Hey guys, this chapter is pretty boring. No really, nothing really exciting happens. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be done either, to be honest... I have some rough ideas, but not enough to fill the chapter^^*

Anyways, enjoy!

XxxXLoveFromAnotherWorldXxxx

The light we've seen in the tunnel turned out to be more glowing gems. But instead of the dim glow, the large yellow gems shone like real lamps. And just like real lamps, they created warmth. The circular room we landed in was quite large, maybe the size of two football fields. There was grass on the ground, and the cave walls were covered in what seemed to be ivy. Some large and small bushes were scattered around too, and on the far end I could make out three dark circles. Apparently more tunnels.

On the left side of the "room" were some larger boulders hiding another hole where water came flowing out. A spring. It ran down the boulders and created a small stream that vanished after a short distance in another opening of the same wall.

"... We definitely took the right way." Rick commented before slowly stepping on the grass. He started grinning and wiggled his toes. "Feels good!"

Soon we all felt the soft grass under our feet and I had to admit, it felt heavenly after all the gravel and stone. The warmth from the gems felt good too, and since the room was so big and wide the humidity wasn't too bad either.

"Do you think the water is safe?" Leo asked as we got closer to the spring. Donnie shrugged, face in a frown.

"It looks fine. And the water from before also came from down here..." We looked up when Luke also spoke up.

"I don't know. It just seems too good to be true." he rubbed the back of his head and sighed.

"But why would they try to poison us? Wouldn't that take the fun of the competition away?" Rick threw in, holding a finger under the water to see if it would do anything... like burning his skin off. But apparently it was just normal plain water.

"They created a river of acid that would've killed us." Donnie supplied, biting his lip in thought as he helped Raph sit down.

"It would've only killed us if we were dumb enough to fall in. It created an indirect threat... an obstacle that makes the whole game more interesting. Poisoning is not entertaining enough." I sat down next to Raph and nodded at Drake's explanation. That sounded quite logical.

In a way it was pretty morbid to think about this as a real game. Was there really an audience of higher beings that enjoyed watching how other creatures killed themselves? Bets being placed, while a team of mean geniuses thought of ways to make it suspenseful enough. Cheers when the favorites won, partying while we fight for our lives here... The thought left a queasy feeling in my stomach.

"True, if they just wanted to kill us off they would've already done it." My red banded brother ended our speculations of poisoned water by taking a quick sip from the thin stream. Leo and Don seemed overly anxious, with Leo on the verge of scolding Raph for taking the risk, while the other three seemed more curious than anything.

I was worried too, but Raph seemed to be fine. After a few short minutes he shrugged and took another sip. "Just water." He smirked at our faces. We really must've looked funny... Well, who could blame us for all that could've happened?

"Don't ever scare me like that again..." Donnie grumbled rather darkly as he sat down on my other side and leaned over to take a sip too. "Ugh, but it was so worth it." he groaned.

"You really shouldn't make sounds like that in times like these." Raph's voice had dropped an octave and while Donnie deadpanned I felt my eyes widen. That was how they talked when they were on their own?!

"Guys, I think you're scaring Mikey here." Leo chuckled softly, making Raph's grin only widen. "Nah, he'll get used to it."

Instead of answering I bent closer to the water to drink too. That statement could mean anything, and I wasn't sure if I'd be comfortable with any of the meanings right now. Well, I meant it when I vowed to myself I wouldn't want to hear any of this until we found father. I wouldn't give into the temptation and wipe the smirk off Raph's face...

This whole situation was just wrong for thoughts like these. Sure, their bickering and teasing made it all seem less bad, which was good. But it also created a big cloud of heavy thoughts in my head, which was bad.

I didn't want to think about how nice it was to have Leo's arms around me last night, or how my heart flutters every time Raph sends a loving smile my way, or how Donnie's gentle touches tingled through my whole body. No, I didn't want to deepen that topic. Not right now at least.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm drained." I changed the subject when I wasn't thirsty anymore and carefully rolled over a few times to make room for the alien turtles.

