Rating: K+

Words: 502

Author's Note: I'm usually going to publish the drabbles for this challenge in clusters like I did today, so I apologize for blowing dashes with my random stuff. I have always thought that this would be the kind of thing that Raph might do, so I wrote a fic about it. Enjoy!

Seeking Solace

Raph sat bolt upright in bed with a gasp. He panted heavily for a moment, trying to reorient himself to his surroundings. His sheets were soaked with a cold sweat and his skin felt clammy as he threw off the blankets. Swinging his legs out of bed, he stood up and loped to the door, trying to avoid the miscellaneous items scattered on his floor. He swore loudly when he tripped over a dumbbell sitting a few feet from the door, stubbing his toe. It hurt like a son-of-a-bitch, but he grit his teeth against the pain and stumbled into the hall.

He needed to make sure… just to quiet his nerves so he could get back to sleep. He needed to convince himself that it had only been a nightmare. Raph strode down the hall purposefully and stopped in front of Leo's room. The images flashing behind his eyes were so vivid, he shivered involuntarily in their wake.

Broken glass everywhere. Splintered wood. Blood… so much blood…

Raph shook his head, trying to rid himself of the disturbing flashback. He was being stupid. Of course Leo was in there. He was asleep, like he should be.

His brother screaming for help, but having to fight alone. He was alone. He was…

Raph knew that he was worried about nothing, but he was still going to check. Just to put his mind at ease. Quietly, he turned the handle and pushed the door open a crack, poking his head inside. Light from the hallway cast his shadow into the room, throwing his profile against the far wall.

Leo lay on his carapace in his bed, snoring gently under a threadbare quilt covering his plastron. He was alive. Not bleeding, not broken, not frozen. Definately not dead. Sighing with relief, Raph smiled to himself and started to pull the door closed. "

Raph?"

Dammit…

"Everything okay?" Leo asked sleepily, averting his eyes from the light. Raph tried not to think about how different his brother's voice sounded now. The husky tone was still a little alien to him, but it was a small price to pay.

"Yeah… everything's fine," Raph said awkwardly, kicking himself for not being more stealthy, "Didn't mean to wake ya, bro."

Leo blinked in confusion, but seemed to accept Raph's words.

"O-Okay… Good night Raph." He back lay on his shell and closed his eyes.

"Night Leo," Raph said as he stepped back into the hall. "We have practice first thing in the morning," Leo called drowsily from inside.

"Yeah, yeah," Raph grumbled in response.

Raph heard him chuckle softly before he closed the door. He slowly walked back to his room and crawled back under his blankets, pulling them over his head. See? Nothing to worry about. All the same, the gory images wouldn't leave him alone. No matter how hard he tried to think of more pleasant things, the memory of the blood and Leo's pained and ashen face replaced them.

So much for a good night's sleep…