I woke up..

Are you okay?

Without opening my eyes I stretch myself out earning a couple cracking sounds. I slowly opened my eyes looking up at the ceiling before turning to the side, only to find that I was alone. Recalling what I had witnessed last night, I got a little concerned. Where is Mikey? I quickly get out of bed, putting my gear and mask on, noting that Mikey's mask is no longer here.

As soon as I left my room I was overwhelmed by the smell of cinnamon pancakes. I walk into the kitchen to see Raph and Leo sitting at the table across from each other, while Mikey is flipping the last batch of pancakes. Laughing at Raph's comment, Mikey places them on a plate in the middle of the table.

"Oh, hey Donnie. Wasn't expecting you here." Leo smiles. I give a small smile back and find a seat next to Raph.

"Yeah. What made you come out of your little man cave so early? I don't think I've seen you come out in..ever" Raph questioned with a grin before shoving a fork full of pancakes into his mouth.

"Oh, come on. I'm not that bad, am I?" I ask, staring at the full plate in front of me. Mikey slid me an empty plate with a fork and knife, knowing that, unlike my brothers, I like to be at least a little civil when I eat, and will cut my food into reasonable bites. I then grab the first two pancakes from the top of the pile and bring them to my plate. Mikey also places a mug full of warm coffee right next to me, before he sits down next to Leo, picking out his own pancakes.

"Yeah, dude. I don't think you've come to eat with us since..well. It's been a while."

"Oh..sorry guys. I'll try to be better."

"No need to apologize Dee. It's just nice having you here is all." Leo says, making me smile a little. I admit, I miss eating with them. I don't think I've seen them in a good mood in a long time. It's nice. Raph's not angry, or at least not as angry. Leo's not hiding away from us, and Mikey seems to be alright. Eating my pancakes, I pay close attention to Mikey but in a way where it's not obvious. He seems completely fine. Like last night never even happened. He's smiling wider than I've seen in months and laughing along to whatever jokes were said in the conversation that I was paying no attention to. Normally by now, I would have concluded that he's okay and that there is nothing to worry about. But I just couldn't shake this feeling inside of me, telling me that there was something big going on.

Any time Mikey thought no one was paying attention I did notice the change in his behaviour. It was slight, almost non-existent, but it was there. Like how his smile twitched downwards every time he went a moment too long without saying anything, or how it grew wide, almost too wide, once Raph or Leo would look at him. And whenever one of us made eye contact with him, me especially, he would look away awkwardly. Like how we would when he's done something bad and was trying to keep it a secret. For example, when he ate all of Raph's leftover pizza. Or when he broke one of my favorite coffee mugs. But what made him feel so guilty?

"Hey, uh, Mikey?" Before he even turned to look at me I could see the nervousness that flashed on Mikey's face before he quickly covered it up with a smile. A bright, wide, toothy smile.

"Yeah, Dee?"

"Can I speak with you after breakfast?" His smile falters a little bit as he hesitates to answer. I could see a hint of fear in his eyes before he quickly masked it while nodding.

"Sure!"

I give him a gentle smile before going back to my pancakes.

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As soon as everyone was done eating, Leo and Raph left the table to do their own things while I grabbed all of the dishes and put them into the sink which had already been filled with soapy water. Mikey gave me a quiet thank you before he began washing them. I turned my body so that my shell was leaning against the counter and that I was facing the opposite way from the wall. I cross my arms and silently stare at the ground unsure of where to start with this conversation. There's this awkward silence before I finally whip up the courage to say something.

"Are you... Are you okay?"

For a split second, Mikey stiffens, before he regains composure putting on a wide smile and laughs a little.

"Yeah, dude! I'm completely fine! In fact, I'm the happiest I've been in a long time. I got to eat breakfast with all of my bros!" He gave me a quick look but as soon as we made eye contact he dropped it.

"Are you sure? Because last night was kind of-"

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm fine. Last night was nothing. I'm just sorry you had to see that.."

Mikey sighs heavily before he puts the last plate into the drying rack and unplugs the sink, watching the dirty water swirl around as it drains.

"Nothing? Mikey..That wasn't nothing. I haven't ever seen you like that before. Ever. You are not fine Mikey. So what's going on?"

Mikey takes a deep, almost shaky breath, still looking down at the now empty sick. I start growing more and more concerned as time goes by. Then right as I was about to open my mouth and say something he finally turned to look at me, and with almost dull blue eyes, he smiled.

"Look, it was just a bad night. I couldn't sleep so I took my skateboard out into the sewers, practicing some new tricks when I fell and broke it. I was upset, cold, and overly tired, I didn't really know what I was doing. So when I came home and saw you, I couldn't control myself. I didn't want to break down like that. I shouldn't have broken down like that. Not in front of you, or about a stupid skateboard." He laughs a little at the thought.

"But really. I'm okay. You don't have to worry about me. I took my nap and am all better! See?" He gestures to himself before doing a quick spin ending with a little pose. He then puts a hand on my shoulder and looks me in the eye for the first time today. "I didn't mean to worry you. I'm sorry. But I promise if there is something wrong, I will go straight to you. Okay?" He then pulls me into a tight hug. "Thank you for taking care of me bro."

He does seem quite convincing.. and it does make sense. Heck, I've been there myself! I was so sleep-deprived one time, that when my pen ran out of ink, I cried like it was the end of the world! Leo had to drag me into bed and wouldn't leave until I fell asleep. I woke up feeling completely embarrassed. I'm just glad it was Leo to find me like that and not Raph. Otherwise, I'd never have been able to let it down.

I hug Mikey back with a smile. All of the weight I felt was lifting. He's okay. Mikey's okay. Everything is fine.

"Okay. I believe you. Just make sure you come to me as soon as you start feeling sad like that again. Or even one of the others. I'm sorry everything's so messed up lately, but soon we will be back to normal. I love you, Mikey. We all do."

Mikey nods before we slowly detach ourselves from each other. Mikey's eyes were a little glossy as he smiled up at me.

"I love you too. All of you guys."

I smile at him as I bring my hand up to rub the top of his head, creating a little chuckle from my youngest brother. I began to walk towards my lab recalling the broken beaker that still lays on the floor needing to be cleaned up, when Mikey speaks again.

"Don? Can you maybe not tell the others about last night?" I turn around looking at him with a confused look. "It's a little embarrassing," he says while rubbing the back of his neck, and looking at the ground. I chuckle a little as I completely understand.

"Sure dude."

He gives a wide smile before going off in the direction of his room. I'm so glad he's okay.