In the dead of night, Mikey's padded footfalls went unnoticed through the dark and musty lair, zipping across the hall with only one destination in mind. An overwhelming sense of dread crawled up from his shell to his neck as he could feel a hand reaching out from the blackness behind him, ready to grab and drag him back. A whimper escaped him at the thought of being engulfed by darkness, his breath hitching.

Finally, the tot found the door that felt miles away, though it was just a couple of doors down from his own. He entered the room in a frenzy, leaning his shell against the door and trying to control his chest's unsteady rise and fall. This stirred the owner of the room he intruded. A silhouette shuffled in the corner, humming as if confused. A small voice followed.

"Who's that?"

"Leo!" Mikey gasped, running over to the shadow and blindly reaching out.

The other tot slowly sat up, kneading his eyes with his knuckles. "Mikey? What's wrong? …Wait, are you sleepwalking?"

"No…" Mikey sniffled.

Leo reached for his emergency flashlight that Father put in his room along with everyone else, claiming you'll never know when you'll need it. Well, this wasn't exactly a reason he figured Father had in mind, but it would have to do. Following a click, the flashlight emitted a glow that consumed the room. He shined it on his baby brother, his face glistening under the light with tears and clutching his teddy bear.

"What's wrong, Mikey?" the older asked again, his voice now softer after further waking up.

Mikey looked to his feet, which shuffled uncomfortably. "Can…can I sleep with you?"

"Why?" Leo's head tilted.

"Can I pleeeaaaaase just sleep with you?" Mikey asked again, more desperately than before. He unattractively wiped snot off his face and looked at Leo with big eyes that told him the smaller turtle was holding back a little fear.

"You have to tell me why," Leo said through a yawn.

Mikey whimpered, looking back at the door with a shiver. What he said wasn't exactly a no, but the youngest worried his answer would make his older brother decline.

"I'm scared."

Leo's expression stayed the same. "Of what?"

"The dark!" Mikey cried. "I can't see anything. What if someone is in the corner watching me sleep, and I don't know? Or what if I sleepwalk and wake up somewhere black and cold? Then I'll never find my way back home."

Leo's gaze softened a bit. "Mikey, you'll always find your way back home. And if you can't, we'll find you. We'll never lose you."

Mikey instantly climbed into bed at the signal of his oldest brother, covering his cold-blooded skin in the blanket, and leaned into a leg of Leo's, who was still sitting up.

"And there's nothing in the dark that will hurt you. If there was, I would have kicked its butt by now," Leo continued. He snuggled into his baby brother, resting a hand on his shoulder to find Mikey was still tense with fear.

"Really?" Mikey sniffled.

Not really. Leo knew nothing of fighting like their father, at least not yet. If anything, Mikey should have sought out the rat instead of his oldest brother, but Leo wouldn't dare disturb their tired father at such a late hour, so it made sense that he was the second option. Even so, he was a little flattered.

"Yeah," he replied.

The youngest flipped over and squeezed the other in a tight embrace, his beak buried in Leo's shoulder and the teddy bear crushed between their bodies. Leo's heart fluttered at the sudden affection, making him go stiff. He ultimately returned the embrace and relaxed in his brother's warmth.

"Thanks, Leo," Mikey whispered.

"No problem." Leo reached for the flashlight, stopping at a sudden squeeze from Mikey.

"Please, leave it on."

This didn't surprise Leo. He wasn't sure what to do with his arm, throwing it over Mikey's shell and putting his head's total weight on his pillow.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, otōto."

A moment of silence passed, and Leo wondered if his baby brother had finally calmed down and given into the tight grasp of sleep, given the stiffness in his body had melted entirely. Then, he might wriggle out of his hold and position himself more comfortably. Just as he thought to shuffle under the covers, Mikey's tired voice stopped him.

"What does that mean?"

Leo hummed in question.

"Oh….toto," Mikey struggled to repeat.

He didn't pronounce one of the Os properly, but Leo didn't feel like correcting him. Actually, it was kind of humorous the way he said it. Even cute.

"Father told me it means little brother," Leo answered.

"Oh," Mikey said, a yawn following.

Again, there was silence. Mikey's breathing had slowed, his breath fanning on Leo's face in a stable rhythm. This was his chance to move.

"So, what do I call you, then?" the smallest asked suddenly.

Leo held back a tired sigh. "Ani."

