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The Pain Game	By : hummerhouse Category: +S through Z > Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Views: 4701 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: The TMNT are not mine. No money being made.

Chapter List
- 1-The Pain Game
- 2-Part 2
- 3-Part 3
- 4-Part 4
- 5-Part 5
- 6-Part 6
- 7-Part 7
- 8-Part 8
- 9-Part 9
- 10-Part 10
- 11-Part 11
- 12-Part 12
- 13-Part 13
- 14-Part 14
- 15-Part 15
- 16-Part 16
- 17-Part 17
- 18-Part 18
- 19-Part 19
- 20-Part 20
- 21-Part 21
- 22-Part 22
- 23-Part 23
- 24-Part 24
- 25-Part 25
- 26-Part 26
- 27-Part 27
- 28-Part 28
- 29-Part 29
- 30-Part 30
- 31-Part 31
- 32-Part 32
- 33-Part 33
- 34-Part 34
- 35-Part 35
- 36-Part 36
- 37-Part 37
- 38-Part 38
- 39-Part 39 Final
- 10
- 11
- 12
            Mikey woke the next morning with a mild headache and a sense of disbelief.
            The night before would have seemed like nothing but a dream if not for the bandages that pinched his skin in various places. Mikey started to lift a hand to his collarbone when a knock on the door stopped him.
            Before he had a chance to respond, the door opened to admit Leonardo. His oldest brother carried a tray of food and wore a look of concern on his face.
            “I wasn’t sure if you were up,” Leo said, “but it’s been a little while since we last woke you. I thought this time I’d see if you wanted something to eat.”
            “Wow, breakfast in bed,” Mikey said, pulling himself upright. He felt the immediate sting of pain from his injured side that reminded him he hadn’t dreamt that either.
            Leo set the tray on the bedside table, reaching up to turn on the small bedside lamp before handing Mikey the ice pack. While he moved the pillows behind Mikey’s shell to prop him up, Leo said, “I refilled it. There are a couple of pills on the tray that Don wants you to take.”
            Mikey glanced at the tray and then frowned. “Wait, what did you say about waking me?”
            “Don did it every ninety minutes last night after he and I got back,” Leo said. “Towards morning I took over. We weren’t sure if you had a concussion, so we had to keep checking on you.”
            “Oh,” Mikey murmured, frowning as he absentmindedly took the two ibuprofen from the tray and popped them into his mouth. After swigging a mouthful of water his brow cleared. “Oh! I remember now. I was really annoyed ‘cause you guys wouldn’t let me sleep.”
            “You know the drill,” Leo said, taking a seat on the end of the bed.
            “Right. If you suspect concussion, wake the patient and make sure he knows his own name. I know who I am, but who are you?” Mikey quipped with a grin.
            “Yep, you’re definitely feeling better,” Leo said as Mikey helped himself to a piece of toast. “I didn’t get the chance before to see how banged up you were but it looks like Raph might have used an entire box of bandages on you.”
            Mikey mumbled something to the affirmative, his mouth full. Leo pulled the blanket down and surveyed Mikey’s legs as the youngest dug into a bowl of oatmeal.
            “Raph wasn’t kidding, you lost some skin,” Leo said. “Maybe Don should give you a checkup.”
            “Nah, I’m fine. Head hurts, side hurts, scratches sting, etcetera. You know,” Mikey said offhandedly, taking a sip of orange juice.
            “Yeah, we’ve all been there,” Leo said.
He watched Mikey eat but his mind seemed to be on something else. Mikey continued working on his breakfast, trying to hide his curiosity. Leo was usually a straight forward guy; if anything was bothering him he’d address it right away.
There was something Mikey wanted to know too, but he didn’t want to ask the question outright. Maybe if he got Leo talking Mikey could get the answers he needed without raising any undo interest.
“So, what all happened last night after I got ejected from the game?” Mikey asked.
Leo blinked, focusing his attention on Mikey once more. “After Don drove the truck to the garage, Nobody checked in with his superiors, changed into his police uniform, and took the truck to the impound yard. The ATF was supposed to meet him there. Don and I went back for your car but before we got it, we checked out the activity back on the pier. The police and the ATF were all there making arrests. Looks like it was a bad night for the gangs.”
