Hello Everyone!

Get ready for some turtle tots!

"Well technically April we all went to the surface at the same time," I reply dismissively with my back still facing the room and my nose in my computer screen.

April leans more of her body onto my third favorite desk. I wince as the desk scraps against the floor from the added weight

Why is everyone in my lab again?

"Wow you guys never like, snuck out?" April asks.

"Oh we snuck out of the lair all the time. We just never snuck above ground," Leo says from his spot on the floor.

One of my brothers, I'm not sure who, brought in a blanket so that the three of them could sit on the floor of my lab comfortably while everyone conversed.

Maybe I should get more chairs, that blanket can't be comfortable.

"Uh yeah, that would have been a whole new kind of punishment," Mikey says from Leo's left probably still curled in that little ball I saw him in last.

That blanket is probably bothering them. I turn my swivel chair half way around to see the questionable piece of fabric. It was an extremely thick, unnecessarily fluffy, sky blue blanket with care bears caricatures littering the front.

Mikey brought the blanket.

"So I guess that means I was the first one out of the sewers," Leo says absentmindedly rubbing his hand back and forth across the soft fabric underneath him

I turn back towards my computer screen. Don't correct him Donnie.

"How do you figure?" Raph asks in a challenging tone.

"Well, I was the first one out of the manhole, so that means I went up top first."

Screw accuracy, don't say anything.

Raph gave a loud out of place 'HA,' before declaring "That doesn't count."

"It makes since, I am the oldest," Leo replies, and from the thump that followed that statement, I can only guess that he has proudly connected his open hand to his plastron for emphasis.

Great now he's bragging.

"But," Mikey begins in a confused tone, "That doesn't make any sense. Being the oldest, doesn't mean you always go out of the manhole first."

Oh geez, I can practically hear the poor guy's brain wheezing from the effort of thought

I turn back towards my brothers and April. Clearly to distracted to actually work.

Leo looks smug.

Raph looks positively indignant.

Mikey looks befuddled.

None of these are good. Especially that first one, ok deep breath Don, let's fix this atmosphere.

"Ok if we're speaking technically, I was the first one out of the sewers," I say in my most even voice.

This was obviously not the comment they expected of me.

Sorry guys, not everything I say can be an interesting fact.

"Donnie what are you saying bro."

Oh man, maybe I shouldn't have said anything, "Ah, heh heh, you know what never mind," I say once again turning back to my computer.

"Dude you cannot not say anything now!" Mikey wails crawling over to grab at my thigh.

"Did you sneak above ground?" asks Leo stone-faced.

Ohhhh my, he doesn't appear too happy.

"No Leo really I was maybe four! I doubt I could even have found a way out."

"FOUR, Donnie you were four!"

"Ok calm down Leo, geez I'm sorry I brought this up. And trust me it hardly counts as a visit topside. I guess I should tell the story."

*Eleven Years ago*

-Turtles current age, four years old-

"We are adventurers," stated a very young Leo in a no nonsense tone, "So we have to dress like adventurers."

At this declaration Leo dragged out a still slightly soggy box of dress up clothes that Splinter had found up top the other day.

Usually unwilling to risk the germs that could be residing on recently rained on clothes or toys Splinter normally wouldn't have brought these little gifts into his home. However upon inspection he found that the discarded play clothes were sealed inside plastic grocery store bags tied tightly at the top, allowing the contents to stay relatively dry.

It was a rare find and Splinter was more than grateful to have a new distraction for his boys. He himself had just found a new thrown out calligraphy set for beginners, and he was eager to begin writing.

So after showing the box to Leo and explaining its contents he quickly retreated into his room, leaving the door slightly ajar behind him so he could still listen for trouble.

Leo dumped the contents of the soggy box onto the floor and tossed the cardboard away. The clothes, now out of their plastic prisons thanks to Splinter, lay on the floor in a giant lump of different colors.

Raph and Mikey both ooed in appreciation and jumped on the clothes digging through the pile.

Don walked over and picked up a small plastic fireman's hat. He turned to Leo questioningly, "but Leo what do adventurers wear?" he asked.

Leo pondered this for a moment as he looked at the pile of cloths, hoping to find a convenient cowboy hat or something else adventurey just lying there so he could give his brother an example.

"Adventururers wear crazy stuff, just find crazy stuff," Raph answered instead as he examined a bright and sparkly red dress.

Never being around anything but other boys, the turtles had a very poor concept on the difference between what little boys and little girls should be playing with.

Barbie can be a super hero just as easily as a dinosaur in the turtle's playroom.

"Raph you can't pick red, you already have red on. Pick a different color," demanded Leo deliberately ignoring Don's hard question for an easier Raph dilemma.

