close against him, his chin resting on Raph's shoulder, staring up at him with determined eyes.\n\n\"I want to go back.'' Mikey heard him whisper, \"This is my fight too, and we can face it together.'' Raph nodded, leaning forward to rest their foreheads together, like he already knew that was what Don was going to say, \"You and me...'' he whispered with a smile, \"Me and you...'' Donnie whispered back, and Mikey swore he heard the click as everything fell into place.\n\nLeo looked up into the sky to check the position of the sun, \"If we leave now, we can make it back to the estate by midday.''\n\nAnd that was all that needed to be said. Mikey felt a confidence he had never known before filling him with certainty. They would go back to the estate, Raph and Don would sort everything out with Lord Hamato and then they would take care of the problem called Hun. They were a united front now, he had found where he belonged, and he was willing to do anything to fight for it.\n\n[center]~*~*~*~\n\ntbc...[/center]", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "
~*~*~*~

Chapter Ten: Basket Case

~*~*~*~


"What about... this one?'' Mikey asked, tracing a small scar on Leo's knee with his fingernail.

"Raphael.''

Mikey smirked, lightly running his hand further up Leo's thigh, "And... this one?''

"Also, Raphael.'' Leo repeated, an amused grin pulling up the corners of his mouth.

Mikey laughed, puffing breath across the jade skin under his fingers, scooting up just a little farther to get a better look at a thicker scar near the junction of his legs. He looked up, finding Leo with his arm propped up behind his head, watching him intently.

"... this one?'' He whispered, pressing down on the spot with his thumb and biting his lip as he heard Leo's breath hitch.

"Fell out of a tree when I was seven, branch caught me on the way down.'' Leo managed to say, curling his fingers around the back of Mikey's head.

Mikey pulled up a little, his eyes widening, "Yikes.''

"It was almost a very bad day.'' Leo said around a laugh.

"Mmmm'' Mikey hummed, dipping down to lick along the scar, pressing a light kiss onto the wet skin before abandoning Leo's legs for his plastron, moving upward, leaving teasing kisses on every line and pockmark he found, crawling up his body until Leo took hold of his head and pulled him the rest of the way, sealing their lips and rolling them so Leo was hovering over him again.

"What about you?'' He asked, trailing his hand down the length of Mikey's body. "Tell me about your scars.''

"I don't know what you're talking about.'' Mikey said with feigned annoyance, reaching down to grab Leo's hand, bringing the questing digits to his mouth, "I'm as pristine as a statue. All my scars are on the inside...''

He said it like a joke, because that's what he did when someone tried to push past his defenses. The playfulness with which he spoke was usually enough to deter anyone from questioning further, but even as he said it, he knew that he was already well over that line with Leo and that his deflections were pointless.

And Leo, true to form, immediately heard the aside in his voice, his smile fading as he pinned Mikey with a sobering look, rubbing along his jaw with his thumb. "Your life has been difficult, and I won't insult you by pretending like I understand what you've been through. But if you can find it in yourself to trust me, then I promise you I will do everything in my power to make sure you never feel like you are being used, or mistreated, ever again.''

Mikey closed his eyes, unwilling to break the spell they were in with talk of heavy things, but Leo was so earnest with his request and he couldn't help but feel like he could unload everything that was inside of him as long as Leo kept looking at him like that. The thought was frightening and exhilarating all at once. All his hurts and wants and needs and fears, broken apart like a puzzle and laid bare for Leo to pick up each piece and put it all back in a way that would make them make sense.

"I don't know if you can. No one's ever tried before.'' He finally offered after taking a deep breath.

"I will try, and I won't give up. I promise.''

Leo said it with so much conviction that Mikey shivered, tipping his head back with his eyes still closed, moaning softly when Leo bent to nibble at his collarbone. He savored it, the feel of Leo caressing his skin and tickling his sides with feather light touches. Becoming so lost in the sensation that it took a full minute before a steady swishing sound broke through the rush of blood in his ears. He cracked an eye open to look and saw the tip of the fishing rod bobbing up and down, the line taut in the water.

"The line has a bite.'' He murmured.

"Hmm?'' Leo breathed, lifting himself from Mikey's neck.

Mikey tipped his head toward the river, bringing their full attention back to the fact that they were supposed to be catching their breakfast. With a sharp intake of breath, Leo jumped up to grab at the pole and Mikey groaned from the loss of his heat.

