TMNT: His Biggest Smile that hid his Deepest Pain

The Smile Fades at a Young Age 3

The next day, everyone was in the kitchen. Splinter was teaching Mikey how to make Pancakes. Mikey added in the Mix, Water, and some others. He decided to make Pumpkin Pancakes. He added the Pumpkin Spice and mixed everything. Then, he cooked the Pancakes. He loved to watch the fire burning. It seemed to calm him, in a way. After the Pancakes were done, he went to the fridge and grabbed some Cranberries. He placed them on top of the Pancakes. Then, he made his own syrup. The syrup was Marshmallow Flavored. He put two Pancakes on each plate and gave everyone their breakfast. He happily sat at his seat to eat his. Leo sniffed his Pancake. Raph stabbed his with his fork. Donnie examined his. Splinter ate his with a huge smile. He looked over to Mikey and said, "This is delicious, my son. Thank you." Mikey nodded his head and ate his food. Leo took the first bite. He felt like his head was exploding. The flavor was amazing! He could taste the Pumpkin pie, Marshmallow, and even the Cranberry. He looked at Mikey with a smile. Raph took a bite. He thought it was awesome, but didn't say or show it. His pride wouldn't allow it. Donnie was the last to take a bite. He recognized all of the flavors instantly. He began to smile at the taste. He slowly took a drink of his milk and continued eating.
After everyone had finished, Mikey helped Splinter wash the dishes. Raph was feeding Spike. Leo was watching Space Heros. Donnie was working on a broken toaster, trying to fix it. After drying his hands, Mikey left the kitchen and turned left. At first, he didn't see Donnie on the floor. As Mikey was walking, he tripped on a cord and fell forward. He fell on Donnie's shell, causing Donnie to drop the Toaster. Mikey quickly stood up and spoke. "I-I'm sorry, D-D-Donnie!" Mikey exclaimed frantically. Leo and Raph looked at the two curiously. Donnie looked at the Toaster. The button for it had fallen out. One of the legs were broken and another had fallen off, as well. He slowly stood up. He was FURIOUS! "Mikey, why did you bump into me?! Did you NOT see me here?! What are you, Blind or Stupid?!" Donnie shouted. Splinter left the kitchen to see Donnie yelling at Mikey. Mikey trembled. He began to stutter with a quiet voice. "I-I-I..." That was all that came out. Donnie looked impatient. Raph bit his tongue, so that way he didn't laugh. Leo just stood there, disappointment in his eyes. Donnie yelled, "You WHAT, Mikey?!" Donnie lifted his arms in anger. Mikey quivered in fear, now. He started to cry uncontrollably. Raph took notice and snickered. "Aww! Donnie, you better stop! Mikey's going to cry!" He busted out laughing. Leo tried to hold his laughter in as Donnie looked at Raph. He looked back to Mikey, who was running to his room. Splinter tried catching him, but failed. Mikey slammed his door shut and locked it. Outside, he could hear Splinter talking to all three of them. "Leonardo! Raphael! Donatello!" Splinter raised his voice with a stern look. They looked at him with wide eyes. He grabbed the area between his eyes and sighed. He looked up again. "My sons, why do you torture your youngest brother?" He asked with a sad look. They all just looked at him. They were still shocked that he raised his voice. Slowly, Raph spoke. "Sensei, it isn't our fault Mikey is weak..." Raph said bluntly. Leo and Donnie looked over to Raph, who had a straight face. Splinter gave him a stern look. "And what, Raphael, would make you say that...?" Splinter asked slowly. His voice was steady, but he was disappointed in his three sons. "W-Well, Sensei, Mikey can be really loud..." Said Leo quietly. "He's so clumsy." Donnie said, a little louder than his eldest brother. "And he can't fight back!" Raph shouted.
Meanwhile, Mikey was crying in front of his door. He made sure his family didn't hear him. He started to think of what they said. 'He's really loud.' 'He's so clumsy.' 'He can't fight back!' Mikey looked down at his hands. 'That's not true... Is it...?' Mikey looked up at his wall. It looked empty. He walked over to find Blue, Red, and Purple crayons. He grabbed them. He looked at his wall and slowly lifted the Blue Crayon to it. He wrote, 'Blind'. 'Stupid'. 'Weak'. 'Clumsy'. He wrote the last one with all three of the colors. He found it calming to write it down.
After that, he heard a light knock on his door. He turned around slowly and stood up off of his bed. He walked to his door and asked, "Who is it...?" There was just a small trace of sadness in his voice. He didn't want his Brothers to think he was still upset over it. A soft voice entered his ears. "It is me, my son." 'Master Splinter...' Mikey thought to himself. He unlocked his door and opened it. There, stood his sensei and his three Brothers. They said their sorry and left. Mikey looked at Splinter, smiled, and closed his door quietly.

That was it for the past! Now, on to present-ish time!