Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles, they are the property of Nickelodeon and Viacom.
So…the advent challenge is still on! YAY!
Because we are getting further and further away from Christmas, I have decided to take the final four prompts and divide them into pairs. This one will be "Ice and Tea", while the next will be "Rest and Love". I hope you enjoy them!

Ice & Tea:

"Here's another blanket, Leo," Raphael heard Don say from inside the eldest brother's room.

"Thanks," Leo responded through a shiver, the smile audible in his voice.

Raph stood awkwardly outside the doorway to Leo's bedroom, a mug of tea balanced on the tray in his hands. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, wrestling with himself. Should he or shouldn't he go in to see Leo? On the one hand, he was at fault for what happened, even though it had been unintentional. How could Raph have known that there was a ledge of ice below the calm surface of that pool of water he pushed Leo into, or that his brother would hit his head off of it and be knocked out? It was Raph who had dived in and dragged his big brother's unconscious body to the brick platform amid Don's panicked shouts and Mikey's tearful whimpers. Don had checked Leo's vitals and confirmed he was alive and well, merely unconscious. Raphael felt he owed something to Leo for the whole fiasco.

On the other hand, Leo was probably furious with him for being so reckless and wouldn't want to see him. Whether on purpose or by accident, Raph had seriously injured his brother by shoving him into the water and Raph felt he deserved a severe punishment. What would have happened had he not gotten Leo out of the icy water in time…

Raphael didn't even want to consider it.

Although he would vehemently deny it, Raph was the most concerned out of his brothers upon the rare occasion that Leo got hurt. While Don and Mikey took it for granted that Leo would be alright – he was Leo, after all – Raphael knew better. He knew Leo was just as susceptible to wounds as the rest of them, if not more so due to his irritating habit of stepping between his siblings and any bad guy who took a swipe at them. That was Leo's style, being the fearless leader and all.

"Raph?"

The turtle in question started at his name, whirling on Donatello. Completely consumed by his musings, Raph hadn't even heard Don coming up behind him.

Don's face went from bemusement to understanding when he saw the mug Raphael bore and smelled the distinct aroma of green tea. From past experience with Mikey, Don knew the offering of a warm beverage was Raph's way to express how sorry he was. Donatello smiled softly at Raph, touched by his temperamental brother's show of remorse.

"I think he wants to see you," Don said, inclining his head toward Leo's doorway. When Raph gave no indication of moving from his place, the purple banded brother patted his shoulder and encouraged gently, "Go on."

With a deep breath through his nose, Raphael stepped into the room, fearing the worst.

Leo's head snapped up at Raph's entrance and the hothead flinched minutely at the motion. To his surprise, Leo's face broke into a grin and he greeted hoarsely from his mound of quilts, "Hey, Raph! I thought you'd avoid me forever."

Raphael frowned, confused by Leo's warm welcome. Didn't Leo hate Raph for nearly killing him? It was no secret that Leo was lucky to have received only a case of the chills, a bump on the head and a very mild concussion from the accident. The damage could have been far worse.

"I, uh…" Raphael trailed off as he approached the bed, his eyes on the floor. Words failed him at the moment, for he was thrown by Leo's attitude. After a few uncomfortable seconds, Raph finally settled on mumbling, "I brought you some tea."

He thrust the tray at Leo when he drew up to his brother's bedside, still eluding his eyes. Leo smiled, knowing instantly that this was Raph's way of apologizing. Not that Leo was angry at his brother – he had provoked Raph by shoving him playfully when they were near the edge of the pool, so he was just as much at fault as Raph. No, Leo forgave Raph for the incident, as it had been an accident.

Besides, Leo also knew that Raph had jumped in to save him; Don had filled Leo in on that part once he was fully awake and aware. Since then, he had been visited by all of his family members except for Raph. Leonardo had patiently waited for two days, hoping his brother would come so he could demonstrate to Raph that he harboured no resentment toward him.

"Thanks," Leo said as he graciously took the tea and sipped it. Warmth spread through his chest and Leo knew it had nothing to do with the lukewarm tea. His eyes flicking up to Raph's face, he added more seriously, "Thank you for everything."

Raph caught the significance of those four words and frowned, his distress furrowing his brow. Searching for words, Raph began to say, "Leo, I'm really sorry. I don't know–"

Leo halted him with a raised hand, his expression placid. In a voice that emanated kindness, he responded, "It's okay, Raph. We're okay,"

Raph was silent for a moment, processing Leo's acceptance of his unvoiced apology. He had no idea how his brother knew exactly what he was going to say before he even spoke but he was thankful for Leo's innate instincts. Maybe that was why Splinter chose Leo to be leader, he thought to himself, and for once the idea didn't make Raphael's rage flare. He recognized this strength in his brother – this compassion and mercy his Sensei had mentioned to him many times. Looking down at his bedridden brother, bruised and trembling with cold, Raphael found he had never felt more respect for Leo.

When next Raph spoke, his voice was so low Leo almost missed it:

"I love you, man."

Leo smiled and reached out to grip his younger sibling's forearm.

"I love you too, bro."

Ohhhhhhhhhhh, the feeeeeeeeels 3
I decided another Leo and Raph moment was in order, this time more a hurt/comfort idea as opposed to a ninja tag team thing. I don't know, I just thought it was cute.
Thanks for reading, and please review! ONE MORE TO GO!