He watched Leo fight with it, admiring the flex of his muscles as he pulled in the catch inch by inch. Finally, with a grunt of satisfaction, Leo hauled a struggling river trout the size of his own arm up onto the bank, immediately severing its head from its body with a knife he pulled from the basket of tackle.

Mikey quietly watched him from his spot on the grass, pondering just how important the eldest son had become to him in such a small amount of time.

When Leo had whispered his tentative words of love, Mikey had smiled, but he hadn't said anything back. How could he when he had absolutely no idea what he was feeling? This was all so new, so foreign, so jumbled up inside his head, and he had no way of knowing what love was even supposed to feel like so how could he possibly know if he was feeling it?

But as he watched Leo work, he started to think that maybe he could imagine it. There was something so comforting about Leo's presence, something that he didn't know he had needed. All of his nervousness from before was completely gone, and while it still might take him a while to sort through his old habits, for the first time he was starting to see what his world might be like if he just surrendered to the pull and let Leo be a part of it.

He stood as Leo came back to him, settling into the comfortable space against his plastron, sighing as he was wrapped in the warmth of his arms.

"Do we have to go back now?'' Mikey asked with a resigned pout.

"Yes,'' Leo mumbled, his lips pressed into Mikey's forehead, "Raph and Don are probably getting hungry.''

"I guess...'' Mikey said, rising on his toes to pull Leo into one last fervent kiss, feeling like he would never get tired of Leo's kisses, not even in a hundred years.

~*~

Returning to the cabin the first thing they found was Raphael seated on a log in front of the fire with Don standing between his legs, his arms wrapped around Raph's shoulders, their heads bent together as they whispered to each other. He was happy to see they were both smiling, and Mikey wondered if it was possible for the two of them to not be tooth achingly sweet every time they were within arm's reach of each other.

Leo cleared his throat, "Alright... you're not alone anymore.''

"And just where have the two of ya' been?'' Raph asked, eyeing them from over his shoulder with a sly smirk.

"Fishing.'' Leo answered shortly, holding up the fishing pole.

"Uh huh. Did ya' catch anything?'' Raph said skeptically, gently pushing Don back as he stood.

"As a matter of fact, we did.'' Mikey offered, opening the top flap of the basket to reveal their catch. He couldn't decide if Raph looked impressed or just surprised.

After a beat Raph turned to Leo, "We need to talk about what happens if we go back.''

As the four of them gathered around the fire, Don handed Mikey a small knife, pointing him toward a few root vegetables that needed chopping, while he started to prepare the fish. But the potatoes were ignored as Mikey watched him hack at the carcass of the poor creature for only a few seconds before jumping up and grabbing at the knife in Don's hands, shooing him away.

"Don, Donnie! Ok, look it's already dead! Here let me do this, you go... sit.''

Don blinked at him before handing over the knife, but Mikey could see relief on his face and smiled at him as he went to sit near Raph, whose shoulders were shaking just a little with silent laughter. Don swatted at him in mock offense.

Mikey quickly cut up the vegetables and evenly portioned the fish, carefully deboning the four pieces as Raph leaned toward Leo.

"How much trouble was there after we left?''

Leo shook his head, looking at Donatello with a small, proud smile, "Not much. You really knocked the wind out of him Don. He made a lot of noise but was escorted out with hardly any fight.'' Mikey noted that Don looked decidedly pleased with himself at the compliment.

"What else? Tell me exactly what that letter from Hun said.'' Raph urged quietly.

"He demanded we deliver Donatello to him or he will issue the command for an attack on the estate.'' Leo answered with a tight expression, "He also gave us the courtesy of four days to comply, but I'm sure his thugs have already instigated small skirmishes on the outlying fields. I have our men protecting the crops and livestock now.''

"He ain't gettin' anywhere near Don.'' Raph growled.

"Of course not.'' Leo reassured them both, as Don had gone a little pale. "But you know we shouldn't underestimate him.''

"Yeah, he's slimier than a slug.'' Raph agreed.

