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''There! That should do it!'' Raph proclaims proudly as he puts the last piece of duct-tape on the cardboard TV to keep it together. ''How's the camera?''
''Ready to roll.'' Donnie raises his thumb while his other hand is hovering over a button. He sits behind his elaborate system of cameras to cover all the angles.
''Ready, Mikester?'' Leo lifts his thumbs up to his little brother on the other side of the cardboard TV.
''I-I don't know... I'm a tad nervous.'' Straightening his utensils and pans for the fourth time, Mikey avoids looking directly through the window.
''You'll do fine! Ready everyone?'' Leo asks, looking at each of his brothers to receive a nod back. He then lifts his three fingers. ''3..2..1..!''
Donnie presses the record button.
Raph pouts his lips: ''Dudududu! It's ''Cookin' with Mikey!''
Leo chimes in, jumping in front of the fake TV: ''Ladadeee~! Catchy jingle~!'' He jiggles his jazz hands.
“And today we’re making?” Raph cues Mikey.
“C-Cake!” He shouts by accident, immediately he turns his voice into a smaller whisper. “Cake..”
Leo folds his hands around his mouth. "Go through the first steps!" He stage whispers.
Nervous, Mikey nods.
“S-So, first you gotta grease your pans b-because..” Drawing a blank, Mikey’s pupils dart around. His attention is then caught by his brother Leo, who pretends his hand is stuck to the table next to him.
“B-Because! Otherwise, the batter will get stuck to the pan! And we don’t want that!” Getting a little more confidence with his brothers backing him up, he dares to wag a playful finger at the camera. His brothers smile proudly back at him.
“Next, be sure that the butter ya use is at room temperature! It will mix easier with the ingredients that way!” He winks.
However, Raph seems to be vocalizing a word at him. Squinting his eyes at Raph’s mouth he can almost hear him say: “Ingredients!”
“Right! So, you need a pan, baking soda, flour, salt..uhm..” Mikey falls silent. Forgetting the other ingredients he studied so well, like they just flew out of his head. Frantically, he looks around to find his hidden sticky note on the edge of the table. “Milk, eggs, and sugar!” He quickly adds, to which his brothers softly clap.
Mikey clears his throat before moving on. “So first you..“ He takes in another note on the back of the cardboard. “Preheat the oven! And while it does that, you mix the flour, salt and baking soda together!” With sweaty hands he pours the pre-measured ingredients into a bowl. The whisk trembles in his hands, but he manages to mix it.
“N-Next we..” Feeling like the breath is taken from his lungs, he feels his anxiety spike. What was next again? “Need note..” Mikey mumbles.
Checking his surroundings, he sees tons of notes. However, his clear handwriting turns to gibberish when he tries to read it. He feels himself slipping into a panic. Is he even a real cook if he can’t even remember the next step when under a little pressure? He can only stare at his brothers, only a gasp leaving his lips.
Raph and Leo glance at one another.
“Plan C?” Leo asks.
“Mhm.” Raph hums, moving the cardboard frame a few steps to the right. “We’ll be back after these commercials!”
Leo shimmies into the frame while Donnie groans in agony for having to record him instead.
“You ever wanted to have skin like me~?” Leo then slides his hand down his face. With a seducing whisper, he adds: “Green Paint. A guarantee to be me.”
“That was the worst commercial, Leo. Green Paint? Really?” Donnie rolls his eyes at Leo.
Meanwhile, Raph makes his way over to Mikey’s side. As his hand lands on his orange brother’s shoulder, Mikey’s breathing slows down a bit.
“You ok, bud?” Raph frowns, rubbing Mikey’s shoulder.
“Not really..” He sighs, letting himself sink onto the kitchen counter. "I'll never be able to host a TV show like Ruppery Swaggert at this rate..."
“Aw, come on, Mike! This should be a piece of cake for you!” Raph releases a nervous chuckle.
Mikey gives Raph an unamused raise of his eyebrow. “I expected that pun from Leo, but not from you.”
“Hey, I might not be as good as Leo, but I made you crack a tiny smile there!”
“Pfft.” Mikey’s grin widens a bit.
“But, Mike?” Raph takes hold of both of Mikey’s shoulders, turning him towards him. “You can do this.” Raph then holds out his fist to his little bro.
