Raph and Mikey Brotherly Fluff and Comfort Oneshots TMNT 2012

Chapter 39: I Love You

    Hey guys, guess who's back after all those years? That's right, it's me. It's been so long since I posted a chapter here since I've been busy with writing Sonic and Tails stories. So for all you fans of this book, I'm making a comeback here.

    Mikey was sitting on the couch in front of the TV in the living area of the lair, looking down at the floor with sad eyes. Normally, he'd either be watching cartoons or playing videogames, but today, he wasn't feeling like doing any of those things. He was feeling glum and bothered (it was one of those random days). He also didn't eat much earlier during breakfast, but at least he didn't skip it entirely. In fact, he didn't really feel like doing much of anything today, which was concerning. Normally, he's be full of energy, playing pranks on his brothers (and leaving Splinter out of it because he didn't dare prank him), but today, he felt pretty drained.

    He didn't know how long he was sitting like that, but he jumped a bit when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Quickly looking up beside him, Mikey breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was just Raph. "You okay?" asked the hothead.

    Mikey wordlessly shook his head, looking back at the ground. That was enough for Raph to know that, no, Mikey was not okay at all. This concerned him; whenever Mikey was feeling like that, Raph knew that something was wrong. "Was it anything I did to you?" he asked.

    Again, Mikey shook his head. Thank goodness, Raph thought with relief.

    After some thinking, Raph asked another question: "Wanna talk about it?"

    Mikey looked up at Raph at this, and that was when Raph saw the sadness in his eyes. There was even a tremble in his chin. That wasn't good. Alarm bells were ringing in Raph's head, letting him know that something was wrong with his little brother. "Hey," he said, gently taking Mikey's hands. "How about we get some fresh air?"

    Mikey nodded, allowing Raph to pull him up to his feet as the hothead stood up. He led Mikey out of the lair and up to the surface. In not too long, they were on top of one of the buildings. It was silent, save for the occasional car horn, and the sky was clear and covered with stars. Raph sat down near a small tower on one of the rooftops, gently pulling Mikey down with him. The two said nothing for awhile. They just sat there silently, the sounds of the city below them being their only company. Raph was fine with giving Mikey the time he needed so he be comfortable enough to talk.

    After a while, Mikey tapped Raph's hand, getting his attention. He was ready to talk. "I... *sigh*... do you ever feel like you're... unloved?" he asked, sighing.

    Raph blinked, confused. "Unloved?" he said. "Mikey, what makes you say something like that? Of course you're loved."

    "Well, sometimes, I just have these thoughts in my head that tell me stuff like this," Mikey replied. "I know that they're wrong and I try to ignore them, but somehow, they always get at me whenever I mess up on stuff like missions or even getting you guys hurt by accident. And some of the nightmares that have stuff like that don't really help either."

    He sighed once more, looking off to the side. "I just wish that they'd leave me alone entirely," he said.

    Raph silently listened, sighing sadly as Mikey finished. It wouldn't be the first time that Mikey struggled with stuff like this. The hothead wrapped an arm around Mikey's shoulders. "Mikey, those thoughts in your head are wrong," he said. "I'm not sure when it happened exactly, but you shouldn't believe in that nonsense. Ever. You're loved by a lot of people because you changed their lives. April, Leatherhead... pretty much everyone now have better lives... because of you."

    Mikey trembled as he heard Raph's words, his eyes filling up with tears. Seeing that he was getting somewhere, Raph pulled Mikey closer, hugging him from behind. "You even make out family's lives better," he continued. "You're the heart of the team. That sunshine beam of hope and optimism that keeps us going, no matter what. Even in the darkest of times. We all love you, Michelangelo. I love you as well. You're my best friend. The best little brother I could ever ask for. And I wouldn't trade our friendship for anything."

    All that came out of Mikey at those words was a hiccuped sob as he finally began crying. The young turtle turned around and pressed himself close to Raph, his face buried in the older one's plastron. "Oh, Mikey," Raph said as he hugged Mikey, rubbing his shell and the back of his head. "There, there. It's okay. I'm here."

    Mikey wasn't able to say anything. He just continued to cry, his tears soaking Raph's shoulder as he curled up closer to his best friend and brother. "That's it," Raph soothed as he rocked Mikey back and forth. "Just let it all out, little buddy."

    Feeling the motion and hearing those words helped Mikey calm down some, but he didn't dare separate from the comfort and safety that was his older brother. Raph didn't mind at all. They stayed where they were for what felt like hours until Mikey finally calmed down completely. Feeling Mikey slump in his hold from exhaustion, Raph wordlessly scooped him up as he stood and headed back home.

    By the time Raph finally arrived at the lair, Mikey had fallen asleep. Raph smiled as he carried Mikey to his room. Arriving there, he closed the door behind him and stripped Mikey of his gear so that he'd be comfortable and placed it on a neat pile next to his bed. He then laid Mikey down and tucked him in, even making sure that his beloved teddy bear was with the young turtle. Smiling in accomplishment, Raph stood up and was about to leave, but a sad sound reached his ears as soon as he got to the door. Looking back, he saw Mikey tossing and turning in bed and whimpering. Another nightmare, Raph thought in disgust, hating how they always tormented his best friend.

    Knowing what he had to do, Raph headed back to Mikey's bed and, after taking off his own gear and placing it next to Mikey's, climbed into bed and hugged Mikey from behind, letting out soothing churrs and nuzzling his little brother. Mikey immediately stopped crying as if he sensed that someone was with him. With a smile, he turned around in Raph's arms and snuggled against him, chirping and purring happily. Raph smiled back as he adjusted his position so that he was laying comfortably, Mikey resting in his emerald biceps. "You'll always be loved, Mikey. And we're not gonna let any negative thought say otherwise. We'll make sure of it. Starting with me. I love you, Mikey. Always have, always will."

    First one in who knows how long. Sorry if I'm a little rusty.