Those Nights

The night sky over New York City was quiet, save for one helicopter. The stillness of the dark was disturbed as its blades chopped noisily. Inside the helicopter, an uneasy tension hung in the air. Hushed conversations were held between four of the five occupants. The fifth passenger sat in his seat, staring out the window. So much had happened in the past few hours that it was almost impossible to comprehend.

For starters, his brother had almost ripped his leg off. Michelangelo grimaced at the thought of it. Of course his brother Donatello wasn't in the right mind – he was a monster – but it still hurt to think about it. Nearly having your brother kill you didn't leave a pleasant memory.

Because of this mutant outbreak caused by the enigmatic Agent Bishop – whom Leo, Raph and Mikey were now helping – Donny had been transformed into a vicious animal. Sighing angrily, Mikey watched as the Foot's tower came in to view. He really couldn't believe they were doing this, helping Bishop. Raph was right; it was making a deal with the Devil, he couldn't be trusted. But Leo also had a point: they had no other choice. Don's cells were breaking down rapidly – they were running out of time.

Mikey couldn't help but think back to the first night he and his brother had really begun to bond: the night of their first encounter with the Shredder. It was a normal night, in reference to Raphael and Leonardo getting into a scrap again. This time, however, it had been worse. Leo had tossed his brother off the roof, which could have easily killed him. The two had made amends, of course, but after hearing Master Splinter's story of what the Foot really were, Raph had a hard time ignoring the fact Leo had almost become one of them. Mikey had woken from his nap to the pair yelling at each other, before they went off to face the Shredder. Raph was accusing Leo of being a traitor, and Leo of Raph being irrationally hotheaded.

Mike didn't really know why, but it really bothered him when his brothers fought. Sure, some sibling rivalry was natural, but Leo and Raph always seemed to take it too far. That night, they could have easily lost a brother, possibly two (one to death, one to grief and guilt). Though he never spoke his concerns, Donatello seemed to know his thoughts. He'd come by to check on Mikey, to make sure his brother was ready. He'd found him sitting on the floor by his bed, looking utterly depressed. Listening to the audible argument between his other brothers, it hadn't been hard to guess what was troubling Mike. So Donny had plopped down beside him, and the two sat together in silence – until a choice word from Raph echoed around the room. For some reason, both Mikey and Don had found this hilarious, and cracked up. They laughed and laughed, which was much better than going mad from trying to solve their problems.

After the original battle with the Shredder, the two brothers met in Mikey's room that night. The only light they had in the room was from the TV. Neither of them had really been paying attention to it, however. That night, they'd mostly talked; talked about how Leo and Raph fighting bothered them, and about random things, too. After that night, Mikey and Don seemed to spend most nights in someone's room, with either the radio or television on. Always after a brotherly fight, they'd take their minds off it by rambling on about inconsequential, trivial events throughout the day. Through all the hard times in his life, those nights kept Mike alive.

Sometimes they went driving.

It was only after a particularly hard day that Mikey and Don would climb into the Battle Shell and drive, drive until they forgot all their troubles. One of those nights was a few months after the final battle with Shredder, during Leonardo's angry phase. It was the night Leo had lost control when sparring with Master Splinter, and injured him – a minor wound, of course, but it was still a blow to all of them. Without even needing to talk with each other, Mike and Don had met at the Battle Shell that night, and just drove. They drove so far that they ended up leaving the city limits – no one noticed, naturally. When they'd come back, the two spent the night in Don's room, watching some old sci-fi movie. It was as if the upsetting events of the day had never happened. The next day, Leo was sent away.

Once, Raphael had caught them. They had fallen asleep on the floor in Mikey's room, with the radio blaring – to drown out another one of Leo and Raph's many tussles. Raph got a kick out of it, making fun of them for the next few days. "What, you guys can't stand a healthy scrap between brothers?" "Are you two so afraid of the dark you need to sleep together?" "What is wrong with you guys?"

That last comment had really ticked Mike off. There was nothing wrong with them. Those nights belonged to them; it was their way of dealing with all the problems in their lives. It just wasn't what Raphael would find ideal – bonding time, instead of fighting. There was nothing wrong with them.

Sitting in the helicopter, only faintly aware of the others around him, Mikey recalled all of those nights. Staying up late with the room lit by the TV light, listening to the radio play … neither of them wanted to leave their sanctuary and go back to another fight. Those nights kept them alive.

He remembered when they used to laugh. Now, rushing into a building where they could easily get killed, all for Donny, Mike wished those nights would last. But he wouldn't give up. He'd get that talisman, and fight until he was broken and battered. He wouldn't give up. Mikey would get the relic, finish the deal with Bishop, and get his brother back. He wasn't going to give up on him.