[OOM: The Hamato Family Suite]

[mnt_mike]

They're going to be here any minute now.
She's going to be here any minute now.
And Mike? Has no idea what to do with himself...so he's pacing. And Stampy, for her part, is watching him pace from the comfort of a corner cushion of the couch.

Lunch is made. Drinks are chilling. Heck even Stampy's had a bath.
All there is to do now is wait...and hope.

Comments

[mnt_mike]

Stampy reaches out to boop Mel's nose with the tip of her trunk.

...

Or she tries to.

Mike doesn't do anything at first because...well, because he's not entirely sure what to do. Watching the two of them makes him so happy and sad to such a large degree that he finds himself caught in the moment.

The moment.

Mike takes a step back and reaches for the camera he keeps in the kitchen. The simple one that even Splinter can use. The Polaroid older than all of them. And then he takes a picture of Mel in Splinter's chair holding Stampy who's trying to boop her nose.

[slayer_fray]

At the click, Mel looks over her shoulder, and grins softly.

"What was that for?"

[mnt_mike]

Mike pulls the picture from the camera and begins shaking it the way you do with such things.

"Sentimental flight of fancy."

Mike doesn't have any pictures of Mel that don't bring back...memories.
Or well, he didn't used to.

[slayer_fray]

"Okay."

He can have those, if he wants.

If he wants to be friends again.

Which - Mel hurts so much, and this makes it worse, but she wants it too.

[mnt_mike]

It's not what he wants, but if it's what he can get...then that will have to do.

"I can make you a copy, if you want," he offers slipping back into the kitchen to stow the camera.

[slayer_fray]

"I don't need a photo of me'n Stampy," Mel says. "I got Stampy."

[mnt_mike]

Yes, he thinks but doesn't say. But moments are fleeting. They're always fleeting.

"It's true. And she's waaaay more snuggly."

[slayer_fray]

Don't need to tell Mel that. She's stopped trying to hold on to them.

"So how about I come and give her some real exercise?"

Mel? Looking for an excuse? To hell you say.

"Once a week?"

[mnt_mike]

Mike is quiet up until the point that a laugh erupts from him.

"Sounds like a plan. Sounds like a good plan."
He leans out of the kitchen.

"Hear that Stampy? You're going to have someone with superpowers chasing you too."

[slayer_fray]

Stampy trumpets her approval - well, it's partly a trumpet partly a raspberry on Mel's face.

"Don't mind?" To Mike. "What's a good day?"

[mnt_mike]

"Why would I mind?" he asks her with genuine perplexion. "And any day you like, just give me a heads up first. Coming out of retirement has kind of made me...twitchy around the edges. I...never really know when I'm being tested, is the thing."

[slayer_fray]

Mel smirks, wickedly.

"Thought the point was to be untwitchable."

Don't give her a challenge, Mike.

[mnt_mike]

He knows that smirk. Remembers it even. So well, in fact, that it sends a slight shiver down his spine.

"Which would be why I'm still in training."

[slayer_fray]

Mel pauses when she sees him react to that shiver, and promptly swallows the smirk.

She can't encourage this.

"So more training sounds like a plan I should be supporting."

[mnt_mike]

He just looks at her, eyes narrowing.

"You're all going to be the death of me. All of you. The death. Of me."

[slayer_fray]

"Haven't killed you yet."

[mnt_mike]

"Not for lack of trying."

[slayer_fray]

"If I was trying to kill you..."

She doesn't even bother to finish that sentence.

[mnt_mike]

"Yeah, yeah...I know," he says running his hands through his hair the way he does when he's trying to avoid eye contact.

[slayer_fray]

There is nothing like obviously avoiding eye contact with Mel to get her to stare at you.

[mnt_mike]

Oh good, because what this whole situation was missing was more awkward.

He takes a deep breath that whistles on the exhale.

[slayer_fray]

"Anyway.

"I'll come pick her up when she needs it and I'm around."

[mnt_mike]

"Sounds like a plan," he says eventually. "I'm only usually here during meal times these days, but Splinter's around. If he's not here...he's at Sallie's."

[slayer_fray]

Oh yeah, Splinter and Sallie.

"How's that getting on?"

[mnt_mike]

"Like gangbusters. I don't know that I've seen either of them this happy in a long while. Aaaand I'm certainly happy that I taught Sallie how to quiet things down," he says while making a vague gesture towards his head. "Because...no. Just...no."