Good for Something
A/N: So here's yet another one shot featuring Willow Green. I love doing these so much. This time she's going to bond with Mikey and help him out of a funk he's in. I hope you enjoy this story.
Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and Willow Green.
Summary: Willow finds Mikey hiding and shows him that he is good for something.
The sewers were always so quiet. The only sounds were the occasional scurry of a rat or the drips of water coming out of the pipes. Willow was on her way to the Turtles' Lair to spend some time with them. She thought they would cheer her up since she'd just come from visiting her ailing mother, and it was always hard to deal with that at the best of times. Suddenly, she heard sobbing coming from a pipe nearby. She tilted her head and listened again. Was there a lost child who had been wandering the sewers? Curious, Willow headed in the direction of the sound and came upon a familiar Turtle sitting in the pipe.
"Mikey, is that you?" she asked gently. "What's wrong?"
Mikey looked up, tears still leaking out of his baby blue eyes. He sniffed once, wiping his eyes on his arm until Willow handed him a tissue.
"There, now tell me what's wrong," Willow prompted.
"They did it again," he said.
"You mean your brothers?"
He nodded. "They upset me again. I was just havin' fun and playin' pranks on them, but they got mad. Leo said I wasn't focused on training because all I do is goof off, Don said I was nothing but a bother to him when I went into his lab, and Raph said I wasn't even cut out to be a good ninja and would be better off as a clown!" He started a new round of sobbing, which prompted Willow to gather him in a hug.
"Shh, it's okay, Mikey," she soothed. "I'm sure they didn't mean it."
"Yes, they did! They hate me! I should just run off and be a ronin."
"I don't think Splinter would like that," she said gently. "And why would Leo say that about training? Did you have a bad session?"
"No, it went good, but I goofed off a lot and taunted my brothers. And I only went into Donnie's lab because I like to watch him work, but I accidentally knocked some beakers off of the table, and he got mad at me. Raph was sick of me annoying him while he sparred with Leo, and that's when he yelled at me. I was just tryin' to have fun and distract him. I didn't mean anything by it."
"I'm sure you didn't, Mikey, and I think they know that, too."
"Then why did they say those things?"
"Because they were angry, and sometimes we say things we don't mean when we're angry. And as for not being good at anything, I'd say you're pretty good at a lot of things."
"Like what?" he asked sullenly. "All I do is play pranks on people."
"You're a fantastic fighter and very athletic," she answered.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that."
"And Leo told me the story of how you saved them from a parasitic wasp all by yourself."
His face lit up. "Leo said that?"
She nodded. "Yes, he did. And he also said that you helped create the retro-mutagen that saved the city."
"I did, but it was kind of an accident," he said sheepishly. "I didn't know it would work."
"I would say it's a lucky accident," Willow corrected him. "But you know what you're really good at?"
"What's that?"
"You're good at bringing sunshine to anybody who's feeling down. I was feeling down today because I just visited my mother, and it's always hard to visit her."
"Leo told me she was sick. She has some disease I can't pronounce."
"Yes, it's called Alzheimer's and she'll eventually not remember anything."
"That sucks, Willow. I'm sorry you have to go through that."
"Thanks, Mikey. But the thing is that even though I was feeling down, I heard you crying and forgot about my own pain. Knowing that I've made you feel better makes me very happy right now, and that's what you're good at, Mikey. You're good at helping people forget their pain and helping them to focus on the good things in life. That's a very good trait to have, and so if you ever feel down like this again, or your brothers say something nasty, just remember what I've told you. You're my little ray of sunshine, and you always will be."
Mikey smiled at that. "Thanks, Willow," he said. "You made me feel better."
"You're welcome, Sunshine," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Now, let's get you back home. I think your brothers have some apologizing to do." She took his hand and led him back to the Lair. The other Turtles were in the living area watching TV which was fortunate for them.
"Hi, Willow," Leo greeted her. "How was your day?"
"Not good, but Mikey made me feel better," she answered. "And I think the three of you have something to say to Mikey."
All three Turtles looked down sheepishly and apologized to their younger brother.
"Good. Do you accept their apologies, Mikey?"
Mikey beamed. "Yep. It's all good now."
"I'm glad that things could be resolved."
22222
Splinter called the Turtles for practice, and I stayed to watch them. Mikey was paired with Leo and every time he did a move that sent Leo down, he turned to me and beamed a smile at me. I could tell he felt much better about the talk we had, and I hoped his brothers would learn not to treat him that way anymore.
Once practice was over, I spent some time having tea with Splinter. He regarded me with a smile right after I took a sip of the tea.
"I want to thank you for helping Michelangelo today," he said. "It really made him feel better."
"No problem, Master Splinter," I replied. "I'm always glad to help your sons when they need it. I just hope his brothers stop treating him like he's second best."
"Oh, I am sure they will," he reassured me. "They are just being teenagers after all."
I wasn't too convinced on that point, but I knew better than to argue with him about it. We continued our conversation about movies and the stresses and joys of being teachers. Once my tea was finished, Splinter bowed to me.
"Thank you once again, Willow. You are truly an asset to our family."
"You're welcome, Splinter," I replied, trying to hide the blush on my cheeks from his words.
Leo was ordered to escort me home, and it gave me a good opportunity to lecture him about how he and the others treated Mikey.
"You really shouldn't take him for granted," I chastised. "Mikey is a good brother to you, and the world is a better place because of him."
"I'm sorry, Willow," apologized Leo. "It's just that sometimes he gets so annoying. I just wish he would focus more when we're training."
"I think he does in his own way," I answered. "I've been observing the four of you, and you all have a unique little style all of your own on how you fight and train. Mikey just has a different style than you do, Leo. You can't hate him for that."
"I don't hate him, Willow. I love him dearly as I do all of my brothers. I just wish he would tone down the antics."
"Well, for what it's worth, maybe you should just take it in stride instead of yelling at him. He was pretty cut up about it. He even wanted to run away and be a ronin."
Leo's eyes widened at that. "Really? That's not good."
"No, it's not. That's why you need to remember to treat him with respect."
"I'll try, Willow. It's just hard sometimes. But I remember when he ran away before."
"He did? Where did he go?"
"It was when we were at the farmhouse. He got mad because we yelled at him for trashing the house and ran away to live in the woods. That's where he met Napoleon Bonafrog and the Punk Frogs. Needless to say, most of them weren't happy about the humans, but they changed their minds. Mikey came back, and everything was great again. But I keep thinking about what would have happened if he hadn't come back."
"Then maybe you should remember that before you say a mean thing about him," I suggested. "Think more about your words and if they will hurt Mikey and cause him to run away."
"I can definitely do that," Leo said with a smile.
"That's my boy," I said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
We reached my home and I promised to see them again soon. Leo waved to me, and I watched as he leaped the rooftops. I just hoped he take my words into consideration and treat Mikey with more respect. We could all use that these days.
Until next time,
Willow
A/N: And another one shot comes to an end. I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I really like this series and love writing about my OCs. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.