"If Leonardo would be any sort of bird, what bird would he be?"
Michelangelo giggled as he scribbled his answer onto the whiteboard in his hands, pretending to sneak a look over at Raph's answer, and squealing when the red banded ninja smacks him on the head.
Leonardo smirks at them behind his card.
"Ready?" He asks, and three nods accompany his question.
"Three..two...One!!"
Don, Raph and Mikey all flip their boards, calling out their answers.
"A duck!"
"An eagle!"
"A Lorikeet!"
Leonardo bursts into laughter.
"Ding ding ding! Mikey gets it right! Now you two, drink!"
Raphael and Donatello both glance at each other, before shrugging and tipping their drink into their mouths, shuddering when it goes down their throat.
Mikey nudges Raph's stomach.
"Told ya it was eagle."
Raph rolls his eyes and cracks his knuckles.
"Alrighty then, my turn."
He reaches into the card pile.
"What is my favourite cake flavour?"
Raph rolls his eyes again.
"Easy peasy."
"Easy peasy," Mikey whispers, flashbacks from his birthday coming up.
"Red velvet!"
"Chocolate fudge!"
"Red velvet!"
Raph winks.
"Ding ding."
An assortment of questions erupted then.
"If Don wasn't a turtle, what animal would he be?"
"Why does Leonardo wear beads in his mask?"
"Why is Raphael's signature weapon the Sai's?"
On and on and on.
Mikey was getting every question right, and he cheered internally. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. He knew his brothers like the back of his hand. Or paw. What do turtles have?
"My turn!" Mike beamed, grabbing a card from the pile and bringing it to his face, wiggling his eyebrows at his brothers.
"What is my favourite show in the whole world!"
There was a pause, then his brother started writing hesitantly.
Mikey frowned.
"Deep Space Invaders?"
"Space Heroes?"
"That one michael myers movie?"
Mikey snorted at Raph's answer.
"Wrong! It's Crognard guys, what were you thinking?" He laughed.
Leo snickered and reached for another card.
Michelangelo had noticed something, during this game.
Actually, it finally came to light, something he had realised but never thought too much off for the past couple years.
His brothers...didn't really...-know him?
Like- no that was dumb..- they know him, duh of course-
But they didn't really know know him.
Mikey didn't know what to do with that information.
Of course, the same couldn't really be applied to him, because Mikey knew his brothers more than he knew himself most of the time.
He could answer every single question right.
But none of them had gotten a question about him right.
Mikey frowned.
He hesitantly went for a card.
"What's my favourite colour?"
Michelangelo grinned. Come on this was easy!
Raph would probably say orange even though it isn't. But Leo and Donnie would know, right?
"Orange!"
"Orange!"
"Orange!"
Right?
Mikey paused, his hands snapping to his wrist to press his nails into the vein.
Don't say anything. Just take it.
He grinned.
"Yep! Good job bros!"
Leo whooped and high-fived Donnie.
Mikey pushed away the water piling in his eyes.
The cards were a solid weight in his fragile hands.
He thought about ripping them to pieces. Maybe that would stop the pain.
He knows that in this family, he was the goofball.
He felt selfish for wanting something more.
Mikey sighed, and closed his eyes.
My favourite cake flavour is lemon pine.
The reason I wear wraps is to prevent the urges.
I love Thai fried rice.
If i was a bird I would be a toucan.
My favourite animals would be cats.
My favourite colour is green.
"Mikey?"
His eyes snapped open in surprise and he hastily ran a hand through his face, catching the salty droplets and letting them evaporate in the sewer heat.
"What's up my bros?" He smiled, turning to meet Donnie's eyes.
His brother's eyes were an uncertain rusty brown.
Mikey frowned gently.
"Whas the matter D? Did Raph's cooking give you food poisoning again?"
Don snorted then shook his head.
"No but...are you okay?"
Michelangelo froze, then looked down at the cards in his hands.
He felt tears rush in all at once and he brought a hand to his mouth.
Mikey sobbed, and Donnie hurried towards him.
"What happened, Mikester?"
Leo was rubbing circles on his hand.
Mike sniffed and rubbed his eyes.
"It's stupid.." he murmured, feeling another gust of tears.
Raph flicked his forehead and Mikey whined at him.
"Don't be stupid. Tell us what happened," Raph pouted, the concern embedded in his face and voice.
Mikey shuffled the cards in his hands.
He swallowed.
"My favourite colour is green..." he murmured quietly, and Leonardo frowned.
"Could you say it again, kiddo?"
Mikey sniffed.
"My favourite colour is green!" He exclaimed louder, a sob breaking through his words.
"My favourite colour is green because it reminds me of the colour of us, the mutagen that brought us to life and-"
"Raph's eyes."
Mikey's gaze snapped to Donnie, who was smiling softly.
"You like the colour green because you love the way the sun makes Raph's eyes shine like emeralds."
Raphael turned as red as his mask.
"Twat-" he brought one hand to hide his face and flicked Mikey's forehead with the other.
Michelangelo sniffed and wiped his nose with Leo's arm.
Leo squawked and Donnie laughed.
"Your favourite cake flavour is Lemon Pineapple," Leo stuck his tongue out in disgust.
"Your favourite time of day are the mornings because you like the sound of the morning birds through the sewers," Raphael rolled his eyes.
"You like Thai fried rice but only the way Sensei makes it because he adds some Japanese taste in it," Donnie finished, smiling.
Michelangelo looked up at them in surprise, before closing his eyes and sobbing.
"I thought-"
"Don't think that," Raph whispers, holding him close.
"We know you better than you know yourself," Leo winks, and presses a kiss to Mikey's brow.
Michelangelo sniffed, but then he smiled.
His favourite colour was green.
The colour of Raph's eyes, the colour of Leo's blush.
And the colour of his smile.