Snapshots of Time VIII
Comfort
"I did not drink too much," Raph growled, turning his face so that he could glare up at Don. "I had exactly two beers with Case before calling it a night."
"It's either that or you're coming down with something," Don insisted, placing his hand firmly on the back of Raph's head to hold him in place.
Raph forgot his protests momentarily as his stomach lurched again and the acid taste of bile tickled the back of his throat. Leaning further forward, he once more hurled into the trash can Don was holding beneath his face.
The beautiful emerald green color of his brother's skin had an ashy look to it and Don's eyes softened sympathetically. Rubbing Raph's arm soothingly, Don waited for the latest bout of retching to stop.
"You're lucky Leo's already asleep," Don said. "He'd be standing there lecturing you about how ill-advised it is for you to imbibe so heavily."
"Dammit Don," Raph cursed hoarsely, his throat raw from vomiting. "I know getting drunk is a good way ta sign my death warrant, that's why I never do. Why the fuck don't ya' guys ever listen when I tell ya' that? I might share a couple of brews with Casey at the end of the night, but they don't even make me tipsy."
"Then why do it?" Don asked him. "The stuff has the most abominable taste."
"Says the guy who drinks coffee that's so strong ya' could stand a spoon up in it," Raph teased, trying for a smile before his stomach reminded him it didn't like humor.
"Stay just like this and don't move," Don instructed, standing when Raph nodded in acknowledgement.
Crossing the infirmary, Don grabbed a wash cloth and wet it quickly. He'd been in his lab when he heard Raph stumble into their sick room and that was enough of an indication that something was wrong.
Sitting on the cot next to Raph, Don placed the wash cloth on the back of his brother's neck. Raph's skin was so hot it almost seemed to release steam upon contact with the cold water.
"Hmm, you seem to be running a temperature," Don said. "I apologize for jumping to conclusions."
"Oh great," Raph grumbled, his feverish eyes half closed. "I'm sick? Shit, I'd rather have had too much ta drink."
"I for one am not happy about either scenario," Don said, his gentle tone softening the words. "It looks like we're both sleeping in here tonight."
As he rose once more, Raph said, "Why the shell do ya' need ta sleep in here? I ain't two, Donatello. I think I can manage ta puke in a can without your help."
Walking back over to his brother, Don showed him a brief glimpse of the thermometer he held before shoving it under Raph's tongue.
"Because I need to monitor your temperature for one thing," Don told him. "And for another, I also need to keep you hydrated. Just because you don't like to be fussed over when you're sick doesn't mean I'm not going to do it. If it helps to gripe about it, go right ahead."
Raph started to make a smart come-back, but the look on Don's face stopped him. Waiting for the thermometer to sit long enough to get an accurate reading, Raph concentrated on Don's hands, hovering in front of his face. Scarred and battered, they were still beautiful to Raph. It amazed him how much compassion and comfort Don could convey with hands that Raph knew from personal experience to be extremely strong.
Don reached down and withdrew the thermometer, glancing at it while Raph said, "Ya' know, there are thousands of single people living in New York who manage ta be sick without the aid of twenty-four hour surveillance."
Smiling at him, Don said, "You aren't single."
"Ya' got an answer for everything, don't ya' Donny?" Raph said, shaking his head.
"You have a fever," Don informed him. "And yes I do. You should know that by now and stop arguing with me. I think you do it because it makes you feel better."
Raph managed a grin, his stomach seeming to settle a bit. He was starting to feel very tired and also very cold though, and crossed his arms over his plastron.
Don correctly interpreted the gesture. "Lie down. I need to give you something to combat your fever before it climbs any higher."
Dutifully twisting so he could lay flat, Raph groaned at the simple task of lifting his feet and Don quickly bent down to do it for him. Settling Raph onto the cot, Don stripped his brother's gear off him and then covered him with a blanket.
Retrieving the wash cloth, Don once more ran it under cold water. He then grabbed some Ibuprofen and a bottle of water before going back to the cot.
"Here, take these," Don said, handing the medicine to Raph and then sliding an arm beneath his brother's neck to help him sit up so that he could swallow.
Once Raph was settled again, Don placed the wash cloth across Raph's fevered brow and adjusted the blanket. Pulling a second cot up close to Raph, Don sat down and began softly patting Raph's face with the cloth; moving it from forehead, to cheek, to neck, and then back up again.
