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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
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            The best description Mikey could think of to describe the day was ‘awkward’.
            It had begun with his narrow escape from Leonardo in the very early morning hours. From there it was his own awkward attempts to keep Leo from peeking into Raphael’s room, followed only an hour later by a tricky conversation with Master Splinter.
            Mikey had managed to grab a couple of hours of additional sleep before his alarm clock told him it was time to begin his daily routine by going down to breakfast. Everything in the kitchen, including Raphael, had seemed normal until Mikey tried to stuff his mouth with cereal. That’s when he discovered that his jaw was both stiff and a bit sore.
            Remembering why his jaw bothered him brought an awkward flush to Mikey’s face which he thought he’d managed to hide from his brothers. Leo and Don didn’t see it, but Raph was looking at him over the top of his newspaper. His smirk told Mikey that Raph not only knew that Mikey’s jaw was sore, but also that he was proud to have been the one who had made it hurt.
            While glad that Raph apparently didn’t harbor any feelings of guilt or shame with what they’d done, Mikey didn’t think he should be so cocky about it either. Mikey didn’t expect gushing concern, but he’d kind of hoped that Raph wouldn’t be completely insensitive to his discomfort.
            Problems at breakfast were one thing, difficulties in the dojo quite another. The mild twinges that Mikey had felt in his lower regions since he’d risen from bed were easy to disregard. However, the range of movement required to practice properly exacerbated the pain to the point that it couldn’t be ignored.
            Of course it didn’t help one iota that the pain reminded Mikey of what caused it and that started to excite him. Trying to avoid the pain and therefore the resultant titillation made Mikey uncoordinated at practice.
            Mikey was surprised that when Master Splinter called for an end to practice he didn’t hold his youngest son back. It was possible that Master Splinter thought that Mikey’s poor performance was due to lack of sleep, being quite aware of how little Mikey had gotten. Whatever the reason, Mikey was just glad that his father wasn’t going to prolong his agony and that an end to his suffering was within sight.
            As Mikey made his way to the couch, visions dancing in his head of spending a few hours blissfully lost in a game, he saw Raph disappear into his bedroom. Raph had a set of free weights up there and sometimes worked out while reading. His collection of books was eclectic and his brothers had been amazed to discover that Raph had a fondness for Michael Crichton.
The fact that his siblings couldn’t imagine him being so cerebral had aggravated Raph and at the time Mikey had found that amusing. Now it simply offered Mikey a better understanding of the brother he wanted to be even closer to.
            When Mikey rounded the couch he immediately saw why Master Splinter had let him off easy. Several dust rags, a feather duster, and spray cleaner were stacked on the cushions, and the vacuum cleaner had been placed directly in front of the couch itself.
            Groaning, Mikey glanced towards his father’s room, only to see Master Splinter and Leo entering to begin one of their daily meditation sessions. For a brief moment, Mikey wondered if Master Splinter would talk to Leo about any of the things that his youngest son had shared with him. Then he remembered that his father had expressed the belief that his sons should sort out their differences themselves.
            It was a reprieve of sorts, albeit one that was doomed to be short lived. Mikey was going to have to face off with Leo at some point if he wanted his interactions with Raph to eventually normalize, if it was even destined to. Mikey hated to face it, but he still had no clue what kind of relationship he was having with Raphael.
            Deciding to vacuum the lair first, Mikey unwound the length of electrical cord hanging from the hook on the back of the cleaner and walked over to an outlet to plug it in. Bending over pulled at several of his sore spots and Mikey groaned.
            “Are your ribs bothering you again?”
            Mikey squeaked and jumped back in surprise, clutching his chest dramatically when he saw Don standing nearby. He hadn’t even heard the genius’ approach.
            “Dude, when did you start taking lessons in stealth from Leo?” Mikey asked. “Give a guy a heart attack, why don’t you?”
            Don didn’t respond to that, instead stepping closer, his eyes narrowed. “You’ve been moving stiffly all morning. It’s your ribs again, isn’t it? You’ve reinjured yourself.”
            “My ribs are fine,” Mikey replied, offering his brother a disarming smile. “Not in the least bit stiff.”
