Work Text:
“Do you remember when you and Donnie snuck to the undercity to skateboard?”
Raph narrowed his eyes and looked over to his youngest brother. Mikey was sitting on the floor with most of his comic books scattered in front of him, with Leo on the couch watching Space Heroes.
Raph paused what he was doing - punching a punching bag - and didn't say anything for a moment. “No?”
Leo smirked. “I remember that. You guys were both mad that Splinter didn't get you two a specific skateboard, so you stole Mikey’s and snuck off,” he laughed.
Mikey frowned. “Oh yeah. I forgot you stole that, but you guys got in so much trouble.”
Raphael froze as he started to remember that day. “Wasn't it our thirteenth birthday?” He asked absentmindedly. A guilty feeling washed over him.
“Why didn't he get us the one thing we wanted?” Raph muttered to his twin. The family of mutants just had cake earlier and the two of them were in Donnie’s room. Donatello shrugged and fumbled with yet another rubik's cube their father got him. “Kinda stupid, but maybe it was too expensive or rare or something.”
Raph knew that Donnie was good at rationalizing things that didn't make sense but Raph was not. “Bullshit!”
Donnie immediately shushed him. “You can't be saying that! Splinter would get so mad at us if he knew we were being ungrateful about our presents!”
Mikey nodded. “Yeah! I remember getting the best birthday present ever !” He grinned, remembering that day. “A super duper rare Chris Bradford Comic! I still have it in its original packaging.” He held it up.
Leo smiled too. “I got one of that Space Heroes DVD set that only showed black and white due to a factory error. That was sick. Only a few sold before they stopped.”
Raph frowned and turned to look at the punching bag. There wasn't much he could contribute to this conversation.
Leo noticed this. “Come on Raph, you got good stuff. What about that inflatable punching bag?”
“Yeah, like that’s all I wanted.” Raph responded slowly.
Raphael looked at that stupid inflatable punching bag Splinter had gotten him. Donnie set it up to show Raph that maybe it was cool, but they both came to the conclusion that it sucked. It was that type of inflatable where the bottom was weighted so if you pushed it, it would wobble back upright.
“I can't believe he thought I would like this.” Raph grumbled and punched it, only for it to hit the floor and pop right up in a mocking way.
Donnie snorted. “And he gave me this like I don't already have tons,” he held up the Rubik's cube. He fiddled around with it for a couple more seconds then threw it on the ground. “Nevermind, you're right. This is stupid. Why is Mikey the only one who can have a skateboard?”
Raph had an idea. “Let's just take his! He's too busy with his fancy comics anyways.”
Donnie looked unsure. “I dunno,” he trailed off. Raph rolled his eyes. “Come on, let's make this a better birthday.”
“Okay.”
Raph remembers that cheap thing.
“I guess it was obvious that you didn't like it, 'cause you took my skateboard.”
Raphael started to feel hot from embarrassment. “You were too busy with your fancy comics that you didn't even notice.”
“When Splinter found out and found you guys, you two just went straight to your rooms and didn't talk to us for a few days,” Leo recalled. “Splinter said you two felt bad about it so much, you didn't want to show your face.”
“You guys did end up breaking it,” Mikey said. Raphael grimaced but stayed silent. That's not what happened but neither of them knew that.
“That's not what I remember.”
Everyone looked to see Donnie standing there with a bag of chips. “Huh?” Mikey said.
“I said that's not how I remember it,” he said again, walking down to sit on the couch next to Leo. Raphael silently thanked him for saying that.
“What about it? You guys did break Mikey’s skateboard. Splinter had to find him a new one.”
Donatello rolled his eyes.
“Best birthday ever!” Raph laughed and did a trick off of some rubble. Donnie cheered.
Raph slowed to a stop and kicked the board up. “Your turn, Don!”
Donnie was not very good at skateboarding, Raph realized, and he wobbled on the board. “Careful,” Raph said, watching him. Donnie slowed and attempted to perform a trick but must've lost his balance because he started to fall. Right off the edge.
Raph stood there as everything played out in slow motion. Donatello falling, then hearing a shout and seeing their father jump out to catch him. They both disappeared off the edge.
“No!” Raph screamed and raced to the edge. He saw them hanging.
Splinter heaved himself and Donnie up from the cliff. His face was full of anger.
“What are you two doing!” He screamed, shoving Donatello at Raph, causing both to fall onto each other. “You boys are in so much trouble!”
“I'm sorry!” Raph cried, fear shooting through his body. “It was my idea!” The two of them were on the ground.
“You could've fallen and died! And you snuck out? What would you have done if I wasn't here? Donnie would've been dead.”
“I'm sorry!” Raph said.
“I expected this from you, Raphael, but Donatello - you should've known better.”
Raphael didn't know why that was the worst thing he said to him that day.
“We just wanted to skateboard,” Donnie tried.
“Oh, because I didn't get you guys one for your birthday? Why are you two so ungrateful?” He demanded, stepping closer to them.
There was a snap and they all looked down to see Splinter stepped on and broke Mikey's board.
“Look what I've done. This is all your fault. We are going home right now.”
The two turtles went straight to their rooms when they went back to the lair. Raphael stabbed his inflatable punching bag with his sais, puncturing the cheap plastic as Donnie smashed the rubik's cube into pieces next door.
“We didn't break it,” Donnie said, “Splinter did.”
“I think you are lying,” Leo said.
“You weren't there, Leo,” Raph sighed. He went over to sit next to Mikey. Donatello briefly explained what had happened.
“Jeez,” Mikey said, looking at his comic book, “I didn't realize that he was a dick to you two on that day.”
Donnie shrugged. “It's whatever,” he said while waving his hand dismissively, “it's all in the past.”
Leo and Mikey continued to talk about comics and whatever tv show they enjoyed together, while Donnie and Raph sat in silence, thinking about the same thing. They replayed the previously forgotten memory over in their heads. Bringing that thought back created a sense of emptiness.
They looked at each other, locking eyes for a moment and looked away.
Later that night, Raphael couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned - such a cliché. After a few moments he sighed dramatically and went out of his room to the living area. It was dark, except for a small nightlight Donnie had made, mostly for Mikey, and walked over to that punching bag.
“I just wanted that skateboard,” he whispered and closed his eyes.
“Me too, Raph.”
Raphael jumped and whipped around to see Donnie on the couch. “Jesus Don!” Raph whisper-shouted, “you can't freak around like that.”
Donatello shrugged and looked down to what he was holding - a coffee mug.
“Really? Coffee? At this hour?”
“I already can't sleep. Might as well fully commit to being awake.”
“Fair.” Raph paused. “Can I sit with you?”
After Donnie nodded, Raph walked over and sat on the other side of the couch. Neither of them said anything.
“Okay,” Raph said suddenly, “I've thought about it. Why didn't he get us that skateboard?”
“We don't have to talk about this.”
“No, I want to. Because if it was so easy to get two for Mikey then why couldn't he get us one to share.”
Donnie didn't respond. “You know,” he started off slowly, “I've spent a lot of my life trying to rationalize why Splinter didn't treat us the same as Leo or Mikey. But there's just no answer.”
“I didn't even remember our thirteenth birthday, dude. It's like I blocked that memory out and then it just shot into my brain and brought everything with it. Everything.” Raph pursed his lips. “Does that make sense?”
“Yeah. Everything,” Donnie echoed.
They both sat there quietly, blankly looking at the black TV screen. They were probably thinking about the same things. Other memories that were once forgotten - at least buried deep - of being treated unfairly.