Liability

Chapter 4

Mikey smiled at himself as he plopped down on his bed. Donnie had apologized, and they had worried about him. Maybe everything was going to be just fine. He sighed, turning his gaze from the ceiling down to the floor. He loved his brothers. Carefully sitting up, he felt a twinge in his gut and an abrupt urge, a desire. He sat still for a second before finally giving in. Maybe just a few today. He reached his hand under the bed and pulled out the little bottle of relief. 

"Only three today," he promised himself. 

He took the pills and let himself lean back against the wall. He closed his eyes for a moment and leaped up, grabbing a sheet of paper and a pencil. He dropped down to the floor, laying on his plastron, feet swinging in the air, as he began to draw. Drawing always seemed to relax him, and maybe it would take his mind off the pills. He traced circles and twisting arcs in short strokes, covering the paper in smudged slashes. He didn't really know what he was drawing. He paused, lifting the pencil. He breathed in, setting it aside. His thoughts didn't seem to be working. After a moment, he shrugged. 

"What do you think it is?" He asked. He looked up, realizing there was no one there.

"Oh."

He dragged a pillow down from the bed and shuffled over to it, sinking his face into it. He had a slight headache. He lifted his head up, pulling the drawing up to his eyes. It resembled a man, maybe woman, or turtle. They were holding a knife in their right hand and a pistol in their left. Mikey felt a surge of anger rush through him as he jabbed his pencil into the chest of the ugly drawing, crushing the led. He gave out a strangled cry that sounded to him like a dying puppy. He threw the paper along with the pencil at the wall.

Footsteps startled him out of his rage. He scrambled up to his door.

"Mikey?" A voice called.

"What?"

"I just thought I heard something..."

"Well, everything's fine here."

"Ok, do you wanna come out and join us for dinner?"

"Sure dude!" 

Mikey was about to open his door when he remembered the pills that were still resting on his bed. Without a second thought, he dove to grab them, landing harshly on the ground with a loud thud instead. 

"Mikey?!" The door swung open revealing a frantic Leo. 

Mikey reacted fast, snatching the bottle and hiding it behind his back. 

"Are you ok? What happened?"

"Uh. I jumped."

Leo sighed, his cheeks flushed red. "Oh."

"Let's go, " Mikey grinned.

Leo smiled, leading him out to the living room where a pizza sat on the couch between Raph and Donnie. The little bottle was still tightly grasped in Mikey's right hand and he was doing his best to keep it concealed. 

"Mikey! Want some?~" Raph called teasingly. 

"Uh, yeah dude!" 

God, he was awful at lying. Raph gave him an odd look and Donnie immediately looked over at him. He lifted the pizza away from his mouth.

"Are you ok Mikey?"

Leo approached him from behind, causing him to jump and nearly topple over.

"Mikey?" 

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine." 

He laughed awkwardly, his grip subconsciously tightening around the bottle.

"Are you sure?"