Trigger Warning: Alcohol Use

Raphs P.O.V.

Grr...the shell is it so cold?! Freakin Don better fix the heaters soon it may be Spring but it still gets cold!

Raph pulled more covers over him in a grumble, soon after he ended up throwing all the covers he had been buried in off of him.

He knew it was stupid, a little habit of sorts that he had picked up over the years. If he ever woke up during the night no matter what the time Raph would always feel the need to make sure everyone was in the lair and safe. Call it protective instinct!

So with that in mind he jumped from his hammock bed and went on his role call, first up was Leo. The double blade warrior was sleeping soundly, now Don.

Raph rolled his eyes at the pathetic sight of Don, the purple clad turtle had his head rested on his keyboard which was no doubt putting many key imprints on his whole face. Raph chuckled, "C'mon Don." He moved the keyboard and carefully placed a pillow under Dons head.

"There, now for the moody goof ball..." Raph walked quietly over to Mikeys room to find the door locked, he rolled his eyes and got out his sai and began picking the lock, a few seconds later and he was in.

As Raph opened the door his stomach dropped, no Mikey. "Mike...?"

Nothing.

"Great."

Raph saw that Mikey had also left his phone on the night stand as well, "no need in getting everyone up...maybe he's just in the kitchen."

No luck. Raph cursed as he trudged out of the lair, "when I find that little twit..." Raph angrily tripped out of the manhole and into the dim muggy lights of NYC, he carefully climbed up the fire escape and to the roof. It was raining heavily at this point so Raph carefully jumped from roof to roof searching everywhere he could think. It wasn't until an hour in that Raph found coverage and gathered his rage filled thoughts.

I don't get it! I checked every possible location he would go to!

That's when his brain froze, "unless he went to that damn building...east side."

With a fierce glare Raph ran without thought to the roof top they had found Mikey at the night of the ninja tag game. His blood ran cold as he saw a shadowy figure on the ground, "Mikey!"

No movement.

Shell, Mikey what happened?!

Raph frantically ran over to the downed orange clad turtle and kneeled then placed a hand on Mikeys shoulder.

"Mike? Mikey, talk to me bro. This ain't cool."

"R-raph?"

He looked terrible his eyes looked strangely off and glazed over, Raph shook with fear.

What happened to my brother?

"Mikey are ya hurt? What happened?Who did this to you?!"

To his surprise Mikey just giggled at all this, "m'fine Raphie!"

"Are..you sure? Mikey- you know what, questions later. I'm tired. Lemme help ya up."

Raph offered a hand which Mikey gratefully took but as he walked ahead Raph looked behind him to find that Mikey was swaying badly.

"Mike?"

"Woowww..."

Raph quickly caught Mikey by his shoulders as he fell forward. "Mike? What wrong bro? Be honest, did you hit your head?"

It wouldn't be the first time this has happened...then again it had never been this bad either.

"Nooo, I'm just really happy!"

That's when Raph smelled it, the brief exhale was all he needed to understand just what situation he was in now.

"Mikey...are you drunk?"

Of course Mikey tried to play it all off, "wha?! Raphie! I would nevveerr!"

Raph gritted his teeth as Mikey giggled, "I can't believe you...why? Why would you EVER do this? Do you understand that if you get caught Master Splinter will raise three kinds of personal hell right?!"

Mikey only smiled but as he realized what Raph was saying his face quickly dropped. "I can't get in trouble Raphie! I was jus' sad!"

Raph shook his head and let Mikey lean on him, "let's just go home, I'll...help ya. But this ain't ganna be an all time thing! Where did you even get alcohol?!"

Mikey just giggled as he mumbled something about it raining vodka. Raph tugged at Mikey carefully as they started down the fire escape ladder, at one point Mikey had slipped and was barely caught by an already anxious Raphael. When the two were finally on the ground Raph took a hold of Mikeys arm and guided him quickly to the manhole and down to the sewers below. As soon as the two landed and slid the manhole cover over Mikey fell to his knees, "Mike-"

Raph cringed as Mikey emptied his stomach out onto the grimy concrete ground.

"Aw Mikey..." Raph set a comforting hand on Mikeys shell as the young turtle upchucked even more violently. Finally a few minutes later Mikey was gasping while he leaned against the sewer wall, Raph basically pinning his shoulder to the wall so the turtle could stay upright.

