Ok, Reluctant Dragon issued a challenge. "Write a one-shot showing how the turtles might act if they were in a different age order... Ex. Mikey being the oldest, Raph the youngest, etc..." For this one-shot. Raph is the oldest, followed by Mikey, Leo and Don. Please keep that in mind, I know they are out of their normal characters, and they are intended to be. I hope I managed to keep some of their original characteristics.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, I am paid nothing, I mean no harm. Please don't sue.
Switched
Raphael perched on top of the water tower, absently twirling a sai in his left hand. He was well aware that it was a replacement as he had watched Splinter drop the old tower on top of the Shredder when they defeated him the first time. They had ruined it one other time too, and still the city had replaced it. It had been his own stupid fault the second time. To top it all off, he had nearly gotten his brothers killed. Mike had tried to stop him, but he hadn't listened to his brother's pleas.
A cold, miserable drizzle drifted down from the sky and matched his mood perfectly. He'd been fighting with Michelangelo again, and that always upset him more than he cared to admit. Shortly after Mike stormed out, he had run off into the sewers in hopes of calming down without hurting anyone else. Raph guessed that Mike had gone off with Casey Jones to do whatever it was they did together. Michelangelo generally came home scraped and bruised after these nights out and refused to tell anyone what he had been doing.
A clock chimed. He counted the pulses that swept through the dark city and realized that he had been gone for almost two full hours. Master Splinter would be getting worried if he didn't get home soon, and might even send Leo and Donnie out after him. Raph didn't like it when his brothers had to chase him. Leo would be a little distant for a while, and Donnie would cling to him for a couple days as though making sure Raph wouldn't disappear again. He knew what to expect because they'd reacted to any of his prolonged absences like that since he'd come crashing through the window of April's old apartment that time he'd been ambushed by the Foot. Before heading back, he pulled a Shell Cell from his belt and called home.
"Raphy?"
He cringed at the worried and hopeful tones in his little brother's voice. "Yeah, Donnie. It's me." He should have known what was coming next as he'd heard it several times before.
"Are you ok? Where'd you go? Do you need help? Are you hurt?"
"Donnie, I'm fine. I just-" He knew it wouldn't help, and he wasn't surprised that his brother just kept talking over his response.
"Do you need us to come get you? Where are you? Is Mike with you? We were really worried. Are you sure you're alright?"
Raph waited patiently for the string of questions to end before he responded to them. Donatello's curiosity had served them well in the past, and his little creations were often fantastic additions to their arsenal, but that same curiosity led to rapid-fire interrogations when he was worried. "I'm fine, Donnie. I just didn't realize how late it was."
"We were really worried, Raphy."
"I lost track of time. I'll be home soon, ok? Twenty minutes, max." He could almost hear his brother nodding in response. With that he hung up and headed out.
"Who was that?" Leo asked, putting his book down on the coffee table.
"Raphy's on his way home. He'll be back in approximately 20 minutes." Donnie informed him as he dropped the phone on the table. He picked up something that looked like a shuriken that had met Dr. Frankenstein and a tiny screw driver before flopping down on the couch beside Leonardo.
"At least he calls." Leo muttered. "It's more than we can say for SOME turtles."
"Mike never gets home until morning after they fight like that. It's nothing abnormal for him. What do you suppose he does all night?"
"I don't know. Maybe we should follow him sometime." Leo suggested slyly.
"Nah, he'd just get angry."
"So?" Leo asked with an evil grin. "Since when has that ever stopped us before?"
"It's never stopped YOU before." Donnie looked up from the monster of a shuriken he was playing with and eyed his brother. "And it's never stopped me either."
"So you're with me next time they fight, right?" Leo asked.
"Sure thing, oh devious brother of mine." Donnie replied with an evil grin to match the one that still graced Leo's features.
At that moment they heard the elevator from the warehouse above engage. Raph had returned from his run and the pair on the couch promptly put their plotting aside for later. He knew what was coming and gritted his teeth against the impending storm.
"Raphy!" Donnie greeted as the other turtle entered the main room.
"Master Splinter wants to see you." Leo added.
Raphael sighed. He didn't really want to talk to Splinter right now, but he knew that he had to. For a long moment he paused outside his sensei's room before knocking. When Splinter called him in, he entered as silently as he could.
"What troubles you, My Son?" Splinter asked calmly. "It is not like you to stay out this late."
"I'm sorry, Sensei. I didn't realize how late it was." As he apologized, he heard crashing out in the main room that signified that his youngest brothers were fighting over something.
