Stronger

Chapter Seven

   Mikey gasped for breath, his muscles burning like crazy. Sweat dripped off of him and onto the floor, and he longingly thought of the shower he would take after exercise was done for the day.

   "Common, bro, just twenty more," Raph pressed, standing over him.

   "I can't!" he hissed, staying in his plank position, feeling his body shake.

   "Well, if you touch the floor, we can do fifty more push-ups," his oldest brother said breezily.

   "Argh!" he cried out, seething. Slowly, carefully, he made himself sink closer to the floor. When he got low enough, he paused, then tried to make his arms push him up again. They refused, keeping him in the low position. "My arms are literally about to burn off right now!" he shouted.

   "Now you found the fun," his brother in red said. "If you feel that after only a hundred and thirty push-ups, then you are weak."

   That made Mikey snap. Even more heat entered his body and he turned his anger into energy, using his brother's mocking as a way to lift himself higher from the floor, and back into the tall plank. Growling, he sank lower and pushed up, sank again, and rose again. It was slow, but Mikey thought about what his brother had said just before he had attacked the robot. Can't carry my own, he scoffed inside his head, raising himself once again.

   "Uh, Raph?" he heard his slightly older brother ask.

   "Yeah?"

   "Are you sure that pushing Mikey like that is okay? He is going to drown in his sweat if this keeps up."

   "Na, he is fine. Look at him go! Just one more until he reaches one hundred and fifty!"

   "One hundred and--?"

   "Did it!" Mikey shouted, collapsing on the ground. He lay there for a second and moaned. "If anybody finds my arms, please let Donnie attach them. I miss them."

   "Raph! A hundred and fifty push-ups? Are you out of your mind?" Leo asked.

   "He agreed. If anybody is crazy, it is him."

   "Did you guys do any other exercise?"

   "Yep! I am pretty proud of him. For a weakling, he was able to do two hundred chin-ups, a hundred and fifty squats, a hundred suicide drills, a--"

   "Okay, forget I asked," Leo interrupted. "I will be taking him now before you kill him."

   As Leo grabbed Mikey's arm and lifted him up, Raph said, "What? But we were just getting started!"

   "Tomorrow, Raph. You can continue tomorrow."

   Mikey limped out of the room, holding his brother's arm. "Th-hanks for-r saving m-me," he gasped, clutching his stomach.

   Leo's grip on him tightened as he looked back. "How come you went with everything Raph told you to do?"

   "Beca-huse I want to get stronger."

   "Okay, but this? At this rate, you will reach Raph's level in a week. I can't even do a hundred and fifty push-ups! How and why could you?"

   Mikey looked away. "You would never get it," he phanted.

   Leo's deep blue eyes met his light ones. "And how come?" he asked softly. "You know I am here for you."

   "But why can't I be there for you guys?" Mikey let go of Leo and walked to his room by himself, although after the exercise he just did, it felt like he was flying. His brother did not say anything more, and he did not expect him to.