The gentle repetitive motion began to lull Raph to sleep. Just before he dozed off, he opened his eyes enough to catch Don's and his lips lifted slightly in a smile.
"I'm glad I ain't single," Raph said quietly and then his eyelids drifted shut.
"Me too, Raphie," Don whispered.
Cleaning Day
"Tell me how we got stuck with this chore instead of Mikey?" Raph asked, leaning against the kitchen counter. "He puts the most food in there."
"Because he won't throw anything out," Leo said; his head inside the refrigerator.
He lifted a tub up towards his brother and Raph took it from him. Snapping the lid open, Raph grimaced and turned his head, his lips twisted in disgust.
"Oh crap, how old is this?" Raph asked as he dumped the contents into the plastic lined trash can.
"I don't know," Leo answered. "It was stuck in a corner. Here, toss this block of cheese too; it's harder than a brick."
Raph dropped it into the can and the solid clang when it hit bottom was a testament to the truth of Leo's statement.
"Why the shell was he keeping that?" Raph wanted to know.
Leo stood up, a bag of desiccated tomatoes oozing onto the floor as he attempted to give it to Raph. Rather than take it, Raph lifted the trash can and Leo deposited it himself.
"For some reason he seems to think he'll be able to create something edible from this stuff," Leo said.
"He's the best cook in the lair, I'll give him that," Raph said as he watched Leo delve back into the fridge. "But he ain't no miracle worker, despite what he thinks."
Leo's chuckle echoed and made Raph grin. "Master Splinter knew Mikey would have a fit if he saw us doing this," Leo said. "That's why he made Don drag Mikey to the dump with him."
"We're gonna be making a trip there ourselves," Raph said. "We gotta get rid of this trash bag when we're done or it's gonna stink up the whole lair."
"We can toss it in the dumpster next to that bodega on 51st," Leo said. "We can't go far because we still have to wash all of these containers before Mike gets back. Maybe he won't notice we've tossed everything if we hide the evidence."
"Afraid of his retribution?" Raph teased.
Leo stood up again to hand something that was green and fuzzy to Raph. "Frankly, yes," he said.
"This was Master Splinter's idea," Raph said, staring at his hands in disgust. "Why don't he prank sensei?"
"Ri~ght," Leo drawled, his tone making it evident that wasn't likely to happen. "Come on, we're almost finished. I can see the back of the refrigerator now."
Pulling out a long rectangular plastic box, Leo passed it over to Raph and then surveyed the fridge to see if he'd gotten everything. Raph pried the unusually tight lid off the box so that he could look inside.
"Hey Leo," Raph said, his brow furrowed, "this one's been in there so long it looks like one of Donny's experiments."
Leo's head shot up and he leaned over the door to look at the container.
"Uh, Raph, I think that is one of Donny's experiments," Leo said, his voice tight.
"Oh shit," Raph cursed, closing the top as quickly as he could.
Leo grabbed it out of his hands and shoved it back into the refrigerator, backing away and closing the door quickly.
"Let's go take a really long, hot shower," Leo said, gripping Raph's arm and yanking him towards the door.
"Did I ever tell ya' how much I hate that chore?" Raph asked.
"Tell me after the shower," Leo said, moving fast.
"We still gotta dump the trash and clean those dirty containers," Raph protested, swinging on arm back towards the kitchen.
"We'll take two showers," Leo told him, eyes focused on the bathroom doorway.
"Ya' are gonna talk ta Donny about that, right?" Raph asked, pulled along by Leo's determination.
"After we are clean," Leo said with a fierceness that surprised Raph.
After a second, Raph started to laugh. As his brother shoved him into the bathroom and started the water, Raph said, "Well, I finally found something you're afraid of. Don's experiments."
Stripping his gear quickly, Leo began removing Raph's as well, deciding his brother was moving too slow.
"Do you blame me?" Leo asked. "My ninjitsu is no match against Don's germ warfare."
"Yeah, I see your point," Raph said, following Leo into the shower.
Agonize
"Did you have to push me so hard?" Mikey asked as he inspected the scrapes on both his forearms. "I'll bet I slid ten feet on that gravel."
