"I HATE YOU!" The young turtle clad in a purple bandana yelled.
"I didn't mean to!" Raphael cried angrily.
"Donnie ignored his brother's pleas. "You ruined it!" He yelled, storming off.
"Donnie knew it was only a mixture of chemicals and he could remake it but it would take forever, why couldn't Raph be more careful? The young turtle sighed and got to work, mixing chemicals.
A knock on the door interrupted him a few minutes later. "Donnie?" Raph sniffled outside the door. Donatello ignored it and continued mixing chemicals, trying to get his mixture right. His experiment had been so close to working and then Raph knocked it over.
"Angry at being ignored, the Sai-wielding turtle growled. "Fine!" He shouted. "We're not best friends anymore!"
"Fine!"
Three days later, the two turtles were found crying in their rooms after having another argument. Leo and Mikey were both concerned and confused at the hostility the two had been showing each other and decided to find out what had happened.
"What's the matter Raph? Did you and Donnie fight?" Leo asked, arms wrapping around his younger brother.
"I miss Donnie." He admitted. "My best friend always had sweets to share. He knew every word in the dic-ti-on-ary. He was clean, neat and tidy from Monday to Friday. I wish that I could be like, wear clean clothes, talk properly like, do sums and history like my friend."
Mikey grinned at Donnie. "What's up with you and Raphie? You guys are always fighting the past three days."
"Raph and I got in a big fight and he doesn't want to be my best friend anymore!" Donnie sobbed, distraught.
"He'll get over it eventually, you should think about all the good things about him. Tell me why you and Raph were best friends!" Mikey suggested#
"My best friend, he could swear like a soldier. You would laugh till you died at the stories he told you. He was untidy from Monday to Friday. I wish that I could be like, kick a ball and climb a tree, like, run around with dirty knees like my friend." Donnie smiled at all the memories they shared.
Ten years later
Raph and Donnie had forgiven each other for what happened a few weeks later, but they had never been as close since. Raph always thought Donnie saw the worst in him and Donnie thought Raph still didn't want to be his friend. It was childish, and they both knew it, but they were too scared to reach out to each other.
Ever since Raph had become angrier and started yelling more and Donnie would shut himself in his lab for days at a time, coming out only to eat or use the toilet.
Here Raph was, sitting in his room ten years later, remembering his favourite things about being friends, and wishing things would go back to how they were.
"My best friend always had sweets to share."
"Raphie!" Donnie grinned, holding a purple bag. "Do you want a sweet?" he picked a red jelly baby out of the bag and handed it to his brother.
"Thank you, Donnie!" Raph grinned hugging the younger boy before chomping away at the little red man.
"You're welcome!" Donnie ran off to offer some to Mikey, Leo, and Master Splinter.
"He knew every word in the dictionary."
"Mikey ran into the room and tripped over a comic that had been left on the floor. Donnie and Raph were almost certain that it had been Mikey who left it there.
"Hm. How did this get here?" Mikey said, picking it up and taking it back to his room.
"He's incorrigible." Donnie rolled his eyes jokingly.
Raph frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It means he's beyond help," Donnie explained.
The red turtle laughed a little, a grin on his green face. "That's definitely a good way of describing him!"
"Donnie and Raph laughed together for a few minutes before putting on finding Nemo and falling asleep on the sofa.
Always together.
At least, that's what they had thought.
"He was clean, neat, and tidy from Monday to Friday."
Mikey chuckled mischievously as he rubbed cream into Donnie's plastron.
"Ew! Mikey!" Donnie pushed the turtle away, eyes brimming with tears.
Raph came over and grabbed Donnie's hand, sticking his tongue out at Mikey a little. "He was only joking, Don. We'll get master Splinter to wash it off, come on!"
"I wish that I could be like, wear clean clothes, talk properly like,"
"Your bandana's dirty, it's got mud on it." Donnie pointed at Raph's red bandana.
"Yeah, I know," Raph said, a small smirk on his face.
"Also, Raph, it's yes not yeah."
"Alright, Brainiac." Raphael agreed.
"Do sums and history like my friend."
"What's 6x6?" Raph asked.
"Count in sixes until you get to six sixes," Donnie suggested.
"Okay." Raph smiled. "Thanks, Don. Six, twelve, eighteen… twenty-four… what comes after twenty-four?"
"Thirty!" Donnie grinned. "Then the sixth six is Thirty-six!"
"Thank you, Donnie!" Raph hugged his little brother, he had never liked maths but it was much more bearable when he had his best friend to help him.
Across the hallway, Donnie was doing much the same.
"My best friend, he would swear like a soldier."
"What the shell?" Raph asked as his brothers chuckled. "Don?"
Donnie just cackled. "Did you just say, 'what the shell?'"
Raph just sighed. "Splinter says I'm not allowed to say 'what the hell'"
Donnie just laughed, even more, falling to the floor and clutching his sides. Raph gave a small grin at the sight of his brother being so happy. Mikey and Leo stood by smiling at the scene until…
"Will you two get the shell out?"
"You would laugh till you died at the stories he told you."
"… and then, BANG! And I'm on the floor, nothing bad happened. I fell off my bed. And then, Leo runs in, katanas in hand and searching for danger. And you can't imagine the embarrassment of trying to explain that!"
"By this time, Donnie's on the floor, tears in his eyes as he clutches his sides and howls with laughter. A few coughs escape his mouth as he chokes on his chuckles, making him cackle even harder, grinning so much his cheeks began to ache, but he wouldn't stop smiling, not even if the world came falling down. Because it would be okay. He had his best friend.
"He was untidy from Monday to Friday."
"Ew," Donnie said, a smile curling his lips. "What is on your bandana?"
"No clue," Raph said. "Might be poo from in the sewers."
"That's gross!" Donnie snorted. "Come here."
He took Raph's shoulders, turning him around gently, and untying the red bandana.
"I'll get Splinter to wash it." He smiled, playfully punching his brother and walking towards their sensei's bedroom.
"I wish that I could be like, kick a ball and climb a tree, like,"
Donnie cheered as his brother kicked the football into the makeshift net, hugging him as Raph grinned and picked his little brother up, spinning him around.
Donnie giggled excitedly before falling over when Raph put him down. But he never hit the floor, his brother was there to keep him secure and upright, like he always was.
"Run around with dirty knees like my friend."
Donnie and Raph both fell to the floor, knees getting dirty in the process.
"Whoops!" The young Raph giggled and got up, running again.
Donnie stayed sat on the floor, cradling his injured leg, tears streaming down his face at the pain in his knee.
""Donnie?" Raph asked, a worried frown covering his features.
"It hurts Raphie!" He whimpered out, looking at his brother with bloodshot eyes.
"Come here." Raph picked up the younger turtle, carrying him back to the lair.
Raph covered the wound in a plaster before wrapping his little brother in a warm hug, rubbing his shell.
"You feeling better?" Raph asked.
"Yes."
"Good." The red turtle said, turning to leave.
"Thank you Raphie!" Donnie hugged his older brother. He had never liked getting hurt but it was much more bearable when he had his best friend to help him.