Rays of Sunshine (Michelangelo X Depressed!Reader)

04 | Suspicion

I rested my elbow on my desk, plopping my chin into my hand. My head ached. I could remember having very few nightmares in the past, and those that I had experienced were long forgotten.

It was happening more often now.

Thinking about it made a pit grow in my stomach. I had trouble sleeping at the right times, my fear keeping me up half the night. The risk of falling asleep in class was sky high.

I could barely concentrate in school. My grades hovered where they normally did, but my teachers had become a little worried. I usually had my head up, at the very least, answering a few questions they asked here and there, but only if I was absolutely, extremely sure of myself. I didn't want to be made fun of more than I already was at home.

Miley was my sole comfort. Every night, we'd meet up at the skate park and watch the stars. I tested my parents, staying out until way past curfew, and discovered that they didn't even care as long as I was careful to come back without a sound.

Time was no longer a setback for us. We knew each other practically inside and out, by now. He'd shared all of his discomforts of home and fighting with his brothers, and I told him about school and how my parents got along. Life was bittersweet, holding welcome and friendly warmth only in the evenings.

He rested his head against mine. "My brothers are getting suspicious," he murmured. "They wanna know where I keep going every night."

"What could possibly hurt going out every night?" I asked, fighting to keep my eyes open. 

"They don't like it," he said again. "They threatened to tell our dad, and I know he's gonna get mad if they think I'm out doing something bad by myself."

I yawned. "Well if you have to skip a night or if something else goes down at your house or whatever, and you don't think they'd like you out on your own, just tell me. I understand."

"I don't wanna do that though," he sighed. "I wanna just hang out. Every night."

 Mikey paused for a second, taking a closer look at my face. "You've been acting really tired lately," he observed. 

I wave him away playfully. "I'm just, uh, stressed with school and stuff. Nothing to worry about."

He puts on a pouty face. "Wish I could go to school. I could help you with all your stuff! Maybe I should ask Donnie to teach me something. What are you learning about?"

"Several things..." I exhale, wrapping my arms around myself to keep warm. "God, it's so cold. I'll have to bring a blanket next time."

A soft smile warmed his face, as he turned to look at the star-speckled sky. "How long have we been doing this now?"

"Since August," I say, counting on my fingers. "It's November now, so that makes about three months."

He grins, hugging me tightly. "I've loved every minute of it."

Ruining the sappy mood with his undeniable advantage, of course, he starts tickling my ribs like there's no tomorrow. My tough outer shell is quickly reduced to a pile of helplessly laughing goop. Mikey laughs with me, enjoying himself. His three-fingered hands move up from my stomach, hooking under my arms so he can pull me up.

I catch my breath, wiping stray tears from my eyes. "Look!" he whisper-shouts, extending an arm to point at the sky. "Shooting stars! Hurry, make a wish!"

He presses his fists to his cheeks, closing his eyes as his brain formulates a request. I stare in wonder at the white-hot streaks in the sky, lasting no more than a second.

"It looks like a highlighter, kinda," I whisper.

"Make a wish!" he hisses back, not opening his eyes.

Willingly, I bow my head and close my eyes. What should I wish for?

Mikey's already here with me, so I can't wish for more friends. I smirk, remembering that this is kind of what brought us together.

"Hey, how come you were up here by yourself anyway?" I ask, my head snapping up suddenly.

"Huh?" He looks up.

"When you first met me," I prompted him. "How come you came up by yourself?"

He stares at something past me for a moment, trying to remember. "Oh yeah!" he says abruptly, straightening. "Somebody was mad at me. Probably Raph. I think we got in a fight and I came up here to cool off. Lucky thing, huh?"

I grin. "Yeah, really lucky."

"I just grabbed my skateboard and headed out," he recalls. "I had no idea what I'd run into." He laughs, ruffling my already messy hair.

He hugs me again, less tightly this time. It's comfortable, sitting there, with his arms around me. 

"I'm worried about you," he mumbled, his face close to my ear. "You been having a lot of nightmares?"

I paused instead of answering. "How'd you know?"

Mikey's grip tightened a little around my shoulders. "I just knew," he said, putting his cheek to mine. "You look tired. Maybe you should go home early tonight."

"I don't wanna go home," I mumble, giving him a look and fighting back another yawn.

"See?" he shrieks. "You're tired! Let's get you home right away, missy! I know a fun way."

He stands up, and I grudgingly follow his lead. "There is no fun way to get home," I argue.

The look on his face immediately sets out to prove me wrong. 

"Get up on my back," he says. "I'll carry you across the ROOFS! Doesn't that sound fun?"

I fold my arms. "How do I know you won't fall?"

"I'm a ninja," he sighs. "I can carry a little kid like you across the city, no big deal."

"You talk big," I say, climbing onto his carapace, "but can you really? I don't think I could see that out of you."

Mikey smirked at me. "Oh, I'll prove it."

"Prove it," I nudge him.

We take off, leaping over the fence and out into the street. He scales a fire escape, launching himself on top of somebody's roof, and starts running.

I hold on as tightly as I can. "Point taken!"
~