A/N: And here we are with yet another drabble! This one is for Turtlefanforlife1982 for they made a request for a Raph centered fic about his leg injury in Attack of the Mega Shredder. I also took the liberty of adding a reference to a deleted scene of Parks and Recreation. If you haven't seen it, watch it, it's really cute XD

I OWN NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! XD

Enjoy!

Side-lined

"Well…this is especially humiliating."

"For you, maybe. I on the other hand, find this quite comfortable."

"Easy for you to say. I'm the one carrying you up this stupid hill!"

Leonardo chuckled at his younger brother's expense as Raphael continued to trudge up the rocky hill. "Ah, well, c'est la vie," the older turtle shrugged, tightening his hold around Raph's neck so he didn't slip off his shell as the path became steeper.

Half an hour earlier, Raphael had suggested that he and Leonardo go out into the forest for a short hike up the hills, and for some time away from the farmhouse. He reasoned that it would do Leo some good, seeing that his leg was doing much better than before, and he still needed loosen up his muscles after spending three long months stuck in a bathtub. Much to Raph's inner delight, Leo agreed to the challenge, and after Donatello advised him to take it easy just in case, the two turtles left the farmhouse and set off for the forest.

The first half of the journey had been rather pleasant, with the two of them exploring the wildlife and simply enjoying each other's company. However, things soon turned sour when they started climbing up a large and steep rocky hill, with Raph explaining to Leo how the view from the top was amazing.

Then Leo's foot got caught on one of the rocks…and it just so happened to be the bad foot.

Leo had gone down with a shrill cry of agony, clutching his aching knee and squeezing his eyes shut to prevent tears of pain from seeping through. Raph had been instantly by Leo's side, supporting him and helping him to stand as best as he could, but to no avail, as Leo could barely put any weight on that foot at all without pain coursing through it like fire.

Disheartened, Leo proposed they turned back and headed home. However, Raphael had other plans. He'd rather be damned than watch his older brother get down and depressed again. And besides, nothing was going to stop them from seeing that view he promised.

So, it was with a little bit of reluctance that Raph got down on one knee and offered to carry Leo on his back for the rest of the way up before going back home. Leo was understandably surprised by this, but it was too good an offer to turn down, so he complied.

Now, they were already past the halfway point, and Leo was very much enjoying the special treatment, much to Raph's growing disdain.

"Ugh! Seriously, Leo," Raph grunted. "Could you stand to lose a few pounds? You're heavier than Mikey! And that's saying something!"

Leo outright laughed at that. "Sorry. Mikey's been making me eat nonstop to get my strength back, even though it's already been a week and a half since I woke up…still, it'd be a lot easier without this stupid leg," he pouted, scowling down at his leg and giving it an experimental stretch.

He hissed in pain. Nope, it was still sore.

"Well, you'd better not get used to this kind of special treatment, buddy," Raph huffed, hoisting Leo a little higher and tightening his arms around his legs when he felt him starting to slip. "Next time, I'm just gonna drag your sorry shell across the dirt."

"How nice of you."

"Shut up. Trust me, soon as that leg heals up, you're walking on your own. No more freebies or piggyback rides, no more watching from the side-lines –"

He realized his mistake too late as he froze, his eyes going wide. Looking over his shoulder, he glanced back at his older brother.

Leo tensed, his eyes turning dull as he looked back down at his leg, almost shamefully.

"…I'm sorry Raph," he muttered sadly. "To be honest, I never should've agreed to this in the first place. With my leg injury, I'm not gonna be able to train with you guys or fight properly…hell, I can't even walk properly. I'm…I'm just a liability." His arms tensed around Raph's neck, not enough to hurt him though as he bit his lip. "…Maybe I should just stay on the side-lines from now on…"

Raph listened in silence all the while, though he was mentally cursing himself for his stupidity upon letting such a sensitive subject slip like that. However, listening to his brother talk about himself like that, like he was no more than a weakling, a burden, a chore…it made his anger burn.

"Leo, I swear if you talk about yourself like that again, so help me I'll toss you down this hill right now myself!" he barked, making Leo jump and blink hard in surprise as Raph craned his neck to look him in the eye, his own emerald gaze burning with defiance.

"You're not a liability, Leo," he continued firmly. "You're our leader. You're our brother. And no stupid leg injury is gonna change that, or make you any less of a warrior or a leader than you are now. Now, shut up and let me concentrate on getting us up this stupid hill so we can see that kickass view I told you about!"

With a huff of determination, Raph resumed the trek up the slope, his brows creased and his mouth set in a firm scowl.

Unbeknownst to him, Leo was still staring at him, his mouth partly open and his blue eyes bewildered at what he'd just heard. Soon however, a warm smile found its way across his face, his eyes brimming with the faintest traces of tears before he closed them, resting his cheek on Raph's left shoulder. "Y'know, that was almost nice of you, Raph," he said softly. "Possibly the nicest thing you've ever said to me. So, thank you…"

Making sure that Leo couldn't see his little grin, Raph huffed again. "Well, don't get used to that either, bro."