“I’ll bet Hun is fit to be tied,” Mikey said with a grin.
With a shrug, Leo said, “He shouldn’t have gotten on Nobody’s radar. Our vigilante friend is going to be making Hun’s life as miserable as possible in the future.”
“I kind of liked that car, too bad we had to return it,” Mikey said. “Raph wouldn’t mind keeping that bike either.”
“I’m sure he wouldn’t, but he’ll have to,” Leo said, smirking slightly. “Maybe when they put it up for auction he can bid on it.”
“If we pool our money we can probably come up with ten bucks,” Mikey said with an amused snort. “So where is he anyway?”
Mikey was proud of how smoothly he’d segued into that question, sure that it sounded both normal and casual. However, when Leo just stared at him for a second, Mikey grew concerned.
“He’s in the dojo with Master Splinter,” Leo finally answered. He seemed to be studying Mikey, as though looking for answers in the younger turtle’s reactions. “He’s been in a mood since he woke up.”
Mikey almost sighed with relief, sure that it was Raph’s bad disposition that was bothering Leo. “Hey, we didn’t have a fight, so don’t blame that on me,” Mikey said quickly. “Raph chewed me out for getting hurt just like he always does and that was the end of it.”
Leo was still observing him closely. “Nothing unusual at all happened?” he asked.
Years of pranking his brothers had made Mikey good at subterfuge. “Yeah, he managed to play doctor without causing more damage than I started out with,” Mikey said, chuckling.
Despite how adroit Mikey felt his cover up had been, Leo was still making him feel uneasy. Trying to avoid Leo’s eyes, Mikey leaned over to set his empty bowl back on the tray and then winced when the movement reminded him of his bruised rib.
“It looks like you aren’t going anywhere for a while,” Leo said, scooting closer to inspect Mikey’s side.
“Oh darn, I guess I’ll have to lie around playing video games and reading comics,” Mikey said facetiously. “It sounds like pure torture, but what can you do?”
“How about not lying around playing video games and reading comics?” Leo replied with a grin.
“But I’m badly injured!” Mikey protested impishly.
Leo’s eyes went back to scanning his body, his attitude laughingly dismissive. “The only thing wrong with you is a persistent case of apathy. There is no reason we can’t work on your balance and have you spend some time in medita . . . .”
His voice trailing off, Leo’s brow furrowed as he bent down to look more closely at Mikey’s collarbone. “What made this mark?” Leo asked.
Mikey swiftly clapped a hand over his collarbone and felt his face heating up. He hadn’t thought Raph had bitten him hard enough to leave a noticeable mark, but apparently there was enough of something to attract Leo’s sharp eyes.
“I must have . . . uh, been hit there by the trailer door when it was swinging open,” Mikey answered in a rush, hoping the mark didn’t bear a resemblance to teeth.
“Hmm, interesting placement,” Leo muttered, his eyes coming up to meet Mikey’s.
The younger turtle didn’t have to be a mind reader to see that Leo wasn’t really buying it. “Maybe it happened after I hit the water,” Mikey offered.
“That’s a pretty oddly shaped bruise,” Leo said. “Seems like something you’d remember.”
“I did hit my head you know,” Mikey cautioned him. “For a while there everything was a blur.”
“Mmm,” Leo hummed noncommittally. “Mind if I give it a closer look?”
That was the last thing Mikey wanted. “Dude, don’t rub it in anymore okay? I got careless last night and I’ve got the marks to show for it. You’ve made your point.”
Leo sat back slowly, a concerned look on his face. “It isn’t just carelessness, Michelangelo,” he said quietly. “Something is different with you, something that involves Raph. It started that morning at practice when you wouldn’t fight him. Did he lose control with you again?”
“No!” Mikey yelped. “No. Nothing like that. I pranked him and he was mad at me for it, so I figured staying out of his reach was a good idea. It just aggravated him more and then I couldn’t leave it alone. I was bored Leo, that’s all. You know how I get when I’m bored.”