As they talked Mikey worked on getting the root vegetables sizzling in a hot frying pan over the fire, seasoning them and carefully laying the pieces of fish on top, watching the flesh turn opaque. The food only took a few minutes to cook and soon he was scooping the meal out onto four plates, finishing it off by pouring a touch of wine from a skin that was lying nearby into the hot pan, waiting until it bubbled before stirring and spooning the sauce over the fish. He handed out the plates and they all dug in while Leo and Raph quietly continued to discuss Hun.

Mikey took a little pride in the fact that none of them seemed to find anything to criticize about the meal, they even praised him for it and the talk died down as they ate. He had always enjoyed cooking but never really got the chance to do it himself. Maybe that was something that could change now that he had ended up here, with Leo. Thoughts of the clan leader's son brought his head up and he found Leo was watching him from over his plate with a hungry smile that had nothing to do with the food and suddenly Mikey was tingling all over.

Flushing and glancing away with a smug smirk he caught Don looking at them both, his eyes darting back and forth between them, an excited dawning realization pulling at the corners of his mouth. Mikey straightened with a breath and took his last bite, setting his plate aside.

Raphael, his attention still on his brother and oblivious to the silent conversation dancing back and forth across the fire, set down his plate at the same time. "Alright, so, what are ya' thinkin'? We sneak into his camp tonight? Cause a ruckus that might get him to reveal somethin' he don't want revealed?''

"I can do that.'' Mikey popped in, gathering the plates and stacking them on a crate, clarifying when the others just looked at him in confusion. "Sneak into Hun's camp. I'm good at getting in and out of places without being seen.''

Leo vehemently shook his head, "No. It's far too dangerous, I won't risk...''

"Wait a minute, Leo,'' Raph cut in, "He's got a point. He can blend in where we can't. It could be a lot easier for him...''

"No! That is not an option.'' Leo said, looking at Raph with a firm glare before turning to Mikey, "You're not trained, and I would never consider sending anyone with no training into that viper pit.''

"But I do have training.'' Mikey insisted. "I mean kind of. There was this group I ran with for a while a couple years ago. They had this stupid name... the foot... or something like that, I don't know, it was dumb, anyway that's not the point. They taught me all kinds of stuff about stealth and... how to... stay hidden... and...''

Mikey trailed off, noticing the stunned looks on all three of their faces. Swallowing and bringing his hands up in front of him as Raph's face colored with anger and he stood, pulling his weapons from his belt.

"Whoa! Whoa! Ok, what did I say?'' He squeaked, taking a step back.

"Raphael.'' Came Leo's quiet warning but the second son seemed not to hear.

"Ya' ran with The Foot Clan?'' Raph growled darkly, his knuckles whitening around the hilts of the steel in his hands.

"I g... guess, I mean...'' Mikey stumbled over the words, wide-eyed and confused.

"What did I tell ya', Leo?! What did I say?!'' Raphael snarled, stepping toward Mikey with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Everything happened in a blink, Raph lunged forward with Don shooting up to grab at his arm, pleading with him to leave Mikey alone. Leo jumped up after his brother to stop his advance. Mikey darted backward to escape him, tripping over the log behind him and falling flat on his shell, scrambling back on his rear to keep distance between himself and the rampaging second son.

Luckily, between Leo and Don, they were able to hold Raph back, if only barely.

"Raph, stop! I'm sure there's a simple... just let him talk...'' Don continued to plead with his mate, tugging on his arm, trying to turn his attention away from Mikey.

Leo looked down sharply, straining against his brother, "Explain yourself, Michelangelo. Quickly!''

"I don't... I just...,'' Mikey stammered, terrified by the look of murder in Raph's eyes. "I was in a real rough patch, you know? And they took me in for a couple of months, until it all turned sour, and I haven't seen or heard from any of them in years! I swear!... I promise...''

Leo stared at him carefully, his eyes level and clear, even as Raph jerked and jostled him. After a second, he gave Mikey a decided nod and turned to his brother, firmly pushing against his arm, "Raphael, I believe him. Stand down.''

"Of course, ya' do!'' Raph barked, twisting in the hands holding him, "Now that you're screwin' him you'll believe anything he says!''

"Oh for... really Raph?'' Don said in exasperation, stepping back as Leonardo shouted, "Raphael! That is enough!'' shoving his brother, hard, and Raph stumbled back, gnashing his teeth, pointing at Mikey with his weapon.

"They sent him here, Leo! To get close to ya'! Havin' someone on the inside that's sharin' your bed is like their dream come true!''

