Wow! Eight reviews on my first chapter? (I didn't even think it was that good, tbh.) I did my best to PM everyone who reviewed, but I'm going to say it again: thanks for all the support!

So I think I should have named this story "A huge slap in the face." You know why? Because 2 days after posting my first fanfic in almost a YEAR, my laptop (along with my second and third chapter docs) shut down on me. ._. I'm not very comfortable with writing on my iPod but I'll make it work.

Disclaimer: Do I have to say it? Sorry, the turtles and the concepts of the show are not mine. (except maybe Mikey. he's all mine! jokes)


BUZZ. BUZZ. BUZZ.

...!?

Mikey woke up in a frantic, tangled in his covers.

"Augh..." He spoke groggily. He struggled to fight his way out of the sheets and landed in a heap on the floor. He winced as he got up, still getting used to. He was always the most stubborn and sleepy turtle when it came to waking up, despite he was also the one who often slept in the most. As his fuzzy vision began to clear, he retied up the ends of his customary orange mask as he looked at the time.

6:47. Training began at seven. Awh, shell, he panicked. I better get started on breakfast!

He flew down the stairs, washed his hands, and took out everything he would need. He beatboxed for a while and began to rap. "Yo, yellow cheese, eggs, white cake batter... put a little bit on the skillet when it starts to bubble flip it over with your spatul-AHH!" Mikey shrieked when he saw his oldest brother already snug in his seat.

"Wow," Leo teased. "You're worse than Raph when he sees a cockroach." The joke was on him, but Mikey was cleary amused by this and did a bad job of pretending that statement bothered him.

"So where's Raph and Don?" It was so weird to see that Leo was not in a hurry.

Mikey pointed at Donnie already with mug in hand on the couch, "Don's over there," he said it like it was the most obvious thing ever.

"Oh," was all Leo could say about that. "You haven't seen Raph, then?"

Mikey snorted. "Psh. I dunno. What, you think I know everything?"

"You act like you know everything." Donnie said from the couch.

"No! You act like you know everything!"

"I know more than you do."

"Prove it."

They both growled at each other.

"Stop it!" Leo interrupted their little showdown. "We don't have time for this!"

A different, much deeper voice broke through the commotion. "What is the meaning of all this?!" Their mouths flew shut faster than a mouse trap.

"Um, hey Sensei," Leo fumbled for words. "We were just, um..."

"...Making breakfast?" Mikey said with a sheepish grin.

Donnie stood up. "Sorry, Master Splinter... We were just about to go to the dojo in a few-"

"No need." He raised his hand. "Training has been cancelled for today."

"What?" The three exclaimed in unison.

"Um, sensei, not that I'm complaining, but... why?" Don asked.

Splinter took a deep breath and hushed his voice. "Your brother has been going through a lot lately and it seems as if he won't be able to take much more. I want to go a little easier on Raphael, but if I excuse him only, it'll seem like I'm giving him sympathy, and you all know that's the last thing he wants."

"In other words," Mikey tried to translate, "If we keep pushing his buttons without a break he'll totally explode on us?"

"Look who's talking," Don mumbled, recalling the endless amount of times his little brother had exceeded the button-pushing limit.

Mikey growled at him. "I heard that," he retorted.

Leo rolled his eyes. "You mean, you don't want to make him feel like he's getting special treatment, right?"

"In a way."

"...But we're still technically giving him sympathy, right?"

"Everyone needs sympathy." Their sensei stroked his beard. "Tell me, Leonardo, is there a way you could love and care for a person without expressing sorrow when they are down?"

He pondered for awhile. "I guess not."

Splinter recollected his memories from the other night. He had gone in the middle of the night to get a drink, but after a lifetime of having mastered his meditation skills, or because he had an understanding of psychology, or maybe it was just the feeling he got as a father, he felt something was out of place. He made sure to check each of his sons' rooms to assure that they were safe and sound in bed. When he got to Raph's room, he could hear bits and pieces of sobbing and an occasional WHAMP on the bed or floor, which he figured could only be the sound of him smacking his pillow everywhere. Instead of checking in on what was the matter with him, Splinter stood in front of the door listening to his quiet suffering for hours until he assumed that Raphael had passed out from the lack of sleep. He knew he should have done something about it, instead of just floating about and keeping their problems to himself. But he had been patient, and Raph had eventually fallen asleep. Even though this hadn't really resolved anything, and that he would ask his son about this some other time, he also needed some space to heal on his own. When it came down to it, people just recovered on their own. Besides, nobody could fully understand and resolve the troubles of another person, no matter how much they wanted or tried to.

Splinter continued. "More importantly than sympathy, we must be patient. I believe we are all aware of his light temper issues, no?

No, Leo thought, we were never made aware of Raph's light temper issues. But he kept to himself.

"I see," He said, acknowledging the acceptance their silence displayed. "While we are patient to Raphael's recovering, I suggest you keep as neutral as possible with him. That means treating him with utmost respect, and avoiding anything that could provoke him in any way. Understood?"

The three turtles bowed their heads. "Hai, sensei."

As he was leaving, he fixated his glare towards Mikey. "And that also means no unruly pranks, Michelangelo."

His eyes wandered about as if there could be another Michelangelo in the room until he accepted his father's order. "But I haven't done anything like that in the past week!" He was intimidated by the awful stare-down Splinter was giving him. "Fine,"he mumbled.

The two oldest brothers in the room both turned to face the youngest. "What? I swear I didn't do anything!..."

