I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING TMNT RELATED!
This was the first story I ever published on deviantART ^^
The 15-year-old turtle brothers were sparring in the dojo; as it was normally the case, it was Leo against Raph. They had originally all gone against each other, but Leo and Raph easily tagged Don and Mikey out. Now, the two younger brothers watched their two older brothers duke it out on each other. Leo swung his katans as Raph jabbed his sais at the air, trying to strike his leader brother.
Mikey quickly grew bored; when Leo and Raph sparred, they took forever because they never wanted to accept defeat from one another. Always known for not sitting still for long, he suddenly had an idea when he saw Leo's and Raph's arm raised over their heads, their faces so close they could each feel one breathing on another. With Raph's sais locked with Leo's katana blades, Mikey sought the opportunity. He crept up from where he sat in the dojo and crawled closer to where Raph and Leo were sparring.
Donnie, unfortunately, noticed. "Mikey, what are you doing?" he asked. "Get back over here."
Mikey shushed him and with a sinister giggle he continued crawling until he was directly behind Raph. He crouched down low enough so neither of his straining brothers could see him.
"Give it up, Lame-onardo. I'm obviously a better, STRONGER fighter than you," Raph grunted with satisfaction as he shoved Leo away. Mikey silently grumbled at the fact he lost his chance to pull of his attack and continued crawling right behind them.
Leo chuckled in disagreement as a response. Watching his hot-headed brother twirl his sais in his hands, he readied his katana and replied, "Oh, really?" He charged towards Raph. They lock weapons again. "Then, how come Master Splinter made ME the leader of this team"-Leo leaned in close to Raph's face, completing his sentence with one of Raph's casual smirks-"and not YOU?"
Raph's temper boiled inside him as he growled and shoved Leo backwards and onto his shell. Raph leaped over to where Leo laid, his sai raised in the air, but Leo rolled out of the way and rose to his feet. Their weapons clanged and crashed, the vibrating rhythms that were made when the weapons collided echoed throughout the dojo. They had their weapons locked for a third time, and had their arms raised in the air. Mikey, still unnoticed by anyone other than Donatello, grinned mischievously and settled down behind Raphael.
"Leo, you are so gonna eat those words!" Raph angrily said with an evil smirk, using all of his strength to push Leo down enough to bend his knees, but not enough to make him collapse to the ground. "Besides...you only became leader just because you asked!" Leo struggled to fight the weight Raph was pushing down on him. His legs ached and were ready to give in from under him. But he wouldn't lose, not to Raph. However, it didn't seem like much of a choice. Mikey sought the opportunity to strike.
Just before Leo could let his leg muscles relax and allow Raph to pin him to the floor, Raph suddenly eased up from Leo, and dropped his weapons. Then, out of nowhere, he starts shouting out, making noises that could probably be identified as "laughter" as he clutched his sides. The noise was short and quick, and stopped when Raph remembered his oldest brother was laying right in front of him. Leo glanced at him with a confused gaze, and then understood when he saw Mikey on Raph's shell, his hands digging into Raph's sides, for those brief seconds. Leo couldn't help but smile, and he noticed Donnie trying to contain his laughter.
Raph suddnly started losing strength in his legs and began to sway across the dojo. "YEE-HAW! Ride 'em, turtle-boy!" Michelangelo bellowed within those few seconds on Raph's shell before his hot-headed brother flipped Mikey over his shell and flat on his back. Mikey groaned as he watched Raph's shadow cast over him. The red-clad turtle stared down at his baby brother with fire in his eyes, and was breathing heavily. Mikey couldn't tell if it was from his attack on Raph or that his brother is so enraged. Either way, Mikey didn't care. He sat up and weakly laughed.
"Dude, you should see your face right now," Mikey exclaimed with an ear-to-ear grin, even though he doesn't have ears, spread across his face. "You look so mad!"
With a growl, Raph picked Mikey up by his shoulders and leaned him in close to his face. "Don't. Ever. Do That. Again," Raph said with a sneer, still breathing pretty heavily, which Mikey now thinks is from his little sneak attack.
Leo got up and he and Donnie joined where Raph held Mikey. "Wow, Raph," he said with a chuckle. "I knew you were extremely ticklish as a little toddler, but I had no idea it would've followed you up to your teen years."
Raph threw Mikey to the ground to turn and face Leo. "I am NOT ticklish, Leo!" He stood there for a moment before adding on, "I...uh, just...remembered a...funny joke I heard."
"Oh, yeah? What was the joke, Raph?" Donnie asked, leaning his weight on his bo staff.
Raph stood there frozen as he frantically tried to think of any joke that even he thought was funny. No luck there. "Uh..."
"Hahaha! I knew it! The wittle hot-head is very, very ticklish!" Mikey jumped to his feet, pointed at Raph and attempted to charge at Raph for another attack.
Raph, sensing Mikey would try to sneak up on him again, stepped out the way, letting Mikey crash into the wall behind him. Mikey's legs arched over his head and then fell back behind him as a loud moan echoed through the dojo. "No, I am not! Now drop it and leave it that way." Raph turned away from his three brothers and crossed his arms.
Donnie shakes his head in disappointment. "No one just explodes into laughter like that, even if it was brief laughter, such as now, whether it was a joke that made you laugh or not; and even if it was, you wouldn't have laughed. You think all jokes are corny and lame," the genius turtle pointed out, bearing a smile, exposing the gap in his teeth.
