Disclaimer: Lack of ownership of the Turtles (er, the humans in this case), I have.

Michelangelo was beyond fretful. The twelve-year-old hadn't been able to hold down food for days, and he clung incessantly to his older brothers, always trying to cuddle up to them when they were sitting on the couch or joining them in their beds at night.

"Donnie, can't you give him something?" Raphael asked desperately, but quietly as Michelangelo shifted restlessly in his arms. "I'm goin' crazy over here!"

"He's got the flu," Donatello said from where he sat cross-legged on the kitchen counter. "He just has to wait it out."

Raph grumbled under his breath, but didn't push Mikey away, knowing that would only result in tears from the younger. "One of these days I'm going to watch TV in peace."

Leonardo entered the apartment, looking totally unsurprised to see Michelangelo curled in a tight ball with his head on Raphael's lap, the conscious brother absently stroking his hair. "How's he doing?" he asked as he toed off his shoes.

Donnie chuckled, "Raph or Mikey?"

Leo smirked, "Both?"

"Mikey's been throwing up all morning but we're trying to keep him hydrated. And Raph seems to be Mikey's pillow of choice today; it's driving him up the wall."

"Not literally?" Leo joked.

"Of course not literally, you twit!" Raph exclaimed from his couch prison, his recent stress clearly showing.

Unfortunately for Raph, his outburst woke the slumbering boy, who jerked up and immediately looked around for his brothers. Upon realizing he was sitting adjacent to Raph, Mikey's panic ceased and Raphael took advantage of his temporary calm and bolted off the couch. Raph came to a stop by Donnie just as Mikey's sluggish brain computed the loss of his brother. The three oldest Hamatos saw the coming onslaught of tears, so Leo quickly moved to stave it off.

"Come here baby," he soothed Mikey, lifting him over the back of the couch. Michelangelo leaned into the offered comfort, stifling a sob in Leo's chest.

"I don't feel so good," he mumbled.

Leo lifted Mikey's face out of his chest and touched a hand to the sick boy's forehead. Mikey was worryingly pale underneath the deep red flush covering his cheeks. Leo frowned at the sheer amount of heat radiating from his forehead and his glassy, unfocused eyes. "Want some juice?" he offered hopefully as he gently rubbed Mikey's cheek.

Mikey just shook his head, sneezed, and squirmed once more into Leo's chest, tears slowly dripping down his face, wetting Leo's shirt slightly. Leonardo sighed and walked over to the twins who were watching the exchange. "He's lost weight," he said to them, unable to keep the concern out of his voice.

They both nodded, having held Mikey on more than one occasion in the past few days. "He doesn't want to eat," Donnie confirmed.

"Not only that," Raph added, "but he can't really keep it down. I don't blame him for not wanting food."

Leonardo wrinkled his nose, an odd little habit he had when he was worried or frustrated. Michelangelo wasn't quite underweight, but he was definitely on the smaller side and tended to drop weight quickly when he wasn't eating. "Can you hand me a wet cloth please, Don?"

Donatello crawled nimbly over to the sink and soaked a spare washcloth before passing it over to Leonardo.

"Must you sit on the counters?" Leo asked mildly as he quickly swiped Mike's lower back and settled the cloth on the back of his neck. Michelangelo shivered once, but only sighed and remained quiet.

"Yes," Donnie answered simply. The genius suddenly dropped his head on Raphael's shoulder. "Tired, Raphie," he whined.

Raphael glanced down at his twin in surprise. "Tired?" he asked. "You never get tired. You're always wired on coffee!"

Donatello just repeated, "Tired."

Raph pulled away and cupped Donnie's chin with his large hand. "You feelin' okay, bro?" He peered into his twin's face, concern filling hazel eyes as he took in the dark circles under Don's slightly red eyes.

Donnie blinked slowly and nodded.

"You don't feel warm. Why don't you take a nap or somethin'?"

Donnie nodded again and without warning clambered onto Raphael's back, long limbs wrapped securely around his brother, head replaced on Raph's shoulder.

"Hey! What the heck are you doin', Donnie?" Raph yelped, trying to regain his balance without throwing his brother off or bumping into Leo and Mike. .

Donatello mumbled a response in Japanese, something akin to, "You're taking me to bed." All the Hamato boys spoke fluent Japanese, but Donatello was the one most likely to slip into the language by accident. He claimed to think clearer in Japanese rather than English and sometimes forgot to switch back when speaking.

Raphael glanced at Leo, who still had Mikey clutched in his arms. "Put them together?" he suggested to his older brother.

Leo nodded. "Donnie will keep Mikey quiet, and can take care of him if something happens. And Don needs to sleep more anyways. With Mikey being so ill on top of all his other work, he's just exhausted."

Raphael and Leonardo walked their brothers into the twins' room. Raph dumped Donnie unceremoniously onto his bed, the massively sleep-deprived twin fumbling with the blankets. Once Donatello was situated, Leonardo carefully loosened Michelangelo's grip on his neck and slid him next to Donnie. Donatello's arms tightened around his baby brother as Mikey blearily squirmed closer, moaning quietly when his stomach cramped again. Raphael took the washcloth from Michelangelo's neck and placed it on his hot forehead while Leonardo returned to the kitchen to get two cups of water. Leo left both cups on the nightstand, optimistically thinking Donnie would be able to coax Mikey into consuming at least some liquid.

"I hope Donnie doesn't catch the flu," Leo worried, running a hand through each of his dozing brothers' hair.

"Nah," Raph said dismissively. "He looks a little rough 'round the edges, but Donnie rarely gets sick. Dunno why; he doesn't sleep."

"Suppose he won the genetic lottery."

Raphael quirked an eyebrow at his eldest brother. "That's saying Mikey lost the genetic lottery."

A resigned smile appeared on Leo's face. "He did." Raph looked somewhat alarmed Leo would say such a thing until he continued, "Well, as far as his immune system goes. Think about it: how often does he get sick? And it's usually not just a cold that he can shake off in a day."

Raph sighed, knowing Leo was right. He glanced at his older brother, noting the worry lines around Leo's eyes. "Mikey'll be fine," he said firmly, escorting Leonardo out of the room. "And so will Donnie."

"What about you, Raph?"

Raphael gave a crooked smile. "I got my brothers," he stated simply.

Some of the ample tension flowed out of Leo's body upon hearing Raph's response. He slung an arm around Raphael's shoulders as they walked back into the living room. "Me too, Raph. Me too."

My first chapter fic! You guys will make a real author out of me yet. Let me know what you think. And, for the first time ever, there's a guarantee of more to come...woo!