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The bet was simple.
Unusual, considering bets between the turtles tended to be overly complicated, dangerous, or outright impossible, more often than not resulting in a tired Splinter tending to their newly acquired injuries as he scolded them to be more careful in the future. Just last week Mikey had challenged Donnie to a “balancing competition” involving two of his spare bo staffs, a recent rainstorm, and the edge of a building; it ended with matching sprained arms, and they still couldn’t agree on a winner.
This particular time, it starts with Mikey feeling like he’s on top of the world, clutching a new paint set to his chest. Raph had returned from a short excursion in the tunnels, hiding a box behind his back. He singled Mikey out before carefully shoving it at him with a soft mumble of “I know you like this stuff, or somethin’- I found it stuck on a sewer grate,” and stomped off before Mikey could gather himself enough to respond.
Mikey was shocked, so much so that he didn’t even make fun of the very obvious red tint on Raph’s face, and even more so when he saw the paints and brush tucked into the container. It’s not that he went out of his way to hide his affinity for art, but it wasn’t something he flaunted (yet), either, wanting to get better before he let anyone see his work. The paint in his hands suddenly felt like pure gold.
Knowing that Raph paid enough attention to be aware of his hobby, and that he cared enough to go out of his way and get him something for it, had a beaming smile grow on his face as he scurried to his room, hiding the box away with the rest of his supplies. And, maaaaaaybe, he also felt a little smug about receiving a gift from the hothead before anyone else.
So he went to gloat.
Leo was, predictably, in the dojo, using a dull wooden practice sword to strike at a stuffed dummy. Master Splinter was very hesitant to let them use their actual weapons, even with him in the room for their more formal training, so they had wooden versions to mess around with. Mikey can attest, though, that wooden or not, nunchucks hurt when you whacked yourself with them.
“Hey, did you need something?” He zones back in at the sound of Leo’s voice to find his brother looking at him curiously, practice sword lowered. Mikey sends him a disarming grin, pulling on all of his little brother charm to appear as innocent as he possibly can.
“Yeah, actually! Have you seen Raph today?” Teasing Leo was a very delicate balancing act, toeing the line of his patience as close to anger as you could get without tipping him off enough to send him running to Splinter. It was a method Mikey had practically invented, in his duty to annoy everyone as the youngest brother.
Right now, he needs to loosen Leo up and drop just enough hints about Raph to get him curious, and when he starts asking the questions on his own, he won’t be able to trace the thought process back to Mikey. Bothering his brothers and getting away with it practically scott-free was his favorite sport, and Leo was his favorite victim because of how easily he fell for it. Raph was a close second, but getting away scott-free was much harder when he tended to punch first and rationalize later.
“No, he hasn’t stopped by the dojo yet, why?” There it is, a note of interest in his voice- Mikey latches onto it, grinning widely. Clearly, the topic of Raph was something that could be exploited when it came to Leo.
“He went out today just to find something for me in the sewers, and I really wanted to thank him, since he’s only nice every so often. Although, he does do nice things for me a lot- I wonder why?” Laying it on thick is a dangerous move, but it’s also a good shortcut to getting Leo emotional, as long as he played his cards right. Also, he is still there to rub into his other brother’s face that Raph likes him more.
“Really? That doesn’t sound like Raph.” Leo’s voice is skeptical, and Mikey decides that it’s time for the big guns. He doesn’t really notice how rough Leo’s movements have suddenly gotten, the way his gaze hardens as he swings his practice blade with more force than strictly necessary.
“It’s probably just because I’m his favorite brother.” Mikey sing-songs, and then there’s a horrible ripping sound as Leo’s dull wooden sword tears through the practice dummy with brute force. They both stare at it in shocked silence for a few moments before Leo shakes his head, seemingly forcing himself to focus. He still practically throws his sword onto the stand, though, as he decides he’s done with his training.
“You’re being ridiculous. If we’re done here, I have things to do.” Maybe Mikey should heed the slight warning note of anger in Leo’s voice, but he so rarely got upset that it was practically impossible for Mikey to not push him. What if he missed a rare Leo blow up? Those were almost always directed at Raph, he never got to experience them!
