"Come on, Leo! Rise and shine, bro. It's time to wake up!"

Leo turned on his side, pulled the sheets over his head, and groaned, "Quiet, Mikey, it's not even seven, yet." Ever since they'd woken up together in the shadows of an alley, he'd had a biological clock that always woke him at seven. It didn't even matter if he'd gone to only sleep at five or six, he was still up and alert at seven, his body humming with the expectation of exercise. Any earlier than seven and he was practically dead to the world. Which was why he did not appreciate it when his little brother took it upon himself to snatch the sheets away – it's cold – and shake his bed.

"We're being punished, remember?" Leo blinked, the memory of Xever showing up to morning practice yesterday with a black-ink mustache drawn across his snout replaying itself in his brain. Rahzar, the jerk, had completely and utterly failed to let Xever know that there was a swirly mustache drawn on his face before Master Shredder came to inspect them. Probably because he knew it would get Mikey in trouble. The fish-mutant had spun to glare at Michelangelo the second Master pointed it out. So, really, Mikey was being punished. The only reason he had to get up too was because he'd asked their master to let him share in the punishment since, as he'd pointed out, Mikey was his little brother and therefore it was his responsibility to keep him out of trouble.

Watching his little brother hop around the room as he tried to yank on his pants, Leo joked, "You know, I think I'm starting to regret my life choices. Maybe I should just tell Master that I changed my mind and let you spent the next three weeks waking up on your own."

Brushing his teeth now, Mikey smirked, white bubbles framing his lips, "Hey, that's a great idea." A shrug. "What possible trouble could I get into wandering around this place for an hour by myself, right?"

Point taken, Leo slipped out of bed, throwing the alarm clock a dirty look as he moved to the chest they shared and pulled out a pair of dark sweatpants. Out of the corner of his eye, he tried to catch a glimpse of his brother's unguarded face. There was something wrong with the set of his shoulders, and was it Leo's imagination or had he never actually heard the alarm clock ring? He hummed thoughtfully to himself. "Mike," at the sound of his name, his little brother stiffened, toothbrush still in hand, "do you remember what happens when you wake me up too early?"

A stern expression tried to form itself on Mikey's features. "No, Leo, we don't have time for-" Leo cut him off with a groan as he collapsed to the ground and curled inwards.

"I can't stop it, Mikey." Leo gasped.

"You can, though." Mikey edged towards the door, trying as hard as he could not to laugh, then froze when he felt three fingers latch onto his ankle.

Wide-eyed, Leo continued, "The transformation-"

"Isn't real."

"-is taking place." Slowly, he climbed to his feet. Head hanging and shoulders slumped, he grabbed Mikey by the shoulders and cried, "The Morning Monster is awake!"

Growling playfully, he lifted Mikey up and dropped him on the bed, then tickled his arms and plastron until he could barely breath. Through peals of laughter, Mikey called for mercy. "I give. I give." Another fit of giggles attacked him. "You win, Leo!"

Fighting a grin, Leo pulled back, then he finally caught a glimpse of what he'd been looking for and the urge to smile vanished. There were dark shadows under his brother's eyes. "Mike," startled at the abrupt change in tone, Mikey reluctantly controlled his snickers and threw Leo a wary look, "did you stay up the entire night?" Mikey shrugged, then rolled his eyes when he saw Leo get ready to go full lecture mode on him. "Listen to me, Michelangelo," Leo placed a hand on his shoulder, "if you're not rested, you'll make mistakes. If you make mistakes, you'll get punished. And I don't want to see that happen."

"Neither do I," Mikey argued, "that's why I stayed up so I could make sure we got out on time but," Leo followed his eyes to see they were running a few minutes late, "it looks like we'll be waking up at five tomorrow."

Not if Leo could help it.

He grabbed Mikey's hand, "Woah!" and raced out the door, dragging his little brother along so fast his feet barely touched the ground. "Slow down, you manic!" Mikey panted once they'd already stopped. Then he looked up to see they were standing outside the dojo. "Oh." He chuckled, slapping Leo on the shell. "You're one crazy turtle, you know that?"

Leo snorted, shooting his brother a cocky grin. "You're just jealous because I'm faster than you."

"Oh?" Mikey rolled on the balls on his feet, ready to run or spar if Leo initiated it. Dojos were made for that sort of stuff, anyway. "Way I remember it, you lost our last race."

Before Leo could retort, Xever shoved past them, bumping purposefully into Mikey and throwing him off-balance. Leo rushed forward to catch him before he went sprawling to the ground, then turned to growl at their unappreciated company, his arms tightening protectively around his little brother, "What are you doing here, Xever? I don't remember you being punished."

"The Shredder ordered us to gather here early for your," an unpleasant grin revealed the razor-edged teeth in his mouth, "initiation." Mikey gulped.

Anything that made Xever or Rahzar smile usually spelled trouble for him and Leo. For some reason, the two just seemed to hate them. And while Leo at least had their master's protection, Mikey was on his own. Unlike Leo, he wasn't Master Shredder's favorite student. In fact, on a long list of favorite or at least well-liked students, he didn't even rank. Where Leo was wanted, Mikey was tolerated. And as much as he wanted to change that, nothing he did seemed to do anything but reinforce the idea that he was good for anything other than target practice.

