Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT, sad is my life
Warnings: None for this chapter
Words in normal text means past events
Words in Italic means present events
Thanks to Nala162024 for helping with the chapter
A/N: In Laughter's Black Tears I said in the begining that they found out about Mikey's anger when they turlte's were 12, ignore that, that was a typing mistake.
Now on with the story!!!!
The Lines In between
Year One
"Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us"
-Oscar Wilde-
Feet climbed the old creaky stairs to the third floor, footsteps echoed through the quiet hall until they came to a door that had 315 faded on it. A hand pushed open the always unlocked door, green eyes stared, everything was the way they left it.
"Nothing changed"
Anthony looked at the open window where the turtle had his head peeking in, he smiled at him
"No, nothing changed"
Mikey came in, he went over to his friend and hugged him.
"It's been a while" Anthony hugged him back, nodding "It has". The two then sat together, leaning against each other. They didn't talk, just looked at the room, thoughts and emotions heavy within them.
"Does Mathew know that you're here?" Mikey finally asked
"Do your brothers know that you're here?"
"Point taken"
Anthony chuckled, before sighing "This place feels so different from the first time" he said, Mikey nodded. "It brings back so many memories" the red head sighed
"Yeah, like the first time I became so anger"
"You remember that?"
"Yeah, everyday"
*************
They say when you turn another year older, everything is different. Your body becomes different, they way you think and see things are different, you no longer are a child. Perhaps it was true, Mikey thought as he observed his brothers; it was two weeks after their thirteenth birthday.
Mikey noticed something different about his brothers, they were changing he suppose was the word for it; they no longer wanted to have fun, to play with him.
"My son"
Splinter looked down at his youngest child, his little was sitting in the living room, his comics and toys spread out around him and untouched. The young one's expression was a thoughtful and confused one.
"What bothers you child?"
Mikey stared at his feet, not at all sure how to tell his Sensei
"It's alright my son, whatever it is I'm sure I can help"
Mikey sighed, "It's the guys" he then said, Splinter blinked.
"What about your brothers? Have they've been teasing you again?"
"No, it's just that their different"
Splinter now was sitting next to his son
"How so?"
"Well, Don always in the room, reading or building things. Leo practical lives in the dojo, and Raph doesn't want to be around anyone anymore!" Mikey finished with a huff and a pout. Splinter chuckled.
"There nothing wrong with your brothers my son, they are just growing" the older rat said. Mikey blinked, growing? Was that what it was?
"And one day you will grow too"
Mikey tilted his head at this, him grow up?
***********
"Master Splinter"
The older rat paused in his Katas, he looked at his youngest who stood in the dojo entrance.
"Yes Michelangelo?"
"Uh I was wondering if you could help me with my Katas"
Splinter blinked, aside from Leonardo, none of his sons showed any desire to have extra training, especially Michelangelo.
"Really"
Mikey nodded,
"Alright, get into position"
Hours later, Splinter learned that his son was indeed a quick learner, after a few short minutes Mikey had learned much, without any problems but got bored very quickly.
Which was why the little one acted up during lessons.
"Very good my son, we are done for today"
**************
"Raphael your form is sloppy, Donatello it's left punch not right, Leonardo arms closer together. Michelangelo" Splinter looked over the nervous turtle, he then smiled. "Very good" Mikey smiled, never noticing his elder brother's narrowed gaze.
After practice Mikey bolted out the dojo to the living room, his brothers following at a much slower pace, Leo watched his brothers fight over the remote, mostly the youngest. How did his brother become good so fast?
"Ow! Raph let go!"
"Not until you hand it over!"
"Owowowowowowow!"
Leo sighed; it was probably just a onetime thing with that he went to join his brothers in the war for the remote.
It wasn't a onetime thing, soon it became an everyday thing, Leo clenched his teeth as once again his youngest brother was praised, and he was criticized.
"That's it for today my sons"
The four bowed, Splinter watched them leave raising a furry brow when Leo roughly pushed pass Mikey, the younger looked at the elder with a bewildered face.
"After that, Leo started bullying me. It was only when no one was around, he called me names and hitting me" Anthony placed a hand on the turtle's shoulder. "And the worst part about it was I never told anyone, no one knew until…..