They've been kind of quiet the past minutes and I wondered if they just had their mental conversation thingy going on instead of normal talking. I also wondered what they were talking about, but only for about two seconds. Because then I remembered the reason why I had my outburst.

The reminder brought the blush back to my face and I was glad I could hide it in the soft grass. That was another subject I'd rather avoid thinking about. I couldn't help but feel flattered that they showed interest in me.

Of course I didn't feel as strongly for them as I do for my brothers, but when you get that sort of attention for the first time ever your feelings get jumbled.

Especially after Rick saved me from those creepy raping octopuses. Maybe the gratefulness made me more open to their advances, so I'd better not jump the chance so fast...

There was that, and the thought of getting physical with them... kind of scared me. They were so big after all...

I jumped a little when there was a hand on my arm, belonging to my immediate older brother. Right, I said he could go Doctor Don on me... ugh.

"Your breathing is better?" he asked, laying next to me to face me with a small smile. I was glad the blush wasn't as visible as it felt and returned the smile.

"Yeah. And my side doesn't hurt at all at the moment. I think keeping still for a few hours would help a great deal." Donnie raised an eye ridge in an amused way.

"Wow, you really hit your head hard if you want to keep still willingly." he joked, making me let out a soft chuckle.

"I guess I'm just drained." I admitted, fighting a yawn. The olive green hand on my arm sent pleasant shivers through my body, and I had to fight a content sigh now.

"It was a pretty eventful day. Judging by the length of the past day, it could be already night now. I don't really have much of an inner clock here..." he started speculating and I giggled at his thinking face.

"... hurt my ankle, not my head." Our small conversation was interrupted by Raph and Leo joining us. "I'll keep watch too." My eldest brother let out a little annoyed sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Raph, our hike was even more strenuous for you with that ankle. And we have no idea what awaits us tomorrow; you'll need your strength then." he explained rather calmly, opposite to his mimic.

Ever since they started mating, Raph and Leo argued less and less. They at least tried to be civil to one another whenever there was a topic to fight over. However, it was easy for them to fall back to old behaviors. And I could see it already starting by the way Raph clenched his fists and Leo ground his teeth. Donnie saw the oncoming argument too of course and just like me he didn't like it one bit.

"What about a compromise?" he asked, interrupting our older brothers. They looked at Don, who smiled to calm them. It worked at least a little.

"Raph just takes the first shift. It's shorter in a way because we'll probably won't fall asleep immediately. Then I take over and lastly Leo, because he's used to waking up early anyway."

I could tell Raph wasn't too happy about getting special treatment, but he seemed to accept it for the sake of peace.

"I can help too." I simply stated. If Donnie was allowed to keep watch, I could too.

"Mikey, your side is still hurt and hinders your breathing, and the bump on your head bothers you too. If one of us needs especially long rest it's you." I frowned at the predictable statement.

"I could take over a short shift too. Maybe right after Raph. Then yours and Leo's could be shorter too and you get more rest." I insisted, sick of not being able to help in any way.

All three of my brothers' faces had the same expression. They really didn't want me to help. "Don't you trust me?" I added, hoping to guilt trip them into giving in.

"Of course we do! We're just worried about what could happen tomorrow, or the days after!"

"Look, we could run into another team again and will have to fight them. Or there could be an even harder path ahead, we'll probably have to climb out of the cave at some point; who knows what could happen? In any way, it's not gonna help your injuries. So it would be better to just rest as much as you can so you can better as soon as possible."

I narrowed my eyes at Leo's explanation. Sure, he was right. Kind of. But if it was him with a hurt side he wouldn't even take a break when his lungs exploded.

"Dude..." I started, but was interrupted by Leo's hand on my cheek and his dark blue eyes boring into mine.

"Please Mikey... We're just worried about you." My heart sped up. Now that was just unfair. He couldn't just use that look on me!

"Ugh fine! Tonight I will take it easy, but tomorrow night I want to help." There was this rare half-smile on Leo's face, the one that could mean a hundred things, and then I had to fight a blush along with my racing heart.