            Mikey’s hopes that his assurances would dissuade Don from continuing his inquisition were shot down when his brother tipped his head slightly, his expression growing more curious.
            “I heard you groan when you bent down,” Don said. “At practice I could see that your range of motion was gravely diminished. Something is bothering you.”
            “Can’t a guy have an off day?” Mikey asked, feeling exasperated.
            “You’ve been having a lot of them lately,” Don said. It didn’t sound like an accusation, more like an observation.
            “Okay, so I’m having an off month. I can’t be awesome all the time ‘cause that would be setting the bar way too high for the rest of you guys. Gotta let my bro’s have a little hope,” Mikey told him.
            “And the groan?” Don insisted.
            Waving towards the array of cleaning items scattered over the couch, Mikey said, “Master Splinter’s way of dropping hints. I’m not groaning from physical pain dude, I’m protesting . . . .”
            “You’ve been sneaking out at night to meet Raph haven’t you?” Don asked abruptly.
            Mikey nearly swallowed his tongue. Choking on his own spit, Mikey had to clear his throat before he could answer and in spite of that he still stammered. “Wh . . . what makes you ask that?”
            A slightly smug look settled onto Don’s face. “I knew something was off with you and Raph but neither of you would tell me anything. When I asked Leo about it he just told me not to worry. Since you all decided to keep me out of the loop, I decided to find out what was going on for myself. I set up a camera near the tunnel entrance to the lair and the garage.”
            “In the garage?” Mikey asked, his voice coming out in a squeak. Had Don seen his encounter with Raph on the garage work table?
            “Pointed right at the garage door,” Don said with a hint of complacency. “I saw Raph come in on his motorcycle early this morning and then duck back out. He entered the lair through the sewer tunnel entrance only a few minutes after you did.”
            Mikey was both relieved to hear that and disgruntled that it hadn’t dawned on him that Don might do such a thing.
            “You should have been a spy,” Mikey grumbled. “Did you ask Raph about it?”
            “No, because it’s normal for Raph to leave the lair without notice and come in late, though I’ve never seen him try to hide his return,” Don said.
            “Maybe he wasn’t trying to hide anything, maybe he just didn’t want to make noise and wake Master Splinter,” Mikey said.
            “I would have considered that as the answer if he wasn’t coming in right on your heels,” Don replied. “Are you and Raph going out to patrol on your own? If you two are picking fights without full team backup, Leo’s going to have a fit.”
            It wasn’t the best answer to Don’s questioning, but it was better than the truth and Mikey clutched at it like a lifeline. “Oh, so that’s why you asked about my ribs. You think I got into a fight topside.”
            Don frowned. “You haven’t answered my question. Are you and Raph teaming up behind our backs and getting into trouble?”
            Mikey could see that he needed to give Don something or he’d probably run to either Raph or Leo for answers. The genius could be very tenacious when he wanted satisfaction for his curiosity and this looked like it was going to be one of those times.
            “I wouldn’t say we were getting into trouble,” Mikey answered cautiously. “We are sneaking out sometimes to patrol a little on our own. It’s kind of a bonding thing.”
            “Are you sure that’s all it is?” Don asked, not looking convinced. “You and Raph seemed to be more at odds lately than usual. In fact, for a while there he looked really angry with you, almost as angry as he gets with Leo at times. If all you’re doing is trying to appease him by going out and taking chances then that isn’t very healthy.”
            “If I didn’t know better, I’d say it almost sounds like you think I’m afraid of Raph,” Mikey said, eyeing his brother. “Since when have I been worried about his being mad at me? He gets mad, he gets over it.”
            “Then why do you feel as though you need to bond? Can’t you just play video games with him the way you’ve always done? Raph is a great fighter, I’ll grant you that, but he’s also a hot head who isn’t known for thinking things through,” Don said.
            “All the more reason for me to go with him,” Mikey responded. “You’re concerned about Raph and me when you should be more worried about Raph and Leo. I don’t know what his deal is, but Leo’s been really hard on Raph. Like you said, Raph’s a hot head and I’ve been thinking he’ll do something rash if he’s out there on his own.”