They gave him a you-better-be-telling-the-truth look.

"Dudes, it's not my fault Raph's gone all grumpy on us. I mean even more than usual... I even painted his room black for him!" Oops.

"What?!" Donnie cried a little too loudly.

"Why would you even do that?! Espeically at a time like this?!" Leo scolded.

Uh oh. Why do I keep getting myself into a mess? Mikey thought. And it's only 7am! Think, Mikey, think. "He wanted it that way!" He blurted out. "Remember when Master Splinter told us a few weeks ago that he was going to have to change things up around here, Raph was like: 'I just want my room black!'"

Donnie took a brief moment to let Mikey's ridiculous logic fully sink in. He facepalmed louder than two cardboard pieces slamming together. "Mikey... He said he wanted his room BACK, not BLACK!"

Mikey looked at him with a blank face. ._.

"Remember when he banned us from our rooms for a week after we snuck out at night to get pizza because somebody finished it all before dinner?" Leo glared down at Mikey.

A lightblub flickered in the young turtle's head. "Oh, yeah, I remember!..." Yeah... I didn't think they'd fall for it. "...But come on! He can't be that pissed about it."

Donnie sighed. "You do know this is Raph we're talking about, right?"

His oldest brother went up to Mikey and whispered, "Did you clear his things the way I asked you to?" Mikey just nodded. "No surprises?"

"Well," He whispered back, "I felt pretty bad so I left like a couple of Spike's things... I think. But that's pretty much it."

Leo wondered how Raph might have reacted to that, but hopefully it wasn't too big of a deal. Raph must have been cooped up in his room all night thinking about his pet. Either that or he was cursing under his breath the entire night.

Leo and Don exchanged a few glances and then shrugged.

Woah... are they like, being telepathetic or something?

"You know what?" Leo said, "I think we should just let him be for now. It's not our problem." He sighed and slumped into a leg pretzel on the floor in front of the TV.

That was weird... But nonetheless, Mikey was relieved to have touched over and seemingly cleard up the situation with his brothers. He was about to head over to the kitchen to clean up when another silly idea came into his head.

"Hey, Donnie," Mikey tapped his shoulder. "...Do you like waffles?"

His head twirled around. "No, I don't like waffles-"

"Do you like pancakes?"

"No, I- ugh Mikey, not this again!"

Mikey sulked. "Fine. Um, D... can I tell you something?"

"Yeah, sure."

He went deep into his ear. "...Do you like french toast?"

Donnie slammed his free hand into the couch and made a beeline to his lab.

Mikey didn't care. He just chuckled as soon as he saw the door slam from across the room.

Meanwhile...

His eyes shot open. He didn't know why, it wasn't like he was going into shock or anything, or that he actually had anything in mind that would send him this kind of feeling. He just woke up.

Raph's mind was completely blank. Like, all of his mere thoughts had been wiped out like Leo's Space Hereos game. Of course, he remembered what kind of thoughts har been going through his mind last night. He remembered his frustration oh-so-clearly. Yet, there were so many bad feelings rushing through him that, he had almost forgotten why he had been mad in the first place.

You know those nights where you patiently close your eyes and hope you'll drift off eventually? His night was like that, except he must have waited like 5 hours, plus the 2 hour break he took to beat the shit out of his pillows until he felt remotely better.

Hmm, he wondered as he registered the frigid surface beneath him. I must have fallen off the bed at some point. He shrugged.

One of the most peaceful sleeps... Yet one of the most terrible nights...

Downstairs, he could hear his sensei slamming his cane into the ground and silencing his brothers. He couldn't exactly decipher what they were talking about, but by the tone of their voices it all sounded pretty tense.

They better not be talking about me...!

He wish he could make them understand it was much more than just Spike. He was constantly getting into trouble for what his brothers were doing. Always getting dragged into their problems. He wouldn't have any 'anger issues' if it weren't for them.

He felt such an urge to keep locked away from everyone else like this for a long time, yet he felt like suffocating. He needed to get out, at least for a moment.

Without thinking, he pulled out a match he kept in his shell, and lit up a candle on his shelf. He picked the candle and walked out of his room with weary eyes.

He felt empty. He had no idea if it was better than to be filled with many thoughts or to haveno thoughts at all. There was no purpose in doing things either way. As this was the only thing Raph was apparently capable of thinking of right now, he rubbed his eyes to see that he had zombied all the way to Mikey's room.

Oh right... He remembered what his little bro had left for him yesterday... or more like what he had not left. I was mad at you, too.

He realized how special his room was to him. Maybe it actually good there was nothing in it anymore. Wouldn't want to trigger any memories at a bad time like this. Just maybe... Mikey had actualy done him a favor.

Suddenly, Raph had a small change of heart and decided that he would not seek any revenge... for now. He clumsily slid the candle onto a random shelf of Mikey's and walked out.

Before he made it to the doorway, he gave out a quiet yelp as he felt the small creature at his feet.

Klunk looked up at him with gleaming eyes.

"Ughhh." Raph kicked the cat into the room and shut the door behind him.

"Meow," it said innocently behind the door.

"Oh, shut up, cat," he mumbled as the light flame flickered and spread across Mikey's comics.


Uh oh! I hope I made it obvious enough on what's going to happen next. So I might have made a couple refrences to breakfast songs, which I don't own, by the way. I'm not clever enough. Please let me know if you want shorter chapters or more chapters like these!

ps. I'm thinking of changing my user to CrimsonRose. What do you think, should I? Please review!