Raph narrowed his eyes at Leo and in an act of defiance tried to force the red dress over his head.

"NO RAPH!" Leo shouted walking over and snatching the dress from Raph.

Not that it would have mattered anyways. Raph's little head was just too big to get the even smaller dress on.

Raph jumped to his feet and spread his arms getting ready to fight his brother, when disaster was narrowly avoided as Mikey threw a heavy brown cloak on top of Raph's head.

The cloak was clearly meant for a teenager and not a child.

"Raph I trap you!" Mikey laughed in glee as Raph flailed around to remove the heavy material off of himself.

Once free Raph tackled Mikey feeling his childlike anger dissipate as their wrestling only increased Mikey's laughter.

Mikey could be a very resilient child.

Donnie, ignoring the whole scene, glanced down at the fireman's hat in his hands then placed the hat on his head, "So we have to wear each other's colors?" Don questioned Leo liking the idea of getting to wear Raph's color.

"Yes we need to wear one of our colors, but not yours," said Leo. Although this wasn't exactly what Leo had in mind at first, he decided that it was a good rule to add to the game.

Smiling at this new game of color coordination Donnie started digging through the clothes. Almost immediately he found a faded orange Native American shirt and passed the shirt to Leo. "Look Leo it's orange you can be Mikey!" Don shouted in joy.

Hearing his name Mikey looked away from his red clothed brother pinning him to the floor and watched the exchange between Leo and Don.

Mikey and Raph had heard Leo's explain the rules of the game, but in tell now it hadn't registered in their little minds. Now Mikey was very aware that he was being left out of something. And that was just not ok.

"WAIT WAIT WAIT RAPH! Leo's being me!" Mikey shouted trying to explain to his brother why he should let him up and allow him to join the game.

Raph looked over to Leo watching him begin to struggle into the Native American garment. Head completely covered inside the shirt.

"No," Raph said bluntly. Removing himself from Mikey and marching over to an oblivious Leo. Raph snatched the shirt yanking it off of Leo with a harsh tug, partially bending his brother at the waist as he forced the clothing off Leo's head.

Leo blinked in confusion as Raph explained. "I'm mad at Leo right now. So I'm Mikey! Mikey you have to be Leo. I don't want to be him. Because I'm mad at him."

Leo glared at his brother who had the audacity to take away what he had first. "That's not nice Raph. You have to share."

Raph gave a humph and crossed his arms over his chest hugging the orangish shirt to his shell, "No I want to be Mikey!"

"No I was Mikey first!" Leo shouted back moving towards his unreasonable sibling,

Suddenly little Mikey launched himself between the two of them waving something soft, blue and incredibly shiny.

"LOOK LOOK, I FOUND LEO!" Mikey screeched showing off a comfortable looking light blue power ranger outfit.

His anger suddenly completely forgotten, Leo instead felt a flush of pride build in him as Mikey began laughing and tripping all over the place while he wiggled into the power ranger costume. Leo then felt someone softly grip his arm behind him. Little Leo turned around and saw a shy looking Donatello holding a dark purple wizard's hat covered in small white stars. Donnie held out the hat slowly as if expecting Leo to push the hat away any minute. "H-here Leo you can be me."

Leo smiled to himself, taking note that all three of his brothers were following the rules to his game. Something they didn't always do. He gladly took the offered hat placing it onto his head. "Ok so I am Donnie, Mikey is me, Donnie is Raph, and Raph is uh, Mikey." Leo said making sure everyone understood their role.

The others nodded, Mikey voicing his agreement from the floor were his struggles to get into his costume had left him. The four boys began looking through the clothing pile in renewed earnest.

By the time they were done little Donnie was dressed in a fireman's hat with a devil's dress on that reached passed his ankles slightly touching the lair's floor. The dresses red colored fabric was so bright and vivid, and in such terrible contrast with Don's green skin, that the small turtle looked like a fiery beacon. Complete with fake tears lining the bottom and sleeves of the garment, adding to the illusion of a crackling fire.

Little Mikey was wearing nothing but the blue power ranger suit. Apparently that was enough for him for he hadn't stopped running around since he got it on. It took all of Leo's power of persuasion to keep him from going to Master Splinter to show him their outfits before everyone was ready.

Little Raph had the most on. Leo had found the perfect charmander outfit. Which the brothers had all agreed was a dragon. Raph, who loved stories about dragons, had gladly accepted the outfit, loving the way the flaming tail flailed around behind him. Raph then put the Native American shirt back on. (Not wanting to leave anything out of his outfit.) And finally he completed his outfit with a brown 'adventurer's hat,' (also known as an Indiana Jones hat.) Leo tried to explain to Raph that that was brown not orange. But the fit that Raph was about to throw if Leo interfered was just daunting enough for the tiny leader to allow it.