1 month later…

"GYAAH!"

With a shrill cry of pain, Raph collapsed to the ground again, panting as he gripped his throbbing leg and squeezed his eyes shut. Immediately, Leo, Mikey, April, Donnie and Casey were at his side, worriedly asking him if he was alright and if he needed to take a minute, to which he waved them all off with a frustrated growl.

"Quit naggin' me, I'll be fine," he snapped, stubbornly endeavoring to stand up on his own again, but ultimately failing as he quickly dropped back onto his knees again. With a snarl, he punched the dojo floor in agitation. "Dammit!" he cursed loudly.

"Raphael! Watch your language," Master Splinter scolded, narrowing his eyes down at his red clad student. After Raph mumbled a half-hearted apology, Splinter sighed and shook his head. "I understand that you are frustrated, my son," he said in a gentler tone as all his children looked up at him. "But you must understand that some wounds take more time to heal than others. You must be patient, and try not to rush things before you make them worse."

Sitting down on his rear, Raph sighed, folding his arms over his chest as he scowled down at the floor. "Hai, Sensei," he replied sullenly, ignoring the reassuring pats on the shell and shoulders from Casey and Mikey. This seriously sucked. It was bad enough that he'd been side-lined from going on missions until his leg healed up – along with the rest of the team, he might add – but now he couldn't even train with them? Sheesh, it'd already been a week since the whole 'Mega-Shredder' thing happened; his leg should've healed by now, right?

He wondered if this was how Leo had felt back at the farmhouse. Not being able to even walk without stumbling...

He looked up at Leo standing beside him with his arms folded, and their eyes met. With a sad smile, Leo shrugged.

He knew exactly what Raph was thinking.

"I believe it would be best if you rest some more, Raphael," Splinter advised, breaking Raph's train of thought. The red masked turtle was ready to object, but a stern look from his father banished the words from his throat before they could even surface.

"Hai, Sensei," he said again, and moved to stand up to head back to his room…only to remember that he couldn't, and he slumped back down again with another moan. "Ah, great," he mumbled.

Before anyone could offer to help him, another sigh was heard. But this time, it wasn't from Raphael.

"Alright, fine," Leonardo said as he walked around Raph and knelt down in front of him, his shell facing him. "If you'll stop complaining, I'll give you a lift."

Everyone in the room, even Master Splinter with a hint of amusement, stared at Leonardo incredulously at the offer he was presenting to the hot-headed turtle. Seriously? He was offering to give him a piggyback ride to his room?

Raph blinked hard. "You're kidding, right?" he barked, sending a glare at Mikey and Casey when they started to snicker behind their hands, and they shut up instantly and scooted behind April and Donnie for protection. Raph then turned back to Leonardo. "Why do you think I would let you do that?!"

Turning his head so that only Raph could see the little grin plastered across his face, Leo shrugged once. "Think of it as me returning the favor," he whispered.

It was then that realization dawned on him, and a soft gasp escaped Raph's lips as the memory flooded back to him…

"…I'm sorry Raph…Maybe I should just stay on the side-lines from now on…"

"You're not a liability, Leo. You're our leader. You're our brother. And no stupid leg injury is gonna change that, or make you any less of a warrior or a leader than you are now. Now, shut up and let me concentrate on getting us up this stupid hill so we can see that kickass view I told you about!"

Upon sensing what Raph was thinking, Leo sent Raph a sly wink, before turning his head back again. "So, you getting on or what?" he asked. "I'm not gonna sit here all day."

At that, Raph rolled his eyes with a snicker as he shook his head. "Alright, whatever," he shrugged, sitting up as much as he was able to as he leaned forwards and wrapped his arms around Leo's neck. "But first I wanna get something to eat, so take me to the kitchen first, will ya?"

"Whatever you say, your highness," Leo smirked sarcastically, hooking his legs underneath Raph's knees. "All aboard!" he quipped, attempting to stand up…

"Oh my god!" he suddenly wheezed, his legs buckling beneath him as he feigned exhaustion from Raph's weight. "You're heavy! What've you been eating?!"

Raph couldn't stop the laugh that burst out of him at Leo's little act. "Sorry I ain't no light-weight, Leo," he cackled, watching Leo grunt with effort. He heard Donnie smirk loudly behind them, but for once, he paid it no mind. In fact, he was actually enjoying himself.

"I'm just kidding," Leo grinned, breaking the act and easily standing up to full height with Raph on his back as he walked towards the exit of the dojo. "I'm so strong."

"Oh my god, Leo, not so fast! Gyah!" Raph squeaked, though he still couldn't stop laughing even as his cheeks heated up with embarrassment. However, despite his 'humiliation' and his out-of-character cheerfulness, his laughter was soon joined by the others as they followed the pair out of the dojo, with Mikey and April asking if Leo could give them a ride next. The ordeal even managed to bring a light chuckle from Splinter as he watched them leave.

That was the first time he'd seen Raphael smile all day. And he was sure that with the love and care that his family provided him with, his wounds would surely heal much faster.