“Yes I do,” Leo replied. “I know how you are when you’re bored, when you’re tired, when you’re happy, and a whole other assortment of emotions. What I don’t normally see from you is anger, at least not the level you displayed last night before Nobody called. Never have I seen you angry to the extent you start breaking things.”
Mikey should have known Leo wouldn’t forget the whole pot slamming incident.
“I thought I was alone,” Mikey explained. “Just because I don’t show you guys that I get mad doesn’t mean I don’t.”
“Why were you mad, Mikey?” Leo asked softly.
Mikey realized he shouldn’t have admitted to being angry just as the confession came out of his mouth. Talking to Leo about sensitive stuff was just like verbal sparring and Leo was almost as good at that as he was with his katanas.
If he took too long to answer, Leo would know he was lying. His best bet was to tell part of the truth and keep his answer short.
“I screwed up a simple three sixty on the indoor ramp and busted my butt,” Mikey said. “Then Don came in and made me turn off my music. I couldn’t skate anymore after that.”
“So you were mad at Don?” Leo asked, eyes narrowed.
Mikey knew that look. It was a sure indication that Leo would try to mend fences by talking to Don next. That would not do.
“I was mad about my skating, bro’. That’s all,” Mikey said.
“But not at Don,” Leo said musingly. “You know, he likes to work to music too. I’ve rarely seen him turn it off unless he’s trying to have a conversation. Was he trying to talk to you and that’s what broke your concentration? He wasn’t happy that you didn’t fight well during practice, in fact I think he was insulted.”
“Whoa, time out. We talked that out before I ever went up to the garage to skate,” Mikey said.
“So if he wasn’t talking to you, who was he trying to talk to?” Leo asked, hanging on to his train of thought like a pit bull.
Mikey was cornered. If he tried to hold out the answer Leo would focus on why Mikey didn’t want to bring Raph’s name into it.
“He and Raph were doing something to Raph’s bike,” Mikey said, trying to sound nonchalant.
“So it was because of Raphael that you had to turn your music off,” Leo said, his eyes boring into Mikey’s. “You were angry at Raph.”
“No, actually I wasn’t,” Mikey said calmly. That was certainly the truth.
For a moment Leo said nothing while Mikey continued to keep his hand atop his collarbone. Usually when Mikey needed to distract a brother from discovering one of his misdeeds, Mikey started moving around, but he couldn’t use that tactic now. He could only hope that Leo would give up.
No chance of that. Leo glanced at Mikey’s collarbone and from his expression one would think he’d seen it right through Mikey’s hand.
What Leo said next took Mikey by surprise. “Do you remember when we were younger, before the outside world invaded our home? Back when we were perfecting our ninjitsu and were all still on a level playing field, before sensei made me leader of our team?”
Mikey blinked, confused by the change in topic. “Sure I do. We were training all the time.”
“Not all the time, but it was a lot because we didn’t have too many distractions,” Leo said. “Even then you and Don could find other things to do during our down time. It wasn’t like that for Raph and me. We wanted to practice what we’d learned as much as possible. Since it was only the two of us, we spent our spare time together. We were almost inseparable.”
It had been a long time since Mikey had thought of those days and even then it was hard to remember a time when Leo and Raph weren’t at odds. But the more Mikey recalled of that period in their lives, the more he realized the truth in what Leo was telling him.
He just didn’t know why Leo was telling him. It almost sounded like Leo might be about to call dibs on Raph. Mikey sure as shell hoped he was wrong because he wasn’t positive that he could trust himself not to leap for Leo’s throat.
“Okay, yeah I remember that,” Mikey said gruffly. “What’s the point?”
Leo’s eyes didn’t waver but a look passed across his face, something akin to satisfaction. Like just those few words of Mikey’s had given him some kind of confirmation.
“The point is that I know Raph really well,” Leo said. “There are things you don’t understand about him, inner demons that he tries to hide or to exorcise with his fists. It’s why he spends so much of his time beating his punching bag or pummeling the practice dummy.”
Mikey shrugged. “I grew up with him too, Leo. He’s got a temper and he gets frustrated by all the things he can’t do. I know that.”