"Ani…" Mikey echoed sleepily.

Something about the way his little voice whispered it made Leo's slight irritation dissolve. He kind of liked hearing it, hoping it would become a regular thing. Maybe if he kept calling Mikey otōto, the other would follow and call him ani. For now, the thought of falling back asleep tempted him. His eyelids grew heavy, even as stiff as he was in his little brother's hold.

"So Raphie and Donnie are my anis, too?" Mikey asked.

Leo's eyes shot open, a groan almost escaping him. Calmly, he murmured, "It's time to go to sleep now, Mikey. No more talking."

"Okay, goodnight," Mikey whispered a second time. "I love you, Leo."

The statement didn't catch him by surprise. Mikey was still in that young phase where he threw out I love yous as casual as saying hello, mainly to their father. Still, Leo patted Mikey's head with a small smile.

"You, too, Mikey."

In the soft light, he saw Mikey's eyes open for the first time since hopping in bed. "Say it back, or I'm not going to sleep."

Leo's eye ridges raised with surprise. "You goob," he chuckled lightly. "Okay. I love you too."

Mikey's eyelids collapsed with a weak grin. He rested his head under Leo's chin, his freckled cheek resting at his heart before he went ultimately still. Leo listened to his faint snoring as his own eyes fluttered closed.

The brothers slept soundly, wrapped in each other's warmth for the rest of the night.


Mikey

The memory withered like a candle's flame as I stirred in bed, clutching my teddy bear with an exhausted yawn.

My body felt like it weighed a million pounds when I sat up in bed. Waking up from my first slumber in two days felt like waking up from the dead, and I would know, given I almost died last night! My brain was quick to remind me of last night's events, flashing in my mind repeatedly as I wiped the morning crusties out of my eyes. I saw Fish Face swimming away with the Heiwa no Buki, my brother's worried looks once I woke up on the pier, Leo….

I smacked myself.

No, Mikey! No negative thoughts were allowed today. It was a new day, and even though I still felt groggy, I was also refreshed and ready to tackle the day. After all, at least someone in this family had to be smiling right now.

I hopped out of bed and headed for the kitchen, hoping I hadn't slept past breakfast or there would be a mess awaiting me due to my bros' failed attempt to try themselves. Inside, I saw Raph, Donnie, and Big Leo sitting silently at the counter. There was sad energy floating in the air, telling me my bros were still disappointed over last night's events. Their disconnected, melancholy gazes made my heart hurt.

"Morning, dudes," I greeted with a smile.

Raph looked up from his bowl of cereal, a weak grin quirking on his face. "Well, look who finally got some sleep."

"How are you feeling?" Big Leo added.

"Bros, I slept like an angel on a cloud last night," I said as I dug around for a big bowl.

It was quite the opposite. I actually slept like a corpse six feet under, but a little lie wouldn't hurt in this situation.

"How's your arm?" Donnie asked.

It was pretty tender and stung when I moved it too suddenly, but another fib should be fine. The last thing I wanted to do was worry my already stressed-out bros over trivial things like how I sleep and a scrape on my arm.

"I forgot all about it," I dismissed nonchalantly.

There was a pause from my bros behind me before Donnie spoke again. "…okay. We'll have to change the gauze later, though. You too, Raph."

"Yeah, yeah," Raph growled. "Hey, Mikey. What are ya fixin'?"

"Just the best pancakes you've ever tasted. Prepare your tastebuds for a party, son!" I cheered as I cracked a couple eggs in the bowl.

Raph pushed his bowl aside. "Now that's what I'm talking about."

I mixed all my ingredients together while holding casual chatter with my bros. Soon, the batter was sizzling in beautiful goopy puddles in the pan, and the smell alone lifted the energy in the room. As I flipped the last few, Big Leo told us a few stories from the future. They were so interesting that I almost burned my pancakes as I listened.

I set everyone a plate, even Leo, who I hadn't seen since last night. His pancakes would be cold, but at least he had something to eat when he decided to come in. Sitting and eating with my bros, I couldn't help but think about him more. I felt terrible about not listening to him last night; I could tell I really scared him once I came to consciousness on the pier. But then I remembered how he disregarded me when I told him he and my bros didn't take me seriously, and I held back a frown.

You want to be taken seriously? Then act serious.

