This idea has been in my head for quite a while. So, this is based on the 2003 turtles more so than the 2012 series. But you can see from either series and it won't make that much of a difference. I loved the '03 TMNT more, so I wanted to write from that.

I don't own TMNT

"You almost got us killed, again, with all your joking around, Mikey!" The orange wearing turtle rubbed his bruised shoulder and lowered his eyes in shame. He hadn't meant to ruin their mission. He had just been joking around a little. Trying to make his brother crack a smile. None of them had been very happy lately. Leo glared at him coldly and continued, not swayed by his younger brother obvious guilt. "When will you stop acting so immature and continuously putting yourself in danger?!" Michelangelo looked up and drew back at the disappointment in his oldest brothers eyes. He hated seeing that look. Complete disappointment.

"Leo, I'm sorry. I just got a little distracted is all. No one got hurt that bad." He offered a small smile, which almost immediately faltered under Leo's sharp gaze.

"It seems, Michelangelo, that you're always 'a little distracted' and it's getting old." Mikey gave up on trying to get on the older turtles good side and threw up his hands in surrender. One he pulled the old full name card on him, there was no reasoning with the blue-banded turtle.

"I'm not trying to get distracted, bro. It was an accident. It won't happen again." He was beginning to get annoyed with Leo's lecturing, which seemed to becoming a nightly activity. Every time they got back from patrol Leo would tell him how he could have done better or that he messed up yet again. "Maybe if you stopped trying to be a mini sensei all the time you'd see it's not that big a' deal." Leo bristled and took a step forward. Mikey met his brother's glare with one of his own. Mikey saw the quick flash of surprise in Leo's eyes when he realized that the younger turtle wasn't backing down. After a few tense moments, Leo sighed and shook his head. He stalked off to the dojo without another word.

"Mikey, I need to check out that shoulder of yours!" Blue eyes turned in the direction of the voice until he met his brother in purple's calm brown ones. Mikey flashed him a smile and walked over to the infirmary. Don had always been the calming presence in the lair. He was always there with a sympathetic smile to listen to Mikey's problems. As he walked into the infirmary he resisted the urge to groan at the sight of his second oldest brother. The dark turtle sat on one of the cots with a annoyed scowl and a impressive cut on his leg. Raph was almost as bad as Leo when it came to lecturing him. Except Raphael adopted the always pleasant tactic of yelling and blaming Mikey for everything. This time would likely be no different. "I'm just going to finish up with Raph and then I'll take a look at your shoulder." Donnie waved his hand to one of the unoccupied cots and Mikey sat down, trying his best to avoid Raph's piercing, amber glare.

It was tense while Don worked on cleaning and wrapping Raph's injury. Mikey didn't dare say something that could be mistaken for an invitation for a lecture. As soon as Raph was dismissed, he stood and angrily walked out of the room. Not before he purposely bumped into Mikey's leg and muttered 'screw up' on his way out. Anger boiled beneath the usually happy turtle's skin, making him tense and his vision blurred slightly as hot tears pricked at his eyes. He hated hearing his brothers call him names. As much as he laughed it off and said it didn't bother him, it hurt him each time. He nearly jumped to the ceiling when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "You ok?" Mikey took a deep breath and let it out slowly, feeling the anger quickly subside and his muscles slowly relax. Raphael was just being grumpy that's all. No need get mad.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Sorry about that, bro." Mikey winced when Don applied slight pressure to his shoulder. Don tsked lightly and went to get another roll of gauze. "What's the damage, Doctor?" The Bo wielding turtle chuckled and Mikey felt the tension dissipate from the room.

"Nothing too bad. Fortunately, it appears that it's only bruised and there's no further damage. I'm going to wrap it to make sure that it doesn't get worse." A comfortable silence fell as Don wrapped his shoulder. Don would never turn on him and give him a lecture. "You need to be more careful, you know." Mikey groaned and slapped his forehead in exasperation. Now he was getting it from DON too?! Why were all his brothers gaining up on him like this? So he messed up this one time. Maybe a few other times too, but they were completely overreacting.

"I seriously don't need a lecture from you right now bro." His tolerance for his brother's constant reprimanding was already wearing thin. Don was the one turtle he thought he could count on for some peace and understanding.

