/Update! I know it's been a while... Good luck to anyone with exams!\\\

...

Mikey fell asleep quite easily, unlike his brothers. The previous evening had been a complete disaster.

*Flashback*

"Hey Raph, Karai's martial arts class has been cancelled, so we're going on a date. You know how hard it is to match our schedules together these days, and we both rarely have free time. So I was wondering if you could pick Mikey up from school."

"Sure." The second eldest might have agreed, but he was in the middle of playing a video game, which meant his reaction was a simple reflex.

Leo, knowing that Raph might not remember, reminded his other brother.

"Don, can you remind him if he forgets?"

"Sure thing."

"Great."

Bottom line? They all forgot.

So when Leo got back he noticed that his youngest brother's shoes were missing.

"Hey Raph, you did pick up Mikey, right?"

They all looked at each other.

"Oh shit."

"Raph! What the hell?! You're supposed to be a responsible adult and brother, and you promised me that you would pick him up. He's fifteen. Fifteen! He's fifteen and scared of the dark and alone and possibly lost and holy shit what were you thinking?!"

"It ain't my fault! Blame Donnie he was supposed to remind me! I was busy!"

"I was busy too dumb-ass, but I was actually doing school work! You were texting your girlfriend. Is she more important than your little brother?!"

"Don, Raph, calm down! We need to find h-"

And that's when Mikey walked into the fight.

*End of Flashback*

Leo had no idea how to make it up to his little brother. He assured him that he would pick him up. He was supposed to make sure they were all okay. He was the big brother. But no, everything was not okay, and his brother was angry at him. His little brother, his youngest, the least-likely sibling to yell and shout like he did, but it had happened. He owed him an apology. They all did. Since their father, Splinter, had passed, the whole familiarity and easiness of life had split in two. Raph got into more fights, Donnie shut himself more in his room and Mikey didn't talk as much as he used to. He didn't smile. He didn't...laugh. Leo was driving himself even further, blaming himself for everything, sheltering his brothers to take care of them, shouldering life's problems one at a time. During all of that he hadn't even realized or considered what his siblings were going through too. That's when all the fights; major, minor, bad, awful and even ugly, came rushing back to him. All those times that felt non-natural. Then the most recent one came back, hitting too close too home. "Since Splinter's death you have all gone off the edge and I'm just so sick of your shit!" "Why can't we act like brothers? Is that so hard to ask for?" "We used to be so close." That's when it hit him. Mikey wanted his brothers back. No, he needed them.

And who was Leo to say no to his little brother?

...

Raph was shocked, to say the least. He was the one with a temper. Not Mikey. Mikey was all rainbows and sunshine, always has been and always will be. At least, that's what he thought until yesterday. God, look at him. He was supposed to be mature and responsible, but he had messed everything up. He wishes he could go back in time and do what he was supposed to do, but he can't. He could understand why he was so angry, and honestly he would be too if he were in the same situation. Having three older brothers that don't have their shit together, that aren't there to raise him properly, that's not something Mikey should go through. And if he were- and if they were going to lose Mikey because they were always fighting, well then all hell would freeze over. Their youngest brother was pure and smart and friendly. He was the glue that brought them all together. He was..he is the reason why their all still...here. Leo would forget about his own health only focusing on the well-being of others, Donnie would isolate himself even more, not talking to anybody and ending up like Leo. But Raph, he would have most likely left at some point or another, joining clubs, gangs, anything to survive. Sure, he loved his brothers, he would miss them, but they didn't need a bad influence like him. Mona didn't need a bad influence like him. Speaking of Mona, what Donnie said before really put things into perspective. "You were texting your girlfriend. Is she more important than your little brother?!" He was right. Mikey was more important. When had serious matters come second to careless ones? Since when was his family less important than anything or anyone else? And when had friendly banter turned into no man's land? Touchy subjects and old wounds being re-opened like exploding mines, tempers flaring like cannons and bombs, ignorance, carelessness, irresponsibility- oh. Irresponsibility. Things were getting out of hand, too out of hand.

I'm sorry Mikey, you're very important to me and I won't let anyone or anything blind me from that.

...

Donnie didn't know what to do. There was a time, when they were younger, where he stood in the same shoes as his younger brother. They used to watch as red and blue clashed at the most useless things. Because the most careless reasons. Leo and Raph would always fight about something. But that was different. Splinter was always there to stop it. On top of that, the fights were always about childish things and not life-threatening things. So when did he stop looking from the other side of the window? When had he integrated into the fights? When had he started shouting vulgarities and accusations? He was supposed to be the smart one, astute and reasoned, but that was a blunt lie. He was none of those things. Before he had crossed over, stepped on all of his values, he had known Mikey's worst fear. That his brothers would all split up. Hate each other. Leave, because one day their fighting would really get out of control. He had known that Mikey was never the one to talk during a fight, but back then he would try to make them stop. He would at least try to be the moderator. Maybe now that he was alone on the observing side encouraged him to stay even more silent. Well, that was until yesterday's fight. He hated that Mikey had to witness their weakest times together, their ugly sides showing desperately. And the worst part was that they even had to fight in the first place. They should have their acts together, acting like brothers, especially in the time of need. Before, they had a guiding hand to help them, and suddenly it wasn't there anymore. It was just them four, a bunch of clueless teenagers. Leo pushing himself harder, Raph getting even more out of line with social and school life, and him, isolating himself with his inventions and his computer hard-drive. But they forgot about Mikey, the youngest and the most affected by their father's death. He wasn't their biological father, but it sure felt like he was. His absence had struck his baby brother the most and no-one had noticed it. He should have had supporting brothers, many shoulders to cry on, consoling hugs and soft words, but instead he got three quarreling, distant, immature brothers.

He only had one little brother, and he wasn't going to let anything else happen to him.