“Oooh, Leo, are you jealous? Don’t worry, you’re probably still his second favorite!” Mikey enthuses tauntingly, his mind already racing through escape routes and hiding places as Leo fumes silently. He knew the ins and outs of the lair thanks to having to hide while an enraged Raph searched for him- it certainly came in handy now that he’s planning on fleeing from someone else.
“If anyone is Raph’s favorite brother, it’s me. He spends most of his time in the dojo with me, and we’re practically twins.” The moment those words leave Leo’s mouth, all thoughts of escape dissipate from Mikey’s mind like morning mist. Those are fighting words, and he is all for making Leo eat them.
“Hah! As if! He goes to the dojo with or without you, and you two are nothing alike!” He knows he should focus, bring everything back to a manageable level of bothersome instead of outright hostile, but he’s swiftly losing control of the situation. As the provocation turns back on him, he finds his own irritation bubbling over at the implication that he’s not the favorite, biting back much harsher than he meant to.
“Oh, sure, and the way he chases you around to beat you up all the time is definitely a sign he loves you, and doesn’t find you annoying.” The acid practically dripping from Leo as he whirls on Mikey draws an offended gasp from him. All of a sudden, they’re toe to toe, low hisses pouring from their throats. This was not the plan, but Mikey couldn’t care less, most of his thought process currently devoted to not straight up tackling Leo.
“Fine. Fine! If you’re sooo confident about it, let’s make a bet.” Leo’s eyes narrow but he nods with a sneer, taking a step back to stick a hand out in their official marker of accepting a bet. They both squeeze as tight as they can, bones creaking dangerously under each other’s grips, but neither so much as blinks. Mikey considers stomping on his foot for good measure, but decides he’s not that petty . . yet.
“You’re on. No rules, no backing out. First one to get Raph to say that they’re his favorite, out loud, with both of us in the room, wins.” The parameters are fair enough, and the lack of rules isn’t exactly uncommon. It does mean that Mikey can be as shifty as he wants and play as dirty as he wants to make Leo regret ever challenging him- nevermind the fact that Mikey came to him and started teasing him first.
“I bet you a month of chores that I’m Raph’s favorite brother!” If he’s going to win, he’s going to get something out of it, as well. Along with the bragging rights, having Leo do his chores for an entire month will be sweeter than any reward he’s ever gotten.
“Make it two, because I know I’m not losing this one!” Classic Leo strategy; try and scare him off before the bet even starts by making him seem completely confident, and by raising the stakes. Too bad Mikey isn’t one to be so easily frightened. Instead, he just nods, crossing his arms and pushing himself right back into Leo’s personal space with a growl.
They’re practically snarling at each other when Raph wanders into the room, followed shortly by Donnie. With the bet made and no rules set, it’s a free for all in the fight for their hotheaded brother, and they have work to do.
Leo, with a final, menacing step in Mikey’s direction to serve as a warning, stalks out of the dojo in order to start planning. Mikey, for his part, sticks his tongue out at the retreating figure before darting off somewhere as well. Raph just stares, confused.
“Do you know what they’re in a huff over this time?” Donnie shrugs at Raph’s question, not bothering to glance up from his latest obsession, a car catalogue he’d managed to weasel away from his brother.
-
“Hey Raph, I got sensei to bring back some more comics for you.” Mikey does his best to not make it obvious he’s listening in, but based on the smug side eye Leo sends him, he doesn’t exactly succeed. He didn’t expect Leo to move so fast, and to throw himself so heavily into currying favor with their red banded brother.
“No way!” There’s genuine disbelief in Raph’s voice, but upon being presented with the new comics, a warm grin splits his face as he nabs them, giving Leo a soft punch on the arm and a gentle nudge in gratitude. He’s quickly distracted by scanning through the new acquisitions, but he looks up a final time to give Leo a shy smile before he starts heading for the door.
“Leo, you the turtle!” Raph calls as he heads to his room, comics hugged to his chest and a skip in his step. Mikey stares resolutely at the tv screen, refusing to acknowledge Leo when he slides onto the couch next to him, arms crossed behind his head and a grin on his face. Only the thought of the payback he’d already dished out keeps him from tackling his older brother.
“You sure are trying hard to get Raphie to like you, for someone who was so certain he’s already his favorite.” Mikey snarks, still keeping his gaze straight ahead. If sees the smug look that’s no doubt firmly affixed to Leo’s face, he might just do something he’ll regret later, like punching him and then having to do his chores because master Splinter said so.
