Leo grinned at the way Mike’s expression brightened. “I’ll even make sure you get a rubber ducky.”
His grin turned into a laugh as he steadied Mike on his feet. “I would think a pretty princess like you would prefer being swept off his feet and carried into the sunset. Or, at least, into the sewer. I know you’re used to it but I was most concerned about walking through the sewer with open wounds, even though it wouldn’t be the first time.”
He gripped Mike’s belt to provide support as he helped him over a fallen beam. “You’re not kidding about the weight,” he said with a wink, “but don’t worry, I think it’s all in the shell.”
Leo wasn’t surprised that Mike wanted him to call ahead - it was why he’d made the offer to begin with - but he couldn’t help the regretful ache that came with the answer. “You know it’s impossible for us not to be worried,” he said quietly, “and I hope you know we’d never think you were an inconvenience. But I’ll make the call. Hang on, we’re out of the worst area now. Just sit tight for a few minutes and then we’ll be on our way.”
He helped Mike sit on a pile of bricks that looked sturdy, then stepped a short distance away and pulled out his shell cell. His thumb automatically hovered over the speed dial for Raph, but after considering a moment he shifted and pushed a different button. The phone only made it through one and a half rings before Don picked up. Leo smiled to himself. He knew Don was likely busy with a project, but he never failed to answer.
“Hey, Leo, what’s up?”
“I ran into a bit of an unusual situation,” Leo said, speaking quietly. “Mike’s back. Everything’s okay, but we had a bit of trouble and he got banged up a bit. I need to get him back to the lair to get him patched up.”
“Okay.” There was a brief pause while Don let that sink in, then Leo heard shuffling and a clang, and he could picture him pushing himself back from his work station. “Okay, sure. What can we do? Do you need us to come get you?”
Having his brothers show up in the Battle Shell would save a lot of time and spare Mike an inconvenient and potentially difficult walk, but Leo knew he’d never accept, and he wasn’t hurt badly enough for Leo to insist. “No, we should be able to get home without issue. But listen, the reason I called is…well, Mike would prefer not to see anyone. I thought you should gather everyone and head out to one of our satellite locations for a bit.”
There was another pause before Don very quietly said, “Oh.”
“He hasn’t met you yet, Donny,” Leo said gently, keeping his voice low so it wouldn’t carry. “And even if he had - from what you’ve told me, I think it’d be too painful for him to see everyone. But I thought you should be the one I call about this.”
“Yes. I know. I understand.” Don was quiet for a moment longer before he took a deep breath and erased the sorrow and regret from his voice. “All right. I’ll get everyone together and we’ll be out of here in 10 - 15 minutes. Good enough?”
“That’ll be fine. Thanks. I’ll let you know when we’re gone.” Leo put his phone back on his belt, straightened his shoulders and turned back to Mike, giving him a lopsided smile. “Okay, Marius. Let’s get you into the sewers so we can go home.”
“A rubber ducky? Oh man I haven’t had a rubber ducky in years!” Mike exclaimed gleefully. “Talk about your silver lining!”
He grinned at Leo’s laughter and offered him a cheeky wink. “Well, if you were the size of oh, say, Leatherhead... then I would absolutely insist on being carried off into the sewer sunset!” He looked over himself briefly again, then smiled reassuringly. “And I don’t think I’ve got anything open enough to worry about now that the gash is covered up, so unless you actively shove me into raw sewage I should be fine.”
He snorted as Leo helped him over the beam - he didn’t really need the help, but he could tell it made Leo feel better to provide it, so he accepted the assistance without comment. “A good chunk of said weight is shell, yes, but the rest is all grade-A, high-density turtle beef, thank you very much! It contributes to the magnetism, y’know.” He paused, then added thoughtfully, “Or possibly gravitational pull.”
Leo’s quiet words made something twist deep in Mike’s chest, but he simply nodded with an understanding little quirk of his mouth. “I know,” he murmured as he sat down on the pile of bricks that Leo had steered him to. As Leo stepped away to make the call, Mike watched him for a moment, then turned his attention to scanning their surroundings for potential threats. Leo’s conversation was little more than a quiet background murmur, and Mike didn’t bother trying to eavesdrop on it. They’d been lucky so far - nobody else seemed to be around this area, but it wasn’t entirely dark yet and Mike wasn’t going to let his guard down. The last thing they needed right now was to get spotted and wind up in a fight.
Their luck seemed to be holding out for once though - apart from the occasional pigeon, Mike saw no movement until Leo started heading back to him. He scanned their surroundings one last time, then blinked as Leo spoke up. “Marius, Marius... why does that sound familiar?” His brow furrowed in thought even as he got back to his feet. “That’s gonna bug me all day now...” He shrugged slightly, then returned his attention back to Leo. “Disappearing into the sewers sounds good,” he replied with a matching lopsided smile. “Lead the way.”