Leo shook his head. “I’m not talking about just his temper. That’s all on the surface for anyone to see. He wants what we all want; a good life, safety for his family, and to rid the world above us of the bad element. Raph has a hard time accepting that he can’t fight those battles as often as he’d like or in exactly the way that he’d like. He’s impatient and that makes him hot tempered.”
“If we aren’t talking about his temper then what are we talking about?” Mikey asked, both curious and anxious as to where Leo was going with this conversation.
“Mikey, there are other needs that we all have, some that we can fulfill, and some that we can’t,” Leo said. “Even in that we still cling to certain hopes, thinking that the future might change things for us. We daydream about that stuff and it keeps us optimistic.”
“Like my being the Turtle Titan,” Mikey said.
Leo chuckled. “Yes, like that. Or Don dreaming of scientific breakthroughs. Or my desire to someday become a true ninjitsu master.”
“And Raph?” Mikey asked almost breathlessly.
Exhaling heavily, Leo said, “Raph is still struggling with those demons I told you about. Because of that, he hasn’t give himself the chance to daydream. He fills the void with anger. I don’t want you to do that too, Mikey.”
Mikey was momentarily taken aback. “I . . . I’m not. Really Leo. I’m not holding onto anger about anything.”
“Not even at the fact that Raph can’t devote all of his time to you?” Leo asked.
It was all Mikey could do not to gape at him. Leo was making intuitive leaps that were pretty frightening. What was worse was that Leo seemed to be telling him that Raph was off limits.
“I don’t know what Raph’s deal is,” Mikey said carefully, “and I don’t have a need to take up his precious time. You’re on the wrong track, bro’. My problem is and always will be boredom. Having a bruised rib isn’t gonna help with that, so you should expect to see me in a bad mood for a few days. Try not to read anything into it, okay?”
The hint of sarcasm in his voice wasn’t lost on Leo. With a resigned sigh, Leo stood up and retrieved the now empty breakfast tray.
“You should get up in a little while and rinse off,” Leo said. “You smell like river water and you don’t want Don fussing at you about germs getting into those wounds. And don’t count on lunch in bed, you can make it downstairs if you take it easy.”
“I knew this was too good to last,” Mikey said jokingly.
Leo opened the door but paused there to look back at his brother. “I want you to remember something, Mikey. We work together as a cohesive unit because we have no secrets. Secrets can get us killed.”
Mikey frowned. “I know that, Leo.”
With a nod, Leo left the room, closing the door behind him.
For a long while Mikey sat there staring at the opposite wall. He didn’t bother stretching out again because Leo was right, he needed to take a shower before he got to smelling too ripe.
Mikey wondered why his brother felt the need to make that speech about secrets when it was obvious that Leo knew Raph was hiding something too. Maybe it was because Leo already knew what it was that Raph was hiding, hence all the hinting around about Raph’s inner demons.
That notion made Mikey feel pretty indignant. Why should Leo know more about Raph than Mikey did? What gave Leo the right to rub that fact in Mikey’s face? Was he secretly trying to tell Michelangelo that he wasn’t good enough for Raphael? That only someone who understood Raph as well as Leonardo did could hope to get close to him?
With a frustrated snarl, Mikey flung the ice pack across the room, feeling only a slight satisfaction at the solid thump it made when it hit the wall.
Then his hand drifted back up to his collar bone and he caressed the spot that Raph had bitten. It stung slightly as Mikey’s fingers drifted across the area and his eyes grew heavy lidded with desire.
He’d never seen a mark of any kind on Leo’s collar bone. Or on Don’s for that matter. Whatever the heck Leo had been alluding to didn’t mean anything if the only one Raph had ever chosen to bite was Mikey.
With a secret grin, Mikey slid out of bed, already feeling the fire lighting up his loins. He was going to lock himself in the bathroom for a while so that he could take a look at the mark on his collar bone and then jump into the shower to deal with two of his current immediate needs.
Then he was going to see if he could get Raph alone again. This time Mikey wouldn’t be drugged and he wouldn’t be on the defensive.
Raph was a turtle of action and it was about time that Mikey gave him some.
TBC……………..
- 10
- 11
- 12
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The Pain Game