Disclaimer: All rights to TMNT belong to Peter Laird, Nickelodeon or Mirage, whoever has ownership over it. I do not own anything in this story, and I'm not making any profit from it, so please spare this wannabe writer from any lawsuits! Please and thank you~
Warnings: Contains overly-dramatic, cliché situations that have slash in them – for your own sakes, I suggest that you don't read further if you're particularly peevish about any of those things, so that you won't get the idea of leaving flames on my poor little story… or suffer a bout of brain damage.
A/N: Lalalalala, I actually started on this chapter early! It's a miracle! Special thanks to:
blackrabbitt Thank you very much for the kind words~ Sorry the chapter took so long!
Oh Hmm... Good question! Uke Leo is the one that I've seen the most, but Uke Raph would be... very interesting... Ahem, anywho, thanks for all the reviews, man! You just piled 'em in there like BAM - the rest of your reviews made me laugh! Ohoho, you random, silly person...
RavynandRika yami's lovers Ahh thank you so much! It means a lot to me to think that you enjoy my stories so much - that's what makes my day :) Also, thank you for being a frequent reviewer - your comments have really motivated me to keep writing this fanfic!
Mar Mar Binks Aww shucks, thank you so very much for all of your positive words~ They really warm my soul up ^_^ Well, he always did say that he had an inner Picasso in him somewhere ;)
Morfanerina Thank you very much, I will try to keep it up! Writer's block is like an itch that you can't scratch - unfortunately, everyone seems to suffer from it :( I love all of your comments - I notice that you've been a constant reviewer, so thank you for all of the kind words! They've motivated me so much over the course of writing this story~
Love-LeoxRaph-Rage Poor, poor Japan. However, I'm confident that they will recover quickly - after all, they're a strong country, they will rise up again stronger than before! Thank you for all of your positive comments - they've really fueled me to keep on writing these chapters. :)
Heh, I know I sounded like a broken record with replying to you guys, but I really do mean what I say - to everyone who was kind enough to leave a review to this story, thank you guys for encouraging me so much! Hope you enjoy Chapter 7!
Chapter Seven: Love Triangles – They're Way Better than Cable
It took only a few minutes for the whole group to lay Donny down gently on his bed and press a water-soaked cloth to his burning forehead. Mikey pilfered through their medicine cabinets for some fever-reducers, grabbing their recycled thermometer and a couple of thermometer probes on his way back to Donny's room.
Donny lay uncomfortably on the bed, wrapped in a thick cocoon of blankets. His breaths were coming out in shallow gasps, and his face held a sickly, dark green flush to it. Next to the bed, Raph was pacing back and forth, his expression dark and somber.
Master Splinter and Usagi sat in the corner, conversing in hushed tones while staring worriedly at the fever-wracked body on the bed. Mikey set the medicine and thermometer down on the bedside table, making his way over to the two.
"Hey, Usagi," he greeted as cheerfully as he could, though it came out quiet and half-hearted. Usagi smiled back and opened his mouth to respond, but Master Splinter beat him to the punch.
"I shall... go and assist Leonardo with gathering supplies. If you'll excuse me," the ninjitsu master stood up and left the room, leaving Mikey and Usagi alone to talk.
"It is very nice to see you again, Mikey-san. Though, I wish it were not under these misfortunate circumstances." Usagi murmured the last part, his gaze flitting slightly towards Donny as if to emphasize his statement.
The orange-masked turtle momentarily cringed at the formality of the suffix (he'd tried in numerous attempts to stop Usagi from adding '–san' at the end of his name; turns out the samurai was just too polite to do that), but replaced it with his trademark grin.
"Thanks for helping with… y'know, bringing him back," Mikey's tone was sincerely grateful, and he continued, "Do you know how he fainted all of a sudden?"
Usagi shook his head, "I'm afraid I do not. I was actually on my way here to-" the samurai stopped mid-sentence, and a blush crept upon his face, as if he had nearly blurted something out that he hadn't meant to. Nevertheless, he shook his head and continued, "A-Anyway, I spotted your brothers and Master Splinter in the local junkyard. Donatello-san had already fainted by the time I approached them, and of course, since I already meant to come here, I had just to help carry him back…"
Mikey nodded gravely, indicating that he had been listening, when suddenly, another voice interrupted their conversation.
