25 Reasons Why I love My Brothers
A TMNT Fanfic by Miscellaneous Thief2
A/N: Woo! This is my first TMNT story, so I thought I'd start out with chibi turtles. The boys are about eight. This is set in the 2003-verse, but it's universal.
D.I.S.C.L.A.I.M.E.R.- Dreadful Insignificant Statements Claiming Lonely Author Is Merely Excluding Responsibility
"I hate you!"
"I hate you, too!"
"Oh yeah? Well I hate both of you more!"
"I hate all of you!"
"I wish we weren't brothers."
This was the scene that Master Splinter walked in on. Three of his sons were trying wrestle each other, while the fourth was standing off to the side, holding a toy in the air. Splinter sighed. He had heard the yelling from their kitchen (not an uncommon sound with four boys) and had decided he'd better come investigate. He had just entered the room that the four turtles shared when he heard Michelangelo's wish. The shock was evident on the old Sensei's face, but only lasted for a mere second before something between a mix of anger, sadness, and disappointment took over.
"Leonardo! Raphael! Donatello! Michelangelo!"
Said turtles, having recognized Splinter's tone for what it was, quickly unscrambled and lined up in order, knowing from experience what would happen if they didn't. They waited in anxious silence as Splinter stalked the floor in front of them. Finally, Michelangelo couldn't take it anymore and broke the silence.
"Um, Master Splinter?"
Splinter stopped right in front of the orange-clad turtle and sent him a look that could have sent even the biggest albino alligator crawling home with his tail between his legs. Michelangelo swallowed nervously.
"Are you mad at us?"
Splinter paused for a moment before replying in a grave voice.
"I am not mad. Just very, very disappointed."
They stood in stunned silence. Splinter had never said he was disappointed in them before. Angry, yes. Frustrated, yes. But never disappointed. Leo and Don just stared at the ground in guilt, while Raph clenched his fist in anger (mostly at himself) and Mikey looked close to tears.
Suddenly, Splinter spoke.
"I will not live forever." All eyes were on him now "Each year that passes, I grow older. As much as you may deny it, eventually I will die.
"When that happens, you will all have to take care of each other, for there will be no one else to do that. If you are filled with hate for each other, then when I die, so will this family. You are brothers. It is time to start acting like it."
There a pregnant pause, before Mikey blurted out "But I do hate them! They're all a bunch of meanies to me!"
The room suddenly exploded in an array of angry voices.
"I'm the mean one? You're the one who-"
"Oh Raph, like your first response isn't to punch something-"
"And would it kill you to knock before-"
"La la la, I can't hear you!"
"Real mature, Mi-"
"You guys are always doing this! That's why-"
"I ha-"
"SILENCE!"
The four little ninjas, jerked back to reality by the angry yell from their sensei, looked the ground in shame. Splinter was seething with anger. They had fought in front of Splinter! Surely they were in for it now.
Gripping the bridge of his nose in stress, Splinter thought for a moment before coming up with an idea.
"I want you each to come up a list of titled "Why I Love my Brothers". Each of you will write six reasons, two for every brother. When you are done, you will bring your list to me and I will copy it down onto the chalkboard. Once all of you are done, you will agree on a single reason to love all of your brothers. Can anyone tell me how many total reasons that is?"
Donny raised his hand.
"Yes Donatello?"
"Twenty-five?"
"That is correct. Now, I don't want any copying," At this he glared at Michelangelo, who had the sense to look sheepish "So I will separate you into different rooms. Donatello, I want you to go in the kitchen."
"Hai, Sensei." Donny replied with a bow before grabbing a pencil and paper from the desk and exiting the room.
"Raphael, you are to go into the living room."
"Hai, Sensei" Raph followed Donny in suit, and then he too left the room.
"Leonardo, you may be in the dojo."
"Hai, Sensei." And then there was one.
"Michelangelo, you will remain in here."
"Hai, Sensei" Mikey said, before he sat of the lower bunk with his paper. Splinter left the room.
Mikey, deciding to start with the brother he hated the least at the moment, wrote the heading Donny, before writing a one under the name. He glared at the paper for a minute, daring it to grace him with inspiration, before sighing in frustration. How was he supposed to come up with two reasons why he liked Donny, much less Raph or Leo? They were always so mean to him! And they treated him like a baby, just because he was the youngest! He hated it.