            Mikey felt pretty good about that explanation. It was right in line with what he’d told his father, it accounted for Mikey and Raph both sneaking out, it explained why Mikey was keeping that fact a secret, and it covered everything that Don had observed.
            “Raph does tend to hunt danger when he and Leo are at odds,” Don said thoughtfully. “It’s like he has to get his anger out physically and since he can’t go after Leo as aggressively as he wants, he looks for the next best thing.”
            “Yeah, and then beats the pulp out of it,” Mikey said. “The ‘it’ usually being some dumb Purple Dragon. Problem is, when he’s in that mode, a dozen Dragons won’t stop him and neither will a bunch of Foot ninja showing up unexpectedly. That’s why I’ve been going out after him.”
            “To help him look for a fight?” Don asked incredulously.
            “If I tried to talk him out of it he’d kick me to the curb and be alone again,” Mikey said. “Bad tactics, dude. What I do requires finesse and subtlety at which I am a master.”
            “And what exactly does this mastery of yours entail?” Don was staring at him suspiciously.
            “Direction my brother. It’s all about direction,” Mikey answered smugly. “I arrange things so that I’m guiding Raph away from big fights towards smaller ones. We bust a couple of guys breaking into cars instead of taking on a bar filled with Dragons. That kind of thing. We both come back in one piece and Raph’s happy ‘cause he got to hit someone.”
            “That is so screwy it has to be true,” Don said.
            “Sure it’s true,” Mikey said smoothly. Now that he’d committed to the lie, it flowed easily. “You gotta promise not to tell Leo about what Raph and I are doing. They’ve gotta solve whatever’s going on between them, but until then, this is how I can keep Raph safe. If you upset the delicate balance I’m maintaining, Raph will go do something stupid.”
            Don was frowning again. “You’re asking a lot of me. It goes against my nature to sit back and watch any of my brothers do things that could potentially cause them harm.”
            “What choice do you have?” Mikey asked. “If you tell Leo or Master Splinter they’d probably order me not to sneak out with Raph and I’d probably do what they said. Raph won’t though, he’ll just get angrier and go out alone. Is that what you want?”
            “I don’t want any of this,” Don said. Rubbing his forehead as though it suddenly hurt to think, he sighed deeply. “Look, I’ll keep your secret on one condition. That condition is that neither of you come home injured. You two do something stupidly dangerous to the point that it requires medical care and all bets are off. I’ll chew whichever of you survives a new one and then spill the beans to Leo and Father.”
            Mikey smiled brightly at his answer. “Thanks bro’. You’re the best ever!”
            Don lifted a hand to stop him. “Don’t pound my shell just yet little brother,” he said. “I’m not keeping this secret forever. From a statistical point of view, the odds aren’t in your favor that your run of luck will last. Raph and Leo might need to have their heads banged together to fix whatever is going on with them but dodging it your way is only a short term solution. If something doesn’t break soon, I’m going to inform Leo about your night time rendezvous’ with Raph.”
            “How soon is ‘soon’?” Mikey asked, the weight of dread settling back into his gut.
            “I’ll give you a week,” Don said. “After that either it stops, or we have a family powwow.”
            “You drive a hard bargain dude,” Mikey said. “Guess I don’t have a choice other than to accept your conditions.”
            “No you really don’t,” Don told him. “I mean it, Mikey. Don’t either of you get injured or it stops now and Leo will be the least of your worries.”
            “Message received loud and clear Donny,” Mikey said.
            Don’s expression softened. “Do you want me to discuss this with Raph too? It might be easier coming from me.”
            A touch of panic hit Mikey and he quickly said, “No way bro’. Raph’s cool with you and let’s keep it that way. The last thing we need to do is make him feel like everyone’s ganging up on him. He’ll disappear for a week.”
            “He’s going to know the ultimatum came from me,” Don pointed out.
            “Well sure he is,” Mikey said. “But it’s the delivery that counts.”
            “Raph might still come to me for an explanation,” Don said. “You delivering the message isn’t going to change that message.”
            “Yeah, but it might change how badly he reacts to it,” Mikey replied. “We’ve been talking a lot while we’re out on these runs. Let me spoon feed this to him, okay? Trust me, it’ll go over better that way.”
