Raphael leaned his forehead against the kitchen table, massaging his temples futilely. Even the cold glow being cast by the overhead light felt too bright at the moment. If he'd had it his way, the red-masked turtle wouldn't have gotten up even after waking for the second time. His head was pounding, his throat felt absolutely raw, and he was so exhausted that it seemed he was still half-asleep.
As much as Raphael enjoyed a few hours of sleep, there were many times when he didn't get much of it. The practice went hand-in-hand with being part of a team that patrolled the streets after dark and a night-owl in general. He could normally function well on about four-five hours of sleep; at least long enough to get him through a morning practice and a few daily responsibilities before he could sneak away to rest in the afternoon.
Raphael really hadn't meant to fall back asleep after Leonardo had woken him, but he knew he was going to pay for it, one way or another. He groaned loudly when he heard the kitchen door swing open. Start the lecture in three, two—
"Raph? What are you doing, Bro?"
Mikey? Great. He'll be only slightly less annoying.
Raphael raised his head from the table. "I'm finding the answer for world hunger. What's it look like I'm doing?"
The orange-masked turtle gazed back at him, looking more thoughtful than Raphael would have expected. "You want some coffee?"
Raph grimaced distastefully. He didn't usually care for the stuff anyway, but the mere suggestion of it made his stomach churn oddly. "Nah…I don't think so."
"Maybe you'd feel better if you ate something."
"There's nothing wrong with me, Mikey. I'm just tired. I'd go back to bed, but then I'd really hear it from his lordship," he muttered.
Michelangelo pulled out a chair and sat down. "I don't like to get between you and Leo—"
"It's better for your health if you don't," he interrupted sharply.
"Let me finish, okay? Now Leo didn't start anything with you this morning. He didn't even tell you off for oversleeping. You came downstairs expecting him to be mad at you, and then pushed him until he was."
"I don't have to push him, Mike! He always assumes that I'm up to something and thinks he's gotta keep an eye on me. Newsflash – I didn't go anywhere else last night! I just didn't feel like sharing the space with him, so I didn't."
"Raph, don't you get it? Leo's scared for you. It's the only reason he asks questions and stays on your case. He wants to know that you're safe."
Raphael extended both arms in frustration. "How am I not safe?"
"He wants to make sure you stay that way. Shell, Raphy, we're all dealing with a lot around here. No one knows what's going on with Sensei, and Leo is worried. Like not sleeping, hardly eating worried!"
The red-masked turtle's brow creased as he gave Mike a longer look. "I know he hasn't been sleeping that great, but I didn't notice anything else." I wasn't trying to, he admitted inwardly.
"With Sensei sick, it puts pressure on him, Raph…even more than Leo's used to carrying around. Don't give him a bunch of things to worry about, okay?"
Raphael glanced down at the table. "I won't do it on purpose, all right?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Michelangelo nodded.
"Sure you don't want me to make you anything?"
Raph pushed his chair back from the table. "I'm just gonna have some cereal."
"Don't you go eating all my Sugar Bombs, Raph!"
"What are you worried for, Chucklehead? I know you've got a secret stash down here somewhere."
"You've seen nothing, and you know nothing."
"I'm gonna find it one of these days, Mikey. There're only so many places you could hide a cereal box."
"Who says it's in the box?" His little brother grinned smugly, but his eyes went wide as he realized he'd probably said too much.
Raphael chuckled, and the low sound felt like it was grating his throat. "It will be mine; oh yes, it will be mine."
"You'll be sorry if you do find it," Mike said warningly.
"I'll be sorry?"
"A good treasure is worthy of protection," his brother told him solemnly.
"Protection? I'll take you on any day of the week, Shellhead."
Mike's smile returned full force. "Don't go looking for trouble, or you'll regret it. Some things are better off left alone."
Raphael spent the majority of the day avoiding both Leonardo and the dojo. He wasn't particularly irritated with the blue-masked turtle anymore, but he also didn't want to get roped into katas when he was feeling this crummy.
A number of hours had passed without any relief, and his throat was actually hurting worse. Raphael had a sneaking suspicion that he'd picked up whatever flu bug Donny had just finished dealing with. The Genius did okay with it, though. Not much appetite for a couple of days, and the docs made him rest and stay off the computers. But they kept him away from Sensei too.
Raphael looked over the back of his recliner, seeking out the door to his father's quarters. The docs probably only restricted him to be safe. They didn't know if Don was contagious or not…and I don't have the cough he did. How do I know what this junk is? I don't. But it might be better to give Sensei some space until I find out for sure. He winced suddenly. I told Leo I'd take his turn with Splinter tonight. Shell. I gotta find some way to handle this properly.
He climbed to his feet slowly and shuffled across the room toward the lab. Raphael cleared his throat painfully before entering the room. His purple-masked brother was hunched over a keyboard and resting his chin in one hand while he scanned the computer screen in front of him.
"Whatcha up to, Genius?"
Donatello spun around in his chair as though Raphael had caught him in the middle of a guilty act. "Um…nothing. I'm reading a few things and trying to form some theories," he murmured evasively. "What's up with you?"
For a second, Raphael considered telling his younger brother that he didn't feel well, but something about the tall stacks of paper on Donny's desk made him hesitate.
"Not much. Are you at some point where you could take a break though? I'm supposed to sit with Sensei tonight, but with the way he's been struggling today…I thought you might do him more good."
Donatello's expression remained unchanged, but Raphael noticed his muscles tense. "I understand that it's not easy to see him like this, Raph….but you shouldn't avoid him either."
"I'm not going to. Will you do this for me, just fer tonight? I'll make it up to you, and to him."
The purple-masked turtle nodded. "Yeah. I've been staring at this screen for too long, in any case." Don got to his feet, stretching his legs. "Are you okay, Raph? You can talk about this, y'know. None of us enjoy watching Sensei suffer."
The red-masked turtle didn't look at him. "I…I will, Donny, but…"
"When you're ready. Try not to stray too far in the meantime, huh? We need you, Raph."
Raphael shook his head at once. "I'm not leaving you guys to deal with this. I ain't gonna abandon Splinter or you."
Donny gave him a hopeful smile. "That's all I need to know."
"And, Don? Could you…not tell Leo that I asked you to do this? Maybe make some excuse for why you're there?"
His brother's forehead creased. "Raph…"
"I'm not asking you to lie outright. If he was to ask, you could come up with a good reason, couldn't you?"
"I can think of something, but—"
"I'm sorry for asking you to do that, Bro, but I don't need Leo on my shell."
"Raph, why can't you tell him what's going on? Nothing stays hidden down here for long."
"He automatically assumes the worst about me, Donny, and I don't want to deal with it tonight." He also don't need to worry about me without a good reason…and neither do you.
"You can't make a habit of this," Don said firmly.
"I'm not gonna. Please, Donny?"
Donatello's eye ridges rose at the use of the word "please". "All right, Raph, I'll do it your way. For now."
The red-masked turtle sighed in relief. "Thanks, Genius."
"Yeah, yeah," Don said under his breath, leaving the room.
Raphael felt bad for asking his brother to deceive Leonardo, but he only needed to buy a little time. I could try to get an opinion from one of the docs, but Luke would probably think he needs to rush down here. Marc on the other hand…
He sat down in one of the desk chairs, spinning half-way around as he thought about calling the man to reveal the symptoms he was dealing with. I guess I have to start somewhere.