“Nothing wrong with securing a sure victory. Why do you care, though, scared you’ll lose?” Mikey is suddenly so glad he’d gone ahead with his little sabotage. In the moment, he’d been a bit hesitant, even planning what to say just in case Leo didn’t get on his nerves today, but all of a sudden it makes all the time and supplies he put into it more than worth it.
“You know, Leo, maybe if you weren’t out all day, you’d have somewhere to sleep tonight.” Leo scoffs at the no doubt empty threat, and Mikey just grins as he pads away, taking a turn just before he gets to his room and instead ducking into a side tunnel with a great hiding spot. He hears Leo walk past him a few minutes later and has to stifle a giggle, instead awaiting his reaction.
When Leo gets back to his room, his triumphant grin falls immediately as he finds almost everything covered in orange paint, the culprit obvious. Everything extremely important is untouched, likely for fear of master Splinter’s retribution more than his, but the amount of paint soaked into his bedsheets means he’ll have to bunk on the couch tonight.
“MIIIIKEEEY!!” His scream is met with his little brother’s echoing cackle.
-
“Raphie! I did your share of the chores!” All of a sudden, Leo’s grip on the controller is painfully tight, and he has to take a calming breath to get his fingers to relax before the plastic starts bending. Besides, sweet, sweet payback is only a moment away. Normally, pizza is something sacred, only used as a reward in bets, but just because it was taboo to use it in a fight didn’t mean it was against the rules.
“Wait, for real? Sweet! Although, what do you want in return?” Raph’s voice starts out thankful and shifts to suspicious by the end of his sentence, which is at least a bit comforting. Hopefully, Raph’s suspicion of Mikey won out over whatever goodwill he was trying to foster. When Mikey’s voice floats over, it’s high and whiny.
“Can’t I do something nice for my favorite bro? No strings attached, promise!” There’s the sound of scuffling, probably Mikey poking or otherwise bothering Raph, but no tell-tale sign of a returning hit that signifies annoyance. Better interrupt before Mikey gets any more ideas.
“Raph, are you going to eat? Me and Donnie had pizza earlier if you want some.” He calls, internally cheering when footsteps immediately come his way. Not so much at the fact that there’s two distinct people coming his way, but he’ll take what he can get.
“Pizza?! I sure hope you have some for me!” Mikey hauls himself over the back of the couch, reaching for the last slice of pizza only to have it swiped right from under his hand by Leo. Without even giving him a moment to complain, he snaps it all up with a speed almost to match Mikey’s, and then gives him a sweet smile.
“Oh, sorry Mikey, you took so long to get here that I ate your share of the pizza. I guess you just got caught up cleaning.” Leo was a great actor when he wanted to be, and the words could almost even sound genuine except then, without a trace of shame, Leo picks up a spare piece of pizza and hands it off to Raph.
“Here, Raph, I saved you a couple slices.” Raph cheers and takes the other slice as well, wandering off towards Donnie’s lab when it seems no one is engaging in conversation. Mikey stares after the pizza in his hands, expression heartbroken. If Leo wasn’t still cleaning paint off of his walls, he might’ve even felt a bit bad.
As it is, when Mikey gives Leo a nasty glare, he just answers it with the most innocent smile he can muster.
-
“Raph, wanna spar with me? I know you’ve been a bit antsy lately.” Raph was probably going to ask him to go to the dojo with him anyway, but making the suggestion himself would appease him a bit. Maybe also win him some brownie points. As much as Leo flaunted a sure victory in Mikey’s face, he wasn’t so sure he’d actually hold up to his words- Raph was complicated on the best of days.
Fighting, though, was the easiest way to connect with his wayward little brother. It’s something Leo has a distinct advantage in, having recently gotten a growth spurt to match Raph in height and weight. Mikey, on the other hand, was still behind on growth, and thus didn’t get to go up against Raph too much. It was an edge Leo wasn’t sure he’d keep for much longer, so it was best to push it now and try to get the bet over with quickly.
“Shell yeah! You wanna do no weapons first, to warm up?” His little brother crosses the room in a split second, practically bouncing in place at the thought of working off some spare energy. He and Mikey were more similar than they realized, in ways that made something uncomfortable settle in Leo’s stomach when he thought about how little he himself shared with Raph.