Little Leo, still in his wizard hat, had added a set of small purple bat wings, a much too large purple tie, and a fluffy light purple tutu. Leo was the most mismatched of all his brothers. But the four of them found that purple was the hardest color to come by in their pile. So Leo had to make do with what they had.

"Ok we are ready let's go get Splinter," Leo said happily leading the way to the dojo.

At first the boys half ran to their father's domain. But as they got closer the tiny turtles began to quietly tip toe towards the dojo's sliding door.

With Leo still in the lead the four of them lined up against the wall to the left of the dojo's entrance. If their daddy was meditating, then the boys knew that they couldn't just go bother him unless something was wrong. But if Splinter was doing something else it was free reign to collect his attention.

Leo peeked his head into the dojo holding his starry wizard hat with one hand so it wouldn't fall off his head as he looked. He spotted his father immediately, not meditating, he was just writing something.

Leo didn't wait another moment. The small turtle boy ran into the room screaming, "SPLINTER, SPLINTER!"

The other three followed right behind Leo shouting.

"DADDY!"
"SPLINTER!"

"YOU HAVE TO LOOK, SPLINTER, YOU HAVE TO LOOK!"

Splinter stopped and smiled to himself as he heard his son's little feet race up behind him. So many times one or the more of them will come racing in here to tell him about a fight or a 'booboo.' It was rare and rather nice that this time they must want him for something happy. That is if the cheer in their voices was any indication.

Leo catapulted himself onto Splinter causes the rat man to lean forward slightly with an umph. Luckily he'd managed to quickly pack away his calligraphy supplies before Leo made it to him, so nothing was ruined.

Splinter spun around with a purposeful sharp turn so he could catch his slower three sons. Leo, still holding onto Splinter's back, laughed loudly as Splinter's swift movements spun him about as well. The small boy laughed with his whole being, without holding back, in that way that only children can.

Splinter caught Raph and Donnie in one arm each allowing Mikey to simply grab onto the front of his robe and pull himself into his father's lap. By this time Splinter had a pretty good idea on what his sons insisted that he 'have to look at.'

"Look Daddy, we switched colors, we switched, and I am Leo!" Mikey explained still pulling at Splinter's robes.

"I'm Raph, see this hat is red."

"OH, OH, and I'm Donnie!"

"…."

Splinter looked down at Raph who hadn't said anything, although he was clearly wearing orange, and looked rather adorable with that fiery tail. Raph just snuggled closer into Splinters arm, clutching at his sleeve and enjoying Splinter's company.

Splinter smiled and bounced the arm with Raph in it up and down, gently getting the young turtles attention. "Ohhhh and who are you now Rapheal?" Splinter asked.

"He's Mikey," answered Don helpfully.

"I see, are you Mikey, Rapheal?" Splinter pressed still trying to keep Raph involved.

"Yeah I'm Mikey. Leo wanted to be Mikey, but I says no. Because I'm Mikey," Raph said, not really minding that he had to talk. Just feeling no need for it before now.

His sons continued to climb on top of him and explain what they were wearing. This went on for a few more minutes before Splinter realized that this energy of theirs wasn't going to dissipate anytime soon. He had to find some way to rid his sons of this built up stamina or they were going to wear him down fast.

Then Splinter got an idea.

A horrible idea.

Splinter got a horribly awful idea.

He'll take his sons out on a little walk.

Ok so the idea wasn't that bad. A walk in the sewers has never hurt before. And the added excitement of the boy's new outfits should help keep them entertained as they walk.

"Hey boys, boys. BOYS!" Splinter shouted. The turtles stopped in their tracks. Just in time to, Raph was sitting on Donnie who was starting to bend into an awkward position on Splinter's lap. While Leo and Mikey seemed to have just made it halfway up the rat's body in a personal race to the top of Splinter's head.

"Boys," Splinter began camley, "Why don't we go for a walk, with your new super hero costumes? we could explore the sewers."

Splinter couldn't see Mikey or Leo, but he watched as Rapheal and Donatello's eyes grew wide, smiles growing on their faces in glee.

"Yes!" shouted Leo.

"Yes yes!"

"Well these are not super hero costumes. Leo said we were adventurers. But yes!"

"I want to go too!"

Well that settled it. With four consecutive yeses Splinter slid all the boys off of him and gathered them together herding them towards the dojo's exit.

This was either going to be a very fun, or a very long walk.

But with four year olds those are usually the only two options anyways.