Leo didn't answer him, his mouth set in a grim line as he marched through the sewer tunnels just ahead of Mikey. Mikey grit his teeth, quite aware that Leo was peeved, but for once Mikey felt as though his brother had no right to be angry with him.
"We're miles away from the lair bro'. We're also a few miles away from that gang, so it's probably safe to go topside," Mikey pointed out. "If we stay down here it's gonna take forever to get home."
Still Leo remained silent, his brooding starting to aggravate the usually laid back Michelangelo.
"You do know that the only reason I was standing there with my back turned to a guy with an axe was because I just got through breaking the arm of a guy who was pointing a gun at your head, right Leo?" Mikey asked emphatically. "If you're thinking I wasn't focused on that fight you couldn't be more wrong."
He saw Leo shake his head slightly, though he kept his mouth firmly closed. Mikey sighed; he hated it when Leo got his shell in a bunch. His big brother was the absolute master of the silent treatment and silence was one of those things that drove Mikey nuts.
"I know you think I should've spun around sooner to make sure no one was coming up behind me, but I needed to get the gun guy down for the count so he wouldn't try again," Mikey said, waiting for Leo to comment.
Nothing. His brother strode on, his jaw working from side to side Mikey's best indicator that Leo was stewing about something.
"Let's see; I could've turned and stopped the axe guy, in which case gun guy would've plugged me, or I could've jumped out of the fight altogether, in which case one or both of them would've gotten you. Which choice do you think I should've made?" Mikey asked, moving forward a little faster so that he could see Leo's face.
His brother wouldn't even look over at him. Mikey's blue eyes flashed a warning that Leo didn't see but would have understood if he had.
"If you want to stomp around down here having a mood, I guess I'll leave you alone. Let me know when you wanna tell me what's eating you, 'cause I'm not gonna stay here and let you make me feel like I screwed up," Mikey announced as he stopped walking.
Turning to a nearby ladder, Mikey's foot was on the first rung when Leo slammed into him, shoving him to the side and smashing his carapace against a wall. Mikey's mouth opened in protest, but before he could utter a sound, Leo's mouth was covering his.
The kiss was deep and violent, not usual for Leo. Mikey scrabbled for a hand hold and finally caught the edges of his brother's shell, pushing hard enough to loosen Leo's grip on him.
Twisting his head, Mikey broke the kiss, although Leo's face was mere inches from his own. Both brothers were breathing heavily; Mikey from the unexpected assault and Leo from some emotion raging beneath his usually calm exterior.
"Damn Leo, what's got into you?" Mikey asked in surprise at Leo's behavior.
"Don't curse," Leo said; his voice low and deep.
Leo leaned in to nip at his jawline but Mikey moved his head again, unwilling to submit to Leo's aggression without some sort of explanation.
"One minute you're mad at me; the next you're trying to sex me up," Mikey said, voicing his confusion.
Leo's head tipped back so that he could look directly into Mikey's eyes. The pain in Leo's amber orbs was palpable and Mikey's gaze softened in response.
"I'm not mad at you," Leo whispered. "I'm mad at me. You didn't screw up Mikey; I did. I should have known there was a gun pointed at me and never put you in the position of having to save my life."
"Oh shell, Leo," Mikey said, "you're beating yourself up because you aren't greased lightning? No one expects you to read minds or be in two places at once. That's why we patrol as a team, on your orders by the way."
"As soon as I saw that we were outnumbered, I should have told you to retreat," Leo said. "There was no reason for us to take such a risk just to stop a simple burglary."
"Then as soon as the bad guys figure out they only need to travel in packs and carry really big weapons to get rid of us, that's what they'll do," Mikey told him. "The crime will get worse and we'll be curled up into little balls back at the lair, afraid to do anything about it. I'd rather get shot than live that way and so would you. Deal with it."
Leo's eyes narrowed. "When did you get to be so smart?" he asked.
"I've always been smart," Mikey bragged. "Handsome too; I am the total package."
"You don't mind if I unwrap that package just to make sure it's entirely intact, do you?" Leo asked, sliding his tongue across Mikey's pulse point.
Mikey's breath caught in his throat. "Please do," he answered just before a churr broke free. "Anything to set your mind at ease."
Leo's chuckle against his throat told Mikey his brother was snapping out of his funk. Mikey felt rather pleased with himself about that.