“Sure, Raph.” But, in the end, it was their differences that really brought them together. They may both argue over who’ll eventually become the leader of their team, but when they worked together nothing in the world could possibly stop them. Raph covers his blindspots, keeping him focused, just as Leo directs his passion, providing order for his anger.
“Ah, man, I don’t know what it is but I am feelin’ so cooped up!” The complaint is whined out, though you’d never get Raph to admit that. Leo just laughs, following him through the hallways to the dojo. Master Splinter isn’t present, but the scent of incense indicates his recent presence- he’d probably heard them arriving and given them some space.
Inside, they prepare the mats and the dulled wooden versions of their weapons, bantering quietly as they work. Once everything is set up, they get into position, bowing to each other before getting ready to spar.
“And, uh . . thanks, Leo. For noticin’ and all that.” Raph mostly mumbles out his gratitude, but it warms him up from the inside anyway.
-
“Good morning, Raphie! You’re just in time for breakfast!” Mikey chirps quietly, trying to gauge his older brother’s morning mood. They ranged from “unnaturally affectionate” to “will punch you for breathing too loud,” and while Mikey was usually all for bothering an early morning Raph, this was more about gaining favorability. One thing Leo would never be able to beat Mikey at was cooking, although the same could be said for all of his brothers. He still doesn’t know how they had managed to start a fire while trying to make ice cream that one time . . .
He gets a grumble that might be a greeting or a string of cuss words, so he just piles some bacon onto a plate before carefully flipping over a still-cooking omelette on the stove. There’s some chunks of pepperoni mixed into the eggs, carefully cut up into ideal chewing size, just the way Raph likes it.
He hears the scraping of a chair and a sigh from Raph, likely settling in to wait for food, and grabs a cup before heading to the fridge. Freshly stocked, courtesy of April, and organized, courtesy of Mikey. He takes a second to bask in the pleasant feeling of being a great cook with a tidy and neat space. Then, he reaches for the juice he came to get.
Pouring a cup of apple juice and mentally patting himself on the back for his foresight in asking April to deliver groceries yesterday, he slots the juice back into its spot on the bottom shelf next to the left wall, ideal for easy grabbing. Leaving the cup on the counter, he turns off the stove and grabs a spatula to plop the omelette onto the plate next to the bacon.
Rapjh seems to be making a valiant effort to keep himself from dozing off in his chair when he brings the plate in, and he blinks blearily at Mikey as he slides the food over. There’s a noise of delight from his older brother, and he digs in with gusto as Mikey leaves to clean up the kitchen and set aside the food for whenever his other brothers get up. Raph finishes quickly, bringing his plates to the sink.
“Love ya’, li’l bro.” A large hand rubs against the top of Mikey’s head, soft in the way Raph would never be in front of their other brothers, and he fails to suppress a grin at the warmth the action brings.
-
The tension is palpable between Leo and Mikey as they glare at each other from across the training mat. Neither was oblivious to the other’s moves on securing the title of Raph’s favorite brother, and this sparring session would be perfect to let out some frustrations. They rarely got to go against each other as it was, so it may be their only chance to beat each other up and get away with it scott-free under the guise of “training.”
Master Splinter pauses, glancing between his sons. Clearly, something had happened, and allowing the fight to leak into their sparring sessions may be dangerous. However, not giving them a physical outlet to their emotions might be even more so. He makes a mental note to take both Mikey and Leo aside, separately and together, and try to get to the root of the issue.
“Hajime!” The call sends both of them off like a shot, weapons swinging and eyes narrowed.
Speed and agility is Mikey’s advantage, and he presses it as much as he can, ducking and weaving around Leo as he tries to land hits. Leo’s bokken had slightly better reach than his nunchucks, which left them both doing little more than dancing around each other with no actual substance in their hits.
On the side, Raph watches for a few minutes before groaning as he kicked his legs out into a sprawling sit. Watching his brothers train was never fun, but at least it was usually entertaining with Mikey and Leo, who both had interesting fighting styles and were a treat to watch in action. This weird avoidance game they were playing was just plain boring, though.
“Come on, is this a fight or a dancin’ class?! Just hit ‘im already!” He wasn’t even sure who he was yelling at, but it did the trick as Leo used his sword to disarm Mikey of one of his nunchucks. It seemed like a turning point in his favor, and he tries to force Mikey back further.