"Right before he fainted, we asked 'im if he was alright," Raph's tone practically oozed with frustration, his fists clenching shakily as he looked down at Donny with a hard, cold gaze. "He told me an' Master Splinter that 'e was fine, but… 'e lied straight to our faces," The last sentence came out as a soft, intense murmur, and a flash of concern glinted underneath that tough exterior that he tried to put up in his glare.
"Dude, I'm sure that he just didn't know how tired he really was… you know how Donny is," Mikey pointed out, trying half-heartedly to defend his currently unconscious brother. Raph only grunted in reply, opting to go back to his nervous pacing once more.
Truth be told, Mikey was a bit frustrated at Donny himself – the so-called genius was a true idiot when it came to looking out for his own self. He usually pushed his body and mind to the limit, even when he was over-stepping the boundaries of basic human necessities (despite their mutated bodies, they still had some of the same weaknesses that humans possessed), but he had never fainted out of the blue like this before. It was a cause for concern, and frankly, Mikey had the right to be a little angry at his careless behavior.
Usagi stared discreetly at his companion's jaw as it began to stiffen with the first signs of anger, and observantly decided that Mikey and Donny might need some time to themselves for a little while. With a new determination set in place, the samurai stood up and politely bowed to Mikey, who looked more confused than angry now at his sudden action.
"I apologize, Mikey-san, but you'll have to excuse me for a moment – since all of you are too pre-occupied to do so at the moment, I will try to prepare supper," Before Mikey could protest, Usagi turned to address Raph. "Raphael-san, if it is not too much trouble, could you please assist me in the, uhm… cooking room?" The samurai hesitated a bit, unfamiliar with the term 'kitchen'.
"Sure thing," Raph shrugged, looking less frustrated now that he had the prospect of doing something else for a change, rather than just pacing back and forth until he made indents in the floor.
"Thanks Usagi," Mikey said, shooting a grateful smile at the samurai. Usagi nodded as if to say "no problem" before he and Raph exited the room, closing the door behind them.
Once they were gone, the orange-masked turtle frowned and let loose a quiet, yet monumental sigh. Careful not to make a sound, he lifted the chair that was perched against the wall and carried it closer to where Donny lay, setting it down right next to his bedside. He gingerly sat down, sitting so close that his knee caps barely touched the soft bed sheets.
Nearby, the hums and whirs of machines echoed almost transcendently around the room. Mikey chuckled to himself, thinking that perhaps the sound of said machines helped lull Donny to sleep on his desk every night, but shook the silly thought away in favor of staring at his brother's face.
"You are such a freakin' workaholic, bro…" Mikey murmured fondly under his breath, watching as Donny breathed gently through his open mouth. He hadn't seen his older brother look this peaceful in a while.
"How many times do we have to nag you to take care of yourself 'till it finally gets through to your stubborn head?" Of course, there was no response. "…You make me so damn angry sometimes, y'know? And considering that my name isn't Raph, that's sayin' a lot," Mikey cackled immaturely at his own joke, not noticing that Donny had stirred until he heard the genius's voice.
"'M sorry, Mikey…" The orange-masked turtle blinked in momentary surprise, not expecting to hear those slurred words. Donny's eyes were half-lidded, hazy and a bit red from the fever, but nonetheless, they were finally open.
"I-I guess I just kinda… burned out for a second there," Donny attempted to laugh. It was weak, though at least he still tried – it ended up as a sharp, wet coughing fit instead.
Mikey's vision began to blur as he leaned forward, capturing Donny in a swift, slightly awkward hug. "C-Calling you stupid would be an insult to stupid people," Mikey buried his face into his older brother's neck, trying hard to reign in his tears. There was no way in hell that he would cry for something as small and silly as this. Heroes never cried, and Mikey had always liked to think of himself as a manly, hardcore superhero (he does have the muscles for it after all).
"You made everyone worried, and… and damn it bro, next time you should tell someone when you have a huge fever or something worse will happen other than you fainting, you… you big twat*…" A small but audible sniff followed after that sentiment.
Donny's eyes widened at the sudden display of affection, but his surprised expression soon melted into a smile. If his throat wasn't constricting so painfully at the moment, he would have let out another laugh of amusement at Mikey's little rant.
"'m so sorry for making you worry," Donny murmured sleepily, stroking the back of Mikey's head and neck in what he hoped was a soothing gesture.
