Raphael sat on the edge of the building in silence. It was the same spot he'd been in for the last hour and a half. Even the chance to breathe in the freedom of the cool night air wasn't doing him any good tonight; nor had busting a few chops down in the alley before he'd retreated there.
He glanced down at the paper-wrapped bottle sitting on the rooftop next to him. He'd relieved the clearly underage teens of their liquor, while ignoring the fact that he wasn't legally old enough to have the stuff either. The thought of it now almost made him laugh.
What does the legal drinking age matter? I ain't even legal enough to exist.
He'd had a silent wrestling match with the bottle for the last hour, his gaze continually drifting towards it. The only thing which stayed his hand so far was how much trouble he'd get into if his Sensei caught on that he'd been drinking. Then he'd probably have to sit through a sixty minute lecture from Donnie about how they couldn't metabolize alcohol the same way humans did, along with a bunch of other crap he would eventually tune out.
Probably wouldn't be smart to try it now anyway.
He'd run off before dinner, and was paying the price for it with hunger pangs now. Raphael purposefully turned to look back to the skyline, staring at all the lights in the distance. This was his favorite way to view the city - partially removed, but somehow still a living, breathing part of it.
Over the last year he'd grown more weary of their underground dwelling, and the perpetual prison sentence which came with it. He loved his family more than words could express, but it wasn't always enough to stave off frustration. Their close quarters with no real space of his own did little more to improve his often irritated mood.
I'm 18. Most humans at this age, they're about to finish high school, on the road to gettin' their independence. They're going out on the weekend, hittin' on girls, and looking ahead to the rest of their lives. What the shell kind of life do we have to look forward to?
Raphael was drawn irresistibly to glance back at the bottle again. Moonlight flashed off the glass as he lifted it, almost like an invitation. He'd just barely hefted the drink when his cell rang. He looked down to realize that it was Donnie, hesitated, and then answered it.
"Hey, Raph, where are you? Leo has asked for you a few times."
"Oh, is he up again? Uh...I'll head back that way, Donnie. Be there soon."
"You weren't trying to patrol alone, were you? Doc hasn't released you to do any fighting."
"No," he lied. "I was hanging out. I'm on my way back, Don."
Raphael hung up the phone, and got to his feet with a bit of a stretch. He headed down over the side of the building, and dropped back onto the fire escape. When he hit the ground, he chucked the bottle into an open dumpster, and made a bee-line for the closest manhole to return underground.
About half an hour later, he walked back into the Den, and headed straight for the Lab. Raph paused in the doorway for a moment, and Leonardo immediately glanced over as if he'd heard him.
"Hey. I've been waiting for you," the blue-masked turtle called.
"Sorry, bro. I got a little sidetracked tonight."
"You weren't getting into trouble without me, were you?" Leo's half grin was relaxed.
Raphael almost felt guilty for how close to trouble he'd actually been. "Nah, I'll save the trouble until we can get into it together." He flopped into a chair next to him. "How are you feeling?"
"Mmm...You probably don't really wanna know. My head is killing me, and what with this new drug they've got me on, I can hardly stay awake."
"Yeah, but it's working. That's the important thing, right?" Raphael pointed out, and hesitated another second before continuing. "Do you remember the fight with those kids, Leo?"
"No. The whole day is one giant blur. Donnie told me we split up for a little while on patrol."
"Then you don't remember our fight either."
"Did we have one? Was it bad?"
"It was distracting. Bad enough that a couple of kids could clobber ya before you saw them coming."
"Sounds like a brilliant move on my part," Leonardo muttered.
"It wasn't your fault, Fearless. It was mine. You told me to keep an eye out while you tied them up, and I wasn't paying enough attention. Got overconfident, 'cause the kids went down so easy. Some of their backup bashed me with a brick.
"You saved my shell, and I wasn't grateful at all. I copped a major attitude to kick off another fight, and the rest is history. I'm sorry, Leo."
"It's not like you're the one who beat me up, Raph."
"Not this time anyhow."
Leonardo cracked another small smile. "Well, I'd rather it was you beating me up, for future reference."
"Leo, can I ask you something?"
"You can ask whatever you want. I'm sort of your captive audience at the moment."
Raphael snorted, surprised by how easily it came up. "You are trapped, huh? I could have all kinds of fun with ya."
Brown eyes narrowed at the mock threat, but then softened. "What did you wanna ask me?"
"Do you hate working with me?"
"Working with you? You mean, as a partner?"
"Yeah, Leo. Training, sharing a room, the whole bit."
"No...I mean...There are days when it's a lot harder than others. But as a whole, no. I don't hate training with you, Raph. You have a way of challenging me, and I think I need it."
"You like the way I challenge your patience? I'll remind ya you said that, bro."
Leo laughed with a wince. "Again with the threats. I can still get Donnie to kick you out of here."
