This idea has been floating around in my head so I wrote it down to stop it bugging me... but I don't like the way it came out so now it's bugging me even more! Agh!
Anyway, it's set during the 2007 movie when Leo is still off doing his training. I can't pull off Raph's point of view to save my life which is why it's not 1st person :/ So, sorry about that!
Raphael took off his helmet and wiped the back of his now bare arm across his forehead, wiping the grime and dirt of the day – or night – away. He heard Don's voice in his head from the night before.
"You do know it makes no sense to do that, right? Only mammals perspire. We don't have sweat glands to lose fluid from. In fact…"
Right about there was when Raphael had given up listening to his genius brother and zoned out. He had no idea where Donnie got the energy to use his brain so much at four o'clock in the morning. Somehow though, his younger brother was managing to do his usual fixing jobs around the lair, he'd gotten a job, set up a business for Mikey and he was always up till stupid o'clock in the morning researching new stuff that Raph wouldn't understand if he used a dictionary.
The one thing Don wasn't doing was being a leader. Raph grumbled as he stashed his helmet and costume in the hiding spot he'd made. He was sure his brothers wouldn't find it there. Ever since Leo left things had gotten tense between him and Don. Some nights it wasn't there as much – usually when Mikey or Splinter was around. When they weren't though, the awkward silences were too much. Raph knew Donnie never wanted the job of the leader but Raph wasn't going to let him have an easy life as leader. It should have been his responsibility, dammit. They'd decided when they were kids that Leo and Raph were the oldest.
Finally, he reached the hidden door to his home and pulled the pipe. The door swung open and he slipped inside silently. Time for some real ninja stealth skills to get passed Splinter's room. Raph was sure that his father heard him return every night from the looks he'd get the next day but he made the effort anyway.
He was about to climb the stairs when he heard the loudest snore coming from the TV area. He cursed as he nearly jumped out of his shell and swivelled around, fists clenched. He noticed the TV was still blaring away, which was unusual for four o'clock. Splinter never allowed them to watch TV so late.
He made his way back to the TV area, ready to shout at whoever it was. However, when he got to the couch and saw his baby brother lying there with the remote dangling dangerously over his head and his orange bandana twisted over one eye, he relaxed.
Mikey was lay in what seemed to be the largest midnight snack the world has ever seen. He tried not to grin. Come on, Raph does not grin. The opportunity was too good.
"Hey, Mike!" He said. Nothing. Mikey didn't even twitch. "Mikey! Michelangelo! Mikey! Mike! Mike! Mikey! MIKEY!"
"Wha-!" His little brother jumped in the air slightly and the remote came crashing down on his head. Doofus. Raph made it his goal in life to finish off whatever brain cells Mikey owned. He wasn't planning on it taking much longer. Mikey looked up and rubbed his visible eye with the heel of his hand. He blinked up at his big brother and Raph was surprised to see the emotion behind it. It was in awe? No, that was relief or… hope? And then it was lost.
"Oh…" Mikey sighed and put his head back down. Raph shrugged it off and crossed his arms.
"Y'know Splinter's gonna be mad that you've been here all night," Raph smirked.
"He let me, dude," Mikey yawned. His eyes were shut again and he looked close to sleep. His response made no sense to Raph. They were only allowed to stay in front of the TV all night on special occasions like birthdays or Christmas. Raph snorted.
"Yeah right, why?" he asked. Mikey mumbled something and Raph made a noise in his throat. His brother had gone back to sleep already. Those birthday parties were really sucking the energy out of his youngest brother. He started going back to the stairs when he remembered the rest of Donnie's babbling.
"In fact, as cold-blooded animals, we can only be as hot or cold as our environment. That's why we have more energy in the summertime and we're slow in the winter. Our muscles rely on heat to help us function properly."
Raph glanced back at his brother and sighed, running a hand over his face. He really wanted to get to bed now. Nevertheless, he turned around and headed back to the couch. Mikey was in a tight ball, his mask still over one eye and the pillows of the couch sticking up at weird angles. As carefully as he could Raph undid the mask and slipped it off. He could imagine the lecture he'd get for sleeping in it from Splinter or Leo. He remembered when one of them had nearly choked to death in the night when they'd first got their masks and refused to take them off.
Mikey mumbled something else and then shifted slightly. Raph waited for a few moments and then slipped an arm under his brother's head. He lifted him slightly and put a pillow under it from the couch before lowering his head down on to it. Then he pulled the blanket from the back of the couch over him. Mikey turned around, almost falling off the couch and ruining Raph's rare thoughtful moment in the process.
"Leo…" Mikey mumbled. That's when everything snapped back into perspective. Today marked the day Leo was meant to be back from training. Mikey was sleeping on the couch because he was expecting Leo. No, he was sleeping on the couch because he got tired of waiting. Raph clenched and unclenched his fists to the clenching of his stomach. Dammit, Leo.
He glanced back at the midnight feast Mikey had prepared and noticed that none of it had been eaten. He'd been waiting to share it with someone. Someone who wasn't going to show up for a long while. Raph cursed and slammed a fist into the wall on the stairs. Leo had screwed up big time. He'd completely ripped the whole family right down the middle.
The worst thing was that Leo was too far away for Raph to kick his shell for it.
Feel free to review and tell me what you thought :)
(P.S. In response to 'Ted' - Raph doesn't know Leo's not coming back for a while. He's just being pessimistic and angry. Hope that answers your question! And thanks for the review!)
(P.P.S. Thanks to the other reviewers aswell!)