The two remained like that for several minutes, both secretly wanting to make the moment last for a bit longer. However, Mikey decided to gather his wits about him, his expression turning (adorably) serious as he set about taking care of Donny.
"I'm gonna take your temperature," Mikey announced, receiving only a slight nod in reply. He carefully covered the thermometer with a plastic probe, peeling the paper cover off until all that was left was the transparent part, then gently coaxed Donny's mouth open to insert it under his tongue. The brief touch of Donny's hot, flushed skin against his hand was enough to make Mikey's breath hitch in his throat, but he quickly composed himself as he waited for the thermometer to beep.
"105.3," Mikey grimaced as he read the surprisingly high temperature out loud. Man, Donny's fever was seriously no joke – how had it risen up so high, so quickly, without anybody knowing about it?
"I've really done it this time, haven't I?" Donny joked weakly, his voice hoarse from all of the nasty phlegm in his throat. However, his attempt at lightening the situation did not bear any fruit.
"Shut up, you – I'm still pissed that you didn't tell anyone before it got this bad!" Mikey reprimanded half-heartedly, a small pout settling on his face. Donny felt his cheeks burning slightly, and something told him that it wasn't just from the fever.
The genius sighed and resisted the urge to slap his own forehead. He knew he had really screwed up this time; Mikey would probably remain cross and attentive with him for a while, even after this whole fever fiasco blew over.
"Can you eat something right now, or is your stomach too weak?" Mikey asked, throwing the used thermometer probe away in a nearby trash can.
"I…" Donny's tongue darted out momentarily to wet his chapped lips, causing a strange feeling to stir in the pit of Mikey's stomach. "I could try eating something… I-I need to before taking that medicine, right?"
"Y-Yeah," Mikey answered, turning his face away from his older brother to hide the dark green blush that burned on his cheeks. "I-I'll go see if Usagi and Raph are done cooking– just shout if you need me, bro, I'll be back soon!" With that, the younger of the two turned with a pivot of his heel and left the room, leaving Donny all by himself.
The braniac sighed, shivering coldly under the covers as he stared up at the gray ceiling. His fever hadn't been this bad in the morning, but maybe he should have at least eaten something today instead of skipping both breakfast and lunch. Not to mention the all-nighters that he had pulled for the whole week; he gave another exhausted sigh and closed his burning eyes. He'd have to start taking care of his health from now on, instead of just neglecting as if it were an annoying puppy. Problem was, old habits died hard.
'It's not entirely my fault though,' he thought feebly, trying to stem the feelings of guilt and anger that he harbored for himself. Inevitably, his attempt proved to be futile.
Truth be told, part of the reason as to why he had been more ignorant of his health lately was because of Mikey (and the other part was just from habit). Try as he might, he just couldn't get his younger brother out of his head.
He'd seen those shy glances, the way Mikey's face had flushed when he thought Donny wasn't looking, and he knew that sooner or later, they were going to have to talk about it. The longer you hold something off, the more difficult it is to face later. It seemed like several minutes had passed by before Mikey decided to make his reappearance.
"Dude, you gotta try this! Usagi may be quiet and all, but he sure knows how to make a mean soup!" At the sound of Mikey's loud, cheerful voice, Donny jumped slightly in surprise and turned his head to look at the door.
The slight he was greeted with nearly caused him to choke on thin air like how a prostitute chokes on a... never mind. And speaking of prostitutes-
"For the love of everything scientific, please let this be a dream," Donny muttered fervently to himself, causing Mikey to tilt his head questioningly as he sauntered over to his brother's bedside, carrying a bowl of steaming soup with him. However, it wasn't the soup that had caught Donny's attention – it was the frilly French maid outfit that Mikey was wearing.
Oh dear gods, why did Donny have to get punished like this? Was he finally going insane, or was this just some fever-induced hallucination?
"What was that, bro? I couldn't hear you that well," Mikey asked, setting the soup down on the bedside table. Donny swallowed nervously, coating his swollen throat with saliva as he opened his mouth to reply.
"I… N-Nothing," He closed his eyes, willing the image of Mikey in a maid costume away from his mind with every fiber of his being (as hot as it was – damn it, he did not just think that). However, when he opened them, the result was even worse (or, in perverted terms, better) than before; this time, Mikey appeared in a naughty nurse's outfit.