Raph turned to face him and glared, his green eyes burning with fire. He wasn't going to let his brothers tease him about his...secret. "I am NOT ticklish, and I can prove it!" he shouted.
"Okay, Raph," Donnie said with a smirk, "let me be the judge of that." Raph knew where hi genius brother was heading, but he went along with it. Donnie instructed Raph to stand in a T-pose position, sticking his arms out to the side. I have to resist, Raph thought to himself. Do not give in, do not give in, do not-Donnie began rubbing his fingers along Raph's sides and underarms. Raph squirmed but remained standing. He closed his eyes and held his breath. Then Donnie rubbed the backs of his knees, his neck, even his ankles. Raph flinched and winced at all those places. Then Donnie went back to the sides of his plastron. Raph had had enough. He pushed Donnie away and pressed his arms against his plastron. "Bah, just forget it!" Raph growled as he walked away and hid himself from his brothers.
Leo walked over to him and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Raphael."
"What's to be embarrassed of?" Raph said, shifting away from the leader so he couldn't see him blushing, causing Leo's hand to slip from his shoulder.
Then, Leo bore the same mischievous grin that Mikey usually has when attempting to pull a prank. "Like I said, nothing." He calmly said before tackling Raph to the floor and slid his hands under Raph's underarms. Within a second Raph exploded into a squirming, kicking ball of giggles. His arms and legs were flaring out of control as he gasped for breath. "I-I WI-hahaha-ILL K-ahahahahaha-ILL Y-heehee-OU F-FOR THIS, LEO-AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Raph bellowed as angrily as he could, but his laughing got the best of him. Donnie and Mikey both giggled as they watched their hot-headed brother squirm and tear up from laughing so hard.
Raph tried to throw Leo off, but was too weak. "D-Donnie...Mi-Mikey...hehehehehehe-HELP!" Both turtles noticed that while Raph was still laughing, his face showed pain. Mikey had another idea. He snuck up behind Leo and pounced. He began rubbing his fingers under Leo's arms. Leo reacted by releasing Raph and falling backwards and, too, exploding into a fit of giggles. Donnie helped Raph to his feet as they both watched their oldest brother trying to pry their youngest off of his body. Leo and Mikey laid there on the dojo floor laughing.
Donnie and Raph walked over to them, staring at them. Leo propped himself up on his shoulders and looked straight to Raph. "You see? Even I am still ticklish. So is Mikey," he said, trying to suck air into his lungs.
"Donnie's turn!" Mikey said as he leaped onto his brainiac brother.
"No, no, no, stop-sto-AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Donnie bursted into laughter as soon as Mikey stroked his fingers along his sides, underarms, and neck. "OKAHAHAHAHAHAHAAY, G-GET OFFA MEHEHEHEHEHEHEE!" Mikey slowly crawled off his genius brother and helped him up. Donnie was still giggling as he regained balance, clutching his ribs.
"Even Donnie is," Leo added.
"My sons, what is with all of this noise?" a voice suddenly boomed. The exhausted turtles turned their gaze to the dojo entrance to see their sensei and father standing in the doorway. "Is someone going to answer me?" he asked his sons when there was a long silence.
As usual, Mikey was the first to pipe up. "We found out that Raphie is very ticklish and he's being too stubborn to admit it because he's embarrassed," Mikey said quickly, pointing to Raph.
"I AM NOT...GAAH!" Raph growled in severe frustration and exhaustion. "Forget it," he mumbled and stared at his three-toed feet.
Master Splinter sighed and walked over to the red banded turtle. "Raphael, there is no need to feel embarrassed about this."
"That's what I said," Leo interrupted. Master Splinter glared at him, and Leo fell silent.
"Besides, you loved being tickled as a little one, you all did," Master Splinter rested his pink hand atop his son's head.
"Well, I'm not a 'little one' now, sensei. I am a teenager, and more importantly, a ninja, and ninjas aren't supposed to be ticklish!" Raph grumbled.
"Aha! So you do admit that you're ticklish!" Mikey exclaimed.
Raph shot him his usual glare, but he knew there was no point in hiding it anymore. He just barely nodded.
"You may be a ninja, but you are also still young, so are your brothers. Besides, all regular beings have a weakness. There is no need for shame when that weakness is tickling," their sensei smiled.
"Well, no offense sensei, but we ain't regular beings," Raph said.
"Well, my son, that is not able to prevent me from doing this!" Master Splinter pinned Raphael to the floor just as Leo did and began tickling him. Raph once again bursts into uncontrollable giggles. Master Splinter laughs along with him. The other brothers also laugh and join in with their father in tickling Raph. They all loved making each other laugh, one of the many bounds that hold brothers together. Then, Raph shoots up and tackles the nearest turtle; Mikey. Soon Mikey begins giggling and kicks his legs around.
"Let's see how you like it!" Raph laughed as he watched Mikey shriek in laughter.
Donnie shook his head with a smile, unaware of what is happening behind him. Leo crept up from behind Donatello and the two began tickling each other, both laughing and gasping for air. Now it all seemed like some sort of game. The whole dojo was filled with laughter.
Master Splinter rose to his feet and went to leave. "You may be teenagers, you may be ruthless ninja," he said to himself under his sons' laughing, "but you still act like children." And with a smile, he left the dojo to meditate, his children's giggles still ringing in his ears.