Raph leaned forward like he was going to make another run at Mikey and Leo stepped between them, opening his mouth to spit back a fiery retort. But before he could speak, Donatello grabbed Raphael's arm and pulled, turning him to the side, and smacked him hard across the face, the crack of it echoing off the cabin.

Silence fell heavy around them. Don stood with his fists clenched and feet wide as Raph blinked and shook his head, "What the hell, Don?!'' he rumbled, staring down at his mate with a frown of stunned disbelief. But Don held his ground, glaring up at him.

"Calm down. If Mikey were working for the Foot do you really think he would have just blurted it out like that?'' Don's voice was quiet but there was no denying the veracity of the anger flushing his cheeks. "You are such a hypocrite sometimes, jumping to conclusions. Is this how you really want to do this? Again? Do I need to remind you about the day we met, when you appeared out of nothing and yanked me off that garden wall by my ankle so fast I almost split my head open on the brick on my way down! We can lay it all out right here! Tell them why you did that. Tell them what you thought I was.''

"Don... come on, I... I didn't think ya' were...'' Raph mumbled, his shoulders sagging and his anger fading to shame so quickly Mikey blinked.

"You thought I was a spy, just like your accusing Mikey of being now.'' Don pointed out harshly.

"No... I didn't, just...'' Raph was looking at his feet, fully humbled now, but Don didn't let up.

"Yes, you did. I was sitting there, minding my own business, and then there you were, lashing out, calling me every name under the sun, accusing me of so many things I couldn't even try to keep up. You had that weapon, right there,'' Don pointed at the steel in Raph's fingers and Raph jerked his arm back, trying to hide it behind his shell. "pressed so tightly to my throat it drew blood and I thought my shell was going to crack from the weight of your knee on my chest.''

Raph shrunk before their very eyes, guilt blooming red across his face, like he was trying to pull himself all the way into his shell to escape Don's wrath.

"You never told me about that.'' Leo chimed in softly, more stunned than hurt.

"Of course, we didn't.'' Don continued, keeping his eyes on Raph, "Because it was just a moment, and everything else that happened on that day drowned it out. But that's the point, isn't it? You always act before you think, Raphael. Fists instead of words.''

An angry Donatello was a sight to behold and even Mikey quailed at the daggers in his eyes. They were all leaning back from him as he lectured, his shoulders shaking with the force of his emotion, and it only took another second for Raphael to deflate completely, so despondent at the fury and disappointment on his mate's face that Mikey thought he might fall to his knees.

Don's face softened, almost imperceptibly, and he stepped in close to his mate, speaking low and intimate but still loud enough for everyone to hear, "You've created this image of some kind of berserk beast that you use to intimidate others and you wrap yourself in it, hide behind it. But I see you. I have always seen you. Even in that moment when it looked like you were going to kill me... I wasn't scared because I knew you were better than that. I looked into your eyes and I knew that wasn't who you were. You are a strong, capable leader and I have spent so much energy trying to make you see that people don't need to be afraid of you for them to respect you. I had thought that maybe I succeeded. But now here you are, posturing, threatening to kill Michelangelo instead of giving him the chance to explain himself. Scaring him because you can't control yourself!''

"I know... you're right, you're always right... I don't think, I just react...'' He looked up sheepishly, tentatively, into Don's eyes, "You've always been the only one that could talk me down. And ya' know I'll never forgive myself for scarin' ya' like that. I don't... I don't know why I... I don't deserve ya'...''

Don shook his head, taking a deep breath before closing the space between them, taking Raph's face in his hands and smiling softly. "Stop it. You're always so dramatic. I forgave you for that day because I know you are good, because this passion in you that fuels your fire can be used for so many good things. But you need to learn to control your temper...''

"I'll do better...'' Raph answered, miserably. "I'll keep tryin'...''

Don leaned in and kissed him, chaste but steadfast, Raph clutching Don to him like someone desperate and scared. Don rubbed Raph's shoulders and his shell to soothe away the fear.

Michelangelo was awestruck. Donatello had stood up in challenge to his mate and won, and Don had done it in his defense. No one had ever bothered to do anything like that for him before. It was the most humbling and powerful thing Mikey had ever seen. Releasing the breath he had been holding he looked over at Leo and saw the eldest watching the two with relief. But his eyes were shining and for a split-second Mikey might have wondered if Leo could be jealous of Don's ability to get through to his brother when he could not. But even as he thought it, he knew that wasn't the dynamic these three shared. Leo was so grateful for Don, Mikey could see it in his eyes, he could see it overshadowing a deeply haunted stare that clearly showed how much he worried about what Raph might be if Don had never come into his life.