In a moment of frustration, Mikey flung his pillow across the room. He watched in horror as the pillow collided with his favorite action figure, which was strategically placed on top on the desk, causing it to crash to the ground. He winced as he heard the plastic crack. Rushing over, he picked up the toy, which was now broken if half. He bit back tears as he brought it back to his bed.
He would just have Donny fix it again.
Flashback
Mikey sat in the middle of a sewer walkway, crying silently. He had been skateboarding down the sewers with his favorite action figure, pretending to make him fly, when he accidently ran over a rock and crashed. But he wasn't crying crying because he was hurt- save for a scrape, he was fine. No, he was crying because his toy was broken.
Suddenly Mikey heard footsteps coming down the pathway. He stiffened and drew closer into the shadows, listening carefully. He could probably defend himself against a human if he had to, but, if he could avoid it, then he would rather remain hidden in the shadows.
As the footsteps drew nearer, Mikey curled into a tight ball, covering his eyes as he did so. But his efforts were in vain, as a voice suddenly piped up.
"Mikey?"
Looking up, said turtle saw Donny staring at him curiously from about five feet away. Without warning, Mikey let out another choked sob.
"Mikey!" Donny exclaimed, quickly closing the distance between them as he tried to figure out what had caused his only younger brother to cry.
"What's wrong, Mikey?" Don asked softly as he crouched down. He searched Mikey's small frame, looking for any visible damage. He frowned when he saw the slightly bleeding knee.
"I-I was skateboarding when I c-crashed and b-broke my toy!" Mikey said, crying even harder now.
Donny frowned again. All this for a stupid action figure? What was so important about it? Was it really worth crying over? The again, this was Mikey. Suddenly a plan formed in his head.
"Come on, Mikey, let's get you home." Don said while he helped him up. Then, as an afterthought he added "I'll even give you my turn on the PlayStation tonight."
"R-really?" Mickey asked, already feeling a little better.
"Yep. Now come on." Donny replied, a small grin forming on his face. This was going to work out perfectly.
When Mikey awoke the next morning, he discovered with great joy that his toy, which was now fixed and looking better than ever, was sitting at the foot of his bed. For the next few days, Mikey couldn't be separated from his action figure, even going as far as trying to convince Splinter to let him train with it.
And although he never said anything about it, Mikey knew it was Donny that had fixed his toy.
End Flashback.
Mikey grinned, now knowing what to put on his paper. Now he just had to come up with one more for Donny, and he'd be done with one brother.
Mikey sat back, comically copying "The Thinker" as he pondered this problem. Now that he thought about it, Donny was always helping him out, even though he never asked for anything in return. Mikey remembered this one time when he was really sick...
Flashback
"AAAH-CHOO!"
"Ew, gross, Mikey!" Donny exclaimed as he wiped off the snot that has just been cast onto him.
"Sowwy Donny." Mikey replied, his stuffy nose making it difficult for him to speak properly.
"It's alright, I guess" Donny said with a sigh. The day before, Mikey had accidentally fallen into sewer water, and now he was sick with what Donny suspected was the flu. Or at least, that's what he hoped it was. He didn't know what he was going to do if it turned out Mikey caught pneumonia.
"Here, drink this." Donny instructed, handing over a cup he was bringing to Mikey when he was assaulted with a sneeze.
"Waz this?" Mikey asked as he accepted the cup and downed it.
"It's cinnamon tea," Donny replied as proceeded to take Mickey's temperature "Cinnamon is scientifically to boost the immune system. It should help you get over this nasty bug faster.
"Tanks Donny," Mikey mumbled as he drifted off to sleep "You're the greatest."
Donny only smiled in return before adding another blanket to the mountain already covering Mikey's body. He waited until he heard the deep breathing signaling that Mikey was asleep before he leaned over and kissed Mikey on the forehead.
"Get better, little brother."
End Flashback.
"Yep," Mikey thought, scribbling on his paper once more "Donny always been there for me. Unlike some brothers..."
Take Leo for example. Of all the brothers, he was the one who treated the most like a baby.
"Mikey isn't old enough. Mikey isn't mature enough. Mikey wouldn't understand." Mikey mocked in a Leo-like tone. He was sick of it!
I mean, yeah, sometimes he made some stupid mistakes, but everybody does! Well, everyone except Mister "I'm- perfect-at-everything".
Except, Leo wasn't perfect at everything. His skills in the kitchen were proof of that.