            Don took a deep breath and then released it. “Fine. I leave it up to you. Just know that all of this is against my better judgment.”
            “I know,” Mikey said. “Thanks Don.”
            With one last hard look at his younger brother, Don left him. Mikey watched him walk away, happy to note that Don headed straight for his lab and not upstairs where Raph was.
            As if this whole situation wasn’t complicated enough, now Mikey had a time line to deal with. One week was all Don was going to give him before telling everything he’d observed to Leo and their father.
Mikey wasn’t overly concerned about Master Splinter’s reaction, since his father wasn’t completely in the dark about him and Raph. It was Leo who was going to be the problem. Discovering that despite his best efforts, Mikey and Raph were carrying on behind his back was going to make the uptight clan leader blow a gasket.
First Master Splinter and now Donatello. Maybe Leo had been right to tease Mikey about his lack of subterfuge. He should have found a better way of answering Don’s past questions so that it didn’t seem as though they were keeping things from him. Mikey should have realized that Don would find his own answers rather than leaving it alone. After all, he’d grown up with the guy and Don was nothing if not inventive.
Kicking the vacuum cleaner in frustration, Mikey watched it roll forward a couple of feet before coming to a stop. He was starting to feel exactly like a soccer goalie, running and diving to keep anything from getting past him and all the way to Raph.
It was comical really. Raph wanted to have all of the control, he didn’t want Mikey to take any steps without consulting him first, and here Mikey was making dozens of moves without his brother’s knowledge.
Raph had told him in the garage that if Mikey played a lone hand again they were done. Before their last ‘play’ time Raph had reiterated to him that he never do anything without running it by Raph first.
The problem was that the things that Mikey had set in motion before Raph had said those things were running on their own steam now. At least they were with what Mikey had begun with Master Splinter, the Don part of the equation was a wild card in the deck.
Surely Raph would understand that Mikey had to tell Don something or risk having everything blow up in their faces immediately. He couldn’t possibly get so mad about that he’d call off what they’d started, could he?
Striding forward, Mikey grabbed hold of the vacuum cleaner and aggressively punched the on button. Once it was going, Mikey began shoving it around the floor, his irritation making him violent.
“Why the shell do I care if Raph gets hacked off enough to call it quits?” Mikey asked himself. “Why should I spend the rest of my life worrying whether something I do is gonna make him mad enough to board up that secret room and never touch me again? If he cares about me at all he’ll work with me instead of ordering me around.”
Even as he had those thoughts, Mikey knew he would hate it if Raph put an end to what they had started. Having a physical relationship with someone he cared for was beyond good, it was more awesome than he could have imagined.
“Why does everything have to be so complicated?” Mikey muttered aloud as he continued to vigorously vacuum the lair. “This is all Leo’s fault.”
The words were barely out of his mouth when Leo stepped out of Master Splinter’s room. He glanced in Mikey’s direction but the younger turtle pretended to be immersed in his work, catching the look out of the corner of his eye.
Leo moved purposefully towards Don’s lab, appearing for all the world like a turtle on a mission. After that first initial glance he paid no mind to his brother at all and that was just fine with Mikey.
As Leo walked past, Mikey had to resist the urge to hurl something at his head. He suddenly wondered if this was the way that Raphael felt towards their leader all of the time. If so, it was astonishing that there wasn’t a minor explosion between the pair every couple of hours.
Then Leo entered Don’s lab and as was out of Mikey’s sight. As soon as Leo was beyond his view, Mikey blinked and took stock of the emotions that had just coursed through him.
In a moment he started to chuckle, and then allowed himself to have a good laugh before executing a couple of dance steps with the vacuum cleaner.
Whatever this bond was that he was forming with Raph, it seemed that some of the hot head’s temperament was rubbing off on Mikey. That might not be such a bad thing since it looked like breaking developments were winding their way towards a battle within the family.
If Mikey was just a little bit lucky, part of his disposition was being absorbed by Raph as well. This was fast becoming one of those situations that required some chill, a thing that regular Raph sorely lacked.
Mikey had a feeling that he and Raph being of like minds would mean the difference between a skirmish and an all-out war.
TBC………….
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The Pain Game