Double mutant Mikey (2012 AU)

Chapter 11 - Working with a little

Ever since Mikey started to get better, Donnie has dedicated even more of his time trying to forulate a definite medicine for him, a cure for his problems that will heal him completely, since he knows the dosage he had in the medicine that fell on his brother, he used that and other previous knowledges as base for making the next medicine so he wouldn't have to get more new samples from Mikey, Raphael also changed, after seeing his baby brother literally collapse from pain, he has been a bit more careful around Mikey and concerning about things that could hurt him.

However, he also started avoiding Mikey overtime due to his sudden changes, when he talks to Mikey, sometimes, he doesn't listen, when he shows worry for Mikey, Mikey gets upset, when he touches Mikey, he backs off, either in terror or pain, interracting with Michelangelo became way more dificult than before, when he was kind of just a beast-like creature, he could even justify why it was so hard sometimes, but now, he had no excuse to give himself as to why being around Mikey was so stressful, he was more fragile now, both physically and mentally, Raph couldn't stand seeing Mikey like that, his cheerful smirk had faded and was replaced by a tired and worn down grin, it was obvious that Mikey was trying to act tough and strong despite his hradships, but it was clear that he was suffering still.

Mikey wasn't affected much by his new mutation, actually, he was trying his best to get his life back to normal as soon as possible through a lot of effort and hard work, but in Raph's eye, he was in pain, to him, Mikey was just trying too hard to "act normal", to him, Mikey was still as weak and fragile as he was once he was mutated, the memory of Mikey locking himself up in Donnie's lab to cry and scream, just to walk out of there so shaky and sickly, it was like seeing a walking dead, that image sticked into Raph's brain like gum, he was still in shock after seeing what happened, so the thought that Mikey is actually doing better sounds almost impossible to him, he's worried sick but feels like he can't do anything to interfere, in his eyes, Mikey is as frail as thin glass, always being one flick away from shattering, and he's too scared of being around when that happens.

During this time, Leo basically became a frantic nurse whenever Mikey was present, whenever Mikey showed up or walked into the room, Leo would practically jump at him to offer assistance and to check if he needs any help or if he's feeling any ill, it's a bit overbearing to Mikey, it feels draining to him to have Leo on his back 24/7, but Leo isinsistent on supporting Michelangelo in any way possible, if Mikey ever said he was too tired to walk, Leo would gladly pick him up and carry him around for as much time as he needed to rest, Leo was constantly making sure Mikey would be out of harm's way, his mother hen side was at full speed, everytime his little brother gets hurt, it's like the end of the world, Leo freaks out and takes care of the injury like if Mikey's life depended on it.

April stopped going to the Lair for a while, unsure if the guys would be happy to have her around, she caused the accident afterall, so she's pretty sure that everyone might be holding a grudge about it, her carelessness caused Mikey so much pain, the guilt was almost getting to her until Donnie called her one day saying Mikey was worried about her and wanted her to come over to see if she's ok, it felt heartwarming to her to know that at least Mikey and Donnie were not mad at her, when she went to the sewers the next day, Mikey was glad to see she's alright and hugged her tight, which maked April happy cry a little bit, Donnie being Donnie, wasn't mad at her, he knows it was an accident, and of course, he got a bit jealous of Mikey for getting such a long and caring hug.

Casey sadly had to go out of town soon after the accident, there was an important family trip he was dragged to and he has been getting updates on Michelangelo's state through messages from Donnie and April.

During this time, Michelangelo has been healing quickly, he's still far from ever going fully back to normal, but he's still better than before, his mind is still a bit messed up and soaking in his bottled up trauma, but it's not like it's nothing he never went through before, so he knows how to "manage" it, of course, it's not really the healthiest way to do so, he ignores the problem and finds something to distract himself, maybe by cooking, or some light exercising, or basically anything that he can get imersed into temporarily, his family has been watchful of his every step in his every waking hour, and they are constantly taking measures to make sure Mikey doesn't push himself too much.