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Random idea out of nowhere, enjoy!

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For a long time, Michelangelo had thought that growing up would be wonderful. His brothers would listen to him, he'd get to stay up later, do all sorts of new fun things, and he wouldn't have to eat his peas. Growing up was a wonderful goal.

Then Leonardo grew up.

He became too serious, absorbed in being the newly appointed leader. He forgot how to laugh and play with his brothers. He started trying to be perfect, and got angrier and angrier when his brothers weren't perfect - and even more angry when he himself failed.

Leo growing up hadn't been very fun.

But that was okay, maybe it was just Leo's job as leader that made him like that. Growing up wouldn't be so bad for the others, right?

Then Raphael grew up.

He became angry, resentful. Always picking fights with Leo when they used to be best buds. He began openly defying orders, railing against the authority over him, trying to be free of it and choose his own path. He yelled more than he smiled, and even his smiles weren't really smiles - just smirks at one of his brother's expense. Even his laughs sounded mean nowadays.

That scared Mikey - surely growing up wasn't supposed to turn people bad. First Leo, then Raph...what was wrong with them? Was growing up really bad? But maybe he and Donnie would be okay - Donnie was always the gentle type, growing up wouldn't turn him mean or angry.

And so Donatello grew up.

And he grew away. He became distant, absorbed in his inventions and technology. He jumped light years ahead of his brothers in the intellect department, leaving them behind without bothering to help them catch up. To Donnie, books were now his friends, gadgets and electronics his toys. He had no time to spend with his baby brother - he was too busy inventing new things "for the good of the lair". Donnie had grown up so much he'd left everyone else behind. Sometimes, they couldn't even understand him when he spoke anymore.

That proved it for Mikey - even Donnie had gone all strange and bad when he grew up. His brothers now were all "adults" or trying to be, with nothing in their minds but their new roles in life and their icky personality changes. No one had time to play with Mikey anymore - they were "too old" for games anymore. He'd lost his brothers to the thing he used to want more than anything.

And so, Michelangelo swore he'd never grow up, ever. He'd be a kid forever, so he'd never go bad or turn angry and sullen like his brothers. He'd be good and happy forever - even if it was just him, all by himself. He'd live - it would just be one big game of make-believe. Mikey could make anything seem real in his mind if he tried hard enough.

His brothers used to love the worlds Mikey could come up with in his head.

Now, they just said he had an over-active imagination.

But even if his brothers made fun of him for not being an "adult", at least Mikey would always be Mikey. He could live like that, even if his brothers hated him.

And so, he'd never grow up.

Tongue sticking out in concentration, Michelangelo carefully controlled the crayon as he put the final touches on his masterpiece. Never had a coloring book page been so masterfully completed. It deserved its own award practically - a reserved place in the Louvre, maybe.

Leo walked by behind him, rolling his eyes. "Coloring books, Mikey? Can't you learn to be a little more mature?"

Mikey, to prove his maturity, turned his "hanging-out-of-mouth-in-concentration" tongue into a "sticking-out-of-mouth-to-blow-raspberry-at-mean-brother" tongue.

Rolling his eyes, Leo continued on his way.

Picking up his coloring book and carefully putting away his crayons in the box, Mikey stood and headed for his room. He neatly side-stepped Raph in the hallway, who tried to reach out and half-heartedly grab him. Raph turned and yelled after his retreating form.

"I can't prove it, but I know it was you who put super glue on the toilet seat! I'll get you for it later...goddamn it, you are such a kid!"

The raspberry response was also appropriate for this situation.

Just about to his room, he was nearly run over when Don burst out of his lab, goggles perched half-hazardly on his head and bits of jumbled metal and wire in hand. Donnie gave him barely a glance, before sighing.

"Really, Mikey, couldn't you have waited to blow up the TV for at least a month? I had only finished fixing it two weeks ago. Of course, it wouldn't have broken if you hadn't made Raph angry enough to tackle you...what is it with you and pranks? Why don't you just grow up already?"

Another tongue for another brother.

"Never!" He sang out, and proceeded to dance to his room, blithely ignoring his brother's angry voices.

Only inside his room with the door shut did he allow himself to slump against the door, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor. His brothers just got worse as the years went by - they had grown up without him. They just got grumpier. Meaner. More serious. More distant.

He'd never grow up.

Never never never.

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