The Words That Hurt Me

Thirty-Five: Alone?

It was warm.

Like a hug.

.

Mikey blearily opened his eyes, squinting against the soft glow of the fairy lights all around the room. There was an arm on his chest and someone snoring loudly to his left. There was another person to his right, breathing quietly on his shoulder. Lifting his head, he caught a view of a large figure asleep on the floor, shell rising and falling with each breath.

A blanket was draped halfway on his body, practically tugged off by Leon, whom the arm belonged to. Mikey didn't know how he was both in his space and too far to reach at the same time, but he managed it. Goo was curled up to his right, their head resting on his shoulder, snoozing peacefully beside him.

That meant Raphie was sleeping on the floor, seemingly having either fallen off the huge bed or chosen to sleep on the floor. He was cuddled up with a teddy bear, completely knocked out.

Mikey gently pushed the arm off his chest, slowly rising to sit up on the bed. Try as he might, however, he couldn't escape the bed without waking up the people around him. Goo stirred, grabbing his wrist, more as a half-awake reaction than to get his attention. 

"Mm, ouch!" Leon groaned, stretching out beside him. He rubbed the brace on his knee, nudging it off and pushing it down his leg to hang around his ankle. Mikey noted the scars on his leg, little spindles of scar tissue cutting across the flesh there.

He sat up, blinking lazily at Mikey.

"Oh, mornin'," Leon mumbled, "I forgot where I was for a minute,"

Mikey nodded to him while Goo rose on his other side. They rubbed their eyes, yawning widely.

"Mornin' to you too," Leon said, Goo nodding to him. Leon offered a fist bump to them, which Goo sleepily returned. "Now, Mikey,"

"Oh, please!" 

"I haven't even said anything yet!" Leon leaned forward, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to say anything, but... it'll probably be easier to talk things out,"

"I-hah, what can I say?" Mikey sighed, "You saw it all, that's what happened. That's it,"

Leon gave him a look and he had to tear his eyes away, only to be met with Goo's soft gaze.

"That's not it and you know it," Leon continued, "Listen, things like this don't 'just happen', and I have a feeling that you might be hiding why,"

Mikey chewed his lip, feeling his hands start to shake. He felt they would make a bigger deal of this than need be. It wasn't, really. It doesn't happen that often. He's fine.

"...It happens to me too,"

That got Mikey's attention, making him glance over at him.

"I'm pretty sure you already know that something happened, given how everyone treats me like I'm going to fall apart if they breathe wrong," He continued quietly, "And if I'm being honest, I don't really like talking about it either,"

He was quiet for a few moments, glaring down at his knee brace, hanging limply from his leg.

"I, I made a stupid mistake and the world almost paid for it," He spat, angry at himself, "I nearly started the apocalypse a-and it took everything we had to fight back against the Krang and-and at the end, I-I,"

He swallowed thickly, taking a shaky breath.

"I did what I thought I had to do," He croaked out, "I had Casey close the portal when we were both through, I-I really, I really thought-"