'Good God… Why me?' Donny thought, looking helplessly up at the ceiling. Someone upstairs probably hated him right now, though he couldn't imagine why. He immediately vowed to never neglect his health ever again.
"Are you okay dude? Ya don't look so hot," Mikey remarked, worry coloring his tone as he leaned in and put a hand on Donny's warm forehead, which did nothing at all to cool the older turtle down.
If it weren't for his arms, which were chorded with thick muscles, Mikey looked as if he could've actually pulled off the damn, spawned-from-some-kind-of-twisted-ecchi*-anime nurse outfit. That fact alone was enough to disturb and, erm 'interest' Donny at the same time.
'Stop drooling, you look like a damn pedophile right now,' his inner voice (that everyone seems to have) sneered. Horrified, Donny brought a hand up to the corner of his mouth, relieved to find that he wasn't actually drooling. He was afraid to even blink now – who knows what other skimpy, perverted outfits his subconscious could conjure up?
"I-I'm fine! Really, I am!" Donny laughed (or more like coughed) reassuringly, sitting up from his lying position, although the sharp pain that now throbbed angrily in his forehead caused him to regret the sudden action. After gathering his wits about him, he carefully picked up the bowl of soup, which wasn't too hot to handle but was still warm, feeling a bit disoriented as he felt the room 'swaying' around him.
Donny looked down at the stew in his lap, trying to regain his sense of balance and resist the urge to vomit what little food was in his stomach. The broth was dark brown, and had the same consistency as chicken soup broth. Tender-looking potatoes, carrots and a bit of beef floated enticingly on the surface. Donny carefully lifted the spoon up to his mouth, finding that the soup tasted as good as it looked.
He quickly finished the meal and put it back on the bedside table, feeling the stew warming his entire body and calming his headache and nausea a bit in the process. Afterwards, he downed the two offered fever pills like a champ (we all know how much of a champ Donny is *wink wink* … yeah, I didn't get the innuendo, either).
"Feeling better?" Mikey asked, taking the bowl and standing up. Donny nodded stiffly, not daring to look his younger brother in the eye – he would never see a school girl uniform in the same way ever again.
"Yeah…" Donny covered his mouth to let out another rough cough, falling back onto the welcome warmth of the pillows. He closed his eyes so that he would not see the pleated, blue skirt of his twisted imagination swaying gently back and forth with every step that Mikey took as he left the room.
But maybe – and that was a big maybe – he might've cracked an eye open to take a quick peek…
Flashback, Twenty Minutes Earlier…
"Y'know Usagi, I've been wonderin' 'bout somethin'…" Raph spoke, dicing a potato into bite-sized cubes with surprising skill. Usagi paused, his own knife half raised above a nearly-sliced carrot.
"What have you been wondering about, Raphael-san?" asked the rabbit politely.
"Well… this might be a stupid question ta ask all of a sudden, but why'd you come ta visit us in the first place?"
"…"
Raph finished cutting the potatoes and gathered them all up in a pile, ready to be thrown into the pot. He turned to his companion, whose back had suddenly gone stiff upon hearing his question.
"'Ey, U-Usagi? Did I say somethin' wrong…?" Raph, who had just realized that Usagi was completely frozen with a fearful look on his face, began to wave his hand in front of the rabbit's eyes in an attempt to get him out of his sudden funk. A wave of uneasiness washed over him when Usagi had yet to respond after five minutes. "Yer startin' ta scare me man!"
"Raphael-san," The red-masked turtle in question nearly shat himself when the previously-comatose-while-standing samurai suddenly clasped his shoulders with a frighteningly strong grip.
Usagi's eyes glinted eerily in the dim kitchen lights, causing a few shudders to creep up Raph's spine. "I will confess to you what I came here for if you swear on your honor and your life that you will not disclose what I am about to confide in you to anybody other than myself." Jeez… when did he find the time to breathe through that sentence?
Raph just gulped a bit and nodded, not finding the courage to say anything at the moment. Normally, the red-masked turtle prided himself on his ability to remain unafraid of things that others would deem frightening. However, something in the way Usagi was looking at him told a completely different level of horrifying altogether, so he was wise enough to keep his mouth shut and not say anything contrary to what the samurai desired, like a good little boy.
