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This story is rated G and should be appropriate for all ages. This section has one minorly naughty word in it.
Mike was left alone with his thoughts for most of the next day. Splinter had come in so late the night before that they didn't see him until morning practice, which was once again sans Raphael. The issue of the previous night's trouble didn't even come up until Splinter announced that he intended to take Donatello and Leonardo on a practice scouting mission through the sewers; not as big a treat as an excursion aboveground, but still exciting, and Mike normally would have protested at being left behind. But this time he just looked at his feet and said nothing.
Leo rubbed his arm nervously and looked at Mike. None of them had really wanted to tell on Raph, but- "Um, Master. Maybe we shouldn't leave Mike and Raph together."
After Splinter had lectured Raphael and confined him to the dojo for the day, he returned to the original plan and led Don and Leo out of the front door. Leo gave Mike another worried look before he trotted out after their sensei, and Don turned back and mouthed be careful as he passed through the door.
So Mike had stayed away from the dojo, mostly just lying in his room alone. He carefully dried out a rusty tin can and dropped each scrap of his comic book's cover into it, one piece at a time. Then he just lay on his bed, feeling sad and lonely. He knew he should probably stay away from Raph right now, but he hated feeling like he was by himself in the lair. And even though he was still hurt and upset, he wanted to make Raph like him again.
But the only thing I know to do is make jokes, Mike thought. And he'll just get mad at me. Don had been wrong, Raph had been mad at Mike the whole time, and now he'd come right out and said he didn't like him. Tears came to Mike's eyes and he sniffled. Being in this room made him hear Raph's angry words all over again...he got up and went out to the front door.
Splinter wouldn't like me outside, especially since he's gone, Mike thought, but he felt so miserable that he didn't really care. He opened the door and shut it behind him, then went over to look down at the channel of water below. Mike squatted and watched the water pass for a while. He shifted his weight, and suddenly saw a glint of light wink at him from the narrow ledge on the other side of the channel. Something metal, maybe- reflecting the light from the dim emergency bulbs set in the chamber walls. He had to find out.
Mike turned around and carefully lowered his feet down onto the ladder that long-ago workmen had set into the wall to make such a trip possible. Fortunately the rungs were close together; when he was out with Splinter, Mike had seen some ladders built by humans that even Splinter had a hard time climbing, the rungs were so far apart. Humans must be REALLY tall. Step by step, placing his feet slowly and carefully, Mike climbed down the ladder, until he was standing next to the channel, squinting across.
Ooh! It was a pin! A Star Trek insignia pin, a smaller version of the ones the crew wore on their uniforms. Somebody must have dropped it in the street, and it washed down here, then up on that ledge. He had to have that, it was the coolest thing he had ever seen down here. Raph would be so jealous...
Raph! Mike was dumbstruck as the solution came to him. He could get the pin and give it to Raph! Then Raph would stop being mad, and they could be friends again. It was a GREAT idea, even better than the masks! Now he just had to figure out how to get over there.
The channel was maybe 5 or 6 feet wide. Mike studied it and the ledge across the way, which was itself a couple feet wide. He could probably jump it. No, he knew he could. Didn't Splinter always say he was the best jumper? He backed up until he felt the rungs of the ladder pressed against his shell, and then crouched down slightly, gauging the distance with his eyes. He pushed off the wall into a quick sprint, felt his foot on the edge, and leaped-
Yes! He landed safe, and steadied himself against the wall with one hand as he bent to scoop up the shiny pin. NO! He'd remembered to check his landing spot for obstacles, but he hadn't looked at the wall, and his hand slipped in something wet before he had fully caught his balance. Mike staggered and tipped face-first towards the channel, even as his hand closed over the pin and gripped it tight. The plunge into the water made him scream in panic, but he had enough presence of mind to throw up his other arm and grab hold of the ledge. He had to cling with all his might; the current was stronger than it looked.
Mike tried to grab the ledge with his other arm, and couldn't. His hand and arm were already cramping with the effort of holding on, and he didn't think he could pull himself out one-handed. What am I going to do?
Raph sat back, taking a break from his angry attack on the punching bag. He was mad as anything, both at Mike, with his stupid jokes, and at Leo, who just HAD to tattle and get him in trouble. He'd felt a little smug when he heard the lair's front door open and close. See, Splinter, I'm not the only one who breaks the rules! I can't wait to tell he went outside, we'll see who's in trouble THEN!
He had just landed another heavy blow on the bag when he heard Mike's scream. The instinct to investigate was so strong that he was out of the dojo and at the front door before he even thought about it. He hesitated as he laid his hand on the door- Mike was such a...Did he really care?
