Yay, it's Monday, and you know what that means? Another update!

Today on the request menu: Some Don and Mike fluff, with a side dish of fighting brothers. This was a request from mistystar123. I really hope you like it!

Not A Total Failure

"You are unbelievable! You really think -"

"Oh, now I'm tha one who's unbelievable? Yer tha one puttin' up stupid plans that don't work!"

"Excuse me? My plans don't work? You were the one not following my orders."

"With good reason! If I waited any longer, we'd be dead!"

"You know that's not true! I had everything under control until you decided to-"

"Ya call that under control?"

"Yes! And if you let me finish my sentences you -"

"Oh, so now ya suddenly want to finish somethin'? You shoulda finish that guy when ya could!"

"Like I said, it was under control! You were the one putting everything at stake by charging without warning! The plan and my instructions were flawless. I know it's hard for you to remember something, but this was easy!"

"Yer callin' me stupid?"

"Yeah, maybe I do. Because of you even worse things could've happened!"

"Because of me? If yer weren't foolin' around, I shouldn't have to intervene and let ma guard down!"

"I wasn't fooling around! I had eve-"

"Everything under control, right? My shell! Admit it, Fearless, ya totally lost it."

"Even so, you shouldn't have left Mike alone. He counted on you to watch his back and see what happened!"

"Don't gimme that! You were the one that -"

"And that's enough for tonight," Donnie said with an annoyed frown as he closed the lab door, drowning out the angry voices of his two older brothers. Sighing he walked back to the cot Mikey was sitting on. The smile that was almost always present on his face was gone and his sad eyes looked down to the floor.

"Alright, Mikey, let's get you wrapped up," Don said gently as he carefully untied the large emergency bandage which was around Mikey's upper arm. Mike moved his arm so Don could work easier, but didn't gave a response. Worried Don continued to unwrap the bandage and cursed internally when he saw how bloodsoaked the lower layers had gotten. A small grunt escaped from Mikey and Don looked up to his brother's pained expression. "You're alright?" he asked considerately. Finally Mikey looked up, nodding. "Yeah, sorry," he said in a small voice, letting his eyes drift back to the ground.

Don gave a sad smile. "Don't apologize, Mikey. You didn't do anything wrong," he said as he peeled off the last layer and deposited it in the medical trashcan. Mikey shrugged, causing a small stream of blood flowing out of the wound, which Don wiped away quickly. The then put his hand on Mikey's chin and tilted his head up. He waited until they locked eyes. "Seriously, Mikey. Nothing what happened tonight was your fault," he said sternly. Mikey waited a moment, before jerking his head away from the loose grip. "Then why are they fighting?"

Don frowned in surprise, as realisation sunk in. "You think they're fighting because of you?" When Mikey didn't respond, he shook his head. "That's ridiculous, Mikey. They are fighting because the night didn't go as planned and -"

"That is because of me!" Mikey interrupted. Don stopped talking and looked at his brother, who's guilty eyes locked with his own for just a second before turning away again. "What makes you think that?"

"I got hurt," was the short answer. Don snorted and rubbed some disinfectant on the wound, causing Mikey to hiss at the sharp burning feeling.

"Yeah, you got hurt, but that was totally out of your hands. If your reflexes were any slower, you would have ended up way worse. You did well, bro," Don praised his little brother, who thought about this, but kept quiet.

"Really, Mikey," Don continued, looking at Mikey once again. "You did absolutely nothing wrong. If there is anyone to blame, it's the two hotheads outside," he said with a smile, which got broader as Mikey looked up to him, returning the smile. "You sure?" he asked insecure. "Cuz I'm always screwing up and get hurt or something."

"Mikey, listen to me," Don said seriously, while grabbing a gauze and covering Mikey's wound with it. "Tonight the whole mission went wrong, starting with Leo who had to act faster, followed by Raph, who went in without telling anybody, not doing his job. Then there was me, the one who actually had to do something about Leo in the first place since I was closer, but didn't. You were the only one who did everything right and acted exactly like you had to when everything seem to fall apart. And paid the price for that," he concluded sadly, looking at the now covered arm. Mikey followed his gaze and shrugged. "It's not that bad," he said, his voice sounding more chipper than before. Don smiled at that, knowing he succeeded in making his brother feel better. "Thank god for that." He reached for a new bandage roll and removed the plastic packing skillfully with one hand, while the other hold the gauze on Mikey's arm.

Suddenly the lab door opened and a worried looking Splinter came in. "My son, is everything alright?"

Mikey looked up to him in surprise and nodded. "Yeah, Sensei. I'm fine," he said with a small smile. "Just a cut."

"A nasty one, but it could've been a lot worse. He'll be okay in no time," Don added, while wrapping the wound tightly. Splinter nodded and gave a warm smile, putting a paw on Mikey's upper leg. "I am very glad you will be fine, Michelangelo. After I heard what happened I thought it was more severe."

Mikey swallowed. "After you heard…? You talked to Leo and Raph?"

Splinter frowned, knowing there was much more behind the innocent question. "Yes, I did. They told me despite the failed mission, you hold yourself very well. I am proud of you and I am willing to bet your brothers are as well," he said gently, hoping he had effaced the doubt in his son's eyes. A second later Mikey got a genuine smile on his face. "Thanks, Sensei."

Splinter nodded and gave Mikey's leg a light squeeze. He then turned to his other son. "Donatello, will you make sure your brother takes his rest after you finished tending him?"

"Off course, Sensei. You can count on me," Don said with a smile.

"Very well. I will see you in the morning, my sons. Sleep well." With that Splinter walked back to the living room, closing the lab door behind him.

A couple of seconds it was quiet. Then Don started to snigger. "Told you so," he said looking at his youngest brother. Mikey smiled in return. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Just to let you know, the same goes for me," Don stated as he ripped off a piece of medical tape and secured the bandage. Mikey looked at him in confusion, trying to suppress a yawn. "Whatcha mean?"

"I'm also proud of you. You did indeed very well." With a smile Don let his chair roll away from Mikey and opened a drawer on the other end of the lab. Mikey gave an embarrassed laugh. "Dude, you're giving me way too much credit here. I just tried not to die." He rubbed his head sheepishly with his good arm, not really knowing what to do or say next.

"Exactly. And that worked perfectly," Don said and he swiveled around. He pushed off with his feet and rolled back to Mikey, taking a water bottle which he had grabbed earlier on the way. Stopping in front of his brother he held out the bottle and two painkillers. "Be a good turtle and take these, please."

Grinning Mikey grabbed the pills, washing them away with the water. "Thanks," he said as he wiped his mouth and gave the bottle back to his brother.

"No problem." Don put the bottle on the table next to him and got up. "Now let's get you to bed."

Mikey nodded and also got on his feet. Swaying a bit, he got steadied by Don. "Take it easy, bro," he said gently. Mikey grinned. "Sorry, guess I stood up too fast. I'm okay though," he assured him as he started to walk out of the lab on his own.

"Just be careful," Don said worriedly, keeping a close eye on his littlest, who happily strutted through the lair to get to his room. Don shook his head affectionately, thinking this night wasn't a total failure after all.

Just to be clear: The title didn't refer to Mikey or whatsoever, but to the earlier mission.

I really hope you liked it. Please, leave a review and/or request, so I can keep on writing :)