I wasn't a serious dude. I mean, has Leo met me? It's not like we've been together since hatching. I'd told him before that it was difficult to act and think like him and my bros, but I guessed he forgot about that conversation under all his stress. I wished there was a way I could turn my brain off auto-pilot when it was desperately needed and be in the moment like a real ninja, but it felt like a fantasy.

"…Mikey."

I snapped at attention, blinking at Big Leo sitting across from me with a concerned gaze. I looked around me, seeing that Donnie and Raph were gone. I must have been so out of it that I didn't see them leave.

How ironic.

"Where did they go?" I asked.

"To check on Raph's arm." Big Leo took my empty plate with a half smile, stacking it atop the rest. "What's that wild mind thinking about?"

"Nothing," I replied. A wince followed as Big Leo gave me a stern look.

"Mikey, you don't have to pretend like everything is okay to spare my feelings. Last night was hard on all of us," he said as he started washing the dishes.

I didn't say anything, reflecting on his words as the sound of rushing water played in the background. Last night was only hard on everyone because of me. If I had listened to Leo and didn't decide to take a dip, we might have gotten the Heiwa no Buki back as a group, although a big part of me doubted that. Their plan was well thought out. It would have been hard to chase down Fish Face in his main domain. Even still, I wouldn't have scared them if I didn't almost drown. I really screwed up. No wonder Leo was mad at me all the time.

"Hey," Big Leo's gentle, deep voice pulled me out of my head again. I turned to him as he leaned against the sink, drying off the plates. "We all make mistakes."

"Yeah, but I'm the one who makes them the most," I said with a frown.

Big Leo let a gentle smile grace his face, setting down a plate. "That means you learn more than the rest of us."

I pondered on that, mimicking his grin.

"You're a teen; making mistakes is a big part of your life right now. You just need to be careful," Big Leo continued. He sat next to me and patted my shell.

"Why can't Leo see that?" I asked quietly.

Big Leo chuckled. "He's a teenager too. He's not perfect."

"Do adults make fewer mistakes?" I asked, beaming at him.

Big Leo frowned and laced his hands together with a gaze fixed on the island. I thought my question had broken him because he had just stopped talking. Finally, he stiffened with a sigh.

"Adults make mistakes too. Some never learn from them, and they live a long life with their mistakes trailing behind them, hurting others in the process. Like Oroku Saki." He clenched his fists at the sound of the name, his eye ridges furrowing a bit.

"What about you? Now that you're old and stuff," I asked.

Big Leo turned to me in shock, yet a smile spread back on his face as if he couldn't tell how he felt about my question. "I'm only twenty-one, Mikey!"

"Yeah, you're basically a Master Splinter now," I said, laughing as Big Leo snared me in a nuggie. I giggled the longer he kept me in his hold, squirming and shoving his head, but he was too strong.

"You'll be this age, too, someday. Then we'll see how you feel, you big goob," Big Leo said through a laugh of his own.


Leo released a pained cry into the sewers, sprawled on the wet concrete with his skateboard rolling away. He couldn't remember how his ollie went so wrong, where he lost his balance. Those few seconds were washed from his memory because of the intense pain in his wrist.

"Leo!" Mikey cried. He dropped his board and dashed to his ten-year-old bro, getting on his knees and examining him. "That ollie sucked."

"Yeah, I know!" Leo hissed, nursing his disfigured wrist with gritted teeth.

Mikey helped his big brother stand. "Dude, that looks broken."

"You think?" Leo remarked under his breath. The weight of his hand strained the broken wrist, sending a sudden twinge throughout his entire arm. "Ow, ow, ow!"

"Come on, bro. Let's take you to Sensei," Mikey said. He held Leo's other arm even when it wasn't needed, guiding him through the dark tunnels.

"He's going to be so upset. You know how nervous he gets about us skateboarding," Leo said.

Another tunnel down, and Mikey patted his older brother's arm. "Don't worry, bro. The only thing he's going to worry about is the fact that your wrist is totally mangled."

"You're not helping, Mikey," Leo said though a cracked voice.

Mikey looked at him, seeing tears lining his brother's ocean blue eyes. His heart sank at the look of pain his eldest brother held back, and then an idea struck him.

"Hey, Leo," Mikey said, his voice almost singing with joy. "What do you call a turtle who stays up all night?"

Leo looked at his little brother, blinking in confusion.

"A noc-turtle!" Mikey giggled.