Raphael looked Mikey over quickly as he was planning to keep moving, "jeez Mike..." The turtle was even more pale now and shaking from what was most likely a cold from the rain he had been laying in. "You ready to go?"

Mikey nodded a bit unsure but willing. His giggles were soon heard again but not as much, Raph knew he was shutting down quick. "Alright Mikey we're about to go in the lair can you play quite turtle until we get to your room?"

Mikey nodded.

"Alright then! Let's go." Raph held his breath as he helped Mikey to the second level of the lair, he let out a slow sigh as the two finally made it to Mikeys room.

Raph leaned against the now closed bedroom door and turned around slowly."Thank shell. We made it- Mikey?"

Surely enough there was Mikey laying shell down on the bed completely passed out.

Raph took that moment to lay Mikey on his side in case he had anymore ideas of puking his guts up that night. "You are going to be hurting in the morning little brother...but at least your safe."

It was at that moment that the whole situation caught up to him.

Mikey got drunk...my little baby brother...he's only 16. I'm 18 I should have watched him! Me and Leo both! Shell even Donnie who is just one year older then him should have watched him. But we didn't, he said he hated us, I know that hurt each of us way more then we let on. He cussed too, come to think of it everything he said was so...un-Mikey. What's worse is he went to go do something like this! Like where the shell did he get that crap?!

That's when Raph remembered all the bottles and boxes sitting on the rooftop that night they found Mikey. Those stupid bottles...we all knew what he was thinking, why didn't we get rid of them?! We really don't give Mikey the mature credit we know he deserves. Of course it was tempting to him, he's never even had a sip of alcohol.

Raph ran a hand over his worried face and decided to lay across the very end of Mikeys bed. A few minutes of troubled thinking later Raph was fast asleep.

*Main Story*

The next morning Leo knocked on Mikeys door and opened it to find Mikey dead asleep and, to his amazement, a sleeping Raph as well.

Leo shook his head passing it on as another one of Mikeys bad nightmares and continued to the dojo for extra training. As Leo walked away Raph cracked his eye open to make sure the eldest was completely gone, one he was assured of this Raph sat up quickly then shut and locked Mikeys door.

"Alright Mike, your ganna have one shell of a hangover but we got an hour and a half before practice and if you don't get up now you really won't later! Besides, ya gatta cook breakfast soon...and answer my questions." Raph flipped the covers off Mikey and shoved a bit at Mikey. "C'mon. Get up."

Mikey groaned and rolled over to face Raph, as soon as he opened his eyes his head exploded with pain. "Gah...Raph? Egh. What happened?"

"I was hopping you could tell me that one." Raph grumbled.

Mikey sat up and slowly recalled the last memory he had, rooftop, the bottles, him, bad decision. "No way...I got-"

"Drunk. Ya got drunk."

Mikey sneezed and huffed out what sounded like an apology.

"You also now have a bad cold, probably because you were laying in the rain. I found ya like that Mikey. I thought you were hurt at first but no! You were just drunk! And not just mild drunk you had full on jumped right into it and got pretty messed up. Why Mikey? Why would ya do that when you know good and well Masta Splinta would kill ya for it?"

Mikey grabbed his head in anxiety, "I don't know Raph! No one understood last night like always and I just- I was done. I was so done! I just wanted to let go of some stress."

"And getting shit face drunk helped this? Cuz it looks like you are way more stressed now."

Mikey looked up at Raph in a full glare, "I might be a little stressed but ya know I don't really feel all that miserable anymore!"

Raph rolled his eyes in annoyance, "seriously Mikey? Don't use that as an excuse for this."

"I'm not!" Mikey was growing more and more infuriated now, "Raph you don't get it! I saved a teen! More then just the life of this teen but his spirit! He was ganna jump off a building Raph, completely commit suicide but I saved him! Then I come home and just get fussed at for it! No one ever said it was right or that I did justice I just got the same freaking nagging."

Raph was about to reply when a knock came across Mikeys door, "yea whataya want?" Raph said in a sigh.

"Uh...well breakfast isn't ready and Mikey is running behind on our morning chores for his punishment so I'm just wondering when he is coming out? Is he ok?"

Mikey sighed as he brought his hand to his head, "I'm fine Don, thanks." With one final glare towards Raph Mikey quickly struggled to the door and opened it to find more un needed light blinding him.