Then, Leo yelps as Mikey throws his nunchucks directly at him, having to raise a hand to block the wood aimed at his face. In that moment, the youngest pounces, tackling Leo and bringing them both to the floor. He kicks away the swords before Leo can recover, and then the simple weapon training session becomes a free-for-all. With both refusing to call uncle, and master Splinter unsure if he should intervene, the fight goes on.
“Surrender!” Leo twists one of Mikey’s arms, aiming for a quick win. Instead, he has to release him and jump back, gritting his teeth against the pain radiating in his kicked knee. He needs to press forward and take Mikey out quick, before he regained his footing and speed.
“Never!” With another leap, Mikey is back on top of Leo, punching and clawing anything he can reach. Both of their weapons are discarded and out of reach, but neither even bothers thinking about retrieving them, all focus devoted to winning the hand-to-hand.
“Is it just me, or are they actin’ weird?” Raph’s nose scrunches up as he peeks over to where Leo and Mikey are still actively brawling. Next to him, Donnie shrugs before turning back to his book on engine mechanics.
-
Footsteps echo down the hallway to the living room, or as close to a living room as they can get in a sewer, as Raph peeks his head in with a wave. Leo and Mikey are side by side on the couch, just chatting as if all the tension they’d had simply disappeared. Raph is a bit relieved, because he was finding the whole thing really weird. Donnie is perched on the armchair, book in hand and engrossed in the words.
“Can anyone spot me, just in case? I’m gonna go work out.” He calls lightly. Immediately, Leo and Mikey both shoot to their feet, glaring at each other as they try and offer their assistance, raising their voices above each other’s. Raph almost jumps back at the sudden volume, blinking.
It escalates into a fight almost immediately, and Raph amends his previous observation of the tension between them being gone.
“Uh. Guys? It ain’t that deep. I just need someone to make sure I don’ drop any weights.” He finds it a bit funny that he’s the one trying to break up a fight, but honestly he’s just worried. Leo and Mikey almost never fought, so whatever brought this one on must be bad. They were acting worse than Raph himself, honestly, and that’s saying something considering how . . himself he was.
They’re also too busy arguing to notice how he stares at them in confusion. Seeing as they look preoccupied for the next couple of hours, if the way Mikey refuses to budge from his position of shoving Leo’s face into the couch cushions is any indication, Raph glances around the room.
“Aye, Donnie, you mind spottin’ me?” Raph turns to his most sensible brother, who is still reading quietly. Donnie, bookmarking his spot in a car repair manual with a small sigh, nods as he follows him out of the room.
-
“That’s it! I’m going to go find out who his favorite is right now, and I know it’s not gonna be you!” Mikey scrambles to his feet and out of the main lair, Leo hot on his heels. The hallways are too tight for Mikey’s brand of sharp turns, and Leo’s sure-footed gait slowly but surely catches up to him. The dojo comes into sight, and Leo puts on a burst of speed.
It’s only then that he realizes that neither of them is slowing down enough to avoid a collision, and has to brace himself for contact.
“Raph!” They burst through the doors together, startling both Donnie and Raph as they tumble and tangle on the ground, wrestling with each other. There’s a strangled yelp as Raph’s hands falter against the bar in surprise, Donnie having to quickly save him from the unfortunate collision of 100 pound weights and his face. Meanwhile, Leo gets a good kick on Mikey’s plastron before shrieking, scrambling away from his younger brother and cradling an arm with a suspicious red mark.
“DID YOU JUST BITE ME?!” He points an accusing finger at Mikey, who sticks his tongue in return as he hugs his stomach. A bite was way less painful than a kick, especially a kick from Leo- he should be happy Mikey didn’t sink his teeth in further.
“Well, you kicked me! Fair is fair!” The tension grows as they glare at each other, shifting in preparation for another round of combat, until Raph growls from where he’s finally sat up.
“Did you guys have to bring this circus act in ‘ere?! I almost brained myself with those weights ‘cause of you two!” Their heads swivel to him in sync, eyes eerily unblinking, and he finds himself abrputly wary. Whatever argument they were having did not involve him, don’t look at him like that!