And after this Mikey could see why that would make him so afraid.

Leo moved to him and helped him to his feet, looking deeply into his eyes, and Mikey looked away, a grimace twisting his features, "Leo, I...''

Leo cut him off by placing a hand on his shoulder, speaking softly, "It's alright. The Foot Clan and the Hamato Clan have been at war for over a century now, and they're constantly sending spies and assassins to try and wipe us out. Raphael... overreacted, but his concern is valid. Tell me everything about your time with them, Mikey. Help me understand.''

Mikey had never said it all out loud before. He was embarrassed and angry, mostly with himself. He had called them his friends and they had betrayed him. It was one of the darkest moments of his life. His heart was pounding in his chest and he brought his hands up to rub at his face, groaning into his palms, plopping down on a nearby log because he didn't think his legs would support him.

Leonardo sat down close to him, holding his hand, and Mikey sucked in the strength he was offering into his every pore.

He was going to need it.

"It was... really cold that winter.'' Mikey began slowly, "There was so much ice and snow, even along the coast, and people weren't leaving their homes so there wasn't really anyone around to listen to me play. Coin was really scarce... and I was hungry. So... I hit this noble's house. Just for something small, that I could sell... so I could eat.''

He stared, open and honest, into Leo's face, desperately trying to convey that he was only a thief out of necessity, because of circumstance... most of the time anyway. Hoping beyond hope that he would accept his explanation and not judge him for it. When Leo squeezed his fingers, communicating that he understood, Mikey sighed with relief.

"When I came out of the house, they were waiting for me. I thought they would turn me over to the guard, but they just asked me if I needed a place to sleep. So, I went with them, because anything was better than the frozen alley I was squatting in.'' He shuddered, still able to feel the heavy icy frost that sunk all the way into his bones.

"There was this village that they had taken over, more ruins than anything else, burnt almost to the ground by some raid or something. But there was this huge barn that was untouched, and they had turned it into a kind of boarding house, lots of cots and people like me, just looking for a place to get out of the cold.''

Mikey paused, looking down with a grimace, "They never said anything about who they were or why they were letting us all stay there without asking for coin or labor. I guess... in hindsight... that should have made me question it but, it was just so nice, you know, to be in a place where I was welcome, where nothing was expected of me. I spent the rest of the winter there. It was paradise, compared to how I had been living before.''

Glancing up he found Don observing him with a look filled with so much sympathy that Mikey instantly knew he completely understood, and he hated what might have happened to his friend that made it so he could empathize on something like this. Mikey wanted to ask him what that thing was, but at the same time he wasn't sure he ever wanted to find out. Raphael was still wrapped around him, his head down, eyes locked on Don's profile. But he was listening, Mikey could tell the second son was hanging on his every word.

"One morning this carriage arrived, it was ornate and rich, like one of yours.'' He explained, looking back into Leo's eyes, "This woman climbed out of it, I thought at first she must be a noble, but she didn't act like one, it was kind of weird, but she was real nice, pretty, wanted to talk about the house I hit and asked about how I learned to sneak around like that so quickly and so quietly. I just told her it was something I did, I never really thought about it, and that seemed to catch her interest. After that she kind of took me under her wing. At first, she only came every once in a while, but soon enough she was there every day, talking to me, teaching me, she said I had a real talent for it.''

"What was her name?'' Leonardo asked quietly.

"Karai.'' He responded without hesitation, feeling like Leo already knew the answer and just wanted to hear Mikey say it. He caught the movement of Raph's head turning out of the corner of his eye and saw him exchange a look with Leo that said they knew exactly who she was.

"Go on.'' Leo said before Mikey could question them about it.

"I learned a lot from her. I got real good at sneaking around, not being heard or seen. I can pick a lock in under three seconds.'' He said with prideful tilt of his head, encouraged when Leo smiled in response.

But the feeling didn't last long as he swallowed and started into the next part of his story, "So one night she puts me in the carriage and we end up at this nobles house, real rich, it was someone important. Then she turned to me and asked if I wanted to be a part of her family.''

