Before note: I will have to explain later in detail when I have the time, because my sisters want a chance on the computer, so I'll just say this:

As I have explained in the previous chapter, my birthday is on Friday, which is tomorrow. Deciding that I don't have time to work on it tomorrow, I made this short interlude chapter that doesn't really help progress into the story, but I made it for myself as a personal b-day present and for you guys because I know some of you who love this story are missing it. This interlude is a Mikey/Donnie brotherly fluff plot, because you know that there my favorite brother pairing. :)

So, please enjoy this mini and "senseless" chapter (because I had to rush), and I will hopefully officially come back after my birthday to continue with my long-awaited list of untouched stories!

Disclaimer: Nothing but this birthday fic belongs to me.

With his hand tightly entwined in hers, Donatello smiled warmly at the redheaded girl that was alongside him while they walked together on a sidewalk. She returned the smile, making the mutant turtle blush crazily. Their fingers unconsciously curled tighter in a hug around each hand.

It was a clear, clean night in the city of Manhattan. The inky sky could easily be seen with the stars dotting the upward scenery here and there. The city below was surprisingly quiet; nothing could be heard but the endless droning of cicadas and the chirping music of crickets. There were no cars accompanying the roads, the stores and restaurants all seemed to be closed, and there weren't even people walking on the street. The usual indication of people awake in their houses were the luminescent lights that highlighted the windows, but there wasn't even that either.

It was almost as if the entire townspeople had vacated the city so that it was all reserved special for the two teens.

April leaned her head closer and rested it on Donnie's arm as the two stopped at a corner to stare at the sky. An alignment of random stars had lit up brighter and connected together, seeming to make a rare constellation. It wasn't recognizable to anyone else, but the two smiled, continuing to look at the message the heavens had sent them.

Donnie turned to look at April, staring lovingly into her eyes. His head seemed to lean slightly closer to hers by the second, with hers doing the same. Their lips were slightly poked out from the rest of their faces, attracted to each other like slow magnets, showing the early arrival of an upcoming kiss. Their eyes slowly began to close as they inched closer, their lips almost touching…

They did, but it wasn't long.

Just when their lips had just pecked against each other, an almost blinding flash of light engulfed them, along with a sudden sharp explosion bursting from their right. Everything was still as a sudden thin cloud of smoke drifted endlessly over them and dispersed into air. April stared wide-eyed at the stunned turtle before her, neither of them deciding to make a move. Until, however, Donnie's body began to tip forward, and the next thing the girl knew, she was staring horrified at the leaking body before her. A small scorched hole punctured his shell and was oozing blood in a rapid, convulsing waterfall. It stained his shell and soon began dripping onto the formerly clean and empty asphalt.

April's heart was jumping in a quick motion. Completely speechless and scared, she dropped to her knees and began to panic as her fingers roamed the air, trying to decide where they should land on the body to see if they could be of any help, watching desperately as the blood continued to drown Donatello's shell.

A familiar chuckle sounded behind her, and she turned. Fong stood behind her, his malice grin from before staining his face. A gun hung loosely in his hand, it still smoking from its previous shot. His eyes seemed to be darker, even hungrier for more death. It was almost as if he thrived for it. His smile becoming tighter, he raised to the gun and pointed its nose towards its next victim.

April's eyes prickled with tears, absolute fear coating her face. Her eyes stared pleadingly at the Purple Dragon before her, begging him to spare her life.

However, her answer was not what she requested. Fong only shook her his head in fake pity. His finger pulled back the trigger, and the entire atmosphere seemed to grow darker as the bullet raced towards her heart…

Mikey still found himself screaming "No!" as his eyelids instantly shot open, his body coming back into control from his sudden awakening. He was looking emptily at the ceiling of his bedroom. He could feel the heat of his body producing sweat from the uncomfortable position he was in, his legs completely tangled in the sheets. His eyes had trouble adjusting to the darkness of his room, but once his heart had calmed down enough, he began to remember what happened.

He had a nightmare.

