Brothers

Yup, there he is, sitting on the edge of the drainage pipe in the pouring rain. His head is tilted back, eyes closed, rain splashing against his face. He hasn't acknowledged me yet, but I know he heard me coming. He always does.

From where I'm standing, the way the cloudy light from the full moon hits him from the side, all I can see is his dark silhouette in the pale white glow. I stand like that for a while, drinking in the sight of my hero bathed in the moon's light in the rain. He just looks so . . . well, so Leo. Even with the stark white, and now dripping wet, bandages across his plastron.

I sit down beside him on the pipe, still watching him. I came really close to losing my big bro last night, and it's a thought I don't want to dwell on, but not just because it would have been my fault. Heh, guess he really is my hero in every sense of the word right now. . .

"Everything okay, Mikey?" he asks, breaking into my thoughts.

I wonder how long we've been sitting here in silence. I don't usually like the silence, and try to fill it with as much talking, jokes, and pranks as possible; but tonight it seems I don't mind it so much. But, wait. Leo wants to know if I'm alright. I don't want to lie to him, but I don't want him to worry about me, either. He does enough of that as it is. Always protecting his useless baby brother. If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't be—

"It's not your fault I got hurt, Mike."

Leo doing his scary big brother mind-reading thing. Don't know how he does that. But he's one to talk, king of the self-blame he is. But no, I tell him "Yes it is." Blunt and to the point. Yup. He looks like he expected that answer, though.

He opens his mouth to speak, but I blurt out before he has the chance. "Why did you do it, Leo?" I don't know why I asked him that, but I have to know. Why did he jump in front of that blade? Why did he take that hit for me? Why is my life worth more than his?

Is that it? He thinks so little of himself that it's okay if he dies? It's okay if he isn't here anymore, as long as we all are? That must have been what went through his head . . . that his life is expendable as long as we are still here.

"Why did I save you?" he asks in confusion. I just nod, at a loss of what to say.

He looks me in the eye, hand on my shoulder. "We're brothers, Mikey. That is the only reason I need."

.

"Mikey, move!" came Leonardo's warning shout a moment before he was kicked backward into a wall by his opponent. The blow didn't hurt him, but it dazed him long enough for him to not notice the blade heading swiftly for his throat until there was no time for him to dodge or block it.

As the blade drew near, a determined cry erupted close by, and Michelangelo's view was suddenly obscured by a familiar brown and green shell. Leonardo let out a pained grunt before the subtle, yet tell-tale, sound of sharpened steal biting through flesh filled Michelangelo's ears.

The enemy dropped, lifeless, to the ground.

"Mikey, are you alright?" Leonardo asked without turning around, still stiffly standing in the same place he had appeared as if by magic to his younger brother's rescue moments ago.

"Yeah," Michelangelo began, shaking himself out of his daze completely. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Good. . ." he replied faintly.

Then Leonardo dropped to the ground, too.

Natural ability and years of training had honed Michelangelo's reflexes to such an extent that he had caught his eldest brother and lowered them both to the ground – Leonardo's shell leaned against the younger turtle's chest – before his mind could even process what had just happened.

"Leo!" Glancing down at his leader worriedly, Michelangelo spotted thick rivulets of red lazily pouring down Leonardo's chest from a long, horizontal cut just above the protection of his plastron. He couldn't tell how deep the wound went, but there was already a fair amount of blood pooling around them; though some of that may have been from their downed adversary, the night being too dark to see the subtle differences between the blood of a human, and that of a mutant turtle.

Working fast before shock could set in for either brother, Michelangelo pulled out a small roll of gauze from his belt and yanked off his elbow pads to stanch the flow of blood. He pressed down firmly on the makeshift pressure bandages as he pulled out his Shell Cell and dialed Donatello's number with the push of a single button. The gentle voice on the other end reassured the nearly-panicked turtle that his other two brothers were only seconds away.

.

"You could've died," I tell him, as though he doesn't know. Shell, with how Mr. Self-Sacrifice always acts, maybe he hadn't noticed. 'Least he didn't say 'it wasn't that bad', since it had pretty much been the definition of gushing blood. "Pro'ly would have died if Donnie hadn't shown up when he did." Thank the Lord Leo thought to call Raph and Don seconds after we got ambushed, otherwise they might've been too late. And boy does that thought give me chills.

"So could you have," he replies simply, his eyes still fixed on mine. I hadn't even noticed his hand had left my shoulder 'til it was back again.

Forcing a small grin, I allow his point. "Touché." I can't hold the smile for long though, as the thought of I almost lost you, big brother plays through my head for the gazillionth time since it happened.

Leo suddenly stands up, careful of his rain-soaked bandages, and offers a hand to pull me up. I accept the hand, but not the help. He frowns at that, but doesn't comment on it. "Let's go home, Mike." Right now, I couldn't agree with that more.

The guilt is still there, but lessened by our talk. Harbored guilt seems to be a family thing. And I figure, since I'm always nagging everyone else – Leo especially – about blaming themselves for things we can't change, I'd better follow my own advice. I have my moments of wisdom too, believe it or not.

Leo throws his arm around my shoulders in a casually comforting gesture as the two of us walk side by side through the pouring rain and foggy full moonlight towards home.

.

He held his bleeding idiot of a big brother in his arms as he waited for help. "What'd you do that for, Leo?"

"Because, Mikey," Leonardo explained calmly as Raphael and Donatello come into view; rescue arriving at last. "We are brothers."

Perfectus

Author's Note: I rather like this one. Had difficulties with it halfway through, but it all worked out well. Tell me what you think, if you feel so inclined. Some bits of dialog and such was omitted as I was going, simply because I felt the moment didn't need as many words as I had running through my mind. Considered having them discuss, or at least mention, my favorite TMNT quote 'In this life, we only have each other; if one of us goes down, we all go down. So focus.' But I didn't want to do it to death. Fairly sure it will make it into a few stories in the future some time, anyways. Using this to get into Mikey's head a bit. Slowly working my way up to a full Donatello POV story, as I have the most trouble writing him. All in all, I'm happy with it. Hope you are too. Love ya all! Take care! God bless!

-TheOneThatGotAway99