"I know you don't want to hear it but you have been joking around more than usual. I'm running out of medical supplies because of your constant visits." The last sentence was said jokingly but Mikey knew if he looked at Don, he would see the same serious, disappointed look he got from Raph and Leo. "I shouldn't tell you this but Leo was talking about leaving you behind on some of the Foot patrols." Now that caught Mikey's attention. He turned so sharply that Donnie was sure he gave himself whiplash.

"You serious?" Mikey's eyes were wide as he searched Don's face. Looking for a sign that he was just telling a really bad joke. The genius's face remained serious but softened when he saw the crestfallen look on his baby brother face. They has been thinking about this for a while. All of them got together and talked about leaving him out of patrols. Mikey shook his head and stood off the cot. He walked toward the door and gave his brother a forced smile. "Thanks for letting me know, Donnie." As he was walking to his room he caught the faint voices of his brothers and father from the dojo. He was about to keep walking when he caught his name. His curiosity got the best of him and he snuck over to the door.

"He neva' pays attention! He's goin' ta get us killed with his stupid jokes!" Raph.

"It's true. He doesn't take anything seriously sensei. I think it would be best if we left him here during patrols." Leo. There was a pause and Mikey feared that he had been caught. But he breathed a sigh of relief when Leo continued. "His lack of focus is putting our whole family in danger." Now he was exaggerating.

"I believe Michelangelo has the best intentions with his actions." Good old sensei would always defend him. Master Splinter knew that he always tried his best. "Your brother's actions are usually to ease the tension within the chaos that we live in."

"We don't need his stupid 'actions'! He's not good for anythin'! Stupid knucklehead is a fucking burden to the team." Mikey was shocked at Raph's harsh words. Is this what he really thought? A burden? He felt the familiar anger boil beneath his skin. His father's sharp voice cut into his thoughts.

"Raphael! You will not use that sort of language. Especially at your own brother's expense!"

"It's true though sensei. He isn't providing anything to the team." Mikey felt his throat tighten with his leader's agreement. He stormed away from the dojo, not wanting to hear anymore. He didn't need to hear his own family calling him a burden and useless. Suddenly the lair felt too small. The walls were closing in on him; his brothers' words echoing off the cold walls. He walked to the elevator* to leave when he caught the gruff voice of none other than his brother in red.

"Where you goin' shell for brains?" Mikey rolled his eyes and the elevator opened. He didn't want to deal with Raph, or maybe he couldn't right now. Anger was making his skin hot and his muscles tense. He felt like everything was caving in on him. He was slow to anger and the emotion being directed at his own family was completely foreign to him. "Oi! That head so empty you forgot how ta hear?"

"Piss off, Raph!" He hissed angrily. The darker turtle was so caught off guard that he didn't have time for a comeback before Mikey was already gone. Raph stood in shock for a moment before he realized what had just happened.

"What the shell?" Mikey hardly ever cursed. It was only when he was seriously upset that he did. Raph scowled and rolled his eyes. Whatever was making Mike get so mad was none of his business. At least it would finally be quiet while the idiot was gone.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

The sky was dark and a strong wind whipped past the lone figure standing on one of the many buildings of New York. The streets below buzzed with nightlife and despite the noise, it was serene. Mikey sat at the edge of the building and let his legs hang over the edge. He was still angry at his brothers for saying what they did but he was slowly letting the anger go that had been twisting in his stomach. He felt confused by the sudden feeling of claustrophobia that came with the anger. He had never been so mad at his family. He could usually let it go with a smile and a joke but this time was different.

"Why's it different now?" He didn't understand why he suddenly snapped. It wasn't the first time that he had been called names but "a burden"? That hurt. That hurt him more than being called stupid or a idiot. All the other names didn't compare to being called useless. He did a lot for the family that they didn't even notice. He frowned and his eyes narrowed at the thought. They never appreciated what he did for them. They didn't even want him on patrols anymore. Hopefully Master Splinter convinced them otherwise. He tried his best to make them all happy when all of them were sad or stressed. He made them smile when all they wanted to do was frown and argue. He joked because if he didn't the family would never get together. "They think I'm useless, then I'll prove that I'm not." He nodded and stood up. As he looked out over the city, he ignored the twisting in his stomach and the twinge in his chest. He was going to show them what happened when he didn't try anymore.

This got a bit more angst-y than I thought it would be but I'm glad I got it out of my system. This story might not even go in the direction I thought of in the first place. Reviews always welcome.

*In the 2003 series there was an elevator that took them to the surface. I didn't want anyone to be confused because I know the 2012 serious has turnstiles.