The red-masked turtle smirked. "Nah. You can't let it look like you're scared of me or something."
"Scared of what, you big soft-shell? Don said this was the first night you left the lair since I went down. You afraid I was going somewhere without you?"
Raphael knew he was joking, but wasn't prepared to go that far yet. Instead, he forced a serious expression. "Would you switch with the guys if Master Splinter let ya?"
"I don't want to switch," he insisted. "Is that what you want?"
The eighteen-year-old was temporarily at a loss for words. "I, uh...I figured...We've been struggling, and you might be happier with someone else."
"Because there's no way either of us could fight with Don or Mikey?" Leo's grin was back, and it left Raphael confused. "You're really strong, Raph, in addition to being a great ninja. Sometimes I feel like I'm stronger, just because I work with you so much."
Raphael peered back at him, rendered speechless for another moment. "That could be the nicest thing you've ever said to me."
"Well, don't let it go to your head or anything."
Luke looked inside the Lab about fifteen minutes later, simultaneously knocking on the partially open door.
"Am I interrupting something?" the man asked.
"Nah, c'mon in, Doc." Raphael invited.
"So, Donnie told me you left the lair, Raph," Luke stated casually. "To be clear, the permission slip didn't cover field trips. You had a bad concussion."
"Nothing happened, Doc," he complained.
"And nothing will happen again, until I grant my express permission for you to resume normal activities. Understood?" He maintained steady eye contact, even when the red-masked turtle scowled.
"Think you're going overboard on the whole contract thing, Doc."
"I can move in if I need to personally supervise you, Raph. I don't have a life, remember?"
"Why dontcha try focusing on the real patient for a while?" Raphael grumbled, motioning to his brother.
"He's a little more cooperative than you. I'm trained to begin with the hardest cases."
The red-masked turtle guffawed. "He's cooperating because you're drugging him. Get him off the IV, and he'll be driving you up the wall in five minutes, tops."
"If that's not the pot calling the kettle black..." Leonardo complained.
"It's true, and you know it, Fearless. Ain't nobody who hates being tied down more than this one, Doc."
"I really don't believe I hold the award."
"Would you give me an honest pain assessment please?" Luke interrupted.
Leonardo raised a hand parallel with the bed frame, motioning to demonstrate a shaky answer.
"I'm right on the edge, Doc," he admitted.
"Don't be afraid to speak up, Leo. I know the remedies tend to mess you up, but they're better than nothing," Luke reminded him. "Don and I are working toward better solutions. In the meantime...take your medicine so you can rest easier."
"Resting hasn't been an issue," he murmured, nearly sulking.
I think Raph was right on the money about him. Maybe I should move in, and head off the worst of his rebellion before it rears it's ugly head.
"I'm hungry, Doc. Do you have this one?" Raphael pointed to Leo again and ignored the glare his brother sent.
"We'll be just fine. I need a closer look at him anyway, which makes it a good time for you move your own shell."
"It's cool. I know when I'm not wanted." Raphael left the room with a cocky grin.
As soon as he was gone, Luke came over to join the blue-masked turtle.
"Doc, when can I get off this stuff?" Leo glanced at the IV. "You have no idea how hard it is to stay awake. I can barely keep my eyes open."
"You're staying on tetrozine until the infection has run its full course, Leonardo. There's no point wasting the energy to fight us on it anymore. For pain management, it's better to be getting more rest, regardless."
"Why didn't you just leave me in the coma then?" the turtle jabbed.
"Hey, you woke up yourself. We didn't have anything to do with that part." Luke laughed.
Leonardo grew suddenly somber. "Yes, you did. I could have been dead days ago without you and Donnie. Thanks for saving my shell."
"Thank your brother. He spent about fifteen hours straight getting the tetrozine to a place where we could actually use it. And then he still wasn't satisfied until he'd tested it on himself first," Luke told him.
"He did what?"
"Oh yes, he used himself as a test subject. Apparently he does it all the time."
"Am I blind, Doc? Have you found any physical evidence to support that? I don't see how else I could miss so much going on around here. Why would he do this? Isn't it kind of risky?"
"Just a little," the man acknowledged. "He lost the contents of his stomach more times than I could count or keep track. Actually had him on an IV at one point to replace fluids. He told me doesn't want any of you to get hurt because of a miscalculation on his part."
"But it's all right if he does." Leonardo scoffed.
"Trust me, I already put my foot down, Leo. He won't do that again if I have anything to do with it."
"Doc, I'm really glad you're here. I don't remember if I've told you that or not," Leo managed to convey, just before Don ambled into the Lab.
"Hey, Leo, got something for you." Donnie brought a mug over to him, and held onto it until he was sure his brother had a good grip.
Leonardo automatically sent him an evil eye. "What have you been doing with yourself?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Donatello said innocently.
"Yeah, I'm sure you don't."