"I see." The tone clearly implied that Raphael was free to continue. A second crash was ignored as completely as the first had been. As long as there were no cries of pain, everything was fine.
"I let Mike get the better of me. I know I shouldn't let him rile me like that." He growled in frustration with himself. "But he gets me all the time!"
"The role you play is not an easy one, My Son." Splinter paused before continuing. "I do think he knows that you are only trying to help, Raphael. But he must be allowed to make his own decisions.
"Yeah, ok, you're right, but why can't he make the right ones once in a while!" Raph realized that his tone had become harsh and tried to cool off. He dipped into a light state of meditation and allowed some of the anger to drain away.
Splinter suggested that Raphael meditate on the events of the evening. Perhaps it would provide some insight on how to deal with a similar situation in the future. The turtle stood and bowed on his way out of the room.
Exiting the room he heard what sounded like the History Channel on TV in the main room. He listened for a moment before deciding that the show was about an ancient battle. That meant that the squabble he had heard while in Splinter's room had been for the remote. It was also apparent that Leo had won, again. He'd do as Splinter suggested, but first he wanted a bit of a workout. He performed two katas, repeating them until they were perfect, before heading over to the bench press set up in the corner of the room. He was just lying down to start his reps when he heard his brother clear his throat.
"What are you doing here, Donnie?" Raph demanded of the turtle in the doorway.
"Want a spotter?" Donatello asked as he bounded into the room.
"It's half max. I'll be fine." Raph told him. He couldn't help but notice the crestfallen look on his brother's face and cursed himself for staying out so long. Donnie probably wouldn't be leaving him alone for a while, at least not without a fight. "But if you really want to, you can."
Donnie nodded brightly and hopped into position behind the bench. Raphael started his sets and it wasn't long before his brother started talking. He answered the questions as best he could, but when the topic of discussion turned to the reasons behind the fight that evening...
"Why do you want to know! It's none of your business why we bug each other so much. We just don't get along, and it's probably going to be a good long while before we do!" Raphael shouted. "So drop it!" Donnie dropped it, and Raph finished his set in silence. He had just yelled at the wrong person and he knew it. He got up from the bench and Donnie left the dojo. Raphael let him go before moving to the other side of the room and starting the meditation exercises that Splinter had set for him.
"Ticked him off?" Leo asked from the couch as Donnie exited the dojo.
"Yes." He picked up the Frankenstein shuriken again, but this time didn't go for the screwdriver, settling instead on a circuit tester. Instead of sitting on the couch normally, he spun around and crossed his ankles over the back and let his head hang over the edge of the seat cushions. Leo watched for a moment as Donnie positioned the tester in several spots amid the wiring in the center of the shuriken, the show he was watching was in commercial anyway. The first several positions were accompanied by a green light on the tester. Eventually, one connection yielded a red light and Donnie grinned. Leo watched his brother flip out of the strange position he had been in and head off toward the corner of the room he'd managed to claim as a workspace.
The program ended and just as Leo was turning off the TV, Donnie slipped up behind him. The shuriken was a now a little wider than normal, but no longer looked like the Frankenstein monster it had been before. There were a couple more in his other hand.
"I want to go test them. Should be interesting, if they work. Want to come?" Donnie dangled a pair of ear plugs in front of his brother, and Leo knew that this one was going to be good.
Grinning, Leo accepted the earplugs and led the way out into the sewer tunnels. They'd have to get a way from home before this could go unnoticed by their family or anyone else of importance, and Leo knew just the place. He led the way to a large empty room he had found some time ago. The place seemed structurally sound to him, but he let Donnie check it over before conducting any tests. When they were both satisfied Donnie threw one of the shuriken at the far wall. The small bit of ordnance exploded on impact and the blast reverberated nicely through the tunnels. Leo then took one of the shuriken his brother offered and threw it at the same wall, only six feet farther down to spread out the damage they were doing. Another beautiful explosion. They were laughing and giving each other a high-three when Leo noticed someone behind him.
"Just what do you two think you're doing?" Michelangelo demanded, he carried a skateboard under one arm. As he approached his brothers, he leaned it up against the wall.
"We're blowing stuff up, Mikey! What does it look like?" Donnie responded brightly. Grinning at the new arrival.
"Sounds like you're trying to wake the dead. And don't call me Mikey. I'm not six anymore." Mike tried to continue glaring at his brothers, but what they were doing seemed like so much fun.
"Sure thing, Mike." Don replied, emphasizing the nickname. "Here, want one?"
