Part 2: The Hothead and the Prankster
Previously...
Raph stared at the mess for a second, rage creeping into his expression. He glanced up at Mikey, offering him one word. "Run."
Mikey took off screaming. "IT WAS PLASTIC!" he cried. "I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!"
"YOU'RE GONNA BE!"
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April cracked up, tears actually gathering in her eyes. "That was the first time?"
Leo nodded in confirmation, grinning widely. "Raph was never the same...and that's when Mikey's pranking really took off."
"He's pranked all of us at one point or another," Donnie said. "Several times, actually. But there's only been a few times that Raph pranked anyone. And the very first was when our hotheaded brother decided to get revenge on Mikey."
"Was revenge sweet for him?" April asked, chuckling a little.
If possible, Leo's grin grew even wider and he exchanged a glance with Donnie. "Quite literally, I'm afraid," the genius replied, settling in to tell the tale.
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Donnie sighed and settled down at his desk, casting another glance at the lab doors to make sure that they were locked. He'd fled into the lab after Mikey had managed to tick their second-oldest brother off for the fourth time that morning.
For the past week, Raph's temper had been volatile at best – ever since the orange-banded turtle had snuck a plastic cockroach into Raph's barbeque chips.
Even now, Don could hear his immediate older brother arguing with Leo, who insisted that he apologize. "Great," Donnie muttered.
As expected, yelling echoed through the Lair not even a minute later. The sound of a door slamming shut followed. The purple-banded turtle dared to poke his head out of the lab, taking a quick glance around to make sure that Raph was nowhere in sight.
"That went well..." came Leo's voice from the couch.
Donnie walked over to the worn sofa, looking the leader over to check for injuries. He sighed when he saw the rapidly swelling bruise on Leo's jaw. "You push him too much," he replied gently.
"Push him to do what?"
"To be like you," Donnie explained, pulling his brother into the kitchen and handing him an icepack from the freezer. "We all know that he's different, Leo. You're not going to be able to make him the same as you."
Leo hissed as he pressed the ice to his jaw. "I'm not trying to." He shifted under Don's gaze. "I just think that he shouldn't be so hard on Mikey. You do too, so don't give me that look."
"Brothers will be brothers. There's nothing you can do about that."
"He's just so angry all the time, Don," Leo complained. "How the shell am I supposed to deal with that?"
"By supporting him and giving him the space he needs," the genius said quietly. "Just try it." The blue-clad turtle sighed but didn't reply as he walked into the dojo, very much needing to meditate and calm his feelings.
Dinner that night was strained between the four brothers. Without Master Splinter there to break up the tension – he was on a "spiritual journey" through the sewers – there were barely any words spoken.
That didn't mean that the meal was silent, however. Mikey kept making faces at Raph, to which the red-masked turtle would growl or tense as if he was going jump across the table. Leo would put a hand on Raph's arm to stop him but remove it again as soon as Raph shot him a glare. Donnie did his best to stay out of it, only delivering a sharp kick Mikey's shin if things got too heated.
After the dinner table had been cleared and all the dishes taken care of, they all headed for their own areas, but Raph stayed behind for a little while longer. Once he was sure that his siblings weren't coming back any time soon, he rushed to the cabinets and pulled down a bowl, a box of Jell-O, and a measuring cup. As quickly as possible, the turtle mixed up the powder and hot water, setting the Jell-O in the fridge to harden.
That done, Raph snuck into the living room to prepare the rest of the needed items. Twenty minutes later, the red-masked ninja stuck the package in one of the drawers in the kitchen and pulled out a new bowl.
He was just mixing up another batch of Jell-O when Leo walked in to grab a water bottle. Raph froze, one hand on the bowl and one on the spoon. His brother paused and stared at him.
"Raph, are you...cooking?"
It was no secret that none of them but Mikey could do much more than boil water – and Leo even managed to burn that. So for Raph to be standing in the kitchen actually making something set off warning bells in Leo's mind.
"What?" Raph asked defensively. "A guy can't make Jell-O? I ain't totally helpless in here, ya know."
Rather than ticking the hothead off again, Leo made the only smart decision. He held up his hands in surrender and left the room.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Raph grabbed the other bowl from the fridge and the package he'd made earlier. He placed the plastic bag on top of the hardened Jell-O, then poured the newly made liquid on top. With a devilish grin, Raph set the bowl back in the fridge and waited for the Jell-O to set.
Early the next morning, the quiet of the Lair was disturbed by a horrified scream. Raph's eyes opened and that grin reappeared on his face. He shot out of bed like a rocket, tugged on his mask and gear, and made it into the living room within thirty seconds.