As if a switch had been flipped, Usagi's expression turned back into its usual, polite yet carefully-masked demeanor. Raph mentally breathed a sigh of relief at this. In an unspoken agreement, the two began to prepare the soup whilst upholding their conversation.
"I am not going to be dishonest with you, Raphael-san, what I am about to reveal may cause you to be… well, disturbed," Beef chunks were thrown into the pot, aromatic steam wafting out as it began to sizzle in the oil.
"That's fine, man, I've probably heard worse before," After the beef had cooked and turned brown, the carrots and potatoes were added, softening nicely in the beef's natural juices.
"A-Are you certain that you want to hear it?" Soon, some kind of broth was thrown into the pot, along with a few spices and herbs to add more flavor.
"C'mon man, the suspense is killin' me," Raph and Usagi took turns stirring the stew, which was simmering in the pot and almost ready for consumption. Unbeknownst to them, a certain orange-masked turtle was currently heading their way, slowly sauntering past the living room and making his way to the kitchen…
"It seems that I have, uhm…" Raph held his breath with anticipation, his grip on the ladle becoming tighter. If it was making the samurai stutter and blush, then it must be something big. "I-I… have recently developed romantic feelings for your older brother."
A few seconds of silence passed.
… Wait, what the f-
Raph's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, mouth gaping unattractively as he dropped the ladle in shock. Meanwhile, just outside of the kitchen*, Mikey began to experience something close to post-traumatic stress.
'Oh you've just gotta be (bleep)-ing kidding me.' the orange-masked turtle thought in agony. Why, oh why did this suddenly feel like a scene out of Boys Over Flowers*?
"W-Wait, say that again?" Raph asked incredulously, his voice a few octaves higher.
Usagi sighed miserably, looking very flustered. "I knew you would not react favorably, Raphael-san, I-I apologize-"
Raph frantically held up his hand, "N-No wait, I didn't mean it like that, I just… God, j-just give me a minute…" Looking quite shell-shocked (ha, no pun intended… okay, well, maybe a bit), the red-masked turtle walked out of the kitchen, not even noticing Mikey on his way.
Meanwhile, Mikey shook his head with disbelief, though he quickly molded his expression back to normal when he entered the kitchen.
"Mmm, that soup smells great!" the orange-masked turtle commented enthusiastically, his normal, care-free grin in place. Usagi smiled a bit, not used to being praised for his culinary skills, and didn't notice the slight strain on Mikey's expression.
Oh good lord, where was this crazy thing going to lead to?
Ending Note: Hm… I started earlier than usual on this chapter, but I still ended up procrastinating anyway. [Saddened]
On a brighter note, I have left you all with a slight cliffhanger – and just for a heads up, the next chapter is the last one!
Augh, I can't believe this story's coming to an end so soon! It was a good ride, but I think I'm ready to put this fic to rest for good – my inspiration for writing TMNT is slowly fading away, so I'm going to milk it in its last moments~
Right, then, the real ending notes are here:
*Ecchi – Ecchi is a Japanese term that means "lewd" or "naughty", so an ecchi anime would be kind of like a slightly pornographic anime, at least, from my understanding. I've never watched ecchi (at least, not intentionally *cough*), so I'm afraid I can't elaborate further.
However, I advise you to not look up ecchi anime, or anything related to it for that matter, because for one, some websites that have those sort of things have harmful viruses (hey, if your computer crashes because you decided to disregard my warning, then I'm telling you right now that you can't place any blame on me). Second, it's highly inappropriate for anyone to be looking up that kind of thing, and being the outstanding role model that I am (errr), I would seriously advise you against not becoming a pervert (erm, that sounded better in my head, but um... OH YOU GET WHAT I MEAN... right?)
*Boys Over Flowers – This is a popular Korean drama that I watched when I was in 6th grade. Ahh, good times. Unfortunately, now that I look back on it, I have to admit that it was very cliché and at times unrealistic, but I still enjoyed it anyway. The reason why I had Mikey liken the current Raph/Leo/Usagi situation to it was because, well, there was a love triangle in it, and second, Usagi's sudden declaration was very sudden and unbelievable (though you have to admit, he and Leo are kind of canon in the cartoon series *cough*).
*Twat - That's a British term (at least, from what I've heard), usually used for insulting someone. I wouldn't recommend saying it in public, though, because it might really offend someone who knows what it means!