AN: I've read a lot of nightmare fics, and I've found something out about a good deal of them. No matter which brother, they all seem to comfort the dreamer in the same way. Each of the turtles is different, and it would stand to reason that they wouldn't comfort the same way. This story will be a four-shot about three different times that Mikey has a nightmare and one time that one of the other brothers has a nightmare. Each different chapter will deal with how each of his brothers comforts him. And, yes, this is a chibi (I love that word!) fic. They are nine years old.

Reverse Psychology

Mikey stared down the dark tunnel in confusion. How had he gotten here? Where was he? Why was it so dark? Mikey slowly turned around, looking for any sign of light. When he held his hand in front of his face, all he could see was black.

His breathing became shallower, and he could feel himself slipping into a panic. At a scuttling of feet off in the distance, he jumped and swung around, his heart pounding. No light. Just darkness.

Mikey didn't like the darkness. "Raph?" No answer. "Leo?" Still no answer. "Donnie?!" Raising his voice only made the sound waves ricochet off the tunnel walls, creating a racket that blasted his eardrums.

"Come to me, Michelangelo." Mikey whirled around at the sinister whisper. He saw nothing, but that did not stop his heart from pounding. "Come to me!"

"Who's there?!" he called, backing up until his shell hit the wall. "Guys, this isn't funny anymore!"

"Your brothers are gone," the voice continued, evil laughter echoing in the background as it continued. "They have left you. They do not care for you."

"No!" cried Mikey, tears beginning to stream down his cheeks. "No, they wouldn't! They do! They love me!"

"No one loves you," the voice cackled. "You are annoying and are always in the way. Who would want you around? You contribute nothing. You are nothing!"

Mikey's sobs became more pronounced, and he fell to his knees, the cry of "You are nothing!" echoing in his mind. "Leave me alone!"

"You are alone," the voice whispered as a warm wind ruffled against Mikey's bald head. "You will always be alone!"

Mikey jerked up so fast that his head spun. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, just as they had been in the dream, and when he turned around to check, he found that his pillow was drenched with said tears. Mikey shook uncontrollably as he clutched the blanket, his knuckles turning a lighter shade of green from the force of his grip.

As much as he kept telling himself that it was just a dream, Mikey was finding it nearly impossible to quiet his beating heart. Would his brothers ever really leave him? Did they really find him useless? Was he really nothing?

Mikey desperately needed to ask someone besides himself these questions, but he couldn't decide who. Their sensei had been tired after their last practice the previous day. He'd even retired early. Mikey didn't really want to wake him up for something as silly as a nightmare.

Besides, only one of his brothers could answer his questions. As he contemplated which to go to, he knew he couldn't go to Raph. The red-clad turtle was a grouch at best when woken up, and he would simply tell him that he was being stupid and to go back to sleep.

Donnie was really smart, and that was the whole problem. He'd probably just go into the classic "Dreams are just how your mind works through the events of your day, and nightmares are just glorified dreams" speech that Mikey had heard a million times. As much as he loved his brothers, Donnie had a hard time taking others' dreams seriously. He was so rationally minded, that he would just try to explain it away.

Then there was Leo. As Mikey thought of his oldest brother, a smile crossed his tear-stained face. Leo was pretty smart too and rational and calm, but he also knew what to say in any given situation. He wouldn't ridicule Mikey for being so shook up by a nightmare. He'd listen as he explained his fear and then assure him that none of it was true.

He was also probably the only one of his brothers who would allow him to spend the night in his bed, and Mikey desperately did not want to sleep on his own after that nightmare.

Having made up his mind, Mikey hopped to his feet and padded over to his eldest brother's bed. Although all the turtles shared one room, they had just recently separated themselves into four different corners so that each turtle could have his own space. The room was fairly spacious, making this arrangement quite possible.

Mikey cautiously approached Leo's bed, careful not to make a sound. Even at the tender age of nine, Leo was an excellent ninja and tended to strike first, ask questions later when approached unawares. Particularly when he was vulnerable such as when he was sleeping. And Mikey really didn't feel like being laid on his shell at the moment.

He stopped a good two feet from his brother's bed and knelt down. "Leo?" he called out softly.

Unsurprisingly, the other turtle's eyes immediately snapped open. Mikey didn't know how, but his eldest brother seemed to be able to only partially sleep, his senses still on high alert. He always seemed to be able to wake up and just be able to jump right up and be in action. Mikey was a morning person as well, but Leo was just ridiculous.

Mikey could see the shine of his brother's eyes as he asked kindly: "Mikey, what's wrong?" Mikey hesitated in his answer, and that hesitation must have clued his brother in, perceptive as he was. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Mikey nodded wordlessly, before he remembered that it was dark. "Yeah," he answered shakily.