Where Mikey stood, gaping at the plate that lay on the table. For inside the orange Jell-O that Raph had so painstakingly prepared was the orange-clad turtle's PS3 controller. Under the Jell-O was a handwritten note that read, To Mike, with love. P.S. That's fer messin' with my chips, ya bonehead.
As Donnie and Leo stared at the plastic-wrapped device, Mikey turned towards Raph with a murderous gleam in his eye. "You...you...ARGH!"
It wasn't often that Raph saw his youngest brother's angry side, but when he did, he knew it was time to run. And run he did. Right out of the Lair and into the sewers, Mikey not far behind. Raph's laughter echoed through the tunnels and back to Leo's ears.
The leader sighed, rubbing his temples. "Can we not go one day without a World War happening in our house?"
Donnie chuckled and clapped him on the shell. "It wouldn't be our house without it." Despite himself, Leo laughed too as they walked out of the Lair to watch their siblings.
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By the time Donnie finished his story, April was laughing so hard that her sides ached. It was a few moments before she could gather her breath and her thoughts. "So that's what started it all?" she finally managed.
Leo nodded. "Mikey hasn't ever learned his lesson. He still pranks Raph the most out of all of us."
"However," Donnie added slyly, "Raph helps him out once and a while with a prank for Leo."
The leader froze, registering this new information. "Wait. Last week, when Mikey hid all my comics and almost convinced me that Casey had thrown them out-"
"Raph had them in his room," his brother finished. "Actually, he was reading some of them."
Leo was astounded. Not only had Raph taken his Space Heroes comics – Raph, who knew that they were so important to Leo – but had also read them. "Raph...Raph reads Space Heroes?" the blue-clad turtle stammered.
April's lips twitched as he disappeared into the sewers, searching for his immediate younger sibling – probably to bombard him with a full-frontal assault of Space Heroes geekery and questions.
Then a thought occurred to her. "Don, how did you know that Raph was reading the comics?"
"I first noticed it when he slipped into Leo's room," Donnie explained vaguely.
"What did you say to him about it when you caught him?"
He shrugged. "I didn't let him know that I was there. I chose to be inconspicuous instead of confronting him."
April kept pressing, knowing that there was more to this than met the eye. "Why were you hiding in Leo's room in the first place?"
"I told you," Donnie said impatiently. "I was watching Raph to see what he'd do."
"That's not what you said. You said it was the first time you noticed him slipping into Leo's room."
"Does it matter?"
"Not really," the kunoichi said, shrugging. "I just wondered why you were in Leo's room and took the trouble to stay hidden. Were you hiding from Leo yourself? And Raph just showed up by coincidence?"
"And why would I be hiding from Leo in his own room?" Donnie asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Well, there was a stack of very interesting Space Heroes comics sitting on Leo's desk, wasn't there? And I'm willing to bet that you're into Space Heroes. Aren't you?"
The genius sat upright, his face becoming a mask of affronted dignity. "Are you accusing me of sneaking into Leo's room to read the comics myself? Is that it?"
April touched his shoulder. "Of course not, Donnie." He relaxed a little at her words...and that's when she added, "I just thought I'd give you the opportunity to confess."
From the doorway of the Lair came a burst of laughter, and an extremely reddened Donnie turned to see his brothers watching the two of them. Raph was clutching his sides as Leo leaned on him, both of them laughing uncontrollably. Mikey was almost rolling on the floor.
Evidently, all three of them had heard the conversation. Donnie shot them all a sharp glance that promised pain in the near future.
"You know, April," he said finally, "You used to be a very nice young woman. What happened?"
The redhead grinned, her eyes sparkling. "I spent too much time with you guys," she quipped.
Despite himself, Donnie felt his lips twitch. And then a sharp pain exploded on the back of his head. "Ow!" he yelped.
Leo crossed his arms. "If you ever touch my comics again without my permission, I swear-"
"I get it!" Don replied hurriedly.
"Got it," Raph said. Truth be told, even he was afraid of Leo sometimes. After all, an angry Leo was not a fun Leo.
"Good," the leader stated, heading to his bedroom and slamming the door shut with a clang.
Silence followed. And then...
"I don't get it."
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So what'd you guys think? Was that one any good?
April's conversation with Don at the end was based on a scene in "Ranger's Apprentice: Halt's Peril." If you guys are Apprentice fans, you know what scene I'm talking about. ;)
Until next time, guys...COWABUNGA!
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