Flashback.
Mikey slowly drifted in the world on consciousness, annoyed that he had done so. It was the weekend, so they all got to sleep in a little because they didn't have training or school. The fact that he had woken up early on such a day as this was the reason why he was a little angry at his body at the moment.
As he snuggled deeper into his pillow, being hopeful that he would be able to fall asleep again, the source of what had originally caused him to wake up made itself present once more.
Something was burning.
Suddenly very awake, Mikey rushed out of the room to identify the source of the smell. He quickly realized that the scent was coming from the kitchen, where he ran over to pull the door open only to be welcomed by thick cloud of black smoke trying to escape.
Eyes watering and lungs burning, Mikey ran into the kitchen to see what was burning only to be met with the very panicked eyes of a certain blue-clad older brother.
Rushing over to the stove, Mikey pulled the perpetrator, a pan blacked with an unidentifiable substance, off the stove and brought over to the sink, where he proceed to fill it with water. The hot pan sizzled for a moment, before the water cooled it down. Mikey turned the water off, and then looked to his older brother, giving him an expectant look.
Leo's eyes, which were watery from what Mikey suspected was not the smoke, met his questioning ones.
Leo sighed before gesturing to the stove. "I was trying to make breakfast." He mumbled in a very meek voice.
"Here, let me help you." Mikey replied, giving him a genuine smile.
And so the two cleaned the kitchen together, before starting over on the breakfast. Mikey taught Leo how to whisk the eggs, what temperature the stove should be on, and how to flip an omelet. Leo listened the entire time, never once interrupting or questioning Mikey.
And suddenly, Leo was the younger, naive brother, and Mikey was the older, caring brother. Talk about your role reversals.
Later that morning, when everyone was up and ate breakfast, they all agreed it was the best breakfast they'd ever had.
End Flashback.
Alright, so Leo wasn't perfect at everything. But that still didn't mean he had to treat Mikey like a baby. It was annoying always having someone constantly watching your back!
Although, sometimes that had come in handy.
Flashback.
"Mikey, get down from there! You know we're not supposed to be up there!" Leo called to his brother, who was currently balancing himself atop one of the rusty, old pipelines that were no longer in use.
"Relax, Leo, nothing's going to happen." Mikey replied back, in a slightly annoyed tone. Who was Leo to tell him what he could and couldn't do? He may be the oldest, but that didn't mean he just boss his younger siblings around like he was in charge.
"Michelangelo, you will come down here right this instant!" Leo ordered. He knew those pipes weren't sturdy.
"Or what?" Mikey challenged, now swinging from the pipe like a monkey.
"Or. Or... Or I'll tell Master Splinter it was you who ate the leftover frosting on Donny's birthday!" Leo threatened.
Scowling, Mikey swung back into a sitting position and glared at Leo "You wouldn't."
Crossing his arms and smirking, Leo replied "Try me."
Mikey scowled again. How dare Leo resort to blackmail! That was low.
"Fine, Leo, you w-AH!" The pipe had chosen that moment to break.
"MIKEY!" Leo cried.
Using his ninja reflexes, Leo sprang into action. Calculating where his brother was going to land, Leo ran a couple of feet before diving with his arms outstretched. He caught Mikey with a satisfying "Oomph!" before they both crashed to the ground.
Leo slid a few inches forward, carrying the brunt of their combined momentum, before they slid to a stop.
"Mikey, are you okay?" Leo whispered, having the wind knocked of him but still feeling the need to check on his younger brother.
"Yeah." Mikey replied, equally as breathless, though his was more from fright than anything else. "You?"
"I'm fine." Leo mumbled as he helped Mikey up.
Mikey winced when he noticed Leo's shell. The front of it was covered with ugly scratches, a result of grinding it against the concrete.
Leo saw Mikey wince, and immediately assumed the worse "What's wrong?"
Gently Brushing Leo's shell with his fingers, Mikey whispered with guilt in his voice "Your shell..."
Looking down, Leo noticed the scratches for the first time.
"It's fine." Leo said assuring as he pushed Mikey's hand away "As long as you're okay."
Mikey nodded, unsure of what to say. It wasn't until the two brothers were almost home that he had an idea.
"I know! We should put turtle wax on it!"