Leo watched him for a moment before he scooted over and patted the space on his narrow pallet that he had just vacated. "Wanna tell me about it?"

Mikey joined his brother on the bed, situating himself so that he was comfortable before answering. "It was really dark." He hesitated, and he could just hear Leo telling him to "Go on." "And-and I was a-alone." Just as Mikey had thought he would, Leo said nothing, and Mikey knew he wouldn't say anything until he had finished. "And there w-was a v-voice." He paused, wondering if his brother might ask him for clarification on that point, but Leo still remained silent.

Mikey sighed as he shifted on the bed and cautiously raised his eyes to look toward his brother's outline. In the dark, he couldn't make out much more than Leo's basic shape, but it was enough to comfort him. "Th-the voice said that you guys h-ha-had, um . . ." Mikey bit his lip, a single tear running down his cheek. Should he really ask his next question? Would Leo be mad? Would he—?

At feeling a hand on his arm, Mikey regained his courage and continued. "I-it said that you guys had l-left me." He once more glanced at his brother, but any expression that Leo may have had was concealed by the darkness. "I-it said that you'd left cause I w-was annoy-annoying. It said that I was nothing." He felt another single tear trickle down his cheek as the hand on his arm turned into an arm around his shoulders. "It said that I was alone."

His brother was silent for a long time, waiting to see if Mikey was really and truly done this time. Once he was sure that Mikey had finished, Leo firmly but gently grasped his brother's chin and turned it to face him. Leo kneeled beside his brother and pressed their foreheads together, so that, even through the darkness, Mikey could see his eyes. "Mikey, let me ask you something." Mikey was transfixed by the hardness in his brother's eyes. "Would you ever leave us?"

Mikey's response was automatic. "No!" He had to check himself. He would have checked over his shoulder to make sure he hadn't woken Donnie or Raph, but Leo was still holding his chin.

Leo continued, "Do you love us?"

Mikey was vaguely aware of what his brother was doing, but he still found himself answering automatically: "Of course I do."

Not even the darkness could cloak Leo's smile. "And, tell me something else, Mikey." Mikey had to fight to keep his eyes on his brother's. It was hard to meet that gaze. "Would we do no less for you than you do for us?"

Mikey could feel the tears trickling down his cheeks. "L-L-Leo," he stuttered. Leo dropped his hand from his brother's chin and used it to pull Mikey to his plastron, rubbing circles on his brother's shell with the palm of his hand.

"And, one last thing, Mikey." Mikey once more met his brother's eyes, knowing where this was probably going. "Are you alone?"

Then, Mikey knew the answers to his questions without even having to ask them. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that his brothers did indeed love him. They never would leave him. And he most certainly wasn't alone. "No."

Leo once more grasped his chin, making sure they kept eye contact. "Will you ever be alone?"

Mikey's smile widened. "No."

Leo's gaze remained steady, his grip still strong. "And why will you never be alone?"

Mikey just resisted the urge to laugh out loud. "Because you, Don, and Raph will never leave me. Because you love me and will do anything for me."

Leo smiled once more, putting his other hand on the back of his brother's head, once again putting their foreheads together so that Mikey had no choice but to look him dead in the eye. "And can one who loves so much and is so loved be nothing?"

Mikey couldn't resist the urge this time, the laugh slipping past his lips as he shook his head against his brother's forehead. "Never."

Leo nodded curtly, releasing his brother and sitting back on the bed. "Never forget that, Mikey." He smiled. "Never forget that we love you. I love you."

Mikey hastily wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. "I love you too," he replied softly.

Leo smiled, patting the bed beside him. "And why do you love me?"

Mikey blinked at him as he lay down beside his brother. He had to think for a minute before his smile became wider than it had all night. "Because you love me."

Leo smirked in the darkness as he lay back down, facing his brother. "Try not to hog the blanket."

Mikey grinned back as he scooted close enough to where he could rest his forehead against his brother's plastron. "I won't have to."

Leo laughed lightly as he patted the top of his brother's head. "Sweet dreams, Mikey. Never forget tonight."

Mikey grinned into his brother's plastron as Leo pulled the blanket back up and draped it over them. "Wouldn't dream of it, bro."

Needless to say, Don and Raph were a little surprised, if not a little jealous, when they woke up the next morning and found their brothers that way.

That is, until they decided to join the party, jumping on top of their brothers.

And that was the sight that met Splinter as he woke up, feeling much more refreshed, and peeked into his sons' room.

Now if only they could show their love for one another without being so noisy.

AN: I can see Leo using reverse psychology on his brothers to make them see his point. I tried to write this fic without having a nightmare where all Mikey's brothers/one of his brothers died. That's been overdone to death. Anyway, I do hope you enjoyed this fic. Tell me what you thought of it in a review and if you agree with how I think Leo might comfort a distraught brother. Raph will be up next. Thanks for reading!