He didn't need to think to decide he did. Punishment aside, fighting aside, Mike could be in trouble. He burst out onto the ledge- no Mike. Did he slip? Raph rushed to the edge and saw Mike on the other side of the channel, fighting to hang on with one arm. He must have gone down there deliberately, there was no other way he could have ended up in that pickle. "Mike, you dummy," Raph muttered. He found the ladder and got down faster than he thought he could, half-climbing and half-sliding, letting himself fall the last few feet and staggering as he landed.
"Mike," he yelled at his brother. "Grab the ledge with your other hand. Your other hand!"
"I tried, I can't!" Mike wailed.
"Darn it!" Raph muttered, looking for a good spot to leap over. There wasn't much space over there, but maybe he could still get enough traction to reach over and pull Mike up-
Mike cried out again as his hand lost its grip and he was dragged under the water and into the current. "DAMN!" Raph screamed the worst word he knew, even as he took three running steps and dove in after his brother's retreating form. The water was only 6 feet deep or so, but that was over his head and then some, even if he was the tallest. It was doubly and triply dangerous because of the strong current and the shocking cold that could quickly numb his reptilian body.
Raph caught up to Mike in a few seconds and grabbed hold of his wrist just as they were slammed into the concrete wall and dragged up and into the tunnel that carried the water out of the chamber. For an instant, the water was shallower. Raph threw out his legs, scraping his feet against the concrete tunnel to act as a drag, and flung out his arm, praying to catch the lip. Got it! Breathing hard, he fought the current as inch by inch, he worked his body half out of the tunnel. Mike was dead weight behind him, and Raph couldn't look to see if he had air to breath; he hoped Mike had the sense to hold his breath at least.
Panting raggedly, he looked to the right. Only a couple feet of channel lay between the tunnel and the ledge on the lair side. Now it was time to take a risk. Still gripping Mike's wrist tightly, he worked himself over the edge of the tunnel and braced his lower body against the concrete wall beneath. The water rushed all around him, and he couldn't see or hear anything else, but he kept his legs braced hard against the wall so he couldn't be swept back into the tunnel. Yanking with all his strength, he managed to pull Mike out into the chamber. Good thing he's so little.
Raph screamed at Mike but got no response. He had to get them both out of here quick, he could already feel the cold spreading through his system, slowing him down. Shifting his weight and grip along the wall, Raph worked his way toward the ledge, using one arm to clutch Mike to his side. Now the current was working for him, helping him keep himself and his brother stuck to the wall. In a few more moments, Raph had reached the corner where the wall and the ledge met, and wedged his shell into it. That gave him the support he needed to lift Mike in both arms and heave his chest up onto the ledge. Another shove, and Mikey was up. Finally, Raph could grab the ledge and pull himself up too.
The air stung in the bloody scrapes on his arms and legs, but Raph hardly noticed. He shoved Mike over onto his back and stared at him. He'd been unable to breath for so long- Raph had no idea how long it had taken him to drag the two of them out, but it felt like forever. Mike's usually vibrant green skin was pale, and although Raph was quaking with the cold, Mike wasn't moving...
"Mike," Raph whispered, kneeling beside his brother. His anger blazed up again as he snuffled and viciously swiped a hand over his eyes, but he couldn't stay angry at Mike right now. His anger at himself was too strong. His brother was hurt, maybe even- And I told him to drop dead! It's all my fault. "I didn't mean it," he said desperately. His guilt at the memory of the fight pressed on him with crushing weight. "Mikey, I'm sorry, I didn't MEAN it!"
Mike cracked an eye. "Really?"
Raph jumped to his feet, backing away with wide eyes. "Mikey?!" Mike sat up, coughing, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He smiled winningly as fury warred with relief across Raph's face. "You-" He opened and closed his mouth a time or two.
"Gotcha, Raph," Mike said weakly, searching his brother's face apprehensively. There was another longish pause as Raph visibly thought things through.
"Yeah," he finally said reflectively. "Yeah Mikey, you got me good." He reached out a hand to pull the smaller Turtle to his feet. "What were you doing down here, anyway?"
Mike opened his clenched fist to show the pin glittering there. He had gripped it so hard that his palm bore an angry, red imprint. Raph sighed noisily. Leave it to Mike to risk his life over some shiny bit of-
"I got it for you," Mike said. "So you wouldn't hate me anymore."
Raph's jaw dropped. Mike grabbed his hand, prying open the fingers loose with shock and dropping the pin into his palm.
"Mikey, you-" Raph stared at the insignia pin, then poked it with the first finger of his other hand. Mike looked at him hopefully, and Raph felt another surge of guilt. He'd been mean to Mike; not exactly on purpose, but still really mean. Let Mike get under his skin, lost his temper, hurt his brother's feelings...but Mike still came down here and risked his LIFE for Raph's approval? Talk about stuff that didn't make sense! "I don't hate you, Mikey, I...thanks." Mike beamed happily. "Let's get home," Raph said. "Before Splinter gets there first."