End Flashback
Okay, Mikey decided, so maybe Leo was a good brother too. But that still didn't give Raph any excuse! Raph was always being mean to him, always getting angry at him for pulling pranks. It wasn't fair! It's not like he could pull those kinds of pranks on Leo or Donny. They always took it too seriously.
At least Raph knew the jokes were all in fun.
Flashback.
"MIIIIIIIIIKEY!"
Said turtle chuckled, knowing that Raph had just found his latest prank- switching his soap with glitter soap (which he WAS NOT going to say where he got it.)
Finding a place to hide from Raph's wrath, Mikey burst out into laughing. He loved pulling one on Raph! He was so easy to tick, and he never did anything but yell and chase Mikey around the house.
So he was completely surprised when he got into bed that night to find it covered with itching powder. Of course he knew who did it. Leo was too "responsible" and Donny was too busy with whatever his latest project was, so that only left one brother.
"Oooh Raphy," Mikey chuckled evilly "You don't know what you've gotten yourself into."
The next morning Raph walked into a plastic wrapped doorway.
Around noon Mikey met a cold bucket of water.
Raph was victimized by touching a chili powder covered doorknob, then rubbing his eyes.
Mikey found his comic books dangling by a thin string over a chasm.
This went on until eventually Splitter had found out, and the forced the boys to stop. Later that day, they were both found rolling on the ground, laughing with tears in their eyes as they went over the various pranks they pulled on each other.
End Flashback.
Okay, so, yeah, he could enjoy a few laughs with Raph every now and then. But did Raph always have to be so angry? Raph was angry at everything. The sun would be shining, and he would be angry. The next day it would be cloudy, at Raph would still be angry. There was no pleasing the guy! But the angriest Mikey had ever seen Raph had been the one time Mikey had needed him to be...
Flashback
Mikey was running. He was running as fast as he could, but it still wasn't fast enough. The dogs that were tailing him were catching up fast.
They had already gotten a good chunk out of his leg when they had jumped him at the junkyard, and now they were hungry for more. Mikey shuddered at the thought.
Mikey assumed he had lost the canines when he jumped (well, more like fell) into the sewers, but somehow they had managed to get down there with him. Now he was running for his life with an injured leg.
Suddenly Mikey tripped, and the dogs were on top of him within seconds, growing and clawing at him. Mikey let loose a terrified scream before protecting his face the best he could with his arms.
Mikey was convinced that he was going to die, and the last thing he was ever going to hear was the horrifying sound of the barking dogs.
"GET AWAY FROM MY BROTHER YOU STINKIN' MUTTS!"
Mikey had never been more grateful to hear his brothers angry voice then he was right then. The air filled with the sound of punches, grunts, and yelps until Mikey was void of any attacking hounds. It was weak to sit up, he waited, with worry, in the deafening silence until his brothers worried face appeared above his.
"Mikey, you're going to be okay," Raph said, assuring himself more than anything "I'm going to get you home."
Mikey was covered in wounds, most of them bleeding. Raph pulled off his bandanna and tied it around Mikey's worst wound, a cut on his arm that was several inches deep, before picking him up bridal-style and running towards home.
"Raph, I-I'm hurt..." Mikey slurred
"I know, Mikey, I know." Raph replied, not looking down. It could have been from the blood-loss, but Mikey could have sworn he saw a tear leak down Raph's face.
"Raph, I'm tired..."
"Just stay awake, okay Mikey? I need you to focus on that. We're almost home."
They reached the den in record time. By that time, Mikey had fallen into unconsciousness. Master Splinter had to practically pry Mikey from Raph's arms, and even then he refused to be more than five feet away from Mikey the entire time. So when Mikey awoke the next morning, covered in bandages and stitches, it was no surprise to find Raph snoring lightly on the bed next to him.
End Flashback.
Mikey sighed. He must be the biggest jerk in the whole universe. He had the best brothers ever. How could he have ever said that he wished they weren't brothers? Master Splinter was right. Mickey wiped a tear from his face as exited the room, looking to give Splinter his now completed list.
He only hoped he could make his brothers understand how much he need them.
A/N: Wow, that last flashback come way out of left field! Seriously, when I first starting writing this, I intended to keep it at a K rating, nothing but pure fluff. Of course, I was also planning on having this be a one shot, but now it has transformed into a four chapter story. Guess that's what happens when you listen to Hans Zimmer while writing.
Next up: Donny!
R.E.V.I.E.W.- Responsive Enlightenment of Views Importantly Expressed to the Writer