Reluctantly, he sat up in bed, looking around sadly. Staring down at his hands last, he wasn't surprised to notice that there was a slight tremble to them. In fact, his whole body began to catch up with the vibrations. Before he knew it, tears were dotting the corners of his eyes, and he let out a soft whimper of a sob. Oh Donnie, not his Donnie…

Hopping out of his bed, he rushed out of his door, into the hallway, and straight into the door of a familiar room. The tears now fled his eyes once he slowly crept up to the occupied bed of his big brother.

Donatello lay still in his bed, the expression on his face showing that he was sleeping peacefully. One arm rested on his plastron, fingers occasionally tapping incoherently as his chest went up and down with his breathing. He looked so comfortable. Mikey wanted so badly to be in that bed, to be comforted by the brother who didn't die from his injuries.

He was thinking about waking up Donnie himself, but he thought better of it, thinking that he didn't want to disturb his rest. However, he didn't have to. Donatello must've sensed a presence next to him, because he moaned quietly and shifted slightly. Soon, his eyes started to open. Similar to Mikey, his eyes began to adjust to the darkness. When they turned towards the youngest's direction, they seemed to harden to comprehend who he was seeing. It took him a little more effort to sit up, due to his injuries weighing him down, but when he did, he turned on his table lamp to see who it was that came to him.

"Mikey?" he whispered, his voice a little raspy from a long sleep.

Mikey did not say a word. He didn't want to. All he wanted was to seek comfort from his brother.

"Mikey? What's wrong?"

No response.

"Mikey? Are you okay-"

A sniffle sounded from Mikey. That was all it took for Donnie to stop asking questions and finally understand what was wrong. Sighing sadly, he scooted over in his bed and lifted his covers, eagerly inviting his baby brother under them.

Michelangelo instantly took the invitation and threw himself in the bed, his body curling tightly into Donnie's open arms. He buried his face into Donnie's shoulder, while Donnie himself stroked his shell, trying to calm him from whatever he was feeling conflicted from.

"Did you have a nightmare?" he asked gently, pulling his brother closer. Mikey nodded, another sniffle sounded.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"…I…Donnie, I was scared. Why d-did you have to get hurt? I can't get it out of my head. Every time I see you, I keep having visions of the night we found you…There was…so much…so much blood." With each word, Mikey's voice began to rise, signaling his soon coming sobs. "Donnie, I don't want you to die! I'm scared. Please don't g-et hurt again, please Donnie. I thought we lost you that night, and it keeps haunting me! Big brother, please don't d-die! I love you too much, please don't die…" Mikey finally began to cry, snuggling tighter into his older brother's warm, safe arms. Donnie listened sadly, trying to calm him with hushes and caresses on his head and shell. How could he not have seen the trouble he put not just April, but his family through? He would expect the elder members of the family to get used to the horrifying logic, but he never thought what was going on in their heads of what they thought about his' getting shot. And he should've expected someone as young and sensitive as Michelangelo to be especially scarred by the situation. Donnie's apology would be to make sure he would never let his brothers experience so terrifying ever again, something as close as death that would never plaque their minds ever again.

Donnie rocked his little brother back and forth, feeling tears drip onto his skin. He hugged Mikey tighter and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.

"Shhhh, it's alright, little brother, it's okay. Don't cry, I'm right here. And I promise I will never, ever leave your side." A few short sobs later, and Mikey's crying had eventually died down back to sniffles. He looked up at Donnie, his innocent bright blue eyes conversing with Donnie's warm brown ones. A small smile silently formed on his lips.

"Promise?" he said, closing his eyes as he rested his head back on his brother's shoulder. Donnie smiled back, stroking his brother's head with the fullest of care.

"I will always promise."

Mikey sighed and snuggled even closer to the purple wearing turtle. His arm curled up to rest on Donnie's plastron as he finally began to relax in the comfort of his brother.

"I love you, big brother." Donnie pressed one more loving kiss to Mikey's temple.

"I love you so much, little brother."

Hugging his baby brother close, he hummed Mikey's favorite lullaby that he sang to him as a child, and soon Mikey drifted off into sleep. Reaching to turn off the table lamp, Donnie resettled back with Mikey and eventually joined in the chorus of soft snores of a comfortable rest.