Sick

By: AndiKaneUnderwood

Kamechan98, and all others who read my stories, I do apologize for re-posting the same chapter previously. I completely missed the fact that I'd already posted the chapter. I feel so bad and I am so sorry. Please let me attempt to make amends and post this chapter as a remake.

Again, I do apologize, and I hope you'll forgive me.

Raphael hated being sick. He loathed it with such passion that anyone who didn't know him personally would run screaming when he started snapping and yelling.

Raph hated being sick because it was the time he was most vulnerable.

Raph hated feeling vulnerable.

During the times Raph was sick, he was usually also contagious, so the family had to stay away from him as much as the possibly could (especially the two younger kids, they always caught the viruses the family had. No matter what).

This also, unfortunately, meant that Raph couldn't spend any time with his younger twin brother, Donatello.

How Don could stand this, Raph was unsure. In times that Raph was not sick, Don was the most affectionate person Raph had ever known. It was almost insane.

Not to mention the fact that unless they renewed their connection (by touch) with each other and their powers under times of stress, then the devastation that followed sucked.

But, it never came and never happened, so Raph often asked why.

Don never looked like he was hurting or feeling the effects, so how was he doing it.

Raph wondered, but didn't ask because it was part miracle and part speculation.

And really, he was just glad that Don was okay.

TMNT~TMNT~TMNT

Fever riddled his body, making him weak and tired.

He couldn't find the energy to feel uncomfortable with the sweat and heat crawling down his back and arms and head.

He couldn't breath well, his head was so stopped up, it almost hurt to do anything but lay there.

He thought he heard his door closing, but he couldn't be bothered to open his eyes and find out. He was so tired.

Raph finally found the energy needed to move, just a bit, only to his side, and opened his eyes.

As it turned out, he was right, the shadow of a person crossed his doorway and the door shut silently behind who ever had just been in his room.

Sleep pulled him back underneath the black and Raph found that whoever it was, he couldn't find it in him to care at that moment. He find out who it was later.

TMNT~TMNT~TMNT

When he felt okay enough to be on his feet for a couple minutes (long enough to use the bathroom without help), Raph started becoming more aware, and he went back through his memory to find out who the shadow had been.

He knew it wasn't his father, the height didn't match, and it wasn't his youngest brother for the same reason. He thought that maybe it was Leo, but his older brother would never disobey a direct order from their father. So that left Don or Casey, and Casey was out on vacation with his father and younger sister.

So, it had to be Don. Trouble was, Don caught viruses and colds the fastest, so by default, Don should be laid up in bed, not working in the lab.

Raph figured that it probably didn't mater, but he'd go ask anyways. Just in case he'd been hallucinating.

TMNT~TMNT~TMNT

"Don?" Raph asked, coming into the lab and looking around. His twin had created way too many "way-too-cool" things over the years. The TurtleMech, the TurtleSub, the ShellRaizer, the retro-mutagen, their Power Gauntlets, the TurtleComms, and not to mention the ShellCycle he and Raph had built together.

Raph shook his head then, he had a job, he needed to focus.

"Donny?" Raph asked, delving further into the lab to find his younger twin.

"Back here!" Don called back. "Be careful though, some of the parts are a bit unstable."

"Unstable? Jeez, why do you work with this stuff?" Raph asked, weaving around the unstable parts and moving to the back of the lab to join his brother.

"They're the best materials!" Don replied, holding up a sheet of copper that was twice as big as either of them. "Little help?" He asked, struggling to hold it up as it scooted forwards.

Raph came over and hit it twice, making it flip around, reversing it to go the other way.

Don sighed as it went exactly where it was supposed to. "Thanks." He grinned, pulling his gloves. "So, what's up?"

"You remember when I was sick right? And couldn't get out of bed?" The ginger asked, handing Don the rag to clean off his hands.

"Yeah, you caught an awful cold. I think you should still be in bed though. You just broke your fever yesterday." Don replied, putting his rag back on a table filled with meticulously placed tools.

Raph raised an eyebrow. "I'm fine. I think maybe you should check my head though, I swear I saw someone going out of my room. I wasn't Dad though. Too small."

"Oh, that was me." Don stated causally, walking back to his desk and taking a few notes.

Raph followed him. "That was you?" He asked, almost thankful he wasn't going crazy, but also upset because Don probably caught his cold. "Why'd you go into my room, now your probably sick too." Raph complained.

"Nope." Don took a few more notes, sitting in his rolling chair and rolling over to another monitor.

"No?"

"Nope. You weren't contagious for one, and for two, even if you where, I wasn't in there long enough for you to infect me." Don stood, heading back to the copper plating, but Raph caught him and turned the genius to face him.

"Why'd you go in there when you knew you where risking getting sick?" Raph asked.

Don's eyebrows furrowed. "Raph, you risk everything to take care of me. Why wouldn't be any different when I take care of you?" He asked.

Raph pondered that for a second, searching his brother's eyes for signs of any deception (he wasn't sure why though he knew he wouldn't find any). Then, he surprised his brother and himself by pulling the brunette into a fierce hug.

"I love you, Don." He whispered as Don hugged him back and buried his nose in Raph's shoulder with a huff of a laugh.

"I love you too, Raph. Just don't get sick anytime soon, okay?"

"Okay."

Okay, Kamechan, how's this one? Better? Worse?

Feedback is love!