"It was an initiation. She was recruiting you.'' Leo explained.

"Yeah... I guess I see that now.'' Mikey admitted, "But she never came out and said it like that! Their name... The Foot... I'd only heard it a few times back at the barn, whispered in the corners, like it was some big secret. I didn't know what it meant!'' He turned on the log, grasping Leo's hand in both of his, begging with his eyes for Leo to really hear him.

"It's alright, Mikey.'' Leo reassured him, "Tell me what happened next.''

Mikey nodded and took a breath, "So, she told me to enter the house and make sure it was empty, then unlock the side door for her so we could... you know, you know why we were there...'' He deferred, not feeling the need to say it out loud. "So, in I went. Cased the house and opened the door, took less than five minutes. She seemed impressed, and a part of me was glad because I think I wanted to impress her.''

Mikey looked down at where Leo's fingers were curled around his, hoping he couldn't feel how much his hands were starting to shake. "She told me to grab anything I liked, and then she disappeared upstairs. That's when I started to suspect that we might have been there for more than just the noble's antiques. And sure enough, when she reappeared, she was holding this huge dusty old book in her arms, but before she could say anything the front door banged open and there was the noble, drunk and wide-eyed. We all just stared at each other for what felt like forever, then he turned and shouted for his guard. I had barely moved when Karai stopped in my path, she had this hard look on her face, I wanted to ask what she was doing, but she just smirked and shrugged and said, 'Sorry, kid'... and she hit me... real hard. I remember skidding across the tile, right up against the noble's feet.''

Mikey was starting to shake all over now, the memory of that night as clear in his mind as Leo's face was in front of him. The feelings of confusion and shock and betrayal washing over him with full force. Leo scooted closer to him on the log, so close Mikey could feel his warmth, and held his hands tighter.

"Then she was gone, and the guard had me.'' He continued, barely louder than a whisper, "They locked me up and the next day the noble came to look at me, he didn't say a word, he just stared. I don't know what he saw, but for some reason he chose not to have me killed. He sent me to the village square, and I spent a week in the stocks. When he finally released me, he just told me to never show my face in that village again and let me go.''

Tears shimmered in his eyes, but Mikey refused to let them fall. That week had been torture, he had been starving, and frozen, and so terribly alone. The villagers would sneer as they walked past him, if they acknowledged him at all. Some even threw things, rotten vegetables and small stones that left welts all over his shivering body.

Rationally he knew that he had been the scapegoat, there to take the fall if the job went south. But even still, as each day passed with agonizing slowness, as he hung there, the wood pressing into his wrists and his neck, choking him, allowing only just enough air to reach his lungs so that he didn't suffocate, a small part of him continued to desperately hope that his 'friends' would come for him, that they wouldn't abandon him to his humiliation.

But no one had come, and Mikey had felt the crushing weight of what it truly meant to be worthless. No one cared enough to look for him, to wonder where he was, to help him when he needed them the most. He was unimportant, unloved... nothing.

When he spoke again, the words clawed their way out of his throat feeling like sandpaper, "Like an idiot, I went back to the barn, but they stopped me at the edge of the property and told me I wasn't welcome there anymore. They brought me my case and my pack and told me to never come back... and I didn't.''

Just like that it was done, and Mikey slumped, exhausted, wanting to curl into a ball and sleep for years and years. Re-living, re-feeling everything that had happened had drained the happiness right out of his body.

Leo tucked his fingers under Mikey's chin and tipped his face up, forcing him to look into his perfect hazel eyes, and Mikey wondered how they could have been so blissfully lost in each other only a short time earlier, it seemed like so long ago. Mikey sniffed and tried to look away, the feelings were too much, reminding him of how empty he was most of the time, whispering in his ear that he wasn't worthy of someone like Leonardo, he didn't deserve to bask in his glow.

Leo frowned, "Mikey, look at me. None of that was your fault. The Foot take what they want without any regard for who they hurt along the way. They are clever and devious, especially Karai, and the second you were no longer useful to them they would have killed you. That noble saved your life in more ways than one that night.''

Mikey scowled, struggling to see how there was anything good in what that man had done to him, but Leo didn't give him a chance to respond, tugging at his chin to make sure he had Mikey's full attention, "I know that you have been used and scorned by so many of the people in your life, and I can see that you carefully protect yourself because of it. I want to change that. Tell me what you need, tell me what I can do to prove to you that I value you, that you are more than...''