Seeing the look on his face, Xever smacked his lips, sneering, "Ready to be thrown back out on the streets, little turtle?"

"Hey," Leo said firmly, "don't talk to him like that." For Mikey's benefit, he added more gently, "No one's going to be thrown back to the streets."

Rahzar picked that moment to come strolling around the corner. "I think that's up to Master Shredder to decide, don't you, Leonardo?"

"What's your problem, Rahzar?" Mikey retorted as he broke away from his brother so he could stand on his own two feet, "Couldn't find a fire hydrant when Master Shredder took you out for your morning walk?"

"Mikey!" Leo hissed as he tried to pull his brother behind him. Xever and Rahzar seemed to want their heads on a platter for the high crime of breathing, but provoking them wasn't going to make that any better and it certainly wasn't going to make his position as leader-to-be any easier.

Mike pulled away from him. "Leo, these guys are probably never going to like me, but you protecting me all the time isn't helping."

"You should listen to your older brother," Xever leaned closer to Mikey until he was barely a hair's width away from touching his beak, "Leonardo may be the master's golden boy, but I don't think Master Shredder would mind if something unfortunate were to happen to one little irritant." Rahzar laughed throatily, the sound like dried leaves brushing against a tombstone.

Just as the two turtles began to instinctively move to cover each other's backs, the steel doors to the dojo opened. Inside, they could see the Shredder standing with his hands clasped and his back to them. Since the Foot Clan was based in a skyscraper, the entire back wall was one giant window. At the edge of the city, the sun could be seen peeking over the horizon, yet not all of the stars had faded from the sky.

Back before the Shredder had taken them in, Mikey had loved the sunrise. It was the only time he got to enjoy the sun without worrying about being seen by humans. In a way, though, he hated it, too. The sunrise meant it was time to hide in dumpsters or sleep under cardboard and pray that they weren't found.

They'd lasted a month on their own before the Shredder found them and took them into his home. And all he wanted in return was their loyalty.

Even knowing that, Mikey couldn't help but glare at his back. He didn't know why, but being around their master always made his skin crawl.

When the Shredder finally deigned to turn around and greet them, two black masks dangled from his hands, each swaying slightly in the gentle breeze provided by the air conditioning. From the lights to the air to the people, everything seemed fake in the Foot Clan tower. At least when he'd slept on cardboard and tar, Mikey had known that everything he'd touched and everything he'd felt was real. And he'd never tell Leo, not after he'd done so much to keep him safe, but he missed that certainty.

"These masks," the Shredder said as he stared each of them in them in the eyes, apparently satisfied with what he saw, "prove that you have earned the right to call yourselves members of the Foot." Standing beside him, Mikey saw Leo straighten with pride. With this, they wouldn't have to worry about finding food or a place to sleep again, but it was more than that. Leo genuinely wanted to please the man who'd taken them in. It was written all over his face. "And now," Mikey tensed, "it is time for your first mission." Gesturing out the window, he said, "This mission is a test of your loyalty. A test that I know," an armored hand came to rest on Leo's shoulder, "you will pass admirably, my disciple."

Leo bowed his head. "Of course, Master."

Feeling he should make some sort of acknowledgement, Mikey nodded, even though no one was looking at him and he was pretty sure nobody cared. To his surprise, the Shredder did turn to look at him.

"Michelangelo," their master towered over him now, looking about as friendly and approachable an executioner, "I expect you to follow orders."

The reply came automatically. "Yes, Master."

"And I expect you to act like a practitioner of the ancient art of ninjutsu. No more foolishness."

Clenching his fists but trying to keep his tone respectful, Mikey answered, "I won't fail you, Master." And bowed. Unshed tears stung at his eyes. He could feel the others looking at his back, feel their joy at his being singled out and chastised again. He knew Leo would talk to him later, tell him things would get better if he just toned it down with the jokes a little and focused, but if it were just him serving with Fishface and Dogbreath and nearly getting the shell beaten out of him during training every day – Leo was usually able to keep the "spars" from escalating too far - then he'd have left, already.

As he slipped the black mask over the back of Mikey's head, the Shredder spoke to him in a low, almost confidential tone, "Your brother has earned his place here, Michelangelo. See that you do the same."

As soon as the masks were on and tied, they were fully debriefed on their first mission. Apparently, it was going to be a joint effort with the Purple Dragons, local thugs that were supposed to be bad news, and its objective was to steal from a pharmacy owner who'd refused to pay his protection fee.

Mikey stole another glance at his brother to see he'd gone completely still, some of the color draining from his face as his brow furrowed with doubt. Being a ninja, being Leo, was all about doing what was right and honorable. How was robbing a pharmacy either of those things? How could the man who asked to be trusted?

Inwardly, Mikey seethed. This was wrong. He knew it the same way he knew which fruit was rotten in a dumpster. And if he could just get Leo alone…

"You'll be leaving immediately," their master said as he passed them the weapons they'd woken up with two months ago, two katanas for Leo and a pair of 'chucks for Mikey. "And it would be wise," he added, legitimately threatening in a way that schoolyard bullies like Rahzar and Xever could only dream of, "not to disappoint me. Though I am sure," his gaze fell on Leo, softening a fraction, "you will not."

A/N: Special thanks to SilverExorcist for talking this out with me and helping me brainstorm^^