Glass heart: tmnt human au

Chapter 4

I am so sorry this took me so long, my procrastination is on another level let me tell you, but here is the update you've all been waiting for!

♡

Mikey held the neatly folded piece of paper out in front of him. Bradford had called out to him that night before Mikey got into the car and, before any of his brother could jump to get in his face, Bradford had shoved the paper to his chest. Bradford's eyes were dead-set, lips pulled taut in a firm line. "Don't lose this, idiot," he'd leaned down to whisper. Mikey hadn't opened it since that night. To be honest he'd crashed as soon as he'd gotten home and forgotten about it. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what it said, given it had come from Bradford. What if it was some twisted, perverted love letter? Was Bradford turned on by beating him up? Mikey shuddered and ushered the dirty thoughts out of his head.

He opened the paper gently. A smaller paper fell to his lap. He lifted it. There was a picture of his father, in the picture he was young, he was muscular and his head nearly didn't seem to fit in place here with his small brown eyes and cleanly trimmed facial hair. His face was impassive, no wrinkle or dimple suggesting expression or old age in the picture. Why would Bradford give this to him? How did he have it?

He furrowed his brow and turned the card over. In scribbled handwriting it held a date and: Suspect.

There was a strange sensation that spread down Mikey's spine, drumming in his body like the bass of the heavy metal that Raph liked to blast in his bedroom (at inappropriate times of the night.) Why would he give him this? Mikey sighed and threw the card to the side.

It was Mikey's third day of suspension and he had found himself snooping in the things of his brothers and of his father. It kept his boredom at bay and well, how could he not, as soon as he was left home alone the temptation was overwhelming. The other half of his time was spent blasting rock and pop and screaming out the lyrics while he lay on his floor, legs propped up on his bed. By the end of the day his throat was scratchy and he had new dirt on Raph. Who knew he was into drugs? But at the same time– Who didn't suspect it?

Mikey's father had skipped breakfast that morning, which was odd given that he started work late most days, and he was always on about never skipping meals. And that odd feeling returned, like icy hands caressing down the length of his body. His father had recently begun to leave his office locked. It wasn't that big of a deal, Mikey figured, probably wanted to keep him and his brothers from going in and messing with some important project of his, it had happened before, but this time, he hadn't said a word to them about it. It was... weird.
They ate dinner like usual that night and they all went to bed. But Mikey lay awake, covers up to his chin, facing his door that he always left a crack open. He could see out across the hallway to his father's bedroom and the office that sat beside. The house was quiet, the usual creaks and the hum of the fan dissipated into the buzzing of Mikey's ears.

Tomorrow was his last day of suspension and he wasn't sure he was looking forward to it. He particularly liked staying home, he couldn't fathom why the school system thought this was a good punishment.

Mikey looked up. A door from the hallway had creaked open, followed by the gentle patter of socked feet against the wooden floor boards. His father stood, facing the door to his office.

His father's voice started up like the motor of Leo's Audi, and Mikey nearly flung himself off the bed. A flash of pain shot through his arm momentarily as he lifted himself up from his bed, holding his breath. He shook his arm out and slid closer to the edge of the bed, pausing to listen for his father. Then, in one fluid-ish motion, he careened off the bed and was left crouching with a hand to his mouth. He didn't trust himself to move yet.