All of a sudden, he has two brothers before him, their hands clasped together even as they continue to subtly shove and nudge each other. Or, subtly in Leo’s case- Mikey just straight up slams his entire upper body into him, hissing under his breath before they both turn back to Raph.
“Raphie, you know I love you, right? And you’re the best brother in the whole wide world?” Mikey cajoles him, doing an impressive change of tone from his previous bloodthirsty words directed at Leo. He doesn’t mind using his secret weapon, and Leo was always the one to tell them a ninja used any tools at their disposal anyway. His oldest brother could never match the perfected Baby Brother VoiceTM!
“But you know I love you more, and we always spend time in the dojo together, and I’d do anything for you, correct?” Not to be outdone, Leo interjects with a truly pleading gaze. Mikey may exploit his position as youngest brother to his advantage, but Leo’s Legendary Puppy Eyes (copyright protected) have gotten him out of trouble even with master Splinter. He has no issue playing dirty to win.
“What the shell is this about?” Raph snaps even as he feels a curl of dread in his stomach. Whatever his brothers are about to ask him to do, he knows he will without any (real) hesitation, even if the over-the-top begging leads him wondering just what he’ll be putting himself through to make them happy. They didn’t even have the decency to apologize to him for earlier before they were asking him for something!
“Who’s your favorite brother?!” They lean forward and ask in unison, fighting put aside for a single moment in order to maximize their chances of being chosen. Neither will admit it, but it’s obvious that it’s no longer about the bet or their prides. This is Raph; the closed off, outwardly angry turtle who ever so rarely softens for his brothers. Not only will the bragging rights last for- ever, but now it’s personal.
Raph brightens perceptibly, grinning as he gets to his feet. He was so sure they’d ask him to do something crazy like grab something from master Splinter’s room, or go up to the surface to find some new thing they wanted- all they want to know is who his favorite brother is! He doesn’t really get why there was this whole fanfare over it.
“Oh, that one’s easy!” As he stands, both Leo and Mikey hold their breath, hearts pounding. Leo tries to moderate his breathing, even as his nerves makes him jittery. Okay, sure, sue him over being so excited, but Raph was always the most intriguing of his brothers to him- is it any shock he wants to be his favorite, even if just to get closer to him, get to know him better?
This was it. The moment of truth. Being free of chores for two months, getting bragging rights, winning over the other brother, and knowing that they’re Raph’s favorite. Adrenaline floods through Mikey’s veins, his hands practically vibrating as they clench with every millisecond it takes for Raph to speak.
“Hey, Donnie, wouldja come over?” Those words shatter the careful moment. Both Leo and Mikey stare with their jaws dropped as Donnie, who was quietly sitting off to the side with a book about car models in hand, promptly trots over to slot himself neatly by Raph’s side. He fits well under Raph’s arm, even with the recent start of a growth spurt lengthening his legs.
“Donnie’s my favorite! He just gets me, ya’ know?” Raph pulls Donnie up in front of him and presents him proudly, not noticing the silence ringing around the room. As the moment stretches on, Leo tries to figure out when he fell asleep and how to wake up from what is clearly just a horrible nightmare. Mikey, meanwhile, attempts to unlock psychic abilities by glaring at Donnie and hoping he’ll catch fire.
When it seems no one is going to say anything, Donnie sighs, tucking his book under his shoulder before gently herding Raph towards the door while avoiding his other bothers’ gazes. A smart move on his part, considering Mikey looks just about ready to lunge at him.
“If we’re done here, I have something I wanted to show you in the lab, Raph. I know you’re good with cars, and I’ve been sketching some theoretical blueprints of a motorcycle for us to make in the future- it’d be a great help if you could look over them with me.” Raph doesn’t need any more encouragement, practically flying out of the door with an excited skip in his step.
As the pair leaves, Donnie pauses by the door and peeks over his shoulder, a suddenly and chillingly apathetic stare turned towards Leo and Mikey. Quickly glancing ahead to make sure Raph is still on his way to the lab, he turns and gives both of the shell-shocked turtles a smirk.
“I expect you both to pick up my chores for the next two months, since I’ve won this little bet you two had.” Sticking his tongue out tauntingly before slipping out of the room fully, Donnie leaves his brothers gaping at the door.
Mikey breaks first.
“Did we- . . did we just get outplayed by Donnie?”