The turtle in blue looked down the tunnels, a smile quirking on his face. He couldn't tell which was funnier, the horrible joke or his baby brother's infectious laugh.

"Wait, I got another one. What do you call a turtle that likes to take pictures?" Mikey asked, almost too excited for Leo to reply so he could deliver the punchline.

"I don't know, Mikey," Leo said, his grin spreading as he waited for all of one second.

"A snapping turtle!" Mikey laughed.

Leo released a humored sound from his throat, shaking his head as Mikey leaned on him, weak from hilarity.

"Aren't these shell-larious?" Mikey asked through uncontrollable laughter.

Leo rolled his eyes, still smiling. "They're awful!"

"Yeah, but you're laughing," Mikey said, poking his brother's face with an excited gleam in his eyes.

Leo's eyes widened. Suddenly, he knew what Mikey was trying to do all along. He looked ahead, seeing the familiar turnstiles of their home entrance, and the twinging of his wrist returned a little now that he had reminded himself of his predicament. But up until this point, Mikey's terrible jokes and dorky laughter had wholly preoccupied him.

Next to him, Mikey started chuckling again, and it transformed into a belly laugh that piqued Leo's interest.

"What now?" Leo asked.

"I just made up my own joke in my head," Mikey replied. "What is Raphie's favorite part of a joke?"

Leo shrugged. "I don't know. He hates corny jokes."

"The punchline!" Mikey exclaimed.

Deep from his stomach, Leo let out a genuine laugh, one he hadn't made in a long time.


Leo

"Leonardo, I can sense your struggling," Sensei said.

My eyes snapped open, aware that I was back in the dojo and no longer in the sewer's tunnels. I was meditating a moment ago, then my mind must have wandered. Father stared at me, his ears drooping partially in concern.

"I'm sorry, Sensei. I'm…distracted."

"I can see that, my son. I would ask what troubles you, but I am already aware."

I clenched my fists and tightly closed my eyes as the scene played in my head of Xever jumping out of the water and brandishing the Weapon of Peace before swimming away.

"I'm so sorry, Master Splinter." I bowed my head.

"It is a significant loss, but losing all or one of my sons would have been more so. I am relieved you all made it back in one piece," Sensei said, smiling softly at me.

A spark of fear ignited in my heart when I thought back to what my future self had confided in me last night. Now that the Heiwa no Buki was in Shredder's possession, the reality that Mikey was in grave danger continued to settle in my mind like an unwanted guest. The image of Shredder plunging his blades into Mikey's shell plagued me, and as much as I knew it would hurt Master Splinter too, my older self and I had decided that he needed to know.

"What is it, chōnan?" Sensei asked.

I blinked, noticing that I must have been showing how concerned I really was. "Master Splinter, aren't you worried about what this means for Mikey?"

Sensei's ears sagged lower than before, his deep eyes wandering off to the rug he sat on. After a while, he stood and sauntered to his shrine. He fixed his sights on a picture of my brothers and me, letting a small smile come back to his face. I died to know what he was thinking at that very moment.

"Sensei?" I stood up as well, walking up to him cautiously.

"I worry about Michelangelo deeply," he finally replied. "But when I channel my attention on the negatives, it clouds my sense of judgment, my ability to remain calm for my sons. Instead, I focus on the fact that our little sunshine is still with us, which encourages me to look ahead."

"But, Master Splinter, there's something you have to know. Mikey…"

"I'm aware of Michelangelo's fate. I need not be reminded of his possible demise," Sensei spoke over me, his posture slackening a bit at the last sentence.

I blinked in shock, wondering for a second if my future self had given Father the bad news and forgot to tell me. Master Splinter continued before I could ask.

"You are my son. I know your ability to hold your emotions when you lie is a flaw you have yet to correct, even in the future, it would seem."

I winced, knowing now that Sensei had figured this out from the beginning.

"And I agree that this is something Michelangelo does not need to hear, at least not now. He must focus on disconnecting himself from the Heiwa no Buki if possible. It is critical that we—"

"What?"

My blood turned to ice at the sound of the new voice in the dojo, pivoting to find an angry Raphael at the sliding doors.


Hey! I hope it's okay that I went for a more wholesome and chill chapter this time. The last chapter left me so emotionally drained, and I needed this random sibling fluff to get by. The next chapter should be more serious. I still hope you enjoyed! Leave me any thoughts you might have, and I hope you have a wonderful Saturday!