"Deal."

There was some more talking between my older brothers while I decided to just call it a night, since I was clearly excluded from the club. Back to being the baby of the family.

To hide my true thoughts I just turned my shell to them and got comfortable on the soft grass, eyes searching for Luke, Rick and Drake. I almost sat up when I didn't see them right away, but soon enough I found them quite some space away, behind one of the bigger bushes. I had no idea what they were doing. And I couldn't just get up and ask them. Firstly, my brothers would be royally pissed and secondly... they could've gone to have some privacy. How they could think about that in this situation was a mystery to me, but on the other hand I couldn't know for sure that's what they were doing behind the bush. It wasn't any of my business either! Gosh, just sleep Mikey!

Not even a minute later my eyelids were already drooping. It really was an exhausting day. Just when I gave in to a yawn I felt an arm drape around me carefully as a body molded against my shell, breathing softly against the back of my head and neck. I held my breath even as to not alert them I was still fully awake and carefully peeked down to the hand. Donnie.

My brain really didn't know what to do with this new development; my brothers starting to cuddle me at night. And at that moment I didn't really care, especially when the arm holding me felt so warm and cozy and... shortly after I was asleep.

Sometime later I awoke when Donnie got up. My sleep ridden mind made me really miss the warmth and I turned around with closed eyes, subconsciously letting out a whine.

I was vaguely aware of a chuckle that could only belong to Raph, as I was carefully pressed against a solid plastron, my forehead coming to rest against a strong and warm neck.

Letting out a content sigh I snuggled against my brother and once again drifted off to dreamland.

-~*LINEBREAK*~-

When I woke up the next time I was still cuddled up to Raph, if the emerald green skin in front of my eyes was anything to go by.

The muscled arms were still wrapped around me and I could feel his breath breezing over my head. The rise and fall of his chest calmed me in a strange way and I was tempted to just close my eyes again.

I felt really cozy, and I should really be happy. I kinda was, too, but the more my brain woke up the unhappier I got. It was obvious they were trying to include me. That at least took my fear away that I pissed them off enough that they'd hate me forever. I should be glad about that too.

However... it made me kind of... I don't know. Upset? Did they really think everything would be fine now? After months of leaving me out? And it would still be that way if this whole mess didn't happen. They would've continued with their relationship and my heart would still be breaking each and every day. They wouldn't have cared. It took some dangerous space game and three alien turtles to make them realize I was even there.

There was a deep frown on my face as I tried to sit up, only to have Raph's arms tighten around me in his sleep.

I let out a small sigh, glaring at my brother's plastron. Well, at least they tried to. They could've just told me to suck it up. Instead they wanted to make me feel included. Showed some very possessive behavior that could be seen as brotherly, or completely different. That again made me confused again. Were they only doing it because of the other turtles?

To keep it short, I was so confused.

Again I tried to get up, but Raph grumbled something, pressing me closer one more time.

"Good luck with that, Raphael is an aggressive sleep-cuddler." I looked up to see Leo watching me with an amused smile on his face.

"Who would've thought." I mumbled, fighting harder to escape my red-banded brother's clutches. "You could help me, you know?" Leo's smile only widened.

"I'm having pretty much fun watching you." He absentmindedly petted something on his folded legs – I guessed it was Donnie's head – before continuing talking to me. "Is it really so bad? You used to go to cuddle up to him when you had nightmares back then too."

"That was a million years ago..." I blushed a little, still wiggling around.

"That was last Halloween."

"Dude..." I started using my legs too, about to ask for help again, when suddenly Raph turned around with me, effectively pinning me to the ground.

"Stop struggling, or I'll have to tie you up." he mumbled with a rough voice, still sleeping apparently. I blushed brightly when he nuzzled my neck, sighing and cuddling me again. I blinked a few times before my brain caught up with me.

A sleepy giggle made me realize I wasn't alone at all and when I turned my head to the side I was almost face to face with Donnie, who indeed had his head resting on Leo's lap. At least my oldest brother had the decency to look apologetic. My look only made Donatello laugh harder, until I tried to move and let out a small pained sound when my side hurt from Raph's weight.

