27th Slice [Closed Commentlog]

[thepartydude]

[There's a deep, horrified breath, a gasp as if he'd been holding his breath for hours, and Michelangelo sits up suddenly.  He holds up his shaking hands in front of his face, eyes wide with shock

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[allmyturtles]

[Splinter opens his eyes. He's been meditating in Mikey's room (the windows were open - naturally), struggling to maintain stability while the hope that Michelangelo might return remained intact. So much hinged on this knowledge...

How Michelangelo got there, Splinter didn't know. He was merely grateful.]

My son.

[You want an expression of relief? He's got it.]

[tic_tech_turtle]

[Don had been pacing the interior of the room, fiddling with the items and just...waiting.]

[Because Mikey was late.]

[So when Mikey shows up - how and why and when all irrelevant - it might take Don a few moments to notice, but when he does he's going to be bailing across the room to wrap his little brother in a hug (hands searching for burns and wounds and anything else that might be wrong) and he doesn't care who he has to shove aside to do so.]

Mikey.

[betterthanraph]

[Leo's head jerked up at the sound of his little brother's arrival, but he didn't move from where he was seated on the couch, hands clasped between his knees. He'd let Don take care of things for the moment; he needed to. For himself.]

[thepartydude]

[Mike flinches at the voices, but a fraction of a second later he relaxes. His family. They're here.

He forces a weak, strained smile.]

Hey guys ...

[He's wrapped in Don's arms and for just a second he doesn't move because he forgets that he can, and then he's worried that if he does move it'll all fall apart.

But it's his brother and his best friend and he's right there and he needs this so badly, and so his arms reach around to cling to his brother's carapace like he might vanish again and Don's his anchor point.]

[allmyturtles]

[Splinter smiles. He thought he might never smile again.]

Welcome home.

[There's little room around Donatello, even for a slim old rat, but Splinter moves forward to place his paw on Michelangelo's shoulder. To let him know that his family is here.

Well, most of it is. But Michelangelo would probably be able to guess why Raphael was absent. Either that, or one of his brothers would let it slip.]

[tic_tech_turtle]

[Don just clings tighter, shifting his head to tuck Mikey's head under his chin the second he's visually certain nothing on Mike is. Is wrong or missing or charred.]

[Don had managed to hold it together since Mikey's death. Cried, a little. Been angry and helpless and lost. But held it together.]

[Something's slipping now, but he shoves it aside to just hold his little brother closer. He was beyond words right now.]

[betterthanraph]

[Leonardo slowly stands, sending a tired smile in Mike's direction. He can wait to hold him, he can wait until Don's okay. Raphael needs to know anyhow, and he retrieves his comm from his belt to let him know.]

Raph, Mike's back.

[That's all he sends -doesn't bother to lock it- and moves a little closer to be in that same warm bubble.]

Hey Mikey.

[thepartydude]

[His family. They're there. There's Leo, and Splinter's paw is on his shoulder and he heard Raph's name and there are people missing but it's okay because there's someone here and--

Clenching his eyes shut, Mike buries his head beneath Don's chin. He trembles as he just clings as tightly as he can to his brother's carapace, deliberately doing everything he can not to think about anything other than his family being there.

Nothing else.]

[allmyturtles]

[Splinter leaves it at that for a while. The boys need mending, and he needs the time as well. Meditation had been... challenging, and a part of himself that it could not soothe slowly unfurls at the sight of his youngest ward alive and whole. Shaken, but whole.

Finally he has to ask. Splinter asks few questions - unless they're ones meant to teach - but this one is more like a statement requesting confirmation.]

You are well?

[Because he will never forget those burns. Neither will Michelangelo's brothers, he is certain, and they have many more years than himself.]

[tic_tech_turtle]

[Donatello opened his mouth to answer, mostly on autopilot, but he managed to stop himself.]

[Physically. Physically Mikey was fine. He knew that. He could feel Mikey here right now.]

[But the question hadn't been asked of him. So instead he just tilted his head so he could look at Splinter and then at Leo. He hadn't noticed that his hands were shaking yet.]

[betterthanraph]

[Leo spots the trembling and reaches over to rest a hand on Donatello's shell.

The past day and a half had been harrowing for all of them, but Leonardo was sure that Don was feeling it the hardest...especially after their fight a few days ago.]

[thepartydude]

[Not realizing the question is for him, Mikey doesn't move. Splinter's voice reaches him, he'd hear that voice across a crowded room at a whisper, trained as he was to pay attention to his master.

But it just kind of rolls over him, as if he's an observer in the middle of a conversation that doesn't include him.]

[allmyturtles]

[It's answer enough.

Splinter sighs and reaches out to pat Mikey's head.]

[tic_tech_turtle]

[Don didn't do anything, just took a deep breath when Leo touched his shell and went still.]

[Then he gently prodded Mike's head with the side of his beak and shifted over so Leo could move in if he wanted.]

[Okay. This was okay.]

[betterthanraph]

[Leonardo did want to move in, in fact, but he didn't want to get in the way of Splinter either. He could wait. He steps to the side and places his other hand on Mike's shell and rubs, turning to Splinter to say,]

I called Raph. He should be on his way soon.

[thepartydude]

[That seems to get through to Mike more than any of the actual discussion, and he closes his eyes momentarily.

When he blinks them open, he pulls back slightly and rubs his forearm across his eyes, other hand still clinging to Don's shell. All the contact feels good.]

I think I lost my mask.