He quickly took three Aleves and set off to the current strenuous routine of his morning schedule since he recently got punished. He made a quick breakfast for everyone then finished up all the morning chores, to top off his already killer hangover he was late for practice thus earning him fifteen flips that took him alot longer then usual to complete.

After he and his brothers were seated Master Splinter of course thought it was the best day to hold spars so the whole practice Mikey found himself getting beat up as he held back nauseousness and complete unconsciousness. As soon as practice ended he ran to his room and let out any remains of his breakfast he had left. He then laid back in his bed as he clenched his head.

Shell...hangover of the century...not that I've ever had one but...egh maybe Raph had a point. Why would I do something so stupid? I mean it really was a stupid call on my part but at the same time, it was comforting. I was strong enough to not complain, to just take the bottle and help myself. I could get used to it... Mikey drifted to sleep with this thought.

The next few weeks that followed held much stress and many bad decisions on Mikeys part.

Raphs P.O.V.

Mikey is driving me crazy! Honestly I have no idea where in the shell he is getting all this alcohol but in the past three weeks he has completely gone full-blown alcoholic. Ok so not every single night but this little getting drunk thing is definitely not going away it seems

His attitude is certainly not improving either, in fact he seems to be getting more silent and angry as the days pass. He does all the chores as he is told and cooks all the meals, he stays in when we go out on patrol and keeps to himself. Until practice comes, only in the dojo during practice is when we see Mikeys true feelings. His fighting has improved in aggressiveness losing the mercy in his punch and the kindness in his eyes, he doesn't hold back.

Raph shook his head as his thoughts drifted back to the fight taking place in front of him, an intense sparring match, Leo vs. Mikey. It wasn't everyday Raph saw Leo break a sweat on a simple spar match unless of course if he himself took on the blue clad warrior.

Mikey cringed as Leo got a lucky hit in, for every lucky shot the twin blade warrior got in Mikey got three more solid shots more.

Finally when Mikey got Leo to the floor Master Splinter yelled the ending command but something was different in those baby blue eyes Mikey possessed, something unstable and unsure.

As Leo rose from the floor now drenched in humiliation from the loss Mikey brought another fist across Leo's face. Time stopped as Don and Raph rushed forward to pull Mikey back, the orange clad turtle had no intentions of stopping as he brought his fist back up and slammed it across his eldest brothers face again and again.

A malicious gaze fell upon the pained and scared expressions of his own family as he kept beating the now unconscious Leo.

"MIKEY! Ya gatta stop bro he's had enough!"

Raph didn't have time to react as Mikey whirled around and punched him right in the face, Don let out a cry as Raph fell back.

Master Splinter closed in quickly as Mikey turned to Don to deliver the same unforgiving punches he took Mikeys arm and held it back as he was about to punch a shocked Donatello, "no Michelangelo. No more. I am sorry my son but I have no other choice for you in this state."

With a quick swing Mikey was out cold, Master Splinter then calmed a hyperventilating Don down and helped him patch both Leo and Raph up.

Leo had a few gashes from where he hit the floor and got caught on his blades also he, along with Raph, suffered from a serious bleeding nose as well. Minor injuries but it was all the same, a brother had purposely hurt another.

The next few hours Leo awoke in a haze, "what the shell...did...Mikey knock me out?!"

Don nodded sadly still not believing it himself, "I've never seen anything like that from Mikey, luckily he didn't give you a concussion just a major bruising."

Leo was about to speak when Don cut him off again, his brain working on overdrive. "It's so unlike him to even be close to violent, tonight was going to be the first night out since he had been grounded too! Why would he do this? He has been acting so strange lately."

Don and Leo both looked up and through the lab window to see Mikey still laid on the couch from where he had been knocked out earlier. Raph was leaned against a far corner of the room watching the sleeping turtle.

Leo observed the way Raph looked at Mikey, it was almost as if the red clad turtle was expecting something bad to happen.

What does he know that I don't?

Leo had noticed the gradual changes in Mikeys behavior. He had noticed how tired and wary he looked during the day and how he always seemed nervous but never had Leo thought that Mikey could be in trouble or anything. Looking at what just happened though his mind had many scenarios running through it, what was going on?

Mikeys P.O.V.

