Chapter Text
One by one, the brothers walked by Mikey's room, trying to make the youngest open the door to no avail.
All they could hear as they passed were soft sniffles rippling through the room.
The oldest could see it in Raph's face, how he wanted to kick the door open and comfort his little brother.
Even if he would never admit to it.
Leo was sure Raph loved his family, so much that it hurt.
So much that it burns a fire inside him.
To keep them safe.
To protect them at all costs.
Hearing Mikey like this, crying and in pain... it must be hell for Raphael.
He can't protect him now.
Their otōto.
So he wasn't surprised when Raph walked up to him, a stomp in each of his steps, and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him with all his might, hoping the truth fell out of his mouth by mere force.
It never did.
The only thing he got was screaming.
After their incessant back and forth, finally, the sound of a cane hitting the concrete ground broke through all the yelling and begging.
It was a deafening sound that the four turtles have grown to recognize. In a second, everything was quiet.
The master analyzed the situation from the entrance to the dojo, his eyes laying on each of his sons, judging their expressions like an open book.
He locked eyes with his oldest, and Leonardo only managed to hold his father's stare by force of habit.
His presence shook the blue clad to his very core.
Suddenly, he was a little kid again.
And his dad's presence fell heavy on his shoulders.
"Leonardo. A word."
Unsure, Leo walked in solemn silence towards Splinter, knowing this was a conversation they would have behind close doors.
Now that it was only him, the red clad dared getting closer to Mikey's door once more.
He carefully knocked on the door, scared of being too loud.
No answer came.
It was eerily quiet, in fact.
But he persisted.
Another knock filled the silence in the lair.
And another.
And another.
Finally, something other than the incessant knocking broke the silence.
"Go away, Raph!"
His voice cracked so painfully.
It was choked, but Mikey tried so hard not to let it show.
It still did.
And Raph still noticed.
"C'mon, Mikey... I'm trying here. I want to help, but I don't understand..." The silence suddenly shifted from eery to hopeful.
The air around them changed tunes, as if Raph had just struck the right chord.
Maybe because it wasn't common for the oldest of the two to be vulnerable.
Emotional.
He just needed one more push.
"Please, little brother... help me understand."
The world stopped spinning for a few seconds in which Raph held his breath, expecting.
Hoping.
Finally, the sound of the knob being unlocked and turned allowed time to unfreeze.
And start ticking by again.
The door flew open, Mikey worried that it might come off its hinges when his brother launched towards him.
It's always been weird. Raph held him in his arms and hugged him so tenderly, but in Mikey's head, it was unnatural rather than comforting.
Raph hugged him, yes. Sometimes.
When someone was hurt
When he got scared.
What could Raph possibly be scared of?
After a few seconds of the exchange, the red clad pulled away from the hug (although begrudgingly) and held Mikey by the shoulders with a firm grip.
Not wanting to ever let go.
It was obvious he wanted to say a million things right now, and probably wanted to ask a million things more, but held his tongue back and just looked at him awkwardly.
Mikey knew he had never been one for words or feelings, but the guy really did try his best.
He thought about joking a little, even if just to relieve some of the tension in the room, but figured this wasn't the right time.
"...Kick double the ass for me now, yeah?"
What was supposed to be an uplifting and hopeful comment, turned downhill the moment his brother shook his head solemnly.
"Nah, man. I ain't going anywhere without ya'.
If you're benched, well, so am I! Leo's gone crazy if he thinks I'm just gonna stand by and let him do whatever the hell he wants!"
His arm laid comfortably across the other's shell, trying to provide more comfort with actions rather than words. "He may be the leader, but we are a team."
And even if he felt something similar to comfort bloom in his chest, Mikey knew.
Knew it wasn't fair.
Leo didn't make the choice he made because Mikey messed up.
He was doing the best he could.
With the shitty hand the youngest had dealt him.
It wasn't fair to punish him.
But before he could protest, a knock on his door interrupted the conversation.
It was firm, but soft on the wood. It carried itself with authority.
It resonated three times.
He knew who it was, but Mikey liked to analyze each miniscule sound his family made.
Memorize their patterns and mannerisms.
It kept him on his toes. Kept his mind sharp.
With practiced calm, the orange clad walked to the door, acting as if his hands weren't sweaty or his legs weren't shaking.
Depending on what Leo said to him, this conversation could go either way.
God, he hoped Leo didn't break his promise.
The knob turned again, ever so slightly, revealing the face on the other side.
Splinter's expression was collected, but Mikey could see it in his father's eyes.
"Michelangelo, may I speak with you for a moment?" The rat's hand extended towards his son, and behind him, Leonardo locked eyes with his younger brother.
He looked apologetic, but not remorseful.
That meant Splinter didn't know anything.
At least, not yet.
Mikey had to tell him.
And that was somehow worse.
The water was rising.
And rising.
He felt it reach his ankles.
And he didn't know how much longer he could stay afloat.