The Words That Hurt Me

Twelve Months in a Year

Mikey woke with tears in his eyes.

His alarm blared next to his head, beeping insistently at him. The turtle just stared at the ceiling, however, stunned by the dream he had.

When he finally did move, he did so with gusto. Wiping the tears from his eyes and turning off his alarm. He quickly got dressed and made his way towards the toilet.

His meeting with Splinter was a blessing. He was unsure of what he was doing, blindly reaching out for assistance. His father all but confirmed that he was heading the right way, even being asked to help his brothers along the way.

The excited feeling Mikey had followed him throughout morning training, putting a pep in his step that was sorely missed. His brother was confused at his brother, but wasn't complaining. It's not like he saw this attitude everyday.

That energy carried him into breakfast, happily cooking while his remaining brothers stumbled into the kitchen. He cheerfully flipped the gummy-bear pancakes he made, making up four plates for him and his brothers.

Once all served, Mikey watched his brothers eat and start to chat quietly about this and that. The moment was soft and comfortable, reminding him of times before. Warmth and affection swirled in his chest, settling in his tired bones.

He turned his attention to Leo, and while he was hesitant to turn away from the moment, he needed to say something.

"Hey Leo! I had a dream last night,"

Leo raised an eyebrow at him.

"Most people have dreams, Mikey," Leo teased, "But I'm happy for you,"

Mikey softly chuckled.

"No, it was awesome! I was, like, awake in it," He said, smiling fondly, "and... Dad talked to me."

A hush fell in the room, all eyes turning to Mikey. The turtle immediately became uncomfortable, crumbly slightly under the attention. Had he spoke wrong?

"Why-"

"What's wrong-"

"Is something happening-"

They all started talking at once, putting pressure on their little brother. Mikey shrunk back into his shell a little, obvious confusion spread on his features. Seeing that the situation was getting nowhere, Leo silenced his other two brothers, returning his attention to Mikey.

"Mikey, what did he warn you about?"

The turtle was taken aback. Why were they acting like this? It's not like Splinter only visited to warn about some great danger coming upon them. Right?

"All he warned me about was you guys!" He blurted out, "He just gave me some advice! Jeez!"

Leo raised an eyebrow at him.

"Are you sure nothing's going on?"

"No! He just told me that he was proud of us and-"

Leo held up a hand, silencing Mikey. He visibly relaxed and returned to his food.

"Are you sure that was Splinter?"

Excuse me?

"What?"

"It was probably a regular dream," Donny piped up, "You were probably thinking about Sensei before you fell asleep,"

"Wait, hold on-"

"Jeez, Mike! Don't make us worry like that!" Raph said, muffled by the food in his mouth.

"Hold on! Just listen-"