Mikey cracked a tired eye and yawned as he rubbed at his head and face, "the shell..." That's when he realized it was the middle of the night, it was completely dark and everyone was asleep.

Perfect.

He flipped the covers off of him and carefully stood, his stomach churning for food.

No food...I won't be hungry after I drink... besides...food only slows down the alcohol.

Mikey carefully stepped around the couch and snuck to his room where he pulled the last of all his savings over the years out from under his pillow. He was amazed at how quickly it had all dissapeared, although he had only saved up about 150$ anyways. Alcohol was not cheap, especially when it was purchased almost three times a week.

This will only get me a bottle of Smirnoff...maybe a small bottle of Makers Mark...nah I'm in the mood for vodka...it'll be easier to down without coke, whiskey tastes too stale for me. Wait- why was I in the living room anyways? Egh my memory is still hazy from practice...didn't realize that secret shot was going to get me so buzzed guess they didn't notice though, idiots.

Mikey chuckled as he stuffed the money in the secret pocket of his belt, he finished off the small bottle of left over Smirnoff that he had cleverly hidden in his room for his bad days and threw it under a pile of dirty pizza boxes where no one would dare to look.

Mikey thought back on the practice earlier still wary of the details. He had drank half of the small bottle of strawberry flavored vodka before practice without a meal to slow down the affects of it, little did he know that he got more then his definition of buzzed from those actions.

*Main Story*

As Mikey stepped out of his room and made his way to the lair a light blinded him, it came straight from the exit of the lair and drew near very quickly. Before he could even react Mikey was yanked to the sewer tunnels and towards the nearest manhole. Once the light was not blinding him anymore he realized that the mysterious figure doing all this was Raphael.

"Raph?! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Raph gritted his teeth, Mikey had made cursing an art of his in the past several weeks he started his little hobby frankly it disgusted Raph that Mikey would use such language. "I'm trying to keep you outta trouble! Where are ya going Mike? To drink? AGAIN?"

Not liking that he was correct in this quick assumption Mikey shoved past Raph and began to walk towards the ladder leading to his freedom. "Just leave me alone." Mikey grew infuriated as he felt Raphs hand grab his arm abruptly.

"Mikey. Your breath already smells like alcohol! And you were drunk during freaking practice tonight too! You Leo you know that right? He was completely unconscious because of you Mike, all because you were seeing red while you were drunk. He's not hurt bad by the way! I mean I know you don't give two shits but I thought I would at least try! Oh and ya punched me too!"

Mikeys eyes widened at this information but he quickly hid it with a scowl, "get off me! If you're so pissed at me then just let me go!"

Raph sighed angrily, "ya don't get it! I ain't mad Mikey...I'm scared. I'm...I'm afraid for ya...you have changed and ya depend on that stuff now. You've changed. It's scaring the whole family Mike, the only difference is they don't know what's going on but I do! This addiction of yours is messing with your head and this family!"

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about Raph! I'm completely in control!"

Raph dug into the secret pocket of Mikeys belt and held the crumpled piece of money in his hand. "You spent all your savings on this crap haven't ya?"

Mikey growled, "give me that back I'm ganna go buy a pizza you idiot."

Raph laughed, "bet ya are! You don't look like you even eat anymore Mikey, you are all pale and small, no muscle at all. You are destroying yourself. The others haven't seen the slight physical changes but once they become more obvious they will and then you will be busted.

I'm tired of bailing you out of this crap, it's almost every night! It's been three weeks Mikey, almost every night for three weeks. I can't do this babysitting anymore...and you can't keep doing this to yourself. I'm not going to watch you slowly die like this right in front of me! Now just stop thi-"

Mikey threw two smoke bombs on the ground making Raph choke and gasp for air after the fact. "D-damnit Mike..."

He gulped as he looked down and saw that Mikey had taken the money from him in that short span of time, addicted.

He then took off to find Mikey once more in his usual spot near one of the local bars or slum. New questions rose as he was running, how long would this last? Where was Mikey getting his alcohol? The most unsettling question still rattled in Raphs mind though.

How am I going to save Mikey from himself?

Wow...yea i'm pretty lame for updating so late! This is super super late so I'm very sorry but I do hope you enjoyed reading this chapter all the same! Will definatly work towards not being so late. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! :) Thanks for reading!