Rating: K
Words: 344
Author's Note: This is one of the shorter ones, but I didn't want to string it along too much. A cute Splinter and chibi Mikey moment! Enjoy!
"Good night, Papa." the young turtle said as he lay back in his pillow and hugged his teddy bear close to him. His father leaned in and kissed his forehead tenderly.
"Good night, my son. Pleasant dreams."
Master Splinter rose from the bed and reached out for the lamp switch before Michelangelo's soft voice stilled his hand.
"Papa?"
"Yes, my son?"
His warm amber eyes met the wide, curious blue eyes of his youngest son.
"Where do babies come from?"
"What?" Splinter asked a little too quickly. He immediately regretted the outburst because his young son looked frightened and dropped his gaze to the top of his bear's head.
"I-It's nothing, Papa. Good-Good night."
Swiftly sitting back on the tattered quilt, Splinter smiled disarmingly, hoping to dissolve the distrust he had created so that Michelangelo would feel comfortable enough to ask what he wanted to know.
"No, I apologize. You wanted to know where babies came from, Michelangelo?" he coaxed gently.
The young turtle nodded shyly, fidgeting with the quilt covering his legs.
"I… Well, I asked Donnie after dinner, and… he said I should ask you. Leo said that it was a stork that brought babies down from a baby factory in the sky, but I think he's making that up."
Michelangelo stared up at him expectantly, his innocent face alight with interest.
None of his other sons had asked him this question before, so Splinter felt a little off guard trying to think of the correct explanation right off hand. It did not surprise him that Donatello already seemed to know, though he had never asked about this subject outright. He had many books, and the process was probably explained amongst the volumes. Raphael would be too embarrassed to ask, and Leonardo would pretend that he already knew, but would attempt to find out through his brothers later.
With a smile, Splinter made himself comfortable. This was going to be a very long conversation.
"Well my son, it happens like this: when a man and a woman love each other very much…"