“Yeah!” Mikey fistbumps Raph with his newfound courage.
Raph then steps out of the kitchen, ready to move the frame back into place. But not before he sees the last commercial.
“Do you want to sleep fast? But can never find the right app for it?” Leo shakes his finger from side to side. “Well, no longer! Try our Nerd Blurt App! It has recordings of our Nerdy brother on loop! You’ll pass out in seconds! Here’s one of our happy app users!” Leo jumps out of view and returns with his yellow wig he named Victoria. Bringing his hands together at his chest, he speaks in a higher tone.
“First I thought it was annoying, but goodness, did I sleep well!” Leo stretches with a yawn, then sticks his tongue out at the camera.
“Leo..” A vein pops on Donnie’s head.
‘’Can you fight Leo later? ‘Cause someone needs to scroll back to the show!” Raph says with gritted teeth, shifting his eyes back and forth to the kitchen.
Donnie clicks his tongue at Leo before reluctantly skimming his camera to Mikey. With a playful smirk, Leo joins Raph behind the cardboard.
“And now back to!” Raph points to Leo.
“Cookin’ with Mikey! Pah pow!” Leo finger guns at the camera as they both step aside and let Mikey take the floor.
Looks like having a heart to heart with Raph and catching the small break in between was just what Mikey needed to still his nerves.
‘’Okay Mikester, you can do this..’’ He mumbles to himself, slapping his cheeks at the same time. With a quick exhale, he continues the show.
‘’Welcome back to Cookin’ with Mikey!’’ He smiles bright, his anxiety dropping to a level in which he can function with almost no hiccups. He needed his notes now and then, but it was going smoothly. All the steps were going according to plan.
“Phew! Now all ya gotta do is bake the cake for 30 minutes and you can start decorating when you let it cool off for about 10 minutes!” Relieved that it’s almost over, Mikey takes a seat, keeping his focus on the TV. “We’ll be right back after these sponsors!” He then wipes his sweaty forehead.
Raph slips a large piece of paper with “Donnie’s gimmicks and doo dat’s TM” behind the cardboard frame. Raph didn’t waste a moment to rush to his little bro and finally talk to him again.
“You did amazing, Mikey!” He pets Mikey’s back so hard that Mikey ends up coughing.
“T-Thanks! I still need more practice though. Having a breakdown on TV is a big no no!” Mikey laughs sheepishly, though his smile is hard to maintain.
“Pshh, who cares about a breakdown or two? As long as the cake tastes good, that’s all what matters!” Leo drools in front of the oven, basking in the aroma of the cake.
Raph groans. “What Leo is trying to say is; You picked yourself up afterwards.” He then points at Mikey’s chest. “And that’s what matters!”
Donnie lifts his hand, catching the attention of the others. “Not to interrupt the oh so tender moment here but- my arms are kinda tired from recording all this time. I’m going to take my lawfully allowed break.” With that, Donnie rolls his shoulders before leaving the kitchen and moving to the living room.
“Yeah, let’s chill until the cake is done baking. The smells are making me hungry.” With a growling stomach and a small wave, Leo too walks away.
Raph planned on following the others but Mikey still sits in the kitchen. “You coming, bud?”
“I’ll be watching the cake. Maybe some cleaning while I’m at it.” He smiles back, standing up from the chair as he stretches his limbs.
“I’ll help!” Raph rolls up his non-existent sleeves.
Though Mikey pushes him towards the exit. “No, no! There’s no need for those big muscles here! Just.. wait with the others, okay?” His grin twitches a bit.
“Uhh, okay? You sure?” Raph questions.
“Super duper sure!”
With that, Raph is shoved out of the kitchen. He flails his arms as the door gets slammed behind him.
Leo and Donnie both lift their left eyebrows from their comfy spots.
Leo then speaks up from his comic. “Did he just kick you out?” He lets out a few pity laughs.
“Did you try to eat his cake before it was done?” Disappointed, Donnie looks up from his science weekly magazine.
“Why do you guys always assume I did something bad?!” Raph stomps to a chair and occupies it. “He did act a bit weird though..” He mumbles concerned.
Time passes, minutes tick by, the long wait killing Raph.