Immediately Leo rolled Raph off of me, while Donnie sat next to me, carefully touching my side. Feeling a little put off from Raphael's display and my other brothers' reactions I swatted Don's hands away.

"I'm fine." I ground out before getting up. There was a small frown on my purple-banded brother's face, so I turned around and went off to the other side of the room to some bushes to relieve myself.

It was so weird. Those mixed feelings were messing with my head, big time. I didn't want to snap at them, I didn't want to be mad at them, to hurt them. I really wanted to just give in, cuddle back to Raph's chest, sit on Donnie's lap and kiss him, feel Leo's breath on my neck...

I let out a sigh and leaned my forehead against the stony wall, wriggling my beak when the ivy tickled me.

At the same time, I wasn't able to just forget all those lonely weeks and months. I didn't want to make it too easy for them.

I stalled as much time as I could before walking back to my brothers. On the way there, I was thinking hard about where to settle down for the rest of the night. Raph – still asleep – would probably crush cuddle me again. Leo was keeping watch, and while his protective gaze could be pretty calming, it would only make me jittery. And Don... well. Donnie would be a good choice. If he wasn't mad at me for snapping before...

I could also just lay alone, but then again, in this environment – even if it seemed safe at the moment – I didn't feel too comfortable alone. I didn't want to be separated from the others and end up alone. Especially not with other creepy alien species mutants around like those octopuses.

The involuntary shudder that wrecked my body decided for me then. Kind of awkwardly I stood next to his laying form behind his shell before I sat down. Donnie seemed to be really exhausted since he was already asleep, but that was better anyways. I just wanted to be close to one of my brothers, even if it was only shell-to-shell.

I felt Leo's gaze on me until I was settled down on my side, facing away from Don and the others. I bit my lip as I tried to sort my thoughts, eyes roaming over the cave walls until I gave in to the exhaustion.

-~*LINEBREAK*~-

I came back to my senses at the sound of voices. Letting out a small yawn I sat up and rubbed my eyes, sleepily looking around.

My brothers were sitting with their backs to me closer to the spring again, talking to the alien turtles, probably planning the next move or which tunnel to take. I was still rubbing my right eye when I noticed Luke, who was leaning on the wall next to the spring, watching me with an amused smile. Judging by how warm my face seemed to get suddenly I was blushing hard, especially when Drake and Rick also got distracted from their conversation to glance at me.

Of course my ever observant brothers noticed that too and turned to see what I was doing to have them look at me like that. I quickly turned my head to the other direction to hide my blush and act as if I haven't noticed anyone staring yet. Instead of looking at them, I crawled over to them by the spring, acting as if I was still half asleep.

I took a sip from the water, aware of the uncomfortable silence and the gazes on me, until I was done and sat back, finally looking up.

"Morning..." I mumbled out innocently and leaned a little against Raph, who put his arm around my shoulders casually.

"Morning, Mikey." I was greeted after a few seconds. "We were just discussing which tunnel to take."

Drake spoke up next. "I took a look at the entrances earlier, and there are no signs anywhere." I nodded in understanding, face in a frown.

"So it doesn't really matter which one we take. Each of them could lead us out or in trouble."

"Since it doesn't matter, I'd go with the tunnel in the middle." Donnie spoke up, earning questioning glances. "We took the left tunnel before, so taking it again could lead us in a circle. And the right one could take us close to the other two tunnels from before, and that could mean we're going closer to danger."

"Sounds good." Leo nodded in agreement, and the others were on board too.

We ate some of the food left and filled the containers with water from the spring for the way. Short time later we stood in front of the tunnels, eyeing each of them warily. All of them looked pretty much the same, but I trusted Donnie's judgment. Raph was the one finally breaking the spell and entering the tunnel first, with us closely following after...

XxxXLoveFromAnotherWorldXxxx

I'm so sorry for the shortness, but I kind of ran out of ideas...

See you next chap!

Xoxo, B.