A shadow fell over them, cutting Leo off mid word, and Mikey looked up to find Raphael blocking the sun. Raph stared down at him for a beat then held out his hand and Mikey looked at it warily. Out of the corner of his eye Mikey could see Leo, sitting rigid, watching them both.

He didn't know what Raph was doing, but at this point he didn't have much left to lose, so Mikey swallowed and reached out, tentatively taking the offered hand, letting the second son pull him to his feet. Raph eyed him with a grave expression, twisting their hands up until they were clasped between them, palms pressed together, squeezing his fingers tightly.

When Raph finally spoke, his voice was low and uncomfortable, but sincere. "I lose my head sometimes. My brother's been tryin' to beat that outta me for years now, but I'm as stubborn as an ox and... maybe just as dumb. Ya' didn't deserve to have me accuse ya' of all that without cause. And... I guess if ya' were gonna do anything then ya' would have done it by now, so... if Leo trusts ya'... then so do I.''

Mikey released his breath, looking down at their joined hands. Was Raphael actually apologizing? And if he was, then was he offering what Mikey thought he was offering? Could he dare to believe that he had earned the privilege? Looking to the side with doubt, he saw Don standing close and caught his eye. His friend simply offered an encouraging nod.

He swallowed, realizing that he would never know for sure unless he took the risk to find out. And what was life without a little risk.

With a lopsided grin he shook his head, "No worries, I get it. I have a hard time trusting people too.''

Something flashed behind Raph's eyes, a truth that maybe he didn't want to admit to, but Mikey understood. Protecting the people he loved was Raph's sole purpose, he would die for them, and more than anything Mikey wanted the second son to believe that he was not a threat. He raised his chin, his face open and honest, determined to prove his worth, and Raph studied him, holding him frozen with his piercing golden gaze.

Mikey saw the moment it happened, the instant change that settled on Raphael's face. His head tilted just slightly, his eyes narrowing no more than a flicker, then... he smiled, so subtly it was an almost invisible twitch at the corners of his mouth. With a short nod he released Mikey's hand, plodding back over to the log he had been sitting on with relaxed shoulders, the tension disappearing from the air around them in his wake.

That was it, Mikey realized with a jolt. It couldn't possibly be that simple could it? Smiling through a shaky release of breath, he blinked away the itchy sting of tears in his eyes, looking up to find Donnie gracing him with the warmest, most welcoming smile he had ever seen. He had passed the test, their initiation. Raphael had accepted him and now he was a part of them, a part of their... family.

Then Leo was there, grasping his shoulders, turning him around, cradling his head in his hands with his thumbs grazing light touches across his cheeks. Mikey gripped his forearms, awareness of everything surrounding them fading into the background, basking in Leo's brilliance.

"You never need to be alone again.'' Leo soothed, claiming his lips with a simple but possessive kiss. Mikey melted against him, smiling with relief, not even caring that Raph and Don were right there watching. He wanted them to see, he wanted the whole world to see, he wanted to shout it from the cliff's edge so everyone would know.

Finally, for the first time in his entire life, he had a place he could call home, a place where he was wanted, and he was going to hold onto it with every last breath in his body.

Mikey was flushed and warm by the time Leo finally broke their kiss, a small radiant smile lighting his face. Mikey glanced over to see that Donnie had moved to sit next to Raph, pressed close against him, his chin resting on Raph's shoulder, staring up at him with determined eyes.

"I want to go back.'' Mikey heard him whisper, "This is my fight too, and we can face it together.'' Raph nodded, leaning forward to rest their foreheads together, like he already knew that was what Don was going to say, "You and me...'' he whispered with a smile, "Me and you...'' Donnie whispered back, and Mikey swore he heard the click as everything fell into place.

Leo looked up into the sky to check the position of the sun, "If we leave now, we can make it back to the estate by midday.''

And that was all that needed to be said. Mikey felt a confidence he had never known before filling him with certainty. They would go back to the estate, Raph and Don would sort everything out with Lord Hamato and then they would take care of the problem called Hun. They were a united front now, he had found where he belonged, and he was willing to do anything to fight for it.

~*~*~*~

tbc...
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