Master Splinter's eyes narrowed as he observed his youngest son, the little one was very stiff and was favoring his right leg.
"Enough!"
All four stopped
"That is it for today, you all did well."
The four smiled
"You may leave, expect for you Michelangelo"
No one notice the smug smile on the blue clad turtle's face as the three older turtles left. Blue eyes stared up at his Sensei.
"Did you hurt yourself my son?" Mikey's eyes widen, before quickly shaking his head, at Splinter's harden stare the other sighed. "I was running around and trip on one of my toys" Mikey said, Splinter nodded, " Sit my son and I will check to see of it is broken"
Mikey sat down and Splinter kneeled and carefully examined the foot, it was then he notice the bruise on the other leg.
"How did you get this?"
The elder rat notice how the other tensed
"I got it when I fell"
The bruise looked like a three fingered hand
"I do not like it when you lie Michelangelo"
That was all it took for Mikey to break down, tears fell down his cheeks as he told his father everything. Splinter's eyes widen in shocked, never did he think any of his sons would hurt one another, especially Leonardo, the young one loved his brothers, do anything to protect them.
"It is alright my son" Splinter gather his crying son in his arms in gently rocked the other back and forth.
"Master Splinter talked to Leo that night after dinner. Then Leo came to the room me and Raph shared. He said he was sorry and that he was just jealous, I forgave him, but it didn't matter because after that I stopped trying in practice and stopped asking Master Splinter for extra training"
"But why did you do it in the first place?"
"I thought if I tried my hardest like Leo, then me and him could spend more time together"
"But it just made him jealous, is it the first time that he became like that? Jealous I mean"
Mikey shook his head yes; "I think that's why I forgave him" Anthony nodded before letting the turtle continue with his story.
"I then started spending more time with Don, he was a little shocked that I wanted to hang out with him, but didn't say anything"
Mikey wasn't sure where his brother got the chemicals and didn't want to know where they came from, so he didn't ask.
"So what does this do?"
"It creates a chemical compound that'll hopeful cause a non explosive reaction"
"So if that stuff isn't right, everything will go boom?"
Don nodded surprised that he brother for the most part understood what he said, usually when he started to talk science his brothers would wear blank faces and have no idea what he was saying. Mikey grinned before watching the olive turtle pour the pinkish colored liquid into the green liquid. The two compounds mixed together creating a purple color, both turtles grinned.
BOOM!
The two looked at each other, both faces covered in soot and surprised they then laughed.
"Everything was going good, Don taught me a lot of stuff, which I was glad to show off. Donnie didn't seem to mine, it looked like he kind of glad to have someone who for the most part understood him, and enjoyed the same thing he did, but then one day Don was doing some big project a thing he was working for years, I was playing football with Raph and the ball flew to far and…..
Eye followed as the ball as it sailed through the air and towards the project Don was doing. A loud crash echoed through, then silence.
"Oh man Don I'm so—"
"What did you do?!" the purple turned to the two
"Donnie I'm sorry" Mikey said, "let me—"
"Don't touch anything!"
Mikey flinched at the anger tone of his brother
"Don—"
"Just go"
Mikey looked at his brother, before slowly leaving.
"After that Don didn't let me anywhere near his things, even though he accepted my apology"
"It was an accident, not even that but it was the first time something like that happen"
"But, Don had been working on the thing for years, and I broke it."
"But still—"
" It didn't matter, Don didn't trust me anymore at least with his chemicals and technology"
Anthony sighed sadly before listening to his tale about his brother Raph.
Raph had be sneaking out the lair, at first Mikey didn't say anything and would excitedly wait for his brother's return to listen to the stories the older turtle came back with. Then one night Raph had came back hurt, Master Splinter brought the story about falling and left it be, Mikey didn't, fearful for his brother. The little turtle told Splinter about Raph's nightly outing, Raph was not happy
Mikey flinched at his brother's heated glare, he watched Raph's retreating form disappeared into Splinter's room.
"Raph didn't talk to me for three weeks, after that I just gave up. It seem like everything I did wasn't right with them. I didn't know what else to do"
"Then you created your mask"
Mikey's eyes started to water "You know I hate being alone, the silence and the darkness. I was so scared, I was losing my brothers, my family and I didn't want that"
Anthony hugged him, together they cried.
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