"You aren't gonna tell sensei, are you?" Mike asked anxiously.
"No, but if we don't dry off quick he's sure gonna find out anyway!" Raph started to stride briskly back toward the ladder that led up to lair-level.
"Oh yeah." Mike trotted to keep up with him. "Raph...thanks for pulling me out," he said in an awed tone.
Raph shot a glance at his adoring brother and shrugged uncomfortably as he laid his hands on the ladder. This was all kinds of messed up. "Aw, forget about it. Let's just go." He started to climb.
Mike slouched into his room after practice, pouting and rubbing a sore arm. More kata in the afternoon; he never got a break! True to his word, Raph hadn't told Splinter about their sewer adventure, and Mike's disobedience remained undiscovered. But the way Splinter had been driving him, Mike couldn't help wondering if he somehow sensed what had happened.
Raph and Mike had talked and joked as they crouched dripping near the heater, trying to dry off before Splinter and their brothers came home. Things had sort-of changed between them since then But Raph still didn't practice, and he could barely manage a "good night" for Mike before they rolled into bed, much less a conversation. At least he didn't seem so angry all the time, even when Mike cracked an incautious joke of the sort that usually set off a fight; although the thoughtful way he looked at Mike most of the time was almost as unsettling.
Mike threw himself down on his bed, and heard the crinkle of something beneath him. Uh oh...maybe Don was finally paying him back for those rocks Mike had left under his mattress last week...Mike rolled to the side and dragged the item out. He glanced at it and gasped in surprise. It was the cover to his comic book!
Mike smiled with joy, tracing the outlines of the characters with broad fingers. Looking carefully, he could see the edges where each torn piece had been fitted and taped in place. He remembered Raph asking Donny to borrow his small stock of clear tape, but he hadn't thought-
A small noise made him look up at Raph, who had snuck in and was leaning on the doorframe wearing a very faint smile.
"Raphers!" Mike cried, and was up and squeezing his brother in a tight hug. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou! I take back every mean thing I ever said about you! I'm sorry I made fun of you!"
"Yeah yeah, that's enough," Raph muttered uncomfortably, pushing Mike away. "I, uh- I guess I'm sorry I tore it up. I wasn't thinkin, I didn't know it would make you cry like that." Mike flushed slightly. Was Raph going to call him a baby again? "I mean, um, I didn't know it was that important..." Raph trailed off into embarrassed silence, and Mike clutched the worn cover to his chest happily, grinning up at his brother. "I uh, I gotta do somethin," Raph mumbled. Mike wasn't bothered by the rapid departure; he knew Raph wasn't big on hugging.
Mike dug the precious comic out from under the bed and reverently laid the cover atop it.
Mike was slow wandering back into the dojo for afternoon practice, and Leo, Don, and Splinter were there already. Bowing to the dojo and to his sensei, Mike took his place in line next to Don, then stared in surprise at the fourth Turtle, who stood in the doorway behind Splinter.
Splinter heard the padding footsteps and started to turn. "Raphael, I thought I told you-" His voice cut off as he saw his son.
Raphael was wearing the mask! Mike grinned and Don and Leo looked as shocked as Splinter. Raph shifted his weight uneasily from one foot to another for a moment, then bowed into the room and fell into seiza before Master Splinter.
Splinter stroked his chin. "You have learned, my son." It was half statement, half question.
"Yes, sensei." Raph lowered his eyes respectfully. "We are a team, even if what we end up doing isn't what I would have decided on my own. And I need to make good decisions even on my own...because my choices affect my brothers."
Splinter smiled with pleasure, even though his eyes were still puzzled. He somehow didn't think the punishment alone had changed Raphael's stubborn mind. And who knew if the lesson would even stick? He was too wise to believe that he would never again have to chastise Raphael for failing to consider the consequences of his actions. But be that as it may, the Turtle had at least taken Splinter's lesson to heart, and that was a victory of sorts. "Well said, my son. All of you, line up for kata."
As Splinter turned back to his other students, Raph flashed Mike a quick, wicked grin. The others might never know where this change had come from, but Mike sure did.
As Raph pushed past him, he muttered, "Just try and take it easy on the wise ideas, nimrod." His eyes shone with amusement, and Mike realized that the insult was not really meant to hurt.
Mike happily elbowed Raph in return. "Hey! It's better than any dumb idea YOU'VE ever ha-OW!" He stopped short in his taunt as Raph grabbed the dangling tails of his mask and yanked, hard.
Raph cackled. "Hey, I think these things are starting to grow on me!"
The TMNT and associated characters belong to Mirage. The original stories and characters are mine. Steal my work and I will devour your soul.