Michelangelo accepted the proffered shuriken, released the safety and threw it at the far wall choosing a spot opposite where Leo's had impacted. He covered his ears before the object hit the wall, and a third blast echoed through the sewers.
"So, Mike." Leo started after the explosion had ricocheted away from them. "Where have you been?"
"You're as bad as Raph, you know that, Leo?" Mike informed his brother. "If I won't tell him, what makes you think I'll tell you."
"He won't go telling Master Splinter." Donnie added as he inspected the damage the shuriken had done to the walls.
"Maybe not, but he will use it for blackmail." Mike replied without ever taking his eyes off Leo.
"Aw, come on, Mike! I won't tell anyone! Where do you go? Please?" Leo begged.
"Out with Casey."
Leo made a frustrated noise as he already knew that. Mike gave that answer after every fight with Raph. Suddenly he had an idea.
Michelangelo didn't like the look in his little brother's eyes. It was that all-too-familiar look that said Leo had something on him.
"If you tell me where you go, I won't tell Master Splinter that you're the one who burnt that rug in March."
"You did that!" Donnie demanded, his inspection of the damage to the wall completely, if temporarily, forgotten. "He blamed me!"
Mike was sunk and he knew it. If he didn't tell he'd not only be in trouble for the rug, but he'd get it for lying and letting his little brother take the blame for his actions. If he told, he might get it anyway if Donnie went to Splinter with the information.
"And you knew?" Donnie demanded of Leo. When Leo nodded, Donnie muttered something about conniving big brothers who needed to be taught a lesson.
"Ok, ok." Mike agreed. "If I tell you two where I go then neither one of you will tell Splinter or Raphy about that rug."
Leo agreed readily, but Donnie didn't seem so keen on the idea. Donatello stood by the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and an uncharacteristic glare on his face.
"I didn't burn that rug, and you both knew it. You just let Master Splinter blame me!"
Mike realized that he'd have to up the stakes with the peeved turtle. "I'll tell you where I go... better yet, I'll show you." That didn't seem to help so Mike kept talking. "And I'll go with you to the junk yard on Thursdays for two weeks." He knew he'd hit on something when he noticed Donnie's expression change from annoyance to mild intrigue with a touch of skepticism.
"A month." Donnie bargained. "Thursdays, AND Mondays." He paused for a moment before throwing in one more demand. "And Leo comes too."
"What? Me?" Leo was shocked. He didn't want to go to the junk yard. It was boring, and everything there was gross.
"Yeah, you. I could tell Master Splinter about your participation in the cover up." Donnie warned. "You know what Sensei does when he finds out he's been lied to."
Leo looked from Mike, who wasn't offering any help, to Donnie, who didn't look like he was going to budge in his demands. Leo sighed and nodded. He should have chosen something that had been blamed on Raph. On the other hand, very little got falsely blamed on Raph. He also hadn't been able to dig up any good dirt on Donnie lately, which he found a little annoying. Not much peeved him more than his little brother managing to keep his beak clean. Granted, the exploding shuriken in the sewers could probably be used against him, but Leo was here too and that would be no good.
When Donnie was appeased by the promises, Mikey suggested they go back to the lair and get skateboards. He ignored their confused looks, and watched as they scampered back to the lair after the requested items. Upon returning with their boards, they followed Mikey up to the surface. As they were leaving the sewers, Leo asked where they were going.
"Just wait, we're almost there." Mike responded simply. As they dropped below an underutilized overpass, Mike pointed out one of the places he went after fighting with Raph.
"Whoa." Leo enthused. "It's the mother of all skate parks!"
"And it's not lit so it's deserted after dark." Mike agreed. "We could sit him in the corner and he can analyze angles all night!" He added with a gesture toward Donnie, who crossed his arms again.
"You want to make it six weeks, Mikey?" he asked, using the nickname he knew would annoy his brother.
Mike ruffled Donnie's bandanna, further peeving him. "Oh come off it, Donnie. You know I'm just messin' with you! You can take a joke, right?" He asked with a grin.
Ignoring Donnie's continued glare, Mike jumped on his board and dropped off the edge to the main level of the park several feet below. Leo joined him momentarily and Donnie followed after deciding that he'd rather be having fun than pouting on the sidelines. He dropped down the edge of the park and, coming off the next jump, executed a near perfect grind across the handrail on the opposite side.
A/N: Ok, weird, I know. But thanks for taking the time to read this little exercise in oddity and double thanks should you decide to click that blue button down there and leave a review!