Leo, who just finished his comic, breaks the silence.
‘’Must be a tough stain on those dishes.’’ He jests as his eyes drift to a worried Raph in the corner.
A yelp from the kitchen causes Raph to jump upright.
‘’Y-You okay, bro? You need help?!’’ Raph knocks on the door, an image of Mikey slipping and hitting his head rushing through his mind.
‘’No! Don’t come in! I just dropped some leftover cake!’’ Mikey chuckles nervously.
‘’Well.. If you say so.’’ Raph replies, though he’s not satisfied with only his voice.
Against his better judgement, Raph gently but quietly pushes open the door with his index finger and peeks through.
‘’He wouldn’t mind a quick peek, right? Guilty as he may feel, the worry takes the best of him. He spots his little orange brother coming back from the fridge, confirming his brother’s safety. A relieved exhale leaves Raph’s mouth. Though, Mikey suddenly stands still and glares at the door.
‘’NO PEEKIN’!’’ He shouts while spitting, flinging the door shut in Raph’s face, flattening his face in the progress.
A muffled ‘’Oompf’’ from their leader causes the two turtles behind Raph to snort.
‘’First kicked out and now you get the door slammed in your face? Seems like someone isn’t a VIT.’’ Leo laughs out loud, adding: ‘’That means Very Important Turtle f to the yi.’’
Raph grumbles, shaking his head to unflatten his face.
Leo then leaps from his bean bag, towards the kitchen door. ‘’Let me show you how it’s done.’’ Readying himself to delicately knock on the door, it creaks open.
An ear-to-ear grinning Mikey peeks through.
“You guys want some cake~?” He teases, beckoning his brothers with his finger.
‘’I thought you would never ask!’’ Leo zooms into the kitchen, rubbing his hands together while licking his lips.
When all are in the kitchen, their gazes meet at a tarp covering something on the table.
‘’Where’s the cake?’’ Raph asks scratching his head.
‘’Need to keep it a surprise for the viewer, don’t I?’’ Mikey’s smile widens. He then pokes Donnie’s and Raph’s shells, readying himself behind the table.
Donnie positions himself on his recording chair with a sigh.
‘’This will cost you extra though.’’ Donnie cracks his joints, though, he can’t hide his slight excitement for the reveal.
‘’Aw, but I wanted cake now..’’ Leo pouts, hoping his puppy eyes would do the trick.
‘’Nope! You’ll get a slice soon though!’’ Mikey snickers, his cheeks getting a little red.
Raph removes the sponsor card from the cardboard.
‘’Alright, big man. Whenever you’re ready!’’ Raph can’t help but release an awkward laugh. He’s so proud of his little bro that he has to hold back his tears. “It’s just a cooking show” some might say but, to Raph it was.. something more. It was watching his little bro growing and succeeding.
‘’Ahem! Welcome back everyone to-!’’ Mikey then calls in his brothers to stand next to him.
His brothers dash to his side, overlapping their arms over each other’s shells.
"Cookin’ with Mikey!!!" They chirp in unison.
‘’And Donnie is tone deaf~!’’ Leo jollily sings, which earns him a fist to the side of the head from the mentioned turtle.
‘’It’s time for the biiiig reveal!’’ Mikey eagerly waves his hands at the camera.
The other turtles let go of each other and surround the tarp, their anticipation- and Leo’s hunger- could not wait any longer.
From above, Mikey takes hold of the tarp.
‘’And.. viewers? I just wanted you all to know that... I couldn’t have made this cake without my brothers' help, so-’’
With a swift motion, Mikey pulls up the tarp, the cake shining brightly under the kitchen light.
Under it is a decorated cake, each layer of the cake being covered in a different color of frosting, matching the colors of the turtle’s bandanas. The top of the cake is lined with tufts of whipped cream.
With one big surprise...
‘’Oh my gosh, it’s us?!’’ Leo squeals, almost willing to hug the cake itself.
There they stand. Small little turtles standing proudly atop the cake. Made of little green gummies and bandanas made with frosting. They’re embracing each other like the happy family they are.
As if they are copying the hug on the cake, they tackle Mikey, overwhelmed with love and cheer.
For they love their talented bro and the big empathetic heart that came with him.